The Greatest Tomb Raider Patriarch Beyond the Pass

Seek the dragon and read the mountain’s winding veins; each encircling ridge marks another pass. If the gateway has eight perilous barriers, a prince or lord must be buried within. Tang tombs lie on half-mountains, Song tombs in the bends; Han tombs are found atop the peaks, while Shang and Zhou tombs lie on either side of rivers. Spring and Autumn and Warring States tombs are buried on mountaintops; the great tombs of the Qin and Han dynasties lie along ridges. Eastern Han and Southern Dynasties tombs were chosen halfway up the slopes; Sui, Tang, and Song corpses lie down below. Tang tombs taste sweet, Song tombs astringent; the lime in Ming and Qing tombs stings the mouth. Ancient Shang and Zhou wood has a strong musty smell, while Qin and Han cinnabar is overpowering. There is no need to smell Spring and Autumn or Warring States tombs; soil clinging to them bears traces of green paste. The mountain follows the water’s winding curves, embracing the bends; the burial chamber is clearly here. Moths hover above the tomb, snowflakes turn to salt as soon as they land, and where thunder and lightning rage, there is surely a tomb. Don’t search near rotten wood; the tomb lies among the ridges. Spring and Autumn and Warring States tombs have red soil, Western Han tombs were backfilled with yellow soil, and Eastern Han tombs used no sandy earth. Tang and Song tomb pits often have black soil. Shang and Zhou tombs are large on top; Spring and Autumn and Warring States tombs are large below.