Introduction

This is the spin-off case of the Southern Archives. It was one of the cases that Zhang Haiyan completed independently.

This case belongs to the Southern Archives Malacca Volume, File No. 013.

Those who are familiar with the Southern Archives and the Daomu Biji system can start reading the next chapter.

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This is a story that may cause intense discomfort. Reader discretion is advised.

During the middle and end of the 1870s—specifically from 1877 to 1878— China experienced catastrophic famines. There were more than thirty types of associated disasters within a year and nearly half the population—almost two hundred million people—were affected.

Mothers and children ate each other, human flesh became a commodity in circulation, and corpses covered the ground for thousands of miles.

More than ten million people were dead. Some starved to death, some were killed, and others died of illness. Refugees everywhere murdered and ate people, and the plague ran rampant.

It was hell on earth.

This disaster was called Dingwu Qihuang (1). Our protagonist, Zhang Hailou, (people called him Zhang Haiyan later in the South Sea) became an orphan during this disaster.

This story involves a lot of people and places, including the Mystic Nine in Changsha, Malacca in the south, and the southwestern border between Myanmar and China.

(In case some people aren’t familiar with the stories, I’m going to briefly introduce the history of the old Mystic Nine in Changsha.)

The old Mystic Nine were nine tomb-robbing families in Changsha. They were called the Mystic Nine Leaders by the people because they controlled Changsha’s underground tomb-robbing business. Any underground business had to go through one of the nine families before they could leave Changsha.

The southern Xinjiang part of this story is related to one of the nine families and the Crescent Hotel’s origins.

(The entire relationship between the Mystic Nine and the Crescent Hotel is very complicated, but you don’t need to study it deeply before reading this story since it won’t affect your understanding. When I get to that part of the story, I will naturally explain this in detail.)

The story begins in the tropical rain forests of Southeast Asia.

I’ll write quickly. According to the existing records of the Southern Archives, the story will consist of four parts.

The incidents occurred in the southern jungle of Perak (located in Malaysia), on the Nan’an ship sailing from Malacca to Xiamen, and in the villages deep in the mountains of China’s southern Xinjiang. Eventually, these stories will converge to reveal the truth about Dingwu Qihuang.

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The Author’s Notes:

I haven’t written a novel for a long time. In recent years, script writing has hurt my use of language and my writing isn’t as good as before. I’m a little sorry about that.

Every chapter will be published in three thousand words. This story will be very unrestrained and free. I’ll write whatever I want, thus returning to the original state of online writing.

I’m going to write stories based on my original intention. When I first started writing, I wanted people to praise me. After fame and fortune came to me, I didn’t really have a sense of enlightenment.

As I’m writing now, I begin to have a concept of why I’m writing and what I’m writing for. There are really too few good stories in the world.

There aren’t many differences between all the stories that have been passed down from ancient times. If there’s a new way of writing stories, I won’t feel so bored before falling asleep at midnight.

Exploring new story types and character types, and exploring creative ways of writing are my purposes for writing this book.

I was an online writer twelve years ago, after all. It’s hard to say whether I can still keep up with the ideas of contemporary writers. If I fail, please criticize me.

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The following poems are for the characters in this book:

He Jianxi:

A young child is holding a melon under the willow, a dog is chasing butterflies in a narrow alley. The world is prosperous and full of laughter, yet I am the only one who is alone.

Zhang Haiyan:

The leaves of the willow tree in Jiangnan are too small to form a proper shade. The leaves are simply so new that people cannot bear breaking them. The branches are so soft that birds cannot bear stepping on them when they sing. They wait until the spring comes.  

She is now fourteen or fifteen, playing the flute in her free time. When she was little, she used to play games on the steps. I was fond of her back then, and adore her even now.

Zhang Haiqi:

There aren’t any birds in the mountains, there aren’t any people in sight. A fisherman is on a lone boat, fishing alone in the cold snowy river.

Zhang Qianjun Wanma:

Flowers are blooming, leaves and branches are all over the steps. The birds are singing, yet they sound so sad! We have just met, but now we are parting again. The bird that flies alone lives alone.

When are we going to meet again? Who knows if we will ever meet again? Will it be difficult for us to meet again? How can I possibly express my feelings for you? I can only give you love words and a love poem.

The rain falls on the flowers, the door is tightly closed. Our youth is forgotten, our youth is gone. Who is there to talk and share happiness with? My soul is lost as I stand next to the flowers, my soul is lost as I stand under the moon.

Sorrow gathers every day, making me frown. I have shed a thousand tears, I have shed tens of thousands of tears. I look at the sky at dawn, I look at the clouds at sunset. I think of you when I walk, I think of you when I sit.

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TN Notes:

(1) Also called “The Northern Chinese Famine of 1876–1879”. It occurred during the late Qing dynasty in China. Wiki link here. “Dingwu” means “Ding Chou Year” (1877), and “Wu Yin Year” (1878) since the drought conditions were the worst during 1877 and 1878. “Qihuang” means “great disaster”.