After dinner, Chu Qianli and Tan Muxing returned to Grandpa’s room. She crawled under the table, rummaging through everything, and somehow dragged out a hand warmer. She also found talismans, banners, and other items, scattering them messily across the floor.
Chu Qianli suddenly jumped up. She patted her clothes and pondered, “It feels like something is still missing?”
Tan Muxing stared blankly at the countless Taoist items. “What are you trying to do?”
“Praying for rain by dancing and chanting?” Chu Qianli scratched her head as she paced around the room. Suddenly, she had an epiphany. “Oh right, I don’t even have a performance costume yet!”
Tan Muxing looked at her in surprise. “You can pray for rain?”
“Not yet,” she replied.
“Then you’re…”
“Don’t rush, don’t panic. Just let me cram for this, like preparing for a last-minute exam.” Chu Qianli’s gaze wandered across the bookshelf as she hesitated. “I remember there was a book called The Jade Script of the Divine Celestial Altar. Where did I put it… Forget it, I’ll just look it up online.”
After saying this, Chu Qianli grabbed her phone and began searching for rain-praying chants online, learning the process on the spot.
Tan Muxing walked over and looked at the screen filled with classical Chinese texts. Confused, he asked, “What is this?”
“The Five Thunders Method, a chant used for praying for rain.”
“You can just find this kind of thing online?” Tan Muxing was shocked. “Doesn’t that mean anyone can access it? Wouldn’t that be dangerous?”
“Textbooks are full of knowledge too, yet not everyone ends up in Tsinghua or Peking University.”
“…”
Tan Muxing was now skeptical. He wasn’t sure if she could truly summon rain, feeling like his perception of the world was being challenged. However, Chu Qianli’s next move firmly grounded his beliefs.
“Yuqing starts with Qing, the true talisman unites in harmony, and moves forth…” Chu Qianli recited softly, then hesitated. “What’s this character? I forgot how to pronounce it.”
Faced with his classmate, who couldn’t even read the chant fluently, Tan Muxing was exasperated. “I just remembered—we haven’t done any homework since we got back to the village.”
“That’s not the primary issue right now!”
“But I think this character appears in our Chinese homework…”
The two of them pulled out their summer homework and used the classical Chinese reading section to fill in the gaps in their knowledge.
The next day, Wang Ping drove a car carrying Chu Qianli and Tan Muxing to the mining site. Standing not far from the commotion, they watched the scene. Amidst the chaos of rocks and machinery, two groups were in a heated confrontation—one led by Hu Yongjin, the other by the village head, Old Li.
Wang Ping got out of the car first, instructing the two of them, “Don’t wander off. I’ll go check the situation.”
Chu Qianli glanced at the time and nodded obediently. “Okay, there’s still time—I haven’t even changed into my costume yet.”
Tan Muxing looked at Chu Qianli, who was still in her regular clothes. “You brought a costume?”
“Of course, a performance costume.” Chu Qianli waved the bag in her hand. “And that thing you mentioned? It’s a hand warmer.”
At the mining site, Village Head Old Li had been trying since the morning to stop Hu Yongjin and his crew from working, but they refused and kept stalling.
Relying on the fact that they were on home turf, Hu Yongjin argued aggressively, “This is our village’s mountain, and we have a mining permit. Why are you meddling? Just mind your own business!”
Old Li pleaded earnestly, “This mountain may be in your village, but mining it isn’t just your business. If you dig it out, our village will also be affected…”
“How does this affect you? It’s got nothing to do with you!”
“Yongjin, I’ve heard from Old He and the others that your other mountain’s been mined out. That’s why you’re targeting Yinlong Mountain now, isn’t it? But haven’t you only been mining for less than two years? Something doesn’t add up about your mining volume.”
Hu Yongjin was startled and quickly retorted, “What do you mean something doesn’t add up? We’ve got so many people on-site. Do you think your eyes are better than our equipment? Stop stirring up trouble!”
He tried to shove and drive Old Li away, but the village head was prepared.
Old Li wasn’t alone today. He had brought others from Yinlong Village, and for once, he wasn’t backing down. “Hu Yongjin, don’t take my courtesy for granted. I may usually act as the village director, but don’t forget I’m also the village head!”
“If it comes to it, we’ll abandon advanced civilization. I’ve never heard of anyone daring to mine our village’s mountain!” With a fierce glare, Old Li waved his thin arm, signaling for his people to step forward. They moved in unison, creating an intimidating presence.
Hu Yongjin panicked. “Old Li, what are you trying to do?”
“The director tried reasoning with you, and you didn’t listen. So now I’m handling this as the village head!”
The two groups from Yinlong Village and the mining site were ready to clash, and even the excavator operators were too scared to continue working.
Nearby, under a sunshade tent, some bystanders had been watching the drama unfold, hoping Hu Yongjin could handle the dispute alone. Realizing the situation was escalating, one man hurried over to mediate. “Hey, hey, what’s going on here? No fighting, no causing trouble, or I’ll call the police!”
Old Li scrutinized the sharply dressed young man who had been under the tent. With a peculiar expression, he asked, “And you are?”
The young man, who had been sitting under the tent sipping tea and scrolling on his phone, now reluctantly pulled out his credentials to prove his identity.
He was dressed in a short-sleeved shirt and slacks, wearing black leather shoes. After adjusting his collar, he said amicably, “My name is Kong Shuohua. I was sent here to supervise the site. Here are my credentials.”
After reading the credentials, Old Li froze. Kong Shuohua turned out to be a minor official, different from Hu Yongjin and his group. Though his position wasn’t significant in the capital, he was considered a notable figure in the local area.
Kong Shuohua said, “What’s all this about? The mining site isn’t a place for disputes.”
Old Li, being only a locally elected village director, was technically a level lower than Kong Shuohua. He explained, “Yinlong Mountain shouldn’t be mined so casually. It was originally part of our village…”
Kong Shuohua replied firmly, “We’re not mining casually. Everything’s being done according to proper procedures. From what I remember, this area isn’t part of your village, right?”
“But it’s impossible to divide Yinlong Mountain cleanly with a single line. Development requires cooperation between the two villages. If they dig everything up, what happens to us?”
“That’s not easy to resolve. It’s not just a matter for the two villages—it probably involves the two provinces as well…” Kong Shuohua chuckled. “How about this? Let them mine for now, and you can take this up with your provincial leaders. If the two provinces can come to an agreement, then we’ll talk. But we can’t just sit around and wait, can we?”
“What’s from your province, take it to your provincial authorities. What’s from our province, we’ll handle it ourselves. That way, no one delays anyone else.”
The village head, Old Li, exclaimed in shock, “Aren’t you just passing the buck?!”
Kong Shuohua replied calmly, “I can’t handle this matter; we need to follow the proper procedures.”
The village head retorted angrily, “Your villages have been overmining…”
Kong Shuohua dug into his ear casually and said, “Oh, really? If you have evidence, go ahead and file a report. Let’s follow the process. I’d like to see what kind of result you can get.”
Kong Shuohua was certain these villagers wouldn’t manage such a thing. First, they’d have to gather evidence and report it to their province. By the time it trickled down to his province, who knows how long it would take? Besides, the villagers had low levels of education; they probably didn’t even know how to navigate the process.
Village head Old Li was furious. Hu Yongjin might be a reckless troublemaker, but Kong Shuohua was a cunning one, and the latter was far more infuriating.
Kong Shuohua instructed Old Li and his people to bring proper documents and once again ordered the work at the site to continue. He even sternly warned the villagers gathered there not to stir up trouble, or they’d risk being detained at the police station.
Wang Ping returned after hearing the news and relayed it to the two, venting her frustration, “That’s why I can’t stand government officials; hardly any of them are decent people!”
Chu Qianli, looking down at her phone, remarked, “Come on, that’s a bit extreme. Let me look up how to file a report. Who says we don’t know how to use the internet?”
“The director has already reported to the provincial authorities, and someone will come to investigate in a couple of days. But in the meantime, we can’t just let them keep mining, can we?”
“No problem. We’ll scare them into stopping for a few days, and then we’ll have enough time to wait for the provincial investigation team. After that, we can head back to Beijing!”
Noticing the time, Chu Qianli quickly pulled out a raincoat and handed it to Wang Ping. Then, bustling with activity, she said, “It’s time, it’s time. We need to go perform. Pingping, don’t get wet!”
Wang Ping, dressed in a breezy short-sleeved shirt, frowned and asked, “Why are you bringing a raincoat? The weather forecast said there’s no rain today.”
“You trust the weather forecast? You might as well trust me—they’re both full of nonsense anyway.”
“…”
Tan Muxing, holding an umbrella in one hand and a hand warmer in the other, glanced at Chu Qianli, now wearing a Taoist robe. Hesitantly, he asked, “Are we just walking in like this?”
Chu Qianli, brimming with excitement, shouted, “Let’s go, let’s go!”
At the mining site, the excavator started moving, inciting the anger of the people from Yinlong Village.
The village head rushed over, shouting anxiously, “Stop! You can’t dig!”
Kong Shuohua quickly stepped forward to block him, trying to calm him down. “Sir, you can’t be running around a mining site like this. If anything happens, I can’t take responsibility.”
“This is not us causing trouble! You’re the ones pushing us to the brink!”
“That’s unreasonable. I’m just following proper procedures…”
Kong Shuohua held firmly onto the village head, worried he might throw himself in front of the excavator in desperation. Dealing with villagers required a mix of carrot and stick, but stubborn old-timers like this were a headache.
“Young man, you can’t dig up this mountain. If you destroy Yinlong Mountain’s feng shui, you’ll regret it.”
At that moment, a clear female voice cut through the crowd, startling Kong Shuohua.
The villagers of Yinlong silently parted to make way, creating a path for two individuals.
A young girl with a youthful face, dressed in a Taoist robe and holding a colorful ceremonial banner, walked calmly past the crowd. Her serene expression gave her an air of mysticism.
The people of Yinlong Village seemed to recognize her. They greeted her in low voices, their tones reverent and restrained.
Behind her followed a tall young man, awkwardly holding an umbrella and a hand warmer. He looked uneasy in this setting, frequently apologizing as he carefully avoided bumping into others.
Village head Old Li’s eyes lit up as if he’d seen a savior. He called out loudly, “The master is here! The master is here!”
Kong Shuohua, baffled by the situation, pointed at himself in confusion and asked, “Did you just call me a young man?”
He felt the girl’s tone was rather presumptuous. She looked so young, yet she spoke as if she were addressing someone junior to her.
However, the village head’s reaction, as if clinging to a lifeline, made Kong Shuohua feel uneasy.
Irritated, he snapped, “Stop with the superstitious nonsense! There’s no such thing as feng shui or dragon veins in modern China. People haven’t been allowed to believe in that stuff since the founding of the country!”
Chu Qianli, unfazed, began calculating with her fingers and then chuckled, “Kong Shuohua, your parents passed away early, leaving you with no close relatives. You owe your current position to the favor of a benefactor. Your astrological chart shows promising stars, but it’s marred by malevolent influences. If you stay on the straight and narrow, you might achieve modest success in your career. But if you act recklessly, you may face imprisonment…”
“How do you know about my parents…?” Kong Shuohua was stunned, but he quickly recovered, furious. “So, you’ve been digging into my background? That’s a violation of my privacy! I can sue you for this!”
“I don’t need to investigate to know. There is cause and effect in the unseen. Destroying the dragon vein will bring divine retribution. As the person in charge here, you will suffer the ruin of your family, become destitute, and homeless. Others involved won’t escape either…”
Everyone present was taken aback upon hearing this, even Hu Yongjin hesitated, unable to hide his unease.
The villagers were steeped in traditions and beliefs. Hu Yongjin knew about Master Chu from a neighboring village, though he hadn’t taken Chu Qianli seriously last time, only to be dragged out of the village by Tan Muxing. Reflecting on it now, it seemed reasonable that the master would have a bodyguard by her side.
“I’m warning you! You better take responsibility for what you say. I can record you right now! Don’t try to deceive people with that feudal superstition nonsense!” Kong Shuohua was both skeptical and angry. He immediately pulled out his phone, intending to intimidate the Taoist-robed girl who spoke so cryptically.
Chu Qianli remained unfazed by his outburst, her demeanor calm and unruffled. “Light the incense,” she instructed.
Tan Muxing placed the hand warmer in the cleared space within the crowd. He carefully arranged the long incense sticks but, upon checking his pockets, realized he hadn’t brought a lighter. None of the three smoked, so they didn’t even have a lighter.
Fortunately, the villagers of Yinlong were well-versed in these rituals. Familiar with the procedure, one of them immediately took out a lighter, lit the incense, and even helped adjust the position of the hand warmer. They then set up the remaining ceremonial items in order.
As a privileged city boy, Tan Muxing hadn’t expected those around him to be so adept at performing rituals. In a low voice, he said, “Thank you…”
The villagers treated Tan Muxing with utmost politeness, bowing repeatedly in response. “No need for thanks, Master. No need at all.”
Tan Muxing, labeled as a “Master,” felt even more conflicted: “…”
Kong Shuohua glanced at the simple altar and the lit incense. Frowning, he called out to his men, “What is this? Who gave you permission to perform such superstitious rituals here? Get someone to clear this away immediately! No such things are allowed at the excavation site!”
One of his subordinates hesitated for a long time before reluctantly stepping forward. However, before touching the incense burner, they overheard murmurs from the Yinlong villagers.
“Touching that just like that? Your village really has no taboos!”
“Let them touch it, let them. Why stop them? It’s not us who’ll suffer…”
“They just don’t believe in these things. Let’s see what happens!”
Hearing these words, the person hesitated, ultimately making up an excuse to leave, claiming they had a sudden stomachache and needed the restroom.
“Kong Shuohua, you move it yourself!” Kong turned and saw Hu Yongjin had disappeared. Enraged, he decided to take matters into his own hands and tried to kick over the incense burner.
Chu Qianli calmly sidestepped to block his path. In an even tone, she said, “Kong Shuohua, it’s not too late to halt the excavation. Once the incense burns out, torrential rain will come, boulders will fall within three days, and later, there will be landslides around Yinlong Mountain, resulting in casualties…”
“Utter nonsense!” Kong Shuohua furiously kicked over the incense burner. “I’ll snuff this out right now!”
The round incense burner tumbled across the ground, spilling ash everywhere. Yet, the lit incense remained burning, slowly emitting smoke.
The Yinlong villagers, witnessing this, began hurling curses at Kong Shuohua.
Irritated, Kong stomped over and fiercely stamped out the incense. He turned back to the robed girl with a smug expression.
Chu Qianli remained unperturbed. She let out a long sigh. “This mountain was originally named Hidden Dragon Mountain. It was renamed Yinlong to avoid calling out its true name. What you’ve done may have provoked the dragon’s wrath.”
Kong Shuohua sneered, “Keep pretending! Today, I’ll send you to the police station to learn a lesson…”
The next moment, Chu Qianli abruptly raised her ritual banner, waving it in a circle above her head as she chanted loudly:
“Yu Qing begins the green, the true talisman seals the pact, merging two into one, making it real!
Thunder of the Five Directions, quickly convene at Huangning! Transforming mist and roaring thunder! Come at the call and manifest swiftly!”
Kong Shuohua lunged toward Chu Qianli, shouting, “What kind of nonsense—”
Just then, a thunderclap shattered the clear sky, silencing everyone on site.
In no time, a peculiar mist gathered in the sky, forming an immense shape like a coiled dragon hovering above the forest, radiating an overwhelming sense of majesty.
Lightning flashed, thunder roared, and a fierce wind howled. The storm arrived with sudden ferocity, as though directly responding to Chu Qianli’s incantation!
The gale nearly tore the sunshade canopy away, leaving those dressed in summer clothing shivering in the biting wind. Then came a torrential downpour, cascading like a breached dam.
“It’s raining! It’s raining!”
“It was just sunny a moment ago, and there was no forecast for rain…”
“This hurts! Is this even rain!?”
“There’s hail! The dragon is enraged! I remember this happening years ago…”
The excavation site turned chaotic as people scattered to escape the storm. No one dared to gather under the canopies or near the makeshift structures, fearing the rain and wind would destroy everything.
Kong Shuohua and his men were drenched in seconds, reduced to soaking wet figures floundering in the open. They no longer paid any attention to Chu Qianli, who seemed to control the weather.
In the midst of the chaos, Tan Muxing opened an umbrella and shielded Chu Qianli as they left, intending to regroup with Wang Ping.
Chu Qianli, shivering and pulling her robe tight, whimpered, “So cold, so cold! Isn’t it dangerous to use an umbrella with this lightning?”
“But there’s hail, so wearing a raincoat is risky too…” Tan Muxing sighed. “You made way too big a scene.”
“How is this my fault? I only knew it would rain. Heaven didn’t consult me on the details!” she retorted.
The storm, complete with hail, seemed like a dragon’s fury passing through. Just as suddenly as it had come, it dissipated. Moments later, the rain stopped, leaving behind a muddy, ruined site.
The scorching sun reappeared in the sky, and soon the ground began to heat up again, as if the storm had been nothing more than a fleeting dream.
The experienced villagers had fled as soon as Chu Qianli started her ritual, unlike Kong Shuohua, who had been pummeled by hail and left dazed.
Now soaking wet, Kong’s shirt clung uncomfortably to his body, and his once-polished black shoes were caked in mud. Fearfully, he stammered, “Where’s that girl? Where did she go?”
Chu Qianli had already vanished amidst the chaos, and the Yinlong villagers refused to answer.
Like the storm they brought, the young girl and boy had come swiftly and departed just as quickly, leaving behind only a cryptic warning.
Kong Shuohua, a staunch believer in materialism, now found himself rattled. He had supervised the excavation site for a long time and had only seen minor weather changes. Never had he encountered such an intense storm—especially not one so sudden and unnatural!
He knew better than anyone that this kind of weather anomaly was unheard of near Yinlong Mountain.
Hu Yongjin, trembling with fear, stuttered, “… Should we keep digging?”
“Dig! It’s just a coincidence…” Kong Shuohua gritted his teeth, though his voice wavered. “Wait until the ground dries, then continue…”
The next moment, someone ran over in a panic, shouting, “Rocks are falling from the north! Several trees have been knocked down!”
“Shouldn’t we deal with that? Someone might get hurt!”
“Oh no, wasn’t that what the master said? The boulders fell even before three days passed! Her words were too conservative…”
“…Was it because the incense burner was kicked?”
The surrounding murmurs grew anxious, and everyone’s expressions turned grave.
Heavy rain, falling rocks—next would be landslides and casualties. No one wanted to be the unlucky victim.
A chill ran down Kong Shuohua’s spine. Panicking, he shouted, “Shut up! That’s all superstitious nonsense!”
Hu Yongjin, now thoroughly terrified, whispered, “The ground won’t dry soon anyway… Let’s wait another day.”
Kong Shuohua angrily berated Hu Yongjin for his cowardice, though he did not insist on proceeding with the excavation. Despite putting on a brave front, he was shaken to the core and no longer dared to take risks.
The next day, although the moisture at the excavation site had completely evaporated, Kong Shuohua and his team were still unable to resume work.
On the third day, the weather was bright and sunny—an ideal day for work. However, a provincial investigation team and media reporters arrived at the site, quickly surrounding it and halting any chance of restarting operations.
Ordinarily, it would take time for people from outside the village to arrive, but word had spread that the Dragon King of Yinlong Mountain had displayed his wrath. The story, embellished with vivid details about a young Taoist summoning wind and rain, had attracted many curious journalists.
Yinlong Village suddenly became the focus of public attention, drawing the interest of outsiders and indirectly promoting an investigation into the excavation project.
Some members of the media interviewed two students in the village who declined to reveal their names. They promised not to expose their identities and asked only a few simple questions.
A female reporter asked curiously, “Young man, are you aware of the recent heavy rain on Yinlong Mountain? I’ve heard it was caused by a Feng Shui master in your village performing a ritual to summon rain. Is that true?”
Tan Muxing, startled by the question, quickly averted his gaze, unable to respond directly.
Chu Qianli, however, waved her hand calmly. “No, no, of course not. Our village is a progressive, modern village—we never engage in such superstitious practices!”
The female reporter pressed, “But I heard from the neighboring village that it’s true. They even said they saw the master. And no one’s seen that kind of rain here before.”
“That’s just due to a lack of education,” Chu Qianli sighed. “You have to believe in science. Unless someone launches cloud-seeding rockets, how else would it rain?”
The reporter questioned further, “But they said it rained immediately after the ritual. A lot of people can confirm it wasn’t fake.”
Chu Qianli remained composed. “This area is mountainous, so rainfall is very normal. It’s really not a big deal. City folks are just not used to it.”
The reporter argued, “But I’ve been told Yinlong Mountain usually only gets rain without thunder. The neighboring village said they’ve never seen hail before. Isn’t it unscientific for such a thing to happen in summer?”
“Scientific! How is it unscientific?” Chu Qianli declared earnestly. “That’s because it was previously just orographic rainfall, so the precipitation was naturally less intense. Recently, though, there was a combination of orographic rain and convective rain. Convective rain is characterized by localized, intense downpours, often accompanied by thunder and lightning, and it changes rapidly. So, of course, it’s different.”
The reporter was baffled: “?”
Chu Qianli insisted, “Study geography, believe in science, and don’t listen to the nonsense from the neighboring village. Trust what we, as a modern and progressive village, are telling you!”
Tan Muxing, hearing his deskmate completely deny the ritual after performing it, was left utterly speechless: “…”
