As for Uncle Li!
He also naturally had a complete plan.
His tobacco pouch was a weapon.
He also had a gourd hanging from his waist.
It contained kerosene.
If necessary, he could spray fire to repel enemies.
He was also carrying a mattock.
He looked just like a farmer going to work in the fields.
The two of them were dressed in the most ordinary way possible.
They looked as if they had no threat at all.
The mountain road was difficult to navigate at night.
But Old Li had walked it many times and was as familiar as he was with his own backyard.
Zhang Chen’s footwork had also greatly improved since he had practiced the Ghost Shadow Misty Steps.
He was no slouch in speed.
They left the village and walked for two or three miles.
Then they entered the mountains.
They could hear the occasional wolf howl.
It was quite eerie.
Zhang Chen held his breath, focusing his attention as he followed Old Li deeper into the mountains.
They followed a small path for a while.
Then Old Li stopped and said, “We’re here!”
Zhang Chen looked up and saw a tomb in front of them.
They had arrived at the mass grave.
“We’re meeting them here?”
Zhang Chen asked.
“Yes!”
Old Li nodded and said, “The people who are paying us said they’d meet us here, and we’d lead them into the mountains and find them a place!”
Zhang Chen’s heart sank.
“Could it be grave robbers?”
He couldn’t blame himself for thinking that.
In this day and age, the only way to get rich was to go off the beaten path.
Among them,
theft, robbery, looting, and grave robbing were the four major off-the-beaten-path ways to make a living.
Theft was naturally for thieves.
They were also known as “flying thieves”.
They mostly operated in cities, but there were also some in poor rural areas, though it was rarer, because no matter how much you stole, you couldn’t make a fortune.
Robbery and looting were essentially the same.
But they differed in scale.
Robbery referred to ordinary bandits who stopped travelers and robbed merchants and ordinary people along the road.
They could make a small fortune, but the risk was small.
Looting, on the other hand, usually involved establishing a stronghold in the mountains and then raiding villages, or what people commonly referred to as “mountain bandits”.
As for grave robbing.
It was naturally about robbing graves.
However, these four methods were often intertwined, and it was difficult to distinguish them.
Changsheng Mountain was an example.
“More than likely!”
Old Li said.
“These guys are pretty vicious!”
Zhang Chen frowned.
“Yes, so be careful!”
Old Li warned, “Don’t let your guard down!”
Zhang Chen nodded.
After the first watch of the night.
Around ten o’clock.
They suddenly saw four people walking toward them from the front.
These four people were also dressed in plain clothes.
But they were each carrying cloth bags.
They were filled with quite a bit of stuff.
As they walked, they were vigilant, looking like they were not on the right path.
They saw the two of them from far away.
Then they left two behind.
The other two walked towards them.
When Old Li saw them coming.
He quickly put on a smile, greeted them, and bowed low, saying, “Gentlemen, have you arrived?”
“Yes!”
The leader of the group was short and about thirty-four or five years old.
But he was thin.
His eyes were bright and cunning, even in the darkness.
He looked at Old Li, then at Zhang Chen, and said, “Is this your disciple?”
“Yes!”
Old Li nodded, “We know this area very well, and the place you are looking for is really difficult to find without us to guide you.”
The man just nodded, without saying anything more.
He glanced at the man beside him.
The man nodded subtly and walked over, handing ten silver dollars to Old Li.
“This is half, and the other half will be given to you when the job is done!”
The man said.
“Thank you, gentlemen!”
Old Li was overjoyed.
He accepted the money and turned to Zhang Chen, saying, “Come on, let’s lead the way!”
Zhang Chen nodded.
...
In the darkness.
The group walked deeper into the mountain.
Actually, Zhang Chen was not familiar with this area.
He had only been here once or twice.
And he had never ventured this deep.
But Old Li knew this area very well.
He knew every grave and every ditch in the mountain.
He was able to take on this job because he was confident in his ability to navigate this area.
They walked for over an hour.
Then Old Li stopped and turned to the four men, saying, “This part of the road is easy, but the road ahead is not so easy, so let’s take a break. We should reach our destination in about an hour!”
“Alright!”
The leader nodded.
Then they rested on the spot.
Old Li also sat down on the ground and took a swig from his water bag.
Zhang Chen sat in front of him and also had a drink to replenish himself.
Seeing that they were not paying attention to them.
Zhang Chen whispered in his ear, “I smell a bit of earthy scent!”
Old Li quickly silenced him.
Making sure that they were downwind and couldn’t hear them, he nodded and said, “I also smelled it. It’s definitely from the grave robbers, and the sacks are probably filled with tools!”
Zhang Chen frowned and said, “I don’t understand. Why did they bring us along? This kind of job is supposed to be the most taboo thing to tell outsiders!”
Old Li also nodded.
At the time, he had only said there was a job.
And that it was in the mountains.
He was broke and hungry at the time, so when there was an opportunity, he naturally wanted to grab it.
Now, along the way.
It did seem strange.
Even blood brothers could turn against each other over grave robbing.
Let alone outsiders?
“Let’s take things one step at a time. If it doesn’t work out, ten silver dollars is still ten silver dollars!”
Old Li said.
He was confident.
He was sure that he could return from these mountains safe and sound.
Zhang Chen nodded.
That was all they could do.
After a short rest.
Old Li lit a pipe.
He tapped the bowl of the pipe against a stone, knocking off the ash.
He stood up and said to the four men, “Gentlemen, let’s continue our journey!”
“Alright!”
The four men, who were not very talkative, just nodded and stood up, carrying their bags, following Old Li deeper into the mountains.
After the second watch of the night.
Old Li stood on the mountaintop and pointed to the slope in the distance, saying, “We’re here, the Biaozi Ridge is right in front of us!”
The leader nodded.
But Zhang Chen was startled.
Biaozi Ridge?
Changsha?
Oh my god!
Isn’t this the Blood Corpse Tomb?
Thinking this, he turned around and looked.
But he frowned.
The book said that the Blood Corpse Tomb was looted by Wu Lao Gou, his second brother, his uncle, and his grandfather, all from the Old Nine Gates.
An accident had occurred during the process.
Only Wu Lao Gou survived.
But…
These people in front of him didn’t look like they were from the Old Nine Gates.
Also…
The Old Nine Gates were still in Changsha.
Could it be Wu San Sheng?
But that didn’t seem right either.
They didn’t look like him.
As he was thinking about this.
Old Li said with a smile, “Gentlemen, we’ve brought you to this place. Now, about the other half…”
He smiled and reached out for the money.
“What’s the hurry, we’ll give it to you when it’s done!”
The leader said, “Do you think you’re getting twenty silver dollars just for guiding us?”
Old Li was a little embarrassed.
It was true.
Twenty silver dollars was no small sum.
Just for guiding them, it shouldn’t be that much.
Even for one silver dollar, there would be plenty of people willing to do it.
“What else do you want us to do, gentlemen?”
Old Li asked cautiously.
“Grave robbing, going down to the tomb!”
The leader said calmly.
Old Li’s face changed instantly.
Zhang Chen’s face also darkened.
It’s the Blood Corpse Tomb!