roccoschili Chapter 30: The Array Diagram
Chapter 30: The Array Diagram
The lights were on in Mr. Ma's courtyard house.
When Cheng Xiaojin pushed open the courtyard gate, Master Ma was sitting in front of the stone table, with an enamel teacup on the table, the lid open, and the tea had already gone cold.
The thrush's cage hung on the pillar; the bird was asleep, covered with a cloth.
"Sit down and talk."
Cheng Xiaojin sat down on the stone bench and recounted the events of the day at Houhai from beginning to end.
The copper sheet, the patterns, the abnormal temperature—not a single word of the "Eight-Armed Nezha City Formation" that Boss Lin mentioned was missing.
Master Ma remained silent after hearing this.
He picked up his enamel mug, took a sip of cool tea, and skimmed off the foam with the lid, the clinking sound particularly clear in the quiet courtyard.
It skimmed six times.
Cheng Xiaojin counted them.
Normally, three circles of the blade are enough for Master Ma; six circles indicate that he is making a very difficult judgment.
"Master Ma, I remember the small picture on page 87 of the fragment very clearly. It's exactly the same as the pattern on the copper plate that Boss Lin showed me. The fragment is annotated with the three words 'Array Diagram Guide'."
Master Ma put the lid on the teacup.
"Are you sure you didn't give yourself away in front of Boss Lin?"
"I'm sure. I went through the standard identification process, looking at the copper color, the scratches, and feeling the density. I said I didn't recognize it and had to go back to check the information. In the end, I used the six words you taught me."
Did he believe it?
"I didn't realize that Boss Lin was such an expressionless person, but he didn't press me or try to keep me. He said we could talk another day."
Master Ma stood up, walked to the rosewood bookcase, opened the hidden compartment, and took out the incomplete scroll of "The Exploitation of the Works of Nature".
He turned to page eighty-seven and read it for a long time under the lamp.
Cheng Xiaojin stood to the side waiting.
"Master Ma, what exactly is the origin of this thing?"
Master Ma's finger touched the three characters next to the illustration on the tattered scroll, his fingernail pressing a shallow indentation into the paper.
"Don't ask about its origin yet. Think about this first: how did this copper piece end up in the hands of a Malaysian smuggler?"
Cheng Xiaojin was stunned for a moment.
"What do you mean?"
"This artifact dates back to the Yongle era, six hundred years ago. If it was originally located at a geomantic node in Beijing, when was it unearthed? Who unearthed it? And through what means did it end up in Southeast Asia?"
Cheng Xiaojin's mind started working.
"Could it be related to that smuggling route?"
"The line your father investigated back then went from Beijing through Guangzhou to Southeast Asia, and it involved feng shui talismans and iron and bronze artifacts. Zhenhai Iron was a product of this line, and the array diagram might also be one."
"What about that piece of copper in Boss Lin's hand?"
"Either he intercepted it himself from the smuggling route, or someone gave it to him specifically. In either case, the decision for him to show it to you was not made lightly."
"Is he testing me?"
"He's playing his cards. Last time, he just thought you were somewhat interesting. This time, he's using the array diagram to lure you out and is raising the stakes. He wants to see your reaction, how much you have up your sleeve, and whether you know the true weight of this thing."
Cheng Xiaojin sat back on the stone bench, resting his hands on his knees.
"So how did I react?"
"You reacted well, you were able to pretend you didn't understand when you should, but you have one flaw."
"where?"
"You said your finger paused for a second when you touched the copper plate."
Cheng Xiaojin recalled that he had indeed mentioned this detail when he was recounting the story to Master Ma.
"That second was because of the temperature; it was too cold, which was abnormal."
"I know, but I guess Boss Lin saw it too. He'll be wondering what caused that one-second pause in you. If you only recognize the copper color and the engravings, the temperature shouldn't have made you react."
Cheng Xiaojin closed his eyes.
I made a mistake.
"It's not a big mistake, but remember this: next time you encounter something unusual, don't stop your hands or eyes, pick it up and complete the process without leaving any gaps for the other party to grab."
"clear."
The courtyard was quiet for a while.
Master Ma closed the tattered scroll, put it back in the hidden compartment, closed the compartment door, and closed the bookcase door.
"Master Ma, what exactly is the Eight-Armed Nezha City?"
Mr. Ma stood in front of the bookshelf without turning around.
"You shouldn't ask me this question; you should ask Master Zhou."
"Uncle Zhou?"
"Zhou Banxian seems crazy, but he never says anything casually. I remember you told me that he mentioned this word to you."
"Do you know?"
Master Ma turned around.
He held the enamel teacup in his hands; his knuckles were somewhat rough from age, but his posture while holding the teacup was very steady.
"I know part of it, but now is not the time to tell you that."
"Is it because it's not time to know yet again?"
"No..." Master Ma's voice deepened slightly, "Your most important task right now isn't investigating this; you need to tether that mad dog, Fatty Sun, to a leash first."
Cheng Xiaojin opened her mouth as if to refute.
Master Ma raised his hand to interrupt him.
"Let me finish. Boss Lin used the array diagram to test you. You still haven't figured out the Ouroboros thing. Someone broke into your window, and there's someone watching you from the building across the street."
"You're currently bound by three threads, and you haven't even sorted out each one yet. If you keep probing in the direction of the Eight-Armed Nezha City, that's the fourth thread. With all four threads pulling you at once, how are you going to move?"
Cheng Xiaojin remained silent.
"Gather what you can gather, pick up what you can pick up."
"Boss Lin has kept Fatty Sun under control, but that's only temporary. Boss Lin can't keep him in check forever. Once things settle down with Boss Lin, Fatty Sun will be the first to jump out and bite you. You have to pull his teeth out before he does."
"How do I pull it out?"
Master Ma placed the teacup on the stone table and sat down.
"Your performance at Houhai today has put my mind at ease. Boss Lin won't pressure you to make a statement for the time being."
"But Fatty Sun is different. He's not the one who sets up the scheme; he's the one who gets so angry at the scheme that he's ready to flip the table. You can't wait for him to make a move; you have to give him a taste of his own medicine so he'll willingly stick his head into the trap."
Cheng Xiaojin's eyes lit up.
"You mean to set up another scheme?"
"No need to set a trap, just a snare. Last time you set a trap to fool buyers, this time you need to set a snare to tether a mad dog. The purpose is different, so the method is different too."
"Go ahead, I'm listening."
Master Ma tapped his fingers three times on the stone tabletop.
"Sun Pangzi has two Achilles' heel: greed and pride."
"You humiliated him so badly at Houhai last time. He smashed Tong Kexin's stall and even destroyed his own tea set because he lost face. But he hasn't really hurt you yet. Why?"
"Because Boss Lin's phone call stopped him."
"On the surface, yes, but the deeper reason is that he still harbors a hope that you might have something good in your possession."
"You only produced one Zhenhai Iron, but if an old farmer from Hebei can dig one out of the foundation of his old house, he might dig out a second one. Fatty Sun won't give up on that possibility."
Cheng Xiaojin slowly leaned back.
"You mean I should spread the word that I have a second one?"
"Don't release it yourself, let Master Qi release it. The effect will be different. If you release the information yourself, it's just bragging. But if Master Qi releases the information, it's the norm."
"And then what?"
"Fatty Sun will definitely try his best to get the second item; he needs to use it to regain the face he lost in front of Boss Lin."
"But you can't give him the real thing, nor do you need to give him a fake that can fool an expert. You just need to give him something that looks real, so that he spends enough time and effort watching you before he gets his hands on it."
"Lue the snake out of its hole."
"Yes, his people are watching your rented house and your stall. All his energy is tied up in you. Use this time to do what you really need to do."
Cheng Xiaojin stood up and walked around the yard twice.
"Old Li still has some old Qing Dynasty iron materials left. He can finish a rough job in two or three days. He doesn't need to pass the test of Glasses King. He just needs to make sure the shape and weight match."
"After you finish making it, wrap it in a black cloth and put it in the most conspicuous place in your rented room."
"In the drawer?"
"Put another feng shui book in the drawer, just to make it look like you're studying something else. When Fatty Sun's men flip through it, they'll be convinced you're researching the second thing."
Cheng Xiaojin nodded.
"I'll find Third Master Qi tomorrow."
He turned around as he walked to the gate of the courtyard.
"Master Ma, regarding the matter of Eight-Armed Nezha City, after I've settled things with Fatty Sun, could you give me a break?"
Master Ma picked up his teacup and took a sip.
"When you're old enough to ask, I'll tell you without you even having to ask."