Old Wang paused for a moment, changed his expression, beckoned Zhuo Xiong over and said: "You kneel down first."
"Kneel down?" Zhōu Xióng retorted.
"What's wrong? You're not willing to kneel down for your own grandfather?" Old Wang said with a smile, looking at his white beard.
"Who? Grandfather?" Zhu Xiong was a bit confused and didn't understand what was going on.
Hua Bai Hu Zi took a step forward, looking at Zhuo Xiong, stretched out his chicken claw-like hands, and held his face. The original ferocity and coldness in his eyes swept away, replaced by boundless paternal love. He said slowly, "Ah, you've grown up, it's time you knew this. Child, your surname isn't Zhuo, but Jiang!"
"What's with the surname Jiang? You old man is spouting nonsense. My father, Zhuo Yu-Gui, originally lived at the foot of Qi Feng Mountain, but unfortunately my mother strayed into the mountains when I was young and lost contact. These are things I've known since childhood, don't try to deceive us with these ghost stories. As for how to handle this matter today, Wen Bin has the final say, you don't need to try to get close to me." Zhuo Xiong-Yi said righteously.
The old man with the white beard didn't get angry, and continued to say: "Child, listen to me finish. This Mount Emei has been famous since ancient times for its unique appearance of having steep cliffs all around it, being shrouded in mist and clouds all year round, and hiding itself among the majestic mountains and valleys of Sichuan. Only on extremely special days can one clearly see its magnificent outline, which is also when the well water in the village will transform into a dragon shape and gush out.
Our ethnic group has lived here for generations and is the most orthodox descendant of the Yellow Emperor, mainly composed of two surnames: one is your current surname: Zhuo! The other is your original surname: Jiang!
Our ancestors discovered that this place was rich in copper several thousand years ago, so the technique of bronze smelting is quite advanced. I suppose you've seen a lot along the way too.
And I was the leader of the previous generation, you are the leader of this generation. However, our clansmen, including your biological parents, have all passed away. I don't know how your father with the surname Zhuo told you the truth, but today I won't hide anything from you either.
"Our tribe has made a living by collecting medicine and has been living a self-sufficient farming life, all for the purpose of guarding a secret here. In those years, Zhuo Yuguizi privately went out to sell herbs, which was originally a serious taboo within the tribe, but he did not know how to repent, instead brought outsiders into the village, and it was a group of Japanese people with ulterior motives."
"Japanese?" Chaozi interjected, but Zhang Wenbin signaled for him to be quiet and let the old man with white whiskers continue.
"Right, it was a group of Japanese people. They somehow found out about the secret existence in the mountains and used their silver tongues to deceive Zhuo Yu-gui. Zhuo Yu-gui, being greedy for wealth, laid down the foundation for future troubles. On that day, your grandmother's body wasn't feeling well, so I went into the mountains alone to pick herbs. I left the family matters to be taken care of by your father. Your father was a kind and honest man, he knew that outsiders entering the village was a big mistake, but still followed our tribe's tradition of hospitality, killing chickens and pigs, preparing a sumptuous dinner to entertain them. That day, they asked your father to be their guide to lead them into the mountains, but your father flatly refused because of the rules set by our ancestors: no one from our tribe can enter the mountains for their entire lives, nor can we let others enter!"
Those vicious outsiders, instead of poisoning the food, spared only me who went into the village to collect medicine, Zhuo Yuguang who raised you, and you who were stuffed into the cellar, while all the villagers from old to young, including your parents, could not escape their slaughter.
After these Japanese devils did such inhumane and unjust things, they first rummaged through the village, but didn't find what they were looking for, so they went into the mountains to search for treasure. By the time I came down from the mountain, the village was already a river of blood, and the only ones who couldn't be found were Zhuo Yu-gui and you, still in your swaddling clothes.
I chased you out of the mountain, searching hard, and finally found you two at Zǐ Píng Pū, which is now Zhōu Yù Guì's home. Zhōu Yù Guì has always been greedy for wealth and timid, without the guts to kill anyone. To follow the clue without startling the snake in the grass, I returned to the village again. Until not long after, Lǎo Wáng and others arrived. And you, have lived by Zhōu Yù Guì's side all along, from when you started walking, to later reading books, joining the army, every single thing of yours I've seen with my own eyes. Every time, after a while, I would go down the mountain to take a peek at you, these years, although I haven't raised you, but have watched you grow up. As for what I can say on my side, I've said it all, the rest is for Lǎo Wáng to continue saying."
After hearing all this, the person in the scene who was most unacceptable to accept was Zhuo Xiong. In an instant, the "father" who had raised him for twenty years turned out to be a traitor who had betrayed his own people and indirectly caused the death of his loved ones. Yet he himself still didn't know about it and wanted to support him in his old age. Anyone would find this fact unacceptable. Zhuo Xiong's face flushed red, he didn't want all this to be true. Although Zhu Lao Han was somewhat greedy, he had taken care of him meticulously: "What evidence do you have to prove these things? Don't try to slander him!"
"Slap!" Hu Bai's white beard suddenly slapped Zhang Xiong's face, leaving five pale palm prints in an instant. Hu Bai roared: "You ungrateful grandson, kneel down for me now!" With a loud rip, he tore open his own shirt, revealing a thin and bony chest with a small red dragon coiled around it, its wings spread wide in a perfect spiral pattern!
"Ying Long!" Cha Wenbin exclaimed!
"Not bad, Cha Wenbin indeed has vision! Kid, take off your clothes and have a good look at your own chest!"
Everyone's eyes were fixed on Zhuo Xiong, who stood still in his tracks. He was bewildered, he was perplexed, he was distressed, and he couldn't accept it!
"Ah!!!!!" Zhuo Xiong let out a long, mournful cry to the heavens, which echoed through the valley for a long time. With a ripping sound, his shirt was torn open, revealing an identical red dragon in the same position as before, even the angle of its spread wings was the same!
With a "thud", Zhuo Xiong knelt down, tears streaming down his face. This seven-foot-tall man, who had always been known for his gentle and honest image, and was often teased by Chao Zi, could no longer hold back. He knew that this tattoo only appeared when he was excited, and as a child, he had been afraid of it. Whenever he exercised vigorously while studying, the small red dragon would appear. As a result, he never went shirtless from a young age, keeping this secret deeply hidden in his heart, not even telling Zhuo Yu Gui about it. Now, with the reappearance of another dragon, he had no choice but to believe Hua Bai Hu Zi. Later, when he joined the army and went to Tibet, he met a lama who also had a similar tattoo. The lama told him that this was an ancient totem, drawn on at birth with the blood of a newborn pigeon, only appearing in special physical circumstances. He asked the lama what it meant, but the lama just chanted scriptures and didn't answer, so he gave up.
The white-haired old man was also covered in tears at this moment, as he recognized his relatives. The kind of affection that is closest to the heavens made Cha Wenbin think of his daughter and He Yichao think of his mother. Everyone was moved to tears. The old man trembled as he stroked his hair, trembling as he said: "Get up, child. It's not that Grandpa doesn't want you, it's just that Grandpa wants to avenge the whole village. Now that we've finally reunited, grandson and grandfather, we should do something for our deceased loved ones."
Chaozi clenched his fists tightly, and his bones made a "cracking" sound. After a long time, he finally squeezed out two words: "Who is it?!"
"You get up first, and let Old Wang continue." White-haired Hua helped his beloved grandson to his feet, gesturing for Old Wang to go on.
Old Wang nodded and said, "At that time, the organization set up a small group. After learning about the village being destroyed, we rushed in to investigate the truth of the matter while searching for those ancient legends. At first, Brother Jiang thought we were bad people too, and almost caused a conflict. It wasn't until after several negotiations that he understood our intentions."
It is said that the history of this place is about 4,000 years old. While the tribe has been worshiping "Qingyi God" for generations, they have also been guarding a secret unknown to others, that is, the 'Fusang' divine tree!
"Mountains and Seas Scripture...Beyond the Eastern Ocean": "Tang Valley, above which is Fu Sang, where the ten suns bathe, to the north of Hei Chi."
"Within the Four Seas Record of Ten Continents - Fusang Continent": "Many trees are born, with leaves like mulberry. There is also a kind of tree, two thousand zhang tall, and over two thousand zhang in circumference. Two trees grow together from the same root, leaning on each other, hence the name Fusang."
"The highest in the world, Fu Sang has no branches or trees, it reaches up to heaven, coils and descends, connecting three springs."
The great poet of the Tang Dynasty, Li Bai, also wrote "In Response to Meng Shoufu's Letter from Shoushan": "I want to lean my sword against the sky outside, and hang my bow on the mulberry tree."
These biographies and literary records all mention the same thing, that is Fusang. What is Fusang? It is a spiritual place in our Han ethnic mythology, where the Fusang tree is said to be composed of two large mulberry trees that support each other. Originally, there were ten branches, each with a divine bird Jinwu perched on it. Jinwu is a three-legged crow, the spirit of the sun, and the son of the sun goddess Xi. This great tree is where Jinwu rides in his chariot to rise up, symbolizing sunrise and sunset. The Fusang tree is also the grand gate that connects the divine realm, the human world, and the underworld, and all kinds of people come and go through here between the three realms. Therefore, in that era, immortals were everywhere.
It was also because the golden crows were very stubborn, and after ten of them drove their chariots up into the sky one day, they refused to come back down, scorching the mortal realm and leaving it desolate and barren. Meanwhile, those creatures such as the Pi Xiu, Zao Chi, Jiu Ying, Da Feng, Feng Hu, and Xiū Shé took advantage of the situation to wreak havoc on the mortal realm, causing widespread suffering and death.
Later, a hero from the Han tribe named Hou Yi appeared, with incredible strength and exceptional archery skills. Standing atop the Fusang divine tree, he drew his bow and shot down all nine golden crows, which were also known as the nine suns. When he prepared to shoot again, he used too much force and accidentally broke off one of the tree's branches with his foot. From then on, the three realms lost their only great gateway, making it difficult for them to communicate with each other. This is also why there have been very few myths produced in the nearly three thousand years since then.
The Japanese were originally the descendants of Xu Fu's eastward journey, and they worshipped the Fusang sacred tree extremely. Over time, they regarded themselves as people from Fusang, and they looked at Mount Fuji as a divine spirit, taking it as a symbol of the Fusang sacred tree to worship. According to our clues, that one branch that was trampled by the descendants is very likely to have fallen into their hands already. This group of Japanese people wanted to find the original form of the Fusang sacred tree, restore the sacred tree, and reopen the gates of the three realms again, and this matter has been related to many levels. Our team was ordered to find out where the sacred tree is located, but after all, it's just a legend. It wasn't until we arrived at Qifeng Mountain that we discovered these legends were actually very likely to exist!
"What's the meaning of bringing me here?" Cha Wenbin asked with his usual good temper.
"Listen, brother, let me continue," Old Wang said. "After we entered the mountain, we found that there was an extremely strong magnetic field here. Modern instruments were useless, and we could only rely on experience and limited knowledge of Feng Shui. But in the misty and cloudy mountains, outsiders couldn't even get halfway in. Just when we were at a loss, the leader of the Japanese group, Mochizuki, found Zhuo Yigui, and it seemed like he had been seriously injured. We followed this lead and continued to investigate, only to find out that almost the entire team had been wiped out, leaving only him to return to Japan. After Mochizuki returned to Japan, all his actions were under secret surveillance. We found out that he began to abandon martial arts and turn to Taoism, which made us suspect the Feng Shui layout here. We invited some Taoist masters to take a look, but none of them could decipher it. The organization also sent people to investigate in the mountains, but they all disappeared without exception."
Later, Wangyue's grandson, Wangyue Yimu, came again to fully explore the map. After all, his grandfather was the only one who survived and escaped from the mountain, perhaps he knew more than us. However, this kid has been looking for some Taoist people, which further deepened our suspicion. In the end, based on the clues in the village and Jiang's family stories, we inferred that the builder of this place was a master who was well-versed in the art of gods and ghosts and the essence of Taoism. Moreover, according to Jiang, several ancestors of Ba-Shu were buried here, including King Cancong and King Yufu of Shu! The fact proved that people from various dynasties had been searching for this place, and they provided us with a large number of clues one after another!
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