Chapter 17 Section 16 The Lake Monster and the Goat Ears

"Is this the place where the detector you dropped in Tianchi appeared?" Chu Feng asked while looking at Da Qi, who was not looking well, by the Kanas Lake. Since the ancient relics are located on the border, the superior asked Da Qi to lead a team to investigate.This trip will pass through Kanas Lake, so he was asked to also investigate the fact that the probe ran into Kanas Lake inexplicably. As soon as Da Qi saw the photo, he felt that such an investigation would not be possible without the participation of professionals, so he asked his superiors for assistance from Chu Feng and others.

"Xiaofeng, this time it's my brother who dragged you down. I can't help it. When I saw the photo, I felt that this place is not easy. I'm a layman when it comes to this kind of thing. The first thing that comes to my mind is you." Qi said apologetically. "What are you talking about!" Chu Feng waved his hand and said, "Do you still think that I am your brother, come all the time, and still talk about this! But—" "But what?" Da Qi asked anxiously. "Maybe I can help you with the photo, but I can't help you with the fact that the probe appeared by the lake inexplicably. Even if our guess is true, these alpine lakes have underground passages , then you have to have the corresponding equipment to detect it, just look around the lake like this, you can't see anything!"

"I know this. It's not been a day or two since the legend about the Kanas Lake monster, and I don't know how many times scientific expeditions have been organized, but I still haven't found out why? Some experts say that the lake monster is huge. The big red fish is said to be more than 100 meters long. But the longest whale at present is only 30 meters. Let’s say they are lying, they still have photos to prove it! It is said that once they used diving equipment to find out what happened, but only After diving for 30 meters, I can’t go down!” Da Qi once had a detailed understanding of this famous lake with the legend of a lake monster.

"What else? Why?" Chu Feng was surprised. "Because the water temperature is too low! Diving 30 meters is equivalent to the water temperature of thousands of meters in the deep sea. The water temperature is too low, divers and equipment can't stand it!" After hearing this, Chu Feng felt thoughtful! It is said that as soon as the meeting ended that day, everyone took a car to Kanas Village to settle down. It was almost dusk at this time, and they would set off from here tomorrow, take a boat across Kanas Lake, cross the primeval forest on the opposite side, and reach the border, which is where the photographer discovered the ancient ruins.Before that, the guide who led the way for the photographer was also found, and they arranged to rest in the village together.

There are still several kilometers from the village to the lake, and Chu Feng and Da Qi left without telling anyone.Ling Ning just washed the dust off his face, walked out of the small wooden house where he lived, and went to the next door to see, Chu Feng was no longer there. "You run really fast!" Ling Ning muttered softly, looking around, but couldn't get angry.Because it is so beautiful here. It had just rained lightly before they arrived.The freshness of drizzle mixed with earth and the fragrance of flowers filled the air.In the distance, the snow-capped Kuitun Mountain and its main peak, Friendship Peak, complement each other.The verdant pine forest nearby is undulating, and the wild flowers are brilliant and very fragrant.

The houses in the village are all independent log cabins made of logs.It was time to prepare dinner, and the rising smoke rose to the blue sky and scattered around. After a while, this quaint small village was shrouded in mist, revealing a kind of mystery. Ling Ning was walking in the village. When she first arrived, she heard that this was a new village built for tourism.This new village is not far from the famous Kanas Lake, thinking it was still early to eat, she intentionally walked up the Kanas River outside the village, along the riverside path to see the long-awaited Kanas Lake. "Where are you going?" As soon as William went out, he saw Ling Ning walking outside the village.

"Nothing! I want to walk along the river!" Ling Ning answered casually. "That's right! I also want to see if the famous Kanas Lake monster is real, let's go together!" William heard that, right in his arms! "Alright then!" Although Ling Ning's first reaction was reluctance, he did not refuse.The two left the village together. "Uh, tell me, is the story of the lake monster true?" Looking at the surging green river, and the fallen and thick dead trees appearing on both sides of the river from time to time, William Lin remembered what he had always cared about in the United States. question.

Breathing the fresh and sweet air, Ling Ning's mood became much brighter: "I don't know, didn't it mean that scientists have verified that the Kanas Lake Monster is actually a big red fish?" "Well, when I was in the United States, I saw a magazine saying that someone had seen the Kanas Lake Monster with their own eyes. It was said to be more than 100 meters long! The largest dinosaur in history was only 42 meters long. What kind of fish can grow More than 100 meters long? If there is such a long fish, this is not normal!" William usually pays most attention to these mysterious things, and he is really excited to be there.

"Yeah." Ling Ning usually doesn't like to pay attention to these things, so he had to hum twice.Her eyes looked around unconsciously, and she found a good thing at once, and she smiled happily: "Little squirrel!" She shouted and pointed to a pine tree not far from her side. William looked up and soon spotted the wood elf.It is not an exaggeration to call it an elf, but it is a very rare red squirrel, not to mention a reddish-brown coat, and its tail is also bright red.Ling Ning and William had never seen such a beautiful squirrel before, and they were stunned for a moment.

The squirrel also seemed to have noticed the two of them, and its eyes rolled away, but it was not very afraid of people, and it took a few steps towards the two of them.It danced regally like a proud princess, and soon decided to perform some more thrilling moves.It took a deep look at the two of them, raised its head slightly, and seemed to say: "Look carefully, I'm going to perform a unique skill." Then it jumped! "Ah!" Ling Ning quickly blocked half of her whimper with her hand, and her surprise turned into joy in the next second. I saw that fluffy and beautiful tail opened "swish" the moment the little squirrel soared into the air, like a bright red cloak, protecting it and falling safely on the branch of another tree.

This tree is closer to the two of Ling Ning.The two could see more clearly, the little squirrel's black eyes were like a pair of black gemstones, bright and cunning.Maybe it was tired from performing, maybe it felt boring. After a while, the squirrel who seemed to be very friendly suddenly changed its attitude, turned its back, never looked at the two of them again, jumped up and down, and disappeared in twos and threes. In the line of sight of the two. Until it completely disappeared, Ling Ning did not recover. "What's the matter? Look at you, your saliva is about to flow out!" A voice sounded in her ear, and she subconsciously wiped it to her mouth, no?Turning around, he met Da Qi's playful eyes.She glanced nonchalantly, and saw the expressionless Chu Feng beside him. "Ah! Brother Chu! Where have you been? We saw a red squirrel just now! It's so beautiful! It's a pity you didn't come earlier, or you would have seen it!" Ling Ning said, muttering regretfully Du Xiaozui. "Yeah, Brother Chu, it's so beautiful, it's like the elf in the forest, oh no, it's the elf princess! No gorgeous words can describe its true beauty!" William came back to his senses, excited and incoherent Introduce to Chu Feng and others how beautiful and extraordinary the little squirrel was just now. Seeing the two children cheering for a little squirrel like children, the faces of Da Qi and Chu Feng also softened. "Okay, let's go back to eat quickly, rest early after dinner, we have to hurry tomorrow!" After waiting for a while, Chu Feng had to interrupt the chattering description of the two. "That's right, tomorrow we have to walk 60 kilometers up the mountain, why don't you go back to eat and rest!" Da Qi also interjected. "But, but we haven't seen the legendary Kanas Lake yet!" Ling Ning didn't want to just go back! "What's the matter? Tomorrow morning we will take a boat across the entire Kanas Lake. You can see whatever you want, and you can see as much as you want!" Da Qi said nonchalantly. "That's it!" Ling Ning and Ning were originally full of reluctance, but after hearing this, they were a little moved. Looking at the sky, it was indeed not early, so the two nodded in agreement, and followed Chu Feng and the two back. When they were about to reach the entrance of the village, they met a Tuvan girl who came to fetch water from the river. At first, everyone paid no attention to it, but when they passed by, they heard the girl say "Ah!" He picked up the bucket and almost threw himself on Ling Ning: "Sister Ling Ning, Uncle Chu! It's you, why are you here?" Chu Feng took a closer look, hey, who is this little girl?The innocent little face is full of happy smiles. "You are Nisha?" Ling Ning remembered, Chu Feng and the others rescued some people on the street a few days ago, among them was a pair of Tuvan sisters, this one seemed to be the older sister Nisha. "No, I'm my younger sister, Barita, and Nisha is my older sister!" The girl replied with a charming smile. Her face was covered in blood that day, but now she changed into this national costume, and she became much more mature and beautiful. No wonder it wasn't long before we broke up. Ling Ning Will also admit mistakes. "Ah, you are Barita, what about your sister Nisha?" Ling Ning was already lonely as the only woman in the expedition team, and now she was very excited to meet this little girl. "My sister is at home!" As she said that, the little girl immediately began to shout at the top of her voice, "Sister, sister—come out and look! Look who's here!" Hearing the shout, a girl dressed in Tuva national costume, braided and headdress rushed out from a door more than ten meters away: "Balita, you will scream! Is there a girl?" What does the girl's house look like?" "Sister! Who do you think this is?" Balita seemed to be used to her nagging, so she didn't answer, and led Ling Ning to her. "Sister Ling! It's you, why are you here! Where's Uncle Chu? Are they here too?" Nisha was pleasantly surprised when she saw Ling Ning. "Dong dong dong dong—boom! Sister, look this way again!" Balita would be funny, so she grandly revealed Chu Feng and others at this time. "Uncle Chu is here too! Quick! Please come in! Balita, go and tell Mom and Dad that our benefactor is here, so we must treat him well tonight!" "Yes!" Balita saluted mischievously, then turned and went into the room: "Abba—Am—" "Uncle Chu, Sister Ling Ning, why don't you come in? What, you think our Tuva people's house is not clean?" Nisha asked Chu Feng and others to enter the house several times, but Chu Feng declined because of important matters. In the end, the little girl became anxious. Not only did her words choke her, tears rolled around her eye sockets! Seeing him like this, Chu Feng gave Daqi a wink helplessly, "Okay, Nisha, let's have a cup of milk tea at your house, don't kill chickens and sheep, our dinner is ready, It’s a waste if you don’t go back and eat!” "Okay—" Nisha responded crisply, but she thought in her heart, as long as you come in, no matter what you say, you will leave the room without eating! It is said that the Tuva people are descendants of Genghis Khan who stayed in the Altai Mountains when he conquered the West. Over the years, they have been mixing with the Kazakhs. Gradually, many customs have been shared with the Kazakhs. However, they like Kazakhs Unlike living in yurts, Tuva people like to live in wooden houses. After entering the house, the furnishings here are similar to those in the Kazakh yurt, with the same big kang and felt blankets.Everyone took off their shoes and sat cross-legged on the kang. The parents of Nisha and Barita looked like honest herdsmen at first glance. They were not good at words. When they heard that they were the benefactors who saved the lives of their two daughters that day, they didn't know how to express their gratitude. Their mother went out after only showing one side, but the sisters' father said a few more words, nothing more than "Thank you", "You must stay for dinner", "If you don't eat, you will look down on us Tuvans." After finishing speaking, he took out a sharp sheep slaughtering knife and went to slaughter the sheep. Neither Chu Feng nor Da Qi could stop him. "Hey! How about it? Let's eat here?" After a while, Da Qi already knew what happened that day from William's mouth.He knew that if he waited for someone to leave without eating in such a situation, it would be tantamount to slapping the hostess in the face, which would be a great insult to the Tuva people. "Well, that's the only way! But, let me say, Barita, how many sheep does your family have?" Chu Feng also knew this, but he was worried about burdening Barita's family. "Don't worry, Uncle Chu. We have more than 200 sheep in our family! You can't overwhelm our family!" Balita said while shaking her small face triumphantly. "Well, are you guys on summer vacation?" "Yes! As soon as the summer vacation was over, my sister and I hurried home!" Nisha had already gone to help her mother, leaving Barita alone to chat with the guests. Soon, Nisha came in with cheese, naan and other food in both hands. Because there were too many things, there was a milk tea pot hanging on her arm. Balita looked at it and said, "Oh! Sister, you can't take so many things, call me Let me help!" Saying that, he jumped off the kang. "Okay! Go to Grandma's and get the milk tea bowl!" Nisha was very capable, and she arranged things in no time.She turned her head and told Barita, and Barita, like a lark, agreed to go. "Nisa, is there really a lake monster in Kanas Lake?" William was curious about the lake monster. "Really! My dad saw it with his own eyes! The head is so big, it can hold the whole house!" Nisha replied without raising her head while pouring milk tea for everyone. "real?" "Huh—is that still false? Are you saying that I, Nisha, or my father can lie?" Nisha glared, and William surrendered: "No, no, I didn't mean that!" In just a short while, Nisha's father, Kozbek, slaughtered the sheep, gave it to his wife, and went in to accompany the guests.Chu Feng felt that the question that Da Qi wanted to investigate could just be asked by this native. "Brother, is it okay to ask you something?" When Chu Feng spoke, he glanced at Da Qi. Da Qi knew what he meant, but he had already asked many local people about this matter. Seeing Chu Feng looking at him, Gently shook his head. "Success, you are the savior of my two daughters, don't ask me about it, you can do it even if you want my life!" Kozbek said boldly. "Hehe, I'm joking! That's it. We came here this time to find out one thing, and that is this lake—" Chu Feng was interrupted by Kozbek just as he was speaking: "Hehe! Brother, You want to know if there are any lake monsters in this lake, right? I wouldn’t bother to tell anyone else. Since your brother is the savior of my two daughters, I’ll say it again: there really are lake monsters in this lake. , and still go ashore!" Kozbek said firmly. "Uh!" Chu Feng didn't come here for the question of the lake monster. He didn't believe in these strange things at all. Brother, why are you so sure that there must be a lake monster? Didn’t you not investigate it after several scientific investigations?” "I know, those scientific expedition teams visited here several times but didn't see the lake monster. Many people speculated that the lake monster here is the big red fish. In fact, ah! Hmph! I also know that you don't believe it. People also say that the legend of the lake monster is made up by us Tuvans, the purpose is to attract tourists. What do you think of us Tuvans? The legend of the lake monster has been popular here for hundreds of years, whether it is Tuvans or Kazakhs. It has been passed down from generation to generation, and there were people traveling at that time?" The middle-aged man in his 40s blushed and had a thick neck when he mentioned this. "So, uncle, have you really seen a lake monster?" William's eyes lit up. "Oh, I've seen it. If I hadn't seen it, I wouldn't have come here to do some farmhouse tourism reception. I don't know how comfortable it is to herd sheep by the lake every day. It's not as tiring as it is now!" This Kozbek really saw the lake monster 12 years ago, "In that year, the season was much earlier than now, around the beginning of June, one day, I was riding a horse to herd sheep by the lake, and suddenly—" As soon as the man said this, his face changed, and there was fear in his eyes, "I have to run quickly! But my horse was frightened, and I couldn't be urged twice, so I had to jump off the horse and run for my life. That guy , caught up and swallowed that horse in one bite!" Kozbek still has lingering fears when he thought of that scene. The monster was as big as the whole house just by showing its head, and it swallowed the strong horse in one gulp! "Then tell me quickly, what does that lake monster look like?" William became more and more excited as he heard it. "I only saw one head of it. That guy is huge, bigger than my house. It is square, and its eyes are big! Anyway, it looks terrible!" Kozbek was talking. Seeing his two daughters crowded beside Ling Ning at some point, the three girls hugged each other, with expressions of fear and want to hear on their faces. "Actually, I didn't dare to look carefully at that time. I knew it had a big mouth. When it opened its mouth, there was a strong wind, and it couldn't move. It seemed that someone was pulling me back! If my horse wasn't behind me, I wouldn't be able to move." It just fell into its mouth!" Fortunately, the fear on Kozbek's face quickly disappeared: "I was so frightened at the time, I kept running as hard as I could, and soon the pull on me disappeared. I ran and ran, and I didn't I knew where I was going, and when I turned around, I saw my little Nisha!" "Ah! Why did Nisha run so far?" Ling Ning couldn't help asking in surprise. Obviously, it was the first time for everyone present to hear about it.Although the news about the Kanas Lake monster has been widely circulated before, this one is a real witness. "Well, well, Nisha is sensible! Come and find me!" Kozbek faltered with a trace of panic on his face. "Uncle, are what you said true?" William took out a notebook, trying to write down what this man said. "You child! Why is it not true? If I hadn't been frightened by this lake monster, would I dare not go to the lake to herd sheep again? It's been 12 years, and for 12 years, I dare not go to the lake again! So everyone laughed at my name as Kozbek, and I was as timid as a sheep! ('Kozbek' means 'sheep Buick'.)" Kozbek was suddenly sad, and reached out his hand to wipe the corner of his eye , "Hey! Don't laugh at me for being timid!" "No, Dad, you are not cowardly! You feel sorry for that black baby, and you don't want our sheep to be eaten by the lake monster again!" Balita was afraid that everyone would really misunderstand her dad as a coward, so she hurriedly explained. It turned out that the horse swallowed by the lake monster was still a racing horse, and Kozbek bought it at a high price, intending to win the championship in one fell swoop at the race meeting.As a custom in the grassland, a grand horse race is held every year. The herdsmen who win at the meeting will not only get the most important honor of the grassland men, but also get a large bonus.This makes the herdsmen on the grassland try their best to buy good horses as long as their families have a little money to participate in the horse racing meeting.Unexpectedly, the racehorse bought with a lot of money was swallowed by the lake monster before it could help Kozbek win the money, which caused a big blow to the family's financial situation.Kozbek had to give up his life of grazing and set up a farmhouse in the village to receive tourists and earn some money to subsidize his family.Fortunately, both daughters are up to the challenge and have been admitted to junior high schools in Xinjiang, so they don't have to bear the burden of their families. "It's strange to say that the legend of this lake monster has a long history! I have never heard that it can go ashore before! Since I met the lake monster on the shore, many villagers have met them on the shore over the years. Fortunately It doesn't hurt people, at most it will eat a few sheep and it will go away! Otherwise, people in our village will not be able to live! In recent years, many mainlanders have come to this lake monster and eat it at home. They lived here for many days, and this has made the villagers a lot of money!" Kozbek gritted his teeth and grinned at the mention of the lake monster. Chu Feng and Da Qi looked at each other and immediately understood what the other was thinking. "Brother, didn't you say that this lake is a barrier lake? Tell me, how deep is this lake? How could there be such a big lake monster?" "I don't understand what you're talking about. All I know is that my father said that the lake is very deep, as close to the eyes of the sea as possible!" After Kozbek finished speaking, he went out to see if the hand meat was ready. "Da Qi, have you heard of it? There is also a legend that Tianchi Lake is connected to sea eyes!" Chu Feng immediately asked Da Qi when he saw him go out. "I've heard this theory, but I haven't been able to confirm it. The water temperature in Tianchi Lake is too cold, and the diving equipment can't go down 30 meters below the water. The same is true of this Kanas Lake. It is impossible to investigate deeply!" "Brother Chu, tell me, is it possible that the bottom of Tianchi Lake and the bottom of Kanas Lake both lead to the same place?" William boldly guessed, "Didn't it mean that this place in Xinjiang was an ancient sea in ancient times? Sea eye refers to this ancient sea!" "There is no scientific basis for this matter, and guesswork alone is not enough. Forget it, let's not discuss this matter. After a while, finish eating quickly, go back to rest early, and have to hurry tomorrow morning!" "okay!" Not long after, Kozbek came in with a sheep's head.He put the plate containing the sheep's head in the middle of the table, and he muttered a prayer before he held a sharp butcher knife and began to divide the meat for everyone present. Both Chu Feng and Da Qi knew the table etiquette of Kazakhs and Tuvas.The two of them looked at each other, and they both looked at Ling Ning tacitly, with smiles in their eyes! Among the dining table etiquette of many nomadic peoples in Xinjiang, presenting the sheep's head is the most honorable kind. The host brings the sheep's head to the table and presents the first cut meat to the most distinguished guest on the table. In order of degree, a piece of lamb head meat is presented one by one, and finally, lamb ears are given to the youngest guest on the table, implying that the youngest guest should be "obedient".Ling Ning is the youngest among the guests here, and she will definitely get a sheep's ear. "In this ceremony, as long as it is respected by the master, no matter what it is, the guest must swallow it!" Chu Feng suppressed a smile and explained to Ling Ning in a low voice, "Otherwise it is an insult to the master! The master will be angry Yes!" Then, as expected, Ling Ning's smiling face collapsed when he saw the fluffy sheep's ears on his plate. "This, this, I'm not the youngest, Nisha and the others are much younger than me!" Ling Ning's eyes lit up when he saw Sister Nisha who came to grab the meat. "Hehe, girl, according to the customs of our Tuva people, our girls are not allowed to serve on the table!" Kozbek finished sharing the mutton head meat with everyone, and then began to separate the meat and mutton intestines. Ling Ning saw the smiling Kozbek, looked at the ear on his plate, gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, grabbed it and stuffed it into his mouth, not even daring to chew, and wanted to swallow it whole, but I didn't expect that my throat was too small, it got stuck for a moment, and my little face turned red from choking! "Hahaha! Little girl, just take a bite of this sheep ear and you'll be fine! Who told you to eat it all? Hahaha!" Kozbek saw it, and hurried over to pat Ling Ning's back to make her spit it out. "Cough, cough, cough!" Ling Ning managed to spit out that ear, and after listening to Kozbek's words, he knew that he had been fooled, and gave Chu Feng a vicious look. Chu Feng and Da Qi looked at each other and smiled!