The Underworld Palace has always been the resting place for the coffins of the deceased. The “Book of Burial” clearly states that the Underworld Palace, also known as the Hall of Compassion, is the core of the tomb. Whether for joint burial or individual burial, the deceased should be dressed in ceremonial robes and laid to rest in the coffin, which is then covered with a lid. Even if, for some reason, the body cannot be placed inside the coffin, the clothing and accessories worn by the deceased during their lifetime would still be placed inside the coffin for burial.
In short, while a body may be absent, the coffin must always be present in the palace. Throughout history, tomb raiders have never disturbed the coffin, and given the limited space of the tunnel, it would be impossible to remove even a small coffin through it.
My understanding of the situation was once again turned upside down. I couldn’t figure out what had happened. Could it be that the coffin had evaporated into thin air?
The three of us were quite shocked. Big Gold Tooth, quick-witted as always, stood behind me and said, “Old Hu, take a look at this Underworld Palace. Besides the missing coffin, what else seems off?”
I squinted and carefully examined the palace from top to bottom. Not only was there no coffin, but it could be said that there was nothing at all. The ground was empty; there were no burial items, not even a stray stone.
However, the scale and structure of the Underworld Palace were impressive, resembling a grand Tang Dynasty royal tomb. The architecture was circular on top and square at the bottom, with sharp edges and a stable, neat appearance. The roof resembled a yurt, reflecting the ancient cosmology of the time.
On the ground, there were six stone platforms, all empty. Yet, both Big Gold Tooth and I knew that these platforms were meant for placing six types of jade used in rituals, a privilege reserved for royal family members.
The walls of the Underworld Palace were not entirely bare; they featured some preliminary sketches of murals, done in simple line art without color. The murals depicted the sun, moon, and stars, with a focus on thirteen palace maids. Some maids held ornate boxes, others carried jade vessels, and some played musical instruments. They were all plump, showcasing a vibrant scene of Tang Dynasty court life.
Since the murals were only sketched and not painted, I had never seen anything like it before. I turned to Big Gold Tooth, hoping his decades of experience with antiques would shed some light on their meaning.
Big Gold Tooth shook his head repeatedly. “This is truly strange. From these murals, it’s clear that this tomb was meant for someone of great importance in the court, likely a concubine or a princess. But these murals…”
Noticing that Big Gold Tooth had trailed off, I asked, “Are the murals unfinished? Did they just stop halfway?”
He nodded. “Yes, it seems they are indeed unfinished. But this is highly unusual… No, it’s downright illogical.”
It is rare for a royal tomb to be left incomplete. Even if there were political upheavals or the deceased became a victim of political schemes, it would rarely be publicized. The deceased would still be buried according to their status. Such a grand tomb is only fitting for a royal family member, and emperors are aware that family scandals should not be exposed. The secrets of the palace are not easily shared; those who need to be dealt with are handled discreetly, and the burial is carried out as planned.
Seeing that I couldn’t make sense of the situation, I took out a candle and lit it in the southeast corner of the Underworld Palace. The candle’s light was dim, but the flame stood straight, showing no signs of extinguishing. Feeling a bit reassured, I called Big Gold Tooth and Fatty to check the front hall.
To save energy, we only turned on one flashlight. Fortunately, there was nothing in the tomb to trip over. The three of us led two large white geese through the stone door of the Underworld Palace and entered the front hall.
In ancient Chinese tomb design, the Underworld Palace is the most important part, followed by the front hall. The arrangement of the front hall follows the tradition of “treating the dead as if they were alive.” This practice has been passed down through generations, continuing until the end of the Qing Dynasty, with the only difference being the scale.
The front hall is designed to resemble the deceased’s living quarters. If the deceased lived in a palace, the front hall must be built to look like a real palace. Of course, apart from the emperor, other royal family members could only have a portion of their living space preserved in the front hall. It is impossible for every royal member to have a palace built in their tomb; only those who have ascended to the throne deserve such grandeur.
Although Big Gold Tooth, Fatty, and I all work in this field, we had never encountered a genuine grand tomb before. Today, we happened to stumble upon one. If we were to dig, we would never attempt such a large ancient tomb; at most, we would settle for a noble’s grave.
This was partly due to our lack of advanced skills to create a tunnel and enter from a hidden spot. Another reason was that we simply didn’t want to disturb such a massive tomb. Even a single item taken from here could cause a huge uproar, attracting unwanted trouble.
Today was a stroke of luck; we found an existing tunnel that allowed us to enter this grand tomb. We never expected the Underworld Palace to be empty, and now the tunnel we came through was inexplicably sealed. We only wanted to check the front hall for clues to find a way out.
As we entered the front hall, we were once again taken aback. The hall was even larger, but the construction of the pavilions and chambers was only half-finished and had been abandoned.
The front hall was indeed built like an ancient palace, but many important parts were incomplete, merely framed without proper structure. The stone door leading to the underground chamber was sealed, and the walls were made of massive stone slabs, with gaps filled with iron and reinforced with iron bars the size of duck eggs. In the center of the front hall, there was a small fountain, still bubbling with water.
I pointed at the fountain and said to Big Gold Tooth, “Look at this little fountain; this is what we call a ‘coffin spring.’ In a tomb with good Feng Shui, having a spring like this is exceptional. The dragon vein must rely on the terrain. When I first looked at the Feng Shui of this ancient tomb, I thought it was a dragon vein, but the shape of the mountain had been eroded by wind and rain, turning a once auspicious dragon into a worthless one. However, now it seems that this place has a rare hidden spring, with a constant flow of water that neither overflows nor dries up. This indicates a good burial site for a woman, as her descendants will surely benefit from it.”
Big Gold Tooth replied, “Oh, so this is what we call a coffin spring? I’ve heard of it but never seen one. If the Feng Shui here is intact, it makes it even stranger that the construction is only half-finished and the deceased hasn’t been buried.”
I said, “Strange things happen every year, but today there are particularly many. Even the front hall is unfinished, which is truly hard to understand.”
Fatty chimed in, “I don’t find it surprising. Maybe there was a war at the time, or the expenses were too high, and they couldn’t continue such a large project.”
Both Big Gold Tooth and I shook our heads. I said, “That’s impossible. Stopping construction halfway and changing locations is very bad for the deceased, and those who choose burial sites face severe consequences. From a Feng Shui perspective, this site is definitely good; it’s hidden and hard for tomb raiders to find, and it has a rare hidden spring. They wouldn’t abandon a half-finished tomb for a better site, nor would they stop due to war or disaster. If that were the case, they wouldn’t have sealed the underground chamber. There’s nothing inside, so it doesn’t seem like a precaution against tomb raiders.”
Big Gold Tooth agreed with my viewpoint. “Exactly. From the state of the tomb walls and the sealed stone door, it looks like they closed the underground chamber calmly and deliberately, with no intention of returning to finish it. Otherwise, just opening that stone door would be a significant task, and there are at least four other large stone doors of the same scale outside.”
But what could have caused the builders of this tomb to abandon it? There must have been some unavoidable reason, but we couldn’t figure it out.
It seemed that the person who disguised the entrance as a fishbone temple and dug the tunnel into the Underworld Palace was also deceived by an empty tomb, just like us. However, we found no trace of his body, so perhaps he had already found a way out.
Having found nothing in the front hall, we decided to head back and check the rear hall and the side chambers. If we still found nothing, we would have to return to the tunnel and navigate the maze-like Longling Mysterious Cave to find our way out.
As we walked, we discussed how unusual this tomb was, with too many illogical aspects. I said to them, “There have always been tales of suspicious tombs throughout history, used by figures like Cao Cao and Zhu Yuanzhang, but this Tang Dynasty tomb is definitely not a suspicious one. Inside…”
As I spoke, we had already returned to the Underworld Palace. Just as I was halfway through my sentence, Fatty interrupted me, and Big Gold Tooth put a finger to his lips, signaling for silence. I looked up and saw something in the southeast corner of the Underworld Palace, behind the flickering light of the candle—a figure.
The candle’s flickering light cast eerie shadows in the corners of the Underworld Palace, revealing a huge, pale face that appeared and disappeared in the dim light. The figure’s body was hidden in the darkness beyond the candle’s glow.
Big Gold Tooth, Fatty, and I stood at the stone door connecting the front hall and the Underworld Palace. The palace was vast, and my flashlight couldn’t reach that far, making the face appear even more indistinct and ghostly.
When we first entered the Underworld Palace, we had thoroughly examined every corner, and it had been completely empty, save for the uncolored murals on the walls depicting plump palace maids. There was no sign of this giant face.
We stood in a tense standoff, the figure remaining motionless. Fatty whispered to me, “Old Hu, I don’t think that person over there is friendly. We shouldn’t stay here any longer; let’s retreat.”
I replied quietly to Fatty and Big Gold Tooth, “Don’t act rashly. We need to figure out if it is human or ghost first.”
I couldn’t tell if the face belonged to a man or a woman, or if it was old or young. There were no coffins in the Underworld Palace, so there couldn’t be any zombies. It was possible that the figure had slipped in through the tunnel while we were in the front hall. Not everyone would dare to enter that tunnel; perhaps they were also a tomb raider.
Thinking of tomb raiders, I suddenly recalled the senior who had disguised the entrance as a fishbone temple. Could it be that he was still alive? Or perhaps he had been trapped here, unable to find a way out, and what we were seeing was his spirit?
If it were a ghost, it wouldn’t be too concerning. We had our protective charms, and if the figure was indeed a tomb raider, we might share some common ground and they could help us find a way out.
Regardless of whether the figure was human or ghost, we needed to break the stalemate. Continuing to stand here would benefit us in no way. With that thought, I raised my voice and spoke to the figure with cypher.
My words were polite, implying that we were all in the same line of work. Since we had crossed paths, there should be a sense of order; we were the newcomers and did not wish to take advantage of anyone. We simply wanted to leave peacefully.
As the saying goes, “In every profession, there are masters.” This phrase refers to the various trades in the world. To survive, one must have a skill to rely on, allowing them to earn a living without fear of starving on the streets. Beyond the traditional professions, there are also alternative paths, such as tomb raiding.
Every profession has its rules, and even beggars have their own organizations. The rules in the secretive and mysterious world of tomb raiding are even more stringent. For instance, when two tomb raiders arrive at the same tomb, the first to enter has the right to claim the treasures, while the second can enter but must allow the first to choose what they want.
Tomb raiders are bound by strict codes of conduct, unlike ordinary grave robbers. They typically only take one or two items from a tomb and stop, as noble tombs often contain abundant burial goods, minimizing conflicts between them.
The rule of taking only one or two items stems from two reasons: first, to avoid drawing too much attention and risking their lives; second, because there are only so many ancient tombs to excavate, and one must leave some for others to find.
This is the key difference between professional tomb raiders and ordinary grave robbers, who often fight over a few valuable items, leading to conflicts and even violence. They rarely find large tombs and do not understand the dangers of taking too much, as they often face dire consequences.
During the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Cao established positions for tomb raiding to fund military expenses. The titles of “Faqiu” and “Mojin,” along with “Banshan” and “Xieling,” have existed since the Qin and Han dynasties. However, the disciples of these sects acted secretly, and little is known about them, with no records in history. By the Song and Yuan dynasties, the practices of “Banshan,” “Xieling,” and “Faqiu” had nearly vanished, leaving only the art of “Mojin.”
In the world of tomb raiding, being a disciple isn’t just about having a master to teach you. There’s a whole set of unique signs, cuts, and techniques involved. As long as you understand the rules and terminology, you’re considered part of the same group. Only skilled tomb raiders can create a tunnel that leads into the underworld hall like this one. I learned some of this from my grandfather, and some from Shirley Yang on our way back from the desert.
I thought that since we were all part of the same work, there shouldn’t be any issues discussing things—of course, this is assuming the sects is still alive. If they were a ghost, they probably wouldn’t turn hostile; at worst, we could give their body a proper burial.
After I spoke, I waited for a response. In situations like this, if the person was also an expert in tomb raider, I had given them enough respect, so I figured they wouldn’t cause us trouble. Even the spirit of a tomb raider who entered decades ago shouldn’t have a reason to bother us.
However, after waiting for a long time, there was no response. The candle had burned down significantly, and the figure in the southeast corner of the hall remained as indifferent as before, like a statue.
I thought maybe they weren’t part of our sects and couldn’t understand my words. So, I tried speaking more plainly, but still, there was no reaction.
Now we were all feeling uneasy. The worst kind of silence is the kind that leaves you guessing what’s really going on. To leave the Underworld Hall, we needed to reach the tunnel entrance in the center, but the face behind the light was staring at us, and we couldn’t figure out his intentions, making us hesitant to approach.
I wondered if this one wasn’t a tomb raider at all, but rather the owner of the tomb. That would complicate things. I called out to the figure in the southeast corner, “Hey… who are you? We’re just passing through and saw a tunnel, so we came in to take a look. We mean no harm.”
Fatty, seeing the lack of response, grew anxious and shouted, “We’re just going to leave the way we came! If you don’t speak up, we’ll take that as your consent. Don’t regret it later…”
Big Gold Tooth quietly said to us, “I wonder if that figure over there is just a character from the wall paintings. The candlelight is flickering, and it’s easy to misinterpret things.”
His words made us even more uncertain, and we began to doubt our memories. If that were true, we’d be in big trouble. We almost scared ourselves to death over nothing, but it really didn’t look like a painting.
This Underworld Hall and the entire tomb felt eerie. When we first entered, we didn’t notice anything unusual, but there were certainly no giant stones blocking the tunnel. It was possible that something could suddenly appear in this hall—whether it was a person, a ghost, or something else, like Big Gold Tooth suggested, just a painting on the wall.
As the candle was about to burn out, we couldn’t afford to wait any longer. I secretly pulled out my paratrooper knife. This knife, which came from Russia, is designed for cutting ropes. For example, if a paratrooper’s parachute gets caught in a tree, they can use this special knife to cut themselves free. It’s small but very sharp, making it easy to carry. Since I didn’t bring a dagger to Shaanxi, I had a few of these short knives for protection.
With my other hand, I held onto a golden Buddha statue and signaled to Fatty and Big Gold Tooth to move closer and see what was going on. Fatty also pulled out his shovel and handed the two geese to Big Gold Tooth to hold.
We formed a triangle, with Fatty and me in front and Big Gold Tooth holding the geese and flashlight behind us, slowly approaching the candle in the southeast corner.
With each step, my hand holding the knife grew sweaty. I couldn’t tell if I was scared or just tense. I even hoped the figure was a zombie, so I could have a good fight. Standing silently in the dark corner was far more unsettling than any zombie could be.
Just as the figure was about to enter the beam of our flashlight, the candle burned out completely, puffing out a wisp of blue smoke and extinguishing.
With the candle’s light gone, the face behind the light vanished into the darkness.