Chapter 331: Déjà Vu

Fatty thought my explanation was far-fetched, but he also admitted it was the only reasonable possibility for the incident. He had always been an enthusiastic advocate of the Yangjiao Mountain day trip, so as soon as I said I wanted to go, he naturally agreed wholeheartedly.

Next we discussed some specific details. Since this was a tourist trip, we hadn't brought any equipment, so it was a bit tricky. If we happened to encounter something that required tools—like opening a coffin or digging up a tomb—we'd be left helpless.

The place was remote, and it wasn't possible to buy ready-made equipment there. Fatty said, "Some things aren't necessary. We can buy substitutes. They won't be as handy, but since we're still close to the village, we don't need high quality."

He was talking about wilderness survival gear. Hunters have their own methods; they certainly don't need us carrying solid fuel and smokeless stoves. But after seeing how fierce the wild beasts were, I felt we still needed to prepare some weapons.

We called Agui over to discuss these matters. Agui himself hunted, and he had three hunting rifles, all modified old guns of unknown make. The three guns were from different eras. The oldest one was taken out of Agui's chicken coop. Although the barrel looked okay, the chamber was completely rusted. No one dared to use it, and there was nowhere to find gunpowder. The other two fired bullets and were clearly relics from wartime.

Guns had been banned in recent years, but the people here lived by hunting. Naturally, they refused to hand over their livelihood tools. The authorities understood the situation and turned a blind eye. The problem now was getting bullets. Agui said the village cadres had to go to the county to get approval before they could buy any.

Agui himself now only hunted as a hobby, so he didn't have much ammunition stored at home. Fatty checked the two guns and said, "Agui's gun is definitely fine. The other one hasn't been used for a long time, but it's been well maintained. We'll have to fire a shot to know if it still works."

We bought fifty bullets at the exorbitant price of fifty yuan each from a few of Agui's neighbors. One look at the brass cylindrical bullets told me they were handmade in a small workshop. Spending fifty yuan on these damn things stung a bit. Fatty told me not to be so petty; fifty yuan might save your life, and it was absolutely worth it.

Agui's family had brush knives for clearing paths. Agui specially sharpened them. For the other items, we wrote a list and asked him to check the township for substitutes. If there was no climbing rope, we'd use hemp rope from the well. If there were no high-powered flashlights, we'd tie several flashlights together. If there were no daggers, we'd use sickles.

Agui advised us that there was a lot of rain now, and the mountains were full of mosquitoes and poisonous ants. Especially near the lake, mosquitoes were as big as hornets. We should bring mosquito coils and mosquito nets, throwing the coils into the campfire. Otherwise, we city folks wouldn't be able to handle it. I thought to myself, since Poker-face is here, we don't need to worry about that.

Once everything was arranged, Agui said those things would take a day or two to prepare. Since the hunters hadn't returned yet, he would get everything ready before we set out.

During this time, Fatty said we could try using the sulfuric acid he brought back to see what was inside that iron block. This would require careful operation and we needed to pick a better venue.

I recalled Pan Ma's description and felt it was unwise. The iron block emitted a scent, and the scent was gradually fading over time, indicating a volatile substance inside. Who knew whether that substance was harmful to humans? I felt the time to dissolve it hadn't come yet. Once we got there and found some clues, then we could judge whether to take the risk. That would be more reliable.

Fatty's curiosity was burning him alive, but what I said made absolute sense. Poker-face also agreed with my view. Considering that we might implicate others, Fatty had to drop the idea.

In the following days, Fatty was in high spirits. First, he was firmly convinced of his ancient tomb theory. Second, he hadn't hunted in a long time and his hands were itching badly. All night, despite his face being swollen as if kicked by a horse, he kept babbling about his past hunting experiences. I couldn't sleep either, but my mind was on things by the lake. Poker-face didn't say a word; I saw him staring at the building next to Agui's, gazing blankly at a window.

I remembered seeing a shadow in that building two nights ago. But now the window was pitch black, and nothing could be seen. Agui's son seemed unwilling to meet people, keeping to himself. I wondered if he had some illness and had to stay home. Such things were common in the countryside.

Having not slept all night, plus a day of intense mental activity, I soon became dazed and couldn't hear what Fatty was saying. Poker-face leaned there dozing off. Outside was much cooler than inside. There wasn't a single insect around Poker-face. We lay down and fell asleep, waking up the next day at noon.

We each made preparations that day. On the third day, everything was ready, and Agui led us to set out.

What annoyed me was that I didn't see the legendary guide. The ones setting out with us turned out to be Agui himself and Yuncai.

I asked what was going on. Agui, didn't you say you hadn't been there? How come you're the one leading us?

Agui said, "The hunters went into the mountains. I don't know if they encountered some obstacle, but none of the teams have returned. No one else has been there. The only person I can find is my daughter, Yuncai. She went there a few times with her grandfather before and knows the way. I'll take you all, plus Yuncai can navigate, and we have the dogs. It should be fine. Otherwise, with none of you speaking the language, we might run into trouble." I thought to myself, damn, it looks like I offered too high a price, and Agui can't bear to let someone else earn this money. Fatty immediately said it wouldn't do. "We're going there to do work. Bringing a little girl along—are you kidding? If she gets hurt, you as her father might not feel sorry, but I will."

Agui kept saying it was fine. Here, little girls start handling guns at five or six. In the mountains, she was more useful than us, and she knew the mountain better than he did. No need to worry.

As he spoke, Yuncai came out of the house. Fatty and I stared, our eyes wide. Yuncai was completely transformed. She wore a full Yao hunting outfit, with a hunting knife at the small of her back and a short hunting rifle slung over her shoulder. Yao girls naturally have great figures, and with this outfit, the curves of her calves and body were accentuated—truly a beautiful sight. Add to that a spirited and lively expression, carrying that irresistible charm of a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old, and she instantly conquered Fatty.

She walked up to us, stared at us challengingly, and said, "Bosses, you look down on people, don't you?"

"No, no! Absolutely not!" Fatty immediately said. "Sister, don't misunderstand. Your fat brother here is mainly worried you'll have a hard time. Actually, in our hearts, you're definitely the best candidate."

I frowned immediately and kicked Fatty, muttering under my breath, "How come you changed your mind so fast? What, at your age, you still want to be an old cow eating tender grass?"

"What's wrong with my age? This is called the prime of life for your fatty lord. I'm a strong ox, not an old ox," he whispered. "You're letting Panzi find a wife, so why can't you tolerate me?"

I didn't know if he was truly smitten or just wanted to flirt a little, so I said to him, "The Miao and Yao are one family; the women are formidable. Be careful—if she really falls for you and puts a love spell on you, you'll have to stay on her land and farm for life. If you change your mind and run, she'll cast a spell that sends ten thousand worms through your heart, and all your glorious fat will feed the worms."

Fatty was clearly well-traveled and unimpressed. He said, "Better to die under the peony, a ghost romantic. I hope every beauty in the Yao village puts a spell on me—I'll stay here and be village chief."

Amid the joking, I had to accept the situation. Looking at Yuncai's demeanor, I felt Agui was right, and this trip likely wouldn't be too dangerous.

The only thing that bothered me was that while we were packing, Fatty kept teasing Yuncai, making her laugh heartily. But I could see that Yuncai was occasionally stealing glances at Poker-face, very carefully, always looking away immediately. But in those clear eyes, I could perceive something.

We set out along the same route we had taken earlier to find Old Man Pan Ma. I already had some understanding of this route, and it was much easier than the night we searched for Pan Ma. Fatty was completely captivated, hovering around Yuncai, almost lying down to be her horse. Yuncai was indeed adorable, hopping and skipping.

She asked what we really did; surely we weren't tour guides. What tour guide would come to a place like this? Fatty pretended to be mysterious, saying we were important people on a secret mission. If she gave him a kiss, he would secretly tell her.

I was actually afraid that Yuncai might kiss him—that would be such a waste. Fortunately, Yuncai had enough aesthetic sense and resolutely didn't fall for it. But Poker-face was not infected by our mood; his expression remained unchanged. Amid the relaxed atmosphere, only he remained shrouded in dark clouds.

That evening, we reached the ancient grave at the mountain pass. We went a kilometer or two deeper and rested briefly. We continued at dawn and walked for two days in the mountains before finally arriving at the lakeside.

From a distance, I saw the lake from the ridge. Probably due to days of heavy rain, the lake was a bit larger than I had imagined. As Pan Ma said, the surroundings were all rocks. The lake was encircled by vast, towering mountains—steep peaks stretching endlessly, massive bodies reaching into the clouds. It was nothing like hills; it was completely treacherous, grand landscapes. The vegetation was extremely thick, even the cliffs between the mountains were dark green. The reputation of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains was well-deserved. I couldn't help feeling fortunate that this place was still not far from the village; going deeper into the heart of these mountains would probably be more perilous than Tamutuo.

Following a mountain path that was completely overgrown and invisible, we arrived at the lake beach. There was no trace of anyone having camped here in the past. The lake water was very clear, reflecting the clouds in the sky—quite beautiful. We dropped our packs and went to wash our faces in the lake. The water was cold, indicating the lake was connected to an underground river. In the heat of summer, the icy lake water was refreshing.

After washing my face, I looked around. The lake reflected the sky and the surrounding mountains, and I suddenly felt a strange familiarity, as if I had seen this place before. I glanced over, and beside me, Poker-face also wore a look of confusion.