"They call this the Celestial Palace on Earth. Unlike us ordinary people, they don't use coffins for burial," said the guide.
"In the pine - tree grove we passed by just now, it was actually the burial ground of the Taoists. There were big pits everywhere that they'd dug to store the corpses."
"Those big jars had cracked due to the passage of time. The stone slabs propping up the thin layer of soil on the ground sank, and if one wasn't careful, they'd fall right in."
Hearing this, Xu Qingqing finally understood and nodded. The others around who were organizing their luggage also gathered around when they heard the guide, Niu, telling the story.
Gu Yuan asked, "Since there are so many Taoist tombs, how come we've never heard of them?"
"Because many local villagers thought these were holes dug by ghosts, so they were afraid of this mountain. And this is just the first dangerous place. You know, the whole mountain is full of traps." As Niu said this, he knocked the ash from his cigarette onto the ground.
"Who would dare to spread the news and let others come in?"
"Go and eat and sleep. We need to set off early tomorrow morning."
After the story was over, Xu Qingqing, still eager for more, grabbed Lu Chuanbai's hand and walked towards the tent. There was surprise in her eyes, but more of it was delight.
"This trip is far more interesting than I thought. I wonder what will happen next."
Lu Chuanbai tightened his grip on Xu Qingqing's hand and told her throughout, "You must stick close to me. Don't wander off."
"I know."
"I know!" Xu Qingqing giggled and ran to the campfire.
Wang Lide was distributing beef jerky and compressed biscuits to everyone. The spicy - flavored beef jerky was so hard to bite.
Xu Qingqing felt like her teeth were about to break when she managed to bite off a small piece.
"It's really hard," Xu Qingqing said, rubbing her teeth and chewing the meat in her mouth forcefully.
The taste was actually quite good, fragrant and spicy, really delicious.
"Roast it over the fire and it'll soften."
Lu Chuanbai took the beef jerky from Xu Qingqing's hand, skewered it with a small knife, and roasted it over the campfire. Soon the meat softened.
Lu Chuanbai thoughtfully cut the beef jerky into small pieces and fed them to Xu Qingqing one by one.
Xu Qingqing was just about to catch the pieces with her mouth when she felt the angry looks from others. She blushed a little and took them with her hand instead.
Gu Yuan bit the beef jerky in his hand resentfully. "We're here to work, but some people are here to show off their love."
"Yeah, poor us single people. We're stuffed with dog food without even having to eat."
Xiao He sighed sadly, looking at his own shadow.
"As if you guys won't find a partner in the future," Xu Qingqing retorted and deliberately rested her head on Lu Chuanbai's shoulder.
On the other side, Wang Lide, who was eating with Niu, heard the laughter from the other campfire. He shook his head with a smile, stood up, and said,
"Let's arrange the order for keeping watch tonight. There are eight of us in total, so we'll work in pairs."
"Xiao He, you'll be with Gu Yuan..."
In the end, Wang Lide paired Xu Qingqing and Lu Chuanbai together. The others all let out teasing sounds.
"Shut up!"
Xu Qingqing waved the beef jerky at those who were making noise. The orange glow of the campfire made her look extremely beautiful.
While Lu Chuanbai helped her break the compressed biscuits and soak them to soften, he watched Xu Qingqing play around with the others with a smile.
It was a good thing he'd come. He really wouldn't have felt at ease leaving her in such a dangerous place.
When it was Xu Qingqing and Lu Chuanbai's turn to keep watch, Xu Qingqing was extremely bored as she watched the crackling sparks jump out.
There was no signal in the mountains, so they could only just sit there.
Seeing that Xu Qingqing was so bored, sitting with her knees hugged, looking up at the sky, Lu Chuanbai wanted to cheer her up.
Looking at a half - burned and extinguished branch, Lu Chuanbai picked it up and drew a pig's head on the ground with the charcoal.
The clouds in the sky were very thick, covering the stars and the moon. Xu Qingqing was a bit worried that it might rain at night. Lu Chuanbai beside her nudged her.
Xu Qingqing looked down and saw a pig's head smiling at her.
She couldn't help but burst out laughing. Her peach - blossom - like eyes curved into a beautiful arc. She looked at the stick in Lu Chuanbai's hand. "Not bad. Let me have it."
Seeing her laugh, Lu Chuanbai was also happy and handed the stick to her.
Xu Qingqing then carefully drew a portrait of Lu Chuanbai, following his example. In the end, she drew a chubby, pouting Q - version of Lu Chuanbai.
"Done!" Xu Qingqing clapped her hands in satisfaction.
"Do I look like this when I'm angry?" Lu Chuanbai pinched his own face and pulled his cheeks up, deliberately trying to make Xu Qingqing laugh.
"Hahaha." Xu Qingqing laughed so hard that she bent forward and backward. She reached out and rubbed Lu Chuanbai's face. "Yes, you're just this cute."
The two of them drew on the ground with a branch each, and time passed quickly.
Gu Yuan, who came to take over the watch, yawned as he came out of the tent. Hearing their laughter, he said,
"Hey, you two, enough is enough. You're still being lovey - dovey while on watch. How are we single dogs supposed to live?"
Xu Qingqing stood up and rubbed the drawing on the ground with her foot. She winked at Gu Yuan. "If you're jealous, then go find a girlfriend quickly."
After saying that, she and Lu Chuanbai got into the tent to sleep. After a day of walking and climbing, even though the ground was hard, Xu Qingqing fell asleep quickly.
But she hadn't slept for long when she heard what seemed to be raindrops hitting the tent. She poked her head out of the sleeping bag, unzipped the tent door, and a cold gust of wind blew in.
Xu Qingqing shivered from the cold. Looking at the white crystals on the ground, she realized it was snowing.
Maybe Wang Lide's wish had annoyed the heavens. It snowed on the first day they entered the mountain. Fortunately, the snowflakes weren't very big, just covering the ground with a thin layer of white.
After having breakfast in the freezing cold, the group set off again.
With Niu as their guide, they managed to avoid many hidden traps.
On the other hand, on the first day that Liu Shicheng and his group entered the Dongshan mountain range, one of their companions was hit by a thick wooden pole that suddenly fell from the sky because they didn't know how to avoid the traps and died on the spot.
Liu Shicheng had to stop the team, dig a pit, and bury the companion hastily.
"Everyone, be careful. There are traps on this mountain."
Liu Shicheng felt annoyed. If he'd known there would be so many dangers in the Dongshan mountain range, he would have found an experienced guide.
Walking forward aimlessly while still having to be on high alert for unknown dangers was really difficult.
Compared with Liu Shicheng's caution, Xu Qingqing and her group walked much faster. After walking for a whole day, they were almost at the center of the Dongshan mountain range.
During dinner in the evening, Wang Lide looked at the map in his hand and discussed with Xu Qingqing.
"The last time I guessed that the location of Yang Tianfu was in the center of the mountain range. In the words of Taoist masters, it seems to be the feng shui eye of the entire Dongshan mountain range."