Sun Fatty had sharp ears. He caught what Hao Wenming said and leaned in, asking, "Dragon Gallbladder… Hao Tou, are you saying this is a dragon's gallbladder?"
"You can think of it that way, but strictly speaking, 'Dragonheart Stone' would be a more accurate name." Hao Wenming glanced at the ghost relic—Dragon Gallbladder—being toyed with in Sun Fatty's hands, sighed, and went on, "You've heard the saying 'A dragon begets nine offspring,' right? Legend has it this ghost relic is the heart-stone of one of those dragonborn creatures."
Sun Fatty's mouth hung open in disbelief. "No offense, Hao, but dragonborn... Are you kidding me?"
Hao Wenming rolled his eyes. He'd long given up on trying to get Sun Fatty to kick his habit of starting every sentence with "no offense," but he still had to at least gesture at his disapproval.
"Legend, okay? Do you even understand what that means?" Hao Wenming snapped. "Just like how you were saying a moment ago that the rat in your family lore is the true head of the Chinese zodiac." After shooting him a glare, Hao Wenming continued, "But this legend is a bit different from your rat story. This one's recorded in writing in Ceylon. It says that during the Yuan Dynasty, several hundred years ago, a strange beast's corpse appeared on the seas near Ceylon. The country was in the midst of a famine at the time, and since the beast hadn't yet begun to rot—and it was massive—they used its flesh for disaster relief."
"When they cut open the beast, they found a stone about the size of a lychee hanging from its heart. Some curious fellow kept it. Later, a Chinese merchant doing business in Ceylon heard about this incident. Based on the descriptions from those present at the time, the merchant concluded that the creature they had eaten was none other than a dragonborn—specifically, a Taotie." (Note: In ancient Chinese mythology, the offspring of a dragon and another creature are referred to as dragonborn. Each child born of a dragon and a different species is unique, hence the saying 'A dragon begets nine sons, each different from the other.')
"Unlike in China, Ceylonese customs didn't take issue with eating the flesh of a foreign divine beast. But the guy who'd kept the stone was eager to show off, so he took it out and showed it to the Chinese merchant. The moment the merchant saw it, he treated it like a priceless treasure, paying a hefty sum to buy it. He even gave it a name—Dragon Gallbladder."
"But if it was already named Dragon Gallbladder, what about the ghost relic?" Sun Fatty cut in.
"No offense, but if you'd just let me finish, you'd get the whole picture," Hao Wenming replied, continuing, "After acquiring the Dragon Gallbladder, the merchant was so ecstatic that he had a stroke that very night and died. The next morning, as they were preparing to move his corpse to the ship to bring it back to China, a bolt of dry lightning out of a clear sky struck the Dragon Gallbladder he had tucked inside his sleeve."
"No one expected what happened next. The merchant, already dead, was struck by that bolt and suddenly came back to life. But the Dragon Gallbladder had been shattered into four pieces by the strike. When the Ceylonese king heard about it, he tracked the merchant down. Half-buying, half-seizing, he took the Dragon Gallbladder for himself. Maybe he didn't like the sound of the Chinese name, so he gave it a name in the local tongue—Gui Po. It's a transliteration, but in their language, it means 'Rebirth.' That is, Rebirth Stone."
I was still curious after hearing all this. "Hao Tou, so what about the whole dragonborn thing? Is it real?"
Before Hao Wenming could respond, Xiao Heshang spoke up. "If I were you, I'd worry more about what's right in front of us."
I turned to glance at him. He had a grim expression, eyes fixed unblinkingly toward the deck. I followed his gaze—and realized that at some point, a hatch leading down into the lower cabin had silently opened on the deck. I hadn't heard a sound.
Xiao Heshang raised his chin slightly in the direction of the hatch and said coldly, "The Phantom Vessel just opened a door. Looks like it's inviting us in." Then he gave a pointed glance at the Wealth Rat perched on Sun Fatty's shoulder and added, "Besides the Dragon Gallbladder, there's something else down there..."
Sun Fatty gave him a look. "Master Xiao, don't try to trick me into going down there. Whoever wants to go, be my guest. I'll just wait right up here."
But no sooner had he spoken than the Wealth Rat darted off his shoulder and vanished through the open hatch like a gust of wind.
Xiao Heshang's lips curled in a faint, knowing smile. "And now?"
Sun Fatty's face contorted bitterly. He stared at the hatch, hesitating. I thought he was worried about the rat and had finally made up his mind to follow it. But instead, he turned and said to Xiao Heshang, "Master Xiao, how about... you go take a look? We'll wait here for you."
Xiao Heshang had been all smiles just a moment ago, but as soon as Sun Fatty finished, his face turned bright red with fury. He glared at Sun Fatty, breathing heavily through flared nostrils. He looked like he was just one second away from grabbing him by the collar and slapping him silly.
"You want me to go down there? I'm almost seventy, and you want me to risk my old bones like that?!"
Sun Fatty didn't dare meet his eyes and kept his head down. "I didn't mean for you to go alone… There's still Hao Tou, right?"
"Get outta here!" Hao Wenming snapped from behind and gave Sun Fatty a hard kick.
Xiao Heshang was about to follow up with another when suddenly, from below the hatch came a shrill, piercing squeal—"Screeee!" It was the Wealth Rat, and it sounded like something had grabbed its throat—it was choking mid-scream.
"Goddammit!" Sun Fatty cursed, his usual grin vanishing in an instant, replaced by a twisted, furious look. He bolted toward the hatch, and I followed close behind, worried he'd rush in blindly and fall into danger.
But just as I thought he was about to jump in, Sun Fatty suddenly leapt straight up two or three meters from the hatch—high into the air—and then came crashing down hard.
Boom! With a thunderous crack, the deck—over six hundred years old—splintered beneath him, and a gaping hole appeared where he landed. He dropped straight into the lower cabin through the wreckage. I was too close behind and didn't expect him to pull a stunt like that. I lost my balance and tumbled in after him.
Fortunately, I'd had a few years of special forces training. Just before hitting the ground, I kicked off hard and lunged forward, regaining my balance and avoiding a nasty fall. But everything around me was pitch-black, impossible to tell direction. And in just those few seconds since hitting the ground, Sun Fatty had vanished without a trace.
There was no time to go looking for Sun Fatty. Bathed in the moonlight spilling down from above and through the sluice gate ahead, I saw a man in a long black robe standing on the stairs by the gate. Only half of his body was caught in the moonlight. Though he wasn't far away, I still couldn't make out his features.
My heart tensed. Ever since I'd entered the Water Curtain Cave in Deadman's Pool back in Yunnan, there hadn't been a time I couldn't see clearly in the dark. The harder I tried to make out the man's face, the more indistinct it became. In the end, even the part of his figure that was bathed in moonlight began to blur.
I couldn't see the black-robed man's face, but I could see very clearly what he held in his hand—the struggling Wealth Rat, screeching in distress. The man gripped the fat meat of the rat's back, its limbs flailing wildly in midair, kicking in futile protest.
"Lazi! Dasheng! Are you guys alright?"
"Little Lazi, move! Don't let it hit you!"
Voices rang out from above—Hao Wenming and the others. From the sound of it, they were getting ready to jump down too.
"Don't come down!" I shouted up. This black-robed man in front of me was making me anxious, and the entire place was shrouded in darkness. Even my Heavenly Eye couldn't see anything clearly. If they jumped down, they might not gain any advantage. Better to stay up there and be ready to assist if needed.
"Lazi, why are you alone? Where's Dasheng?" Po Jun shouted down. Judging from their angle, they could only see me—they had no view of the black-robed man by the gate.
"He's fine! He won't die!" I snapped back. Honestly, Sun Fatty's Heavenly Eye ability wasn't as sharp as mine, but when it came to sensing danger, he was much better. We fell together, yet in a blink, he managed to vanish into the shadows. I had to admit, that was a skill.
The black-robed man didn't react at all, as if he hadn't seen me. He remained in the same position I'd seen him in when I fell. If it weren't for the slight movements of the hand holding the Wealth Rat, I'd have thought he was some kind of stone statue.
Since he didn't move, I didn't dare to either. Even though I couldn't make out his face, it was clear from his stance that he was facing me. But the longer we stood like this, the more uneasy I felt.
Second by second, time passed. My shirt was already drenched in sweat. I couldn't take it anymore and finally asked, "Who are you?" I paused, then corrected myself, "Or rather… what are you?"
"Am I human…?" the black-robed man finally spoke. His voice was icy and slow, as if he himself wasn't sure whether he was human or ghost.
After a few seconds of silence, he lifted the Wealth Rat and said to me, "He stole something from me. Return it."
The Gentian! I instantly knew what he meant. I cursed inwardly—Sun Fatty got to keep the treasure the rat brought out, but when it came time to take the fall, that job was mine.
"What thing?" I feigned ignorance. But just as the words left my mouth, I heard a sudden whooshing sound through the dark. The black-robed figure flickered slightly before returning to normal. Then, not far from me, came a familiar scream—"Ahhh!"
Sun Fatty emerged from the shadows, limping toward me while glaring at the black-robed man. When he got close enough, I could see under the moonlight that he was gripping Wu Rendi's small crossbow in his right hand. His left hand clutched his bloodied buttock, with a small bolt sticking out of it.
Apparently, Sun Fatty had been hiding in the darkness, waiting for the right moment. When the black-robed man started speaking, he thought the man's attention was split and fired a bolt. But the man somehow deflected it midair and sent it flying back—right into Sun Fatty's backside.
The black-robed man stepped forward, fully entering the moonlight. Now I could see his face clearly—and that nearly made my heart stop. His most striking feature was a head of snow-white hair.
Wu Rendi…
That was my first instinct. But when I looked closer, I realized they weren't the same. Aside from their appearance, both had that cold, distant expression. However, Wu Rendi never looked anyone straight in the eye—his gaze always seemed to float above people.
But this white-haired man's stare was chilling. Locking eyes with him was like falling into an ice cellar. I forced myself to hold his gaze, resisting the instinct to look away. Sun Fatty's reaction surprised me, though—he just glared back without the slightest hint of fear.
Seeing Sun Fatty appear, the Wealth Rat struggled even harder, squeaking furiously toward him. The white-haired man grew impatient and tightened his grip. The rat let out a shrill cry, convulsed for a moment, then went completely still.
Sun Fatty's eyes bulged, and he limped forward, clearly ready to throw himself at the man. I quickly held him back and whispered three words into his ear: "It's playing dead."
To most people, the Wealth Rat looked like a lifeless corpse. But with my Heavenly Eye, I could see its soul still firmly attached—brimming with energy.
"Playing dead?" The white-haired man lifted the rat by the tail and swung it back and forth. The rat's heavy head dangled limply with the motion, just like a real corpse. But the man wasn't fooled.
His lips curled into a faint smirk. He reached out with his other hand and gave the rat's plump belly a flick. The Wealth Rat jolted like it had been electrocuted, its limbs flailing again as it squeaked madly in panic.
Sun Fatty couldn't stand it anymore. "Seriously? You're gonna pick on a rat?" he shouted. "Let it go! If you've got a problem, take it up with me… or us!"
As he spoke, he handed the small crossbow to me. "Lazi, give him one!"
I cursed him in my head. He knew exactly why there was a bolt in his butt—what made him think I'd fare any better? Even if I was a better shot, if the bolt couldn't touch this guy, it was pointless. Worse, I might be the next one skewered.
Still, I took the crossbow anyway. No harm in accepting something Sun Fatty so generously offered. I loosened the bowstring and tucked it into the back of my waistband. Then I drew the dagger my third uncle gave me. But honestly, in this situation, drawing it was more for my own peace of mind.
To my surprise, the moment the dagger appeared, the white-haired man's eyes narrowed, and he instinctively took a step back. Sun Fatty noticed it too and quickly drew out Wu Rendi's dagger as well.