Chapter 001: A Land of Auspicious Feng Shui

My name is Yu Wei, an orphan. When I was four years old, Mister took me from the orphanage, and since then I have lived with him.

Mister is, in truth, my adoptive father. But he forbids me from calling him "dad," "father," "adoptive father," "teacher," or any such title. No matter the time or place, I can only refer to him as "Mister."

His surname is Zhang, and he is a master of feng shui, earning his living primarily through geomancy.

Since I can remember, I've followed him everywhere, helping people with their feng shui. I've never attended school for even a single day. Yet I am hardly illiterate; under his guidance, I have studied the classics and histories, the philosophical texts and anthologies. Besides these, I have always learned the art of geomancy from him.

I am now eighteen—well, to be precise, I am about to turn eighteen.

Over the years, I have learned much of the art of feng shui and have seen many real-life cases. Now, unless it is a particularly grave matter, Mister lets me handle things myself.

Mister is a towering figure in the geomancy circles of the three southwestern provinces—a true authority. And since I am his only disciple, I am somewhat renowned within our field as well.

From as early as I can remember, Mister has been exceedingly kind to me. He has never once raised his hand against me. Even when I made mistakes, he would instruct me patiently and calmly, rarely losing his temper. Even if he did, it was nothing more than a stern look and a few reproachful words.

But recently, I don't know what's happened—something has changed him. He locked himself away in his study, busying himself with some unknown task.

I asked him several times, but each time he rebuked me irritably: "It's none of your concern! Stop bothering me!"

He had never snapped at me like this before, and it made me deeply worried for him. After being scolded a couple of times, I dared not ask again, only tending quietly to his daily needs.

At first, he still came back to his room to sleep. But in the last few days, except for brief bathroom visits, he never left the study at all.

When I brought him his meals, I saw that the once orderly study was now a complete mess. Books were flung open everywhere—on the desk, the floor, the chairs—crumpled papers scattered all around.

"Mister, time to eat," I called softly.

Mister had always been a man who cared about his appearance, but now he was sitting directly on the floor, hair disheveled, his eyes bloodshot from sleepless nights.

Seeing him like this pained me, but not knowing what troubled him, I could do nothing but worry in silence.

"Don't touch anything! Don't mess things up!"

"Get out! Stop disturbing me!"

When I bent to gather the scattered papers, trying to tidy up the room, he shouted at me.

I only wanted to help, and he had never yelled at me before—I felt a bit hurt.

"Mister..." I called out.

"I told you to get out! Didn't you hear me?" he roared again, glaring at me.

Seeing his anger, I dared not speak further and slunk out of the study.

Clearly, Mister had run into a formidable problem. But what exactly, I could not fathom. For a difficulty capable of driving him to such a state, it must be a matter of utmost gravity.

After leaving, I uncrumpled one of the papers I'd picked up, hoping for some clue as to what troubled him.

Unfolding it, I saw a simple drawing. At first glance, it resembled a great bird with outstretched wings.

But I could read its meaning: it was not a bird, but a Vermilion Bird.

For on the diagram, there were annotations: "Well, Ghost, Willow, Star, Zhang, Wing, Chariot."

These are the seven lunar mansions of the south among the twenty-eight constellations, which together form the Vermilion Bird of the South.

Beneath the diagram, a few words were written: "Six Spirits Heavenly Annihilation Curse."

Six Spirits Heavenly Annihilation Curse!?

I stared at those words in bewilderment.

The Six Spirits I knew: Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, Gou Chen, Serpent, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise.

Heavenly Annihilation Curse, I also knew—an evil force brought about by a special fate, with many variations depending on the fate: Matricide Curse, Filicide Curse, Soul-Harming Curse, and so on.

Of these, the most infamous is the Lone Star Heavenly Annihilation Curse. Those afflicted are what people call "lone stars" or "jinxes."

But what combination of the Six Spirits and the Heavenly Annihilation Curse was this? That I did not know.

Perhaps it was a rare and deadly feng shui curse, a poison formed by offending all Six Spirits.

If that were so, such a place would be truly dire. Who would build a house or bury a grave on such a cursed site?

I had seen houses or tombs afflicted by one of the Six Spirits before, but to offend all Six Spirits at once—I'd never heard of such a thing, and by all I had learned, such a place should not exist.

Of course, this was only speculation. I didn't know what problem Mister had encountered, or whether he was searching for such a place or trying to resolve a case involving one.

But I soon resigned myself: if even Mister couldn't solve this, how could I? All I could do was take good care of him and hope he found a solution soon.

Day after day passed. Mister remained shut away in his study, eating less and less, growing more gaunt by the day. My heart ached for him.

I longed to urge him to rest, but each time I spoke, he flared up, leaving me helpless.

One morning, at dawn, I rose early to buy fresh vegetables and carefully prepared lean pork porridge for him.

As I was about to bring it to him, I suddenly heard a shout from the study: "I've got it!"

I hurriedly set the porridge down and rushed from the kitchen.

Just as I reached the hallway, Mister flung open the study door and dashed out, ecstatic, shouting, "I've got it! I've finally found the solution!"

"Mister!" I called, watching him dance with joy like a child.

"Xiao Wei! Xiao Wei! I've done it! I've done it! I finally succeeded!" He rushed over, grabbed my shoulders, and shook me vigorously.

"Um... What exactly did you succeed at?" My head spun from his shaking.

Seeing him so jubilant, I couldn't help but rejoice myself. At last, it was over—if it had gone on much longer, I truly feared for his health.

In response to my question, Mister gave a mysterious smile. "I can't tell you yet. Just know that I've accomplished something extraordinary!"

Though curiosity gnawed at me, since he wouldn't say, I did not press. As long as he stopped tormenting himself, that was enough for me.

So I smiled and said, "Then congratulations, Mister!"

He nodded, grinning from ear to ear, then sniffed the air. "What's that delicious smell?"

"I made porridge for you," I replied.

"Porridge? What kind? Quick, give me a big bowl! I'm famished!" he exclaimed.

It had been ages since he'd eaten well. Seeing him so eager, I was overjoyed and hurried to fetch the porridge.

He ate heartily, finishing three large bowls before stopping.

"Mister, what exactly did you accomplish to make you so happy?" I asked.

"That... you'll know in a few days," he replied mysteriously.

"Alright," I said, knowing well that once Mister made a decision, nothing would change his mind. Since he said I'd find out in a few days, I simply waited in peace.

Afterwards, Mister insisted on cleaning the study himself, then took a long bath and went to bed.

He slept for hours, not rising until after nine in the evening to eat a little, then went back to bed.

I tidied up the house, watched some TV, and went to sleep as well.

When I awoke, I found the house empty—Mister had left. I called his phone at once.

He answered, telling me he had left around three in the morning for a two-day trip, not wanting to wake me.

I asked where he was going, but he refused to say, only assuring me that Uncle Wang was with him.

Once I heard Uncle Wang was with Mister, I felt at ease. I knew Uncle Wang well; he often accompanied us on feng shui consultations.

On the third day at noon, Mister called again, saying Uncle Wang would come fetch me to help him.

I asked if I should bring anything, but he said no—just myself.

So I packed simply, and when Uncle Wang arrived, I got in his car.

On the way, I tried to ask Uncle Wang what was going on, but he claimed ignorance, telling me I'd understand when we arrived.

His secretiveness made me uneasy.

What was going on this time, that even Uncle Wang was being so mysterious?

Though full of questions, I trusted that once I saw Mister, all would become clear.

The car left the city, took the highway toward Zunyi, then exited at a place called Jiuchang Town and continued toward Kaiyang County.

After another half hour, we turned onto a country lane, then onto a muddy track barely wide enough for a car.

After nearly two hours of jolting along the rough road, we stopped.

We then walked over twenty minutes on foot before I finally saw Mister.

"Mister!" I called.

"Xiao Wei, come here! Take a look—what do you think of this land?" Mister waved me over, smiling.

I nodded and jogged over.

Behind Mister, a pit had been dug, and inside it lay an open, empty coffin.

"Mister, what's this?" I asked, pointing to the coffin.

"Don't worry about that for now—just look at the land," he said.

At his words, I stepped behind the pit and surveyed the surroundings.

To judge whether a burial site is auspicious, one must consider five aspects: Dragon, Sand, Acupoint, Water, and Orientation.

"Dragon" and "Sand" refer to the mountains.

"Water" refers to streams or rivers nearby.

The dragon is the qi, water the blood—only when both are abundant can the land be deemed truly auspicious.

After careful inspection, I reported, "Mister, this is an exceptionally fine piece of land! The dragon is true, the acupoint real, sand encircles, water meanders—provided the orientation is free of evil, this is a treasure indeed!"

"As long as you are satisfied," Mister smiled.

"Huh?" I was bewildered.

What did he mean—as long as I was satisfied?

And just then, I noticed something eerie about Mister's smile, a chill creeping up my spine.

"Mister, you..." I began to ask what he meant.

But before I could finish, I felt a sharp blow to the back of my neck. My head rang, my vision went black, my legs gave way, and I tumbled into the empty coffin below...