Chapter Eighty: Fishing for Dragons at the Stone Drum, A Gamble with Everything at Stake

In the southern administrative region of Minzhou, just two hundred li from Moon Harbor, lay Meiling Harbor. A grand flower boat, adorned with colorful flags, floated on the open waters where not a soul was in sight. Within its cabin, several heads of the gentry faction who had withdrawn from Moon Harbor were feasting and celebrating.

At the center of the table rested an old geomantic map, the “Dragon Vein Map of Minzhou.”

“Gentlemen,” one of them began, “the Jiulong River comes from the geng-you direction, flowing straight east, with water veins following the dragon’s course on both sides. According to the ‘Riding the Dragon Method,’ facing the incoming water, if the current rotates right, the tomb is at Kun; if it rotates left, the life-giving point is at Xun. And the Xun position, where the dragon’s vitality gathers and the dragon pearl lies, is precisely Xiangzhou City. Yet, this is only the surface. The Xiang River passes through the city, then turns left once more and enters here…”

On the compass, “geng” in the Heavenly Stems and “you” in the Earthly Branches both stand for the west; thus, the “geng-you direction” refers to the west, and the Jiulong River flows from west to east. The Xun position is southeast.

Pu Shouying’s finger traced the water veins on the map, finally coming to rest on Moon Harbor, and he continued, “Now, examine the mountains. In Xiangzhou Prefecture, the distant Tianbao Mountain stands with three sharp peaks, tall and majestic, surrounded by a hundred li, with twelve peaks arrayed like a door, stretching southward. Passing through Wushi and Youche to Wanggao Mountain and Zizhi Mountain, they form the main range of the prefecture. The mountain is yang, water is yin—the yang pearl’s fortune falls upon the city, the yin pearl enters the sea, and the geomantic node born of this union lies in Moon Harbor, facing the sea with mountains at its back.

“The recent blood ritual across the river has already drained Lady Yan’s dragon energy, confirming our suspicions. After her soul reincarnated, her mortal shell remains hidden in the geomantic node beneath Moon Harbor, utterly defenseless, awaiting our will!”

The task assigned by their patron was finally taking shape before the second day of the second month. Pu Shouying, spirits high, could not resist showing off his knowledge to his companions.

The office of “Treasure Suppressor” originated from the third period of the Autumn Equinox, “Water Begins to Dry”—when the water recedes, treasures appear. This position was renowned for treasure-hunting skills. Known as “Divine Eye,” Pu Shouying possessed unrivaled mastery in seeking dragon veins and dividing gold.

His family’s secret text, the “Classic of Shaking Dragons in the Mountains and Seas,” stated: “To seek the dragon and divide gold, observe the winding mountain; each layer is a barrier; if there are eight layers, it will not depart from the yin-yang bagua form.”

With such expertise, he had become counselor to their patron, a man whose true status surpassed many local officials, though nominally of humble rank. It was thanks to Pu Shouying that this favored noble, inheritor of the “Dragon Heir” legacy, managed in just six or seven years to conquer most of the East Sea’s water demons—a feat for which the Treasure Suppressor was largely responsible.

“Master Pu plans without flaw. The Five Peaks Banner and the Mountain-Sea Society may have great names, but they are not worth a blow! Ha ha ha…” The other three boat heads of the gentry faction—Mistress Tang Miaofu of West Lake, “Monkey-Player” Old Man Dong, and the merchant “Abacus”—offered their flattery.

Mistress Tang Miaofu, seductive and beautiful, sat beside Pu Shouying, nearly melting into his arms. Though an early spring chill lingered, the West Lake Mistress wore only a thin red gauze robe. A pink peach-blossom bodice tied at her snowy neck, her slim waist glowing white, her skirt revealing a slender, jade-like calf and delicate feet in green embroidered shoes. The two boat heads beside her could hardly decide whether to look at the map or her legs.

In this era, though the literati and wealthy of the Great Zhao Dynasty admired bound feet, the ideal was always the “three-inch golden lotuses”—narrow, not short, with no need to break bones. Women could still work and play ball after foot-binding. This was far from the later cruel custom that crippled women and confined them indoors.

Desire is human nature! When all else is stripped away, trust the aesthetics of poets over their morals. Mistress Tang, a sixth-rank West Lake Mistress personally trained by Master Pu, was a peerless beauty few men could resist. Especially when her pale toes dangled those green shoes, the two boat heads beside her were utterly entranced.

Their lips smacked, still savoring the pleasures of last night.

Old Man Dong, the Monkey-Player, who had carelessly lost his talismanic “Golden Restraint Band,” no longer wished for death. There were so many joys in the human world; he had wasted his life watching monkeys.

Yet Mistress Tang’s enchanting eyes, like blossoming peach flowers, ignored the two men entirely, all her charm directed at Pu Shouying. She poured him wine and brought it to his lips.

Pu Shouying continued, “We need not search for the precise location, nor concern ourselves with her reincarnation. If we overturn Moon Harbor’s fengshui, the geomantic node will reveal itself. Lady Yan’s true form will have nowhere to hide! Moreover, when sinister forces surge and the ‘Eight Winds Ascend the Pavilion’ formation, which has suppressed Moon Harbor for over twenty years, is broken, the yin and yang of the harbor may invert. The region’s most prominent legends could surface as dangerous ‘historical dregs’ and rid us of our enemies all at once.

“At that time, there were no records of Moon Harbor’s founding. So, let us guess—what do you think will emerge from the depths of Moon Harbor’s history?”

The boat heads barely hesitated before answering in unison with a legend known to all along the Jiulong River: “Origin of the Jiulong River, Stone Drum Fishing the Dragon!”

Pu Shouying laughed, his confidence unshakable. “Precisely—the legend of subduing the water dragon. Once chaos erupts in Moon Harbor, and even the Mountain-Sea Society cannot keep order, our patron will send officials and troops from the prefecture to let those peasants taste the yamen’s iron justice. Three victories are ours, three defeats for the enemy; this plan is foolproof!”

Mistress Tang was about to agree when her expression froze; the emerald earring at her lobe glowed. She held her breath, listening, then whispered urgent news into Pu Shouying’s ear.

“What? The imperial clan is rebelling? An imperial inspector is coming to Minzhou?”

He leapt up, the trademark false smile gone from his face.

The gentry and commoner factions had been locked in conflict since last year—not in open battle, but in shadowy moves and countermoves. This time, the gentry had disrupted Moon Harbor with a “blood ritual across the river,” undermining its fengshui and securing the upper hand.

Pu Shouying had not expected the usually defensive commoner faction to strike back so directly and catch them off guard.

His mood dark, he said to the other boat heads, “Our contacts at the center have brought news—someone has petitioned the Ruler, accusing an imperial prince who inherited the unique ‘Dragon Heir’ office of the former Yunmeng Empire; he colluded with officials and plotted rebellion. He has seized the dragon energy of many East Sea boat heads and is frantically hunting Lady Yan’s true form—all to usurp the Ruler’s throne.

“The emperor is furious and has dispatched the third son of the Lu family, Commandant Lu Yi of the White Scale Guard, with orders to investigate Minzhou. Imperial authority grants him the right to execute first and report later!

“The founder of Great Zhao, Han Lin, rose to power through the Ming King Sect, and the Han family’s head has always been the sect leader. The White Scale Guard, drawn from the sect’s inner circle, became an extension of the Ruler’s power. Even a mere captain can command provincial officials, let alone a commandant on imperial orders. Not just us, even our patron is in trouble.”

Though Pu Shouying tried to appear calm, he was inwardly shaken.

“Injustice! When did we ever plot rebellion? What a… cunning move! These are the very tactics the gentry have used against reform for generations.”

But he could not fathom how the commoners had learned the secret of the “Dragon Heir.” Not even Pu Shouying knew the full details, let alone the likes of Xie He and his underlings.

If it were only a baseless rumor, they would not worry; everyone in Great Zhao knew the imperial clan were idle wastrels—no one would believe in a rebellion. But the petition was detailed and entirely truthful. No wonder the Emperor’s rage was explosive.

The dragon’s reverse scale brings instant death if touched! The emperor’s reverse scale is his power. Even sons are not spared, let alone distant kin.

The key issue now was the arrival of the White Scale Guard in Minzhou. Who would dare make a move under such scrutiny? Even if they truly aspired to treason, no sane man would lead the charge. No matter how weak the court, it could still crush any “vanguard for the throne” with ease—one false step and your entire clan would be exterminated.

But what of their three victories?

“We have little time left; we can no longer afford to hold back.” Pu Shouying was forced to play his final card, prepared for years. He lit a magical incense stick; the curling smoke formed the image of a middle-aged man with a crescent-moon topknot.

“Pu Shouyan, inform all the lords and clan heads; gather every pirate we have raised over the years, true or false, and bring them out. Organize the fleet—our target is Moon Harbor! We’ve raided and pillaged before; if official forces won’t act, our pirate army will. Retrieve the Pu clan’s treasured talisman, the first wooden stake used by Emperor Gaozu of Han when building the secret mountain pass. Our ancestor seized it from the last of the Zhao-Song imperial line, and each time it’s saved us from disaster.

“In the end, victory belongs to power. In the decisive moment, even we mid-ranked officials will strike personally. If we fail, we’ll suffer the consequences; if we succeed, we’ll be our patron’s greatest heroes—gods and spirits must bow to power!

“I refuse to believe that, with inside and outside forces, we cannot take Moon Harbor by storm, complete the ritual, and utterly annihilate the hated Water Gathering Wang clan! Even in the worst case, with so many of us, could the Sea Goddess slaughter us all before her own powers recoil upon her?”

Across from him, Pu Shouyan bowed and answered solemnly, “Yes, Clan Head!”