Chapter 8: Seven Stars: Valley

Third Uncle frowned: "Just heads? No bodies?"

The young woman said: "Yes. Isn't it terrifying? Since the landslide there, there's no path left. Even mules can't get in. If you want to go there, you'll have to crawl step by step. I think even if you make it, you'll only be able to stare. Several groups have been there before; those old gentlemen took one look at how collapsed the mountain was and just shook their heads."

Third Uncle glanced at Poker-face, saw he was listless and completely unresponsive, and asked the waitress: "Before the mountain collapsed, someone must have gone in, right?"

"There were, but I saw them go in for a few days, and in the end they just came out like that, bringing nothing. When they arrived they were all cheerful; when they came out their clothes were like beggars', stinking to high heaven. My grandfather said they probably didn't even find the tomb. What, you folks want to give it a try too?"

"What are you saying? Since we're here, we have to take a look. Otherwise it's a wasted trip." Third Uncle chuckled and said nothing more.

The waitress went to hurry the kitchen for our food. Panzi said: "It looks like the big tomb we're heading to is definitely there, but from what this young lady says, it'll be tough to transport all the gear from our truck into the mountains."

"If you have equipment, you work with equipment; if you don't have equipment, you work without it. These Warring States tombs are usually straight earth pits—straight up and down, no chambers. Don't know if this one is the same. We'll have to see on site—how big the tomb is, how deep it's buried—probably quite different from the ones we've worked before. Look at those human heads that caved out of the mountain; that's what our ancestors called a ghost head pit. That's definitely where they buried their human sacrifices." Third Uncle took out a map and pointed at a circle on it: "Look, it's right here. This spot is still far from the main tomb. If those earlier crews used the method of finding the dragon's vein and pinpointing the acupoint, they'd definitely stop here. This is the dragon head. Normally the tomb would be underneath. But look, if you go a bit further in, there's a gourd-shaped opening. If you don't go in, you'd never know there's a whole hidden realm inside. That's the real dragon head. The person who designed this tomb must have been very familiar with the dragon-seeking acupoint method and set a trap here on purpose for them to fall into. If I'm not mistaken, beneath this false dragon head is bound to be a decoy tomb full of mechanisms!" Third

We nodded in agreement, had a bit more wine, and then all returned to our rooms.

Then we unpacked the equipment. These days, of course, we didn't use the traditional Luoyang shovel. Third Uncle took out an archaeological probe shovel, which was made of steel pipes screwed together section by section. You could add as many sections as you needed, much more discreet than the wooden-handled Luoyang shovel. Warring States tombs were always more than ten meters deep, so we couldn't skimp on them. We packed up the steel pipes, each of us carrying ten sections and one shovel head. Panzi had a short-barreled rifle, usually wrapped securely in a leather case, but he had taken it out now. This gun was much shorter than the double-barreled shotguns bought on the black market, and could be hidden in his clothes without being noticed. He stuffed it along with several clips of ammunition into his backpack. Third Uncle said that using a double-barreled shotgun down there made it impossible to turn around. Panzi's short gun was much more practical. I prepared a digital camera and a trowel. I thought about what else to bring—after all, I was just an intern grave robber.

No words were exchanged that night. After a day of travel fatigue, I slept like a log and woke up feeling completely relaxed. We hurried through breakfast, packed some dry rations, and set out. That young woman was quite helpful; she had a kid from the village lead the way. After walking for over two hours on mountain paths, the bare-bottomed kid pointed ahead and said, "Right there!" I looked and, sure enough, the mountain gully ahead was clearly carved out by a mudslide. We were now standing between two mountain ranges. The valley was very long; during the rainy season, it would have been a river, but after the mudslide and several months of drought, only a shallow stream remained in the middle.

The mountains on both sides were very steep, completely impassable on foot, and the riverbed ahead had been blocked by rocks that had collapsed from the mountain.

I patted the bare-bottomed kid on the head and said to him, "Go back and play, and tell your sister thanks for me!"

The kid held out his hand and said, "Give me a fifty!"

I was startled. The kid didn't say anything, just kept his hand out staring at me. I said, "What fifty?" Third Uncle laughed heartily, took out a hundred yuan bill, and gave it to him. He snatched it, and ran off hopping and skipping.

Only then did I realize, and I laughed too: "Even the kids in these mountains are so mercenary now."

"People die for birds—" Da Kui muttered to himself. Panzi kicked him and said, "Do you have any education? Die for birds? You go die for that."

Without another word, we started climbing. The rocks weren't too loose, and in a short while we had crossed over. It wasn't as terrifying as that woman had made it out to be—we didn't see those human heads she mentioned. Behind the landslide slope was initially a valley, but further on it gradually became wooded, and in the distance was a dense forest. I wondered how such an ecosystem had formed.

Just then we saw an old man drawing water in the valley below the landslide slope. I looked closer and, damn, it was that old bastard who had led us into the cave! When the old man suddenly saw us, he was so startled he fell into the stream. Then he scrambled up and ran. Panzi cursed with a laugh, "You think you can run?" and pulled out his short-barreled rifle, firing a shot into the sand just ahead of the old man's foot. The old man jumped in fright and ran the other way. Panzi fired three more shots, each one landing right on his footprints. The old man was clever enough to realize they were just toying with him, and that he couldn't escape. With a plop, he fell to his knees.

We ran down the slope, and the old man kowtowed to us: "Spare my life, great lords! I, this old man, had no other choice. That's why I tried to trick you lords. I never imagined you were immortals among men. Truly, I have eyes but failed to see Mount Tai!"

As he spoke, he was crying and sniffling. Third Uncle asked him, "What's this? From the sound of your voice, you seem full of energy. What do you mean you have no choice?"

"To be honest with you, I really am ill. Don't let my appearance fool you—I seem robust, but I have to take several doses of medicine every day. See, I was just fetching water to brew the medicine." He pointed to a water bucket beside him. "Let me ask you, you old devil, how did you suddenly disappear in that cave?"

"If I tell you, you lords won't kill me?" That old devil looked at us.

"Don't worry, this is a society ruled by law," Third Uncle said. "Leniency for those who confess, severity for those who resist."

"Yes, yes, I confess," the old man said. "Actually, it's nothing major. You see, that cave may look like a straight tunnel, but there are many holes in the ceiling. Those holes are very well hidden; if you weren't looking for them, you'd never find them. I took the opportunity when you weren't paying attention to stand up and slip into one of those holes. After your boat left, I came back out. That little donkey hears my whistle and would pull a wooden basin over. That's how I got out. After the job was done, the boatman, Lu Lao'er, would give me my share. Actually, I didn't get much." Then he suddenly thought of something: "Oh, right, what about Lu Lao'er? I suppose he's fallen into your hands too?"

Panzi made a throat-slitting gesture and said, "Already sent him to check in."

The old man was stunned at first, then slapped his thigh and said, "Good riddance! Actually, I didn't want to do it either. That Lu Lao'er said if I didn't cooperate, he'd kill me too. Gentlemen, you see, I had no choice. Please let me go."

"Don't give me that," Third Uncle said. "Where do you live? Why are you fetching water here?"

"I live in there," the old man pointed to a nearby cave. "You see, an old man like me, with no land, my son died young, I have no house. Now I'm just waiting to die. So pitiful."

"Then you're familiar with this area. Good. If you want us to let you go, you'll have to take us somewhere." Third Uncle pointed to the forest. The old man's face instantly turned pale with fear. "Oh my heavens! So you lords are here to rob tombs! You can't rob that tomb! There are monsters in there!"

When I heard that, I knew there was something to it. This old man definitely knew something. Third Uncle asked him, "What? Have you seen them?"

"Ah, a few years ago, I also led a group of people there. They said they were going on an archaeological expedition, but I could tell right away they were tomb raiders. However, this bunch was different from others. The petty thieves I'd seen before would rob any tomb they came across. These people, to be honest with you, had such an air about them that I could tell they were no ordinary characters. They didn't even glance at the tombs along the way, and directly said they wanted to go deep into these mountain gullies. At that time, I was the only one in our village who had been to that place. Those people were generous; they immediately gave me ten big banknotes. When I saw the money, I couldn't resist and led them into this forest. We walked all the way to where I had been before. Then they wanted to go further, but I refused. I told them, 'Ten big notes can't buy my life.' They said they'd give me another ten. I said even a hundred wouldn't make me do it. Their leader then turned hostile and pressed a gun to my head. I had no choice but to lead them further inside."

He scratched his head and continued, "Later, they said they'd reached the place. They were overjoyed, and then they started poking around at something, saying it was right underneath. That evening, I drank too much. We found a spot and set up tents. I lay down and lost consciousness completely. But when I woke up, guess what? All those people were gone. Their stuff was still there, and the fire hadn't even gone out. I got scared and called out, but after shouting for a long time, no one answered. I felt something was wrong. I figured since they weren't around, I'd make a run for it. So I turned and fled."

The old man seemed to recall some terrifying sight, squinting as he said, "I hadn't run far when I heard someone calling me. I turned my head and saw a woman from their team waving at me. I was about to curse, wondering why everyone had disappeared so early in the morning, when suddenly I noticed a large tree behind her, its branches thrashing wildly. I looked up at the tree and saw a horrifying sight — it was densely hung with corpses, their eyeballs bulging out. I was so scared I pissed myself, and I ran for a whole day and night before I got back to the village. You tell me, that must have been a tree demon. If I hadn't been raised on solid meat since childhood, I would surely have had my soul reaped by that demon."

Third Uncle sighed: "So you really are one who eats solid meat!" Then he waved his hand. Panzi understood and tied up the old man. With him leading the way, we could save a lot of trouble.

The old man was extremely unwilling but had no choice. According to him, it would take a day to reach the place he mentioned. Da Kui cleared the way ahead, and we quickened our pace, looking at the map as we walked, hoping that with the map and the old man's memory, we could get there before dark. We had been walking for about half a day. At first we could still talk, but later we felt that the endless green was making our eyes dizzy, and we kept yawning, wanting to sleep. Suddenly, the old man stopped and refused to go any further.

Panzi cursed: "What trick are you up to now?"

The old man looked at the bushes to the side, his voice trembling: "What... what is that thing?"

We turned to look and saw something flickering in the grass — it was actually a cell phone.