Chapter 1: In Search of Dragon

The Yong Province was distant, but it was the land of crouching tigers and hidden dragons.

A History of Tang: Annals of Yong Province

stated: “Rugged mountains and swift waters oft produce extraordinary men and women in abundance.”

Unofficial histories stated: “You can trust barren mountains and wild waters to produce scoundrels.”

Ye County, Fengyuan Commandery, Yong Province.

Ye County, with Mount Min as one border and Tong River as another, was a relatively small county divided by several dangerous mountain ridges. The mountains were not tall, but they were unusually treacherous. Some villages were only tens of li[1] apart, but if a mountain happened to stand between them, their inhabitants might not see one another in their lifetimes.

Two figures appeared on a winding mountain path—a young scholar and his pageboy. The pageboy looked to be twelve or thirteen years old. The scholar wore a scholar’s robe that, though clean, was slightly faded from repeated washings. Patches had been discreetly stitched onto inconspicuous parts of the robe as well.

Despite his somewhat destitute appearance, the scholar possessed an intellectual grace and fair complexion. He held his back as straight as a ruler, and he naturally radiated the innate pride of a man of letters.

The master and servant seemed to be strolling in leisure. From time to time, the scholar would even stop in his tracks and look around as if he was admiring the scenery. But in reality, they were travelling quickly. In just a matter of moments, they had put several li of mountain paths behind their backs and walked from the middle of the mountain to the mountaintop. The journey should have taken them an hour at the minimum, but it didn't.

As they stood atop the mountain, everything within tens of li naturally came into view. The scholar scanned the surrounding mountain ranges, then looked down at the small valley at the mountain’s base. He mused, “Had I not come here in person, how could I have known that the winds and clouds are converging at this place? I was going to spend a whole decade searching for the dragon. To think that I would find it in the very first year….”

The pageboy was also surveying the surrounding landscape. He sounded puzzled. “This place is as remote and barren as it gets. I would be surprised if it produced even a stroke of minor fortune. How is it possible for a true dragon to be born here?”

The scholar pointed at the small valley ahead of them and remarked, “That right there is the dragon’s pool. I would have found it hard to believe if I’m not seeing it with my own eyes.”

“It’s such a small pool, though. How big could the true dragon possibly be?”

The scholar replied indifferently, “Most people look for dragons to serve them. They covet the glory of supporting a dragon’s ascension. Experts seek out dragons to teach them or enlighten them. But I am different. This dragon is merely a tool to me, one to be discarded as soon as it has served its purpose. Its size matters not.”

He pointed at the small town residing at the center of the valley. “The winds and clouds have only just converged, and the moment of heavenly revelation is still far off. Therefore, the dragon’s qi must be deeply concealed. Uncovering it will take some effort, so let us first head to town and take a look.”

He then took one step forward. When his foot landed, he was at least three zhang[2] away from where he was. It took him just a short while to descend the mountain and step on the path leading toward the small town.

Less than two li away from the small town, there was a large estate surrounded by limestone walls. The walls were a little over a zhang tall, and there was a taller tower on one corner. Servants wielding staves could be seen standing in the tower.

When the scholar and his pageboy walked past the main entrance, they saw a man wearing colors that indicated he was a housekeeper, as well as a few servants, giving out money to passersby.

The housekeeper’s eyes lit up when he saw the scholar. Hands falling into a salute, he asked the scholar, “Where do you come from, Teacher? How should we address you?”

The scholar returned the salute. “My name is Zhang Sheng. I am traveling the lands in pursuit of learning, and it just so happens that I’m passing by your residence. Speaking of, do you happen to be celebrating a joyous occasion of some sort?”

The housekeeper answered, “My master’s surname is Wei. Is there anyone in the county who hasn’t heard of Wei Youchai, ‘Philanthropist Wei’? Our Fourth Lady is giving birth today, so my master instructed me to give out some money to the passersby and spread the luck and joy around, so to speak. Your timing couldn’t be better. Servants!”

A servant walked over with a plate of copper coins only to be pushed away by the housekeeper. The man barked, “Are you blind? Can’t you tell that Teacher is a man of letters?”

The housekeeper waved over another servant carrying a lacquer tray with an inkstone, an ink brush, and a bag of money on it. Then, he took the bag and presented it to the scholar. When the scholar held the bag of money in his hand, he realized that it was packed with a tael of broken silver.[3]

“What is the meaning of this?” Zhang Sheng asked instead of accepting the gift. He saw clearly that the money the housekeeper and the servants were distributing to the townspeople were bronze coins, and only a few coins at that.

The housekeeper replied, “There is no one my master respects more than a scholar, and I can tell at first glance that you are a man of great talent. Naturally, your gift cannot be the same as the others’. On that note, our master still hasn’t decided on a name for the soon-to-be-born child; would you kindly propose a boy’s name and a girl’s name?”

The housekeeper had a thin, gaunt build. He also possessed what people called a “doe-headed, rat-eyed” appearance that made him look ugly and sly-looking. As if that wasn’t enough, he also looked a little sleazy. However, he spoke in a refined, literary manner that suggested that he had drunk his fair share of ink; he clearly possessed some measure of education.

Zhang Sheng gazed toward the estate, clear light flashing through his eyes. He then picked up the paper and brush and wrote the word “Yuan” on the paper. He explained, “The name means ‘a dragon dwelling in the depths.’ Your young master is naturally blessed and fortunate, so he is worthy of the name.”

The housekeeper stared at the boldly written “Yuan” on the paper for a moment. He thought it looked great, though he could not explain how or why no matter how hard he tried. It was at this moment Zhang Sheng set down the brush and walked away with his pageboy.

The housekeeper hurriedly called out, “Wait! You haven’t come up with a female name yet, Teacher!”

Zhang Sheng didn’t look back. He simply said, “Master Wei is a kind philanthropist, isn’t he? The baby will be a boy.”

The housekeeper wanted to say more, but the townspeople waiting to receive their gifts could wait no longer. They swarmed him.

Looking at Zhang Sheng’s back, the housekeeper felt strangely intimidated for some reason. He instinctively kept his mouth shut and ordered the servants to deal with the townspeople. He then carried the written paper into the residence carefully.

In the rear courtyard of the Wei family estate, an elderly man with a round face, pale skin, long brows and narrow eyes was pacing back and forth nervously. Thin lines of sweat could be seen adorning his forehead. In the side room, the agonized cries of a woman in labor kept coming without end.

It was at this moment the housekeeper walked up to him and presented the name. “Master, a scholar passed through the entrance earlier and came up with the name Yuan for the young master. He said that it signifies ‘a dragon dwelling in the depths’. The name looks great, so I came as soon as I could.”

“Just one name?”

“He said you are a kind philanthropist, so it must be a boy, Master.”

A grin immediately bloomed on the master’s face like a flower. He declared, “As expected of a man of letters! His mouth must be made of honey!”

He then picked up the paper with still wet ink and admired it up close. A while later, he praised, “Excellently written!”

The housekeeper lowered his voice. “You’re holding it upside down, Master.”

Master Wei wordlessly flipped the paper upside down. As expected, it looked much better this way.

Staring at the bold, cursive writing that looked like it might take off from the paper at any moment, Master Wei mumbled to himself, “Yuan, a dragon dwelling in the depths. Wei Yuan… not bad at all. Yes, his name will be Wei Yuan.”

Suddenly, the master cast the housekeeper a suspicious glance. “I didn’t know that you’re capable of reading such a complicated word.”

The housekeeper smiled awkwardly. “Well, I watched the scholar write from start until the end. Of course I know which side’s up and which side’s down.”

Meanwhile, Zhang Sheng and the pageboy were leisurely making their way toward the town. A while later, the pageboy finally lost his cool and complained, “They thought you gave them a name, but you really gave them a stroke of fortune. Don’t you think you gave them far too much for just a tael of mundane silver?”

Zhang Sheng weighed the money bag with a smile on his face. “You should not underestimate a tael of silver. It is the solution to a thousand problems.”

The pageboy still looked grumpy. “If you ask me, a simple spell would’ve been more than enough to keep that ‘master’ happy. There was no need for you to spend your fortune at all.”

Zhang Sheng replied, “I happened to arrive at the time and place where that child is about to be born. This means that he and I are destined. Besides, the empowerment of ordinary fortune is pretty useless. At best, one will unlock their sapience sooner and grow a little stronger, so why split hairs over it? Times have changed. Fortune is pretty worthless these days.”

The pageboy didn’t dare to say more, but it was clear from his little face that he was still unhappy.

Suddenly, Zhang Sheng felt his heart quicken and raised his left hand. It was smooth like jade and so white it dazzled the eyes. Not only that, his long, slender fingers unfurled like a night blossom; so gentle and beautiful they were that they didn’t quite match his countenance.

The next moment, a small cloud rose out of his palm and rolled down a certain direction.

Zhang Sheng’s eyebrows unknitted out as he declared, “I found the eye of the dragon’s pool!”

The cloud wasn’t pointing him toward the town, however. It was pointing toward the rear courtyard of the Wei family estate they had just passed. From where they stood, they could see an ancient tree—so thick it would’ve taken several men to encircle it—casting a massive shadow over half the rear courtyard.

Zhang Sheng put away the small cloud and appeared underneath the ancient tree in just a few steps. Looking up at it, he nodded and declared, “Water engenders wood. This is it.”

He circled around the ancient tree once and looked at the location of the Wei estate once more, a small frown clouding his face. “It’s somewhat connected to this estate. If I take away the dragon’s qi, this family will suffer at least some repercussions. Alright. Catch me a wild pheasant. Once I’ve obtained the dragon’s qi, I will repay the favor with some fortune. I’m sure the master wouldn’t mind.”

The pageboy acknowledged the order and ran off. It wasn’t long before he returned with a golden pheasant. By then, Zhang Sheng had already chosen a spot to set up his array. He picked up a few random rocks from the ground to make his array platform, then planted a couple branches in specific spots around the array.

He explained, “The Dao of Arrays is one that, once you’ve mastered the root principles, you may handle however you please. This Gui Water[4] Light Convergence Array is capable of gathering the surrounding heavenly mysteries and fortune. Originally, this array would require many precious materials to create. But since I created it in the eye of the dragon’s pool, most of the positions require only one object to support. Now that I think about it, I suppose it counts as an act of deception.”

Zhang Sheng produced a jade plate and placed it on the array platform. The material seemed to be of excellent quality, and its surface was engraved with countless patterns. Vague light could be seen circulating on its surface.

After placing the jade plate, Zhang Sheng said to the pageboy, “When this matter is over, our karmic bond will have run its course, and it will be time for us to go our separate ways. A year has passed, and I have taught you all the basics. When the time comes, feel free to join a sect you like. With your fundamentals, I’m sure you won’t encounter much trouble. Cultivate hard.”

The pageboy’s eyes immediately reddened, and he dropped to his knees. He cried, “No! I’m not going anywhere! I want to follow you, Teacher! I won’t accept anyone else as my shifu!”

Zhang Sheng was unmoved, however. He said indifferently, “Don’t call me that. You and I are not destined to be shifu and disciple. You may wish so, but know that a wish without sufficient karma behind it cannot bear fruit.”

The pageboy did not dare to say anything more. He stayed on the ground and kept wiping his tears.

Zhang Sheng said, “I’m going to start the array now. This is your final lesson, so watch closely. In the future, it may be difficult for you to see this array again.”

The pageboy hurriedly wiped away the rest of his tears and watched closely.

Zhang Sheng lifted his index finger and pressed it to his glabella. His eyes shut lightly, and seven sparks of light flew out of his body. They all entered the array plate. Every pattern on the jade plate lit up and formed a vortex with a black center that looked like a bottomless hole. It was impossible to say where it led to.

He then spoke up again. “The array is done. Now, we simply wait. The array will extract the little dragon on its own.”

Zhang Sheng’s voice still lingered in the air when suddenly, the vortex spat out a black qi that quickly rose into the air and encircled the top of the array.

The pageboy’s eyes widened instantly. He had not expected that there would be a stroke of fortune in such a small place. But something felt wrong. The black qi did not look like a dragon’s qi no matter how he looked at it. On top of that, he thought that something was hidden within the black qi. Alas, his cultivation wasn’t high enough for him to see it.

Meanwhile, Zhang Sheng could see the figure clearly. A large, strange-looking bird was flying slowly within the black qi. It had three incredibly long and colorful tail feathers, and its face was that of a human.

Zhang Sheng paled a little when he saw the bird.

Thank goodness it’s just a wisp of presence. Not even a soul piece

.

He dispelled the black qi with the wave of a hand and added, “Let’s wait a bit longer.”

In just the blink of an eye, the vortex had spat out another two bundles of shadow. They too circled the air and refused to fade. When Zhang Sheng concentrated, he saw a pair of massive beasts. Their appearances were gnarly, and their presences were intimidating. It was clear at first glance that they were no auspicious signs.

“Omen of disaster? Rebels? What’s wrong with this dragon’s qi?” Zhang Sheng wore an odd expression as he waved away the shadows again.

A couple more moments passed. The array never stopped working, but nothing else came out of the vortex. Zhang Sheng’s face hardened, and he said coldly, “You are nothing but a little dragon. You can hide, but you can’t escape!”

He pointed at the array, and a couple of sparks of light left his fingertip and entered the array once more. The array abruptly brightened, and the vortex spun much faster than before!

This time, several bundles of fortune were ejected from the array in just the blink of an eye. The world dimmed a little as a result.

When Zhang Sheng looked, he saw endless blood, toppled mountains, blood-stained royal banners, broken divine arms, and a giant cauldron that was suppressed underneath a mountain of corpses. At this point, he didn’t even know what to say.

One of the fortunes looked extremely odd, however. It was a long, slender iron tube encased in wood with a long, sharp blade attached to its front. It was planted sideways on a tract of scorched earth, and in the distance lay nothing but crumbling walls and shattered ruins.

Even someone of Zhang Sheng’s composure could not help but wear an ugly expression on his face. Had he said that the winds and clouds were converging? What absolute nonsense! What was converging here was clearly the killing intent of the world!

Zhang Sheng still hadn’t figured out if he should stop extracting the dragon’s qi when suddenly, a cold, vast, primal will emerged from the center of the vortex. At the same time, he saw a gigantic creature appearing on the other side and attempting to pass through.

Unfortunately for the creature, the vortex was so small that a wisp of presence was all it managed to get through. Even so, the wisp of presence was so powerful that the surroundings of the array began warping!

Zhang Sheng did not hesitate. His hand swept through the air as he drained the array’s Dao energy in one go and shattered the jade plate. The passage the gigantic creature was attempting to squeeze through also broke as a result.

The gigantic bundle of fortune was furious to say the least. It let loose an angry roar, but had no choice but to disappear along with the vortex.

Since the array plate had exploded, the concentrated bundles of fortunes disappeared as well. It wasn’t long before everything had returned to normal.

It was only now Zhang Sheng realized that he was covered in cold sweat. He did not know what that gigantic fortune was, only that it could not be allowed to cross over and manifest no matter what. Otherwise, collapsing mountains and sinking earth would just be the

beginning

of its symphony of destruction.

Before he left, Zhang Sheng looked in the direction of the Wei estate. Specifically, he was looking at the massive, grayish black clouds hovering above its roofs. It definitely hadn’t been there before.

He hid a sigh. In the end, his array had influenced the family’s fengshui and fortune. For that reason, he could not simply leave.

Zhang Sheng pondered for a moment before producing a tiny firebird from his palm. It was a wisp of phoenix qi he had taken out of his place prior to his departure. It was pretty precious and would more than make up for the altered fortune.

He ordered his pageboy to toss the golden pheasant in the direction of the Wei estate. When he pointed a finger at it, the little firebird immediately slipped into its body. This was what they called casting a spell through an object; secretly switching out a heavenly mystery without being discovered. It was a common method used to alter predetermined destiny and fortune.

Upon receiving this spell, the golden pheasant would transform into a heavenly phoenix for an instant and replenish the Wei estate’s damaged fortune. Not only that, there would be some spillover. Not only would Philanthropist Wei enjoy a luxurious life and meet a good death, there would be enough leftover fortune to benefit his descendants as well.

Freed from its mortal constraints, the golden pheasant immediately took to the skies. It was at this moment a reddish black ring of light burst out of its body and transformed it into… a massive bird with black feathers and three heads!

Zhang Sheng was dumbfounded for a moment. He had no idea what the three-headed giant bird was, but he was certain about one thing: This bird had nothing to do with a heavenly phoenix whatsoever!

It was at this moment a baby’s cries erupted from the estate. The child had been born.

At the same time, the massive three-headed bird came to life. Two of its heads looked down, and the third turned to stare at Zhang Sheng with its three dark-golden eyes!

At that moment, Zhang Sheng felt cold, like he had fallen into an ice cave; like he was standing on the edge of the abyss; like he was about to die!

The three eyes had actually struck him in three separate ways!

Zhang Sheng’s mind turned blank in an instant. Every mystic ability, Dao technique, secret word, and doctrinal instruction he had ever learned was forgotten just like that. It was as if someone had wiped them all away.

Suddenly, a corner of his face crumbled and revealed a different face. It was only an eye, but its eyebrow had a curve like a crescent moon, and a tip like a sword. The iris was as bright as a star, and the pupil was deep like black lacquer. It was slightly narrowed in pain. Anyone who saw it would never be able to forget it.

The massive, three-headed bird gave Zhang Sheng a look before gazing below once more. After encircling the residence one time, it flapped its wings and took off. It disappeared into the sky beyond the clouds and the nine heavens in just the blink of an eye.

Zhang Sheng remained silent for a moment. Then, he said, “This place is overgrown with rebels. We should leave.”

He took off with his pageboy after that, the ancient tree behind his back looking as tall and protective as ever.

In the third year of the Longwu era, Wei Yuan was born in Ye County, Yong Province. On the day he was born, Zhang Sheng blessed his birth with rituals, and auspicious signs descended from the heavens.

1. An ancient measure of length, now approximately 500 m. ☜

2. The zhang is also an ancient unit of measurement, now standardized at 3.3 m. ☜

3. Exactly what it seems, shards of silver ingots that were used as currency. ☜

4. Gui Water (癸水) is the yin aspect of water in traditional Chinese metaphysics. It represents subtle currents, hidden flow, and quiet accumulation. ☜