Chapter 389: Mountain Prison Red Lines and the Expanding Hill Seal

That night, after returning to the guesthouse, we unusually drank once; a group of people completely opened up, got roaring drunk, and even Yuan Qiu, that unknown coward, couldn't help but join the fray, hitting it off with Wei Xiong, whom we had just met.

"Do you know? I'm about to get rich soon; after my buddies get rich, I'll definitely not forget you two brothers." Wei Xiong slammed his chest hard, speaking in a drunken tone.

"Get rich, get rich doing what business?" Yuan Qiu also opened his slightly drunk eyes, his mind not clear, and chatted with Wei Xiong about everything.

Wei Xiong let out a belch, gave a hehe laugh, leaned close to Yuan Qiu's ear and mysteriously whispered, "I'm going with my uncle... confidential." At the end, Brother Wei laughed, threw us a bait, but stubbornly refused to reveal the answer.

Perhaps, I was the only one able to stay sober in the whole bar. Even Pangzi, who rarely drinks, now had a flushed face, stood up swaying, almost unable to tell east from west.

After years apart, the brothers reunited, everyone opened up, sharing the interesting and ridiculous things that had happened over these years.

Some people are like that—no need to bring it up, no need to mention it, even if a phone call lasts less than two sentences they'll hang up. But not mentioning it doesn't mean forgetting. Friendship is like that: it doesn't need many words, yet it remains forever in the heart. At crucial moments, a single phone call is enough for both to rush over immediately.

When drinking, there's never a need for too much politeness; open up and selflessly share your secrets with each other.

I don't even know how much I drank; in short, this drinking bout was the craziest I've ever had. Still, crazy as it was, I have a personal principle: no matter when, I must keep the last shred of sobriety. If I can't take it, I can sleep, but I will never get loudly drunk and cause a scene.

So among the four of us, I am not sober, but I am the most sober compared to them.

Wei Xiong talked about many past experiences over these years; after dropping out of school, he waited tables at restaurants, carried bricks at construction sites, and also worked as a sailor on boats.

Now he says he'll soon make a fortune, following his uncle to undertake a big job. After it's done, he'll have money, live the life he wants, and let his parents spend their remaining years in comfort, free from hardship.

Wei Xiong's values differ from ours; he was born into a typical poor Chinese family. For money, he has a stronger desire than anyone. Because of poverty, he started planning his life from school days. He wants his parents to live a bit more comfortably, so he puts in double the effort in everything he does, craving success and recognition.

But society doesn't guarantee success just from hard work. There are always harsh realities that ruthlessly crush your ideals and wishes. In the end, after living most of your life, you may find you've gone with the flow, ending up on a completely different path contrary to your hopes.

Wei Xiong has always been ambitious; unlike his small stature, his heart harbors an ambition stronger than anyone's. This ambition has been bottled up inside him for countless years. When he is about to face success, he can't wait to vent this repression and share it with those he trusts.

So tonight, Wei Xiong said many things, constantly shaking his head and muttering: "I'm going to get rich, I'm going with my uncle to make a big fortune."

At first, I didn't pay much attention to his muttering, born of long‑suppressed frustration; I just smiled drunkenly at him.

But… when I saw the item peeking out from his open jacket pocket, my heart clenched, my head felt as if a basin of cold water had been poured over it, and I broke out in a cold sweat.

Although it was just a corner, the object hidden inside Wei Xiong's jacket was strikingly similar to the legendary item.

I dared not drink anymore, and cautiously began to probe Wei Xiong's tone.

However, although Wei Xiong was drunk, his tone remained tight; no matter how I probed, he wouldn't say more. In the process I only got two pieces of information: one, Wei Xiong will soon undertake a big deal; two, the leader of that deal is his uncle.

Not long after, Wei Xiong collapsed onto the sofa and fell into a deep sleep.

Seeing him about to pass out, I gave him a couple of tentative pushes. When he lay there unconscious like a dead pig, I cautiously moved closer and opened his jacket.

Inside his jacket lay a small golden‑yellow bronze seal, with a tiny golden‑yellow dragon coiled around it. Turning over the seal's bottom… the characters "Heavenly Palace Bestows Blessing, Eight Characters of Unrestricted Fortune Hao Ran" appeared before my eyes.

Touching Gold has talismans, Moving Mountain has techniques, Unloading Ridge has armor, and Expanding Hill has a seal… The bronze seal in Wei Xiong's pocket is clearly the Expanding Hill Seal of the four major tomb‑robbing sects.

Now I finally understand what he meant by getting rich. If I'm not mistaken, he's preparing to go tomb‑robbing with his uncle.

No, or rather, his ancestors must be inheritors of the Expanding Hill General line; otherwise, where would this Expanding Hill Seal come from?

I silently slipped the Expanding Hill Seal back into Wei Xiong's pocket, but as I did so he muttered like in a dream and turned his body to the left.

I was startled, my hand shook and I almost dropped the seal onto the floor. Later I realized it was just his drunken sleep‑talk, and I hurriedly shoved the Expanding Hill Seal back into his pocket.

Yet, just as I was putting the Expanding Hill Seal back, Wei Xiong's face made my heart clench again.

On his nose, below the Yintang point, in the middle of the nasal root, there were clearly two crimson lines splitting toward the eyes, bypassing the brow and leading straight to the life gate.

Before I hadn't paid much attention to Wei Xiong's physiognomy, but his sudden roll just then let me see those two red lines on his nasal root clearly.

In physiognomy this pattern is called the "Mountain Prison Red Lines"; red always signifies misfortune, so if someone's complexion shows silk‑like red lines, it's surely a bad omen.

If red light appears on the year and longevity positions, it foretells disaster in the coming year. If the nasal root bears red lines crossing the eyes, it predicts a blood‑light calamity. If a red line runs from the life gate to below the eyebrows, joining the nasal root area, it foretells that the person will soon be imprisoned, possibly even die under punishment. This pattern is called the Mountain Prison Red Lines, divided into innate and acquired forms.

The innate form concerns one's fate; the acquired form omens disaster or fortune.

Obviously, Wei Xiong's two red lines are acquired; in the past few years when we were classmates, I never saw such lines on his face, so they couldn't have been present at birth.

Seeing these two lines, and thinking of Wei Xiong's talk of getting rich and the Expanding Hill Seal in his pocket, I couldn't help but link the two.

One must know that such acquired lines usually appear because they relate to what the person will do later. When a person's coming year is due for disaster, the face tends to show corresponding signs; different disasters produce different lines and hues of ill omen. Physiognomists therefore give appropriate advice based on these emerging signs to help people avoid misfortune and seek good fortune.

After sitting there dumbfounded for a moment, I dared not be the slightest bit vague; I dragged the dead‑asleep Pangzi from the sofa into the room.

Why say drag? Because Pangzi's weight is too great; I couldn't support or hold him steady, so I had to use all my strength, hauling him like a corpse into the room.

With a clatter, I finally couldn't bear Pangzi's weight and threw him onto the bed, but because my balance was off, I ended up falling onto the bed as well.

"Stop it, don't mess around…" the sleeping Pangzi murmured shyly, flicking his right hand.

With a bang, my cheekbone was injured; Pangzi's careless flick slammed it hard against the underside of the bed.

When I got up again, five fresh red palm prints appeared on my face; my left cheek was swollen like a pig's head.

And Pangzi, still half‑covering his face like someone holding a pipa, shyly waved his hand and said, "Stop it, don't mess around, don't mess around…"

Me: "…" Stop messing around, damn it.

Watching Pangzi still striking various sleepwalking poses on the bed, I could only turn away, feeling like crying but unable to, and rummaged through my luggage until I finally found a small bottle.

I opened the bottle cap, poured hard for a few seconds, and a black pill instantly appeared in my palm.

Looking at the drunken Pangzi on the bed, then at the pill in my hand, I couldn't help but sigh wistfully.

"I hope this Thousand‑Catty No‑Drink Pill works."