Alas.
They had known each other online for half a year, and tonight they finally met in a video call.
Li Qianfan looked at the "old iron" on the screen, a nickname for a close friend, and sighed heavily.
The lighting on the other side was very bright.
Every detail was visible—
As Li Qianfan's eyes casually roamed, he could even see the small alarm clock on the bedside table.
It looked familiar.
Wasn't that the rabbit alarm clock that Chongchong had bought for him?
How could it be in the backyard?
The alarm clock showed two in the morning—
When it was two in the morning in the East Land, it was three in the morning in Japan.
At three in the morning, most people were usually wandering in their dreams.
But in a secret room somewhere, several old men in their sixties and seventies were solemnly discussing something in low voices.
On the tatami mat in front of them lay a map.
It was an enlarged electronic map that had been printed out.
It showed the coordinates of villages, even barbershops and snack bars within those villages.
In short, the accuracy was very high.
This map, about one and a half meters square, was one-third land and two-thirds ocean.
The land consisted of rolling mountains.
The ocean appeared to be an ordinary ocean.
However, about twelve nautical miles from the land, a circle was drawn in red ink on the water.
Around the circle were many radiating red lines.
It looked like the sun emitting red rays, or perhaps a national flag.
Besides this large map, there was also an antique brass compass and an earthquake detector designed by a skilled craftsman.
The compass needs no further introduction.
It was the kind of tool used by tomb raiders to find dragon veins and explore tombs, and along with the Luoyang shovel, black donkey hooves, and candles, it was known as the four treasures of tomb raiding.
The earthquake detector requires a brief explanation.
The first earthquake detector in human history was invented by Zhang Heng of the Eastern Han Dynasty after years of field research and calculation.
Zhang Heng's earthquake detector was made of bronze, shaped like a wine vessel.
Around the detector were eight dragon heads, facing east, south, west, north, southeast, southwest, northeast, and northwest.
The dragon mouths were movable, each holding a small bronze ball. Below each dragon head was a bronze toad with its mouth open. Inside the instrument, there was a bronze "pendulum," with eight passages next to the pillar, called "eight paths," and ingenious mechanisms.
Zhang Heng's earthquake detector predated similar earthquake detectors created in Europe by over 1700 years.
Unfortunately, the Eastern Han seismoscope has been lost to time, and the seismoscopes we see today are all restorations by later generations based on historical records.
The earthquake detector placed in this room—
Although its design principle was the same as Zhang Heng's seismoscope, its shape was much smaller, only about the size of a basketball.
And instead of eight dragon heads around it, there were four phoenixes!
The four phoenixes faced the four directions of southeast, west, north, and south. There were no small bronze balls in the phoenix mouths.
But below the four phoenixes, there were also four toads (frogs).
The four phoenixes spread their wings, encircling the entire earthquake detector.
The entire earthquake detector became a pillar like a Huabiao (an ornamental column in ancient Chinese architecture).
This earthquake detector was not actually called an earthquake detector.
It was called the Four Phoenixes Surrounding the Beam Instrument.
The designer and namer of this Four Phoenixes Surrounding the Beam Instrument was an old man with a white beard.
The old man's surname was Cai, and his given name was Cai Wangzu. He was from Dongtu Island Province.
Cai Wangzu, along with his grand-teacher and teacher, were all hailed as orthodox Xuanmen grandmasters of the Central Plains.
Due to his exquisite Xuanmen skills, he was considered a national treasure in Island Province. Coupled with his surname Cai, many people called him Grand Tutor Cai.
"Grand Tutor Cai."
The host of this secret meeting, Bird Machine Eight Thousand Yi, looked very solemn. "You rushed to Toyo in such a hurry this morning. Is it because you also sensed a change in the Four Phoenixes Surrounding the Beam formation?"
Cai Wangzu nodded and picked up his teacup with a frown.
Park Sal-lyul, from Hanseong, who was also present, frowned and said, "Actually, before I received the news of Grand Tutor Cai's urgent arrival in Toyo, I had already sensed a change in the aura of the Four Phoenixes Surrounding the Beam."
Cai Wangzu said slowly, "Mr. Park, please tell us your findings first."
"Then I shall offer my humble opinion."
Park Sal-lyul clasped his fists in a polite gesture and said, "Five days ago, I keenly sensed the weakening of the vitality of the Four Phoenixes Surrounding the Beam by observing the daily tidal changes in the sea area closest to the blue tile buildings, both in the morning and evening."
He paused.
Park Sal-lyul explained, "The reason I chose the sea area closest to the blue tile buildings is because my abilities are limited. I have to rely on the dragon energy of the blue tile buildings to observe the tidal changes."
Cai Wangzu and Bird Machine Eight Thousand Yi and others all nodded.
It was indeed a rare phenomenon for someone from the "Universe Country" to admit their own limitations.
Park Sal-lyul frowned and stared intently at the circle on the map. "When I first discovered the weakening of vitality due to the tides, I was very puzzled. After all, our formation had just been activated in haste. Even if it had an effect, it shouldn't have been so significant. So I thought I might have made a mistake in my judgment and didn't tell anyone. But when I looked at the tides again this morning, I."
At this point, Park Sal-lyul deliberately paused.
This was clearly an attempt to build suspense.
Someone nearby chimed in, "Mr. Park, when you observed the tidal changes again this morning, did you see that the vitality of the formation weakened further?"
"No!"
Park Sal-lyul's tone was firm. "Not only did it not continue to weaken, but it suddenly surged! The vitality of the formation even far surpassed its previous level! If it continues to surge like this, Island Province will be in danger."
"Mr. Park observed the tides; I observed the qi."
Bird Machine Eight Thousand Yi spoke, "However, whether observing tides or qi, these are just different ways of judging things. But the meaning and judgment of the formation's effect are the same. It was also about five days ago that I saw the hazy qi in the direction of the formation becoming fainter and fainter. It seemed that in three months, it would return to its previous state, allowing Island Province to be bathed in the free and peaceful morning sun once more. But at past one in the morning today, my on-duty disciple, according to the method I taught him, was surprised to discover."
His disciple, who was present, quickly nodded.
Cai Wangzu and Park Sal-lyul glanced at him.
Bird Machine Eight Thousand Yi continued, "He discovered that the increasingly weak hazy qi suddenly became dense. He immediately called me. I went to the seaside and saw that the hazy qi was thick and layered. Not only had it recovered to its previous state, but it even had the tendency to completely envelop Island Province. From this, we can infer that the key figures in the Four Phoenixes Surrounding the Beam formation have had new developments, thus completely affecting the hazy qi, which is disadvantageous to us."
"Alas, indeed, it is disadvantageous to us."
Cai Wangzu sighed. "This is why I urgently contacted Mr. Park and rushed to your country to consult with Lord Bird. If it were merely the surging tidal vitality and the thickening of the hazy qi, it wouldn't be too significant. This would merely be a rapid advance towards a direction unfavorable to us."
Park Sal-lyul quickly asked, "Grand Tutor Cai, what is the most important thing?"
"I fear the dripping of the four phoenixes."
Cai Wangzu looked at the Four Phoenixes Surrounding the Beam Instrument, which he had personally designed and named. "The real danger will be when the phoenix beaks of the four phoenixes drip water into the mouths of the toads."
Everyone looked at the Four Phoenixes Surrounding the Beam Instrument.
They had all seen this artifact before and heard Cai Wangzu explain its functions.
However, they had always been skeptical about its actual effectiveness.
The dragon mouths of the seismoscope contained small bronze balls.
The four phoenix beaks of the Four Phoenixes Surrounding the Beam Instrument did not have small bronze balls, but rather a pipe connected to an inner water bowl.
Grand Tutor Cai said that once the formation was in danger, the East Phoenix's beak would be the first to drip water outward, influenced by the formation.
The East Phoenix was also the only phoenix among the four that was dyed golden-red.
This also represented the East Phoenix as the leader of the four phoenixes!
If there were any changes among the four phoenixes, they would begin with the East Phoenix.
Grand Tutor Cai had also explained that when all four phoenixes began to drip, the water droplets would fall into the toad's mouth. Once the water was full, it would nourish the beam surrounded by the four phoenixes and return to the water bowl inside the instrument, repeating the cycle.
Until the dripping speed of the phoenix beaks increased, forming a fine stream of water, and then flowing into the toad's mouth, it would emit a croaking sound similar to a frog's chirp.
A loud frog croak, and the wanderer returns home!
"Grand Tutor Cai, we already know who each of the four phoenixes represents."
Bird Machine Eight Thousand Yi's disciple asked curiously, "But who do these four toads represent? Does the toad corresponding to the East Phoenix represent Su Ziyu, the absolute female lead of 209?"
Cai Wangzu smiled and shook his head. "Hehe, you already know Su Ziyu is the absolute female lead of 209. How could she represent a toad beneath the four phoenixes?"
Bird Machine Eight Thousand Yi chuckled sheepishly and asked if he didn't understand, "Then where is Su Ziyu?"
Cai Wangzu's eyes turned sinister for a moment, then he laughed dejectedly. "I don't know, I can't figure it out! I can't see what role the absolute female lead of 209 plays within the entire Four Phoenixes Surrounding the Beam formation. But with my most primal intuition, I realize that her role far exceeds that of the four phoenixes and the four toads."
Because he couldn't figure it out—
That's why it was so mysterious and impressive!
"When the peers from the East Land completed the formation, they deliberately concealed Su Ziyu's fate. Therefore, in this world, no one can see what role she plays in this formation anymore. The only certainty is that she is the most important."
Bird Machine Eight Thousand Yi explained to his disciple, "The four toads corresponding to the four phoenixes should represent the four presidents of the dark web, right? In other words, the four presidents of the dark web, like the four phoenixes, have been incorporated into this formation by the Xuanmen masters of the East Land."
"Yes."
Cai Wangzu nodded. "What's even more brilliant is that when the Xuanmen masters of the East Land arranged the four toads, they didn't even need to look at their fates. In other words, they just used hearsay and random choices, which in turn changed their destinies. As a result, we are unable to target the precise objectives."
Before he could finish speaking—
Bird Machine Eight Thousand Yi's disciple suddenly exclaimed, "Look! The East Phoenix is dripping!"
The East Phoenix is dripping?
Cai Wangzu and the others trembled. They all looked up at the East Phoenix in the Four Phoenixes Surrounding the Beam Instrument.
Drip—
Even through the phone screen, Li Qianfan saw that without any action from his "old iron," a dripping phenomenon occurred.
The "old iron" had a flirtatious smile on her face. She raised her hand and gently patted herself, smiling charmingly, "Old iron, do you want to taste it with your own mouth? If you do, I'll mail it tomorrow morning!"