The ancient road deserted village archaeological team was trapped in the primitive mountain village...
In the autumn of 1990, after the rainy season ended, the archaeological team of only six people was left. They purchased some supplies and headed deep into Longji Mountain.
The biggest challenge in their search for relics is not their archaeological excavation skills, but their ability to survive in the wild.
During the day, they had to travel as quickly as possible according to the map given by the hydrological expert; at night, they sat around the campfire and took turns sleeping to recover as much strength as possible.
The route into the mountain twists and turns, inevitably requiring some climbing. When we encountered difficult sections, the team members leaned on each other for support, showing a much stronger sense of unity than during those days of disagreement and voting.
Lin Hanzhen is the only woman in the team. Everyone admires her courage. Wen Duo also changes his previous contempt for her and asks her to follow him closely. They will not separate except to solve personal problems.
But even with such caution, accidents still happened.
They thought that by avoiding the rainy season, mountain rains would not be so frequent, but who could have imagined that between May and September of that year, there were more than 30 heavy rainstorms, and there would be a rain every two or three days in the mountains.
One team member was not in good physical condition and could not survive a cold night with rain and temperature dropping, and lost his life due to hypothermia.
His sacrifice sounded a wake-up call to everyone - what they are facing now is not the issue of whether they can find the relics or whether they can achieve academic achievements, but the issue of survival, the issue of life and death.
A sense of fear permeated the team. Lin Hanzhen finally plucked up the courage to ask Wen Duo if they shouldn't persist any longer.
Wen Duo ignored her the whole day. At night, when everyone else was asleep, he told her that the mountain rain had caused a landslide, and the path they had come up was blocked by fallen rocks, and they could no longer return by the same route.
In other words, they were trapped in the mountains.
Lin Hanzhen grew up in a well-off family and studied hard. She believed that the biggest setback in the world was nothing more than being scolded by her parents and teachers, or the sorrow of having a secret love that could not be revealed.
It was not until Wen Duo reminded her that she realized that they could not go back. The worst possible scenario was that they would die silently in the mountains like that team member.
Facing death so closely, it is impossible not to be afraid.
"Wen Duo, what... should we do?" Lin Hanzhen's voice trembled uncontrollably.
"We can't retreat," Wen Duo, shouldering the responsibility of being the captain, could only force himself to remain calm. He took out a map and showed it to her, "Go a little further, there should be a flat area here. But the map isn't detailed enough, and there are no markings on it. I'm not sure what this flat area refers to. We can only take a gamble."
"Okay, let's take a gamble." Lin Hanzhen bit her lip. If she gambled, she could still survive. If she didn't, she would really die here.
Wen Duo's facial features are particularly beautiful, with long eyelashes and double eyelids, and his eyes seem to speak. Even though the atmosphere is extremely tense, he speaks with a smile on his face: "Comrade Xiaolin, we are now in a life-and-death relationship. You have to help me."
"What should I do?" Lin Hanzhen tugged at the corner of her clothes, not daring to look up at him.
"They've been implicated by me, and they probably don't want to continue. This won't work. Tomorrow, we'll count the supplies in front of them and tell them we can get out in two days."
"Two days? No way, but if we go to this flat land, it should only take one day."
"They're lying. Have you heard the story of looking at plums to quench thirst?"
Lin Hanzhen understood that Wen Duo wanted to boost their morale. He first said that they could arrive in two days, but they arrived in one day. The energy brought by this sense of surprise could make everyone persevere a little longer.
That night, Wen Duo was on guard. In the second half of the night, the rain gradually stopped.
After dawn, fog rose in the mountains, and the closer they got to their destination, the thicker the fog became.
After walking for more than ten days, they have become accustomed to the changeable climate in the mountains and try their best to tie each other with safety ropes to avoid getting separated.
They were lucky enough not to encounter any large wild animals along the way. Although they were exhausted, they had plenty of food and did not travel on an empty stomach.
"Oh!"
Nothing could be seen in the white fog. Lin Hanzhen was suddenly tripped by something. Wen Duo was quick to catch her.
Na Zhao was still following behind, squatting down to push away the broken leaves and pull out the thing that tripped him.
"Bamboo rake?" He brushed off the dirt on it and looked at it over and over again.
"It's a bamboo rake." Wen Duo turned around and his eyes lit up instantly.
A bamboo rake is a tool with a long handle and the front end bent at a right angle, like a bent scratcher. It is mostly used to pick fruits from high places or mushrooms from the soil.
Lin Hanzhen also guessed what it represented, but she was always cautious and didn't dare to jump to conclusions. "Is it possible that someone from Mutao Village dropped it?"
"No," it was Na Zhaohuan who spoke this time, "This place is too far from Mutao Village. Even if there are some rare wild animals and fruits, the risk of obtaining them is very high. For them, it is not worth it and there is no need for it."
"Let's continue. There must be people living nearby." Wen Duo said firmly.
In fact, they found the "flat land" on the map at noon that day. Wen Duo understood at a glance why there was no more detailed marking.
To be precise, it was not a flat land, but a huge "hole".
The "hole" was slightly lower than their location, with cliffs on the east and west sides and river valleys on the north and south sides. It was called a "hole" because it looked more like a man-made excavation than a natural valley, like a "hanging city" between heaven and earth.
"Have you seen the ancient city of Jiaohe?" Wen Duo patted the man's shoulder excitedly.
"I've heard of it, but never seen it." The man was still smiling, with mud on his face.
"The Jiaohe Ancient City is a city carved from the top down on the plain where two rivers meet. It's also the former site of the Anxi Protectorate during the Tang Dynasty." Wen Duo's smile faded, his gaze stern. "Do you think it's possible that it's also an ancient city site carved from above, like the Jiaohe Ancient City?"
Unfortunately, the mountain fog was too thick, and Lin Hanzhen couldn't clearly see the scale of the houses and fields there. "If so, then the entire city is a ruin. Do we need to stop digging underground?"
Yes, they had gone through more than ten days of arduous journey, experienced the trauma and fear of losing their teammates, and carved out a path through the primitive mountain forests where there was no path. Wasn’t it all for this moment?
Wen Duo clenched his fists, his chest heaving: "If it is, it will definitely shock the whole country, and even the whole world!"
Nothing can be more inspiring than a "hanging city" shrouded in clouds and mist. All team members immediately stopped delaying and carefully observed the terrain of the mountains to find a way to reach the "hanging city".
The story went on for a long time and the food on the table had already gone cold.
Lin Hanzhen saw that Zichuan was not going to give up until he finished listening, so she gave up the idea of heating up the dishes.
"Mom, is there really such a place inside Dragon Ridge Mountain?"
"I actually hoped it was a dream. But your existence proves that it wasn't a dream."
The fog dissipated and everyone came to the "hanging city", but its scale was far smaller than the ancient city of Bujiaohe. If compared with the administrative planning at that time, it could probably only be regarded as a village.
Outside the village, there is a large stone slab lying with two traditional Chinese characters engraved on it: Beiling.
So Wen Duo and his friends called this place Beiling Village.
Beiling Village is located in the mountains and has been isolated from the outside world for many years. The buildings still retain a very original style. What is most surprising is that there are still dozens of households in the village.
In that era, there were still some small villages across the country that maintained a secluded state, but they were not completely isolated from the outside world.
The archaeological team soon discovered that the situation here was similar. Although the village had no electricity or water and its lifestyle was very primitive, the villagers recognized the RMB and knew that they were from outside.
The only obstacle may be the language barrier - the villagers speak with a heavy accent.
When she was in college, Lin Hanzhen got full marks in language courses. She believes that although dialects are changing, they are not without rules.
While Wen Duo and Na Zhao were busy looking for a place to stay and buying some daily supplies, she was already trying to communicate with the villagers and get information.
"They are gravekeepers." Lin Hanzhen said.
"Gravekeeper? Whose grave would be in the mountains?" Wen Zichuan asked.
"They refused to tell us," Lin Hanzhen recalled. "Perhaps after so many generations, most villagers only knew they had to guard the tomb, but didn't know who the owner was."
"Do they have a village chief? The village chief should know, right?"
The information collected by Lin Hanzhen made the archaeological team even more excited. It turned out that there were not only countless historical relics here, but also an extremely important tomb.
The ancient city ruins and ancient tombs, such a huge excavation result is enough for them to live on for a lifetime.
"Beiling Village is like a paradise. There is no village chief. Most villagers rely on farming for food. There is also a small number of women of higher status who are selected. They do not have to work on the farm, but they are in charge of sacrifices and also serve as doctors for the villagers. Therefore, they are also respected as 'husband slaves'."
The name "Fu Nu" was initially misread by Lin Hanzhen. Later she figured out that "Fu Nu" means "witch" in the dialect.
Archaeology emphasizes the relationship between different cultures. Geographically, Longji Mountain is still within the radiation range of the Chu witch culture, so it is not surprising that it is called "witch".
When outsiders came to the village, the one with the highest status among the "witches" would naturally come over to inquire about the situation.
Unexpectedly, this witch named Wu Heng had some understanding of the outside world.
She can speak fluent Mandarin and understand what archaeology is, but she rejected Wen Duo's proposal to take the villagers to live outside.
"Rather than taking everyone outside, I think you should adapt to life here as quickly as possible," Wu Heng said regretfully. "The mountain god got angry and sent down heavy rain. Falling rocks blocked the road, and you can't get out."
"We...can't get out?" The photo felt like it had been hit hard by a hammer. "What's going on?"
Wen Duo had not told anyone about the landslide except Lin Hanzhen. Now that Wu Heng's statement was consistent with his expectations, he told the truth to his team members.
"Impossible! My parents are waiting for me to come back...! I..." Nazhao was so scared that he spoke faster than ever before. "Wen Duo, you should find a way. It's just a road blockage. Find an excavator..."
Halfway through his words, he raised his hand and slapped himself in the face. Everyone was trapped here, where did the excavator come from?
Wen Duo was silent for a long time before he said, "There's nothing we can do. We can only wait until they realize we're missing, and then they might come looking for us."
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