Chapter 90: Behind the Walking Dragon

Master Liu is not a vague person. He said he would provide me with clues, and immediately took action. He took a map out of his drawer and placed it in front of me.

I was actually wondering if Master Liu’s drawer was like those of the Miao girls, a drawer for the cat, with everything in it? But my eyes were drawn to the map, and I was very curious to know what kind of secret map it was.

But after just one glance, I lost interest in the map. It was just an ordinary world map. If anything, it was just a little larger than the average map, and the symbols were a little easier to read.

What did Master Liu mean by laying out a world map in front of me?

But I still didn’t show any signs of anxiety, because I believed that Master Liu wouldn’t do anything inexplicable. He had always been a very efficient person.

Sure enough, after slowly setting up the map, Master Liu took a red pen from the pen holder on the table and began to draw circles in one place after another on the map.

Soon, he had outlined more than 20 places on the map.

However, the red circles were different. Some were single red circles, and some were double red circles.

After he finished, he stared at it for a long time before putting down his pen and pointing to one of the double red circles and saying to me, “This double red circle represents the place where the floating island once appeared. Take a good look!”

At first glance, there are more than a dozen double red circles on the map, and they are not necessarily in the waters of China. They appear in most parts of the world, but are concentrated in East Asia, especially in China.

I looked at it carefully for a long time before I looked up and said to Master Liu, “Master Liu, there is no pattern in this. Except that there are many of them in China, why are there so many of them all over the world? Penglai is a legend in our country.”

“Your vision cannot be so limited. Maybe we call it Penglai Island in China, but there are other names for it abroad. Do you know that at the end of the 16th century, the West began the Age of Discovery? If you are interested, you can find the descendants of pirates or the descendants of those pioneers of navigation, listen to their stories and listen to the stories passed down by their ancestors.” Master Liu said to me with a smile.

At this point, I had no resistance to this smile, which was like the peel of a dried orange. I was used to it.

Master Liu’s words made me start thinking with my chin in my hand. It seemed very interesting. At this moment, I suddenly felt that I didn’t have enough time in my life. In fact, how could I have time to collect this information?

Master Liu tapped the table with one hand and said, “Since the Liu family inherited the legacy of Kunlun, we have had our own glorious moments. At that time, the family was not small, and the ancestors were enthusiastic about cultivating resources and power that could bring convenience. Naturally, they leaned towards the state, and some ancestors were like wandering clouds and wild geese. While seeking the Dao in their lives, they also tried their best to pursue some proof of existence. You have to know that China is the representative of the Eastern continent. China has Kunlun, and doesn’t the West also have Atlantis?”

“What do you mean…?” At that moment, I swear I was full of curiosity about the world.

“My meaning is simple. The locations where these floating islands have appeared are the secret, reliable information obtained by my ancestors over the generations. In fact, my family has some secret information about many mysterious events. Unfortunately, as you know, all things must come to an end. My family has become increasingly sparse. Now, the Liu family, which once flourished in the secret world, has only two years left. I often wonder why this is so. Did my family go against the original intention of the Kunlun teachings and thus bring about the decline of the family? Master Liu’s tone was a bit sad. This was the first time I discovered that he cared about something other than his daughter.

At the same time, I was also saddened by this branch of the Kunlun family. Two years later, Master Liu would pass away at the same time as his daughter, and that would mark the end of the family.

For a moment, we were silent. Master Liu’s eyes first showed sadness, but then gradually calmed down. He said, “Well, the rise and fall of a family is not in the hands of man. In the end, it is just a fleeting dream, a shackle in life! Even if you have a thousand good things, if you don’t have the Dao, it will only add to your sadness…”

I didn’t know how to comment, so I just bowed my head and remained silent. Master Liu’s words were somewhat negative, but they also revealed a truth: after death, all the glory and fame of one’s life is but a dream, and it has nothing to do with oneself, unless one can escape the cycle of reincarnation.

Although there has always been talk of reincarnation, as the end of the spirit body, in fact, if you haven’t gone through it once, you’ll always be unsure. Who knows if reincarnation is a kind of return, or a recombination of the spirit body? People are insecure things, including me. I have never believed in the underworld, and I am full of speculation about what reincarnation is actually like.

But this is obviously not the time to think about such deep issues. Master Liu said to me, “In fact, the chance of appearing in the same place is much smaller than the chance of appearing in a new place. The reason I marked this red circle for you is just to make you pay attention to a little bit of regularity, which is also a law without a law.”

This hint was already very obvious. I looked up and said, “I understand. Wherever it appears a lot, it is especially worth my while to go. This is a matter of probability, right?”

“That’s the principle, but this is only one part of the story. The other part has to do with some folk legends,” said Liu, tapping his fingers on the table.

I listened attentively.

“Here, here, here…” Master Liu pointed to several single-layer red circles on the map, then to another double-layer red circle on the map, and said to me, “This corresponds to here, and this corresponds to here…”

After pointing to the map, Master Liu looked up at me and said, “What I mean is that the probability of finding these rivers in the corresponding sea areas is relatively high.

“What does he mean?” Without understanding the meaning of the single-layer red circles, I really didn’t understand what kind of rule Master Liu was pointing out.

The rivers and sea areas he pointed to were too extensive, like the Yellow River, Yangtze River, Indus River, and Amazon River.

“It’s normal if you don’t understand. Let’s go back to the folk legend we mentioned earlier. This folk legend is about the snake spirit!” Master Liu said slowly.

“Where is this legend?” I exclaimed. In fact, I had never seen a snake spirit, but I had seen a snake spirit more than once, especially the one I saw when I was a child. I can’t describe the spirit.

That time, my master even personally gave it a seal!

My master would never lie to me, and I firmly believe that there is such a thing as a walking dragon.

“Haha, for you and me, of course it’s not a legend. The meaning of the word ‘legend’ in my mouth is not the meaning of myth or legend, but refers to the fact that in the folk world, for generations, many people have seen the walking dragon, so it has become a saying passed down from mouth to mouth. I mean this! Of course, folk legends often have some embellishment, but the essence of the matter will not change.” Master Liu said calmly.

“What is the essence of the matter?” I felt that my reaction today was extremely slow, and I didn’t understand what Master Liu meant.

“Silly boy, the essence of the matter is that the snake turns into a dragon in the river, and the dragon turns into a dragon in the sea. Do you understand what I mean?” Master Liu’s eyes flashed with brilliance. This is probably the most important part of the secret.

After that, he didn’t say much, but took a sip of tea leisurely, as if to let me understand on my own.

I looked at the map, and the words Master Liu told me were churning in my head. The dragon? The dragon of the Chinese nation?

Suddenly, I understood. This idea made me so excited that I couldn’t help but clap my hands on the table and yell, “Master Liu, I understand!”

Master Liu smiled and looked at me and said, “I see. Tell me what you think.”

“The dragon exists. A national treasure-level genius scientist (Brother Sheng) once told me that there was a specimen in… and I have never heard of the legend of the dragon in history! But even so, my master and I have discussed some historical events. What can be specifically found is generally a jiao, not a dragon. Where have the real dragons gone? Why did they go into the sea? They have actually been there all along, but why can’t we see them? Because there is a place鈥擪unlun, and according to the clues I have received, it may be the same place as ours! The dragon… turns into a dragon, goes to Penglai, and then…!” I was so excited that I couldn’t speak coherently, and I didn’t know if Master Liu understood.

Master Liu nodded and said, “That’s the idea! But don’t limit your thinking to dragons. The dragon is the totem of China, but that doesn’t mean that it’s the only one that can enjoy the fruit of its labor!”