According to Li Changyou, the village with the largest population among the five villages under Qingyun Town was located in the valley below us, so the town's earliest administrative center was here.
But when we arrived, there was only a vast plain beneath our feet, without even a single hilltop.
When Jiang Man made her guess, I also thought that this place was very likely filled in by a mudslide, but when I came over, I found that something was wrong.
The ground beneath our feet was a layer of loess, and the terrain was flat. If this place had been filled by a mudslide, the soil should have been a steep slope sloping downwards. But the edge of this place, which was normal, was like a terraced field, with layers of soil spreading downwards, as if it had been specially reinforced.
Just as I was observing the surrounding terrain at the edge of the platform, Jiang Man walked up to me and handed me a stone: "Look at this."
I looked at the dark gray stone with dark red veins and tentatively asked, "Is this ore?"
"The tailings from the dry beneficiation of iron ore are the discarded waste materials. The platform we are standing on is a tailings dam!"
Jiang Man's family also runs a mining business, so she is very clear about these things: "After iron ore mining, the discharge of tailings has always been a problem, so mining companies often secretly discharge waste rock into the mountains, then cover it with yellow soil and scatter grass seeds to avoid supervision. The tailings pond under our feet is very likely formed by companies secretly discharging waste rock."
"The ditch was indeed filled in by humans, but I'm afraid their purpose was not just to discharge tailings."
I cast my gaze around under the moonlight: "The feng shui here has been altered."
Jiang Man threw away the ore in her hand: "No one lives here, why bother changing the feng shui?"
"To be precise, what has been changed here is the reference point."
Looking at the surrounding mountains, I said, "These mountains have all been altered by humans. The valleys that used to carry water have been filled in, and the dragon veins on the plains have been cut off and then backfilled."
Jiang Man understood immediately: "You mean, someone wants to alter the terrain here to hide the location of the Miao Jiang Immortal Palace?"
"We obtained the news about the Miao Jiang Immortal Palace from within Ping'an Village. They can't hide it from us. Their purpose in doing this is to prevent people who understand feng shui from discovering that a large tomb is hidden here when they pass by."
I paused for a moment: "From this, it seems that the formation of this tailings dam and the changes in the surrounding mountains were both done by the Ping'an Village branch of the city. Based on the analysis of the surrounding trees, this project must have been several decades ago, and it is not a recent result. However, the more they try to cover it up, the more it shows that there is indeed a huge secret hidden here."
Jiang Man nodded: "Did you find the mountain that Song Laosan mentioned?"
"That mountain peak that looks like a palm! The shape of that mountain is called the Five Yellow Lianzhen, which is one of the nine star classifications of mountain shapes. In Qimen Dunjia, this star is called the Heavenly Bird Star, which governs evil, distortion, and illness. It is better to be still than to move, as movement will bring misfortune. It is better to supplement than to suppress, as suppression will bring disaster."
I pointed to a mountain peak that branched out in several directions and said, "When the Five Yellow Star (Lian Zhen Star) is out of power, it is called the 'Five Yellow Evil Star,' the most ominous of the nine stars. If it encounters the Two Black Star or the Three Green Star, it will surely bring bloodshed. Look at the U-shaped valley on the left; that is the Two Black Star (Ju Men Star). The terrain formed by the five valleys and four mountain ranges on the right is the Three Green Star (Lu Cun Star). These mountains have all been artificially modified. You can still see some clues now. But if you wait a few decades, and the traces of their artificial construction are completely worn away by nature, anyone who understands feng shui will not even glance at this place when they pass by... It seems there are feng shui masters in Ping An Village."
While explaining the local terrain to Jiang Man, I also found a road and led her around the tailings pond, all the way to the valley that Song Laosan had mentioned.
As we reached the edge of the valley, we could see lights shimmering within it from afar. I stood in the shadows and dialed Song Laosan's number: "I'm almost at the valley you mentioned. Are you still there?"
It was already dark, and Song Laosan couldn't see what was happening above the valley: "Yes, our people are here guarding, and they've turned on their flashlights. You can see them as soon as you get close."
I confirmed that the people down the mountain were Song Laosan's gang, so I stayed where I was and smoked a cigarette before finding a gentle slope and heading in that direction.
The area around Qingyun Town is now fraught with danger, and Song Laosan and his men dare not let their guard down. The men left on the outskirts saw us and emerged from the darkness: "Halt! Who are you?"
Hearing the commotion, Song Laosan shone a flashlight in their direction and shouted, "We're on the same side, let them come over!"
I was allowed to pass by the sentry and quickly walked towards Song Laosan: "So, did you find anything?"
"Come with me first."
Song Laosan didn't answer my question. Instead, he led me more than twenty meters inside and shone his flashlight on the hillside: "Take a look for yourself."
In the area illuminated by Song Laosan's flashlight, there was only loose soil, which had buried all the weeds on the hillside.
Although I don't know much about digging tombs, I can tell at a glance that this is soil that has been dug up by tomb raiders. It's a mixture of loess, sediment, red soil from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States period tombs, and blue clay.
When wet, green clay is bluish-green and soft like paste. When dried, it becomes white and hard, and is also called white clay. Green clay or white clay cannot be made artificially. It is a type of clay containing kaolin.
It is formed over a long geological process and is not found everywhere. It can generally only be formed in relatively enclosed and humid environments such as rivers or depressions.
Blue clay is a common material in archaeological activities. Placing blue clay in burial pits is relatively common in Chu tombs from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, as well as Han tombs influenced by Chu tombs, especially in the tombs of nobles with the means.
This special type of soil has a fine texture and high viscosity, giving it a strong sealing and anti-corrosion effect. It is used to seal tombs, isolating them from air and moisture. Its fluidity also helps to prevent tomb robbery and protect the tomb.
The fact that important artifacts from some large tombs, such as bamboo slips, silk, and bronzes, have been preserved intact to this day is largely thanks to the efforts of Qinggao Ni.
Generally speaking, experienced tomb raiders can contact buyers and prepare to ship their loot as soon as the soil brought up by the Luoyang shovel contains blue clay when drilling plum blossom holes.
Seeing that I was staring at the loose soil, Song Laosan explained, "There is a lot of blue clay here. It's not the clay brought up from the plum blossom site. I suspect that some teams have already started tomb raiding."
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