Chapter 5: Breaking Ground

That evening, four more people arrived at the inn—three men and one woman.

The woman was in charge of our logistics. She was in her thirties, with a slightly provocative smile and a black mole under her eye. She was nicknamed "One-Mole" in the trade, and I later heard that her goal was to sleep with one hundred men before turning forty.

"Oh, look, new blood! He’s so young—I wonder if he’s 'small' down there too..." One-Mole said, smiling at me.

"That’s enough, Xiaohong. Don't scare him. The kid is young and has potential; with two years of training, he might actually make something of himself," Boss Wang said, stepping in to save me.

The three men were brothers, all surnamed Sun. By age, they were Sun the Eldest, Sun the Second, and Sun the Third. Boss Wang mentioned that the Second and Third brothers were well-known in the industry. They could work a Luoyang shovel with incredible finesse and possessed a unique skill called "flying needle soil detection," which was particularly effective for exploring deep pits.

Sun the Eldest held two roles: lookout and sales. My first impression of him was that he was steady and honest. It wasn't until later that I realized those who appear the most honest are often the sharpest, keeping their eyes and ears open to handle any emergencies.

Southwest of Shunfeng Mountain Park in Shunde, there is a small gully that locals call Moth Mountain. Boss Wang said the large pit was located halfway up the hillside.

I asked him, "Boss, how do you know there’s a large pit halfway up the mountain?"

Boss Wang blew a smoke ring, narrowed his eyes, and told me, "Yunfeng, look for the clouds and the peaks, the locks and the crossbars, distributed on both sides. High mountains and flat plains, the great pit lies in between."

At the time, it sounded like gibberish, and I couldn't understand a word. It wasn't until I had memorized the *Classic of Burial* and Boss Wang had passed on his years of geomantic experience that I realized those four short lines perfectly summarized the feng shui advantages of Moth Mountain.

That night, just past one in the morning, we carried our heavy bags to the slope of Moth Mountain. Seeing an old cedar tree, Boss Wang stamped his foot and said excitedly, "Second, Third, this is it. Take a sample first to test the ground. If there are stones, use the needles!"

Sun the Second nodded and pressed his shoulder radio: "Eldest, get ready to eat. Are there any guests nearby?"

The radio’s red light flickered, and Sun the Eldest’s low voice came through: "All clear. Light the stove."

Confident that the area was deserted, a flicker of excitement crossed Sun the Second's eyes. He took off his pack and pulled out a short rod, followed by a curved, semi-circular shovel head.

Boss Wang told me, "Yunfeng, these are our tools of the trade. Times are changing, and we have to keep up. The Luoyang shovel is now made into detachable sections; once stored in the bag, no one can tell what they are."

*Click, click, click.* Sun the Second expertly assembled the shovel. Once connected, it was quite long—over eight meters.

"Second brother, this is a deep pit. Is this long enough? I have more in my bag if it's not," Sun the Third asked.

"Don't panic, Third. Any longer and it’s too hard to handle. We’re just checking the soil structure down there for now."

"Yunfeng, come here and help me steady it," Sun the Second beckoned.

I ran over to help him hold the shovel steady. Then, Sun the Second unzipped his trousers, pulled out his "little brother" in front of me, and started to relieve himself. After he finished, he shuddered and pulled up his pants.

He squatted down, stared at the spot for a moment, and frowned. "No good. There are rocks down there. We need to move."

"Little Yunfeng, go stand where I was and take a leak."

Though confused, I did as I was told.

"Heh," Sun the Second laughed. "Youngsters really have high energy! Look at that yellow stream."

He stared at the ground where I had watered for two minutes, then nodded. "This spot is it. Fewer rocks—let’s get to work!"

He had immense strength, driving the shovel ten centimeters deep with every thrust, continuously bringing up soil. As the shovel went deeper, I noticed the color of the soil changing—it had turned dark.

I asked, "Second brother, look! The soil is turning black. Have we hit the target?"

"Not yet. This isn't the soil we want; it's just decomposed tree roots. Useless."

The hole went deeper.

"Damn, this is tough! The rod isn't long enough. Third, add an extension!"

As the rod lengthened, the shovel probed further. An hour later, it brought up a layer of white clay, followed by hints of blue-green clay.

Sun the Second took a sniff of the soil and suddenly became agitated.

"Damn! Boss Wang! This kid is a lucky charm! I haven't seen a pit like this in two years!"

"One shovel hit the rammed earth layer, white clay mixed with blue-green clay!"

"It’s either a Western Zhou nobleman or a minor vassal king!"

"We’re going to be rich!"

"Shh! Keep your voice down, Second brother," Sun the Third warned.

Sun the Second ignored him, waving his hand. "It’s just that I haven't seen the 'blue-and-white' in years. I hope it’s a fresh pot."

"A fresh pot" meant the tomb hadn't been looted yet. That was the only way to make a fortune.

Boss Wang spoke quietly: "It’s all luck. Even if it’s a used pot, as long as there’s a scrap of meat left inside, the trip won't be in vain."

"But this is a Western Zhou pit! What if we find a Square Zun with Four Rams or a bronze ritual vessel?"

"Haha, Boss, you’re a dreamer. If we actually found something like that, we wouldn't dare sell it—we’d be hunted down." Sun the Second pressed the radio. "Eldest, Boss says there might be a Square Zun in here. Do you have a contact for that?"

The radio’s red light flickered, and a burst of static came through.

"Square Zun, my ass! I don't want a bullet in my head. Get to work!"

The Sun brothers were famous for their genuine skill. Based on the soil structure from that single shovel, they could mentally map out the conditions of the pit below. Because it was so ancient, such tombs usually had collapses. Trying to dig a straight line to the main chamber with your eyes closed was a fantasy; you’d likely end up off-course and miss the grave goods entirely.

Therefore, the safest method was to follow the top of the tomb passage and then choose whether to head into the side chambers or the main chamber.

The second and third brothers worked in tandem with the cyclone shovel, and it was time for me to do my part. My job was to scatter the soil. But I couldn't just scatter it anywhere; the hole was over ten meters deep, and I couldn't possibly carry all that dirt away.

Soil that matched the surrounding color was scattered in place, becoming virtually invisible. My responsibility was the soil excavated from the rammed earth layers—the white and blue-green clay. Because their color stood out so sharply against the natural soil, I had to scatter them widely so no trace remained.

Since people were farming all over the mountains, we couldn't just throw the blue and white clay around. We had to pile it to the side and dispose of it properly when dawn approached.