I had initially thought the people of the Sheng Miao tribe would be difficult to get along with, but the reality was quite the opposite.
The Sheng Miao people were incredibly hospitable, preparing quite a feast to entertain us.
It was during this gathering that I saw Fu Honglang and Xiao Liu.
"Brother Fu, what's going on?" I asked, my mind brimming with questions.
Fu Honglang was in good spirits, a smile on his face. "We really have the people of Geyizhai to thank this time. Otherwise, we would have all perished… They rescued Shi Tou too."
"Shi Tou didn't..."
I couldn't bring myself to say the word "die."
Fu Honglang nodded. "He's alive, just not in great condition. He still needs some rest."
I nodded, feeling a wave of relief for Fu Honglang.
Though Shi Tou was a man of few words, I could tell he was quite dependable when it mattered.
"Brother Fu, how did you guys get here before?" I asked.
Fu Honglang gave a wry smile. "Xiao Liu and I were planning to find an exit, but we accidentally looped back to the ghost vine's lair… Later, we met Dak from Geyizhai. He saved us."
According to him, Dak was the son of the Geyizhai chieftain, a young man who was not only tall but also quite welcoming.
They had been ensnared by the ghost vines again, thinking it was their end, when Dak appeared and rescued them.
As we were chatting, a young man dressed in Miao attire, with a silver earring in his left ear, approached us. This was Dak.
Judging by his appearance, he seemed to be around my age.
He spoke Mandarin quite well, making communication with us seamless.
I asked him if he had been outside before.
He smiled and said, "A few years ago, my uncle did business outside the mountains. I helped him back then and spent some time out there."
"No wonder," I said. "Don't you people have a rule against leaving?"
He chuckled. "That's your interpretation. Once our people come of age, they can do as they please. It's just that most choose to stay in the village."
After dinner, Dak invited us to his home and introduced us to his father.
His father spoke little and didn't understand our Mandarin at all, relying on Dak for translation.
His father inquired what brought us here. I had expected Fu Honglang to say we were here to collect herbs, but he revealed our true purpose directly.
I knew Fu Honglang's character; he was a very straightforward person. Since they had saved his life and rescued Shi Tou, he had no reason to hide anything.
I thought they might be wary of us knowing we were here for tomb raiding, but to my surprise, they showed no apprehension, as if it were commonplace.
"You're here for the Immortal's Tomb, aren't you?" Dak asked us.
I looked at him, puzzled. "Immortal's Tomb?"
He smiled. "Very few people come here. Before you, two groups have visited, all searching for the Immortal's Tomb… Legend has it that a Han Chinese immortal offended heavenly rules, was banished to the mortal realm, and buried here after death."
"There were other groups before?" Fu Honglang couldn't help but ask. "When was that?"
"The first group came when I was ten. The second group was about a month before you arrived…"
Upon hearing this, Fu Honglang became agitated and asked, "Were there any women among them, about this tall, very thin, with long hair…"
Dak recalled for a moment. "There might have been… Several people came, stayed with us for a night, and left the next day. When they left, they gave us many things…"
Saying this, he asked us to wait. Soon, he retrieved a tent and some biscuits from an inner room.
Fu Honglang went to take a look and immediately confirmed they were left by Mao Guizhi, eager to set off and find her.
I asked Dak, "The Immortal's Tomb you mentioned, have you been there?"
He shook his head. "No, my father doesn't allow us to go there."
"Why?"
He glanced at his father, who was sitting beside him, and spoke a few words in their dialect. After a moment, his father nodded, stood up, and left.
"My father has gone to rest," Dak said, refilling our bowls with water. "My grandfather went to the Immortal's Tomb years ago and never returned. Several of my uncles went with him… They say that place has… has…"
"Has what?" I asked.
Dak uttered a word we didn't understand. He said he didn't know how to say it in Mandarin, but it generally meant the place was very dangerous.
That night, we were arranged to rest in the same room. Since their houses were all stilted bamboo structures, sleeping on the floor was perfectly fine.
A bamboo house of over thirty square meters was more than enough for the six of us.
Fatty, for some reason, needed to use the restroom shortly after staying in the room, having gone out six or seven times already.
I couldn't be bothered with him. Fu Honglang looked deeply worried, seemingly concerned about his wife.
Xiao Liu was taking care of Shi Tou.
I wasn't sleepy, so I called Wang Yang to go out for a smoke.
Stepping outside, Wang Yang handed me a cigarette and said distractedly, "Where do you think your Sister Ying is now?"
Hearing his seemingly random question, I replied, "Why are you always thinking about her?"
Wang Yang smiled. "I'm just curious. I still don't know what my father and grandfather did with her back then… And why do you think Fu Honglang and his wife are so willing to do her bidding?"
"Asking me these things is pointless. I'm just as confused as you are…" I exhaled smoke. "Some things can only be answered by asking Sister Ying directly."
"That's true… As long as we can find her, everything should become clear," Wang Yang smiled.
After finishing our cigarettes, we were about to head back inside when I spotted two figures not far away. One of them was Fatty, whose build was unmistakable. I couldn't make out the other person.
Wang Yang and I exchanged a look, both having the same thought: let's go investigate.
We crept closer, and soon discovered that the figure beside Fatty was actually a woman.
The woman was about eighteen or nineteen years old, with a youthful innocence and quite a pretty appearance.
"Ling Mei, I'm not kidding when I say I'm a big shot in Yan Jing's Panjiayuan," Fatty boasted, giving a thumbs-up. "When I'm done with my business, I'll take you out for some fun. Yan Jing is much more exciting than here…"
Fatty spoke volubly while the girl beside him looked shy and remained silent.
I hadn't expected this fatty to come all the way here just to use the restroom?
And he's even trying to pick up girls here?