Chapter 51: Presenting the Box to the Dragon

Yue Qianling was also taken aback by the sudden turn of events, but seeing that even I could slip up, it was as if she had been waiting for this outcome for a long time. She tilted her head and said, "Now you see you're not as skilled as others. Let me tell you, my mother is also a master of your fate and physiognomy arts. Her talent for divination and fortune-telling is no less than yours. The name Lan Yi Gua is far more renowned than yours. It's just that my mother no longer does readings for people; otherwise, you wouldn't have your moment in the spotlight."

Yue Leiting never believed I could fail and stared blankly at the dice showing only two dots. "What will it take for you to come home with me?"

"I already told you, if you can beat me, I'll go back with you."

"Just how much do you hate me? Or is it that I wronged you? Our child was three when you just left, and you've been living here for over twenty years. Everyone thinks Yue Leiting is a widower," he complained, looking very aggrieved.

"I warned you not to dabble in shady dealings, but you wouldn't listen. How many lives do you think you have to waste on that?" Lan Qing sipped her tea, smiling gently and speaking calmly.

Yue Leiting was momentarily at a loss for words, then suddenly slapped the table and raised his voice. "Fine! I'll listen to you. No more shady business. Once I find the Ming Dynasty’s Fourteenth Imperial Tomb, I'll quit for good. Even if you break my arms and legs in the next life, I've earned enough to support you both."

"The Ming Fourteenth Imperial Tomb?!" Lan Qing’s hand trembled, spilling tea onto the table. "How... how do you know about the Ming Fourteenth Imperial Tomb?"

"Heh, why wouldn't I know—" Yue Leiting stopped mid-sentence, suddenly realizing something, and looked at Lan Qing in astonishment. "Wait, judging by your reaction... you already knew about the Ming Fourteenth Imperial Tomb?"

"Mother, that's right. I only just heard of it myself and I'm still half-convinced. How did you know?" Yue Qianling asked in surprise.

Lan Qing closed the door and sat back in her chair. After a moment of silence, she spoke softly. "When I was young, I had the good fortune to meet a great Daoist master. Seeing my aptitude, he took me as his disciple. All my knowledge of divination and physiognomy comes from him. I wasn’t the only one; there were other disciples as well."

"Mom, you had a master?" Yue Qianling blinked, curious. "Why haven't you ever mentioned it?"

"Not even your father knows. At the time, these practices were considered feudal superstition—something to be eradicated. Our master told us to hide our identities and keep a low profile. But secrets never stay buried; eventually, we were discovered. In that chaos, I lost touch with my fellow disciples, and I fear most of them met a grim fate."

"Lan Auntie, did your master tell you about the Ming Fourteenth Imperial Tomb?" I asked.

Lan Qing nodded, her expression somber. "Before he died, our master gathered us together and told us about the Ming Fourteenth Imperial Tomb. He warned us repeatedly that something ominous dwells within, that it must never be revealed to the world. As guardians of the Way, if the tomb were ever opened, we must stop it at all costs, or disaster would follow and countless lives would be lost."

"There's something ominous inside the Ming Fourteenth Imperial Tomb?" Yue Qianling looked at Lan Qing in disbelief. "Mom, I thought the tomb was supposed to hold treasures enough to rival a nation’s wealth. How can it be something ominous?"

I knew what Lan Qing referred to was the Nine Heavens Hidden Dragon Technique, though she didn’t seem to know the details.

"The secret of the Ming Fourteenth Imperial Tomb has been passed down through our sect. Only the disciple who inherits the master's mantle can know it. Our master gave each of his five disciples an object, saying that within these five items lay clues to the tomb, but they must not be opened unless absolutely necessary."

"What did your master give you?" Yue Leiting, unable to hold back, finally asked.

Lan Qing brought out a rectangular wooden box from her room. It had a delicate bronze lock and she placed it on the table. "This... this is it."

Yue Leiting leaned in, inspecting it for a long time. "Why don't you open it?"

"When my master gave it to me, he didn't give me the key. He also warned me not to open it on my own," Lan Qing replied calmly.

"Lan Auntie, do you remember anything else your master said about the Ming Fourteenth Imperial Tomb?" I asked thoughtfully.

"Anything else... Oh, I remember now. Before he died, he told me with great emphasis: 'In the year of Jiazi, in the month of Xinwei, on the day of Renyin, present the box to the Dragon.'" Lan Qing thought for a moment, then spoke with certainty.

"The year of Jiazi, the month of Xinwei, the day of Renyin..." I quickly calculated and was astonished. "Aunt Lan, today is the ninth day of the seventh month—it’s exactly the year of Jiazi, month of Xinwei, day of Renyin!"

"Brother, what does it mean to 'present the box to the Dragon'?" Xiao Lianshan asked in confusion. "Where are we supposed to find a dragon?"

"That's not so difficult," Yue Qianling cast a sidelong glance at me, dismissive. "Didn’t Yan Six-Finger say someone here has the fate of an emperor? An emperor is a dragon among men. With a true dragon right here, why look elsewhere?"

I realized she was talking about me and smiled self-deprecatingly. "I don't believe any of that, but you seem to take it seriously."

Lan Qing looked up at me after hearing Yue Qianling’s words, frowning in surprise. "Yan Six-Finger is indeed a master of physiognomy. The fate of an emperor is one in a million; he would never risk his reputation by speaking recklessly."

"Mom, are you saying he really does have the fate of an emperor?"

"Most people's foreheads are either round or square, but his is distinctly square. In physiognomy, a square forehead is a sign of nobility. His is not only square, but there's a prominent, square bone at the center—much like the skull of a dragon king. In physiognomy it’s called the Fuxi bone, also known as the Sun Horn. The squarer and larger this bone, the more noble the fate; round is secondary. This is the so-called ‘Sun Horn, Dragon Face’—a mark of emperors."

Upon hearing this, Yue Leiting instinctively reached out to touch my forehead and then broke into a wide smile. "Well, well! Not only is it square, but there’s indeed a protrusion. Who would have thought you have the fate of an emperor!"

"My master’s Dao was profound. I only learned a fraction, mostly divination and physiognomy. Of all my skills, character reading is the one I’m most proficient in. As the saying goes, ‘appearance arises from the heart.’ Why don’t you say a character, and I’ll divine its meaning for you?" Lan Qing said with a gentle smile, tea cup in hand.

I could only laugh wryly. After thinking for a while, I said, "My mind is full of questions right now. How about the character ‘ask’?"

"Ask! In traditional script, ‘ask’ is written as ‘問’. On the left and right, it’s ‘君’—meaning lord or emperor. Both sides are rulers!"

I was stunned into silence. Glancing at the silk painting at the back of the room, I tentatively said, "Aunt Lan, the silk painting in your room is so vivid and graceful. Let’s try the character ‘silk’."

Aunt Lan put down her teacup, smiling with delight. "The character ‘silk’ has an emperor’s head and an imperial foot—it’s certainly not ordinary. It seems Yan Six-Finger was right; you truly have the fate of an emperor. My master was indeed a great man. Imagine, he could foresee that you would come here decades later to receive the box—‘present the box to the dragon.’ The box is now yours!"

I accepted the box, bewildered. According to Lan Qing, the contents were linked to the Ming Fourteenth Imperial Tomb. But I had no idea how to open the bronze lock.

"Aunt Lan, is there really no key for this lock?"

"My master only gave me the wooden box and never mentioned a key. Besides, I never intended to open it. He said that when the time and fate align, the box would open on its own. Since he foresaw today’s offering to the dragon, there must be another secret to the key."

"Brother, for this shoddy lock, you don’t even need a key. Give it to me, I could break it open with my bare hands," Xiao Lianshan said indifferently.

"Exactly! Who knows what your master was thinking, trying to secure something with a lock like this," Yue Leiting agreed.

A knock at the door interrupted the argument inside. Xiao Lianshan, already half asleep from listening, took the opportunity to stretch his legs and go answer it.

"You... what are you doing here?" Xiao Lianshan’s delighted shout came from outside.

"I should be asking you that! What are you doing here?" a girl’s clear voice replied.

I froze. The voice sounded very familiar. As I turned, I saw Gu Anqi standing at the door, her face bright with a gentle smile.

"Anqi? What brings you here?" I asked, equally surprised.

Gu Anqi didn’t reply but went straight to Lan Qing. "This must be Aunt Lan?"

Lan Qing gazed at Gu Anqi in surprise. The petite girl was sweet and endearing, and her smile warmed her instantly. She pulled her over to sit by her side, kindly saying, "Little one, I’m Lan Qing. But I don’t recall ever meeting you. How do you know me?"

"Junior Gu Anqi, sent by my father, has come to wish Aunt Lan a happy birthday. My father wishes you health, longevity, and all the best," Gu Anqi said, kneeling to kowtow three times.

Lan Qing was so startled by this display that she quickly helped her up. "Child, what era do you think this is? Such formalities! By the way, who is your father?"

"My father is Gu Liancheng," Gu Anqi replied with a smile.

"Gu Lian... Brother Gu!" Lan Qing’s hand trembled as she looked at Gu Anqi in astonishment. "You’re... you’re Brother Gu’s daughter?"

Gu Anqi nodded, her smile light as air. "My father often speaks of you. He wanted to come personally to wish you a happy birthday but was tied up with other matters, so he made sure I arrived today on his behalf."

Lan Qing couldn’t stop touching Gu Anqi’s face, overwhelmed with emotion. "You are truly Brother Gu’s child—like two peas in a pod. How is he now? After that disaster years ago, I lost contact with him. By the time I reached your house, it was already ablaze. I thought your whole family had perished in the fire."

"We’re all well. My father misses you greatly. He told me he survived by sheer luck and, after countless hardships, fled south to Hong Kong, where things finally settled down."

"It’s been over thirty years since I last saw Brother Gu. Little one, I held you in my arms when you were just a tiny baby. Who would have thought you’d grow into such a fine young woman?" Lan Qing said joyfully, caressing Gu Anqi’s face.