Chapter 25 – Flag Mountain

Yaozhou

The tomb exploration had gone terribly wrong.

Around the fifteenth of the second month, Zero-Three led ten guards and five tomb-raiding experts into the tomb.

Seven days later, the only person the reception party managed to wait for was Chong Mingxian.

Chong Mingxian came from a family of grave robbers — his ancestral trade was seeking dragon veins, pinpointing auspicious burial sites, and exploring tombs in secret. Yet on this occasion he emerged half-mad, barely clinging to life like a flickering flame.

The reception party waited several more days, but no one else came out of the tomb.

Upon hearing the news, Zhan Changfeng suspected there was some evil presence inside the tomb, and that Chong Mingxian’s condition was a sign of it.

She therefore wished to invite Clear Wind to accompany her and lend assistance.

Clear Wind was worried about the people at the Old Manor who had been afflicted by the Yin-Evil Spirits, and said, “I have a good friend in Yaozhou whose abilities are no lesser than mine. Seeking him out will serve you just as well.”

Due to the turbulent times, most prefectures and counties had sealed their cities and set restrictions, leaving the roads in all directions impassable. By the time Zhan Changfeng and her party had taken detours into Yaozhou, it was already the beginning of the third month.

Half a month was spent tracking down Clear Wind’s friend, and another half month was spent having that friend treat Chong Mingxian. In the blink of an eye, it was already the fourth month.

Clear Wind was young, but his friend was about fifty years old. The man went by the name Gu Laozhang and carried himself with refined, scholarly elegance.

“Chongsheng’s Soul-Departure Sickness is very severe. After this period of treatment, he has recovered about seventy to eighty percent, but his soul has ultimately sustained damage, and the hidden ailment will be difficult to fully eradicate.”

“Thank you for your trouble, Taoist Master.” Zhan Changfeng poured him a cup of tea. “Please.”

“You are too polite, young master.” Gu Laozhang pulled up his robe and knelt upon the mat in a seated position. He brushed away the tea leaves with the lid, revealing a bright red brew, clear and rich in fragrance. He smiled in appreciation. “Excellent tea.”

“I rarely see someone of your age, young master, who enjoys drinking tea.”

“It is only to keep my mind alert,” Zhan Changfeng said. She then asked, “I have noticed that your bearing and that of the young Taoist Clear Wind are quite similar. Are you perhaps fellow disciples?”

“Oh? Haha,” Gu Laozhang stroked his beard. “How did the young master discern that? Could it be that Clear Wind also uses my method for treating Soul-Departure Sickness?”

Zhan Changfeng smiled but did not answer.

It had nothing to do with technique or manner. It was the air that develops from spending a long time within the same environment.

Having studied the art of rulership for so many years, she at least had that much judgment.

What surprised her, however, was that although they likely came from the same master lineage, everything from the subtle movements they made when casting techniques to the very nature of the power they wielded was completely different between the two.

This made her curious about where exactly they had trained.

But since Gu Laozhang had not brought it up himself, she did not press the matter further.

After a few more pleasantries, Gu Laozhang bid farewell and left.

“Your Highness, why not invite the Taoist Master to enter the tomb with us? With his abilities, we would have much greater protection against evil spirits and ghosts,” Jiang Wei said.

“More people would be of no benefit.” Zhan Changfeng lowered her eyes. “For this tomb entry, only you, me, Master Huang, and two tomb-raiders will suffice. Go and check whether Chong Mingxian has regained his senses, and have him recount everything that happened inside the tomb.”

Jiang Wei hesitated. “Can Master Huang still be trusted?”

“Compared to Gu Laozhang, he wants something from us.” When someone wants something, they are easier to control. Trust had nothing to do with it.

According to the oral tradition passed down among the Yi Family’s emperors, the Dragon Scale Divine Scripture consisted of three volumes. The lower volume contained the art of prediction — the Mystical Gate Escaping Techniques.

The Mystical Gate Escaping Techniques comprised one thousand and eighty formations, and as the supreme art of rulership, it was a mandatory course for every successive emperor. She was no exception.

As for the upper volume, whether it even existed remained a mystery. Some said it did not exist at all; others claimed the upper volume contained the arts of eternal life. On this point, even the founding emperor’s personal notes held no record, so she set it aside for now.

What she was searching for was the middle volume. The middle volume contained strategies for governing the realm, also known as the Thirteen Chapters of Military Secrets. Whoever obtained it could either plunge the world into suffering or bring peace to all under heaven. Fearing that future descendants might not wield it correctly, the founding emperor had hidden it away.

The hiding place was most likely the tomb at Flag Mountain in Yaozhou.

In truth, Zhan Changfeng did not feel she absolutely had to have the Dragon Scale Divine Scripture. The reason she was willing to put herself in personal danger this time was because of something Chong Mingxian had brought out of the tomb.

A gold ingot stamped with the two characters “Tianfu” — Heavenly Fortune.

What the founding emperor had hidden was not only the Thirteen Chapters of Military Secrets, but also a treasure trove sufficient to rebuild an entire dynasty.

Zhan Changfeng had not expected him to have concealed both in the same place.

This treasure would serve a practical purpose in the wars to come, and Zhan Changfeng intended to retrieve it.

Thus, the trip to Flag Mountain Tomb was absolutely necessary.

Another day passed. Two people knocked on the door of the secluded courtyard one after another.

One had a goatee, a slender frame, and wore a green robe — he looked like an old schoolmaster from a private academy.

The other was tall and powerfully built, his bare arms bulging with muscle. Standing beside him, Jiang Wei looked a size smaller.

These two were newly contacted tomb-raiders. The former was called Songshi Zi, and the latter was called Qiao Shan Ke. All dealings were handled by Jiang Wei.

After Jiang Wei spoke with them at length, the two tacitly accepted that the “young master” would be accompanying them into the tomb without further comment.

At this time, Zhan Changfeng was in Chong Mingxian’s room.

Chong Mingxian lay on his side on the bed, his eyes utterly devoid of light. Whatever she asked him, he said he had forgotten.

Zhan Changfeng asked Gu Laozhang, “The hidden ailment you mentioned — is it amnesia?”

Gu Laozhang examined him again and nodded. “That is most likely the case.”

Then there was no further information to be had.

Gu Laozhang said, “The cause of Soul-Departure Sickness is invariably either a profound shock or the malicious work of evil spirits and ghosts. Either way, it speaks to the extreme danger Chongsheng endured. You must not follow the same path to ruin, young master.”

He added, “Please do not take it amiss that I speak out of turn, but you should also stop asking him about what he experienced. Let this matter pass — the farther you stay from it, the safer you will be.”

“The Taoist Master speaks wisely,” Zhan Changfeng replied.

She had always been reserved in her expressions, and Gu Laozhang could not tell whether she had truly taken his words to heart. He could only shake his head and sigh inwardly.

Zhan Changfeng had someone pay the full remuneration and bid farewell to Gu Laozhang. “Thank you again for your assistance this time, Taoist Master.”

“You are far too kind, far too kind.” Gu Laozhang walked a few steps, then turned back. “Earlier, the young master asked whether Clear Wind and I were fellow disciples. I will now give an answer: yes and no.”

“Oh?” Zhan Changfeng did not know why he had changed his mind. She thought for half a moment, then smiled. “Would the Taoist Master care to share a cup?”

Gu Laozhang replied generously, “That is precisely what I had in mind.”

The two sat down, and tea was served.

Gu Laozhang spoke first. “I wonder, young master, whether you have ever heard of the path of cultivation?”

“Naturally — though regrettably, my knowledge of it is limited.”

“The techniques of all cultivators in Shenzhou actually share a single place of origin, known as Cangyun Ravine.” At this point, Gu Laozhang stopped and shifted his approach. He asked instead, “I have observed that the young master possesses exceptional bone structure. Should you cultivate, your future prospects would undoubtedly be vast. I only wonder how you yourself view the matter of cultivation?”

“I naturally have my own thoughts on cultivation. But what are you asking me this for, Taoist Master — are you looking to take on a disciple?” Zhan Changfeng said lightly.

Gu Laozhang suddenly did not know how to respond. This young master did not play by the usual script at all. At this point, were you not supposed to imagine soaring through the sky and achieving immortality, and then let me bring you back down to earth?

Oh well. Gu Laozhang decided against saying more. He produced an arrow token and said, “Cangyun Ravine hangs high above, and the mortal path cannot reach it. Today I offer the young master an opportunity — consider it a conclusion to the fate of our meeting.”

“If the young master is willing, come to the outskirts of Huangzhou’s Western Ridge on the night of the sixteenth day of the eighth month, drip blood upon the arrow token, and when moonlight falls upon it, the Heavenward Path will open of its own accord.”

Having said this, Gu Laozhang strode out and vanished in an instant.

“The Heavenward Path. Cangyun Ravine.” Zhan Changfeng smiled. “Did you also come from there?”

Master Huang entered the room. He thought of Gu Laozhang’s departing figure and understood where Zhan Changfeng had learned those two terms.

“Poor Monk was not so fortunate. However, Poor Monk’s master did indeed come from that place.” Master Huang’s expression was filled with reverence. “Cangyun Ravine is the aspiration of all who walk the path of cultivation.”

“And yet this aspiration of yours was obtained by me so easily?” Zhan Changfeng found the way she had come to possess the arrow token far too simple, and felt somewhat unsettled by it.

She had not even done anything yet.

Master Huang rolled his eyes, his tone both indignant and sour. “If I were him, I would also rather gift you this blasted opportunity just to wash my hands of the whole affair and be free.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Zhan Changfeng’s unflappable temperament irritated and vexed Master Huang. By the Infinite Heavenly Venerate, why had he not cast a divination for this person sooner — he would certainly have kept his distance!

“If I am not mistaken, Gu Laozhang and I should be the same type of person. Those of us who peer into the threads of fate and fortune are themselves punished by heaven — we are fated to be solitary, short-lived, and destitute. Most of all, we dread becoming entangled in cause and effect with others.”

He lifted one eyelid and let out a heavy sigh. And who was standing before him? The former Crown Prince!

He did a quick calculation on his fingers. This former Crown Prince was still dead set on stirring up great matters — the cause and effect of hundreds of millions of people would all come bearing down.

Even brushing against a fraction of that would be enough to bring down heaven’s thunder upon him seven or eight thousand times.

Gu Laozhang must have foreseen this and thus chosen to sever his entanglement by offering a cultivation opportunity.

Master Huang, however, could not escape — and no longer wished to.

Those who cultivated the art of fate-reading, though they could glimpse the secrets of heaven, faced tremendous hardship on the path of cultivation. Few ever succeeded in laying a foundation and entering the way. The worst among them could not cultivate at all and were condemned to live as ordinary mortals forever.

He had luckily managed to cultivate to the pinnacle of Qi Refinement, earning himself ninety-nine years of lifespan. Seventy-six of those years were already gone, and having used the Spirit Summoning Technique, he had also lost half his vital blood. In truth, he did not have much time left.

Whether he died sooner or later mattered little. He might as well use this death to buy a fortune worth a thousand gold!

It would also be the fulfillment of his lifelong wish.

—

Author’s Note: The Dragon Scale Divine Scripture is a real thing! One account says that during the great battle between the Yellow Emperor and Chiyou, the Nine Heavens Mysterious Lady bestowed upon the Yellow Emperor the Heavenly Seal Text Scripture — the Dragon Scale Divine Scripture — which contained thirteen chapters of military strategy, twelve chapters of the Solitary Void Method, and one thousand eight hundred formations of the Mystical Gate Escaping Techniques. The military chapters were later lost to history; the Solitary Void Method, being simpler than the Mystical Gate Escaping Techniques, was eventually incorporated into it.

I have read several different accounts and am now a little mixed up on the details, but the above should be close to the truth. Any angels who are curious are welcome to look into it!

The Mystical Gate Escaping Techniques are a system of prediction primarily used for military campaigns. This point has not changed in this book. What is important to note is that they are not a fantastical form of divination that communes with heaven or fate — rather, they are a more scientific articulation of astronomical and physical principles relating to time and space, used to predict the relationships, characteristics, and movements of things.

One more note: I am quite strict in my treatment of characters who can divine fate and fortune. Perhaps it is my own sense of reverence for the subject — after all, last time I had a fortune read with a friend and it said her love life would be full of hardship, she broke up with her boyfriend shortly after. What was I supposed to do about that.