Chapter 111: Seeking the Mountain Treasure

Turning the spoils of the hunt into dinner brings a great sense of accomplishment. Shooting guns by day and enjoying the spoils by night—it is truly exhilarating.

Zhuang Chen lay on the girl’s supple lap and asked casually, "I heard there are ginseng hunters in the Changbai Mountains?"

The girl paused, probing, "They exist, but they are very mysterious and rarely bring outsiders into the mountains."

Seeing Zhuang Chen’s disappointment, she pondered for a moment and added, "I do know a few local mountain folk who venture into the woods regularly. I might have a way to contact them, though whether they would agree is another matter..."

"It doesn't matter, try to reach out," Zhuang Chen said nonchalantly. "Just say we want to buy ginseng. Price is no object—the bigger, the better!"

The girl understood his intent, took out her phone, and quickly received word that they could meet the next day. The two shared a bath and fell into a deep sleep.

The following day, they arrived at a nearby village to meet "Er-ge," the head of the ginseng-hunting team. Seeing Zhuang Chen’s entourage, he realized he was likely a wealthy client and was quite hospitable.

After some bargaining, Zhuang Chen bought all the wild ginseng in his possession with a heavy sum. Most were four-leaf specimens, with one rare five-leaf plant that was truly precious.

"Changbai Mountain ginseng blooms in early summer. The flowers are small, pale yellowish-green, and grow in umbrella-like clusters at the top of the stem. The fruit is a flattened, red sphere. We usually dig for ginseng between the Grain Rain and the White Dew periods."

Now that they were paying customers, Er-ge let his guard down and smiled. "We usually head into the mountains in groups of ten or more, which we call a 'gang.' Sometimes a person goes alone—that’s called a 'solo stick.' When a gang goes in, we need an experienced local guide we all trust to lead us. I’ve been a lead guide for over a decade."

Through conversation, they learned that because of their lifelong devotion to hunting ginseng, Er-ge’s entire family still lived in the mountains. At his small compound, one could look out over a vast forest of ginseng trees, enclosed by simple wooden fences—his private domain.

"In the past, many people in the Changbai region made a living by ginseng hunting. To us locals, it’s a sign of a man’s maturity. The vast sea of trees is filled with miasma, wild beasts, and danger. To dare to hunt ginseng is a test of one's courage, wisdom, physical strength, and moral character."

"A ginseng gang consists of a lead guide, a cook, flankers, and novices. The number of people must always be odd; the tradition is to go out with an odd number and return with an even one, counting the ginseng as the final 'person' to make the pair. We pick an auspicious day to ensure a smooth journey and a quick return."

"Led by the guide, we kneel before the grave of Sun Liang, the legendary patriarch of ginseng hunting, praying for the safety of the gang and that we might find a 'big stick'—a prize ginseng—and return home safely."

"In the old days, we used backpacks to carry food, pickled vegetables, salt, cooking utensils, tobacco pouches, tools, and bedding. The guide always carried a steelyard scale. Sixteen ounces made a pound; seven ounces was the standard for ginseng, and eight ounces was considered a treasure. That’s based on the old system, where eight ounces was equivalent to half a pound today."

Er-ge had his wife prepare a meal, stewing a few old hens with wild mushrooms. With distinguished guests visiting, he brought out his home-brewed high-proof liquor, and everyone chatted as they drank.

"Being a guide isn't easy. It relies entirely on experience to know which mountain has ginseng, so the gang doesn't waste energy. You have to look at the slope, the terrain, the trees, the vegetation, and check for old 'nests'—spots where ginseng was found in the past. At night, you decide where to build the shelter and which patch of forest to hunt the next day."

"Wherever the shelter is built, that is home. It’s where we eat, sleep, hide from the rain, and rest. It must not only keep out the wind and rain and protect us from wild animals, but also be situated where we can spot the big finds."

As he drank, Er-ge grew more animated, his face reddening as he leaned toward Zhuang Chen. "Since you're an outsider, I don't mind telling you: the most important rules are to face south with your back to the north, and ensure the 'Green Dragon' suppresses the 'White Tiger.' It must be sheltered from the wind, face the sun, be on a front slope with a ridge behind it, and have a spring nearby with abundant water. That is a geomantic treasure."

"The rules passed down by our ancestors: the south is small, the north is great—the back is where the Mountain God and the patriarch reside. The east is the Green Dragon, the west is the White Tiger. The eastern ridge must be higher than the western one; that’s the 'Green Dragon suppressing the White Tiger.'"

"The Green Dragon is an auspicious spirit; the White Tiger is a malevolent one. Violating this is a bad omen. The shelter can't be built in a gully or too close to water to avoid flash floods. The mountain behind shouldn't be too steep to prevent landslides."

"You can't set up under a lone tree or near a 'standing pole'—a dead, dry tree. They attract lightning, and in the deep forests, these tens-of-meters-high pine trunks can be deadly if they fall in a storm."

Zhuang Chen listened with great interest. Seeing Er-ge so excited, he asked, "Is it true that ginseng is spiritual and can grow legs to run away?"

Er-ge waved his hand, burped, and took a deep breath. "There are many intricacies. Before we start, everyone stands together and shouts in unison: 'Opening the mountain! We're here for the big treasure!' It boosts morale and scares away wild beasts. We call this 'shaking the mountain.'"

"The guide is the lead stick. We line up horizontally with the flankers at the ends. The inexperienced and novices stay in the middle. We stay about a yard apart, keeping our 'soro' sticks linked so we don't miss even a brick-sized patch of ground. The guide and flankers control the pace and direction."

"We move slowly, pushing aside the grass, searching carefully. The rule is to skip a whole mountain rather than miss a single brick of ground. No talking is allowed. The terrain is complex, and many large predators sleep in the bushes during the day. The copper coins on our sticks make a clinking sound; the animals are very sensitive to it and run away before we even get close."

"Talking disrupts the sound of the coins and causes distractions, meaning we might miss the ginseng or scare off a 'big stick.' If you see anything, you must call it out, even if it’s just a snake, as a penalty for being distracted."

"The guide and flankers must control the formation and remember to leave 'markers'—broken branches or clumps of grass on tree forks—to avoid doubling back. In the dense forest, it's very easy to get lost."

"You aren't allowed to turn back on a path you've already walked, to prevent suspicion of hiding ginseng. You aren't allowed to walk around fallen logs or rocky outcrops; you must climb over them, as big ginseng loves to hide under them."

Zhuang Chen sighed, realizing that every trade has its own secrets and rules. Seeing everyone listening intently, Er-ge said proudly, "Heh, even if you know these things, it's useless, because we have our own 'stick language.'"

"In plain terms, it's a code, different for every gang, like military ciphers. Only those in the know can understand. The guide always knows where everyone is. Whenever we finish a section and can't see each other, we knock on a tree trunk; everyone else knocks back in sequence to signal their position and that we should continue."

"Finding wild ginseng in the Changbai Mountains is like finding a needle in a haystack. Coming home empty-handed for weeks is normal. The elders always said, only when someone in the gang has a deep destiny with the ginseng will it reveal itself."

He stood up, took a staff from behind the door, and demonstrated, "Five feet and two inches—173 centimeters—long. We call it the 'Treasure-Seeking Stick.' It’s used for parting grass, self-defense, driving away beasts, pulling oneself up, and signaling. Every hunter has one—it's an essential tool."

"Last month, I led a group in and found a tiny two-year-old plant. We marked it with a red string to protect it. That’s the rule: take the big, leave the small. Anything smaller than three-leaf ginseng isn't to be touched; we leave it for the next generation."

"The guide works the hardest at night, tending the fire, checking for safety, covering the brothers to keep them warm, and taking turns to wake them up to dry off by the fire. It’s a lot of worrying."

"In the morning, we don't wash our faces or shave. We only rinse our eyes with stream water to 'open them' and ensure a good find. If someone dreams of a ginseng, it’s a sign from the Mountain God—a great omen!"

"Don't laugh!" Er-ge said solemnly. "The night before we found that five-leaf ginseng last year, I dreamed of a 'ginseng bird' calling loudly. Whenever the ginseng seeds ripen, they are always the first to find them."

"Sure enough, we found the treasure nearby. A five-leaf giant, its seeds already fallen. I was afraid that shouting would 'shatter' the mountain, so I stared carefully before shouting: 'Stick!' Everyone answered: 'What kind of cargo?' I shouted: 'Five-leaf!'"

"Everyone was ecstatic, shouting, 'Make it quick!' We all knelt to thank the Mountain God for his protection. I carefully tied the ginseng with a three-foot red string, with a copper coin on each end to keep it from 'running away.' We are brothers who share through thick and thin; the treasure is transparent, and we share the fortune."