Daomu Biji: The Mystic Nine

It was when Zhang Qishan had just arrived in Hunan that he first traveled to Xiangxi. The mountains and rivers here were endless, and even on the cliffs in the middle of the mountain, one could still hear the sound of the flowing river in the dense forest below. Even after sunset, the mountains wouldn’t be completely dark, for a thin layer of cold light could be seen illuminating everything. A dense white mist formed in the middle, making everything indistinguishable.

He figured the first ones to arrive in this area must have already gone scouting in several directions, and were now distributed in various corners of the valley. The train must have left from a mine in this area.

Since the Zhangs had first entered Hunan, they followed the family’s traditions and put a lot of eyes and ears among the common folk. These Zhang family members would mingle with people from various local professions, so whenever the Zhangs went out into the fields, they would have people who were very familiar with the local customs and conditions.

In the evening, vendors from all walks of life set up stoves in the relay station. They baked and roasted naan bread on the stone steps by the cliff’s edge, and even cooked various kinds of hot pepper soup. The wild game that had been hunted was roasted with all kinds of chili powder, and the aroma spread throughout the valley. There were various lanterns hanging from the roof of this long, dragon-like shop, and from a distance, they looked just like the immortal fox spirit ghost market from the novel “Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio”.

Zhang Qishan had already changed his clothes and was resting as the cold wind rose up from the cliff below and made its way through the wooden frame. Lieutenant had blown a bat whistle nearby and was waiting for the local Zhang family to respond. Qi Tiezui was fascinated by the various aromas coming at him from all directions, and took his coin purse to buy some. Soon, he came back holding various piping hot skewers.

When Zhang Qishan opened one eye and gave him a look, he said, "Fo Ye, Fo Ye, it was really a good thing to come with you. I didn't expect such a remote area to be so prosperous. Why don't you try some?"

Zhang Qishan said quietly, "Going out in the field and eating so indiscriminately… Old Ba, you’re a brave person. But you won't live long like that. I’ve been to Old Dog Wu’s shop and even his dogs won’t eat these kinds of things. You should go to the Wu family for further study."

Qi Tiezui looked at the food in his hand, and then at the merchants who came from the north and south, and said softly, "No way, Fo Ye. I think the folk customs here are very simple and honest, and the fellow villagers are so lovely. I know the underground is dangerous. It's not like I haven't experienced it before. Those of you in the Zhang family are too cautious. No wonder you can't get a wife."

At that moment, Lieutenant came back with a middle-aged man who looked like a porter. Zhang Qishan's eyes immediately lit up and he sat up. "Old man, how is it?"

"This area is the Huo family’s territory. The Huo’s Xiangxi wine is good, so there have recently been several big deals here. There are also other goods in the Huo family's territory, so Banjie Li’s people have always wanted to find excuses to take them. All the masters of the Huo family are here, so you need to be careful, Qishan. Everyone is familiar with your face, so it’s easy to be spotted as soon as you enter the village.” As Old Man Zhang went to light a cigarette, it was clear to see his fingers were yellow. He didn't even speak Mandarin, which made it hard to believe he was actually a part of the Zhang family.

Qi Tiezui paused, wiped the hot pepper soup from his lips, and said, "Wow, Fo Ye. I really didn't expect this to be the Huo family’s territory. They used to be in charge of Nine Gates back in the old days, but a northerner like you came and basically overthrew them. Huo Sanniang won't give in easily. You are now relying on Changsha—" Before he finished speaking, Lieutenant patted him on the chin, causing him to stutter.

Qi Tiezui immediately reacted, looked around, and whispered, "You rely on firearms, while Er Ye’s family and the Huo family have their children learn the necessary skills to go underground. The Huo family doesn’t believe in your three hundred years of feng shui. If we appear here, will Sanniang think that we’re helping Banjie Li deal with her?"

Zhang Qishan leaned against the railing and looked up at the moon shining bright in the sky. He wasn’t thinking about the Huo family at all. In fact, once the battle in Changsha started, there would be no difference between the Nine Gates. The only ones in the city would be Chinese and Japanese.

He looked at Old Man Zhang: "What else do you have?"

Old Man Zhang said, "The thing with the train isn’t that simple. The mountains here are complex, so if any mines and railways were built secretly in the woods, it would take them at least a few years. Plus, the vegetation here is dense. Once one side was completed, the other side would still be covered in shrubs and vines. They would need a month or two to rest, which means it can't be done so quickly. I asked the night watchmen in every village around here, but they all said they had never heard a train moving. But several people did say that they had heard another strange sound that shouldn’t appear in this place."

"What was it?" Qi Tiezui impatiently asked.

Old Man Zhang said, "One night this month, during the night watch, they all heard the sound of hundreds of people striking iron in the valley. They only heard the echoes. They didn't know which village had so many people striking iron, but the whole valley could hear them. It was also said that there was a piece of heavenly bronze hidden in the mountains, and an immortal was forging a sword there."

As Zhang Qishan looked out at the valley, Qi Tiezui was just about to continue asking questions, but he waved his hand: "The railway tracks are underground. Some sections of these mountains may be hollow and there aren't any trees in the dry underground river. Many of the miners here are Japanese and have been operating here for many years. It shouldn’t be difficult to hide a railway track in the underground riverbed. The sound of iron being struck was the train passing by, which caused the railroad tracks to press down on the riverbed."

"Yes, that's it." Old Man Zhang said. "Qishan, based on the feng shui, the echo is related to the mountain. There are only a few places where you can hear the underground sound. If you find a good feng shui master, you should be able to figure out where the railroad tracks are underground."

Zhang Qishan turned his head and looked at Qi Tiezui, who had already turned his back to them, "Ba Ye."

Qi Tiezui waved his hand: "You know my rule, Fo Ye—don't look into strange things. You also know feng shui, so can't you do it? This mountain is called ‘Ghost Stepping on a Lotus’ (1). There are nine mountains in front, so that makes nine ghosts stepping on a lotus. They’re the gates of hell to our Nine Gates."

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TN Notes:

(1) Not sure if this has something to do with Buddhism, but the lotus represents purity of body, speech, and mind in Buddhism, as if floating above the murky waters of material attachment and physical desire. According to legend, Gautama Buddha's first steps made lotus flowers appear everywhere he stepped. And he’s sometimes depicted sitting on a lotus flower, symbolizing the one who overcame the pain that prevails in the material world and became enlightened, just like the lotus flower which starts to grow in the dirty and muddy water but manages to surpass the water and produce a perfect flower.