Volume Two – The General’s Tomb Chapter Twenty-Five – Near the Dragon Vein

Hearing the old man speak, my earlier tension finally eased. If he had kept pressing about our identities, we might have slipped up, but thankfully he steered the conversation away. I was about to chat further with him when the curtain in the inner room was drawn and a girl’s voice floated out: “Grandpa, I’m ready. We can leave anytime.”

We turned in the direction of the voice and saw the delicate girl from before, now changed into a different outfit. Her jet-black hair was neatly pinned up and tucked into her hat, with just a few strands peeking out over her forehead, while a white wool cap rested atop her head.

Though dressed warmly for winter, her pale pink cotton jacket still accentuated her graceful figure. A white fox fur scarf was wrapped around her fair neck, and she wore a pair of leather gloves, holding a hunting rifle as she looked at us.

She smiled gently, revealing two dimples, and both Li Kun and I were momentarily stunned—who would have thought she could look so lovely in such winter attire?

The old man nodded and said, “Alright, take them up the mountain now. Remember to check the traps we set the day before and see if there’s anything caught.”

The girl nodded, then turned to us and said, “Let’s go, then.”

Li Kun and I stood, nodded to her, and I said to the old man, “We’ll go up the mountain first, and come back to visit you afterward.” The old man waved us off, and the three of us stepped outside.

Once outside, I suggested to the girl, “Let’s drive up. If the road gets rough, we can walk the rest of the way.”

She shook her head, replying, “Let’s not drive. The mountain roads are tricky, and even if you drove, you wouldn’t get far. I usually walk up the mountain. Just leave the car here.”

I nodded and asked, “How should we address you?”

She smiled and said, “Just call me Miao. That’s what everyone here calls me. Oh, and I won’t be able to accompany you too far. If you want to go deeper later, I’ll show you the way—you can explore on your own.”

I nodded, thinking to myself that this suited me well; otherwise, her presence would make things inconvenient.

With that, we began walking behind her, following her lead.

Miao was pleasant and friendly, greeting everyone she passed in the village. Each villager, in turn, smiled and warned her to be careful on the mountain. Clearly, her family was well-liked here.

It wasn’t long before we arrived at the foot of the mountain. Though it wasn’t very tall—perhaps forty or fifty meters high—the moment we reached the base, we heard birds calling from within, interspersed with other animal sounds. It seemed the wildlife here was indeed abundant.

Miao turned and said, “This mountain is full of traps. Just follow me—some are several meters deep and meant for larger animals. We must be careful.”

I nodded. Li Kun walked beside her, asking, “Miao, what does your family usually eat? Do you have wild game every day?”

Miao shook her head, “Not really. Though we make our living hunting, we also grow plenty of vegetables. We rarely eat wild game from the mountain.”

Li Kun, puzzled, said, “But wouldn’t it be a waste not to eat what you catch?”

I interjected, “Not everyone eats like you. Since Miao’s family hunts for a living, the game is sold to buy things they need. All you think about is food.”

Li Kun shot me a look, “Old Liu, you’re always mocking me. If I lived in the mountains, I’d eat wild game every day. Just imagining it makes my mouth water.”

Miao laughed, “Brother Li, I didn’t expect you to be so fond of wild game. Alright, if I catch a wild rabbit later, we’ll roast it to satisfy your craving.”

Li Kun’s face lit up, “Oh, Miao, you’re a real lifesaver!”

Miao smiled, “You’re exaggerating, Brother Li. Actually, I planned to hunt something today for roasting anyway.” She patted the small cloth pouch slung at her waist. “It’s full of spices.”

I nodded in approval, “Miao’s roast game will surely be better than ours. Old Li, we’ll just wait for her to treat us.”

Li Kun nodded, “Absolutely. Miao looks so clever and capable—I’m already hungry just thinking about it.”

I glanced at Li Kun, thinking to myself that it was no wonder he managed to win Tian Tian’s laughter the first time they met. He certainly knew how to charm women.

The three of us followed the narrow path for about ten minutes, when Miao looked to the right and said, “Be quiet, follow me.”

I nodded to Li Kun, whispering, “She must have spotted some game.”

Li Kun nodded, “Probably. Old Liu, we’re both ex-military, with dozens of missions under our belts. Surely we don’t need a young lady to protect us. You might have thick skin, but I don’t.”

I slapped him lightly, “Just bear with it. Our gear’s in the car, and though we have rifles—automatic ones, no less—you wouldn’t dare use them here.”

He nodded, “True.”

I said, “So don’t think about it. Let’s follow Miao, familiarize ourselves with the area, and then I’ll use the Dragon-Seeking Compass to locate the general’s tomb.”

Li Kun nodded, “Alright, you’re right.”

I said, “Enough complaining. Let’s hurry over—don’t let anything dangerous happen.” With that, we hurried after Miao.

After a few steps, we found Miao peering ahead from behind a large tree. Li Kun and I crouched beside her and I asked, “Miao, did you spot something?”

She nodded, “A deer. Look.”

Following her pointing finger, we saw, not far ahead, a deer shaking its head and scanning its surroundings. It looked quite young, only a few months old.

We all looked it over, and Miao shook her head, “Forget it, it’s too small—not much meat, probably only a few months old.”

We nodded. She was right; it was too small, hardly enough for a meal, and wouldn’t fetch much if sold.

Miao said, “Alright, let’s keep moving and see if we find anything else.”

Soon, we reached the summit of the mountain. The view up here was open, unobstructed by trees. Yet the hill was still low, so we couldn’t see what lay ahead.

I turned to Miao and asked, “Is there anything special about the mountain beyond?”

Miao nodded, “Beyond that mountain, it’s no longer safe.”

Li Kun asked, puzzled, “Oh? Why not?”

Miao explained, “Past the mountain is wolf territory. If you go deeper, you might be attacked by wolves. And it’s not just wolves—there are bears too.”

Hearing this, Li Kun and I exchanged glances. Clearly, venturing beyond was dangerous. It seemed only the surrounding hills were safe, and the wolf packs knew this was human territory, which kept them at bay.

I suspected that the general’s tomb would lie within those mountain ranges, and my guess was not without reason.

First-rate geomancers look to the stars, second-rate to water sources, third-rate follow the mountain contours. Now, in broad daylight, star-gazing isn’t possible; so I could only judge the tomb’s location by the mountains’ shape and the flow of water.

But there were no water sources on either side of this mountain, making it impossible to study the geography for clues to the tomb’s location. And since this hill was so low, we couldn’t take in the full lay of the land, making it hard to estimate where the tomb might be.

Even so, observing the surrounding peaks allowed me to roughly guess the tomb’s structural pattern.

According to the “Twenty-Four Mountain Feng Shui Techniques,” there was a type of top-tier tomb encircled by mountains, known as the Near Dragon Vein.

The Near Dragon Vein was a kind of dragon vein, but not a true one—only possessing some of its qualities.

Moreover, the Near Dragon Vein was not naturally formed, but artificially constructed, with the prerequisite that it be built in a prime location surrounded by mountains, without damaging the Feng Shui layout.

Under these exceptional conditions, partial modifications would shift the flow of energy, drawing dragon energy into the tomb—thus creating a Near Dragon Vein.

Such a tomb wasn’t grand enough for an emperor, but it was suitable for a regional warlord or high-ranking official.

Thinking this, I signaled to Li Kun to distract Miao.

He nodded and went over to start a conversation with her.

Meanwhile, I stepped back a few paces, took out the Dragon-Seeking Compass from my pocket, and held it in my palm, murmuring, “Seeking the tomb, finding the dragon, dividing yin and yang; two forms, four images, shape a thousand mountains; five phases, six harmonies, gathered in hand; nine palaces, eight trigrams, set the universe. Combine!” With that, I tapped the center of the compass, and its needle began to spin.

I watched the compass closely, and, as I expected, the direction it indicated was indeed on the far side of the tall mountain.