adminThe spectacle before us was so magnificent that words could hardly express it. We were all left in awe. Although Wenjin had mentioned such an oasis in her notes, my impression was that it shouldn’t look like this.
The basin was vast and appeared very orderly. The fat man remarked that it resembled a meteorite crater. Looking down from the cliff, all we could see was a swirling mist below, almost entirely filled with dense tree canopies, obscuring any specific details.
This must be Tamutu. I never expected we would discover it in such a straightforward manner; it seemed almost too simple.
Panzi reversed the vehicle, and while we observed the basin through binoculars, we pondered the situation. Panzi said, “It seems that the rock mountain where Dingzhu Zhuoma and Wenjin separated has indeed disappeared. This is a salt-covered area, and that might have been a rock mountain. After decades and several rains, it has turned into just a mound of earth. However, following the direction of the river, we can still find our way here.”
This was not documented in Wenjin’s notes, so I couldn’t have known. But now that we had discovered this oasis, we were somewhat at a loss. I asked Panzi what his plan was.
Panzi insisted that we should go down and take a look first. After I mentioned the notes and Dingzhu Zhuoma’s message, he realized that Wenjin was definitely below. He said we couldn’t wait for San Ye to catch up; we needed to go in directly to assess the situation. Wenjin was the master’s wife, and if we waited for San Ye and missed her, he wouldn’t be able to continue as her assistant. Time was running short.
I thought to myself, you’re such a devoted subordinate, but I felt the same way. Time was indeed limited; ten days were almost upon us. After asking a few people, no one had any objections, so they let me see how we could enter the basin.
Wenjin’s notes contained a detailed route description. They had entered the basin through a canyon back then. However, the landscape here had completely changed, and according to her route description, we couldn’t find that canyon. We could only drive around looking for a way in. After several twists and turns, we finally discovered a wide canyon.
Panzi took a big detour and found the entrance to the canyon about four kilometers from the basin. The first section was drivable, and we went all the way in until we were blocked by a pile of rubble.
Then a few of us got out of the car, shouldered our gear, and proceeded on foot. We walked until we saw trees before stopping to rest. I picked up Wenjin’s notes and carefully examined the contents.
After reading the notes, I couldn’t help but feel a bit uneasy. From the information recorded in Wenjin’s notes, it was clear that this canyon was extremely dangerous. Further along the canyon, the altitude decreased, tropical vegetation was dense, and miasma filled the air. Our gas masks might not be sufficient for such a humid environment, and this was the only entrance to the West Queen Mother’s Palace. Everything we had encountered along the way made me feel that the West Queen Mother’s Palace was quite eerie, and I suspected that the path ahead would not be easy.
However, in comparison, what I worry about the most is what happens after we pass through the canyon. The end of the canyon leads to the core area of the oasis, where rivers converge. Beneath the dense tree canopy in the pit valley lies a humid swamp, and the unique topography here has almost formed a tropical rainforest in the middle of a desert. Although we know that the ancient city of the West Queen Mother is somewhere within the swamp, searching for it inside is almost like playing with fire.
We carefully examined the general route that Wen Jin had outlined in his notes under the shade of the trees in the canyon. Since we hadn’t entered the swamp in person, many areas were still unclear to us, and Wen Jin had drawn question marks in many places. We didn’t know what these question marks represented, which put us in a very difficult position. In the end, we could only decide to take it one step at a time.
After that, we each prepared our gear. Knowing that the road ahead would be long, we had to control our resource consumption. Now that we were about to enter the West Queen Mother’s backyard, we naturally couldn’t be too concerned about everything else. We packed everything we could bring: flares, smoke bombs, matches, and medicines.
Pan Zi had fought in Vietnam and was now our advisor. He said that the situation here, seen from the cliffs, should be similar to that of the tropical rainforest in Vietnam. The swamp in this humid area is the most dangerous; above it is the broadleaf canopy of the primeval rainforest, which almost covers the entire valley floor. With such dense vegetation, sunlight can hardly penetrate, and it’s pitch dark beneath the canopy, filled with miasma, making it a paradise for mosquitoes, leeches, and poisonous insects. Despite the temperature here exceeding thirty degrees Celsius, we had to wear long sleeves and long pants; otherwise, within an hour, there wouldn’t be a single unbitten spot left on our bodies.
A Ning said, “I have mosquito repellent. Will that work?”
Pan Zi replied, “You might drive away the mosquitoes, but that stuff will attract other things. In the rainforest, don’t use anything with a strong scent. Otherwise, even if you don’t encounter wild beasts at that moment, they will follow you all the way. This time, I’m the only one carrying a gun; even if we run into a wild boar, it would be a struggle.”
He finally said, “Once we enter the swamp, don’t wade through the water or touch the mud unless absolutely necessary.” He recounted a story about a comrade of his who got stuck in a swamp during an ambush. In less than a minute, when he pulled his foot out, his entire leg was covered in holes, eaten away by something unknown. In the current environment, if something like that happens, it would be tantamount to a death sentence, perhaps even worse than death.
From Pan Zi’s expression, I sensed that he was not exaggerating, and I felt a bit uneasy inside, so I tightened the cuffs of my pants even more.
After two hours, we finished organizing and packing everything. At Pan Zi’s shout, we set off. Duan Youbing led the way, and Pan Zi brought up the rear, cutting through branches and leaves as we ventured deeper into the canyon. Just as we began to move, the sky darkened again, as if it were about to rain. I couldn’t help but marvel at the wonders of nature; deep in the arid Qaidam Basin, there was such a humid and rainy oasis. Truly, nature is a creator that defies convention.
This canyon is unlike the Yadan canyons seen in the Devil’s City; it is not sculpted by wind but seems to be a rift formed by geological movements. The valley floor is uneven, filled with bizarre rocks stacked upon each other, and the rock walls appear to be carved by sharp blades. However, I must admit that I agree with the fat guy’s observation: the terrain here indeed resembles a meteorite crater, with the rift akin to the cracks in the earth’s crust caused by a meteorite impact. It may have been much deeper when it formed, gradually weathering over time and becoming filled in. Such canyons should not be the only ones surrounding this pit.
The canyon is wide, and once we entered the dense forest, the surroundings became extremely hot and humid, and we were soon drenched in sweat. Moss covered the stones and trees, making it difficult to find firm footing. The ground was a mix of wet mud and twisted tree roots, and we walked through a network of roots resembling monstrous tentacles, with each step leading us into a pitfall. The canopy above was so dense that sunlight could hardly penetrate. Suddenly, I was struck by a severe illusion: am I really on the Tibetan Plateau and not in the primeval jungle of the Amazon?
I had initially thought such a situation would only occur at the end of the canyon, but to my surprise, it was already like this within the canyon. The conditions in the pit must be even worse.
The fat guy was panting heavily, and looking at the scene ahead, he said he wondered if there were any animals in this oasis. Damn, it would be nice to catch a few to eat; that would be a kind of reward. Otherwise, this trek would feel like a waste.
Panzi remarked that this rainforest in a closed environment isn’t too small, but it isn’t too large either, and there probably wouldn’t be any large wild beasts here; the most common inhabitants would likely be insects and worms. In many such marshes, snakes are the most frequently encountered creatures.
The fat guy said snakes are fine; he has had roasted scorpions in Guangdong, and as long as it’s fresh, he doesn’t mind anything.
I recalled what Wenjin wrote in his notes: “Marshes are full of snakes; they are not afraid of humans.” Panzi must be right; I wonder about the size of these snakes. In many Hollywood movies, some pythons can grow as thick as old trees, and even a steamroller can’t crush them, but this place probably lacks such conditions.
Moreover, the ecological environment here is very unique; it is a closed terrestrial island. I believe that apart from birds and humans, nothing else could possibly enter here. The creatures in this oasis have been reproducing here since its formation. At that time, the Qaidam Basin was still a prosperous area rich in rivers and diverse species. Perhaps we could discover many extinct animals and plants in this oasis, which might be even more valuable than the things in the Queen Mother of the West’s palace.
But then I thought better of it. In the legend of the Queen Mother of the West from the “Classic of Mountains and Seas,” her palace is guarded by a group of bird-like creatures with human faces, which must be some kind of enormous raptor that we cannot comprehend. It could very well be the same kind of strange bird that attacked us on Changbai Mountain. It’s better that such things are extinct.
Due to the dense trees and the fact that we were in a canyon without any detours, we could only advance by cutting down the old vines and broadleaf plants. This was quite exhausting, and even with the fat guy and the “Dull Oil Bottle” taking turns leading the way, we didn’t make much progress. Fortunately, the cliffs on the edge of the canyon framed a patch of blue sky, resembling a beautiful blue ribbon, making the scenery quite stunning. Occasionally, waterfalls formed from the heavy rain two days prior cascaded down, so our journey wasn’t boring.
After walking for a while, we discovered numerous caves on the steep cliff ahead, densely packed, with at least a hundred of them, all covered in green moss. We had no idea what was carved inside.
We suddenly felt tense, losing the lighthearted mood we had. Throughout our journey, we hadn’t seen any remnants of the Western Queen Mother’s kingdom, and there had always been a sense of unreality. Now, suddenly seeing these caves made us realize we were truly approaching the core area of this mysterious ancient country. While it was exciting to think about, seeing it in person felt somewhat terrifying.
We composed ourselves and went up to investigate. The caves varied in size; the larger ones could fit two Liberation trucks side by side, while the smaller ones were only a bit over half a person’s height. They were quite different from those in Dunhuang, as these caves were shallow, allowing us to see the statues inside, albeit completely covered by thick moss.
I climbed up and took out my dagger, starting to scrape away the covering on one of the caves. Gradually, an unusual stone sculpture began to emerge from beneath the moss.
