In Xinghua Alley, there is a well known as the Iron Lock Well. An iron chain, as thick as a young man's arm, has hung down into the well for years. No one knows when this well with its iron lock was created or who made this strange and seemingly pointless arrangement. Even the oldest residents of the town cannot tell its origin, nor can they recount its history accurately.
It is said that a curious individual from the town once tried to test just how long the iron chain really was. Ignoring the warnings of the elders about an old tradition—"Anyone who pulls the iron chain out of the well will shorten their lifespan by one year for every foot they pull"—the person didn't take it seriously. After pulling with all their might for a while, they pulled out a massive length of chain, yet there was still no end in sight. Exhausted, the person left the chain lying around the well, saying they would return the next day to continue the task. That night, the individual died in bed, blood streaming from all seven openings of their body, and despite the efforts of their family to close their eyes, the corpse remained unblinking. Eventually, an elderly resident, who had lived near the well for generations, instructed the family to bring the body to the well. They watched as the old man placed the chain back into the well, and as the last piece sank into the water, the corpse's eyes finally closed.
A young child walked slowly towards the Iron Lock Well with an old man. The child, still carrying two streams of snot from their nose, began speaking clearly and methodically, far beyond the level expected from a child who had only been studying for half a year. The child looked up at the storyteller, whose large white bowl was held in one hand, and said, "I've finished my story. Now, it's your turn to show me what's in your bowl."
The old man smiled. "Don't rush. When we sit by the well, I'll show you everything."
The child warned, "Don't go back on your word, or you'll die a terrible death! If you do, you'll fall into the well the moment you get near it, and I won't be there to fish you out. Or, maybe a lightning strike will turn you into charcoal, and I'll break your body into pieces with a stone…"
Hearing the child's barrage of curses, the old man felt a headache coming on and quickly replied, "I'll show you, I will. But who did you learn all that from?"
The child said firmly, "I learned it from my mom!"
The old man sighed. "Truly a talented person, born in a place blessed with fine spirits."
Suddenly, the child stopped and frowned. "Isn't that an insult? I know some people like to twist good words into bad ones, like Song Jixin!"
The old man immediately denied it and changed the subject. "So, strange things often happen in this town?"
The child nodded.
The old man asked, "Tell me about them."
The child pointed at the old man, speaking seriously. "Like you, walking around with that big white bowl but refusing to let anyone put coins in it. Before you finished your story, my mom said you weren't bad at telling tales, but it sounded all foggy and confusing, like someone who's used to scamming people. So, she told me to give you some coins, but you wouldn't accept them. What's really in that bowl?"
The old man was both amused and exasperated.
Earlier, this child had led the storyteller to the well in Xinghua Alley. The child had initially been reluctant, but the old man mentioned that the large white bowl held something precious, so the child, who was naturally curious and energetic, quickly agreed to come along. The child's parents had described him as someone who had forgotten to grow a bottom when he was born, and although he liked to wander around with mischief-makers like Liu Xianyang, he would patiently wait for hours under the sun to catch a fish, a level of patience that surprised even the adults.
So, when the old man mentioned the white bowl, the child was hooked.
Even when the old man made an odd request, asking to test whether the child could lift it and see if it was forty pounds, the child agreed without hesitation. Lifting something a few times couldn't possibly hurt, right?
But the child rolled his eyes multiple times as the old man struggled to lift him with the bowl. Despite the old man's best efforts, he couldn't lift the child even once. Eventually, the child, with a glance at the old man's thin arms and legs, shook his head and thought to himself, "Even Chen Ping'an, that poor guy, has more strength than this old man." But since he hadn't seen what was inside the bowl yet, the child kept his comments to himself. In the neighborhood, this child was known for his sharp tongue and sarcastic remarks. He was a master at arguing, second only to the scholar Song Jixin, with his mother being the uncontested queen of sharp words.
When they arrived at the well, the old man didn't sit on the edge, as one might expect.
The well, built from blue bricks, seemed to hold some kind of weight in the air.
The child, having no such concerns, jumped onto the edge of the well and sat there, facing away from the well's mouth.
Seeing this, the old man broke into a cold sweat. If the child fell, retrieving the body from this ancient well would be nearly impossible.
The old man took a few slow steps forward, squinting and examining the iron chain that was tied in a knot at the bottom of the well's wheel.
"A place of good fortune, second to none in this world," the old man murmured as he looked around. He thought, I wonder who will end up with this important treasure?
The old man extended his left hand, staring at his palm.
The lines of his palm were intricate and faded. But now, a new line was slowly appearing, extending like a crack in porcelain.
A divine figure would look at the palm as if observing mountains and rivers.
But the old man, at this moment, was only looking at himself.
He furrowed his brow, muttering, "Just half a day, and things have already gotten so bad. What about those others?"
The child, still sitting on the well's edge, impatiently pointed at the old man and said, "Are you going to show me what's in the bowl or not?"
The old man, with no choice but to comply, said, "Hurry up and come down. I'll show you the bowl."
The child, suspicious but still curious, climbed down the well.
The old man hesitated for a moment, his face growing serious. "Little one, we have a connection. I'll show you the mystery of this bowl, but after you see it, you must never tell anyone about it, not even your mother. If you can do that, I'll show you everything. If you can't, I won't show you a thing, no matter how hard you beg."
The child blinked and said, "Go ahead."
The old man took a solemn step towards the well, lowering his head. The child had moved to sit on the edge, legs spread apart, making the old man regret getting involved with such a mischievous child.
The old man cleared his thoughts, faced the well, and gripped the bottom of the white bowl with five fingers. Slowly, he tilted it, the movement so slight it was nearly imperceptible.
The child waited impatiently, but the bowl remained still, and the old man held his position.
Just when the child was about to lose patience, a stream of water, as thick as a finger, began pouring from the white bowl, silently falling into the deep well.
The child bared his teeth, about to yell, but then he suddenly fell silent, staring at the well with wide eyes.
Soon, his face changed from shock to confusion, and then to fear. Without thinking, the child jumped down into the well and rushed home.
It turned out that the water pouring out of the white bowl was far more than a large water jar's worth, but the bowl never stopped releasing water.
The child was convinced he had just seen a ghost.
Until he walked out of the Lu family mansion, Lu Zhengchun's mind remained a blank.
Afterward, Lu Zhengchun began to feel a deep sense of fear. When strangers of high status asked him questions, his voice would tremble, and when leading the way, his steps would falter. He knew that in this state, he would be ridiculed, disappoint his grandfather, and bring shame to the family. Yet, the young man could not control his fear, as if coldness was seeping out of his very bones.
Last year, around the end of the year, his grandfather took their brothers into a secret room and told them some news: the Lu family would soon be doing a great service for some influential figures, a tremendous opportunity that could lead to unimaginable rewards. They had to handle it with caution. If they succeeded, the Lu family would turn the reward into a stepping stone for cultivating the two brothers. As long as those influential figures gave a nod, their paths would open to a bright future, and they would achieve great wealth and status. That was when he realized why he and his younger brother had been learning so many strange and obscure dialects from such a young age.
Lu Zhengchun looked at Liu Yangxian, who was drawing closer to the corridor bridge. Suddenly, he felt an intense hatred for this person. This was the same pauper whom he had once trapped in an alley with his men, a mangy dog lying on the ground. If it weren't for some brat shouting "dead man" at the alley's entrance, he and his gang would have already, as agreed, started undressing to humiliate the insolent young man. Lu Zhengchun still didn't understand why these high-status individuals held Liu Yangxian in such regard. As for the talk about the "treasure armor," "sword scripture," "Zhengyang Mountain," "Longevity Path," and the so-called "competing for opportunities and luck," Lu Zhengchun thought he understood, but in reality, he didn't.
However, Lu Zhengchun was sure of one thing: he desperately wanted Liu Yangxian to die here.
As for the true reason, Lu Zhengchun dared not admit it, nor did he want to dwell on it.
Deep inside, Lu Zhengchun absolutely could not stand the thought of the lowly Liu Yangxian, who was like a dog, ever seeing him, the well-off young master of the Lu family, brought to the same level as him.
There was no greater humiliation than this.
The beautiful woman looked at the figure approaching the corridor bridge and muttered, "He's here."
The tall youth came forward, his punches growing more rapid with each step, so much so that his form was beginning to stumble, as his strikes were sweeping him along.
In the eyes of experts, the developing intent behind his punches revealed an early sign of a perfect blend of hard and soft.
In martial arts, there is a saying: "Without understanding the true meaning of the fist, one will remain an outsider for a hundred years. Once the true meaning is realized, one can defeat even gods in ten years."
The beautiful woman sighed in relief, confirming that this young man, Liu Yangxian, was indeed the one they were searching for. His talent was remarkable, and even within their immortal estates, his potential was not to be underestimated.
Of course, in the vast world of the beautiful woman and the burly, white-haired elder, the majority were exactly like him.
The beautiful woman stood up and instructed Lu Zhengchun, who was at the bottom of the stairs, "Go and ask that young man what he wants in exchange for the armor and books, our family heirlooms."
As Lu Zhengchun turned around, he bowed low, answering in a dialect unfamiliar to the townspeople, "Yes, Madam."
The woman replied calmly, "Remember, when you speak to that young man, be polite and mindful of your manner."
The boy extended his finger, looking down from above with a fierce tone, "If you ruin this, I'll skin you alive, pull your tendons out, and turn your soul into a lamp wick. You'll suffer every second until your light goes out!"
Lu Zhengchun shivered and bent over further, terrified, "I will not fail, I swear!"
The little girl, feeling a sense of victory, sneered, "In front of these commoners, you're full of authority. I wonder who it was that was called a bastard on the way here by their own comrades but didn't dare to retort."
The burly elder, who had a very low opinion of the snobbish mother and son, added, "Miss is mistaken. It wasn't that he didn't dare to retort; it's that he didn't dare to speak."
The boy in the bright red robe gritted his teeth, glaring fiercely at the girl, his face sinister, but in the end, he smiled instead, and the smile was radiant.
The woman, however, continued to focus on the road ahead, her expression as calm as ever. Whether she felt any resentment, who could say?
The little girl snorted coldly, running down the steps and squatting by the creek, looking at the fish swimming in the water.
Occasionally, schools of carp would swim past her view, varying in number and color, red and blue.
Some of the older townsfolk often chatted under the old locust tree and would tell tales of how, during thunderstorms, they had seen a golden carp swim out from beneath the bridge.
But some claimed the golden-scaled carp was small, only as long as a hand. Others said it was huge, at least half the length of a person, and looked almost like it had reached a spiritual level.
There was much debate among the old men, and the children who listened didn't take it seriously.
At this moment, the little girl gazed intently at the clear creek, resting her chin in her hands.
The white-haired elder sat beside her, laughing softly, "Miss, if the Lu family didn't lie, this great opportunity has already slipped into someone else's hands."
The little girl turned her head and grinned, "Grandfather Yuan, maybe there are two!"
She then showed her mischievous smile, missing a tooth.
The little girl quickly realized what she had done and covered her mouth.
The elder held back a smile and explained, "Young dragons, those who have yet to venture out to the river, are very territorial. They won't allow others of their kind nearby. So…"
The little girl nodded and muttered, "What if there are two?"
The elder, for the first time, showed a serious expression, gently pressing down on the girl's head. He spoke with a deep tone, "Miss, remember this: the phrase 'what if' is our greatest enemy. We must never hold onto false hope. Even though you are a precious child…"
The little girl pulled one hand out to wave it around, complaining in a playful manner, "I know, I know, Grandfather Yuan! My ears are going to get calluses from hearing it!"
The elder nodded and said, "I'll go keep an eye on the situation over there. Although they're our allies from Zhengyang Mountain, the character and behavior of that family… well, let's not mention it. We don't want to spoil your mood."
She waved her hand dismissively.
The elder had no choice but to leave.
The man who seemed like a servant, the burly elder, walked with his knees slightly bent, as though burdened.
The girl by the creek suddenly rubbed her eyes vigorously.
She noticed the water level in the creek was slowly rising, visibly so!
If this were outside the town, say, in Zhengyang Mountain or anywhere else, she wouldn't have been the least bit surprised, even if the entire creek had dried up in an instant.
Confused, the little girl murmured, "Didn't they say that this place naturally blocks all mystical arts, divine powers, and Taoist techniques? And the higher one's cultivation, the stronger the backlash? Grandfather Yuan has mentioned that even the legendary person would find it hard to survive here for long. It's very difficult to prevent anyone from competing for opportunities…"
She shook her head, not wanting to dwell on the puzzle.
The little girl turned her gaze toward the elder's towering back.
She thought with joy that once the ban was fully lifted, she'd ask Grandfather Yuan to take the mountain named Piyun Mountain back home and turn it into her little flower garden.