The map was deliberately housed in an ebony box, with flannel underneath, and was only half the size of an A4 paper, which was very well preserved. Mountains, rivers and several place names are marked in the map, and a red dot is dotted with cinnabar in the middle, but there is no annotation text next to the red dot.

According to the research of the main flower period of Piaohuatan, it should be the north of Shennongjia. Whether it is to verify the ancient place names above, or to compare with today's satellite maps, the basic situation is consistent.

Ding Qi has a master here, he asked Shi Buquan to take a closer look at this picture, Shi Buquan thought that this was indeed the original antiquity of the Song Dynasty, and it was not faked. But just looking at this map doesn't mean anything, it's just an ordinary map, and the cinnabar red dot was dotted later, and I don't understand what it means.

Why did Hua Zhaoqi think that the red dot was the location of the Xiaoyang Kingdom? Because this map was sandwiched in a codex left by the patriarch, and the page in the codex happened to mention the Xiaoyang Kingdom.

Ding Qi didn't get the original codex, but Piaohuatan provided a high-definition photocopy, which did have a sentence on it: "The night rain on Lufang Mountain, the country of Xiaoyang, people are beasts, animals are people?"

Reading this, Shi Buquan frowned and said: "How do I feel that this should be about the Beast Country, don't forget that the Beast Country is also in Fangshan." ”

Fangshan is a place name, and the ancient place names are often repeated. The location of the beast country is in Fangshan District, on the outskirts of Beijing, which was also called Fangshan in ancient times, and interestingly, the ruins of Zhoukoudian ape man and mountain cave man are also in that area.

This sentence can be interpreted from another angle, that is, the ancestor of Piaohuatan knows the existence of the country of birds and beasts, and it rains at night when he passes by Fangshan, and he thinks that people will turn into beasts when they enter the country of birds and beasts, and he can't help but sigh, citing the allusion of the legendary Xiaoyang country.

But since there is an ancient map sandwiched in this page of the codex, and a red dot on the ancient map, it is easy to think of another possibility.

Fangxian County, Hubei Province was called Fangling County in ancient times, and Fangshan can also refer to the mountains and wilderness around Fangling County.

There is no contradiction between Piaohuatan and Ding Qi, so there is no need to deliberately forge such a thing to mislead anyone, and they are not sure that the red dot in the picture is the location of Xiaoyang Kingdom, let alone that Xiaoyang Country is a world outside the world, only that they found clues that are suspected to be another world outside the world.

After this material was submitted to the headquarters of the Alliance, there were other materials to support it. For example, the ancestor of Wuxin Valley also left a text, and Ye Zongqing provided a high-definition photocopy, which read: "The ancestor once talked to the master of Lu Yudong about the secret place outside the world, if the door is closed and his place is lost, although he has wild interest, how is it different from Xiaoyang Kingdom?"

There is no problem with the information provided by Ye Zongqing, it can be seen from this record that Lu Yudong and Piaohuatan had exchanges in ancient times, and this text is what later generations recorded the ancestors said.

When a certain ancestor of Wuxin Valley communicated with the cave master of Lu Yu Cave at that time, he once sighed that if he blindly lived in seclusion in the secret realm of the world outside the world, and one day the inheritance was broken or the portal was completely closed, then the people living in the secret realm were almost equal to the wild people who drank blood in the legend.

This transcript also has a background, at that time, the Canggu village tribe moved into the Wuxin Valley in a big way, not to escape the war temporarily, but to settle in it. It seems that the patriarch of the Five Heart Valley also realized that this situation might lead to some problems in the future, and sighed with some worries.

Just looking at this passage does not prove the existence of the Xiaoyang Kingdom, let alone that the Xiaoyang Kingdom is an outside world, and the ancestor of the Five Heart Valley may have read the legend of the Xiaoyang Kingdom, and it is only an allusion to it.

Lu Yudong provided another note left by the patriarch, which read: "I heard that in ancient times, there was the country of Xiaoyang, and the people of the country were in charge of the body and lived in the cave, but now they can't see it, and it is also a secret realm of heaven and earth?"

In fact, this paragraph of text can't explain anything, just mention the legends about Xiaoyang Kingdom since ancient times, and then guess whether it is also an outside world, where there are Mao people who live, and the Mao people people people see are accidentally running out of the outside world. As the lord of the secret realm of heaven and earth, he was interested in such a legend, and it was normal to make such a guess.

As for Jingsha Island, it once became a fishing village that couldn't go on, and of course there were no ancestral classics handed down. The information provided by Ma Yuanling is that he remembers that when he was very young, he seemed to have heard his grandfather say that there was a Xiaoyang country in the Three Gorges area, which was also a world outside the world, and all the people living in it were isolated savages.

Ma Yuanling's words just listen to them, they can't be taken seriously. "I remember when I was a child, I seemed to hear my grandfather say it", such a pretext can't be confirmed at all, who knows whether his grandfather really said it or falsely, or he made it up himself, it's possible to remember it wrong, anyway, I can't get any evidence.

However, the three families of Piaohuatan, Luyudong, and Wuxin Valley have all provided relevant information, and their ancestors have all left records about Xiaoyang Kingdom, especially Wuxin Valley is really cooperating with the Fangwai Alliance to find clues to the new secret realm of heaven and earth. It should be emphasized that it was Piaohuatan who first came up with records and maps, and the other families provided their own supporting information.

Taken together, this information is a clue to the investigation that cannot be ignored, Ding Qi, as the chairman of the Fangwai Alliance, and is in charge of the research department, of course he has to continue to investigate and study.

Zhu Shanxian, the secretary of the district party committee, is not in Jinghu City at the moment. His daughter went to the United States as an exchange student for a year, and just returned to China with her mother this summer, and the university is about to start. Tan Hanchuan also has a job on weekdays, and it is said that he participated in a research project that involves national defense and needs to be kept secret, so he can't be contacted at present.

Zhejiang University is also going to open in the next few days, and Shang Ni has returned to Hangzhou. Zhuang Mengzhou is still in Dali, Yunnan, and when he hides in the Five Heart Valley, no one outside can find him. So there were only three people who studied these materials in the Nanlan community that night, including Ding Qi, Xian Hao, and Shi Buquan.

Shi Buquan concluded: "From the perspective of data research alone, I don't see any problems. ”

Ding Qi prompted: "Don't always be technical flow, but also think about the problem from the perspective of routine flow." If there is a problem with this matter, and someone is deliberately setting up a situation, what do you think is the key?"

Xian Hao also nodded and said, "That's right, Ah Quan, don't you think it's too coincidental?"

When everyone spoke, they turned on the computer, and there was a map on the screen, and the Zhangjiajie Scenic Area and the Shennongjia Scenic Area were facing each other across the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River. The Three Gorges area is the place where there are the most savage legends since ancient times, and Qu Yuan also wrote a poem "Mountain Ghost". The so-called coincidence refers to the two things discussed at the same time at today's regular work meeting.

Ding Qi will leave for Zhangjiajie tomorrow to review the newly joined members of the Fangwai Alliance Changcheng Blessed Land on the spot, and now that he has obtained these materials, it is logical to go to Shennongjia again from Changcheng Blessed Land. Under normal circumstances, it is impossible for Ding Qi not to be interested in this kind of thing, and he will go there himself before the Fangwai Alliance has organized an inspection team.

Shi Buquan looked up at Ding Qi and said, "Teacher Ding, will you definitely go to Shennongjia this time?"

Ding Qi nodded and said, "Under normal circumstances, I will definitely go, and you don't know me." ”

Shi Buquan: "There may be a problem with this, or it may not be a problem, but the key is actually in that map." Neither the map nor the Codex are fake, but it is possible for people to lie. Finding an ancient map of the Shennongjia area, and then saying that it was sandwiched in the page of the patriarch's codex, became a clear clue. ”

Ding Qi groaned: "Let's do it according to the plan, I don't want to have problems, but if someone really wants to target me, it's not a matter to wait every day, since the other party has set up a game, then take the initiative to let them jump out." ”

Shi Buquan: "I'll go too." ”

Ding Qi shook his head and said: "In that kind of place, it is impossible to enter too many people, we have enough manpower, you can stay at the headquarters of the Fangwai Alliance, and you can observe the movement." You are the staff of the headquarters, if you suddenly disappear, it will make the other party vigilant.

There may be no problem with this move in Floating Flower Pond, and the information provided by each family may also be fine. But the problem is just like Ah Quan said, if someone knows about it, they can guess that I will definitely go there. ”

Shi Buquan: "I hope we think too much, it's okay, maybe we can really find a new world outside the world." ”

Xian Hao said with a cold face: "Those who want to make a move will do it sooner or later, so it's better for us to take the initiative." ”

Because there was no direct flight to Zhangjiajie Airport from Jinghu, Ding Qi and Ma Xiao set off from Jinghu the next day and took a car to Nanjing. The headquarters of the Fangwai Alliance also purchased office vehicles in the name of the research society, and it was Li Zhiyao who drove them. Ma Xiao was able to perform such a task, and he was on a business trip with Ding Qi, and he felt very excited.

The two of them went from Nanjing to Zhangjiajie, and Ma Xiao always followed Ding Qi closely, with a somewhat coquettish and shy expression. Ding Qi was a little uncomfortable, but he also pretended to be casual and was very polite to her. When the two came out of the airport, they saw Tian Zhongluo head-on.

Tian Shi has always been very pompous, no matter where he appears, he basically has to grab a seat, but today it is very rare that he does not bring a bodyguard, and there is a middle-aged man standing next to him. Seeing Ding Qi and Ma Xiao coming out, Tian Zhongluo stepped forward and introduced: "Mr. Ding, Mr. Ma, this is the big landlord of Yang who is enjoying the blessed land, Yang Chengong." ”

Ma Xiaojiao smiled: "Landlord Yang, this title is really interesting!"

Yang Chengong shook hands with Ma Xiao and said, "Lao Tian is joking with me, Miss Ma can just call me Lao Yang." ”

Ding Qi also stretched out his hand and said, "Lord Yang Fu, hello!"

According to the customary rules of the Fangwai Alliance, the lord of the blessed land seems to be called the Yang landlord, but the word landlord is not very nice and easy to cause misunderstanding, so it is customary to call the blessed lord, and it sounds very blessed. Only between people who are very familiar with each other, will they call the landlord a joke.

Yang Chengong held Ding Qi's hand again and said, "You are Chairman Ding?

Ding Qi almost didn't choke on him, this Yang Fu Lord should be complimenting people, but the taste of praise is not quite right, does he and Ma Xiao see him and Ma Xiao as a pair, what kind of eyes is this?

Tian Zhongluo did not bring bodyguards, but Yang Chengong took his subordinates, everyone left the airport and got into a seven-seater business car, and another SUV in front of them opened the way, walked along the winding mountain road for nearly two hours, and came to a place called No. 5 Valley in Wulingyuan Scenic Area in Zhangjiajie, and it was almost time for dinner.

Valley Five is both a valley and a B&B. Nowadays, many tourist resorts have the name "village", but they don't look like villages at all, but Valley 5 is different. When Ding Qi got off the bus, he thought that he had arrived in front of a Tujia village built on the mountain, and this homestay resort was actually rebuilt on the basis of a Tujia village.

Take the stone steps into the wooden village door, the house you see is the earthen wall and grass roof, and after you walk in, you find that the interior is very exquisitely decorated. The scale of the entire B&B is very large, from the foot of the mountain to the halfway up the mountain, interspersed with various scenery.

There are also two lakes in the village, one is a fish pond and the other has been converted into a swimming pool with a view of the horizon. At the foot of the mountain is a stone path, and when you go halfway up the mountain, it becomes a wooden plank road, and in order to protect the natural vegetation, there is still a piece of the wooden plank road in many places, so that the trees can drill out and grow.

In the public dining room, they met a middle-aged man with long gray hair and a braid at the back of his head, and a gentle woman wearing a blue printed shawl standing next to him. This is a couple full of literary and artistic atmosphere, Yang Chengong stepped forward and introduced: "Everyone, this is Chen Zimo, the valley lord of the No. 5 valley, and the valley lord's wife Wan'er!"

This title is interesting, and it makes Ding Qi think of many masters of the outer world, such as the Lord of the Leaf Valley of the Five Heart Valley, and the Lord of the Martial Valley of the former Valley. Although this place is not an outside world, it is also a bit of a paradise.

The Tujia-style village is built on a sunny slope, with orchards and bamboo forests, and a vegetable garden in the valley opposite the village, where you can taste fresh fruits and vegetables. For example, if you order a fried pepper with egg, the egg may have just been laid in the chicken nest, and the pepper is picked from the ground when you go out.

Everyone greeted the valley lord and his wife with a smile, and the valley lord Chen held Yang Chengong's hand and said, "Chairman Yang, what kind of wind has blown you here again......?

Yang Chengong: "This place is good, the valley owner is really a fairy day! You just were rated as the 'Top Ten Must-Sleep Homestays in the World' last year, of course I want to find more opportunities to enjoy it." ”

Chen Guzhu: "These are all ...... support from leaders and encouragement from peers"

From the greetings between the two, Ding Qi learned that Yang Chengong was the chairman of the local trade union and a party and government cadre. The identities of the masters of the outer world are different, and they have the inheritance of the eight secret arts of the rivers and lakes, and there are also many people in the public gate. Everyone had dinner here, tasted fresh specialties and several local game, and drank the wine-brewed wine in the valley, which was very good.

The day after dinner has been darkened, Tian Zhongluo said that he is not in a hurry to visit the blessed land, because there is still a wild road to go, first stay here for a night, and then set off tomorrow at dawn is not too late, if Mr. Ding and Mr. Ma have Yaxing, you can also go to Zhangjiajie Scenic Area to play a circle after visiting the blessed land. Anyway, now that the Fangwai Alliance is well funded, all official trips like this are spent on public funds.

That night, Ding Qi was arranged to have a separate suite, and there was a wooden platform halfway up the mountain along the wooden plank road, and a green tree came out of the center of the platform, just like a big umbrella, and there were tables and chairs under the tree for resting. The house is also wooden, with floor-to-ceiling windows on the south side, and not only a living room, bedroom, but also a small tea room.

The floor-to-ceiling long windows can overlook the valley opposite, which has a good view, but it is not the best from the perspective of feng shui, because it is too unobstructed, and the view through it feels like a high cliff, and it may not be comfortable to live on weekdays. And the designer of the B&B is obviously also very sophisticated, and there are a few ancient pines outside the window, and the hanging branches make up for this defect.

Looking from the valley in the distance, the pine branches are not real, but the view from the house is very clear, and the pine branches hanging in front of the window near have also become the embellishment of the composition.

Ding Qi sat on the floor in the tea room, brewed a pot of tea on the table in front of him, and poured himself a drink, looking out the long window at dusk. The weather at the end of August is still very hot, but this area feels very cool, just after a rain during the day, the water vapor in the mountains rises, forming layers of white mist near the peak, looming in the dim light, like an ink painting.

It is located in the Wulingyuan Scenic Area of Zhangjiajie, and Wulingyuan is named after Tao Yuanming's "Peach Blossom Spring". Zhu Shan was idle in the living room of the building in the Nanlan Community, and there was a book written by him himself, "The Story of the Peach Blossom Spring", as well as the poem by the Tang Dynasty Pei Di: To return to the depths of the mountains, you must exhaust the beauty of the hills and ravines. Mo Xuewuling people, temporarily travel to Taoyuan.

Maybe everyone has their own peach source in their minds, which is not only a yearning, but also a kind of feelings and realm, and the so-called leisurely scenery does not have to go to the outside world to find it. Every world he saw was probably a spiritual manifestation of the pioneer...... I still remember that in the early summer of last year, Mr. Zhuang talked about the bowl of Pian Erchuan, talking about the realm of life.

Ding Qi's realization at this moment is that life is not only the pursuit of some seemingly illusory realm, but the real thing is that when you have that realm, you will really enjoy the life in that realm......

At this moment, his thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door, and Ma Xiaojiao's voice came from outside the door: "Master Ding, are you resting?"

Ding Qi was stunned, and with his cultivation, he didn't realize that Ma Xiao had arrived outside the door. He suddenly felt a little distracted when he looked at the scenery in the distance just now, and Ma Xiao was obviously a little cultivated, and he restrained his breath when he walked over. It's some distance from the other houses, and at the end of a boardwalk halfway up the mountain, no one seems to be disturbing.

Ding Qi stood up and came to the living room to open the door, and smiled politely: "I haven't rested yet, I'm drinking tea and watching the scenery, is there anything wrong with Director Ma?"

Ma Xiao walked into the room and said, "Master Ding, don't always call me Director Ma, it's too outward, so it's okay to call Ma Xiao." You're drinking tea alone...... Lord Chen Gu is having a bonfire party, I'll call you, don't you go and have a lively time?"

Ding Qi shook his head and said, "I won't join in the fun." ”

Ma Xiao took the opportunity and said: "I don't like to join in the fun, so let's drink tea with the leader of the Ding League, it's still comfortable here." ”

Ding Qi: "You're here just in time, I just saw a good scenery over there, and I was about to go out for a walk in the valley." ”

In this summer, the clothes are very cool, the lonely men and widows are alone, even if they are fine, they will be arranged out of things, Ding Qi hurriedly found an excuse to flash. Ma Xiao immediately said: "The scenery over there is really good, and I will also accompany Teacher Ding to take a break." ”

Ding Qi: "It's too dark, I'm afraid it's not safe, so don't go out." ”

Ma Xiao: "With the Lord of the Ding League, what do I have to be afraid of?"

Ding Qi was also helpless, and walked out of the room and went down the hillside along the wooden plank road, where a bonfire party was being held in the open space next to the fish pond, and there were waiters with fire extinguishers guarding them. Lord Chen and the rest of the resort were drinking beer at the barbecue, which was a very happy entertainment on a summer night.

Ding Qi smiled and nodded in greeting, and walked out of the gate of the mountain villa along the stone steps, and entered the valley across the improvised road. Yang Chengong and Tian Zhongluo also came out when they saw the situation, and as soon as they saw that they moved, six more strong men also came out. On this big night, Ding Qi wanted to go shopping casually, and actually pulled out a team.

The valley also built the wooden plank road of the ring shape, the plank road leads to several places and also built a grass pavilion, it is for visitors to take a walk to see the scenery, both sides of the road have opened up a lot of vegetable fields according to the topography, there is a pastoral wild interest, only in the night to see not very real. Ding Qi was not affected, even in an absolutely dark environment, he could sense foreign objects without hindrance, and he had already exercised it.

It wasn't too dark, the rain had passed, and the moonlight was faintly illuminating the road below. Seeing that Yang Chengong also followed, Ding Qi asked in a low voice, "The gateway to the blessed land shouldn't be within the range of the homestay in Valley Five, right?"

The location where the B&B is located, Ding Qi has already explored with his divine sense, and has not found any traces of the portal of the outside world. Yang Chengong pointed to the depths of the valley in the distance and said, "Coincidentally, that Boss Chen has built such a homestay opposite the portal of the Changcheng Blessed Land. There are about three or four miles to walk in from here, which is the entrance to the blessed land. ”

As he spoke, he had reached the end of the plank road, and he continued to move forward. Ding Qi said: "Since we have arrived here, let's go in and have a look." ”

He jumped off the empty boardwalk with ease. Yang Chengong hurriedly shouted: "This black light is blind, and the road is also very difficult to walk, why don't you go again tomorrow?"

Ding Qi replied: "Don't you bring a flashlight? It doesn't matter if you take a walk, just take a walk after dinner." ”

Yang Chengong jumped down, and the people behind also jumped off the wooden plank road, and Ding Qi also reached out to help two of them. It had just rained during the day, and the fields were a little slippery, which was really difficult to walk. Dan Ding Qi has the ability to walk on the water, which naturally hinders him, and he still walks forward.

Tian Zhongluo said with a smile: "The Lord of the Ding League's Yaxing can't be stopped, then let's explore the blessed land at night together." As he spoke, he gestured, and two good boys stepped forward and turned on the flashlight, leading the way in front of him. Ma Xiao followed Ding Qi closely, his feet seemed to slip a little, and he grabbed Ding Qi's arm, and then held on to it.

Ding Qi was also very helpless, he ran out of the room because he didn't want to stay alone with Ma Xiao, and it turned out to be a blessed place for night visits. And although the gesture that Tian Zhongluo made just now was behind Ding Qi's back, Ding Qi also noticed it.

Yang Chengong and Tian Zhongluo, including Ma Xiao, obviously have cultivation, and there is no big problem in walking in the mountains at night. The other six should also be good, guarding everyone in front of and behind with a strong flashlight, they are obviously prepared, otherwise how can they carry a flashlight with them.

In the No. 5 Valley B&B, Chen Gu was still holding a summer bonfire party with the guests, and a waiter came over and said, "Chairman Yang has taken the guests to the valley over there." ”

The valley owner's wife Wan'er waved her hand and said: "The plank road has been repaired, it doesn't matter if you take a walk, there are so many of them, there will be no problem." ”

Chen Gu Master held the wine glass and said: "The valley opposite, you must not run deep if you are fine, I heard the local old man say that there were once people who ran away inexplicably and couldn't find it." ”

A guest approached and asked, "Oh, what happened later?"

Chen Guzhu: "The villagers searched for two days but couldn't find anyone, but the person who was lost later came back by himself. Everyone asked him where he had gone, but he only knew that he had gone around somewhere in the mountains, and somehow two days had passed, and he didn't remember anything. It is said that there have been several such incidents in ancient times, and I don't know if it's true or not. ”

Another guest said, "Didn't they run into the Peach Blossom Garden?"

Chen Gu Lord nodded and said, "It's very possible, don't forget what our name is here, Wulingyuan!"

There was a happy conversation here, but they didn't know that Ding Qi and the others had jumped off the plank road and walked into the depths of the valley in the dark night, heading to the outside world that no one knew.

ps: It's not that I want to break the update, it's really impossible to write it in one day, and I don't want to take it apart to break the chapter, today is a three-in-one super long chapter!