Valley of Ten Thousand Calamities, The

Home of Zhong Ling; located on the western bank of the Lancang River. Two to four days' return journey from the Boundless Mountain, depending on the speed of travel. Outsiders would find it very difficult to enter the valley without instructions from its inhabitants (Chapter 1, unnamed).

The route into the valley was as follows (Chapter 2):

• Use the Crossing of Benevolent People to get to the western bank of Lancang River, if necessary.
• Walk briskly (in an unspecified direction) for slightly more than half-a-shichen (an hour) until a great forest appears. The forest marks the entrance of the Valley of Ten Thousand Calamities.
• Go behind the fourth pine-tree from the right in a row of nine similar pines on the left of valley entrance.
• Part the long grass at the base of the pine to reveal a trap-door that is set in tree-trunk.
• Enter through the trap-door and proceed down a flight of stone steps. After 30 steps, a right turn and a distance of several more zhang (1 zhang = 3.33 metres), go up the remaining 30 steps to emerge into a spacious, flat and grassy plain that is dotted with pines.
• Go towards the large pine whose trunk has been stripped of bark, painted white and marked with these words: 'He who is surnamed Duan will be killed without mercy when he enters this valley.' All the words are written with black lacquer, except the word 'killed', which is written in red.
• Strike the word 'Duan' three times with the small iron hammer that is hung on the tree. The iron sheet beneath the word will ring out, and a servant will appear.

Named after the malicious vow of 'no freedom from ten thousand calamities' that Gan Baobao took in her decision to care for Zhong Wanchou with all her heart. Could be accessed through a route that entailed walking several li (1 li = 0.5 km) around the valley to its rear and leaping over a thick and impenetrable wall of ancient trees. Had a stone hut (see Objects) on the inner side of the wall of trees (Chapter 7).

The tree with the words 'He who is surnamed Duan will be killed without mercy when he enters this valley' was chopped down by four men from the royal palace of Dali, under the orders of the Minister of Works Ba Tianshi (Chapter 8).

Gu Ducheng chopped down five of the trees that made up the wall of trees between the valley proper and the stone hut under the orders of the Emperor Baoding. Aided by Fu Sigui who pushed the chopped trees down with his palms (Chapter 9).

Servants at the Valley of Ten Thousand Calamities included:

• Jinxi'er 进喜儿 - male. Literally means 'Incoming Happiness', according to traditional naming practices in which employers renamed their servants with auspicious words. Wounded by Yue the Third because the latter wanted to be addressed as 'Yue the Second' and felt that he was being looked down upon; later killed by Yue because of the semantics of an exchange of words between them. Considered by Gan Baobao as a faithful servant, whose death saddened her very much (Chapter 2).
• Laifu'er 来福儿 - male; about 30-odd years in age. Literally means 'Approaching Prosperity', according to traditional naming practices in which employers renamed their servants with auspicious words (Chapter 2). Sent by Gan Baobao to take Duan Yu to the place where he could borrow a horse for his journey back to Dali City. Killed by the gang that was sent to capture Mu Wanqing at the latter's home; later deduced by Duan Yu to be done in by Old Woman Ping (Chapter 3).