The water monkeys let out laughter, thinking they were getting closer to their goal.
But Li Zhiyuan knew, if a pond houses a Corpse, you can forget about raising any aquatic life in it.
Thus, this scene was definitely not caused by the main tomb.
Five water monkeys dressed in waterproof suits entered the pond, wielding telescopic iron rods to probe into the ground before removing the rods and extracting soil from a specific layer.
Ding Dalin sat on the edge of the pond, the Compass set aside, now holding a sea bowl and a wooden spoon in his hands.
The soil collected from deeper layers was brought over, poured into his bowl, and he began to taste it with the wooden spoon.
"Damn it, Xiao Yuan, look, he’s actually eating the mud."
Li Zhiyuan didn’t understand Run Sheng’s strong reaction; after all, eating mud is odd, but still more normal than smelling fragrance.
Although there’s no mention of this behavior in the books, Li Zhiyuan could still understand the intent; it was probably a way of locating.
After tasting, Ding Dalin shook his head, and this happened five times in a row.
The water monkeys continued to choose new spots to probe, then provided more fresh mud.
Finally, after Ding Dalin tasted and nodded, he pointed to a location.
Everyone picked up shovels to dig. After creating a pit, they began to hammer in steel plates, which were interconnected with latches and all mounted into the dirt.
Once finished, ropes were tied on and connected to a hinge machine, which started to operate.
A large chunk of earth was excavated and dragged out of the pond.
Using an excavator would be too noticeable, this device achieved the same effect, and additionally, it could be used to violently pry open the cover when reaching the tomb.
Digging smuggler’s tunnels is too time-consuming and laborious unless you provided a month-long relocation feast.
Li Zhiyuan knew that not using explosives was not because they were kind, but purely because conditions didn’t permit.
But even continuing with this method of digging would severely damage the tomb.
They only wanted to crack open the tomb quickly, take the most valuable items, then hurry off to fence the goods abroad.
With the steel plate excavation complemented by manual labor, a very deep hole quickly came into view.
Good thing Li Zhiyuan was on the rooftop; anywhere else, it would have been impossible to see these construction details.
Run Sheng whispered, "Xiao Yuan, isn’t Little Huang Ying at home?"
Li Zhiyuan shook his head: "She should be."
He had sensed Little Huang Ying listening to operas that afternoon.
"Xiao Yuan, do you think, maybe she got scared seeing so many people at her house and then ran away?"
Li Zhiyuan wasn’t sure anymore, because the fact was, the water monkeys had progressed this far without any abnormalities occurring.
The "Jianghu Chronicles" describes that Corpses mostly act on instinct, but advanced Corpses can develop intelligence.
The group of water monkeys was numerous and highly professional, avoiding their sharp edges is normal.
But Li Zhiyuan still didn’t think Little Huang Ying would just run away like that.
"We’ve hit it, we’ve hit it!"
"We found it, we see it!"
The water monkeys’ heads below, donning hard hats with lamps attached, were shouting excitedly.
Li Zhiyuan also saw that inside the hole, a curved dome had been unearthed.
Because it was covered with silt, its true color was unclear, but judging by its shape, it resembled the spire of a temple.
Li Zhiyuan’s heart jolted fiercely; it was no ordinary Water Burial tomb.
In Water Burials, there are many types, and the most taboo and challenging is this kind of temple tomb.
Because its existence often means ancient people used it to suppress some evil spirit.
You could say, other tombs might not frequently have incidents, but with these kinds, an incident-free outcome is unlikely.
Just like the Bai Family’s Lady statue that was recently dug up at the river works, its original purpose was suppression, and once the chains were smashed, strange events happened that same night.
And the temple with the single-person statue of Bai Family’s Lady compared to the dome now revealed, there’s simply no comparison.
It seems to truly be a tower, and considering the structure of towers where the top is the smallest, how large is the complete structure?
Not just Li Zhiyuan was astonished, as the on-site person in charge, Ding Dalin’s expression turned very ugly.
Ignoring his age, he entered into the pit, using a flashlight to wipe away the mud and inspect the details.
Then, as if he discovered something, his body shuddered, his gaze swept over to the other water monkeys around, and he waved his hands.
Secretary Jin also jumped down, asking, "What’s wrong?"
"This is a temple tomb, we cannot open."
"I’ve experienced several temple tombs, none have been peaceful. Open this kind of tomb, and surely an evil spirit will follow."
"Are there any good items inside this kind of tomb?"
"I’ve said it, we cannot open it."
"We’ve come this far, you say we can’t open it now? We’ve spent so much before and after this operation, lost two brothers, and now being monitored by police, stuck in the hospital unable to leave."
"Listen to me; you all agreed, you’d listen to me; I am the leader!"
Secretary Jin reached out, grabbed Ding Dalin by the neck, and coldly said:
"Old man, today this tomb, one way or the other, we have to open. The police have already taken notice of us, we must finish this job so we can hide ourselves, no money, there’s nowhere to hide for everyone!"