Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
"Zhou Jun? How did you end up here?"
As soon as he got off the car, Bai Yujing saw a strong young man in sportswear waiting for him at the intersection. He never expected to see Zhou Jun here. The last time they met was when they returned from Antarctica on the Snow Dragon. Although they had talked on the phone since then, they hadn't seen each other again.
Bai Yujing stepped forward and hugged Zhou Jun. They had a close friendship, and Zhou Jun laughed heartily upon seeing Bai Yujing. "I've been waiting for you!"
After releasing him, Bai Yujing said, "Wait a minute, how could this be such a coincidence?"
At that moment, Qian Jia got out of the car. "I told him," she said. "Zhou Jun lives around here, so I informed him. He knows this area well and might be able to help!"
Zhou Jun quickly added, "You guys must have some mission for coming here, right? Even Team Leader Qian is here? I've been resting at home for almost half a year now and have nothing to do lately. If there's anything, feel free to tell me!"
Bai Yujing immediately replied, "Let's talk inside. It's not convenient to discuss things standing here."
Zhou Jun quickly grabbed his suitcase and headed into the hotel. After settling in, Bai Yujing immediately asked about Bai Ren. Zhou Jun thought for a moment and shook his head. "I've only heard the older generation talk about it. To be honest, even they only know legends; they haven't seen the Bo People, who have disappeared for hundreds of years now. Finding them is really not easy."
"Have you been to Bai Wang Mountain?" Bai Yujing continued to ask.
Zhou Jun replied without hesitation, "How could I not have been there? I used to go there often as a child. Back then, Bai Wang Mountain wasn't developed into a tourist area yet. Now it has become a scenic spot and has been recognized as a World Geopark by the World Heritage Organization, along with the Xingwen Stone Forest!"
"That place still preserves battle relics like the large and small Gates, ancient city walls, and castles built by the Bai Ren. It is said that fierce battles took place there during the Ming Dynasty, resulting in many deaths. According to legends from the older generation, it was an ancient battlefield. When I was young, we weren't allowed to go there because it was considered haunted. However, I often went later on; the scenery is quite unique and beautiful. But I never encountered anything strange as described by the older generation; most of it was just rumors!"
Bai Yujing nodded. Bai Wang Mountain is located in Xingwen County, Yibin, with an elevation of 1,180 meters and an area of 60 square kilometers. If you consider the area from ancient times, most of the surrounding regions would also need to be included, making it even larger. Finding what you want in such a vast area without any clues would be impossible; you can't just dig randomly in a national key scenic area.
Zhou Jun did not know much, and Bai Yujing could only give up. He found a map of Yibin online and began to look it over. Historically, the territory around Yibin belonged entirely to the Bo People. From the Shang Dynasty (1401 BC) until the first year of the Wanli era in the Ming Dynasty (1573 AD), for a span of 2,974 years, the Bai Ren lived in southern Sichuan and parts of northeastern Yunnan. Due to their contributions alongside Zhou Wuwang in defeating the tyrant Zhou, their leaders were granted the title of Bo Hou and established a "duchy" centered around Yibin. Later, when the Qin State destroyed the Enlightened State, the territory of the Bai Ren expanded, claiming this area as Bojia State.
Therefore, from now on, Bai Yujing had already stepped into the territory of Bohou Kingdom. However, at that time, the population in this area was sparse, belonging to a wild region where most of the Bo People lived in the mountains, and their culture was just beginning to develop.
In the afternoon, Bai Yujing met with Professor Peng Yuanhua, a scholar knowledgeable about Bo People culture whom Qian Jia had previously contacted. He worked at the geological bureau and appeared quite old but had a good spirit and dark skin, looking like someone who spent all day outdoors.
"Hello, Professor Peng. My name is Bai Yujing. I hope you can help me with this!" Bai Yujing met with Peng Yuanhua at a restaurant downstairs with Qian Jia to discuss matters regarding the Bo People.
First, Bai Yujing wanted to understand the history and legends of the Bo People. Although there was some information online, much of it was questionable or incomplete. Professor Peng was quite professional in this area and analyzed various historical accounts and legends about the Bo People for Bai Yujing and Qian Jia.
"As for Bohou Kingdom, it is only mentioned in history briefly; most scholars believe that the establishment of Bo People’s state occurred after Qin destroyed the Enlightened State. However, life was not easy for the Bo People at that time; there was a strong culture of enslaving Bai Ren. The Bo People were relatively civilized among barbarian tribes, possessing their own culture and writing system, making them easier to domesticate due to their small stature and pleasing appearance."
"Thus, many slave traders captured Bai Ren from here to sell them as concubines or female slaves to wealthy nobles. During the Qin, Han, Six Dynasties, Tang, and Song periods, many were sold into slavery; they were specifically referred to as Bodong. Despite occupying a considerable area, their power was very small at that time; they were an exploited group!"
Bai Yujing was unaware of these details: "So where exactly would ancient Bohou Kingdom be located today?"
Peng Yuanhua immediately replied: "Broadly speaking, it corresponds to present-day Yibin; more specifically, it would be around Xingwen County and Bai Wang Mountain. I have previously investigated that area for remnants related to the Bo People and found traces of their activities over three thousand years ago. They even established cities at the foot of Bai Wang Mountain. If Bohou Kingdom truly existed, that would likely be its location!"
Bai Yujing nodded: "It seems that visiting Bai Wang Mountain is essential. By the way, Professor Peng, have you been to Bai Wang Mountain? Did you discover any special ancient relics or large tombs there?"
Peng Yuanhua looked at Bai Yujing with curiosity: "Large tombs? Are you referring to Bai Ren Xuan Guan? Since the Bo People were exterminated since the Ming Dynasty, there are no real records regarding the burial characteristics of the Bai Ren clan. Based on modern discoveries of numerous hanging coffin tombs, they should belong to the Bai Ren clan."
"There are indeed quite a few Bai Ren Xuan Guan distributed in this area—Gong County, Xingwen, Junlian counties all have them—but those most famous are Matangba Hanging Coffin and Su Ma Bay Hanging Coffin. These coffins are all placed on sheer cliffs at heights generally ranging from 20 meters to 60 meters; some reach over 100 meters high. The cliffs also feature numerous stake hole relics resembling bee eyes and over 200 red-painted rock paintings."
"This custom is said to have been passed down from ancient times. I'm not sure about the specific origin, but there has been no discovery of Bai Ren Xuan Guan at Bai Wang Mountain, nor have I heard of it."
Bai Yujing nodded. Since there were no direct clues or information available, they could only go to Bai Wang Mountain tomorrow to take a look. However, the information provided by Peng Yuanhua gave Bai Yujing several hints and insights into the Bo People, which were also very important.
Comment 0 Comment Count