"The truth?" I asked, puzzled.
"About the past of our four great families, the reason I didn't want you looking for Zhu Yun, and the feud between the Yao family and our family. Didn't you want to know? I will explain it all to you today," Mom said.
"I... of course I want to know," I replied. It was precisely for this reason that I had gone to find Zhu Yun before, but my searching had been in vain, like I was shrouded in fog.
"Wait here," Mom said calmly, then turned and walked upstairs.
I watched as she gracefully ascended the stairs. Her slender waist and wide hips swayed with every step she took. Her ample buttocks pushed the hem of her robe into a high arc, making the back shorter than the front. Her snow-white legs without the stockings, almost seemed to glow. Her legs crossed and uncrossed as she walked with an elegant catwalk. I secretly sighed that Mom always maintained an elegant and mature demeanor no matter the time. She could captivate someone without even trying.
Mom soon returned, holding something in her hand along with a flashlight. She said to me, "Xiao Bin, come here."
I followed behind Mom. She turned to the side corridor and to my surprise, headed towards the entrance to the basement I had visited before. My heart tightened, unsure of what she was planning.
She pulled out a rusty, ancient key from her pocket. I immediately recognized that it was one of the tokens Dad had entrusted to me.
"This is..." I said in surprise.
Mom ignored me and went straight to the northeast corner, easily finding the tile that had a different pattern and color from the others. With a soft click, she pressed it inward. Soon, a keyhole was revealed in the wall. She inserted the key and rotated the mechanism. With a rumbling sound, the wall beside it rotated, revealing a hidden passage leading downward.
So Mom actually knew about this place too. I stood there, stunned. Mom tucked a damp strand of hair behind her ear, revealing her pink neck. She turned back and extended her soft hand to hold mine. Her skin was smooth and slightly cool. She smiled faintly at me and said, "You don't look surprised. Did you sneak down here before?"
I had to nod in admission. I had come down here once by myself, and another time I had brought Zhu Yun with me but kept it a secret from Mom.
Mom turned the flashlight on and descended the secret passage just in her slippers. The staircase was only wide enough for one person, so I had to follow behind her. We quickly reached the bottom. Mom's flashlight illuminated the concrete walls of the small room and it looked exactly the same as before. A table sat in the very center, and behind the table was that stone statue resembling a Daoist priest.
I asked, "Mom, what is this shabby basement used for?"
Mom remained silent. I saw her take two items out of her robes. One was a small knife, and the other was actually that ancient bronze mirror Dad had given me before!
"Mom, this is...?" I stepped forward and asked.
Mom pulled my hand, dragging me in front of the stone statue. I saw her looking at the statue's blurred face, her eyes flickering with complex emotions.
She gave the statue a slightly flirtatious charm, her cheeks flushing slightly, but she quickly composed herself. Holding my hand, she swiftly made a cut on my finger with the small knife.
"Ah...! Mom, you...!" The cut wasn't shallow and blood immediately gushed from my finger. I cried out in pain.
Without a word, Mom held my finger with one hand and with her other hand, picked up the bronze mirror, exposing a groove on the back where a finger would fit perfectly. She placed my finger into it.
I felt a cold sensation run through me. Before I could react, the bronze mirror actually began to glow with a faint, dim purple light!
"What is this!?"
I exclaimed. Inside this dark little room, aside from the beam of the flashlight, only the faint light emitted by the mirror was visible. The light wasn't very bright, it circled the mirror's body, looking like a thick fog wrapping around it, creating an eerie and bizarre atmosphere.
"Mom, What's going on?" I cried out in alarm.
Mom crossed her arms and laughed softly. "Take the mirror, and turn it towards yourself."
My heart skipped a beat. Was this a demonic mirror or something?
I was flustered, but I didn't dare be negligent. I hurriedly turned the mirror over, holding it solemnly with both hands, and aimed the reflective surface at myself.
Thank goodness, my face was still the same in the mirror, it hadn't turned into anything else. However, a faint purple Taoist symbol appeared on my forehead. Surrounding the symbol was a dragon and phoenix pattern flying in a continuous loop around it. It looked very familiar.
I hurriedly touched my forehead, but there was nothing there. The symbol on my forehead could only be seen through this mirror.
"What is this!" I exclaimed in astonishment.
Mom said, "Xiaobin, turn it towards me."
I picked up the mirror and pointed it at Mom. The bronze mirror reflected her beautiful face, and like me, she also had this symbol on her forehead.
"This is called the 'Yuhai Mark'. It is a symbol left by our ancestors. This mark signifies that the position of Family Head and the family treasures have been passed to you by the family elders. You have officially become the heir." Mom explained from the side.
This sudden revelation left me bewildered. "Mom, this... this is too absurd. What treasures, what marks... It sounds like something out of a fantasy novel. How could this be related to us?"
Mom looked at the stone statue in the middle. She pressed her palms together in a reverent gesture, her fingers forming an orchid shape, and bowed respectfully. Then she explained to me, "Our four great families were originally disciples of a Taoist master named Immortal Yu Hai. This stone statue was carved by our ancestors to commemorate Immortal Yu Hai. However, with the passage of time, the Taoist temple that once stood above here has long since vanished, and the statue has become weathered and damaged. Many years ago, a senior moved the statue down here to prevent it from being damaged by people or outside elements."
"Immortal Yun Hai's had four disciples, and their surnames were Zhou, Yao, Gu, and Zhu. Among them, the disciple with the surname Gu was a woman, while the other three were men. They were originally not from this place. They helped Immortal Yuhai accomplish a great merit and afterwards settled near Jingzhou. The local residents here were deeply grateful for their good deeds and admired them greatly. With the passage of time, Jingzhou transformed from a small coastal village into a thriving metropolis and the descendants of those four disciples later became the prominent families of this region. Their legacy has been passed down to this day. This is the origin of our four great families."
*****
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