Zhuang Rui felt alright, but the small backpack he was carrying was noticeably heavier than usual. Looking at Meng Zi, who was rushing ahead with his head down, Zhuang Rui couldn't help but feel a little ashamed.
The mountain stream flows gently, its tinkling sounds echoing in the clear canyon.
The valley is filled with red willows, wild wolfberries, camel thorns, and reeds. A few poplar trees, resembling soybean sprouts, stand forlornly at the foot of the mountain. Traces of jade can be found among the pebbles in the gully. Some of them have been picked up by passing jade craftsmen and placed on stones by the "road" so that jade carriers could take them away.
The history of jade mining in China can be traced back more than 7,000 years. According to Zhang Dazhi, the smooth pebbles in the ditch were not entirely the result of water erosion, but were largely caused by the friction of the feet of jade miners. The leisurely sound of camel bells has echoed in the valley for more than 200 million years, and people have become accustomed to this arduous process.
"Aren't you going to pick up the jade here?"
Zhuang Rui pointed to a piece of jade the size of a fist by the roadside and asked Zhang Dazhi, "Although the exposed jade shows that it is only of average quality, it is still jade."
Zhang Dazhi shook his head and said, "The good jade has already been picked up. The ones left on the roadside are for being hauled away by truck."
Zhuang Rui and his colleagues never imagined that, due to the soaring price of jade, more than 200,000 people would flock to the area in just the last two years. Not to mention the jade stones by the roadside, even the bottom of the valley would be dug up.
As they were talking, a tractor drove down the mountain. Although the mountain road was not very steep, it was not smooth. The tractor was like a roller coaster, with the front rising high and then falling heavily into the pit. Zhuang Rui was terrified to see this, especially since there were two people sitting in the back of the tractor.
"Guys, go up there and do your best, haha..."
As they passed Zhuang Rui and his group, the tractor driver shouted something. However, his appearance was somewhat comical. The bumpy road meant that his buttocks couldn't even touch the seat, and he was swaying like a madman, which made everyone burst into laughter.
After the tractor drove past, Zhuang Rui saw that there was a person following behind the tractor, constantly throwing jade stones from the roadside into the truck bed. On this mountain road, the tractor was not much faster than a person walking, but the person behind could keep up.
More than two hours later, they finally arrived at the mining area. Several wolfhounds barked and rushed at them, but were chased away by the people who came to greet them.
"Brother Zhuang, let's go inside the mine and take a look. We'll leave after that."
Although it was the Jade King's order, Zhang Dazhi and his companions were unwilling to waste time here. After all, more and more people were coming into the mountains in recent years, and if you were a step late, the good jade might be picked up by someone else.
Zhang Dazhi had already made arrangements with the people at the mine. Upon hearing that it was the Jade Prince who had sent people to inspect the mine, the middle-aged man named Lao Yu did not dare to be negligent. He led Zhuang Rui and the others around a mountain path and arrived at the top of the mine.
Before Zhuang Rui stood a massive mountain wall, tens of meters high. The entire mountain had been carved out by quarry workers, and the pristine white surface faced the afternoon sun, shining like a mirror, so bright that Zhuang Rui couldn't open his eyes.
As the saying goes, jade is buried in stone and difficult for people to recognize. But the warm and lustrous jade aura will rise into the air under the warm sunlight. The magical white color creates a kind of illusion of beautiful jade emitting smoke, which makes Zhuang Rui feel dizzy and lost for a moment, as if he has become one with it.
The Book of Songs, Minor Odes, says: "Stones from other mountains can be used to polish jade." In ancient times, mining mountain stones was called "gongyu," which also refers to mining mountain jade, that is, mining primary jade mines. Under Lao Yu's guidance, Zhuang Rui went into the mine pit that was said to be eighty-three meters deep.
The mine was only a little over 1 meter high and wide. Zhuang Rui could only follow behind Lao Yu, crawling inch by inch into the cave. Before entering the cave, Zhuang Rui imagined that the jade mine must be a continuous area, and the walls inside the cave must be made of jade, so shiny that it could reflect a person's image. However, even after crawling to the bottom of the cave, he did not see a trace of jade.
After Zhuang Rui, his mouth full of dust, crawled out of the mine and asked Lao Yu, "Master Yu, is this a jade mine? It's so narrow, even if there is jade, we can't extract it."
"Brother, we're looking for a mineral vein. We can only start mining after we've identified it. We can't start large-scale mining in the early stages, otherwise we'll destroy the vein and then it'll be too late to cry..."
After listening to Lao Yu's explanation, Zhuang Rui finally understood that jade mining is different from jadeite mining, and it is a technical job.
Before coming to the jade mine, Zhuang Rui always thought that mining jade might be like mining marble, where one could mine a large area at a time. Only now did he realize how ignorant and ridiculous his imagination was. First of all, jade mines are not like other minerals that are continuous, but are intermittently hidden in the rock core. The veins are really like smoke and mist, as described in ancient poems, and they are unpredictable. The occasionally exposed veins are covered by thick layers of rock. To extract a piece of jade, a large amount of hard rock covering the jade must be removed.
This means that jade miners not only have to put in extremely hard work, but also need a discerning eye to distinguish jade from other stones. The rock connected to the jade is called the jade root, which looks like jade but is actually stone, making it the most difficult to differentiate. If not handled properly, both the jade and the stone will be destroyed, and all previous efforts will be wasted. The idiom "jade and stone are burned together" originates from the story of jade mining.
"Brother Zhuang, let's go. It's getting dark soon, and if we don't leave now, we won't be able to get to Death Valley tonight."
Seeing Zhuang Rui crawl out of the mine looking covered in dust, Zhang Dazhi urged him on, saying that they had already taken a roundabout route to their destination.
Death Valley?
This word sent a chill down Zhuang Rui's spine.
You'll know when you get there.
Zhang Dazhi didn't explain much, but judging from his expression, it definitely wasn't a good place.
After saying goodbye to Lao Yu, the five-person team continued into the mountains. Without the mining team, the mountains were much quieter. The mountains here were mostly made of stone, with crisscrossing valleys and rolling hills along the way. After walking for four or five hours, the group was soaked through, having gotten wet while crossing streams.
However, Zhuang Rui's performance was quite good. At least he was able to keep up with the group for the past four or five hours and did not hold them back. This made Tiezi and the others look at him with new respect.
Reaching a stream, Zhang Dazhi stopped, looked at the sky, and said, "Let's eat something first, Brother Tiezi. We'll definitely make it through Death Valley tonight, right?"
"Yes, but we need to hurry."
When Death Valley was mentioned, Tiezi's face showed a hint of tension.
"Then hurry up and boil the water."
At Zhang Dazhi's command, Mengzi put down the large backpack and took out a small steel pot from it. Wang Fei quickly built a stove with stones, while Tiezi went to collect some dry branches. Only Zhuang Rui stood by, somewhat at a loss.
Actually, Zhuang Rui didn't need to do anything. In just three to five minutes, the fire was lit. Da Zhi took out some dried meat from his bag and threw it in. The group sat down around the stone stove.
"Dazhi, why did you choose to mine jade instead of looking for mineral veins?"
Zhuang Rui learned from his conversation with Lao Yu that the mineral veins on the mountain were all unclaimed. Whoever found them would own the jade that was mined. Logically speaking, finding a mineral vein would be like becoming rich overnight, much better than mining jade on the mountain.
"Brother Zhuang, let alone the fact that this jade vein has been almost completely mined out, even if we find a vein, we don't have the money to mine it. The initial investment would be at least tens of millions."
Zhang Dazhi and the others looked somewhat helpless. Even if the teams searching for mineral veins could find them, they would only get a very small share, with the lion's share going to those who invested in the mining.
Chapter 267 The Mineral Vein (Part 2)
The water in the pot boiled quickly. A rich aroma of meat wafted out. After eating a few flatbreads with the meat broth, the group washed themselves in the nearby stream and extinguished the fire. Although tall trees were rare in the Kunlun Mountains, a fire in these bushes would be enough to sentence them to several years in prison.
After packing his things, Zhuang Rui took out his phone and checked the time. It was almost six o'clock. The signal was completely gone. Putting the phone back in his pocket, Zhuang Rui asked, "Dazhi, where are we going? We haven't run into anyone along the way."
The group, including the jade miners they met at the transit point, numbered over 1,000. Once they were dispersed into the Kunlun Mountains, they were like stones thrown into the ocean, barely making a ripple. The group traveled all afternoon without encountering a single person.
Zhang Dazhi stuffed the cleaned steel pot into Mengzi's backpack and casually replied, "Hehe, Brother Zhuang, the Kunlun Mountains are huge. Most people go to the Yulongkash River to dig for jade, but now they're using excavators to mine jade there. We wouldn't be able to get any even if we went. We might as well try our luck in the Wild Buffalo Gully..."
"Wild Buffalo Gully?"
"Yes, it's Yeniugou. The white jade, clear white jade, and green jade produced there are of fine and smooth texture, rich in variety, and large in size. They are top-quality materials, basically the same as Hetian jade. Many of them can even reach the standard of mutton fat white jade. In particular, its emerald green, smoky gray, and grayish purple varieties are extremely rare in Hetian jade..."
Tiezi chimed in, saying that it was his suggestion to go to Yeniugou this time. However, Yeniugou has a very complex terrain and an altitude of over 4,500 meters. For jade miners, it is a place full of deadly temptations and unknown dangers.
Wang Fei also said with a smile, "Two years ago, a man from Zhejiang started mining jade in Yeniu Gou and became rich overnight. He probably has a net worth of hundreds of millions now."
Wang Fei's words made Tiezi and the others' eyes light up. They didn't need to find a mine; they would be satisfied as long as they could find some high-quality jade in Yeniu Gully. The Jade King's prices for jade were very fair, and every year many people made hundreds of thousands of yuan after going into the mountains, using the money to buy houses and get married back in the mainland. This was also Zhang Dazhi and the others' wish.
"Let's go, it's still two days' journey to Bison Gully. We must get around Death Valley today..."
The group of five resumed their journey. The evening in the Kunlun Mountains was not hot, and a cool breeze felt very comfortable on their skin, making it a good time to travel. As the last rays of the setting sun bathed the entire mountain in a red glow, the group arrived at the foot of a valley.
"This...this is Death Valley?"
No one needed to tell him; just by looking at what he saw, Zhuang Rui knew that he had arrived at the Valley of Death they had mentioned.
With the last rays of the sunset on the horizon, Zhuang Rui could clearly see that in the valley, more than ten meters from the entrance, dense wild grass grew everywhere, and scattered among the grass were wolf pelts, bear skeletons, hunters' steel guns, and desolate graves.
A skull without a skeleton, with empty eye sockets, seems to be telling its tragic story, while the cries of eagles echo from the sky. All of this paints a sinister and terrifying atmosphere of death in the eyes of the world.
"Yes, this place is also known as the 'Gates of Hell' in the Kunlun Mountains. Over the centuries, countless corpses have been buried here..."
Zhang Dazhi's voice was somewhat low, and a hint of fear flashed in his eyes as he looked at the piles of white bones in the valley.
“Brother Zhuang, let’s go. This place has lush pastures, but the shepherds living in the Kunlun Mountains would rather let their cattle and sheep starve to death on the Gobi Desert than dare to enter this ancient and silent valley…”
As Wang Fei spoke, he tightened his grip on the gun, as if a demon might emerge from the deep valley to devour them. Just then, the last rays of the setting sun completely disappeared, and Wang Fei's voice echoed in the valley, hollow and profound, giving the group a chilling feeling.
"No scientific research teams are conducting scientific investigations here?"
Zhuang Rui glanced at the valley entrance, which resembled a monster's gaping maw, and followed Wang Fei's footsteps, climbing up a small path beside the valley entrance.
It was completely dark by then. Tiezi, who was most familiar with the terrain, walked at the front of the group, wearing a miner's lamp on his head and holding a scimitar that looked like a sickle. He cut through the dry grass and low branches blocking the way.
"There was one scientific expedition, but we never fully figured out the reason..."
After leaving the Valley of Death, Zhang Dazhi became more talkative and told Zhuang Rui about the things that had happened in the valley over the years.
In the 1980s, a herd of horses from a ranch wandered into Death Valley while greedily eating the lush grass. For the ranchers, these horses were their lifeline. One rancher risked entering the valley to search for the horses, but after several days, the rancher did not reappear, while the horses did.
The herdsman's body was later found on a small hill. His clothes were torn, he was barefoot, his eyes were wide open in anger, his mouth was agape, and he was still clutching his hunting rifle, looking as if he had died with his eyes wide open in disbelief. What was puzzling was that no wounds or signs of attack were found on his body.
Shortly after this tragedy, a geological team working nearby was also struck by Death Valley. It was also that month, and while it was unbearably hot outside, a blizzard suddenly struck the vicinity of Death Valley. A thunderous roar accompanied the sudden onslaught of the blizzard, and the cook fainted on the spot.
According to the cook's recollection, upon hearing the thunder, he immediately felt numb all over, his vision went black, and he lost consciousness. The next day, when the team members went out to work, they were astonished to find that the original loess had turned into black soil, like ash, and all the plants and animals had been "killed." The geological team quickly organized an investigation of the valley. The investigation revealed that the magnetic anomaly in the area was extremely pronounced and widespread; the deeper into the valley, the higher the magnetic anomaly value. Under the influence of electromagnetic effects, the interaction between the electrical charges in the clouds and the magnetic field of the valley caused electrical discharges, making the area a frequent lightning strike zone. Lightning often targets running animals. This hypothesis is the best explanation for the series of events.
However, the geological team has no clear conclusion as to what caused the extremely high magnetic field value here. After these events, the local herders no longer dare to approach the Valley of Death. Fortunately, there were no Uyghurs in this group today, otherwise they would never have dared to detour around the edge of the Valley of Death.
After listening to Zhang Dazhi's account, Zhuang Rui subconsciously looked back at the valley entrance that was no longer visible, and cold sweat broke out on his back. He guessed that it was because this place was rarely visited by people; otherwise, it would probably be as infamous as places like the Bermuda Triangle.
Under the cover of night, the group crossed two mountain ranges before stopping. It was a good 30 or 40 miles from the Valley of Death, and it was also a large canyon. Tiezi was very familiar with the place. Using his miner's lamp, he found a very hidden cave near the rock wall.
"Brother Tiezi, you have a great memory. It seems like we walked through here two years ago, and you still remember."
Zhang Dazhi picked up a stone from the ground and threw it forcefully into the cave. He was afraid that some animals might be hiding inside. You see, wolves and brown bears are very common in the Kunlun Mountains, and there are reports of herders being attacked every year.
After waiting for a while and hearing no sound from inside the cave, the group went in. The cave wasn't deep, only about ten meters long, and it was covered in dust. The group was exhausted from their journey and didn't care about the dirt. They simply sat down in the slightly damp spot.
“Brother Zhuang, we’re camping in the mountains, so someone needs to keep watch at night. You can be first in line. Wake me up at 12 o’clock. Mengzi will be third, and Wang Fei will be fourth. Brother Tiezi has a tough job, so I won’t be arranging for you to keep watch tonight.”
After Mengzi sat down, he opened his backpack and took out five folded sleeping bags, handing them to everyone. Zhang Dazhi then began assigning everyone's night watch time.
Arranging Zhuang Rui to go first was actually a way of taking care of him. He could sleep soundly until dawn after guarding the city until midnight, which was much better than getting up in the middle of the night for two or three hours before going back to sleep. As for Tiezi, who was responsible for clearing the way, he was physically exhausted, which is why Zhang Dazhi didn't arrange for him to go first.
No one objected to Zhang Dazhi's arrangement. Wang Fei gave Zhuang Rui a brief explanation of how to use the shotgun before crawling into his sleeping bag. He wanted to get some rest so he would be more energetic tomorrow.
Fortunately, apart from a few wolf howls in the distance, nothing happened that night, and we got through it peacefully.
The next day, as soon as it was light, everyone set off. The temperature difference between day and night in the Kunlun Mountains is quite large. Traveling in the cool morning is the most comfortable, while you can rest a little longer when it gets hot at noon.
On the morning of the third day, around 10 a.m., the group of five finally arrived at Yeniugou, where they were at an altitude of 4,500 meters. Although everyone's face showed excitement, Zhang Dazhi still found a place for them to rest for half a day before going to the bottom of the gully to look for jade in the afternoon.
"boom!"
Just as the group sat down, an explosion suddenly came from afar. Zhuang Rui felt the ground beneath him shake and quickly stood up to look in the direction of the explosion.
"Brother Zhuang, stop looking. That's a jade mine run by people from Zhejiang. They've been mining there for over a year."
Zhang Dazhi was already used to this situation. In the Kunlun Mountains, wherever there were jade mines, you could hear explosions almost all day long.
However, envy was evident on their faces. For them, as long as they could discover a jade vein, they could make a fortune just by selling the information, even without the money to mine it.
However, these mineral veins are usually hidden deep underground, and without detection tools, they are almost impossible for them to find.
Wild Buffalo Gully is deep in the Kunlun Mountains. It was named after the large herds of wild buffalo that once lived there. Of course, that was decades ago; now, it is difficult to find any trace of wild buffalo. Although it is called a gully, it is actually more than 20 kilometers deep and has lush grass, making it very suitable for animals to live in.
On both sides of Yeniu Gully are snow-capped mountains with snow that never melts all year round. However, every summer, the melted snow from the mountainside carries rocks into Yeniu Gully. Over millions of years, this has created a riverbed that is not very wide, but is filled with rocks on both sides.
Tiezi and the others' destination was this river. Because the altitude here is over 4,000 meters, and it is difficult to transport large machinery in, plus it is difficult for people with poor physical condition to mine jade here, this river has not been dammed from the upper reaches and extensively dug like the Yulongkash River. It has basically retained its natural state.
However, quite a few people had already set their sights on this place. Not long after Zhuang Rui and his group arrived at Yeniu Gully, a small team of three met them. Although they were not familiar with each other, they still greeted each other.
Since the jade stones along the river all flowed down from the mountains, there were relatively more good jade stones at the foot of the river where the river entered the mountain. Zhuang Rui and his group arrived first, so they consciously walked downstream. While everyone was resting, Tiezi told Zhuang Rui about his jade mining techniques over the years. However, after categorizing them, Zhuang Rui discovered that jade mining and gambling on stones had something in common: to find good jade, one had to rely heavily on luck.
At the beginning of this year, a big boss from Wenzhou hired dozens of excavators and bulldozers and a large number of people to carry out large-scale mining on a seven- or eight-kilometer section of the Yulongkash River that had been dammed.
Using modern machinery to search for jade is a major development in recent years. Bulldozers push the soil and rocks in the riverbed to one side, and migrant workers waiting nearby rush over to use shovels to search for jade in the soil.