Secret River
Chen Sihong
The love of the forest is infiltration in the bones. Walking into the mountains, it is like returning to your hometown and returning to your original world. Those flowers, flowers, trees and streams will move my soul, and my soul will be purified by nature, pure and quiet, full of energy.
Growing up in the mountains and forests, I know the season of flowers, the time when the fruits are ripe, and where delicious mushrooms grow. When wronged, they will run into the forest to cry, at this time, the mountain forest will send a beautiful flower, or a bunch of wild fruits, sad tears will immediately turn into joy, the mountain knows what way to make the children happy, that is a tacit understanding of soul communication.
Wushan Wulipo, is not only awe, or a reverence for the name! And the Lihe River in Wulipo is the secret place in my heart, which is fascinating. I have always wanted to hike the Li River, but today I finally made the trip.
Early in the morning, a group of eight of us followed our guide Lao Wu into the River Li. Lao Wu is the forest keeper of Wulipo, he knows many secrets of Wulipo, the location of those precious medicinal herbs, the mountain where the bear will appear to dig honey, and when the butterfly is the most beautiful, he knows. But he knows the rules of the mountains and forests, those rules are the agreement between the ancestors and the mountains, never dare to cross the line, the red line is infiltrated in the genes, they are the guardians of the mountains.
"Du Heng was taken by Shi Lanxi,
Folding Fangxin thought about it.
The rest of the hedge will not see the sky,
The road is difficult to get alone later.
Picking three shows in the mountains,
Shi Leilei Xi Ge Man Man Man..."
In Lihe, I saw Wushan in Qu Yuan's "Leaving the Troubles".
Those strange flowers and grasses that grow over the valley, the flowing mountain springs, the beautiful butterflies, caress our battered souls, and the heart is naturally peaceful. Walking into the Li River, it was as if you had walked into Shennong's palace, the queen mother's garden, and the heavenly emperor's medicine storehouse. The goddess picks herbs here, cultivates a strange fragrance that charms people, and becomes a unique "goddess of the goddess". Wu Xian used his peerless medical skills and those magical herbs to not only protect the Yellow Emperor, but also the ancestors of the Great Wu Mountain...
The entrance to the River Li is a steep and narrow trail. Looking up, the blue sky is on the stone ladder, the curved, steep steps, like the path to the immortal world. The stone staircase is shiny and shiny, like an ancient mirror cyan in the sun, and the ancient mirror for thousands of years contains the stories of people who pass by here. Those stories are like ancient dreams, quietly waiting for the people who read the ancient dreams.
Enter the depths of the River, the vegetation is dense, the sun is strong and hot outside, and the canyon is cool and dark. Occasionally, a ray of sunlight shines through the gaps in the branches, making the plants in the forest shine with a tender green golden light, which is very mysterious. The narrow ancient road stretches up the cliff wall, and after thousands of years of trampling, it is still so complete and solid. The ancient road leads to the hometown of Shennong, which is a more mysterious place and the birthplace of the goddess, which makes people reverie and yearn for it.
There are countless rare plants growing on the cliffs along the ancient road, and in July, the flowering season has passed, and only a few naughty flowers are still stubbornly blooming in the forest. An inconspicuous flower with a split lip and tongue beak orchid, like a single purple dragonfly with thin pink wings, quietly resting on the orchid branches in the forest, unwilling to leave, as if waiting for some agreement in life. The strong, fat leaves of the cow's ears cling to the moss-covered cliffs, known locally as rock greens.
The cabbage, also known as the cliff cabbage, is another magical plant that grows in the crevices of the cliffs, and a cluster of emerald green leaves grows tenaciously and vigorously on the dry stone walls, domineeringly showing the power of life. In the past, the mountain people regarded the cliff cabbage as a precious medicinal material, harvested and dried, and then as long as it was soaked with water, it returned to the original green appearance, and people were full of reverence for this phenomenon, believing that there was a mysterious power to return the sun to the sun, so it was called yang grass. There are many other herbs that are named after The Yang Herb, the most common is the Cypress, and there are different names such as gold silk, silver wire, copper wire, green silk, hair, chrysanthemum, etc., and different Yang Herbs have different medicinal effects. You can find it in Wulipo.
The further you go, the more difficult the road becomes. When I came to the Immortal Rock, I was shocked by the many strangely shaped stalactites on the cliff wall, and I clearly saw the left and right protectors of the Queen Mother of the West, as well as various immortal patterns. Although the name of the Immortal Rock is not derived from the immortals on the cliffs, I prefer to believe that this place is named after the many immortal figures on the cliffs.
At the edge of the rock mouth ahead, several trees are covered with unripe turquoise fruits. Ann exclaimed, "Come and see, there's a yew here." I said, "It can't be yew, the yew has a much smaller fruit." "In fact, I don't know its name, because I have never seen it, and after seeing the introduction on the sign, I know that this is the national second-level protected plant Grate Trishace." Legend has it that there was originally a bar incense vine at the mouth of the rock, after thousands of years of growth, the thick bar incense vine is like a lively wooden dragon, strong and domineering extending to the opposite side, thus forming a natural bridge, which is also named wooden dragon crossing the river, and leaving many legendary stories. The Classic of Mountains and Seas says: "The Imperial Medicine Eight Fasts are hidden in Wushan Mountain." "Maybe The Wooden Dragon is on the mission of the Heavenly Emperor and is here to guard the medicine storehouse!" Unfortunately, such a spectacle disappeared with the construction of holes and canals built here by hydropower stations in the last century. The ancient bar incense vine also slowly died in the countless days of roaring of the mountain, leaving no trace.
On the horizon, it is the most steep and deep canyon of the Li River. The cool breeze at the entrance, the rushing stream, came here and suddenly became quiet, as if there was a mysterious force in the sky, and all the past must be quiet and solemn. Wash your face with a bunch of stream water, and in this hot summer season, there is a cold touch. The stream is as clear as manna, soaking the heart and spleen, and the leader of the team, Mu Lian, has two large cups, while drinking and praising "so sweet!" So cool! "The two-sided cliffs of the first line of heaven are like knives, the walls are covered with all kinds of mosses, and the moss grows Rhodiola rosea, red and black erwan, seven leaves and one flower, etc., and there are many unknown and beautiful plants, which are nourished by mountain springs, bright green water spirits. The red and black flowers are blooming pink flowers, and the goose-yellow flower buds are dotted among them, like transparent pink butterflies swaying on the tender branches, which is particularly eye-catching in this season when there are few flowers. The cascade ticks along the moss on the ancient road, like a cool rain curtain. The ancient road is narrow and slippery, and if you are not careful, you may fall into the river. We walked carefully and slowly, stopping from time to time to admire the magic of nature. The pure and bright green plants are full of life, and the crystal clear stream flows quietly. We in the dust are embraced by such a scenery, as if we are in a fairyland, able to perceive some kind of powerful energy, and the soul is slowly becoming clean.
Along the way, I found that both sides of the ancient road were covered with dragon bud grass that was blooming yellow flowers, and the folk believed that this plant had the merit of extending the life of the crane, so it was called the crane grass. Whether it is the plant name Dragon Bud Grass or the folk herb crane grass, it has a little fairy spirit. The ancients gave the name of each herb endless legends and stories. Crane grass is both a wild vegetable and a medicinal herb, and it can be boiled in tea pot soup and brewed wine. The Dictionary of Chinese Medicine records that boiled eggs and duck eggs of Crane Grass can cure migraines, and boiled pork liver can cure chancre and eye disturbances in children. Folk use crane herb instead of skullcap yellow peony, add raw ground yellow to cook into a more effective insomnia recipe "Suzaku soup".
The Sandao River, named after the ancient road's path that crosses the River Three Times, is relatively spacious, the stream is babbling, naturally quiet, and only when it rains heavily will the river be full of water. Crossing the three rivers, you will come to the outlet of the River Li, where the river suddenly stops, although there is no water in the upper reaches of the river, the very smooth boulders should be a masterpiece of flash floods that have washed away for thousands of years. At the source of the Li River in Lao Wu's mouth, the water of the cave is turbulent, and only a small water outlet has such a large energy that it can satisfy the continuous flow of the Li River, and nature really has too many secrets.
Continuing to the deep into the forest, this section of the ancient road has been almost occupied by plants because it has not been walked for many years, and it is difficult to pass, so Lao Wu took us up the river. Although there was no water in the river, there was no path, and we climbed up the huge rocks. Here for the first time, he was stung by a small inconspicuous ground bee to climb on the stone's hand, and the pain was huge, and at first he did not know the cause of the pain, Lao Wu said: "It is the ground bee, it does not matter." "It was very pleasant to rest on the boulders. The cliffs on both sides are lush with trees, the flowers and branches of the sea islands and mountains stretch out to the center of the riverbed, and the pink and pink green of the trees is very romantic and wild. In the cool breeze, all kinds of beautiful butterflies flew around in the valley to feed, and a yellow, white and black butterfly stopped on Ann's straw hat for a long time, and I don't know whether it was tired of flying, or because Ofan's yellow straw hat gave it trust.
Lao Wu roared a few times from time to time, we did not know why, the joke Lao Wu was as naughty as a child. Lao Wu said solemnly, "Listen, there is the sound of stones rolling down the mountain opposite, it is a black bear digging honey." There are many wild animals in this canyon, black bears, wild boars, roe deer, chamois, earth pigs, and snakes are commonplace. A few years ago, a black bear fell from the rock and fell, which was transported back to the Chongqing Zoo for treatment. We often come to patrol the mountains, and from time to time we have to roar a few times to indicate that I am coming, and the beasts will automatically avoid them, and they will not harm humans for no reason. "Lao Wu's seriousness makes us a little nervous, it turns out that there is another forest world in the peaceful and quiet valley that we don't know, and Lao Wu, who knows the laws of the forest, is one of them, and we are just a group of outsiders who disturb this quiet world, and we can't help but feel a little sorry in our hearts, and secretly say sorry to them."
Depart from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and finally arrive at the foot of Flag Hill. The thin ridge like a knife, like several flags flying in the wind overhead, is very spectacular. Lao Wu took us to see the cemetery of Li Zicheng, one of the "Thirteen Houses of the Eastern Province" in the beginning. It is said that it is a cemetery, but in fact, only a very flat piece of grass can be seen, and there is no trace of any cemetery. Lao Wu passionately introduced that all of Yuan Guogong's subordinates were killed in battle, and Yuan Guogong, who was besieged by Qing soldiers under the Banner Mountain, killed himself, but they were dissatisfied, and every night they still waved the flag here and shouted, dispatched troops, and the canyon was full of the sound of soldiers and horses rushing to kill and roaring. Lao Wu let us lie on our backs on the ground, feel the powerful aura around us, look out, the blue sky is high, the flags on both sides are dancing in the wind under the white clouds, it seems that there are thousands of troops and horses listening to my orders and letting me dispatch. Lao Wu continued to talk: "This is a treasure land of feng shui, no matter how turbulent the torrents have been for hundreds of years, the surrounding area has been washed away by floods, only the cemetery of Yuan Guogong is safe and sound. ”
There are too many legendary stories in Lihe, and those stories are infiltrated into the bones of the Wulipo people, who live in this mysterious land, and grew up listening to the stories of Xue Gang's anti-Tang, the Eight Kings washing Sichuan, the Thirteen Families of the Eastern Tang Dynasty, and the White Lotus Sect, and all these stories are sung in mountain songs. Their mountain songs are high-pitched and exciting, like the character of the Five Mile Slope Man. The tune of "Wearing the Trumpet" can cross the mountains and valleys, and it can also cross your heart to the soul.
"The sun is out about ... Red... RenGui went to Zhengdong... Yes...... Holding a cloud arrow in your hand... I'm going to behead Su Baotong..."
High-pitched mountain songs echo in the canyon, over the mountains, through time and space, the sound gradually fades away, so far away that you can only listen attentively, the sound seems to come from ancient times...
(About the author: Chen Sihong, member of Wushan County Writers Association, president of Wushan County Food Culture Research Association, immersed in wushan landscape and gastronomy research)