Chapter 1 The Ancient Shu Tomb

According to the map in that unofficial history book, the nearest "Liu Bowen Dragon Vein Severing Site" was near the Mamuhe River, which coincided perfectly with Gao Shiye's movements back then.

So, we were all certain that there must be an ancient Shu tomb at the location of this site.

After leaving the house, Jiang Yongguang drove, Uncle Mei sat in the passenger seat, and Xiao Liang and I sat in the back. Our group headed straight for this site.

We drove northwest along Guangjin Highway by the Mianyuan River, turning towards the Yazi River at the confluence of the three rivers. After about forty minutes, we could see the Mamuhe River.

In 2005, there was no cell phone navigation, so finding the location was very difficult. We originally wanted to find this site before dark, and even survey it, but in the end, we drove around in circles until the sun went down without finding the exact location.

Finally, we drove to a small town. Although not bustling, it was quite lively.

At night, the streets were filled with the aroma of stir-fried dishes, hot pot, and grilled skewers. As soon as the car window was opened, the fragrance wafted in.

I was in a hurry to go back and tell Uncle Mei the news at noon, so I forgot to eat lunch. Xiao Liang was the same. After leaving the library, she went straight to find Jiang Yongguang, so she probably didn't have time to eat either.

As soon as the two of us smelled the aroma, our stomachs couldn't help but rumble, resulting in a male-female duet.

Hearing the sound, I looked back at her, and she looked at me. We both smiled embarrassedly.

Xiao Liang took the initiative to say to Jiang Yongguang, "Officer Jiang, it's getting dark. I don't think we'll be able to find the site today. Why don't we eat first? We can stay in the town tonight and go to survey the area after dinner to find the site's location."

Jiang Yongguang had been driving for a long time, and his legs must have been cramping. He quickly nodded and said, "Great minds think alike! Let's eat first, let's eat first!"

After speaking, he casually found a roadside spot, parked the car, and led us along the road to find a restaurant.

Back then, finding a place to eat was a skill. After all, unlike now, there were no rating apps like Dianping to tell you which restaurant had a good reputation and which had a bad one.

Jiang Yongguang had traveled north and south for many years and was experienced. He specialized in choosing restaurants with long lines, popularity, and mountains of garbage in front of the door. He would never make a mistake.

Of course, this was later exploited by unscrupulous merchants. Many years later, a certain milk tea shop hired people to stand in long lines in front of the door to create the illusion that their milk tea was delicious. In fact, it was all a trick. Their milk tea was not worth the price at all.

Before long, we found a very lively restaurant. Jiang Yongguang waved his hand and said, "Let's go there and wait in line for a seat."

I took a look. Good heavens! The roadside shop was packed inside and out. There was even a family of three sitting on small stools around a chessboard on the side of the road, using it as a table to eat. That's how popular they were!

Jiang Yongguang, acting like a big brother, said heroically, "I'm treating today. Order whatever you want. What do you want to eat? Come on, name your dishes!"

Since someone was treating, Xiao Liang didn't hold back. Looking like a glutton, she said, "I heard that the Chan Si Tu (Shredded Rabbit) is very famous here. I haven't tried it yet. I want to try it."

Jiang Yongguang nodded decisively and said, "No problem."

He looked at Uncle Mei and me again and asked, "What about you?"

I grew up by the river and was used to eating fish. This place happened to be by the river, too, so I ordered a Shui Zhu Yu (Water Boiled Fish).

Uncle Mei was different. He loved pork, so after thinking about it, he ordered a Hui Guo Rou (Twice-Cooked Pork).

Xiao Liang immediately smiled and said, "Uncle Mei really chose well. Hui Guo Rou is also very famous here. Guanghan is the hometown of Hui Guo Rou, and Lianshan Hui Guo Rou is a household name."

It was obvious that Xiao Liang was the type of person who usually did a lot of research on food. She could rattle off a list of delicious dishes.

Jiang Yongguang ordered two more vegetarian dishes, three bottles of beer, and a bottle of juice. Then we sat in front of the restaurant waiting for a seat, taking the opportunity to inquire about the site marked on the map.

Xiao Liang simply took the book, pointed to the mark on the map, and asked the locals.

She was beautiful and had a generous personality, so she was very likable. Several local uncles smiled and gave her directions, telling her everything they knew.

Finally, an uncle about the same age as Uncle Mei recognized the mark on the map. He pointed to the map and said, "Isn't this the Si Ren Keng (Dead Man's Pit)? Looking at this location, it's clearly the Si Ren Keng west of town!"

"Si Ren Keng?" Xiao Liang quickly asked, "Uncle, what does the Si Ren Keng look like? Is it a big pit?"

The uncle shook his head and said, "No, the Si Ren Keng isn't a pit. It's a lake... well, it's not really a lake, it's just a big pond connected to the Mamuhe River."

"Then why is it called Si Ren Keng? The name is kind of scary," Xiao Liang asked, her face pale.

The uncle said mysteriously, "Of course, it's because dead people always come out of this pond! Many years ago, when I was young, people would always pull out bones from it. Later, people who went swimming in the Si Ren Keng often drowned. Many experienced swimmers, even those with good swimming skills, couldn't come back up!"

Xiao Liang broke out in a cold sweat and quickly called us over to listen.

Seeing that there were more and more "audience" members, the uncle spoke even more energetically, saying vividly, "And this pond often has whirlpools! Whenever a whirlpool appears, a large pile of floating corpses will be swept up! It happens every year, and this year is no exception! Oh, by the way, there was another whirlpool in the pond last month, and two more corpses were swept up!"

After listening, Jiang Yongguang narrowed his eyes and looked at Uncle Mei and me, asking, "There are whirlpools in the water. What's going on?"

Uncle Mei immediately said, "That means there are undercurrents in the water. The Si Ren Keng is likely connected to groundwater below."

I also nodded and said, "That's right. Logically speaking, a small pond is stagnant water, and it's unlikely to have whirlpools. If whirlpools appear frequently, then it means there's another water flow below, forming a convection with the water from the Mamuhe River, which creates the whirlpools."

However, the uncle shook his head and said, "No! You're all wrong! The whirlpools in the Si Ren Keng aren't because of groundwater!"

I couldn't help but ask curiously, "Oh? Then what's the reason?"

Uncle Mei also asked, "Is there some mystery to the Si Ren Keng?"

The uncle deliberately lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "I'll tell you, the Si Ren Keng has whirlpools because of an evil dragon! Deep inside this pond, there's actually an evil dragon hiding!"

Hearing this, the few of us looked at each other in dismay.

We all wanted to laugh at the time, but out of politeness, we held back from laughing, but it was so hard to bear.