There is no description of the terrain in the mountains.
Xiao Lingyue only knew that this mountain peak was connected to the mountain range where the imperial mausoleum was located, but where the cliff marked on the topographic map was, she could only find it herself.
Fortunately, it is clearly stated on the topographic map that the cliff is a hundred meters deep.
Under the cliff is the Canglan River.
The total height of this peak is about two hundred meters, which shows that the location of the cliff is at least on the mountainside and not at the top of the mountain.
And it's on the side near the river.
Xiao Lingyue followed these two clues and searched upwards. It took more than an hour to find the location of the cliff behind the dense woods.
"Finally found it. It's really hidden deep enough. I'm afraid even the nearby villagers don't know there's a cliff here, right?"
After walking in the mountains for so long, Xiao Lingyue's whole body was soaked by the mist, making her feel wet and uncomfortable.
When she reached the edge of the cliff, she immediately felt something was wrong.
It was already approaching Hai hour.
There is still about an hour left until the ugly moment of the transaction.
It was pitch black in the mountains, the fog was hazy, and visibility was extremely low.
Except for the sounds of animal activities in the forest, it was eerily silent.
Xiao Lingyue took out the fire stick from her arms, used it as a small torch for lighting, and circled cautiously around the cliff.
The cliff itself is not large.
One side is suspended in the air, and underneath is a heavy fog. You can't see anything clearly, and you can only hear the sound of the river flowing by.
The other three sides are covered by weeds, woods and vines, and even ordinary animals rarely come here.
Logically speaking, such a place should be inaccessible and the vegetation should be extremely lush.
But Xiao Lingyue walked around and soon discovered many strange places.
The vegetation around the cliff shows signs of being cleared.
The weeds and vines on the ground were also broken in large areas, as if they had been crushed by heavy objects, and the branches also had the same creases, as if they were left long ago.
Because the cliff is inaccessible and there are no animals, these traces have been completely preserved and have not changed at all.
"It seems that the person responsible for cleaning up the trail was not serious either. They took advantage of the location of the cliff to hide themselves and didn't even clean up the traces."
Xiao Lingyue bent down and helped up a broken vine. Judging from the growth of the leaves at the broken mark, it was at least several months old.
Zhong Ronggui has also stated before that their trading frequency is very stable.
At most twice a year, and at least once.
The more frequently you trade, the greater the risk of exposure.
Therefore, both parties often only deliver goods once every half a year, and the specific time and location are not fixed and can be changed at any time.
Xiao Lingyue held the fire seal in one hand and pushed away the weeds on the ground with the other.
On the damp soil and moss, she saw many messy ruts, criss-crossing them, as if they were formed by repeated rolling of wheels.
The ruts are very deep.
Xiao Lingyue stretched out her hand and tried it, and it sank into the ground a full palm deep.
What is so heavy? It can crush the wheels?
The answer is iron.
It is very difficult to carry hundreds or thousands of kilograms of iron, especially in deep mountains.
It is too difficult to carry it by manpower, so transportation tools such as pallets must be used.
Next to the ruts, there are also many hoof prints left by equids, which should have been left by animals such as horses or donkeys pulling carts.
"Something's wrong..."
Xiao Lingyue looked at these traces and suddenly frowned, "All the traces are going in the direction of the cliff, and they only go, not back. When I went up the mountain, I paid attention and didn't see any trace of heavy objects going down the mountain.
"
How is this going?
Did the smuggled iron ore disappear after being transported to the cliff?