Chapter 12: Identifying Dragon's Breath

Cheng Xiangru felt a surge of excitement upon hearing news about his father’s whereabouts; even the fist hidden behind his back trembled slightly, beyond his control. He never expected that Boss Zhou, who had remained calm and composed until now, would react even more intensely than he did upon receiving this information.

“Uncle Zhou,” Cheng Xiangru called out with some concern.

Boss Zhou stood up, stomped his foot, and sighed deeply. “Alas! If only we had arrived yesterday, we might still have had a chance to intercept Zhifeng. But now they’ve already entered the mountains. It even snowed during the day, which must have covered their tire tracks. After another night, there won’t be any traces left. Finding them in these vast mountains will be like climbing to the heavens!”

Chen Shangke chuckled softly. “We can basically confirm now that their purpose for entering the mountains is tomb robbing. No matter how vast this mountainous area is, there can’t be too many ancient tombs. Boss Zhou, as you said, as long as I find the ancient tomb, I’m sure we’ll find them!”

Cheng Xiangru’s worry deepened. “Should we start checking the county records? What if by the time we find a clue, they’ve already finished robbing the tombs and left?”

Chen Shangke waved his hand dismissively. “No need for that! Just wait and see.”

Without another word, he got up and left the room without even closing the door, leaving them puzzled about what he was up to.

Cheng Xiangru urged anxiously, “Uncle Zhou, maybe we should just wait in the town. After robbing the tombs, my dad and the others might come back this way.”

Boss Zhou lowered his head, deep in thought, then shook it decisively. “No! We’ve finally found a lead; we can’t just wait passively. Your father is very cautious. Pretending to be a geological survey team in this season is too risky—they’d be exposed immediately. I think after they succeed, they’ll bypass this place entirely and won’t return.”

In the icy snow season of the Northeast, venturing into deep mountains to conduct geological surveys through thick layers of ice and snow is a life-threatening endeavor—only fools could be fooled by such a ruse.

Not long after, Chen Shangke returned cheerfully carrying a laptop bag. He closed the door behind him, set his laptop on the table, and opened the screen.

Before Cheng Xiangru could grasp what Chen Shangke was doing, a three-dimensional map appeared on the computer screen. It zoomed in repeatedly, revealing the terrain of their current area.

The map displayed verdant mountain ranges crisscrossing and winding in majestic complexity.

At a glance, Cheng Xiangru’s eyes widened. Many details from the “Feng Shui Scroll” flooded his mind, shocking him so deeply that he momentarily forgot to breathe.

The “Feng Shui Scroll” had quoted an obscure phrase: “When frost descends and waters dry, the traces vanish; in spring and summer, when waters rise, the dragon’s spine emerges.”

Cheng Xiangru had never understood this before, but upon seeing the map, everything became clear.

The mountain ridges, seen from above, resembled dragon spines. And true dragons always dwell where there is water.

In this bitter cold, with thick ice and snow blanketing the land, all rivers, big or small, would be frozen solid. Tomb robbing in this season—not only finding ancient tombs but even breaking through the ice to penetrate them—would be nearly impossible.

So, not only would geological survey teams avoid the mountains now, but tomb robbers would have no reason to venture in either.

Unless, of course, there was an unavoidable reason forcing them into the mountains.

But what could that possibly be?

Suddenly, the words of the girl in black echoed faintly in Cheng Xiangru’s mind, sending a cold sweat down his spine.

Could it be that everything was a lie? A setup by Boss Zhou?

Cheng Xiangru turned to look at Boss Zhou but saw him furrowing his brow, completely focused on the computer screen. He showed no sign of acting or deceit.

Moreover, Cheng Xiangru could find no reason why Boss Zhou would deceive him about this.

Seated at the table, Chen Shangke grinned and manipulated the mouse to pan the map, mumbling mysteriously, “It is said: Mount Sumeru is the bone of the earth and sky, the central pillar of the world like a colossal being. Like a person’s spine and neck beam, limbs sprout like dragons…”

Boss Zhou, growing impatient, snapped, “Speak plainly!”

Chen Shangke awkwardly scratched his face. “Boss Zhou, Xiao Cheng, I’m worried you don’t understand the dragon vein and acupoint seeking in Feng Shui, so let me give you a brief introduction. In our country, all dragon veins originate from the ancestral Kunlun Mountains. From Kunlun extend three dragons:…”

Boss Zhou interrupted, clearly annoyed, “Get to the point!”

Chen Shangke, probably still tipsy, rambled on cryptically without ever hitting the key point.

“Fine, I’ll make it simple. Our current location sits on a branch of the northern dragon’s spine, the Changbai Mountain range. See these mountains? They’re like little dragons spawned from the northern dragon. But among these dragons, some are naturally flawed, some evil, some mere serpents posing as dragons. True dragons are rare. From my observation…”

He traced a line on the screen with his finger. “This mountain ridge should be a true dragon. That means the ancient tomb Feng Ye and the others are seeking must be somewhere along this line!”

Boss Zhou glared at Chen Shangke, trying to control his temper. After a long sigh, he said, “Enough! Shangke, you’ve had too much to drink. Go rest now; we’ll talk tomorrow.”

Chen Shangke stiffened his neck defiantly. “I haven’t drunk much. This little wine is nothing! Believe me, the tomb they’re after is definitely on this line. No doubt about it!”

Boss Zhou’s anger seemed genuine. “Shangke, look closely. That line stretches at least seventy or eighty kilometers! Without an exact location, we could freeze to death in these mountains and still not find it!”

“Exact location…” Chen Shangke rubbed his temples silently, staring intently at the screen. At times he frowned, sometimes shook his head, and occasionally pretended to calculate with his fingers.

Cheng Xiangru could no longer hold back. “Uncle Zhou, I think pinpointing the tomb’s location along this line isn’t difficult.”

Boss Zhou and Chen Shangke turned in surprise.

Cheng Xiangru fixed his gaze on the map, his expression serious. “Dividing the land and marking the acupoints distinguishes the dragon’s qi; its inhalation and exhalation form yin and yang energies. Where the dragon’s breath passes, evil is repelled, making it suitable for building cities and flourishing settlements. The true dragon’s qi gathers in its lungs, shading descendants with the dragon’s lair’s traces. At the dragon’s head, where the wind is observed, one ascends straight to the heavens.”

Boss Zhou and Chen Shangke were dumbfounded, their eyes wide as saucers.

Cheng Xiangru studied the map intently, then pointed at a spot. “I don’t know how to tell a true dragon from a fake, but if Chen Ge is right, this dragon should be a true one facing southward. This position ought to be the dragon’s head, the best place for an emperor to choose a tomb. Here, the ridge is high and level, surrounded on three sides by water—an ideal spot covered by the dragon’s breath, perfect for building cities and living. I suspect there’s an ancient city here. Once we find the dragon’s breath area, we follow the dragon’s spine down to the first claw; within this area, we can locate the dragon’s lungs—a prime place to conceal wind and gather qi, very suitable for tombs. However, to pinpoint the exact spot, we’ll need a compass, and I’m not skilled at that yet… Uh, Uncle Zhou, Chen Ge, what’s wrong with you two?”

The two men beside him were utterly stunned, their expressions changed completely, their mouths agape, speechless for a long time.