Volume Two – The General’s Tomb Chapter Seventeen – Flowing Heart Ravine

The early morning sunlight spilled into the room, and from outside came the crackling sounds of activity. I listened closely and guessed that the old man had already woken up and started making breakfast. Stretching lazily, I crawled out from under the covers. The morning chill was biting; usually, I would linger in bed for at least another five minutes before getting up, but today was different—there was still the pressing matter of Liuxin Mountain to deal with.

After I got dressed, Li Kun woke up as well, rubbing his sleepy eyes. “Liu, does your family always have breakfast this early? It’s not even six yet.”

Pouring hot water from the thermos, I replied, “Come on, get up. The sun’s already shining on your backside.”

Li Kun chuckled, “It’s comfortable at your place, at least I can sleep until nearly six. At home, it’s torture—every day I have to be up by four sharp.”

I laughed, “You know, only your old man can keep a lazybones like you in check. Come on, get dressed. After breakfast, we’ll go see Xu Tian.” Li Kun nodded and hurried to put on his clothes.

After breakfast, I called Xu Tian. When he answered, I said, “Xu, where are you right now? I have something to ask you.”

Xu Tian was still half asleep, mumbling on the other end, “Oh, Liu, what time is it? I haven’t even properly woken up and you’re dragging me out of bed.” He yawned, then asked, “What’s up, Liu?”

“It’s about going tomb-raiding,” I answered.

Xu Tian paused, then sat up abruptly. “Liu, are you two really planning to go down to the tomb?”

“Yeah. That’s why I’m calling you. We’ll be at the antique shop in about half an hour; get up and be ready.”

“Alright, I’m up. Come by, I’ll wait for you at the door.”

After hanging up, I nodded to Li Kun. “Let’s get ready and head out. The weather’s not great today—it might snow soon. Let’s not ride our bikes.”

“Alright, let’s go now,” Li Kun agreed.

With that, we set off on foot toward the antique shop. It took us about twenty minutes to get there, and as we approached, we saw Xu Tian sitting on a wooden bench by the entrance, scanning the street.

When Xu Tian spotted us, he broke into a wide smile. “Liu, Li, come in, come in! It’s freezing this early in the morning.”

Inside, his cousin hadn’t arrived yet. Xu Tian said, “Let’s go upstairs—we can warm up with some tea.” With that, he led us straight to the third floor.

Upstairs, Xu Tian gestured to the sofa. “You two sit, I’ll make some tea to warm us up.”

I nodded, and Li Kun picked up a magnifying glass from the table, peering through it at random objects. When he turned it on me, his bloodshot eyes made me chuckle.

Xu Tian came over with the tea and asked, “Liu, you mentioned tomb-raiding on the phone. What’s going on?”

After he sat down, I said, “Xu, do you know anything about a place called Liuxin Mountain?”

Xu Tian thought for a moment. “Liuxin Mountain? That rings a bell.” He bowed his head in thought, then after a long pause, slapped his thigh. “I remember now! Liuxin Mountain is about sixty miles from here, near Huaijiang Bridge. There’s a narrow path that leads you straight in that direction, but in truth, it’s a ravine called Liuxin Ravine, and there’s a small village there.”

“It’s a village?” I asked, puzzled.

Xu Tian nodded. “That’s right. Eight years ago, there was an old man in Liuxin Mountain, about eighty years old. The story starts from the summer eight years ago.”

The old man’s name was Wang Wenshan, and he was about to turn eighty. Lately, he’d been feeling especially unwell, as if his life was flickering out. Yet Wang Wenshan had no children or family left. That didn’t mean he’d never married—on the contrary, he’d once had a beautiful young wife.

But in those chaotic times, warlords ravaged the countryside, and bandits ran amok. Wang Wenshan’s entire family was slaughtered by bandits. To escape, he had hidden among the corpses. Luckily, he was a former soldier and managed to survive. But when he returned home and found his entire family killed, he became a solitary man who lived alone to this old age.

One day, sensing that his end was near, Wang Wenshan decided that since he lived on the edge of the village and kept to himself, his death would not trouble anyone—no one would even come to send him off. So he resolved to find a place on the mountain, dig a pit, and lie down to wait for death.

Determined, he took a shovel and headed to a mountain near the village, one where no one had ever been buried—Liuxin Mountain.

That day, he made his way to the summit, shovel in hand. He was old and frail, so he could only dig for a while before needing to rest. All day he dug, from morning until dusk.

He slapped a mosquito on his arm, thrust the shovel into the earth, and wiped the sweat from his brow. His body was at its limit. He just wanted to lie down in the pit he’d dug and sleep until his next life.

He patted his head, his body too weak to continue. He tilted his head back and lay down in the nearly one-meter-deep pit.

But as soon as he hit the ground, he felt his head plunge into a mound of earth. Before he could react, his entire body slid into a pitch-black hole.

Xu Tian continued, “And that hole was what caused such a stir back then—the great tomb on Liuxin Mountain, the tomb of a Song dynasty general.”