adminAfter surviving the blizzard, we set off again and discovered Anning and their horse team at a slope. At the same time, we spotted the mysterious snow-capped mountain from the underwater tomb painting, which suddenly appeared at the end of our line of sight. Just as we were asking the guide how we could reach that place, Shunzi shook his head, saying we absolutely couldn’t go there.
“Why not?” I asked in surprise, thinking to myself, didn’t you say that you could go over every snow mountain along this 800-mile stretch? How come this one is off-limits?
Shunzi explained, “That mountain is called San Sheng Snow Mountain (a pseudonym). Only a very small part of it is on our side; above the snow line, it’s all on the North Korean border, and we can’t cross.”
The fat guy paused for a moment and asked, “San Sheng Snow Mountain? Isn’t that the first snow mountain crossed by the logistics troops of the Volunteer Army during the Korean War when Commander Peng was aiding North Korea?”
Shunzi nodded, “Yes, that’s the one. It’s over 2,400 meters high. Once you cross that mountain, you’re in the hilly area of North Korea.”
Upon hearing this, I thought to myself, this is bad.
Anyone who has served in the military or is interested in modern Chinese history knows that the three hardest border lines to cross in the world are between India and Pakistan, Israel and Lebanon, and the one at San Sheng Mountain, which is only 14 kilometers long.
In fact, China and North Korea have traditionally been friendly countries. Those familiar with the area know that the border can be easily crossed on the western slope of Changbai Mountain, where there aren’t many checkpoints. Around 1996, when the Changbai Mountain forest area in China was in decline, many people often crossed the border to dig up a type of Chinese herbal medicine called ‘Rhodiola Rosea’ to make money. Although North Korean soldiers would capture them, the Chinese were adept at evading capture, often engaging in guerrilla tactics. Moreover, many who came to steal herbs brought cigarettes and alcohol with them, which could help them negotiate their release if caught. So, over time, the western slope of that border line had become almost non-existent.
However, the section of the border at San Sheng Mountain remains very tightly sealed. No one knows the exact reason, but it is said that this section is the old boundary between China and North Korea. Above the snow line is North Korean territory. During the Korean War, many temporary strategic passages and underground fortifications were built on the mountain to facilitate the rapid transport of strategic materials into North Korea. Both sides could quickly send troops through these passages, so strict security was necessary.
Now, our food supplies do not allow us to detour around the very high sections of the border, and the only way to keep on schedule is to go in a straight line through the San Sheng Mountain pass directly across the China-North Korea border and then ascend to the snow peak.
Our trouble, however, was not some mysterious and intricate scheme, but the very real threat of 81-type automatic rifle bullets and the presence of regular troops, numbering from a platoon to a company.
The others were more or less aware of the situation at San Sheng Mountain and all wore worried expressions. We exchanged glances, contemplating what to do next.
Panzi reassured us, “Don’t worry, there must be a way to sneak across the border. Shunzi, having served here, will definitely know. We can persuade him to take us over, and we can pay him a little extra.”
As he spoke, he went to ask Shun Zi, but unexpectedly, Shun Zi shook his head firmly and said, “No way, it’s impossible. There are only a few roads that can lead up the mountain, and they are all high ridges with a searchlight every ten meters. From the foot of the mountain, it’s all a military restricted zone. Although there aren’t many people, the sentry posts are very dense. Forget about crossing over; it’s impossible to even get close to our own sentries. When I was on duty, I received orders that if I saw any strangers enter my line of sight, I would immediately fire a warning shot into the sky. If you didn’t retreat, the second shot would be aimed at your leg, without any reason.”
The Fatty asked, “What if we buy some fruit to take up, pretending to be civilians coming to offer condolences, would that work?”
Shun Zi laughed and said, “Boss, you really have a knack for jokes. Of course, that won’t work. First, this isn’t a place where you can mix in and take advantage of the chaos. Second, where would we find fruit? It’s freezing cold, and carrying fruit to the snow line of Changbai Mountain would be more suspicious than going empty-handed.”
The Fatty clicked his tongue and said, “So what now? Does this broken line mean we can’t go any further? I refuse to believe that. The Macedonian defense line has been breached; how can this be stronger than the Macedonian defense line? Are you trying to say you don’t want money? Just tell me how much you need.”
Shun Zi scratched his head awkwardly and said, “Oh, it’s not a matter of money. If there were really a way, would I be at odds with money? You have to think about going to North Korea; had you mentioned it earlier, I wouldn’t have taken you this way. Now that we’re here, I really have no solution.”
Shun Zi’s tone left no room for negotiation, which surprised us a bit. However, this area isn’t wealthy, and this border isn’t a major crime. If there were a viable solution, Shun Zi wouldn’t keep it from us.
Hua Monk and the others had no opinions, so they went over to Chen Pi A Si and asked the old man what he thought.
In fact, it was merely a question of whether to continue on or go back. If we continued, we would have to take the detour along other border defense lines, which could double the time needed, and in the last few days, we would have to climb the mountain on an empty stomach. Not continuing would mean going back to rest and come again, which would mean all the effort of the past few days would be in vain.
I personally leaned towards continuing, not knowing the purpose behind San Shu’s urgent deployment. The pressure from A Ning’s team weighed heavily on me, and my mind just hoped to see San Shu soon. Of course, at that moment, I had no idea about the pain of climbing a snowy mountain in hunger.
Chen Pi A Si sighed, clearly not anticipating that things would become this complicated. These old rascals from Changsha could dominate their own turf, committing any crime they dared, but when it came to matters involving the authorities, they wilted. Thus, the poor don’t fight the rich, and the rich don’t contend with the officials. He thought for a long time but said nothing, his brows furrowing tighter.
I felt a bit anxious and glanced at the Mute Oil Bottle, wanting to ask for his opinion, but he was completely disengaged from our discussion, merely gazing at the distant snow-capped mountains, seemingly lost in thought, as if all of this had nothing to do with him.
After much deliberation, no one could come up with a solution. Just when we were at a loss, Ye Cheng called out to us from the side.
We stopped talking and looked down the mountain, discovering that A Ning’s horse team had started to move forward again. Judging by their direction, their target was undoubtedly the Three Saint Mountain.
A lot of supplies were unloaded from the horses and carelessly discarded in the snow, probably to reduce weight and speed up movement. The snow-covered ground at the foot of the mountain looked chaotic.
Ye Cheng wondered, “It’s strange, don’t these guys know that the border line is ahead? What kind of guide do they have? If it’s really as Shunzi said, carrying so many weapons over there is just giving others a chance for live-fire practice, right?”
I shook my head to indicate that it was impossible. I knew their company’s habits; they definitely had local guides, and perhaps more than one. Such a professional private expedition company excels at research and public relations. They understand the situation here far better than we do, and they must have established a fixed route before coming, which wouldn’t be easily changed.
The fat guy doubted Shunzi’s business capabilities and asked how to explain this. “Is there another route that he doesn’t know about?”
Shunzi squinted and looked around, saying, “There’s only one possibility for them to take this route. They want to go around the mountains ahead to avoid that section of the border line and then turn towards Mount Sancheng within North Korea. Although the risk is high, it’s much better than directly attacking the border defense line. Their team is larger than ours, and if they have enough food, or if the North Korean side helps them out, they indeed have the capability for a long trek.”
“What should we do? Should we follow them and see?” Ye Cheng turned to ask Chen Pi A Si.
Chen Pi A Si shook his head and remained silent. Suddenly, he pointed to a snow-covered hill next to Mount Sancheng and asked Shunzi, “What mountain is that?”
Shunzi took out his binoculars and looked, saying, “That’s Mount Xiaosheng, which is within our territory. Mount Sancheng and Mount Xiaosheng, along with the larger Mount Dasheng on the other side, are collectively known as the Five Saints.”
Chen Pi A Si then asked, “Can we get to Mount Xiaosheng from here?”
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone was taken aback, not knowing what the old man was up to. Shunzi was also a bit puzzled and said, “The problem is there isn’t a direct route. It takes a day to get there, and it’s far from the sentry post. The scenery is nice, but the path isn’t easy to walk.”
Chen Pi A Si brushed the snow off his pants, stood up, and said to Shunzi, “Alright, just take us there.”
Everyone was confused, and Huaheshang immediately reminded him, “What’s going on, old man? Going there is a waste of time; we don’t have enough food to last that long—”
Chen Pi A Si waved his hand and pointed to the mountain range beside them, saying, “The mountains here stretch continuously, are covered in snow year-round, and are surrounded on three sides. This is a rare three-headed old dragon formation. In Fengshui, this is known as the ‘Gathering of Dragons.’ These three mountains are all dragon heads, making it very suitable for group burials. If the celestial palace is on the cliff of Mount Sancheng in the middle, then the two smaller dragon heads over there should have accompanying tombs for a queen or a high-ranking official.”
The three-headed dragon formation is very peculiar; the three heads must be interconnected. Otherwise, if each dragon flies in its own direction, they will lose their way and become chaotic, leading to fratricide among the descendants buried here. Therefore, if there are accompanying tombs, there must be secret passages connecting them to the main tomb of the celestial palace in the center.
There are many ancient tombs of three-headed dragons in history. For example, the three interred tombs from the Warring States period discovered in 1987 at Mangshan Mountain consist of three related tombs located on three peaks of the same mountain range. The two tombs on either side originally had passageways about half a meter in diameter leading to the central main tomb. Unfortunately, when excavated, these passageways had already collapsed, and the archaeological team was unsure whether they were truly connected or just symbolic arrangements.
Following his gesture, we looked and saw three snow-capped mountains stretching across the horizon, indistinguishable from the surrounding peaks. We couldn’t understand the basis of Chen Pi A Si’s judgment.
After speaking, Chen Pi A Si glanced at the silent oil bottle and asked, “Am I right, little brother?”
For the first time, the usually taciturn oil bottle responded to someone’s question, turning back to glance at Chen Pi A Si, but said nothing and returned to gazing at the distant snow-capped mountains.
We didn’t understand the feng shui of the big head and felt a bit mystified, but since the old man said so and the oil bottle seemed to agree, it was best not to doubt this theory.
When we reached the place where A Ning and the others had stayed, we saw abandoned luggage scattered across the snow, many of which had been rummaged through, leaving no food inside. Clearly, all the equipment had undergone a re-selection, with some useless or redundant items discarded.
Fatty even found a few guns, but all the bullets had been removed, leaving only the empty gun bodies. He was quite taken with one of the guns and tried to carry it, but was stopped by Shunzi, who said, “If you carry a gun and run into border guards here, it won’t be easy to explain. If you don’t have a gun, and we get checked, I can help us get through.” This made Fatty lament how unfortunate it was.
After passing the flat slope where A Ning had stayed, we entered a valley where we saw the tracks of A Ning’s horse team leading deeper into the gorge.
We took a moment to regroup here. Shunzi then led us toward a different direction, toward the small sacred mountain pass. Soon, we stepped into a white world, surrounded by endless snow and the rare sight of bare rock and ice spires.
Changbai Mountain might be the only snow-capped mountain in the world that one can actually climb. Compared to the glaciers of Kunlun Mountains, the environment here is much better, without the massive ice caps with crevices, so we don’t have to worry about the ground suddenly giving way. However, the glaciers of Changbai Mountain are also typical ancient glaciers, with poor continuity, featuring glacial landforms, depressions, giant ice pits, and bottomless ice wells. Anyway, I never learned much about snow mountain topography, so I can’t explain it well, just that often we would walk and find ourselves at a dead end, facing sheer cliffs, needing to detour around or crawl past, which was quite perilous.
We walked in silence, and what looked like a few hours of straight-line distance took us nearly a whole day to reach. By the time we arrived at the valley beneath the small sacred snow mountain, it was already evening.
We set up camp in a snow cave on the snow slope about five or six hundred meters above the valley and had some hot food. The starry sky at high altitude was incredibly brilliant and clear. Chen Pi A Si used a compass, combined with his mental astronomical compass and the arrangement of the stars above, to roughly determine the route for the next day.
The journey has been tiring, and the horses are weary, but it’s still early. The fat man is pestering Shunzi, asking if there are any hot springs nearby. Shunzi is also thinking about the hot springs, but he says the altitude here is already too high, and he doesn’t come often, so finding a hot spring could be a bit difficult. If they feel bored, they could take a walk around and look for one, and they could also check out the ancient burial site of the ice-buried ancestors, which is a little over a kilometer away from where we are camping.
Those who dig for graves always have a special feeling towards the corpses. Since we have some free time, we all become curious when we hear about dead people. Chen Pi Ah Si is exhausted, and Huaheshang takes care of him, while the others follow Shunzi to the valley on the left side of the camp. After walking for less than half an hour, they arrive at a cliff, below which lies the ice valley, completely dark, with nothing visible.
Shunzi finds a good spot to stop and throws down a cold smoke flare. At the bottom of the ice valley, there are indeed many curled-up black shadows, densely packed. Some can clearly be seen to have human shapes, while others are just small black dots. Surrounding the ice valley, there are even some traces of rituals.
Shunzi says that in ancient times, villagers in the mountains practiced ice burial, and even during the early liberation period, there were still people buried in this ice cliff. So sometimes, elderly people come here to pay their respects. The glacier here thickens year by year, so the corpses at the very back, those tiny dots that are almost indistinguishable, likely have a history of over a thousand years, while those at the front are only a few decades old.
I roughly counted the black dots I could see and found thousands of them. Clearly, this frozen burial ground has accumulated countless dead over thousands of years. There should be similar ice valleys in the Little Sacred Mountain Valley, so this snow mountain is essentially a massive graveyard.
“Among these corpses, could there be any slaves from the Eastern Xia who built the Spirit Palace back then?” the fat man suddenly asked.
“Who knows?” Men Youping looked into the depths of the ice valley, the gradually dimming cold light, seemingly lost in thought.
The bodies buried in the ice cannot be excavated. We looked around and found it rather dull, so we went in search of hot springs. Fortunately, we found a small one. A few people washed their feet and faces in the hot spring, feeling all warm and cozy as they returned to the camp. When they shared the news, Huaheshang was envious.
Strangely, up on the snow mountain, once people warm up, they feel sleepy; even when they are freezing, they also get drowsy. For dinner, we had noodles, and after that, sleepiness hit us. The wind picked up outside, and we all crawled into our sleeping bags early to rest. Shunzi was on the first watch. Since there were many of us, we didn’t need to rotate through everyone in one day. Today, the ones on duty were Shunzi, Langfeng, and Panzi.
I was very tired and quickly fell asleep, thinking I would have a sweet dream. However, I didn’t sleep for an hour before Huaheshang, the fat man, Langfeng, and Panzi all started snoring simultaneously, rising and falling like a symphony. I woke up from a nightmare.
After that, I couldn’t fall asleep again. It was uncomfortable lying there, so I crawled out of the tent and said to Shunzi, “Let’s switch. I’ll take your shift, and you can go sleep for a while.”
Shunzi was smoking, staring blankly at the massive black mountain under the moonlight. When he heard I wanted to switch shifts, he shook his head and said it wasn’t necessary. “If I took your money, I wouldn’t be able to do this little thing, would I?”
Feel free to ask if you need any further assistance!
I thought to myself, “Whatever you say,” took out a cigarette, asked him for a light, and while adding some fuel to the stove, I started chatting with him.
Talking with the guide was quite enlightening; I shared a lot of information about ancient tombs, and he seemed very interested. He also told me many local customs and interesting stories about the mountains and forests, and I didn’t feel sleepy at all. The more we talked, the more energized we became.
Eventually, the conversation turned to this adventure. Shunzi told me he had been a border guard for seven years, though four of those were in the reserves. Before joining the military, he collected medicinal herbs, so he was quite familiar with the snowy mountains. His comrades called him “Alangcai,” which means “son of the snowy mountains.” So, we could definitely trust him to lead us; not many people could bring others into these mountains, and he was one of the few who could.
I had my doubts and thought to myself, “Then why did you faint before even entering the mountains? You must be boasting.” But seeing him so serious, I decided not to undermine him and just listened to what he had to say.
As we chatted more, the topics multiplied, and we felt the distance between us closing. At that moment, Shunzi suddenly asked me, “Boss Wu… actually, what are you all doing coming into the mountains? Can you tell me?”
I was taken aback and didn’t know how to respond, and the two of us fell silent again.
How should I explain our purpose? If I said we were here to find the Cloud-Top Heavenly Palace, would he believe it? Saying we were here to rob tombs wouldn’t work either, and claiming it was for tourism was clearly not the case. It was really hard to say. After thinking for a long time, I finally sighed and said, “Why do you care? I can’t tell you.”
Shunzi seemed to anticipate my response and smiled, “It’s okay, I was just asking casually.”
I felt uncomfortable inside because I didn’t want to lie to him, so I casually shifted the topic and asked him why he switched from collecting herbs to being a guide in the snowy mountains.
Collecting herbs in Changbai Mountain is quite profitable, much more comfortable than being a guide, which is a thankless job. The scarcity of snowy mountain guides is also due to this reason.
Shunzi glanced at me and suddenly said something that almost made me spit blood.
He said, “I’m not a professional guide. After retiring, I continued collecting herbs and rarely took people up the mountain. I wouldn’t go this deep; I usually turn back around the Girl’s Lake. This is my first time leading a team in here.”
I laughed and said, “Don’t joke around.”
“Really, Mr. Wu, I’m telling the truth. At this season, no professional guide would take you into the snowy mountains. If I didn’t bring you in, you would have to go in by yourselves.” He smiled at me, “It’s too dangerous. If it weren’t for the Bodhisattva’s blessing, we would have already died. The fact that we all made it here without a single person missing is already a miracle. But don’t worry, even though I’ve never brought anyone in before, I’ve walked through here many times and am very familiar with it. Nothing will go wrong.”
His expression was very serious, and it was clear he wasn’t joking. I cursed inwardly and wondered, “Then why would you bring us here if it’s so dangerous? Are you that desperate for money?”
Shunzi looked at me meaningfully and said, “Money is one factor, but there’s another reason… It’s because of my father. He… disappeared ten years ago. At that time, he also took a group of people into the snow-capped mountains, following a route very similar to the one you are about to take. But in the end, that entire group vanished in the mountains. I vaguely remember that the few tourists who were looking for him at that time looked a lot like you, and it was also winter, and they had to go up the mountain. So when I saw you, I suddenly felt that I had to follow you. First, I didn’t want you to end up like my father, dying in there. Second, I had a rather naive thought that maybe your purpose for entering the mountains was the same as that group from ten years ago, and perhaps I could find out what happened to my father. Of course, this is just my imagination.” He smiled self-deprecatingly, “My father might have simply encountered an avalanche and been buried somewhere in this snow-capped mountain.”
I realized, “So that’s why you asked us about our purpose for entering the mountains…?” Shunzi nodded shyly, “Sigh, you wouldn’t understand the feeling of knowing that your father is forever resting in this snow-capped mountain, yet being unable to see him.”
I didn’t expect Shunzi to have such delicate feelings inside him, and I couldn’t help but look at him in a new light. I had always thought he was just a slick-talking ordinary tour guide. However, the tourists who disappeared in the snow-capped mountains ten years ago looked very similar to us. Could they also have come to find Yunding Tiangong? A chill ran through my heart. But then I dismissed my thoughts. No, it was impossible. There were too many places in Changbai Mountain where a person could go missing; it couldn’t be such a coincidence. His father might have encountered some accident and perished in the mountains.
Seeing that I was silent, Shunzi thought he had perhaps gone too far with his previous question, and said to me, “Boss Wu, I see you’re different from the others, so I told you this. I hope you won’t share this with the others. I’m afraid they might have concerns.”
I thought to myself that I definitely wouldn’t tell anyone that this was his first time bringing people here. Not to mention what Chen Pi Ah Si might do to him, even Fatty might beat him up. So I nodded in agreement. At that moment, the second group’s Lang Feng walked out of the tent, yawning. He was surprised to see the two of us chatting. Shunzi tidied up his things, took a quick pee in the snow, and went to sleep. Lang Feng and I had nothing to say to each other, so we exchanged greetings and went back to sleep.
In the deafening sound of snoring, I was half-awake and half-dreaming, dreaming of Shunzi’s father from ten years ago, a bearded Shunzi leading a group of people up the mountain. Strangely, in the dream, I felt that I had seen those few people somewhere before. I tossed and turned, unable to sleep soundly.
The next day, before dawn, we began to follow the trend of the mountain range and continued to ascend.
Based on the issues raised by Shunzi yesterday, he should have known long ago that we are not ordinary mountain climbers. I realize our disguise wasn’t very convincing. At the very least, no ordinary tourist would be so crazily determined to rush along the path. But we can’t worry too much about that; after all, he has been a tour guide in Changbai Mountain and is accustomed to receiving various mysterious teams. Each year, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of poachers, Korean pilgrims, and illegal herbal gatherers here. Everyone has their secrets, so let him guess what we are up to.
The path above the mountainside was even more difficult to navigate, with many areas sloping steeply. Above us towered the towering snow-capped peaks, making avalanches a real danger, so we couldn’t speak loudly. The snow on the ground was incredibly thick, with layers accumulated over thousands of years; underneath, it was almost hollow. Sometimes, if someone fell in, they would sink into the snow up to their chest, and without help, they couldn’t get out. We had to carefully use our long ice picks to dig out foot holes, as if we were walking through a minefield.
The胖子 (Fatty) moved the fastest, which was related to his previous experience in snow expeditions. He led the way, and due to altitude sickness, our tongues began to feel numb. Apart from Chen Pi and Ah Si occasionally changing direction, the only sounds around us were heavy breathing; the entire world seemed so quiet that it felt devoid of life.
After traversing the snowy path on the mountainside, we entered a frozen zone flanked by gigantic snow slopes. This area is shaded from sunlight year-round, with the snow appearing like frozen soil. The slope became steeper as we ascended, with extremely low temperatures. Inside, we finally saw the location of the Dragon Head Treasure Cave that Chen Pi and Ah Si had determined. It was a steep cliff forming a nearly 60-degree angle with the mountain, covered in pristine white snow.
We continued to climb, one after another, trying to keep our bodies apart as we began to use ice picks and hammers to ascend that steep slope. This small sacred mountain is not among the sixteen peaks of Changbai, so we hadn’t paid much attention to it on our way here, but it is not an unnamed peak either. This peak stands in opposition to the larger Sheng Peak across from it, forming a valley in between, standing before the Three Saints Snow Mountain like two guarding sentinels. This landscape is referred to as “Heavenly Soldiers Guarding the Immortal Gate.”
From a geomantic perspective, the two mountains at the Immortal Gate are like tigers and dragons, swallowing the energy of the world. If it weren’t for its location on the border between China and Korea, which has historically been fraught with conflict, this would undoubtedly be a gathering place for royal tombs. As we walked along the way, even someone of my level could see the unique formations of the mountains here, with a strong presence of dragon energy, which gave us even more confidence in our hypothesis about the existence of tombs on the mountain.
Climbing steep slopes is different from walking; it consumes much more energy. After a while, Chen Pi and Ah Si reached his physical limit and could no longer climb. Lang Feng had no choice but to carry the old man on his back, which slowed us down even more.
After about three hours of trekking, we finally reached the snowy slope. At this point, I had completely lost my senses and was relying entirely on reflexes to follow Fatty.
Fatty was the first to reach the top. Even with his good stamina, he had also reached his limit. After stepping onto the snow, he seemed a bit disoriented and pretended to stomp down hard to make a footprint. He spread his arms and said to us, “For me personally, this is just a small step, but for a tomb raider, it’s a damn leap forward.” Then he collapsed into the snow, motionless.
I was almost exhausted, my legs began to weaken involuntarily, and I started to slide down. Panzi tried to pull me up, but after a few attempts, I couldn’t muster any strength, and he himself fell to the ground. I struck the snow with my ice pick, using all my might, which finally helped me stabilize myself. The others also fell to the ground, gasping for breath and looking around.
The snow slope was an enormous area, with no clear boundaries visible to the left and right. Without Chen Pi Ah Si guiding us, you wouldn’t feel anything particularly special. The snow on top was very smooth, with only a few patches of black bare rock jutting out. At that moment, the Three Saints Snow Mountain was on our left side, much closer than it had been the day before. The summit of the holy mountain was covered in pristine white snow, the entire massive mountain body stood tall like a beast, with its white peak and black rocks making it appear steeper than the surrounding peaks. Due to the setting sun, a strange light blue mist enveloped the entire mountain, giving it an ethereal quality; the scenery was truly breathtaking.
Ye Cheng gasped for breath and exclaimed, “It’s so beautiful! No wonder they say the immortal realm of Penglai can’t compare to a glance at Changbai. After climbing for so long, it’s worth it.”
The few of us were rough men, but we were all enchanted by the beauty of the sunset around us, especially on this snow-capped mountain, where the feeling of standing beneath the heavens was even more awe-inspiring.
Just as I was about to take out my camera to capture the scenery here, suddenly, the fat guy tapped me and pointed in his direction.
Following where he pointed, I saw that the mute traveler had knelt down, bowing respectfully towards the distant Three Saints Snow Mountain. On his previously expressionless face, a faint, sorrowful expression emerged.
