Those pale things turned out to be three huge white stone tablets, each of which was as tall as three people. They stood there like a wall and were covered in Huihu Mongolian script (1). The stone tablets were very badly weathered.
When we were near this place earlier, we never saw these three huge tablets. It was almost like they had appeared out of thin air, and they were so big that it was quite shocking.
I glanced at Poker-Face, relieved when I found that he could also see them. Then, the flare went out and our surroundings plunged into complete darkness again.
When I lit another one, the three huge stone tablets were gone and the person wed been chasing had already rushed into the woods. Our pursuit had failed.
Those three huge stone tablets had appeared so suddenly that I imdiately felt a jolt go through . I could tell at a glance that they were arranged in the sa way as the stone tablets in the Imperial Palace Square. White stone had been used, but it definitely wasnt white marble. Even though there werent any textured decorations carved on them, they were still very domineering.
As a matter of fact, I had also seen so shadows further behind the stone tablets that appeared to be so huge buildings.
These buildings were completely different from those in the Central Plains, but they were about a kiloter away so the flare could only reveal their dim outline, which looked like the shape of the ground covered in fog. If I hadn't doubted myself so many tis before, I wouldve still suspected that I was wrong this ti.
Now all of these things had disappeared, leaving only my shock.
My first instinct was that this was a huge imperial tomb that had suddenly appeared and disappeared right in front of . But when it appeared just now, it was so real that I felt as if I was almost at the entrance of the imperial tomb.
Whats going on here? Is it a mirage? There were also rumors that this imperial tomb appeared and disappeared randomly on the grasslands. That was why no traces had been found even though so many years had passed.
How does it work? Did it beco a spirit?
The flare disappeared again, plunging our surroundings into darkness once more. I was eager to see those stone tablets again and wanted to light another flare but Poker-Face stopped . I ca back to my senses and found that the moon was no longer hidden behind the clouds. Our surroundings were brighter now but there was nothing there.
As I looked at the small grove in front of us, the reality of the situation gradually hit . Poker-Face was wanting to regain my senses and deal with the imdiate problem first.
The person we had been chasing had already entered the forest, and if my guess was correct, he would find a way to bury himself in the soil until he suffocated to death.
Were we still going to save him?
The grove was dark and the situation inside was very dangerous so the thought of backing down had already rushed to the forefront of my mind. That grave robber was bewitched and anxious to die, plus the situation was so dangerous that it was probably better to give up for the sake of my own teams integrity.
Moreover, our chances of finding this person after entering the dark forest werent high.
I was sleepy and tired and had already saved four of those grave robbers so my conscience was clear.
But after thinking about it, I let out a sigh. This ti, I didnt just co here to go grave robbing but to save people. We had to continue.
After glancing at Poker-Face, the two of us rode our horses towards the grove.
The corpses that had been standing at the edge of tree line were no longer there.
We used our lanterns and flashlights to light the way, but we didn't encounter any problems this ti. There werent any traces of the man we were chasing, almost as if he had disappeared into thin air. We didn't even see the corpses again, which had thinking that maybe they had all gone back into the soil.
As we continued moving through the woods, we found the area from before. It was surrounded by porcelain and Fatty's wine bags but everything else was gone.
After searching inside the forest for more than an hour, we finally withdrew.
When we went back to our campsite, we saw Fatty standing far away waiting for us. He was obviously very worried. I gave a brief account of the situation, but Fatty didn't understand it for a while. I got off my horse, wanting to find a place to rest, but suddenly noticed that a lot of living people had been tied up by the corpses near the tent.
For so reason, I was very tired. I wanted to hold on for a little longer, but I sohow fell asleep after drinking a cup of hot tea. I didnt know how the others would handle those people later.
When I finally woke up, it was four o'clock in the morning and Poker-Face was sitting together with the dog, watching the sunrise. I had actually only slept about two hours, but I felt as if I had slept all night long. Even though my back was sore, the large amount of oxygen on the grassland and the clean air made feel refreshed.
Everything was silent as I looked at the magnificent scene ford by the sun rising over the grasslands. I also sat down beside the dog and watched the morning glow shift between dozens of colors. We were on the high ground, so we could see the mist flowing in the distance. It was an indescribably beautiful sight.
When I was in Badain Jaran, the sunrise in the desert was also very beautiful, but I couldnt rember it.
After that, Poker-Face went to rest. He wrapped himself in a sleeping bag and fell asleep directly on a lounge chair. The dog liked him a lot and huddled in next to him. I knew it was because the dog had fleas, which all fled when he leaned in close to Poker-Face. I found two or three on my body, so I sprayed so dicine and planned to shave all my hair and body hair off later. Otherwise, Id keep going through the sa thing over and over again as long as we were on the grassland.
After catching those three fleas, I decided to wake up our four captives and put our loot from last night in front of them. I laid out the ceramic figurines face fragnt, so of those black stone grapes, and the three fleas one by one. Then, I was ready to start extracting confessions.
I won't talk about the detailed process, but I couldnt help thinking that there was sothing wrong with Ding Jingen's ntal state. It was almost like he had been bewitched by sothing. As long as I asked about key things, he would imdiately blank out and stop answering my questions.
Jin Wantang helped interrogate them after he woke up, but he soon let out a gasp.
When I asked him what was wrong, he said to , "I know Jingen to so extent. You know that Im soone who knows a lot about human nature."
"Hmm." I gave him a look that said he needed to speak quickly.
"I think this person isnt Jingen," he said.
I paused. I didnt recognize Jingen's face either, but Jin Wantangs words were so convincing. Are you admitting that you made a mistake? I wondered. Jin Wantang, youre too unreliable.
"No, no, Jin Wantang imdiately said. Im not saying that I made a mistake. This person has Jingen's face, but hes not Jingen."
"Why do you say that?"
"If Little Brother and Fat Master were replaced, you would imdiately feel it, right?"
Understanding what he ant, I fell into deep thought.
Jin Wantang went up and pulled at Jingen's face, but the other man wasnt wearing a human skin mask.
"This person doesnt feel like Jingen." When Jin Wantang said it again, Jingen suddenly fell silent.
I stared at him, and he suddenly showed a strange smile.
I was taken aback for a mont. Why did that smile look the sa as the expression on the ceramic figurines face last night?
****
TN Notes:
(1) The Huihu is the Tang Dynasty na of an ethnic group corresponding to modern Uighurs. Uighurs are a Turkic ethnic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the general region of Central and East Asia. More info here.
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