It was extremely difficult for ordinary people to climb from the foot of the mountain straight up, but Xiao Hua could climb cliffs or even reverse slopes, so this kind of climbing was like child's play.
Ten minutes later, Xiao Hua had climbed far ahead. Everyone else in the group was very indignant as we watched him do it like he was on a casual field trip.
"Young people have good waists." Fatty gasped out, before he started complaining that his physical strength wasn't what it used to be. "I think when I was working in the northeast, I could go up and down this kind of mountain seven times a day without breaking a sweat."
"Fat Master, have you been in the northeast before?" Kan Jian wanted to help Fatty carry something, but Fatty pushed him away. Kan Jian asked: "Do you know what the four comforts in Northeast China are?"
"Who doesn't know?" Fatty said. "Don't you just wear big shoes, fart loudly, sit in an ox cart, and watch a big show? I'm telling you, I don't know anything else. I almost killed your boss once when I farted. But this Fat Master can still carry out the revolutionary tradition like usual."
"Amazing, Fat Master is really well informed." Kan Jian twisted open a bottle of wine. "I've also mixed in the northeast, so that means big brother and I are connected to each other. We must have a drink. Come, come, come, come."
I didn't know what kind of wine it was, but it was very fragrant. Kan Jian took over most of Fatty's equipment and conveniently handed him the wine. "Fat Master, drink steadily."
I glanced at Kan Jian approvingly. Fatty took a sip of wine, shivered, and then started praising me, "You're better than your Uncle Three. Look at you guys, you're all so sophisticated. Kan Jian, when you go in, this Fat Master will grab something good for you. I'll make sure it's better than the stuff your boss finds."
As soon as he said that, the others immediately came forward to hand over cigarettes and take his backpack.
Xiao Hua whistled from up above and we sped to the top of the hill. As we looked at the setting sun from among the tree trunks, we could see that the whole valley was covered in light. It was shining on the vast mountain forest as if there were a group of golden fireflies under tree leaves. It was the kind of effect you'd see when sunlight sparkled on clear and crystalline waves.
The moon rose, the temperature dropped, and our smelly sweat started to feel a little cold.
If we looked down from this position, we could see a clear track of how the boulder tumbled down to the foot of the mountain, and where it had hit. The mountain was separated by the huge depression, which had obviously formed when the huge boulder plowed its way through.
"Is it possible the dodder in this valley is so lush because there used to be a river of blood and the soil is full of Mongolian bodies?" Kan Jian asked.
"Stop." I said, "Damn it, don't talk about what happened thousands of years ago. There must be other reasons. As long as we continue to explore here, we can always find something."
The slope where we were at was covered in gravel and sand, and the trees weren't tall. Fatty nodded to me. We had seen such landforms in the mountains near the Heavenly Palace in the Clouds before. If Emperor Wannu once holed up here, then what he was guarding should be under the gravel beneath our feet.
Fatty had a deep love of blowing up mountains, so I got far away as detonators and gunpowder were pulled out. Now that explosives technology was far more advanced than before, the kids were as excited as if they were setting off firecrackers during the New Year.
Xiao Hua and I had worked together for a long time, so we went to the safest place, which was the nearby forest. I shouted: "Be careful you don't collapse the hill and bury yourselves."
"Oh, rest assured, this is called directional blasting. The explosion hits the ground, blasts the gravel, and directly blows a deep pit." Fatty replied. "Don't you know my skills?"
Xiao Hua and I retreated to the edge of the forest, and I scratched my head, still feeling like Fatty was going to have an accident. Xiao Hua smacked me on the shoulder, and when I turned my head and looked, I immediately told Fatty to stop.
We had unwittingly retreated all the way to the edge of a mountain crack. The crack on the rock was so abrupt that we could tell that something unnatural had caused it.