Volume 5 Chapter 46 After the rest
The doctor in Ning’s team examined our wounds, gave us anti-inflammatory injections and animal disease vaccines, cleaned and stitched up the wounds that were too long, and the wound on the fat man’s butt was the most serious, making him only able to eat while lying down.
We were very hungry, and although there wasn’t much food, their guide said there was a breeze, so there must be a way out, so there was no need to be too nervous. We ate a lot of sugary food, and the feeling in all parts of our bodies returned, and the painful places hurt more, and the itchy places itched more, which was very uncomfortable.
Uncle San was still delirious, but the high fever had subsided. Pan Zi wrapped him in a sleeping bag and kept feeding him some water.
The hot spring water never runs out, and we all use it to rub our bodies. The environment here is far from pleasant, but I feel like I’m rubbing my body like a fairy.
During this time, I told them everything I saw without reservation. The others listened in silence and didn’t say anything. These foreigners have seen the strange and evil side of China’s ancient mystery, and I’m afraid it’s difficult for them to think of anything else.
One of the animal experts said that the monkey-like creature living in the mouth of the strange bird might be a kind of parasitic relationship in ancient times, just like the jackal lying on the back of the wolf. The strange bird might not be able to digest food, and the “monkey in the mouth” helped it digest food. The strange bird lived on the feces of the monkey in its mouth, which was very common in the ocean.
I don’t know what to think. Everything that happened in the Genting Palace was too fast. We couldn’t breathe through our mouths. I just feel like I’m dreaming. I really don’t want to think about it anymore.
But in private, I made a promise with these experts. If we can all return alive, and if there is any progress in this matter, we can share resources through e-mail. I hope that in the future, we can no longer be in a competitive relationship.
We rested for half a day in the same place, and then Pan Zi led a few people to explore the deeper part of the crevice.
The cave expert said that there should be an exit to the surface, otherwise there would be no air flowing in, and the exit would definitely be a wind tunnel.
I didn’t believe him at the time, but after walking for nearly a day, we suddenly found ourselves surrounded by familiar sights. When the fat guy pointed to a double-layer mural on a crack in the wall that had been peeled off, I couldn’t help but laugh uncontrollably.
The exit of this crack was the rock crevice that we had sealed off with rocks when we were climbing up the mountain to avoid the snowstorm.
I saw the household goods we had left behind, and Pan Zi also smiled wryly.
When we came here, we were like a mighty army, but now we are like defeated soldiers. The excitement and mystery we felt when we looked at the double-layered murals and guessed the secrets of the palace in the clouds have now turned into an inescapable bitterness and irony. And at that time, we never thought that if we walked a few more kilometers down this crevice, we would find the coffin of the Nine Dragons. We had actually made such a huge detour.
This is a great irony. I don’t know if this irony is the last surprise Wang Zanghai left us, or a great coincidence that even he didn’t know about.
After that, we quickly walked out of the crevice. For the first time in a week, everyone saw the sun, and it was so bright that we couldn’t open our eyes.
We had basically finished our food, but we didn’t lack water, and we still had plenty of energy. We should be able to walk for a day on an empty stomach. We set out on our route, and Aning contacted the doctor and the rescue team via satellite phone, saying that someone would come to pick us up on the way.
We followed their team and slowly descended the snow line. When we met the mountain rescue team, we were already outside of Yingshan Village.
All the injured were transported by jeep to the nearest hospital for simple treatment, and then sent to the Third Hospital of Jilin University. Uncle San was diagnosed with a severe concussion and complications from the wound infection, and needed a long period of recuperation. Me and Fatso were both suffering from external injuries, so I never envied Pan Zi’s strong and scarred body again, because I was not much worse than him.
Moreover, although I still had no idea about Uncle San’s purpose and motives, I was proud that I had finally found him.
Uncle San had to stay in the hospital until his condition stabilized. After about half a month of debauchery in Jilin, me, Pan Zi, Fatso, and a few foreigners all left.
Pan Zi went back to Changsha, and it took a lot of energy to clean up the mess, so there was not much contact afterwards. Fatso went back to Beijing to Panjiayuan, saying he would take a few months off. The foreigners went back to their own countries, and I was left alone, taking care of Uncle San while trying to sort out my thoughts and use the clues I had to figure out what was going on.
In fact, the mystery surrounding Wang Zanghai was already very clear: first, the Yunding Palace was not built by Wang Zanghai, but was rebuilt by him. (But who built this huge ruin from the Shang Dynasty, and for what purpose?)
Second, Wang Zanghai did not participate in the reconstruction project of his own free will. Most of the Han craftsmen involved in the reconstruction project were forced by the Dongxia people. During the reconstruction project, Commander-in-Chief Wang Zanghai began to design an escape tunnel that ran almost across the Xiaosheng and Sansheng Mountains, so that when the underground palace was closed, the foreign king of the ten thousand slaves would not be buried alive.
Third, during the process of rebuilding the mausoleum, Wang Zanghai gradually hid many secrets at the bottom of the Dongxia mausoleum and deep in the Changbai Mountains. (What did he see inside the bronze gate?)
Fourth, Wang Zanghai recorded these secrets on the Dragon Fish Secret Text, hoping that one day they would be seen by the world.
Fifth, because Dongxia was a small border country with a meager treasury, the many treasures in the Yunding Palace were all looted from other tombs. When Wang Zanghai was instructing the Dongxia army to overturn the coffins, he secretly hid the Dragon Fish Secret Text in these ancient tombs, hoping that someone would find it. He put two in total, and the last one he hid in his own tomb before he died of old age.
Sixth, why did he build the ancient tombs on the seabed? Was he afraid that the descendants of Dongxia would reveal the secret?
Seventh, the people who disappeared in the underwater tomb appeared in the secret chamber of the Genting Palace. (Except for two people, everyone else died, but who were these two people? Where did they go? Did they enter the giant door like the Mian Youping? Why did they go in? What was the purpose of Uncle San going to the Genting Palace?
Eighth, the huge bronze ancient tree, the huge bronze secret door, and the hexagonal bells that appear in several places, are there any connections between these bronze objects? They represent a mysterious power, but what is it?
I gradually discovered that what happened in the underwater tomb twenty years ago was the key.