Upon entering the stockade, we realized that this Yumu Stockade was about two li long from north to south and about one gongli wide from east to west, forming an oval shape. Seen from above, the entire top of the stockade resembled an eye embedded in the surrounding mountains and ravines. Between the fields and corners, in front of and behind the houses, were clusters of ancient tombs. The tombstones featured primitive, exquisite, and grand designs, yet they blended perfectly with the ethnic architecture built of stone upon stone and stone with wood, giving us a sense of being separated from the outside world.

We walked for a long time along the flagstone path, meeting many locals dressed in traditional Tujia attire. Along the way, Elanguo greeted everyone enthusiastically. Those people, seeing our group of uninvited guests, did not show much surprise, only glancing a few extra times at Tan Ping'er, who remained perfectly composed.

Just as Elanguo was about to lead us to her home, we inadvertently made a ridiculous spectacle of ourselves.

When Elanguo pointed to a tall, ancient tomb gate and told us, "My home is right here," all four of us jumped in fright. The sunlight instantly seemed to lose its power. We all wondered: could Elanguo actually be a fox spirit living in an ancient tomb? I quickly scanned the surroundings and, on reflex, pinched my own thigh hard. The pain made me grimace; I was certain I wasn't dreaming.

Seeing our strange expressions, Elanguo stood at the tomb entrance and burst into laughter. "You're scared, aren't you? Come in, come in! Don't be afraid!"

Suspicion weighing heavily on us, we approached the tomb gate only to discover that behind it lay a bluestone path leading straight to an antique diaojiaolou (stilt house) situated behind the structure. Golden ears of corn and peppers as red as fire hung from the diaojiaolou, and wisps of smoke curled from the roof. A fragrance of oil tea soup drifted towards us.

There was indeed a massive ancient tomb behind the entrance, but the door we faced was merely a side gate belonging to the larger structure. Seeing that a residence truly lay beyond the entrance, I pinched my thigh again to confirm I wasn't dreaming, and gradually relaxed. I quickly asked the charmingly smiling Elanguo, "How is it that your home is situated behind a huge tomb?"

"Hehe, now you know I'm not a fox spirit, right? It’s nothing strange. My ancestors were the caretakers of this ancient tomb, so they built a shelter here behind the tomb to protect themselves from wind and rain. Over time, this place became our home. Look, there’s another flagstone door over there; that one enters through another side gate on the other side of the tombstone."

I stepped out past the tomb gate and saw that several large characters were carved onto the tall tombstone: Shuang Shou Ju (Double Longevity Residence). I surmised that the large tomb behind us must be a joint burial for a couple, which Elanguo later confirmed was true.

I asked Elanguo, "You’ve lived next to this huge tomb for so long... aren't you afraid?"

"Afraid of what? The elders in this tomb protect us every day! Hey, hey, I say, none of you look like superstitious people. What’s there to fear in an ancient tomb? Hurry up, I’m starving!" At this point, Elanguo revealed the charming demeanor of a young daughter. "Mom, is the food ready?"

A simple, honest middle-aged woman emerged from the diaojiaolou, patting her clothes. "Ready, ready... Oh, we have rare guests! No wonder the magpies were chirping so early this morning!"

We hesitated for a few more seconds, confirming that Elanguo’s mother was not an old fox spirit. After offering polite greetings, we entered the main hall. As soon as we sat down, Elanguo helped set a table laden with oil tea soup, yinmizi (preserved sticky rice), dried potato chunks, hezha (fermented bean residue), shen doufu (tofu made from wild nuts), and stir-fried preserved meat with sour peppers, along with some seasonal small dishes. Elanguo laughed, "You gentlemen have excellent fortune; my mother doesn't usually cook this much. Today, my grandfather and father went to Liu Ji Tang to perform Rou Lian Xiang, and they specifically told me to make lunch extra hearty so they can come back and have a good drink..." Hearing this, we were finally relieved. We hadn't seen any men when we first entered, and I had wondered if the mother and daughter were fox spirits. When Elanguo mentioned the name Rou Lian Xiang, I knew it was a unique form of entertainment specific to the Tujia people; not only could outsiders not imitate it, but even fox spirits would struggle.

"Then... perhaps we should wait for your grandfather and father?" Man Niao Niao asked, swallowing hard.

Elanguo’s mother said, "Please eat first, eat first. This is the busy farming season, so lunch here is usually quite simple—mostly just oil tea soup mixed with yinmizi. There’s plenty of oil tea soup; are you worried the esteemed guests won't have enough to eat? If you’re not accustomed to it, I specially cooked yangyu keke fan today, you can have several bowls later." Upon hearing this, I was secretly delighted. I hadn't eaten yangyu keke fan in many years. When my family was poor in my childhood, to save rice, we would peel and finely chop potatoes and mix them with steamed rice, which was incredibly flavorful—delicious even just with soy sauce for dipping.

The Tujia people value directness. Hearing that the two gentlemen might not return for lunch right away, we stopped being polite and gathered around the table of delicacies to feast heartily.

Man Niao Niao, whether to show off his boldness or for some other reason, loudly conversed with Elanguo and her mother while taking large gulps of corn wine by himself. Those who drink enjoy "matching company," so while drinking heavily, Man Niao Niao remembered to toast me, the "stubborn one," heartily, urging me to "finish the bowl." Thus, before long, I became dizzy, my eyes glazed over.

However, to avoid embarrassment, I forced myself to maintain a serious composure. Seeing Man Niao Niao still wanting to drink, showing no fear of making a fool of himself, I stomped hard on his foot, thinking to myself, Damn it, aren't you afraid that what you're eating is toads, spiders, or centipedes? — See? I still suspected Elanguo and her mother were fox spirits!

After eating and drinking our fill, at Man Niao Niao’s strong insistence, Elanguo took us to Liu Ji Tang to watch the Rou Lian Xiang performance.

It was the hottest part of the day. My head was throbbing, and the intense sun, combined with the wind, caused the alcohol to surge back up without restraint. My mouth felt dry, my head spun as if the world were revolving, and the scenery before my eyes blurred. Tan Ping’er, seeing I was deeply drunk, thoughtfully supported me as we followed Man Niao Niao and Elanguo, who were thoroughly engrossed in the proceedings. My steps were already unsteady, moving forward almost without conscious effort.

Still, my mind was relatively clear. I thought, How did I get so drunk so easily?

Liu Ji Tang wasn't far. Even before we approached, we could faintly hear a continuous slapping sound. As we rounded a bend, the intense slapping noise rushed into my eardrums, jolting my senses slightly. Staggering to the open square of Liu Ji Tang, I actually found myself grinning. It turned out that Liu Ji Tang was also a wooden building, perhaps five pillars wide and two or three bays deep, but the main door of the hall was offset to one side instead of being central. I knew this must have significance, and looking back, I saw the door indeed faced a depression in front—it seemed the ancient custom of "tomb facing fortress" and "house facing valley" was widespread.

A crowd ringed the entrance, punctuated by bursts of laughter, clearly energized by the atmosphere created by the Rou Lian Xiang dance inside the hall. I couldn't figure out why the villagers would be dancing Rou Lian Xiang in such scorching heat. After Tan Ping’er dragged and hugged me through the crowd, I saw a group of bare-chested men hopping and jumping inside the hall, vigorously slapping their upper bodies with their hands, creating a continuous, cheerful pāpā rhythm in a humorous and unrestrained manner.

This group—perhaps five or six men, one of whom had graying temples—wore only a strange garment that was neither quite a skirt nor quite shorts. Small bells were tied around their calves, ankles, upper arms, and wrists, jingling crisply and rapidly with the slapping sounds. Perhaps due to my blurred vision, I noticed that the bare skin of these men had been slapped bright red by their own hands. However, I recalled that the skin of seasoned Rou Lian Xiang performers was usually quite rough and thick; one would expect white marks upon impact, not redness.

In fact, Rou Lian Xiang is a form of entertainment popular among the Tujia masses that combines sport and dance. Performers dance year-round regardless of season, wearing only shorts and requiring no musical accompaniment. They use only their hands to strike various parts of their bodies, producing rhythmic, crisp pīpā sounds, while simultaneously using tongue trills to keep time vocally. Key movements include the "Duck Step," "Rolling Jar," "Yangge Step," "Trembling Step," "Double Strike," "Triple Strike," "Seven Strikes," and "Ten Strikes." The rhythm is fast, the performance comical and witty, and the entertainment value extremely high.

The Rou Lian Xiang dance evolved from the old "Mud God Parade." Before the Liberation, beggars would smear mud on their naked bodies, dance wildly, and slap the ground and doors while begging, causing mud to splatter, forcing homeowners to give alms. This was colloquially known as the "Mud God Parade." Later, cultural workers and Mud God Parade artists excavated, processed, and organized elements of the "Mud God Parade," refining dance vocabulary, adding the melody of "Lotus Dance," and developing it into today's group fitness dance, Rou Lian Xiang, making it a distinct dance form. Rou Lian Xiang is rough, bold, unrestrained, lively, and possesses a powerful sense of rhythm and cadence, fully showcasing the aesthetic beauty of Tujia folk dance in form, spirit, strength, and rhyme. It has been hailed as the "Oriental Disco."

The dancers were radiant, and the spectators were captivated, so our arrival barely drew anyone else's attention. My drunkenness deepened. The exaggerated movements of the half-naked men in the hall made my eyes blur even more, and my brain seemed to spin faster and faster in time with the dance. Soon, I couldn't hold on any longer. If Tan Ping’er hadn't gripped me firmly, I would have collapsed to the ground.

The scene of this "Oriental Disco" accelerated before my eyes. The slapping sound didn't seem to hit the bodies of the half-naked men so much as my own heart, causing my drunken eyes to swim and making me feel a constant urge to bring things up from my throat. Gasping for breath, I bolted out of the crowd, swaying unsteadily until I found a corner, where I vomited violently.

After throwing up for a while, my senses cleared slightly. I felt a strange sense of confusion—why was I so severely drunk? I was vaguely helped up by someone, and in a haze, I heard Man Niao Niao shouting loudly about going to see the ladder and the handholds on the rock face...

From that moment on, I remember nothing of what happened next, until I woke up frozen in that wretched place!