Volume Two – The General’s Tomb Chapter Twenty-One – The Dragon-Seeking Heavenly Master

After listening to Li Kun, I shivered; goosebumps prickled across my skin. I said, “No wonder you insisted on buying that thing. All right, now that you’ve got what you need, let’s go back to that incense shop and get a few sticks.”

Li Kun nodded, and together we walked slowly toward the incense shop we’d visited earlier.

After about twenty minutes, we arrived at the door. I raised my hand and knocked gently three times on the wooden door. From inside came the voice of an elderly man: “Ah, coming, coming.”

No sooner had he spoken than the door opened slowly. The old man quickly said, “I’m sorry, we don’t get many visitors, so I tend to open a little later than most.”

He looked up at us and paused, asking, “Have we met before?”

Li Kun and I exchanged glances. I replied, “Sir, we were here last time and bought some incense from you. Do you remember?”

The old man bowed his head, thinking for a moment, then clapped his hands, exclaiming, “Oh! It’s you two. Now I remember.”

He stepped aside and said, “Are you here to buy the same incense as last time?”

I nodded. “That’s right. We’d like another batch of the same kind.”

He nodded, turned to the shelf, and drew a bundle of incense from the very top. Bringing it over, he handed it to me, asking, “Young man, why do you want this kind of incense?”

I replied evenly, “It’s sturdy and waterproof.”

He chuckled, passed the incense to me, and said, “I wish you both great success, and hope to see you again.”

At these words, Li Kun’s temper flared and he pointed at the old man, snapping, “What do you mean by that, old man? Are you cursing us?”

I patted Li Kun’s shoulder, signaling him to calm down, and turned to the old man. “Sir, you seem to know the origins of this incense?”

The old man smiled slightly. “I’m not boasting, but in this whole area, I’m the only one who carries this kind of incense.”

That caught me off guard. Could there be more to this old man than I had guessed?

I said, “Sir, my friend was a bit brash just now. I hope you won’t take offense.”

He nodded and said, “You’re a clever one.” He sat on a chair to the side and gestured for us to take the two wooden stools next to him.

He continued, “You likely know where this incense comes from. It’s called ‘Ghost Offering Incense.’ In the parlance of the trade, it’s known as ‘Honoring Ghost Incense.’”

The mention of the trade made Li Kun and me sit up straight. I asked, “The trade? Sir, are you perhaps…”

The old man didn’t answer directly. Instead, he looked at us and said, “The moment I saw you, I knew you were ‘earth-setters.’”

At this, Li Kun and I exchanged a puzzled glance. “Earth-setters? What does that mean?”

The old man looked at us with equal confusion. “You know about Honoring Ghost Incense, but you don’t know which school you belong to?”

I replied, “To be honest, everything I know about gold-finding, tomb-breaking, and the rest comes from books and experience. As for ‘earth-setting’ and schools, we’re in the dark. Sir, what does it mean?”

He shook his head. “So you’ve brushed with the trade but don’t know which school you belong to. Very well, let me explain.”

He sipped his tea and said, “Earth-setting is the collective term for tomb raiding—it’s underworld slang. The school you belong to refers to the technique you use, and from which lineage.”

“This business has existed for thousands of years, with many methods and countless ways of forcing entry into tombs.”

“In ancient times, there were all kinds of sects. Some didn’t know how to find the dragon’s vein, so they just blasted their way in. It’s straightforward, but you never know what traps might be inside; one wrong move could destroy the entire tomb.”

“But our school is the most skilled. It’s called the ‘Dragon-Seeking Celestial Masters.’”

I asked, “Dragon-Seeking Celestial Masters?”

He nodded. “Yes. Thousands of years ago, there were only two main branches: the Dragon-Seeking Celestial Masters and the Mountain-Opening Wanderers.”

Li Kun and I listened, hanging on his every word.

He continued, “The Mountain-Opening Wanderers used basic methods to locate tombs, then forced their way in—these were the Mountain-Opening Wanderers.”

“Our school, the Dragon-Seeking Celestial Masters, is different. We specialize in dividing the gold, fixing the point, seeking the dragon, and identifying the acupoint. We read the stars above, analyze the mountains below, and look for the dragon’s vein.”

I asked, “So, sir, did all the great tombs of old rely on this kind of geomantic method to find the best burial sites?”

He nodded. “Exactly. Geomancy is a vast field. In the past, emperors and high officials, anyone with power, wanted peace in death and blessings for their descendants. That’s where geomantic techniques came in—and our school’s art of gold division and acupoint fixing evolved from this.”

I nodded deeply. Now it made sense: the Dragon-Seeking Disk, the Dragon-Seeking Incantation—everything fell into place.

I asked, “Sir, do you know about the Dragon-Seeking Disk?”

He was startled. “Of course. The Dragon-Seeking Disk is the most important artifact of our school. Whoever possesses and can use it is the head of the Dragon-Seeking Celestial Masters.”

Then he seemed to realize something and asked, “Young man, how do you know about the Dragon-Seeking Disk?”

I said, “To be honest, I have the Dragon-Seeking Disk with me.”

The old man shot to his feet. “What? The Dragon-Seeking Disk is in your hands? Let me see it, quickly!”

I nodded, reaching into my chest and withdrawing the Dragon-Seeking Disk, placing it in my palm.

When he saw the disk, the old man couldn’t hide his excitement. He hurried over and stared down at it, hands trembling as he reached out—then, just before touching it, he pulled back sharply.

Staring at the disk, tears welled in his eyes. “The Dragon-Seeking Disk, it really is the Dragon-Seeking Disk. After all these years, the heirloom of our school has returned.”

He looked up at me. “Young man, do you know the incantation to activate it?”

I nodded, saying nothing. The old man pressed eagerly, “Show me how it opens.”

I hesitated. If the Dragon-Seeking Incantation opens the disk, speaking it aloud would reveal it to him.

He saw my hesitation and said quickly, “Don’t worry. The disk can only be opened by one person in a lifetime—every hundred years, only one can use it.”

I was still skeptical. “That sounds far-fetched.”

He shook his head. “It may sound mystical, but it’s the truth. Only one can use the disk because of its secret. A thousand years ago, only a true disciple could use it. Later, the school’s head vanished in some ancient tomb, and the artifact was lost.”

“Only one person every hundred years can use it—because once the disk is activated with the Dragon-Seeking Incantation, it will recognize only its master for a century. Even if that person dies, no one else can use it within that time. That’s why there is only one head of the Dragon-Seeking Celestial Masters every hundred years.”

Li Kun and I exchanged glances. I turned to look at the old man, who watched me with nervous hope.

I took a deep breath, looked down at the disk in my hand, and recited softly, “To seek the dragon’s lair, know the yin and yang; with heaven and earth, set the mountains; with five elements and six harmonies, gather power in hand; with nine palaces and eight trigrams, determine the universe—open!”

As the final word fell, I tapped the center of the disk with my finger. The Dragon-Seeking Disk trembled lightly, then spun rapidly.

Within seconds, the pointer stopped at the eastern direction, pointing to the Kun position.

At that, the old man, Li Kun, and I all looked east—but all we saw was a solid wall. Realizing this, I grabbed the disk and dashed outside.