"You are right. The Danxia landform is indeed the result of Feng Shui erosion, but it is not absolute. At least, it is not surprising that it appears here."
Then, she grabbed a handful of dust on the ground and said: "The ground is very hot, as if it has been burned by fire, but there is no heat source nearby. The lack of vegetation on the land means that the soil is barren. This barren and hot soil was probably produced during geological movements until Now, the rock formations in this basin have not completely cooled down, so any seeds cannot survive in the absence of water and nutrients. It will probably be fine when the rock formations cool down."
"Let's go to the river valley to see what these divine chickens look like."
After that, the carriage and horses drove into the green veins and entered the river valley.
As we descended into the river valley, there was gradually more vegetation on both sides of the river. However, due to the hot soil, only some low shrubs that reached the ankles could grow, or simply a layer of lichen clinging to the ground.
On the mountain walls on both sides of the river, there are many half-waist-high earth caves, which are blocked by shrubs and with a lot of dead grass piled outside the caves. Divine chickens live in such caves.
As they approached the river valley, they carefully observed the appearance of the divine chicken.
They are as big as a goose, with legs as long as a crane, and a body shape similar to a domestic rooster. Their bodies are covered with a layer of mottled orange feathers, and huge black feathers appear on their tails, which shine with colorful light in the sun, like a ponytail. Hanging behind the chicken's buttocks, the slender legs and feet are covered with goose-yellow skin. The chicken's feet have brown tips that can firmly grasp the ground and run.
The other thing is the head of the divine chicken.
Their heads still look like ordinary chickens, but their eyes are not round, but slender phoenix eyes. The eyes are dark with round lights. The red comb on the top of their head has also been replaced by a few gorgeous blood-red feathers, just like It has several fluffy bright red feathers, a sharp and slender white beak, and a row of small teeth near the snout.
When walking, their necks will lean forward, and at the same time, they will flap their wings to maintain balance. They have never been seen flying. Probably, these wings can only maintain balance and cannot carry their huge bodies.
Song Siyuan took a telescope and carefully observed the divine chicken that emerged from the cave, and said: "It does look strange, but it's not too weird. It's probably a variant of some mountain chickens."
"Why are they called divine chickens?" Yue Guanchao asked.
Ghost Fangzong came over and said, "These divine chickens are also called wilderness chickens. They live in the Shenji Ridge Basin. They feed on fish and shrimps in the water and insects on the shore. They grow much larger than ordinary chickens and ducks. They spend part of the time foraging for food. I heard from farmers near Shennongjia that the divine chicken is the watchman of the mountain god and is responsible for patrolling at night. At night, these chickens' eyes are so bright that they can summon the mountain god."
"How is the taste?"
Yue Erpao moved his throat as he listened to Gui Fangzong's introduction, obviously trying to trick Shen Tou Ji.
Ghost Fangzong shook his head: "I don't know, no one dares to eat these divine chickens. Besides, they eat a lot of flowers and plants. Who knows if there are any toxins accumulated in their bodies."
Yue Guanchao patted him on the back and said teasingly: "You, don't even think about taking advantage of the magic-headed chickens. I don't know what these weird chickens are. Be careful of being caught by the mountain gods."
Song Siyuan said: "Seeing that it's already evening, we have to find a place to stay quickly. There are no mountains and forests to block us here. There will probably be a lot of wind and sand at night, so we need to find a place that is slightly sheltered from the wind."
Gui Fangzong nodded and led the craftsman and them to continue walking deeper into the valley. They stopped when they reached a river beach. The river beach in front of them was located at the fork of the river valley's tributaries. The three mountain peaks met the river nearby. The river beach forms a scouring triangle valley, and large tidal flats appear in the valley.
Song Siyuan looked at the narrowest river valley, which was located on the right side of the triangular river valley. The peaks on both sides were so close to each other that there was only a gap in the sky to pass through the river. The mountain walls were so steep and vertical that no one could reach them. Climb up.
She nodded: "The valley here is very deep, and the mountain walls on both sides are relatively narrow, which can serve as a barrier from the wind. At the same time, being close to the river is also convenient for us to get water. However, we are in a valley after all, and this is a river in the Danxia Mountains. At the intersection, other animals are likely to come, so it is best to live in a higher place to avoid being attacked by some wild animals.”
Having said that, some of the craftsmen who went to inquire had already come back and said overjoyed: "There are several abandoned platforms at the top of your river valley. They look like they were lost due to soil avalanches. There is a piece missing on the cliff. It forms a gentle slope with no animal nests on it, which can be used for garrisoning.”
"good!"
After everyone entered the valley, they saw that there was only a sliver of sky above their heads. In the middle of the valley, tens of meters upward, they could see that the mountain wall was recessed into the mountain. It was like a crack in the rock wall, digging a gap inwards, and looking towards the mountain. The rock formations below also form a slope, which can be driven up by a horse-drawn carriage.
The carriages and horses walked up the slope to the halfway cave. The space here was not small. It could be seen that the cracks continued to expand, forming a new valley in the middle of the mountain.
"That's it."
They stopped their carriages and horses and began to set up camp. As the tents were set up, the carriages also surrounded the tents, acting as a wind barrier.
"It won't rain here!"
Yue Guanchao glanced at the carriage, and after only a moment, he saw dust falling on it, and his hands turned yellow to the touch.
"No, with this kind of landform, rain is not normal. The land and rock formations are so dry that it is probably impossible to rain. I guess it is also because of the geothermal heat that even if there is rain here, it will evaporate quickly. In these river valleys The water mainly comes from rivers outside the basin."
"That's good, don't get soaked in water then."
After the tent was set up, it was already evening, and the craftsmen began to patrol along the platform. While everyone was busy, Xu Xiake had nothing to do and began to meditate on the edge of the cliff.
At this moment, the sun was setting in the west, and only half of the sunset was left. Thousands of golden lights penetrated through the layers of cirrus clouds, and all fell on this basin, making these Danxia mountains even more orange and brilliant. The wind and sand swept over the mountains, raising golden dust, and everyone was more excited. I feel like I'm in a strange place, weird and strange, especially brilliant.
Yue Guanchao saw the Jinsha of Mingming and Destruction blowing around Xu Xiake, and teased: "Taoist Master Xu, are you trying to achieve nirvana?"
"hehe!"
Xu Xiake ignored him and continued to meditate with his eyes closed.
Yue Guanchao walked up to him, intending to continue teasing him, but when he glanced down, he saw Yue Erpao, Ban Shu, and several craftsmen catching several divine chickens. By now, the feathers were almost plucked out.
He shouted down: "Yue Erpao, you are very capable. I told you not to pursue these chickens. I didn't see them for a while, and their hair was all plucked out."
"I think these chickens are no different from domestic chickens except for their size. I just want to see if they taste good."
After that, a bonfire was set up by the river, the divine chicken was washed and rinsed, put on wooden sticks and placed on the fire, sprinkled with salt particles and pepper, and roasted until it was sizzling with oil.
