“Kid, cut the act,” Fatty said. “This Alibaba business is on you. Don't even think about dragging me into it as your errand boy. If Big Gold Tooth and the others find out when we get back, they’ll just cook up new jokes about Old Fatty. How hard was it to cultivate this aloof, solitary aura and style? I can’t let you ruin it all.”

Finally, Fatty proposed a brilliant scheme: if Professor Sun could swallow his pride and go draw the door, they would return half of his notebook to him first. Sun Jiuye agreed to the condition without a word and immediately volunteered to play “Alibaba.”

I took the brush and ink out of the golden box, poured some water to grind the black ink, and thoroughly saturated the tip of the Mountain-Gazing Divine Brush. I handed it to Sun Jiuye, solemnly instructing him, “Try to make it look as much like a door as possible. After you finish drawing, don't forget to chant—‘Open Sesame.’”

Professor Sun sighed. “Perhaps I was too clever in the past, which is why I’m being so foolish now. Drawing a path on a mountain with a brush… This… this isn’t the cleverest thing I’ll do in my life, nor is it the stupidest. But no matter what, you forced my hand into this…” Muttering his complaints, he took the brush and walked up to the cliff face. He first drew a large rectangle, added a vertical line down the middle, and then drew two circles on either side for the “door knockers.” The mountain gate was thus drawn. Though the execution was somewhat hasty, it possessed both form and spirit.

Everyone stood silently before the wall, staring intently at the painted door without blinking. The moment stretched on, feeling agonizingly long, our hearts gripped tight. I repeatedly murmured in my mind, “Open Sesame…”

After a long while, our eyes were strained from staring, but the painted door on the canyon wall remained utterly still. The ink marks gradually dried, leaving behind nothing but a painting.

We looked at the mountain and sighed, knowing full well that the failure was likely due to not unlocking the mystery of the “Mountain-Gazing Divine Brush.” Yet, we could imagine no other way to make the painted door open. I reluctantly handed over the first half of Professor Sun’s research notebook, as agreed, while the latter half, detailing his study of the “Gui Xu Divination Mirror,” remained in our keeping for the time being.

Fatty said to Professor Sun, “Don't look so glum. Are you upset we didn’t return the entire notebook, thinking we’re being unfair? But don’t forget, it was you, Jiuye, who acted unscrupulously first. Every temple has its wronged ghosts, but you, Old Man Sun, have always specialized in deception. You’ll have a hard time claiming innocence with a straight face. So, listen to Fatty’s sound advice: just let it go. Take this half of the notebook for now.”

Professor Sun took the notebook with a grim face and tucked it into his coat. He said to Fatty, “At this point, do you think I still care about this notebook? I’m worried about what we do next.” He then turned to me and asked, “Hu Bayi, do you have any more of your ingenious ideas?”

At a time like this, I certainly couldn't show any hesitation. I could only offer words that suggested firm confidence. “We clearly can’t decipher the secret of drawing a gate with the Mountain-Gazing Divine Brush right now. However, the lack of corpses at the bottom of this gorge is precisely where the secret treasure of the South Sea, the Gui Xu Divination Mirror, can be of use. If the situation wasn't desperate, I wouldn't have wanted to use this ultimate trump card. But this place is the dead end of Coffin Gorge; if we don't employ ancient tomb-robbing arts now, when will we?” The art of tomb raiding isn't just about the secret Feng Shui techniques of observing mountains and terrain; it also involves “observing mud marks, soil composition, water flow, and grass color, as well as smelling the earth, listening to the ground, and employing the Heaven-Questioning Divination Art. If this method is used, failure is nearly impossible.”

I immediately found a flat stone, took out the “Bronze Divination Mirror” and the “Fish and Dragon Divination Talismans,” and prepared to execute the superior method of the “Questioning” technique from the Four Arts of Tomb Raiding.

Professor Sun, long obsessed with this incomparably mysterious “Gui Xu Divination Mirror,” was frustrated that he didn't know the method of “Mirror Scrying and Divination,” and he didn't fully trust my approach. He immediately moved closer and began barraging me with questions.

Shirley Yang was also very interested. After all, the legendary art of “Grave Questioning” had been lost for over a thousand years, and very few people today knew anything about it—not even the former leaders of the Xie Ling School, Chen Xiazi, or the Mountain-Shifting Daoist, Partridge Whistle.

I had no choice but to give Professor Sun and Shirley Yang some simple explanations. Among the methods of the “Mojin Captains” during the Han and Tang Dynasties, there was the act of questioning heaven and casting lots, which is the so-called “Grave Questioning” art. Depending on the divinatory artifacts used, this art has historically had two forms: one is “Mirror Scrying and Divination,” and the other is “Tortoise Shell Divination.”

The core element of the “Mojin Secret Arts” is the I Ching. The core of the I Ching is the concept of “Heaven and Humanity corresponding, with continuous creation.” If translated into modern concepts, it can be understood as existing between the “Mind” and the “Object”; the “Mind” and the “Object” should be unified. The “Mind” is humanity, and the “Object” is heaven. Mind and object are one; it can be neither purely idealistic nor completely materialistic.

The element connecting the spiritual and the material is what Feng Shui calls “Qi.” In a superior location brimming with vital energy, secret Feng Shui artifacts can be used to glimpse this formless, intangible “vital energy.”

The artifacts capable of this are mostly ancient bronze ware or tortoise/dragon bones buried for many years in prime Feng Shui locations. Because these artifacts cannot be reused repeatedly, almost no tomb raiders have used the ancient method of “Grave Questioning and Verification” after the Tang and Song Dynasties. This is the main reason the art was lost.

Professor Sun claimed that he had seen records in historical materials more than once confirming that this “Questioning” technique was real, not just a subjective legend. However, he noted that the “Gui Xu Divination Mirror” was not like ordinary bronze tripods. The divination symbols inscribed on the ancient mirror were arranged according to the Heavenly Cycle numbers. If one did not understand the ancient diagrams and symbols, how could one possibly know how to use it?

I did not answer immediately. I took the Fish and Dragon bronze talismans in my hands and carefully considered Zhang Yingchuan’s guidance. The profound “Sixteen-Character Heavenly Cycle Ancient Oracle” contained three components: “Oracle Image,” “Oracle Phrase,” and “Oracle Number.” Their relationship is this: deriving the “Oracle Image” from the “Oracle Number,” and then interpreting the “Oracle Image” using the “Oracle Phrase.” These three complement each other and are indispensable; it’s hard to say which is primary or secondary.

The most complete and detailed record of these three components should be the “Complete Diagram of the Sixteen Heavenly Cycle Oracles,” but no excavated artifact matching this description exists in the world today. Perhaps a complete Heavenly Cycle diagram is still hidden in the ancient tomb of the Earth Immortal Village, which is why Professor Sun was willing to abandon his home and family to venture thousands of miles with us.

I previously knew almost nothing about the true “Complete Diagram of the Sixteen Heavenly Cycle Oracles.” However, when I was in the South Sea, I heard the ancient fisherman Gu Chai recite the entire sequence of Heavenly Cycle numbers by heart. And I was fortunate enough to know Zhang Yingchuan. With his help, through repeated deduction involving the “Heavenly Cycle Numbers” and the “Bronze Divination Mirror and Bronze Divination Talismans,” I found the method to use the “Gui Xu Ancient Mirror.”

I told Professor Sun and Shirley Yang, “There are sixteen Heavenly Cycle Divination Talismans. In different deductions, they each represent a specific symbol. Fish, Dragon, Human, and Ghost represent a small Heavenly Cycle loop, specifically used to divine the orientation and space of ancient tomb sites.”

Professor Sun shook his head repeatedly. “Nonsense, utterly preposterous! If you said these four bronze talismans symbolized life forms or living beings, that might have some credibility. But how can they represent orientation and space? That’s too far-fetched. Your Senior Brother Zhang is probably just a charlatan speaking nonsense. The bronze mirror and talismans are peerless treasures; you must not misuse them.”

Due to my experiences in the Kunlun Mountains, Shirley Yang was somewhat convinced by my theories on the I Ching, but even she found this concept difficult to grasp. She said, “I don’t understand the principles of change in the I Ching, but Old Hu, if you say the four bronze talismans—Fish, Dragon, Human, and Ghost—can be used to divine the spatial orientation of ancient tombs, is there any basis for that?”

I told them, “Despite studying the Dragon Bone Heavenly Script for many years, Professor Sun is truly stubborn and narrow-minded. He can only imagine the four talismans—Fish, Dragon, Human, Ghost—as forms of life between heaven and earth, but he cannot see the deeper layer. The existence of heaven and earth space is precisely in relation to life. This is the holographic concept of the unity of Heaven and Man. In fact, this secret lies within the sightless bronze divination talismans.”

Professor Sun said solemnly, “Although my research findings haven't been given the attention they deserve, I have produced considerable results, and results are objective facts that no one can erase. Whether or not I have a narrow mind isn't for young people like you to decide. Now, tell me what connection these sightless ancient talismans have with space and orientation. I’ll say this plainly: just because you fished the Gui Xu Ancient Mirror out of the sea doesn't mean I’ll let you talk nonsense and arbitrarily destroy this rare treasure.”

I let out a disdainful “Hmph” and told Professor Sun, “If I truly wanted to casually ruin this ancient bronze mirror, you wouldn't be able to stop me. However, Old Hu always convinces people with reason. Today, I’ll give you a remedial lesson; take out your pen and record this carefully. Don't become so short-sighted from staying in high halls that you can no longer see what's happening far out in the world.”

I pointed to the Heavenly Cycle bronze cavities on the back of the “Gui Xu Divination Mirror” for Professor Sun to see. Each cavity had a symbol, and the bronze divination talismans had to be placed into the corresponding positions. The talismans were sightless not because they lacked eyes, but because they represented the spatial limitations of life—more precisely, the inability to “see.”

The ancient Chinese conception of space was formed thousands of years ago and is surprisingly close to modern scientific concepts. It could even be said that despite millennia of scientific development, modern science hasn't made significant progress in the concept of cosmic space.

The four bronze talismans are “Fish, Dragon, Human, and Ghost.” In ancient traditional concepts, the fish cannot see the water, and humans cannot see the wind. “Wind” should be what we call air today; humans live in the atmosphere, just as fish live in water.

And the “Ghost” cannot see the earth. In ancient views, spirits always lived underground. The ghost is in the earth, just as humans are in the wind or fish are in the water. Of course, “Ghost” and “Dragon” are merely concepts from traditional Chinese documents.

When Professor Sun heard this, he seemed to have an epiphany, repeatedly slapping his forehead. “That’s right… Humans can’t see the wind, ghosts can’t see the earth, and fish can’t see the water. Why didn’t I think of that? Then… then what about the Dragon? The Dragon, like the Ghost, is an illusory concept. What can’t the Dragon see? Tell me quickly, tell me quickly…”

Seeing how agitated Professor Sun was, I realized he was genuinely fired up, and the possibility of him having a fit wasn't small. So, I stopped playing games and told him directly: “In ancient people's view, the Dragon was the spirit of all things among the totems, but the Dragon itself could not see any material substance. The Dragon could only see the presence of life about to perish—that is, beings possessing a soul. It could not see the wind, the water, or the earth. This is the concept repeatedly mentioned by the ancients—‘The Dragon sees nothing.’”

Therefore, the four talismans—“Fish, Dragon, Human, Ghost”—actually encapsulate a cyclical span of space. By aligning the talismans into the corresponding markings in the ancient cavities on the back of the mirror—based on the principles: “Humans see no wind, Ghosts see no earth, Fish see no water, and the Dragon sees nothing”—and then lighting a candle made from South Sea Siren oil, one can divine the orientation of an ancient tomb.

Shirley Yang said, “Knowing the principle makes it easier, but we only have two of the four bronze talismans. How can we manage with only two?”

I grimaced. Having incomplete bronze divination talismans was indeed a great difficulty. Back when the Mountain-Shifting and Xie Ling schools collaborated to rob the ancient tomb at Pingshan in Hexi, they unearthed the “Bronze Human” and “Bronze Ghost” talismans. But to this day, both ancient talismans and the elixir furnace from Pingshan’s Dan Palace have been housed in the Hunan Museum’s treasure vaults. We would have difficulty even seeing the originals, let alone obtaining them for grave robbing.

Fortunately, among the two talismans I possess, the “Bronze Dragon Talisman” accounts for one-quarter of the total, and the “Bronze Fish Talisman” complements it. At least we can deduce half of the oracle pattern in the ancient mirror. It might not be perfectly accurate, but if we get even a vague hint, we should be content. Besides, even if we had all four talismans and could illuminate a full oracle pattern in the mirror, if I didn't know the Oracle Phrase, it would likely be an image without interpretation—making it less useful than interpreting half of the acquired oracle pattern.

Only when I explained the principles clearly did Professor Sun relax and allow me to proceed. I placed the talismans onto the back of the “Gui Xu Ancient Mirror,” had everyone form a circle, and lit a “Siren Candle.” The holes in the bronze talismans perfectly served as oracle eyes, and the candlelight seemed to leak through them onto the oracle diagram on the back of the mirror.

At this point, we also had to reference the Heavenly Stems, Earthly Branches, and the Jiazi hour, to rotate the adjustable numerical circle on the back of the ancient mirror. Finally, the candlelight shadows cast through the Bronze Dragon and Bronze Fish were projected onto two ancient diagrams. The little remaining sea energy in the bronze mirror dissipated further at this moment.

Sun Jiuye had studied the Dragon Bone Heavenly Script for so long that he was already familiar with the most basic He Tu and Luo Shu diagrams and oracle patterns. Seeing the oracle patterns appear, he exclaimed in wonder, “This is Kun! And the other one is… Gen! What do they mean? Where is the tomb of the Earth Immortal Village?”

I gazed intently at the oracle patterns on the back of the Gui Xu Divination Mirror and told everyone, “This pattern is Gen within Kun. Kun represents Earth, and Gen represents Mountain. A mountain within the earth means a tomb. I believe the ancient tomb of the Earth Immortal Village must be inside this large mountain.”

Hearing my words, everyone looked up again at the high mountain before them. The mountains in “Coffin Gorge” were far too tall and steep, shrouded in mist, presenting a perilous and majestic sight, making it impossible to employ techniques like “observing shape from a thousand feet, assessing momentum from a hundred feet, fixing the grave site with the divider, and penetrating to the central palace.” Relying only on the phrase “a mountain within the earth” provided too broad a scope for a subterranean tomb.

I also felt troubled and helpless. Must we really search meter by meter? If we did that, it might take a year or more to find anything, and what we lacked most was time. However, there was a silver lining: our previous efforts hadn't been wasted. This exploration team was indeed getting closer and closer to the “Ancient Tomb of the Earth Immortal Village.”

But we had no idea about the scale or layout of the “Ancient Tomb of the Earth Immortal Village.” Digging a vertical shaft to enter would be harder than ascending to heaven. It was a pity we didn't have the right weather; if a thunderstorm had struck now, I could have learned the method of “listening to sound to determine the location.” I could use a bamboo tube to listen to the earth, gauging the sound of thunder as it transmitted underground—its resonance, speed, abruptness, dullness, distance, and height—to clearly ascertain the subterranean conditions. But now, with no wind or rain, only impatience remained.

Suddenly, I remembered that the Mountain-Shifting and Sea-Filling technique seemed to include a method for “Summoning Wind and Rain.” The terrain here was concave, and clouds and mist were already gathered in the deep valleys, showing signs of a thunderstorm. But the techniques of the “Mountain-Shifting Daoists” were too mysterious, and not every aspect was easily understood by us. According to records, to summon a great thunderstorm, one needed at least a “Male Rat Egg”—which was said to be pearly white and oval, two sizes smaller than a quail egg, seeming neither stone nor bone. It had to be soaked in water taken from a horn cup. But I had never heard of a “Male Rat Egg.” I knew about male and female, yin and yang, and speculated it might be a male rodent’s egg, but how could a male rodent lay eggs? And even a female rodent shouldn't lay eggs! Doubts arose in my mind, so I sought out Shirley Yang. Could such a simple method really make the heavens strike with thunder and rain? Heaven’s temper was usually fierce, erratic, and unpredictable. Could it be so obedient as to do whatever we commanded?

Shirley Yang had an exceptional memory, almost photographic. She said the specific wording in the “Mountain-Shifting Art” should be: “When Yin and Yang combine, rain follows; when Yin and Yang clash, they resonate, resulting in thunder, and intensify into lightning.” This was originally a “Xiongnu technique,” used in the shamanistic rituals of the grasslands and deserts during the Han Dynasty. It involved immersing special pebbles in a basin of pure water, washing them repeatedly while chanting incantations for a long time, which would bring rain. These pebbles were called “Zhadá,” the largest being the size of a chicken egg, and the smallest like a bean. They were all produced from the abdomens of terrestrial beasts, with those from cattle and horses being the most marvelous and rare. Later, this technique spread to the Mountain-Shifting Daoists. Although they didn't know the incantations, using water to soak the stones according to this method could also induce rain.

I realized I understood more than half of it. This item was similar to the “Inner Elixir” of the ancient corpse we were seeking—one was dead, the other alive. The treasures found in the abdomens of beasts also belonged to the category of “Inner Elixirs.” They were essentially internal calculi, formed over years as birds and beasts absorbed the essence of the sun and moon. The essence of the sun and moon is the yin and yang energy of heaven and earth. Moistening, mixing, and rubbing these with pure water is exactly what the scriptures meant by “when Yin and Yang combine, rain follows,” causing nearby clouds and rain to gather and thunder to crash.

Shirley Yang repeated that although ancient people collectively called all calculi found in beasts’ abdomens “Inner Elixirs,” each had its own specific name. The so-called “Male Rat Egg” was the rat’s inner elixir, and using the “Male Rat Egg” to induce thunder and rain in the mountains was said to be incredibly effective, proven time and again.

The peculiarities favored by natural creation are difficult to measure theoretically. For instance, calculi produced by male rats always have naturally formed runes, a fact clearly recorded in the Compendium of Materia Medica, not just idle rumor. Similarly, a hundred-year-old hedgehog develops a mirror imprint under its armpit; the calculi of pigs and sheep have seals imprinted on them, each with its unique effect. Cattle have gallstones called ox gallstones found in their gallbladder; dogs have ink-like stones called dog gallstones found in their kidneys. Furthermore, the treasures of horses, the yellow stones of camels, the jade of deer antlers, and the spiritual stones of tortoise shells—all are such items, each with different functions and effects, the list being endless.

Like corpse elixirs, these are rare treasures that must be encountered by chance. Where could we find such things now? Moreover, there are many things left behind by the ancients that modern people cannot understand, so even if we found them, they might not work. Shirley Yang advised me not to get carried away with fanciful ideas for now. We were currently without a clue, and worrying would do no good. Having traveled this far, everyone was somewhat exhausted. It would be better to rest here for the night and then plan our next move.

Everyone scrambled to set up sleeping bags near the base of the mountain. They were too tired to even light a campfire. We haphazardly ate some compressed biscuits and canned food. My mind was preoccupied; I discussed the plan for the next day with Shirley Yang, not having eaten much myself, and then told the other four to rest first while I took the first watch.