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

The moment the door was pushed open, Chen Yu almost stopped breathing.

Two figures darted into the room, their movements swift and agile, clearly skilled in martial arts. They were the same two fake security guards from last night—one tall and thin, the other stocky and muscular, both dressed in dark civilian clothes and carrying short batons.

"Nobody here?" The short man scanned the living room, his brow furrowing.

"Impossible, the lock was pried open, the person must still be here." The tall man's eyes were sharp as he looked towards the bedroom.

Chen Yu held his breath behind the door, activating his breath-concealing technique to its maximum, making him seem as if he had become one with the wall. He didn't want to fight here—the soundproofing in the tenement buildings in Mong Kok was poor, and a fight would inevitably alert the neighbors and attract the police, causing even more trouble.

But the shorter man was already walking towards the bedroom. His steps were steady, and he carried a short stick, clearly indicating that he had received professional training.

Three meters, two meters, one meter...

Just as the short man was about to step into the bedroom, Chen Yu made his move!

He emerged from behind the door like a ghost, striking the shorter man on the back of the neck with a palm strike. This strike was imbued with spiritual energy, incredibly fast, and perfectly timed—aiming only to stun him without killing him.

"Watch out!" The tall man reacted extremely quickly, sweeping his short stick horizontally.

Chen Yu dodged to the side, but the shorter man reacted quickly, turning around and bringing his stick down. The two worked in perfect coordination, attacking from the left and right, their short sticks whistling through the air.

Instead of retreating, Chen Yu advanced, pressing himself into the short man's arms and bumping his shoulder—Iron Mountain Lean! This was a move he had found from the original owner's memories, and with the added strength of his body after marrow cleansing and spiritual energy, its power was astonishing.

"Bang!" The short man was knocked back several steps, overturning the living room table.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the tall man launched a sneak attack from the side, his short stick aimed straight for Chen Yu's temple. Chen Yu tilted his head, reached out and grabbed the stick, channeled his spiritual energy into it, and twisted it sharply—the tall man felt a sharp pain in his hand, and the stick slipped from his grasp.

But the tall man reacted quickly, throwing a punch at Chen Yu's face. Chen Yu released his short stick, blocked with his left hand, and landed a straight punch in the tall man's abdomen with his right.

"Ugh!" The tall man groaned and bent over.

The short man had regained his footing and pulled a dagger from his waist, its blade gleaming coldly. He said nothing more and lunged forward, the dagger aimed at Chen Yu's heart.

Chen Yu dodged to the side, grabbed a short stick from the ground, and smashed it into the short man's wrist. The dagger fell to the ground. Chen Yu then swept the stick towards the short man's knee, forcing him to kneel on one knee. Chen Yu then stepped on his back, rendering him unable to move.

The whole process took less than twenty seconds.

The tall man tried to get up, but Chen Yu's short stick was already pressed against his throat: "Don't move."

The two men were restrained, panting heavily, their eyes fierce but they remained silent.

Chen Yu stared at the short man: "Who sent you?"

The shorter man turned his head away and remained silent.

Chen Yu flicked his wrist, and the short stick struck the short man's Jianjing acupoint—this strike carried a slight spiritual energy impact, and a tingling and numb sensation instantly spread throughout his entire arm.

"Ah!" the short man screamed.

"I'll ask you one more time, who sent you?"

"Mr...Mr. He..." The short man's forehead was sweating. "Mr. He from Macau..."

He Shutang! It really was him!

"What are you looking for?"

"An iron... an iron tube... an iron tube hidden inside a porcelain bottle..."

"Where's the metal cylinder?"

"No...I don't know...we didn't find it last night..."

Chen Yu stared into his eyes, confirming he wasn't lying. They hadn't found the iron cylinder last night—because he'd seen those two people take it, but it wasn't these two. Was it another group? Or had He Shutang sent two separate groups?

"Who took the metal cylinder from the preview hall last night?"

"No...it wasn't us...we were discovered as soon as we went in last night..."

They were discovered as soon as they entered? Then who took the iron cylinder? Could there be a fourth force besides He Shutang?

Chen Yu pondered for a moment, then asked, "Where's A-Qiang? Zhang Zhiqiang's apprentice."

"No...I don't know him..."

Judging from their expressions, they really didn't know where A-Qiang was.

"One last question. How many people did Ho Shu-tong send to Hong Kong? Who was in charge?"

"Five...five...the leader is called Ah Kun...he lives in Wan Chai..."

The Wan Chai warehouse burned down last night; Ah Kun must have moved it.

Chen Yu didn't ask any more questions. He raised his hand and made a precise cut on the back of each of their necks—enough to knock them unconscious for two hours.

He dragged the two men to the bedroom, tied them up with a bed sheet, and gagged them with socks. Only then did Chen Yu get up and carefully inspect the room.

The fight had overturned the table, scattering photos and diaries all over the floor. Chen Yu picked them up one by one, and suddenly discovered a hidden compartment under the table—a loose wooden plank on the floor. It had been pressed down by the table, but now that the table had fallen, the plank was showing a gap.

He pried open the wooden board, revealing a small space about the size of a palm. Inside, a small iron cylinder lay quietly—made of metal, slightly thicker than a fountain pen, with intricate patterns engraved on its surface, and faintly emanating spiritual energy.

Chen Yu picked up the iron tube and probed it with his spiritual sense. There was something inside, rolled into a tube shape, like paper or silk. But the opening was sealed tightly and could not be opened without special tools.

He quickly put the metal cylinder away and restored the scene to its original state as much as possible. After confirming that no obvious traces were left, he climbed out of the window—there was a fire escape outside the fourth floor leading directly to the back alley.

Three minutes later, Chen Yu had disappeared into the crowds in Mong Kok.

Chen Yu returned to the hotel at 2 PM. He closed the door, drew the curtains, and took out the iron tube to examine it carefully.

The iron tube is about ten centimeters long and two centimeters in diameter. It is made of bronze and has dark red rust on its surface, but the pattern is clearly visible—an interweaving of flame and cloud patterns, similar in style to the Xishan Silk Manuscript. The mouth of the tube is sealed with wax, and there is a seal on the wax with four seal characters. Chen Yu deciphered it for a long time: "Su Family Secret Collection".

The Su family? Su Zhiqing's grandfather?

Chen Yu did not open it rashly. He first used his spiritual sense to repeatedly probe the tube to confirm that there were no traps or poisons inside before carefully using a dagger to pry open the wax seal.

Inside the tube was a yellowed silk scroll, similar in texture to the Xishan silk scrolls, but finer and denser. When unfolded, it was about a foot long, covered with densely written small characters, as well as several hand-drawn illustrations.

Chen Yu spread the silk scroll on the table and began to read it carefully. The very first line gave him a jolt—

"Yu Sumingyuan, Deputy Director of the Antiquities Department of the Palace Museum, wrote this in the spring of 1949 during the southward relocation. The secrets of the Four Symbols ritual vessels are related to the fate of the nation and must not fall into the hands of treacherous people. However, the matter is urgent, so I have recorded what I know here and stored it for future generations..."

Su Mingyuan, Su Zhiqing's grandfather! This is a handwritten note he left during his southward migration in 1949!

The contents recorded in the silk manuscript are extremely astonishing:

The Four Symbols Ritual Vessels—the Azure Dragon Cauldron, the White Tiger Cong, the Vermilion Bird Lamp Mirror, and the Black Tortoise Armor—are not ordinary ritual vessels, but rather "national treasures" crafted by ancient cultivators. Legend has it that when the Yellow Emperor fought Chiyou, he used the power of the Four Symbols to establish his rule over the Central Plains. Although later emperors did not understand cultivation, they passed down the Four Symbols Ritual Vessels as important national treasures.

During the late Ming Dynasty, the Four Symbols ritual vessels were scattered among the people. During the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, three of them were collected, but the White Tiger Cong was missing. Emperor Qianlong ordered skilled craftsmen to make a replica, which was then kept in the Palace Museum along with the original.

During the Republican era, Su Mingyuan discovered Emperor Qianlong's secret files while organizing artifacts in the Palace Museum, thus learning of this hidden secret. After years of covert investigation, he finally confirmed that the Vermilion Bird ritual vessel consisted of two pieces—a lamp and a mirror—and that only when combined did they form the complete "Vermilion Bird." The Black Tortoise Armor was taken away by a foreign missionary in the early Republican era and its whereabouts remain unknown. The Azure Dragon Cauldron appeared in Shanghai in 1937, was later bought by a mysterious person, and the trail went cold. The authenticity of the White Tiger Cong remains unknown.

The journal concludes: "When the Vermilion Bird Lamp and Mirror are combined, they can gather the essence of the Separating Fire and illuminate the direction of the earth's veins. If the Four Symbols gather and are activated using a specific formation, they can alter the earth's veins and cause changes in mountains and rivers. This is not an exaggeration; there is clear evidence from ancient times. However, such great power should not be activated lightly. I hope that those who come after will be cautious."

Chen Yu put down the silk scroll, his heart still reeling from the shock.

The Four Symbols Ritual Objects are not simple ritual implements, but national treasures capable of influencing the earth's veins and altering the landscape! Scarface's team is collecting obsidian and related artifacts, and their ultimate goal is probably to collect all four ritual objects!

What are they trying to do?

Chen Yu continued reading. The last few lines of the journal mentioned a name and a location—

"I entrusted my disciple Zhang Zhiqiang to continue investigating the whereabouts of the Azure Dragon Cauldron. Zhang is shrewd, but greedy and avaricious, which worries me greatly. If anything changes, you can contact Gu Wenyuan in Hong Kong; he is an old friend of mine and trustworthy. Furthermore, the last clue to the Azure Dragon Cauldron points to a Ming Dynasty fire god temple in Tengchong, Yunnan..."

Zhang Zhiqiang! He really is Su Mingyuan's disciple! He had been investigating the Four Symbols Ritual Artifacts for Su Mingyuan all these years, but he was probably bribed by He Shutang or Scarface and became a double agent, which ultimately led to his death.

That iron cylinder was Zhang Zhiqiang's hidden "backup plan"—if something happened to him, he would have A-Qiang hand the iron cylinder over to Su Zhiqing.

Su Zhiqing said last night that her grandfather left behind a file before his death, written in code, which she couldn't decipher. Now that she thinks about it, those codes might be clues to the Four Symbols Ritual Objects, and her grandfather's true last wish was for her to collect the Four Symbols Ritual Objects and complete some kind of mission.

But what mission? The notes don't say.

Chen Yu carefully rolled up the silk scroll and put it back into the iron tube. This thing was too important to carry with him. With a thought, he sent the iron tube into the small world and hid it in the corner of the thatched hut.

I had just finished doing all that when the phone rang.

"Mr. Chen, it's me." Su Zhiqing's voice carried a hint of urgency. "I've found out. He Shutang's men live in Kowloon Walled City. The leader is a guy named Ah Kun, a former Vietnamese mercenary, ruthless and vicious. They're going to a place tonight—"

"where?"

"In Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter. On a fishing boat called 'Hai Hing'. Someone wants to make a deal with them there."

"What are you trading?"

"I don't know, but it's very likely an iron cylinder." Su Zhiqing paused. "My people saw that Ah Kun got a metal cylinder from a mysterious person last night, and it looks a lot like the one you're looking for."

Chen Yu's heart skipped a beat. The person who took the iron cylinder last night was indeed a third party—not He Shutang's people, nor Scarface's people, but another mysterious person! That mysterious person sold the iron cylinder to He Shutang?

"What time is it?"

"Ten o'clock tonight. Berth number three in the Typhoon Shelter," Su Zhiqing said. "Mr. Chen, are you going?"

"Let's go take a look."

"Be careful. Ah Kun has brought a lot of men, and they have guns."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Yu checked the time—4 PM. There were still six hours until 10 PM. He needed to prepare.

I went downstairs to the restaurant for a bite to eat, then returned to my room and meditated cross-legged for two hours to get myself into peak condition. My body was filled with the spiritual power of a seventh-level Qi Refining cultivator. I put the protective jade pendant close to my body, put the hemostatic and tissue-regenerating powder and the calming powder in my pocket, and took out the miniature camera from the system space—it might come in handy tonight.

At eight o'clock in the evening, it was completely dark. Chen Yu changed into dark clothes and left through the back door of the hotel.

Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter is a famous fishing boat mooring area in Hong Kong. During the day, it is crowded with fishing boats, but it becomes much quieter at night. Chen Yu arrived at 9:30. He found a secluded spot on the shore and spread his spiritual senses to explore the surrounding area.

A medium-sized fishing boat was moored at berth number three, with the words "Hai Xing" painted on its hull. Lights were on on the boat, and several figures could be vaguely seen moving around. There were two lookouts on the shore: one was smoking at the entrance to the dock, and the other was pretending to fish near the berth.

Chen Yu silently submerged into the water—his body, after undergoing marrow cleansing, was excellent at swimming, and with the concealment technique to hide his aura, he moved like a fish in the darkness, quietly approaching from the stern of the boat.

A rope hung from the gangway of the fishing boat. Chen Yu grabbed it and climbed up gently. The deck was piled with fishing nets and miscellaneous items. He hid behind the fishing nets and probed the cabin with his spiritual sense.

There were four people in the cabin. Two were playing cards, one was drinking, and the other... Chen Yu locked onto the man with his spiritual energy fluctuations; he was a man in his forties with a sinister face and a scar on the corner of his left eye. It should be Ah Kun.

In front of Ah Kun was a table with a metal cylinder on it—exactly the same one Chen Yu had found in Mong Kok! Only the pattern on the surface was slightly different, suggesting they were a matching set.

"The goods are good." Ah Kun said in Cantonese, fiddling with the metal tube. "I've checked it; it's genuine."

A man wearing sunglasses sat opposite me, his face obscured, but his voice was deep: "Where's the money?"

"Here it is." Ah Kun patted the briefcase beside him. "Fifty thousand Hong Kong dollars, count it carefully."

The man in sunglasses opened the box, quickly checked it, and nodded: "Deal. Remember, this item is only for Mr. He; don't show it to anyone else."

"Know."

The man in sunglasses got up and left. Chen Yu slipped into the shadows and waited for him to pass before scanning him with his spiritual sense—there was no fluctuation of spiritual power; he was just an ordinary person.

Only Ah Kun and two of his men remained in the cabin. Ah Kun said to his men, "Go and sail the ship to international waters. Be back tomorrow morning. I'm going to study this thing carefully tonight."

The two men responded and went out to prepare for departure.

Chen Yu made a decisive decision—they couldn't take action on the high seas; there were no safeguards there. The matter had to be resolved before leaving port!

As his two men stepped out of the cabin, he pounced from the shadows, knocking them both unconscious with a single punch. He then swiftly slipped back into the cabin.

Ah Kun reacted extremely quickly, already drawing his pistol and aiming it at the door. But Chen Yu was even faster—he sidestepped the gun, kicked the pistol away, and then punched Ah Kun in the abdomen.

Ah Kun grunted and stumbled back several steps, crashing into the bulkhead. But he was ruthless; despite the pain, he pulled a dagger from his boot and stabbed back.

The two clashed in the cramped cabin. Ah Kun, a former mercenary, was highly skilled in hand-to-hand combat, each strike aimed at vital points. However, Chen Yu, empowered by spiritual energy, was fast and powerful, disarming Ah Kun after three moves and striking him on the back of the neck with a palm strike.

Ah Kun collapsed to the ground.

Chen Yu quickly picked up the iron cylinder on the table and then the box of money—50,000 Hong Kong dollars was no small sum, and it might be useful to take it back with him.

Just as we were about to leave, we heard the sound of an engine outside—another ship was coming!

Chen Yu peeked out and saw a speedboat rapidly approaching, with three or four people standing on it, all of them holding guns.

The man with the scarred face? Or He Shutang's accomplice?

No matter who it is, this place is not safe to stay. Chen Yu, carrying his belongings, jumped into the water from the stern of the boat and dived away.

The people on the speedboat jumped onto the fishing boat and quickly found the unconscious Ah Kun and the missing iron tube. Gunshots rang out, but Chen Yu had already swum far away and disappeared into the night.

It was 11:30 p.m. when Chen Yu returned to the hotel. He rinsed off the seawater and took out two iron cylinders, placing them side by side on the table.

They are exactly the same size and have similar patterns, but the patterns are slightly different, like two halves of yin and yang.

He brought the two iron cylinders close together and suddenly sensed a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy—a resonance had occurred between the two iron cylinders!

Chen Yu carefully put them together, and with a soft "click," the two iron cylinders fit together perfectly, forming a thicker cylinder. The previously scattered patterns on the cylinder connected to form a complete pattern—the Four Symbols!

The Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise surround the central symbol, which is a flame-shaped symbol.

Chen Yu unscrewed the lid, revealing another scroll of silk inside. Unfolding it, he saw that the content connected to the first scroll—

"The Azure Dragon Cauldron clue: In the underground palace of the Ming Dynasty Fire God Temple in Tengchong, Yunnan. The White Tiger Cong is suspected to be in Taiwan, taken away by the Kuomintang during their retreat. The whereabouts of the Black Tortoise Armor: London, UK, Department of Oriental Art, British Museum, catalog OA.1937.4-21.1. The method of combining the Vermilion Bird Lamp and Mirror: Using obsidian as a catalyst, at noon and midnight, the two objects face each other, and the fire will gather on its own..."

This is the complete clue to the Four Symbols Ritual Vessels!

Did Su Mingyuan hide the secret in two iron tubes, one real and one fake? Or was it deliberately separated to prevent one person from getting to it all?

Regardless, Chen Yu now possesses the most crucial information.

He sat by the window, gazing at the lights of Victoria Harbour, his mind filled with countless thoughts.

The Four Symbols Ritual Vessels, Scarface, He Shutang, Su Zhiqing, Gu Wenyuan... all the clues finally came together to form a network.

The auction is the day after tomorrow.

Who will ultimately possess that Vermilion Bird bronze lamp?

Chen Yu gripped the iron cylinder tightly, a determined glint in his eyes.

The answer will be revealed soon.