General of the Heavens

They continued down the mountain, winding their way to the entrance of Ping Mountain, where they saw a natural stone gate with a hollow rock, which the locals called the "Earth Gate".

Ping Mountain is surrounded by dense peaks and forests, with layers of mountains. Although it is much smaller than those towering mountains, it is still a stone mountain several hundred feet high.

"Brother Chen, everyone has seen the entire Ping Mountain. Searching for the entrance aimlessly is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Do you have any good ideas?"

Ning Chen, feeling flustered, asked Chen Yulou, "Tomb raiding seems exciting, but it's even more exciting when you actually do it."

But if you don't know anything, that would be awkward. You'd be looking at a mountain of treasures but helpless. Ning Chen made up his mind that once this matter was over, he had to systematically learn tomb raiding skills from Chen Yulou and Partridge Whistle.

What? It's a sectarian thing, not to be shared with outsiders?

Ning Chen laughed. Partridge Whistle didn't want the Muchen Pearl anymore? Chen Yulou didn't want to know where there were easier ancient tombs to rob? Luo Laowai didn't want to expand his power anymore?

Ning Chen had a whole host of ways to control them, and besides, given his status as the successor of the Tomb Raider General, exchanging pointers and advice was quite easy for him…

.........

Turning back, Chen Yulou shook his head and said, "Brother Ning, you are still so young. I don't know how you became the General of the Tomb Raiders. Let me tell you the story."

The techniques of tomb raiding are nothing more than "observation, listening, questioning, and palpation"! Sometimes you can tell just by looking at the place name, such as "mausoleum village," "tomb estate," "hill town," "grave gully," "burial ridge," etc.

Place names like these often hold hidden meanings, frequently indicating large burial grounds, as many villages are named after ancient people buried in the area.

Ning Chen nodded: "I know that. In my hometown, there is a village called Sanling. There are indeed large ancient tombs underground, but the archaeological team has already found them."

Upon hearing the word "ancient tomb," Luo Laowai's eyes lit up. But when he learned that they'd beaten him to it, he cursed, "What the hell is this archaeological team? If it were me, I'd rob them!"

Ning Chen's lips twitched. "You'll understand later. Archaeological teams are basically legal tomb raiding, with government support. Can you imagine?"

Chen Yulou said, "Could it be something like Cao Cao's generals of tomb raiding and tomb robbery? But in this world, who dares to defy public opinion?"

my country's earliest archaeological team was established in the 1950s, after the founding of the People's Republic of China, so Chen Yulou and others were naturally unaware of it.

Ning Chen changed the subject, "Let's not talk about that for now. The reason Brother Chen believes there's an ancient tomb in this Ping Mountain is largely due to the 'asking' technique, right?"

Chen Yulou nodded: "Not bad!"

Before this, Ning Chen and his group dressed up and "asked" some clues from the local Miao elders.

However, extracting the desired information requires considerable skill and experience, something not everyone can do.

At least Ning Chen was just a passerby throughout the whole process.

Chen Yulou mastered the art of "asking," using it to his fullest extent. Among the four methods of "observation, listening, questioning, and palpation," he could extract information from people, which was still considered a method of "asking."

The method of the "asking" technique is not about asking people, but about "asking the heavens and divining." It involves using divination to calculate the location of the ancient tomb in order to dig a tunnel to reach the outer coffin, or to predict the auspiciousness or inauspiciousness of tomb raiding activities.

However, Chen Yulou was not good at these ancient techniques. Although he understood the principles behind them, they often failed to work when he tried to use them. It is said that only the tomb raiders and tomb raiders knew the methods of "observation and inquiry".

Unfortunately, Ning Chen couldn't do anything.

However, Chen Yulou also possessed some real skills; he was proficient in all the weapons and techniques passed down through generations of the Unloading Ridge bandits.

With a thorough understanding of the lesser methods of "observation, auscultation, inquiry, and palpation," he traveled extensively over the years, robbing quite a few ancient tombs.

Ning Chen asked, "Brother Chen, it seems you're going to use the observation and smelling techniques from tomb raiding next?"

Chen Yulou nodded proudly: "Of course, Brother Ning, I'm not bragging, but there are very few people in the world better than me at observation and auscultation!"

Ning Chen curled his lip. This guy was really good at pretending. Hong Gu Niang's eyes were practically brimming with desire as she looked at him. Partridge Whistle was in danger...

"Getting closer makes it easier to employ your methods!"

After Chen Yulou finished speaking, he took the lead and walked ahead.

As the group ascended the mountain, the weather became somewhat gloomy. By the time they reached the halfway point, the rainbow-like aura that had been appearing and disappearing among the mountains had completely vanished.

As the rain and mist began to rise, the shapes of the mountains and the shadows of the trees became hazy and indistinct, but the enthusiasm of the group for tomb raiding remained as fiery as ever.

Despite being the leader of the Mountain Moving Clan, Partridge Whistle couldn't find the exact location of the ancient tomb, rendering his skills useless. He could only drift along like Ning Chen.

Hua Ling was captivated by the beautiful scenery of Ping Mountain: "So beautiful! Ping Mountain is truly a fairyland hidden in ever-changing clouds and mist!"

"Hey, nothing beats a beautiful woman..."

Luo Laowai was an unreliable old rogue who, besides being concerned about tomb raiding, always tried to get close to the two girls in the group.

But upon seeing the murderous glare in the girl's eyes, he couldn't help but shrink back, feeling listless and frustrated at his failed attempt to steal food.

"It's a miracle that this old bastard didn't die from a woman's belly!" Ning Chen didn't know how Luo Laowai had gotten to his current position.

As we walked and made noise, we found that on this tilted and crooked mountain, there were two peaks. One was a relatively flat shoulder of the mountain with a very wide ravine.

The group looked around for a long time but saw neither a giant python nor a zombie. The guide's earlier prediction had not come true at all.

He had never been up the mountain in his life, and all he knew about Ping Mountain was hearsay. This angered Luo Laowai so much that he wanted to shoot him, but Chen Yulou stopped him.

Seeing the lush vegetation on the mountain, Chen Yulou tried to use the "look" technique—observing mud marks to determine the color of the grass—but it was impossible to pinpoint the location of the ancient tomb's underground palace.

Moreover, Ping Mountain is solid and not an ordinary earthen mound. It would be difficult to unload the soil layer by layer to the underground palace and tomb passage, even if tens of thousands of soldiers were mobilized.

Chen Yulou decided to use the "smell" technique.

"Commander Luo, fire a few shots into the ravine!"

Luo Laowai knew that Chen Yulou was going to get serious. He had followed Chen Yulou for many years and knew a little about his methods.

"Alright, watch this!"

Luo Laowai aimed the pistol at the bottom of the ravine and pulled the trigger, firing a shot that echoed through the valley for a long time.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Chen Yulou used the "Hearing" technique, specifically the method of "listening to the wind and thunder" to "distinguish the dragon from the mountain." He was born with exceptionally keen senses, and there were few others in the world who possessed such abilities.

At this moment, Chen Yulou pressed himself against the wall and listened intently. He heard a distant, eerie sound coming from the bottom of the mountain, as if there were a space as large as a city.

He was delighted and listened intently. When Luo Laowai fired the next six bullets into the deep ravine, Chen Yulou could roughly make out the outlines of several tomb passages and three underground palaces!

If Ning Chen hadn't witnessed such tomb raiding techniques firsthand, he probably wouldn't have believed it even if he were beaten to death. It's said that extraordinary people emerge one after another in the folk, and Ning Chen truly believed it!

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