Free Web NovelChapter 628: Chapter 598 Someone’s Coming_1
Mr. Zhao was about to cry as he pointed to the ground and said:
"Ah! Ah! Ah! Zhou Xiaozhou, put it down quickly, hurry up!"
Zhou Ning also wanted to, but he didn’t dare move now because the crack was still widening. Not to mention anything else, just letting go like this would absolutely shatter it to pieces.
"My hand is numb, help me out here."
Xia Momo, not knowing when, had rushed over, pressing down on Zhou Ning’s hand against the ground, then gently nudged the cocoon. Such a gentle movement also produced more fine cracks on the cocoon.
From where the crack had formed below, it was now wider than two fingers, revealing a gap inside; beyond that, it was pitch black and unknown.
Zhou Ning helped Xia Momo up, her hand trembled severely, and Zhou Ning patted her arm.
"Don’t worry, I’m fine, give me the bright flashlight, I won’t move, just want to take a look inside."
Xia Momo was somewhat uneasy, but Mr. Zhao, Zhu Xingxing, and the others all crowded around; Xia Momo was helped up, and Zhu Xingxing grinned, showing a smile identical to Zhao Xinli’s.
"What’s there to fear? It’s just a free archaeological real-life game. Besides, this thing fell down on its own. No matter how scary it is, we’ve dissected corpses that are even scarier. How many adults could stay calm after seeing the Giant’s View and smelling that stench, and even if this is a mummy, how is it different from dried duck."
"Ptui, don’t jinx the dried duck, Chen Cheng, quit playing dumb, give me the bright flashlight."
Chen Cheng shuffled over, stuffing the bright flashlight into Mr. Zhao’s hands, then quickly ran back towards the entrance. Mr. Zhao shook his head, without any further words, lifted the bright flashlight to illuminate the gap.
Zhu Xingxing, who was closer, curiously fumbled at the edge of the crack. Just when the bright flashlight aimed at the crack, with a snap, the cocoon split completely open, like an eggshell, falling apart into two halves and spreading to the left and right.
Zhu Xingxing jumped in shock, quickly stepping back. Mr. Zhao too was frightened and spun around to glare at Zhu Xingxing, but the expression on Zhu Xingxing’s face was one of horror. Although she didn’t scream, she pointed at the smashed ’eggshell’ pieces beside Mr. Zhao.
"Don’t give me that look, see if it doesn’t look like a hairy egg." freeweɓnovel.cøm
This time, Zhou Ning couldn’t hold back, as hairy eggs were a food he quite liked.
"Zhu Xingxing, shut up. If you mention food again, I’ll throw you out to stay with the tour guide."
Zhu Xingxing looked wronged, stomping her foot and pointing behind the two of them.
"Don’t look at me, I admit my mistake, I won’t jinx the food anymore. Turn around and see what it really is."
Zhou Ning and Mr. Zhao turned around. The bright flashlight and the LED light in their hands both shone on the dark mass in the center of the eggshell. You can’t say it didn’t really look somewhat like a hairy egg.
Zhou Ning shook his head to dispense with the thought and moved closer to take a careful look. The dark object was about fifty centimeters tall and shared the same shape as the outer shell, just a bit thinner.
As the light moved, Zhou Ning used a piece of the eggshell to poke the object. When it turned towards them, everybody fell silent.
Indeed, it was a mummy.
It wasn’t reduced to bone but was completely dried out. The mummy’s knees were bent with feet crossed underneath each hip, hands crossed and wrapped around the shoulders, head slightly lowered, its face hidden.
The color of the mummy was dark, and in the center of the skull, one could see a barely visible seam. Zhou Ning turned back and stretched out his hand, Zhu Xingxing already had a pair of gloves ready for him. They were disposable plastic gloves, but Zhou Ning didn’t mind and quickly put them on.
With the gloves on, he carefully examined the object again, even checking the material of the eggshell. Zhou Ning stood up, and Liu Yufei approached.
"This is my first time seeing something like this. Is this a burial form?"
Zhou Ning shook his head.
"Do you remember the altar inside? I think this is part of it. When we chose this route, I also checked the related information. There is a local Yugu People who worship the Green Tara in the Matisi Thirty-Three Sky Caves that Mr. Zhao mentioned.
The figure inside is also that of the Green Tara; moreover, I think it is carved even more exquisitely. A natural cave, such superb craftsmanship, perhaps this place was constructed during a time when their faith was flourishing, just like the Longmen Grottoes and Dunhuang, all representing the prosperity of an era.
As for the sealing, maybe it’s related to that decade or perhaps due to warfare, the people who sealed it back then are no longer around, unable to open this place, leaving it for future generations to explore. However, this place seems different from the Thirty-three Skies Grottoes, I can’t quite pinpoint what’s different, the overall feel of the sculptures is not the same.
I think it might be due to a different period. The eight cocoons hanging outside the main cave initially seemed randomly placed, but since there is such a special red stone underneath, I believe, as we previously speculated, it has to do with sacrificial rites.
Moreover, I remember looking up the term ’Green Tara’ very clearly, one point that struck me was that she is said to save from eight types of suffering, such as lion, elephant, snake, water, imprisonment, robbery, non-human difficulties, also known as the ’Savior from the Eight Difficulties Tara,’ which correspond exactly to the eight here."
Mr. Zhao pulled off Zhu Xingxing’s backpack, searched for the tablet, and found it contained travel guides. After a brief search, he located information about Green Tara, as well as an introduction to the people of this tribe. Among the many pictures was one that showed the main sculpture inside the Matisi Thirty-Three Sky Caves.
Mr. Zhao then opened the camera and started comparing the images. After a while, he pointed to a picture and said, "Damn, Zhou Xiaozhou, your analysis was right. The Buddha statue in here is quite different from those in the Thirty-three Skies Grottoes. This one is more delicate and more graceful, the colors are more vibrant. We might not understand the artistry, but we could ask Mr. Xia. Have you noticed that the statue isn’t holding a blue lotus in its hand?"
Xia Momo also leaned in at that moment, tilting her body so as not to look at the lump on the ground. After comparing the images on the camera and tablet, she nodded in agreement. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
"The hand gestures are different too. Look at the one from the Thirty-three Skies Grottoes, its left palm is facing out, the thumb holding a blue lotus. This one has its left palm facing upwards, the index finger and thumb pinching a red lotus. The plants in the background are different as well, and this statue looks more feminine. Is Green Tara a female deity?"
Mr. Zhao eagerly nodded, scrolling to find some text to show everyone.
"It says here that before Green Tara became enlightened, she was a princess from some country. When she became a Buddha, she went against all opposition to retain her feminine form to save sentient beings. She is seated on a lotus throne. Could this be related to the red lotus leaves under the cocoon used in the sacrifice, since they’re both red?"
Everyone nodded; indeed, the red lotus paired with the blood-red, gem-like lotus leaves was a striking correspondence.
Zhou Ning had finished his examination of the dried corpse inside the eggshell and stood up, removing his gloves.
"This mummy appears to be a boy of about six or seven years of age, though that’s based on modern-day height standards. To be sure, we’d need our specialized equipment to estimate the age of the bones and perform facial reconstruction.
As for the cause of death, there is a narrow cut on the top of the head that’s difficult to discern, especially with the hair braided and decorated as it is. I believe this could be a form of ritual sacrifice, where the scalp is cut open, a hole drilled in, and mercury poured in to prevent the body from decaying.
Many high-ranking officials’ tombs contain such mummified boys and girls, lifelike and preserved for a thousand years. However, this one’s a bit different. The method is similar, but the process to create the mummy seems more expertly done, suggesting that the individual might have been starved of food and water or even given laxatives before death.
Only massive dehydration and emptying the digestive tract could have preserved the body this well. The mercury was then poured in to maintain the original state, and after death, the body was placed in a specific pose, wrapped in white cloth, and the outside sealed with wax.
As to why it was done, I don’t know the significance. That’s for the archaeologists to study, but this stitching method seems quite modern?"
Liu Yufei gasped in shock, sounding somewhat panicked as she spoke, "What does that mean, that this isn’t the corpse of an ancient person, but someone from the near modern era?"
Zhou Ning shook his head.
"I can’t be certain; we need further examination. Let’s get out of here and wait for the local police at the entrance."
Mr. Zhao nodded, packing up their equipment. They left the scattered eggshell fragments and the mummy untouched, merely clearing their own tracks. The group then made their way to the cave entrance.
Before they even managed to climb out, they could hear Mr. Liu, the tour guide, shouting excitedly from outside.
"The police have arrived!"
Looking in the direction he pointed, they could see through the damaged part of the entrance: about a dozen people had already climbed up, some in uniform and some in plain clothes, all taking the ridge path, which looked exhausting just to observe.
Mr. Liu’s hands were shaking as he kept directing the people to the path. Soon, they all entered through the cave entrance, where the disguise was now gone, leaving only remnants at the edge of the mountain formation. They jumped in.
Zhou Ning had already stepped forward, handing his work badge to a man in his thirties who looked like a leader.
"Hello, comrade. Here’s my work badge. We’re from Qindao, went to Tianshan for a trip, then got here on our own free travel. Today..."
Zhou Ning hadn’t finished when a short, stocky man with glasses, panting and looking quite uncomfortable, came hustling over. He raised the powerful flashlight in his hand, scanning the entrance’s damage before glaring at Zhou Ning and shining the light on his face.
"Cut the crap, did you do this?"
Liu Yufei turned her head, her eyes already squinting, ready to send someone flying with a kick any second. Mr. Zhao quickly restrained Liu Yufei, being the expert at dealing with such situations.
Zhou Ning simply stepped back, closing his mouth to wait for Mr. Zhao to handle it.
Mr. Zhao rubbed his hands and pointed towards the desert.
"Yes, but let me explain properly what happened."
The short man with glasses waved dismissively, his face conveying contempt, and said in the local accent with impatience, "Why waste words with them? Just take them away, lock them up, and give them a good lesson. If they need a beating, beat them. Check which unit they’re from and have their families come and get them. As for compensation, I’ll do the calculations back at the museum and give you a sum."
