Chapter 601

Chapter 601: A Guilty Conscience

When Lu Chao Chao turned to look, the young boy averted his gaze, his eyes fixed on the sky, not daring to meet hers.

Grand Tutor Xu struggled to straighten his frail body, his voice trembling with rage. “Investigate! Find out who dared to desecrate the Xu family’s ancestral tomb! If I discover the culprit, I will ensure they suffer a fate worse than death!”

Xu Shi Yun wiped away her tears and hurriedly assisted her sisters-in-law in gathering the old ancestor’s remains.

“The burial goods are all gone.”

“At least they didn’t disturb the bones,” the sisters-in-law sighed in relief.

Silently, Lu Chao Chao tucked the gold tooth into her spatial pocket, not daring to take it out again.

“By the way, Chao Chao, what was it you wanted to show your grandfather?” Grand Tutor Xu suddenly recalled what she had mentioned earlier, his eyes locked onto the tomb as he questioned her.

Lu Chao Chao’s small face turned slightly pale. If Grand Tutor Xu turned around now, he would surely catch his granddaughter looking extremely guilty.

“Ah? Oh, Chao Chao didn’t bring it out. I’ll have someone deliver it to the manor later…”

The old Grand Tutor nodded grimly.

“Those heartless scoundrels, even daring to steal burial goods. I want to see where these treasures surface.”

The Heavenly Dao remained expressionless and asked, “They’ve already been taken. Can they still be found?”

Xu Shi Yun, supporting the grief-stricken Old Madam who had fainted, responded, “Each burial item has a family mark. If they dared to steal, they must be in dire need of money. The moment they try to sell or use them, a trail will emerge.”

Heavenly Dao: ???

His calm face suddenly looked a little bewildered.

He hesitated for a moment before pulling Lu Chao Chao aside. The boy cautiously asked, “You forbid me from taking things from the living.”

“Are the dead off-limits as well?”

“Mortals have a saying: ‘When a person dies, their light is extinguished, and their soul returns to the Netherworld.’ Burial goods are left ownerless… Are they not up for grabs?”

Lu Chao Chao stared at him, dumbfounded. [Listen, I’m not exactly a saint either.]

Back when she raised disciples, in times of poverty, she too had dug up graves.

But for heaven’s sake—he couldn’t go robbing her family’s graves!

“Uh, mortals regard their ancestral tombs with utmost importance. Digging up someone’s ancestral grave is akin to killing their parents. Usually… it results in an undying blood feud.”

The young boy’s perpetually calm eyes widened dramatically at her words.

His lips trembled as he glanced at Xu Shi Yun, then at the entire Xu family…

He looked as if he had been struck by lightning.

An undying blood feud?! He was doomed. He had tried to steal a chicken and ended up losing the rice.

By now, it was deep into the night, yet Longevity Garden was ablaze with lights, and furious curses rang from all directions.

Before long, the sound of galloping hooves echoed in the distance.

“What’s happening? A military force is approaching?” Grand Tutor Xu was about to send someone to investigate when the chaotic murmurs from the outer perimeter reached them.

The Xu ancestral tomb was situated at the very back of the cemetery, making the family especially anxious.

Soon, a servant came running at full speed, shouting, “The neighboring Imperial Mausoleum has been robbed! His Majesty has left the palace in the dead of night! Master, you must hurry to the mausoleum!”

“The Imperial Mausoleum was looted? His Majesty personally left the palace? All officials are to report there immediately!”

Grand Tutor Xu’s face turned deathly pale. “Shi Yun, handle the old ancestor’s remains for now. We will pick an auspicious day for reburial.” With that, he rushed off with his sons towards the Imperial Mausoleum.

Lu Yan Shu and Lu Yuan Xiao also headed in that direction.

Standing at the very back, Lu Chao Chao stared at the young boy in horror. “You robbed the Imperial Mausoleum too?!”

The boy continued gazing at the sky. “That’s where the most money is…”

Lu Chao Chao nearly wept.

“Even rabbits don’t eat the grass near their burrows. If you’re going to steal… go further away! Never mind, you lack experience. I won’t blame you for this one…” She immediately followed the crowd.

Longevity Garden was near the Imperial Mausoleum, so they arrived within the time it took for an incense stick to burn.

Though the cemetery at Longevity Garden bore signs of disturbance, at least it was visibly damaged.

The Imperial Mausoleum, however, looked completely untouched.

Emperor Xuan Ping’s eyes were bloodshot, his regal figure trembling with suppressed fury. Steadying himself, he ordered, “Open the mausoleum! We must investigate immediately.”

The gathered officials exchanged uneasy glances. How had His Majesty known the tomb had been robbed?

Moments later, a panicked mausoleum guard came running, sobbing as he fell to his knees. “Your Majesty, the Imperial Mausoleum has been looted! All the gold bricks and silver treasures inside are gone!”

The Emperor fell to his knees before the mausoleum with a loud thud.

“I have disturbed the eternal rest of my ancestors… This is my failing…” Taking a deep breath, he steadied himself.

The tomb guards, drenched in cold sweat, collapsed in fear. “Your Majesty, we guarded the mausoleum through the night. We heard nothing—not even the slightest sound!”

“Moreover, the mausoleum’s exterior remains intact. There are no signs of intrusion! Please, Your Majesty, spare us!” The guards pleaded, knowing this crime warranted execution of their entire clans.

Emperor Xuan Ping was not known for excessive cruelty, and though furious, he refrained from punishing them unjustly.

“Rise. This was not your fault,” he muttered, pressing his fingers against his temples.

Grand Tutor Xu couldn’t hold back any longer. “Your Majesty, how did you know the mausoleum had been robbed?”

The Xu family had only realized their ancestral tomb had been desecrated because the grave had collapsed.

But the Imperial Mausoleum showed no such damage.

Emperor Xuan Ping pressed his lips into a thin line. “Earlier, I dozed off. The ancestor emperor appeared in my dreams, requesting that I burn him some clothes.”

Grand Tutor Xu froze. “Burn… burn some clothes?”

Lu Yan Shu spoke flatly, “I recall that the ancestor emperor was buried wearing a gold-threaded jade robe, with a jade cicada in his mouth… and jade boots on his feet.”

The officials turned to stare at the mausoleum in shock.

No way…?

Even Lu Chao Chao couldn’t help but shrink into herself. She had been rather fond of that gold-threaded jade robe…

In a panic, she shoved the jade cicada in her pocket into her spatial space, vowing never to take it out again.

Emperor Xuan Ping felt his blood surge to his head, barely managing to keep himself from fainting.

“Open the mausoleum!”

All the officials fell to their knees. “Disturbing the eternal rest of the ancestors—this is a crime worthy of death!”

As the mausoleum was unsealed, everyone’s expressions cracked.

“Weren’t the inner walls once coated with gold dust? Under the glow of luminous pearls, didn’t they shimmer?” One official hesitantly asked.

Now…

The luminous pearls were gone. The gold-coated walls had been scraped clean.

The Emperor’s hands trembled as he stepped down the stone steps and entered the tomb.

Where once burial treasures had overflowed, now only an empty cavern remained.

It took several men to push open the stone coffin. As Emperor Xuan Ping peered inside…

Sure enough…

The ancestor’s golden, jewel-encrusted crown was gone.

The gold-threaded jade robe was gone.

The jade boots were gone.

“No wonder he was cold—he needed me to burn him some clothes,” someone murmured. “The poor soul is likely streaking through the Netherworld.”

Northern Zhao prided itself on extravagant burials. The aristocracy and royal family led this trend.

Now, this was a harsh wake-up call.

“Your Majesty, this cannot go unanswered. To plunder an Imperial Mausoleum—this thief must be hunted down, his entire clan executed, to set an example!” A minister fell to his knees, demanding justice.

Soon, the affected officials followed suit.

Emperor Xuan Ping, however, looked grim.

“There are no signs of forced entry. Whoever stole these relics… is no mere mortal.”

The ancestor’s dream-warning had been laced with terror.

Though he didn’t know who had taken the burial goods, the lingering oppressive force within the mausoleum filled him with dread.

Emperor Xuan Ping pondered deeply. Could this be the work of a great demon?

Surely… it wasn’t just a mere thief?