Chen Pingan pondered that if he were to feel for stones during the day, he could start from Liu Xianyang’s spot and work his way upstream to the covered bridge. Therefore, tonight he chose a location further upstream from his first immersion, away from the covered bridge and the blue stone cliff known colloquially as “Green Ox Back,” where he first encountered the girl in green. Consequently, he missed his meeting with Song Jixin and the Overseer.

The covered bridge was adorned with a plaque bearing the words “Wind and Water Rise.”

The man in white robes and a jade belt, nominally the Overseer of the Dragon Kiln, was in truth the most powerful prince of the Great Li. Under his guidance, Song Jixin arrived at the base of the bridge steps. Beforehand, he had not only bathed and changed in the official residence, but also wore a sachet and a dragon-shaped jade pendant of ordinary material, its luster dim and unremarkable. On the contrary, the old “Dragon Spreading Rain” jade pendant, far superior in texture, quality, and meaning, had been forcibly removed by the man, forbidden to be worn.

Song Jixin held three incense sticks in his hands, the young man standing at the foot of the steps, at a loss.

Song Changjing, the prince of Great Li, turned around, extended a hand, and lightly rubbed the tips of the three incense sticks with two fingers, igniting them.

The man said casually, “Kneel down, face the plaque, kowtow three times, and stick the incense into the ground. That’s all there is to it.”

Although Song Jixin was full of doubts, he followed the instructions of this “uncle” who had appeared out of nowhere, kneeling and kowtowing three times while holding the incense.

Although the man spoke lightly, his expression became solemn and complex as the young man knelt, revealing a deeply hidden loathing as he looked at the ground where Song Jixin was kowtowing.

After inserting the three incense sticks into the ground and rising, Song Jixin asked, “Is it alright to offer incense here?”

The man smiled, “It’s just a formality, don’t take it too seriously. From now on, learn to play along, or you might be overwhelmed in the future.”

The man’s smile faded. “Just don’t forget, this covered bridge is your… Dragon Rise Land.”

Song Jixin’s lips were bluish-purple, whether from the lingering cold of spring or not, the young man feigned ease and replied, “These four words shouldn’t be used lightly, should they?”

The man patted his stomach with one hand and held the white jade belt around his waist with the other, laughing heartily. “That’s true in the capital, but it doesn’t matter here. There are no imperial hounds or rogue dogs of the Jianghu here who would bite me.”

Song Jixin asked curiously, “Are you afraid of being criticized too?”

The man retorted, “I am already invincible in the Great Li Dynasty, both on the mountains and below. If I had nothing to fear, wouldn’t I be more comfortable than the one sitting on the dragon throne? Boy, do you think that’s proper?”

Song Jixin pondered for a moment, then hesitated before finally resolving to ask, “Are you biding your time, or raising bandits to secure your position?”

The man chuckled, pointing at the sharp-tongued young man and shaking his head. “You really dare to utter such treasonous words. You have no sense of propriety. Whether you go to the capital or seek refuge in a celestial abode on the mountain, I advise you not to be so unrestrained in your speech, or you will surely suffer a great misfortune.”

Song Jixin nodded. “I will remember.”

The man pointed to the gilded plaque. “‘Wind and Water Rise, Wind and Water Rise.’ I ask you, how does the water rise?”

Song Jixin replied directly, “I don’t know.”

The man muttered, “To know is to know, to not know is to not know, this is true knowledge. What bullshit. Scholars are just serpentine, even their farts have nine bends and eighteen turns.”

However, when facing the young man, the man adopted a slightly more refined tone. “If I remember correctly, in your little town’s three thousand years of history, no matter how great the floods, the highest water level of this little stream has never been higher than the tip of the rusted sword.”

Song Jixin asked with confusion, “The old folks living near the Iron Lock Well in Apricot Blossom Lane often tell us this under the locust tree. Is there really something mysterious about it?”

The man pointed to a distant point where the stream exited the mountains, smiling, “In the mountains and forests, snakes have their paths; within houses, rats have their routes. As for rivers and streams, dragons have their ways.”

The man retracted his finger, patiently explaining, “In many other places of the Great Li Dynasty, there is also the custom of hanging swords under bridges. However, those copper coin swords, peach wood swords, or talisman swords can only block the entry of mountain dragons and forest serpents into the river once, and never again. Some who hang these law swords have shallow cultivation and cannot withstand even one passage of power through the river, instead enraging the dragons in the flood. Thus, after the flood, bridges that could have stood collapse, and the swords disappear. Only this sword here…”

The man trailed off, falling silent.

Song Jixin refrained from pressing him.

The man sighed and continued, “Only this sword, from the first day it was hung under the bridge, was not aimed at any river-crossing dragon, but was used by a sage to suppress the exit of the Dragon Locking Well. The so-called exit is the deep pool beneath the bridge, preventing the dragon energy from overflowing and dissipating too quickly, lest it forcefully burst this small world.”

Song Jixin asked straight to the point, “Did the last true dragon in the world die or not?”

Song Changjing laughed. “In the Dragon Slaughtering War three thousand years ago, countless Qi refiners died, and even saints of the Three Teachings and masters of the Hundred Schools fell. Do you think they were all fools, or that the saints lived to such an old age for nothing? Deliberately keeping the last true dragon alive as a common pet?”

Song Jixin retorted, “Perhaps they couldn’t completely kill the true dragon? They could only use delaying tactics and gradual erosion. Although I don’t know the original intentions and plans of the saints thousands of years ago, I can guess that the true dragon was definitely not simple!”

The man shook his head and then nodded. “You are half right. The true dragon is undoubtedly dead. As for its true identity and symbolic meaning, the words ‘not simple’ can’t fully encompass it.”

Song Jixin hesitated to speak.

“In short, all the plans and efforts of the Great Li are for ‘Wind and Water Rise,’ for the great southern campaign in the future.”

The man took the lead in climbing the steps, slowly saying, “If you ask me why the saints slaughtered dragons three thousand years ago, I can’t answer you. But if you ask why you were placed here, and why you are a noble prince of the Great Li, born of the lineage, I can tell you the truth, one by one.”

Song Jixin lowered his head, his expression unreadable.

The young man did not ask, and the man naturally did not intrude, When he reached the highest level of the steps, he turned to face the town. “In the future, be more magnanimous. To have petty disputes with people like Liu Xianyang, even to the point of murderous intent, is beneath you.”

Song Jixin sat on the top of the steps, looking north with the man, and asked a seemingly unrelated question, “Is our Great Li at the northernmost end of Eastern Treasure Bottle Continent?”

The man nodded. “Yes, we have been regarded as northern barbarians for nearly a thousand years. Only now that our fists are hard enough have we earned some respect.”

Song Jixin still lowered his head, but his eyes burned with intensity.

The man named Song Changjing said calmly, “When you arrive in the capital, be careful of someone nicknamed ‘Embroidered Tiger.'”

Song Jixin looked confused.

Song Changjing smiled. “He is now our Great Li’s national preceptor, and also the tutor of your twin brother. Our Great Li has been able to expand from seventy counties and eight hundred cities at the founding of the dynasty to one hundred and forty counties and one thousand five hundred cities in the last fifty years, expanding its territory so greatly, and this person deserves half the credit.”

Song Jixin suddenly looked up.

The man smiled. “You guessed right, boy.”

The man also sat on the steps, resting his hands on his knees, gazing into the distance.

The other hero who expanded the territory of the Great Li was obvious, far away yet close at hand.

At this moment, Song Jixin trembled, his scalp tingling.

After a long silence, Song Jixin suddenly said, “Uncle, although I have murderous intent towards Liu Xianyang, and even considered making a deal with Fu Nanhua of Old Dragon City to find a way to kill him, I have never felt that Liu Xianyang is qualified to be on the same level as me, even if he possesses a long-standing family legacy. I kill him simply because I don’t have to pay a great price to do so, that’s all.”

Song Changjing showed some interest. “So you have another hidden matter weighing on your heart?”

The young man touched his neck, remaining silent.

————

In the deep of night, all was quiet.

Someone was walking on the streets of the town, her figure slender, her clothes thin. When she passed the Iron Lock Well in Apricot Blossom Lane, she gnashed her teeth. When she passed the memorial archway, she kicked a stone pillar hard. Finally, she came to the old locust tree with its luxuriant branches. According to the old people, this tree had lived for an unknown number of years, and no matter when dead branches fell, they would never hit anyone, possessing great spiritual power.

The girl who strode confidently to the base of the tree, of course, disdained these claims.

She opened the ancient book she had borrowed from her young master and began to “follow the map.”

She called out name after name, like a general inspecting troops on the battlefield.

When she became a little parched, she stopped calling names, holding the local county gazetteer, which Song Jixin called the “outside book,” in one hand and pointing at the locust tree with the other, yelling, “Are you being ungrateful?!”

All was quiet, without reply.

The girl immediately stamped her feet, cursing loudly, “The four surnames and ten clans, starting with the four surnames, Lu, Li, Zhao, Song, you four great surnames, be sensible and drop at least three locust leaves each! If you drop one leaf less, I, Wang Zhu, will never be done with you! After I get out, I’ll deal with you one by one, whether you’re young, strong, or old, male or female, you’re all an ungrateful bunch of white-eyed wolves who think you’re justified in being ungrateful?!”

The girl was out of breath from cursing, holding her waist with one hand while still muttering, “The Songs, who is the biggest contributor to the Great Li Dynasty bearing your surname? Don’t you know? Are you pretending to be stupid? Believe me, when I get out, I’ll make the Great Li bear the surname Lu, the surname Zhao, any surname but Song?!”

“Ten major families, two locust leaves each, and ordinary surnames, at least one. Of course, anyone who has the courage to bet can give more, and I’ll definitely make them earn a fortune in return!”

“The Cao family among the ten clans, yes, the Cao family that produced the bastard Cao Xi! That little wretch didn’t do anything decent when he was wearing open-crotch pants and already had a belly full of bad ideas! You have to give me three leaves instead of two, as compensation, or I, Wang Zhu, swear that after I get out, I’ll make sure Cao Xi has no descendants! How did that scoundrel who dared to pee in the well become the head of a country?!”

“And the Xie family, your family produced a guy named Xie Shi, right? Well, I have some acquaintance with him. If it weren’t for me, he would have been washed away by the flood long ago, so you can’t give me one more leaf, can you?”

In the distance, Qi Jingchun quietly watched the scene under the locust tree, without saying a word.

Like a strict father who only spanks his children to teach them a lesson, he regarded a child who had become more and more spoiled as she grew older, feeling somewhat helpless.

But when he saw the girl constantly flipping through the book, and the locust leaves leaving the branches and falling between the pages, Qi Jingchun felt a little relieved.

After so much silence, Qi Jingchun finally murmured, “After leaving home, take good care of yourself.”

The girl seemed to sense something, suddenly turning her head.

There was no one there.

The girl felt a pang of loss, shook her head, and stopped thinking deeply. She turned back and continued to berate the locust tree.