Chapter One: The Sinking Lamp in the Water In the autumn night of Shen Garden in Shaoxing, dew clung to withered lotus leaves, and the rain pattered softly. Chen Yan squatted on the bluestone slab in the backyard of the antique shop, his fingertips tracing the surface of a bronze lamp. The lamp base was shaped like a black bird, its wings engraved with fragmented ancient characters, and the wick was covered with a layer of dark red patina, like lamp oil that hadn't dried for a thousand years. "I acquired this lamp last week. They said it was unearthed from the foot of Kuaiji Mountain and related to Fan Li," said Old Zhou, the shop owner, puffing on his pipe, smoke rings dispersing in the rain. "You do ancient book restoration, take a look at the characters on this. Is it a fragment of the *Ji Ran Shu*?" Chen Yan, wearing white gloves, his fingertips just...
