148: Chapter 148 Old Locust Tree Lane

On Saturday morning, Chen Zhen boarded the high-speed train to Nancheng again.

This time, he was alone.

Zhou Rui remained at the base to look after the Mutant Seedling that was about to bloom, while Yun Xi went to handle an emergency involving another person with a sensitive Physique.

There were not many people in the carriage.

He sat by the window and read Shen Zhiyuan's note again.

"Nancheng, Fushan Town, No. 7 Old Locust Tree Alley."

On the back of the note was a line of tiny, faint pencil writing, as if it had been added later; one wouldn't notice it without looking closely.

"The person's surname is Liu, and he works as an inkstone carver."

Inkstone carving. Chen Zhen folded the note and put it away.

An inkstone carver surnamed Liu; Shen Zhiyuan knew him.

He had been to his house.

Could the item in the stone box be in that person's hands?

When the high-speed train arrived, Chen Zhen hailed a taxi and headed straight for Fushan Town.

The driver was the same young man as last time, and he looked a bit surprised to see Chen Zhen alone.

"Back again? Not hiking the mountain this time?"

"Looking for someone."

"Who are you looking for?"

"No. 7 Old Locust Tree Alley. An inkstone carver surnamed Liu."

The driver glanced at him through the rearview mirror.

"Master Liu? Do you know him?"

"I don't. A friend recommended him."

The driver nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

The car drove for nearly two hours before arriving at Fushan Town.

Chen Zhen got out of the car and stood on the main street.

The sun was bright, and there weren't many people on the street.

He asked a woman selling vegetables, then turned into a narrow alley in the direction she pointed.

The alley was very narrow, with old brick walls on both sides, covered in moss.

The ground was paved with stone slabs, with tiny blades of grass sprouting from the gaps.

After walking about two hundred meters, a large locust tree appeared ahead.

The trunk was so thick it would take several people to encircle it, and its branches and leaves blocked out the sky, casting the entire alley in shadow.

Under the tree was a small courtyard with a wooden gate; the paint had completely peeled off, revealing the grayish-white wood underneath.

The doorplate read "No. 7 Old Locust Tree Alley."

Chen Zhen knocked on the door.

No one answered.

He knocked a few more times.

The door opened, and an old man poked his head out.

He was over seventy, thin, slightly hunched, with small but very bright eyes.

He was wearing a blue work uniform with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and his hands were covered in ink.

"Who are you looking for?"

"Are you Master Liu?"

The old man stared at him for a few seconds.

"I am. Who are you?"

"Chen Zhen. Shen Zhiyuan recommended me."

The old man's expression flickered.

It was quick, just a flash, but Chen Zhen caught it.

He was silent for a few seconds, then stepped aside.

"Come in."

The courtyard wasn't large and was piled with stones.

Big and small, square and round, black and green; some were already half-carved, revealing the patterns inside.

In the corner was a stone trough soaking some unworked inkstone rocks; the water was murky and emitted a faint smell of stone dust.

The old man walked to the stone table in the center of the courtyard, sat down, and picked up a semi-finished piece to continue carving.

The carving knife moved quickly in his hands, sending stone chips flying.

"Shen Zhiyuan has been dead for many years." He didn't even look up.

"I know."

"Then what did you come to me for?"

"He came to Fu Mountain in Nancheng and found the stone box empty. He left a note saying the person who took the item was a fellow practitioner."

The old man's hand paused, then he continued carving.

"So you think it was me?"

Chen Zhen didn't speak.

The old man made a few more cuts, put down the carving knife, and looked up at him.

"What are you to him?"

"No relation. He left me some notes."

The old man stared at him for a long time.

"What are you looking for?"

"nanshan jade tablet."

The old man's pupils contracted slightly.

He stood up, went into the house, and after a while brought out a small wooden box, placing it on the stone table.

The box was very old, its edges worn smooth, with a thick patina on the surface.

"When he came to see me back then, that's what he was asking about."

Chen Zhen opened the wooden box.

Inside was a jade tablet, milky white, palm-sized, with a smooth surface and no runes.

It was exactly the same as the ones from North Mountain and West Mountain.

[Item Obtained: nanshan jade tablet]

[Effect: Resonates with the east mountain jade tablet, North Mountain, and West Mountain jade plaques to activate hidden functions]

[Usage: Unknown]

He looked up at the old man.

"Did you take this from Fu Mountain?"

The old man shook his head.

"Not me. It was my father. In 1958, during the Great Leap Forward, he went to Fu Mountain to quarry stone and found this in a cave. He didn't know what it was, so he brought it back. Later, Shen Zhiyuan came, recognized it, and asked my father if he could have it. My father refused."

He paused.

"My father said that this thing belonged to the mountain and couldn't be taken away. When he died, he wanted it buried back."

He glanced at the wooden box.

"He died before he could bury it. This thing has been in my hands for over forty years."

Chen Zhen put the jade tablet back into the wooden box and pushed it back.

The old man was stunned.

"You don't want it?"

Chen Zhen looked at him.

"Your father wanted to bury it back. You should bury it for him."

The old man stared at him for a long time, then smiled.

The smile was faint, like a breeze blowing across the surface of water.

"You young man, you're interesting."

He put the wooden box away.

"Alright. I'll go bury it. And you?"

Chen Zhen stood up.

"I'll go take a look."

The two left the courtyard and walked north.

They passed through the town and got onto the dirt road.

The old man walked in front, his pace not fast, but steady.

"Your name is Chen Zhen?"

"Yes."

"Did Shen Zhiyuan mention you in his notes?"

"No. I wasn't even born when he died."

The old man was silent for a few seconds.

"Then how do you know about him?"

"A friend gave them to me."

The old man nodded and didn't ask any more.

After walking for an hour, they arrived at the foot of Fu Mountain.

The old man stood before the mountain, looking up at the black peak.

"I used to come here often when I was a child. Back then, I didn't know any better and thought this mountain was ominous. Later, when I grew up and learned to carve inkstones, I realized the stones in this mountain were good things."

He took the jade tablet out of the wooden box, squatted down, and used his hands to push aside the dirt on the ground.

He dug a pit, neither too deep nor too shallow, placed the jade tablet inside, and covered it with soil.

"There. It's back home."

Chen Zhen squatted down and pressed his hand onto the soil.

He probed with his spiritual power.

The jade tablet was underground, emitting a faint light, echoing the runes of Fu Mountain from afar.

The system panel popped up a notification.

[nanshan jade tablet returned]

[Composite Rune Array: Nanshan node activated]

[Current progress: 3/4]

[Missing: east mountain jade tablet]

Chen Zhen withdrew his hand.

Of the four jade plaques, North Mountain, West Mountain, and Nanshan had already returned; the East Mountain one was inside the seed.

He looked down at his chest.

The seed was spinning, and that pattern was glowing.

It knew too.

The old man stood up and brushed the dirt off his hands.

"Let's go. Down the mountain."

Chen Zhen stood up and looked back at Fu Mountain.

The mountain was still the same—black and barren.

But in his eyes, it was glowing.

Very faintly, very steadily, like a lit lamp.

He turned and followed the old man down the mountain.

Back in town, it was almost dark.

Chen Zhen hailed a taxi to the high-speed train station.

The old man stood at the entrance of the alley, watching him get into the car.

"Next time you come, I'll carve an inkstone for you."

Chen Zhen nodded.

The car started moving.

In the rearview mirror, he saw the old man still standing at the alley entrance, his shadow stretched long by the setting sun.

Chen Zhen leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes.

He used Internal Vision to check his Dantian.

The seed was spinning, and that pattern was glowing.

Four jade plaques, three had returned.

The last one was inside him.

Waiting for the flower to bloom.