unglückliche Beziehung

Kapitel 29

As darkness fell, we had already distanced ourselves from the pilgrims who had entered the valley with us earlier. Looking around, the valley, with its rolling snow-capped hills and jagged rocks, was devoid of any other living creature besides the five of us; it was utterly lifeless. We had been walking at the foot of Mount Kailash all day, and were utterly exhausted, panting heavily and moving slowly.

“Uncle Zaxim,” Dunzi asked, looking at the darkening sky, “we’ve been walking all day. Shouldn’t we find a place to camp and rest?” Zaxim replied, “Not here. Don’t you see these snow-capped peaks? Judging by the weather, a strong wind is sure to blow tonight, potentially causing avalanches. Camping here would be suicide.” He then added, “Hang in there a little longer. There’s a safe place not far ahead, and I can introduce you to a master there.” “A master? What kind of master?” I asked curiously. “Hehe, you’ll find out then. I just want to introduce you; whether he’ll agree to see you depends on your luck,” Zaxim said with a smile.

Driven by renewed curiosity, we surprisingly didn't feel as tired as before as we had. Following the old man Zaxi for another hour along the mountain path, we finally arrived at the safe place he had mentioned. By then, it was completely dark, and the snow on the nearby hills reflected the moonlight, illuminating the surroundings in a hazy, indistinct way.

I looked around carefully and found that we were in a clearing in a canyon below a cliff. There was a natural cave in the cliff face, and not far from the opening was a mani stone pile, adorned with colorful prayer flags and white khatas (ceremonial scarves). Tashim pointed to the cave and said, “This cave has been used by local ascetics for their rigorous practice for a long time. One of the ascetics living inside is an old acquaintance of mine. Let’s disturb him tonight and rest in his cave for the night.” “So this is the ascetic you were going to introduce us to,” I said. Tashim nodded and then said, “When we go into the cave, everyone must keep their voices down and not make a sound. Tonight we can only eat vegetarian food; we can’t eat any canned meat or other meaty foods.” Everyone nodded in understanding. Then, Tashim led us into the cave.

Upon entering the cave, we found it to be only about two meters high and eighty centimeters wide, feeling quite cramped. The five of us were quite crowded as we walked in together. The cave walls were very smooth, adorned with numerous murals and decorative patterns with religious themes. After walking a short distance further, a faint light shone from the depths of the cave. Just then, we heard Zaxi call softly towards the light, "Old artist Zaxi has come to see you. Why don't you come out to greet me?" "Zaxi, what brings you here? Weren't you in the holy city?" a voice replied from inside. Then we saw the light flicker and slowly move towards us.

Soon, the firelight moved in front of us, and in its glow, we saw the face of an old man. His complexion was dark, covered in wrinkles, and three white stripes were painted on his forehead. He seemed delighted to see Zaxim, but his joy quickly faded upon seeing us behind Zaxim. He carefully examined us, then asked Zaxim, "And who are these people?" "Oh, they are some friends I just met. They asked me to bring them to the holy mountain for a pilgrimage. It's getting late, and we just happened to be passing by, so I brought them to your cave to stay the night." "Oh. I see." The ascetic then lowered his guard and turned to lead us into the cave.

After walking about ten meters, the area gradually opened up, and finally, a cavern about ten square meters in size appeared before us. The furnishings inside were extremely simple. A pile of dry hay against the corner was covered with a tattered woolen blanket, clearly the ascetic's bed. Next to the haystack was a straw cushion, and in the cave wall opposite the cushion, a niche was carved into the wall, containing an unidentified Buddha statue. It was clear that the ascetic knelt here daily, chanting scriptures and diligently practicing asceticism. Scattered in the corners of the cave were some bottles and jars containing food and water, and a few thangkas depicting religious Buddha images hung on the walls. Besides these, there seemed to be nothing else.

Tashim told us to find a place to sit on the floor in the cave, and then began to chat with the ascetic in Tibetan. We didn't understand Tibetan, nor did we care to know what they were talking about. Besides, we had been walking all day and were starving, so we immediately took out some dry food and bread to eat. Jenny also handed some food to Tashim and the ascetic before eating with us. After we were full, we wrapped ourselves in our sleeping bags and drifted off to sleep.

I was awakened from my sleep by a commotion. Opening my eyes, I saw Dunzi and the others rushing out of the cave. I grabbed Dunzi and asked, "What's wrong? What happened?" "I don't know either. I saw everyone running out, so I went to see what was going on," Dunzi replied. So I quickly crawled out of my sleeping bag and followed Dunzi outside the cave.

28. Holy Light

Upon reaching the cave entrance, I saw Jenny and Abao standing there. On a small earthen slope in front of them, the ascetic was kneeling, prostrating himself in worship. Beside him, the old artist Tashim was also kneeling, joining the ascetic in his prayers. Following their direction of worship, I looked ahead and was immediately astonished. Before us, several crimson rays of light rose from the summit of the towering sacred mountain—Mount Kailash—like giant swords piercing the night sky. Illuminated by these red rays, the millennia-old snow on the mountaintop turned blood red. The naturally formed Buddhist swastika pattern halfway up the mountain appeared particularly eerie and terrifying in this red light.

I had never been to such a high-altitude snow-capped mountain in my life, let alone witnessed such a strange sight in the snowy region. For a moment, I was completely baffled as to what was happening before my eyes. How could such a red light suddenly appear on the mountaintop in the middle of the night? I was utterly perplexed, because the red light didn't resemble the glow of camp lights used by mountaineering enthusiasts, nor did it look like the light from a fire on the mountain. Besides, the snow-capped mountain was nothing but ice and rock; a wildfire was impossible. Just then, Dunzi beside me suddenly whispered, "Could it be a sign of a volcanic eruption?" I couldn't help but chuckle to myself. Dunzi clearly knew very little about continental tectonic structure and the formation of volcanoes, hence such an absurd idea.

The red light on the mountaintop flickered intermittently for about ten minutes. Then, the red light gradually diminished until it completely disappeared, and the entire summit of the sacred mountain vanished back into the black night.

After everything disappeared, Zaxim and the ascetic got up and started to walk back. "Uncle Zaxim, what was that red light all about?" I asked softly as Zaxim walked past me. Zaxim didn't answer immediately. He looked at me, then at the sacred mountain disappearing into the night, and slowly said, "That's the sacred mountain light, a rare sight indeed." "Sacred mountain light?" Dunzi asked. "Yes," Zaxim replied as he walked into the cave, "The sacred mountain manifests itself once every hundred years or so. It's said that those who see the sacred mountain light can be protected from disasters, have their sins lessened in the mortal world reduced, and increase their merits in spiritual practice. So it's extremely rare." Hearing the old man's words, many doubts arose in my mind. Could that red light really be the sacred mountain manifesting itself? Although I didn't quite accept this explanation, I couldn't think of any other reasonable explanation for the moment.

After resting briefly inside the cave, dawn broke outside. Having endured such a night's ordeal, no one was sleepy. We decided to continue our journey early, finish our pilgrimage around the sacred mountain as soon as possible, and then explore the mysteries of the Guge Kingdom ruins. When we said goodbye to the ascetic, he gave each of us a small turquoise bead, about the size of an abacus bead, saying it had been blessed at a temple and could ward off misfortune, and that we should carry it with us. Although the ascetic hadn't spoken much to us while we were staying in the cave, these turquoise stones revealed him to be a kind and helpful person. He had learned of the perils of our journey from Zaxim and given us these protective amulets to ensure our safety during the dangers we might encounter.

Leaving the cave, we continued along a rocky path, which became steeper and narrower, significantly increasing the difficulty of our journey. The sky was overcast that day. Clusters of dark clouds shrouded the summit of the sacred mountain, giving it an eerie appearance and suggesting an ominous sign. After passing several mani stones of varying sizes, we frequently saw various Tibetan six-syllable mantras and Sanskrit scriptures carved by locals on the cliff faces along the mountain path. As Tashim led us forward, he told me that we would soon reach the sky burial site on the north side of the mountain, where we might witness a sky burial ceremony. He advised us to be prepared and not to be nervous or afraid.

Speaking of sky burial, Jenny and I had both carefully studied books and materials about Tibetan customs and traditions before coming to Tibet, so we were quite familiar with it. The Tibetan people are a very unique ethnic group. Their funeral customs differ greatly from those of the Han Chinese. They believe that if a person's body is buried in the ground after death, it will be eaten by insects and rodents, causing immense suffering. Therefore, they advocate sky burial, water burial, or cremation. Sky burial, in particular, is highly revered because it is believed that after the body is devoured by vultures, the deceased's soul will fly with the vultures to the heavens and enter the sacred realm of paradise.

The sky burial process involves curling the deceased's body after death, with the head tucked to the knees, resembling a fetus in the womb, and tightly wrapping it in white Tibetan cloth. On an auspicious day, a body carrier takes the body to the sky burial platform. The deceased's immediate family cannot accompany them. The sky burial master lights incense at the platform to attract vultures. Once the body is surrounded by vultures, the master begins cutting away the flesh with a long knife, starting from the back and gradually dissecting the hands, feet, and other parts of the body. The removed flesh is then chopped up, and the bones and skull are placed in a special cloth bag, crushed, and mixed with tsampa (barley flour) to form a paste, which is then scattered among the vultures. If the vultures have devoured all the remains, it is considered that the deceased had committed no major sins in life, and the gods have accepted their soul. Otherwise, the family must hire monks to chant sutras to atone for any sins committed in the secular world.

In the eyes of Tibetans, vultures are sacred birds, the embodiment of dakinis (female deities in Tibetan Buddhism). After a body is consumed by a vulture, the soul of the deceased can ascend to the heavens. Influenced by Buddhist thought, Tibetans believe that the soul is immortal, and the body is merely a shell. Rather than letting the body perish naturally, it is better to give it away to another life, thus liberating the soul. This funeral practice fully embodies the great spirit of dedication of the Tibetan people.

Although I knew a little about the Tibetan sky burial custom, I had never seen it with my own eyes. When I heard that I was about to see the famous and mysterious sky burial platform and witness that special sky burial scene, I couldn't help but feel a little worried and scared. I looked at Jenny, Dunzi, and the others, and saw that they all looked solemn. I guessed that they were feeling the same way I was.

29. Sky Burial Platform

We continued walking for a while when a sudden gust of cold wind blew in from the mountain pass ahead, almost blinding us. "Hurry up, everyone," Zaximu said, looking up at the sky. "It looks like the weather's about to change in the mountains. There are high cliffs on both sides, and rocks or snow could fall at any moment. It's not suitable for camping." "We must get out of that sky burial platform and reach the next campsite before dark, otherwise it will be very dangerous." "Why? Is there some kind of superstition about this sky burial platform?" Dunzi asked curiously. "The sky burial site is the public burial ground for Tibetans, equivalent to a cemetery for Han Chinese. It's located on the north side of the sacred mountain, so the yang energy is insufficient and the yin energy is abundant. Moreover, corpses and bones have accumulated there for years, causing the yin energy to gather and evil spirits to flourish. In such a place, especially when the sky changes and the sun is obscured by clouds, some very terrifying and dangerous phenomena occur at night. Therefore, locals generally do not go to the sky burial site at night, let alone linger there." After listening to the old artist's words, my fear intensified. Looking at the time, it was already evening, and darkness was approaching, making me even more anxious. We quickened our pace as much as possible, hoping to pass through that mysterious sky burial site as soon as possible. However, the further we went, the closer we got to the mountain pass ahead, the stronger the mountain wind blew, as if it was deliberately trying to slow our progress. As the sky grew darker, my anxiety grew even stronger.

Having finally reached the exit of the mountain path within the ravine, the cold mountain winds grew even more ferocious. We had no choice but to hold hands and inch our way out, clinging to the cliff face. After about an hour, we finally broke through the wind gap and reached a relatively open scree slope. The mountain winds were much calmer now, and many eagles appeared in the sky, circling continuously. Zashim pointed to the open scree slope before him and said, "This is the Dokapu Sky Burial Site."

Following Tashim's hand, I looked out into the twilight, and saw majestic snow-capped mountains surrounding the landscape in the distance. Apart from a few large gray boulders protruding from the ground and a few long-dead Tibetan cypress trees, the area was mostly flat. The mani stones piled beside the boulders stood alone like a giant tomb in the approaching night. The several large, withered Tibetan cypress trees in the distance, like ghostly claws reaching towards the sky, exuded a deathly aura in the twilight. The howling of the cold wind, mixed with the cries of eagles, echoed incessantly in my ears, adding to the already chilly and dark atmosphere of the sky burial site. Among the rubble underfoot were many white fragments of bones, as if telling us that this was a strange world closely connected with death.

Looking at the seemingly vast and boundless plateau slopes, I couldn't help but worry. I thought to myself, crossing such a large area of mountains would probably take most of the night. If what Zaxim said about the possibility of terrifying things appearing at the sky burial site at night was true, then it seemed we were doomed. Thinking of this, I broke out in a cold sweat and subconsciously touched my hiking backpack. Thankfully, I had brought my powerful AK-47 with me; it might come in handy in a pinch.

Looking at the sky, Zasim said regretfully, "It seems we've missed the best time for the sky burial. It's already dark, and danger and unusual situations could arise at any moment. Everyone must be careful, be mentally prepared, and stay close to me. Don't fall behind." Hearing the old man's words, we understood the seriousness of the situation and nodded, indicating that we would act cautiously.

We continued walking with Zasim for a while, and by then it was completely dark. For some reason, I felt something was off the whole way, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Looking at the others, they all had the same bewildered expression as me. They probably all had a feeling something was amiss, but just couldn't quite put their finger on it.

Zasim led the way, and we followed closely behind in a single file. But gradually, I noticed that the old rapper's pace was slowing down. From his slightly puzzled expression, I could tell that he wasn't slowing down because of declining physical strength, but rather because he had also noticed something unusual about our surroundings, which was why he slowed down. But what exactly was this unusual thing? No one could say for sure.

After walking about a few dozen meters more, I glanced up at the sky and suddenly realized that the eagles and vultures that had been circling overhead had vanished without a trace. Now, apart from the howling wind and the crunching of our hiking boots on the gravel, there was no other sound. Was this the only anomaly? As I pondered this, I noticed another strange phenomenon. No matter which way we went, the trunk of that large Tibetan cypress tree, about seven or eight hundred meters to our left, always maintained the same angle and distance from us, as if we hadn't moved at all, but were simply walking in place.

I was quite surprised by this discovery and quickly told the others about it.

“Have you noticed? We’ve been walking for ages, and it seems like we’ve been maintaining the same angle and distance from that old Tibetan cypress the whole time, as if we haven’t moved forward at all,” I said, pointing to the withered Tibetan cypress tree to our left. “And those eagles that used to live in the sky burial site have suddenly disappeared.” “Yes, I’ve sensed something unusual about our surroundings for a while now, but I couldn’t pinpoint what it was. Now that Si Nan has mentioned it, I understand why,” Jenny replied. The old rapper Zashim looked through the night at the towering snow-capped peak ahead and muttered to himself, "Have we been going around in circles? Impossible. I've been using that Akadi Mountain as a reference point, walking towards it in a straight line. It's impossible for us to be going around in circles." After hearing Zashim's words, Jenny looked around at the surroundings and said, "Generally speaking, people only lose their way in the depths of the jungle or in the vast ocean because of unclear reference points. But we're in this flat open space, with the surrounding mountains and the Tibetan peak ahead as references. How could we have lost our way for no reason?" "Could we have encountered ghosts and gotten lost in a maze?" Dunzi seemed a little panicked.

Seeing this, Abao took out a Y/JZB97 military compass from his backpack, intending to use it to determine his direction. However, when he opened the compass's multi-purpose protective cover, he discovered that it was completely useless here. With each turn of Abao's wrist, the compass spun erratically, failing to pinpoint a fixed direction. "Damn it, there might be magnetite nearby. The military compass is unusable," Abao muttered, stuffing the compass back into his backpack. He then took out a portable GPS satellite positioning device, intending to use its satellite positioning function to determine his location. However, to his surprise, no matter what he tried, he couldn't get the device to power on. "Could it be out of power? Impossible. I just replaced the batteries when I left Lhasa, and I haven't used it much. How could it be out of power?" Even Abao was baffled by these strange occurrences. "We must be trapped in a ghost wall!" Dunzi said in a panic. "Cats meowing at midnight means spirits are possessing us; old trees with gnarled roots mean we're trapped in a ghost wall. Now we're stuck with a dead old tree, we must be trapped in a ghost wall." As he spoke, he looked at his watch, and what he saw made him even more terrified. "Look, even the watch has stopped, time seems to have frozen, what else could this be but a ghost wall? We're really going to be trapped here."

The sky was now covered with thick clouds, obscuring every star. It seemed the "Five Stars Divination" technique, which allowed us to determine direction by observing constellations, was useless now. At this point, we were truly at a loss. It seemed Zasim was right; unusual phenomena were indeed beginning to appear within the sky burial site. Dunzi's words made my heart race even faster; my intuition told me once again that even greater danger was about to unfold before us. In desperation, Abao and I quickly gripped our AK-47s, ready to defend against any unforeseen events. "The strange phenomena are already showing signs. We can't wait here to die; we have to get out of here quickly," Zasim said, continuing to lead us forward, hoping for a miracle to pull us out of this strange cycle.

I followed closely behind Zasim with my AK-47, followed by Jenny and Dunzi, with Abao bringing up the rear. We walked for a while longer, but still couldn't escape this vicious cycle. The angle and distance between the massive Tibetan cypress trunk and us remained unchanged. The unique stench of blood permeating the sky burial site seemed even stronger now, almost suffocating us. After walking past the same skull fragment on the ground for the third time, we had to stop again.

“It seems that blindly following this isn’t a good approach,” Jenny said, wiping the sweat from her brow. “We need to find a way to break this curse.” “Who doesn’t want to break it? But the key is how? We can’t find a reliable reference point to escape this vicious cycle, nor can we see the root of this curse. How can we break it?” Dunzi replied with slight disappointment. Dunzi’s words reminded me of another close comrade-in-arms—Tang Zhengyang. If he were here, perhaps we could rely on his ancestral art of dragon vein searching to see the feng shui layout here, find the crux of the problem, and then try to break it. Unfortunately, he couldn’t come with us this time for some reason, but thinking of him reminded me of another important matter.

30. Feng Shui Secrets

I suddenly remembered that Tang Zhengyang had given me a handwritten ancient book about finding dragon veins and examining feng shui before he left. Although I hadn't really looked at it then, I'd always kept it with me. Maybe it would be useful to take it out now; as the saying goes, even last-minute sharpening can be helpful. With that thought, I quickly opened my backpack and rummaged through it for a while before finally finding the handwritten ancient book at the bottom. Seeing that I had a new method, the others quickly gathered around to examine it together. Jenny turned on her flashlight, turned the brightness down to the minimum, and shone it on the book. I quickly began to examine the ancient book under the flashlight's beam.

I examined the book carefully. Perhaps due to its age, the cover was damaged, so it had been rebound with sturdier kraft paper. Opening the cover, the title page bore the four characters "Hun Yuan Secret Formula" written in regular script. Further inside, the book used various Feng Shui layouts as case studies, expounding theories around the concepts of Yin and Yang. It not only included detailed analyses of various Feng Shui cases but also methods to resolve and transform unfavorable Feng Shui phenomena—truly a rare and extraordinary book of Feng Shui secrets. It seemed this book was the ancestral secret manual for learning Feng Shui that Tang Zhengyang had received from his grandfather. Seeing this, I felt deeply grateful to Tang Zhengyang, who was far away from home; he had been so generous, giving me this precious ancestral Feng Shui manual without reservation.

I continued flipping through the book. Thanks to my formal academic background, I could understand most of the content. However, because the book was written quite early, much of the classical Chinese was rather obscure and difficult to comprehend, seemingly beyond my immediate grasp. It would require time, careful consideration, and gradual analysis to fully grasp its essence. But at this point, understanding at least 80-90% should be helpful in escaping our current predicament. Therefore, I quickly searched the book for feng shui case studies similar to our current situation, hoping to find corresponding solutions.

After searching for a while, I finally found some descriptions similar to "being trapped in a maze" in a section on the word "trapped." The book said that in any land with a dragon-like structure, if the yang energy is insufficient, the yin energy will gather and linger. Over the years, this forms a place of yin evil. If it is further contaminated with blood, the yin blood energy will gather on the dragon pearl in the land, eventually forming a hallucinatory maze. If humans or animals enter it, they will at least lose their ability to distinguish directions, or at worst, experience illusory hallucinations. Trapped within, they cannot escape and eventually die from hunger and exhaustion.

Having read this far, I understand the gist of it. It turns out that all of this is the result of the accumulation and transformation of Yin energy. The sky burial site we're currently in is surrounded by a continuous range of snow-capped mountains, what the book calls the "Land of the Coiled Dragon." Because it's located on the northern slope of Mount Kailash, it receives insufficient sunlight year-round due to the mountain's obstruction. Therefore, Yin energy accumulates, making it what the book calls a "Land of Yin and Evil." Furthermore, the long-standing sky burial rituals, the dismemberment of corpses, the cutting up of human flesh, and the feeding of vultures have further tainted it with the stench of blood. As the book says, the Yin energy gathers on the dragon pearl in the Coiled Dragon Land, eventually forming a hallucinatory illusion, what Dunzi called "being trapped in a ghost wall." It seems we must leave this dangerous place quickly. If the Yin energy intrudes further, we might even experience hallucinations. At that point, we wouldn't even know how we died, and getting out alive would be extremely difficult.

Now that I know the cause, how do I break it? So I continued reading. Ancient texts also describe in detail how to break this formation. The key to breaking this formation is to find the Dragon Pearl within the Panlong Land and then destroy it with Yang Fire. Once the Dragon Pearl is destroyed, the Yin Blood Qi attached to it will dissipate, and the illusionary formation of the Netherworld Tower will cease to exist, thus breaking the formation.

Seeing this, I finally understood that breaking this "ghost wall" wasn't too complicated; simply burning the so-called "dragon ball," its source, would suffice. The key was to find the "dragon ball" as quickly as possible. Thinking this, I looked around again. It was already dark, and everything was shrouded in darkness. Aside from vaguely seeing some objects not far away, everything beyond was pitch black. Although I couldn't see distant objects, this had its advantages; my gaze was now focused on the trunk of a Tibetan cypress tree not far to our left. I examined it closely again. The old Tibetan cypress had thick, powerful branches, clearly showing signs of life. Although dead, it still stood straight on the ground, like a dragon soaring into the sky. Next to the trunk was a mani stone pile, shaped like a burial mound. Besides this, in my memory, there was nothing else particularly special on this rocky slope.

"Could it be that Tibetan cypress?" I muttered to myself. Dunzi nodded in agreement, "I think there's something wrong with that tree too. Shall we go take a look?" "Sure, we don't have any other options right now, so we should at least give it a try," Jenny said. "Everyone, be careful and stay safe." With that in mind, we changed direction and hurried toward the Tibetan cypress.

Since the Tibetan cypress wasn't far from us, only about seven or eight hundred meters away, and there were no other obstacles in between, we weren't likely to lose our way again as we walked towards it. Soon, we arrived at the Tibetan cypress. Its trunk was exceptionally thick, requiring three people to encircle it. Because the tree was dead, not a single leaf remained on its branches, leaving only bare branches stretching towards the sky, as if frozen in the moment of its final struggle. The mani stones at the foot of the tree were about half a person's height, and a yak skull atop one added to the somber atmosphere of death in this gloomy place.

31. Ground of Accumulated Corpses

We walked around the withered tree, but couldn't see anything unusual. "Is this the place? Could we be wrong?" Jenny asked. I shook my head and replied, "I only just hastily flipped through that feng shui manual. I haven't mastered the secret techniques for finding dragon veins and examining feng shui terrain, so I can't tell at a glance whether this is the so-called 'Dragon Pearl' site." As I spoke, I took out the "Primordial Chaos Secret Manual" again and began to examine it, hoping to find some more clues.

Upon hearing my words, Dunzi replied, "Who cares? Let's just burn it down first." He then reached for his lighter to set the tree ablaze. Seeing this, I quickly grabbed his arm, saying, "No, you absolutely mustn't burn it." "Why?" Dunzi asked, puzzled. I pointed to a few lines in the book and said, "Look, this book also says that feng shui is not permanent. Moving a tree or adding a brick can affect it, thus changing its feng shui pattern. If the change is good, then so be it; but if it's bad, it will not only destroy a feng shui treasure but also worsen an already inauspicious place. Wouldn't that be asking for trouble?" Seeing that I made sense, Dunzi put away the lighter and then asked, "If this isn't okay, and that isn't okay, then what should we do now?"

I looked up at the thick Tibetan cypress tree, racking my brains for a long time, but still couldn't come up with a feasible solution. Just then, I heard Jenny ask Zaxi, "Uncle Zaxi, you often come here to circumambulate the mountain. When you pass this sky burial site, have you ever seen anything unusual about this Tibetan cypress tree?" The old man thought for a moment, then replied, "Usually when I come here to circumambulate the mountain and pass this sky burial site, it's always in broad daylight, so I've never encountered anything as strange as today, getting lost and unable to find my way out. It's just that when I usually pass by this Tibetan cypress tree, I always see eagles and vultures perched on this dead tree, their cries incessant, as if this were their nest. But now I can't see a single one. That seems a bit strange. Other than that, there's nothing else suspicious."

Hearing him say that, I wondered to myself, could it really be this withered tree? Thinking of this, I couldn't help but look up and examine the big tree more closely. In that instant, I suddenly saw what looked like a piece of cloth fluttering in the cold wind between the two thickest branches at the top of the tree, and at the same time, some white mist was faintly rising from it.

“Look, there really is something wrong with this tree,” I said, pointing to the thick branches. “I’ll go up and take a look. You guys keep watch down here.” With that, I handed my AK-47 to Dunzi, then put down my backpack and prepared to climb the tree to see what was going on. Abao and Dunzi released the safety on their rifles, ready to cover my retreat at any moment. “Be careful!” Jenny warned me anxiously. I nodded, loosened the safety on the holster of my Cold Steel tactical knife, making it easy to draw my weapon at any time, and then grabbed the tangled, dead branches as I climbed up the treetop, which was several meters high.

The moment my hand touched the tree trunk, I sensed something was wrong. Logically, it hadn't rained at all during my stay here, so the surface of this withered tree trunk should have been perfectly dry. But the instant my hand touched it, I was surprised to find that the branches of this dead tree were damp, as if they had been soaked in water.

With doubts in my heart, I became more cautious, climbing very slowly and cautiously. Perhaps because the trunk was constantly damp, it was covered with moss. When I was about halfway up, I suddenly felt my foot slip and almost fell from the tree. In a panic, I suddenly gripped a protruding branch tightly. Perhaps I used too much force, because with a "crack," the branch snapped, and at the same time, an extremely foul stench filled the air. The smell was truly unbearable, as if it were the odor of a rotting corpse. I held my breath, found new footing, and managed to avoid being overwhelmed by the stench and falling.

"Dunzi, throw me a gas mask! I can't hold my breath any longer!" I shouted to Dunzi under the tree. By then, the people under the tree had already moved away from the trunk due to the stench. Hearing my shout, Dunzi remembered the gas mask in his bag. He quickly took off his backpack, took out a gas mask from the side pocket, held his breath, walked closer to the tree trunk, and said, "Catch it!" Then he threw the mask to me. I caught the gas mask and quickly put it over my head before daring to take a long breath.

I found a foothold and continued climbing the tree. After about ten more minutes, I finally reached the top of the trunk, where two thick branches stood. "Brother, see anything?" Dunzi asked anxiously from below. I took out my flashlight and shone it up the tree, and was immediately astonished. At the top of the trunk, several thick branches extended outwards, forming a bird's nest-like depression. Inside this natural depression, a rope wrapped in blankets lay askew. Presumably, the object had originally been tightly bound. Due to wind and rain, and damage from birds and animals, the wrapping was now tattered, with many pieces of cloth scattered and fluttering gently in the cold wind. What was this thing? I thought to myself as I shouted to Dunzi and the others, "Found an object wrapped in blankets, but I don't know what's inside." I then went forward to examine it more closely.

Just then, the old storyteller Zashim, standing under the tree, suddenly shouted, "Look, aren't there many prayer flags around this package?" Hearing the old man's words, I observed carefully again and indeed saw many tattered, five-colored prayer flags hanging from the branches of the trees around the package. "Yes, there are quite a few prayer flags," I replied. "Are the ropes binding the package red?" Zashim continued to ask. "Yes, how did you know?" I answered, slightly puzzled.

Upon hearing my words, the old man immediately tensed up and hurriedly exclaimed, "That's a funeral tree! Come down quickly!" "Funeral tree? What's a funeral tree?" I asked, puzzled. Zaximu replied, "In our Tibetan region, people generally don't like earth burial. They usually adopt funeral customs such as sky burial, water burial, and cremation, which most people know. But besides the funeral methods mentioned above, there is another funeral custom in our Tibetan area: tree burial." "Tree burial?" Dunzi said. Tashim nodded and replied, “Yes, tree burial is an ancient custom in our Tibetan region. Those buried in trees are usually children under one year old who died of illness. If the family is poor, they wrap the child's body in cloth; if they are slightly better off, they will have a small coffin made for the child. A lama chooses an auspicious time, and then the family takes the child's body into the forest, selecting a large tree with thick branches for the child to rest in. However, the child's parents are not allowed to participate in the ceremony.” Tashim paused briefly before continuing, “In the eyes of Tibetans, children are without sin; they are the purest of beings. Therefore, letting them come into this world innocently and leave innocently is the true meaning of tree burial.”

After listening to the old man's words, I finally understood that the bundle in front of me was actually the coarse cloth coffin used to wrap the child's remains. This so-called "mourning tree" was, in essence, a tree grave used to bury the child's body. Given this, it was no surprise that the tree was filled with yin energy, making it the location of the "dragon pearl" in this Panlong land.

"No wonder I felt a chill run down my spine and got goosebumps the moment I came up here," I said, wanting to climb down the tree quickly so Dunzi could burn this menacing tree. I grabbed a branch and started climbing back down the way I came. But just then, a white mist suddenly billowed out from under the package. My vision was obscured by the sudden mist, and I slipped, falling towards the package. After a few cracking sounds, my body broke off several dry branches and crashed heavily onto the white package. I thought that was the end of it, but less than a second later, I felt a sense of weightlessness again. There was a huge tree hole under the package. The package monster, which had been stuck in the trunk, was crushed by my body, and I fell into the hole along with the white package. I quickly heard Jenny and the others shouting, but the voices gradually became indistinct and soon disappeared completely.

Perhaps because there were vines or similar things growing inside the tree hollow, I was constantly hindered by these vines during my descent, slowing my fall. Although I didn't break any bones, I had a few scrapes on my face and arms. After about twenty or thirty seconds, I finally crashed heavily to the ground.

The environment here seemed very damp; there were still quite a few puddles on the ground, no wonder even the bark of the tree trunks was so slippery. I gritted my teeth against the pain and groped my way to my feet. I had nowhere to put my wolf-eye weapon; it was pitch black all around, and I couldn't see anything. I reached into my pocket and found a Zippo lighter, so I quickly pulled it out and lit it with a "click." Using the dim light, I carefully assessed my surroundings.

This was a vertical cave, like a dry well, with an interior space of only one or two square meters. Although small in size, it resembled a terrifying and horrifying hell on earth. The inner walls of the surrounding tree trunks were haphazardly covered with torn strips of cloth and ropes. Scattered among them were numerous human remains, skeletal remains, and chunks of flesh. The putrid juices from the decaying organs and flesh dripped down. Looking down, a pool of reddish-brown, putrid liquid had accumulated. Bones, flesh, organs, and hair from various parts of the human body were piled up slowly at the bottom of the cave. Seeing this, I felt a jolt in my stomach and almost vomited. The stench of decay in such a tree cave filled with corpses was unimaginable. Thankfully, I had worn a gas mask beforehand to avoid the stench; otherwise, I would have surely passed out on the spot. Thinking about this, I felt a chill run down my spine, and cold sweat broke out on my forehead.

32. Snow Mountain Corpse Lazy

I didn't want to be trapped here, so I carefully surveyed my surroundings, hoping to find a way out of the hole. Holding my lighter, I looked around for a while and found that the walls of the tree hole were extremely slippery due to the dampness, making it impossible for one person to climb up. Then I remembered the others outside, so I started shouting, hoping they could lower a rope from the hole at the top of the tree to pull me up. But when I tried to speak, I realized I was wearing a gas mask and couldn't shout at all. I didn't dare take the risk of removing the mask. After much deliberation, I decided to wait there. I trusted that Dunzi and the others wouldn't just leave me here; they would surely send someone up the tree to check. Then I could use the light from the fire to signal them to lower the rope and pull me up. With that thought, I extinguished the fire, looked up at the hole above, and waited for the light to come from there.

About a minute later, I didn't see any light coming from above, but I vaguely heard a rustling sound behind me. There was no other living thing in this tree hollow besides myself, so what could be making that sound? Could there be something more mysterious in this tree hollow? Thinking this, I suddenly felt a chill run down my spine, and cold sweat broke out all over my body. I shakily turned around, relit my lighter, and tried to see what was making that sound behind me. What I saw shocked me even more.

From the pile of human remains behind me emerged a monster covered in white fur, resembling a sloth. Its forelimbs had long, sharp claws, estimated to be forty or fifty centimeters long. Its mouth was open, baring its teeth, and with each breath, puffs of white gas escaped its lips, as if it were ready to attack at any moment. Seeing its robust body and ferocious appearance, I dared not be careless. I immediately drew my cold steel tactical dagger from my waist with a "whoosh," preparing to counter its attack.

Almost the instant I drew my Cold Steel tactical dagger, the white-haired monster suddenly lunged at me. I quickly dodged to the side, trying to avoid its initial attack. However, I had forgotten that I was inside a cramped tree hollow. My sidestep caused me to crash heavily into the inner wall of the tree trunk, my left shoulder throbbing painfully. My hand slipped, and the Zippo lighter fell to the ground. The flame went out, plunging the surroundings into darkness. Panic gripped me even more. Without light, I couldn't detect the monster's movements. Was I doomed? In my panic, I suddenly noticed two emerald green dots in front of me. I knew without a doubt that these were the monster's eyes. I immediately aimed my dagger at the two dots to protect myself from its attack.

As I watched the two points of light, I crouched down quietly, frantically groping the ground with my left hand, hoping to find the lighter. Luckily, I was fortunate enough to find the brass-cased Zippo WWII commemorative lighter as soon as my hand touched the ground. After the flame lit up again, there was a stalemate. Just then, I suddenly heard Ah Bao's familiar voice from the treetop: "Si Nan, are you down there? Si Nan." Of all times, why now? How could I possibly concentrate on talking to him? I thought to myself, so I simply replied, "Yes." Perhaps the white-haired monster sensed that I had backup, knowing that continuing the stalemate might be disadvantageous, so it let out a low growl and quickly pounced on me again. This time, I was more experienced and didn't dodge abruptly. I simply shifted my body slightly to the side, and after a gust of cold wind blew in my face, I heard a "snap," and four deep claw marks were left on the inside of the tree trunk. I thought to myself, this thing is really powerful. Luckily it didn't grab me. Otherwise, if it had grabbed me with skin and flesh like that, I would have been disemboweled and bleeding profusely, and I would have died instantly.

Seeing its first attack fail, the monster turned and attacked me again. I dodged to the side once more, simultaneously thrusting my dagger towards its back. Perhaps the white-furred monster had never seen such a weapon before and was unaware of its power, for it didn't dodge. Seeing that I was about to strike, I was secretly pleased, flicking my wrist to add even more force to the blade, thinking that this would surely deliver a fatal blow. However, the result greatly surprised me. When the blade touched the monster's skin, I felt an immense resistance in my hand, and it wouldn't go any further. Keep in mind, my dagger was made of extremely hard cold steel; it could easily pierce flesh, and even chip away at a nail. Why couldn't it penetrate its fur? Just then, I heard Leopard shout from the treetop again. He said, "Sinan, I've lowered a rope down. Hold on tight, Dunzi and I will pull you up." "Can't you see I'm busy? How can you spare a hand?" I complained. Then came Dunzi's voice, "What's wrong? Is there trouble?" As he spoke, a beam of wolf-eye light shone in from the hole at the top of the tree. I believed they had already seen the tense situation inside the tree hole.

“I’ll drop the gun, and you finish it off,” Ah Bao said. “No, no, can’t you see how cramped this place is? The gun is too long; I can’t maneuver it properly here. Not only will I not be able to deal with it, but I’ll also get hurt like a snag,” I hurriedly replied. “Brother, don’t be afraid. Hang in there, let us think of a way,” Dunzi said. It’s easy for him to say that when you’re not in the situation. Facing such a monster, I can’t stab it, I can’t cut it, and if I’m not careful, it will disembowel me. How can I not be afraid? But even though that’s what I was thinking, and I was terrified, I didn’t want to give Dunzi something to laugh at, so I shouted, “Don’t worry, I can handle this beast.”

33. Skull Wall

While locked in a stalemate with the monster, I racked my brains, trying to find a way to escape. When I saw the rope Ah Bao had lowered earlier, an idea suddenly struck me. I thought, if I wanted to get out, I definitely had to find a way to deal with this white-haired monster first. Otherwise, if it jumped up and grabbed me while I was climbing the rope, I'd be in big trouble. If the situation could be reversed, and the rope could suspend it in mid-air first, I could use my AK-47 to take it out since it had nowhere to hide. Then, I could point the gun upwards and not be restricted by the cramped space. That way, I was sure to succeed. Surely its skin couldn't be impervious to bullets?

Thinking of this, I quickly shouted, "Pull the rope back first and make a noose. I need to lasso it. When I yell 'pull,' pull hard, make sure you hear me clearly!" "Okay," Ah Bao said, pulling the rope back. Meanwhile, the monster and I struggled for several more rounds, neither gaining the upper hand.

About two minutes later, I heard Dunzi shout from above, "We're lowering the rope, be careful." As he spoke, a rope with a slipknot appeared beside me. Since Dunzi and the others were using their flashlights to illuminate the tree hollow, I put away my now-hot lighter, freeing my left hand. I grabbed the slipknot and aimed it at the monster's head. Perhaps sensing my plan, it hesitated to attack for a long time. I knew waiting like this wasn't going to work, so I gritted my teeth, steeled myself, and thrust my knife forward. The giant sloth-like monster, seeing my attack, lunged at me. Just as it lunged, I slipped the slipknot around its neck and shouted, "Pull!"

The moment I finished speaking, the rope was pulled upwards, securing the monster's neck and suspending it in mid-air. The white-haired monster realized it had fallen into a trap. Terrified, it thrashed about, struggling desperately, but to no avail. Seeing my plan work, I was overjoyed. I sheathed my Cold Steel tactical knife back into its holster. Then I shouted to Dunzi and the others, "Drop your gun down! Be careful, don't throw it at me!" "Don't worry," Dunzi said, lowering the gun with another rope. "This kid's gotten smarter this time," I thought, as I untied the AK-47 from the rope. The monster was still struggling. I signaled to Dunzi and the others that I was going to fire upwards, telling them to take cover, and then unleashed a barrage of bullets at the white-haired monster. After several screams, the monster was riddled with bullet holes, each oozing a thick, yellowish-brown liquid. I only stopped shooting after it was completely dead.

"It really is a monster; even its blood is yellowish-brown." I said, putting away my AK-47 and slinging it diagonally over my back. Then I grabbed the rope that had been lowered from the tree and started climbing. Seeing me start climbing, Dunzi and Abao also pulled hard on the rope to help me get closer to the cave entrance. After returning to the tree cave entrance, the three of us worked together to pull the white-haired monster out and then slowly lowered it down the tree. Finally, we climbed back to the ground one by one down the thick Tibetan cypress trunk.

The monster's white fur on the ground was now stained with yellowish-brown blood. I pointed at its corpse and said, "I don't know what this thing is. It almost killed me just now." Zasim walked up to the monster's corpse, examined it carefully, and then said, "Could it be a Snow Mountain Corpse Slave?" "What's a Snow Mountain Corpse Slave?" Jenny asked curiously. Zasim replied, "This is the first time I've seen one in person. I've only heard about it from some old people before. This thing only lives in caves on the snowy plateau, feeding on the corpses of humans and animals, and it can't see sunlight all year round. Because of the lack of sunlight, its blood has very little hemoglobin, so its blood isn't red." I nodded and replied, "I see." "By the way, what did you see in the tree hole just now?" Jenny asked. "Don't even mention it, it was like hell on earth. The cramped space was piled high with rags, human organs, flesh, and remains, and there was an unbearable stench everywhere. Oh, by the way, Uncle Zashim, how did so many body parts and bones end up in that tree hollow?" "Didn't I tell you? This is a tree used for tree burials. Because people often put bodies wrapped in blankets and cloth on it, it often attracts a flock of eagles to peck at them. The bones and rags in that hollow were very likely body wrappings that were originally placed on a branch and fell into the hollow after being eaten by the eagles. And because this ferocious snow mountain corpse lark lives in the hollow, the eagles don't dare to enter the hollow to eat after the body parts fall in, which is why you see this scene." "I see," I said, "In that case, this dead tree is indeed full of yin energy and blood, and it's most likely the root cause of this 'ghost wall'."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's burn it!" Dunzi seemed impatient. I looked at the others, and from their expressions, I could tell they all agreed. So, they gathered some withered bones and scraps of cloth scattered around the nearby sky burial ground and piled them into a bonfire about half a person's height under the large Tibetan cypress tree. Finally, Dunzi lit it with a lighter. The flames leaping from the bonfire quickly engulfed the large tree. Because the trunk was damp, it emitted thick black smoke and a pungent stench as it burned. The five of us retreated to a distance, quietly watching the flames slowly burn the entire tree. Strangely enough, as the tree was being destroyed, I saw the clouds in the sky gradually recede, and finally, a bright crescent moon appeared. The bright moonlight shone on the gravelly slope, illuminating the surrounding environment very clearly.

Dunzi and Abao together carried the corpse of the snow mountain lark and threw it into the raging fire. Then they patted the ash off their hands and said, "Is it finally over? Shouldn't we continue on our way?" Zaximu nodded and said, "Okay, let's continue then." After packing his belongings, he led us on our way.

As we predicted, the ancient Tibetan cypress was indeed the source of the yin energy in this coiled land. After we burned it, the so-called "ghost wall" situation was immediately resolved. We quickly left the still-burning Tibetan cypress behind.

After following the old storyteller for about half an hour, I suddenly saw a white, dilapidated wall, about half a person's height, appear about a hundred or two meters ahead of us. Under the moonlight, it emitted an eerie white hue. "Strange," I asked, full of doubt, "how could a wall suddenly appear in this empty sky burial site? Could someone have lived here before?" Zaxim replied as we walked, "That's no ordinary brick or mud wall; it's a skull wall made of human skulls." Dunzi exclaimed in surprise, "A skull wall? Such a long wall, how many skulls must it have taken?" "No one has counted them, but I estimate at least eight thousand, if not ten thousand," Zaxim said.

Before long, we arrived at the skull wall. It was a wall about 1.5 meters high, constructed entirely of complete, white skulls. The gaps between the skulls were sealed with mortar, and every two meters or so, a wooden stake was erected and embedded in the wall to increase its stability. Suddenly facing so many skulls filled me with panic and oppression; a feeling of impending death welled up inside me. Jenny also turned her head away, not wanting to face this horrific scene.

"Why preserve the skulls of the deceased at this sky burial platform?" A-Bao asked. "There are many explanations, but mainly two. One is that over eighty years ago, in a tribe in Qinghai, there was a young boy who, at the age of eight, witnessed the murder of three people. Terrified, he ran to the Fifth Dabu Living Buddha in Biru County to plead his case. The Dabu Living Buddha told the boy that the evildoers would eventually be punished, their skulls would turn black after death, and they would not be able to enter the Pure Land. Later, the Fifth Dabu Living Buddha appointed him as the sky burial master at the Damo Temple Sky Burial Center. So, he removed the skulls of all the deceased and placed them in the southeast corner of the sky burial platform until they became skeletons, then picked them up one by one and arranged them neatly. He then..." The skulls were arranged sequentially starting from the northeast corner of the burial platform, and by the time he passed away in his fifties, they had been placed in the southwest corner. It is said that this was done to prevent the murderer from infiltrating the sky burial procession after his death. "There is another explanation," Zaximu slowly replied, "that preserving the skulls was a monastic rule established in the 13th century by the Dapu Living Buddha Danba Tuku Wuzhu (also known as Pema Baizha) of Quedai Monastery in Xiangqu Township, Biru County. The specific motivation remains unclear. The sky burial master, Awang Danzeng, said: 'The skulls are left behind and used to build walls, simply to remind the living to do more good deeds and have fewer worldly desires. No matter who you are, death is just like that.'"

"I never imagined this skull wall had so many legends associated with it," I replied. Dawn was breaking, and after a night of travel, everyone was somewhat exhausted. So, after seeing the mysterious skull wall, we continued with Old Zashim towards the pre-arranged campsite.

34. Zanda Earth Forest

About half an hour later, we finally emerged from this terrifying and mysterious sky burial site and reached the foot of a snow-capped mountain. The sky was beginning to lighten, and in the distance, we could vaguely see a Tibetan monastery in the morning light. Tashi pointed to the monastery and said, "We've finally reached our campsite! Let's hurry, because women aren't allowed inside the monastery, so let's rest for a bit outside." Hearing that we could rest, everyone was naturally very happy, and their pace quickened considerably. Soon, we reached a relatively flat area outside the monastery.