Phoenix Attacking Dragon

Qin Yanan's upbringing ensured that even when she felt profound absurdity and disdain, she maintained a polite demeanor, though a sense of aloof detachment inevitably seeped through her eyes.

She had agreed to her great-grandfather's request to come and see, but the young man before her undoubtedly filled her with revulsion. Disappointment was not a factor; disappointment stems from expectation, and Qin Yanan had never expected anything at all.

Feigning maturity and speaking with such flippancy—since he knew who Qin Yanan's great-grandfather, Qin Peng, was, how could he dare to claim they were old friends of many years? What utter shallowness.

One must understand that most of those who could be called old friends by Qin Peng had long since passed away and were interred at Babaoshan. Those still living were witnesses to the turbulent revolutionary history of the Republic, and even those who were younger could only refer to themselves as "little friends" in front of Qin Peng—and these "little friends" now constituted the core of Huaxia.

Yesterday, a courier package sent from Junsha arrived at the old Qin residence in the evening and was immediately delivered to her great-grandfather. As it was his one-hundred-and-tenth birthday, Qin Yanan was naturally there to attend to him, and she had witnessed her father solemnly open that package in her great-grandfather's study.

"An immortal strokes my crown, I receive eternal life upon binding my hair."

The package contained a piece of calligraphy with just that line of poetry, taken from Li Bai's Recalling Old Travels in Jiangxia.

It was fine calligraphy; Qin Yanan could tell. Even with her discerning eye, she knew the writer must be a titan of the art. Such mastery was rare among contemporary calligraphers, and even when compared to the many masterpieces throughout history, it would not pale in comparison.

Yet, it was clear that her father and great-grandfather had even more critical and authoritative standards than she did. Her father's look of astonishment was perhaps only ever seen when he appraised the Tang Dynasty copy of the Lantingji Preface housed in the Xiangnan Museum. As for her great-grandfather, beyond his visible excitement, he only offered four words: "Full of immortal spirit."

A piece of calligraphy full of immortal spirit? To earn such an evaluation, the artistic conception must be incredibly lofty and ethereal, untainted by a single speck of worldly dust.

How could a mortal be free of worldly dust? Unless the writer was an immortal himself.

The calligraphy bore no signature. When her father asked, her great-grandfather remained silent, and shortly after, he called Qin Yanan aside to give her specific instructions.

Qin Yanan felt that her great-grandfather's instructions must be related to that calligraphy, which meant they concerned the Liu Chang'an standing before her. What, then, was the connection between Liu Chang'an and that piece of work?

Qin Yanan never imagined that the calligraphy could be Liu Chang'an's own work. Even if he had practiced calligraphy since birth, he could not possibly possess such mastery, let alone the state of mind and temperament reflected in the strokes. She pondered it over and over, concluding that Liu Chang'an must have some connection to that master; otherwise, there was no reason for her to have any intersection with such an unremarkable young man.

As for Liu Chang'an's claim of being an "old friend," the ripples in Qin Yanan's heart subsided, and she smiled once more. "My great-grandfather has sent you a gift."

This was one of the purposes of her visit, and Qin Yanan gestured toward the cargo truck.

"How thoughtful."

Liu Chang'an walked into the truck, and Qin Yanan narrowed her eyes.

The cargo hold was quite spacious—much larger than Liu Chang'an's small utility room. On the left and right sides were two rows of chairs, each occupied by twenty fully armed soldiers. As Liu Chang'an and Qin Yanan entered, the twenty men stood up in unison, their gazes fixed sternly upon Liu Chang'an.

"Thank you all for your hard work," Liu Chang'an said casually, his gaze then falling upon the solid black object in the center of the hold.

The black object before him was about two meters long, one point two meters wide, and no more than eighty centimeters high. At first glance, the texture appeared to be bronze. What was surprising was that the entire object exuded a deep sense of antiquity, yet the colors on the surface—cyan, pinkish-brown, lotus-root brown, reddish-brown, and yellowish-white—remained remarkably bright and fresh. The painted auspicious patterns of dragons, tigers, and vermilion birds were so clear and vivid that it seemed as if the brush had only just been lifted.

It was a coffin. Generally, the word "coffin" was not a taboo in certain contexts, as it signified "official promotion and wealth." Giving a government official a small coffin-shaped gift was acceptable, but no one would actually gift a massive coffin like this.

"For me?" Liu Chang'an looked at Qin Yanan, meeting her eyes.

Qin Yanan was observing Liu Chang'an's reaction. She had expected that once he entered the truck, he would be startled by such a display—that had been her intention. Little did she know that as she met his gaze, she would find not a trace of panic or forced composure, only clear, unadulterated confusion.

A frivolous, opportunistic young man, yet he possessed a pair of eyes that could shine in the dim cargo hold.

Qin Yanan turned on the lights. The lamps on the ceiling and walls illuminated the black bronze coffin. On the lid, a dragon and phoenix faced each other; the two dragon heads pointed toward one another at the top of the scene, their bodies coiled toward the sides with their tails extending to the bottom corners. Between the two dragons, two phoenixes faced away from each other, wings spread as if to fly, even appearing to tear at the dragons' bodies.

Seeing this Phoenix Attacking Dragon pattern, Liu Chang'an's heart trembled slightly. Bronze coffins were already extremely rare, let alone one with such a violent and rebellious motif.

"Yes." Qin Yanan was actually quite curious as to why her great-grandfather would send such a brand-new, massive coffin to Liu Chang'an and insist on sending heavy guards to escort it. This level of security was reserved for transporting national-treasure-level antiques. If anything were to happen with such an escort configuration within the country, it would truly be a sensational case. Thus, although Qin Yanan felt somewhat exhausted along the way, she hadn't worried too much. "My great-grandfather said that I will be staying in Junsha for a long time. If you have any matters, you can find me at any time. This is my business card."

This was the part Qin Yanan resisted the most. Although her parents both worked in Xiangnan Province, she had little interest in this second-tier city in the central region. It was fine to visit her parents occasionally, but to be stationed here was inevitably boring. Her great-grandfather had not revealed when she could return to the capital or leave, only telling her that there was a job waiting for her here.

The implication that her great-grandfather wanted her to grow close to Liu Chang'an was what Qin Yanan found most unbearable. Now, she just wanted to finish her first task and leave.

"Find you?" Liu Chang'an took the business card and glanced at Qin Yanan again. He vaguely understood Qin Peng's intention and couldn't help but laugh softly. "Very well."

Seeing his rather dismissive smile, Qin Yanan took a deep breath. What was wrong with finding her? Did he think she wanted this? Did he think finding her wouldn't benefit him?

"The problem is, such a large coffin won't fit in my place." Liu Chang'an walked down, pointing toward the utility room where he lived.

As a young man, pointing out his own home to a woman who was perhaps from a family of old acquaintances—so destitute that he could only live in a utility room—without a hint of shame, was he truly indifferent to Qin Yanan's contempt, or was his skin as thick as this bronze coffin?

Qin Yanan was not snobbish or materialistic, nor did she look down on the poor. However, one should strive for self-improvement when poor. Instead, he acted as if his poverty didn't matter, and that since he had found her, she should solve his problems—a posture that naturally invited disdain.

"This truck is also for you," Qin Yanan said, and the twenty fully armed soldiers ran out of the truck to form up and depart.

Only Qin Yanan and Liu Chang'an remained to finish the handover.

"The largest and most famous bronze coffin in the world is that of the Marquis Yi of Zeng," Liu Chang'an said, his expression turning solemn. "In fact, the Marquis Yi of Zeng was merely a minor feudal lord, obscure in history. There are many more bronze coffins that remain unknown. During a certain period, a bronze coffin of this style signified that a soul-sealing ritual had been performed before burial. Especially this Phoenix Attacking Dragon pattern—it carries an extraordinary meaning. Did your great-grandfather have anything else to pass on?"

"This isn't a replica?" Qin Yanan asked, somewhat bewildered. "He only said it was a return gift and hoped you would accept it."

In truth, Qin Peng had requested that Qin Yanan deliver this message with a more sincere and pleading attitude.

"A replica?" Liu Chang'an smiled. If it were merely a gift, there would be no need for Qin Yanan to come in person. Qin Peng probably wanted him to see the descendant of Ye Sijin. "Very well, I accept it... Please tell him that I understand his meaning. I will take care of his precious great-granddaughter."

In an instant, Qin Yanan's cheeks flushed red, the blood rushing upward. Her fair, elegant neck seemed to thicken with the surge of blood, and her chest heaved, forcing her to instinctively pull at her inner lining to prevent a button from popping off.

"Goodbye." Qin Yanan bowed slightly and turned to leave; it was her respect for her great-grandfather that suppressed her volatile emotions.

Take care of her? Was that something just anyone could say! Qin Yanan would eventually find a man who would take care of her, but it would absolutely not be Liu Chang'an.