As I finally crawled out of the cave, I was about to cheer when Fatty suddenly said I had a “human face” growing on my back. His nonsensical words hit me like a bucket of icy water, chilling me to the bone. I quickly twisted my neck to check my back, but then realized I couldn’t see it. I asked Fatty, “What the hell are you talking about? Where’s this human face? Whose face? Don’t scare me; I’ve been feeling really anxious lately.”
Fatty pulled over Big Gold Tooth and pointed at my back, saying, “Why would I scare you? Let Old Jin take a look and see if I’m telling the truth.”
Big Gold Tooth set down the fragrant jade he was holding and rubbed his eyes, trying to see better after long time in the dark cave. He stood behind me and examined my back. “Hmm… Hey? Old Hu, there’s definitely a palm-sized mark on your shoulder blades, kind of like a birthmark… but it’s pretty blurry. Is it a human face? It looks more like… more like an eye.”
“What? I have an eye growing on my back?” My scalp tingled at the thought. Whenever eyes came to mind, I couldn’t help but think of that ancient city of Jingjue buried under the Xinjiang desert. That nightmare was just as horrifying and tragic as my memories from the battlefield. I bent my arm to feel my back but couldn’t sense anything. I urged Big Gold Tooth to describe what was really there—was it a “human face” or an “eye”?
Big Gold Tooth replied, “It’s just a round, dark red mark. You wouldn’t notice it unless you looked closely. It has a layered look, kind of like an eyeball, but not really like an eye since there are no eyelids or eyelashes.”
I turned to Fatty and asked, “You just said it looked like a human face. Why does Jin say it looks like an eyeball?”
Fatty chimed in from behind, “Old Hu, I was just thinking about the face of that ghost in the tomb. When I saw the mark on your back, I mistakenly thought it was a face. But now that I look closely, it does resemble the eyeball shape we saw in the ancient city of Jingjue.”
The more they talked, the more anxious I became. This couldn’t be a birthmark; I knew my own body well enough. What was really growing on my back? The worst part was that I had no mirror to see it.
Suddenly, Big Gold Tooth shouted, “Fatty, you have a mark on your back just like Old Hu! Check if I have one too!”
I looked at Big Gold Tooth and Fatty’s backs and noticed that Fatty had a round, dark red mark on his left side, resembling a blurry birthmark, about the size of an adult’s palm. It had a shape somewhat like an eyeball, but it was hard to tell. The dark red color, like a bruise, stood out in the fading sunlight.
Big Gold Tooth’s back, on the other hand, was smooth and clear, except for a few scrapes.
Now both Fatty and I were dumbfounded. This was no coincidence. It seemed we didn’t get these marks while hanging out with Big Gold Tooth. Most likely, it was related to our experience in the ghost cave in Xinjiang. Were the survivors of that adventure cursed by the bottomless ghost cave?
I remembered just a couple of days ago when we arrived in Gulan. We had an accident in the Yellow River and got soaked. After we reached the guesthouse, we all took hot showers. At that time, it seemed no one had noticed any strange red marks. This meant the marks must have appeared in the last day or two. Could it be that we caught some kind of virus in the Longling tomb? But why didn’t Big Gold Tooth have any marks? Did he have immunity to this virus?
Fatty said to me, “Old Hu, don’t overthink it. Just relax. It’s not a big deal; it doesn’t hurt or itch. When we get back, just scrub it hard in the shower, and it might just go away. We should be happy we found something valuable. Hey… do you guys recognize this place? It looks a bit familiar.”
As soon as I crawled out of the cave and heard Fatty mention the strange mark on my back, I panicked and didn’t pay attention to where the cave’s exit was. I only remembered it was a narrow opening filled with collapsed yellow earth. Hearing Fatty say the area looked familiar, I looked up and couldn’t help but laugh. “Turns out we’ve been going in circles. We’ve come back to the same spot!”
It turned out that the exit we crawled out of in Longling was the same spot where I had climbed up to the ridge to check the Feng Shui when we first arrived at the Fishbone Temple. On my way down, I had stepped on a weak patch of earth halfway down the mountain and nearly fell in. At that time, Fatty and Big Gold Tooth rushed over and pulled me out. That collapsed slope had turned into a cave entrance. We had even looked inside and thought it was a gap connecting to underground caves. Now it seemed that this place was actually connected to the large cave where the bronze tripod with the human face was kept. After wandering around for a while, we ended up crawling out through this unintentional hole.
Our bags and belongings were still at the Fishbone Temple not far ahead. The most important thing was to find some clothes to wear; otherwise, if we ran into any local girls, they would definitely think we were perverts.
The sudden appearance of the dark red mark on my back cast a shadow over our victory, leaving me feeling uneasy. I needed to see a doctor when we got back. Even though I didn’t feel anything unusual, having something foreign growing on my body felt very uncomfortable.
The wind was strong in the valley, and we were barely dressed. We hurried back to the Fishbone Temple, carrying the jade. Thankfully, our things were still safe, hidden behind the altar of the Dragon King. Each of us quickly found some clothes to wear and took a few swigs from the bottle of liquor we had brought. No matter what, we had secured the fragrant jade, and once we got back to Beijing, it would fetch a good price.
After eating and drinking, Big Gold Tooth, feeling quite pleased with himself, stroked the fragrant jade and started singing, “I’m neither a bandit nor a thief, I’m not a bad person stealing from the city… What do I care for the clowns of foreign kings? With one sword, I can block a million soldiers…”
While I shared some of his excitement about our fortune, the thought of the red mark on my back dampened my spirits, and I quietly sipped my drink.
Noticing my mood, Big Gold Tooth tried to cheer me up, saying, “Old Hu, you’re a broad-minded person. Don’t let this bother you. When we get back, just get it checked at the hospital. If it comes to it, they can surgically remove it. Luckily, it doesn’t look too big or deep, so it shouldn’t be a major issue. It might be best to see a traditional Chinese doctor; maybe a couple of herbal remedies will do the trick.”
Fatty chimed in, “We’re not dealing with a skin disease here. What’s the point of seeing a doctor? If we’re going to do that, we might as well just burn it off with a cigarette butt…”
I sighed and said, “Forget it. Let’s just deal with it however we want. We’re still alive today, so let’s drink up and worry about tomorrow when it comes.”
Fatty clinked his bottle against mine and downed the rest of his drink in one go. “We’ve just struck it rich; we need to take care of ourselves. We still have a long life ahead to enjoy.”
After we finished eating and drinking, it was already dark. We made our way back to the village at Panshepo and spent the night there. The next day, we returned to Gulan, ready to cross the Yellow River, but we were informed that heavy rain upstream had caused the river to swell. The earliest we could cross would be the day after tomorrow.
We discussed our options and realized that if we looked for a boat at another crossing, it would take at least a day to get there. It made more sense to stay in Gulan for a couple of days, rest, and maybe find some treasures in the county.
So, we returned to the same guesthouse as last time. However, this time it was nearly full, with many people waiting to cross the river. Gulan was a small place, and there were only two or three guesthouses and hotels, so we had no choice but to stay in a dormitory on the first floor.
The dormitory could accommodate eight people. After we arrived, there were five of us in total, leaving three spots empty. We were uneasy about leaving the valuable jade in the locker, so we wrapped it up tightly and took turns watching it, carrying it with us whenever we went out.
That night, while Fatty and Big Gold Tooth were keeping an eye on the jade, I went to the guesthouse’s backyard bathroom to take a shower. There, I ran into Old Liu, the man we had shared drinks with earlier.
I greeted him and exchanged pleasantries, then asked if there were any famous traditional Chinese doctors in Gulan who could treat skin conditions.
Old Liu mentioned that there was indeed an old Chinese doctor known for his remarkable skills in healing, especially for conditions like psoriasis. He then asked me with concern if I was feeling unwell.
Since I was just about to shower and was only wearing a shirt, I unbuttoned a couple of buttons to show him my back, explaining that I had developed a strange mark and wanted to see a doctor.
Old Liu took a look and was taken aback. “Young man, what happened to you? This doesn’t look like a skin disease. It resembles a bruise, and the shape is quite peculiar—it looks like a character, and I think I’ve seen it before.”
I was curious and asked, “What? Is there a character on my back? Can you tell what it is?”
Old Liu replied, “Back in 1980, when our county was building a new school, they dug up some strange animal bones while laying the foundation. The locals rushed to grab them, and then an archaeological team came to collect everything. They announced it over the county’s loudspeakers. I saw the experts from the archaeological team staying at our guesthouse, and when they were recovering the bones, I noticed a character on the bones—not just once, but several times.”
Upon hearing this, I lost all desire to take a shower. Instead, I pulled Old Liu into the guesthouse cafeteria, finding a quiet corner to sit down and ask him to elaborate on the events.
The mark on my back was dark red in some areas and lighter in others, with contours and layers that resembled an eyeball. It looked strikingly similar to the jade eye I had shattered in the ancient city of Jingjue. I was increasingly worried that this could be some sort of curse, potentially affecting not just me and Fatty, but also Professor Chen and Shirley Yang, who were far away in the United States.
When Old Liu mentioned that it wasn’t an eyeball but a character, I felt a surge of urgency and lit a cigarette for him. By this time, the cafeteria had closed for the day, and since Old Liu had some free time, he began recounting the story.
This incident had occurred not long ago—less than three years ago. At that time, an archaeological team was staying at the guesthouse in Gulan, sorting through the bones they had recovered. The local authorities took the matter very seriously, sealing off the guesthouse to everyone except the staff.
Old Liu, who worked in the cafeteria, was a curious man. He often cooked for the archaeologists and would watch them work when he had the chance. The archaeologists got to know him and, out of courtesy, would sometimes let him observe as long as he didn’t steal anything or cause trouble.
The archaeological team had recovered a large number of turtle shells and some unidentified animal bones. Each shell was covered in numerous inscriptions and symbols, but most were damaged and incomplete, requiring a lot of time and effort to restore.
Among the many broken shells, there was one large turtle shell that was remarkably intact, about the size of a dining table. When the archaeologists were cleaning it with a solution of acetic acid, Old Liu happened to be nearby. He noticed that the most prominent symbol on the shell resembled an eyeball.
Old Liu didn’t recognize many symbols, but this one stood out to him. He asked one of the archaeologists if the symbol represented an eyeball. The archaeologist replied, “No, this is an ancient character similar to oracle bone script, not an eyeball…”
Before he could finish, he was interrupted by the team leader, a Professor Sun. Old Liu clearly remembered Professor Sun warning the archaeologist that this was state secret information and must not be disclosed to anyone.
Old Liu thought to himself, “Why would I, a mere cook, care about your state secrets?” He decided not to pry further, but his curiosity grew. What could be so secretive about something from thousands of years ago? Was it just a bluff to intimidate an old man like him? But since they insisted on keeping it confidential, he figured it was best not to ask.
However, ever since that large turtle shell was brought back, the guesthouse had experienced frequent water leaks and even fires, causing everyone to be on edge.
A few days later, the archaeological team felt they had collected enough bones and decided to leave, packing everything into large wooden crates that filled a truck.
What happened next was bizarre. They intended to airlift the items back to Beijing, but the military plane crashed midway, destroying everything, including the inscribed bones.
Out of the fifteen-member archaeological team, only Professor Sun survived because he had forgotten his work manual at the guesthouse and rushed back to retrieve it, missing the ill-fated flight.
When Professor Sun heard about the crash in Gulan, he was so shocked that he couldn’t get up from the ground. I, along with a few colleagues, helped take him to the clinic, so I could say I was half his savior. Whenever Professor Sun returned to work in the Gulan area, he would come to see me and share a drink. However, whenever I asked him about the inscriptions on the bones, he would avoid the question, only advising me that those characters were symbols of danger and evil, and it was better not to know. He would sigh, wishing he had never seen those characters in the first place.
Hearing this, I couldn’t help but ask Old Liu, “So, you don’t know what the character means either?”
Old Liu chuckled and said mysteriously, “Young man, I only know it’s an ancient character, but I don’t know what it means. However, someone does know. As luck would have it, that Professor Sun is currently staying upstairs. He comes to Gulan every year for work, so you might just get a chance to talk to him.”
I grabbed Old Liu’s hand eagerly. “Old Liu, you’re a lifesaver! You must introduce me to Professor Sun!”
Old Liu patted his chest confidently. “No problem with the introduction, but that old fellow is tight-lipped. Whether he’ll tell you anything depends on how you approach him. Given the unusual mark on your back, he might just share something with you.”
I asked Old Liu to wait for me in the cafeteria while I returned to my room to share the news with Big Gold Tooth and Fatty. I quickly explained everything I had learned about the ancient character and the connection to Professor Sun.
I decided to leave Fatty in the room to keep an eye on the fragrant jade while I took Big Gold Tooth with me. He had years of business experience and was much more adept at handling social situations than I was.
After changing into some fresh clothes, we headed to the guesthouse cafeteria to find Old Liu. I approached him and said, “Old Liu, it doesn’t feel right to go empty-handed, but it’s getting late, and it’s not easy to find some snacks or fruits at this hour…”
Old Liu waved his hand dismissively. “No need for that; just consider it my treat. But remember, don’t mention anything about antiques in front of Professor Sun. He has a bad temper and doesn’t like people in your line of work.”
Big Gold Tooth and I immediately agreed to keep our mouths shut. We concocted a story, saying we were in Gulan on business and had developed a red mark on my back that resembled oracle bone script. We wanted to consult Professor Sun, hoping he could help us determine whether it was a skin condition or something else.
With our plan set, Old Liu led us upstairs and knocked on Professor Sun’s door. After explaining our purpose, Professor Sun invited us in.
Professor Sun appeared to be nearly sixty, a thin, wiry man with dark skin and a slight hunch in his back, likely from years of working in the field. His face was lined with wrinkles, and he had a balding head with a few sparse strands of hair left, styled in a lopsided swirl. Despite his age, his eyes were bright and alert, and he didn’t wear glasses. Aside from his hairstyle, he looked like a farmer who had spent years toiling in the fields.
In contrast to the professors I knew, like Professor Chen, who was a typical academic type, Professor Sun was a practical man who had spent most of his career in the field.
After I explained the situation, Professor Sun examined the mark on my back for a long time, muttering about how strange it was. I asked him what exactly the mark was and if it posed any danger to my health.
He replied, “This does resemble a symbol. A couple of years ago, a large turtle shell was unearthed in Gulan, and it had one hundred and twelve characters carved into it. They looked like oracle bone script, but they weren’t exactly the same. This eyeball-like symbol appeared seven times among those characters.”
Although I had come to visit Professor Sun with Old Liu, I was still skeptical about the whole situation. Hearing him say that the mark on my back resembled an ancient character piqued my interest, and I quickly asked him what the character meant.
Professor Sun shook his head. “The red mark on your skin only resembles the ancient script; there’s no actual connection. The artifacts were destroyed in the plane crash two years ago. There are many coincidences in this world. Some beans can grow to look like human heads, but aside from their resemblance, there’s no real connection.”
Big Gold Tooth and I tried to persuade him, showering him with compliments, hoping to learn more about the inscriptions on the turtle shell. If we could understand their content, we might figure out if there was any link to my mark.
However, Professor Sun refused to divulge any more information. In the end, he dismissed us with a stern warning: “Don’t pretend to be something you’re not. You two reek of the earth. I’ve worked in the field long enough to know what people like you do. There are three types of people who smell like that: farmers, tomb raiders, or antique dealers. Frankly, you don’t look like farmers to me, and I have no good feelings toward you. I don’t know where you got this character or why you’re pretending it’s a mark on your skin to extract information from me, but I advise you to stop dreaming. I’ll say this only once: first, don’t cause any trouble. The information about these ancient characters is state secret, and ordinary people have no right to know. Second, my personal advice to you is to stay away from the information contained in those characters. It’s a heavenly secret that must not be leaked. Anyone who gets involved with it will bring disaster upon themselves.”