Daomu Biji

Master Liang pointed at me with his chin, with a look of contempt on his face. I cursed in my heart, you are a pickpocket, I have taken care of you all the way here, but I didn’t expect that you would treat me like this. If I had known that I would have done this to you in the first place. Drop it to avoid future trouble.

The fat boss took out the solid fuel wind lamp from his backpack, lit it and put it on the ground. This thing is a piece of equipment used when climbing high-altitude snow-capped mountains. It can be used for lighting and heating. Suddenly the whole cave lit up, and then he took out another A few pieces of compressed biscuits were thrown to me. When doing these things, the muzzle of the short gun in my hand was always pointed at me.

I took the biscuits he threw and felt strange. I thought to myself, is this the song he sang? Immediately, he threw the biscuit back to him and said, "Brothers, I'll leave it in your hands. If you want to kill me, just kill me. Why is there so much nonsense?"

Master Liang grinned, turned to the fat boss, and said, "Let me tell you, a green head is a green head, and I still don't understand the situation."

Boss Wang shook his head, threw the biscuit to me again, and said: "Young man, when you go out to travel around the world, your forehead should be bright. I will give you something to eat, but I don't intend to touch you. If you meet someone with a bad temper, then It’s asking for death.”

Compared with that old Tai, this man has a completely different temperament. The old Tai looks like the kind of desperado who kills without blinking an eye, but the fat boss is full of energy and looks very relaxed, but just now he The kick he gave me was very powerful. He is not the kind of antique boss who can kick him out. I have no idea what his identity is.

Boss Wang glanced at me and seemed to read the doubts between my brows. He took a long puff of cigarette and continued: "I am different from Lao Tai and others. I am a businessman. In business, there are no permanent friends. There are no eternal enemies."

Master Liang said: "Boss Wang, why don't you just talk to them directly? These two boys are hard-headed, and the boy named Wu is easier to talk to. I'm afraid it will be a lot of trouble when the sleeping boy wakes up.

Boss Wang laughed and said to me: "Okay, I won't tell lies in front of real people, so I will be more straightforward. I am a businessman and I don't like to use knives or guns. In this situation, You have seen it yourself. Even if you don't fall into my hands, it will be difficult for you and me to get out. Lao Tai is dead, and there is no point in dealing with you. You think about it, whether you want to cooperate with me, I will take care of you. Even if you suffer a loss, you can still make a profit.”

When I heard that this was what I said to Master Liang back then, he came to my place again every few hours. It was really a turn of events.

Seeing that I didn't say anything, he handed over another cigarette and said, "It doesn't matter even if you don't agree. I will give you some equipment and let you go by yourself. However, you are carrying a patient alone. What's wrong with this road?" Have you thought about this move yourself?"

What he said was truthful, and I was actually a little moved when I heard it. But then I thought about it, why would he want to cooperate with me when he has equipment and weapons? Doesn’t this mean setting up a business and letting others make money? There must be a conspiracy,

They are so scheming in running around in the world. You see, Master Liang followed us all the way here with a flattering face. As soon as he found an opportunity, he immediately turned against his guest. We were not prepared at all. Compared to them, we were really too Damn it, they must have some specific purpose in asking me to cooperate.

My logical mood flashed through me in an instant, and I already had a plan in my mind. I must agree to their condition first, just like Master Liang followed us back then, and then I can find a way to escape later. Moreover, as he said, to take Lao Itch safely, at least one person's help is needed. It's too difficult for me to do it alone. These two people obviously despised me, which was the same mistake I made at that time. I would definitely find an opportunity to turn against the guests and at least get a gun.

Thinking of this, my expression softened, I pretended to be hesitant, and asked him: "Okay, even if what you say makes sense, I can cooperate with you, but you must first let me know, what exactly do you need me to do?"

Boss Wang breathed a sigh of relief and gave Master Liang a wink. The latter patted me and said, "A man who knows what is practical is a hero. Little Brother Wu, since you nodded, we are still our own people. I won't hide anything from you." What's wrong with you? Of course I'll tell you what I know, but it's a long story. How about we talk about it while we eat?"

When I saw him coming over, I really wanted to strangle him to death, but when I glanced out of the corner of my eye, I saw the muzzle of the gun in Boss Wang's hand, still pointing in my direction. I suppressed my inner fire, forced a smile, and said, "Please tell me .”

Master Liang looked at the copper tree outside and said: "Speaking of this thing, it is amazing. According to the records in "Hemu Collection", this copper tree was first discovered in the thirteenth year of Qianlong..."

Before setting off, Master Liang had carefully studied the chapters about this tomb in "Hemu Collection". "Hemu Collection" is a notebook, written very casually, sometimes in Manchu, and sometimes in Manchu. At that time, it was written in Chinese, and a small part was written in Mongolian. As for the paragraph here, most of it was written in Manchu. Now in mainland China, there are no more than 20 people who can read Manchu. Personally, Master Liang just found some clues from the Chinese records.

There are two things recorded in Chinese:

The first thing happened in the thirteenth year of Qianlong's reign. It was roughly a government mine in the Taibai Mountain area. The mine supervisor reported that the miners dug out an ancient bronze pillar. They dug from the root down for four months, but the bottom was not seen. The signs don’t know how deep they go into the earth.

This matter was aroused in the local area. It was said that this pillar had spirituality. The more you dug, the longer it would grow. You would never reach the end. It was also said that this was the ax handle used by Pangu when he created the sky. , and the ax can be dug out by digging again. Some Feng Shui masters even said that the nails were driven by the Jade Emperor to pin the dragon veins in the Qinling Mountains, otherwise the earth dragon would fly to the sky. This copper pillar is eight hundred miles into the ground. If it can be dug again, the whole of China will be in trouble.

Soon, the Tietou Xiaoqi camp where Li Pipa's ancestor lived received a secret order to lead three thousand death row prisoners. Let them take over the mine, close the mountain, set up camp, and continue digging.

The second thing happened in the spring of the eighteenth year of Qianlong. Explain this dig. It took four years and three months to dig. Three thousand death row inmates dug up the cave we are in now and down to the bottom of the mountain. They did not dig out the roots of the copper tree, but dug out a dragon-patterned stone box. , it is hollow inside, hiding something, but there is no gap, and it cannot be opened no matter how hard you hit it. They did not dare to act rashly and sent the box to the palace.

The third thing is very brief. At the end of the 18th year of Qianlong's reign, "Hemu Ji" recorded that the emperor rewarded him with a second-class title. Each person was rewarded with a hundred taels of gold as a reward for the gold camp. Everyone was drunk. Li Pipa's ancestor and a few familiar soldiers drank until they were delirious and made a bet to climb the bronze tree.

(The article breaks off at this point. The following is all in Manchu. I don’t know if there is any special intention. It’s a pity that Mr. Liang can’t understand it.)

Master Liang told us that another boss, Li Pipa, could understand these things, but if we asked him what was written below, he would never tell us. Know why.

At the end of "Hemu Ji", there is a climbing process recorded in Chinese characters. Further up from our position, there will be a plank road around the rock wall. They prepared it for the emperor to finally come to see it. Unfortunately, it was not built until recently. It's impossible to build it up when it's at the top, and when the plank is built in a sanctimonious way, people often fall off the cliff for no reason, and then nothing happens.

We climbed out of the short cave. Boss Wang handed me a telescope and used a strong flashlight to illuminate me. After adjusting the focus, I saw that not far above, there seemed to be the same wooden plank road stuck on the cliff. , several circled upwards. The power of our flashlight was weak and could not illuminate such a distance, so we did not notice it at the time.

What Boss Wang means is that if you can reach the plank road, you can save a lot of effort by climbing along it. However, there must be something fishy on the plank road. Master Liang is a scholar. He is asked to study east-west travel, but not to fight, so the road It's up to the two of us to go.

I wasn't as optimistic as he was. I spent a long time watching with a telescope, but I couldn't see clearly what these plank roads looked like. The light here was too dim, and the edges of the plank roads seemed to be wrapped by something like plant roots. It was different from traveling during the trip. It is very different from the steel structure plank road that the area has climbed on. "Hemu Ji" was written in the Qing Dynasty. It has been a hundred years since it was passed down to this day. It is still unclear whether these plank roads are complete, let alone whether they are strong or not.

Boss Wang said that when this thing was built, it was used for the emperor to visit, not a temporary plank road for mining, so the materials and workmanship must be very particular. Many ancient buildings from the Ming and Qing Dynasties are very strong now, so he thinks It’s not a big problem, it really doesn’t work, we still have a lot of ropes, and with these plank roads, it’s much easier to climb up.

He spoke very decisively, with no tone of discussion. I cursed secretly and had no choice but to express my opinion no more. He and Master Liang discussed it for a while and decided to let me rest for another fifteen minutes, and then the boss would take me up. , Master Liang and Lao Itchi stay here.

I just took a nap and regained a lot of energy. I ate something again. Boss Wang also sat down and chatted with Mr. Liang in Cantonese. I didn’t understand it very well, but I probably knew what they were talking about. The thing is that the fat boss said Qilin Jie had something to do with it. I have always had a knot in my heart about this matter. I thought that the relationship with them was now apparently relaxed, so I took the opportunity to ask Master Liang, what exactly is this Qilin Jie? Will there be any harm?

Master Liang said: "There is no need to worry about this aspect at all. I didn't tell you everything just now. I wanted to save myself a hand in case you ran away and left yourself with the capital to change your life. Now that we have officially formed an alliance, , I also said it, so as not to make you feel uncomfortable."

Qilinjie is the blood clot formed by the blood of Qilin. It is a very precious traditional Chinese medicine. However, it is not the real blood of Qilin, but the juice of a plant called Qilin Blood Vine, also known as Blood Snake Vine. Generally found in places farther south.

The longer Qilinjie is left, the better the effect. In the early days, it only had some ordinary functions and was generally used as medicine. However, there is also a rare use in traditional Chinese medicine, which is to fumigate corpses. In ancient times, it was a custom in some ethnic minorities and some mountain villages to press a piece of unicorn root on the navel of a corpse and insert it together. This can remove the yin energy of the corpse. The corpse will rot, but it will not attract maggots.

As time passes, Qilinjie will gradually change from dark red to black. As time goes by, the blackness becomes darker. At a certain point, the character will change, and it will melt in the mouth after people eat it. Blood evil insects are not close, and even mosquitoes don’t dare to come to you in summer. Of course this is just a legend. Master Liang only heard it from others. He saw this situation for the first time today and began to believe that it really happened. As for whether there will be any side effects, there is no relevant record, but Chinese medicine generally has very low toxicity. Let me not worry: "Instead of thinking about these, I think the most troublesome thing is those Gu insects. "Hemuji" records that when digging, no such masks were dug up. Is it a suspicion array set up by the ancients, or are they all killed? I’m not sure yet about the actions of the people with thousands of lives outside. You should be more careful when you go up there and don’t be careless.”

We rested for a while, but Lao Itch was still awake. The fat boss took off some equipment and gave it to me. I put on a tactical headlamp and carried the rope on my back, and continued towards the edge of the plank road above.

According to common sense, it is not far to reach the plank road, but in reality there is always some helplessness. The visual distance is always much closer than the actual distance. We expected to reach the top in an hour, but it took half an hour to barely climb to the bottom of the plank road. .

Only then did I realize that the fat boss was right. The plank road was very well preserved. It was not that the plank road was built stronger because the emperor wanted to walk on it, but that the plank road had been under repair, so there was still a layer of oil bamboo on the outside. A corner frame made of mandarin oranges is very anti-cháo. After hundreds of years of corrosion, it is still very strong. When you walk on it, you can still hear a tough creaking sound.

This place should be very close to the surface. There are many tree roots hanging down from the cliff on the side, wrapping around the handrail like a plant. Some of the roots are very thick, just like the tentacles of an octopus blocking the plank road. There are more of these things as you go up, making it very difficult to walk. There are some sections that are completely wrapped in roots, and it is almost impossible to find a place to stand. You have to use a machete to clear the way, or simply crawl over.

Due to the intrusion of tree roots, the rocks here are cracked, and stones fall from time to time. We hold our heads while we are careful about our steps. Walking actually feels more tiring than climbing.

We just walked without knowing how many times we went up. There was a very big gap in the plank road in front of us, which was nearly ten meters away. Because the rocks on the side burst and collapsed, I gestured at the distance and said to Boss Wang. Said: "There is no way, I can't jump over, I have to get on the rope."

It has been almost an hour since we set off, but looking from the top down, it seems that we have not gone up very far. It seems that it is impossible to reach the top of the tree within an hour. We climbed too fast before and exhausted our physical strength. It was so bad that I had to take a break. It was very cold and humid in this vertical cave, and it would not dry out for a while. It was easy to get sick, so I had to find a way to keep warm.

We found a root hole where the tree roots and the plank road were wrapped together. Boss Wang took out the solid wind lamp and hung it on a tree root with a dagger. I took off my clothes and dried my underwear first, and then ate something randomly. Boss Wang's expression was very serious. While eating, he used a strong tactical flashlight to shine on the copper tree opposite. After shining for a while, he said to me: "Look, you can already see the top here. What is on top?"

I picked up the telescope and observed that only about ten meters above it was the top of the copper tree. Many tree roots hung down from the top of the hole, blocking the entire area. I could barely see that it was wrapped in a large In the root system, a large number of roots have been winding down the copper tree. It is really difficult to see clearly what is inside.

The plank road that goes up around the cave wall is much higher than the top of the copper tree. This is different from what is recorded in "Hemu Ji". It is possible that after years of accumulated excavation, the heavy copper tree has sunk into the rock layer again. Over the past few hundred years, the height has dropped below the plank road.

These roots hanging from the roof of the cave may be the banyan trees surrounded by more than a dozen people that we saw from the top of Jinyu Mountain when we came. Now it seems that their root systems are more impressive than their branches and leaves. , this thing like a pale ghost melon is twisted together like a twist, like a giant hand grabbing this copper pillar and trying to pull it out of hell. It is also like a huge totem wrapped with fossils, making people feel goosebumps all over.

I was fascinated when I heard the fat boss say to me: "You see the tree roots are so dense, it means that the topsoil should be above the rock shell here. This is a natural cave. The ancients could not have come in through the mountain when they came to offer sacrifices." Yes, there must be a cave system up there that can lead to the outside. If not, we don’t have to go back the way we came.”

I heard something in his words, and I felt happy. It would be a beautiful thing if we didn't have to go back the same way. However, a natural cave is definitely not a peaceful place. Whether we can get out by then depends on other considerations. Boss Wang pushed me and said: "This is the situation on the top of the copper tree, but look at the piles of trees, there seems to be a statue. It's too far here and you can't see clearly. Let's go to another place to see it. carefulness."

I looked in his direction and saw that underneath the pillar top, there seemed to be two bronze sculptured arms entwined among the roots. They were very similar to the remains of a coquettish statue we saw in Jiazigou, except that at that time Its face was blown apart by tomb robbers. I had a very strange sixth sense at that time, always feeling that there was something wrong with this face. Now I just took a look to see what this guy looked like.