Chapter 1: The Camp
A tall man, exuding strength, is inspecting the work of those around him. His keen eyes, sharp as an eagle's, notice some flaws, prompting him to personally correct them with meticulous attention. From this, it is evident that this man is likely the leader of the team
Gu Zheng was holding a piece of dogtail grass in his mouth, dressed in coarse cloth, looking rustic and out of place among the entire group. With a somewhat carefree demeanor, he resembled a delinquent youth. He stood on a large rock by the stream, not far from the others, and after carefully surveying the surrounding valley, his brows furrowed slightly. He approached the tall, sturdy man beside him and said, "Brother Sun, this place is not suitable for camping"
A day in the mountains is a thousand years in the world. Everything that happened on this land back then has long since vanished.
Gu Zheng pulled him and pointed to the surrounding valleys, saying: "Look at the peak on the left, it is like a sharp knife pointing towards us, and this valley is as round as a chopping board. Furthermore, look at the giant stone by the stream, it resembles a whetstone, sharpening blades vigorously. Camping here is like being the meat on a chopping board!" Gu Zheng said earnestly
Gu Zheng could only give Sun Yan a苦笑 and remained silent. Gu Zheng's master was a renowned feng shui master from the last small town before entering the mountains. However, the master and disciple chose to live deep in the mountains, away from the crowd. Sun Yan had originally intended to seek guidance from Gu Zheng's master for his journey into the mountains, but that old feng shui master had passed away several months ago. Left with no choice, he could only hire Gu Zheng, a young "feng shui master" who had just turned twenty.
This is an archaeological team that went to investigate an old village called Li Jiayu deep in the mountains—this is what the team leader, Sun Yan, said to Gu Zheng. However, the presence of more than ten strong and robust young team members made it somewhat difficult for Sun Yan to justify their inclusion. Sun Yan is a retired soldier, and the investor of the archaeological team spent a considerable amount of money to hire him as the leader of this group. The actual leader within the team is Professor Lin Xiude, the head of the archaeological team, but he is already in his sixties or seventies and does not involve himself in daily affairs, leaving everything to Sun Yan to manage. Sun Yan is a retired soldier, and the investor of the archaeological team spent a considerable amount of money to hire him as the leader of this group. The actual leader within the team is Professor Lin Xiude, the head of the archaeological team, but he is already in his sixties or seventies and does not involve himself in daily affairs, leaving everything to Sun Yan to manage, while he spends his days studying maps with his two students.
The young man named Chen Fu gave Sun Yan an awkward smile and made an "OK" gesture, promptly extinguishing the cigarette butt in his hand. Sun Yan turned to Gu Zheng and said: "Gu Zheng, all you need to do is be a good guide and not lead us astray; I have served as a soldier for seven years and have spent six or seven years rolling around in the mountains and forests, what place have I not been to? This location is well-ventilated, elevated, and close to a water source. Finding such a place to camp before dark is already our good fortune. The nights in the mountains fall quickly, and even if we were to follow your suggestion to move to another campsite, it would be too late! Moreover, how could someone as rational as I am believe in such absurdities? Stop using your master's old tactics to spread alarm; the times have changed, and you need to keep up with the times!"
At sunset, by the stream in the valley, a group of individuals dressed in camouflage uniforms is busily engaged in their tasks. They skillfully level the gravel and shrubs on the high ground with engineer shovels, then lay down a layer of yellow earth, compacting it with their feet, before finally erecting a series of dark green tents on top.
Sun Yan was directing everyone in their tasks when he heard Gu Zheng's words. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why?" Throughout the journey, Gu Zheng had been nagging in his ear, saying that this was not acceptable and that was not allowed. His ears had already developed a thick layer of calluses.
In the small town, he wanted to hire a guide familiar with the mountainous area, but when the townspeople heard they were going to Lijia Valley, their faces turned pale. No matter how high a price Sun Yan offered, they remained unmoved. Eventually, someone pointed him to Gu Zheng and his apprentice, the only two who dared to go to Lijia Valley in this region. Thus, Sun Yan found Gu Zheng's residence, only to discover that Gu Zheng's master had already passed away. In his disappointment, he hesitated for a moment and expressed his need for a guide to lead him from there to Lijia Valley. He offered Gu Zheng a high price: a guiding fee of three hundred yuan per day. It is worth noting that in these deep mountains, an adult's annual net income is only about two thousand yuan, and some areas are even considered extremely impoverished. Such a sum was enough to entice many people. However, Sun Yan felt quite frustrated, as he had already offered this price to several mountain villagers, but they all refused.
Sun Yan's brows immediately relaxed after being raised. He chuckled and patted Gu Zheng on the shoulder, causing Gu Zheng's sturdy frame to sway slightly. "Gu Zheng, stop using your master's old tricks on me. Brother Sun is a rational person; how could I believe such absurd things?" Sun Yan cleared his throat again and shouted at a team member not far away: "Chen Fu, you little rascal, be more diligent. How many times have I said it? No smoking in the mountains; why can't you control your smoking habit?"
Upon hearing that Sun Yan and others were going to Lijia Valley, Gu Zheng felt a chill in his heart. Lijia Valley has a notorious reputation, and there has been a folk song circulating in the area for many years: "Lijia Valley, Lijia Valley, the living do not go, the dead do go, hidden in the clouds, appearing in the mist, the living do not see, the dead do see. Once you enter Lijia Valley, you will never see your loved ones again..." It is unclear when these songs began to circulate, but they are sufficient to indicate that Lijia Valley is an absolute forbidden place within a hundred miles.
Gu Zheng let out a sigh. Sun Yan's stubbornness left him feeling helpless, as he would occasionally flaunt his empiricism and life philosophy. One cannot entirely blame Sun Yan for this, as it was not his first visit to Li Jiayu; previous experiences had been very safe, with nothing unusual occurring. Only Gu Zheng understood that the reason Sun Yan and the others had not encountered any issues before was that they had not taken the same path as they were now.
Gu Zheng was merely a guide hired by the team two days ago from the mountains. Due to recent heavy rains, the paths previously taken by the archaeological team had been washed away by mudslides. In a state of helplessness, the team leader, Sun Yan, had no choice but to take a detour, navigating approximately over 100 miles of mountainous terrain, traversing areas that had never been walked before.
The world is such that viewing the same issue from different perspectives yields different results. Similarly, taking different paths to the same destination leads to varied experiences, and even the destination itself may turn out to be different.
After a moment of contemplation, Gu Zheng agreed to Sun Yan's request. Beyond the several hundred yuan daily guiding fee, he was more concerned about the safety of the group. He was well aware that those who entered Lijia Valley from this place rarely met with a good end—except for Gu Zheng and his master, as they were privy to the secrets of Lijia Valley. In fact, this was also the primary reason for their seclusion in the deep mountains. He was well aware that those who entered Lijia Valley from this place rarely met with a good end—except for Gu Zheng and his master, as they were privy to the secrets of Lijia Valley. In fact, this was also the primary reason for their seclusion in the deep mountains