Chapter Forty-Four: The Wall of a Thousand Dragons (Part One) (End of today's update~~~~~)

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Hearing Xiao Lianshan’s incoherent shouting from ahead, everyone following behind assumed that the Ming Fourteen Tombs lay below. Yet when they finally reached the bottom of the stairs, every one of them stood dumbfounded.

I was the last to come down. Faced with the scene before me, I remained speechless for a long while.

The passage did not lead to the Ming Fourteen Tombs. It opened into another round stone chamber, identical to the one above. On the stone wall directly opposite us, the light filtering in from above glinted with a dazzling golden radiance.

Only when we drew closer could we see clearly. An entire wall was covered with panels of pure gold, upon which countless identical dragon heads were arranged in neat rows. Every dragon had its mouth open, and inside each mouth was a small circular hole.

“Brother, I counted them just now. There are exactly nine hundred and ninety-nine dragon heads covering this wall,” Xiao Lianshan said with a grin.

Curious, I lowered my head to examine the round hole in one of the dragon’s mouths. I reached out and gently touched it, then exclaimed in surprise.

“A keyhole?!”

Gu Anqi stared at me, utterly flabbergasted.

“A keyhole? There are nine hundred and ninety-nine dragon heads here. Could that mean there are nine hundred and ninety-nine keyholes?”

I pondered for a moment, then said thoughtfully, “The number of keyholes doesn’t matter. If there are locks, there must be keys.”

After I spoke, I noticed Wei Yu and Kong Guan standing beside the stone platform in the center of the chamber. I hurried over.

“Senior Wei, Senior Kong, have you discovered something?”

“Take a look. What do you think this is?” Kong Guan asked, pointing at the platform.

A diagram was carved into the stone platform. Nine circles were arranged irregularly across it, and each one could be moved. They appeared to be buttons that could be pressed.

Qiu Nuo also came over curiously. After studying the diagram for a long while, she slowly extended her hand and drew an imaginary line across the circles, linking them all together. Then she suddenly understood.

“This… this is the Big Dipper! But… why are there two extra stars?”

“You’re right. It is indeed the Big Dipper, but here it has another name.” I nodded.

“What is it called?”

“The Nine-Star Diagram.”

“In astronomy, the Big Dipper consists of seven stars. They are known as the First White Greedy Wolf, the Second Black Great Gate, the Third Green Wealth Store, the Fourth Green Literary Song, the Fifth Yellow Honesty, the Sixth White Martial Song, and the Seventh Red Army Breaker. These seven celestial bodies are called the Big Dipper. Between the handle stars Army Breaker and Martial Song are two additional stars. One is the Right Assistant, which is usually invisible, and the other is the Left Assistant, which is commonly seen. The Left Assistant ranks eighth, and the Right Assistant ninth. Together with the seven primary stars, they form the Nine Stars.” I pointed at the two additional circles. “In the art of Eight Gates and Nine Stars, they are the Heavenly Canopy, Heavenly Grain, Heavenly Clashing, Heavenly Assistant, Heavenly Bird, Heavenly Heart, Heavenly Pillar, Heavenly任, and Heavenly Hero Stars.”

Xiao Lianshan leaned forward. Seeing that the circles could be moved, he reached out to press one.

Wei Yu suddenly moved. Despite being nearly seventy, the old man seized Xiao Lianshan’s arm with one hand. Xiao Lianshan found himself completely unable to exert any strength. Wei Yu then pointed expressionlessly at the stone ceiling overhead.

Kong Guan watched Wei Yu’s moving lips and said coldly, “The stone slab above is suspended in midair, fastened with metal chains threaded through holes and tied down like a bundle. It lies flat against the top of the chamber and is connected to the mechanism here. If the wrong mechanism is pressed, the suspended boulder will come crashing down. No one in this chamber would survive.”

Xiao Lianshan quickly withdrew his hand and looked up at the ceiling, his heart filled with lingering fear.

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“How are we supposed to know which ones to press?”

“Each of the Nine Stars in the art of Eight Gates and Nine Stars has its own meaning. Zhu Yuanzhang must have left a clue when he created this mechanism. Otherwise, even later emperors would have had no idea how to open it,” I said thoughtfully.

“There’s no clue. Unlike the mechanisms before, we haven’t seen a single written word since we entered,” Qiu Nuo said calmly.

“Not quite. Wasn’t there a four-word inscription at the entrance?” Xiao Lianshan said solemnly. “Ming Earth Sacred Treasure!”

“If those four words are the clue, then they mean that four of the circles in this Nine-Star Diagram are the key to opening the next entrance. But if we’ve misunderstood, pressing even one wrong circle will bring disaster,” Gu Anqi said cautiously.

“You all go back outside. I’ll try. If I’m right, you can come down afterward. Even if something goes wrong, at least we won’t all be wiped out,” I said calmly.

Wei Yu’s lips moved again. After watching him, Kong Guan actually smiled.

“You’re thinking too simply. Every mechanism here is connected to all the others. They form a chain, and one mistake might seal off the passage we used to enter. Either we leave now, or we try to decipher the Nine-Star Diagram.”

“Since we’ve come this far, I never intended to leave. And if anyone leaves, we all leave together. I’m not abandoning you here alone. Use your judgment and open the mechanism. I’ll stand with you,” Xiao Lianshan said firmly.

Leaning against the Thousand-Dragon Wall, Yue Qianling sat on the floor, looking utterly exhausted.

“Even if I wanted to leave, I don’t have the strength anymore. Do whatever you like. At worst, I’ll just be buried alongside you.”

Qiu Nuo and Gu Anqi gave faint smiles, their eyes filled with support and trust.

I nodded gratefully. After taking a deep breath, I considered the matter and slowly began to speak.

“The Nine Stars in the diagram correspond to the Five Elements and the Eight Trigrams. The Heavenly Heart, Heavenly任, Heavenly Bird, and Heavenly Assistant are the four auspicious stars. The Heavenly Clashing Star is moderately auspicious. The Heavenly Canopy, Heavenly Grain, and Heavenly Pillar are the three ominous stars, while the Heavenly Hero Star is neutral.”

“Since the Heavenly Heart, Heavenly任, Heavenly Bird, and Heavenly Assistant are the four auspicious stars, perhaps those are the four we need?”

“The auspiciousness or inauspiciousness of the Nine Stars must be judged together with the Five Elements, not in isolation. The transformations of the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams are endless. Unless there is a specific clue, it would be nearly impossible to guess the purpose of this mechanism.”

“But the four words we mentioned just now—Ming Earth Sacred Treasure—don’t seem to have anything to do with the Five Elements,” Qiu Nuo asked, puzzled.

Wei Yu suddenly crouched down. Without the slightest haste, he drew a moon and a sun in the dust-covered ground, then drew a circle around them both. Finally, he slowly raised his head and looked at me.

I studied the figure on the ground and suddenly understood. With profound meaning, I said, “Thank you for your guidance, Senior Wei. ‘Ming’ means the sun and moon shining together, symbolizing the harmonious union of Heaven and Earth and the balance of yin and yang. It points to the Greedy Wolf Star among the Nine Stars!”

“The Greedy Wolf Star corresponds to the Water Trigram in the first northern palace. When disputes arise in court, the Heavenly Canopy appears; victory, triumph, fame, and authority spread for ten thousand miles,” Kong Guan said calmly. “The Greedy Wolf is associated with water thieves. In the palace it enters, one should avoid marriage, construction, relocation, and similar affairs.”

I nodded and said evenly, “Ming refers to water. Among the Nine Stars, water corresponds to the Heavenly Bird Star, which is especially auspicious. The first star is the Heavenly Bird Star.”

Gu Anqi’s knowledge of feng shui was extraordinary, and naturally she also understood the Nine Stars. She nodded.

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“The Heavenly Bird Star represents the central palace, the place where the Marshal of the Hidden Armor resides. It governs sorcery and craftsmanship and is favorable for long journeys, commerce, burials, construction, and meeting nobles. When the Heavenly Bird Star enters a palace, all affairs are auspicious, and every season is propitious. Zhu Yuanzhang built the Ming Fourteen Tombs here, so naturally the Heavenly Bird Star had to occupy the central palace.”

I glanced at the others, then drew a deep breath. Slowly, I pressed the circle representing the Heavenly Bird Star.

Not a sound escaped anyone. The suspended stone above us did not fall. That meant the words “Ming Earth Sacred Treasure” truly were the clue to the Nine-Star Diagram. A secret joy stirred in every heart.

“The second word is ‘earth.’ There’s no need to guess this one. In the Nine Stars, the Wealth Store Star corresponds to the Thunder Trigram in the third eastern palace. The Wealth Store Star is the Thunder God, the Celestial Emperor, and the Warrior. It is favorable for marching out to avenge humiliation, waging war, beating gongs and drums, and raising banners and shouting battle cries.” I focused intently. “The saying goes that the battlefield is where bones are buried. Therefore, the Wealth Store Star belongs to earth among the Five Elements.”

“Earth corresponds to the Heavenly任 Star among the Nine Stars. When the Heavenly任 Star meets earth, it is supremely auspicious,” Kong Guan said.

“Zhu Yuanzhang must have had a master of the hidden arts advising him when he built this place.” I smiled. “The Heavenly任 Star corresponds to the Mountain Trigram in the eighth northeastern palace. As an auspicious star, it brings success in every affair. All things are favorable, and every season is propitious. No wonder the Ming Fourteen Tombs have remained undisturbed despite being built deep within these rugged mountains.”

After the circle representing the Heavenly任 Star was pressed, everything remained calm and unharmed. Only two words remained. Though everyone was still filled with dread, a trace of excitement had begun to stir.

“The third word is ‘sacred’… Broken apart, it consists of ‘again’ and ‘earth’…” I muttered to myself, lost in thought.

“Why is it earth again? Could earth correspond to two extremely auspicious stars among the Nine Stars?” Xiao Lianshan asked, bewildered.

“Among the Five Elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—only one star can be supremely auspicious for each element. Since earth has already appeared, it cannot appear a second time,” Gu Anqi said softly, afraid of disturbing my concentration.

“Again and earth… Earth placed upon earth becomes a jade tablet!” My eyes lit up. I repeated the words several times, then said with deep significance, “A jade tablet is a ritual object held by ancient emperors or feudal lords during ceremonies. It is rounded at the top and square at the bottom, with sharp edges. It generally symbolizes sharpness and war.”

“The Army Breaker Star!” Gu Anqi blurted out without hesitation. “The Army Breaker Star corresponds to the Lake Trigram in the seventh western palace. It carries the bleak, murderous energy of autumn metal. It delights in killing and loves warfare, and is associated with terror, strangeness, destruction, and ruin. It represents a hermit and favors concealment and steadfast defense. One should not travel or make plans. Nothing undertaken beneath it is auspicious; if one insists, carts will break, horses will be injured, and soldiers will perish. In the Five Elements, the Army Breaker Star is fire!”

I nodded calmly.

“Fire corresponds to the Literary Song Star among the Nine Stars, and that is an auspicious star. The third is the Literary Song Star!”

Xiao Lianshan did not dare reach out, afraid that Wei Yu would seize him again. His wrist still ached terribly. Yue Qianling, however, pressed the circle with an unconcerned expression, as though none of it mattered.

A sudden grinding sound came from the enormous stone above us. Everyone held their breath and stared at the ceiling, their hearts rising into their throats.

Dust drifted down in clouds. Then the chamber fell silent once more.

I let out a long breath, only to discover that my hand was trembling slightly.

Yue Qianling suddenly stared at me and began to laugh, looking unbearably pleased with herself.

“Well, well. How interesting. So you do get frightened after all.”

“With such an enormous boulder hanging over our heads, ready to fall at any moment, how could you not be afraid?” I asked in astonishment.

“Of course I’m not afraid!” Yue Qianling declared with utmost seriousness.

“Why?”

I still could not understand where she had found such courage.

“Because I believe in you!”

…

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