Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapters 391 and 389: The Great Snow Mountain and the Divine Tree, Diary of Love and Hate, Aerial Photography of Sichuan

Inside a side room of the Gong family ancestral home, Fang Wen and Gong Xiuneng were reading Gong Jingwen's diary.

This scholar, who lived in the late Qing Dynasty, had to give up farming and studying because the imperial examinations were discontinued. He found a job in the Gong family, ostensibly managing the accounts of the Gong family's shop, but secretly investigating clues about the ancient Shu Kingdom.

Now, halfway through reading the diary, Gong Jingwen unexpectedly obtains a jade cong, but on his way back to the Gong family, he is ambushed and killed.

The text descriptions, read aloud by Fang Wen, were like listening to a storyteller, captivating Gong Xiu's attention.

Fang Wennian said:

"Fortunately, I have been good at swimming since I was a child. When the machete was swung at me, I resolutely jumped into the Shiting River and swam to the opposite bank to hide in the rock crevice, thus escaping disaster."

As dawn broke and people moved about along the riverbank, those who had wanted to kill me finally left.

Even so, I dared not venture ashore rashly, fearing thieves might be watching. So I continued swimming downstream until I came across a group of village women washing clothes by the river. In a moment of quick thinking, I offered them some silver coins and obtained a woman's outer garment. Using this, I blended into the group of women, concealing my identity, and finally managed to escape safely.

Hearing this, Gong Xiuneng happily said, "My dad is fine."

“If something happens to your father, you won’t be here anymore,” Fang Wen said with a smile.

He continued reading to Gong Xiuneng.

Having escaped, Gong Jingwen dared not linger for a moment and, still dressed as a woman, headed straight for Guanghan County.

This time, no one intercepted him, allowing him to escape back to the Gong family's ancestral home.

Subsequently, an elder in the clan who was well-versed in the culture of the ancient Shu Kingdom carefully studied the jade cong that Gong Jingwen brought back.

He was absolutely certain that the patterns, rings, and craftsmanship on the jade cong were exactly the same as those of the ancient Shu Kingdom artifacts in the clan's collection.

The diary specifically mentions the sacred tree, and the jade cong has the sacred tree pattern unique to the ancient Shu Kingdom.

(The unique divine tree pattern on the Sanxingdui jade cong)

Upon seeing this, Fang Wen couldn't help but memorize the words "divine tree."

Myths don't arise out of thin air, especially the objects of worship in ancient civilizations. They usually have real-world totems that people worship, and only later do similar patterns and tools appear.

Could there really be a divine tree in the ancient Shu Kingdom?

He continued reading.

Because of the jade cong, the Gong family was on high alert. Gong Jingwen, the only one who knew the origin of the jade cong, was under strict protection and was not allowed to be contacted by his clansmen or to ask any questions related to the jade cong.

Thus, Gong Jingwen stayed at the ancestral home for eight days. On the night of the ninth day, the clan chief suddenly arrived and ordered him and a dozen or so young men from the clan to go out under the cover of night to investigate the place where the jade cong was found.

Having received this important mission, Gong Jingwen and his protectors left Guanghan overnight and headed to the Leshan area.

Upon hearing this, Gong Xiuneng suddenly had a brilliant idea.

"Did my dad go to the Leshan Giant Buddha? Is the secret of the treasure inside the Buddha?"

This line of thinking is interesting. Fang Wen used a copper ruler to turn to the next page to see if they were as Gong Xiu had guessed.

No.

Fang Wennian said.

"I and fifteen clansmen boarded a boat south of Chengdu and sailed down the Fu River, then turned into the Min River, and finally landed in Meishan City within Leshan City."

Meishan is truly a land of outstanding people and beautiful scenery. It is the hometown of the great writer Su Dongpo and is also known as the "City of Eight Hundred Jinshi" (a city of scholars who passed the highest imperial examinations). It is truly a place that inspires awe.

After landing, our group searched the city and finally found the antique dealer who sold the jade cong. After some conversation, we learned that the jade cong had been sold to him by a Tibetan who had obtained it from the distant snow-capped mountains, and was now traveling day and night to reach it.

"Where is the Great Snow Mountain?" Gong Xiuneng asked.

The snow-capped mountains of the Sichuan Basin?

Yes, there really is. Fang Wen saw it on the plane.

That is a tall snow-capped peak located southwest of Chengdu, on the edge of the Sichuan Basin.

He took out the map and located the corresponding position.

"This is it, Mount Gongga."

Gong Jingwen and his party actually traveled hundreds of miles to reach the highest point in southwestern Sichuan.

That mountain peak is the highest in Sichuan, and the Tibetan people live on the other side of the snow-capped mountain.

The diary entries about that place are very vague.

Gong Jingwen used five words to describe it.

[Upon seeing the sacred tree, we bid it farewell.]

His diary entries were reduced to only three pages, foreshadowing the approaching end of his life.

With a heavy heart, Fang Wen read the last three pages to Gong Xiuneng.

[Having returned from the Great Snow Mountain, of the fifteen clansmen who accompanied us, only I and three companions remain. We returned to our ancestral home with heavy hearts. The clan chief immediately summoned us, inquired in detail about the events of our journey, and carefully treasured the divine staff that we had brought back through the hardships, regarding it as a priceless heirloom.]

My three companions and I were strictly ordered to keep quiet and vowed never to mention a single detail of our trip to the Great Snow Mountain.

Although the journey was perilous, I gained something. The clan chief, mindful of my contributions, bestowed upon me a sum of money and, exceptionally, allowed me to choose my own spouse, without being bound by the old custom of matchmakers from the clan elders.

This is excellent. My beloved can finally have a proper status, so I asked my clansmen to inform her to come to Hanzhou to complete our marriage.

Unexpectedly, just as preparations for the joyous occasion were underway, the Gou, Gou, Mu, and Jin families arrived uninvited, demanding to see the divine staff from the clan chief. The clan chief vehemently denied it, reluctantly saw off the four messengers, and then summoned the four of us, sternly questioning us about the reason for the leak of the news.

We all denied it, but as the team leader, I was unjustly suspected and placed under house arrest. The wedding was naturally called off. My heart was breaking, and I had no words to express my grievances.

That's all. I only wish for death. My poor son is still unborn, and my wife has never even entered my family. I leave this final note, along with my past letters and this notebook, locked in a drawer, hoping my son will see it.

It turned out to be the case.

Gong Jingwen eventually died.

But knowing that his children could inherit the ancestral home, he locked his belongings in a drawer to leave to his descendants.

Fang Wen sighed, didn't look at the suicide note left for Gong Xiuneng, and directly pushed it to him.

Gong Xiuneng, 30, couldn't help but shed tears as he looked at the yellowed suicide note.

That night, Xiu Neng couldn't sleep.

The next day, early in the morning.

The rooster's crowing woke Fang Wen.

As he got out of bed and walked out of the bedroom, he saw Gong Xiuneng tending a fire in the kitchen next door.

"You didn't sleep well last night, go catch up on some sleep. I'll boil some water," Fang Wen said.

"It's alright, Commander, I'm in good spirits," Gong Xiuneng replied.

"You probably couldn't stay here for even a moment longer," Fang Wen asked. After all, this place held no emotional significance for Gong Xiuneng, and even his biological father had ended his own life somewhere here.

Gong Xiuneng's body trembled, and he replied, "When I was young, my master once said that I was a posthumous child. At that time, I did not understand, but now I know. I'm afraid my mother never entered the Gong family. After my father died, she wandered outside with a big belly and eventually met my master."

Gong Xiuneng didn't say what the next speculation was: the so-called posthumous child is one whose mother has passed away but whose child has survived.

No wonder Master Jingyuan said before parting that it was best not to know. Perhaps Master Jingyuan already knew about Gong Xiuneng's background, but it was too tragic, so he never told Gong Xiuneng.

Fang Wen looked outside. The layers of eaves of the Gong family's ancestral home seemed particularly oppressive at this moment, as if countless tragedies had been accumulating here over the long term.

He didn't want to stay in such a place any longer, so he went back to his room, put the diary in his bag, and called to Gong Xiuneng.

"Let's go find the Gong family patriarch. There's no need to waste any more time. Let's just lay our cards on the table."

Gong Xiuneng quickly put down the fire poker, his face beaming with joy: "Great!"

The two went straight to the Gong family ancestral hall, but did not see the clan head. Instead, they saw the two brothers, Gong Quanyi and Gong Quanbao.

Fang Wen stated his purpose directly: "Take us to see the clan chief; we have important matters to discuss with him."

The Gong brothers thought it was a business discussion, so they quickly took Fang Wen and his companion to the clan chief's house.

At the clan chief's house, Fang Wen placed the diary with the silk cover on the table.

"Elder Gong, we found this in the house of Gong Xiuneng's father, Gong Jingwen. It's his diary, and from it, I've pieced together some things. Thirty years ago, Gong Jingwen brought back a bronze serpent staff from the Great Snow Mountain. Later, the news leaked for some reason, leading to four other families coming to demand its return. Although the then-elder Gong clan head managed to fob it off, the other four families were certainly suspicious. So, ten years later, twenty years ago, the Gong family, under pressure, held an appraisal conference in Guanghan. During this conference, the five families fought each other over the bronze serpent staff. Is that right?"

Fang Wen finished speaking in one breath and looked at the Gong family patriarch.

The old clan chief was stunned, and asked in return, "You've come here for the divine staff too? Are you a descendant of the ancient Shu Kingdom?"

"No, I just want to know, is the staff in your possession?" Fang Wen asked.

The old clan chief went back into the house and took out the bronze serpent staff he had held during yesterday's ancestral recognition ceremony: "This is it."

Fang Wen activated his ability to probe again, but he didn't sense any energy feedback from the bronze serpent staff. He shook his head with certainty: "It's not it."

The old patriarch sneered, "The divine staff has been in the Gong family for thirty years and has never left the hands of our successive patriarchs."

"Never? There were five appraisal associations in Hanzhou twenty years ago. They should have left back then," Fang Wen replied.

After saying that, Fang Wen called to Gong Xiuneng: "Let's go. The serpent staff is fake. There's no need to stay here."

Seeing that Fang Wen was about to leave, Gong Quanyi quickly asked, "What about the cooperation?"

“One thing at a time. Go talk to Minister Sun of the Logistics Department about the cooperation. If all five of you join forces, this matter can still be discussed,” Fang Wen replied.

The Gong brothers were overjoyed.

The Gong family patriarch stared blankly at the bronze snake staff in his hand, still unable to believe it was fake.

After leaving the Gong family ancestral home, Fang Wen and Gong Xiuneng felt refreshed and their sense of oppression vanished.

Gong Xiuneng asked, "Commander, if the Gong family's bronze serpent staff is fake, and the real one is probably in the hands of the other four families, should we go and search for it one by one?"

Fang Wen shook his head and rejected the idea.

That's too troublesome and would waste a lot of time. He has a better way: to use his special ability to fly over the Shu region and explore a wide area. That might be even more effective.

But this method of aerial reconnaissance needs a name.

Fang Wen couldn't help but think of Mr. Liang and Mr. Lin.

Aren't you two just interested in the ancient architecture and landforms of Sichuan?
I can invite them to take an aerial tour and filming trip through Sichuan, which would be a good opportunity to explore the entire Sichuan Basin.

Immediately afterwards, Fang Wen and Gong Xiuneng entered the city and headed to the Hanzhou Hotel.

There, he met Liang and Lin.

The four of them found a teahouse and chatted.

During the visit, the two gentlemen showed Fang Wen the photos they had taken in Hanju.

Looking at the photos, Fang Wen said, "The traditional architecture in Sichuan is very well preserved, but if you keep going from place to place like this, you probably won't be able to leave Sichuan for several years."

"Yes, there are so many ancient buildings here, it would be too difficult to see them all," Mr. Liang replied.

"How about this? I happen to have some free time right now, so I'll take you on an aerial tour of the architecture of various places in western Sichuan. Although we can't visit every place in person, it'll be more three-dimensional from the air."

Liang and Lin exchanged glances, communicating with each other, and both felt it was a good suggestion, so they agreed.

Fang Wen smiled and said, "Alright, let's set off now."

"Leaving now?" Mr. Lin asked in surprise.

"Yes, I'm a person who never drags things out. Go get the camera. Oh, by the way, I also have a Leica camera. It takes great pictures. It should be good for your aerial photography."

The two didn't say anything more, went back to the hotel to get their things, and then went with Fang Wen to the Qingbai River.

On the banks of the Qingbai River.

Sun Debiao and several logistics station staff who were about to stay in Guanghan were organizing migrant workers to start construction.

Two armed guards stood beside the plane on the riverbank.

Sun Debiao only managed to free himself when Fang Wen and his party arrived in a carriage.

He joked with Gong Xiuneng, "Now that we've found our kinsman, we'll have a place to pay New Year's visits. Unlike me, I can't even go back to my hometown."

Gong Xiuneng did not answer. Ever since reading his father's diary, he probably would never return to the Gong family ancestral home.

Fang Wen, through his bodyguard, said, "Things are done here. I have business to attend to with Mr. Liang and Mr. Lin. You should inform Jiang'an Airport to prepare fuel, as we'll be taking off and landing from there from now on."

Sun Debiao gleaned something from the general manager's words, glanced at Gong Xiuneng, and replied, "I'll inform Jiang An right away."

Immediately, Fang Wen was about to board the plane when he suddenly remembered the cooperation between the five families of Gou, Gou, Mu, Jin, and Gong, so he gave Sun Debiao some more instructions.

This is how the aerial photography journey began.

The seaplane took off, initially flying towards northern Sichuan.

The plane passed through Mianyang and traveled 240 kilometers to reach Guangyuan, the northernmost point of the Sichuan Basin.

Then it flew southwest along the edge of the basin, passing through Bazhong and reaching Dazhou, a distance of 200 kilometers.

At this point, half of the oil had been used up.

Fang Wen did not receive any energy feedback similar to that of the bronze cauldron.

He said to Liang and Lin, who were filming various landscapes and panoramic views of the ancient city, "We need to go back and refuel. We'll fly back to Chengdu Jiang'an Airport, fill up the tank, and then head south for another loop."

Mr. Liang and Mr. Lin, you took a lot of valuable photos during this voyage. I am very happy and can't help but praise you: "Thank you for your help in the research on ancient architecture. The photos taken from the sky can provide a more comprehensive understanding of the overall design concept of those ancient building complexes. They are of great help to our research."

"Of course," Fang Wen said with a smile.

The plane then turned back from Dazhou, flew via Nanchong, and returned to Chengdu, landing at Jiang'an Water Airport.

After refueling and having a quick lunch, Fang Wen and his group boarded the plane again and set off.

This time, Fang Wen remembered Gong Jingwen's diary and decided to fly through his journey to the Great Snow Mountain.

The plane flew south along the Minjiang River, passing over the ancient city of Meishan.

Then it headed southwest, passing through Ya'an, and arrived at Gongga Snow Mountain, the highest point in western Sichuan.

That is a very beautiful place.

(Aerial view of the treasure hunt flight path in the Sichuan Basin)
(End of this chapter)