7 The Other End of the Chain

Seeing that Yuan Ge was about to leave, Amélie recalled the legend of the Dragon Pond that he had just told, and hurriedly pulled him back, "You haven't finished the story yet. Is that chain for locking up the dragon or the tree? What does that 'silver dragon coiling the jade tree' actually mean? Is that little silver dragon still trapped under the water?"

Yuan Ge looked as if he was thinking hard, "Your questions belong in the realm of mythology. Let us burn incense later and ask the Holy Emperor of the Great Roxy Heaven."

Hearing this, Amélie couldn't resist giving him a punch, "I'm asking you these questions seriously."

Yuan Ge said innocently, "I am answering them seriously. The dragon and the tree are all from the legend of the Great Roxy Heaven. Going to heaven or earth, being immortalised or becoming spirits. These are not those things which we see with mortal eyes. In my opinion, they were entangled in their past lives and were unwilling to be separated wherever they went, thus were chained together. According to my mother's research in her book, this brass chain was forged in the mid to late Qing Dynasty, so it had been embedded in the bark for hundreds of years, growing almost into the tree. It feels pretty painful to me..." He reached out to touch the tree as he said.

"Well, have you tried to pull the chain? Maybe you'll pull up a little lady dragon who's already cultivated herself into a human form."

Yuan Ge answered lightly, "Or maybe pull up a lady ghost."

"Whatever it is, a lady dragon or a lady ghost, she's surely a great beauty, and when she comes to the mortal world, she will immediately fall in love with you - a handsome scholarly gentleman, and naturally you will marry her. Ah! what a perfect match made in heaven!"

Yuan Ge rolled his eyes at her and pointed to a stone tablet next to the tree, saying, "Look, this is a national cultural relic and we have an obligation to protect it. Besides, this brass chain has been polished to a mirror-like shine. I see that those youngsters in our new recruits have been gathering here to pull this chain whenever they get a bit of free time these days. Even if there was something down there, they would have pulled it out long ago."

"Maybe it only works for those who are destined? The others can't pull anything up, but maybe if you try, something will occur. Come on, try it, if just to set my mind at rest. You know that I'm from Canton and how superstitious the Cantonese are, and we're going to be shooting in this old mansion for months. I can't help myself wondering every time I pass by the place."

"The way you say it, it's as if there really is something down there." Yuan Ge sighed helplessly.

"Just pull it once for me while you still have your work clothes on, please? I promise not to pester you again or think about it after that."

"At your service, Miss Jiang. I shall do as your ladyship wishes."

Yuan Ge was not really interested in pulling the chain, but he was reluctant to see Amélie disappointed.

Strangely enough, although the brass chain was not very heavy, it seemed to be endless, and after Yuan Ge had been pulling at it for quite some time, it made a large pile on the lawn next to the tree, but no end in sight. The brass was getting colder to the touch, as if it had been tinged with frost as soon as it came out of the water.

How can it be so cold? Is there an ice spring at the bottom of this pond? I guess that little silver dragon must be made of ice, otherwise it couldn't survive down there... The temperature under this water is almost like being in a freezer!

Yuan Ge felt his hands almost sticking to the brass chain, the coldness had seeped into his bones, but his curiosity was also aroused and he began to wonder what the chain actually led to and what was hidden beneath this cold pond. He kept pulling until he was almost exhausted, yet he still could not reach the end. Just as he was about to give up, suddenly he felt the chain stop moving, as if he heard a dull "click" from under the water, and he could pull no more.