Dragon Coffin

In 1992, this day was unremarkable for most people, but for the woman in a long white dress, it was the hardest day of her life. Her delicate face and long hair draped behind her did not add to her allure; instead, they accentuated her tragic appearance. She knelt before the old house, her body trembling slightly. Six hours had passed. Under the scorching heat, sweat dripped from her forehead, falling to the ground with a soft sound. She glanced at the tightly closed wooden door, letting the sweat fall without wiping it away. About a meter in front of the woman, in a swaddle, lay a baby with closed eyes and a face, even a body, tinged with blue. Beneath what should have been delicate skin, countless black threads could be seen moving faintly. With every movement of these threads, the baby whimpered, its limbs curled up, and its nose and mouth seemed blocked, struggling to breathe. Each sound the baby made deepened the woman's grim expression. The woman looked up at the blazing sky, then suddenly bowed her head to the ground with a thud. She knew the person inside the house could hear, so she repeated the action over and over. Each time she bowed, she did so with all her strength. After more than ten repetitions, her forehead was bleeding, but she did not intend to stop. Finally, the door opened, and out walked a Taoist priest, about forty-five or forty-six years old. He was extremely thin, with pale lips and dark circles under his eyes. Despite his frail appearance, he stood tall but was missing an arm, the sleeve hanging empty. He glanced at the kneeling woman, saw her injured forehead, and felt a tremor in his heart, though his voice remained cold: "He was born during the peak of Yang energy in the year. Even if I save him today, one day he will still leave you. Why go through all this trouble?" "Ten months of pregnancy, no matter what he is like, he is still a part of me. How can a mother abandon her child?" the woman replied, her head lowered. "Even for my mother's sake, can't you do it?" The priest wavered at her words, his body swaying as if drained of strength. He closed his eyes slightly, a shadowy image of a young woman appearing in his mind, though he couldn't see it clearly. With a sorrowful smile, he said, "She will always be my weak spot. Fine, I'll help you, but you must understand, twenty years from now, everything will depend on his fate. Born on the day of extreme Yang, saving him today will change his destiny entirely!" The priest knelt down, bit his index finger, and let a drop of blood fall onto the baby's forehead. He then placed his right index finger on the drop, drawing two lines, one on each side, and a dot in the center. The once scattered blood quickly formed into a blood trigram on the baby's forehead. The priest then extended his right hand, palm inward, with his index and middle fingers together, pressing them in the center of the blood trigram while chanting, "Heaven and earth in harmony, dispel impurities and correct wrongs, refine the nine paths, return to true form!" A red light shot from his fingertip into the blood trigger and then into the baby's body. The black threads, which had been moving slowly, were instantly enveloped by the red light, causing a fierce struggle. The priest took a deep breath and pressed his fingers down, turning the black threads into black smoke, which floated out of the baby's body and dispersed into dust. The woman, seeing this, clasped her hands to her chest. The priest opened his eyes, sweat covering his forehead and back, his body shaking. The woman stepped forward to support him, but before she could speak, the priest said, "I saved his life; let me give him a name." "Yes, of course," the woman replied. "My mother would certainly agree." The priest's eyes drooped. "He was born at the peak of Yang energy, with an abundance of fire. His name should have water, but this child's fate is different from ordinary people's. A single character, 'Bo,' will do." The woman wanted to say more, but the priest waved his hand and turned back inside, his voice lingering in the air: "What his destiny holds, we will see in twenty years." "One hundred and one, one hundred and two, one hundred and three..." Su Bo stood in front of the building, shaking his head again, "One hundred and five..." Clutching the small slip of paper in his hand, he looked up at the blazing sun above and cursed angrily, "Where are you, number one hundred and four!" Su Bo, twenty years old, was once a prodigy. At sixteen, he was admitted to the country's best university. Before he turned twenty, Su Bo was a star, living a life surrounded by admirers. With an IQ of 180 and looking comparable to Daniel Wu, his height matched his intelligence. During the holidays, he was an exemplary model for his extended family. After turning twenty, Su Bo's life took a nosedive from heaven to hell, earning him the new label of an unemployed vagrant. Today, Su Bo hadn't taken his medication, and his back seemed uncomfortable again. Despite his handsome appearance, he suffered from a rare skin disease. Who else had scales on their backs? According to his mother, Bai Ling, the odds of having this skin disease were lower than his chances of getting into university at sixteen! "104 Zhonghua Road, antique shop..." Su Bo repeated the address. His mother had given him this address first thing in the morning. He had now resorted to relying on his mother's connections to find a job. This was a favorite interview, and compared to yesterday's interview, today's felt even more degrading for the former prodigy. Su Bo was increasingly agitated, shouting at the sky, "Ah!" A silver flash flickered in his throat, disappearing instantly. A dragon scale faintly appeared, blending into his skin when he lowered his head, leaving no trace. Su Bo was suddenly stunned, "Where did that come from?" Number 104 appeared... Su Bo was certain he wasn't seeing things, but he couldn't be sure he had been mistaken earlier. He had walked this street back and forth six times. After number 103, it always jumped to 105. Now, miraculously, number 104 appeared between them. This sudden normalcy made Su Bo pinch himself hard. The antique shop was indeed an antique shop, as clearly indicated by the sign above the door. The three words for "antique shop" were written in flamboyant calligraphy. As a*****e, it should have its own name, Su Bo muttered as he observed it. The shop was not large, converted from a traditional courtyard house. The spacious yard was enclosed, making the interior appear somewhat gloomy. The shop had two large black wooden doors, solid and thick, exuding a faint elegant fragrance that wafted into his nose as he approached. Su Bo nodded, noticing the gold lettering on the sign, contrasting sharply with the black background, making it stand out. He must have missed such an obvious presence because he didn't sleep well the night before. As a new graduate of the modern era, the pressure was immense. Su Bo grabbed the two door knockers and started banging, "Is anyone there?" The door creaked open, not due to any voice control mechanism, and the person who appeared made Su Bo step back. It wasn't something scary but... someone too beautiful! The beauty seemed to be about his age, Su Bo swallowed hard. She looked around nineteen, with long hair cascading to her waist, each strand smooth and flawless, like a black waterfall behind her. Her eyebrows were like willow leaves, arching towards her temples, adding a mature charm beyond her years. A red mole between her eyebrows seemed ready to bleed, her face like jade, and her lips red as rouge. She looked like she could step out of a painting. Seeing such a beautiful woman, Su Bo, full of youthful vigor, couldn't help but feel his heart race and his speech stutter, "Um, um, I'm Su Bo, I..." "It's you?" The beauty looked him up and down, "Come in." Su Bo walked in, and the two wooden doors slammed shut behind him. Startled, he raised his hands. He hadn't touched the doors, and there was no wind. Were the doors automatic? The beauty remained silent, leading Su Bo inside. Behind the doors was a vestibule, filled with various plants Su Bo had never seen before, let alone named. The exotic scents were refreshing. Beyond the vestibule were two more antique doors, already open, revealing the counter inside. Behind the counter were several large shelves filled with various antiques, ceramics, jade, bronzes, ancient coins, and more. Su Bo's eyes darted around, dazzled by the array. He bumped into a screen, and the beauty turned back, "Be careful, that's a Ming dynasty screen." Su Bo took a deep breath, steadying the swaying screen, and carefully navigated around it, following the beauty into the inner room. She opened the door, "The person inside has been waiting for you."