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Chapter 16: Shambhala
The Tibetan girl introduced herself as Tsering Chokyi, an official from the rural township of Gangba in Shigatse, Tibet.
The Tibetans warmly welcomed Li Xingyuan, Old Liu, and Lin Song. According to Tsering Chokyi, they had initially thought the three men were illusions conjured by the mountain spirits.
After hearing their request, the Tibetans not only provided them with food and water but also invited them to join their journey.
“We’re looking for a place to start over,” Tsering Chokyi said with a smile. She was an outgoing young woman, her skin the color of burnished copper, her prominent cheekbones accentuated by her thick black braid. Fluent in both Chinese and Tibetan, she explained, “The plateau is no longer habitable.”
“What happened?” Li Xingyuan asked curiously, cradling a cup of butter tea in his hands as he sat on a chair.
They had arrived just as the Tibetans were eating. The nomads, accustomed to carrying provisions, generously prepared the same for Li Xingyuan and his companions—butter tea and tsampa. Simple, but filling.
“Shambhala has opened,” Tsering Chokyi replied with reverence, clasping her hands together and bowing toward the west. “A divine wind blew out of the eight-petaled lotus, forcing the mountain gods out of their sacred peaks. Now, these gods roam the plateau, devouring sheep, cattle, horses—and even people.”
Her expression turned somber. “The lamas have left, heading toward Shambhala. They say they must prepare to welcome the army of the Great Wheel King. But without the lamas, the nomads are powerless against the mountain gods. All we can do is flee.”
Li Xingyuan struggled to fully understand Tsering Chokyi’s explanation, so another man seated at the table—a middle-aged man named Tenzin Dawa—rephrased it in simpler terms.
About a month ago, when the eclipse occurred and radiation sickness spread globally, anomalies began appearing in the snowy regions. The air on the plateau grew thinner and colder than ever before. While the Tibetans were already accustomed to the cold, they were overwhelmed by the sudden outbreak of radiation sickness. Around that time, rumors spread that Mount Kailash—the sacred peak revered by the Tibetans—was growing taller.
The growth of mountains isn’t an extraordinary concept; the Himalayas rise approximately five millimeters each year due to the ongoing collision of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, a slow process occurring over millions of years.
However, Mount Kailash wasn’t growing slowly like its neighboring peaks. It was rising visibly every day, expanding rapidly alongside the entire Gangdese mountain range. It devoured surrounding lands, converting them into nutrients for its own growth. At its fastest, Mount Kailash grew hundreds of meters in a single day.
Though no precise measurements were taken, Mount Kailash originally stood at 6,638 meters tall. Its rapid expansion soon made it impossible to gauge with the naked eye. Logically, such intense geological activity should have triggered catastrophic earthquakes—but nothing of the sort occurred. Instead, Mount Kailash simply consumed the surrounding pastures and grazing lands.
Faced with this inexplicable phenomenon, the local nomads sought guidance from their lamas. The lamas’ explanation was straightforward: the mythical Buddhist paradise of Shambhala had opened.
Li Xingyuan had heard of Shambhala—a legendary land resembling an eight-petaled lotus. According to myth, Buddha taught the Dharma there, and during the age of degeneration, the thirty-second king of Shambhala, the Great Wheel King, would lead his army from the depths of the snow-capped mountains to battle evil forces.
After informing the nomads about the opening of Shambhala, the lamas departed from their monasteries and headed toward Mount Kailash.
They were preparing to welcome the Great Wheel King’s army and usher in the arrival of the Buddhist kingdom.
Around the same time, enormous monsters appeared on the plateau. The Tibetans believed these creatures were the mythical "Zan" gods and other demons.
According to their beliefs, the opening of Shambhala frightened the demons, driving them into the pastures to wreak havoc on the nomads.
No one among the living knew what these monsters looked like because anyone who encountered them vanished. People only found traces of blood and flesh left behind after the creatures passed through. These monsters indiscriminately attacked any humans or livestock on the grasslands. Even large herds or armed resistance couldn’t stop their predation.
Though the villagers organized defenses, many lacked the courage to fight the demons. Some chose to follow the lamas to Mount Kailash, believing the closer they were to Shambhala, the safer they would be. Others decided to leave the snowy region altogether.
Li Xingyuan and his companions had encountered the latter group.
“Why didn’t you go to Mount Kailash?” Li Xingyuan asked curiously. “From what you’ve said, it seems logical to head there.”
“I don’t believe in that,” Tenzin Dawa chuckled. “Shambhala, Zan gods—I don’t believe any of it. The changes in Mount Kailash are indeed unexplainable, but if there really were a Buddhist paradise, I doubt its opening would cause demons to harm people everywhere.”
“Besides, whether it’s Buddhas or Bodhisattvas, the improvements in this land over the years weren’t achieved by prostrating oneself in prayer—they were earned through hard work. Compared to those intangible things, I trust myself more.”
Old Liu raised his cup, clinking it against Tenzin Dawa’s. Old Liu’s cup contained butter tea, while Tenzin Dawa’s held liquor.
“Father,” Tsering Chokyi called out slightly reproachfully.
Tenzin Dawa laughed, reaching out to tousle Tsering Chokyi’s braid.
The surrounding Tibetans burst into laughter, speaking in Tibetan. Though Li Xingyuan couldn’t understand their words, laughter transcended language barriers, and the three men couldn’t help but join in.
It was a rare moment of relaxation. After laughing, Li Xingyuan took a sip of the warm butter tea cradled in his hands and exhaled deeply.
Surrounded by these Tibetans, he felt as though he had returned to a time when everything was still normal, rediscovering a sense that this place was still part of the human world.
This was Earth, humanity’s home. It was a simple truth, yet one that now required deliberate reminders to remember.
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