Ten Years in the Tomb: The Things I Can’t Tell Anyone

My name is Chen Jiu, a poor soul who clawed his way out of the countryside.

In 2000, to pay for my father's treatment and stay alive, I picked up a Luoyang shovel and plunged into the underworld of tomb raiding with Old Seventh Master.

Over ten years, I traveled far and wide, from Mount Mang and the Qinling Mountains to Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, and Xisha. I entered dozens of ancient tombs. I saw deadly traps, betrayal and backstabbing, brothers turn against each other, and hearts more vicious than ghosts.

I had an eye for appraising treasures, the skills of a tomb raider, bonds forged between life and death, and regrets that would haunt me for the rest of my life.

This isn't a novel or a fantasy. This is the life I truly lived from 2000 to 2009: the pain, the fear, the regrets.

Ten years of ice water could not cool my burning blood. A lifetime of tomb raiding could never atone for even half my sins.