139: Ordos, a new horizon

The night grew deeper.

The valley wind was cold, biting into their faces.

Wang Dalong plopped down onto the cold ground, hugging his knees, looking completely deflated.

His massive expectations had fallen through, draining him of all energy.

"After all that, it was all for nothing."

He muttered weakly, "So where exactly is the real Qinian Valley? It can't really be in Mongolia, can it? Are we going to have to get visas and go abroad?"

Lin Feng ignored him.

He sat cross-legged on a large rock, the light from his tablet illuminating his profile.

He re-evaluated the clues, incorporating the "safety paradox" into his logical chain.

The temporary palace was in Dead Mans Ravine in the Liupan Mountains; Genghis Khan died here.

But this place was not suitable for a permanent mausoleum.

Thus, Tolui and the Mongol leadership faced a dilemma: how to adhere to the tradition of "quick burial" while ensuring the absolute safety of the tomb?

Lin Feng's finger swiped, bringing up an ancient text—the Southern Song Dynasty's Heida Shiliu (Brief Account of the Black Tatars).

A passage in the book caught his eye, one he hadn't paid much attention to before: [Their graves have no mounds; they are trampled by horses until they are level with the ground. As for the tomb of Temujin, arrows were planted like a forest, and patrolling cavalry stood guard... it is by the side of the Lugou River.]

The Lugou River is the upper reaches of the Kherlen River, pointing toward the Khentii Mountains, which had already been ruled out.

The very next sentence made Lin Feng's pupils contract: [Upon Temujin's death, his subordinates kept it secret and dared not mourn... they traveled for three days before arriving.]

They traveled for three days before arriving.

From Genghis Khan's passing to his burial, the party traveled for three days.

"Three days..." Lin Feng repeated in a low voice.

"What about three days?" Wang Dalong asked weakly.

"The Heida Shiliu records that it was a three-day journey from the place of Genghis Khan's death to the burial site."

Lin Feng explained, "But this contradicts the Jami' al-tawarikh (Compendium of Chronicles) by the Persian historian Rashid-al-Din. The Compendium of Chronicles claims the party returned north from the Liupan Mountains to the ancestral lands of the Kherlen River for a secret burial, taking nearly three months. During that time, they performed rituals like embalming the body, taking secretive detours, and having ten thousand horses trample the grave."

Lin Feng fell into deep thought.

Three days versus three months—the records were vastly different. Which one was true?

In ancient marches, three days would cover only ninety to a hundred and fifty li. The Liupan Mountains area was still Western Xia territory, making safety a difficult issue to resolve.

So, did "three days" have another meaning?

Lin Feng's gaze shifted northward, crossing the Yellow River and landing on the plateau embraced by the "Great Bend" of the river.

Ordos.

In Mongolian, it means "many palaces."

This was a sacred grazing land for the Mongols.

More importantly, a special tribe lived here—the Darhad.

Their mission was unique: to guard Genghis Khan's "Eight White Palaces"—his cenotaph—for generations.

"Wang Dalong," Lin Feng suddenly spoke.

"What?"

"Let me ask you a question. If you had a peerless treasure and you didn't want anyone to find it, what would you do?"

Wang Dalong thought for a moment. "Dig a hole, bury it, and tell no one."

"And what if you wanted it to be perpetually worshipped but couldn't reveal its true location? What then?" Lin Feng asked again.

Wang Dalong froze.

"Worshipped but not revealed. Isn't that a contradiction?"

He scratched his head, and suddenly a spark of inspiration hit him. "Set up a fake grave? A cenotaph! Hold grand ceremonies at the fake grave to draw everyone's attention. The real treasure would be hidden somewhere else!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he stunned himself.

Lin Feng looked at him and nodded. "Exactly. This is the most brilliant open scheme. Everyone knows the so-called 'Mausoleum of Genghis Khan' in Ordos is just a cenotaph. Precisely because it is 'fake,' for centuries, countless seekers of the true tomb have subconsciously ignored it, turning their gaze toward the distant Mongolian plateau."

"Yet, this 'fake mausoleum' has been guarded by the most loyal Darhads with the most devout rituals for over seven centuries. It was revered by the Qing Dynasty, protected by the Republic of China, and listed as a top-tier cultural relic by New China. Everyone has focused their efforts around this 'symbol.'"

Lin Feng's voice was very low, yet it carried a heart-stopping intensity.

"Is it possible that this massive 'decoy' is actually the clue to the truth? The real Qinian Valley isn't in the Khentii Mountains, nor is it in the dangerous former territory of Western Xia. It's right here in Ordos, within this sacred land guarded by the Darhads, or somewhere nearby!"

Wang Dalong felt the hairs on his arms stand up.

This deduction was incredibly bold, yet so logical!

"Then... how do we explain that 'three-day' journey from earlier? It definitely takes more than three days to get from the Liupan Mountains to Ordos, but it doesn't take three months either."

"That's why the historical records conflict," Lin Feng's thoughts were now perfectly clear. "It's very likely that after Genghis Khan died, his body was embalmed or temporarily laid to rest in the Liupan Mountains for three days. Then, a secret team escorted the coffin back to the safest rear area—the Ordos Plateau—at top speed. Meanwhile, the main army continued south to attack Xingqing Prefecture, drawing all the attention."

"Splitting the forces, pretending to repair the gallery roads while secretly taking the path through Chencang!" Wang Dalong slapped his thigh and cried out.

Every contradiction seemed to be explained at this moment.

"Pack your things, let's go." Lin Feng closed his tablet and stood up.

"Where to?"

"Ordos."

Although they found nothing in Dead Mans Ravine, the logical breakthrough reignited their hope.

They drove back to Guyuan overnight and caught a flight directly to Ordos early the next morning.

It was already afternoon when the plane landed at Ordos Ejin Horo Airport.

Unlike the desolation of Guyuan, this was a brand-new modern city with wide streets and grand buildings, exuding an air of wealth everywhere.

The two checked into a hotel, and Wang Dalong immediately went online to search for local information.

"Brother Feng, look!"

He suddenly thrust his phone in front of Lin Feng, looking excited. "We arrived at the perfect time! In three days, it's the spring Chagan Suluke Ceremony in Ordos!"

On the screen was a piece of travel news.

"Chagan Suluke Ceremony?" Lin Feng took the phone.

"Yes! It's one of the grandest annual sacrificial ceremonies at the Mausoleum of Genghis Khan. It honors the 'Blue Wolf' and the 'White Doe' and is a sacrifice to the guardian spirit, the Sulde. Darhad descendants and Mongol compatriots will all gather there. It's a massive event!"

Wang Dalong grew more excited as he spoke. "This is a perfect opportunity to observe the Darhads! There's bound to be a market around the celebration; maybe we can find some old artifacts!"

Lin Feng looked at the news photos showing the grandeur of previous ceremonies: people dressed in magnificent Mongolian robes, holding Hada, with solemn expressions.

His heart stirred.

With so many people around and such a sacred atmosphere...

In this environment, people's guard would be at its lowest. Secret traditions or unintentional words and actions might be revealed.

It was a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity.

"Alright."

Lin Feng handed the phone back to Wang Dalong. "For the next few days, we'll familiarize ourselves with the surroundings. In three days, we'll attend the ceremony."