The sun came out, casting a warm glow on people’s bodies. Everyone picked up a branch, hung their damp clothes on them, and carried them along. After walking a few miles, their clothes were dry. They hurriedly put them back on—after all, walking around naked was uncivilized, and if caught by the joint logistics patrol, it would be a serious problem.
At this point, the four of them had no idea where they were; they had completely lost their sense of direction. Fortunately, Bai Erlai was a walking geography encyclopedia and often wandered through these mountains for fun. He was confident he could lead them out of the valley.
Liu Dashao’s guess proved correct. Bai Erlai’s sense of direction was indeed impressive. It didn’t take him long to determine the right direction, and soon the group began supporting each other as they made their way out.
On the way, Zhang Enpu flicked his sleeve and said, “Hard work always pays off. The tomb collapsed, and the Qin Wang Zhaogu Mirror turned to ruins. The troubles of negative energy should now be over. What do you think about all this, Dashao?”
Liu Dashao thought for a moment before replying, “I feel like this matter isn’t as simple as it seems. History is full of mysteries. Take that damned emperor, for example! Why did he go so far, buried here in such a remote place? Could it be that he hoped to rely on this ancient treasure to resurrect himself? And was his death really as simple as illness? His younger brother, the one who later ascended the throne, probably isn’t innocent either! And what about those murals? What important clues were they trying to convey?”
“Ahhh! So many things that just don’t make sense. We only know a few fragments.”
Zhang Enpu nodded and said, “You make a good point. The more complicated something is, the more challenging it becomes. Haha, let’s go!”
Zhang Enpu felt extremely delighted about the unexpected discovery of the Qin Wang Zhaogu Mirror. Although they ultimately failed to retrieve it, being able to witness such a treasure in his lifetime was, in his view, a life well-lived. Liu Dashao, however, was secretly cursing in his heart, “Challenging? What challenge? Who cares about all this negative energy nonsense!”
In Northeast China, people believe in ghosts and deities, and Zhang Enpu’s presence gave the villagers a strong sense of security. Therefore, naturally, they took good care of him. After consulting with his family, Liu Laoshi straightforwardly invited Zhang Enpu to move into their home. Zhang happily accepted without much protest, and eventually took Liu Dashao on as an honorary apprentice.
Now, let’s talk about a prominent wealthy family in Xiu Shan Village, surnamed Zhao, with the given name Shan.
Zhao Shan had a broad and strong build, with a round face. Though he appeared somewhat rough, he was actually quite gentle by nature. Although the Zhao family had become wealthy early on through their rice business, Zhao Shan, as the heir, never became arrogant or conceited. He never forgot the villagers around him and was unlike his father and grandfather, who were stingy and mean-spirited.
Because of this, he would use a portion of his savings every year to do practical things for the village—like repairing bridges and paving roads. People in the north tend to be simple and honest, and because of this, the villagers liked him very much. The local cadres, who were part of the red political movement, also turned a blind eye to many things for his sake.
Ancient sayings often go, “Good deeds will be rewarded.” Zhao Shan, being such a good-hearted person, seemed to deserve heaven’s favor. Unfortunately, the reality was quite the opposite. He had three sons, one of whom was foolish, another eccentric, and the third idle and lazy. These three were always causing trouble and chaos, doing everything but responsible, respectable things, as if they were born solely to squander their father’s fortune. Despite his immense wealth, Zhao Shan was deeply worried. He often gazed at the night sky and sighed, “Here I am, Zhao Shan, a man of integrity and gratitude, yet why have I been given these three good-for-nothings? Could it be that I committed sins in a past life?”
Tomorrow was Qingming Festival, and Zhao Shan wanted to take this opportunity to pour out his troubles at his ancestors’ graves, hoping to ask for their blessings to grant him another intelligent son to inherit the family business.
He was just over fifty—old enough, yet still young enough. If his ancestors blessed him, his fertility was likely still within a manageable range.
However, the biggest problem now was that his wife had died shortly after giving birth to their third “prodigal son” (and strangely enough, every wife in the Zhao family for the past three generations had died young). If he wanted a fourth child, he first needed to resolve his single status. Otherwise, even if the ancestors blessed him, or the Jade Emperor himself blessed the match, or the Moon Lovers’ Guardian reincarnated, he wouldn’t be able to fulfill his wish. But to him, this so-called biggest problem wasn’t really a problem at all. Why? Because he had a unique advantage—money. He believed that, without stealing or breaking his conscience, there would always be young women willing to marry him.
The next day, Zhao Shan and his butler Zhang arrived at the Zhao family ancestral graves. After lighting incense, bowing, and burning paper money, Zhao Shan began to complain to his ancestor, who had been buried underground for over fifty years: “Grandfather, the Zhao family is going to decline! I’ve been given three such useless sons. Could you please ask the immortals to send us a reincarnated literary star to carry on our family line? Once the Zhao family thrives again, I’ll burn paper money for you every day, so much that you’ll never lose a game of cards in the underworld. Please help me!”
“Master, don’t worry. The young masters will grow more sensible with time. Look at Old Master’s grave—it hasn’t shrunk at all. In fact, it’s grown larger. I’ve heard from the elders that when an ancient grave expands, it means the descendants are flourishing,” the butler comforted him while helping Zhao Shan up, both gazing at the grave mound.
This was a prominent tomb. Though it had withstood half a century of wind and rain, it still stood proudly, covered in lush grass, as majestic as the day it was built. Judging by this, the descendants of the tomb’s owner should be prosperous and harmonious. Yet—Zhao Shan sighed and turned his gaze to the mountains surrounding the grave.
This location was known as the Four Holy Hills in Xiu Shan Village. To the left was the Azure Dragon, to the right the White Tiger, ahead the Vermilion Bird, and behind the Black Tortoise. Surrounded by mountains on three sides, the Four Holy Hills looked from afar like the arms of a sage embracing the land. And before the Four Holy Hills stretched a vast view of distant mountains gradually lowering in height.
Standing before the ancestral grave, a gentle breeze blew past, giving the feeling of an emperor receiving the homage of thousands. Zhao Shan recalled his grandfather telling his father before his death that when their great-grandfather was alive, he had specially invited a famous geomancer to find a site of auspicious feng shui, and that site was none other than the Four Holy Hills before them. According to village elders, this place wasn’t originally called the Four Holy Hills—it was once known as the “Coffin Ridge.” The reason for this name was that there was a stone coffin on the ridge, born from the essence of heaven and earth, identical in appearance to a wooden coffin made by humans.
This stone coffin had been spoken of in legends for generations, yet no one had ever unearthed it, nor had any feng shui master pinpointed its exact location. But after staying in the area for two or three days, the geomancer who had been hired by Zhao Shan’s grandfather—a man surnamed Sima—mysteriously told him that he had found it. Right where they were standing.
However, since no one had ever located the coffin site in decades, Zhao’s grandfather was naturally skeptical. He asked, “Are you sure this is true?”
The geomancer replied, “Of course it is. The stone coffin lies three meters beneath the soil right here, and its color is brown.”
Zhao’s grandfather immediately looked doubtful: “Buried underground—how can we know if it’s true without digging it up? What if you’re just a fraud trying to make money? I can’t just waste my money like that.”
The geomancer said, “We are honest practitioners. Please trust me.”
Zhao’s grandfather remained unconvinced: “No, I must dig it up to see for myself. What’s the big deal?”
So, Zhao’s grandfather grabbed a hoe and began digging into the earth without hesitation, determined to verify the claim with his own eyes.
“No, you mustn’t dig!” the geomancer tried to stop him repeatedly. “This is a true dragon and true feng shui spot. Disturbing it will bring death. If the spiritual energy is released, this sacred site will be ruined. It’s difficult for nature to create a blessed place like this—it would be such a shame to destroy it!”
Zhao’s grandfather ignored him and said, “I bet there’s nothing in there at all. You’re just making it up to scam me out of money!”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage