At that moment, Yu Feibai mused thoughtfully, "You mean the monkey—er, the person surnamed Hou that Granny Lu just mentioned?"

"Yes, precisely him. Everything I know about mechanisms, he taught me." Elder Qian nodded, then picked up the landline phone in the hall and dialed.

Soon, the call connected, and a gentle voice answered, "Ling Xi?ww. Jun?"

"It's me," Elder Qian chuckled. "Brother Hou, it's so late, are you resting?"

"No, still busy."

The other party replied, "But you calling me out of the blue, there must be something, right?"

"Indeed, I need your help with something." Elder Qian didn't hide it, laughing openly. "And this is something you'll definitely find fascinating. If I tell you, you might even rush over tonight."

"Oh, saying it like that really piques my curiosity," the other sounded surprised. "Tell me what it is. You know where I am right now... If it’s a small matter, I certainly wouldn't ask for leave."

"I have a mechanical box here," Elder Qian said frankly with a smile. "It's the Qiankun Five Elements Lock. I only managed to break through the fourth level and I'm completely stumped, with no leads whatsoever. That's why I wanted to ask you to take a look."

"Really?"

Upon hearing this, the other’s tone filled with intense interest: "What exactly are the mechanisms? Tell me about them."

"The first level is a closed optical illusion," Elder Qian began to explain. "It's entirely smooth, without any carvings. An ordinary person would definitely mistake it for a piece of wood."

"That’s easy," the voice came through the receiver. "Press arbitrarily—up or down, or left or right, or diagonally—and it should open."

"I know. It was easy to pass," Elder Qian laughed. "The second level is a bit trickier; it’s somewhat like a Rubik's Cube. One wrong twist and it jams."

"That’s not too difficult either."

The other party scoffed, saying casually, "I think I told you before, these mechanisms look complex, but they actually follow patterns. Especially with a mechanism box, due to the limitations of its internal structure, movement is only possible at the four corners. It’s just four sequences—Southeast, Northwest, or the reverse—or first forward then reverse, or first reverse then forward. There are only a few patterns; try them at random, and you’ll surely pass."

"You were right; it was first forward, then reverse."

Elder Qian’s laughter grew louder, and everyone else listening couldn't help but marvel.

Momentarily, Yu Feibai couldn't help but whisper to himself, "Is this Zhang Liang? Or Zhuge Liang? Orchestrating everything from afar to secure victory!"

"Nonsense, he’s an expert in this field, with vast experience," Wang Guan whispered softly, a hint of admiration in his tone. "It’s like a senior high school student who’s endured endless practice tests; the moment they see the question, they know how to solve it."

At this point, the other party asked, "What about the third level?"

"The third level is a chess game lock," Elder Qian replied. "It's a famous ancient strategy game, but it conceals a few superfluous pieces. Once those extra pieces are pressed, the entire 361 points of the board instantly reveal densely packed pinholes—that's the fourth level..."

"Oh."

Upon hearing this, the other’s tone became notably more cautious: "Try piercing the Tianyuan position on the board with a thin needle."

"We tried, it didn't work," Elder Qian shook his head. "Inserting the needle triggers the mechanism, and the box automatically resets to its initial state. Also, this thing isn't mine; the original owner of the box studied it for two years, trying every method, but failed..."

"It’s actually that hard?"

Hearing Elder Qian recount this, the other party was quite surprised, as several of the methods he was about to suggest were among those attempted. He hadn't expected them all to fail. Suddenly, with great interest, he said, "It’s not very clear to explain over the phone, and it’s hard to break down remotely. In that case, I’ll take some time off and come over."

"Good, I'll wait for you," Elder Qian said.

Elder Qian hung up the phone and then turned around with a smile. "Alright, he should be here first thing tomorrow morning."

Just then, Yu Feibai, also very curious, asked, "Elder Qian, what does your friend do? He seems to have a deep understanding of mechanism art."

"When he arrives, you can ask him yourself," Elder Qian chuckled. Since he was old, solving the mechanism box had drained quite a bit of his energy. Seeing how late it was, he simply invited everyone to rest.

"Good night!"

After exchanging farewells, everyone retired to their rooms.

The night passed uneventfully. The next morning, everyone gathered in the living room again. Yu Feibai was holding the mechanism box, pondering how to solve it, while frequently glancing toward the courtyard entrance, wondering if Elder Qian’s friend had arrived.

"Ling Xi!"

Suddenly, a man walked confidently into the courtyard, calling out before even reaching the hall.

"He's here," Elder Qian’s face broke into a smile upon hearing the voice, and he immediately stood up to greet him. The others naturally did not lag behind and hurried out to see the newcomer clearly.

At first glance, Wang Guan and the others were somewhat surprised. In their imaginations, a master of mechanism art would either be a gaunt, inconspicuous old man, or a transcendent figure with an ethereal air of detachment.

However, all those fantasies were shattered. The person before them was quite unexpected. He wasn't thin or slight; on the contrary, he was quite plump. His short hair was entirely white, and his face was as pale, smooth, and round as dough. Even without smiling, he looked festive. When he did smile, he resembled the Maitreya Buddha in a temple.

"Brother Hou," Elder Qian said, his face beaming as he hurried forward to welcome him. After a few pleasantries, Elder Qian introduced Wang Guan and the others to him.

"Elder Hou," Wang Guan and the others also came forward to pay their respects.

Elder Hou responded warmly and kindly, then smiled, "...Ling Xi, your place is much livelier. Unlike mine, everyone is so busy there; there’s no time to find someone to chat with."

"In that case, stay a few extra days," Elder Qian chuckled, leading the way inside.

"I’m afraid I can’t. If I get too idle, I feel completely out of sorts," Elder Hou shook his head. After walking into the living room and sitting down, his gaze immediately fell upon the mechanism box on the table. He instantly showed keen interest: "Is this the thing?"

"Indeed," Elder Qian nodded, pouring a cup of tea and handing it over with a gentle smile. "Don't rush, you must be dusty from traveling. Wet your throat first."

"Mhm."

Elder Hou took a sip of tea and, after accepting the cup, immediately picked up the mechanism box to examine it. "So intricate. It must be a Kui."

"Gui?" Yu Feibai, unafraid to ask what he didn't know, inquired, "What is that?"

"It’s something used to store valuables," Elder Hou said with a knowing smile. "For example, have you heard of the Golden Kui Alliance in the early Northern Song Dynasty?"

"You mean the legend about Empress Dowager Du, the mother of Emperor Taizu Zhao Kuangyin, summoning Zhao Pu into the palace on her deathbed to record her final wishes, ordering that after Taizu’s death, the throne should pass to his younger brother Zhao Guangyi?" Yu Feibai blinked, then pouted, "Whether that story is true or not, the 'Candle Shadow Axe Sound' incident seems more reliable."

"Heh heh, it doesn't matter if it's reliable," Elder Hou laughed. "The story goes that the imperial edict was stored inside the Golden Kui. That Kui was a mechanism box similar to this one, though certainly larger and with more complex mechanisms."

"Elder Hou, you’ve seen that Golden Kui?" Yu Feibai’s eyes lit up with interest.

Elder Hou smiled and deftly changed the subject: "I want to see just how complex this Qiankun Five Elements Lock is."

As he spoke, Elder Hou's seemingly plump fingers moved with surprising dexterity. After briefly weighing the mechanism box, he effortlessly bypassed the first layer of the mechanism. The second layer offered no resistance; with just a slight twist, he smoothly entered the third.

Looking at the miniature chessboard, Elder Hou fell into deep contemplation.

Seeing this, Elder Qian enthusiastically gestured, "Brother Hou, it's these few pieces here—the superfluous ones..."

"No, no!" Elder Hou gently shook his head, then smiled, "You described it quite clearly last night, and I understand the situation. According to you, the box's owner spent two years studying it and tried several methods without success on the fourth level, and the fourth level offers no hints at all. This clearly indicates that the third and fourth levels are actually a Mandarin Duck Interlocking Lock."

"Mandarin Duck Interlocking Lock?" Yu Feibai was stunned. "Didn't you say this was the Qiankun Five Elements Lock?"

"Feibai, Elder Qian also said that Qiankun Five Elements is just a general term," Wang Guan reminded him. "So having a lock within a lock is very normal."

"You are absolutely right," Elder Hou commented with a hint of approval. "The name means nothing; the key is the setup of the lock. A truly brilliant locksmith can create incredibly complex variations even within a relatively simple Mandarin Duck Interlocking Lock."

Hearing this, everyone fell into thoughtful reflection, nodding in agreement. Clearly, Elder Hou made a lot of sense; Elder Qian had been completely defeated by this mechanism box that combined the Qiankun Five Elements with the Mandarin Duck Interlock.

"Mandarin Duck Interlock, linked ring by ring—the two stages are interconnected and cannot be solved independently. Therefore, one must proceed in a single, continuous action to break through," Elder Hou explained, while also pressing a few small black and white dots at Elder Qian's prompting. Instantly, all the small black and white dots on the miniature chessboard retracted, revealing the dense array of pinholes.

"Just like that. If you insert a probe even slightly, you immediately trigger the mechanism. We had no idea how to break it," Yu Feibai admitted, the resentment over this level still lingering. After failing more than ten times, he would have smashed the box against the wall if others hadn't stopped him.

However, an expert is an expert. Elder Hou observed for a moment, a confident smile appearing on his face: "Not difficult..."

"How do we solve it?" Everyone leaned in to listen intently.

"You must understand that the more complex the mechanism, the simpler the means of breaking it," Elder Hou said, now feeling quite inclined to teach. Having found his footing, he began to elaborate: "Complex designs are merely misdirection, meant to confuse the mind, trapping you in a labyrinth from which you cannot escape..."