The yellow weasel did not escape Yun Ye’s clutches. The extremely excited Weichi Baolin used ox tendon to bind all four of its limbs together in a reverse suspension, tying it up securely. Two guards threaded a wooden pole through the middle and carried it as they walked.

Yun Ye fiddled with the items he had confiscated from this fellow. Donkey hooves? Oh! Still fresh too, probably from some villager’s donkey. Glutinous rice? For warding off evil—all top-quality glutinous rice at that, each grain plump and round, feeling slippery and smooth in his hand.

A gold crown? The craftsmanship was a bit crude. Melt it down and turn it into gold ingots—at least it would have some use then.

A luminous pearl? Good heavens! Yun Ye’s hand trembled, and with a “crack,” it fell to the ground. In the darkness of night, it emitted a green glow that seemed to pulse and contract. His first instinct was to run, but after another glance, he laughed. It was fluorite, not a radioactive element. Back at the Mining Research Institute, he’d developed this old phobia from being frightened by radiation sources. That damned old professor, trying to prove the existence of radioactivity, had used a radiation source to irradiate ordinary fluorite. As a result, ordinary fluorite would also glow in the darkness. This was how fake luminous pearls were made—utterly unconscionable. Whoever possessed one would have bad luck.

Zhangsun Chong and Li Huairen drooled profusely, looking extremely covetous.

“Don’t even think about it. This thing isn’t any good. It looks like a treasure, but it’s actually just an ordinary stone—fluorite. Ever heard of it?”

Everyone shook their heads like rattle drums.

“When irradiated by a strange type of light, it glows at night. There are orange-red ones, bright red ones, and ones like this green one. We don’t know whether this particular item has been exposed to such light, but have you ever heard of anyone who possessed such a thing living a long life? It’s not a matter of treasures going to the virtuous—this thing simply isn’t a treasure that grants longevity. It damages one’s lifespan. Remember this, remember this.” Yun Ye earnestly deceived the several students who had followed along.

“Then, Ye-zi, what do you plan to do with this thing?” Zhangsun Chong was somewhat reluctant to give up his greedy intentions.

“Naturally, I need to dispose of it. Gold and jade cannot satisfy hunger or quench thirst—what use are they? I’ve heard there are countless wealthy foreign merchants in Chang’an City. Using this thing to exchange for resources we can actually use is the proper course of action.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. Better to harm outsiders—who told them to have mountains of gold and seas of silver without limit?

At the Academy, Li Gang, Yushan, Yuanzhang, Lishi, and several other elders had not yet retired for the night. They all sat in the gatehouse drinking wine while waiting for the students and guards to return. Old Niu laughed heartily.

“Old Li, you don’t need to worry. Those young fellows Yun Ye, Zhangsun Chong, and Li Huairen have been trained by this old man for quite some time. This old man knows their temperaments best. They’re just going to catch a thief—what’s there to be concerned about?”

“They are this old man’s disciples, and they have youthful temperaments. Sometimes they’re inevitably a bit impetuous. What if…”

The door was pushed open by Huozhu, who called out excitedly, “They caught him, they caught him! The young master caught a tomb raider!”

The several old men hurriedly came to the Academy gate to look. They saw over a dozen people returning from down the mountain carrying torches.

Only then did Li Gang set his mind at ease. He sat in the chair Huozhu had brought over and patted his legs to relax.

Yun Ye cheerfully handed the donkey hoof to Li Gang and said, “Master was worried that his disciples would go astray. Now you need not worry, right? Though they have many faults, they’re absolutely not bad eggs.”

Li Gang looked at the black donkey hoof in his hand and nodded with gratification. His disciples had not disappointed him.

“Young fellow, what did you gain?” Old Niu, gripping his wine jug, took a big swig and asked Yun Ye.

“One tomb raider, one gold crown, and two luminous pearls.” After speaking, he took out the confiscated items to show the several elders.

“Eh, this gold crown likely has some background. Brother Yushan, look at the kui-dragon pattern on it. It’s probably quite old—definitely not from the Former Sui dynasty.” Master Lishi, who had followed them out, exclaimed in surprise, seeming to have made a discovery.

“It’s merely the gold crown of Liu Qu, the Prince of Guangchuan from the Han dynasty. What’s so surprising about that? This Liu Qu committed countless evil deeds, plundering others’ tombs. After his death, his own tomb being robbed was simply karmic retribution. Why are you so startled, Brother Lishi?” Master Yushan maintained his unhurried manner as usual.

“How could you tell at a glance that this is the gold crown of Prince Liu Qu of Guangchuan? We’ve been acquainted for decades, yet this is the first time I’ve heard of this ability of yours.” Master Lishi was somewhat puzzled.

“There’s a huge name written on the gold crown—didn’t you see it?” The several old men amused themselves with their banter, completely ignoring the two brilliantly glowing luminous pearls.

“Esteemed masters, why do you disregard the luminous pearls?” Zhangsun Chong asked Masters Yushan and the others.

“Away, away! This is not an auspicious object. Young fellow, asking too much is of no benefit. This thing should be disposed of as soon as possible.” Li Gang said impatiently.

Zhangsun Chong and Li Huairen exchanged glances and abandoned their thoughts of claiming it for themselves.

The old masters ignored the tomb raider. One must know that in the Tang dynasty, those who robbed others’ tombs or destroyed bricks were exiled three thousand li, while those who broke open coffins were strangled. They were unwilling to participate in Yun Ye’s talent recruitment plan and naturally pretended not to know.

Li Gang said to Yun Ye, “If you want to train beasts, you must have the means to train beasts. Handle it well yourself.”

After speaking, he and the several old brothers who were yawning returned to their rooms to sleep.

“What do you want a tomb raider for?” Old Niu was somewhat concerned.

“To dig holes! To dig mine shafts. If his techniques are spread throughout the world, many people will die less often. Especially since this young fellow wants to mine—this type of person is indispensable.” There was nothing to hide from Old Niu.

Old Niu always felt assured about Yun Ye. Hearing that what he said made sense, he stopped asking and turned to go to sleep.

For a moment, only Yun Ye, Zhangsun Chong, Li Huairen, Weichi Baolin, and two guards carrying the unconscious tomb raider remained at the Academy gate.

“Brothers Zhangsun and Liu, Brother Weichi, do you have any interest in watching me perform a trick?”

—

Yellow Weasel awoke from unconsciousness to find himself naked and firmly bound to a wooden board. He wasn’t unfamiliar with the disaster of imprisonment, but he couldn’t understand how he, being so careful, had still been ambushed. Even those who hunt birds all day long will eventually have their eyes pecked by a bird. He sighed inwardly and prepared to accept the torture that was about to come.

The room was very quiet, with only his own rapid breathing and nothing else.

This was underground—he was very familiar with it. The damp earthy smell calmed him down. He looked left and right. There was no one. The pair of bright eyes he’d seen upon emerging from the tomb made him inexplicably nervous. That was a gaze that saw through everything. “Engineer? What is that?” He couldn’t help but speak aloud.

“It’s a profession—a profession with status and responsibility. Much better than being a tomb raider. Don’t you want to try it?” The sudden voice made Yellow Weasel instantly tense. This was the voice of that person at the tomb entrance. He wouldn’t forget it.

Following the sound, he saw a young gentleman of fifteen or sixteen holding a wooden tray, standing in the doorway looking at him with a grin.

“Young master’s methods are brilliant. This Yellow Weasel concedes defeat. I just don’t know where I revealed a flaw that the young master saw through, leading to this disaster for this humble one.”

“Donkey hooves—black donkey hooves at that. When the villagers said someone had cut off the hooves of their black donkey, I knew a gold-touching captain had arrived here. As long as one carefully searches the nearby luxurious tombs, it’s not hard to discover your tracks.” Yun Ye told the truth.

“Could it be that the young master is also someone from the same profession? This Yellow Weasel admits defeat. Everything taken tonight shall belong to the young master.” Yellow Weasel was quite straightforward.

“You think that I, a dignified founding County Marquis, would be a tomb raider?”

Yellow Weasel only felt his ears buzzing. He had actually attracted the attention of a marquis. For a moment, he didn’t know whether to feel proud or sorrowful.

“Oh, by the way, I examined the tunnel you dug. A tunnel twenty zhang deep, yet you managed to dig it underground without the slightest deviation, with no excess, avoiding the hard tamped earth and heading straight for the coffin chamber. I have to say—excellent craftsmanship. I want to know how your skills work. May I?”

Yellow Weasel’s pupils contracted as he gritted his teeth and said, “This is my family’s hereditary means of livelihood. How can it be shown to others? Young master should abandon such delusions.”

“Another bad habit of treasuring one’s worn-out broom. But having fallen into my hands, I’m afraid it’s not up to you, is it?”

“Ha ha ha! I, Yellow Weasel, have traveled north and south—what kind of person haven’t I seen? Don’t try to scare me with big talk. I, Yellow Weasel, have but a worthless life. If you want it, take it. But my ancestors’ skills will not fall into the hands of someone like you.” Yellow Weasel felt somewhat desperate, but if the hereditary skills were given to the authorities, what would the remaining gold-touching captains eat? Those were all his brothers and sisters. He clenched his teeth, preparing to resist stubbornly.

Yun Ye set down the wooden tray. On it were a small knife, bamboo skewers, hemp paper, and a syringe. He was very excited, wanting to see if the methods he’d learned from movies could intimidate this damned tomb raider…