Seeing the way he looked, and hearing his sighs that sounded so genuine—as if he really meant it—I couldn’t help but find it funny. “Then what do you think? My dad never taught me, and this isn’t something you’re born with.”

He smacked his lips smugly and said, “This kind of calligraphy and painting is actually a kind of code. It has a strict format. As long as you draw out what’s written in it according to the format, it becomes a complete map. So don’t underestimate these few words on the silk scroll. You have no idea how complicated the information inside could be. It might even clearly mark how many bricks were used in each place.”

Hearing this, I got interested. I thought to myself, I’ve never even been allowed to go out and dig up a single fight since I was a kid. This time, I definitely have to get Uncle Samuel to take me along to see the world, and maybe get my hands on a few treasures to get through my financial crisis. Thinking this, I asked him, “So can you tell whose tomb is written about in there, or if it’s someone important?”

Uncle Samuel grinned proudly. “I can’t fully understand it yet, but this tomb should belong to a noble from the State of Lu during the Warring States period. Just the fact that the location of his tomb was recorded in such a secretive way on this silk scroll shows that this person’s status was extremely high. And the tomb itself must be very well hidden and a great spot—it’s definitely worth a visit.”

Seeing the light shining in his eyes, I found it odd. This old guy is usually too lazy to even step out the door—could it be that he actually wants to go in person this time? That would be a real rarity! I quickly asked, “What? Uncle Samuel, are you really planning to go dig up this batch yourself?”

He patted my shoulder. “You don’t get it. Let me tell you, in the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, there were treasures in those tombs, but at best you could say they were marvels of craftsmanship. But in the Warring States period, the royal tombs from that era are so ancient, you could never guess what’s inside. Warring States tombs are where divine artifacts come from—things you can’t find anywhere else in the world! How could I not want to see for myself?”

“You’re that sure? What if there’s nothing in there at all?”

“No way. Didn’t you see this pattern?” He pointed at the strange fox face on the paper. “This is the mask used in the earliest human sacrifice rituals in the State of Lu. Whoever’s buried in this tomb must have had a very special status—maybe even more noble than the emperor at the time.”

I blurted out, “The emperor’s father.”

Uncle Samuel glared at me and was about to put away the printout, but I quickly pressed it down and smiled at him. “Uncle Samuel, don’t be in such a hurry to put it away. After all, I’m the one who got this thing. This time, you have to take me along to see it.”

He shouted, “No way! Digging for sand isn’t that simple. There’s no air conditioning in that place, and it’s full of traps. You could get killed at any moment. You’re your dad’s only son—if anything happens to you, your dad will skin me alive.”

I shouted back, “Fine! Just pretend I was never here!” With that, I yanked the paper out of his hand and turned to leave. I know what Uncle Samuel is like—once he comes across something he likes, he has no principles at all. He’s like this with antiques, and with women too. I was counting on this, and sure enough, I’d only taken a few steps before he gave in, caught up to me, and grabbed the paper from my hand. “Alright, alright, you win. But let’s be clear: when we go down the tomb shaft, you have to stay up top. Is that good enough?”

I was instantly overjoyed, thinking: when the time comes, do you really think you can stop me from going down? I quickly nodded. “Deal! Once we’re out there, I’ll do whatever you say!”

Uncle Samuel sighed helplessly. “The two of us aren’t enough. Tomorrow I’ll get a few more experienced guys to join us. In the next few days, I’ll work on deciphering this scroll, and you need to help me get some supplies.” As he spoke, he quickly wrote a list for me and said, “Don’t buy any fakes. Also, get some travel gear together, or we’ll get detained before we even get there.” I nodded and agreed, and we each went off to get things done.

The things Uncle Samuel wanted were pretty unusual. I figured he was making things hard for me on purpose, because you can’t find most of the stuff on the list in regular stores—like split-type waterproof mining lamps, threaded steel pipes, archaeological shovel heads, multi-purpose army knives, folding shovels, short-handled hammers, bandages, nylon ropes, and so on. I’d only bought half the stuff and had already spent nearly ten thousand yuan. My heart ached so much I kept cursing that old fox—damn, he’s so rich but still so stingy.

Three days later, I, Uncle Samuel’s two old sand-digging buddies, and the young guy who bought that dragon-spine item from my uncle the other day—five of us in total—arrived at a place more than a hundred kilometers west of Guazi Temple in Shandong.

As for this place, how should I put it? It really is just a place—there’s nothing there at all. First we took a long-distance bus, then a long-distance minibus, then a long-distance motorcycle, and finally an ox cart. When we got off the ox cart, we looked ahead, behind, left, and right, and there was still nothing. Then we saw a dog running toward us. Uncle Samuel slapped the guide he’d hired. “Old Louis, are we riding this dog for the next leg? I’m afraid this dog can’t handle it!”

“No,” Old Louis laughed, “the dog is here to deliver a message. For this last stretch, there are no vehicles at all—we have to take a boat. The dog will bring the boat over.”

“This dog can swim?”