Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 1043: How Could There Be a Path to Immortality in This World? (51): Eyes That Confirm

To open the tomb, they used something similar to a clay explosive.

A low, muffled boom sounded, and then the soil suddenly sank a bit. After that, Mr. Ah Qi's team began excavating in that area.

There were no Luoyang shovels… It's said this is already the age of high-tech. Those ancient tools are now only used by small-time craftsmen or lone wanderers.

(Note: Luoyang shovel (洛阳铲) is a traditional Chinese tool used for archaeological excavation and tomb exploration. It was invented in the 1920s in Luoyang, Henan Province—hence the name.)

After uncovering the entrance, they began testing the oxygen level inside and venting the air—no one knew whether harmful substances from chemical reactions existed in a tomb that had been sealed for over a thousand years.

The wait wasn’t long.

The map Mu Xianghua had brought was said to be left by Xu Fu. It included a secret passage directly leading to the main chamber. According to the map, the tunnel stretched more than 3,000 meters when converted to modern measurements.

Not only was a massive underground tomb constructed, but it was also filled with countless traps, plus this long passage—something unimaginable given the technology of the time, akin to the Great Wall or the pyramids.

“With our current understanding, such difficult ancient architecture could probably only be achieved by sacrificing countless lives to make up for the lack of technology.”

Before they set out, when the topic of architectural ability came up, Zhang Qianrui expressed this sentiment.“Probably required the power of an entire nation. If it wasn’t the Imperial Wang Family, no one else would’ve had the capability,” Mr. Ah Qi commented casually.

What concerned him more was what lay inside the tomb—after all, the Qin Emperor’s tomb had been a thousand-year obsession of the Li family. As far back as the Song Dynasty, their ancestors had participated in a dig—but that turned out to be a decoy tomb.

“It's beyond manpower. To achieve it would require even more labor, sweat, and sacrifice. But…” Song Haoran clicked his tongue—he was chewing betel nut, taken from a teammate in the Li family. Song Haoran had a knack for getting along with others.

“…But what if, aside from manpower, there were techniques capable of replacing it? Or at least partially?”

“Mr. Song, you must be joking,” Mr. Ah Qi smiled. “Even today, there are many challenges in building such a palace underground. Mountain structure, mud solidification, material transport, support structure, palace design—just the prep work would take years of research and surveying. Actually building it would take even longer. From the unification of the Six Kingdoms to Emperor Qin’s death wasn’t that long.”

“Just speaking offhand,” Song Haoran replied, smiling, and didn’t press the point.

He picked up a bit of dirt from the entrance and rubbed it in his palm before tossing it into the tunnel.

Dusting off his hands, he smiled again. “Should be safe to enter now… Who’s first?”

“We will.” Mr. Ah Qi responded seriously. “We’re more familiar with local tombs.”

Song Haoran had no objection. He nodded and gestured to the Song Family members—they moved quickly and in strict order, handing out infrared night vision goggles and gas masks to the Li family team.

This act of goodwill quickly won over the Li family, who in return gave small gifts—strange trinkets like animal horns shaped into charms, black donkey hooves, etc.

The Suzuki Group, however, was clearly sidelined.

Other than the father and son, even senior Suzuki members felt frustrated—especially when comparing their basic gear (mainly handguns and knives) to the Song Family’s advanced equipment. They felt utterly outclassed.

The Li family may not have had high-tech gear, but they were the ones who actually opened the tomb. Their experience and casual chatter made the Suzuki team feel like complete outsiders.

The senior members felt useless—never mind the large group of underlings. These men were good at intimidation and street brawls, but digging up an ancient tomb? That was beyond them.

It seemed their only role was to make up the numbers and provide a presence.

“I really don’t get what the boss is thinking,” one senior muttered.

“Is it really just to fill the ranks?”

“Think, why cram so many into a tomb? With the Song Family and Li family experts, treasure hunting is covered. We’re likely just dead weight. So why bring us?”

“You mean…”

“Shh… Don’t forget what we do. I think the boss and young master’s real plan isn’t now—it’s what comes after!”

“After… you mean once they dig up the treasure, we…” He made a throat-slitting gesture.

Shockingly, the other officers nodded in agreement.

A heist.

Suddenly, their boredom vanished—they were fired up.

“But with all that gear the Song Family has, can we really pull it off?”

“That’s hard to say,” one officer narrowed his eyes. “Look, most of them are entering the tomb, not many are left on guard… but they left a lot of gear behind. We do this… then this… and finally that…”

“Great idea! Let’s go tell the boss and young master.”

Scheming whispers filled the air.

Meanwhile, the meditating "Suzuki Chun Xin" and "Suzuki Yuichi" were thoroughly confused.

What the hell is wrong with these Suzuki goons?

Such wild imagination…

“Suzuki Chun Xin” actually had a clear purpose in bringing so many Suzuki members: as rations, spare bodies, distractions, or even human shields.

“Well, maybe this works out,” “Suzuki Chun Xin” suddenly said, his eyes glinting.

“Suzuki Yuichi” glanced at him suspiciously.

“Suzuki Chun Xin” chuckled. “I still can’t detect that girl’s guardian. But I’m sure they’re nearby. If these idiots stir up trouble, maybe they’ll flush the guardian out.”

“You’re not afraid they’ll come after you? You’re weak right now,” Suzuki Yuichi frowned.

“Relax. They probably haven’t noticed us yet. Otherwise, how are we still alive? The soul-thread I planted on the girl wasn’t even well-hidden, yet it was instantly erased. That shows skill. A person like that is confident in their strength—if they noticed us, we’d be dead already.”

Suzuki Yuichi thought it over. What Ba Qi said… made sense.

Not long after, a few senior members of the Suzuki Society quietly approached ‘Suzuki Yuichi’ and ‘Suzuki Chun Xin’ and tactfully shared the plan they had just come up with.

Originally, they were a bit uneasy—after all, Suzuki Chun Xin was always extremely cautious. If this were truly part of the plan, he would have made thorough preparations rather than waiting for them to ask.

But what no one expected… was that the Lord and Young Master agreed happily and immediately!

…

On the other side, the Li family had already sent a few veteran experts into the tomb first, while the rest waited outside for updates.

Song Haoran stood with his eyes closed, seemingly resting… but suddenly he opened them, a faint smile playing across his face in the darkness.

He summoned a member of the Song Family and whispered, “There are three paths under the tomb chamber. The hidden path shown on the map is to the left. If all goes as expected, the Li family will take that route straight to the main chamber. Meanwhile, have someone discreetly explore the middle and right-hand paths. Be careful—there aren’t many traps along the way, and our equipment can detect them. Bring back anything of value, especially old texts or anything with writing. Got it?”

“Understood, Strategist!”

Song Haoran nodded, then narrowed his eyes. “Also, the Suzuki group seems to be up to something. Tell our men on watch to keep an eye on them. If they make a move, take care of it… cleanly. Our equipment’s expensive.”

The subordinate seemed to realize something, then gave a cold laugh. “Anything else, Strategist?”

“Hmm… let me think.” Song Haoran paused, then suddenly grinned brightly. “Get champagne and girls ready where we’re staying. When we return, let the brothers unwind a bit.”

The soldier chuckled quietly and walked off.

Many warriors from the village liked this Young Master—not just because of his formidable skills, but also because he understood their needs and bonded easily with them. It was a different kind of leadership from his father’s overwhelming authority.

A master who willingly delves into the most dangerous places alongside his men—how could they not respect that?

“You seem in a good mood?”

Luo Qiu slowly approached.

“Heh, not watching them dig the tomb?” Song Haoran casually patted Luo Qiu’s arm. He really liked this newly acknowledged relative.

Because in Luo Qiu’s eyes, he saw something familiar—curiosity.

Curious about everything, unafraid. That kind of boldness really matched Song Haoran’s tastes.

He spat out his betel nut and smirked. “Little Luo Qiu, you afraid of blood?”

His eyes glinted as he stared at Luo Qiu. “Even if I don’t say it, I’m sure you’ve already thought about some things. We’ve looked into your background… born to a police family. Honestly, we don’t know how much justice you really believe in, or what you think about breaking the law. But as you can see—this is what the Song Family does.”

Luo Qiu stayed silent—he knew the chatterbox had more to say.

Song Haoran sneered, “The relatives you share blood with have their hands soaked in blood. Filthy. Once stained, it never washes off—only more blood will follow. So now that you’ve accepted us, can you really live with that? Or do you just want to experience it once?”

Luo Qiu looked back and said softly, “Song Ying has worked hard to build the Song Dynasty Group. She said it might be the future of the family.”

Song Haoran paused and stared at Luo Qiu for a while.

Then he sighed, patted Luo Qiu’s shoulder, and said, “You know, thinking back now… it’s still crazy I met you in Brazil. What made me talk to you? I still don’t know. It felt like fate. My gut’s usually right… but with you, I’ve never had that instinct.”

As he walked past Luo Qiu, he whispered in his ear, “Forget my dad. Forget Song Ying. How much can I trust you?”

“Relax. So far, I actually like you guys,” Luo Qiu replied.

A response that caught Song Haoran a bit off guard.

He frowned thoughtfully, then nodded. “Stay close to me later. If danger shows up, I won’t worry about your female classmate—I’ll only care about keeping you alive.”

“Shouldn’t be a problem.”

Luo Qiu turned around and smiled casually. Behind his back, he quietly snapped his fingers.

…

…

“Lord Suzuki, Young Master Suzuki, the Li family’s scouts just returned. They say it’s safe—we can proceed into the tomb,” Mu Xianghua came running back.

‘Suzuki Yuichi’ and ‘Suzuki Chun Xin’ exchanged a glance and nodded, standing up.

As key participants, they joined the Zhang and Song Families in the first group to enter the tomb.

A folding ladder had been set up at the entrance.

The two Suzukis followed one of Li’s veteran experts into the tunnel, with Song Haoran and the others following behind.

But as soon as they reached the ground, ‘Suzuki Chun Xin’ suddenly froze—his expression changed dramatically.

At the same moment, ‘Suzuki Yuichi’s’ face darkened. He urgently looked at Ba Qi and asked coldly, “What the hell is going on?”

‘Suzuki Chun Xin’s’ voice was shaky. “I… I don’t know. All the markers are gone. And…”

And worse—somehow, Ba Qi’s soul had been completely sealed inside Suzuki Chun Xin’s body and couldn’t leave.

The same was true for Ren Zhen.

(End of Chapter)