Chapter 38: Footprints

"I'm taking you to see the night view! What are you shouting about, kid?" I couldn't see anyone, only hear Chen Jiansheng’s complaints.

In a panic, I searched for my flashlight, nearly blurting out an obscenity: "To hell with your night view."

Before I could even switch the light on, I froze, struck speechless by the sight before me.

A single spark can start a prairie fire. But what I saw was no ordinary fire, nor was it fireflies. It was a cluster of vegetation emitting a pale, golden glow. Looking around, the countless flowers, grasses, and trees in the vicinity were all radiating faint points of yellow light, forming a sea of stars.

The impression was profound. It was a scene I would never forget for as long as I lived.

The entire process lasted less than three minutes. As the darkness returned, we could see each other once again. Hong-jie and I were both stunned by the brief spectacle, but Chen Jiansheng looked thrilled. "Well? I didn't lie to you, did I? A marvel like this is hard to find in this world."

Some might ask how trees and flowers could emit yellow light, or perhaps claim I'm talking nonsense. A mole gave me the answer.

After recovering from her shock, Hong-jie stood up and walked forward on her own. She picked a small flower, furrowing her brows as she stared at it in a daze. She then handed the flower to me.

I noticed that the edges of the small red flower were covered in a layer of faint moss. It was so thin that it would have been impossible to notice without picking it and looking closely. She scraped off a bit of this moss with her fingernail and tucked it securely into her clothing.

After examining it, Hong-jie said in surprise, "It emits a very faint yellow light. If I'm not mistaken, this might be 'Vine-Gold Moss'."

What is Vine-Gold Moss? Most ordinary people have never heard of it, but I suspect those well-versed in the finer arts of botany might have heard whispers of it.

During the Jin Dynasty of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, someone presented a type of mossy plant to the imperial palace. It was pale green in color, yet shone like a yellow star at night. According to the *Miscellaneous Morsels from Youyang*, if placed on the surface of water, the ripples would shimmer with a brilliant golden light. Furthermore, the ancient writer Wang Jia wrote in his *Records of Gleanings*: "The State of Liang presented Vine-Gold Moss. Its color was golden yellow, spreading across the waves; its light shone like the sun. Fortunate palace attendants were rewarded with two coins' worth; when placed upon a lacquer tray, it would illuminate the entire room. A strange and marvelous plant indeed; it is known as the Night-Bright Moss."

Historical documents have recorded this moss many times. Those who have never seen it might call the ancients braggarts, but I had seen it—as had Hong-jie, and Chen Jiansheng even more so.

"Well? Is it a marvel? You've never seen anything like it before, right?" Chen Jiansheng boasted smugly.

Hong-jie wiped her hands and looked around. "I never expected such a legendary wonder to still exist in the world... It’s truly an eye-opener."

"Heh, needless to say. Forget you two; I was startled myself the first time I saw it."

"Let's go. I'll take you to see the next good thing," Chen Jiansheng said, dusting the dirt off his clothes and continuing to lead the way.

On the road, Hong-jie’s brows were tightly knit, and she seemed preoccupied. I asked her what was wrong. She turned to look at me and whispered, "Yunfeng, it's possible that Yao Yumen and the head of our group were right. We have come to a place we shouldn't have..."

"Sigh, never mind. Things have come to this; we’ll just have to take it one step at a time."

...

An hour later, Chen Jiansheng led us to a location—a dirt mound no more than a meter high, looking much like the small grave mounds found in a potter's field.

"Wait here, I'll get it and show you," he said before walking up to dig into the earth with his bare hands.

"Huh? Where did it go?"

"I clearly hid it here last time. Where is it?" He began digging frantically in all directions.

"Chen, what are you doing? What exactly did you hide here?"

He kept clawing at the dirt, then glanced back at me. "It’s a jade green *yue* (battle-axe). I found it by chance. It has gold and silver inlays and a strange little map carved into it. Dammit, where is it? It couldn't have grown legs and walked away, could it?"

The *yue* was a ceremonial weapon popular in the late Shang and early Western Zhou periods. Most were made of bronze, with very few made of jade. Its status was equivalent to the later tiger tally, a high-ranking artifact. The "Nine Tripods, Four Horses, and One *Yue*" was a strictly regulated system for the Son of Heaven; ordinary vassal kings dared not overstep it, especially during the powerful early Western Zhou period.

If Chen Jiansheng was telling the truth about finding a *yue*, it implied something significant: the tomb owner did not fear the Zhou Emperor. If the owner was indeed that Jie-hou, simply put, he defied the Son of Heaven and willfully bypassed rank to use the Nine Tripods, Four Horses, and one *yue*.

But one thing didn't add up: how could Chen Jiansheng just stumble upon such an important object? And he mentioned a map carved onto it—what kind of map? Could it be a map to get out of this place?

Without seeing the object, nothing could be concluded. Perhaps he was lying; that was also possible.

"Damn it, where in the hell did it go? I even marked the spot! How could it just vanish!" Chen Jiansheng turned over the entire small mound but failed to find what he was looking for.

I asked skeptically, "Chen, could you have misremembered? Did you mistake something else for a *yue*? If it’s not the Zhou Emperor, such things shouldn't exist in a tomb."

"Damn it," he glared at me. "I’ve been in this trade for over a dozen years. You think I’d misidentify something like that?"

Hong-jie chimed in, "Empty words are no proof."

Seeing that we wouldn't believe him, he grew angry.

"Forget it, believe it or not, I don't believe I can't find it!" He prepared to dig again.

I shook my head and turned to look at our surroundings. The light was poor, and everything was dim and hazy.

In the distance, about a hundred meters ahead under a large tree, I thought I saw a short, dark shadow wearing a hat, hiding behind the tree and spying on us.

"Who's there!"

"Who's there!" I panicked and clicked on my flashlight.

"What is it, Yunfeng? What did you see?" Hong-jie was startled by my sudden shout.

Looking again, there was nothing under the tree.

"Hong-jie, I saw a dark shadow wearing a hat. It was very short, less than five feet tall," I said urgently.

"A dark shadow in a hat? Very short? Yunfeng, are you just exhausted and seeing things?" Hong-jie glanced at the tree and shook her head, clearly not believing me.

I knew my own state of mind better than anyone. I insisted firmly that I hadn't been mistaken, that I wasn't hallucinating, and that a short figure in a hat had been watching us.

Eventually, I convinced Hong-jie, and we decided to go over to the tree to investigate. When we arrived, there was nothing but flowers and grass—no short figure in a hat to be found.

"Kid, I think your eyes are playing tricks on you. What short person? Are you expecting Snow White to pop out next?" Chen Jiansheng mocked.

I was furious and about to retort.

"Wait," Hong-jie interrupted.

"Look... look at that. Are those... footprints?"

Following where she pointed, I saw, in the soft soil, a pair of very, very small footprints. They were smaller even than bound feet, looking like those of a five or six-year-old child.

The footprints were barefoot.

There were only four toes. The big toe was missing.