The Jufu Inn was not well-known, just like many small restaurants on the streets of Shanghai. But because it was close to Fatty's home, the two of us used to go there often.
The owner was a Shanghainese surnamed Song, with a pair of black-framed glasses on and a slim figure. He was not tall, but he had good skills and was very polite.
The inn was not big, with two floors, each with four or five tables. The business was pretty good, especially on weekend nights, when there were quite a few people dining. Of course, unlike the bustling restaurants nowadays, going out for a meal was a luxury in my younger days, so having good business meant seeing several tables of people in the shop.
Pearl hadn't arrived yet, but Fatty and Luo Yong were already seated near the stairs, a relatively quiet spot where they could talk without much disturbance. When the owner saw me, he smiled and nodded.
After I sat down, I spoke up, "Luo Yong, are you getting used to living in Shanghai?"
He shook his head and said, "Not really, it's too noisy. I prefer the quiet of the mountains. And it's too bright, it feels like daytime even at night. Cuige took me to the Bund for a stroll, and there were so many people."
It was normal for a child from the mountains to feel uncomfortable in a big city, especially in our time, when many mountainous areas were still undeveloped. Young men like Luo Yong, who rarely encountered outsiders in their small villages, felt like a fish out of water when they came out.
"Haha, you'll get used to it in a while. I've ordered the dishes, the usual. But Fatty, why do you think Pearl is meeting us this time? Take a guess."
Fatty asked in a puzzled tone.
I rested my chin on my hand and after thinking for a moment, I said, "Let's wait for him to come."
After about ten minutes of waiting, Pearl walked in from outside. Fatty quickly stood up to greet him, then sat down and exchanged pleasantries before getting down to business.
"This time with the Nuerhuhu Mountain incident, I owe you guys an apology. It was my fault for not inquiring thoroughly, and it nearly put you in danger. I'll punish myself with three cups."
Pearl raised the cup on the table to drink, but I stopped him with my hand. He looked at me with some surprise, as it was actually quite impolite of me to make such a gesture at this moment.
"What's the matter?" Pearl asked somewhat displeased.
"Pearl, this matter can't be explained with just three cups of self-punishment," I brought up the issue, compressing Pearl's hand onto the table and said, "You are a businessman and a clever person. Fatty and I have always respected and admired your righteousness. But this time, you led us to Nuerhuhu Mountain to catch a demon, and we almost lost our lives. You must be aware of the situation, even if you don't know all the details, at least some. You must be friends with Lingxian, he came to Daheshan, you must be well aware of that. Let's not rush to drink, but let's clear things up first."
Given Pearl's temper, what I did was actually lighting a fuse for him to explode, but this time he didn't explode, instead he gently put his hand on the table. After sighing, he said, "I knew you would want to clear things up. Well, so be it. I consider you as my brothers, and I will tell you everything I know about this matter."
With that, he poured himself a glass of wine, ruminated for a moment and then continued, "When I asked you to follow Lingxian to catch the demon, I didn't know much at the time, and thought it was just a routine business. But when you lost contact at Daheshan, and your stay there became longer, I became concerned. I asked Lingxian about the matter, but by then, he had already set off for Daheshan. I felt something was amiss, so I inquired through some channels and found out some inside information. Lingxian was actually going after an ancient wind demon!"
Fatty and Luo Yong widened their eyes, not expecting such a deep layer of connection. My reaction was not as big, as I had already guessed some things. A big shot like Lingxian suddenly intervening to help his sister, either their relationship was exceptionally good, or there was some ulterior motive. Clearly, this time it was the latter!
"What's the situation?" Fatty inquired.
"Ancient wind demons are rarely seen, especially their fur, which is even harder to find in the market. Lingxian has recently encountered an issue and needs to crack a major problem in an ancient location, which is why he came to help Lingxian. This Mountain Master San Shan also knows his ways. He knew early on that ancient wind demons were appearing in Daheshan; I reckon Lingxian was just his pawn for reconnaissance."
The so-called ancient location was a term in the Daoist community, referring to certain ancient relics not widely known to the public. For example, the caves and palaces used by alchemists during the Qin and Han dynasties, or the practice grounds of renowned Daoist practitioners.
These places were different from ancient tombs, as the feng shui was unpredictable, and in some cases, even if you found the location, you couldn't see anything without specific methods. However, these ancient locations brought great wealth, and uncovering one was akin to finding a treasury.
Until now, the number of large ancient sites I have visited is few, and often the ones that can be found are some large organizations within the circle. There have only been two of them around Maoshan, and it was rumored that when one of them was opened, there were signs of a golden dragon, extremely mysterious.
After hearing what Zhu said, I was slightly moved. This Spirit Furnace had indeed great ambition. Usually, only major sects dare to explore large ancient sites. He actually wanted to open it on his own, clearly indicating his intention to continue growing his own power.
However, these are matters that concern a group of experts, and have nothing to do with us ordinary folks.
"Do you know about the agreement between Spirit Furnace and me?" I asked.
Zhu nodded and said, "Yes, I know. Spirit Furnace will have someone bring the antidote to Shanghai in the next few days, so don't worry. And most of the people bringing the medicine are experts sent by Spirit Furnace to explore the underground world of Xuanming Temple. I asked you to come out for a meal this time to talk about the matters related to Xuanming Temple. While you were at Daheishan, I used a lot of connections to gather information from various sources, and finally got some clues!"
"Wow, Zhu, you're amazing! Tell us, what exactly is the situation under Xuanming Temple?" Fatty got excited and asked eagerly.
Zhu took a sip of wine, calmly lit a cigarette for himself, took a puff, and said, "Zhongtianmen!"
He casually threw out three words, leaving the three of us dumbfounded. It sounded like the name of an ancient sect, but we weren't sure, so none of us interrupted.
"Heh heh, don't know, right?" Zhu took another puff of his cigarette. "Actually, I didn't know what this so-called Zhongtianmen was before. After looking up some information, I found out that this Zhongtianmen was a small sect formed by a group of Taoists three hundred years ago. They used the 'middle' character as their symbol, which was carved on their magical instruments, flags, and residences. Look, is it this one?"
He took out a few black and white photos from his pocket. Even though the photos were quite old and showed some unearthed artifacts, the symbol was quite clear.
"Was this Zhongtianmen very influential?" I asked curiously.
"It wasn't particularly influential three hundred years ago, especially during the Qing Dynasty. At that time, these folk groups were constantly emerging, and it was common for them to sell magical instruments and make money. If we look at it from this perspective, Zhongtianmen shouldn't be very outstanding. But when I asked my friends about the matter of the White-Faced Monster, I unexpectedly received some rather obscure secrets."
Zhu had more to say, and then took out a few more photos. This time, the photos were all of mummies, but each one was well-preserved, and some even wore Qing Dynasty official uniforms.
"What are these?" Luo Yong asked in confusion.
"These are photos of coffins opened by grave robbers in recent years that I asked some friends to get. Because there are quite a few foreign collectors who like mummies these days, they take photos of the deceased to show to the collectors as commercial displays. Have you noticed? All of these mummies have the Zhongtianmen symbol on them."
As he spoke, Zhu pointed to several photos. I took a closer look and found that it was true! And the Zhongtianmen symbol was located on the back of the neck in all of these mummies. In other words, these mummies might have been monsters just like the White-Faced Monster or the black-haired creature in the old temple?