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

August 9th, 7:00 AM.

Kowloon Industrial Estate, Gu's Warehouse.

Sunlight streamed through the high windows of the warehouse, casting long, slanted shadows on the floor. Chen Yu stood before the workbench, in front of the Vermilion Bird bronze lamp. Beside him were a notebook left by Su Zhiqing's grandfather, several pieces of obsidian ore the size of fingernails, and a set of exquisite tools—a small hammer, tweezers, a carving knife, and a magnifying glass—all prepared overnight by Gu Wenyuan's men.

Last night's brief but intense battle seems like a distant memory. Those taken away by the National Security Bureau are probably being questioned somewhere right now. As for Scarface and He Shutang's men, they won't make any rash moves, at least not for the time being—they need to reassess Chen Yu's strength.

"Mr. Chen, the obsidian is ready." Su Zhiqing walked over, holding a small copper dish in her hand, which contained ground obsidian powder, dark red in color, with a faint metallic luster in the sunlight.

Chen Yu took it, dipped his fingertip in it, and probed it with his spiritual sense. The fire elemental energy in the powder was active; although its purity was not as high as the alloy refined by Factory 903, it should be sufficient for repairs.

Gu Wenyuan sat in a wicker chair to the side, holding a teacup in his hand, his expression calm but his eyes focused: "Mr. Chen, how long will it take?"

"It's hard to say. This is my first time trying the 'Heaven-Mending Technique of Separating Fire.' If all goes well, it will take a few hours; if not..." Chen Yu paused, "it might take several days."

"No rush." ​​Gu Wenyuan took a sip of tea. "The warehouse is safe here, so you can focus on repairing it. I'll handle things outside."

Chen Yu nodded and began working.

The first step was to use his spiritual sense to precisely locate the damaged rune nodes. He sat cross-legged, placing his hands lightly above the bronze lamp, and slowly probed it with his spiritual sense. The spiritual energy structure inside the bronze lamp was clearly revealed in his spiritual sense—twelve rune nodes, nine intact, and three damaged. At the damaged points, the rune lines broke, and the spiritual energy flowed to these points either stagnated or dissipated.

He opened Su Mingyuan's notebook and found a detailed record of the "Heaven-Mending Technique of Separating Fire": "The method of mending the heavens uses spiritual power as a needle and fire as a guide to trace the original path and reconnect the broken parts. Remember: Do not arbitrarily change the original pattern, do not force it to be completed quickly, and let nature take its course to achieve perfection."

Chen Yu took a deep breath and took out an extremely fine silver needle—a filiform needle specially prepared by Su Zhiqing for acupuncture. He dipped the tip of the needle in obsidian powder and then slowly brought it close to the copper lamp.

Guided by his spiritual awareness, he infused his spiritual power. The silver needle gently traced the broken part of the rune, the powder dissolving into the bronze surface and leaving a thin, dark red line. Chen Yu was completely focused, his wrist as steady as a rock, each stroke precisely following the original rune pattern.

An hour passed, and the first node was repaired. Fine beads of sweat appeared on Chen Yu's forehead, but he dared not be distracted and continued with the second one.

Two hours later, the second node was repaired.

Three hours, the third milestone...

Just as the last stroke was about to be completed, the bronze lamp suddenly trembled slightly!

Chen Yu felt a chill run down his spine. He sensed with his spiritual sense that the spiritual energy inside the bronze lamp had begun to flow slowly—not stagnant, not dissipating, but rather beginning a slow but stable cycle along the complete rune array!

It worked!

He withdrew the needles and stepped back, letting out a long breath. Gu Wenyuan and Su Zhiqing both gathered around, staring at the bronze lamp.

"It's lit up!" Su Zhiqing exclaimed.

Beneath the dark red rust on the surface of the bronze lamp, a faint red light emanated, as if an ancient artifact, dormant for a thousand years, had finally awakened. The red light was very weak, but it was definitely there, and could be clearly seen even in sunlight.

Chen Yu carefully picked up the bronze lamp and probed it again with his spiritual sense. The rune array was fully operational, and fire elemental energy circulated within it. Although weak, it had restored the basic functions of the magical artifact.

"Now, we can try activating the map." He looked at Su Zhiqing. "Did your grandfather's file explain the specific steps?"

Su Zhiqing opened her notebook: "Yes. At noon, using obsidian powder as a guide, spiritual energy is injected into the iron tube, and the flame symbol will project a map. But the copper lamp itself is also key—it needs to be used to shine on the iron tube for the map to appear."

Chen Yu checked the time—11:00 AM. There were still twelve hours until midnight (11:00 PM to 1:00 AM), and less than an hour until noon (11:00 AM to 1:00 PM).

"Noon is fine too?"

"The file says 'midnight and noon,' so either should work," Su Zhiqing said. "Midnight is when yin energy is strongest, and noon is when yang energy is strongest, so the projection effect might be slightly different."

"Then let's wait until noon." Chen Yu put the copper lamp down and took out the two iron tubes that had been combined into one. The two iron tubes were now completely fused together, with clear patterns on the surface, and the flame symbol in the middle had a faint three-dimensional feel under the light.

Time ticked by. The warehouse was quiet, save for the occasional distant hum of machinery. Gu Wenyuan had a simple lunch prepared, but no one had the appetite to eat.

At 11:50, Chen Yu began preparations. He placed the bronze lamp in the center of the workbench, with the lamp opening facing upwards. An iron cylinder stood a foot in front of the bronze lamp, with the flame symbol directly facing the lamp opening. He sprinkled obsidian powder around the iron cylinder, forming a simple spirit-gathering array—a little trick he had learned from the silk scroll.

At 11:58, Chen Yu sat cross-legged, his hands lightly pressing against the bronze lamp, slowly channeling spiritual energy into it. The red light inside the lamp gradually brightened, and a thin beam of red light shone from the lamp opening, illuminating the flame symbol on the iron tube.

At 11:59, the iron cylinder began to heat up slightly, and the patterns on its surface seemed to come alive, flowing slowly.

It's exactly twelve o'clock!

A sudden flash of red light appeared, and the flame symbol on the iron cylinder projected a phantom image that slowly unfolded in the air—it was a map!

Mountains, rivers, plains, cities... the lines gradually deepened in color, becoming clearer. Chen Yu held his breath, carefully discerning them.

At the center of the map is a volcano-shaped mountain peak surrounded by four rivers, each marked with a small character representing a dragon: Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise. At the foot of the mountain is a marker for a city, next to which are the three characters "Tengchong Guard".

Tengchong! Tengchong, Yunnan! That's the place where the Azure Dragon Cauldron last appeared, mentioned in Su Mingyuan's notes!

The map lasted for about thirty seconds, then slowly disappeared. The red light went out, and the metal cylinder returned to normal temperature.

Chen Yu withdrew his spiritual power and exchanged a glance with Su Zhiqing, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes.

"Tengchong, Yunnan..." Gu Wenyuan murmured. "I've been there. In 1946, I was surveying mineral resources. There is indeed a volcano there, which the locals call 'Eagle-Fighting Mountain.' At the foot of the mountain, there is a Ming Dynasty fire god temple, which is very popular with worshippers."

"The Fire God Temple?" Chen Yu's heart skipped a beat. Su Mingyuan's notes mentioned "The Fire God Temple in Tengchong, Yunnan, dating back to the Ming Dynasty."

"Yes, that temple was very special. It didn't enshrine ordinary deities, but rather a 'Fire God.' The incense burner was always filled with burning charcoal, which was said to be fire taken from a volcano," Gu Wenyuan recalled. "I found it strange at the time and even went inside to take a look. There was an underground palace in the temple, but it was locked. They said it had been sealed off a hundred years ago and people weren't allowed to go in."

The underground palace! The Azure Dragon Cauldron is very likely there!

"Mr. Gu, do you remember the exact location of that temple?"

"I remember there was a village called 'Hot Water Pond' on the southern slope of Daying Mountain, and the temple was right at the entrance of the village."

Chen Yu took out paper and pen and asked Gu Wenyuan to draw a rough map of the terrain and route. Although Gu Wenyuan was over seventy years old, his memory was amazing, and the sketch he drew was quite accurate.

After finishing the map, Gu Wenyuan looked at Chen Yu: "Mr. Chen, are you planning to go to Tengchong?"

Chen Yu nodded. The Azure Dragon Cauldron is one of the Four Symbols Ritual Objects; now that they have a clue, they must go and take a look.

"Then I'll go with you," Su Zhiqing suddenly said.

Chen Yu looked at her. Su Zhiqing's expression was firm: "My grandfather spent his whole life trying to find the Four Symbols Ritual Artifacts and unlock their secrets. Now that we have a clue, I can't not go."

"Tengchong is not Hong Kong; conditions are harsh and there may be danger."

"I know," Su Zhiqing smiled slightly, "but I'm not the kind of pampered rich girl. Over the years, I've traveled to many places on my own, including Xinjiang, Tibet, and Inner Mongolia."

Chen Yu pondered for a moment, then nodded: "Okay, let's go together."

Gu Wenyuan said, "I'll have someone prepare equipment and travel permits for you. I have acquaintances in Yunnan who can provide assistance. Also..." He took out a check from his pocket and handed it to Chen Yu, "This is two hundred thousand Hong Kong dollars, as payment for Tongdeng. Take it and use it on the road."

Chen Yu did not refuse. Going to Tengchong required money, and not a small amount.

In the afternoon, the two left the warehouse and returned to the hotel to pack their luggage. Chen Yu called Li Guoan and briefly explained the situation.

"Tengchong, Yunnan?" Li Guoan pondered. "It's close to the border, and the situation there is complicated. You need to be careful. I will notify the local police to provide covert protection."

"Thank you, Director Li."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Yu began preparing. He packed his documents, cash, change of clothes, first-aid kit, pills, miniature camera, metal canister… one by one into his suitcase.

That evening, Su Zhiqing came to the hotel to find him, carrying a large backpack: "I'm all ready. The train leaves at seven tomorrow morning, first to Guangzhou, then to Kunming."

Chen Yu nodded and poured her a cup of tea. The two sat by the window, looking at the night view of Victoria Harbour, and remained silent for a moment.

"Mr. Chen..." Su Zhiqing suddenly spoke up, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Please speak."

"Who exactly are you?" She turned her head and looked directly into his eyes. "Chen Yuyu, a wealthy businessman from Southeast Asia, knows martial arts, understands cultivation, can repair magical artifacts, and can even steal things from Scarface and He Shutang. I've never seen a 'businessman' like this before."

Chen Yu was silent for a few seconds before slowly saying, "My name is Chen Yu. I'm not from Southeast Asia, I'm from... the mainland."

"Mainland China?"

"Yes. I have a company in Beijing, and I also have...some special connections." Chen Yu didn't go into details. "As for why I started practicing cultivation, that's a long story."

Su Zhiqing nodded, not pressing for details. Everyone has their own secrets; she understood.

"Whoever you are, thank you," she said softly. "If it weren't for you, I might never have found the things my grandfather talked about."

"Don't thank me too soon, we haven't found it yet."

The two exchanged a smile. Outside the window, night deepened, and neon lights flickered.

The next morning, Chen Yu and Su Zhiqing boarded a train heading south. The street scenes of Hong Kong slowly receded outside the window, and Victoria Harbour gradually disappeared from view.

Chen Yu leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. The map flashed through his mind—Eagle-Fighting Mountain, the Fire God Temple, the underground palace…

Azure Dragon Cauldron, are you there or not?

Will Scarface and He Shutang also get wind of this and chase after them to Yunnan?

And who is that mysterious person hiding in the shadows, and who is that unfathomable gaze at the auction?

A series of questions swirled in my mind.

The train moves forward, heading into an unknown journey.

The secrets of the Four Symbols Ritual Objects have only just begun to be revealed.