The ancient return was exposed by his sister's live stream.

Inside the service room, Yue Yuting touched up her makeup in front of a small mirror, took a deep breath, and then pushed the cart out again.

As the plane began its descent, Yue Yuting passed Chen Hao's seat one last time. She hesitated for a moment, then took out a notepad from her pocket, quickly scribbled a string of numbers on it, and bent down to place it on Chen Hao's tray table.

"Sir, this is my contact information. If you need anything in Shenzhen, you can contact me." Her voice was soft, with a hint of nervousness.

Chen Hao glanced down at the note, but didn't pick it up or say anything.

Yue Yuting waited for two seconds, then turned and left.

The plane landed and taxied to its parking position. The cabin door opened, and Chen Hao stood up and walked out. As he passed the tray table, the note was still on it. He didn't look at it and walked straight past.

Chen Siyao followed behind, saw the paper, reached out and picked it up, glanced at it, and stuffed it into her pocket.

Stepping off the covered bridge, Chen Siyao pulled out the sticky note and waved it in front of Chen Hao: "Brother, you don't want that pretty girl's contact information anymore?"

Chen Hao glanced at it but didn't say anything.

Yang Wanqing leaned closer: "Let me see." She glanced at the words on it—Yue Yuting, followed by a phone number. The handwriting was neat, and there was a small heart drawn next to it.

"Wow, she even has a kind heart." Yang Wanqing smiled. "This flight attendant is quite thoughtful."

Chen Siyao walked to the trash can by the corridor, crumpled the sticky note into a ball, and threw it in.

"Yaoyao!" Yang Wanqing's eyes widened. "Why did you throw it away?"

Chen Siyao clapped her hands and said matter-of-factly, "My brother doesn't want it, so what's the point of keeping it? As a bookmark?"

Cai Jingwen and Li Li, walking behind, witnessed this scene. Li Li leaned close to Cai Jingwen's ear and whispered, "See? You have quite a lot of competitors."

Cai Jingwen glared at her.

Chen Siyao ran back and took Chen Hao's arm: "Brother, let's go. Let's go to the hotel, put our things down, and then go eat. Sister Jingwen said she's taking us to eat authentic Suzhou cuisine!"

Chen Hao nodded and was pulled forward by her.

The group walked out of the arrival hall, the sunlight warm on their faces. The sky in Suzhou was bluer than in Shenzhen, and the air was filled with the sweet fragrance of osmanthus blossoms.

Cai Jingwen took everyone to Longdun.

Longdun is located on the outskirts of Suzhou. It is a small mound, only a few dozen meters high, shaped like a reclining dragon. The mound is covered with lush trees, and from a distance it looks like a green dragon lying on the ground.

In front of the mound is a stone tablet with the words "Dragon Mound" engraved on it. The characters are faded and it is unknown when it was erected.

"This is Longdun." Cai Jingwen stood in front of the stone tablet and introduced it to everyone. "Locals say that a dragon is trapped under this mound. There was a great flood during the Jiaqing period, which was caused by the dragon."

Chen Siyao circled the stone tablet: "Is there really a dragon?"

"The locals believe it," Cai Jingwen smiled. "But the history books only record the flood, not the dragon. Some history professors say that this was made up by the officials in charge of the dikes at the time to shirk responsibility."

Yang Wanqing was a little disappointed: "I thought it was true."

Chen Hao stood in front of the mound, his gaze calm, seemingly looking at something.

The group walked up the path and reached a restaurant halfway up the mountain. The sign read "Longdun Fried Crab," and there was a long queue at the door.

"This shop is very famous. It's a family recipe that's been passed down for decades," Cai Jingwen said. "Stir-fried crab with fish is a Suzhou specialty, made with crab meat and fish, and it's very fresh."

Chen Siyao sniffed: "It smells so good! Let's go in, let's go in!"

The group found a seat by the window and ordered stir-fried crab, squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, stir-fried shrimp, osmanthus-flavored lotus root, and a pot of Biluochun tea.

While waiting for the food, I noticed a group of elderly people chatting at the next table. Their voices weren't loud, but I could hear them clearly.

An old man in a gray jacket said, "You saw the flood a few days ago, right? The river near Longdun rose by more than two meters and washed away the dikes."

An elderly man wearing glasses next to him shook his head: "That was just raining for half a month straight. What does that have to do with Longdun?"

"It's related!" The man in the gray jacket lowered his voice. "My great-grandfather said that the great flood during the Jiaqing era was caused by a dragon. The dragon under the Dragon Mound awakens every hundred years, and when it awakens, a great flood occurs. This year marks its hundredth anniversary."

The man with glasses laughed: "You believe things from the Jiaqing era? That was made up by officials of the court to shirk responsibility. When the dike collapsed, the court wanted to hold them accountable, so they said that a dragon was causing trouble, shifting the blame to a monster."

"Then how do you explain the shape of the Dragon Mound? It's a dragon lying on the ground, its head facing east and its tail facing west. This isn't naturally formed; it's man-made!"

"Man-made mounds are not necessarily for suppressing dragons. They could be ancient tombs or beacon towers."

The two argued for a while, but neither could convince the other.

Chen Siyao listened with great interest. After the group left, she turned to Cai Jingwen and asked, "Jingwen, do you know the details of the dragon story they told?"

Cai Jingwen nodded and put down her chopsticks: "I heard my grandma tell you about it before."

She glanced at the distant Dragon Mound outside the window and slowly began to speak: "It is said that during the reign of Emperor Jiaqing, one summer, there was a torrential downpour that lasted for half a month. The river near the Dragon Mound swelled, and the dikes were on the verge of collapse. One night, a sudden gale arose, accompanied by deafening thunder. A bolt of lightning struck the Dragon Mound, splitting the earthen mound open with a crack. Then—a dragon rushed out of the crack."

Yang Wanqing gasped: "Are there really dragons?"

Cai Jingwen ignored her and continued, "The dragon was pitch black all over, like a giant snake, but it had four claws and a horn on its head. It flew into the air and swept its tail, which destroyed the riverbank. The floodwaters rushed into the village, sweeping away houses, livestock, and many people."

Chen Siyao gripped the teacup tightly.

"Just then, the eastern sky suddenly brightened. A black dragon burst out from the clouds, its entire body pitch black, but twice the size of the other dragon. It charged directly at the other dragon, and the two dragons became entangled, battling from the sky to the ground, and from the ground to the river. The river water was churned up, and the trees on the banks were uprooted."

Cai Jingwen's voice was very soft, as if she were telling a very ancient dream.

"The dragon couldn't defeat the black dragon and turned to run away. Just then, the northern sky brightened again—a white dragon flew over and blocked its path. The two dragons attacked the dragon from both sides, fighting all night long. At dawn, the dragon was defeated and fell into the river next to the dragon mound, never to emerge again. The black dragon and the white dragon also disappeared, their whereabouts unknown."

After she finished speaking, she picked up her teacup and took a sip: "That's roughly it. My grandmother said that the dragon was pressed back under the dragon mound, and both the black and white dragons disappeared."

Yang Wanqing listened intently: "And then? Did the dragon come out again?"