Tomb robbing: I was Buried alive in the Mausoleum of the First Emperor, I Get Stronger by Looting Corpses

Chapter 6: Chaos Erupts—The Slaughter Begins!

The sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the dimly lit corridor. Meng Jiangnv, who had been resting with her eyes half-closed, instantly tensed. But when she saw that it was Yang Yi, she exhaled a sigh of relief.

“I got something. We can survive a little longer.” Yang Yi grinned, raising two flatbreads and waving them in front of her before handing one over. Meng Jiangnv stared at him in disbelief. “You went out so late and still managed to find food?” “I got there while they were still fighting for it,” he replied casually. “I’m stronger than them, so I managed to grab two.”

His explanation seemed somewhat flimsy, but Meng Jiangnv didn’t question it. She couldn’t think of a better reason for how he had obtained food.

“Eat. It’ll help you conserve strength.” She shook her head and refused the bread. “We agreed—one each.” Without giving her a chance to reject it, Yang Yi forced the flatbread into her hands and, at the same time, checked her loyalty level.

He was surprised. Eighty points? His eyes flickered with thought. She must be someone with a kind heart.

“I’m Yang Yi,” he introduced himself. Meng Jiangnv hesitated for a moment before replying, “I’m Meng Jiangnv.” His curiosity deepened. “You’re a woman. Why did you come to Mount Li? Were you conscripted in place of your father?”

“No,” she said quietly. “I came looking for my husband.” Her expression dimmed as she recounted her story.

Four years ago, on her wedding day, she hadn’t even caught a glimpse of her husband’s face. At dawn, he had been forcibly taken away by government soldiers for conscription. The term of service for corvée labor had long since passed, yet he never returned. She had feared the worst, but no official notice of his death ever arrived. Her mother-in-law’s health deteriorated, but she continued waiting and hoping for her son. So, Meng Jiangnv made a decision to find him herself. Disguising herself as a man, she set out on the perilous journey to Mount Li, only to be caught and thrown into the tomb as a burial sacrifice.

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Yang Yi exhaled and shook his head. “Fate is cruel.” There was no comfort he could offer her. Right now, survival was the only thing that mattered. “If you had a chance to live, would you take it?” His voice was steady, his gaze sharp.

Meng Jiangnv’s eyes welled up slightly. “Who would willingly choose death if they had another option?” Her voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper.

“Then live,” Yang Yi said firmly. “I’ll make sure of it.”

He yawned, stretching his limbs. “But first, I need some rest. Keep watch for me.” Meng Jiangnv nodded. With her loyalty level at eighty, he had no concerns about trusting her. Leaning against the corridor wall, Yang Yi closed his eyes and quickly fell into a deep, peaceful sleep—the first real sleep he had gotten since transmigrating.

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He had no idea how much time had passed when Meng Jiangnv’s urgent shaking woke him. “Yang Yi! Wake up! Someone’s coming!”

The moment he opened his eyes, he met her anxious gaze.

“I’m fine,” he said calmly, quickly pushing himself to his feet. He followed her gaze down the corridor. In the dim light of the ever-burning lamps, three figures emerged from the shadows.

Meng Jiangnv’s voice trembled as she whispered, “There was a riot while you were sleeping. I kept hearing screams.” Her face was pale, fear etched in her expression. Yang Yi’s lips curled slightly. “So they’ve finally started forming groups and killing each other.”

He wasn’t worried. More fighting meant more corpses. More corpses meant more power. If enough people died, he could freely loot without interference. Once this corridor was cleared out, he wouldn’t need to hide anymore. He could openly enjoy food, water, and even a proper bath. Maybe even a hot bath with company.

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“Brat, hand over your food and we might leave you a whole corpse.”

The leader of the trio stepped forward—a middle-aged man, flanked by two others of similar age. They had clearly been watching Yang Yi and Meng Jiangnv for some time. Seeing that their targets were only two young people, a flicker of hesitation crossed their faces. But they had no choice. Survival demanded action.

Three against two. They had the numbers. Or so they thought.

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Yang Yi smirked. “Those who kill will be killed in turn.”

His eyes turned cold. “Since you came knocking on my door, I’ll have to return the favor.” He had no intention of going out of his way to kill anyone, but if someone came for him, he wouldn’t hesitate. Since they wanted to take his food, they would have to pay for it with their lives. Without waiting for them to react, Yang Yi lunged forward.

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“Courting death!”

The three men flinched, momentarily stunned by his reckless charge. Then, with an enraged shout, they rushed to meet him. All were unarmed, fists ready. Three against one—it should have been an easy fight for them. Except…Yang Yi wasn’t unarmed.

At the last second, a gleaming vegetable knife appeared in his hand.

The men’s eyes widened, but before they could react—

Slash!

The blade sank into the chest of the lead attacker. A single, precise strike to the heart. A gurgled scream, a spurt of blood, and the man collapsed instantly. The remaining two barely had time to react before they were upon him.

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A normal person would have been overwhelmed by two simultaneous attacks. But Yang Yi wasn’t normal. He was a mid-stage martial artist. Even without a weapon, he could have crushed them. With one, they were already dead. Dodging to the side, he avoided their strikes with ease. As he moved, his knife flashed once more.

Blood splattered across the corridor. The last man, now alone, staggered backward in sheer terror. He opened his mouth, possibly to beg for mercy, but before a single word escaped:

Slash!

The third body hit the ground. Yang Yi took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Three kills. Executed flawlessly. He had expected to feel something—guilt, hesitation, even regret.

Instead, he felt nothing. His gaze drifted to the three corpses before him, his expression unreadable. To everyone else, they were dead men.

But to him, they were gold mines waiting to be looted.