Chapter 50: Past Events

After hearing Ye Tian’s words, the Old Taoist smiled noncommittally and spoke, “Little Yezi, do you know why, throughout history, from high-ranking officials down to common people, few have dared to offend Fengshui Masters?”

“I know. Feng Shui and Physiognomy can change a nation’s fortune on a grand scale, and predict misfortune or blessing on a small one, so people don’t dare to offend them…” Ye Tian answered straightforwardly. He had heard these words from his Master more than once.

From the Tang Dynasty all the way to the Ming Dynasty, Fengshui Masters and Jianghu occultists, whether in the imperial court or among the common folk, had always been highly respected. Since ancient times, there had been countless legends of Feng Shui Arrangements killing people. This was not something that could be achieved with empty words.

The Old Taoist nodded and said, “That’s right. Although Defying Heaven to Alter Fate can cause a Backlash on the caster, that is a very rare occurrence. Usually, as long as one can conceal Heaven’s Secrets and control the effects within a certain scope, plotting against a few people is a minor matter…”

As the saying goes, eliminating evil is doing good. During the War of Resistance Against Japan, the Old Taoist once stirred Earth Qi on Maoshan to set up a Fengshui Killing Formation, causing dozens of Japanese soldiers to die without reason. To this day, it remains an unsolved mystery.

After hearing the Old Taoist’s words, Ye Tian asked curiously, “Master, have you ever seen an Occult Master using Feng Shui to plot against people?”

“Hehe, Fengshui Masters are just the same as ordinary people. They all have emotions and desires. Some are kind to others, while others commit many evil deeds. Your Master has lived for so many years; what haven’t I seen?”

Hearing this, the Old Taoist laughed, but in his heart, he recalled a past event he had personally experienced. He began to speak, “That was over sixty years ago. It happened in Henan…”

Ye Tian’s thoughts followed the Old Taoist’s narration, leaping across a full cycle of sixty years, back to a time six decades past.

At that time, the land of China was plunged into warlord conflicts, fighting every day until the people could barely survive.

Once, when Li Shanyuan was passing through Henan, he stayed overnight at the home of a wealthy family named Chen. During dinner that evening, he noticed something strange about the family’s two children.

Both children were boys, three years apart in age. However, each had a growth on his head. The shape was very strange, not like the usual round, protruding tumor. Instead, it was long and pointed, as if an iron nail were wrapped inside the flesh.

The Old Taoist was extremely curious at the time and asked the children’s parents what exactly had happened in their family. The head of the household looked very uncomfortable, but under the Old Taoist’s persistent questioning, his face turned red as he explained what had transpired.

Originally, just five years earlier, this Chen family had been a modest household. Moreover, they had suffered misfortune at the time; both the elderly parents had died in the chaos of war.

Just as the two brothers of the family were discussing how to bury their parents, a middle-aged man arrived at their home, claiming to be a Feng Shui Master from the south.

The middle-aged man frankly stated he was there to escape disaster. By chance, he had discovered a fortunate burial site nearby. However, in those turbulent times, hundreds or thousands of people died every day, and burials were usually hasty affairs. This excellent site remained unnoticed.

Since the middle-aged man had no particular skills and was struggling to make a living after arriving, he inquired and learned that the Chen family was quite wealthy locally. Coincidentally, the family’s elders had just passed away. So, he offered his services, intending to point out the excellent site to the Chen brothers for burying their parents.

The middle-aged man asserted that if they buried their parents there, within three years, the Chen family would surely become immensely wealthy and prosperous.

After hearing the man’s words, the two Chen brothers were quite tempted. However, the family’s remaining grain had been looted by soldiers, and they had no extra wealth to pay the Feng Shui Master.

After some discussion, the middle-aged man agreed to accept only a certain amount of silver dollars and a little grain as travel expenses for the time being. Once the Chen family prospered, he would return to collect two hundred taels of Gold. Both parties signed and stamped an agreement according to the discussed terms as proof.

Just as the middle-aged man predicted, within a short three or four years, the Chen brothers’ business grew larger and larger, and their family fortune flourished. However, year after year, the Feng Shui Master who had guided them originally did not appear.

It wasn’t until the eighth year that a young man came to their door, claiming to be the nephew of that Feng Shui Master. It turned out the master had died of illness a year earlier. On his deathbed, he instructed his nephew to take the old agreement to the Chen family to collect the payment.

By then, two hundred taels of Gold meant little to the Chen family. But the two Chen brothers, in a momentary lapse of judgment, prioritized wealth over righteousness. They went back on their word, refusing to acknowledge the past agreement.

Naturally, the young man would not accept this. A conflict arose between them. During the dispute, the Chen brothers, relying on their greater numbers, snatched the agreement, tore it up, and rendered the matter without evidence.

Seeing that nothing could be done, the young man left angrily. However, before leaving, he left a warning: “Feng Shui can be used for good, but it can also be used for evil. Be careful of your family suffering an immediate retribution!”

Not long after this incident, the Chen family’s business suddenly took a drastic downturn. And most bizarrely, the two sons born to the second Chen brother both developed strange growths on their heads, making their appearances repulsive.

The Chen brothers knew what this was about. Suspecting that their Ancestral Grave had been sabotaged by the young man, they invited many Fengshui Masters and geomancers to inspect it, but none could provide a clear explanation.

This filled the Chen brothers with deep regret. When they tried to find the young man again, there was no trace of him.

After hearing the whole story, the Old Taoist called the two children over. He carefully examined the positions of the growths on their heads and immediately understood everything clearly.

The Chen family head was quite perceptive. Seeing the Old Taoist lost in thought, he immediately knelt on the ground, begging the Old Taoist to help lift the misfortune from his children.

To be fair, in this matter, the Chen brothers broke the agreement first, and the middle-aged man’s nephew damaged their Feng Shui afterward. The Old Taoist originally did not want to get involved. However, seeing the young children suffering, he finally agreed to help.

Early the next morning, the Old Taoist went to inspect the Chen family’s Ancestral Grave. As a result, three meters behind the grave, he dug out a three-inch-long nail wrapped in a yellow talisman. Seeing this object, the Chen brothers finally understood what “immediate retribution” meant.

At that time, after the Old Taoist removed the nail and lifted the misfortune from the two children, he bid farewell and left. As for the other tricks the young man had played at the Ancestral Grave, he did not interfere. After all, the Chen family, having broken their promise, deserved to suffer this hardship.

…

“Master, is this really true?”

After listening to the Old Taoist’s story, Ye Tian couldn’t help but touch his own head, afraid that a growth might sprout on it too. He truly hadn’t known Feng Shui could be applied to such an extent—not only cutting off someone’s wealth but also bringing harm to their family.

Hearing Ye Tian’s words, the Old Taoist chuckled. “Would your Master lie to you? Little Yezi, I know your father doesn’t believe in these things. But all things in this world are born from Yin and Yang. Traditional Chinese Medicine says that an imbalance of Yin and Yang causes illness in the body. Similarly, if there’s a problem with the Yin and Yang dwellings, it can also bring unrest to people.”

“Hmm, that seems to make sense.”

Ye Tian nodded, only half understanding. He suddenly remembered the wondrous scene of the Yin-Yang Qi intertwining when he used Geomancy to observe the energy flow.