Chapter 126: Treasure Hunting in the Zhongtiao Mountains

He raised a hand and called, “A Zi, come here!”

Like a bolt of purple lightning, the little creature shot into his palm. Satisfied, he stroked the mink’s soft fur with his other hand, and the little beast crouched comfortably in his hand, enjoying his caress.

Then he beckoned Yu Fang, Li Wuxin, and Jiang Ni to his side and said, “All right, let’s pause our cultivation here for now. Come, we’re going to Mount Zhongtiao!”

Jiang Ni looked puzzled. “Uh, what are we going to Mount Zhongtiao for? Sightseeing?”

“We’re going treasure hunting,” he said.

Just as they were about to set off, they were surprised to find several little tortoises already at their feet, biting at the hems of their pants and refusing to let go. He crouched down and looked at the adorable creatures. “Little tortoises, do you want to come with us?”

The little tortoises showed that they were willing to follow. He looked at the women, and they nodded. So the six tortoises were carried along with them. When they reached the village outside, they borrowed several jars, filled them with a little water, and put the tortoises inside. After reaching the town, they took a vehicle back to the provincial capital, checked on them and the shop and company, then drove off in the SUV and headed straight for Mount Zhongtiao in Shanxi.

Mount Zhongtiao lies in the southwest of Shanxi Province. In modern history, during the War of Resistance, the famous Battle of Mount Zhongtiao once took place there. It is one of the representative mountain ranges of the Luliang area. Between the Taihang Mountains and Mount Hua, it is also known as the northern segment of the Western China mountains connecting with Mount Wangwu and Mount Lishan, the source of the Shushui River. Mount Zhongtiao screens Luoyang, Tongguan, and the Central Plains, protects Xi'an and the vast northwest, and overlooks southern Shanxi and northern Henan. Its strategic importance is immense.

With the Shushui to the north and the Yellow River to the south, its water resources are abundant, gathering many streams within its valleys. It is also a cradle of ancient Xia civilization. The Yuncheng Salt Lake at the foot of Mount Zhongtiao was once the largest salt production base in China. Historians have said it accounted for “nine tenths of the salt under heaven.” Whoever held this land effectively held the lifeline of the world. Thus, from the age of the Yellow Emperor all the way through the Tang, Song, and Ming dynasties, countless rulers stationed heavy troops and trusted ministers here, clamping down on their own purse strings.

To seize Mount Zhongtiao as a logistical base—advance to rule the Central Plains, retreat to defend Guanzhong—this was the strategic plan of King Wu of Zhou, Ji Fa, when the Zhou people were rising. With the same thought in mind were Duke Wen of Jin during the Spring and Autumn period, and Marquis Wen and Marquis Wu of Wei in the Warring States: Jin occupied the Yuncheng Basin, used Mount Zhongtiao to develop rapidly, and once its national power grew strong, it led armies south into the Yellow River valley to vie for the Central Plains. Wei, meanwhile, rose first among the seven great states of the Warring States by relying on the copper mines of Mount Zhongtiao.

Mount Zhongtiao was also one of the cradles of Chinese civilization. In history, Yao, Shun, Yu, and Tang, among the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, all once flourished here. All the way there, He Zhixing and the others drove through Yuncheng, passed through a tunnel, and arrived at the town that serves as Mount Zhongtiao’s gateway.

They handed the car over to a dedicated storage lot, then the group, carrying special travel bags, began their climb. The money tortoises were placed in professional soft basket bags, one small bag per person—woven carriers that concealed whatever lay inside. He Zhixing held a small wooden carving of a beautiful woman in one hand as he led the way uphill, continuously seizing opportunities to send out a trace of spiritual energy in search of treasure.

Whenever he spotted a place with favorable geomancy, he would probe it with spiritual energy. They visited the Xiachuan ruins and the Temple of the Shun King, but found nothing; perhaps any treasures there had long since been unearthed and taken away by archaeologists.

They also went to places such as Qinwang Stronghold and Divine Tortoise Valley, but still found nothing. He Zhixing and the others were not in a hurry. They treated it like a leisurely trip, searching slowly and believing that eventually they would find some treasure infused with spiritual energy.

On the fifth day, they came to a place called Sacred Pool Grand Canyon. After entering the mountains, they climbed a narrow, perilous path that wound upward like a stairway to the sky, gripping the handrail as they ascended. They passed a pavilion built on a treacherous cliffside, then climbed through the folds of a steep red-rock landscape, scrambling upward over strange stones.

Suddenly, the wooden carving of the little beauty in He Zhixing’s hand gave off a reaction. It sensed the presence of a treasure imbued with spiritual energy!

He gradually climbed toward the mountain hollow below and the great rock where the energy seemed to appear. Seeing this, the women asked, “Zhixing, where are you going? Why are you climbing into that rough, rocky patch off to the side?”

Many tourists also heard the call and saw a strange man climbing toward the adjacent precipitous slope. They stared in astonishment at this person who was not taking the proper cableway up the mountain. There were no staff from the scenic area there, or else they would already have stopped him from taking such a risk. After all, it was far too dangerous; one misstep and falling off the pavilion into the cliff below would be the end.

He Zhixing ignored them. Soon, using the trees and the woods, he climbed up. The sensation grew clearer and clearer, until at last he sensed it beneath a rock not far ahead in a mountain hollow: there was a miraculous spiritual elixir cauldron, three-legged, lidded, about the size of a small bronze bell. The spiritual energy was seeping out from the soil beneath the thicket beside the rock, from that very spirit vessel.

At that moment, the money tortoises in the soft basket on his back also poked out their heads and rubbed against his neck. He Zhixing glanced back at the two tortoises and asked, “You felt it too?”

The two tortoises rubbed his neck a few times, as if to say yes.

He Zhixing quickly reached the thicket beneath the rock and took out a medium-sized carving chisel to begin digging downward.