The morning mist of Wolong Mountain always carried a touch of ethereal grace, drifting over the emerald bamboo sea and clinging to the jagged strange rocks, much like a wisp of pure qi flowing between Zhuge Liang's (styled Kong Ming, titled Wolong) fingers. He sat cross-legged on the bluestone in front of his thatched cottage, eyes gently closed, his dark blue robe fluttering in the mountain breeze, and a faint halo lingering around him. Though he could already sense the subtle spiritual energy between heaven and earth, he could never quite reach the realm of perceiving qi and discerning trends. The spiritual energy in his body circulated along his meridians like a thin stream, but it stagnated when it reached the Yintang acupoint between his eyebrows. No matter how he concentrated and urged it forward, he could not penetrate that invisible barrier—he could not see the direction of the mountains and rivers' spiritual veins, nor could he distinguish the omens of fortune and misfortune in the mortal world. An indelible confusion furrowed his brows.
Unconsciously, he stroked the dragon-shaped jade pendant at his waist. Zhuge Liang had lost his father at an early age, and this pendant was a gift from his father Zhuge Gui on his deathbed. Carved from warm green jade with intricate Bagua runes, it felt warm to the touch. At that time, his father had only left eight words: "When meeting water, it shall awaken; when encountering a dragon, it shall activate." Back then, he had regarded it as a message from his master, believing that devoting himself to cultivation was enough. But now, with his cultivation method stagnant, these eight words echoed repeatedly in his mind, making him faintly feel that what he lacked was perhaps a stroke of fate.
"Master, the sky looks a bit overcast today—are we still going to gather herbs in the mountains?" His servant He Yuer ran over holding a stack of bamboo slips, his eyes bright and clear, fine sweat beads on his forehead, and his rough linen short jacket stained with a few blades of grass and morning dew. He had lived in seclusion with Zhuge Liang since childhood, growing from an ignorant child into a clever young man, and he knew best that his master favored the tranquility of Black Dragon Pool, often saying that the water veins there held the mysteries of heaven and earth.
Zhuge Liang slowly opened his eyes, a flash of spiritual light in his pupils that faded away in an instant. He nodded and said, "That's exactly my intention. Recently, my cultivation method has been stagnant, and the spiritual energy in my dantian is like a blocked river. Perhaps I can borrow the spiritual energy of the mountains to find an opportunity to break through." He stood up straight and tall; though only in his early twenties, he already exuded a calmness beyond his years. On the open space in front of the thatched cottage, the remains of his divination from last night still lay scattered—bamboo slips covered with dense military strategies and tactics, yet they could not resolve the confusion in his heart after all.
The two walked deep into the mountains through the morning dew. The bamboo sea rustled, as if singing in a low voice. The wildflowers by the roadside were particularly bright with morning dew; occasionally, mountain sparrows were startled into flight, breaking the serene atmosphere and leaving a string of clear chirps.
After walking for about half an hour, Black Dragon Pool finally came into view. Located in the hinterland of Wolong Mountain, the pool water was as deep as ink, seemingly able to devour all light. Ancient trees towered around it, their trunks so thick that several people would need to join hands to encircle them. Their branches and leaves intertwined, almost blocking out the sky and sun, leaving only sporadic rays of sunlight filtering through the leaf gaps, forming spots of light on the pool surface. The banks of the pool were covered with moss, slippery and difficult to walk on; ordinary woodcutters rarely dared to set foot here, only Zhuge Liang and his servant came often.
He Yuer skillfully untied the bamboo raft moored to the old pagoda tree by the bank. The raft was simple yet sturdy, handcrafted by Zhuge Liang from the green bamboo in the mountains. The surface of the raft was covered with a layer of dried thatch, making it soft and comfortable to step on. "Master, hold on tight!" He Yuer propped up the bamboo pole, gave a hard push against the rocks by the bank, and the bamboo raft slowly sailed toward the center of the pool.
The pool water was extremely calm. As the bamboo raft glided across the surface, it only left a shallow ripple that quickly dissipated without a trace. The air was filled with the fragrance of plants and trees and the unique moist scent of the pool water; breathing it in refreshed the mind and invigorated the spirit. Zhuge Liang sat by the edge of the raft, stretching out his hand to brush the water surface. A coolness came from his fingertips, and the spiritual energy in his body seemed to become a little more active. He closed his eyes, trying to sense the spiritual energy of the pool water, only to find that the spiritual energy here was far more abundant than that in the mountain forests, and carried a warm and mellow texture—yet it was too mixed to absorb directly.
"Master, this pool is unfathomably deep. Legend has it that it connects to the East China Sea below. Look at the dark green water—it can even reflect human figures!" He Yuer said excitedly as he propped up the bamboo pole, but his words were interrupted by a sudden cold wind. The wind came extremely strangely, without any warning, carrying the damp cold of the pool water, instantly dispersing the surrounding morning mist. Even the chirping of birds on the branches stopped abruptly.
A chill ran through Zhuge Liang's heart, and he said solemnly, "Be quiet, and focus on defense." He subconsciously clenched the Bagua jade pendant at his waist, silently circulating the Xuantian Cultivation Method, and the spiritual energy around him instantly tensed like a bowstring. This cold wind was by no means an ordinary mountain wind—it carried an extremely ancient and majestic aura, neither the evil qi of demons nor the ferocity of ordinary beasts, but rather a divine pressure that stood above all living things.
The originally somewhat bright sky suddenly darkened, as if covered by a huge black cloth, not allowing a single ray of sunlight to penetrate. The pool water, which had been as green as an emerald just now, also turned as black and shiny as ink. Silence fell all around—no wind, no falling leaves, not even the rippling of the pool water. There was only an suffocating sense of oppression, as if heaven and earth were about to collapse. The temperature dropped sharply. He Yuer only felt a chill rushing from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, scaring him pale. He tightly grabbed the edge of the bamboo raft, his knuckles turning white, and his voice trembling: "Master, what kind of creature is causing this?"
Zhuge Liang did not answer, his gaze fixed on the pool surface. He could feel that the cultivation method in his body was circulating faster and faster, and the Bagua jade pendant at his waist began to change—the Bagua runes on it faintly glowed, resonating with the surrounding aura. Before he knew it, the ink-black pool water began to emit a faint blue light. This blue light did not come from the water surface, but from deep below the pool, like countless stars sinking to the bottom, flickering slowly in a certain rhythm.
The blue light grew brighter and brighter, gradually illuminating the water area under the bamboo raft. The originally pitch-black pool water became transparent, allowing him to vaguely see the swaying aquatic plants and swimming small fish underwater. But when the light became even brighter, revealing the scene deeper underwater, even Zhuge Liang, who had a calm state of mind, couldn't help but narrow his pupils sharply, a storm of shock surging in his heart.
Beneath the pool, there was actually a huge dragon-shaped creature swimming slowly!
The creature's body was winding, dozens of zhang long. He had long heard that strange creatures inhabited Wolong Mountain, but he never imagined they would be so huge. Its scales glowed with a cold metallic luster under the blue light; each scale was as big as a palm, with clear textures, like carefully forged armor, flowing with a faint blue halo. Its dragon whiskers fluttered, dozens of zhang long, hanging in the water, swaying gently with the current, exuding an otherworldly immortal charm. Its head was huge, with a ferocious curved horn on its forehead, the tip flickering with blue light. Its eyes were closed, yet one could still feel an imposing manner that looked down on the world, like a sleeping ancient god whose aura alone was enough to deter all living things.
It circled the bamboo raft slowly, its movements gentle yet carrying an unquestionable sense of oppression. The bamboo raft trembled slightly under its swimming, but did not capsize, as if protected by some invisible force. Because of its swimming, the pool water formed a huge vortex, yet it did not pull the bamboo raft in—instead, it kept the raft in the center of the vortex, safe and sound.
"A dragon... It's really a black dragon! The legend is true!" He Yuer was so shocked that he couldn't speak, his lips trembling. He subconsciously knelt on the bamboo raft, hands clasped together. Though he had seen some strange phenomena with Zhuge Liang, he had never seen such a sacred and majestic creature. He felt weak all over, not even having the courage to look up.
Zhuge Liang was overwhelmed with shock. He had read extensively since childhood; ancient books such as "Shan Hai Jing" and "Huainanzi"（ancient book） contained many records about dragons, stating that "the dragon is the ruler of scaly creatures, capable of being hidden or visible, small or huge, short or long; it ascends to the sky at the Spring Equinox and dives into the abyss at the Autumn Equinox." But he never thought he would see one with his own eyes. At this moment, he did not feel fear—instead, he felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity, and the barrier between his eyebrows seemed to loosen slightly.
He could clearly feel that the aura on this black dragon was of the same origin as the Xuantian Cultivation Method he practiced, both embodying the true meaning of "Tao follows nature." The Bagua jade pendant at his waist became even hotter, its light growing brighter, actually echoing the blue light from the bottom of the pool, forming an invisible bridge. "When meeting water, it shall awaken; when encountering a dragon, it shall activate." His father's words resounded in his mind like thunder. Only then did Zhuge Liang suddenly realize that his father had long known he would have this fate, and this Bagua jade pendant was the key to unlocking this adventure.
At that moment, a circular blue halo suddenly appeared in the sky. Suspended above Black Dragon Pool, the halo was more than ten zhang in diameter, its edges flickering with fine light particles like scattered diamonds. Its light was soft yet majestic, dispelling the surrounding darkness without breaking the strange silence. In the center of the halo was a deep blue, as if connecting to another world—one could see star clouds swirling inside, immortal qi lingering, and faintly hear ancient divine sounds, ethereal and sacred.
The moment the halo appeared, the black dragon at the bottom of the pool seemed to sense a summons, its swimming speed gradually increasing, its body slowly rising upward. When its head emerged from the water, a vast surge of water vapor rose into the sky, turning into mist all over the sky. Sunlight passed through the mist, forming a gorgeous rainbow spanning the pool. The black dragon let out a deep dragon roar—not deafening, yet penetrating the soul, as if containing the rhythm of the great Dao of heaven and earth. Listening to it, Zhuge Liang's mind stirred, and the spiritual energy in his body resonated with it.
After this dragon roar, the sense of oppression around them dissipated a lot, replaced by a sacred and peaceful atmosphere. He Yuer also gradually calmed down, raised his head, and glanced timidly at the black dragon, his eyes filled with awe.
The black dragon shook its body, its huge dragon spine unfolding one by one. The scales on its wings shimmered with colorful light under the sun, stirring up mist all over the sky like a light rain. It slowly flew toward the blue halo in the sky, its movements calm and solemn, as if embarking on a sacred mission. When its entire body entered the halo, the light of the halo suddenly exploded, illuminating the entire Black Dragon Pool as bright as day. The black dragon's figure gradually faded in the halo, turning into dots of blue light that swirled in the halo like fireflies, and finally merged into the depths of the halo, disappearing without a trace.
At the moment the black dragon merged into the halo, Zhuge Liang clearly felt that a part of the pure spiritual energy in its body poured into his own through the bridge formed by the Bagua jade pendant. This spiritual energy was vast yet gentle, a hundred times purer than the spiritual energy he had cultivated himself. It circulated along his meridians, and when it reached his eyebrows, the crack in the barrier suddenly widened. The bottleneck shattered with a crash, like a dyke washed away by a flood!
The true meaning of "perceiving qi and discerning trends" poured into his mind in an instant. Zhuge Liang only felt his eyes suddenly open up. He could clearly see that the spiritual veins of Wolong Mountain were like a green giant dragon, coiling and winding, and Black Dragon Pool was exactly the dragon's eye of the spiritual veins; he could see that the fortunes of the people in the villages at the foot of the mountain were of different colors—red for joy, gray for hardship, and gold for blessings; he could even see that in the distant Central Plains, dark qi filled the air, war was about to break out, and the fortunes of countless people were dim, exuding a sense of sorrow of being displaced.
The blue light gradually faded, and the blue halo in the sky began to shrink slowly, from more than ten zhang in diameter to about one zhang. Then, with a flash of light, a scroll of heavenly scripts slowly fell from the center of the halo. The scroll was made of an unknown material, pale golden in color, flowing with a soft halo, as if breathing with life. The edges of the pages were inlaid with fine light spots, like condensed stars, shimmering with colorful light under the sun. It fell extremely slowly, as if pulled by invisible threads, drawing a beautiful arc in the air, and finally stopped steadily three chi in front of the bamboo raft, floating in the air, emitting a warm and sacred aura.
Zhuge Liang took a deep breath, suppressing the excitement in his heart, and slowly stretched out his hand. Before his fingertips touched the heavenly scripts, he felt a warm energy rushing toward him, drilling into his body along his breath, perfectly matching the Xuantian Cultivation Method he practiced. When his fingertips truly touched the cover of the heavenly scripts, a more vast energy suddenly poured into his body, circulating along his meridians, eliminating stagnation wherever it passed, and making the spiritual energy surge unceasingly. There were no words on the cover of the heavenly scripts, yet it seemed to contain endless mysteries, attracting him to reach out and touch it involuntarily.
The moment the scroll opened, countless golden runes poured out of the book, like a meteor shower streaking across the sky, turning into streams of light that drilled into his eyebrows. Zhuge Liang only felt a loud bang in his mind, as if countless pieces of information were pouring in, yet they were neatly organized without the slightest chaos. At the same time, his consciousness suddenly left his body, floating in mid-air. What he saw was no longer the scene of Black Dragon Pool, but a chaotic void. Countless stars floated in the void, and in the distance, there was a blurred figure sitting above the star clouds, emitting a sacred aura of the same origin as the heavenly scripts.
"Zhuge Liang, I am the Spirit of the Nine Heavens Profound Realm. By the order of the Yellow Emperor of the Heavenly Dao, I bestow upon you the knowledge to save all living beings." An old and majestic voice echoed directly in his consciousness—not heard through the ears, but directly imprinted in the depths of his soul, like a huge bell, shaking his soul.
Zhuge Liang was shocked, quickly condensed his form with his consciousness, bowed respectfully to the blurred figure, his tone respectful yet calm: "This junior Zhuge Liang pays homage to the Immortal. This junior is shallow in knowledge and talent; I wonder what cosmic mysteries are hidden in the heavenly scripts bestowed by the Immortal?" Though shocked by the scene before him, he did not lose his composure, knowing well that this was a once-in-a-thousand-year opportunity and daring not to be the least bit negligent.
"You are the guardian of the spiritual veins of Shu in the west, entrusted with the mission of relieving the world and stabilizing the people." The voice said slowly, like spring breeze and drizzling rain nourishing his soul. "This heavenly script was written by ancient sages observing the operation of heaven and earth and comprehending the changes of yin and yang. It records the profound Dao of the mysterious origin, the art of perceiving qi, the method of arranging formations, and the way of divination. It can help you insight into the heavenly Dao, communicate with the spiritual veins, and resolve the disasters of the world."
"Guardian of the spiritual veins of Shu?" Confusion arose in Zhuge Liang's heart. "This junior lives in seclusion in Wolong Mountain, only seeking to devote himself to cultivating the Dao, and has never thought of shouldering such a heavy responsibility. I wonder what a guardian of the spiritual veins is?"
"Between heaven and earth, there are mountain and river spiritual veins nourishing all living things. The land of Huaxia has three main veins: the dragon vein of the Central Plains, the water vein of Jiangdong, and the mountain vein of Shu in the west, each controlling the fortune of one side." The voice of the Spirit of the Profound Realm carried a touch of remoteness. "Your spiritual root is of the same origin as the mountain vein of Shu in the west, born connected to the fortune of Shu. You are the destined guardian. Now, the fortune of the Han Dynasty is declining, troubled times are approaching, the spiritual veins are turbulent, and the people are displaced. You need to leave the mountain to assist a wise lord, stabilize the spiritual veins of Shu, maintain the situation of three kingdoms dividing the world, and protect the cultural heritage of Huaxia from being lost."
"Three kingdoms dividing the world, upholding the Han Dynasty?" A storm surged in Zhuge Liang's heart. He lived in seclusion in Wolong Mountain, though he cared about the world, he was confused about the future situation. At this moment, the words from the divine realm were like a ray of light illuminating his path, yet also filled him with a touch of heaviness. "This junior is foolish; I wonder what 'going against the heavenly Dao' is? If the fortune of the Han Dynasty is exhausted, would my actions be going against the heavenly Dao?"
"Though the fortune of the Han Dynasty is declining, it has not been cut off." The voice of the Spirit of the Profound Realm carried a touch of compassion. "The heavenly Dao has its own fixed fate, which cannot be forced by human power. The person you assist is the lord destined by heaven, yet though his fate is noble, he cannot escape misfortune. Your mission is not to force unification, but to protect the people, stabilize the spiritual veins, and wait for a destined person in later generations to determine the general trend of the world."
As soon as the words fell, countless images poured into Zhuge Liang's consciousness: the war-torn Central Plains, the displaced people, the sincerity of Liu Bei visiting the thatched cottage three times, the firelight of the Battle of Red Cliffs (a famous battle in the Three Kingdoms period), the tragedy of the six northern expeditions to Qishan, the autumn wind at Wuzhang Plains... These images were as vivid as personal experiences, as clear as if they had happened yesterday, making him instantly understand the trajectory of his future fate.
"Immortal, if this is the will of heaven, this junior is willing to obey the order of the heavenly Dao, relieve the world and stabilize the people." Zhuge Liang took a deep breath, his eyes gradually becoming deep and firm.
The strange phenomena disappeared, and Black Dragon Pool returned to tranquility. The sun had sunk to the west mountain, and the afterglow penetrated the overlapping branches and leaves, dyeing the ink-black pool water into warm gold. The rippling water sparkled with fine glow. The evening wind blew through the bamboo sea, rustling like a soft song. The mountain sparrows on the branches resumed their chirping, and the plants and trees by the pool were covered with night dew, exuding a fresh and moist atmosphere. The oppression and strangeness just now were gone, leaving only the peace of the early dusk.
He Yuer at the stern of the raft moved, rubbing his sleepy eyes and looking up. Seeing that the sky was dark, he suddenly exclaimed: "Master! How did it get so late? I actually fell asleep!" The young man's cheeks were flushed with sleep, his eyes full of confusion. He patted his head and said, "I only remember a cold wind blowing, making me feel flustered, and then I don't remember anything. Could it be that I was drowsy from the spiritual energy by the pool?"
Zhuge Liang stroked the warm heavenly scripts in his arms, a gentle smile in his eyes: "Perhaps you have been running around with me these days and are extremely tired. The spiritual energy of Black Dragon Pool is pure and moist, helping you sleep peacefully for a while." He did not mention a word about the strange phenomena, only hiding the opportunity in his heart.
He Yuer breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this, and then said excitedly: "Since it's dark, let's go home quickly! I picked fresh wild mushrooms today, which are just right for making soup for master. I'll also cook a few bowls of mixed grains to warm our bodies." With that, he picked up the bamboo pole and skillfully paddled toward the bank, his eyes full of expectation for dinner, completely unaware of the earth-shaking adventure they had just experienced.
The bamboo raft slowly docked at the bank, and the two walked back home through the twilight. The mountain road was dyed golden red by the afterglow, the dew on the grass leaves refracted the residual light, and the bluestone road under their feet was warm and smooth like jade. He Yuer chattered all the way, sometimes complaining that the woodcutters' legends were scary, sometimes planning to go to the pool to pick some beautiful stones tomorrow, his tone brisk and full of vitality.
Zhuge Liang walked behind him, looking at the jumping servant beside him, then at the darkening sky in the distance, his heart full of solemnity and lofty ideals. With the heavenly scripts in his arms and the mission on his shoulders, the confusion he had felt before was completely gone, replaced by unwavering determination. He knew that this adventure was a call from fate, the peaceful years in Wolong Mountain were coming to an end, and the turbulent times belonging to him had only just begun.