Chen Ping'an considered that if he were to continue his stone-hunting during the day, he might begin from Liu Xianyang's side and follow the upstream path until he reached the covered bridge. Thus, tonight he chose to explore even farther upstream than his first descent, deliberately distancing himself from the bridge and that mossy green cliff known in the local dialect as the "Green Ox's Back"—the very place where he had first seen the young girl in green. Because of this, he missed the chance to meet Song Jixin and the supervising official.
At the bridge hung a plaque inscribed with four lofty characters: "Where Wind Rises, Water Stirs." The man in white robes and a jade belt, nominally the supervising officer of the dragon kiln, was in truth the most powerful feudal lord in the entire Great Li Dynasty. Under his lead, Song Jixin arrived at the base of the bridge's stone steps. Before this, the boy had bathed and changed in the government office, donned a sachet, and worn a dull dragon-shaped jade pendant of ordinary make—hardly noticeable at all. Ironically, the far more exquisite "Old Dragon Calls Rain" pendant, radiant in both craftsmanship and symbolism, had been forcibly removed by the man and strictly forbidden to be worn.
In his hands, Song Jixin held three sticks of incense. The young boy stood beneath the steps, visibly at a loss.
The Duke of Great Li, Song Changjing, turned around and, with two fingers, gently rubbed the tips of the incense sticks—sparks flared, and they ignited. He said casually,"Kneel. Face the plaque. Kowtow three times, then plant the incense in the ground. That's it."
Though riddled with doubts, Song Jixin obeyed this "uncle who fell from the sky," knelt, and kowtowed three times with the incense in hand. The man's tone had been indifferent, but once the boy dropped to his knees, his own expression turned somber and conflicted. As he watched Song Jixin bow, a deeply buried loathing flickered in his eyes.
After placing the incense in the ground and rising, Song Jixin asked,"Is it really 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 with the stagecraft of life—otherwise, you'll be swamped before you know it."
Then his smile faded."But never forget—this bridge is your Dragon-Ascension Ground."
Song Jixin's lips were tinged with bluish black, perhaps from the lingering cold of early spring. Feigning nonchalance, he said,"Those four characters—shouldn't they be used with caution?"
The man slapped his stomach with one hand and rested the other on his jade belt, laughing heartily."Perhaps in the capital, yes. But not here. No hounds of the court, no strays from the pugilist world—no one around to tear into me."
Curious, Song Jixin asked,"Even someone like you fears public censure?"
The man shot back,"I've bested every rival both mortal and divine in the Great Li realm. If I feared nothing at all, wouldn't I be living more comfortably than the one who sits on the Dragon Throne? Tell me, boy—does that sound right to you?"
Song Jixin pondered for a moment, hesitated, and then finally asked,"Are you biding your time? Or nurturing rebels to strengthen your hand?"
The man couldn't help but laugh, pointing at the sharp-tongued youth and shaking his head."Such rebellious words—and yet you dare speak them aloud. You've no sense of the weight your words carry. Once you reach the capital or take shelter in some immortal sect, let me offer a word of advice: curb your tongue. Or you'll bring disaster upon yourself."
Song Jixin nodded solemnly,"I'll remember."
The man pointed to the golden plaque above."'Where Wind Rises, Water Stirs.' Tell me, when the waters stir—how exactly do they rise?"
Song Jixin answered crisply,"I haven't a clue."
The man muttered,"To know what you know and admit what you don't—that is wisdom. Bah, what nonsense. Scholars twist their thoughts into a thousand knots just to explain a simple fart."
Still, he spoke more politely to the boy."If memory serves, no matter how severe the floods over the past three millennia in your small town, this creek's highest waterline has never risen above the tip of the Rusted Sword."
Song Jixin frowned."Elders living near the iron well in Apricot Alley often say the same thing while lounging under the pagoda tree. Is there some hidden truth in this?"
The man pointed to a distant place where the creek flowed out of the mountains and smiled."Between mountains, snakes have their paths; within houses, rats their routes. And within rivers and streams—there, dragons carve their roads."
He withdrew his hand and explained patiently,"Many places under Great Li have a tradition of hanging swords beneath bridges. Be it copper, peachwood, or talismanic swords, they can stop the flood-beasts once—but rarely a second time. Often, the cultivators hanging those swords are too weak, and their feeble barriers enrage the flood-dragons. When the deluge comes, the bridge collapses, the sword vanishes. Yet this one sword beneath this one bridge…"
His voice trailed off into silence. Song Jixin did not press for more.
With a sigh, the man continued,"This sword was never meant to ward off river dragons. From the very first day it was hung beneath the bridge, it served a singular purpose—sealed by a sage to suppress the mouth of the Lock-Dragon Well. That deep pool beneath the bridge—the so-called 'exit'—was meant to keep the dragon's qi from escaping too rapidly, lest it burst apart this small world."
Song Jixin asked, with sharp precision,"Then tell me—has the last true dragon under Heaven truly perished?"
Song Changjing chuckled,"Three thousand years ago, during the Dragon-Slaying War, countless cultivators died. Even saints of the Three Teachings and masters of the Hundred Schools perished. Do you think they were all fools? That sages lived long just to be outwitted? You suppose they kept a true dragon alive as some pet lizard?"
Song Jixin countered,"Or maybe it couldn't be killed. Maybe the sages could only stall and weaken it. I don't know their original plan, but I'm certain that dragon was no ordinary beast."
The man first shook his head—then nodded slightly."You're half right. The dragon is undoubtedly dead. But as for its identity and what it represents—'extraordinary' doesn't even begin to cover it."
Song Jixin seemed about to speak again but held his tongue.
"In short, everything Great Li has schemed—every ounce of blood and toil—was all to stir the wind, raise the water, and pave the path for our southern conquest."
The man took the lead, ascending the stone steps as he spoke slowly,"If you asked me why the sages of three thousand years ago sought to slay the dragon, I couldn't answer. But if you ask why you were left here, why you are the legitimate crown prince of Great Li—that, I can tell you in full."
Song Jixin kept his head down, his expression unreadable. Since the boy asked no further, the man spared him the indulgence of explanation. Upon reaching the highest step, he turned to face the town.
"In the future, broaden your mind. Trading barbs with the likes of Liu Xianyang, even nursing murderous thoughts—have you no shame?"
Song Jixin sat at the top of the stairs, gazing north with the man, and suddenly asked a seemingly unrelated question,"Are we, Great Li, at the northernmost tip of Eastern Treasure Bottle Continent?"
The man nodded,"Yes. Regarded as northern barbarians for nearly a thousand years. Only now, with iron fists, have we earned a modicum of respect."
Though still bowed, Song Jixin's eyes blazed with intensity.
The man named Song Changjing spoke calmly,"In the capital, beware one known as the 'Embroidered Tiger.'"
Song Jixin was baffled.
Song Changjing smiled,"He is now our national preceptor—your brother's mentor. Great Li's rise over the last fifty years—from seventy counties and eight hundred cities to one hundred forty counties and fifteen hundred cities—owes half its glory to him."
Song Jixin suddenly looked up in shock.
The man laughed,"Clever boy—you guessed it."
He sat beside the boy, hands resting on his knees, eyes scanning the horizon. Another towering figure behind Great Li's vast expansion sat right here—close enough to touch. Song Jixin trembled, his scalp prickling.The story of two dragons begins here...