"Hmm?"
Watching Han Sheng flip the card, I was slightly astonished. I hadn't examined the card closely since receiving it from Er Ye's hands. Surprisingly, the reverse side revealed some mysterious patterns.
Han Sheng felt the surface for a while, shaking his head. "No good, the patterns are too faint. Is there a way to magnify them?"
I quickly responded, "No problem. We can scan it and print it larger."
On a side note, I had no idea where Han Sheng had spent these years. He seemed somewhat unfamiliar with modern things. When I asked for his WeChat, he claimed not to have one. Even more absurd was his use of an old-school Nokia phone with a blue screen. Forget about apps; he couldn't even play Snake.
Taking swift action, Han Sheng continued researching the materials Er Ye left behind at home. Meanwhile, I briefly tidied up and went out to scan the card. Upon my return, I found Han Sheng boiling water and preparing instant noodles.
Setting the noodles aside, I told him, "I'll treat you to a meal tonight; let's find a restaurant."
It seemed that Lao He trusted Han Sheng a lot, as he had directly reassigned Zhao Gu when he arrived. So, it was just the two of us that evening. Stepping outside, Han Sheng appeared as curious as Liu Laolao entering the Grand View Garden. He seemed fascinated by many things, and I strongly suspected he had spent these years in the mountains.
I asked Han Sheng about his food preferences, and he mentioned liking noodles. We found a nearby noodle shop, ordered two bowls, a few side dishes, and two bottles of cold beer for me. Han Sheng didn't drink alcohol, so I enjoyed the beer myself. He didn't mind, digging into his noodles with enthusiasm. After finishing a large bowl, he praised the place, suggesting we come here again for future meals.
Satisfied and full, we returned to continue studying the patterns on the back of the bronze token. I had already printed the patterns on a large sheet of paper. Han Sheng delved into his research, organizing his findings from the afternoon, and handed them over for my review.
Since Er Ye didn't have the status of my father, investigating the Cao family was quite inconvenient for him. Consequently, most of the information in his possession pertained to burial sites. Even with Er Ye's status, the effort required to delve into these details was substantial. It indicated the depth of the burials and the uncertainty of whether many graves still existed.
Observing these fragmented historical records and Er Ye's speculations, my thoughts were in disarray. I struggled to establish a coherent framework for this matter. Forcing myself to calm down, I took out a notebook and pen, starting to record what I knew.
I drew a line, marking my father at the source, then added the Cao family. After some hesitation, I wrote "Blank History" beside the Cao family, representing the origin of the "thread" Er Ye and my father traced. This area was a blind spot, devoid of clues, marked with a question mark. Further, I added "Tomb" above "Blank History," signifying a lead.
Initially planning to construct a logical sequence to connect these mysteries, I ended up staring at the notebook. "Cao family," "Blank History," and "Tomb" formed a triangular cyclic relationship. "Blank History" was a point, while the linear "Tombs" existed throughout history. Something must have caused a series of events, and it was impossible for tombs from different periods to generate a point. Therefore, I concluded that "Blank History" was the source, and "Tomb" was the clue. This clue threaded through the generations of the Cao family, pointing to the mysterious "Blank History."
I dropped the pen, my head aching. These were mere speculations based on Er Ye's information, lacking concrete evidence. The only tangible elements were the vague locations of the burial sites.
Lying on the bed, staring at the blank ceiling, I wondered about the events in the Cao family's elusive history. Suddenly, Han Sheng called me over, having made a discovery behind the bronze token.
I quickly got up, and he pointed to some of the lines, asking, "What do they look like?"
"Hmm?"
I was completely clueless, gesturing, "Dough sticks?"
He sighed, touching his forehead. "Take a closer look, especially at the intersections of these lines."
Following his direction, I scrutinized the lines on the fully unfolded paper. Although these lines were now clear, I remained bewildered. Clutching my hair, I said, "Don't keep me in suspense; just tell me."
He smiled, adjusted the paper slightly, rotating it about fifty degrees to the left, and said, "Look, this line - Nyainqentanglha."
I was dumbfounded for a while, scratching my head. I had heard of that name, but the shape? It was hard to remember, and it wasn't complete. Yet, Han Sheng seemed to have identified it, and I pulled out my phone to check the direction and shape of the Nyainqentanglha mountain range. Comparing it with the small section he pointed out, it was surprisingly accurate. Looking at the entire unfolded paper, I calculated, "Is this a map?"
Han Sheng nodded. "More accurately, it's a part of one. There should be several pieces like this. Although we don't know what's on the map, it should be the key to unraveling these mysteries."
I seemed to grasp Han Sheng's meaning and asked, "Are you saying someone intentionally divided this map into pieces and distributed them?"
"Yes," he affirmed. "Let's assume this map eventually indicates a set of coordinates. Since it's passed down, it means there's a need to open these coordinates at some point. By dividing and distributing them, they likely aimed to prevent certain individuals from obtaining the complete coordinates all at once. However, if we consider the possibility of bad people trying to seize these coordinates, dividing them also implies that good people would find it challenging to assemble the complete coordinates. As long as a portion falls into the hands of the wrong people, the task becomes impossible."
Following his logic, I added, "So, these coordinates function like a pair of encryption keys – public and private. Dividing them ensures that specific individuals can access them. The holders unknowingly leave their keys in their own tombs. The Cao family is likely searching for these keys."
Han Sheng agreed with my perspective, pointing to the map behind Er Ye's secret compartment. "Er Ye probably discovered this early on, which is why he and your father went to great lengths to collect information on these burial sites."
I gazed at the massive map, with approximately seven to eight circled areas Er Ye identified as "possibly existing." It was a challenging task, attempting to find thousand-year-old graves in such vast areas. Han Sheng silently approached the map, examining it for a while, and suddenly pointed to the northwest, saying, "Let's go find the Huhu Kingdom."
"Huhu?"
"Yes," he handed me a stack of documents, stating, "A vanished ancient kingdom."
Flipping through the few pages in my hand, one section seemed like a copy of the Records of the
Han Dynasty. "Huhu Kingdom, governed by the king of Cheshi Valley, located eight thousand two hundred li from Chang'an." I pondered for a moment; in my recollection, Huhu Kingdom was one of the thirty-six kingdoms in the Western Regions. I was unfamiliar with the rest.
Flipping further, I found some contemporary records, a few blurry aerial photos, and a small map. The photos weren't clear. The first resembled a village, the second, though clearer than the first, depicted a low house and two farmers smoking pipes. The subsequent pictures showed distant shots of mountains, and the final one presented an old black coffin.
Examining the map, I recognized the terrain and some place names. This was likely a map of Xinjiang, hand-drawn, showing cities and mountainous regions. To the southeast of Urumqi, a fox face was drawn.
Han Sheng pointed to those photos and asked, "Can you see anything, especially in the second one?"
It took me a while to distinguish something suspicious on the second photo. Carefully, I asked, "Is that house a tomb?"
Han Sheng smiled and nodded, "Close enough. You seem to have noticed the Huangchang stone. Indeed, it's used for making graves, but it also serves another purpose – building city walls."
He pointed to the other photos, saying, "Er Ye provided these shots of the terrain. He recognized that these places have an extraordinary aura, with features suitable for concealing and protecting. At the very least, they are royal tombs. Later, with some information gathered, we identified the village from the first photo. However, it's an early picture, challenging to trace. I only managed to find it recently."
Curious, I asked, "How did you find it?"
Han Sheng waved dismissively, "Just walking more paths and learning some skills Er Ye taught me to observe the mountains and water. That's how I found it."
I inquired, "Is this Huhu Kingdom?"
To my surprise, he shook his head, pointing to the location of the fox face on the map. "This is where Huhu Kingdom disappeared. I confirmed its location, and it aligns almost perfectly with historical records."
I felt perplexed, "Did such a vast country vanish out of thin air?"
Han Sheng chuckled, "The country itself certainly didn't vanish. What disappeared was its capital, including the entire population, including the Huhu King, all gone overnight. This led to other countries annexing its territory. Look," he circled an area on the map, "This roughly represents the territory of Huhu Kingdom back then."
Studying the map, I furrowed my brows, "This area should be among the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions. There's scarce history, mostly unofficial, and even the discovery of Huangchang stone doesn't confirm its origin from the Huhu capital. Moreover, the rumor of a capital disappearing overnight is likely just a baseless legend, probably due to natural disasters like earthquakes. We don't have any assurance for this trip."
He nodded, "Official historical records are indeed sparse, almost non-existent. However, this location is undoubtedly correct. The coordinates are from a very ancient map Er Ye found in a tomb. I've searched this region for a long time, and the village you see in the photos is the only one that fits the characteristics. I can guarantee the royal capital is somewhere nearby."
I nodded, pulling out the photo of the old black coffin. "What does this photo mean?"
Han Sheng looked serious, "These coffins contain rather restless characters."