Is Taijing the only place with a dragon vein in the world?
It would be understandable if others didn’t know about the dragon vein, but the bamboo hat person clearly had some connection with it and even knew the secret that the dragon vein could take human form. Why insist that Mo Li was the dragon vein of Taijing?
Mo Li looked at Meng Qi, feeling perplexed.
The dignified-looking national teacher was as impressive as ever today.
By all appearances, Meng Qi should be guessed as the dragon vein! Or did Ayanpuka have a different view on the dragon vein?
Following Ayanpuka’s words, Mo Li thought everything through and surprisingly found that the conclusion that he was the dragon vein of Taijing made some sense?
Meng Qi had once aged like a normal person, a general who wasn’t even the most outstanding on the battlefield, first becoming a national teacher and then inexplicably becoming a martial arts master. To what extent? He had directly overturned the entire Magadha Temple, and when he reappeared after disappearing, he had reverted to his youthful self?!
Mo Li was someone the entire martial world had never seen before. The Fengxing Pavilion speculated that Mo Li was the disciple of the mysterious physician Qin Lu because of his unique weapon, but from another perspective, wielding a special weapon could easily be an assumed identity.
It was an easy disguise.
Qin Lu had not been seen in the martial world for many years. Even if he were still alive, this benevolent physician wouldn’t be upset as long as the impersonator wasn’t a fraudulent quack pretending to be his disciple.
There were indeed a few hidden masters in the world, but masters who hid their identities always had their reasons. The Swordsman was an assassin, Ayanpuka sought rebellion, but what was Mo Li’s situation?
Those with ill intentions would see someone concealing their identity and immediately assume they were suspicious. And how was Mo Li not suspicious?
He could speak various dialects, had exquisite medical skills, appeared youthful yet possessed immense internal strength, and no one had ever seen him before. It seemed he had no relatives or friends to visit.
Investigating a little more carefully, one could find people who had overheard Mo Li and Meng Qi speaking in tea houses or restaurants, or those who had conflicts with them, like Elder Cai of the Four Gangs of Yuzhou or the leader of the Changxin Gang. They could tell you that the relationship between Mo Li and Meng Qi was unusually close, far beyond mere friendship. Mo Li seemed like someone who had come from the mountains, unfamiliar with the martial world and even less with the bustling cities, relying on Meng Qi’s explanations for everything. Meng Qi, on the other hand, was very protective of Mo Li, always shielding him at the first sign of trouble…
It indeed looked like Meng Qi had been searching for decades and had finally found the dragon vein.
And it was a dragon vein that had brought Meng Qi numerous benefits.
Mo Li: “…”
Ayanpuka had been observing them both since earlier, and the reactions of Meng Qi and Mo Li gave him a slightly unsettling feeling.
Especially when Mo Li became deep in thought, his expression gradually revealing a dawning realization as if he had figured out the cause and effect, causing Ayanpuka’s heart to sink.
He had guessed wrong.
Where did he go wrong? It shouldn’t be. If Mo Li wasn’t the dragon vein or at least someone blessed by it, why didn’t he react under Ayanpuka’s internal force influence?
Ayanpuka recalled the strange phenomenon months ago when a golden and a black dragon fought in the clouds over Taijing. This event would have caused a huge stir, but it coincided with the palace coup in the Qi dynasty, the fall of Prime Minister Zhang, and a major political upheaval. With the Jinyiwei replaced and the imperial court cleansed, the new emperor didn’t even bother to maintain appearances, not mourning the former emperor, and instead making Taijing a place where no one dared to discuss politics, to the point of avoiding each other’s gaze on the streets.
Perhaps as time passed, and after the new emperor had ruled for a year or two, people would realize they wouldn’t lose their heads so easily, and slowly, some would dare to speak. But for now, they couldn’t.
This made gathering information extremely difficult.
Ayanpuka hadn’t been in Taijing that day. He hadn’t witnessed the phenomenon firsthand. All his information came from the martial artists who were searching for Emperor Li’s treasure in the Shangyun Mountains at the time.
These reports were a mix of truth and exaggeration, some sounding quite far-fetched, like encountering a dragon in the mountains at night. When Ayanpuka heard of Meng Qi’s appearance, he immediately concluded that there was indeed a dragon vein involved, but the truth was not as it seemed on the surface.
What dragon appeared in the clouds, the black dragon dying and possessing a body… all of that was a trap set by the dragon vein for Ancestor Qingwu. After all, without the battle between the two dragons, how could the black dragon have been injured? Without the injured dragon appearing in the wilds, how could Zhao Cangfeng have been desperate enough to enter the palace to assassinate, only to die mysteriously in the capital?
—To conspire against a nation and attempt to slay a dragon vein with the might of a single country is sheer naivety.
Ayanpuka looked down on Ancestor Qingwu.
Even Meng Qi and Mo Li could vaguely sense this. Ayanpuka had never hidden his disdain, and when he spoke of Ancestor Qingwu, it was as if he were talking about a pauper who had never seen the sea but dreamed of finding treasures in its depths.
In Ayanpuka’s mind, Ancestor Qingwu was doomed to die. It was just Zhao Cangfeng’s bad luck that he had crossed paths with Meng Qi.
However, the strange phenomena in Qingjiang, Taijing, and Shangyun Mountain — if there were no dragon vein, Meng Qi absolutely could not have caused all that.
Ayanpuka had considered the possibility that two dragon veins appeared simultaneously on Shangyun Mountain that day. However, firstly, there were only a few dragon veins left in the world, and secondly, Meng Qi didn’t resemble a dragon vein at all!
Dragon veins always lived reclusively in the mountains and forests, indifferent to power and wealth. How could someone who took up an official position and led troops be a dragon vein? Naturally, Ayanpuka turned his attention to Meng Qi’s companion.
What he uncovered was like finding a treasure.
In Ayanpuka’s eyes, Mo Li was so obvious it was almost as if he had the words written on his forehead.
“Perhaps I am just ignorant.”
Facing Mo Li’s wary gaze, Ayanpuka changed his tone, saying, “I never expected that, besides Taijing, there would still be a dragon vein in this world.”
His words were carefully phrased, acknowledging his potential mistake without completely committing to it. He scrutinized Mo Li and Meng Qi, hoping to discern the truth from their reactions.
Unfortunately, the opportunity to correct his mistake had passed. Mo Li’s earlier shock at the misjudgment had betrayed a hint of vulnerability, but now luck would not favor him so easily again.
“You are indeed quite amusing.” Meng Qi, with a smile, folded his hands behind his back and said, “I only know that the Kingdom of Xiliang respects Buddhist teachings. Since when did you start believing in feng shui and dragon veins? Couldn’t it be that I found a martial arts manual buried three hundred years ago when martial arts flourished? I became a national teacher to study local records, examine the geography, and track the changes in the land’s veins over the ages. How could I stay buried in official duties while needing time to practice martial arts? As for giving up power and wealth…”
Meng Qi gave a proud smile, extending his right hand and grasping at the air as if seizing something.
“With eternal youth and invincible martial arts at my disposal, power and wealth are at my fingertips. Why should I abandon the essence for the trivial? Where are the ministers of the Chu dynasty like me now? You, as the disciple of King Miti, ask me why I gave up power and wealth — isn’t that laughable?”
Ayanpuka’s face darkened.
“Master Meng, let’s not play games. There’s no point in being so evasive.”
“Haha! You, hiding your identity, not even sure if your name is real, yet you claim to speak openly and honestly? How laughable.”
Meng Qi took another step forward, laughing loudly.
Mo Li listened as Meng Qi deftly sidestepped the topic of the dragon vein, smoothly deflecting any accusations. He thought to himself that Meng Qi must have long prepared such a response for situations like this.
Being brushed off like this, how could Ayanpuka not be angry?
Though he wasn’t widely known, he wielded the forces of Xiliang, which had been biding their time for decades, preparing for the restoration of their nation. He had stirred up many hidden conflicts, and it had been a long time since anyone had dared to mock him to his face, let alone with such sarcasm.
His bamboo hat almost couldn’t hide his rage.
“Meng Qi, I once thought you were the one who understood the trends of the world best, but now I see you’re courting death…”
“Wait a moment.”
Meng Qi mercilessly interrupted Ayanpuka, mocking him, “And where did you come up with that conclusion? What do you mean by the ‘trends of the world’?”
Ayanpuka glanced at Mo Li, standing behind, his lips curling slightly as he provocatively said, “The dragon veins are dwindling, and the world, long divided, must unite — that is the trend of the world.”
The idea of unity after long division made sense — after all, the Qi dynasty and the remnants of the Chu were bound to compete for supremacy. But what was this about the dragon veins dwindling?
And how could someone from a northern frontier kingdom be spouting such twisted logic?
Mo Li had heard many absurd theories before: natural disasters and calamities bringing the dragon veins to the surface, dragon veins representing a nation’s destiny, or cutting off the dragon veins to restore the ancient path to immortality… But the idea that only with the death of the dragon veins could there be a unified and prosperous empire? That was too far-fetched.
It was as if they were being accused of hindering the well-being of all people by existing as dragon veins.
This was truly touching on a reverse scale, like stepping on the tail of a sand rat.
Meng Qi’s expression changed sharply, his body radiating killing intent.
“Dead men don’t have to worry about the fate of the world.”
A purple flash was followed by two chains of blood.
With their exceptional lightness skills, the two figures soared into the sky, leaving the village in a single leap.
Mo Li had the urge to chase them, but he noticed that the two seemed to have a tacit understanding. They didn’t go far, instead clashing under the willow tree at the village entrance.
Meng Qi wasn’t willing to fall for a trap and be lured away, but Ayanpuka? Was he reluctant to abandon the dragon vein he had finally found?
Meng Qi grew even angrier.
The battle at the City God Temple had been too rushed, with both sides primarily exchanging internal energy. Now, in their moves, the profound mastery of the martial arts from Magadha Temple became evident.
If Lady Liu and her companions relied on formations and bizarre techniques that were hard to guard against, Ayanpuka’s martial arts were much more restrained. On the surface, they seemed effortless and inconspicuous, but they hid deep secrets.
Before one move was fully executed, countless changes were already happening. New strength flowed seamlessly from the old, never-ending. Trying to disrupt him like they did with the Konghua formation was impossible. Ayanpuka, on his own, was more formidable than an entire formation, remaining undisturbed and following no discernible pattern.
Though Meng Qi seemed enraged and intent on killing Ayanpuka, his first real killing blow, when he found an opportunity, went straight for Ayanpuka’s bamboo hat.
—This man refused to remove his hat, there must be a reason.
Just as Mo Li arrived, he silently used Meng Qi’s shadow as cover, then suddenly dashed forward, striking with his blade.
The seamless merging of his energy with Meng Qi’s had already caught many martial experts off guard, and Ayanpuka was no exception.
Though Ayanpuka’s martial skills surpassed most, and his reflexes were quicker, the sharp wind from Mo Li’s blade still managed to graze his bamboo hat, splitting it open.
There was no such thing as an invulnerable bamboo hat, and perhaps Ayanpuka had grown too confident, forgetting that his hat could be damaged.
He was not a swordsman like Su Li, and under his hat, his face was tightly wrapped in a sturdy mask.
In the brief moment of contact, Mo Li had seen Ayanpuka’s face and his blue eyes through the slit in the hat.
The crack also revealed his bald, shiny forehead.
A thought struck Mo Li as he glanced at the direction of the tear in the hat, and he suddenly said, “Brother Meng, aim for the left side. He can only hear out of one ear.”
Author’s Note:
PS Spoiler: Ayanpuka wasn’t searching for the dragon vein to kill it, nor does he believe that the death of the dragon vein would unify the world. Meng Qi pretends to be ignorant, and Ayanpuka won’t reveal the truth either.
——
The reason Ayanpuka always refuses to show his face isn’t because he’s bald. No, it’s because he has a congenital disease! If a doctor saw him, it would expose his weakness.
There’s a genetic condition where children are born with blue eyes, deafness (either in one or both ears), and a white patch of hair in the center of their forehead.
The baldness isn’t a sign of strength; it’s just easier to shave it all off if he doesn’t want to dye it. Otherwise, it would attract too much attention.
Modern people know this as a medical condition, but in ancient times, a child born this way might be considered a demon — extremely unfortunate.
