Fatty said, “We’re not afraid of ghost walls, so what else is there to fear? Just go ahead and say it. Even if we die, at least we’ll know what’s going on. To be a confused ghost wouldn’t even be accepted by the King of Hell.”
I turned to Fatty and Big Gold Tooth and said, “I’m worried you two might not understand. Honestly, I’m just making a guess based on what we’ve seen. I think it might be like this. Let me share my thoughts, and you can tell me if it makes sense.”
Fatty and Big Gold Tooth waited for me to explain, but I didn’t rush. Instead, I asked Big Gold Tooth a question: “Master Jin, in that little village by Panshepo, we saw a broken stone tablet, and in the Underworld Hall, there were those palace maid murals, plus the grand underground palace in the front hall. Those are definitely from the Tang Dynasty, right?”
Big Gold Tooth nodded, “Absolutely! Those are definitely Tang Dynasty artifacts. The craftsmanship, the structure, and the figures and clothing in the murals—if they’re not from the Tang Dynasty, I’ll gouge out my own eyes and use them as marbles. But that said, there’s something else…”
I jumped in before he could finish, “But in this Tang Dynasty tomb, we’ve found a Western Zhou stone coffin, a tomb passage with Western Zhou rock paintings, and even the outer wall of a Western Zhou tomb appearing out of nowhere.”
Both Big Gold Tooth and Fatty exclaimed, “Yeah, isn’t that just bizarre?”
I replied, “Let’s not dismiss the supernatural. Maybe we really are seeing something ghostly, but this ghost might be a bit different.”
Big Gold Tooth asked, “Different? Are you saying it’s the ghost of the tomb owner? Is it from the Tang Dynasty or the Western Zhou?”
I waved my hand, “Neither. Maybe my wording isn’t precise, but I honestly don’t know how to describe it. Calling it a ghost doesn’t quite fit. I’ve heard many people talk about this; it’s not some superstitious theory. It’s a special physical phenomenon, and there are experts studying it. There’s no specific term for it yet, so maybe calling it a spirit is more appropriate.”
Fatty asked, “A ghost and a spirit aren’t the same thing, right? Old Hu, whose spirit are you talking about?”
I explained to Fatty and Big Gold Tooth, “Whose spirit? I think it’s the spirit of a Western Zhou tomb. It’s not the kind of spirit that comes from a person dying; rather, this Western Zhou tomb itself is a spirit. It’s a legendary ghost tomb in the tomb raiding world, attached to this abandoned Tang Dynasty tomb.”
Big Gold Tooth started to understand and nodded repeatedly, saying, “There are legends of ghost towers, ghost ships, and ghost cars. Maybe we’ve really stumbled upon a ghost tomb.”
Fatty, however, was getting more confused and asked us to explain in simpler terms.
Big Gold Tooth said to Fatty, “After years in the antique business, I believe that exquisite items hold the countless efforts of skilled craftsmen. As time passes, they gain a kind of spirit or soul. If something is destroyed and no longer exists, perhaps its spirit remains. Just like some luxury cruise ships that have sunk for years, people still occasionally see them sailing on the sea. What they see might just be the ghost of that ship.”
Fatty said, “So that’s how it is! I must have some foresight. When I first saw that stone coffin, I thought maybe it had gained some spirit after all these years. You two really are something; I made it so clear back then, and you didn’t even react. I’m really at a loss with you two idiots.”
Big Gold Tooth added, “Hearing Old Hu mention this, I think it’s quite possible. A relative of mine came from Hunan to work in Fengtai, Beijing. He stayed in a guesthouse, and his room number was 303. One night, it was really late, past midnight, and he was so tired he could barely keep his eyes open. He stumbled up to the third floor, and when he got there, he saw room 303 right in front of him. The door was open, so without thinking, he pushed it open and went in. He saw a cup of hot water on the table, took a few sips, and collapsed on the bed. The next morning, he woke up to find himself sleeping on the stairs of the third floor.”
Fatty asked, “Are you saying your relative encountered a ghostly room?”
Big Gold Tooth said, “Yeah, the staff at the guesthouse asked him why he was sleeping on the stairs. When he explained what happened, he initially thought he was sleepwalking. He saw that the door to room 303 was locked, and everything inside was untouched, not even the bedding was disturbed. He ended up wandering off in a daze. Later, when he returned to Fengtai and stayed at the same guesthouse, he heard in passing that the place had burned down before and was rebuilt exactly as it was, just a bit larger. The room numbers remained the same. Every year, a few guests would end up sleeping outside their rooms, but there were never any accidents or injuries, so no one paid much attention to it. My relative used to mention it as a casual topic over tea, and I never thought much of it. Now it seems we’ve encountered a ghost tomb ourselves.”
Big Gold Tooth then said to me, “You really catch on quickly, Old Hu. I was so scared I lost my wits. Now that I’m coming back to my senses, my head is a mess. Even if I racked my brain, I wouldn’t have thought of this.”
I replied, “I’m embarrassed; I only thought of this because I was pushed to the limit. My head is hurting too. I’ve considered all the possibilities, and I really think we’ve stumbled upon a ghost tomb. Otherwise, how could there be two overlapping ancient tombs?”
It’s not uncommon for two dynasties to be interested in the same prime Feng Shui spot, especially in a location with Hidden Spring. Once I figured out this crucial point, the rest of the questions started to make sense. This hidden treasure spot in Longling was likely recognized during the Western Zhou period. Back then, they didn’t have the rich and detailed Feng Shui theories of the Tang Dynasty, but the ultimate goal of harmony between heaven and man has been humanity’s pursuit since the dawn of time.
A member of the Western Zhou royal family was buried here, placed in a human-faced stone coffin. The structure of the tomb is similar to what we’ve seen: a massive outer wall surrounds it, divided into three layers. The bottom layer holds a large number of burial items, primarily livestock and artifacts. The middle layer contains the human-faced stone coffin, and aside from that, there’s nothing extra. Even important burial items that the tomb owner carried would be placed inside the coffin with the body. The third layer is the entrance to the embedded passage. The stone steps we’re on are located between the upper and middle layers.
This tomb owner, resting in the human-faced stone coffin, could have rested here for a thousand years. However, at some point before the Tang Dynasty, for reasons we can’t know—perhaps due to war, tomb raiding, or even political struggles—this tomb was completely destroyed.
Later, during the Tang Dynasty, a Feng Shui master recognized the hidden treasure in Longling and began constructing a tomb for an important female member of the royal family. However, halfway through the construction, they discovered that this hidden treasure had been used long ago. Abandoning a royal tomb mid-construction is considered very unlucky. It wastes a lot of resources and labor, and it’s also bad luck to change the burial site.
What’s even worse is having two tombs in one spot, even if the previous tomb no longer exists. If that happens, even if the Feng Shui master is punished, it won’t change anything. Most likely, the officials overseeing the tomb construction and the Feng Shui master conspired to cover up the issue to avoid trouble, convincing the emperor to fund a new tomb elsewhere.
The sudden appearance of the human-faced stone coffin, the tomb walls with rock paintings, and the massive stone blocking the tomb raider’s tunnel—all of these are remnants of the long-destroyed Western Zhou tomb. It’s as if the ghost of that ancient tomb has suddenly emerged.
Big Gold Tooth agreed with my analysis but had one question: “If there’s a completely destroyed ghost tomb here, why did they only discover it when the Tang tomb was almost finished? Why did it suddenly appear as soon as we entered the tomb raider’s tunnel? Isn’t that a bit too coincidental?”
Big Gold Tooth raised a valid point. If we can’t figure this out, our theory falls apart. It’s too coincidental for a “ghost tomb” that usually doesn’t appear to suddenly show up just as we enter.
In theory, a so-called “ghost tomb” can be touched and seen, but it’s not a physical entity. It exists in a certain force field in the world, not always present, and it appears gradually. We don’t know how much of the entire Western Zhou tomb will manifest—whether it’s the whole tomb, half, or even less.
I said to Big Gold Tooth, “This is the dragon’s head of the dragon vein and a hidden treasure spot, truly one of a kind, gathering wind and energy. This Western Zhou tomb is filled with life energy, and due to the land’s natural features, it concentrates that energy within, which is what we call ‘full energy.’ This energy is the pure essence of the universe, the source of all things. The ancient tomb built on such a prime location naturally carries spiritual energy. So, even after its destruction, it still retains the energy within the site. What’s puzzling is why this ghost tomb has appeared now. In other words, it might not have been here before, and something we did or triggered caused it to suddenly manifest.”
Big Gold Tooth replied, “That’s insightful, Old Hu. From what we’ve seen, it’s clear that after the Western Zhou tomb was destroyed, three groups of people must have come here. Two of those groups, including us tomb raiders, encountered this ghost tomb, even though there were decades between our visits. They both got trapped inside. The third group was the ones building the Tang tomb. They must have been a large crew, and constructing a royal tomb isn’t a quick job. They were almost finished when they discovered this ghost tomb. Why didn’t they notice it during the construction?”
I nodded, “Exactly. Regardless of the order, something special must have happened to bring the ghost tomb to light. But we didn’t do anything unusual; we barely crawled halfway through the tomb raider’s tunnel when the stone wall suddenly appeared and blocked our way.”
Big Gold Tooth pondered, “This Western Zhou tomb must have been completely destroyed, leaving no trace behind. The builders of the Tang tomb probably thought it was just a huge natural cave, a good Feng Shui spot that saved them the trouble of digging. They likely only discovered the ghost tomb later. The tomb raiders at Fishbone Temple, including us three, must have done something similar to trigger the ghost tomb, but what could that be?”
I said to Big Gold Tooth, “Don’t rush. Since we have a lead, I think if we can figure out the cause, we might be able to make the ghost tomb disappear. The builders of the Tang tomb and the tomb raiders at Fishbone Temple probably realized this after discovering the ghost tomb, which is why they were able to leave. We should think carefully too.”
Fatty chimed in, “I think we can use the process of elimination. We should first consider things that ancient people could do, since we can do those too. Modern things that ancient people wouldn’t have, we can rule out without wasting time thinking about them.”
I was surprised that Fatty could be so rational: “Wow, Fatty, I thought you only knew how to eat and drink. I didn’t expect you to come up with the process of elimination!”
Fatty laughed, “Well, it’s all because I’m hungry. I think when a person is really hungry, their brain gets sharper. Honestly, when I’m eating, that’s when my brain is at its worst!”
Big Gold Tooth added, “We can narrow it down even further. The builders of the Tang tomb discovered the ghost tomb when their project was nearly finished, while we got trapped as soon as we entered the tomb raider’s tunnel.”
Fatty said, “With your levels of understanding, you two shouldn’t even be tomb raiders. You’re really clueless. Let me give you a hint: something that ancient people used and we can use too—what could it be? It’s obvious—candles!”
“Candles?” I thought of that too, but it didn’t seem right. Did ancient people really work in caves without lighting? Candles would have been used at all times, right?
Although I didn’t know the specifics of tomb construction during the Tang Dynasty, it was unlikely they would only start using candles when the project was nearly finished. There must be another reason. However, candles are a sensitive topic for us. Was there some kind of tradition in the Tang Dynasty that prohibited lighting candles when constructing large tombs? That didn’t make sense; there wouldn’t be such a strange rule. If there were, it would surely be recorded in my family’s ancient texts.
As we were deep in thought, trying to eliminate possibilities, suddenly, the two big white geese Fatty was holding started fighting. Fatty shouted, “Damn it, you two feathered beasts, what are you making a fuss about? If you keep it up, I’ll roast you both!” The two geese continued their noisy squabble, ignoring Fatty’s threats.
Fatty found it amusing and laughed, saying to me and Big Gold Tooth, “Old Hu, Old Jin, have you ever seen this? We’ve only seen chickens fight before, but now we have a goose fight. Who knew geese could be so feisty?”
Seeing the two big white geese, it struck me like a flash of lightning. I said to Fatty, “Geese… geese…”
Fatty chimed in, “Geese, geese, geese, with their necks arched, singing to the sky. White feathers floating on green water…”
I interrupted, “No, no, I mean how did I not think of the geese? Do you know what they do when the tomb’s underground palace is almost finished? They have to sacrifice three animals to the heavens and bind three birds to the ground.”
Big Gold Tooth exclaimed, “Ah, Old Hu, are you saying that the two geese we brought triggered the ghost tomb?”
I replied, “Yes! How did I not think of this sooner? The tomb raiders at Fishbone Temple, when they dug their tunnel into the underground palace, must have used our old method of testing the air quality with live birds. They brought in chickens, ducks, and geese, which is why they got trapped by the ghost tomb.”
In ancient times, when constructing a tomb, after the underground palace was completed, they would sacrifice pigs, cattle, and sheep, binding three birds in the tomb. This was done to send away the spirits nearby and to ask the heavens for peace in the area, ensuring the tomb owner could rest undisturbed.
This practice is known as “Three Sacrifices to the Heavens, Three Birds to the Earth.” Offering the heads of pigs, cattle, and sheep was a grand ceremony to convey messages to the heavens, while the three birds were sacrifices to the earth’s deities. The animals could connect the residual energy of the true burial site, so it was essential to bury livestock in the accompanying pits according to the celestial alignments.
Big Gold Tooth added, “Wild geese become domesticated geese. Among the three birds, the goose is the most spiritual. There’s a legend that geese can see ghosts. Maybe it’s because we accidentally brought geese into the tomb that we disturbed the ghost of this Western Zhou tomb.”
I grabbed one of the big white geese, took out my paratrooper knife, and thought, why not test it? I raised the knife, ready to cut the goose’s throat.
Big Gold Tooth suddenly seemed to remember something and quickly held my hand down, “Wait, Old Hu! I just realized, we might be wrong.”