I pointed to the notebook and said to irley Yang, "The facts are all here now. There’s no need to bring Professor Chen in for a direct confrontation. Just presenting him with this work log is enough to make him tell the truth. What other secrets could there be?"

irley Yang responded, "Professor Sun has never had an easy time professionally. His secret research into the trigram mirror and talismans was likely a move of last resort, probably just to prevent others from interfering with his findings. Furthermore, all the antiquities displayed in the museum are replicas. Although you and I didn't know this at the time, Professor Sun must have been aware of it for a long while. Him sneaking into the museum late at night to check on the fakes probably isn't a huge deal. The two genuine ancient talismans, the Bronze Man and Bronze Ghost, have both been secured in the cultural relics department's repository. I imagine even a scholar of Professor Sun's stature would find it difficult to access those national treasures without official authorization. His idea of exploring the Immortal Village using the Four Talismans and One Mirror is ultimately unachievable; sooner or later, he will have to return the bronze mirror and bronze talisman in his possession."

I smiled bitterly and shook my head, "You always see the best in people, irley Yang. I’m not so sure. From Professor Sun's work log, it’s clear he has been secretly investigating the Immortal Village ancient tomb for quite some time. The energy and dedication he poured into it are beyond what a normal person could manage—it’s borderline obsession. Therefore, he absolutely won't give up halfway."

irley Yang questioned, "In your view, does that mean Professor Sun is planning to break into the Hunan Museum's Treasure Vault to steal national artifacts? I don't know how secure the Chinese Treasure Vault is, but I imagine its defenses aren't weaker than a bank vault. Professor Sun is nearly sixty years old, with no power or background. How dare he commit such a monstrous crime?"

I told irley Yang, "Even if he had the audacity of a leopard, daring to steal museum relics, he still wouldn't have the skills of a cat burglar scaling walls. However, he does possess the Fish and Dragon bronze ancient talismans, along with a Void-Returning Trigram Mirror. I examined the patterns drawn on the back of the mirror in his notebook; they are all archaic diagrams from the Innate Hexagrams. The center contains the sun and moon symbols dividing the cosmos into Two Poles, harmonizing with the River Diagram's count of 365 degrees in a celestial cycle. Within this structure lie endless transformations and mechanisms that even gods and ghosts cannot fathom."

I had learned about the numerology of the Innate Hexagrams from the old fortune-teller Gu Cai of the South Sea Dragon Clan. The I Ching widely circulated today also features Yin and Yang poles, beginning with Zhen () and ending with Gen (). However, the ancient hexagrams were not symbolized solely by Qian, Kan, Gen, Zhen. The Fish, Dragon, Man, and Ghost—which form a set with the Void-Returning Trigram Mirror—are all hexagram talismans corresponding to the Sixteen Hexagrams of the Celestial Cycle. Placing these talismans onto a Celestial Trigram Dial allows for the generation of infinite possibilities; the combination of these possibilities yields an image.

Fish, Dragon, Man, and Ghost might be symbols representing space and life within the ancient hexagram system—mysterious indicators for ancient divination and the mapping of terrestrial ley lines. There should be sixteen total talismans, requiring at least four numerical possibilities to generate a specific hexagram image. The more divine mechanisms, the more accurate the resulting image.

Possessing just the Fish and Dragon talismans is enough to derive a simple hexagram, though the implications within that image would be more obscure. Most people familiar with the numerology of the Innate Hexagrams understand this principle. Professor Sun has studied the Dragon Bone Celestial Script for years, so he naturally knows this secret. Having gathered two talismans and one mirror, all he needs to find is the method to use the ancient talismans on the trigram mirror to divine results, and he could set off for Sichuan to find that ancient tomb museum at any moment.

But based on my years of exposure to the Sixteen-Character Yin-Yang Feng Shui Secret Arts and my acquaintance with people like Zhang Yingchuan and Gu Cai, who understand some of the mysteries of the Celestial Cycle's ancient hexagrams, I know this matter is far from simple. The sixteen archaic hexagrams unlock the changes of the universe and reveal the secrets of creation. As the Qing Dynasty tomb-raiding master Zhang Sanye once said, "Whoever unlocks its secret might find immortality in the primordial wilderness." These are profound mysteries that mere mortals cannot comprehend. Even if the so-called "secrets of heaven" were laid bare before them, they might spend a lifetime trying to grasp their deeper meaning. To my knowledge, the Celestial Cycle's old hexagrams comprise four components: the Diagram, the Numerology, the Talisman, and the Inscription. We now have the ancient mirror depicting the diagram and the talismans; Gu Cai, a descendant of the Void-Returning clan I found in the South Sea, knows the ancient formulas for the numerology. We are only lacking the most crucial part: the Inscriptions (Guaci). Without the Guaci, interpreting the hexagram images is impossible.

Historically, the most complete discovery of the Celestial Cycle's Diagram, Numerology, Talismans, and Inscriptions occurred during the late Qing Dynasty when a Mojin Xiaowei (Grave Robber Captain) unearthed them from a Western Zhou tomb. Perhaps fearing the leakage of heavenly secrets would invite disaster, these ancient objects were soon destroyed.

According to the information in Professor Sun's notes, the Ming Dynasty tomb robber Guan Shan Taibao once opened an ancient burial mound and stored the accompanying Celestial Cycle ancient hexagrams within the Immortal Village. This explains the legends that circulated after the late Ming bandits entered Sichuan, intent on finding the Elixir Cauldron and the Dragon Bone, the Golden Script, and the Jade Edict.

Based on Professor Sun's notes, I surmise he has no real understanding of the Celestial Cycle's old hexagrams. However, he presumes he knows some rudimentary tricks from ancient tomb robbers. He is likely trying to locate the Immortal Village using the derived numerology and inscriptions of the Acquired Hexagrams, combined with his years of studying the Dragon Bone secret script. I fear the further he searches, the farther he will stray from his target, and he might even end up losing his life and fortune in the process.

When irley Yang heard my analysis, she too grew concerned, "If that is the case, we must find Professor Sun as soon as possible and persuade him to turn back."

I replied, "Professor Sun is incredibly stubborn and single-minded. He’s spent years studying the Dragon Bone Celestial Script, appearing low-key and inconspicuous, but his ambition is immense. He refuses to remain an obscure expert his entire life. It makes sense; experts are a dime a dozen these days. What honor is a mere title? This time, he's likely determined to make a name for himself, striving to create a sensational stir by cracking the ancient mystery of the Celestial Cycle hexagrams, hoping to attain immortal fame spread across distant lands. Forget you and me; I doubt even Professor Chen could talk him down."

irley Yang mused, "Hearing you say that, you must already have a plan. Are you thinking of taking advantage of this situation? You're quite an expert when it comes to coming up with bad ideas."

I said, "I’m not harboring any wicked thoughts. It's just that the Immortal Village hides secret ritual vessels—exactly the kind of ancient tomb we’ve been searching for. Professor Sun’s years of detailed records have conveniently fallen into our laps. What I propose is that we head to Sichuan! We can pit our skills in Fen Jin Ding Xue (Gold Division Pinpointing Graves) against Guan Shan's guidance to unlock mysteries, reviving the work of seeking the profound, perhaps even robbing the Elixir Cauldron from the tomb to save Duo Ling's life."

irley Yang countered, "This won't be easy. Guan Shan Taibao was a colossal tomb robber in the Ming Dynasty, and judging by Professor Sun's notes, he has no idea where the Immortal Village is located. From ancient times to the present, who ever buried the dead under the guise of a village? I wonder if the Immortal Village is like the Peach Blossom Spring discovered by the Wuling Fishermen—a mysterious, isolated settlement? And what about the witchcraft and the Iron Wall mechanisms mentioned in folk legends?"

I looked out the window; the sky had turned bright without me realizing it. I told irley Yang, "That's all for later. Regardless of whether the Immortal Village houses the living or the dead, we must rush back to Beijing today and search Professor Sun’s home. That ancient mirror, even if it isn't the Qin King's Bone-Illuminating Mirror, is a rare treasure. How can we allow it to remain in Professor Sun's hands? If he takes the ancient mirror into the mountains searching for the tomb, the mirror might disappear with him."

With that, I grabbed the work log and, neglecting breakfast, hurried with irley Yang to catch the first long-distance bus back to Beijing.

After arriving home, I immediately dragged Fatty out of his warm sleeping nook before he’d even woken up. Fatty, groggy from sleep, complained, "Old Hu, you have no decency! Don't you know about spring fatigue, autumn weariness, summer naps, and winter slumber? It's the middle of the twelfth lunar month, and you won't even let a man get a decent night's sleep? That’s inhumane! Even the fascists didn't pull such dirty tricks on the Jews..."

I told him to hurry up; we had work again, and I’d take him out for a Manchu-Han Imperial Feast. Hearing this, Fatty immediately perked up, "I was halfway through eating in my dream! Since that’s the situation, let’s finish the meal quickly. Who’s paying? Second Master Qiao?"

While Fatty was dressing, I asked him how his business with Second Master Qiao was going. Second Master Qiao was a well-regarded veteran in Liulichang, though most of his reputation was likely inflated hype; he didn't possess much real skill. In his youth, he excavated a false tomb from the Yuan Dynasty, mistakenly believing he had found a choice geomantic spot for relocating a corpse. Nevertheless, as long as he was willing to pay, I was willing to do business with him.

Fatty said, "Second Master is a good guy; he gives Fatty a lot of face. Besides, I’m somebody at Panjiayuan too..." As he spoke, he threw on some clothes, draped a greatcoat over his shoulders, and followed me out the door.

By this time, irley Yang had already called Professor Chen and obtained the address. I told her, "You were up all night. You should go back and rest. Fatty and I are enough to talk with Professor Sun. We’ll focus on persuasion and education, clearly laying out the righteousness of the situation so he understands and returns the national treasure honestly."

But irley Yang remained worried and insisted on accompanying us to visit Professor Sun. At most, she would remain silent, but she wanted to keep an eye on us to ensure we didn't cross any lines.

I had no choice but to agree. On the way, I briefly recounted the whole incident to Fatty, cautioning him against recklessness, telling him not to smash things upon entry like they did during the house-to-house raids, and to follow my lead.

Fatty grit his teeth, "Old Hu, look at my temper! Fatty nearly drowned and became fish food in the South Sea after all that effort, only for this bronze mirror to end up in that old fox's hands. We can't let him off easy. If he confesses honestly later and treats us to a Manchu-Han Imperial Feast at Zhengyangju, fine. Otherwise, you two had better restrain me. If you can't, just wait for me to finish off that old Sun guy."

Professor Sun Xuewu lived in a tongzilou (communal apartment block) on campus. A tongzilou meant that each floor had several units, with toilets, kitchens, and plumbing facilities located at the end of the corridor for communal use. The hallways were blackened by coal smoke and cluttered with everyone's miscellaneous belongings, resembling a large courtyard community—the living conditions were not very good.

After the Cultural Revolution ended and policies were reinstated, many intellectuals and old cadres resumed work and received back pay. However, although Sun Xuewu had been sent to a niu peng (cowshed) and a labor farm, some of his issues remained unresolved. Reportedly, to protect himself, he had betrayed and implicated certain individuals, but he vehemently denied ever doing such a thing. His work had been reinstated for now, but his benefits were still delayed, and he was still sharing the communal building with junior faculty members who hadn't yet been allocated housing.

When we arrived at his door, it was locked; perhaps he hadn't returned from Tianjin yet. I decided we would wait for him. I sent Fatty out to buy a few sets of jianbing (savory crepes), and we sat in the hallway eating and waiting. Around noon, we heard a Sichuan accent in the hall saying, "Professor Sun, you’re back! Come look at the hairtail I bought today. What is this? It’s not even as wide as the waistband of my trousers! Beijing is so big, yet you can't even buy a decent piece of hairtail."

Then we heard another, somewhat familiar voice reply, "Oh, Old Song, living well, eh? Braised hairtail tonight? Let me see. It’s not that narrow; don’t complain when you have food."

The three of us heard clearly and knew Professor Sun had returned. Indeed, an old man emerged from the dark corridor, severely balding, with the remaining wisps of hair combed over to his forehead. This was Sun Xuewu, the expert on ancient cryptic writings and celestial scripts. He clearly didn't recognize me from the Tianjin Museum encounter. Seeing us waiting outside his door, he looked merely surprised and asked, "Hu Bayi from Panjiayuan, how did you find my address? You kids looking for me never bring good news." He seemed unwilling to let his neighbors see him talking with us, so before I could answer, he pulled out his keys, opened the door, and ushered us inside.

I didn't stand on ceremony, leading irley Yang and Fatty boldly in. I sized up the Fourth Floor apartment: it was crammed with books, with few other household items, and barely any places to sit. I ended up perching on a stack of books.

Professor Sun closed the door and told us, "There’s no hot water; help yourselves to tap water. There are many ancient books inside, so no smoking. Say what you need to say quickly and leave."

Fatty was about to erupt at this discourtesy. I held him back and said to Professor Sun, "We didn't come for any other reason; we were just passing by to see you. You kindly gave us guidance once before in Gulan County, Shaanxi. We came in such a hurry we didn't bring a proper gift, so we bought you a set of jianbing with two eggs, a small token of our appreciation, though hardly worthy."

Professor Sun looked puzzled, "Jianbing?" He waved his hand dismissively and said, "Don't get familiar. I won't guide any of you people in tomb robbing. Just say what you have to say quickly. I’m very busy with work and don't have time to entertain a bunch of cultural relic dealers."

I feigned confusion, "Professor, perhaps you have misunderstood me? We’ve only met a few times. Why is it that every time I see you, you accuse me of dealing in relics? What eye have you seen relics in my possession? Saying this repeatedly is quite damaging to the feelings of us amateur archaeology enthusiasts."

Professor Sun’s face was like frost. He said to me, "I occasionally visit the Panjiayuan antique market. Nowadays, everyone is talking about Mr. Hu; who doesn't know that Mr. Hu possesses the real heavyweights among Ming Dynasty artifacts? Considering we know each other, I won't hide anything: I've long been aware of your dealings. The reason I haven't exposed you is to give you a chance for leniency through a confession. Now you force me to reveal it, and when the masses want to be lenient, they won't find an excuse, forcing them to deal with you severely."

I scoffed dismissively, "You truly are concerned about the nation and its people, treating your own home like a magistrate's office? Please, don't be lenient with me; if you are, I might lose my way. I've been strict with myself since childhood. If strictness is required, we absolutely won't accept leniency. I conduct small-scale business in Panjiayuan, but is that a crime? Isn't it because I enjoy archaeology in my spare time and conduct fair trade without selling fakes that my peers praise me? Is even that not allowed?"

Fatty bristled when he heard this, "Old Hu, stop wasting words with him! What’s wrong with trading a few small trinkets? Lowbrow hobbies are not a crime. Just tell him about us robbing tombs; see if that doesn't scare him speechless."

Professor Sun quickly interjected upon hearing this, "See? Your accomplice has already admitted it. Why are you still being stubborn?" I employed the tactic of 'playing hard to get' and laughed, "If Fatty hadn't mentioned it, I would have genuinely forgotten. Robbing tombs? It’s nothing to mention. If you really want to hear about it, I'll tell you a story. I once personally excavated a large coffin in Fangshan County. That ancient tomb was very old—either Jin or Liao Dynasty. I didn't hesitate at all; I smashed it open quickly. I found quite a few things inside. I used ropes to pull the corpse out of the coffin and discovered, beneath the body, two golden toads the size of fists—pure gold."

Professor Sun was clearly startled by what I said, "You boy, you’re too bold, robbing tombs right here in Beijing? Confess quickly, what happened next? Which market did the artifacts from the tomb get smuggled to?"

I shrugged and sighed, "Then I opened my eyes and saw it was all a dream—a fleeting dream that ended, with no sequel. This dream was truly a bit unsatisfying..."

Professor Sun's face darkened with anger, and he stood up, preparing to show us out. I quickly said, "Wait a moment, please let me finish. Because I had a dream about robbing a tomb and felt unsatisfied, I specially traveled to Tianjin to view the cultural exhibition to quench my thirst. Unexpectedly, I ran into an acquaintance at the Natural History Museum—this time, it wasn't a dream."

My words hit Professor Sun’s weak spot, and he sensed trouble immediately. His overbearing attitude lessened significantly, and he sank back into his chair, testing the waters, "You... you said what? What... what acquaintance?"

I dropped my smile and spoke gravely, "I was brought in through the back door by staff late at night at the museum. Unexpectedly, I stumbled upon a thief inside and even picked up a work log at the scene. The cover was the red plastic of the Tiananmen Gate tower, and I read every word inside all night. The more I read, the more familiar it became. It mentioned a bronze mirror that the three of us, along with a group of Deng Min (boat people) from Southeast Asia who risked their lives to dredge it from the sea eye, had recovered. We lost one life over it, and another companion's fate remains unknown to this day. Now, this trigram mirror has been misappropriated. Even if this person deciphers the secret of the Celestial Cycle hexagrams, his academic halo is stained with the blood of the South Sea boatmen. I went through the Ten-Year Upheaval and never received a proper education, so I don't know as much as a professor like you. I came here simply to ask you how we should settle this account?"

Sun Xuewu’s face turned ashen upon hearing the end of my speech. He knew he couldn't hide it any longer; it could even lead to the ruin of his reputation. He remained silent for a long time, unable to respond. Finally, unable to bear the pressure, his voice softened, and he dared not circle the issue anymore, pleading, "Please... please return the... the notebook... to me. What do you want me... to do? As long as it's within my capability, I’ll agree to anything."

My expression softened slightly. I told Professor Sun, "No one is perfect; anyone can make mistakes. Recognizing error and correcting it makes one a good comrade. Do you now realize the gravity of your mistake? I will give you a chance to atone for your sin: I want you to take us to the Immortal Village ancient tomb in Sichuan, and then you must return the ancient mirror and talismans to Professor Chen exactly as they are."

Fatty chimed in, "To make you stop at the precipice and turn back from the wrong path, Fatty broke his heart and exhausted his strength. I've lost at least ten pounds these past few days! Therefore, you must also treat us to a Manchu-Han Imperial Feast at Zhengyangju, and you must write a written self-criticism detailing the root of your flawed thinking, contrasting it with the current excellent situation, and read it publicly to demonstrate your resolve to correct your mistakes. Do you know how many brain cells you’ve cost Fatty, you old rogue?"

Professor Sun was now all bluster and no substance, burdened by guilt after his secrets were exposed. His stern expression and righteous official tone vanished. Hanging his head, he retrieved several shoeboxes from under the bed, took out the bronze mirror and the two bronze talismans, and handed them to me.

I took the Bronze Dragon Talisman into my hand, and my mind churned uncontrollably. I never expected to see this object again after more than a decade, by such a strange twist of fate. The Dragon Talisman remained, yet the world had changed. Ding Sitian, my revolutionary comrade from the great liaison period back then, was now separated from us by the boundary between the living and the dead. Thinking of how she and Old Sheepskin had both gone to see Marx, my heart felt like a vessel overturned with five bitter flavors. Looking at Fatty beside me, his face was already streaked with tears the moment he saw the Dragon Talisman.

Just then, Professor Sun spoke, "The self-criticism, Zhengyangju... no problem, but the Immortal Village cannot be found... no one can find it. The four eyeless ancient talismans—Fish, Dragon, Man, Ghost—hide cryptic suggestions that I’ve wracked my brain over but cannot decipher. Without unlocking the meaning of the eyeless bronze talismans, the trigram mirror and talismans are useless."

I wiped my eyes with my sleeve and regained some composure, asking Professor Sun, "The eyes of the bronze talismans are hollow; they should be used for divining trigrams. The ancient methods of divination through candlelight are often called tortoise divination, but ancient verification techniques are actually divided into two types: tortoise and mirror. The candlelight passing through the bronze aperture, with the light leaking onto the trigram diagram on the back of the mirror, is the so-called 'Shining Candle to Evolve the Mirror' method. This is also described in your notes—do you think I didn't read it?"

Professor Sun quickly explained: "That is the method, yes. To survey the Dragon Vein's feng shui, one requires human-oil candles. Even with just two copper talismans, one can perform the divination, but if it were truly that simple, it would be a blessing. On the back of the divination mirror are three hundred and sixty-five bronze cavities arranged in a celestial cycle. Each cavity is divided into Yin and Yang to establish the Two Forms, and further divided into four directions to manifest the Four Phenomena. Each possesses a specific, hidden meaning. If we cannot decipher why the bronze talismans representing the Fish, Dragon, Human, and Ghost lack eyes, how can we even begin to use them to deduce the hexagrams? I had hoped the cinnabar furnace unearthed in Hunan would yield clues, but after examining it firsthand last night, I came away with absolutely nothing. Faced with this eternal mystery, I have utterly lost hope. The relationship between the divination mirror and the Tomb of the Earth Immortal is like a cyclical loop of cause and effect—without the mirror, we cannot find the elusive tomb; without the celestial hexagram inscriptions hidden within that tomb, we cannot utilize the mirror. So, you should stop hoping to find the ancient tomb in the Village of the Earth Immortals. In fact, the Village of the Earth Immortals itself is even more baffling, like a legend existing only in Arabian Nights. And most crucially—you are running out of time."

Candle in the Tomb II: Wrath of the Raven