"Brother Qin, now that I am departing, I know not when we shall meet again. I have left a great fortuitous encounter near an old pear tree six li west of the city. You may use the iron token to sense it; go retrieve it at midnight.
"If you enter the portal, be sure to read the letter I left first. Remember this well."
Moonlight poured like white silk over the woods west of the city.
In the clearing, a campfire crackled, casting the shadows of several ancient trees that lengthened and shortened with the flickering flames.
Qin Xuan set down the letter in his hand, having confirmed there was nothing else written upon it. He then picked up the iron token Geng Zhi had given him, but could not sense any reaction from it. "It seems we really must wait until midnight."
"There's no rush."
The white crane was remarkably patient. Its long neck curved slightly, its eyes fixed on the wild boar roasting over the fire.
The pork skin had turned a golden red, and droplets of fat sizzled as they dripped into the flames.
Qin Xuan raised his eyes toward the depths of the mountain forest. Six li west of the city was already within the bounds of Hawk's Beak Mountain. This mountain range was towering and continuous, far grander than Yunxiu Mountain, and Eagle Beak Cliff pierced straight into the clouds, blanketed in snow year-round.
A senior from the Great Lingbao Sect had once visited this place, pointing across the mist and haze and spending a few days in quiet cultivation.
The lineage of Yuansong Temple traced back to Perfected Xuangling. Perfected Xuangling had enjoyed good fortune and received guidance from this senior, subsequently revering the place as the ancestral shrine and instructing disciples to make an annual mountain pilgrimage.
It was during one of those pilgrimages that Qin Xuan had rescued the little fox.
That had been in broad daylight; if it were night, even he would not dare venture deep into these mountains.
Monsters were plentiful in the mountains, and traveling after dark brought out even more ghosts and specters.
"The boar should be about done, right?" The white crane rubbed its wings together.
Qin Xuan pulled his gaze back and nodded. Just as they were about to enjoy their meal, footsteps steadily approached from the distance.
Man and crane immediately grew alert and looked over.
The newcomer was extraordinarily burly, standing like an iron tower with broad shoulders and a thick back that stretched his yellow kasaya taut. Yet, his expression was quite benevolent.
"A... Amitabha."
The tower-like monk chanted the Buddha's name, lowering his gaze and gently turning prayer beads in his hand. At first glance, he bore the air of an eminent monk.
However, both man and crane could see that his eyes kept darting toward their roast boar.
His belly even rumbled like thunder.
Qin Xuan asked tentatively, "Master, do you wish to perform a deliverance for this wild boar?"
The tower-like monk broke into a heartfelt smile, which he quickly suppressed. "Indeed. This poor monk shall refine its grievances with the fire of the temple of the five viscera, so that it may attain rebirth in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss."
"Excellent!" Qin Xuan nodded and shot a glance at the white crane. "Then let us spare a hind leg and the boar's head for the master's deliverance."
Though displeased, the white crane tore off a hind leg and the head, handing them to the monk.
Yet the monk did not leave. Instead, he stared at the small wooden bucket beside Qin Xuan's feet.
Qin Xuan caught on immediately. He picked up the carpenter's brush from the bucket, dipped it in honey, and brushed a thick layer over both the head and the leg. "Is this to your satisfaction?"
"Most satisfactory, most satisfactory! Benefactor, you possess great wisdom and spiritual roots."
The monk lingered no longer. Holding the leg in his left hand and the head in his right, he strode directly into the pitch-black depths of Hawk's Beak Mountain, appearing entirely unconcerned by the monsters and specters roaming the night.
Once he was far away and even his aura had fully dispersed, He Wushuang, having held in its temper all this time, finally cursed, "That blasted blind bear! No, the more I think about it, the angrier I get. I'm going to take that pig's head back!"
With that, it moved to dash into the mountains.
Qin Xuan loyally held it back. "Brother Crane, a noble crane doesn't fight a bear. Let's let the fellow off just this once."
"Fine, Zihou, I'll spare him for your sake."
With that brief tussle, the white crane's anger finally dissipated.
It was said that a great demon dwelt in Hawk's Beak Mountain—a black bear spirit that had mastered the arts of transformation. It resided on Black Wind Ridge, where it enjoyed meditating on Chan, concocting elixirs, and deducing Buddhist dharma, possessing profoundly deep cultivation.
Even Tan Gang, the mountain god of Hawk's Beak Mountain, did not dare provoke it.
Qin Xuan had not seen through its transformation arts and had only guessed vaguely, whereas the white crane, relying on the keen senses of an exotic beast from the classic mountains and seas, had seen through to its true form.
Qin Xuan looked in the direction the black bear spirit had come from. "It seems that fellow came from inside the city as well. I wonder if he was near the Geng residence tonight."
The white crane chewed as it spoke:
"Who knows? But the city was in absolute chaos tonight, with so many unfamiliar auras popping up. That underground monster wasn't simple either; if Old Daoist Wu hadn't stepped in, they probably couldn't have kept things under control. I don't know what all those fellows gathered in Pingyuan City for. If it was for Geng Zhi, they could have struck long ago."
Qin Xuan could not figure it out either, so he simply put it out of his mind.
After finishing the wild boar, they found a flat stone to sit in meditation. When midnight deepened, the iron token Geng Zhi had given him finally stirred with a reaction.
"Let's go!"
Following the resonance, man and crane arrived near a large pear tree, where they found a burial mound. Because Qin Xuan carried the iron token, the mound split open on its own, revealing a passageway leading deep underground.
A cool, damp draft rushed out, carrying the scent of earth and decaying leaves.
Beneath the passageway were stone stairs, with a row of glowing fluorites embedded overhead that cast a soft illumination.
They walked down, and the burial mound sealed itself behind them.
After descending about a hundred steps, a miniature palace appeared before them. In front of it stood a stone stele carved with many characters, though they were difficult to read clearly.
The white crane asked, "What does it say?"
Qin Xuan took down a fist-sized glowing fluorite and held it close to inspect: "Great Yan Investiture Scroll... Luo..."
The script was too faint; he could only make out five characters.
"Luo...?"
Understanding dawned on him as he recalled the records in *Waterways of the Great Yan Dynasty*. Looking around the subterranean palace, he said:
"Three thousand years ago, an imperial investiture decree from the Great Yan Dynasty enfeoffed a General Luo as the feudal king of this region. Could this be the Pingyuan King's tomb? No wonder Geng Zhi kept mentioning Luo wine—so he even found this feudal king's tomb!"
"Wait, that's not right..."
Seeing his sudden shift in expression, the white crane asked, "What's wrong now?"
Qin Xuan said, "According to the *Waterways*, this Pingyuan King possessed illustrious military merits. Upon his death, he was entitled to a cypress-timber vault. Even if he wasn't buried deep within a hollowed mountain beneath a massive earthen mound, there should still be concentric coffins, pits of horses and chariots, bronze tripods, and numerous ritual vessels.
"Look at the feng shui again. As the saying goes, 'the surrounding hills must encircle, and the waters must embrace.' Yet air constantly leaks through this place; it cannot gather wind and amass qi. Even if a king's tomb were built modestly, he would still choose an auspicious site. Thus, this is a decoy tomb."
The white crane nodded. "Makes sense. The great sects across the Nine Provinces all value the fortune of their orders. Tapping into a bit of the dragon vein's qi does no harm, so how could a feudal king like the Pingyuan King not know this? But where did you learn these methods of observing hills, waters, and geomancy?"
Qin Xuan replied as he walked forward, "If you read enough books, you'll naturally pick it up."
"Pah!" The white crane raised its neck. "I don't believe you could learn this sort of thing from romantic novels."
They entered the palace, which appeared exceedingly cavernous.
Near the palace entrance, Qin Xuan spotted a firefly lantern, beneath which lay another letter addressed 'To Brother Qin, to be opened by his own hand,' written in Geng Zhi's handwriting.
Unfolding it, Qin Xuan read:
"Brother Qin, by the time you read this letter, I should already be a thousand li away.
"Back when I lost all my magic power, I chose to remain in Pingyuan Commandery City partly with the intention of searching for the Pingyuan King's tomb. Yet after learning what transpired during his era, I abandoned the pursuit.
"This Pingyuan King didn't merely provoke powerful enemies. If my findings are correct, he drew the attention of formidable demons from the Netherworld because he cultivated an immortal method. In fact, after consulting with the faction behind Yingyang Prefecture, the imperial family of the Great Yan Dynasty also chose to abandon the Pingyuan King to avert greater bloodshed.
"From then on, the Luo clan vanished from Pingyuan Commandery. The Luo River, Luo City, and Luo wine all became relics of three thousand years past. The recipe for my Luo wine was actually retrieved from this tomb.
"Immortal methods tempt the heart, so numerous factions in the city have been hunting for the king's tomb—take Jinyanshu, for example. Daoist Jin mistook the 'Old Grandfather's Tomb' I spoke of for the king's tomb, not knowing that a man of my upright nature would never deceive him."
Reading this, Qin Xuan could not help but chuckle, finally understanding why Jinyanshu had worn such an odd expression back then.
He read on:
"Do you still recall what the Earth God of Taoxi Village at the foot of Yunxiu Mountain said? He mentioned sensing 'a surge of underground yin qi coming from the west.' I am nearly certain that it emerged from the Pingyuan King's tomb. Monk Jinghui used corpse whiskers to control Huo Yu, but Huo Yu was in turn manipulated by that sinister entity carrying an evil bead. As a result, Monk Jinghui, who only intended to put on a show, miscalculated and wasted a Dharma treasure for nothing. Truly asking for trouble.
"Since the sinister entities within the king's tomb have begun to seep out, the tomb likely cannot stay hidden for much longer. That tomb lies right inside Hawk's Beak Mountain. Brother Qin, remember well: do not venture deep into it. The center of the burial chamber is by no means a benign place.
"Though this decoy tomb does not align with the principles of surrounding hills and waters, it contains vital energy and can shield against outside perception. I stored some spirit stones and transplanted several spiritual herbs here, intending to use it as a refuge. Now, I gift them all to you, Brother Qin.
"In my twenty-odd years in the commandery city, I have noticed that things have grown exceedingly turbulent of late, with great powers vying behind the scenes. Brother Qin, you reside regularly in the city, so please take utmost care.
"Within this tomb, you may wander freely. Only the painting in the center represents both a tremendous fortuitous encounter and terrifying lethal intent.
"If you feel you have no affinity with it, Brother Qin, never force the matter, nor approach it. When I first discovered this tomb, the ground before that painting was littered with corpses and bones.
"There are several other turtle shell array diagrams that I currently lack the ability to retrieve. Once my magic power gradually recovers, I shall find a way to contact you. I will never break my word... Having said this much, I wish you daily blessings..."
Finishing the letter, Qin Xuan suddenly realized the surroundings had turned eerily quiet. Whipping his head around, he saw the white crane standing motionless before the painting, looking just like a wooden carving or a clay statue...
Chapter 28