As the saying goes, those who provide the funds are common, but those with discerning eyes are rare.

This type of artisan is often the most difficult role to find in a tomb-raiding gang, especially a good "eye."

To be able to seek dragons and pinpoint acupoints, to determine locations with the *Fen Jin* compass, one must not only have profound knowledge of *feng shui*, but also be proficient in geological exploration and human history. Those who can do all of this are often erudite and highly respected academic giants. These people cherish their reputation and have the integrity of scholars, and would never associate with grave robbers.

Therefore, there are countless rats all over the country, and the Xiaoling Guards have destroyed nest after nest, but there are only a few "eyes." Adding those from the southern and northern factions together, there are no more than a handful.

These "eyes" do not personally enter the tomb, nor do they easily show their faces. They are only responsible for strategizing from afar.

Those who provide the funds and want to start a job will find ways to contact the "eyes," ask them to determine the location with the *Fen Jin* compass, and then plan and launch their operation.

Of course, as the most sought-after role in this industry, the remuneration for the "eyes" is also quite generous. According to the rules, before starting a job, those who provide the funds will pay the "eyes" a considerable commission, called a "road-seeking fee."

After a successful operation, the "eyes" can often choose one or several of the most valuable treasures from the "yellow goods" (antiques) that are unearthed and keep them for themselves.

In recent years, 99% of the national treasures that have been lost overseas were transferred through the hands of these mysterious "eyes," so the "eyes" are the biggest scourge in the entire tomb-raiding world.

Therefore, when the topic turned to "recognizing eyes," Jiang Yongguang's expression became particularly serious.

The ancient Shu tomb in front of them was at least four thousand years old. The fact that such an ancient and mysterious tomb had not escaped the looting of the rats was enough to show that these rats had found a very skilled "eye."

The Three-Inch Nail Rat did not dare to deceive him and immediately cooperated after hearing the question:

"The 'eye' is a master specially invited from the capital by Shopkeeper Wang, a master among masters—Master Gao!"

Speaking of the three words "Master Gao," the Three-Inch Nail's features all wrinkled together, which showed how respected and well-known this person was in the tomb-raiding world.

Not only him, but I also saw that Jiang Yongguang's expression changed after hearing this person's name. I realized at the time that the name of this "Master Gao" had probably already alarmed the Xiaoling Guards!

Sure enough.

Jiang Yongguang sneered, twisting his mouth:

"Heh heh! I was wondering which discerning old rat could have pinpointed this ancient Shu tomb from thousands of years ago. So it's Master Gao. Not surprising at all..."

Xiao Liang was curious about what he said and couldn't help but ask, "Is this Master Gao so famous?"

Before Jiang Yongguang could answer, Three-Inch Nail抢着抢着抢着搶着抢着抢着抢着 said first:

"Famous? Master Gao is a living god in our industry! Ordinary 'eyes' only pinpoint locations for Ming and Qing tombs, or Tang and Song tombs. More skilled 'eyes' can push it forward a few hundred years, pinpointing Qin and Han tombs, and that's the limit. Even then, they are only accurate seven out of ten times, with three parts relying on luck..."

"Master Gao is different. He doesn't bother with Ming and Qing tombs at all, and doesn't even care for Tang and Song tombs. He starts with the Two Han Dynasties at the very least, with no upper limit. He's never missed a single Spring and Autumn or Warring States period tomb. Not to mention distant cases, this ancient Shu tomb in front of us is at least four thousand years old and is located in this treacherous place of frequent tectonic movement in Sichuan. Master Gao came here once, drifted along the Tuo River twice, and casually pointed, hitting the bullseye! With such heaven-defying skills, you have to admire him!"

Xiao Liang and I were both dumbfounded. If Three-Inch Nail wasn't exaggerating, then this Master Gao could truly be called a living god.

Xiao Liang sighed, "With this skill, he can be considered a national treasure-level master, right? Why does Master Gao have to be a rat that everyone wants to beat? Wouldn't it be better to find a legitimate job?"

Three-Inch Nail sneered, "Heh heh, find a legitimate job? Girl, your knowledge is too shallow. What job can make money faster than being an 'eye'? Do you know how much money my funder paid Master Gao for this trip as a road-seeking fee?"

Xiao Liang asked blankly, "How much?"

Three-Inch Nail made a gesture: "Six million!"

I was completely stunned after hearing that.

Six million!

Even today, seventeen years later, six million is not a small amount!

What's more, it was only 2005 then!

What was the concept of six million in 2005?

New apartments in Beijing's East Third Ring Road were only 6,000 yuan per square meter. Six million could buy ten 100-square-meter apartments in that prime location of Beijing's East Third Ring Road!

Three-Inch Nail was indeed right. What kind of job could make money faster than being an "eye"?

Even if you owned a printing factory, printing six million in cash would take some effort, right?

Just as Xiao Liang and I were marveling at Master Gao's sky-high "road-seeking fee," Jiang Yongguang sneered:

"Heh heh, this is just the road-seeking fee. When you've finished excavating this four-thousand-year-old treasure trove, the fattest meat in the pot will probably have to be offered to him, right?"

Three-Inch Nail nodded, "That's right, that's the rule. Master Gao has extraordinary abilities and pinpointed this treasure land for us, so we should reciprocate and offer Master Gao a few treasures..."

Perhaps wanting to perform well to争取争取争取争取争取 a lenient sentence, or perhaps having opened the floodgates of conversation, the rat主动透露主动透露主动透露主动透露主动透露 a detail without waiting for Jiang Yongguang to ask in detail:

"However, Master Gao is not a greedy person. He has agreed with our funder that although the meat in this pot is rich and plentiful, he will only take one piece. He said that there must be a jade slip in the tomb owner's burial chamber, either inside the tomb owner's coffin, or preserved in the burial pit, or hidden in the mechanisms of the tomb chamber wall. Master Gao only wants that jade slip, and he will not accept any other treasures."

Jiang Yongguang squinted his eyes and asked suspiciously:

"Jade slip? How can Master Gao be sure that there must be a jade slip in this ancient tomb? And why is he so determined to have this jade slip?"

Three-Inch Nail shook his head and said, "I don't know about that. Master Gao is a living god. How can a mortal like me understand his thoughts?"

His expression was calm when he answered, and he didn't seem to be lying or concealing anything. Moreover, after walking through the gates of hell, he wouldn't dare to withhold information.

Jiang Yongguang asked again:

"What's your name? Are you a *tui zi* or a *xia ku*?"

*Tui zi* (legmen) and *xia ku* (laborers) are the backbone of tomb-raiding gangs and also the most numerous types of workers.

Among them, the *tui zi* are mainly responsible for engineering—geological exploration, digging and identifying soil, figuring out the scale and structure of the tomb, selecting the angle and position of the tunnel, how to dig a tunnel that leads directly to the main burial chamber, how to dig a tunnel that avoids机关 avoid collapses and backflow of groundwater...

These are all problems that *tui zi* need to consider.

*Xia ku* are lower-level laborers who completely follow the instructions of the funder and *tui zi*.

They can be further divided into a series of responsibilities such as scouting, keeping watch (also called *fang ka*), digging, spreading soil, and finding treasures. The work they do requires the least technical skill, and the rewards they receive when dividing the spoils are also the least.

Most *xia ku* don't even have the opportunity to get the treasures from the tomb. They can only receive cash from the funder as remuneration.

This is partly because the number of *xia ku* is the largest in the tomb-raiding gang, and there are not enough treasures to distribute to them. On the other hand, it is because these people often have little education. If they are allowed to sell the treasures themselves, they will either go to the antique market and be taken advantage of, or they will be directly arrested by the relevant departments, and they may even implicate other accomplices.