The two entered the inner room, and Zhang Enpu said, "Quick, put the compass in your bag. If you forget it, things will go very wrong." Young Master Liu slung his bag over his shoulder and replied, "Already prepared. Did you think I needed telling?" "Good!

You have the potential to be a Taoist priest." Zhang Enpu chuckled, then picked up a long robe he hadn't had time to wash and put it back on. "Though, it would be better if you were a girl. At least my clothes wouldn't sit here for three months without anyone washing them." Young Master Liu fanned his nose.

"Hurry up and think about it. Your clothes stink so much, what woman would want to wash them for you." Zhang Enpu said, "Alright, stop joking around. Let's go." Young Master Liu, however, furrowed his brow.

"Old man, that person is truly strange. His own father is dead, yet he’s beaming, smiling as if he just sprung out of a rock like Sun Wukong." Zhang Enpu sighed. "What have you seen of the world?

Smiling is nothing; it’s good enough that he didn't start a fight. Did you think everyone follows your foolish code of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trust?" After gathering the odds and ends, the three set off together. The stranger’s name was Wang Xiaoqiang, and he lived south of Xiushui Village.

For those upstream in Xiushui Village, their location was precisely to the southeast. Wang Xiaoqiang was the second-born in his family. He had an older brother, Wang Xi, and a younger brother, Wang Cai.

According to his own account, his father hadn't died of illness, but had hanged himself because he couldn't bear something. As for what exactly he couldn't bear, the issue was extremely complicated. Does everyone know why Chinese people love having children so much?

Heh, it’s not for fun, nor is it to fulfill some supposed mission of a married couple. It’s for "supporting the elderly." What does raising children to support old age mean? Put simply, it’s like a merchant making an investment.

When the couple is young and capable, they have a few children and feed them. When they get old and lose their ability, the children are supposed to care for them just as they cared for them when they were young. This is a long-term outlay, with no immediate return effect.

However, as we say, since it’s a business, there are wins and losses. Some people are lucky; they raise filial sons and enjoy the blessings of family life in their old age. But some people are unlucky; they raise rebellious sons and are left sitting alone when they get old.

The Wang brothers were precisely the type of rebellious sons. Old Man Wang’s wife died early, and he raised the three sons through every imaginable hardship. In the end, not only did he receive none of the expected returns, but he was driven out to live among the livestock.

Tell me, wouldn't that make anyone despair? It was enough to make even Young Master Liu feel overwhelmed. So, one night, Old Man Wang tied a piece of hemp rope and hung himself at his own front door, his eyes wide open, off to enjoy bliss in the Western Heaven.

The relationships within a family are truly too subtle and complex. Logically, a biological son shouldn't be so heartless to his own father, right? But the crux of the matter is that once the sons married, they weren't living alone; they had a wife sleeping beside them.

It was two people living together. If the wife is virtuous, there’s nothing to say. If the man has backbone, there’s also nothing to say.

But if the wife is wicked and the husband is a coward, then all hell breaks loose. Coincidentally, all three of Old Man Wang’s sons were cuckolds. After the eldest son, Wang Xi, married, he immediately partitioned off a share of the family property and drew a clear line with Old Man Wang.

After the second son married, he followed his older brother's example, taking another portion of the property. If the eldest son wouldn't support their father, what reason did the second son have to? As for the third, since both older brothers had established their own households, it seemed obvious that he alone would bear the responsibility of supporting their father, right?

The third son's wife said, "Why should we? We didn't just give birth to one child." So the third son also ignored Old Man Wang, though he didn't move out; instead, he directly occupied his father’s house and summarily relegated his father to a pig pen, feeding him like a pig at every meal. It’s quite ironic when you think about it.

Because of this, the surrounding elders and villagers tried repeatedly to persuade the sons, saying such actions were wrong and warning them that since they all had children, retribution would surely follow. But they wouldn't listen. Among the brothers, arguments flared up every three days and major fights every five days.

One would claim the other was wrong, and the other would claim the first was wrong—neither would admit their own fault. In the end, Old Man Wang was utterly disheartened and simply hung himself with a rope, freeing his sons from the burden and responsibility. When the sons saw their father driven to suicide by their actions, they actually breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"This old nuisance finally saw sense. I told you, what's the point of living in this world, just holding us back." The three brothers consulted, and suddenly they became amicable again. They decided to find an occultist to pick a good burial plot, as it would benefit their future generations, and then hire a Taoist priest to perform a few simple rites before burying him.

Hearing that the Celestial Master Zhang from Mount Longhu had come to Xiushui Village, destroyed the Jiangshi Hanba with a single sword strike, and used a bowl of water to ensure the Zhao family lineage continued, they considered him truly divine. Thus, the eldest and youngest brothers arranged the funeral at home, while the second son came to Young Master Liu’s place. These things weren't told to Young Master Liu by the Wang family, as they weren't foolish enough to announce their shameful affairs as if beating a drum in the street.

They acted maliciously on purpose; they weren't blinded fools. Therefore, people who deliberately commit evil deeds would certainly not deliberately broadcast things that damaged their own reputation. Heh, Young Master Liu mainly heard about it through hearsay.

He knew that the eyes of the masses were sharp. After exchanging pleasantries, Wang Xiaoqiang led Zhang Enpu to the mountain area designated for the Wang family. Looking at the main mountain ridge, this tract of land seemed to be in a concluding posture.

In other words, the location where the Wang family resided, their physical dwelling, was quite secure. Furthermore, judging by this house, it had the Azure Dragon Spring on the left and the White Tiger Path on the right. The only thing slightly displeasing was a large rock at the entrance resembling a toad—otherwise, it was quite proper.

The first key principle of Feng Shui—to gather wind and condense Qi, to be surrounded by assistance, and to lean against mountains and water—seemed to be present. But why did that old man still end up tragically hanging himself? Why did such an unfilial trio arise from what looked like a good site to Young Master Liu?

He desperately wanted to know the reason. However, because Wang Cai was present, it was inconvenient to ask Zhang Enpu directly. Moreover, Young Master Liu harbored another doubt: as a Feng Shui master, should he select auspicious land even for people of bad character?

If he chose the best spots for villains too, wouldn't that be aiding tyranny? He really wanted to ask Zhang Enpu his opinion. In his own view, they deserved nothing but a terrible, pitfall-ridden plot of land, ensuring they all met a bad end.

So, Young Master Liu decided to send Wang Cai away and hatched a devious plan in a flash. He said to Wang Cai, "Wang Cai, hurry back and catch us a white rooster. We need its blood to sacrifice to the deities when we perform the 'Mountain Opening' (this refers to the ritual where a Taoist priest uses a hoe to dig three times into the earth at the chosen spot, signifying that the land has been petitioned to the Earth God for the rite)." We forgot to tell you earlier." Zhang Enpu was confused upon hearing this and exclaimed, "White rooster?

What white rooster?" Young Master Liu quickly signaled Zhang Enpu with his eyes beneath the table, urging him to help in the deception: "You forgot that we need the blood of a white rooster for the Mountain Opening, didn't you?" Zhang Enpu understood immediately and said, "Oh, yes, we need the blood of a white rooster when making offerings to the Earth God. Ah, look at my old bones, how could I forget something so crucial? Hurry back and get one." Wang Cai didn't argue and was tricked by the two of them like an imbecile back to their place.

Once Wang Cai was gone, Zhang Enpu turned to Young Master Liu and asked, "What is it, boy? What did you want to tell me?" Young Master Liu asked, "Old man, that Wang family site looks good, doesn't it? Why did things turn out like this?" Zhang Enpu let out a cold laugh.

"Good? Where does it look good?" "Doesn't it possess all five elements of a basic terrain structure?" Zhang Enpu shook his head. "Good Feng Shui isn't determined merely by the external appearance of the terrain.

It requires comprehensive judgment based on the structure of the house’s owner, the house's five-element layout, and the trigram signs of the surrounding environment." Young Master Liu asked, "So the Wang family house is no good?" Zhang Enpu said, "Of course it's not good. Wang Cai's father was born in the Jiazi year, and the orientation of their house, combined with the Dui Trigram of the Twenty-Four Mountains behind it, exactly forms a 'Hanging Well Death' pattern—where is the good in that? Furthermore, the waterway next to it is also inauspicious.

The Han Long Jing states: Water near the grave brings fortune if it meets a propitious position, and misfortune if it meets an inauspicious one. The water beside their house happens to be in the position of the Heavenly Fiend Palace. The Heavenly Fiend is an ominous star; where is the fortune?

Look again, what faces the front entrance?" Young Master Liu replied, "A cliff-like stone that resembles a toad."