adminI leaned in for a closer look, and my eyes couldn’t look away. I grabbed his ear and pulled him closer to examine it carefully. Upon closer inspection, I couldn’t help but gasp. The earring was square-shaped, only the size of a pinky nail. Others might think it was cheap merchandise from a roadside stall, but I noticed that it was actually a hexagonal bell.
In terms of shape and color, aside from being a bit smaller, it resembled the ones I had seen in the corpse cave and the underwater tomb. However, the patterns on it seemed slightly different.
I immediately sobered up quite a bit and asked him, “Where did you get this thing?”
He grimaced from my grip on his ear and shouted angrily, “You— you— you son of a bitch, you know I hate it when people pull my ear! If you do it again, I swear I’ll get mad!”
Seeing that I had indeed used a bit too much strength, I quickly let go of his ear. He rubbed his reddened ear and grinned, “Damn, you really went for it! You don’t have to be so rough just because you found something good. Ouch, my ear!”
I was no longer in the mood to argue with him and asked, “Quick, tell me, what’s the deal with this thing? Where did you get it?”
He chuckled smugly and said, “You’ve never seen one before, have you? You’ll be so jealous when I tell you! I found this at that sacrificial pit; it came off a zongzi. What do you think? Look at it, it’s a fine piece of dark green bronze, much better than the cheap stuff you sell.”
I was getting more confused by the minute. “What zongzi? Didn’t you say you only dug up some pots and pans? How did a zongzi come into the picture?”
Old Yang, thinking I was jealous, became even more pleased with himself and said, “That zongzi was wrapped up like a cocoon with vine rope. I dug it up from another spot in the pit. It must have belonged to someone of high status. This thing was worn on the zongzi’s ear, and I thought it looked good, so I took it. Why are you so nervous? Does this thing have a history? Is it valuable?”
My mind was a jumble, and various thoughts rushed in, making me frown. What exactly was that place? Did this bell appearing here have anything to do with the stone pit he mentioned and the experiences I had gone through before?
At this moment, Old Yang noticed something was off and asked curiously, “What’s wrong? Your face is all twisted. You don’t have to act like that just because I found something good. If you really like it, I can give it to you.”
I said, “No, to be honest, this earring isn’t an ordinary item. Although I don’t know its origin, I have seen something similar elsewhere. Here’s what happened—”
I quickly recounted the events in the Lu Wang Palace and the underwater tomb, emphasizing the bell’s significance. I could see his face changing colors, alternating between pale and green, with a look of bewilderment.
After a while, he finally sighed, “My goodness, I thought my three years in prison would be something I could brag about for a lifetime, but compared to what you’ve done, it’s nothing. What you did would get you shot if you were caught!”
I saw his expression was filled with envy, and he said, “What’s there to compare? If I had known that going into the tombs was like this, I wouldn’t have gone to those places even if you killed me.” Pointing at his ear, he added, “But your bell is strange; this kind of bell is unusually tight. As soon as it makes a sound, it can enchant people’s hearts. How come you wear it in your ear and it doesn’t affect you at all?”
“It’s not as evil as you say; let me take it off for you to have a look!” Saying this, he took off the earring.
I held the earring up to the light and sniffed it, and I understood what was going on—it was filled with rosin, so it couldn’t ring. I turned it over and examined it closely, and the more I looked, the more it resembled the one I saw in the ancient tomb.
Old Yang saw me examining it repeatedly and thought I liked it, so he put the earring back on and said, “If you really like it, there are plenty more in that place, all untouched virgin treasures. I’ve marked the location; we can go take a look again. Who knows, there might be other treasures.” He glanced around and lowered his voice, speaking mysteriously, “To be honest, my situation isn’t great right now. I’m planning to go for another job in a few days.”
I thought he was joking and replied, “Forget it, I don’t want to accompany you to prison. You’d better not entertain such thoughts. These days, it’s better to live a stable life!”
Old Yang leaned closer to me, speaking earnestly and softly, “That’s not how it works. Think about it; you have your family supporting you, you can do whatever you want. I’ve wasted three years and have nothing to show for it. I can’t just sit around doing nothing!”
Seeing his serious expression, I realized he wasn’t joking and scolded him, “Are you dreaming? Damn it, three years wasted in prison, and let me tell you, if you commit another crime after getting out, it’s a second offense, and the penalties are harsher. If you’re not careful, you might even get executed.”
“If I’m really that unlucky, there’s nothing I can do about it,” Old Yang replied. “I have no choice; I thought of taking this step only when I was in a desperate situation. I’ve already planned it out; I’ll stay in Hangzhou for a while, then I need to go to the Qinling Mountains. I have to get back at least a hundred thousand. The reason I came to find you this time is mainly for this; I hope you can go with me and give me some pointers when it’s time to sell.”
Seeing his worried expression, I retorted, “What do you mean you have no choice? You just need money—how much do you need? Just say the amount, brother here can lend it to you, and I’ll give you a 5% discount on the interest based on the fixed rate of the Bank of China.”
Old Yang pushed me away and scoffed, “Come on, I know how much you have. You can scrape together ten or eight thousand, but can you come up with more? Seriously, what are you pretending for?”
I scolded him, “You look down on ten or eight thousand? What do you want to do? Are you after a celebrity? You’re just full of yourself; you just got out and are already thinking about spending lavishly. Please, act a little more mature.”
Old Yang didn’t like what I said, cursed, and waved his hand, saying, “What I want to do has nothing to do with you. If you don’t have money, just admit it; don’t lecture me. Forget it; we’re brothers reuniting, whether you help or not doesn’t matter. Let’s not talk about this depressing stuff.” Saying that, he poured me some wine.
I could see he looked down on me, and with the alcohol getting to my head, I got furious: “I say, Lao Yang, don’t underestimate me. I’ve got some spare cash these years. Just tell me honestly, how much do you need? I can get it for you right away!”
He glanced at me, the alcohol affecting him too, and became serious. He stood up and waved four fingers in front of me, saying, “This amount, if you have it, I’ll let you work for me.”
“Four hundred thousand?” I asked. It wasn’t too much; nowadays, four hundred thousand isn’t considered a huge sum. “No problem, I can get it right away; I have it at home!”
Unexpectedly, he shook his head. “Add another zero!”
“Four million?” I gaped, feeling a chill run through me. “My goodness, I really admire you. What the hell do you want so much money for?”
Lao Yang sighed and said, “Don’t ask so many questions. In short, I need this much money. Just tell me if you can raise it.”
Four million isn’t a small amount. Although it’s true that at auctions, even a broken piece of porcelain can fetch tens of millions, that’s mostly speculation, and the overall market has its limits. The items dug out from the ground are just the first step in the cultural relics trade, and the profits aren’t high. If I could get a hundred thousand, I’d be lucky. Four million? I truly can’t manage that.
Seeing my expression soften, Lao Yang realized I was intimidated. He filled my glass and said, “I knew you couldn’t come up with it, right? If it were just four hundred thousand, would I need to come find you?”
I replied, “Let’s not jump to conclusions. I’ll help you see if I can borrow it. There are quite a few who got rich quickly in this line of work; maybe I can raise it. But you have to tell me what you need so much money for.”
Lao Yang turned his head to the side, clicked his tongue, and said, “Raise money? Who do you think I can ask? I know all your friends, and who has that much money? Besides, I can’t tell you what this is about. Anyway, if I have this four million, it can solve a life-and-death problem for me.”
I thought about it and realized he was right. Many of my friends were introduced to me by Lao Yang, and there weren’t many who could lend me money. Asking my old man for it would be a disaster; that miser might just kill me. This was indeed a tough situation.
Lao Yang patted me on the back and said in a very affected tone, “Old Wu, let’s not talk about borrowing money. Let’s discuss other methods. The best way is for you to work hard once and accompany me to check things out. After all, it’s not your first time. Don’t be awkward about it; it’s not a big deal. To put it simply, this isn’t about digging for relics. We’ll go to that burial pit, and you can help me pick out what’s valuable and what’s not. This is called ‘picking up treasures,’ and it’s not illegal. Just think of it as a trip. The scenery there is beautiful, and the girls in the mountains are stunning. You’re still single, right? Go take a look; you might even end up marrying a girl from the Dai ethnic group.”
I wasn’t in the mood to listen to his nonsense and shook my head. “It’s easy for you to say. Is there anything worth four million in that broken place of yours? If you want to get that much in one go, you’d have to find something from the Han Dynasty. Those tombs have long been excavated; you’d definitely be wasting your time.”
Lao Yang patiently said, “Oh, do you think I’m foolish? I can think of this! Let me tell you, I’m not going back this time just for that sacrificial pit. When I went there with my cousin last time, he told me that there must be a large royal tomb near the sacrificial pit. This time, I’m targeting that. You know about feng shui, so go take a look. I believe we can definitely find it!”
I didn’t want to engage with him. “Find someone else; I really don’t want to go to an ancient tomb.”
Lao Yang nudged me. “Lao Wu, you’re not being a good brother. Think about how great this is! First, you can help me, and second, you still need to investigate your third uncle’s case. My situation is related to your third uncle. Even if it’s not for me, why not go take a look for yourself?”
When he mentioned the earrings, I felt uncomfortable again. He was right; the matter with my third uncle was shrouded in mystery, and the clues were pitifully scarce. Moreover, this type of bell had appeared in both the corpse cave at Guazi Temple and underwater tombs, which was significant. If I missed this opportunity, it would likely be even more difficult to investigate further.
However, thinking back on my previous experiences, my legs began to feel weak, and I was still haunted by those memories. Coupled with the hardships of mountain climbing, I really didn’t want to try again.
After hesitating for a few minutes, I realized that even if I didn’t go, with my personality, my future days wouldn’t be easy either. It was rare for Lao Yang to come to me like this, and if I kept refusing, it would be hard to meet in the future. It would be better to agree to go, assess the situation, and if it really didn’t work out, I could back out at the last minute.
People like us, who have a fate intertwined with Tai Chi, possess a strong curiosity about the unknown. Giving myself a way out, I instantly felt more settled.
With that thought in mind, I made up my mind and said to Lao Yang, “Alright, since you’ve put it this way, I’ll accompany you. But you have to give me those earrings first. I want to see what dynasty they’re from and whether they’re valuable. If they’re not valuable, it means that place isn’t worth going to, and you’ll have to come up with another plan.”
Lao Yang was overjoyed to hear that I would help him, eagerly nodding his head. “Sure, whatever you say goes. I can give them to you!”
I added, “But let me make this clear upfront: once we go down there, you have to listen to me for everything. Even if you need to fart, let me know first, understood?”
This guy had already tuned everything out, his mind flying off to the Qinling Mountains. While pouring me more wine, he flattered me, “Of course! As long as we can dig up four million, you’re my reborn parents. Don’t talk about not farting; if you ask me to eat a fart, I’ll do it without a problem!”
Fueled by the alcohol, we finalized the plan. After chatting for a while about women and other random topics, we drank until midnight, eventually lying under the table.
In the following month, we both had things to deal with. The items we bought in Shandong last time were buried there, and we needed to buy new equipment. Based on my experiences from the past two times, I wrote a note for him to get everything sorted out.
Later, I managed to get some military medicine through connections. When I went to Shandong, the weight of the water bottle was really too heavy, consuming a lot of unnecessary energy. There are many mountain streams in the Qinling Mountains, so it’s not necessary to carry too much water, but it’s essential to prepare some medicine for treating diarrhea. Our city-dwelling stomachs definitely can’t adapt to the natural stream water in the mountains.
After giving my advice, I flew to Jinan first, went to Yingxiong Mountain to find Old Hai, and showed him the fish eye stone that Fatty had.
Old Hai looked at it and was so delighted that he couldn’t close his mouth, laughing, “My dear sir, I’m in the antique business; you should take this to a jewelry store and have them appraise it.”
I replied, “This fish eye stone is also an antique; it must be at least four or five hundred years old.”
He chuckled, “I know that whatever you bring out is definitely good stuff. If this bead were set in a hairpin or a hat, it would be a treasure. But just like this, it’s so bare; how can I work with it? If you say it’s an antique, people might not believe it. How about this: I’ll go get you a jade hairpin, and we can set this bead in it to see if we can sell it? I’ll give you a deposit first, and you leave the item with me; knowledgeable people will naturally offer a good price.”
His sincerity was evident, and I didn’t have time to haggle over this matter, so I had no choice but to agree. I took a deposit of 250,000 yuan from him and returned to Hangzhou in a dejected manner. Next, I took the earrings that Old Yang had given me and went to consult a friend of my grandfather’s to find out the origin of the bell earrings and whether they were worth my long trip to Shaanxi.
The old gentleman, surnamed Qi, was one of the first antique dealers in Hangzhou and is now considered a master of traditional Chinese studies, holding guest titles at several universities. He has considerable research on ethnic minorities. When I presented the bell to him, I could clearly see his eyes widen, and his hands trembled as he took the bell.
Old Qi examined the bell for a full three hours, flipping through six or seven hefty books, before finally looking up. I was almost falling asleep waiting beside him. He glanced at me and sighed, “I’m ashamed to say that after so many years studying ethnic minorities, I’ve never seen something like this. Xiao Xie, tell your grandfather where you got this.”
In front of an elder, I didn’t dare to be perfunctory, so I adjusted the focus and made up a story. Seeing his eyes light up, I felt that this matter might not be simple, and I asked him, “Grandfather, is there a problem with this item?”
The old gentleman sighed again and said that according to his analysis, the craftsmanship of this bell could be traced back to the period between the Xia and Western Zhou dynasties. The pattern on it is called the “double-bodied human face pattern snake,” and it is highly likely to originate from an ancient country called “Sheguo” that lived between Shaanxi and Hubei in ancient times. This country suddenly disappeared about two thousand years ago.
The history of this country is sporadic, appearing intermittently in several ancient texts. It seems that there was a period of sudden prosperity in the early Western Zhou, but by the mid-Western Zhou, it suddenly vanished, disappearing rapidly into the primitive jungle within a span of ten to twenty years.
In many myths and legends, there are references to their existence, and the “Shan Hai Jing” (Classic of Mountains and Seas) contains extensive accounts of them. The “Snake Kingdom” mentioned beyond the rivers is likely this nation. The term “厍” (Shè) is a homophone for “snake.” This ethnic group regards a type of two-bodied, human-faced snake as a deity, which is why many of their decorations feature the pattern of a double-bodied snake.
Most researchers studying the history of this nation believe that this “厍国” (Shèguó) is a descendant of the mysterious “Huaxu Ancient Kingdom,” which can be traced back to a matriarchal society. This nation adopted the double-bodied, human-faced snake as its totem, primarily due to the legend of “Fuxi, the human-faced snake-bodied” associated with the “Huaxu Ancient Kingdom.”
Since this information comes from ancient texts and excavated documents, there has always been controversy in academia regarding the actual existence of this nation. This is a bell; it may not be recognized in the antique market, but for those who specialize in this field, it is an invaluable treasure.
Upon hearing that this item was so obscure, I felt a pang of concern. If that’s the case, even if we find an ancient tomb and bring something out, the price might not be high, and this trip could end up being in vain.
Seeing my expression, Old Master Qi asked if I had any questions. Knowing he was an old merchant, I explained my situation to him. The old man thought for a moment, first scolding me, then patting my shoulder, indicating that if I wanted to sell this item, he could help me find a good buyer—four million would definitely not be a problem. However, this matter absolutely must not be disclosed.
After hearing Old Master Qi’s words, I understood the general idea. Damn, this old guy seems to be involved in some undercurrents, likely still engaging in pre-liberation dealings behind the scenes. However, with him as a bridge, I felt very reassured and quickly nodded in thanks.
When I left Old Master Qi, I took a lot of资料 (materials) about the Snake Kingdom. I flipped through them in the taxi and saw many photos of murals. Some of the paintings were quite strange, depicting large numbers of people kneeling in prayer before a tree, with annotations suggesting that the most important sacrificial activity of the Snake Kingdom was to worship a “Snake God Tree.” Legend has it that as long as blood is offered, any wish can be fulfilled by this tree, which is a wish tree.
The shape of this tree resembled the one Old Yang had drawn for me. Could it be that the bronze tree he excavated is the totem of this Snake God Tree?
Many murals featured human-faced snake patterns, which were clearly the main characteristic of the Snake Kingdom. I couldn’t remember whether the bells found in the Guazi Temple’s corpse cave and the underwater tomb had double-bodied, human-faced snake patterns on them, but judging by their appearance, the bells from these three places must have originated from the same source. Thus, this mysterious Snake Kingdom might be the key.
Two days later, on a long-distance sleeper bus heading to Xi’an, Old Yang and I were in adjacent beds, munching on sunflower seeds and chatting.
I had originally planned to fly directly to Xi’an, but I didn’t have the same clout as my third uncle. A large bag of contraband got stuck at the security checkpoint, so I had to switch to a bus, and it had to be a privately contracted one.
To save on transit fees, the bus kept going on and off the highway, winding through mountain valleys, which was incredibly boring. I chatted with Old Yang about how there might be a Han tomb in one place and a Tang mausoleum in another, to the point where Old Yang nearly wanted to get off midway to dig.
While chatting, Lao Yang asked me if, besides checking out the pit he had visited three years ago, we should go to other places. It’s not easy to enter the mountains, so if we can bring back more, we shouldn’t waste the opportunity. If we could find other nearby tombs that might exist, that would be even better.
I actually had this plan for a long time. The area nearby could possibly be within the territory of the ancient Snake Kingdom. Besides that sacrificial pit and the nearby ancient tombs, there should be other relics. If we could find one or two and bring something back, it would be very helpful for the things I wanted to investigate. I was thinking this in my heart, but I didn’t say it out loud. Instead, I joked with him, “Don’t be greedy. You don’t even remember the way back; what will you do if we can’t find that sacrificial pit?”
Lao Yang grinned at me and said he had already left a mark. I laughed heartily, “Three years have passed, in such deep mountains, what mark could possibly last that long?”
He laughed loudly and said, “Just wait and see. My mark will last not just three years, but even thirty years will work.”
I didn’t know what tricks he was up to and was too lazy to bother with him. After chatting for a while, I felt drowsy and fell asleep.
After arriving in Xi’an, we found a small guesthouse to spend the night. We had the local sauerkraut fried rice and hibiscus soup, and casually strolled through the night market until after midnight. Lao Yang was still thinking about the taste of the fried rice and insisted on going to eat at a night stall. We randomly found a roadside stall to sit down, ordered two bottles of beer, and started eating and drinking. At that moment, we didn’t hold back, thinking that the locals wouldn’t understand our Southern dialect, so we began discussing the plans for the treasure hunting the next day. While chatting, we heard an old man nearby say, “You two, are you interested in doing some local trade?”
