He started by killing his abusive father, and from then on, he embarked on the road to wealth.

Chapter 136 Crossing the Tomb

Yan He wisely chose to keep quiet.

To avoid attracting attention, the group of five did not ride horses, but walked westward along the swamp. Along the way, they could see human bones, mostly torn apart and incomplete by predators.

After walking for about a mile, they arrived at the end of the swamp and saw the grave that Ling Qi had mentioned.

The low mounds of earth stood silently, and if there weren't so many of them, they would have looked more like small hills covered with weeds.

Xie Jin led Mu Feng closer, but they didn't find a tombstone or a wooden plaque with inscriptions in front of the grave. They had no way of knowing who was buried underground.

Looking at these graves, Meng Fuqing had a bad feeling.

With such a large number, she could only think of the craftsmen who built the imperial tombs.

She remembered reading in a book that sometimes, in order to ensure that the internal structure and anti-theft mechanisms of the imperial tomb were not leaked, the craftsmen who built the imperial tomb would be buried alive with the emperor, or forcibly relocated to remote areas for isolation or exile. Those with superb skills might be able to escape this fate.

Of course, the craftsmen were not without options. Sometimes, during the construction of the imperial tombs, they would leave themselves a way out and find an opportunity to secretly escape.

The artisans who were buried alive should have all died in the imperial mausoleum. Even if the artisans escaped, were captured, and secretly executed, how could the soldiers who executed them have been kind enough to let them be buried in peace?

"Why think so much? Why not just go in and see for yourself?" Qi Liang stepped forward, weighed the broadsword in his hand, and looked at Meng Fuqing. "I'll lead the charge."

Meng Fuqing warned, "Be careful of the traps."

"Do not worry."

Qi Liang carried the broadsword and strode forward, while Mu Feng, at Xie Jin's signal, fell behind, the two of them protecting the three people in the middle.

After walking a while longer, a road almost completely submerged in weeds appeared before us. The road was surrounded by scattered graves on both sides, and the surrounding area was silent, as if it led to hell.

Qi Liang paused, turned to look at the other four, and under their gaze, mustered his courage and stepped inside.

Yan He was surprised to find so many graves standing deep in the mountains and forests, and he was filled with curiosity.

"With so many desolate forests and wild graves, could this place be some kind of evil place? Let me calculate it..."

She made a hand seal and muttered incantations.

Meng Fuqing stepped behind her, looking at her as if she were a charlatan.

Xie Jin walked behind Meng Fuqing and reminded her, "Meng Fuqing, watch where you're going."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yan He was busy with divination and didn't watch where he was going. He tripped over something and almost fell to the ground.

She frowned at Xie Jin, feeling that this man was truly her nemesis. She muttered to herself, "What a jinx..."

Meng Fuqing and Xie Jin ignored her; their attention was drawn to what had tripped Yan He.

Meng Fuqing spoke up, telling Qi Liang to stop.

Xie Jin stepped forward, parted the weeds, and found a mutilated corpse lying face down on the ground.

Unlike the other corpses, this one had a pit behind it, with some soil piled up around the edge. The corpse's legs were lying across the pit, making it look as if the body had crawled out of a grave.

Yan He's face turned pale. "This person was buried alive?"

Despite the somewhat fantastical events that happened to him, Meng Fuqing remained a materialist.

She shook her head and said, "It's possible that it was dug out by wild boars or other living creatures. We saw a lot of corpses along the way, which may have been dug out by people who wanted to see if there were any valuable treasures inside."

Her words instantly dispelled Yan He's nervousness.

Xie Jin looked around and said, "It seems that these graves are not empty, but people."

"I just don't know why these people were buried so carefully," Meng Fuqing wondered.

Xie Jin: "Let's walk a little further."

This time, they didn't encounter any more accidents until they passed through the cemetery.

Qi Liang, with a blade of grass clenched in his mouth, turned his head to look back at the way he came and sneered, "I thought it was some great danger, but it's nothing special."

"It's just a bit scary, but carriages should be able to pass through this road. It's a good thing," Meng Fuqing said.

As they spoke, Yan He nimbly climbed a tree using his light-footed skills, and looking into the distance, he could see the imperial tomb that Meng Fuqing had mentioned.

As she zoomed in, she suddenly noticed what appeared to be a dark cave in the bushes.

She pointed and immediately said, "There's a cave over there."

Everyone looked in the direction she was pointing, but they couldn't see any cave; the shadows of the trees completely blocked their view.

Yan He jumped down from the tree and asked, "Should we go take a look?"

Meng Fuqing glanced at Xie Jin, and seeing that he didn't object, nodded and said, "Go."

Upon seeing the scene outside the cave entrance, the five finally understood why they hadn't seen the entrance earlier.

The entrance to the cave was covered with thorns, their sharp spikes densely packed, seemingly guarding what lay inside.

"The thorns on the other side of the swamp and the thorns here must have been planted intentionally. There are secrets hidden inside the cave," Xie Jin said.

Meng Fuqing looked at him, "Could you use your lightness skill to go over and take a look?"

Xie Jin smiled slightly and extended a hand towards her, "Together?"

Meng Fuqing glanced at his slender fingers and still wanted to ask Yan He for help, but Mu Feng suddenly spoke up: "Miss Yan, let's go in and scout ahead first. Excuse me."

Before Yan He could react, his collar was grabbed again, and he was lifted into the air.

Yan He: ...

She struggled for a moment, "Mu Feng, right? I'll remember you! Let go, I'll walk by myself!"

As soon as she finished speaking, her collar was loosened, and Yan He quickly stepped on a nearby tree trunk for support to steady herself.

She cautiously made her way to the cave entrance, not forgetting to sow discord between Xie Jin and her servants, "Qingqing, it's not that I don't want to play with you, but Young Master Xie is going too far! Don't fall into his trap! It's fine if you don't come, I'll keep a close eye on them and make sure they don't pocket a single copper coin!"

Meng Fuqing remained silent for a moment, then exchanged glances with Qi Liang, who also lacked the skill of lightness.

Qi Liang's face darkened for a moment, then he leaned against the tree and said, "I'll stay here and wait for you to come out."

"Thank you for your trouble." Meng Fuqing looked at Xie Jin.

Xie Jin wore a triumphant smile, grabbed Meng Fuqing, and used his inner strength to fly towards the cave entrance.

Upon landing, Meng Fuqing asked, "Did you give these orders?"

Xie Jin protested his innocence: "I'm innocent! It's all Mu Feng's fault for being so perceptive. I'll teach him to be more careful in the future. Miss Meng, please don't be angry."

Yan He, who overheard everything inside the cave, rolled his eyes and nudged Mu Feng with his elbow, whispering, "Your young master makes you do this kind of work all day long, and you can still keep up? Why don't you come with me and enjoy the good life!"

Mu Feng lifted his eyelids to look at her: "I am a respectable person, Miss Yan, please have some self-respect."

Yan He: ...

Yan He gritted his teeth and secretly made up his mind that he would definitely fight this person someday.

As they entered the cave, a musty, damp smell filled the air. The cave was so spacious that their voices echoed. The noise startled the bats deep inside the cave, which flew around and bumped against their heads.

Meng Fuqing looked up and around, his gaze drawn to a skeleton on the ground. The skeleton must have been sitting cross-legged against the stone wall when it was alive, and its posture remained unchanged after death.

"Have you found anything?" Xie Jin asked.

Mu Feng took a tinderbox and approached the stone wall next to the skeleton. "There are inscriptions here, which should be the work of this person."