The Lost Tomb Vol. 7

Chapter 34: Parting at Sichuan

In the end, we still didn't go out. It was the Huo family who stood resolute in the face of our burning desire to go out and buy something. They persuaded us to go back, saying it was too dangerous to go out now and if we wanted to buy anything, we could just make a list for them to pick up tomorrow.

The next day was procurement day. Xiao Hua came over to ask us to list all the things we needed, and then left to go shopping. Fatty's demands hit them hard, but after the equipment was delivered in the evening, we found out that Poker-face had hit them the hardest. Among his goods was a box that was valuable at first sight.

Xiao Hua said, "Grandmother said that you'd need this."

Poker-face opened it and took out an ancient blade. Its size and shape were very similar to the one he had previously used.

A cold light flashed as he pulled it out of its sheath. It was a very special color, but the blade wasn't black and gold like his old one.

"I picked it up from our collection. Would you like to try it out?"

Poker-face weighed it and put it into his bag. Fatty was jealous. "Shit, why don't you give us one?"

"This kind of blade can't be used by just anyone." Xiao Hua said. "It's too heavy."

Most of the other equipment had been used before and Fatty said the machete wasn't very satisfactory. The cutting edge was too thin and would probably break while cutting trees, so a thick-backed mountain-cutting knife would work better.

Fatty wrote my list for me so I didn't even bother looking at my stuff. I felt very resistant as I rested nearby and watched them pack up their equipment.

After that, we had some down-time while Xiao Hua and the others made preparations. Xiuxiu brought me a TV, so I usually watched it while we recuperated in the house.

Poker-face was testing out the blade, adjusting to its weight since it was still slightly different compared to his old one.

I had nothing to do during this period of time besides think about everything. I tried to add the latest information to my previous theory to see what changes had occurred.

If we temporarily called the behind-the-scenes entity that had forced the Mystic Nine to carry out the "largest" tomb robbery in history "it", then after "it" obtained numerous Lu Huang silk books, "it" may have cracked their secrets earlier than Qiu Dekao and carried out a series of activities. These activities may have all resulted in failure, so in return for their success, all the members of the Mystic Nine had been given something that seemed insignificant now, but was very important at the time— a powerful backer. In the Cultural Revolution's storm, although these people would have been condemned to death even if they had kept a low profile, their families and financial resources were preserved.

Their children were regarded as a wealth of talent, and most of them entered the cultural relics business. It was hard to say whether this tendency was formed naturally or because there were some hidden rules. Although there was no substantial evidence, this "it" was bound to play a very important role.

I even suspected that Qiu Dekao's method of uncovering silk manuscripts in those days was brought out by someone— or a group of people—related to "it" and secretly revealed to him.

Fatty said that in those days, when the people advanced and the country retreated, the social atmosphere began to open up. Many things that were once celebrated, such as the role of trade unions and neighborhood committees, became more and more degraded.

Courageous people began to start small businesses, and the contract responsibility system linked to output began to be established at that time [1]. At the same time, foreigners also began to outsource to China, and new things replaced the old in an all-around way. The system in which "it" operated may have collapsed during that period.