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Old Qiao nodded gently, tapping three times on the wall with his fingers. He pressed his ear against it for a moment, then turned to A Li and said, “Miss A Li, if you trust Old Man, this is definitely the place. When the time comes, please hold the flashlight and try to stand to the side of the wall. I’m afraid the dust from the rubble might choke you. Besides, this hidden tunnel has been sealed for so long; we don’t know what the air inside is like. Once I break through, I’ll first put something in to test it. If everything is fine, we can go in.”
A Li was completely captivated by Old Qiao’s professional theories, forgetting all about my literary advice. In her heart, she firmly believed that Old Qiao was a legendary figure capable of extraordinary feats—someone who could reach for the moon with one hand and catch fish from the ocean with the other, someone who could easily open coffins and search for treasures as casually as eating and picking teeth—Mo Jin Xiao Wei.
In fact, Mo Jin Xiao Wei was not originally a title but an official designation. It is said that during the late Eastern Han Dynasty, when the Han dynasty was in decline and warlords rose up, Cao Cao, the Chancellor of Han, secretly organized a military unit not for combat but for grave robbing to fund military expenses. Thus, the leader of this unit was given the title of Mo Jin Xiao Wei. Cao Cao himself became known as Master Cao, the first tomb raider in Chinese history.
Later on, tomb raiding was no longer limited to officials; many professionals emerged in society who made a living through it. The name Mo Jin Xiao Wei became popular among the people and gradually evolved into a euphemism for tomb raiders. After all, the word “thief” sounds rather harsh and does not align with how tomb raiders perceive their own identity.
These stories were often recounted by Huang Laoxian on our old street. His greatest talent was telling countless bizarre tales without repeating himself. Even the most restless child would be glued to their seat while listening to him.
The children around my age on that old street grew up listening to Huang Laoxian’s stories. So when A Li mentioned Mo Jin Xiao Wei, I recalled its origin and casually brought it up.
Back to the present. Upon hearing Old Qiao’s words, A Li immediately sprang into action, cooperating fully and almost pressing herself against the wall.
At that moment, Old Qiao must have been feeling quite elated inside but maintained an air of authority befitting an Authentic Tomb Raider on the outside. He spat twice into his palm, rubbed his hands together vigorously, then rolled up his sleeves and clasped his hands together as if performing a ritual.
It might have been some jargon from their literary background; A Li didn’t understand it, but I guessed he was probably invoking blessings from Master Cao.
Then Old Qiao extended his right hand, curling his index finger back while keeping his thumb and other three fingers straight against the stone wall. With a sudden burst of strength… he grunted softly as his expression changed slightly. He instinctively glanced at A Li and saw her intently focused on his finger against the wall, her face radiating absolute belief.
Old Qiao was instantly moved by her faith and placed his left hand against the wall as well. With a shout of “Hey,” he exerted force with both hands simultaneously. The impact was tremendous; there was a loud rumble as part of the wall collapsed—not from beneath Old Qiao’s palms but from behind them. Both of them turned around in shock to see a black hole large enough for a person to enter had formed symmetrically in the wall behind them.
Old Qiao's face turned a shade of green, as a seasoned Authentic Tomb Raider, it was simply unacceptable to make such a severe miscalculation in positioning. This was a blunder even an intern Tu Fuzi would not commit. Just a moment ago, he had explained to A Li the importance of "positioning"—a fundamental aspect that tested the skills of any Tu Fuzi.
With a mental crash, Old Qiao felt his recently established grand image before the beautiful woman crumble into dust.
However, Old Qiao was still Old Qiao, with an unmatched thick skin and quick adaptability. He quickly adjusted his mindset, thinking to himself, "The road ahead is as tough as iron, but I will start anew." If his image had fallen, he could always rebuild it; after all, it all depended on his words!
Clearing his throat, Old Qiao quickly devised a speech and feigned surprise: "A Li, my dear girl, you are truly fortunate! After years of crawling through the underground, this is my first encounter with the technique described in books—'Sound East Strike West,' striking from afar. It seems like one is hitting the eastern wall while actually exerting force in the west, creating a tunnel without anyone noticing! In my day, only Master Cao himself successfully executed such a theft. For over seventeen hundred years, countless masters among Mo Jin Xiao Wei have spent their lives in the depths without ever achieving a proper 'Sound East Strike West' tunnel. As for me, Old Qiao, I may lack skill, and if even the revolutionary predecessors couldn't do it, I certainly have no chance. But to witness it in my lifetime is enough to die without regrets!"
Upon hearing this, A Li was immediately awestruck (and it wasn't surprising; even the astute Third Granduncle Master was momentarily stunned by Old Qiao's words—what more could be expected from someone as inexperienced as A Li?). She followed Old Qiao in reverence.
Seeing his image restored and even more magnificent than before, Old Qiao remembered past mistakes and kept his wits about him. Although his steps were lighthearted, his mind remained clear. He stopped A Li at the entrance of the tunnel: "A Li, wait a moment. Let me test the air inside first."
He pulled out a thick roll of white waterproof cloth from his pocket. Unrolling it revealed an array of surgical tools: one Holding Needle Holder, two surgical blades, one surgical needle (with thread), two medical straws, a small candle the size of his thumb, a box of ordinary matches, a Bagua compass with a radius of about five centimeters, a magnifying glass the size of a one-yuan coin, a bottle of glutinous rice roughly the size of a pen barrel, one bottle each of unidentified red and white liquids, one bottle of unknown white pills, two empty bottles, an ordinary (presumed) fountain pen, several sheets of oiled paper, and various other items whose names he couldn't recall.
A Li stared in astonishment for quite some time before finally asking: "Qiao Brother, what are all these?"
Old Qiao was quite pleased with himself and stroked his beard with a smile: "A Li, if these treasures from my Qiankun Bag were to be fully utilized, we might not finish for three nights! However, to spoil such excitement for a beauty would be unworthy of a gentleman. In my humble opinion, why not do this: whenever we use one of these tools, I'll explain it to you then? Practical experience combined with true knowledge will surely yield twice the result with half the effort. What do you think?"
A Li was so enamored by Old Qiao that she naturally accepted whatever he proposed.
Old Qiao skillfully retrieved the Holding Needle Holder and Matchbox. Striking one match and securing it in the Holding Needle Holder carefully, he cautiously extended it into the tunnel. The flame flickered slightly but remained stable until the match burned out.
He retracted the Holding Needle Holder and explained to A Li: "The flame did not extinguish; there is still oxygen inside. The slight flicker indicates that this tunnel is ventilated. Even if toxic gas had been released here in the past years, much must have dissipated by now—these are signs that the air is safe. However, just to be cautious, A Li dear girl, you should take this Heart-Protecting Pill." He then pulled out a White Pill Bottle from his Qiankun Bag and handed her one of the two pills he poured out.
The excitement of her first fight caused A Li to experience a brief lapse in memory, which can be explained medically. When a person's emotions reach a certain peak, the hippocampus tends to focus excessively on the emotion itself, neglecting awareness of the external environment, resulting in what is known as a memory blank. In reality, it is merely a bias in attention. Once the person's emotions begin to descend from that peak and attention gradually balances out, memory returns.
When A Li's memory came back, they had already crawled out of the tunnel. What they saw next greatly surprised A Li. In her own words, she said, "The moment I saw those things, I thought the Illusionary Technique had appeared again..."
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