Meng Qi: You don’t understand me at all, get lost.
Although it’s a bit hard to imagine a bird that shines, considering that this guy can fly, maybe it has a talent for hiding.
Mo Li couldn’t help but look down at himself.
In the water pool of the Qimao Mountain Grotto, there was only one fish, Mo Li had no “natural enemies,” and no “prey.” His only companions were the light of the sun, moon, and stars falling through the cracks at the top of the cave, and the continuous wind, frost, rain, and snow throughout the year. Therefore, he didn’t need to hide. Even if his scales looked a bit dazzling, it didn’t really matter.
In contrast, the requirements for a dragon vein like the one in Taijing were different when it came to transformation.
Rock rats lived in rocky caves all year round, and if they showed their heads, they could be caught or chased. This made their fur look very ordinary.
Apart from being fat, Meng Qi wasn’t much different from other rock rats.
Deep down, Mo Li felt that a dragon vein like Meng Qi was the norm. The dragon vein in Silang Mountain was just an ordinary-looking tree. Unfortunately, trees don’t grow legs, or else it would have run away when the Si family was cutting it down, and it wouldn’t have been so badly injured.
Thinking about it this way, having wings was truly an extraordinary advantage.
“Clap.”
Ayanpuka directly threw the box over.
This action surprised Meng Qi. Aside from the matter of the dragon vein, a rare feather like this would undoubtedly be considered a “good omen” by the court. Ayanpuka was about to restore his nation, so the more things like this, the better. How could he bear to give it to them?
Could it be that Ayanpuka had more than one feather in his hand?
Meng Qi was uncertain.
Although he longed to find his kind, if there was someone who had a completely different mindset from him and the doctor, and who might even support Ayanpuka in harming people with opium, it would be a huge disaster dropped from the sky.
Judging from what happened to the swordsman, this dragon vein was proficient in medicine and was not weak in martial arts either.
A dragon vein meant long life, and living long enough meant having skills, making them difficult to deal with.
Instinctively, Meng Qi glanced at Mo Li. The two exchanged a look, both with solemn expressions.
Ayanpuka crossed his arms, a subtle, almost imperceptible smile on his lips, just watching them.
——This was another test, another confrontation.
Ayanpuka claimed that he had been searching for the dragon vein of Feihe Mountain for many years, yet he produced such a feather. Did he really know the dragon vein of Feihe Mountain? Was what he said true or false? Was his trip to Feihe Mountain meant to divert Meng Qi’s attention, or was it a trap long prepared?
The situation had unknowingly reversed.
Mo Li felt at a loss about what to do next.
At this moment, Meng Qi looked up and coldly said, “Such a rare treasure, how could you casually throw it away? You should take it back!”
“Where do you get such an idea, Teacher? After all, this concerns the dragon vein. I have no proof; the two of you should carefully examine the authenticity of this item.” Ayanpuka crossed his arms as if waiting for their reaction.
If Meng Qi and Mo Li quarreled over going to Feihe Mountain, it would give him an opportunity.
Ayanpuka believed that the thoughts of dragon veins and humans were ultimately different.
Every “person” who initially knew nothing of the world would always rely on the one who brought them out, obeying every word, unable to leave even for a moment. However, this seemingly close relationship was nothing but a castle in the air. As time passed and as they met more people and saw more things, the supposedly important person would become dispensable.
Wasn’t the swordsman, Su Li, a perfect example?
Ayanpuka had invested much effort into Su Li, and Su Li was worthy of such nurturing. Unfortunately, although he was loyal, Ayanpuka could immediately tell that this child wouldn’t walk the same path as him in the future. Su Li himself had vaguely sensed this as well. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have voluntarily avoided all of Ayanpuka’s secrets. Only by remaining ignorant and keeping little contact with the outside world could he maintain long-term loyalty and gratitude.
If this was the case between people, how much more so with dragon veins.
Ayanpuka watched coldly, mocking Meng Qi for being so careless as to bring a dragon vein out.
However, it seemed that the founding monarchs and ministers of the Chu Dynasty all possessed this bit of naivety.
——The naivety of believing in some kind of golden age, peace, and prosperity for the nation and its people.
Meng Qi didn’t know what Ayanpuka was muttering in his heart, but judging by his expression, he could tell it was not well-intentioned.
With a slight flick of his toes, the box on the ground flipped over and flew into Meng Qi’s hand.
Although the mechanism to open the box was intricately designed, Meng Qi had seen many treasures in the Chu Dynasty’s court and had played with all kinds of spring-loaded devices, even dismantling quite a few. So, when Ayanpuka threw the box to the ground and the spring lock clicked, Meng Qi easily opened it.
When his eyes touched the inner layer of the box, he suddenly paused.
Meng Qi had already thought that the box was quite valuable, not something an ordinary craftsman could make. Now, seeing a round seal inscription on the inner layer, he suddenly realized that this was an old possession of someone he knew.
It was a gift from Emperor Chu to the Duke of Wei’s residence.
Ayanpuka had deliberately used such a box…
With a snap, Meng Qi closed the box again and tossed it back.
Ayanpuka caught it, somewhat surprised. He had spent time investigating Meng Qi’s past, digging up many things, such as how Meng Qi had deeply respected the Duke of Wei, Yin Qingheng. Aside from Yin Qingheng being Li Yuanze’s chief strategist, it was also because, in his early years in the military camp, Yin Qingheng had taught Meng Qi military tactics and the arts of concealment and evasion.
“This was one of the Duke of Wei’s most cherished possessions and ranked among the top treasures granted by Emperor Chu. Does the National Teacher not care at all?” Ayanpuka weighed the box in his hand, saying with a half-smile, “The descendants of the Yin family escaped Taijing just in time, avoiding the disaster of the regime change. They now live near Zhaoxi by Feihe Mountain, running a small estate. Besides farming and reading to pass on the family tradition, they have a peach blossom wine distillery. If Teacher Meng misses old friends, you might as well visit.”
Mo Li looked at Ayanpuka in a new light, impressed by his layered tactics.
The people of Xiliang, especially those from the Mojie Monastery, seemed to have a particular fixation on Meng Qi.
It seemed they wanted to dig into every corner of Meng Qi’s past. Judging by how they even knew about Meng Qi’s fondness for peach blossom wine, they were quite thorough.
On the other side, Meng Qi remained completely unmoved. He mercilessly replied, “The world has been in chaos for a long time. Old friends and their families have withered away. No matter how good something is, it is hard to preserve. It’s no surprise if something ends up lost. Any random branch of the family or even a former servant of the Yin family could claim to be from the Yin family. After all, once they relocate, they can write the genealogy however they please. Even if they are true descendants, so what?”
Ayanpuka raised his eyebrows at this response, unsure if Meng Qi was deliberately saying this or if he truly thought that way.
Most people would be putting on a tough front, but Meng Qi was hard to read. After all, he was someone who had disguised himself for decades, not marrying or having children in order to search for the dragon vein. A man so ruthless with himself—would he even care about someone else’s descendants?
Ayanpuka thought he knew Meng Qi well because he himself was almost the same type of person.
What did descendants matter? Only worldly fools cared about whether their bloodline would continue. When a person dies, they turn to dust, worthless. No matter what offerings or sacrifices their children or grandchildren make, it’s all in vain, only to be eaten by wild birds and dogs. If one wishes to be remembered by future generations, the only way is to slaughter millions and achieve unparalleled feats.
In fact, in investigating matters related to Meng Qi, Ayanpuka had already uncovered all there was to uncover. He hadn’t missed a single scrap of information, knowing Meng Qi’s preferences, his deep friendships, and anything recorded about Meng Qi’s actions, he knew it all. Even the oral traditions had mostly been gathered.
Yet no matter how much was recorded in old papers or said by others, it wasn’t the real person.
A person’s thoughts and feelings are never found in those things.
Moreover, Ayanpuka had begun his investigation of Meng Qi because of the dragon vein, so he had started with a bias. This resulted in conclusions that were far from the truth.
Still, mistakes sometimes lead to unexpected results.
Mo Li was eager to know where exactly Ayanpuka was growing his opium. It couldn’t be in the southern frontier. First, it was too far away. Second, that area was full of miasma, teeming with snakes and dragons. The local tribes and clans already had enough power struggles. It wasn’t safe, and things could easily go wrong.
The people of Xiliang had taken Run County as their base and put in so much effort, yet all they had was an underground opium production workshop. The real plantation was still not here.
So the question arose: Could Feihe Mountain be the answer?
Feihe Mountain was about a hundred li from Run County. Because of the dragon vein, Ayanpuka would undoubtedly care deeply about that area, and he might have considerable influence there. Most importantly, Feihe Mountain was rich in spiritual energy. Whatever was planted there wouldn’t grow poorly.
Matters of kinship could be put aside for now, but the opium situation couldn’t be delayed.
Every day of delay meant another day for Ayanpuka to potentially stir up more trouble.
Mo Li had already made up his mind, but Meng Qi on the other hand really didn’t want to go to Feihe Mountain anymore.
——Ayanpuka’s series of actions clearly seemed like an attempt to lure them there. Going along with the enemy’s plans didn’t seem like a wise idea.
Meng Qi wasn’t afraid of Ayanpuka. What he feared was something happening to Mo Li.
After all, in Ayanpuka’s eyes, Mo Li was the dragon vein.
Ayanpuka’s strange ability to manipulate spiritual energy still hadn’t been fully understood! Who knows what his intentions were toward the dragon vein?
Just as the three of them were deep in their own thoughts, with Ayanpuka reading their expressions and believing he had successfully “sown discord” and was preparing to withdraw, the sky gradually darkened.
It was midsummer, and the scorching sunlight suddenly began to fade, bringing some relief to everyone.
Meng Qi, sensing that Ayanpuka was trying to flee, had been keeping an eye on his movements. Mo Li discreetly blocked the escape route, and the three of them remained wary of each other, too focused to notice the sky above. They assumed a cloud had passed by, temporarily covering the sun.
That was until panicked shouts and the clanging of pots and gongs echoed from the village.
“The heavenly dog is eating the sun! Drive it away, quickly!”
Meng Qi abruptly looked up, only to see that a small chunk of the sun was missing.
A solar eclipse could be predicted by the calendar, and it used to be part of the National Teacher’s duties in the Chu Dynasty to calculate such things. However, Meng Qi no longer needed to do so, and eclipses weren’t visible everywhere. Calculating them had always seemed a bit boring.
But today, of all days, this just happened to occur?
Meng Qi couldn’t resist quickly calculating it in his head and realized that there indeed could be a solar eclipse around this time.
Ayanpuka appeared calm, as if he had been prepared for this.
“Master Teacher, Doctor Mo… no need for formalities today. I will await your esteemed presence at Feihe Mountain.”
Ayanpuka chuckled. The village was in complete chaos, with men swinging drums, ready to beat them from one end of the village to the other.
If they fought now, it would likely cause collateral damage, and the sky was growing darker by the moment.
“Don’t stare directly at the sky,” Mo Li couldn’t help but step in, stopping a young man from gazing upwards as he banged a gong.
“Eh? You—you’re an outsider. Go back inside and hide, or at least take something to make noise with.”
The villagers firmly believed that if they didn’t make noise, the heavenly dog would really devour the sun.
“Uncle, where are your firecrackers? Hurry and bring them out!”
“Waaah!”
Children’s cries, panicked shouts, the crackle of firecrackers, and the thumping of drums mixed into a cacophony of chaos.
Ayanpuka seized the moment and slipped away.
Pushed back into the blacksmith Wang’s house by well-meaning villagers, the two looked at each other, silent for a long time.
“Brother Meng…”
“Doctor…”
Both spoke at the same time, then stopped at the same time.
“We still have to go to Feihe Mountain…”
“We shouldn’t go to Feihe Mountain just yet…”
They clashed again on their second try, leaving them staring at each other.
How could they be so out of sync?
Mo Li sighed and brought up the matter of the opium. Meng Qi’s expression shifted, and he finally nodded, saying, “You make a good point, Doctor. If that’s the case, we’ll take a different route.”
“Hm?” Mo Li didn’t quite understand. The mountain was right there, wasn’t it possible to enter from anywhere? Was there really a concept of a different route?
“You may not know this, Doctor, but Feihe Mountain is surrounded by seven waters, and there’s actually only one path into the mountain. The rest must be traveled by water routes.” Meng Qi stroked his chin, figuring that water would be the safest place for Mo Li. So he confidently said, “There’s a place called Jiudu Reed Marsh. Once a boat enters, it’s hard to navigate back out. Even if 300 to 500 men were hiding inside, it’d be hard to find them. Historically, it’s been a stronghold for water bandits. If Ayanpuka has any influence at Feihe Mountain, it’s very likely that he’s operating from there.”
