In the thatched hut provided by the tribe, I saw a map depicting the tomb of the evil monk for the first time.
This is a map drawn on leather. Due to its age, the leather is tattered, but the vein-like patterns, drawn with an unknown material, are still clearly visible.
It's more like a simple line drawing than a map.
There is no scale, no contour lines, and not even any mention of the terrain.
Upon closer inspection, there are three oddly shaped symbols at the bottom of the leaf veins, which look very much like the "Tianwen" recorded in the Judge's Record.
The script, also known as the ghost book or the anti-book, is said to be written for the dead.
However, there is no translation technique in the Judge's Record, so I cannot be sure.
Old Song scratched his head: "I've been into collecting antiques since I was a teenager, and I've seen some ancient maps, but this is the first time I've ever seen one this simple. Are you really sure this is a map?"
Fish are hidden underwater!
Qu Ruilin and I uttered the same word in unison, then turned our faces in different directions.
Song Laosan looked at the two of us speechlessly: "Hey, you two ancestors, we're sitting here to get this done. Didn't you agree to put aside your differences for now?"
Considering Wei Shengnan's eagerness to save lives, I took a step back and explained, "The fish in 'fish hidden underwater' is a transliteration, taken from the character '舆' in '舆图,' which means map."
Qu Ruilin seemed unwilling to be outdone by me, and chimed in, "The ancestors of the four sects were pioneers in the tomb raiding business. They had no specific lineage of masters, and their methods were not passed down to outsiders, so the techniques they used were different from those on the market."
"I've heard my dad talk about fish hiding underwater before, but this is the first time I've seen it for myself."
Song Laosan was a smart man. After a few words from us, he had already figured out the trick: "The underwater fish-hiding map is a unique drawing method of the Four Gates. It is useless to anyone other than the descendants of the Four Gates because they cannot understand its secrets. As far as I know, the underwater fish-hiding map is not a treasure map, but a pointing map, right?"
"That's right."
Wei Shengnan nodded and pointed to the base of the leaf vein pattern, saying, "This technique has a simple pattern, but the real complexity lies outside the map. You have to first determine the main vein, and then find the correct path among the branches. The more branches there are, the greater the difficulty."
Qu Ruilin narrowed his eyes: "The underwater fish-hiding techniques of the Four Gates are not only meant to confuse outsiders, but also to test future generations, so as to prevent inexperienced fools from going to their deaths."
Wei Shengnan pointed to the three symbols on the main vein: "These three characters mean Tianci Temple."
I seized the opportunity to ask, "Is this the Tianwen script?"
"The Wei family is responsible for the security of the four gates. In addition to their family martial arts tradition, they also learn all kinds of secret techniques from all over the world, including the Tianwen technique."
Wei Shengnan nodded: "We have already verified that Tianci Temple was a Brahman temple built in Magadha during the Gupta Dynasty in India. In 1193, the Muslims rose to power and the Delhi Sultanate was established. The first ruler, Aybak, sent troops to India. His general, Zirgi, burned down the Buddhist Nalanda and Vikramashila temples, as well as the Brahmanical Tianci and Qingming temples. The fire at Tianci Temple took four months to extinguish, which shows how many scriptures it contained and how large its scale was."
I've understood the whole story: "Since you've brought us here, it means we're currently at the site of the former Tianci Temple, right?"
"Smart!" Wei Shengnan gave me an approving look. "Tianci Temple is the only clue on the map, and it's also where the Wei family's efforts are needed. Now the Wei family's work is done. The next task for everyone is to find the dragon vein and determine the true location of the tomb."
At this moment, Song Laosan chimed in, "The Song family is in charge of intelligence and logistics. I prepared everything you need before we came. What we need now is to determine the direction."
Qu Ruilin glanced at the map on the table and said to Wei Shengnan, "I need a computer to look at the local satellite map and observe the terrain."
"There is no local network signal, electronic devices cannot connect to the Internet, and satellite network transmission is too slow, so we prepared printed versions in advance."
As Wei Shengnan spoke, she took out a folder from her bag, pulled out a printed satellite map, and handed it to me and Qu Ruilin.
Seeing that I had taken the map, Song Laosan handed me a bronze compass about the size of a palm.
I was a little surprised by his actions: "How did you know I needed this?"
"Isn't this what the Song family is responsible for? Before our fathers, several families lived together for generations. Isn't that what is called inheritance? Although the methods of tomb raiding are constantly developing with technology, your skills were taught by your grandfather, so they should still be relatively traditional."
Song Laosan smiled and said, "Luoyang shovel, earth-splitting sword, dragon-subduing wood, grain bag, two-world knife, mountain-climbing mirror... we've prepared everything you need! In addition to these, we also have some modern equipment!"
As descendants of tomb raiders, the four families all possess some knowledge of feng shui, but only the Duan and Qu families truly inherit it. This is because one family needs to find burial sites and disturb the earth, while the other needs to enter tombs and find treasures; feng shui is a skill for survival.
To be honest, the Qu family's feng shui skills are superior to the Duan family's mountain-flipping techniques.
Qu Ruilin's method is called "Earth-penetrating Eye".
"Earth-seeing eye" is a term in Feng Shui, similar to the highest professional title for a Feng Shui master, signifying their high level of skill, exquisite artistry, and unparalleled insight.
Legend has it that a master with the ability to see into the earth can locate ancient tombs in the vast wilderness.
Looking at the printed satellite map in my hand, I couldn't help but marvel at the convenience brought by advanced technology; the terrain over hundreds of kilometers could be seen at a glance.
In the past, this would have taken a lot of running around.
I laid the map flat, adjusted the orientation, and then used a compass to observe the terrain.
Bihar is located in northern India, bordering Nepal to the north and Bangladesh to the east. We are currently in its northern Ganges Plain, where the terrain gradually rises from north to south.
Because it is a plain, there are very few mountains here, only one mountain range to the west and one to the south.
According to satellite maps, these two mountain ranges are not very undulating and their terrain is difficult to discern; at best, they can be considered two insignificant flatland dragons.
Seeing the terrain here, I frowned.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Qu Ruilin's expression wasn't very pleasant either.
Almost simultaneously, we both asked Wei Shengnan, "Are you really sure that we're at the site of the former Tianci Temple?"
"You can rest assured about this. In addition to the Wei family's research, we also consulted historians in India. The location is 100% certain."
When Wei Shengnan noticed that we were both staring at her, she had a bad feeling: "Is there something wrong here?"
"fine."
Qu Ruilin and I shook our heads at the same time and turned our attention back to the satellite map.
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