Chapter 7
Chapter 7
A sliver of fish-belly white appeared on the horizon. A moment later, a crimson sun leapt from the skyline, and the world was fully bathed in light.
While helping everyone pack up the camp, Zhu Tanjian spoke eloquently about that period of history.
After the Battle of Zhuolu, Chiyou’s subordinates wandered south and settled along the Yangtze River, forming the Sanmiao Tribe.
Emperor Yao did not pass the throne to his eldest son, Dan Zhu, but instead abdicated in favor of a commoner named Shun. Consequently, Dan Zhu joined forces with the Sanmiao to stage a rebellion. The rebellion failed, and Chiyou’s clansmen were escorted under guard to the area around Dunhuang Sanwei Mountain.
The Sanmiao people chose the character ‘Wei’ as their tribe’s surname. Between the end of the Qin Dynasty and the beginning of the Han Dynasty, the Wei people were threatened by the Xiongnu. They crossed the Hexi Corridor and fled to the Yanqi Basin in Xinjiang, where they established the Weixu Kingdom.
“That is what’s recorded in history, but there is another version from unofficial folklore. It says the leader of the Weixu people was actually a Great Shaman who served at Chiyou’s side. She didn’t come here as an exile; she chose this place of her own accord.”
“Legend has it that gems capable of communicating with heaven and earth are buried beneath the ground of Urho. The Great Shaman wanted to resurrect Chiyou, so she found this place and built an altar to perform human sacrifices. Later, they went to war with surrounding small states and the kingdom was destroyed.”
Why was it Chiyou again? Thinking of the Pentagram on my back, a bad premonition welled up in my heart.
“Teacher Zhu, does this altar have something to do with Chiyou too? It couldn’t be another curse, could it?”
“Hahahaha! Young man, you have to believe in science. Where would a curse come from in this world?”
Professor Chen burst out laughing.
“We are the Decoding Science Program Team. Everything can be explained by science. We shouldn’t be promoting that kind of nonsense.”
“However, the history Teacher Zhu just mentioned is quite interesting. We can film that.”
The cameraman set up his equipment, and Professor Chen faced the lens, repeating the history of the Weixu Kingdom. Just as he was getting into the spirit of the story, a sudden gust of wind kicked up the yellow sand, and a hazy figure appeared ahead.
The person stumbled toward us. Professor Chen waved to him and smiled at the camera.
“There are many young people near here who enter the heart of Devil City looking for the so-called Man-eating Snake. This young man is all alone; he must have run into some trouble. Without a professional team, this kind of exploration is ill-advised.”
As the person drew closer, a head of bright, golden Yellow Hair became exceptionally conspicuous in the gray weather.
My heart skipped a beat. I turned my head to look at Jiang Haoyan.
Jiang Haoyan squinted for a moment, then nodded to me.
“It’s him.”