Chapter 25: A Beautiful Encounter

The Sun Maiden smiled sweetly, gently scattering flowers to the people along the roadside, as if a celestial being had descended to earth to bestow beauty and blessings upon everyone.

Qumu Gewu tilted his scarred face toward the sky and shouted excitedly, "Wow, this is truly like a goddess scattering flowers from heaven!"

He Yunfei marveled inwardly, struck by how perfectly the beauty of the human world and the primitive simplicity of the creatures blended to create such a magnificent and harmonious scene. As he thought this, his digital camera clicked away, capturing countless shots he felt proud of, eager to preserve this beautiful moment forever.

Qumu Gewu leaned toward He Yunfei and said, "Selecting the Sun Maiden was originally an important tradition of our Yi Torch Festival, but now, all ethnic groups actively participate."

As he spoke, a golden rose in the Sun Maiden’s hand seemed drawn by a mysterious magic, drifting gracefully toward He Yunfei.

To others, this golden rose symbolized luck and beauty. Just as He Yunfei looked forward to this fortune falling upon him, a group of "savages" clad in tiger-skin garments suddenly emerged from nowhere.

Gewu shouted excitedly to He Yunfei, "Brother Fei, look! That’s our Chuxiong Yi Tiger Dance." Following his call, dozens of "tigers," meticulously costumed in felt, appeared before everyone’s eyes.

Gewu explained enthusiastically that they were simple farmers from Shuangbai County, Chuxiong. They cleverly used a piece of felt, tying the two front corners to form tiger ears and the back to form a tail, then draped it over their bodies. Their faces were painted with fierce "king" characters and tiger whiskers, making them look vivid and lifelike.

"Don't underestimate these felt-clad tigers," Gewu said. "Their performance is unique. When they dance, they use movements from their daily farm labor—simple, authentic, and full of life. They have been invited to many countries for cultural exchange performances, allowing the world to appreciate the unique charm of our Yi culture."

The Yi Tiger Dance before them was vivid and endearing. Yet, unexpectedly, these performers—fearless young men—perhaps infected by the fervent atmosphere or unable to contain their inner excitement, began to dance joyfully around the elephant, performing various realistic pouncing and biting motions. The atmosphere reached a new climax instantly.

He Yunfei clearly remembered Qumu Gewu saying at that moment, "Elephants mainly inhabit Xishuangbanna in southern Yunnan. The Yi people of Chuxiong, living deep in the mountains, have never seen an elephant before. Their actions might lead to trouble..."

Yunfei replied, "This is no laughing matter. If an elephant gets angry, the consequences would be unimaginable. These fake tigers are in danger."

Sure enough, faced with this group of "monsters" they had never seen before, the startled elephant was instantly enraged. Its two large ears flapped rapidly forward, emitting a shrill scream like a woman's. Its long trunk rose high, and its two sturdy front legs stomped down threateningly, as if it were about to trample these creatures.

At this critical moment, the Sun Maiden stumbled, falling from the flower basket. Seeing this, He Yunfei moved like a black bolt of lightning, executing a "flying swallow in mid-air" maneuver. Like a dashing hero from a film, he drifted lightly to her side and caught her steadily.

In an instant, the crowd erupted in thunderous applause.

However, He Yunfei felt no pride in being a hero. As he held the Sun Maiden, it felt as if a mysterious force had intervened, allowing her to land on the ground with extreme gentleness.

The Sun Maiden thanked He Yunfei, a sweet smile blooming at the corners of her lips. For that moment, Yunfei felt an unprecedented sense of kinship flowing through his heart. He had a thousand words he wanted to share, but the parade could not stop, and the Sun Maiden had no time to linger. She waved, turned, and climbed back onto the elephant, following the procession onward.

Suddenly, a voice sang from behind: "I wish to be a little lamb by her side..." Qumu Gewu ran over, singing while making a mischievous face. "Too late, too late! Another good opportunity missed!"

"Stop the nonsense! Go on, do what you’re supposed to do!" He Yunfei feigned anger, though his heart was filled with joy.

Just then, he noticed an amulet on the ground. He bent down to pick it up, and upon closer inspection, he was shocked—wasn't this his own amulet? He instinctively touched his chest; his own was still hanging there, safe and sound. Whose was this, then?

He took out his own to compare and was stunned to find they were identical, though the one he found was slightly smaller.

How could such a bizarre thing happen in this world?

Could this amulet belong to the Sun Maiden? Who exactly was she? He Yunfei could not help but recall his grandmother’s words: he had a younger sister in Tibet. Over the years, he had never given up searching, but his stepmother had passed away, his sister had vanished without a trace, and he had never heard of any token left by his father to prove her identity.

Now that this magical object had appeared, it reignited a glimmer of hope in his heart. However, three years passed in the blink of an eye, and the Sun Maiden vanished like a stone in the sea, with no news whatsoever. Perhaps she had entered the workforce, or perhaps she was already married? He Yunfei’s heart was filled with an irrepressible longing to rush to the plateau, but his current mission was urgent. The situation on the plateau was changing in ways beyond imagination and required an immediate field investigation; he had no time for further contemplation.

He felt deeply sentimental; that trip to Kunming was not just a visual feast, but a profound experience of ethnic minority culture. If this trip succeeded, wouldn't it be a fulfillment of his wishes? This made him yearn for that land all the more. He formally submitted his application to his superiors, earnestly requesting to head to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau for research as soon as possible.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences acted with high efficiency. Dean Ji Dongsheng quickly made the decision to send He Yunfei to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau for field reconnaissance. At the same time, he informed him that the six space-time mirror instruments he had requested had arrived safely at the Southwest Academy of Sciences, and instructed him to assist Su Chunyang in fully advancing the research and development of the ice-bound experimental station, while also conducting a comprehensive, deep, and thorough investigation into the mineral energy reserves beneath the glaciers.

Meanwhile, in another mysterious and distant space-time—the Aptian age of the Cretaceous period—the ancient earth was undergoing a breathtaking, cataclysmic upheaval.

The sky seemed draped in a heavy gray curtain, with dense volcanic ash permeating the air, rendering the world oppressive and dull. On the ground, the scattered bones of various giant animals lay everywhere, silently recounting past tragedies and the vicissitudes of time, witnessing the rise and fall of life on this land.

Volcanoes, like awakened behemoths, spewed raging flames. Molten lava flowed like a galloping river down the mountains, tearing the earth apart wherever it touched, accompanied by agonizing rumbles. The ocean, not to be outdone, eroded and divided the land with overwhelming force.

In this chaotic and shocking scene, a dark red vine-like spaceship, appearing like a mysterious phantom, pierced through layers of clouds and emerged slowly from the heavy smoke.

On the bow of the ship, Vaza, the first warrior of the Longshan tribe, stood proudly.

Lalong, an old craftsman of the Longshan tribe, walked slowly from the back of the great ship with a slightly staggering but steady gait. His face was etched with the vicissitudes of time, a deposition of age and wisdom.

He spoke in the archaic and resonant Old Longshan language: "Zawa, in my view, there is no hope for today. The moonstones here have been ruthlessly destroyed by the volcanoes. It seems we must travel elsewhere to search."

Vaza, addressed as Zawa, nodded with a grave expression. He held this tribal elder in high regard, for Lalong was the only surviving master craftsman of the Longshan tribe. Throughout the years, whenever the tribe encountered technical difficulties, it was always his wit and wisdom that resolved them; he was the "pillar of the sea" for the tribe.

Vaza then asked in Old Longshan: "Uncle Lalong, how many moonstones do we have left? Are they enough to power the Heavenly Golden Gourd?"

Lalong shook his head slightly, his tone carrying a touch of helplessness: "The moon gemstones currently used by our ships can hold out for a while, but to accumulate enough moonstone ore to activate the gravity field of the Heavenly Furnace Golden Gourd, we are still a hundred thousand miles away. Furthermore, since we arrived on this land, the rebuilt Heavenly Furnace Golden Gourd has been tested countless times, yet it has never succeeded, causing excessive energy consumption."

Vaza said, "I heard from Nosim that it is because the core key, the 'Precious Tortoise Mirror' from the 'Turtle Dragon Divine Tablet,' is missing from the formula for generating the gravity field, which is why every experiment ends in failure."

Lalong replied, "That is correct. Due to the loss of the 'Precious Tortoise Mirror,' we are almost unable to correctly arrange the sequence of the moon gemstone energy blocks to determine the flight path."

Hearing this, Vaza frowned, his heart filled with anxiety. He knew well that the Shimo tribal shaman was deeply worried about the prospect of flight.

Lalong added, "These days, I have heard the tribal chief say that she always feels subtle changes occurring in the firmament, as if a mysterious force is about to intrude upon this world."

Could the Halaha people have discovered their hideout? This thought flashed through Vaza’s mind, sending a chill down his spine. He pondered that the most urgent task was to assist the tribal shaman in setting up an altar to pray piously to the Great God Xi for protection.

Thus, he said, "I believe that as long as we have the protection of the Great God Xi, the Longshan people will have the confidence to resist the attacks of the Halaha tribe."

Lalong did not speak, simply nodding in agreement.