chapter 5

A few days later, together with Meng Shui, I drove several horses loaded with tea leaves and arrived at the U-Tsang Kingdom.

On the way, another question came to my mind.

According to the stories I had heard since childhood, after passing Twin Fork Ridge, we should have first reached the Five Elements Mountain, where Sun Wukong was imprisoned.

After the Five Elements Mountain, we would still have to pass the Guanyin Temple where the Black Bear Demon resided.

But according to what Meng Shui said, after leaving Twin Fork Ridge and heading west, we would arrive directly at the U-Tsang Kingdom.

I asked Meng Shui if he knew where the Five Elements Mountain was.

Meng Shui shook his head and said that there had never been a mountain called the Five Elements Mountain nearby.

If we kept heading west, we would reach the U-Tsang Kingdom.

My doubts grew even deeper.

We traveled for three days, and the local customs and scenery visibly changed.

All along the way, there were Tubo People wearing earrings, round leather hats, and blue robes, as well as round or square buildings.

In such a place, it was indeed hard to imagine a Han Chinese manor suddenly appearing.

When we arrived at the market, Meng Shui told me that most Tubo People were Buddhists and would not particularly reject me. If I wanted to inquire about anything, I could just go ahead and ask.

I nodded and went alone to the market, looking for Tubo People who seemed friendly, to ask if they knew where Gao Village was.

But after asking about a dozen Tubo People, all of them said that they had never heard of any Han Chinese manor in the U-Tsang Kingdom.

One Tubo man selling yak milk even told me in broken Chinese that the market was the best place for news. If there were a Han Chinese manor here, they would definitely trade with the Tubo People, since the land here was not suitable for growing Han Chinese crops. If even the market had no news of this Gao Village, then it simply did not exist.

Gao Village simply did not exist?

Tang Sanzang had long since died, and Gao Village did not exist either-so what was real?

When Meng Shui saw me return with a heavy heart, he asked if I had found anything out.

I shook my head.

He asked if I wanted to go back.

I shook my head again:

I still haven’t found the answer-how could I go back?

Meng Shui sighed.

I said, “I want to keep heading west. If Gao Village is fake, and the Five Elements Mountain is fake, surely Vulture Peak can’t be fake too? Otherwise, where did those thirty-five volumes of the True Sutra come from?”

Meng Shui said, “I know some Tubo friends who can take you further west. After passing Yellow Wind Ridge and Flowing Sands River, you’ll reach Baoxiang Kingdom. I’m afraid I can’t accompany you any further.”

I didn’t know how to express my gratitude to Meng Shui.

Thinking about it, the only thing I’ve been good at since childhood is reciting sutras.

But I couldn’t just recite a passage for Meng Shui in public-the setting wasn’t right.

So I simply put my palms together and bowed deeply to him.

But at the very moment I raised my head, I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my back.

Then, my vision began to blur.

Why did the sky suddenly turn dark?