Departing from Turpan

Seeing the characters he penned, I instinctively glanced towards the concealed chamber of Second Master. The wall-door was shut, and it seemed likely that someone was inside.

Han Sheng picked up the gun left by Second Master, holding it as if wielding a dagger. He stealthily approached, and I, after a quick survey, grabbed a water bottle to block the doorway. This person seemed intimately familiar with the place, possibly the one who removed the letter my father left before our return.

Han Sheng, holding his breath at the door for a while, straightened up and entered. Coming out, he shrugged at me and said, "Seems like they're gone."

I inquired, "How do you know?"

He pointed to our room's door, explaining, "Before I left, I placed a hair strand there. Just checked, and found it had been disturbed. Considering who could come here, apart from you, me, and Lao He, there's hardly anyone else. Lao He is at Longshan Pavilion all day, so it couldn't be him. Therefore..." He looked around, speaking in a low voice, "We might be under surveillance."

A thought crossed my mind, and I blurted, "The Cao family?"

He nodded, "Possibly, but can't rule out others. It's quite chaotic lately, and someone keeping an eye on Second Master isn't surprising."

Looking at the concealed chamber, I felt a bit uneasy. If, as Han Sheng suggested, someone sneaked in while we were away during the day, our Xinjiang trip might have been exposed. Even the discoveries of Second Master over the years might have been stolen.

Thinking about this, I called Lao He and told him about it. He informed me that people would be arranged tomorrow, and for now, we should move to Longshan Pavilion. There were a few vacant rooms in the backyard.

I had trouble sleeping that night. The thought of someone quietly entering the room during the day made me uneasy. Even looking at the pitch-black window, it felt like someone was lurking outside, peering in. Thinking about the upcoming journey to find the Fox Hu King's City added to the confusion. It wasn't until the latter part of the night that I dozed off.

In the morning, while Han Sheng and I were having instant noodles, Xiao He came with Zhao Gu. We quickly packed Second Master's belongings, especially the documents in the secret compartment, filling four or five boxes. After locking the door, we headed straight to Longshan Pavilion.

Lao He arranged a house in the backyard for us. I stayed indoors the entire day, using connections to gather information about the Fox Hu Country. On the other hand, Han Sheng didn't meet anyone all day and only returned in the evening. I asked him where he went, and he said he took care of some matters.

This routine continued for two days. During dinner, Lao He informed us that everything was ready, and the day after tomorrow, we would depart. We would take a train to Turpan first, then transfer to Dabancheng. Someone would meet us there and help transport the equipment for our group of twelve into the village.

The next day, I contacted Big Head and Lao Wan. Lao Wan would bring five people. I specifically instructed him, and he assured me that those going weren't novices.

Later, I called Master Bai from Qin Han Tang, asking for a month's leave. Qin Han Tang probably knew about the recent events at Longshan Pavilion. Master Bai didn't say much, simply telling me to handle things myself and return to the hall if necessary.

In the evening, Xiao He came to my room, informing me that when we pick up the equipment, take the blue bag. He had placed a gun inside for self-defense. I thanked him, and he said this trip shouldn't be as dangerous as last time. Xinjiang didn't have many large tombs. In recent years, they mostly dug up small tombs heavily disturbed by theft. I said, "Hopefully," and later, we had a bit of wine, eventually dozing off at some point.

As there were no direct flights from Beijing to Turpan, Han Sheng and I took a sleeper train departing from Beijing in the late morning. The journey was quite long, nearly 30 hours. We didn't talk much, spending most of the time eating and sleeping.

We arrived in Turpan around three in the afternoon on the second day. Since there was only half an hour between the train from Turpan to Dabancheng and our train, we rushed to catch it. The journey took only forty minutes, and the ticket was even cheaper, only 11 RMB.

In the evening, we reached Dabancheng. The weather here was relatively dry, a wave of heat hitting us as we stepped off the train. Han Sheng appeared unfazed, and I recalled his previous extended activities in this region, understanding his ease.

We found Big Head and Lao Wan at a restaurant near the station. They had arrived a day earlier, staying nearby. Seeing us enter, Big Head greeted while gnawing on a lamb leg, "Come over here, the lamb here is the best."

Lao Wan also waved with a smile. After we sat down, he introduced the four people at the adjacent table. Two of them were twins, named Zhao Jun and Zhao Shuai. There was also a bespectacled young man and, surprisingly, a girl who sat there smoking, expressionless.

Seeing my curious gaze at the girl, Lao Wan chuckled and said, "Don't underestimate Zhao Min. This girl has been running the streets with her old man since childhood, experienced quite a lot."

I observed the girl, who had delicate features, couldn't help but ask, "Why choose this profession? Why not do something else?"

Lao Wan smiled and said a phrase that left a deep impression on me, "For some people, it's their fate."

After a brief chat, Lao Wan had the guys continue eating below while leading us and Big Head to a private room on the second floor. After the milk tea-serving waiter left, he took out a stack of documents from his bag and tossed them on the table. Big Head picked them up and flipped through a few pages, rolling his eyes, "I say, Old Brother, where did you find these cryptic symbols?"

I took a look, finding them quite familiar from my time at Qin Han Tang. I asked Lao Wan, "Rubbings?"

Lao Wan took a sip of tea, gently rubbing a green jade thumb ring on his thumb, and replied, "Exactly, Brother Cao has a keen eye. Can you discern anything from it?"

I lifted my eyes to him, thinking that this guy was testing my eyesight. Identifying rubbings was a specialized skill, involving a broad knowledge base. Without substantial cultural accumulation, one couldn't proficiently engage in it. Besides, one needed expertise in painting, carving, and knowledge in various crafts such as gold and stone. Especially in the field of rubbing inscriptions, understanding the conditions of unearthed stones was crucial. If one lacked a certain breadth of vision, it was impossible to succeed in this line of work.

Fortunately, Lao Wan's rubbing wasn't from stone tablets, and having learned some techniques and methods for authenticating antiques during my time at Qin Han Tang, I had some superficial knowledge.

I pointed at the rubbings on the table and said to Lao Wan, "This type of rubbing should use wax ink rubbing. It involves mixing pine soot and wax into a cake-shaped ink mass, which is then applied to dry paper stuck onto the stone. The rubbing is done with the wax cake, and it is commonly used in areas with extremely cold climates or damp caves. Consequently, the staining on the rubbings often exhibits a brown or dark gray color, giving them an antique appearance."

I pushed the rubbing towards him and continued, "It appears that your rubbing is flawless, but this brown color is its flaw. Nowadays, to age the coloring, people generally use tea water for a light yellow color or Dian wahuang for a brown hue. Dian wahuang, being a kind of traditional Chinese medicine, has a distinctive feature — a faint spiciness."

Furthermore, rubbings from stone walls differ from those of stone tablets. Many stone tablets are buried underground, ensuring better preservation. However, stone walls, exposed to the open air, often bear signs of erosion. Therefore, the process of recarving rubbings often involves some tapping and hammering to imitate the original wall's stone patterns and weathered traces. Nevertheless, due to the limitations of techniques, even with the most sophisticated skills, it's challenging to reach the level of the ancient craftsmen. Consequently, such imitated rubbings typically appear somewhat rigid and lacking in naturalness. Unfortunately, I've dealt with quite a few rubbings of Eastern Han clerical script, and yours indeed seems noticeably stiffer.

Big Head picked up the rubbing on the table, probably not understanding it, but he still pretended and asked, "I say, Old Wan, this Little Cao is speaking with such eloquence, even someone like me who doesn't understand can grasp it. Why are you using such highfalutin language? Are you trying to deceive us?"

Lao Wan hurriedly explained, "Absolutely not. In fact, this rubbing is fake, but that's not important. What's crucial is the content on it. This rubbing was sent over from Changsha overnight. A couple of days ago, when Cao mentioned the Fox Hu Country, I privately inquired with some friends who study Western Regions culture. Coincidentally, one of my friends received a rubbing in his shop. After translation, it mentioned the Fox Hu Country. Initially, he didn't pay much attention, but when I asked him about it, he had someone send it over, saying it might be helpful for us."

As he spoke, he took out another piece of paper from his bag. This should be the Han translation of the rubbing. However, I noticed his expression was somewhat strange at this moment. "Take a look."

Big Head, quick with his hands, grabbed it, not knowing what was written on it. After looking for a while, he exclaimed, "Damn it!" 

Seeing him so engrossed, my curiosity was piqued, so I urged him, "Hurry up, for heaven's sake."

Big Head looked a few more times, then threw the translated paper to me, saying, "Here, take it. It's like rushing to reincarnate, just a made-up story, what's the big hurry?"

I took the paper and, together with Han Sheng, examined it. Lao Wan interjected from the side, "Actually, I don't fully believe it either. Firstly, this thing is fake, and who knows if the original wall it copied from is also fake. Secondly, the story is too far-fetched."

There weren't many words on it, and the entire rubbing described peculiar and extraordinary events, with only a section mentioning the Fox Hu Country.

It described the lifetime of the Fox Hu King, devoted to Daoism and spiritual cultivation. During the construction of a Daoist temple, they unearthed an old corpse from the mountain. The old corpse, still alive, claimed to possess the elixir of immortality. He told the Fox Hu King that he could summon an undead army from the underworld to help him in battles, but he must construct a Nine Dragons Town Lingtai to aid his ascension.

The Fox Hu King gladly agreed, and the old corpse indeed summoned an army for him to command. From then on, the Fox Hu Country was invincible in war. However, within two years of completing the Lingtai, the Fox Hu King, along with all his treasures, ascended together with the old corpse. As they ascended, the army also returned to the underworld. Without the Fox Hu King's support, the country promptly collapsed, swallowed by surrounding nations, and soon vanished entirely.