Courtyard Check-in: Starting with a Small World of Cultivation

July 25th, 3 PM.

Chen Yu stood outside the gate of Factory 903, carrying a canvas bag containing a three-day leave permit specially approved by Chief Engineer Zhao, and a copy of the "Preliminary Analysis Report on Alloy Defects." A major from the factory's security department personally escorted him out, his expression serious.

"Engineer Chen, thanks to you this time." The major rarely showed a smile. "Although we didn't catch the person, we saved the sample and figured out their tactics. Chief Engineer Zhao has already reported it, and the higher-ups are taking it very seriously."

"It's what I should do," Chen Yu said.

"Be careful even during your leave," the major said in a low voice. "Our men found this outside the west wall yesterday during the pursuit."

He handed over a small cloth bag containing a copper coin. It was of an antique style, with the words "Kaiyuan Tongbao" on the front and a strange symbol engraved on the back—it looked like a flame or a twisted rune.

"We've checked this symbol; it's not a typical mark on an ancient coin," the major said. "It's been sent for professional authentication. Keep it; just in case you see something similar outside, be careful."

Chen Yu took the copper coin. It felt slightly heavy in his hand. When he probed it with his spiritual sense, he could feel a very faint trace of fire elemental energy—it was from the same source as the fire obsidian, but much weaker.

"I'll keep an eye on it."

After leaving Factory 903, Chen Yu didn't go straight back to the city. He found a public phone booth nearby and dialed the number Huang Wenyuan had given him.

The phone rang three times before the other end answered: "Feeding?"

"Mr. Huang, it's me, Chen Yu."

"Xiao Chen!" Huang Wenyuan's voice was filled with joy, "Is it finished at Factory 903?"

"That's temporarily over, I have three days free," Chen Yu said. "About what you mentioned last time..."

"Let's talk in person," Huang Wenyuan interrupted him. "Where are you? I'll send someone to pick you up."

"No need, I'll come find you."

"Alright. Do you still remember the address? Ring the doorbell three times and two times when you get there."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Yu glanced at the sky. Xishan was in the western suburbs, and Huang Wenyuan's residence was in that direction, so it was conveniently on his way. He decided to first investigate the Xishan stronghold before going to see Elder Huang.

The Western Mountain Range stretches endlessly, covered in dense forests. Following the senses from his spiritual imprint, Chen Yu ventured deeper into the mountains along a narrow path almost entirely submerged in weeds. The summer forest was hot and humid, filled with the sounds of insects and birds, but the further he went, the quieter it became.

After walking for about an hour, we arrived at a mountain hollow. It was surrounded by mountains on three sides, with only a narrow path in and out, making it extremely secluded. In the hollow, there was a group of abandoned buildings—the style appeared to be an old Taoist temple, but it was in a state of disrepair, with half of the roof of the main hall collapsed and several sections of the courtyard wall fallen down.

The spiritual imprint can be sensed within the Taoist temple.

Chen Yu did not rush in. He found a big tree a hundred meters away, climbed up a branch, activated his spiritual eye technique, and observed carefully.

The Taoist temple occupies a small area, with two courtyards. The front courtyard is overgrown with weeds and has a dry well; the back courtyard is relatively tidy. Although the main hall is dilapidated, the doors and windows are intact, and traces of human activity can be vaguely seen inside—there are footprints on the ground, several empty cans piled in the corner, and the embers of a recently extinguished bonfire.

"Someone stayed here, and they just left recently," Chen Yu judged. Judging from the scene, at least three or four people stayed here for no more than two days.

He held his breath and focused his mind, slowly spreading his spiritual senses to cover the entire Taoist temple. There was no trace of living people, but there was a faint trace of spiritual energy—the same as the aura of the man in black from Factory 903, mixed with the fire elemental energy unique to obsidian.

After confirming it was safe, Chen Yu silently slid down the tree and circled around to the side of the Taoist temple. A section of the courtyard wall had collapsed; he nimbly flipped over it and landed silently.

The backyard was more dilapidated than the front yard, but the interior of the main hall was surprisingly tidy. The floor had clearly been swept, and dry straw and tattered quilts were laid out in the corners, obviously where people slept. In the center of the hall was a broken table with several kettles, packets of compressed biscuits, and a kerosene lamp on it.

The most eye-catching thing was a pile of more than a dozen stones of different sizes in one corner of the table—all of them were raw obsidian ore! The larger ones were the size of a fist, and the smaller ones were the size of an egg, all with a dark red luster on their surface.

Chen Yu picked up a piece and examined it with his spiritual sense. The ore was of medium quality, with active fire-elemental spiritual energy inside, but not as pure as the ore refined by Factory 903. This should be rough ore directly mined from some vein.

"Scarface's team is collecting obsidian," Chen Yu thought to himself. "They're stealing alloys from Factory 903 and getting ore from elsewhere. What are they planning to do?"

He continued his search. Under the haystack, he found a waterproof oilcloth bundle. Inside were several notebooks, some hand-drawn maps, and a tattered scroll of silk.

The notes were handwritten, the handwriting messy, recording locations and numbers, as difficult to decipher as a code. The map depicted a part of the Western Hills, marked with several red dots, one of which was marked with a flame symbol—the same symbol on the copper coin in Chen Yu's hand.

The silk scroll was the oldest, made of some kind of silk fabric, now yellowed and brittle, covered with densely packed ancient characters written in cinnabar. Chen Yu carefully examined it and discovered it was a cultivation notebook, recording the "Fire Obsidian Refining Method"—an ancient method for refining magical artifacts using obsidian!

"...Fire Star is the essence of Li Fire, hidden in the earth's veins. To extract it, one must choose a Bing or Ding day, use red copper as a catalyst, and employ the method of Xun Wind to refine the 'Li Fire Mirror'..."

"...There are three taboos in weapon crafting: first, avoid conflict with water elements; second, avoid the contamination of yin energy; and third, avoid an unstable spirit and soul..."

"...Once the fire is extracted, it can be used to observe underground fire, explore mineral veins, and also as a weapon of attack..."

Chen Yu was increasingly alarmed as he read on. This silk scroll not only recorded a method for crafting magical artifacts, but also covered the properties of obsidian, vein exploration, and even the use of earth fire. Although incomplete, its value was immense!

"Is Scarface looking for obsidian to refine the 'Fire Mirror'?" Chen Yu turned to the last page, where there was a sketch of a magical artifact—a circle with flame patterns in the center and runes engraved on the edges, which matched the description of the "Fire Mirror" in the notes.

Next to the sketch was a line of smaller text: "To forge this artifact, three catties of pure fire-obsidian refined gold are required, supplemented with thousand-year-old peach wood heartwood and South China Sea coral powder..."

Obsidian Refined Gold should be the metal refined from obsidian. The basalt alloy produced by Factory 903 is made by fusing obsidian with titanium alloy. Although the processes are different, the essence is the same.

"So they stole the alloy to extract the obsidian gold," Chen Yu explained, clarifying the logic. "But Factory 903's alloy is a fusion of obsidian powder and titanium alloy, making extraction extremely difficult. Unless... they have a special method."

He carefully put the silk scroll away and then flipped through his notebooks. On the last page of one of the notebooks, he found an address: "No. 17, Huai Shu Hutong, Haidian District, Zhou".

"Zhou?" Chen Yu noted down the address. Huai Shu Hutong in Haidian District, not far from the Western Hills, was probably the contact point for Scarface's team in the city.

After completing the search, Chen Yu restored everything to its original state, taking only the silk scroll and the copper coin with him. He left the Taoist temple, and after confirming with his spiritual sense that no trace had been left behind, he quickly departed.

It was already evening when they descended the mountain. Chen Yu flagged down a truck carrying goods into the city and hitched a ride to Haidian District. Huai Shu Hutong is located near the Summer Palace; it's an old residential area with narrow alleys and low-rise houses.

Number 17 was a secluded courtyard with a peeling paint on the door and a rusty door knocker. Chen Yu didn't knock directly on the door, but instead went around to a tea stall across the alley, sat down, ordered a large bowl of tea, and slowly sipped it while his spiritual sense quietly explored the courtyard.

The courtyard was deserted, but there were signs of habitation in two of the rooms. The east room was a bedroom, with the bedding in disarray and leftover steamed buns and pickled vegetables on the table; the west room resembled a workshop, with tools and materials on display, and a few stones piled in the corner—also raw obsidian ore!

"It seems to be a supply depot for Scarface's team," Chen Yu deduced. There's probably someone here responsible for receiving and transferring ore, codenamed "Zhou."

He sat at the tea stall for half an hour, and only left after confirming that no one had returned to the courtyard. By then, it was already dark, and the streetlights were just coming on.

Huang Wenyuan lived near Xizhimen in a detached house with a small courtyard. Chen Yu rang the doorbell three times (long and two short) as agreed. A moment later, the door opened, and a woman in her fifties stepped out.

"Looking for Elder Huang? Please come in."

The courtyard was planted with flowers and plants and was very elegantly arranged. Huang Wenyuan was reading in his study when he saw Chen Yu come in. He put down his reading glasses and said, "You've come at the right time. I just brewed a pot of Longjing tea."

The study wasn't large, but it was filled with books; the walls were lined with bookshelves, overflowing with ancient books and documents. Chen Yu sat down, and Huang Wenyuan poured him tea: "I've heard about the 903 Factory incident; well done."

"You're really well-informed."

"In our line of work, how can we get by without some inside information?" Huang Wenyuan said with a smile. "But the reason I'm looking for you this time is something else entirely."

He took a document out of the drawer and pushed it to Chen Yu: "Take a look at this."

The document is an investigation report about a theft of cultural relics—last month, the Palace Museum lost a batch of Qing Dynasty jade artifacts, among which a "Red Jade Dragon Pendant" was the most valuable. Strangely, the thief only took this one piece, leaving the other artifacts of equivalent value untouched.

"A red jade dragon pendant?" Chen Yu frowned.

"There's a legend about this jade pendant," Huang Wenyuan said slowly. "During the Qianlong era, a piece of red jade was presented as tribute from the Western Regions. It was said to have been mined from deep within a volcano and contained the essence of earth fire. Qianlong ordered craftsmen to carve it into a coiled dragon pendant and bestowed it upon the then Director of the Imperial Observatory. Later, it changed hands several times and ended up in the Forbidden City."

"Is the jade pendant related to obsidian?"

"Possibly." Huang Wenyuan nodded. "We tested the residues of the same batch of jade artifacts from the Palace Museum. We detected trace amounts of radioactive elements in the storage area of ​​the dragon pendant, which matches the characteristics of obsidian."

Chen Yu's heart skipped a beat: "You mean, Scarface's team is also looking for this jade pendant?"

"It's not impossible," Huang Wenyuan said. "According to our intelligence, Scarface's team has been looting several ancient tombs and sites across the country in recent months, targeting artifacts related to 'fire.' The red jade dragon pendant fits their target characteristics."

"What exactly do they want to do with these things?"

Huang Wenyuan remained silent for a moment, then took out a wooden box from deep within the bookshelf. Inside was an ancient bamboo scroll, remarkably well-preserved.

"This was unearthed three years ago from a Warring States period tomb in Hubei." Huang Wenyuan carefully unfolded the bamboo slip. "It records a legend: During the pre-Qin period, there was a sorcerer who gathered the 'essence of fire' and refined the 'Red Emperor Seal,' which could control the earth's fire and alter the earth's veins."

The characters on the bamboo slips were in the Chu script of the Warring States period, which Chen Yu found somewhat difficult to decipher, but he could understand the general meaning—legend has it that the Crimson Emperor Seal is a treasure left behind by the ancient fire god, and can be forged by collecting five "fire spirit objects," possessing the power to destroy the heavens and the earth.

"Absurd and nonsensical." Chen Yu shook his head.

"The legends aren't necessarily all false," Huang Wenyuan said seriously. "Obsidian does exist, and the method of refining obsidian artifacts is also recorded. Scarface's team is collecting obsidian and related artifacts; they definitely have something in mind. I'm worried... they might actually be trying to refine something dangerous."

Chen Yu recalled the silk scroll discovered at the Xishan Taoist Temple, and the sketch of the Li Huo Jian (Fire Mirror) came to mind. The Li Huo Jian, the Crimson Emperor Seal... these magical artifacts all require obsidian.

"Mr. Huang, what do you want me to do?"

"Two things." Huang Wenyuan held up two fingers. "First, continue to monitor the movements of Scarface's team, and report any leads immediately. Second..."

He paused for a moment: "There's an antique auction in Hong Kong early next month, and one of the items up for auction is the 'Vermilion Bird Bronze Lamp,' a Tang Dynasty artifact. Legend has it that the lamp oil contained obsidian powder. I'd like to ask you to go there as a private collector, to examine the details of this piece, and hopefully, to bid on it."

"Hongkong?"

"Yes." Huang Wenyuan smiled. "Given your current status as the chairman of the Chen Group, it's perfectly reasonable for you to attend the auction. I'll arrange for someone to assist you, and you don't need to worry about the expenses."

Chen Yu pondered. He had long planned for the Hong Kong route, and the Chen Group's development also required expanding into overseas markets. This auction was an opportunity.

"What about time?"

"The preview is on August 5th, and the auction is on August 8th. Go there three days in advance to familiarize yourself with the environment." Huang Wenyuan handed over an invitation. "This is Christie's VIP invitation. Use the pseudonym 'Chen Yuyu' and identify yourself as a Chinese businessman from Southeast Asia."

Chen Yu accepted the invitation; it was exquisitely made, entirely in English, and certainly up to the standards of a major auction house.

"Also," Huang Wenyuan took out another letter, "when you get to Hong Kong, go to Kowloon Tong and find this person. He is our contact person there and can provide assistance."

The envelope was blank, but inside was a business card: Li Guoan, General Manager of Guoan Trading Company, Address: 128 Boundary Street, Kowloon Tong.

"I understand." Chen Yu put his things away.

It was already nine o'clock at night when Chen Yu left Huang Wenyuan's house. The night was deep, and there were few pedestrians on the street. Chen Yu walked through the alley, his spiritual sense remaining vigilant.

As he approached the alley entrance, he suddenly sensed a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy—coming from the rooftop diagonally opposite!

Someone is following us!

Chen Yu remained calm and continued walking forward, his spiritual sense locking onto that direction. A person was lying on the rooftop, dressed in dark clothes, blending into the night, observing him through binoculars.

He wasn't from Scarface's team; his aura was unfamiliar. Was he sent by Elder Huang to test him? Or was it some other force?

Chen Yu didn't want to alert the enemy. He walked to the entrance of the alley and hailed a pedicab: "Driver, to Nanluoguxiang."

The driver pedaled away. The person on the rooftop didn't follow, but Chen Yu could feel a gaze fixed on him until he turned the corner.

When Chen Yu returned to the courtyard, it was quiet. He opened the door, went inside, and closed the doors and windows before finally letting out a sigh of relief.

The amount of information today was overwhelming: the Xishan stronghold, the Fire-Illumination Refining Method, the Crimson Jade Dragon Pendant, the Hong Kong auction… Scarface's team's schemes were far greater than he had imagined, involving ancient legends and mysterious magical artifacts. Huang Wenyuan clearly knew more inside information, but he didn't reveal it all.

"The Crimson Emperor's Seal..." Chen Yu murmured to himself. If the legends were true, then the power of this thing was probably beyond imagination. If Scarface's team was really forging such a magical artifact, what was their purpose?

He took out the silk scroll he had obtained from the Xishan Taoist Temple and examined it closely under the lamp. The scroll was incomplete, with many key steps missing, but the basic idea was clear: using obsidian as a base, supplemented by other spiritual materials, to forge magical artifacts through specific formations. The Fire Mirror was just one of them; according to the scroll, there were even more advanced magical artifacts.

"I need more information," Chen Yu thought. Huang Wenyuan should have more ancient books, but he wouldn't easily show them to others. The Hong Kong auction was an opportunity; if the Vermilion Bird bronze lamp was indeed related to obsidian, it might provide clues.

He carefully put away the silk scroll and sat cross-legged to cultivate. The effects of the Qi Nourishing Pill were still in effect; his spiritual energy was circulating smoothly, and the bottleneck of the seventh level of the Qi Refining stage had loosened, with a breakthrough imminent.

But he couldn't calm down tonight. Who was that stalker on the roof? Why was he monitoring Huang Wenyuan's residence? Was he after Old Master Huang, or after him?

And what role does "Zhou," the person from No. 17 Huai Shu Hutong, play in Scarface's team?

A series of questions swirled in Chen Yu's mind. He knew he had been drawn into a vortex far beyond his expectations. Fire obsidian, ancient magical artifacts, a mysterious team, state secrets... these clues intertwined into a web, and he was at the center of it.

Outside the window, the night was as dark as ink.

My trip to Hong Kong is unlikely to be peaceful.

But he had to go.

Not only for Huang Wenyuan's mission, but also to find out the truth—is the secret of the Fire Obsidian related to the system he came from?

This question had been buried in his heart for far too long.

And now, the answer seems to be getting closer.