Zhao Shan was overwhelmed with gratitude and immediately got up from the ground. He grabbed Zhang Enpu’s hand tightly, his voice choked with emotion: “Esteemed sir, what exactly should I do to get rid of this terrible curse?”
Zhang Enpu smiled slightly and bowed: “On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, when the moon is full and there are no evil spirits, you just need to fetch a ladle of clear water from the outlet of the dam in Xiushan Village at midnight and pour it onto your father-in-law’s grave. This will break the curse. When you pour the water onto the grave, a meteor will appear in the east, and golden lights will shine from the grave like sunlight radiating across the earth.”
Zhao Shan was astonished: “Is it really that simple? Just a ladle of water from the river in Xiushan Village? Is that water sacred?”
Zhang Enpu replied: “The outlet of the river in Xiushan Village lies within the ‘Big Dipper Formation,’ transformed from the spiritual energy of the Big Dipper constellation. It has the power to expel evil spirits, so naturally, a ladle of water from there is sufficient.”
Zhao Shan smiled: “Right, I forgot that the river flows from the back mountains. Haha… truly amazing.”
Zhang Enpu continued: “This month is May, and there are still three months until midnight on the Mid-Autumn Festival in August. During these three months, two major events will occur. First: next month, June, your village will experience a major flood. Second: in Xiushan Village, downstream at the Zhao family household, a son will be born on the day of Shenwu. This child will have one head and three arms, and will fall into a well and die three days later. Remember these two events—they are omens of your family’s revival and also benchmarks for testing my abilities.”
Zhao Shan nodded: “Yes, I understand.”
Zhang Enpu asked: “Do you know why these two events will happen?”
Zhao Shan shook his head: “No, is there some hidden mystery?”
Zhang Enpu explained: “That’s because these two events are two of the three curses triggered after the lid of your father-in-law’s coffin was disturbed.”
“What about the third curse?”
“The third one was foretold on the day the grave was disturbed: ‘struck by five thunderbolts from heaven,’ which caused your father-in-law’s death that day. The remaining two curses have a cycle of forty years, and this year is their time.”
“Sir, you truly are a divine person. I think the geomancer who chose the grave site for my father-in-law back then must not have known all these details. He must have miscalculated many mysteries, perhaps even mistaking this place for a genuine feng shui treasure.”
Zhang Enpu sighed: “No one probably knows about this matter anymore. Let the past remain in the past. What’s important is to focus on the future. Well then, I’m heading down the mountain. Take good care of yourself. After this is done, marry a wife, and you’ll surely have a noble son.”
With that, he turned and walked away without looking back.
Zhao Shan hurried after him: “Let me accompany you down the mountain. You’ve helped me so much; I must reward you handsomely.”
“There’s no need. This was purely a chance encounter, not a service for which I charge. Don’t be too formal. Let’s part ways here; we will meet again.”
June is a rainy season, and it’s also the time when weeds in the fields grow vigorously. Therefore, the villagers of Xiushan Village certainly didn’t want it to rain. They wished only for the sun to shine longer. Otherwise, their grain production would decrease, and they would be left drinking pumpkin soup. Zhao Shan was the only exception.
Zhao Shan was not a farmer, so he didn’t have to worry about whether his crops grew well or poorly. At this moment, he was only concerned about the “flood” predicted by Zhang Enpu and the “drowning incident” in July.
He hoped these events would come soon, as they were related to his future. Yet at the same time, he felt a bit guilty and remorseful inside. After all, these predicted events were not good things but disasters that people would hate. He didn’t know whether his desire for these disasters to occur might harm his karma. He was caught in a difficult situation.
But the trajectory of life is like this: what is destined to come will inevitably arrive, and what is not meant to come cannot be held back even with steel wires. As Zhang Enpu had predicted, on a rainy night in mid-June, it rained heavily. The rain was once-in-a-century heavy, as if heaven had opened a well above Xiushan Village and poured water down nonstop for three full days and nights. As a result, Xiushan Village was instantly flooded, with vast fields submerged. It almost had to change its name to Xiushui Village.
Fortunately, the flood stopped there and did not progress to the point of rushing into the villagers’ homes. Even so, the disaster was still quite severe. All the crops in the fields were completely destroyed. Zhao Shan felt both sorrow and joy, almost in tears. To ease his sense of guilt, he took out all his savings to help the villagers rebuild after the disaster. The first prophecy had indeed come true, and with such intensity. It seemed the second prophecy—that a child with three arms downstream would drown—was also destined to happen.
Downstream from Xiushan Village lived a family headed by Mu Dahua, whose wife was named Xiaoyue. During their three years of marriage, without taking any contraceptive measures, they had shown no signs of pregnancy. They longed for a child desperately, and so did their parents. They were anxious and tried every possible means. They consulted doctors from various counties dozens of times and tried numerous secret remedies, but nothing worked. They were at a loss—where was the problem?
Actually, there was an explanation in feng shui terms. The place where they lived was known in feng shui as “Juehu,” meaning no descendants, or being childless.
There are three types of “Juehu” feng shui. One is where a couple is naturally unable to have children. The second is where children are born but do not survive, such as dying young or from illness. The third is where deformed or monstrous children are born, who also do not survive. The basic geographical layouts of “Juehu” feng shui locations are roughly as follows: first, sharp mountains or pointed rocks directly facing the front door. Second, a pond shaped like the Chinese character for “cry” in front of the house. Third, a sheer cliff in front of the house. Fourth, ancestral graves located on a barren pulse line. Mu Dahua belonged to the second category, with two large ponds in front of his house. Ponds resemble eyes; one pond is called the “mingtang,” used to gather energy. Two ponds together form the shape of the character for “cry,” bringing the calamity of no descendants. Mu Dahua lived in this place without knowing it, naturally suffering its consequences.
Despite the “Juehu” feng shui, through their efforts, Mu Dahua’s wife Xiaoyue finally became pregnant. As time passed, her belly grew more and more prominent, indicating a real pregnancy this time. They were overjoyed and eagerly waited on her hand and foot. They thought the Mu family would finally have an heir. However, when the ten months of pregnancy were complete and Xiaoyue went into labor, the Mu family’s hopes turned into disappointment. The “Juehu” feng shui inevitably resulted in misfortune. Xiaoyue gave birth to a monstrous child with three arms. This was a shocking event, and the news quickly spread throughout the nearby villages.
“The Mu family has given birth to a monster! What sins did they commit in a past life!” The whole family was heartbroken beyond comparison. Heaven seemed to enjoy teasing ordinary people. We can only comfort these unfortunate souls like this. Otherwise, what else could we do? Jump off a building or hang ourselves?
Although Mu Dahua was poor, he still had the courage to face everything. A tiger does not eat its own cub, and a mother does not dislike her ugly child. The couple decided that no matter what others said, they would raise their hard-earned child well. However, sometimes heaven is cruelly heartless, not even giving people the opportunity for self-consolation. There was a well in front of the Mu family’s house. On the third day after the child’s birth, during the Zi hour (11 PM to 1 AM), it was the time for rats, and cats usually came out to hunt at this time. But for some reason—perhaps the cat had poor eyesight or a flawed sense of smell—it mistook the Mu couple’s infant for a rat, grabbed it in its mouth, and dragged it to the edge of the well to eat. However, after biting it a couple of times and realizing something was wrong, the cat angrily pushed the child into the well…
Thus ending his brief journey in this world, exactly fulfilling the words Zhang Enpu had prophesied to Zhao Shan at the Coffin Ridge.
When Zhao Shan learned that a child with three arms had indeed drowned downstream from Xiushan Village, although he was somewhat prepared, he was still deeply shocked. However, besides feeling heavy-hearted, he began to believe more in feng shui. He now had absolutely no doubt about Zhang Enpu’s words.
Early on the fifteenth day of August, he began implementing Zhang Enpu’s plan to break the curse. Alone, he came to the upstream of the village river, at the outlet of the Big Dipper Formation. He was going to fetch a ladle of clear water from the outlet to save his ancestral grave and dissolve the curse of the broken grave site. Speaking of this outlet, to put it simply, it was a large cave located on a cliff. The cliff was on the mountain representing the last star of the Big Dipper constellation, the final star at the tail of the ladle. The spring water inside the cave flowed year-round, never ceasing, symbolizing continuous life and serving as the source of life for the downstream villagers of Xiushan. After walking for an hour, he arrived. It was still very early. Standing at the foot of the cave, Zhao Shan looked up and saw that besides the continuous flow of water, a large amount of mist also emerged from the cave entrance, soon enveloping the entire area around him.
Curious, he thought to himself, “Indeed, this is a magical mountain formed by immortal energy, with swirling mists. Let me test how deep this cave really is.”
Zhao Shan picked up a small stone and aimed it at the cave entrance, throwing it upward. With a “plop,” the stone landed in the rushing spring water and was washed back down. He hadn’t thrown hard enough. Zhao Shan stopped testing and took the plastic bottle he had brought, filling it with the spring water flowing down. Then he turned and hurried back. He needed to pour this water onto his father-in-law’s grave at the exact time of night.
But just as he turned around, he suddenly heard a roar from the cave entrance, like a great amount of water being squeezed out from inside. A massive surge of water shot out from the cave entrance, rapidly rushing toward Zhao Shan’s back.
Hearing the noise, Zhao Shan turned his head in alarm. Goodness, the wave behind him was over five or six meters high, crashing down like a mountain. He was so frightened that he lost six of his seven souls, quickly hanging the water bottle around his neck and running toward higher ground ahead. Unfortunately, he was a step too slow and was immediately engulfed by the floodwaters. Helplessly, Zhao Shan was carried by the sudden surge of spring water, thrown dozens of meters forward in an instant, and with a “thud,” landed into a large pond below. Fortunately, he fell into the pond rather than onto the rocks outside it; otherwise, he would surely have died. He quickly swam to the shore from the center of the pond and hurriedly ran forward, fearing that the cave entrance might release a second wave of attack. Fortunately, reality wasn’t as severe as he imagined. After releasing the first surge of water, the cave entrance showed no further movement and returned to its usual calmness.
As he quickly walked back with his heart pounding, he muttered to himself, “Could it be that my small stone just now disturbed the accumulated spiritual energy inside? How terrifying! I’d better leave this place quickly.”
Zhao Shan, startled and shaken, brought the “sacred water” he had risked his life to obtain to his father-in-law’s grave at Coffin Ridge. By this time, it was already past ten o’clock at night, but there was still about an hour until the Zi hour (11 PM to 1 AM). Beside the ancestral grave of the Zhao family stood a small pine tree. He sat beneath this pine tree, leaning against the trunk, nervously waiting for that magical moment. The moonlight was bright. Looking at his father-in-law’s grave, he suddenly felt as if it had grown significantly larger and seemed to emit a faint mist in the night air.
“Can’t be,” he thought. “I haven’t poured the water yet, so how can spiritual energy already be gathering? Or is it just the wrath caused by the evil curse?” He rubbed his eyes hard and looked again. The mist was still there, but within it, he seemed to see the figure of an old man. This old man was completely unfamiliar to him, yet strangely familiar. Especially the old man’s nose—it looked exactly like his own. “There’s a ghost!” Zhao Shan was about to shout loudly when the old man suddenly rushed forward and covered his mouth.
The old man meant no harm. He kindly said to him, “Shan’er, don’t be afraid. I am your father-in-law.”
Zhao Shan struggled free from the old man’s hand, no longer shouting, but asking in confusion: “Father-in-law?”
The old man nodded: “Yes, I am one of the three souls and seven spirits of your father-in-law—the ‘guardian soul’ of the grave. Don’t be afraid. I have come to tell you some things that happened long ago, which you do not know. I know you have invited a geomancer to break the curse on this feng shui treasure land.”
“Is that true? Are you really my father-in-law’s soul?”
The old man nodded: “Indeed. If I wanted to harm you, do you think you could escape?”
“Oh, Father-in-law!” Zhao Shan believed his words and awkwardly called out to this ancestor who had lived half a century before him. The old man, Zhao Laotai Gong, said: “Now I will tell you how this land was disturbed.”
Zhao Shan nodded: “Okay, please go ahead!”
The old man coughed slightly and sighed: “Actually, it’s all my fault for being too greedy. Back then, I invited a famous geomancer from another region to choose a site for me. This geomancer found this rare feng shui treasure land on Coffin Ridge. At first, I didn’t believe him and insisted on digging it up to see for myself. But the geomancer disagreed, saying that if we dug it up, three curses would appear: the first curse would be ‘struck by five thunderbolts from heaven’ after the feng shui treasure land was disturbed; the second curse would be that ‘Xiushan Village will suffer a major flood three months later’; the third curse would be that ‘a child in the next village will drown.’ After stating these three curses, the geomancer angrily left without even asking for payment. At that time, seeing that he didn’t even take the money, I was scared and thought to myself, ‘This must truly be a genuine feng shui treasure land; otherwise, he wouldn’t have refused the money.’ So I stopped digging, carefully protected the site, and excitedly told your grandfather in secret. I thought I had gained a great advantage. But your grandfather couldn’t keep his mouth shut and told your grandmother. Your grandmother couldn’t keep her mouth shut either and told her family. Her family then spread the news outside. Finally, a ruffian named Youzi found out about it. He secretly came to Coffin Ridge, found this place, and then used it to blackmail me, demanding fifty silver dollars in exchange for keeping the secret.”
“I wanted to protect this hard-earned treasure land, so I agreed to his demand. But unexpectedly, Youzi broke his promise. After taking the money, he still came and ruined the site by urinating on it. I remember at that time, Coffin Ridge was filled with lightning and thunder, dark clouds covering the sky. I ran desperately up the ridge, but just as I arrived, a large tree was struck by lightning and fell. I couldn’t escape in time and died under that tree. Sigh, it was truly not worth it. It was all due to my poor character and extreme selfishness that brought this disaster upon me. Therefore, people should do more good deeds, so that they may receive the protection of heaven. Otherwise, bloodshed and calamity are inevitable.”
Zhao Shan said: “Father-in-law, no, it’s not a natural disaster. Now, haven’t I encountered a highly insightful geomancer? He can help us break the curse.”
The old man said: “No, that is not a reward for my virtue. It is because you have accumulated much good karma in the human world that you have encountered a noble person to help you. Therefore, from now on, you must be a good person and not follow the selfish path of me, your grandfather, and even your father. You have seen for yourself how close we came to having our family lineage wiped out.”
Zhao Shan nodded: “Yes, I understand.”
The old man said: “That’s good. Now let’s return to the topic of the feng shui treasure land. The place where I rest is actually only the lid of the coffin, not the entire stone coffin. That geomancer wasn’t a top expert either; he failed to see this. Most of his predictions were wrong. Therefore, only one of the subsequent prophecies came true. As for the other two, he completely miscalculated the timing.”
Zhao Shan nodded: “Yes, they were half a century late. And the child who drowned had three arms.”
The old man said: “When Youzi discovered it, he saw only the lid and assumed it was the entire coffin, not digging further down. As a result, he misunderstood the entire situation. After the land was disturbed, the ‘lid’ changed from brown to black and emitted a foul odor. I could hardly stay here any longer. If you don’t act soon, my soul guarding the grave will never be able to transcend and will be trapped here forever. This place will also lose its vital energy and become barren.”
Zhao Shan said: “Regarding the lid, that geomancer did mention it to me. He just said it was very smelly, but didn’t know the rest.”
The old man sighed: “Alas, it’s all self-inflicted. Let’s not talk about it anymore. The time has come; the Zhao family has a new master. I must go!” With that, he vanished, leaving Zhao Shan alone, sitting under the pine tree, dazed.
“Father-in-law, Father-in-law, I still have something to ask you!” Zhao Shan shouted twice, suddenly feeling his body involuntarily tilting to the side. His arm hit a stone on the ground, causing him to shudder with pain—only then did he realize it had all been a dream.
At this time, the moon had reached the center of the sky, and the crowing of roosters from Xiushan Village faintly came from afar, surely signaling it was midnight. Zhao Shan, recalling the surreal dream, stood up and walked toward his father-in-law’s grave.
“Father-in-law, you said the Zhao family has a new master. I hope what you said is true. Please bless your descendants.” He picked up the bottle of spring water he had brought from the outlet of the Big Dipper Formation and poured it onto the top of the ancestral grave.
His heart stopped beating. He stared wide-eyed at his father-in-law’s grave, waiting for the magical phenomenon Zhang Enpu had told him about.
Indeed, after a while, a sound emerged. At first, a breeze blew from behind Coffin Ridge, circling three times around the ancestral grave of the Zhao family. Then the entire grave slowly turned red, then yellow, and finally transformed into golden rays scattering outward, like the legendary descent of Buddha Sakyamuni. Zhao Shan quickly turned around, gazing toward the eastern night sky, where stars around the constellation Orion successively crossed, beautifully drifting into the depths of the universe…
At this moment, Zhao Shan was extremely happy. He had finally accomplished his mission. Soon, there would be someone to inherit the Zhao family’s legacy, and it would grow increasingly prosperous. He excitedly kowtowed three times to his father-in-law, then returned home, took a bath, and fell into a satisfied sleep. He had been exhausted these past few days and could finally have a good night’s rest. Indeed, he didn’t even dream and slept soundly until morning. When he opened his eyes the next morning, the sun was already shining on his back. “Jiajia, Jiajia…” The long-absent chirping of magpies sounded in his ears from the window, as if heralding that good things were truly beginning from this day.
He got out of bed, picked up his shirt, and was about to put it on when the old butler rushed in from outside, excitedly saying: “Master, get up quickly. Chen Mama from the village has arrived.”
“Chen Mama has come? What does she want? We didn’t hire her as a matchmaker.”
Zhao Shan hurriedly dressed and washed his face hastily before coming to the main hall. There, Chen Mama, looking travel-worn, sat chatting and laughing as if she were at her own home.
“Chen Mama, what wind blew you here? East wind? South wind? Definitely not the northwest wind,” Zhao Shan joked.
Seeing Zhao Shan come out, Chen Mama immediately stood up and grabbed his arm, teasingly saying: “Oh, Master Zhao, it’s the northwest wind that brought me here. You know, I’ve been drinking this stuff every day and am almost starving. Where else would I go if not to your oil-rich place?”
Zhao Shan laughed: “Chen Mama, don’t beat around the bush. Tell me, what’s the matter?”
Chen Mama, upon hearing Zhao Shan’s words, immediately stopped smiling and said seriously: “I’ve come to do matchmaking for your Zhao family.”
Zhao Shan said: “For our Zhao family? Does any girl in the village have her eyes blind and actually like my three useless sons?”
Chen Mama replied: “Who said I’m here to match them?”
Zhao Shan was surprised: “If not for them, then for whom have you come to do matchmaking?”
Chen Mama said: “I’ve come to do matchmaking for you.”
Zhao Shan said insincerely: “For me? Haha, I’m already this old. … This will make the villagers laugh at me. Forget it, forget it. Thank you for your kindness.” After saying this, he thought to himself, “I understand now. This is the response of the ancestral grave after the curse was lifted. I almost forgot. I didn’t expect it to happen so quickly, and I wasn’t even mentally prepared.”
Chen Mama said: “Age is not an issue. The most important thing is that you are still a decent person. Besides, the young lady is quite fond of you. She even specifically asked someone to send me here to propose to you.”
Zhao Shan was almost overwhelmed with happiness: “What, she specifically asked you? What good qualities do I have that she would do this…”
Chen Mama said: “Isn’t it because of your generous act during the flood in June that touched her heart?”
A week later, Zhao Shan married the girl happily.
Ten months later, during the Qingming Festival, amidst a startling thunderclap, a son was successfully born. This child was indeed very smart, reportedly able to call his parents’ names just three days after birth. Moreover, since the curse on the ancestral grave of Old Master Zhao was lifted, his three older sons gradually recovered from their foolishness and began to engage in proper work. As for the Zhao family’s rice business, it naturally grew even larger, opening branches in other regions, creating a prosperous situation that surpassed the achievements of the previous two generations. In his middle age, Zhao Shan finally lived the happy life he had always dreamed of.
Later on, he made sure to inform the villagers of Xiushan Village about the key person who had changed his fate. His purpose in doing so was to ensure that the old immortal Zhang Enpu would not be forgotten. He also sent a generous gift of food and grain coupons to Zhang Enpu as a wedding present. However, Zhang Enpu, acting somewhat foolishly, did not accept them. He merely came to the Zhao household to drink a cup of wedding wine before hastily departing.
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