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pointed to each line of the diagram on the calfskin, moving from the bottom to the top. The reading was full of dragons. Every line except the third mentioned a dragon.
    The seer looked up from the book. “It is a very auspicious divination,” he whispered. “The most auspicious.”
    “But what does it mean?” Ping asked.
    “The meaning of each line can only be interpreted by the one who divided the yarrow stalks,” the seer said. “But the answer to your question is without doubt that it is favourable for you to leave Yan.”
    The Duke frowned and his eyebrows met in the middle. Then he sighed. He couldn’t argue with the reading.
    “Kai has brought me nothing but good fortune,” he said. “To go against such a reading would be folly.”
    The seer nodded. “You are most wise, Your Grace. Catastrophe would surely follow if you opposed the counsel of the
Yi Jing.”
    The seer wrote out the six readings on the calfskin next to the six lines. Then he turned the calfskin over and wrote six more characters on the other side.
    “This is the final reading. It is what the book has to say about the diagram as a whole.” He folded the piece of calfskin and handed it to Ping. “It is for you only to read.”
    Ping took the calfskin and was about to open it.
    “Wait!” the seer said. “You should re-read the six lines as your journey progresses. Each one will reveal its wisdom in turn. But I advise you not to look at the final reading now. Read it only when you are facedwith your greatest difficulty, when you experience your worst moment.”
    Ping looked down at the folded calfskin. She had hoped their journey would be without difficulties.
    “Now we must find out when is the most auspicious day for Ping to leave,” the Duke said.
    The seer bowed and left the room.

• chapter four •
L EAVING Y AN
    Patches of dark dried blood stained
the winter-pale grass
.
    Ping didn’t take part in the ceremony to choose the auspicious day. The seer did that in the privacy of the palace’s inner shrine.
    The repairs to the palace had been completed and, later that day, Ping took Kai to the dining hall for the first time in months. Although the weather was still chilly, spring had reached Yan and the sunny weather was reflected in the mood at Beibai Palace.
    Everyone was delighted to have the dragon back among them. Servants brought Kai cushions, the cooks preparedhim a special meal. The Duke’s wives and sisters made a fuss of Kai. His daughters and the other palace children all wanted to play with the dragon. The women were one minute clucking over Yong Hu, watching him laugh as someone bounced him up and down, the next minute exclaiming over Kai and how much he’d grown. Kai loved being the centre of attention and made tinkling wind-chime sounds. It was more like a party than an ordinary midday meal.
    The palace carpenter brought a special backscratcher that he’d carved over winter for Kai. The dragon often had an itch on his back that he couldn’t reach and had knocked over several expensive ornaments and left grubby marks on walls while trying to scratch the spot. The children all took it in turns to scratch the dragon’s back with the new backscratcher. The Duke was quieter than the rest of his household as he ate his midday meal. Ping was quiet too.
    Halfway through the third course, the seer entered.
    “Must you interrupt my meal?” the Duke said, though he was only picking at his food.
    “I must, Your Grace,” the seer replied. “My message is urgent. There is only one auspicious day for Ping to leave. It is the day after tomorrow.”
    The mood of the meal soon changed once the news circulated and everyone realised that Kai was going toleave. The servants were complaining, the children were crying, the cook was wondering what he was going to do with all the snails and worms he’d collected for Kai to eat.
    “He is going,” the Duke said, “whether you like it or not.”
    Silence descended over the room,