Chapter Sixty-Five: Transformation into a Dragon

Uncle, how did you know those snakes were the ancestors of the Chen family? Do you actually know something, or are you just guessing?” I looked at Chen Dongfang and asked. If those snakes truly were the ancestors from the line of Chen family patriarchs, then honestly, the ancestors were rather cold-hearted. Third Grandfather didn’t ignore the ancestral instructions—he even died because of them—yet he still wasn’t allowed into the Chen family ancestral tomb? But then, I thought, people always talk about feeling ashamed before their ancestors whenever they make mistakes, so perhaps this is possible.

“It’s a feeling. I trust it. And the way that big snake looked at me—it was like family. You wouldn’t understand that,” Chen Dongfang replied.

“So, if what you say is true, those paper figures and horses dragged the immortals from the patriarch’s line away and turned them all into snakes?” I asked.

If that’s the case, it’s a bit much. I can understand ghosts and demons, but I refuse to believe people turn into snakes. This isn’t the world of Journey to the West.

Chen Dongfang shrugged. “Who knows?”

“So, what are you going to do? Are you still going to deal with the matter at Fudi Ditch?” I pressed.

“Even if nothing else happened, with the young lady here, do you think I can just walk away?” Chen Dongfang gave a wry smile.

We said nothing else on the way and went straight to the hospital. Uncle Zhuzi’s condition had improved somewhat; though he hadn’t woken up, at least his life wasn’t in danger for now. Chen Dongfang left some money, which was truly a timely help, since Uncle Zhuzi’s medical bills were a big problem, always relying on Chen Qingshan, who had little savings. Fatty said he could help, and he didn’t seem short of money, but we couldn’t just let Fatty pay for everything.

Once things were settled, Chen Dongfang called me outside. “I’m going back to Shanghai to handle some matters. I don’t know exactly when I’ll return. As always, take care of the young lady. If anything urgent happens, call me. And if you really can’t stay here anymore, you can go to Shanghai and say you’re looking for Chen Dongfang.”

He said it with remarkable confidence, as if just uttering his name in Shanghai would be enough to find him. It sounded like he was the king of the city, which made me even more curious about the mysterious figure behind him. Then, Chen Dongfang said to Fatty, “Fat Lord, can you take me to the airport?”

“What?” Fatty was a bit stunned.

“There are some things I need to discuss with you,” Chen Dongfang said.

Fatty glanced at me. I shook my head, not knowing what was going on. Maybe Chen Dongfang had something private to tell him. After a moment, Fatty agreed, “Alright, King of Thieves, everything here is up to you now. Besides, I could use a change of scenery—these last few days have been driving me stir-crazy.”

I stayed at the hospital to watch over Uncle Zhuzi while Fatty took Chen Dongfang to the airport. Honestly, I felt a bit uneasy guarding Uncle Zhuzi alone. If Tang Renjie’s people came for us, I wouldn’t be able to stop them. But thankfully Fatty returned after about an hour, and nothing happened during that time.

“So, Fat Lord, what did Chen Dongfang say to you?” I asked.

“He told me to go back and repair the Martial Sage Temple,” Fatty replied.

“One hour, and that’s all he said? Are you kidding me?” I looked at him skeptically.

“That’s really all. He didn’t say a word the whole way. Nearly drove me crazy. That line was only said right before he boarded the plane. Your countryman is really strange,” Fatty replied.

I still couldn’t quite believe it, but Fatty didn’t seem to be lying, which made it all the more odd. If it was just a single sentence, why take Fatty all the way to the airport? Was Chen Dongfang deliberately trying to sow discord between us?

As I was pondering this, Fatty said, “Your countryman, Chen Dongfang, is no ordinary person. I wondered how he could be so bold that day, so I had a friend look into it. My friend said that in the past couple of years, Chen Dongfang has suddenly become a dark horse in Shanghai’s underworld, especially with that Li Qing by his side. Li Qing is a real tough character. Shanghai isn’t a place where outsiders can throw their weight around. At first, plenty of people tried to make trouble for them and dump those two fools in the Huangpu River, but they managed to hold their ground. Later, everyone realized these weren’t just country bumpkins, but true dragons crossing the river. It’s not like back in the day—now, two kitchen knives can carve out an empire. For Chen Dongfang to survive in Shanghai, aside from being ruthless, he must have someone powerful backing him; otherwise, he’d have died a thousand deaths already.”

“Did your friend say who the person behind Chen Dongfang is?” I asked.

“No, just said he’s a big Buddha, most likely someone from the Imperial City. These days, anyone who can take a bite out of the Shanghai tigers is something else,” Fatty replied.

“There’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance here. If you connect with the person behind Chen Dongfang, you might even become a favored guest in their house. Would you go for it?” I asked Fatty.

Fatty paused, “What are you talking about?”

“I’m not joking. The girl Chen Shitou kidnapped, Chen Dongfang calls her ‘young lady.’ If you could win her over, Chen Dongfang would be out of the picture,” I laughed.

“Get lost!” Fatty cursed with a laugh, but then he realized what I meant. Pointing at Uncle Zhuzi on the bed, he asked, “Is that why he told you to sleep with the girl that night?”

“Most likely,” I replied.

Thinking about how Uncle Zhuzi used to be, and seeing him now lying in bed, I felt a pang of sadness. That night, his actions were rash, but he truly had my best interests at heart.

“Luckily you held back that night, or you’d be the last eunuch in China,” Fatty joked.

I stopped laughing with him and said seriously, “Fat Lord, honestly, neither my brother nor Chen Dongfang want anything to do with the Luoshui River. Do you really think building a Temple to Lord Guan will subdue the little drought demon?”

“It’s risky, but probably doable. How’s the village these days?” Fatty asked.

“No other issues, just something happened in Chen Dongfang’s family. Not him, but Third Grandfather,” I replied.

“What happened?” Fatty asked.

I opened my mouth, ready to tell him about the paper figures, horses, and the stone coffin I saw last night, but then I realized that was definitely a secret for Chen Dongfang. He only asked me to come because of my brother, and telling Fatty now didn’t feel right. Not that I feared Chen Dongfang would hurt me, but it just wouldn’t be honorable. So I changed tack, “Just a mishap during Third Grandfather’s funeral.”

Then I told Fatty about the strange events from this morning, from the funeral to the burial, which everyone in the village knew, so it wasn’t really a secret. After hearing it, Fatty’s brow furrowed deeply. He asked, “What did Chen Dongfang say?”

“He said the snakes were the ancestors of the Chen family, and because Third Grandfather didn’t guard the Dragon Head Stele properly, they refused to let him into the ancestral tomb. I asked how he knew they were ancestors, and his answer was vague—just said it was a feeling,” I replied. In fact, I’d been meaning to ask Fatty about this; now was my chance to see what a real master of yin and yang thought.

Fatty stood up, his brow furrowing further. After a while, he said, “Snakes are little dragons.”

Before I could ask, he continued, “Did the biggest snake have a crown on its head?”

“What kind of crown?” I asked.

“Like the comb on a rooster’s head,” Fatty replied.

I thought for a moment and shook my head. “I don’t think so.”

Fatty let out a breath, though he still looked incredulous. “If the Chen family ancestors really turned into snakes, then the feng shui inherited by the patriarch’s line must be extraordinary. When a snake grows one crown, it becomes a python; two crowns, a jiao; three crowns, and it can become a dragon. There are stories of ancestor bodies transforming into snakes, but it only happens in the highest dragon lairs. The feng shui in Fudi Ditch is good—I’ve said before that the feng shui node can produce noble people—but it’s not nearly good enough to gather the power needed to turn snakes into dragons. So it doesn’t make sense.”

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