The PLA squad leader said, “Did you hear that? The expert said this is a disaster. Don’t just assume everything is the river god. We won’t pursue it this time, but next time, be more scientific.”
After being scolded by the PLA comrade, the old men nodded repeatedly, probably still shaken from the earlier scare.
At that moment, a man named Liu San ran over and shouted, “Squad leader, it’s bad! The water is rising again over there.”
The PLA squad leader clicked his tongue and said, “Everyone, go and open the channel, quick! There’s no time to waste.”
After giving the order, everyone followed him. A large group of people worked hard all day and finally managed to dig the channel, successfully diverting the floodwater into the mountain gully.
That night, the entire village gathered together and enjoyed a delicious communal meal. The PLA squad leader mentioned that there were other disaster areas that needed their help, so they left that very night.
After dinner, Liu Dashao and Fan Debiao, having nothing else to do, went to listen to the village elders telling stories. They said that there used to be no river here. During the Song Dynasty, a high-ranking official came here for a visit and, shortly after returning, brought many people to dig a channel from the Jialing River. When he left, he took several large boats filled with goods, though no one knew what they were.
After hearing this, Fan Debiao said that the Song Dynasty official must have been a tomb raider. No wonder there were so few artifacts in Zhang Jiao’s tomb—they had all been taken by that guy.
The four of them rested in the village for the night. The next morning, when they were leaving, the villagers gave them peaches, plums, eggs, and even red flowers.
On the road, Jackson, whose Chinese name was Wu Sangui, a lovely fellow, left. He was a stranger in a foreign land and naturally had to return to his own home. This left everyone with a faint sense of melancholy after waving goodbye. Liu Dashao, however, felt an inexplicable and strange sensation. He didn’t know whether everything he had experienced was real or not, but he believed that he must have some mysterious connection with the Great Virtuous Teacher.
At this moment, images from the tomb kept flashing in his mind. Taoist Ge’s fate was unknown, the “Human Scroll” of the *Taiping Jing* had been thrown into a whirlpool to escape the pursuit of Zhang Jiao’s zombies, and there was even a coffin in the unfinished ancient tomb. He had even dreamed of the corpse inside. Could there be some connection between these two tombs? Yinglong, yes! Yinglong must be the key clue. But now that the entire tomb had collapsed, finding the truth was impossible.
Thinking about this gave him a headache. Suddenly, Liu Dashao felt something hard in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw that it was the pearl.
Looking at the pearl now, Liu Dashao still felt an indescribable sense of familiarity, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t remember why.
Suddenly, Liu Dashao had a thought. Before they set out, Big Guoguo had said that the secret was about to be revealed. What did that mean? Could it be related to the bronze coffin?
If Yinglong hadn’t led them to the cliff, they would have definitely found the bronze coffin. Perhaps that was where the true secret of the *Taiping Jing* lay.
Thinking about this, he couldn’t help but sigh. Taoist Ge knew the most about the secrets inside, and now he might have passed on. The secrets were buried along with him.
He smiled faintly and looked back at Bodhisattva Mountain. The mountain was shrouded in a layer of mist, enveloping him in a hazy veil.
The “Human Scroll” of the *Taiping Qingling Shu* was completely imprinted in his mind. He didn’t have a photographic memory, but the facts were just so abrupt, so unbelievable.
However, even though the *Taiping Qingling Shu* was completely imprinted in his mind, Liu Dashao had never had the chance to read it.
In his mind, the *Taiping Qingling Shu* was like a book, a three-dimensional image, slowly opening to the first page.
The first page briefly introduced the concept of Qimen Dunjia, like the introduction of any book.
But just as Liu Dashao was about to turn the page, he suddenly noticed that if he read horizontally, the first few characters were unmistakably “Liu Dashao.”
He was terrified. How could the *Taiping Qingling Shu*, a work from a thousand years ago, have his name in it?
Unable to figure it out, he finally gave up.
When they returned to the construction site, everyone was curious to see that the four of them had gone and come back. They all went up and asked, “Hey, Fan Debiao, how did Hu Beikang end up like this?”
“Hu Beikang sacrificed himself for our revolutionary cause. This is another comrade, he’s with us.”
Fan Debiao was panting heavily, having run all the way back from Bodhisattva Mountain. He was exhausted. “Whoever’s good at cooking, get me some food, quick.”
“Hu Beikang sacrificed himself?” Everyone was puzzled.
“I’ll explain it to you later. Hurry up and get me something to eat. I’m starving.”
Without waiting for a response, Fan Debiao plopped down on the straw mat and didn’t move.
“But boss, you were only gone for an hour, and Hu Beikang just sacrificed himself? And you’re this hungry? Didn’t you have rations when you left? Did you eat them all in an hour?”
A fellow worker asked curiously.
“Bullshit! You’re the one who was gone for an hour. I’ve been gone for over half a month, and I’m so tired I could shit. Stop talking nonsense and get me some food. My stomach is sticking to my back.” Fan Debiao cursed angrily.
The workers didn’t dare to argue and scattered.
However, Liu Dashao was still curious about the matter. Since the workers had no reason to lie to him, he walked up to one of them and asked, “Did we really only go for an hour?”
“Of course! Why would I lie to you? It was just an hour, and one person died. Man, these days are really unbearable!” The man said and went to cook.
Liu Dashao’s mind was racing, trying to figure out what was going on.
Finally, he thought he understood. Perhaps that tomb, with its mysterious structure that surpassed modern technology, really had the effect of delaying time. A few days inside were only an hour outside. Thinking about this, he felt relieved. Although Taoist Ge had died saving him, in that swirling vortex, he might have achieved eternal life.
For a moment, Liu Dashao couldn’t figure it out and finally gave up.
After stuffing themselves with food, everyone was finally full and fell asleep on their beds.
The next morning, after calming their spirits, they finally shook off the bad luck of the day.
“Fan Debiao, is there a phone around here? I need to call my brothers and escape from this place,” Big Guoguo whispered in Fan Debiao’s ear early in the morning.
Fan Debiao mumbled in response, “Alright, after it gets light, I’ll take you to the nearby village to make a call.”
“No, you don’t understand. My face is very well-known. I’m on the police’s wanted list. If we go during the day, they’ll definitely spot us. It’s better to go now, when it’s still dark and the person at the phone booth won’t look at us too closely. He’ll be half-asleep too.”
Liu Dashao was woken up by their voices and, half-asleep, understood what was going on. He said to Fan Debiao, “Hey, Fan Debiao, you should go with Big Guoguo. If you get caught, you’ll be in trouble too. Alright?”
Fan Debiao sighed helplessly and said, “Alright, let’s go. Master Liu, why don’t you come with us? After all, we have to pass by Bodhisattva Mountain. If anything happens, you can help us out. I’ll give you the day off today. How about that?”
Hearing that he could have a proper day off, Liu Dashao immediately perked up and, no longer feeling sleepy, got dressed and followed Fan Debiao and the others toward Bodhisattva Mountain.
Their destination this time was the small village at the foot of Bodhisattva Mountain.
That place was the only phone in the surrounding ten-mile area.
After being scolded by the PLA comrade, several old men nodded repeatedly, probably quite frightened just now.
At this moment, a man named Liu San ran over shouting, “Squad Leader, it’s bad! The water level over there is rising again!”
Upon hearing this, the PLA squad leader clicked his tongue in frustration and said, “Everyone, follow me to dig a channel, quickly! We’re running out of time!”
After giving his orders, everyone followed him. A large group worked hard the entire day and finally completed the channel, successfully diverting the floodwaters into a ravine.
That evening, the entire village gathered together for a delicious meal of large pot rice. The PLA squad leader said they had to leave that night since other disaster areas needed their help.
After dinner, Liu Dashao and Fan Debiao had nothing to do, so they went to listen to the village elders chat and tell stories. The elders said that there had previously been no river here. During the Song Dynasty, a high-ranking government official came here for a visit. Not long after returning, he brought many people back, opening a channel from the Jialing River, and took away several large boats of unknown goods—no one ever found out what they were.
After listening, Fan Debiao immediately claimed that the Song Dynasty official must have been a tomb robber. That explained why there were so few artifacts in Zhang Jiao’s tomb—this guy must have taken them all.
The four of them rested in the village for one night. The next morning, as they prepared to leave, villagers gave them peaches, plums, eggs, and even red flowers.
On their way, Jackson, whose Chinese name was Wu San gui, left. As a foreigner, he naturally needed to return to his homeland. This caused a slight sense of melancholy among the group after waving goodbye. Liu Dashao, however, felt an inexplicable sensation—he couldn’t tell whether everything he had experienced was real or just a dream. Yet he felt certain that he shared some strange connection with the Great Sage.
At this moment, scenes from inside the tomb kept flashing through his mind—Ge Daoshi’s uncertain fate, the “Human Volume” of the Taiping Jing thrown into a whirlpool to escape Zhang Jiao’s corpse, and the strange appearance of a coffin inside an unfinished ancient tomb. He had even dreamed about the corpse inside. Could there be a connection between these two tombs? Qinglong, yes! Qinglong must be the key clue. But now the entire tomb had collapsed, making it impossible to uncover the truth.
Thinking about this gave him a headache. Suddenly, Liu Dashao felt something hard in his pants pocket. When he pulled it out, it was the pearl.
Looking at the pearl now, Liu Dashao still felt an indescribable sense of familiarity, yet no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t remember anything.
Suddenly, a thought struck him—before setting off, Big Cricket had said something about secrets being revealed. What did he mean? Could it be related to the bronze coffin?
Thinking back, if Qinglong hadn’t led them to that cliff, they would have definitely found the bronze coffin instead. Perhaps that was where the true secret of the Taiping Jing lay.
This thought made him sigh involuntarily. Ge Daoshi had known the most secrets, and now he might be gone forever, taking those secrets with him, buried beneath the ruins.
He smiled faintly and turned back to look at Bosala Mountain. A thin layer of mist covered the mountain, shrouding it in a hazy veil.
The “Human Volume” of the Taiping Qing Ling Shu was now deeply imprinted in his mind. Though he didn’t have a photographic memory, the fact remained startling and inexplicable.
Although the Taiping Qing Ling Shu was now firmly embedded in his mind, Liu Dashao had never actually had the chance to read it.
In his mind, the Taiping Qing Ling Shu appeared as a three-dimensional book slowly opening its first page.
The first page simply introduced the concept of Qi Men Dun Jia, much like the preface of any book.
But just as Liu Dashao was about to turn the page, he suddenly noticed something strange—if he read the text horizontally, the first few words on the page clearly read “Liu Dashao.”
He was terrified. How could the Taiping Qing Ling Shu, a text written over a thousand years ago, contain his name?
Unable to make sense of it, he eventually gave up.
Back at the construction site, everyone was surprised to see that four people had left and four had returned. They approached asking, “Hey Fan Debiao, why does Hu Beikang look like this now?”
“Comrade Hu Beikang sacrificed himself for our revolutionary cause. This is another comrade who came with us.”
Panting heavily from running all the way back from Bosala Mountain, Fan Debiao said, “Hey, who’s good at cooking? Hurry up and make me something to eat!”
“Comrade Hu Beikang sacrificed himself?” Everyone looked puzzled.
“I’ll explain later. Just bring me some food quickly—I’m starving!”
Without further explanation, Fan Debiao sat heavily on a straw mat and refused to move.
“But Chief, you were only gone for an hour. How could you make a round trip in just one hour, and Hu Beikang already died? And you’re both so hungry? Didn’t you bring rations with you? Did you finish them in just an hour?”
One curious worker asked.
“You’re full of crap! You’re the one who was gone for an hour! We were gone for over half a month! I’m about to starve to death! Stop messing with me and bring me some food—my stomach is sticking to my back!” Fan Debiao angrily shouted.
The workers didn’t dare to argue and quickly dispersed.
Liu Dashao, however, remained curious about this. These workers had no reason to lie to him. He approached one of them and asked, “So we really were only gone for an hour?”
“Of course! Why would I lie to you? Just one hour, and one man died. Man, this life is really unbearable!” The worker said and walked away to prepare food.
Seeing this, Liu Dashao’s mind raced, trying to figure out what had happened.
Eventually, he finally understood. Perhaps that tomb, with its mysterious structure beyond modern science, truly had the power to slow down time—several days inside equaled just one hour outside. Thinking this, he felt a sense of relief. Although Ge Qingzhi had died saving him, perhaps in that swirling vortex, he could finally attain immortality.
For a moment, Liu Dashao couldn’t make sense of anything, so he gave up.
After a hearty meal, everyone finally felt satisfied and collapsed onto their beds, quickly falling asleep.
The next morning, after recovering their strength, they finally managed to shake off the misfortune of the previous days.
“Fan Debiao, do you know if there’s a telephone nearby? I need to call my buddies and get out of here,” Big Cricket mumbled early in the morning.
Still half-asleep, Fan Debiao replied, “Alright, I’ll take you to the nearby village to use the phone after it gets light.”
“No way! You don’t understand—my face is very well-known. I’m wanted by the police. If we go during the day, we’ll definitely be caught. We should go now, while it’s still dark and blurry. The person watching the phone booth won’t look at us carefully either—he’ll be half-asleep too.”
Liu Dashao was awakened by their voices and, still groggy, understood what was happening. He also said to Fan Debiao, “Fan Debiao, you should just go with Big Cricket. If you really get caught, you might get dragged into this too. Alright.”
Sighing helplessly, Fan Debiao said, “Fine, let’s go then. Master Liu, would you like to come with us? After all, we have to pass through a mountain on the way, and that mountain is precisely Bosala Mountain. If something happens, you could help us out. I’ll give you the day off today—how about that?”
At the mention of getting a proper day off, Liu Dashao immediately perked up, no longer feeling sleepy. He quickly got dressed and followed Fan Debiao and the others toward Bosala Mountain.
Their destination this time was a small village at the foot of Bosala Mountain.
That village housed the only telephone for miles around.
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