Mysterious Country 1: Mist-Shrouded Champa, Volume 3 Chapter 6: Intense Light

Mysterious Country 1: Mist-Shrouded Champa, Volume 3 Chapter 6: Intense Light

As the tropical storm “Pagoda” invaded, the wind and rain gradually grew more ferocious. The plant communities in the primeval jungle were distributed at varying heights. Some had shallow root systems, lacking effective support and protection from one another. They were either uprooted by the wind or snapped at the waist. Even the sturdier plants with greater resilience swayed and tilted precariously. The howling wind and rain, punctuated by flashes of lightning and peals of thunder, drowned out all other sounds in the universe.

Sima Hui and the others stood at the edge of the Wild Man Mountain giant rift valley, gripping several ancient trees on the mountain ridge thick enough to be encircled by arms. Leaning forward to peer into the bottom of the rift valley, they felt the force of the wind and rain was too great. This downpour was truly like the overturning of the vast sea, the Milky Way pouring downward. It was nearly impossible to stand firm on the mountain ridge. By the light of the brilliant lightning bolts streaking across the sky, they could see ancient walls and climbing vines within the rift valley, overhanging above and cutting steeply below, the terrain nearly vertical. The deepest areas were shrouded in boundless mist, completely obscuring human vision. The ropes the expedition team carried were extremely limited. Even if they tied all their ropes together, they would absolutely not reach the bottom of this unfathomable cavern.

Just as they were about to search for a place where people could climb down, unexpectedly, the stretcher carried by A Cui and Karaweik could not withstand the wind. When the wind caught it, it instantly became a sail. Added to this, the “Cao Shangfei” lying on the stretcher had grown so thin he was nothing but skin and bones, completely unable to weigh it down. A gust of wind swept past, and both stretcher and person were lifted into midair together, like flying catkins and falling flowers, drifting with the wind.

Sima Hui noticed the stretcher slipping from A Cui’s hands. He immediately saw a human figure flash before his eyes and reached out to grab it, but caught only empty air. In the wind and rain brought by “Pagoda,” all that was visible before him was pitch black. In an instant, he could no longer see where Cao Shangfei’s body had fallen. Sima Hui sighed in discouragement, thinking to himself that if blame was to be placed, it was on the ill-chosen name “Cao Shangfei.” In his next life, he should be called “Thousand-Pound Weight” to be more secure.

At this moment, the group could no longer stand near the giant rift valley. Fortunately, they had already surveyed the terrain. They were about to retreat down the slope against the wind and rain, searching for a narrow and gentle area to enter the valley bottom. But under the fierce wind pressure, they could not even move their feet. Even the ancient trees they gripped were being battered by the wind, swaying precariously as if about to topple. For the moment, they were caught in a dilemma, unable to advance or retreat.

Yu Feiyan saw that the mountain was too dangerous. She hurriedly grabbed Sima Hui’s arm and gestured for everyone to immediately risk climbing down into the rift valley. Sima Hui also knew this was the only viable strategy. He immediately grasped Karaweik on the other side, telling him to follow closely, and took the lead in grabbing ancient vines thick as a human arm, descending inch by inch.

Although the interior of the rift valley was also affected by the tropical storm, due to the special terrain, several air currents circulated perpetually in the depths, making it difficult for wind and rain to penetrate. After climbing down several dozen meters from the rock wall, they could no longer feel the hurricane howling across the surface. The rain had also diminished considerably.

When Sima Hui descended to a depth of over one hundred meters, he saw mist gathering beneath his feet. If they continued deeper, they would enter the boundless fog. The origins of this thick fog were unknown. Although the fog itself was harmless to the human body, it prevented pollutants in the air from dissipating easily, very possibly transforming into deadly “killer fog.” Although the severe weather changes brought by the tropical storm “Pagoda” had dispersed the thick fog surging from beneath Wild Man Mountain, and the fog within the giant rift valley was also suppressed by the heavy rain, slowly and continuously lowering at an extremely gradual pace, the interior of the cavern was completely concealed by dense clouds. Its depth was difficult to measure. The stagnant, un dissipating fog was deathly still, concealing unknown dangers within. Even if that “Mosquito Special Transport Plane” had truly crashed here, for the expedition team to search through such a vast area in fog with visibility reduced to the absolute limit would be like searching for a needle in the ocean. The hope of success was extremely slim. Moreover, having rushed and fled all along the way, everyone was by now utterly exhausted, feeling unable to continue.

Yu Feiyan saw that the expedition team had avoided the assault of the tropical storm and had already entered the interior of the Wild Man Mountain giant rift valley. In this situation, they must proceed with caution at every step. There was no need to rush, lest they fail at the last moment after coming so far. She had everyone stop to catch their breath, waiting until the fog at the bottom reached its lowest point before continuing their movements.

The group found a concave cave on the cliff face within the rift valley, covered by climbing vines. Its depth and width could barely accommodate several people. They squeezed inside, built a fire, dried their rain-soaked clothing, and ate some dry rations to fill their stomachs. Listening to the rain falling with a brushing sound, feeling the whistling wind passing through the rock crevices beside them, situated in this evil place where one could “reach neither heaven above nor earth below,” how could they rest easy?

In less than a single day, Yu Feiyan had successively lost several capable subordinates who were like her left arm and right hand. Naturally, she felt somewhat flustered and dejected. Thinking of how now, beside her, there was only the Russian White Bear remaining. But this man was a fugitive who had escaped the Soviet Russian iron curtain to Southeast Asia. He had once worked for drug lords growing poppies in the lawless zones between Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand. Because he was so bloodthirsty that his beastly nature would rise at any moment, turning on people without recognition, he later caused trouble and had half his tongue cut off. Only then was he forced to flee to the Strait of Malacca, eventually ending up under Yu Feiyan’s command. He was cold and brutal by nature, his thoughts difficult to fathom, utterly untrustworthy.

At present, the only people Yu Feiyan could place her hopes upon were the four members of the Burmese Communist guerrilla unit. Initially, she had only wanted to bring Karaweik, who knew the minefields and could find the Ghost Road. But now, looking back on the experiences along the way, she also owed much to having pulled Sima Hui into this. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable. Yu Feiyan planned to win over and recruit these people after the mission was accomplished. A Cui, who was proficient in medicine and skilled at setting bones, would be easier to persuade. But Sima Hui and Luo Dahai were two fellows with stubborn tempers, impervious to both soft and hard approaches. How could she persuade them to be moved? Yu Feiyan had always been resourceful and clever, skilled at winning people’s hearts. After brief contemplation, a plan came to her mind. Taking advantage of this brief rest, she first found a pretext through Karaweik.

Yu Feiyan noticed that Karaweik was very timid. Ever since entering the Wild Man Mountain giant rift valley, he had been so frightened his teeth chattered, not daring to speak half a sentence. So she took out a jade thumb ring from beside her. Her ancestors had been illustrious nobility. This thumb ring was a family heirloom. If placed in a copper basin filled with clear water, it would emit a basin full of emerald green light, appearing quite extraordinary. Also, because it was an object from the imperial palace, it possessed the special power of warding off evil and blocking disasters.

Yu Feiyan took out this jade thumb ring, threaded it with a red cord, and hung it around Karaweik’s neck, explaining its benefits to him.

A Cui saw that Karaweik was ignorant and unaware, and told him this thumb ring was very precious, urging him to quickly kowtow in thanks to Yu Feiyan.

Yu Feiyan secretly felt pleased with herself. She was about to swear brotherhood with Karaweik as a sworn sibling of different surnames, then take the opportunity to befriend Sima Hui and the others. Who knew that Sima Hui would not even glance at her family heirloom jade thumb ring. Instead, he said to Yu Feiyan: “Receiving reward without merit makes eating and sleeping difficult. This boy Sunday is a brother of mine and Luo Dahai’s. You give him such a precious thing, so we ought to give you something in return.”

Yu Feiyan knew Sima Hui was unwilling to accept her favor, feeling extremely disdainful in her heart. She thought: “What do you have on your person that could compare with my family heirloom thumb ring? And you still have the nerve to bring it out as a return gift?”

Sima Hui saw what she meant and said: “You are underestimating people. Don’t forget that even a broken ship has three thousand nails. You have your family heirlooms, and we also have things passed down from our households.” Saying this, he shot a glance at Luo Dahai, signaling him to take out their thing to show Yu Feiyan.

Luo Dahai and Sima Hui had always shared a tacit understanding. He nodded in comprehension, turning out all the pockets on his entire body. Finally, he produced a copper ear scoop with carved floral patterns. Looking at the craftsmanship, it seemed to be local Myanmar goods. Although it appeared fairly delicate, and the patina suggested some age, no matter how one looked at it, it was clearly a common marketplace item. To present this before Yu Feiyan, who regularly dealt with rare and precious treasures, was truly too crude and unrefined. What value could this object possibly have? If dropped on the ground, probably no one would pick it up.

Sima Hui saw Yu Feiyan’s face full of contempt and disdain upon seeing this copper ear scoop. He deliberately let out a cold laugh and said to her: “Leader, you don’t recognize valuable goods, do you? Do you think the thing in our hands is like buying a chicken’s rear end for two cents? Regardless of its worth for the moment, it isn’t even a proper object. Actually, you may not know this, but this was brought out from the imperial palace during the late Qing and early Republican period. For many years, it has been the treasured heirloom kept at the bottom of Luo Big Tongue’s family chest. If not for giving it to someone of your status, we would absolutely refuse to bring it out.”

Luo Dahai chimed in from the side, acting as if great emotions had been stirred, his eyes reddening, tearfully劝阻 Sima Hui: “Brother, I have thought it over from every angle. I truly cannot bear to part with this thing. What we are doing is really… really too sorry to our ancestors.”

Saying this, he was about to take the object from Sima Hui’s hand.

Yu Feiyan had originally thought Sima Hui was playing a trick on her. But seeing their cautious expressions, they did not seem to be acting. Could she truly have misjudged? Yet by all logic and reason, this made no sense. She had no choice but to ask: “How could there be such goods in the imperial palace?”

Sima Hui put on an air of helpless resignation: “Let’s speak frankly. I don’t mind telling you the truth today, but you must absolutely not spread this around. It is not a particularly honorable matter.”

Yu Feiyan felt even more astonished. What could be dishonorable about this? But she saw Sima Hui point at Luo Dahai, lowering his voice as he spoke to her: “To be honest with you, don’t be fooled by the slight Northeastern accent in Luo Big Tongue’s speech. Actually, his ancestral home is Beijing. Beneath the walls of the Beijing imperial city, there have always been hidden dragons and crouching tigers. What kind of extraordinary person could not be found there? This Luo Big Tongue’s grandfather was no ordinary figure. He was the last great eunuch of the Qing dynasty, Xiao Dehai. The origin of this object is no small matter. It was taken from the palace by his grandfather Xiao Dehai when he followed the Xuantong Emperor in leaving the Forbidden City, conveniently slipping it out.”

Luo Dahai nearly fainted from anger upon hearing this, thinking to himself: “Sima Hui, you are truly full of bad water, taking advantage at every turn. I have never seen anyone more wicked than you. Your grandfather is the damned eunuch.” But with the conversation having reached this point, he had no choice but to continue with a bitter face, sighing deeply as he said to Yu Feiyan: “When you listen to people speak, it matters that you understand the details clearly. Actually, my grandfather the elder was not a thief. Taking this object out casually was merely to preserve a memento. This teaches that one must not forget one’s roots. After our Great Qing was gone, the old master would perform the three bows and nine kowtows to this ear scoop every day. He had entered the palace from the age of six and served the Empress Dowager and the Emperor for most of his life. Even until death, he did not forget to show loyalty to his master…”

Speaking to the end, as if recalling old matters, his heart was moved, and he was already choking on his words, unable to speak.

Sima Hui immediately offered comfort: “For a servant to reach such a level, he truly was too loyal to his master.”

Yu Feiyan grew even more suspicious upon hearing this: “Since Xiao Dehai was a eunuch in the Forbidden City, and entered the palace at age six after being castrated, how could he possibly have descendants?” Sima Hui quickly covered for Luo Big Tongue, saying that after that Eunuch Xiao Dehai came out, did he not also have to establish a family and live his life? As a result, he married an old palace maid and adopted a son to care for him in his old age and perform funeral rites. Although not biological, their affection was beyond words. The saying “not family, yet closer than family” precisely described the most touching aspect of Luo Dahai’s family.

Yu Feiyan nodded slightly, but still had many puzzling questions in her heart. She asked again: “Since that Eunuch Xiao Dehai could bring things out from the palace, why did he not take gold, silver, or jade objects, nor antique paintings or calligraphy? Why did he specifically take an ear scoop as a family heirloom?”

Sima Hui improvised on the spot, saying: “You must not look down upon this pure copper ear scoop. It is truly a national treasure. Why? Because when evaluating an ancient object, you cannot judge its value by its material alone. First, you must look at its historical value; second, its artistic value.

Let us speak of how the Hongwu Emperor of the Great Ming rose like a dragon, through bloody battles, finally driving the Yuan people back to the northern deserts, restoring our Han Chinese rivers and mountains. Later, the Prince of Yan swept the north, establishing the capital at Beijing. For a time, he governed diligently and made the country prosperous, with peace within the seas. But alas, time passed and seasons changed. This is precisely ‘good flowers do not bloom forever, beautiful scenes do not last.’ By the late Ming dynasty, the court lost its governance, suffering internal troubles and external threats, the people unable to live in peace. First, the rebel king Li Zicheng raised his banner in revolt, leading his army to break through the capital, forcing the Chongzhen Emperor to hang himself on Coal Hill. The dynasty changed to Great Shun. The common people of the world only thought they would now live in peace and contentment. But then there was Wu Sangui, who in a rage for his beloved beauty, led the Qing troops through the pass. The Eight Banner iron cavalry swept southward, unstoppable wherever they went. From then on, they established their rule over the Central Plains. The Great Qing still established its capital at Beijing. Do you know why? Because the Qing emperor also recognized the superior strategic position of our Beijing. This place connects to the Yan Mountains in the north, borders the Taihang Mountains in the west, swallows the Bohai Sea in the east, and presses down upon the Central Plains in the south. It is truly a golden city of heaven, an unshakable foundation for ten thousand ages.

Since the Qing entered and ruled, they produced several generations of wise and sagely monarchs. They assessed the times and employed the worthy, governed practically and enriched the nation, emphasized agriculture and sericulture, quelled various rebellions, and swept away the Three Feudatories in one stroke. Finally, they unified the four seas and won the hearts of all people. But who could have predicted that after the Kangxi and Qianlong golden age, they could not withstand the turning wheel of prosperity and decline, the shifting winds and clouds? Finally, the court discipline deteriorated, the overall situation rotted beyond repair. Seeing the Eight-Nation Alliance taking advantage to enter Beijing, forcing the Empress Dowager Cixi to flee in panic. As her imperial carriage traveled along the way, the weather was dry and the waters parched, the blazing sun hanging in the sky, the floating clouds swept clean. Within the Old Buddha’s body, phlegm-fire arose, her ears ringing and eyes dry, suffering unbearably, unable to speak. The imperial physicians treated her from every angle without result. Just as she was on the verge of death, fortunately, an accompanying official presented a delicate and exquisite eight-treasure ear scoop, a tribute from Siam. The chief eunuch Li Lianying personally extracted earwax for the Old Buddha. Weighing it on a balance scale, it was over one liang in weight. Cixi was able to release her internal fire, immediately feeling refreshed in spirit and clear in mind, her ears sharp and eyes bright. Thus she survived, and subsequently advocated making peace with the foreign powers, signing the Boxer Protocol. One could say that if Cixi had not cleaned her ears back then, she might not have preserved her life to return to the capital again. The Guangxu Emperor would not have been unable to carry out reforms, accumulating depression and illness, ending in the tragic outcome of dying with hatred in his heart. Who could have imagined that this tiny ear scoop was a witness to the shifting historical winds and the humiliating national shame of the late Qing dynasty? No wonder later, Minister Li Hongzhang sighed with emotion: ‘Toiling horses and carriages never leave the saddle, only when facing affairs does one know death is hard. Three hundred years wound the nation’s steps, eight thousand leagues mourn the people’s devastation. Autumn winds and precious swords, the lone minister’s tears; sunset banners and the great general’s altar. The copper ear scoop is originally no ordinary thing, I pray you do not view it with idle eyes.'”

Only now did Yu Feiyan finally understand that Sima Hui had said so much, merely to make his broken trinket seem extraordinarily valuable, enough to match the jade thumb ring she had given to Karaweik. All her previous deep affection and goodwill had completely gone to waste. Truly, pearls and beautiful jade cast before the blind, her good intentions had been treated as donkey’s liver and lungs. The angrier she thought about it, the more her willow eyebrows stood on end: “Is this how little you think of me?”

Sima Hui saw Yu Feiyan’s pretty face turned pale with anger, tears swirling in her eyes, and could not help feeling somewhat sympathetic. He spoke frankly, advising her to just accept it. Although it could not compare with the treasures she had seen in ancient tombs, even a grasshopper jumping into a frying pan was still something of substance. Also, she need not waste her efforts trying to win them over. For so many years, no one had ever walked out alive from the Wild Man Mountain giant rift valley. Even if, taking a step back, they truly could leave alive, he only hoped she would fulfill her previous promise, to take Karaweik far away. As for the three of them, she need not concern herself.

It turned out that Sima Hui, Luo Dahai, and A Cui had all carefully thought things through when they encountered the “Cambodian Man-Eating Leech.” Even if the three of them by some miracle escaped Wild Man Mountain with their lives, they did not plan to flee overseas. Because over there, they had no skills and no means of making a living. To survive, they would inevitably fall under someone’s control, and sooner or later end up following Yu Feiyan to become tomb-robbing “shadows.” Thinking of the fates of Master Jiang and Mountain Borer and the others, one could see that “men die for wealth, birds die for food.” They had all been hired by their employer for heavy pay, only to die inexplicably in this primeval jungle cut off from the world. Doing this kind of work where one tucked one’s head into one’s belt, no one could guarantee that someday they would not hit bad luck and run into a “violent death ghost,” losing their lives. Rather than selling their lives for money to those financial magnates, ending up dying like dogs, it would be better to cross the border back home. Those who deserved bullets would take bullets; those who deserved prison would sit in prison. At least they would end with a clear conscience.

After hearing Sima Hui’s words, Yu Feiyan’s anger in her heart somewhat subsided, but her resentment still lingered. Just as she was about to say something more to him, suddenly a great noise came from the bottom of the rift valley. Everyone knew something was happening. They hurriedly leaned out to look down, and saw within the boundless fog beneath their feet, several beams of intense and blinding light shooting out.

The dazzling intense light penetrated through layers of thick fog, bright one moment and dim the next, constantly flickering and swaying, making people’s vision swim. Following this was a strange sound like ancient trees and rotten wood collapsing and breaking, “creaking and groaning.” Sima Hui detected that the movement came from below upward, from far to near, arriving with extreme malice. Just hearing it made one’s hair stand on end. He pondered: “The several beams of light in the thick fog appear so bright and dazzling, tens of times brighter than searchlights. They absolutely cannot be biological light. And what object could produce that sound like withered trees, rapidly moving upward from the depths of the giant rift valley?”