138: Dead Man Kawauchi

The setting sun sank below the ridge, and twilight spread from the depths of the valley.

The temperature plummeted.

The daytime heat was replaced by a bone-chilling cold; the wind howled as it whistled through the valley.

"It's just like that old man said, it gets this cold as soon as night falls." Wang Dalong wrapped his jacket tighter and rubbed his arms.

They parked the car at the end of the dirt road; the rest of the way could only be covered on foot.

Lin Feng finished checking his gear and glanced at the pitch-black valley entrance, speaking concisely.

"Let's go."

The two of them, one behind the other, stepped into Dead Mans Ravine.

Underfoot were gravel and loose soil, making for uneven footing. The mountain walls on either side cast jagged shadows under the beams of their headlamps.

Aside from their footsteps and the sound of the wind, the valley was deathly silent.

"Brother Feng, how many people must have died here back then for it to get a name like this?" Wang Dalong's voice was a bit shaky.

"During the Mongol western expeditions, massacres were the norm. Western Xia was the final battle, the one with the fiercest resistance, and Genghis Khan himself died here. You can imagine how brutal the fighting was."

Lin Feng didn't stop, his eyes scanning the surrounding terrain.

After walking for nearly an hour, the terrain in the depths of the valley suddenly opened up.

A flat riverbank appeared, the stream shimmering white under the moonlight, and waist-high wild grass rustled in the wind.

"We're here."

Lin Feng came to a halt.

"This should be the 'Palace of Sari-keer' from back then."

He looked around, his eyes filled with pure analysis.

"The terrain is flat and open, enough to station an army. With the mountains at its back and a single entrance, it's easy to defend and hard to attack. There's a water source nearby, and the valley terrain is cooler than outside—it's an ideal spot for summer retreats and recovering from injuries."

Wang Dalong was dazed for a moment before immediately taking out the drone.

"Buzz—"

The drone ascended, and the infrared camera transmitted the landscape back to the tablet.

In the thermal imaging view, the valley was a deep blue low-temperature zone, with only the two of them appearing as warm red dots.

"Brother Feng, look," Wang Dalong pointed at the screen, "the outline of this riverbank... it's like a square. Could it be the remains of the main camp?"

Lin Feng leaned in.

Wang Dalong controlled the drone to fly along the edge of the outline, and a trajectory line was traced on the tablet.

Sure enough, it was a massive square area with sides over a kilometer long.

It was definitely not a natural formation.

"Very likely," Lin Feng's breathing quickened slightly. "A military camp from over seven hundred years ago—large-scale land leveling and camp foundations would leave permanent marks."

His gaze moved across the screen, suddenly fixing on a position slightly north of the center of the square area.

"Stop, lower the altitude."

Under the lens, several huge dark rocks were arranged in an irregular circle.

"A pile of rocks?" Wang Dalong was puzzled.

"No." Lin Feng shook his head, his voice certain. "These are the ruins of an 'Ordo'."

"Ordo?"

"It's Mongolian, meaning 'Palace Tent'. It's a cluster of tents where the Khan and his consorts lived," Lin Feng explained. "These rocks were likely the foundation stones of the main tent back then."

They had found the traveling palace; they had found the Khan's palace tent.

All the clues fit together perfectly.

Genghis Khan had completed his life of conquest right here.

Wang Dalong was so excited his palms began to sweat.

"Then... could his tomb be somewhere nearby?"

According to the tradition of 'speedy burial', this was the most likely possibility.

Lin Feng had Wang Dalong begin a carpet-style low-altitude scan, centered on the ruins of the palace tent.

He didn't use the 'Feng Shui' skill he had just acquired.

He wasn't sure if the Mongols, who believed in Shamanism, would adopt Han Feng Shui. Without definitive evidence, any preconceived judgment could lead to a fatal error.

All he could rely on now were logic and observation.

Time passed minute by minute.

The drone went through two batteries as the scanning range expanded from the riverbank to the slopes on both sides.

On the screen, there was nothing unusual except for mountain rocks and wild grass.

No robber holes, no burial mounds, no signs of any man-made excavation.

Wang Dalong's excitement gradually cooled, and he looked at the empty screen with some discouragement.

"Brother Feng, could it be buried too deep? Or maybe there's no marker at all?"

"It's possible."

Lin Feng's voice was calm, but his brow was tightly furrowed.

He stood up and paced on the riverbank. The cold night wind blew against his clothes and helped clear his cluttered thoughts.

He constructed the scene from over seven hundred years ago in his mind.

Midsummer, sweltering heat. The pride of a generation fell ill at the final moment of conquering his old enemy.

The great army was stationed in this cool valley.

Then, he died.

According to the ancestral system of keeping the death a secret, Tolui and the core generals locked down the news. They needed to bury the Great Khan as quickly and as secretly as possible.

What would they have done?

Dig a deep pit in this valley?

Or excavate a burial chamber in the mountain wall nearby?

Lin Feng stopped walking and looked up at the silent mountains all around.

A thought suddenly occurred to him.

He was wrong.

From the very beginning, his basic judgment had been wrong.

"Dalong."

He spoke, his voice dry.

"What's wrong, Brother Feng?"

"We found the place where he died." Lin Feng slowly turned around and looked at the bewildered Wang Dalong, saying each word deliberately.

"But we're looking in the wrong place for where he was buried."

"What do you mean?" Wang Dalong was completely confused.

"Safety."

Lin Feng uttered two words.

"This is the territory of Western Xia, the heart of an enemy nation. Civil resistance, scattered remnants of the army—they were everywhere. Do you think Tolui would bury the Golden Family's greatest ancestor in such a place, surrounded by enemies and full of uncertainty? Would he dare gamble the entire Mongol Empire's destiny on that?"

"Any qualified successor wouldn't take that risk. What a mausoleum needs is absolute, permanent, and inviolable safety."

Wang Dalong was stunned.

Lin Feng's words caused all his fantasies and excitement to vanish instantly.

Yes, safety.

Such simple logic, yet it had been obscured by the tradition of 'speedy burial on the spot'.

"Then haven't we wasted these two hours for nothing?" Wang Dalong wanted to cry but had no tears.

"No, it wasn't for nothing."

Lin Feng's gaze fell back on the ruins of the palace tent. There was no frustration in his eyes; instead, an even more fervent light burned within them.

"This isn't the end, but it's the most important starting point. It confirms the accuracy of the historical records and points us in the next direction."

"We just need to rethink one question."

Lin Feng looked at Wang Dalong, his eyes deep.

"After the Great Khan died here, where was his body sent?"