When Jin Bi brought up the matter, he first clarified one extremely important concept for the three of them.
The Dragon’s Eldest Son was not a dragon.
The situation was completely different from the Dragon Kings and dragon princes Qin Shu had imagined.
The rulers who lived in the various Dragon Palaces were usually not true dragons. They were generally collateral descendants of dragonkind, immensely powerful yao who had the potential to transform their bloodlines and become dragons, or the mothers of the Nine Sons of the Dragon—auspicious beasts in their own right.
Since the spiritual energy resurgence, there had not yet been any news of a true dragon appearing in the world. Even occasionally hearing that one of the dragon sons had become active somewhere counted as an extraordinary event.
The Dragon Mother who had lived for countless years in Jiangcheng’s Dragon Palace and received the incense offerings of Jiangcheng’s people was, in fact, the biological mother of Qiuniu, the Dragon’s Eldest Son.
Elio’s Notes: Qiuniu (囚牛) is traditionally counted as the eldest of the Nine Sons of the Dragon and is strongly associated with music. In the novel’s cosmology, the Nine Sons are powerful auspicious beings connected to dragonkind, but are not themselves true dragons.
“Got it, got it. I’ve read a little popular mythology before. Qiuniu himself looks a lot like a dragon, has scales like a dragon, and is supposed to have the gentlest and kindest temperament… But why would his reverse scale be in his mother’s possession?”
“You humans really are ignorant. The Dragon’s Eldest Son died more than a thousand years ago, and no one knows where his remains are. I’ve heard that his head is hidden in Yun City. Ah… In the end, the only thing left in the Dragon Mother’s hands was this one reverse scale.”
Jin Bi sighed. “The Dragon Mother has always treasured it like a priceless jewel, cherishing the only relic left by her child. But she is also exceptionally generous and benevolent by nature. She often allows little fish and young jiao that are about to cross the Dragon Gate to come pay their respects, sit in meditation before the reverse scale, and obtain precious insights from it. With so many visitors coming and going, sooner or later something was bound to go wrong!”
Elio’s Notes: In Chinese legend, a fish—most famously a carp—that successfully crosses the Dragon Gate may transform into a dragon. Here the image is extended to aquatic yao approaching a major bloodline or cultivation transformation.
“…Wait. Qiuniu is already dead? How did he die?” Qin Shu had been listening intently, and a wave of genuine regret immediately rose inside him as he hurried to ask.
He had never seen a true auspicious beast or divine beast before, much less anything belonging to dragonkind. He had only heard about them through illustrated books, popular explanations, and stories passed down by older generations, so there was no way he could have felt no longing to see them.
The Qin Shu of the past might never have had a chance to approach such beings in his entire life, but now that his Heavenly Eye had opened, the things he could see were completely different from before. Naturally, he had begun to look forward to more.
And after finally hearing news related to dragons… It turned out the being in question had already been dead for more than a thousand years.
“Legend says the dragon son violated Heavenly Law and was beheaded. But I myself have only lived a little over three hundred years. All those ancient events, old loves, and old grudges gradually became secrets that cannot be spoken of. Who could possibly know the truth now?”
Jin Bi shook his head, unwilling to discuss such a sorrowful subject any further. His position, however, was obvious: whoever had stolen the dragon scale had to accept punishment from the Dragon Palace.
He had already gone to Liang Ming Yue’s home to search, along with Jiangcheng Youth TV’s recording studio, the paper-effigy shop from the livestream, and the bars and teahouses Liang Ming Yue frequently visited.
He had found neither the jiao’s child nor any trace of the reverse scale, yet the distinctive aura and bloodline pressure of dragonkind filled every place Liang Ming Yue had passed through. It was a bloodline sensation no yao cultivator could possibly ignore.
As far as Jin Bi was concerned, that alone was conclusive evidence. There was no need for further proof.
“Either she hid the reverse scale somewhere no one knows about, or she has it on her person. Although something went wrong with the soul mark, I am completely certain about this. If my pursuit causes any disruption in the human world, Officer, I ask for your understanding.”
Now that Jin Bi had calmed down, his tone gradually became more moderate and sincere. Of course, he was only behaving this way because he was speaking to a human police officer. For some unknown reason, Jin Bi seemed to have a very favorable impression of the police, even showing them considerable respect and admiration—completely unlike his attitude toward Qin Shu.
Xing Yong nodded and responded with equal seriousness. “Understood. According to the rules, as long as you don’t harm humans unrelated to the case, I don’t have jurisdiction over you. As for whether Liang Ming Yue really is the only suspect, I’ll invite an uninvolved yao cultivator to make an independent judgment. Is that acceptable?”
“Of course, of course. Thank you for your understanding…”
Human and yao exchanged polite courtesies, shook hands, and even added each other on WeChat, and the atmosphere suddenly became much more harmonious. Qin Shu stopped talking as well, because the moment he heard Xing Yong’s suggestion, he already knew exactly whom Xing Yong intended to invite.
Sure enough, it was not long before the unhurried sound of footsteps came from the entrance to the emergency waiting area.
Xing Yong raised an eyebrow and stood up immediately to meet the newcomer. Qin Shu secretly pricked up his ears and then heard an extraordinarily gentle voice call, “Xiao Yong.”
Xing Yong’s wife had arrived.
She was a genuine yao cultivator who had taken human form, with no visible flaw in her appearance whatsoever. She was extremely beautiful, with black hair reaching her waist and a slightly slender figure wrapped in a high-quality light-brown coat, giving her a tall and gentle appearance.
“Hello. I’m Chang Liu Yi. You two students really are fine-looking young men. Xiao Yong mentions your names quite often.”
She smiled and greeted everyone one by one with the natural warmth of a friendly human elder. Only when she finally stopped in front of Jin Bi did her manner shift slightly. “You must be Mr. Jin. Fifth generation of the Chang family of Fengqi Mountain. A pleasure to meet you.”
“S-Senior, the pleasure is mine!” Jin Bi seemed to stare blankly for just an instant before hurriedly rising to salute her. Beneath his trembling manner was the faintest trace of wariness.
When two yao cultivators met, ordinarily they ought to exchange a few more formal courtesies, but Chang Liu Yi disliked that sort of empty ritual. She was actually quite straightforward and spoke her mind freely.
“I already heard the details from Xiao Yong, so there’s no need to waste time explaining everything again. But Mr. Jin… where exactly did you obtain this suit of human skin? It looks extremely sinister.”
Jin Bi froze and was just about to explain when Qin Shu cut in first.
“Right, Sister-in-law? I think there’s something seriously wrong with it too. He says it was personally bestowed by the Dragon Mother, but he still can’t explain where the skin originally came from.” Qin Shu lowered his voice. “I’ve seen dead souls walking around in human skin before, but those bodies came from legitimate sources and their origins could be explained clearly. Uncle Jin’s is the only one that… genuinely makes me uncomfortable.”
Jin Bi became anxious. “Y-You brat, I already told you I don’t know either! Even if the original owner of this skin really did die a violent death at the hands of some vicious creature, I wasn’t the one who killed him. Why should that be blamed on me?”
“Mr. Jin, you misunderstand. Student Qin isn’t trying to blame you. But the world is different now. Spiritual energy is too abundant, and all kinds of strange things can happen… You were born during the era when heaven and earth had already been severed from one another, so perhaps you don’t know how dangerous the world was in ancient times.”
“Senior, I truly don’t. I grew up cultivating painstakingly in the deep sea and knew nothing of worldly affairs. Please enlighten me.”
Once Jin Bi calmed down, Chang Liu Yi curved her lips slightly and explained without hurry. “The skin you’re wearing most likely came from someone who died a violent death. Their skin and flesh were forcibly peeled away and refined into a human-skin coat impervious to fire and water. Their corpse was turned into a ritual artifact, which means their remains can never properly be gathered and buried, and they can never rest peacefully in the earth.
“That person already died violently and was naturally filled with hostility. Seeing their body treated this way, how could their soul not resent it? Even after being taken into the underworld, they would have difficulty reincarnating and remain trapped in the City of Wrongful Deaths, watching coldly as you walked around in their skin year after year. Just imagine how enormous that resentment would become.”
“Hiss… I truly never considered that. We yao cultivators don’t have the same obsession with being buried and resting in the earth. I overlooked it.” A chill crept down Jin Bi’s back as he finally grasped the seriousness of the problem.
“Exactly. Whoever refined this object used that powerful resentment to conceal it from heavenly perception, allowing a yao beast like you, one incapable of taking human form naturally, to disguise itself as a human. Once you put on the skin, it can fool ordinary aura-reading arts and divinatory calculations. Even I almost failed to see through it… Student Qin being able to spot the abnormality immediately truly means he has an extraordinary pair of eyes.”
Chang Liu Yi casually praised Qin Shu, then sighed softly. “A treasure capable of hiding something from heavenly perception is certainly useful, and it is worthy of being considered a rare reward from the Dragon Mother. But this thing is also unbelievably sinister. Wear it for too long and it may damage your karmic ties and life path, eventually attracting foul things beyond imagining. I speak very directly, but Fengqi Mountain and Jiangcheng’s Dragon Palace have never had any enmity between them. I hope you won’t take offense.”
“Thank you for your guidance, Senior. This is a life-saving kindness that protects my path, and having only just arrived in the human world, I don’t even know how to properly express my gratitude.” Jin Bi slowly absorbed her words, his expression becoming increasingly serious before he saluted her solemnly once more. “If the Chang family ever needs anything in the future, please send word to Jinshui Shoal of the South Sea. I will do everything in my power to help and come whenever called.”
“You’re too polite, Mr. Jin. Since you understand the problem now, there’s no need to waste any more time on this subject. Let’s deal with the actual matter first.” Chang Liu Yi glanced at the dumbfounded Xing Yong and smiled behind her lips. “Come on. Liang Ming Yue is awake.”
“Huh? Huh? Already?”
Xing Yong had not yet recovered when a nurse from the emergency department appeared at the doorway and looked around. “Is Mr. Xing here? The patient has regained consciousness, but there’s a somewhat unusual situation…”
The entire group followed in a crowd and soon discovered exactly how unusual the “unusual situation” was.
Liang Ming Yue was completely unharmed.
That was right. Not long ago, she had fallen out of the sky and slammed heavily onto a moving car. Everyone had seen her break an arm and collarbone and continuously cough up blood… Yet now she was genuinely completely unharmed.
Every injury inside her mouth had healed. There was not a single abrasion or trace of fracture on her arm, and the CT scan had shown nothing at all. At that very moment, she sat upright between Director Wang and two nurses while the medical staff repeatedly examined her in disbelief.
Apart from looking somewhat pale, there was nothing wrong with Liang Ming Yue’s body. There was no sign that she had been involved in an accident whatsoever. She was fully conscious, responded normally to questions, and simply refused to explain what exactly had happened to her.
Director Wang had worked at First Municipal Hospital for decades and had clearly seen enough strange things to remain calm. She pushed up her glasses. “Officer Xing, with a special situation like hers, there’s nothing we ordinary human doctors can do. I can provide her medical records and test results from this visit, but I cannot give you a reasonable medical explanation.
“Besides, Ms. Liang is a public figure. Her presence in a public hospital draws too much attention. If she encountered some kind of calamity, or if she has become involved in something… it would be better to move her away from crowded places as soon as possible.”
“Understood, understood. Thank you, Director Wang. I’ll take her away now.”
Xing Yong moved efficiently. He immediately handled the payment procedures and even collected the anti-inflammatory medication Director Wang had prescribed Liang Ming Yue, just in case.
Chang Liu Yi took Liang Ming Yue’s arm of her own accord and gently but firmly led her out of the emergency department. Naturally, they did not go far. They drove down into the hospital’s underground parking garage and found the quietest deserted corner they could.
Two vehicles were parked across the corner, while the group stood or sat around Liang Ming Yue in the center.
“Quite the gathering.” Liang Ming Yue showed no panic. Out of habit, she took a pack of cigarettes from her pocket, then gave a soft, displeased “Hah” beneath Xing Yong’s glare and reluctantly put it away again.
For the moment, however, Xing Yong was not the one who needed to speak. Qin Shu also remained silent. Jin Bi was the first to blurt out impatiently, “You all saw it! How could an ordinary human recover instantly after being struck by a car? If she can return to normal this quickly, it can only be because of the Dragon Palace’s supreme treasure. Senior Chang, surely you can also sense the unusual, exalted aura on her? That is the bloodline pressure of dragonkind!”
“Indeed… The pressure is extremely strong.”
The smile had already vanished from Chang Liu Yi’s face. She frowned slightly, uncomfortable enough to take out a white-jade bracelet and fasten it around her wrist before her complexion eased a little.
She stepped forward, her voice gradually cooling. “Ms. Liang, let’s not circle around the issue. Please answer these questions immediately. Is there any truth to the accusations that you abducted the child of a jiao and stole a supreme treasure from Jiangcheng’s Dragon Palace? If so, we will immediately hand you over to the Dragon Palace’s human-world agent. If not, then you must provide a reasonable and detailed explanation capable of convincing me here and now.”
“The jiao’s child has nothing to do with me. I’ve never even heard of it. But the Dragon Palace treasure…” Liang Ming Yue paused. “That really is on me. It was part of a transaction. Before my child was born, the Dragon Mother took her away and gave me Qiuniu’s reverse scale as compensation. What exactly is wrong with that?”
“Insolence! How dare you slander the Dragon Mo—urk!”
Jin Bi lost his temper again. Anger rushed into his head and his entire body rapidly began inflating as he attempted to use a technique against her without another word. Unfortunately for him, Qin Shu struck the swollen back of his neck with a sharp smack! at that exact moment. Qin Shu moved with astonishing speed, and the blow was not particularly gentle.
The porcupinefish, which had nearly exploded, deflated again. Even the human skin covering him contracted with it, wrapping tightly and flexibly around his body. Compared with the first few times he had shrunk, the disguise now looked almost flawless.
Chang Liu Yi’s eyebrows rose imperceptibly, but she said nothing. She had noticed long ago that there was something unusual about Qin Shu, but once again, he had exceeded her expectations… It was fortunate Xing Yong had never seriously offended this kid.
More importantly, as a third party to this dispute, Chang Liu Yi naturally could not take either side before the truth was clear, so she skillfully chose to stand back and observe.
Jin Bi’s head rang from the blow. Frightened and angry at once, he stammered, “Y-You—why did you suddenly hit me?”
“Because you tried to attack somebody the moment you got angry. Of course I had to stop you. Figuring out the entire truth is more important than venting your temper.”
After explaining as though this were the most obvious thing in the world, Qin Shu turned toward Liang Ming Yue and smiled. “Sister Ming Yue, remember me? We met on the video call last night.”
“…You?” Liang Ming Yue paused, and her cold expression softened slightly. “I remember you.”
“Good. Then let’s continue. You said the Dragon Mother once took your child away. I need more details.”
Qin Shu paused and moved one step closer, staring directly into her eyes with an amount of eye contact that was almost deliberately uncomfortable. “When you became pregnant, who the child’s father was, and exactly what happened when your child was taken. Be specific.
“And there’s more. What service did you commission from the Blackhearted Paper Effigy Shop? Why were you buying paper burial clothes? And most importantly… do you have any idea what the Dragon Mother’s motive was?”
“I quite like you,” Liang Ming Yue suddenly said. Then she casually leaned against the hood of the car and answered without any hesitation. “Ten years ago. The child’s father was frightened to death on the spot. You don’t need to concern yourselves with him. He was just an ordinary man with bad luck.”
Qin Shu froze, unable to make sense of her abrupt comment, so he simply ignored it and continued asking, “Ten years ago, you would still have been in university, right? A campus relationship?”
“Mm. First Municipal Hospital’s rules weren’t very strict back then, so when I had the ultrasound, I specifically asked about the sex. I was carrying a perfectly healthy daughter.” Liang Ming Yue gave a faint, eerie laugh, and her tone abruptly became mocking. “But Jiangcheng’s guardian deity, the loving mother of all its rivers and waterways… she had the nerve to point at a deer and call it a horse—to insist that my daughter was the reincarnation of the dragon son Qiuniu.”
Elio’s Notes: “Point at a deer and call it a horse” (指鹿为马) is an idiom for deliberately twisting the truth and insisting that something false is true.
“…Huh?”
That single “Huh?” came from every direction. Everyone surrounding Liang Ming Yue widened their eyes at the same time, their shocked voices astonishingly synchronized.
Pei Zhao, of course, was the exception. At some point he had quietly left the group, only to return after Liang Ming Yue had been surrounded in the corner. He was holding an ice-cream cone.
It was a new spring flavor—cherry blossom and vanilla—and he had nearly finished it.
Pei Zhao did not particularly like the white chocolate at the bottom of the cone and was currently considering what to do with it. He was not especially interested in Liang Ming Yue’s story either, but…
“When you accuse a deity of harming an ordinary human, you should be mentally prepared.”
While everyone else was still thunderstruck, Pei Zhao suddenly spoke in a soft voice. “She can hear you.”
His tone was not grave. It sounded as though he were merely stating some utterly ordinary fact. Yet Chang Liu Yi’s expression abruptly changed, her lips pressing tightly together as a frightened pallor appeared across her face.
Liang Ming Yue, by contrast, became even calmer. Her searching gaze fell on Pei Zhao. “I know. She can hear me. That’s why I’ve never told anyone before. I was afraid I’d drag them into it.”
Chang Liu Yi slowly inhaled, closed her eyes briefly, then raised her long right hand in front of her chest and rapidly formed several ritual hand seals while suppressing her emotions. “Then you still shouldn’t speak so directly now… Universe Within the Cave.”
Clatter-clatter-clatter—
The moment she finished speaking, a long succession of crisp collisions echoed through the silent underground parking garage.
Chang Liu Yi had conjured an enormous collection of beautiful handmade bracelets into her hands. She had produced too many at once, and the various beads and gemstones pressed against one another, shaking and knocking together in an endless cascade of sound.
Worse, several of the red cords suddenly snapped. Expensive white-jade beads poured onto the ground like rain with a clatter, rolling away into the darkness in an instant and becoming difficult to retrieve.
Elio’s Notes: Universe Within the Cave (洞里乾坤) is used here as a storage or conjuring technique, allowing Chang Liu Yi to produce a large quantity of objects seemingly from nowhere.
“…An ill omen.” Chang Liu Yi sighed softly and fastened one of the bead bracelets around Xing Yong’s wrist. “Xiao Yong, go home. We haven’t actually done anything yet, and the Dragon Mother will give Fengqi Mountain some face. But you’re still an outsider. She won’t care whether you live or die.”
Xing Yong did not try to act tough. He knew perfectly well what he was capable of and had rarely seen Chang Liu Yi look this uneasy, so there was no chance he would recklessly insist on staying.
Even so, he still had concerns. “Liu Yi, what about you? You’re pregnant. How can you—”
“Human women need to be extremely cautious while pregnant. My child only makes me stronger. If I’m fortunate and the child’s bloodline reverts strongly enough to its ancestry, becoming dragonkind isn’t impossible either.”
Mentioning the child improved Chang Liu Yi’s expression somewhat, but she clearly had no intention of allowing Xing Yong to keep delaying. After explaining quickly, she simply shoved him into the driver’s seat.
“Bye-bye~”
“…Bye.” Xing Yong had no choice. He turned toward Qin Shu and warned him, “Qin Shu, keep an eye on things for me. If there’s danger, run immediately. Don’t do anything reckless.”
“Mm, okay! I’ll be careful!”
Qin Shu was currently eating the tip of Pei Zhao’s ice-cream cone. Hearing the warning, he hurriedly swallowed the mouthful and answered.
“Ah.” Xing Yong sighed helplessly, stepped on the accelerator with a frown, and even called Daoist Xu on the way out, asking him to help think through the situation when he had time.
The sedan, now without its police beacon, drove out of the parking garage. The sound of its tires gradually faded until the underground space abruptly became quiet again.
Chang Liu Yi then distributed one bracelet to everyone, including Jin Bi and Liang Ming Yue.
“Everyone put these on. They’re magical artifacts I make in batches, and each one is personally inscribed with the Ucchuṣma Vajrapāla Mantra. If you’re attacked, it forms a barrier roughly ten centimeters around your body. Normally, it also protects the soul and heart meridian, wards off evil, and calms the mind. Whatever its actual effectiveness against what we may encounter, it should at least preserve your life for a short while.”
Elio’s Notes: 秽迹金刚 is commonly identified with Ucchuṣma Vajrapāla, a wrathful Buddhist protector associated with purification and the subjugation of defilement. Here the mantra is engraved onto Chang Liu Yi’s protective artifacts.
“Thank you, Sister-in-law. Is mine ice-type red jadeite? This is way too valuable.” Qin Shu hesitated, feeling that he really should not accept it.
“Student Qin, you saved Xing Yong’s life. What I’m giving you now is only a tiny fraction of what I owe you.” Chang Liu Yi smiled slightly. “Besides, artifact refiners are rarely short of money. Since things have already reached this point… staying alive comes first.”
“Thank you. It’s pretty.” Pei Zhao, on the other hand, did not refuse at all and even put his bracelet on immediately.
He had received a string of honey-gold cat’s-eye gemstones. They glittered under the light, their narrow cat’s-eye bands straight and beautiful, the color exceptionally pure—the sort of quality that would also be highly sought after at auction.
Only Jin Bi’s expression looked particularly ugly. After remaining silent for a long time, he finally could not stop himself from pointing at Liang Ming Yue and saying through clenched teeth, “You… You’re simply believing what she says? Senior Chang, she still can’t provide any conclusive evidence. Why treat the Dragon Mother like some catastrophic monster that needs to be guarded against? Even if the Dragon Mother hears us discussing rumors about her, she will naturally distinguish right from wrong!”
“You want evidence? Fine. It’s very simple.”
Liang Ming Yue’s face was expressionless, her voice cold and utterly flat. “Take one of my daughter’s garments and sink into the depths of the river at midnight. Face east, kneel down, and call her name seven times in a row, telling her to come home with Mommy. Then raise your head above the water and you’ll see a perfectly clear mirage… My daughter’s dead soul will be there, and so will the Dragon Palace you know so well.”
A mirage was exactly that—a mirage, a real optical phenomenon through which one could see a genuine scene from somewhere far away.
But Jin Bi could not believe it. “H-How could that possibly be?!”
“Do you know how I discovered it?” Liang Ming Yue asked. “Back then, I didn’t understand anything. I had just burned burial clothes and paper money for my daughter, and I intended to jump into the river and kill myself. In the middle of the night, I soaked in the freezing city-protecting river and kept repeating her name in my heart, wanting to go home with her. I kept saying it and saying it… until I suddenly heard a baby crying.”
Liang Ming Yue lowered her eyes. “I followed the crying and raised my head above the water. My daughter appeared right in front of me. She was wearing the shoes, socks, and tiger-head hat I had burned for her, wrapped in the little swaddling blanket I had sent her… I swam and swam with everything I had, chasing that hazy little figure without stopping. When my legs cramped, I clawed through the water with my hands. I don’t know how much water I swallowed, but no matter how hard I swam, I could never reach her. She was very far away.”
“The clothes you burn for her can reach her. That’s why you went to the paper-effigy shop to buy burial clothes.” Qin Shu frowned slightly.
“Yes. I know Zhang Cong wasn’t a good person. But the dresses he made looked pretty on my daughter. That’s all.”
Liang Ming Yue paused. There was still very little emotional fluctuation in her voice as she lightly rubbed the cool bracelet on her wrist and glanced at Jin Bi. “If you don’t believe me, you’re welcome to try it yourself. But… perhaps she won’t give you the chance to verify anything.”
“What do you mean?” Jin Bi’s breathing grew heavy. The human skin wrapped around him bulged and contracted, contracted and swelled again as he desperately fought to control his emotions.
“As a deity of one region, she’s been discussed constantly for years. She’s probably long since grown accustomed to human suspicion and rumors and doesn’t care about them. But you’re different. You’re a subject of the waters, one of the Dragon Mother’s own subordinates.” Liang Ming Yue smiled mockingly. “If you doubt her and then dare to act on that doubt, wouldn’t that amount to treason?”
“No. Impossible. This is just your malicious slan—”
Before Jin Bi could finish, Qin Shu suddenly saw something wrong. His eyelid twitched. He immediately grabbed Pei Zhao and Chang Liu Yi and threw himself backward with them, shouting without hesitation, “Liang Ming Yue, get down!”
Pfft—BANG!
Drip. Drip—
The instant Qin Shu shouted, a strange explosive sound erupted above them, like a balloon suddenly bursting, accompanied by an endless patter of tiny droplets.
Qin Shu pushed himself halfway upright and stared toward the source of the noise. His eyelid twitched again.
Jin Bi was dead.