Upon seeing the veteran hesitate to continue his narrative, I couldn't resist probing further, "What happened next?"
"Eventually, it was just waking up from a dream," Big Head replied casually while adjusting his trousers. "We were born as good youngsters in the 'Five Emphasizes and Four Beauties' society, so we avoid indulging in feudal superstitions."
He took the opportunity to mock me, saying, "Only you would believe such things. Our Second Master from Dragon Mountain Pavilion, have you ever seen someone missing their face and still strolling around the streets?"
In a mocking tone, I retorted, "Then why did you come for this excavation?"
Big Head replied with a serious expression, "I call it uncovering the truth of history. Back in the day, this could have earned me a big red flower, you know."
Suddenly, Hansheng interjected, "What if that thing wasn't a person?"
Understanding his implication, I chimed in, "Exactly, in the dark and eerie atmosphere, with the night already fallen, it's highly possible that we misidentified it, especially considering the circumstances."
Big Head stubbornly retorted, "Then what do you think it was? Could it be some lost Garuru beast?"
Momentarily at a loss for words, I couldn't come up with an alternative explanation. Han Sheng, however, turned the question back to him, "Where are we headed this time?"
"Huh?" Big Head was momentarily confused, then slapped his head and mumbled something that looked like "zongzi."
Internally lamenting my luck for encountering such unclean things during this trip, I exclaimed, "Nonsense!"
Before I could continue my speculation, the leading veteran decisively denied, "I swear, that person was undoubtedly the carpenter. I recognized his clothes and the silver ring on his neck."
Fatso, unwilling to concede, questioned, "Then where is he?"
The veteran halted, his face turning grim as he looked at us, "Right where you're heading."
Old Wan patted the veteran's shoulder, smiling, "Uncle, don't bother with this guy. He lacks experience. Please continue."
The veteran resumed leading the way, took a puff of his cigarette, and continued, "I was scared silly at the time. I threw the whip in my hand and didn't even care about the mule cart. I just ran. After running a short distance, I heard the miserable scream of the donkey behind me. I've seen plenty of dead people, and they don't scare me, but that thing... After returning to the village, I dared not speak of it. Over time, everyone treated it as Liu the carpenter going out for work."
After some contemplation, Old Wan asked the veteran, "Uncle, what do you think it was? Was it really your carpenter?"
Big Head, adjusting his backpack, chimed in, "Regardless of what it is, we'll send it to meet the King of Hell this time."
As we continued, the surroundings grew colder, and snow accumulated gradually. Big Head questioned, "Why are there so many abandoned Taoist temples here? This isn't a sacred mountain."
Li Xin explained, "You don't understand. This Western Domain Mountain has always received worship from the common people and the royal family. Though it may not match the Five Sacred Mountains, in the Western Regions of that time, it was considered their equivalent. Many Daoists believed that building temples and practicing asceticism here could lead to enlightenment and even immortality. The term 'Bogda' in Mongolian means 'residence of gods.'"
Big Head, surprised, commented, "I thought it was just a tourist spot. I didn't expect it to have such a significant background."
Old Wan chuckled, "Not only that, many gold prospectors entered the mountains from here, right, Uncle?"
The veteran nodded without saying a word.
I looked at the veteran ahead, wondering why Old Wan suddenly made such a suggestive remark.
Before I could ask, Hansheng patted my shoulder, and with a glance, he gestured to be discreet.
After walking for over an hour on the mountain road, the veteran pointed at a dilapidated building and said, "We'll stay here tonight."
Big Head questioned, "Why not go further? It's not even dark yet."
The veteran shook his head, "It may not be dark now, but it gets dark quickly in the mountains. In half an hour, the sun will set. If we continue, it might be deep into the night by the time we reach there. I don't think traveling in the dark is a good decision."
According to Big Head and Hansheng's speculation, the veteran likely saw the carpenter who had turned into a corpse. In other words, there might be "zongzi" (a term referring to preserved corpses) at the landslide. I didn't want to go there in the dead of night, so I immediately agreed with the veteran's decision, "I agree with staying the night."
No one objected, and we entered the building, which seemed to be a mountain temple. Half of it had collapsed, and the front hall's idol was only half intact. The incense burner was nowhere to be seen, leaving only a basic structure.
Old Wan glanced around and commented, "It still serves as a shelter from wind and rain."
We flattened an area in front of the temple gate, set up a cooking pot, and started preparing food. The temple's interior was too small for everyone to sleep in comfortably, and given the presence of wild animals in the mountains, the veteran suggested keeping the fire burning. Therefore, we divided into two shifts for night watch. Big Head and Hansheng took the first half of the night, while Zhao Jun and Zhao Shuai took the second half. As Big Head put it, the rest of the elderly, weak, women, and children could rest assured.
Although I claimed not to recognize beds, in this vast mountainous area, I felt a bit uneasy. Tossing and turning, unable to sleep, I decided to check on Hansheng and the others. Crawling out of my sleeping bag, I saw Big Head and Hansheng chatting away. As I approached, Big Head tossed me a cigarette and joked, "Our Second Master, where did you find such a peculiar companion? Doesn't smoke or drink."
I teased him back, "Rescued from a temple."
Sitting beside Hansheng, I added some wood to the fire. He asked, "Why aren't you sleeping?"
I hummed, and Hansheng turned to look inside, speaking quietly, "That veteran is suspicious."
"Hmm?" I looked at Hansheng in surprise. "How do you know?"
Hansheng shook his head, "It was Old Wan's reminder, and Old Wan is not ordinary. I feel like his purpose on this trip is not simple either."
I whispered, "Are you saying the veteran lied to us?"
Hansheng nodded, "Possibly. But not everything he told us may be lies. His fearful expression at the time seemed genuine, and this trip, you need to be extremely cautious. I have a premonition that our journey underground won't be peaceful."
I wanted to ask him more, but he suddenly tapped my hand and gestured towards the exit. Then the veteran also emerged. Seeing Big Head looking at him, he explained
, "Old people need less sleep. Came out for a smoke."
With the veteran present, we couldn't continue our conversation, so we chatted about other things. During this time, I noticed the veteran's gaze fixed deep into the mountains.
The night passed without incident. The next day, we woke up early. The veteran had already caught a snow chicken and said, "Let's eat quickly and get going. The wind is a bit unusual today; it might rain."
Big Head, puzzled, remarked, "But it's clear now?"
The veteran replied, "That's how it is in Bogda. Looks clear, and then rain comes shortly."
Big Head rolled his eyes, "Your local weather is really unreliable."
As we continued our journey, I checked my watch; the altitude was now 2600 meters, almost halfway up the mountain. Looking up, I could already see the imposing snow mountain.
I questioned, "Are we going up there?"
The veteran replied, "No, it's dangerous up there, with crevices and hidden ice rivers. We'll head west; it's relatively safer there."
Following him, the altitude gradually descended, and the snow disappeared, replaced by vegetation. After about half an hour, I looked at our path and found that we seemed to be curving. Wondering why we were going around when there were no mountains ahead, I soon realized why. Fortunately, we didn't walk much further before the veteran pointed ahead. This was a gorge, with steep cliffs on both sides. Big Head stood on his tiptoes and cheerfully said, "Hurry, sirs, let's move. We've got a cave to explore."
Knowing that this area was a key smuggling route, with strict checks, and we didn't bring any tools except for Old Wan's knife, I feared we'd be in trouble. We found a relatively easy path, with low vegetation and poor water retention, explaining the landslides. As we got closer, large stones appeared on the ground, some nearly half a person's height, making it difficult to walk.
Big Head happily remarked, "No running anymore; this is definitely a cave!"
Seeing us all looking at him, he pointed to the opposite slope and said, "Look over there. The vegetation is neat, and the trees are lush. Logically, our side should be the same. However, the trees here are obviously shorter and not as lush. This indicates that the trees on our side have been massively cut down. Haha, guess what could be the use of so much wood in the wilderness."
Old Wan agreed, "Correct, usually, graves are built with locally sourced materials."
A bit further, Zhao Shuai suddenly exclaimed, picking up a mud lump, and after shaking it off, he shouted excitedly, "Boss, look!"
Old Wan took it, wiped it, revealing half a green brick. He turned to me, "Looks like we're here, and the collapsed entrance is right under our feet."
Hansheng took the brick, examined it, and sniffed it. Then he signaled us to enter.
Too dark below, one lamp wasn't enough to illuminate the place. We lit one lamp in front and one behind. Using the light, I quickly assessed the surroundings. The passage wasn't wide, allowing two people to walk side by side. Behind us was a large number of fallen rocks, and the ground was icy and bone-chilling. Underneath the water, there was likely mud, making it slippery to walk.
Guided by the dim light, I proceeded cautiously, and suddenly my hand didn't feel the cold, uniform surface of a brick but a damp, hairy texture with uneven bumps. Disgusted, I instinctively pulled my hand away and, simultaneously, switched on the shoulder lamp. A contorted face with no whites in its eyes appeared on the stone wall.