It was rainy from the time we got off the plane in Kathmandu, and about twenty minutes after the military vehicle left, the sky suddenly cleared.

The heavy white clouds between the distant mountains faded, and the golden sunlight pierced through the clouds, like holy light falling from the sky, directly shining on one of the highest peaks in the sky, and the snow-capped mountains bloomed with a divine light that could not be described in words.

Just as we were marveling at such a magnificent spectacle, the car suddenly stopped, and the man in military uniform and the driver, all folded their hands, and their mouths were chanting, as if praying.

After praying, the man in military uniform turned his head and said to us: "Your good luck is good, the golden-topped Buddha light just now is rare to see." There was a smile on his face that looked like clay.

Probably thinking that a few of us had brought a good omen, the man in the military uniform was much more polite during the subsequent journey, and he introduced himself as Gyalje, a Sherpa who had followed Tenzing Kava from a very early age, and was now the captain of Tenzin Kava's guard.

When I asked him if he knew why Tenzin Kava had invited us, Jajay shook his head and said he couldn't tell if he knew that when he accepted the order, Jazz seemed to be in a good mood and it shouldn't be a serious matter.

Since we can't ask why, we can only give up, Shen Tangzhi was more interested in Jiajie's Sherpa identity, and began to ask related questions.

As we all know, Nepal is a mecca for mountaineering enthusiasts, in Nepal, the Himalayas are crossed, there are many world peaks including Mount Everest - eight of the 14 highest mountains on the planet are located in Nepal in whole or part, and they are all above 8,000 meters above sea level, and these highest mountains on earth together form the roof of our global village.

In this context, commercial mountaineering in Nepal is very well developed, and the Sherpas, who are recognized as the best mountain guides in the world, are known as the "porters of the Himalayas".

Jiajie said that the mountaineering industry is now a livelihood for many Sherpas, but Sherpas have also paid a terrible price......

Jia Jie didn't say much, but I could still clearly hear that he didn't really like mountaineering.

As he spoke, the car turned around a mountain col and drove into a small village with only a few dozen households.

Most of the houses in the village are wooden houses, the house style is very peculiar, the house building form is special, there are three floors up and down: the bottom is made of stone blocks into a thick wall, and then the beam is erected on the wall to build the building, the wooden building has two floors, the herringbone top, the top is covered with wooden fish scale boards, the total height of the house is 6 to 7 meters, it looks quite tall, like a pagoda.

The car stopped in front of one of the largest houses, and Jia Jie led us inside.

This type of house is very similar to the stilted buildings popular in Southeast Asia, with the first floor of the stone wall for the livestock cage, the second floor for the kitchen, and the third floor for the living room.

We went directly to the second floor, the house was burning with a red ondol, the ground and the surrounding walls were covered with all kinds of animal skins, it looked very warm, a few people sat around the kang, sat on the ground, and when they saw us come in, they all turned their heads.

Jia Jie bowed slightly to the man in the middle and said a word of Sherpa language.

The man nodded, waved his hand at us, and said in standard Mandarin: "Come here, it's warm on the kang side, sit down and talk." ”

At the same time, he instructed several guard-looking men around him to move our positions.

A few of us could hardly believe that the middle-aged man in front of us was Tenzing Kawa, who had a legendary life.

On the contrary, Tenzin Kava's stature is shorter than that of ordinary Nepalese, only about 1.65 meters tall, and his body does not look very strong, and even a little hunchbacked, his appearance is even more ordinary, his facial features are not handsome, his dark brown complexion is rusty red, and the whole person looks more like an old farmer who has been working all year round, rather than an iron-blooded hero.

However, the guards were carrying firearms and scimitars at their waists, and we had to believe that the man in front of us, wearing a wool short-sleeved jacket with pure white and black trim - that is, the national costume of the Sherpa "Pudu", and the appearance of the people was Tenzin Kava.

Seeing our hesitation, Tenzin Kava smiled and said, "Don't be surprised, you all see, I'm not a three-headed and six-armed monster, come and sit down." ”

In the middle of the room is a kang made of stone slabs, burning charcoal, with a black iron bracket on the fire, and I don't know what is boiling in an iron pot, as soon as we sit down, we smell a rich sweet fragrance mixed with the smell of tea.

Tenzin Kava said: "It's a bit abrupt to take the liberty of inviting you here, Jiajie is a rough person, if there is anything rude, please bear with me." ”

Of course, we waved our hands again and again, saying that we didn't dare.

Tenzin Kava smiled and ordered his men to open the lid of the pot, which was boiling a beige liquid, and each of us had a large bowl stuffed in our hands.

"It's a fine sweet tea, made with yak milk and snow mountain tea, to keep the cold and refreshing, and it also has the effect of moisturizing the lungs – this is your first time in Nepal, right? The air on the plateau is cold and thin, so drinking more hot and sweet tea can protect your lungs. ”

Tenzin Kawa smiled slightly, was very polite to us, and didn't say a word about the reason why he "invited" us, just like a friend all the time.

In the end, the old knife couldn't help it, he drank the sweet tea in his hand, put down the bowl and said: "Mr. Sir, we are also here, and the tea is also drunk, what is the matter, don't hide it, let's talk openly!" ”

The old knife between several guards spoke in a bad tone, and immediately knelt down and stood up, and touched the handle of the scimitar at his waist with his right hand.

A few of us are not afraid, the old knife is even more hehe sneered, his eyes looked at the kang in front of him intentionally or unintentionally, I understood what he meant, if he really fought, he turned over the kang first, or used the iron pot as a weapon.

But I know that since Tenzin Kava politely invited us here, it is impossible to get to that point, he must have something to ask, and may even ask us - Shen Tangzhi probably also knows this, so he is as calm as ever, and Hyde, the Englishman, has to say that this guy is really a love saint, he is full of thoughts on Shen Tangzhi, and his face is slightly nervous, which is worried about Shen Tangzhi's safety.

Tenzin Carvalho waved his hand, and the guards around him sat back in place, just looking at us, more and more vigilant.

"I received a message from several mountaineering companies that several Chinese mountaineers want to form a mountaineering team and are now recruiting members."

Shen Tangzhi nodded: "That's right, the publisher is me." ”

Tenzin Kawa glanced at Shen Tang in a little surprise and said with a smile: "I'm sorry, I always thought he was the one who made the idea. He pointed at me.

Shen Tangzhi was unmoved by Tenzin Kava's temptation, and said indifferently: "I happen to be in charge of these." ”

Tenzin Kava nodded, then asked, "Are you sure you want to climb Dhaulagiri?" ”

"What's the problem?"

"Of course, there is no problem. But did you know that there was a wreck on Dhaulagiri not long ago, and the final confirmed casualties could be as high as nine – I'm sure you should have seen the warning from the Nepal Mountaineering Association, and you still want to continue the challenge in the face of such extreme risks? ”

Shen Tangzhi smiled: "So, I offered five times the usual price." ”

Tenzin Kawa also smiled: "Madam, when you are trapped on the way to the top, you will understand that money is not everything. ”

Tenzin Kawa reminded us with kindness that although the 8,167-meter-high Dhaulagiri Peak is only ranked seventh among the world's highest peaks, this peak is definitely one of the most difficult mountains in the world to reach, even those experienced veterans do not dare to rashly challenge the summit of Dhaulagiri Peak, not to mention that the four of us are all participating in such a difficult mountaineering operation for the first time, which is a joke with our own lives.

Finally, Tenzin Kava casually mentioned, "I heard that your meeting place is Koang?" And looking for someone familiar with the ancient kingdom of Somer? ”

It dawned on us that the key was here.

I said quietly, "Sir Sir, we are just curious about the local history and legends, and this is normal. ”

Tenzin Kava smiled: "It's not that simple, is it? ”

Shen Tang and I both laughed and didn't answer.

Jiajie, who had been sitting silently on the side, spoke: "Ladies and gentlemen, in Nepal, the words of the knight are very powerful, especially among us Sherpas. We certainly have no right to interfere with your mountaineering challenges, but if your purpose is not to climb the mountain, but to have other intentions, believe me, no Sherpas will follow you. ”

"Are you a threat, Mr. Sir?" I said.

"Just a kind reminder." Tenzin Kawa said with a smile, "In Nepal, it's easy for me to make a few people disappear from the world - that's a small threat - don't be nervous, I'm just giving an example." ”

Immediately afterwards, Tenzin Kawa restrained the smile on his face, leaned forward slightly, and asked, "How much do you know about the ancient kingdom of Somol?" ”

Shen Tangzhi and I glanced at each other, she gave me a look of "you decide", I thought for a while, reached out and dipped a little sweet tea in the bowl, and wrote four words on the stone slab around the kang - "Country of Heaven and Sea".

The angle of my writing can only be seen by Tenzin Kava and a few of us.

Tenzin Kawa stared at my finger movements, and when I finished writing the four words, his eyes suddenly widened, and after a slight stunned, the water traces on the stone slab had also been dried by the fiery kang fire, and disappeared into nothingness.

I could hear Tenzin Kava's breathing a little heavier, and he looked up at me and asked in a low voice, "What else do you know?!" ”

Instead of answering his question, I smiled and said, "I didn't expect Mr. Sir to know Chinese characters, which is really knowledgeable and admirable." ”

Tenzin Kava's eyes were fixed on me, and now his eyes were no longer as dull and tired as an old peasant, but shone and sharp as a cold knife bee, as if they wanted to see through me.

But this trick is useless to me, I have experienced countless supernatural events, the eyes of those ghosts are a hundred times more terrifying and cold, I have long been used to it, so I put on a look of a bamboo in my chest, ignoring Tenzin Kava's gaze, Shi Shiran continued to drink the sweet tea in his hand.

At this time, the sun was already setting outside, and there was no other light source in the house, only the dark red charcoal fire in the fire pit, and the expression on Tenzin Kava's face kept changing under the reflection of the charcoal fire, and finally, he closed his eyes.

After a few breaths, he opened his eyes again, and the cloudiness and philistine nature of the old peasant had regained in them, and he smiled, "I understand." ”

"You can stay here today, your car, and your luggage, I will send someone to pick it up for you." He stood up, "Besides, your plan is very problematic, and the location of the selection of the mountaineers should be completed here." If anything, just ask Jia Jie to help you, he is an absolutely trustworthy partner. ”

With that, Tenzin Kava left, leaving only Gyalje and two guards.

Jiajie explained to us that since there is only one section of the road from Nam Che Bazaar to Koang by car, and there are about three days left, we can only walk or hire a horse team, so the selection of the mountaineers must be completed at the Nam Che Bazaar, and they will send the notice of the change of the meeting place to the relevant platform, and we can set off in three days at the earliest.

After saying that, he drove us up to the third floor, then locked the door, and put us under house arrest.

On the third floor there is a living room and two rooms with ondol, charcoal and food and drink items, both rooms are not big, but enough for the four of us to spend the night.

"Holy shit, that's kind of locking up a few of us? Damn, there's no royal law anymore! If it weren't for Lao Tzu's gun not being able to pass through customs, Lao Tzu would have ...... long ago."

The old knife scolded my mother on the side, I called Hyde, and the two of them lit the fire first.

Lao Dao scolded his mother for a while, probably because he felt cold, but he still obediently sat around with us.

Shen Tangzhi found tea, honey and fresh milk from the low table on the side, and said happily: "The kind of sweet tea I drank just now, I have found the raw materials, I will try to make sweet tea - you must praise my craftsmanship for a while, otherwise I will be hungry tonight." ”

Hyde and I both applauded loudly and helped erect the iron shelves and pots.

Lao Dao said depressedly: "Hey, why don't you care at all?" Don't you know that we're locked up now? ”

I took the iron pot and rested it on the iron shelf, and replied, "Yes." ”

"Why didn't you react?"

"How do you react? Didn't you help us all finish scolding? If you come to it, you will be safe, and besides, it's useless for you to be in a hurry. ”

The old knife turned over angrily and lay on the ground: "I'm too lazy to tell you!" ”

I laughed in my mouth, raised my hand and made a silent motion, and then gave the old knife a look.

When the old knife saw it, he suddenly became energetic.

I instructed Shen Tangzhi and Hyde to make their milk tea in the same way, while Lao Dao and I carefully searched the room and living room, and finally confirmed that there were no pinhole cameras or bugs or anything like that.

But I kept my voice down: "It seems that this Sir Tenzin Kawa must know something, otherwise, he would not have reacted so much to the four words I wrote." ”

The old knife rolled his eyes at me: "Yes, the response is very good, and the good ones have raised us as pigs." ”

Shen Tangzhi scolded: "You are the pig." He turned his head and frowned again with a hint of doubt, "Yoshimitsu, you are pretending to be decent, but if Tenzin Kawa knows, and we actually know very little, will it backfire?" ”

I laughed and said, "Actually, if you think about it the other way around, this can also be seen as a major development for us, at least we now have the help of a local real power figure, and this big man also knows a certain amount of inside information, isn't this a great thing?" As for the rest, you don't have to worry, we definitely have much more information in our hands than Tenzin Kava, there is no doubt about that, otherwise he wouldn't have to immediately tie us up with great fanfare as soon as he heard the words 'Somol Ancient Kingdom'. ”