The most forbidding and treacherous places I have ever laid eyes upon pale in comparison to this spot; hiding a hundred thousand troops within this "Coffin Gorge" would ensure they remained utterly undiscovered. If the "Ancient Tomb of the Earthly Immortal" were constructed here, and outsiders were unaware of its secrets and depths, even the gods themselves could never locate it.

I told the others that to attempt to "search the mountains for dragons and determine the gravesite" in this locale would be harder than ascending to heaven. We must first find the "Hundred-Pace Bird Path." Now it seems the hints left by Commander Feng correspond to much of what we see. We are currently on the outskirts of "Coffin Gorge"; we will assess the situation once we are inside and proceed accordingly. Improvisation is key.

When Fatty heard that we would likely have to scale this "Thousand-Ren Bird Path," he felt dizzy looking up and faint looking down. It was far too high and treacherous, so he immediately lost his nerve, making excuses that the Guanshan Bandit Leader certainly wouldn't be in the "Coffin Gorge." He insisted the better strategy was to retreat to the Qingxi Air-Raid Shelter to capture a monkey to lead the way.

I resorted to goading him, patting Fatty’s soft paunch and asking if he had grown cowardly from enjoying life too much lately. This place, "Coffin Gorge," is indeed a place of such profound danger that it would "make even a peerless hero lose heart and soul." But if it weren't so perilous, the "Ancient Tomb of the Earthly Village" couldn't possibly have remained untouched until this day. The tomb's occupant was a notorious bandit leader from the Guanshan school, and the amount of gold, jewels, and jade buried within is practically countless. If Commander Wang doesn't hurry up and claim it, it will soon become someone else's prize.

Fatty was struck by my words. Upon hearing the phrase "gold, jewels, and jade," his "eyes lit up and his heart stirred." After a long moment of grit-toothed resolve, he declared fiercely, "Today, I'll show you all that Fatty hasn't retired yet! Fatty dares to struggle and dares to win! If one lacks the spirit to remain calm like a fisherman regardless of the rising storm, one is unworthy of this tomb-raiding profession!"

The group quickly tightened their gear, ensuring everything was secure and neat. Seeing that they were relatively close to the bottom of the gorge, and that this terrifying bird path only led down, they had no choice but to descend along the near-vertical cliff face via the bird path. As they walked, they discovered extremely primitive rock paintings between the ancient walls, likely thousands of years old. After viewing several such paintings along the bird path, they couldn't help but exchange uneasy glances. These ancient remnants, eroded by wind and rain, depicted scenes of hellish devastation.

The rock art on the sheer cliff face, resembling totems and legends, possessed a strange and rare style. After descending the Thousand-Ren Bird Path, they saw them covering the entire mountainside. It was impossible to tell from which era they had survived, but almost all depicted various forms of terrifying disasters: sun-blotting locust plagues, widespread flooding, mountain fires, collapses of earth and rock, and conflicts between humans and wild beasts...

I found it strange—why were so many earth-shattering calamities aimed at the Qingxi Coffin Gorge? It was truly a place of "deep water and scorching fire." Yet, looking at this crisscrossing gorge, resembling coiled and lurking ancient dragons, with ethereal mist swirling among the peaks, and waterfalls plunging from the cliffs like the Silver River descending from heaven, it possessed many characteristics associated with "concealing and harboring immortals" in Feng Shui. Could this place have been the Avici Hell in ancient times?

Shirley Yang remarked, "Rivers of blood, swarms of frogs, legions of lice, spreading weeds, rotting skin, hail and fire, locusts descending from the sky, encroaching darkness, the death of the firstborn—these are the ten plagues recorded in the Bible. Although Eastern and Western cultures differ, this place seems to mirror what the Bible describes: a lost land once forgotten by the divine."

Professor Sun disagreed with our interpretation. He immediately pointed out, "We shouldn't blindly believe in spirits or divine retribution. Based on my experience, these rock paintings are relics older than the Warring States period. Before the Dujiangyan irrigation project was built in the pre-Qin era, the Bashan and Shushui regions suffered frequent disasters, often involving mountain fires and floods; these are not baseless legends."

I was about to argue with him, but the bird path grew increasingly perilous, leaving no room for distraction or observing the rock art. Everyone had to press their backs against the wall and shuffle along slowly. Fatty was pale, not daring to look down, eyes squeezed shut. The surroundings were vast and indistinct, filled with hazy smoke and mist. He felt as if he were floating in the clouds, unable to discern east from west.

After navigating the carved-out bird path for some time, they suddenly heard the sound of tumbling water, like thunder, directly beneath their feet. The ice-cold rock face was slick with moisture; they must be close to the gorge floor. Shirley Yang, who was leading, stopped; the bird path ended, with no further way forward. However, the drop to the ground from their position was only about three meters.

Shirley Yang said they could land safely below, so she cast down the "Flying Tiger Claws." The others grasped the high-tensile steel chains and descended to the valley floor. The bottom of the gorge housed a rapidly flowing, surging river. On both banks were numerous natural bluestone flats. Amidst these treacherous rapids, described as "boulders piercing the sky, turbulent waves rushing fiercely," were several winding stone slab walkways offering passage.

Fatty, feeling solid ground beneath his feet, felt much more secure. "Old Hu, where are we now? Is the Earthly Immortal's Tomb Museum hidden in this canyon?"

I looked around. Above, the thin mist gathered and dispersed quickly. Below, the gorge floor was filled with rising spray and vapor from the splashing water. All I could see was a vast expanse of blurry gray. I truly didn't know where we were and was at a loss to answer Fatty's question.

Then I heard Shirley Yang say, "Look behind you..." We quickly turned. The base of the cliff behind them was covered in collapsed scree. Among the rubble, several architectural traces resembling large stone beams and stone doorways were exposed.

It appeared that there had once been a very large stone gate and cavern at the foot of the cliff, but it had been completely sealed by fallen rocks.

Shirley Yang said, "Yao Mei said this place is the edge of Coffin Gorge. This stone gate tunnel might have been the path leading in from outside the gorge. We have reached the main gate of Coffin Gorge."

Sun Jiuye and I both felt this was highly probable. But given the extreme danger of Coffin Gorge, we didn't know if there were any mineral veins or shafts. It seemed the Qingxi Air-Raid Shelter did not extend this far either. The maps we found in town were useless. Although we had passed the mountain gate, faced with this mysterious and unfathomable deep gorge, we had no idea what our next move should be.

The group conferred briefly on the spot and decided to proceed into the depths of the canyon, following the orientation of the stone gate at the entrance. We had sufficient rations for short-term needs, but "Coffin Gorge" was isolated from the outside world, deep and desolate within, and we might encounter unexpected dangers; our equipment felt somewhat inadequate. Seeing that though my young sister [Yao Mei] was brave and accustomed to traversing mountains, she lacked experience, I urged Shirley Yang to look after her, ensuring she neither walked at the very front nor lagged behind at the rear.

Fatty, preoccupied with the "gold, jewels, and jade" inside the tomb museum, eagerly took the lead, walking ahead and sounding out Professor Sun as he went: "Ninth Master, give us some inside scoop first. Is the gold pure gold? And just how precious are those jewels?"

Professor Sun realized Fatty was shifting his position and quickly countered, "You fat man, how can you go back on your word? We agreed that you would take the Elixir Cauldron, and the Dragon Bone Divination Chart would be mine. Everything else counts as a joint discovery—reporting back will surely earn us considerable merit. What other ideas are you hatching now?"

Fatty retorted, "Cut the nonsense! It's the people who are in charge now. Your pigtail is in my hand, so Fatty gets to decide as he pleases. Where is there room for you to bargain? Do you still want that field notebook or not?"

Professor Sun sighed, "Alright, alright. I only want the Dragon Bone Divination Chart. As for the rest... you can do as you wish. But in the future, never let anyone know I found my Dragon Bone Divination Chart in an ancient tomb. I'm not greedy for the item itself, but I cannot bear to see it buried forever. It’s also a chance for me to make a name for myself..."

Fatty scoffed, "Ninth Master Sun, don't be so coy. They're just a few pieces of tortoise shell! Do you remember what Mr. Lu Xun said? 'Scholars stealing books is not stealing.' You're brimming with ink; now you're going tomb raiding to steal heavenly texts—what is there to feel awkward about? Just throw off your inhibitions and do it boldly. When we get back, we can crush those arrogant reactionary academic authorities who look down on us and boost the prestige of us Golden Hole Elites!"

Although Fatty’s words were laced with mockery, they keenly struck the contemporary malaise, causing Professor Sun's face to flush and then pale with awkwardness. He mumbled to himself, "Scholars stealing books is not stealing... Did Mr. Lu Xun really say that?" Feeling oppressed, he couldn't help but look up and sigh. Suddenly, he pointed to the air and exclaimed, "Look, look! There are actual hanging coffins!"

We looked up and saw indeed that many coffins were suspended on the cliffs on both sides, scattered at varying heights, extremely dispersed. The highest ones were only tiny black dots. Their sheer number made counting impossible; a rough estimate suggested thousands—a rare and spectacular sight.

The deep gorge gradually narrowed here. Looking up, the sky overhead was reduced to a single strip, seemingly infinitely far from where we stood. If a small pebble were dropped from above, it could strike us dead. Standing among these towering cliffs and deep canyons, everyone felt a chill of fear.

Although we knew this place was called "Coffin Gorge" and expected to see hanging coffins, the overwhelming quantity of them on the opposite cliff face sparked our curiosity. We stopped and observed for a long time. Fatty wanted to persuade me to climb up and see what was inside the coffins. I said, "Hanging coffins are not earth burials; they lack the reverence of resting in the ground. Look, these coffins have endured wind and rain for ages at such heights; most are rotten beyond repair. Moreover, their craftsmanship is simple—local people hollowed out tree cores from the nearby primeval forests, placed the remains inside, and covered them with bark planks. There are no valuable 'mingqi' buried with them. Grave robbing has been rampant since antiquity, but few people bother with hanging coffins because there’s simply no profit to be made."

Professor Sun said, "That may not be entirely true. Hanging coffins can be divided into three types based on form: cave-style, crevice-style, and pile-and-rock style. Just like regular tombs, they have ranks of high and low status. This large expanse of hanging coffins belongs to the pile-and-rock style and should house the bones of commoners..." He paused, then added, "Something's not right... Don't you all find it strange... Why are all the hanging coffins concentrated on one side? There isn't a single one on the other side..." Before he finished speaking, Shirley Yang exclaimed, "Everyone look closely at the outline formed by the arrangement of those hanging coffins... What does it resemble?"

We had just arrived directly beneath the cliff face where the coffins hung. Unsure of Shirley Yang’s meaning, we followed her suggestion and looked up. Just then, the mountain mist parted, and from our vantage point, the scattered hanging coffins high above suddenly appeared densely packed. The concentrated area of the coffins vaguely outlined the silhouette of a tall, majestic giant.

The longer the time since their burial, the clearer the vague contours of that vast collection of coffins became. The posture, seated upright, was extremely lifelike: shoulders level, hands resting on the knees, with two massive feet planted firmly above the surging river at the gorge floor. However, this silhouette resembling a human form, though vividly realistic, lacked a head—like a towering, mighty headless deity embedded in the thousand-foot cliff. The five of us looked as small as ants at its feet.

I was mesmerized until my neck ached intolerably. Only then did I snap back to reality. I saw Professor Sun and the others around me were still staring upward in amazement, mouths agape in wonder. At that moment, beyond mere "awe," everyone’s mind simultaneously recalled the hint: "A great king with a body but no head."

This headless figure formed by countless hanging coffins would not appear so vividly from any other angle except directly beneath the giant figure's feet. It was as if the ancients deliberately arranged them this way, compelling anyone who arrived to look up and worship.

Professor Sun was overjoyed. "The shape hidden within this maze of ten thousand coffins is majestic and solemn, just like an ancient sovereign! And the outline missing a head also corresponds to the saying, 'a body without a head.' Commander Feng, that comrade from those years, truly did not deceive me..."

Though I stood beneath the silhouette of this headless deity, I knew that these thousands of mysterious hanging coffins were intrinsically linked to the hints left by Commander Feng. Yet, I felt no joy; on the contrary, I sensed that the mystery of the "Ancient Tomb of the Earthly Village" would not be easily solved.

Legend holds that before the Earthly Immortal was interred, some members of his clan did not believe in his "subtle mysteries" and refused to enter the ancient tomb to achieve immortality. Therefore, the chief of the Guanshan Bandits, the Earthly Immortal True Lord, left behind a set of clues for his descendants. By following these clues, they could enter the "Ancient Tomb of the Earthly Village" at any time to refine their mortal forms, ascend, and become beings whose lifespan matched the sun and moon.

Commander Feng was the one who possessed this secret, but how could such profound mysteries be easily disclosed? He revealed only a portion to persuade Professor Sun to escape with him—the content was extremely limited, just the opening lines. Since entering Qingxi, we had encountered things corresponding sequentially to this hint: not only the "Wuyan Mineral Vein" but also the "Black Sheep Stone Beasts," and now we saw a large formation of hanging coffins arranged like a "Headless King."

While these clues confirmed from one aspect that the "Ancient Tomb of the Earthly Village" was indeed in Qingxi, things were not as smoothly aligned as they seemed. The crucial issue was that the clues—the "Wuyan Mineral Vein," the "Black Sheep Stone Beast," and the "Headless King" silhouette—had absolutely no discernible connection, only causing greater confusion.

When I voiced these concerns to the others, even Sun Jiuye lost his cheerfulness. "That old Feng... he's been playing charades with me for over a decade, and I still can't figure him out. Since entering Coffin Gorge, things seemed unbelievably smooth, but thinking carefully now... none of the clues we found are actually usable."

I nodded. "We definitely fell prey to blind optimism... Before, I always thought the Guanshan Bandits were just some local gentry—what were they worth? Now it seems they truly possessed advanced skills." My mind felt muddled. Seeing the path ahead filled with overlapping mountains and winding rivers, with no clues in sight, I became anxious. Fortunately, I still had Shirley Yang, the clear-headed one, to help devise a plan. According to military regulations, a staff officer has three rights to advise the commander on specific decisions; we shouldn't waste them.

Shirley Yang stared at the cliff face for a long time before speaking: "All our assumptions and hypotheses are based on the premise that the hints Commander Feng left are true. I believe the Wuyan Mineral Vein, the Black Sheep Stone Beast, and the outline of the Headless King are all genuine historical sites in the Qingxi area. Based on this, we can rule out the possibility that this hint is an obscure riddle like an acrostic or cryptogram. It is most likely connected to some ancient local legend, and the entrance to the Ancient Tomb of the Earthly Village is hidden within that legend."

Professor Sun said, "Miss Yang is right; she has hit the nail on the head. But what exactly is this legend? The kingly figure formed by the ancient cliff paintings must be the 'Headless King' mentioned in the first line of the hint. But is this headless king merely a totem relic left by the ancients to guard the mountain, or was there truly such a king in ancient times?"

Shirley Yang’s and Professor Sun’s words, while seemingly straightforward, had greatly inspired me. By setting aside the idea that the hints were riddles and considering them from the perspective of hiding an ancient legend, perhaps these words, which seemed meaningful yet obscure, contained something that was neither legend nor riddle.

I questioned my own mind, turning those few lines of the hint over and over: "A great king with a body but no head; If the lady doesn't come, the mountains won't open; Burn firewood to light the stove, boil the liver and lungs; Dig wells and mine salt, beg money from ghosts; Bird paths crisscross, nine turns in a hundred paces; If you seek the Earthly Immortal, first find the Black Sheep..." I looked up again, studying the countless hanging coffins on the sheer cliff face. A thought flashed through my mind—I suddenly realized the most crucial element that had constantly been overlooked. The secret mechanism hidden within this hint for finding the entrance to the "Ancient Tomb of the Earthly Village" must lie here.

I cursed myself for being so obtuse; I had ignored such a vital detail. I quickly asked everyone, "What were the Guanshan Bandits most skilled at?"