Seeking the Dragon

Though Yongzhou lay far away, it had been home to hidden tigers and crouching dragons since ancient times.

According to Tang History - Annals of Yongzhou, "Yongzhou's mountains are strange and its waters swift; many extraordinary people and unusual talents dwell there."

The unofficial histories, however, said: "Where mountains are barren and waters harsh, the people grow crafty."

Yongzhou, Fengyuan Commandery, Ye County.

Ye County leaned against Min Mountain and faced the Tong River. Mountain ridges, steep and treacherous, divided the small county into sections. Though the mountains were not high, they were unusually rugged. Some villages lay only a few dozen li apart, yet with a mountain between them, their villagers might go their whole lives without visiting one another.

Two figures appeared on a winding mountain path: a young scholar and his page, who looked about twelve or thirteen. The scholar wore a scholar's robe that was clean but faded from many washings, with a patch tucked away in an inconspicuous spot. Though he looked somewhat down at heel, his features were refined and fair, his back ramrod straight. He carried the proud bearing of a man of letters.

Master and servant seemed to stroll at leisure. The scholar occasionally stopped to look around, as if admiring the scenery. Yet their pace was deceptively swift. In no time, they had gone from halfway up the mountain to its summit, leaving behind several li of mountain path that would normally take more than half an hour to climb.

From the summit, the surrounding landscape unfolded for dozens of li. The scholar surveyed the rolling mountain ranges, then looked down at the small valley below and sighed. "How could anyone know that the winds and clouds have already gathered here without seeing it in person? I had planned to spend ten years seeking a dragon. I never expected to find one in the very first year."

The page was also studying the terrain. Puzzled, he said, "This is a remote backwater, with shallow waters and barren hills. Even a little good fortune would be remarkable. Could there really be a true dragon here?"

The scholar pointed toward the small valley ahead. "That is Dragon Pool. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would have found it hard to believe too."

"For such a small Dragon Pool, how big could the true dragon be?"

The scholar replied calmly, "Most people who seek dragons do so to follow one, hoping to earn merit by aiding its rise. Experts, meanwhile, point out dragons and transform them. I'm different. I only intend to borrow this dragon for a while, then toss it aside. Its size doesn't matter."

The scholar pointed toward the town in the valley. "The winds and clouds have only just begun to gather. The moment when Heaven's secrets stir is still far off, so the dragon's qi must be hidden very deep. It'll take some effort to find. Let's go look around the town first."

The scholar took a single step and suddenly appeared several zhang away. In no time, he had descended the mountain and reached the road to the town.

Less than two li from the town stood a large estate, enclosed on all sides by bluestone walls about a zhang high. A tall watchtower had been built at each corner, where servants stood holding clubs. As the scholar and boy passed the estate's main gate, they saw a man dressed as a steward handing out reward money to passersby, with several servants beside him.

The steward spotted the scholar, his eyes lighting up. He bowed and asked, "May I ask where you've come from, sir, and how I should address you?"

The scholar returned the bow. "I am Zhang Sheng. I'm traveling the world in pursuit of learning, and happened to pass your estate. Is there some happy occasion in your household?"

The steward replied, "My master's surname is Wei. Who in the whole county hasn't heard of Great Benefactor Wei, Wei Youcai? Fourth Madam is giving birth today, so my master sent me to hand out reward money to passersby and share the good fortune. You've come at just the right time, sir. Bring it here!"

A servant nearby brought over a tray of copper coins. The steward shoved him aside. "Can't you see the gentleman is a scholar?"

He beckoned another servant over. This one brought a lacquered tray bearing a brush, ink, and a money pouch. The steward picked up the pouch and offered it to the scholar. Zhang Sheng hefted it in his hand. It contained loose silver, a full tael.

"What's the reason for this?" Zhang Sheng did not accept the pouch. He had just seen the steward hand out only a few copper coins to everyone else.

The steward explained, "My master holds scholars in the highest regard. You're clearly a man of great talent, sir, so your thank-you gift is naturally different. Please choose a name for the child: one boy's name and one girl's name."

The steward was thin and bony, with shifty, ratlike features that made him look rather sly. Yet he spoke in an affectedly refined manner, as if he had a little learning.

Zhang Sheng looked toward the estate. A clear glimmer flashed deep in his pupils. Then he took the paper and brush and wrote the character Yuan. "This means 'a dragon in the abyss.' The young master is blessed with deep fortune and deserves this name."

The steward gazed at the boldly sweeping character, thinking it looked excellent without knowing why. He examined it from every angle, but could make neither head nor tail of it. By then, Zhang Sheng had put down the brush and was leaving with the boy.

The steward hurriedly called after him, "Sir, please wait! We still need a girl's name!"

Zhang Sheng did not turn back. "Master Wei has done good deeds and accumulated virtue. The child is sure to be a boy."

The steward was about to say something more, but the people waiting for reward money had grown impatient and were already crowding around. He glanced at Zhang Sheng's retreating back and, for some reason, did not dare to pester him any further. He left the servants to deal with the crowd and carefully carried the calligraphy into the estate himself.

In the rear courtyard of the Wei estate, a round-faced master with long brows and fine eyes paced back and forth, beads of sweat already forming on his forehead. Cries of pain kept coming from the side room. Fourth Madam was about to give birth.

The steward arrived, holding the calligraphy. "Master, a scholar passing by the gate chose the character Yuan for the young master. He said it meant 'a dragon in the abyss.' I thought it was a splendid character, so I hurried to bring it in."

"Just one name?"

"He said you've done good deeds and accumulated virtue, so this time you're sure to have a son."

The master broke into a broad smile and exclaimed, "That's a scholar for you! What a sweet tongue!"

He took the still-wet calligraphy from the steward and studied it closely before praising it. "Beautiful writing!"

The steward said quietly, "Master, you're holding it upside down."

Master Wei said nothing. He turned the paper around, and this time it did indeed look much better.

Staring at the great character that seemed to soar through the sky, he murmured, "Yuan—a dragon in the abyss. Wei Yuan... Not bad. Wei Yuan it is."

The master suddenly gave the steward a suspicious look. "You can read such a complicated character?"

The steward smiled awkwardly. "I watched the gentleman write it, so of course I know which way is up."

Meanwhile, Zhang Sheng and the boy walked toward the town at an unhurried pace. After they had gone some distance, the boy finally blurted out, "You gave him a character, which is as good as giving him a share of good fortune, and they only gave you one tael of mortal silver. They got off far too cheaply!"

Zhang Sheng weighed the pouch in his hand and smiled. "Don't underestimate this mere tael of mortal silver. It can untie a thousand knots in the world."

The boy still looked indignant. "If you ask me, you could've used a little Daoist art to make the master happy. Why spend your own fortune?"

Zhang Sheng said, "I happened to come here, and the child happened to be due. That means the child and I, Zhang Sheng, were fated to meet. Besides, ordinary good fortune doesn't do much when it's bestowed on someone. At most, it brings an earlier awakening and a stronger physique. There's no need to make much of it. Times have changed. Good fortune isn't worth much anymore."

The boy did not dare say more, but his little face still looked unhappy.

Zhang Sheng suddenly felt a stir in his heart and raised his left hand. Its skin was like jade, dazzlingly white, and its long, slender fingers unfurled one by one like night-blooming cereus flowers—so delicate that they seemed at odds with his face. A ball of cloud qi rose from his palm and rolled away in a certain direction.

Zhang Sheng's brows relaxed. "I've found the water eye of Dragon Pool!"

The cloud qi in his palm pointed not toward the town, but behind the Wei estate they had just passed. Looking into the distance, they could now see an ancient tree behind the estate, its trunk so broad that several people together could barely encircle it. Its canopy sheltered half the rear grounds of the Wei estate.

Zhang Sheng drew the cloud qi back into his palm. After a few steps, he appeared beneath the ancient tree and looked up, nodding. "Water and wood nourish each other. This is the place."

He circled the tree once, then examined the estate's position and frowned slightly. "This still has some connection to the estate. If I draw away the dragon qi, it'll affect this family to some extent. Here's what we'll do: go catch a pheasant. Once I've taken the dragon qi, I'll replenish this family's good fortune a little, and make that master happy while I'm at it."

The boy agreed and ran off. Before long, he returned carrying a pheasant.

Zhang Sheng had already chosen where to set the formation. He casually gathered a few stones to make a platform, then planted branches at specific points around it. "When it comes to formations, once you grasp the underlying principles, you can adapt them as you please. The Wushui Heguan Array can gather the workings of Heaven and the fortune of the land around it. It would normally require many precious materials, but since I'm setting it over the water eye, all I need at most positions is a single object to hold the place. You could say this is a deception of Heaven and Earth."

Zhang Sheng took out a jade disc and placed it on the platform. It was made of exquisite jade and engraved with countless patterns that shimmered faintly with light. Once he had set it in place, Zhang Sheng said to the boy, "When this is done, our fated connection will end. Over the past year, I've taught you the basics. With that foundation, you'll be able to find a sect you like and cultivate properly."

The boy's eyes immediately reddened. He dropped to his knees with a thump and cried, "No! I don't want to go anywhere else. I want to stay with you, sir! You're the only one I'll ever recognize as my master!"

But Zhang Sheng remained unmoved. "There is no master-disciple bond between us. Don't call me master. Your fate is insufficient. Forcing it would be futile."

The boy did not dare say more. He simply knelt there and wiped away his tears.

"I'm about to activate the formation. This is your last lesson, so watch closely. You may not get another chance to see this formation."

The boy wiped away his tears and hurriedly watched.

Zhang Sheng pressed his index finger to the space between his brows and half closed his eyes. Suddenly, seven points of light flew from his body, one after another, into the jade disc. Every engraved pattern lit up, gathering into a whirlpool whose center was dark and bottomless, its destination unknown.

Zhang Sheng said, "The formation is complete. Just wait. It will draw out that little dragon by itself."

Before Zhang Sheng had even finished speaking, a ball of black qi gushed from the whirlpool's center and circled above the formation.

The boy's eyes flew wide. He had not expected a place this small to possess any fortune at all. Yet the thing did not look much like dragon qi. Something seemed to lurk within the black qi, but his cultivation was too low for him to make it out.

Zhang Sheng, however, saw it clearly. A strange giant bird was circling slowly within the black qi, with three long tail feathers of mottled colors and a human face on its head.

At the sight of the bird, Zhang Sheng's expression shifted. He thought, Good thing it's only a wisp of aura, not even a divided soul.

He waved his hand, scattering the black qi. "Let's wait a little longer."

In the blink of an eye, two more shadows emerged from the whirlpool's center and circled without dispersing. Zhang Sheng focused his gaze and saw two gigantic beasts. From their savage appearance and towering presence alone, he knew they were anything but good omens.

"Why is it always a calamity star or a rebel?" Zhang Sheng's expression changed. He waved away the two shadows.

After a little while longer, the formation kept turning, but nothing appeared in the whirlpool's center. Zhang Sheng's brows lifted. He said coldly, "You're only a little dragon. No matter how deeply you hide, I can still dig you out!"

He raised a hand and pointed. Several more points of light shot from his fingertip into the formation. Its light flared brightly, and the whirlpool's center spun!

In an instant, wave after wave of fortune spewed from the formation, dimming the whole area.

Zhang Sheng looked at them one by one and saw an endless pool of blood, collapsing mountain peaks, a bloodstained royal banner, a broken divine weapon, and a giant cauldron resting atop a mountain of corpses. He no longer knew what to say. But one mass of fortune was especially strange: a long, slender iron tube encased in wood, with a long, sharp blade mounted at its front, stuck at an angle in scorched earth. In the distance lay nothing but ruined walls.

Even Zhang Sheng, who was usually unflappable, looked grim. This was no place where winds and clouds had gathered. It was clearly a convergence of Heaven and Earth's killing intent!

Before he could decide whether to keep drawing out the dragon qi, a cold, boundless, primordial presence suddenly came from the whirlpool's center. A colossal being appeared on the other side and tried to come through. The formation's center was simply too small; it could force through no more than a wisp of its aura. As that wisp emerged, the scenery around the formation began to warp!

Zhang Sheng acted at once, draining the formation of its Dao Power. With a crack, the jade disc shattered, and the passage through which the colossal being had been coming was severed.

The immense mass of fortune was enraged. It let out a furious roar, but in the end it could only vanish along with the formation's whirlpool.

The disc shattered, and the gathered fortune dispersed with it. Everything around them returned to normal. Only then did Zhang Sheng realize that he was drenched in cold sweat. He did not know what that colossal mass of fortune was, only that it absolutely could not be allowed to come through. If it took shape in this world, the result would be far worse than mountains collapsing and the land sinking.

As he prepared to leave, Zhang Sheng looked toward the Wei estate. In his eyes, a patch of gray-black qi shrouded the estate, though it had not been there before. He sighed inwardly. The formation had indeed affected this family's feng shui and fortune. He could not simply walk away.

Zhang Sheng considered it for a moment. A tiny firebird appeared in his palm. It was a wisp of Phoenix Qi obtained from another source, quite precious, but more than enough to replenish the estate's fortune. He had the boy toss the pheasant toward the estate, then pointed a finger. The tiny firebird slipped into the pheasant's body. This was spellcasting by proxy, a trick to deceive Heaven and secretly alter fate and fortune—a common method.

Under the spell, the pheasant would briefly transform into a Heavenly Phoenix, replenishing the estate's damaged fortune and leaving some to spare. Great Benefactor Wei would not only live out his days in wealth and honor, but also leave a little legacy for his descendants.

Freed, the pheasant immediately flew high. At that very moment, a mysterious black ring of light burst forth from its body, transforming it in an instant into a great bird covered in black feathers, with three heads!

Zhang Sheng froze too. Even he could not identify the three-headed giant bird, but it was certainly not a Heavenly Phoenix.

Just then, a baby's loud cry came from inside the estate. The child had been born.

At that instant, the three-headed giant bird came alive. Two of its heads looked down, while the third turned around. All three dark-gold eyes fixed on Zhang Sheng!

In that instant, Zhang Sheng felt as though he had fallen into an ice cave, stood at the edge of an abyss, and was about to vanish!

The giant bird's three eyes struck him in three different ways!

Zhang Sheng's mind went utterly blank. All his divine powers, Daoist arts, subtle teachings, and precepts seemed to have been wiped away. He could not remember a single word.

One corner of his face suddenly crumbled away, faintly revealing another face beneath. Only one eye showed, but that arched brow, curved like the tip of the moon and sharp as a sword, and that eye, bright as a star, deep as black lacquer, and faintly pained, were impossible to forget once seen.

The three-headed giant bird glanced at Zhang Sheng, then lowered its gaze toward the estate. After circling the grounds once, it beat its wings and soared away, disappearing among the clouds high in the heavens.

Zhang Sheng was silent for a moment before saying, "There are too many rebels in this place. We shouldn't stay long."

With that, he left with the boy. Behind them, the ancient tree still stood tall, its crown spread like a canopy.

In the Third Year of Longwu of Great Tang, Wei Yuan was born in Ye County, Yongzhou. When he was born, Zhang Sheng performed a spell of prayer, and auspicious signs descended from heaven.