The old things I repaired have become fine

Chapter 755 Digging up this kind of treasure myself?! I'm insane!

Shen Le stood there, gazing blankly at the majestic mountain range. It was September, the beginning of autumn, though still a few days early, the weather in Shanghai was still quite hot, requiring the air conditioning to be on 24 hours a day.

However, the summit of Langjuxu Mountain was already covered with a thin layer of snow.

The north wind sweeps across the land, breaking the white grass; snow flies in the eighth month of the lunar calendar in the northern regions. When Huo Qubing led his troops to conquer the Xiongnu and seal the Wolf Mountain, did he also encounter such weather?
Shen Le didn't know. All he knew was that the magnificent, fierce, and unstoppable light ahead might, perhaps, or maybe, be the object he was looking for.

"Don't get too excited...don't assume things..." The overwhelming joy made him dizzy. Shen Le had to use his right thumb to press down on the web of his left hand, forcing himself to calm down:

"It's not certain yet...it might not be...we need to get closer and gather more evidence...after all..."

After all, the Kent Mountains are probably the Langjuxu Mountains mentioned in Han Dynasty records, and the "Buerhan Khaldun Mountains" in the mouths of the Mongols. On the southern slopes of this mountain range lies another very famous place:
"Gulianlegu", also known as "Qiliangu", is the place where Genghis Khan first proclaimed himself Great Khan and established his headquarters. It is also the burial place of Genghis Khan.

If it were Qilian Valley, it would probably, perhaps, possibly also emit such a sharp light under the gaze of spiritual power.

Shen Le didn't even dare to use magic to move through the mud. He simply circulated the heat to his legs and struggled forward against the fierce icy wind and the raging snowflakes.

The further you go, the more difficult it becomes:
These undulating mountains, these peaks beneath our feet, this entire world, seem to be suppressed by an immense force.

Just like holding a compass next to a magnetite deposit, the magnetic needle will spin wildly and cannot point accurately to north;

The further he went, the less the earth responded to his call. The earth's veins were suppressed, or nailed down, unable to gently embrace him, nor to support him as he moved forward;

Shen Le had to endure all the cold, all the fierce winds, and even all the ruggedness and danger with his own body...

But Shen Le grew more and more excited as he walked. That's right, that's right—whether it's Qilian Valley or the place where Huo Qubing sealed the wolf's lair, there must be extremely powerful forces there;
The thing that can stop him, prevent him from casting spells, and stop him from mobilizing the energy of heaven and earth, must be one of the two things; there can be no other!
Even if we don't find the location of Fenglangjuxu, finding Genghis Khan's burial site wouldn't be a loss! Well, of course, whether we can let them dig it up is another matter entirely…

He first zipped up his jacket, then pulled up his hood, and soon after, put on his face mask.

Fortunately, I had traveled all the way on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The snow-covered plateau at 5,000 meters, with its extreme cold, strong winds, and steep slopes, was far superior to the mere 2,000-meter-high Kent Mountains.

This level of fatigue and hardship is nothing compared to the daily patrols of border guards—they are all made of flesh and blood, and his own flesh and blood has been strengthened through cultivation!

Soldiers endure hardship to protect their country, so what's wrong with him suffering a little to seek the glory and history of the Han Dynasty? Keep going, keep striving!
Shen Le climbed with uneven steps, until he finally reached the source of the magnificent light he had seen just as the sun was about to set.

The setting sun shone on the rock face, but because the view of the golden mountain under the sun was so close, it didn't feel particularly spectacular, and Shen Le had to close his eyes for a moment.

Then, he looked up and carefully searched the cliff face, even using all his strength to fly up despite the immense pressure, reaching out to touch the surface of the rocks:

……No.

No, I'm sure.

Unfortunately, the exposed rock face is composed of layers upon layers of shale. As a student specializing in ancient building restoration, Shen Le, although not a geology major, can at least identify some common types of rock:
Generally speaking, cliff carvings are carved on granite, which is extremely hard, has a dense structure, and is highly resistant to wear and weathering, allowing it to be well preserved for thousands of years.

If all else fails and granite is unavailable, limestone or sandstone can be used. The former has fine grains and is easy to carve, while the latter can at least be used to carve a large piece, such as the Leshan Giant Buddha.

But shale is really no good. This kind of rock is too soft and fragile. If you dare to carve on it, it'll collapse right before your eyes—

Even if it doesn't collapse on the spot, after several decades or a hundred years, it can collapse completely without a trace along its layered sheet structure!

"So it's not here... But the place I sensed, the place with the strongest light and the strongest repulsive force, is right here!"

Shen Le sank down, landing on the steep hillside. He unleashed his spiritual power, trying his best to connect with the world around him and resonate with the sharp, magnificent light.

Once, no; twice, no; three times, still no. The strange power here was simply too strong; his mental energy was severely suppressed, making it impossible for him to unleash it freely.

Could it be that the target he's looking for isn't here? Or is the stone carving on another cliff face, or somewhere lower down?

Shen Le regretted not bringing a drone with him, so he could fly around the cliff, film a video carefully, and then find a place to sit down and watch it slowly.

None of the little ones he brought out were good at flying, or even if some could fly, he would never let them fly—

For example, a silk skirt can fly at low altitudes and dance freely, but what about searching around these mountains?

They were willing, and Shen Le was even worried that they would be blown away by the mountain wind!

There was no other way but to make do. Shen Le sighed, sat down, opened his backpack, took out a few spirit fruits and a box of roasted lamb chops prepared by the landlady, and managed to fill his stomach.

He then pulled out his headlamp, put it on his forehead, and braved the increasingly biting wind, climbing up and down, searching the mountain peaks in circles as the sky gradually darkened:

If someone wanted to inscribe a monument to their achievements, they certainly wouldn't choose a secluded place like a cave to carve a stone; it would have to be in a very prominent location so that people could see it from a great distance.

Therefore, the most prominent and eye-catching position should be...

He searched from dusk till night, and from night till noon the next day, searching almost every spot with the brightest light, but found nothing.

Although there is some vegetation, moss, and snow powder blown by the mountain winds on this mountain, cliff carvings should never be placed in places that are easily obscured...

Shen Le became increasingly discouraged as she searched. Inside the backpack and on the bracelets, the little ones murmured amongst themselves, constantly trying to persuade her:
[Let's take a break! Let's take a break! Boss, find a slightly flat spot, unfold me, and go inside for a nap before we start looking again!]

[Boss, I'll put on some music for you! I'll dance for you to relax!] [Boss, take a break, I'll go find it! I'll strike this whole mountain with lightning, I bet I'll find something! -- Oh, and I'll go up there and split these snowy clouds apart!]

"No, Qingdeng, you should rest. This isn't how you look for things..." Shen Le could only smile wryly.

It wasn't that he didn't want to rest, but he had a feeling that if he rested here, if he backed down here, he would find nothing!
The discoveries here are irrelevant to him and will not reveal their true nature to him!
So... what kind of mark did Huo Qubing leave behind...?

The brightest spots are always on mountain peaks, not on flat land, which does not conform to Mongolian burial customs.

This is definitely not Qilian Valley, it is absolutely the place where Huo Qubing sealed the wolf's lair!
How did that exceptionally talented young general act back then?

Unconsciously, Shen Le searched her memory and began to recite softly:
"General Qu Bing captured three people, including the King of Tuntou and the King of Han, as well as eighty-three generals, prime ministers, officials, and captains. He sealed the Langjuxu Mountain, performed the Zen ceremony at Guyan, and ascended the Han Sea..."

"Sealing the wolf and residing on Mount Langjuxu, practicing Zen at Guyan, ascending the vast sea... and so on!"

The inscription on Yanran Mountain was done by Dou Xian, a general of the Eastern Han Dynasty. He found a stone on Yanran Mountain and carved it to commemorate his achievements.

In 2017, a joint Chinese-Mongolian expedition team discovered cliff carvings in the Yanran Mountains (Khangai Mountains). After verification, the inscriptions were confirmed to be written by Ban Gu, and the existing 220-plus characters are basically consistent with historical records.

However, Huo Qubing did not inscribe a stone; he "sealed the wolf and settled the temple at Guyan"... Putting these two sentences together, they can be integrated into a phrase that everyone is very familiar with!
Fengshan!

How was the Fengshan ceremony performed?

Shen Le smacked his head hard, trying to think. The rituals of the Fengshan ceremony were extremely complicated, with each dynasty having its own regulations and details;

However, one principle remains unchanged:
Building an earthen altar on the mountain to worship Heaven and report Heaven's merits is called "Feng" (封).
Find a small hill at the foot of the mountain and perform a sacrifice according to the rituals of worshipping Houtu to repay the land's merits; this is called Zen.

Whether it's a Feng or Shan ceremony, an altar must be built, offerings must be placed, and offerings must be burned. Jade tablets must be carved, and then the jade tablets must be buried in a pit.

Of course, a monument can be erected afterward to commemorate the achievement, or a cliff inscription can be made to record the achievement. However, erecting a monument or carving a cliff is not the most important thing. The most important thing is to build an altar, read the sacrificial text, and bury the jade tablet!

He searched for cliff carvings, circling around hundreds of times, but he was looking in the wrong direction!
So... should I find the jade tablet buried underground... or, if the conditions weren't right at the time, the stone tablet...?
Shen Le returned to the mountaintop, looked around, and sighed helplessly. This mountain is so big, how am I supposed to dig it down several meters with a shovel?
I really can't do that!
Forget it, let's try using the underground method instead. Once we confirm its existence, I'll bring an archaeological team to dig it up later.

Shen Le took a deep breath, sat cross-legged on the mountaintop, and communicated with the copper plate, then with the mountains and rivers through it. "Please, please, let me go down. I just want to take one look. I won't move a muscle..."

The copper sheet vibrated gently, emitting a silent whistling sound. Shen Le waited for a long while before connecting with the surrounding soil and slowly sinking down. He hadn't sunk half a meter when he cried out "Ouch!" and jumped up.

"If you won't let me get off, don't hit me!"

The aura below was like swords and halberds, like spears and knives; in short, it kept him out.

Shen Le circled around, trying to reach the highest point of the mountain seventeen or eighteen times, but failed each time. Only after leaving the mountain peak and reaching the edge of the circle bathed in light did he finally sink to the foot of the mountain for the first time.
"What is this? An arrowhead? Or a spearhead? Or..."

Shen Le held the object he had dug out of the soil in both hands, turning it over and over, examining it repeatedly. Apart from the fact that it was part of a weapon, he couldn't discern anything else about it.

With no other option, I had to keep moving forward along whatever might be a path, constantly using my mental energy to search through the soil:

"This is definitely a spearhead... This is... a shard of pottery? A bowl, or a pot, or something else? Is this... a fragment of armor? I really can't tell..."

Thank goodness, although the Mongolian Plateau is arid, it is still much more humid than the extreme climate of the Tarim Basin, and the preservation of various cultural relics is much worse.

Shen Le dug for a whole day, digging along the valley for thirty to fifty miles, collecting a large pile of fragments of various weapons and armor, fragments of various items, and even human and animal bones.

Some were carelessly discarded, some were deliberately piled up, and some were clearly buried properly, with traces of war still visible on the bones...

He selected a few of the most complete and distinctive items, packed them into the storage box of his portable laboratory, and sent the other discoveries back underground as is, only marking their specific locations.

Then, he tossed his backpack aside and rushed to the capital:
If we don't go now, we'll miss out!
This is a once-in-a-decade event that absolutely cannot be missed. Besides, it's said that many things that have never been seen before will be on display this year!

He watched the grand ceremony with great excitement, and even though he was dragged out of bed at 3:00 a.m. to queue up, without eating, drinking, or going to the toilet until 9:00 a.m. before he could finally see the live event, he didn't even think to complain.

After the event, Shen Le rushed into the school with her backpack, found her advisor, and then dragged her advisor to the head of the archaeology department next door:
"What? You're saying... you might have found the location where Huo Qubing sealed the wolf's lair?!"

The department head, in his fifties and with half his hair already balding, was trembling as he pressed his hands against the table.

Shen Le opened his backpack and began taking things out one by one:

“These are the artifacts I found near the mountain peak… These are the artifacts I found on the path leading to the mountain peak… These are the photos I took… This is what I detected with my detector…”

A table was littered with sealed bags, sealed boxes, and printed photos.

When it comes to identifying these things, the department head is far superior to Shen Le, recognizing most of them at a glance:
"So, you didn't dig it out yourself?"

Shen Le, of course, wouldn't tell the truth. He shrugged, his tone self-righteous:

"Of course I can't dig it up! This kind of thing definitely needs to be unearthed and authenticated by the national archaeological team in full view of the public before the whole world will be convinced! What I dig up, is it something I buried, or something I forged?"

(End of this chapter)