The most suitable time to travel to and from Tubo every year is from May to September. These are the only months where there is no heavy snowfall. However, the weather in the snowy mountains is unpredictable. Occasionally, abnormal weather is not impossible, but in most cases it will not happen. There is too much impact.
As we head towards the Kunlun Mountains, the altitude becomes lower and the number of snow-capped mountains decreases. Instead, there is Gobi desert along the way. Blue lakes dot the Gobi plateau, like fairy lakes, reflecting the blue world of the Nine Heavens.
There are thousands of such blue lakes distributed in ancient Zhangzhung.
However, these blue lakes are all stagnant lakes, salt-alkali lakes formed after melting snow water. They can only be viewed from a distance but cannot quench their thirst.
As the altitude becomes lower and the climate warms, the scenery along the road begins to become more diverse. There are valleys that feel like spring all year round, meadows, and snow-capped mountains with melted snow. Here, you can experience all four seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter in one day. Seasons and scenery.
At first, the people in Jin'an would be curious about the wonders of nature, but after looking at it for a long time, it gradually faded away and they just felt that it was too deserted.
Thanks to the fact that it was May, which was a good time to travel, they were able to travel in half the time they originally planned.
They passed by Jiantou Lake and Yang Lake... On this day, they arrived at a blue lake backed by snow-capped mountains.
The melted water from the snow-capped mountains gurgled into the lake, indicating that this was flowing water, not a saline-alkali lake. They could just replenish some fresh water here.
They also saw several local people walking around the lake.
Turning around lakes and mountains is a very important local traditional custom. In the eyes of local people, this is a very pious prayer ceremony, praying to the sacred mountains and lakes to wash away evil spirits and bring good luck.
"The local people call the snow mountain a holy mountain. If there happens to be a lake at the foot of the holy mountain, it will be called a holy lake. But that's not right. If this is a holy lake, some believers will come here to pray for blessings at all costs. I bought it from the locals. Isn’t it possible that this place name wasn’t marked on the map we came here?”
Zhao Jinchuan was puzzled.
"It's getting late now. Let's camp here and rest for the night." Naturally, no one objected to Jin An's words. The caravan tea merchants, including Zhao Jinchuan, began to unload the goods, make fires, and prepare dinner.
However, Jin'an did not bother the locals who devoutly visited the lake, but stopped at a distance.
In fact, there are not only these local people who go to the lake, but also tents set up with wind and horse flags.
After dark, the herdsmen were very hospitable and took the initiative to greet Jin'an and the others. Zhao Jinchuan was responsible for translating, saying that these herdsmen wanted to invite them to their homes.
Tea merchants like these, who have been doing business on the Tea Horse Road all year round, often deal with local princes, nobles, monasteries and lamas. They speak fluent Tubo and have no problem communicating with local herdsmen.
In Tubo, if the host can bring out hot butter tea, yak yogurt, and tsampa to entertain guests, you are treated as a distinguished guest, which is very grand.
The people who took the initiative to invite Jin'an and the others to the tent were an old couple. The old woman's name was Baima Yuzhu, and the old man's name was Nianzha.
These are a pair of simple old people with eyes as clear as the blue lake on the plateau.
It was very lively tonight. This simple old couple not only invited Jin An and the others to come to the tent as guests, but also invited other people who went to the lake together as guests.
The locals who came to the lake were very simple, and each of them came with beef, horse meat, and mutton in their hands. On the contrary, Jin An, Mr. Yiyun, and Qi Bo came empty-handed, and the three of them couldn't help but look embarrassed. .
Fortunately, Zhao Jinchuan, a tea merchant who followed the local customs, came to the rescue for Jin An and the others. He took out the spices he had brought from the Central Plains and added just a little. The roasted meat became fragrant and made Nian Zha several times. The Tibetan man looked solemn.
Spices and condiments from the Central Plains are in hot demand in Tubo. They are luxuries that only nobles, royal families, and monasteries can afford.
These locals have never seen the outside world in their lives, especially the locals who live in the bitter cold land of Xiangxiong. Many of their grandparents, fathers and children have never seen outsiders for three generations. These locals see Jin'an and they are not They were locals, so they invited Jin An and the others to come as guests, hoping to find out more about the outside world.
Speaking of this, Zhao Jinchuan was right in his element. His mouth was eloquent, and what he saw and heard along the way stunned the locals who had been trapped deep in the mountains for generations.
As the conversation started, Zhao Jinchuan also asked casually, what was the name of the holy lake they visited? Why was this holy lake not marked on the map he bought from someone?
As a result of this question, Zhao Jinchuan seemed to have been stepped on. He jumped up with a surprised expression on his face. Zhao Jinchuan had no time to wipe the spilled tea on his robe, and said excitedly to Jin An: "Taoist Master Jin'an, that one , that portrait...quickly..."
Because he was too excited, Zhao Jinchuan stuttered when he spoke.
In the end, Mr. Yiyun, who had been sitting calmly next to Jin An, finished his words for him: "Take out the portrait of Taoist priest Chen and show them. Taoist priest Chen is suspected of having been to Woniu Lake."
Seeing that Mr. Yiyun could understand Tubo language, Zhao Jinchuan looked surprised and even forgot to say what he was talking about.
After hearing what Young Master Yiyun said, Jin An's expression was startled.
It was not because he was not determined and easily distracted, but he did not expect that he would find clues about the old Taoist priest near the Kunlun Mountains so quickly.
After regaining consciousness, he took a deep breath, calmly took out the portrait of the old Taoist priest, and handed it to Nian Zha and Pema Yuzhu and his wife with some hope and expectation in his eyes.
After the couple took the scroll, they did not give an immediate reply. They confirmed it for a while and then passed it to other herdsmen to see. The herdsmen passed it on one by one and discussed it.
During this period, Zhao Jinchuan took the opportunity to explain to Jin An the ins and outs of the matter: "Last year in the rainy season, probably September or October, some herdsmen nearby said that they saw the holy manifestation in Woniu Lake with their own eyes. Now there is a miracle. There is a statue that is all white and glowing. The sacred cow appeared from Woniu Lake. The sacred cow was all white and looked like the white yak, the mythical beast of the snow mountain. It also carried a person on the back of the sacred cow. The scene was like a miracle of a god descending to earth. It caused a sensation. As As word spread about the holy sight of Woniu Lake, herdsmen from other places came to the lake to pray for blessings and relieve themselves or their families from illness."
"This mythical beast has nothing to do with Taoist Jin'an's search for someone. What really matters is what happened next. Just a few days after the sacred appearance of Wuniu Lake, a herdsman encountered a Han Chinese from the Central Plains near Wuniu Lake. , the Central Plains Han people are just like what you said, Taoist Master Jin'an, wearing Taoist robes, about fifty years old, knowledgeable about astronomy and geography, omniscient, especially the master of rejuvenation, which can not only heal people, but even horses give birth to calves. Difficult childbirths were saved, and mother and child were safe. Later, the old man grew up to be a veterinarian at several pastures. The calves and pony calves he delivered were eighty, if not a hundred, and all the cows and horses he delivered were The mother and child are safe and deeply respected by the local herdsmen.”
Speaking of this, even Zhao Jinchuan couldn't help but admire him.
Jin An: "?"
Sure enough, it was unnecessary for him to worry about the old Taoist priest along the way.
The old Taoist priest traveled all over the country for so many years, even to the desolate desert north, and finally came back intact. He could heal himself when he was sick, make his own stove when he was hungry, have dew to drink when he was thirsty, and the earth to cover him when he was cold. Thinking about it carefully, he still has There is really nothing that can stump the old Taoist priest.
The old Taoist priest is like an all-rounder, capable of doing anything.
So thinking about it this way, it is really possible for the old Taoist priest to go to Tubo and become a veterinarian who can rejuvenate!
And this old and irregular style is indeed in line with the style of an old Taoist priest!
The haze and worry that had been weighing on my heart for more than half a year disappeared when I heard that the old Taoist priest came to Tubo to work as a veterinarian and was doing very well. It gives people surprises and surprises.”
Although the Nianzha herdsmen have not yet given a clear answer, Jin An is already sure that this person is an old Taoist priest.
After several herdsmen in Nianza looked at the portraits twice, they finally nodded and returned the portraits to Jin'an.
Nian Zha said a few words to Zhao Jinchuan, and Zhao Jinchuan translated to Jin An: "They confirmed that they have seen the person in the portrait."
Jin An couldn't wait to ask: "Where is the old Taoist priest now?"
Soon, Zhao Jinchuan translated to Jin An: "They said that the old Taoist priest did not stay for too long and went all the way to the east."
"To the east?" Jin An was stunned.
He hurriedly took out the map and looked at it. Going east from Woniu Lake, he could just go from Shugu and Tubo to the Xizhou Prefecture of Kangding Kingdom.
The old Taoist priest planned to return to Wuzhou Prefecture from Xizhou Prefecture to find him!
This was Jin An's first thought.
"Hey, going east, isn't it the same road to the avalanche site we are going to? Could it be that the old Taoist priest you are looking for, Master Jin'an, also went there?" Zhao Jinchuan leaned his head over and took a look. After the map, he pointed to the Kunlun Mountains on the map and said.
Qi Bo: "Taoist Master Jin'an, I remember that you and Taoist Chen both have Luo Geng Jade Plate. The Luo Geng Jade Plate has a long history. Maybe there is a connection between the two. You have climbed hundreds of thousands of mountains, and now you are only one step away from Mr. Chen. Maybe the Luo Geng Jade Plate can Make some difference."
They say outsiders are wise.
Qi Bo's words awakened Jin An.
He quickly took out the Luo Geng jade plate repaired by Mr. You Yi and saw that the pointer of the Luo Geng jade plate always pointed to the southeast corner. No matter how Jin An moved, the pointer always pointed to the northeast corner.
I don’t know if it’s due to the influence of the magnetic field or if there’s really the person he’s looking for over there in the northeast corner?
He didn't ponder for long, Jin An's eyes were fixed, and he had already made a decision in his heart. No matter which way it was, this was the path he must take.
The whereabouts of the old Taoist priest were finally found. Although Jin An never expressed his feelings in front of others, he always remembered the lost old Taoist priest and Jiajian in his heart. When he learned that both of them were safe now, the pain that had been weighing on his heart The rock finally settled, and he drank a lot of highland barley wine that night.
Even Young Master Yiyun noticed Jin An's change in mood. With a slight smile on his face, he took the initiative to pour Jin An a glass of highland barley wine.
As a result, Jin An's hand shook and he almost spilled the highland barley wine in the bowl.
Mr. Yiyun also knew that his actions just now were a bit too intimate, so he put down the stone altar containing wine with a serious look on his face.
Looking at Mr. Yiyun, whose expression was more changeable than the weather on the plateau, Jin An looked at the highland barley wine in the wine bowl with a confused look on his face. Should he drink this wine or not?
…
…
Because he finally found the whereabouts of the old Taoist priest, Jin An, who had not slept all night, took the team on the road early the next day. The altitude became lower during the rest of the journey, which made the team's speed increase again.
After about twenty days, they finally arrived at their destination. It was a small village. The original population, including men, women, old and young, was no more than thirty people. However, at this time, under the expansion of several forces, the small village had transformed into a small village. It became a small earth city that could accommodate a thousand people.
A hundred miles away from Xiaotucheng, there are snow-capped mountains and glacial forests. The ridges are covered with white snow. Those glacial forests are like pieces of white dragon scales in the Kunlun Mountains, shining brightly under the dazzling sunshine of the plateau, creating an extraordinary atmosphere.
At this time, the small earth city was extremely lively, with Han people, Tibetan people, and many Kunlun slaves who were as black as charcoal gathered.
These are the people who came to dig for treasure.
There are rumors that a huge avalanche on a mountain peak in the Kunlun Mountains last year shook out a historic site, which was suspected to be the ancient ruins of the ancestors, the Palace of the Queen Mother of the West, and the Yuanshi Tianzun Dojo. But now when I look over, there is only a vast expanse of white in front of me, and I can’t see anything. .
"Isn't it about avalanches? There are snow peaks everywhere here. Which one is the peak where the avalanche occurs?" Someone in the team complained.
Immediately, someone looked like an idiot and said disdainfully: "The avalanche happened during last year's snow season. More than a year has passed, and there have been several heavy snowfalls in the middle. Even the bare mountains have long been covered with heavy snow, so of course you can't see it. "
The person who spoke before shouted unconvinced, "We worked so hard to get here, and yet we didn't get anything?"
"Why are you so anxious? You haven't investigated the situation now, haven't you seen a lot of people gathering in Tucheng?"
