Seven o’clock in the evening.
Dragon Gate, Yi River bank.
The moon shone brightly with sparse stars.
Ye Qiu and Immortal Long Eyebrows sat on the grass, quietly awaiting the arrival of midnight.
Time ticked by, second by second.
In the blink of an eye, it was eight o’clock.
“Old man, where’s the treasure?” Ye Qiu asked.
“Don’t rush, wait until midnight when the five-star alignment happens, the treasure will appear on its own,” Immortal Long Eyebrows suddenly thought of something and said, “This treasure has been sought by our Dragon Tiger Mountain for years, little brat, I’m warning you, don’t try to snatch it from me.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not interested in the treasure, I just want to restore my cultivation quickly,” Ye Qiu continued, “But whether you get the treasure depends on fate.”
Immortal Long Eyebrows said confidently, “I’ve made thorough preparations this time, the treasure is definitely mine.”
“Good luck,” Ye Qiu said, then began meditating cross-legged.
Ten minutes later, a sudden “boom” of thunder roared, shaking the heavens and earth, with lightning bolts illuminating the night sky.
Immediately after, a torrential rain poured down.
Ye Qiu and Immortal Long Eyebrows quickly ran to a pavilion to take shelter.
“Old man, with rain this heavy, do you think we’ll see the five-star alignment?” Ye Qiu asked.
Immortal Long Eyebrows pinched his fingers and said, “Don’t worry, I’ve calculated, the rain will stop in three minutes.”
Sure enough, three minutes passed.
Not only did the rain not stop, it grew heavier, with raindrops smacking the ground loudly.
At the same time, thunder rumbled relentlessly in the heavens, like a dense drumbeat.
Ye Qiu reminded, “Old man, it’s been three minutes.”
Immortal Long Eyebrows remained calm, “Don’t worry, I guarantee, in another three minutes, the rain will definitely stop.”
Another three minutes passed.
Ye Qiu reminded again, “Old man, the rain still hasn’t stopped.”
Immortal Long Eyebrows said, “In another three minutes, the rain will definitely stop.”
Time slipped by quietly.
Ye Qiu said, “Old man, it’s been raining for thirty minutes now, why don’t you calculate again when this rain will stop?”
“You little brat, can’t you stop yapping? You’re driving me mad,” Immortal Long Eyebrows could no longer stay calm, his brow furrowed with anxiety.
If the rain didn’t stop, they wouldn’t see the five-star alignment, and if the alignment didn’t appear, the treasure wouldn’t emerge either.
“Ancestors of Dragon Tiger Mountain, please bless your disciple, let this rain stop soon, I beg you…”
Immortal Long Eyebrows clasped his hands, praying repeatedly.
Whether it was the spirits of Dragon Tiger Mountain’s ancestors or the heavens hearing his prayers, a few minutes later, the rain actually stopped.
“Little brat, I told you the rain would stop, now do you believe me?” Immortal Long Eyebrows said with a beaming smile.
After the rain stopped, countless stars reappeared in the sky, with a crescent moon hanging like a hook.
A gentle breeze blew, the water’s surface calm.
It was serene and pleasant.
As midnight drew closer, Immortal Long Eyebrows’ expression grew increasingly tense.
Eleven thirty in the evening.
Suddenly, a fierce wind kicked up.
The howling wind, sharp as blades, stung their faces painfully.
Then, strange phenomena appeared in the Yi River.
The calm water began to churn without warning, like boiling water.
This lasted about five minutes, then thousands of carp emerged on the water’s surface.
These carp, barely a foot long, were densely packed, swimming upstream in a spectacular scene.
Above the Yi River stood a bridge called Dragon Gate Bridge, connecting the East and West Mountains.
When the carp reached the bridge, massive waves surged, and countless carp leapt out of the water, soaring over the bridge.
“This is… fish leaping over the Dragon Gate!”
Immortal Long Eyebrows stood up, his face full of excitement, “The great poet Li Bai once wrote in ‘To Envoy Cui’: ‘Three-foot carp of the Yellow River, dwelling in Mengjin, fail to become dragons with a mark on their foreheads, returning to swim with common fish.’”
“Legend has it that after Yu the Great tamed the floods, the carp of Mengjin County in Luoyang swam upstream along the Luo and Yi Rivers. When they reached Dragon Gate, winds and waves arose, and the carp tried to leap over. Those that succeeded became dragons, while those that failed bore a black scar on their foreheads.”
“Fish leaping over the Dragon Gate is a sign of great fortune. Since ancient times, those who witness it are blessed with good luck.”
“This time, I’m certain to get that peerless treasure!”
Ye Qiu was also shocked, he had heard of fish leaping over the Dragon Gate, but never expected to see it with his own eyes today.
Even more coincidentally, this was Dragon Gate itself!
Countless carp in the Yi River leapt over the Dragon Gate in groups, and as the phenomenon continued, another marvel appeared.
Lotus flowers in the water sprouted buds at a visible pace, blooming rapidly.
In a short time, thousands of lotuses bloomed across the Yi River, their fragrance wafting.
This was the fourth lunar month, far from the season for lotuses to bloom.
“Phenomena are appearing one after another, it seems the old man wasn’t lying, a treasure is about to emerge here.”
Just as Ye Qiu thought this, Buddhist chants echoed from the East and West Mountains, and the statues in the grottoes suddenly glowed brightly, the stone-carved Buddhas shining as if made of gold.
In an instant, radiant Buddhist light illuminated both banks, transforming the place into a Buddhist realm.
“Buddhist light shines everywhere! This is Buddhist light shining everywhere!”
Immortal Long Eyebrows jumped up like a child, exclaiming, “Buddhist light shining everywhere means a great treasure is about to appear, now we just wait for the five-star alignment.”
Ye Qiu glanced at the time, there were only a dozen seconds left until midnight, and he began a silent countdown in his mind.
Ten seconds, nine seconds, eight seconds,
Seven seconds…
Three seconds,
Two seconds, one second…
Boom!
Suddenly, the crescent moon in the sky turned large and round in an instant, shining brightly.
At the same time, five massive stars appeared in the northern sky, aligned in a straight line, dazzling and outshining all other stars.
The five-star alignment!
Ye Qiu’s heart jolted, his eyes scanning the surroundings, “The five-star alignment has appeared, the treasure should be appearing soon, right?”
At that moment, another phenomenon appeared in the Yi River.
Whoosh!
The river churned violently, waves rising several meters high, then transforming into two hundred-meter-long water dragons.
The water dragons were lifelike, with horns, heads, eyes, whiskers, claws, and tails…
Everything was vivid.
One on the left, one on the right, they moved side by side, sometimes intertwining, sometimes separating, as if playing in the water.
When the two water dragons reached Dragon Gate Bridge, they stopped, their massive heads looking up at the sky, simultaneously letting out a dragon roar.
“Roar!”
The dragon roar shook the heavens, trembling the mountains and rivers.
Suddenly, a brilliant white light appeared in the Yi River.
