"You say it's easy, as if Dragon Pearls are everywhere. My uncle has been searching for over twenty years and hasn't found a single remnant of a true dragon!" Li Yurou roared.
"Your uncle?" Lin Fan had always thought Li Yurou was just trying to get a bargain when she pressed him to buy the Chi Pearl.
It seemed there was more to it than that!
Li Yurou looked resentful and lowered her head, refusing to speak.
Li Yusheng coughed dryly and turned his head away, clearly unwilling to say more.
"Hey, this isn't right, is it?"
Lin Fan slapped the table. "I got the treasure, and the first thing I did was inform you. Yet you want to buy my Chi Pearl and tell me nothing."
"The Chi Pearl has already been traded to someone else. It has nothing to do with you now," Li Yurou chided.
"I, I know I traded it, but that doesn't mean... I can't temporarily get it back," Lin Fan corrected himself mid-sentence.
That snake demon was no easy foe. Once the Chi Pearl was in her belly, getting it back would be no simple feat.
Li Yurou's eyes lit up. "You can get the Chi Pearl back?"
"It's a loan. The item already belongs to someone else, I can only borrow it for a while," Lin Fan emphasized the word "borrow."
"Can you lend it for half a month?" Li Yurou asked.
Lin Fan cocked his chin. "Tell me first, what do you need the Chi Pearl for."
"This..."
Li Yurou hesitated, looking at her brother for his opinion.
For minor matters, Li Yusheng indulged her, but in crucial moments, she instinctively relied on her brother.
Li Yusheng spread his hands. "Brother Lin, it's not that I don't want to tell you."
"Then forget it," Lin Fan said, not wanting to pry further.
He couldn't just go chasing after the snake demon without knowing the purpose, which might even lead to a fight.
"Brother, ask Uncle. This is a rare opportunity; otherwise, we might never have another chance," Li Yurou said, pulling on her brother's arm.
"Alright, I'll ask." Li Yusheng took out his phone and walked to a corner to make a call.
Not long after, he walked back with a serious expression and nodded at his expectant sister.
Li Yurou was overjoyed. "That's wonderful!"
"Fifth Miss, please ask everyone to leave," Li Yusheng whispered to Zheng Yue.
"Okay." Zheng Yue knew it was a matter of great importance and asked her secretary and Zheng Ke to step out.
As the office door closed again, and the sounds in the corridor faded, Lin Fan and Zheng Yue turned their gaze to Li Yusheng.
"Brother Lin, we are both in the feng shui profession, constantly searching for dragon veins and determining auspicious sites. I wonder if you believe that dragons truly exist in this world?" Li Yusheng asked.
Lin Fan scratched his head. "To be honest, I didn't believe it much before. But now, I do."
His meaning was clear: if there was a Chi Pearl, it couldn't have come from a stone.
It must have been that a Chi Dragon perished in ancient times, its pearl was obtained by an official, placed in a tomb, and thus passed down through generations.
Zheng Yue shook her head. "I don't really believe it, as I've never seen the beads you speak of. But... if Little Fan believes, then I believe too."
This was just making conversation, Li Yurou thought sourly, feeling a bit choked.
Li Yusheng smiled faintly. "Since you both believe, it's easier to proceed. To tell you the truth, my master was particularly interested in this matter during his lifetime. He spent his whole life pointing out dragon veins, and yet he never knew if true dragons existed, which he deeply regretted."
"He scoured ancient texts and offered rewards in newspapers, searching everywhere for traces of true dragons. While most were swindlers seeking money, and some were inconclusive, my master investigated them all personally but found nothing of value."
"However, there is one matter with a high degree of credibility."
Li Yusheng took a deep breath and continued, "My master said that the person didn't ask for a single penny, only for him to find a prime burial site for his deceased mother."
"No one would use their own mother for a scam, would they?"
Lin Fan and Zheng Yue nodded in unison.
Even the most greedy and despicable villain might not commit such a heinous act.
Li Yusheng emphasized, "That person's grandfather was the principal of Yingkou Normal University before liberation."
Zheng Yue's expression changed. "You mean the Yingkou Dragon Descent?!"
"Precisely."
Li Yusheng nodded and patiently explained, "Back then, a report was published in the newspaper about a giant dragon descending in Yingkou, smashing three ships, a truck, and a factory."
"The report was detailed with illustrations and a photograph of a giant skeleton that strongly resembled the legendary dragon, thus causing a global sensation. Countless people flocked to Yingkou, eager to witness what a dragon looked like."
Zheng Yue, being well-read, had some knowledge of such extraordinary events.
She never imagined she would be involved in one herself someday.
Li Yusheng continued, "After the giant dragon fell, it was not dead, but it appeared to be in poor condition. Local villagers set up a canopy for it and poured water on it. One stormy night a few days later, it suddenly disappeared."
"Just as everyone believed the dragon had escaped and was alive, its body was found a few days later in a nearby reed marsh."
Li Yusheng sighed at this point.
He regretted not being born a few decades earlier, otherwise, he would have certainly gone to the scene to see what a true dragon looked like.
"After the giant dragon died, its remains were dragged to the customs pier, and countless people saw it. Everyone said it looked exactly like the dragon in legends."
"Later, the dragon's skeleton was sent to Yingkou Normal University for the teachers there to preserve as a specimen for research."
Li Yusheng smiled helplessly. "A few years later, when the school moved, the person who came to my master, whose grandfather was the principal, did not forget to take the dragon's remains with him when leading the entire faculty and students to relocate."
"Where was it taken?" Zheng Yue asked curiously.
Li Yusheng pointed at Lin Fan and replied, "It is precisely because it could not be found that my sister wanted to try using the Chi Pearl."
"The boat carrying the dragon's skeleton sank unexpectedly in the Qingshui River in Yingkou. In those chaotic times, no one paid attention to searching for it."
"Later, when people went to salvage it, they found nothing."
"Perhaps the Chi Pearl, as another artifact of a dragon, would have a response to the dragon bones submerged underwater. According to my master's research, this is highly feasible."
After speaking, Li Yusheng looked quietly at Lin Fan.
Lin Fan was lost in the bizarre and thrilling story, staring blankly for a long time.
China regards the dragon as a totem. In myths and legends, dragons could ride the clouds, summon rain, ascend to the heavens, and dive into the vast seas, possessing incredible power. Throughout dynasties, from royalty to common folk, people were filled with curiosity and longing for dragons. Ancient scholars like Ye Gong cherished dragons, and in the present day, people like Lin Xingnan would spare no expense to search for traces of dragons. Clearly, the existence of dragons was not mere hearsay.
"Little Fan, look."
Zheng Yue held up her phone, displaying a black and white photograph.
"This is the photograph published in the newspaper back then. Seeing is believing."