Dragon Coffin

Chapter 3 Phoenix Eye Bodhi

"It went incredibly well, smoother than ever," Su Bo said, recalling the bizarre scene from earlier. "But I have to say, that store felt a bit strange. Mom, how did you hear about that antique shop?"

He decided not to mention the incident with the fifty-thousand-yuan huanghuali chair.

"Of course, it was recommended by a friend," Bai Ling replied rapidly, like a machine gun. "Let me tell you, that antique shop never has any fakes. Every item there is priceless, and they don't do business with just anyone. By the way, did you see that screen today?"

"Yes," Su Bo couldn't possibly forget that screen.

"I heard it's worth three million! Three million! Do you know how many dishes your father would have to cook to earn that much?" Bai Ling suddenly seemed a bit despondent. "When will I ever be able to have a Chanel bag in one hand and an LV in the other?"

"Mom..." Su Bo felt sweat pouring down his forehead. "What's important is to be happy. Are you hungry?"

"Get out of here! Are you trying to fool me?" Bai Ling's eyes widened. "Don't think you can deceive me just because I'm getting older. I use the internet too, you know. You can't hide anything from me."

Su Bo was momentarily speechless, instinctively touching the necklace around his neck, and suddenly exclaimed, "Hey, why is there a crack in this necklace?"

He took the necklace off, distressed to see the crack. The necklace had been hiding a peculiar affliction of his; while the spots on his back were manageable, the one on his throat was troublesome. He always wore the necklace to cover the unsightly scale-like patch. The necklace was made of bodhi seeds, specifically called phoenix eye bodhi, which Bai Ling had obtained from Tiantai Mountain. Each bead had an eye-like mark, resembling a phoenix's eye. Bai Ling had mentioned that a Dharma King had said using a phoenix eye bodhi prayer bead could amplify the merit of recitations a million times. Wearing it not only concealed the scale on his throat but also brought good fortune, hoping his strange illness would recover sooner. Though Su Bo wasn't superstitious, he appreciated his mother's care and wore it for her sake.

The small crack was right on one of the "phoenix eyes." Su Bo had worn this necklace for five years, and it had become smoother and more lustrous over time due to the body's natural oils, a process known as "patina." This had made it the envy of bodhi enthusiasts. Now, seeing a crack in it distressed Su Bo, who immediately blamed the strange boy from earlier. "Today has been really unlucky. I met a weird guy mumbling spells at me, and now this bodhi bead is cracked. At least I still got the store manager job..."

Bai Ling took the bead, quietly placing her index finger over the crack. A flash of golden light appeared beneath her finger and then vanished. When she removed her finger, the bodhi bead was as smooth as before. She exclaimed, "You're still young, yet your eyesight is so poor. Where's the crack? I'll have your dad make you some soup to improve your vision."

She tossed the bodhi necklace back to Su Bo and headed into the kitchen. Su Bo held the phoenix eye bodhi necklace, rubbed his eyes, and saw no trace of the crack. Shaking his head, he remembered cursing the boy in his mind earlier and brought his hands together. "I'm sorry, kid!"

The next morning, Su Dajing squeezed his large belly into the kitchen. It wasn't that the kitchen was small; it was his large frame. Standing at 1.8 meters tall, his belly was particularly large, rivaling that of the Laughing Buddha. He wasn't particularly handsome, and in a crowd, his height was the only thing that stood out. He often joked, "Thank goodness my son doesn't look like me!"

A table full of sumptuous breakfast dishes awaited, but Su Bo had little appetite. He was very nervous—after all, he was going to be a*****e manager. He had thought about it all night and concluded that, with his current knowledge of antiques, he was more suited to being an apprentice. After eating a breakfast that didn't quite satisfy him, Su Bo left the house under the watchful eyes of his parents. He left very early, and in this bustling city where people were always in a rush, only the sanitation workers had begun their day’s work; everyone else was still asleep.

Once he crossed this intersection, he would reach the antique shop. Su Bo was sweating nervously, worried about whether he could handle the job of store manager, when he saw the sickly-looking boy standing at the intersection. The boy had his back to him, slightly hunched, sweeping the dust off the ground with a broom. Su Bo found it amusing. The boy who had been so arrogant yesterday was now a street cleaner!

Hearing the noise behind him, the boy, who looked as frail as a sickly woman, turned around. Seeing Su Bo's face, his expressionless face raised an eyebrow, and he said, "I remember you; your name is Su Bo."

"What's so impressive about that?" Su Bo replied irritably. "I told you my name."

Su Bo didn't understand the significance of this moment for the boy. The boy silently turned around and continued sweeping the dust off the ground. Su Bo was curious and asked, "Hey, kid, what are you doing?"

"This is a ghost path at the crossroads," the boy replied, looking at Su Bo. "Do you know what that means?"

"I only know it's a crossroads," Su Bo said, sniffing. "A ghost path? You're really something. This is a road for people and cars, not ghosts. Don’t curse people like that; it’ll come back to you."

The boy, feeling suspicious, continued, "The dust on the ground is molar stone powder, which is yin in nature. It can be used to create a ghost path, guiding spirits to walk along it. Crossroads are natural places where spirits pass through. Someone has used molar stone powder here to create a ghost path, directing spirits in a specific direction. This is very unusual."

Su Bo only half-understood, thinking the boy was talking nonsense. He chuckled and asked, "So, where are these spirits being led to?"

The boy turned to look at Su Bo. Was this guy deeply hidden or just clueless? Could he be acting? The boy made up his mind. This was the first time he could remember someone’s name and face. Since he was born, he had never remembered anyone's name. He could remember people's faces, but couldn't associate them with names, not even his own parents. Doctors call it a condition known as prosopagnosia. However, his father argued that this explanation was superficial and couldn't fully explain his situation. The young man named Su Bo might be the only one in the world he could remember.

"My name is Yue Qing," the boy said with newfound determination. "Let's be friends."

The situation suddenly took a surprising turn, catching Su Bo off guard. Yue Qing extended his hand, and Su Bo shook it. "Uh, I'm Su Bo. I work at the antique shop just ahead."

"Ah, the ghost path here leads to that place," Yue Qing said, causing Su Bo’s hair to stand on end. "Without a ghost post to guide them, spirits wouldn't know where to go. There must be a ghost post at the starting point. I'll deal with the molar stone powder first, then remove the ghost post. That will break the ghost path at this crossroads."