After two days of traveling, we finally arrived at the glacier valley of the Little Sacred Snow Mountain. Everyone was covered in snow and utterly exhausted. However, as the sun was setting, we climbed up to take a look, and the scenery around us completely captivated us.

At that moment, the actions of the Silent Oil Bottle surprised us all. For some reason, he knelt down before the snow mountain and performed a very respectful bow, as if he had some special feelings for this mountain. After his bow, he returned to his usual indifferent demeanor, climbing up onto a nearby bare rock to rest with his eyes closed. I couldn’t help but feel curious again; what could possibly be hidden in those dark, low-set eyes of his?

Throughout the journey, everyone had come to understand his character, especially a few of us, so no one dared to ask him what was going on, knowing he probably wouldn’t answer. However, from the expressions of Chen Pi, A Si, and a few others, it was clear they were also quite puzzled. Only Shunzi seemed unfazed, probably thinking that Silent Oil Bottle was also a Korean.

Everyone had their own thoughts as they rested and enjoyed the scenery. After a moment, we regained some strength. The Fatty lit a smokeless stove, and we gathered around to brew tea and warm ourselves. Meanwhile, Shunzi began to do his job as a guide. After sipping a few mouthfuls of hot liquor to regain his energy, he pointed to several surrounding snow mountains and explained their origins to us.

This was part of his duty as a tour guide, and the kid was quite dedicated. He said that in the legends of Changbai Mountain, the Little Sacred Snow Peak, the Great Sacred Snow Peak, and the mysterious Three Sacred Mountain were originally one snow mountain in the primordial era. During the time of Dayu’s flood control, he passed through here and split the mountain with a divine blade, which turned one mountain into three.

Before the liberation, this area wasn’t open to the public. He had heard from his grandfather that after climbing these three snow mountains, the scenery around would be completely different. For example, from the top of the Little Sacred Snow Peak, one could see both the Three Sacred and Great Sacred Peaks, but from the Great Sacred Peak, one could only see the Three Sacred Peak and not the Little Sacred Peak, which was quite strange. The most peculiar sight was from the Three Sacred Mountain. Besides being able to see the two Sacred Peaks on either side, one could also see, far behind the Three Sacred Mountain, a snow mountain even more majestic than the Three Sacred Mountain, called the Heavenly Ladder Peak. That mountain was shrouded in clouds and mist all year round, obscuring its true appearance. According to legend, there was a heavenly ladder on that mountain leading straight to the heavenly palace, serving as a passage between the human world and the realm of immortals. On clear days, one could see a rainbow-like glow appearing between the Heavenly Ladder Peak and the Sacred Mountains, as if painted by an immortal’s brush, breathtakingly beautiful and extraordinarily mysterious.

After hearing this, Fatty said to us, “This legend must be wrong. The heavenly palace is clearly on the Three Sacred Mountain; how could it be at Heavenly Ladder Peak? The person who passed down this legend must have had vision problems.”

Monk Hua thought for a moment, shook his head, and explained, “No, I studied this legend before I came here. I guess this might be an optical illusion created by the reflection of the white snow of Heavenly Ladder Peak and the surrounding snow mountains when the heavenly palace was built. Because Heavenly Ladder Peak is shrouded in mist all year round, the fog serves as a reflective curtain, projecting an image of the heavenly palace hidden in the mist, as if the heavenly palace truly exists in the sky.”

The phenomenon of mirages mostly occurs in desert lakes and is very rare in snowy mountains. It may not be a coincidence, as this place is likely related to the source of the dragon vein. In feng shui, this phenomenon is referred to as “shadow palace.” I have only seen it mentioned once in an ancient book and am not sure of its specific significance. In this treasure site, the unusual growth is abundant, so anything happening here wouldn’t be surprising.

We communicated in our dialects: I used Hangzhou dialect, while Master Hua and the others spoke in Changsha dialect. Shunzi couldn’t understand and didn’t pay attention. After discussing the scenery, he stood up and said to us, “Gentlemen, you should take a break, eat something, and then do whatever you want. But you need to hurry; it’s almost dark, and we can’t set up tents here. Once it gets dark, the road will be difficult to navigate. We still need to find a relatively flat place to camp for the night, and it might get windy later.” Saying this, he poured tea for us and stepped aside to rest at a distance.

I glanced at my watch; there was still more than an hour until sunset. Time is neither long nor short, and we had rested enough. It seemed it was time to get down to business.

However, the area was covered in a blanket of white snow, with no discernible marks. If there were burial mounds here, they must be buried beneath the snow, and the entrance should be hidden in the snow layer beneath our feet. The environment of the snowy mountains was vastly different from the ground, and none of us had experience in this, so we didn’t know how to proceed.

We all stood up and gathered around Chen Pi A Si, wanting to discuss our next steps. After such an intense trek, Chen Pi A Si still hadn’t recovered. Lang Feng handed him a wine gourd, and he took a couple of swigs. Master Hua rubbed his back to promote blood circulation, and his complexion gradually improved, but he still looked quite listless. When we asked him, he merely glanced at the surrounding mountains and said, “The treasure site is right beneath our feet. I don’t have a good plan either; let’s dig a few shovels and see what’s under the snow before we decide what to do.”

Everyone nodded. I knew there wasn’t a better plan. Digging for treasures is fundamentally the same; after finding the dragon vein, the next step is to locate the burial site. The tools used have varied over the ages, but the process is nearly identical. So, if there isn’t excitement at the moment of opening the coffin, tomb raiding can actually be a tedious job.

The snow was much softer than mud, and the probe shovels went in smoothly. Master Hua and the others were very quick, and soon there were more than a dozen probe holes in the snow. However, almost all the shovels only penetrated the snow slope about five or six meters before getting stuck. The fat guy thought he was as weak as a thin monkey, so he rushed to help with brute force, but even then, he could only dig in a little. Each time he pulled the shovel out, it was empty.

Master Hua looked at the shovel head and noticed a bit of ice crystal stuck to the tip, which made him realize what was happening. Below was frozen soil and glacial ice, as hard as concrete, and the shovel couldn’t penetrate it, nor could they bring anything up.

“It’s been snowing here for thousands of years. When the snow accumulates too much, it turns to ice. Do you think the burial mound could be frozen beneath the ice?” the fat guy asked.

We all nodded; it was very possible. However, the Luoyang shovel couldn’t penetrate the ice, and even if we knew something was below, we wouldn’t be able to find it.

Panzi said to us, “The main issue is that the snow is too much of a hindrance. Do we have any explosives? When I was in the army, I heard some brothers say that when they were in the Greater Khingan Range, the production teams there regularly cleared the snow from the mountains and slopes. With just one blast hole, they could blow all the snow down, which is much easier. Once the snow is cleared, the situation underneath becomes clear at a glance, making it much more convenient for us to search, and we can avoid digging tunnels.”

I understood what he meant about the layers of snow formed with each snowfall. There are gaps in between, and with a small explosion, the entire mountain would shake, causing the whole layer of snow to slide down in a chain reaction, with each layer bringing the one above it down.

There are several small snow-capped mountains in the Greater Khingan Range. To prevent the snow from accumulating too thickly and causing avalanches that could harm the forest area, the local engineering teams often had to clear the snow manually after heavy snowfall. At that time, conditions were rudimentary, and the personnel had to go up and place the blast holes themselves, which was quite dangerous. Now, they just use mortars to bombard the snow directly.

Huaheshang pinched some snow and said, “I do have explosives, but look above us. Wouldn’t it be suicide to set off a blast here?”

We looked up, and above us was a towering snow cliff. It extended endlessly, connecting the entire snow dragon-like mountain range. Down here, we felt like a few ants, incredibly small. If just a little bit of snow fell from above, we would be buried here forever.

Panzi also looked a bit dizzy but insisted, “Changbai Mountain is a tourist spot, and they regularly clear the snow here. I don’t think it’s a big problem. If we don’t clear this snow, we might as well go back early. Trying to dig for something buried in the snow on a snow mountain is like looking for a needle in a haystack. I’m telling you, that’s how the mountain teams find lost climbing parties; there’s no other good way. Once the old man wakes up, even if we’ve pinpointed the spot, we still need explosives; otherwise, we absolutely won’t be able to break through. With this one blast, you can be sure of it.”

I thought this was not a good idea and disagreed, saying, “The risk is too great; I’d rather spend some time shoveling.”

Panzi replied, “Xiao San Ye, we’re using explosives because we don’t have the time. If we had time, we’d wait until summer to come back. We have to give it a try, San Ye is still waiting for us.”

Huaheshang waved his hand for us to stop and pointed at Lang Feng, saying, “You don’t need to argue; what we say doesn’t count. Let’s hear what the expert has to say.”

I was taken aback. I didn’t know what role Lang Feng played among them. Hearing Huaheshang say this made me a bit curious; could he be an expert in this area? Everyone looked at Lang Feng to see how he would respond.

Lang Feng noticed us looking at him and felt a bit uncomfortable. He said to us, “I think Lao Pan’s suggestion should be feasible. Actually, I anticipated such a situation before coming, and I have made some preparations. This is my area of expertise; I can control the power of the explosives, and the noise won’t be too loud. As long as there’s a small vibration under the snow, we can achieve our goal. Sometimes, even a firecracker is enough.”

“Are you sure?” the胖子 asked. “This isn’t about blowing up a tomb; we’re essentially setting off firecrackers in tofu, trying to make a hole in the tofu without it showing on the surface. This is a delicate task.”

Lang Feng nodded, “When I was a miner, I set off no less than ten thousand blasting holes; this isn’t really that difficult.” The monk Hua looked at us and pointed at Lang Feng, “Don’t be fooled by his quiet demeanor. This guy has been a miner for twenty years, starting to set blasting holes at the age of fourteen. He has flattened no less than twenty mountain tops. It’s only been a year since he entered the industry after being recognized by the old man, and he’s already been called the ‘God of Explosives.’ When it comes to explosives, no one knows more than him.”

“You are the God of Explosives?” Panzi, who was beside us, widened his eyes, clearly having heard of this title before. Lang Feng scratched his head a bit awkwardly, his previous cold demeanor softening: “It’s just a nickname given by my colleagues, nothing more.”

The monk Hua said to him, “You don’t need to be modest; in this situation, you should showcase your expertise.” Then he turned to us and said, “Lang Feng has never made a mistake. When he says something will explode into pieces, it will definitely do so. I absolutely trust him. Since he says so, I think we should give it a try. Do you have any objections?”

The fat guy glanced at me. He had experience with snow expeditions and had heard a lot about avalanches, so he seemed a bit skeptical, but since he was on my side, he looked to me for a response.

After thinking for a moment, I realized that Chen Pi, A Si, and the others were true professional tomb robbers, unlike Uncle San, who preferred traditional methods to enter ancient tombs. These people relied on explosives to a degree we couldn’t even imagine. Moreover, since Monk Hua said so, Lang Feng must have considerable skills.

So, I made up my mind and nodded at the fat guy. Let’s do it; at this point, there was really no turning back. Who knows if they’d actually listen to me after we blew something up?

After we agreed, Lang Feng and Ye Cheng took out a special Luoyang shovel and began to attach a unique shovel head, digging a few exploratory holes in the snow. Then, Lang Feng mixed a few powders to create a type of explosive, burying several low-power detonators deep inside. I knew this explosive was specially formulated, with a power equivalent to about ten firecrackers, meant for drilling holes to break the sealing stones of ancient tombs. After Lang Feng adjusted the formula, its power would definitely be even smaller.

Modern tomb robbers generally possess considerable engineering knowledge; with just a few low-power detonators, they can create a hole large enough for a person to pass through anywhere. I had known this for a long time, but seeing it with my own eyes was still a first.

Shunzi was drinking tea on the side, and when he saw this scene, he went crazy. He had seen pilgrims plant national flags, poachers sneaking out at night, and people smuggling across borders, but this was definitely the first time he had seen someone climb up here with great difficulty just to blow up a mountain. He rushed over to block Monk Hua, shouting, “What are you doing? Boss, are you all crazy—!”

Before he could finish, Lang Feng struck him from behind, knocking him unconscious. Shunzi fell into the snow and was dragged aside.

I watched this, feeling a headache coming on, thinking that being our guide was tough enough; not only did he have to navigate the treacherous paths, but he also had to endure this. But considering the situation, there was really no other way. Shunzi could tolerate everything, but he would absolutely not tolerate us blowing up the mountain; after all, he needed to stick around here. We couldn’t continue our work without knocking him out.

The fat guy asked Monk Hua, “What are we going to do with this kid later?”

The monk Hua said, “Let’s not worry about him for now. We still need him to get back, so we’ll take him to the underground palace and just leave him there. When the time comes, we’ll slip him some money—what can he do about it?”

Lang Feng’s performance was extremely professional; he hardly let us intervene, doing everything himself. The detonators were arranged according to a force structure model. He waved for everyone to climb onto the bare rock to prevent any chain reaction from pulling us down with it.

I initially thought the sound of the detonators exploding would be very loud, at least enough to kick up a wave of snow, but to my surprise, when Lang Feng pressed the detonator, I didn’t hear any sound at all. Instead, I saw the smooth snow surface suddenly crack open, and then large chunks of snow began to cascade down the slope like a waterfall. The slope instantly became steeper, and we found ourselves standing on nothing.

However, this avalanche did not last long; the sliding snow soon stopped, revealing a large expanse of murky, uneven layers of icy snow below. This was what the textbook described as the surface of a four-century-old glacier.

The fat guy was standing nearby with his eyes closed, still thinking there had been no explosion. I shook him, and when he opened his eyes and saw what happened, he exclaimed, “Wow, there really wasn’t any sound. Incredible!” Then he immediately looked nervously at the overhead.

I wasn’t sure if it was luck or Lang Feng’s excellent skills, but aside from a small amount of snow sliding down from above due to the loss of support, it seemed like there were no problems. After a while, when there were no significant movements, we gradually relaxed.

I gave Lang Feng a thumbs up, and Panzi patted him on the back, making a gesture to indicate he was impressive.

Lang Feng smiled shyly, but before his smile could grow wide enough, suddenly a chunk of snow fell and hit him on the head.

Several faces changed color, and the fat guy quickly waved his hand at us, whispering, “Shh!”

We instinctively fell silent, and a few of us looked up again. Above us, about a hundred meters high on the snow slope, a subtle but chilling black crack was gradually appearing, slowly fracturing, with countless tiny cracks spreading across the snow layer. As the cracks spread, small chunks of snow began to tumble down, hitting the ground around us.

I suddenly felt a chill run through me, realizing something was wrong.

It seemed that Lang Feng’s title of “God of Explosives” was about to come to an end today.