The Classic of Rivers notes: "The Yi River is the Qing River of Mount Hen. The water’s clarity reflects ten fathoms, separating sand from stone. The people of Shu, seeing its clarity, thus named it Qing River." This is the very Qing River where Lin Jun, the Ba Wu Xiang leader, first established himself and began his expansion; it was anciently called the Yan River. "Yi River" was the name Lin Jun adopted after becoming tribal chief, following established custom, as his ancestors had migrated from the ancient Yi River.

At this moment, myself, Tan Ping'er, Master Ji, Man Niao Niao, and Hua'er stood at the entrance of Longdong Gully on Mount Qiyue in Xidu, the source of the Qing River.

The reason we came here was those two ceramic seals. Initially, my thought was that having uncovered the secret of the Blood Soul Stele and seeing the green-haired pattern vanish from Tan Ping'er’s back, the two main mysteries were solved, and I had no intention of searching for the Suoluo Divine Tree as demanded by the silk manuscript. However, the sudden appearance of the two ceramic seals, in such a peculiar location, forced us to believe that everything must have a reason. Thus, after deliberation, and guided by a hint from Hua'er’s dream, we arrived at the source of the Qing River two days later.

The rationale for starting at the source was simple: the Qing River spans 423 kilometers with a vast drainage basin. Finding a single tree there would be nearly impossible. So, we settled on a cruder method: tracing the Qing River along its entire length, inquiring and exploring along the way, hoping to stumble upon some clue.

But how to begin the exploration led to a debate among the four of us. Man Niao Niao insisted we should start from Lin Jun’s birthplace, Mount Wuluo Zhongli, and then proceed upstream, effectively retracing Lin Jun’s original path. However, after a quick search online, I found too many anomalies concerning the "Red and Black Caves" near Mount Wuluo Zhongli, close to Xidu. The online records stated: "Descending the stone steps from the other side of the summit, one soon sees the 'Black Cave' and the 'Red Cave.' These two caves were where various tribes gave birth. Legend says Ba Wu Xiang was born in the 'Red Cave.' Due to the passage of ages, erosion by wind and rain, and lightning strikes, the 'mountain rock collapsed,' which is why the caves look as they do now. The Ding Shi Plain below the mountain is evidence of this 'mountain rock collapse.' Historical records mentioning Mount Wuluo Zhongli invariably mention the Red and Black Caves; this is a fundamental characteristic of the mountain. For instance, the Book of the Later Han concerning Lin Jun states that the son of the Ba clan emerged from the Red Cave, while the sons of the other four surnames emerged from the Black Cave. The Book of Jin, Biography of Li Te says: 'In the past, Mount Wuluo Zhongli collapsed, leaving two stone caves; one was red as cinnabar, the other black as lacquer.' Historical accounts of the stone caves mostly mention two parallel stone pillars within, called the Yin-Yang Stones. The Classic of Rivers, Yi River records: 'About one li west, you find a stone cave; carrying a torch for about a hundred paces, you find two large stone outcrops, standing parallel within the cave, separated by ten feet, popularly called the Yin-Yang Stones.' The Compendium of Geography, Jing Province records: 'Yidu (where Changyang was formerly subordinate) has a cave containing two large stones, ten feet apart, popularly called one Yang Stone and one Yin Stone. When drought or flood strikes, whipping the Yang Stone brings rain, whipping the Yin Stone brings clear skies; this is the Lin Jun Stone.' Records in Geographical Gazetteer and Complete Gazetteer of the Qing Dynasty, among others, also mention the Yin-Yang Stones in Lin Jun's cave."

The discrepancies were twofold. First, Mount Wuluo Zhongli is supposedly Mount Hen in Changyang territory. Yet, after extensive research by archaeological experts, the present-day Mount Hen is clearly not the rumored Mount Wuluo Zhongli. Furthermore, the origin of the name "Mount Wuluo Zhongli" itself seems suspiciously corrupted; it should likely have been "Mount Wuluo Zhongling" (Mount of Witches and Spirits), with "Wuluo Zhongli" being a simple transcription error by ancient historians. This suggests that the supposed "Mount Wuluo Zhongli" might not exist at all. Given the Tujia people's strong tradition of worshipping shamans, I leaned toward believing the name "Mount Wuluo Zhongling." Second, while Changyang does possess the "Red and Black Caves," I inquired with friends in Changyang and learned that although these caves closely match historical descriptions, they are extremely small. Even if Lin Jun and the other four surnames were born there, it would be impossible for a Suoluo tree to grow inside those caves. Moreover, it's uncertain if these "Red and Black Caves" are truly Lin Jun’s birthplace. Furthermore, it is said that Lin Jun began his westward campaign from here; his objectives were to expand territory and find the Suoluo Divine Tree. Therefore, the tree would certainly not be located in the place where he was born and raised.

For this reason, we abandoned the trip to Changyang and came directly to Longdong Gully, the origin of the Qing River.

Of course, our rationale for coming to Longdong Gully was based on a simple premise: since we already suspected that Mount Hen in Changyang was likely not the legendary Mount Wuluo Zhongli—and certainly not "Mount Wuluo Zhongling"—and no colossal tree was near the "Red and Black Caves," going to Changyang would only waste precious time. It was already the end of June when we obtained the two ceramic seals, leaving only a few days before the seventh day of the seventh month specified in the silk manuscript; time was tight. Our thinking was that since Lin Jun operated within the Qing River basin, he must have had a general direction. Thus, we decided to start searching from the very source of the Qing River to avoid unnecessary detours.

As it turned out, this assumption was quite correct; we never reached the Changyang area to find the Suoluo tree. But that is a story for later.

In truth, we were also harboring a somewhat superstitious hope: everything has a source, and by starting our search at the source of the Qing River, perhaps we’d be lucky enough to find the Suoluo tree immediately. Besides, the Qing River is hailed as the mother river of the Tujia people, and I, a native Tujia, confessing with some shame, had never truly experienced the legendary beauty of the "eight hundred li of picturesque Qing River." This opportunity had finally arrived!

Longdong Gully lies sandwiched between Mount Qiyue and Mount Baobao. In the middle is a very large pool, into which several streams feed with gentle gurgling sounds. The water in the pool is deep green, shrouded in wisps of mist, and carries a biting chill. With Mount Qiyue and Mount Baobao towering into the clouds, sunlight rarely reaches the bottom of the gully, completely washing away the intense heat of June. The space felt dim, occasionally punctuated by the calls of unknown birds, further intensifying the gully’s depth. The slopes on both sides of the gully bottom were covered in many dense, leafy miscellaneous trees, none of them particularly large, and we saw no sign of any very remarkable trees.

I stared at the pool, feeling a strange sensation, but I couldn't quite articulate why it felt so odd.

"Now what do we do? Are we here to go 'paddling' in this pool?" Man Niao Niao shook his head, scanning the surroundings, and turned to his equally bewildered companions.

To be honest, having lived long in the Shangri-La of Xidu, we had developed a kind of aesthetic fatigue toward the local scenery. Despite Longdong Gully’s tranquil and elegant beauty, the three Tujia men were already accustomed to it. Their eyes swept over the slopes, all wondering if the Suoluo tree might be here. After searching for a long time, we sighed. We saw many trees, certainly, but no towering giants, let alone an ancient, peculiar Suoluo tree. Moreover, comparing it to the description in the silk manuscript, the Suoluo tree should grow in a very high place, certainly not at the bottom of a gully. Hua'er mentioned in her dream that the tree was in a very hidden location. While we shouldn't trust that entirely, there were no later accounts of a "mysterious ancient tree appearing." This place was neither high nor hidden, clearly indicating that the Suoluo Divine Tree was definitely not here.

We conferred and decided to follow the Qing River out of the gully. Just as we turned, we saw an old Tujia man standing still not far behind us.

We jumped, especially when we noticed the old man was also dressed in blue homespun cloth and sported a long white beard. I almost mistook him for my own grandfather. Upon closer inspection, I realized he only resembled my grandfather in attire and beard, but wasn't him. I thought, in broad daylight, could we be seeing a ghost?

Master Ji was already greeting the old man. "Sir, have you had lunch yet?"

The old man’s response completely reassured me. "Oh, not yet. Why have you youngsters come to this 'Dianba' (spot)? Not many people come here usually!" The old man spoke in the authentic Xidu dialect. We found the term 'Dianba'—meaning 'place'—very familiar and comforting.

"Oh, we've brought this foreign friend to sightsee!" Master Ji said earnestly to the old man, pulling out the tobacco pouch from his pocket and offering some. "Would you like a smoke?" Tan Ping'er and I exchanged glances, surprised by the surprisingly smooth excuse Master Ji had concocted.

The old man took the tobacco, glancing briefly at Tan Ping'er. "Oh! I’m from Yuchuan Water Village outside the gully. I came in today to look for some medicinal herbs. Since you gentlemen are showing your foreign friend around, I should fulfill my duty as a host and explain this 'Dianba' to you!"

A thought struck me. From the old man's tone, did this place hold some unusual significance? Then I heard him say: "This pool is called Lianghui Pool, and many people consider it the origin of the Qing River..." Hearing him, I quickly interrupted: "Sir, do you mean this isn't the true source of the Qing River?"

"Of course not. Strictly speaking, the Qing River originates from Mount Duting in western Lichuan..."

"Mount Duting?" My heart skipped a beat. Wasn't General Ba Manzi supposedly buried on Mount Duting? Could there be a connection?

"...flowing east into Tanxiang Cave. Tanxiang Cave, also known as Laolong Cave under Tanxiang Rock, flows underground for nearly 20 kilometers, emerging at Wangying Houba Longdong Gully after passing Mount Qiyue. This spot is flanked by Mount Qiyue and Mount Baobao, and fed by the Great Fish Spring Water, Guanyin River Water, and Wangjiaying Water, which is why this pool is called Lianghui Pool." The old man spoke fluently about local lore, and only after he finished did I realize his account had no connection whatsoever to General Ba Manzi.

It was only then that I understood the strange feeling I had just experienced: I had noticed long ago how bizarrely the pool was formed. How could such a large pool be fed by streams that were little more than trickles, in a relatively flat gully bottom?

Now I realized that the water in the pool actually emerged from an underground river, which explained its massive size.

"Well then, sir, do you know if there's any big tree around here?" Man Niao Niao asked impatiently.

"A big tree? Ha! They were all cut down back during the Great Leap Forward when they were smelting iron!" The old man looked at us strangely, not knowing we were asking about a specific tree.

"Cut down?"

"Yes. These trees are all ones that have grown since the mountains were closed off for reforestation."

"Then... before they were cut down, do you recall if there was a very tall, large Suoluo tree?" I was still unwilling to give up.

"A Suoluo tree? What are you looking for it for?"