Young Master Liu couldn't help but smirk inwardly, thinking what a scoundrel he was, not only finding the man a wretched spot but then deliberately playing tricks on him. He didn't react immediately, instead feigning an air of sternness. "Why did it take you so long? We've been waiting ages for you."

Wang Xiaoqiang apologized profusely. "Sir, you wouldn't know. We don't have a rooster at home. No, we don't have a white-feathered rooster. I had to run to the neighbor’s just to buy this one."

Young Master Liu replied, "Hard work is expected; isn't this for your own sake?"

Wang Xiaoqiang nodded and bowed obsequiously. "Yes, yes, exactly! Where is the plot you gentlemen picked out for my old man?"

Zhang Enpu said, "It's just ahead. Come, I’ll take you to see it."

The two led Wang Xiaoqiang over to the vicinity of the Shuyuan Stone. Zhang Enpu gestured. "It’s right here. Since you weren't here earlier, I hadn't oriented the shaft for this point yet. Now that you've arrived, I'll personally instruct you on how to inter the body. Listen closely."

Wang Xiaoqiang noticed several scattered rocks around and exclaimed, "Oh dear, what happened here? Did someone set off explosives?"

Zhang Enpu cooked up a ridiculous excuse to fool him. "It wasn't explosives. Who would set off blasts out here? What would be the use? This is a stone that, after absorbing the essence of the sun and moon for a thousand years, was on the verge of becoming a demon, and Heaven struck it down with lightning."

Wang Xiaoqiang suddenly understood. "So that's how it is. Ah, what is that giant rat doing here? And someone is just standing there, so brave." He then let out a couple of loud shouts, intending to scare it off. But the 'rat' didn't even spare him a glance.

Young Master Liu chuckled. "Look closer, is that really a rat?"

Wang Xiaoqiang stepped forward, touched it, and gasped in astonishment. "Good heavens, it’s a stone! Who carved this? How did I never notice this thing here before?"

Zhang Enpu declared, "This is the 'Shuyuan Stone,' born from the concentration of heaven and earth's spiritual energy. If everyone could recognize it, then we Yin-Yang masters would have lost our livelihoods long ago. I’m telling you, this is a priceless treasure spot. You’re going to be set for life, kid."

Wang Xiaoqiang beamed with joy. "Is that so? Then I truly must thank you. Your reputation is well-earned; you actually found a stone rat!"

Zhang Enpu took out his compass and placed it on the ground in front of the Shuyuan Stone, taking a reading of the Bagua orientation. He then pulled two young bamboo shoots from the nearby thicket. Two points form a straight line. However, in geomancy, determining a grave site requires "three points forming a straight line": the head end of the coffin, the foot end of the coffin, and the direction the coffin faces—the chaoshan () and anshan (). Not a single fraction of an inch can be wrong, or else the resulting variations in mystery, fortune, and calamity will be immense. The direction the coffin faces—the direction the grave site faces—must align perfectly with the head and foot ends of the coffin to form the "three points as one."

Zhang Enpu had only brought two slender bamboo shoots to fix the orientation of the coffin's head, foot, and the chaoshan. Once fixed, they were inserted into the ground and would not be moved, serving as the direct guide for sinking the well when the burial took place. Zhang Enpu continued deceiving him. "Wang Xiaoqiang, the grave site must face that tree on the mountain ahead; don't mess it up. I’ve set the markers for you now; don't blame me if you misalign it later."

"Of course," Wang Xiaoqiang replied, then asked, "May I inquire, among us three brothers, who will benefit most from this grave, and who might fare slightly worse? Of course, it would be best if it were all equal."

Young Master Liu thought to himself, You can’t carve rotten wood. The body wasn't even interred yet, and he was already worrying that his branch of the family might not prosper as much as the eldest or the youngest.

Zhang Enpu asked, "Why are you asking that?" Wang Xiaoqiang hesitated slightly. "Oh, nothing, just asking randomly."

Zhang Enpu retorted, "In this world, whose affairs are ever perfectly equal? Even death isn't equal. Some are hanged in a fit of anger, some die suffocated right after birth, some live to a hundred and are fine, while others pass away from illness by middle age. How can anything be equal?"

"Feng Shui is the same. Even within a single Dragon’s Lair, it can only guarantee that one single descendant of the royal family sits on the Dragon Throne; it cannot put all royal descendants on the throne because there is only one throne. So, this spot for your father is the same. It can bring wealth to you three brothers, but it absolutely won't bring equal wealth. Do you understand?" Zhang Enpu deliberately needled him, but the man was oblivious and continued to press. "Can you be more specific? Who will prosper the most, and who will lag behind relatively?"

Zhang Enpu said, "We are not permitted to say that. Every trade has its specializations and established rules. In my experience, once we state it clearly, many siblings start fighting amongst themselves. The eldest claims the youngest got the better deal, the second claims the eldest was sneaky, and sometimes they end up digging up their ancestor to rebury him twice. Of course, as Yin-Yang masters, we don't mind how many times you rebury; the more you dig, the more prosperous we become. But I suddenly felt a flicker of conscience and thought about you. Forget it, don't ask."

Young Master Liu sneered from the side. Zhang Enpu was truly something else, having already ruined the site, yet still droning on with all sorts of nonsense, even dragging out "a flicker of conscience." Liu admitted he was impressed, only stopping short of fabricating an absolute impossibility. In his view, the sensible thing would have been to placate the beggar with a flatbread, collect the payment, and go home to dream his own grandiose dreams—wouldn't that be much better?

Wang Xiaoqiang pulled a small bundle from his pocket. He counted out a stack of one-yuan bills and tossed them toward Zhang Enpu, saying, "This is extra. Now you can tell me the truth, right?"

Zhang Enpu caught the money bundle with a graceful "Immortal Points the Way" gesture, assessed it by weight, and remarked, "This is quite substantial."

Wang Xiaoqiang stated, "This is proper—buying your professional integrity!"

Zhang Enpu countered, "So what if you know? Can you change the facts? Can you alter fate?"

Wang Xiaoqiang suddenly let out a cold laugh, sounding incredibly sinister. "If this spot results in me faring worse than the other two, I’d rather not bury the old man here at all. I'll find another place that benefits me."

Zhang Enpu gave a thumbs-up. "Good man, you’ve got backbone. Since you’ve put it that way, I’ll tell you: this location is most advantageous for you. Are you relieved now?"

Wang Xiaoqiang asked happily, "Really?"

Zhang Enpu affirmed, "Why would I lie to you? I have to be worthy of the silver you paid me."

"That’s great, thank you so much."

Zhang Enpu then subtly winked at Young Master Liu and said, "Grab the rooster, Young Master Liu. After we pay our respects to the Earth God, we can head home."

Young Master Liu fished the rooster out of his pocket and handed it to Zhang Enpu. "Wang Xiaoqiang, you should go ahead. You’re done here. We’ll be right back after we finish this ceremony; don't wait for us."

Wang Xiaoqiang’s mind had already flown elsewhere. With his immediate worry about his father settled, he certainly wasn't going to worry about anyone else. He hastily nodded. "Then I’ll trouble you two. I’m heading back now."

"Go on," Zhang Enpu concurred. But just as he turned away, he couldn't resist adding a feigned caution. "Hey, don't you dare tell your brothers the secret I just told you—that this grave benefits you the most. Otherwise, if they get upset and blame you for malicious intent, deciding to smash up the site, don't say I didn't warn you."

Wang Xiaoqiang scoffed. "Don't worry about that. Whoever says it is a tortoise bastard. Am I that stupid?"

Zhang Enpu replied, "Good, you're not stupid. Off you go."

After Wang Xiaoqiang left, Young Master Liu turned to Zhang Enpu. "That fellow is quite venomous. To disregard his own father is one thing, but to scheme against his own brothers like that is unbelievable."

Zhang Enpu scoffed. "What is this? I’ve seen much worse. You’re young; you need to gain more life experience and stop being so naive."

Young Master Liu shook his head. "A life like that seems too raw, utterly dull."

Zhang Enpu chuckled. "Heh heh, this family is headed for an even bigger catastrophe."

Young Master Liu inquired, "What kind of catastrophe?"

Zhang Enpu explained, "The day their old man hanged himself was an unlucky day in the almanac, considered a 'Double Funeral'—Chongsang (). When someone dies on such a day, it means trouble is brewing, right?"

Liu was confused. "What is a 'Double Funeral'?"

Zhang Enpu elaborated, "A Double Funeral means another death is coming. The secret maxim for Yin houses states: ‘Where a Double Funeral occurs, a second coffin will stand before the hall.’ This means that if a person dies on a Chongsang day, a member of that deceased’s family is guaranteed to die within the year!"

"That's terrifying!"

Zhang Enpu agreed. "Of course. If the old man's sons had been even remotely decent, I would have told them to avoid misfortune and divine retribution for the coming year. But they already acted with utter disrespect first; I have nothing more to say to them."

At this point, Young Master Liu suddenly felt a pang of conscience. "Old man, we’ve already compromised their burial spot. Now, not even telling them about such a major event—aren't we being too absolute, just like them?"

Zhang Enpu laughed. "What, feeling compassionate again?"

Young Master Liu countered, "Don't you feel it? Doesn't it seem like one should repay evil with virtue?"

Zhang Enpu smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. Whatever consequences they face will be entirely their own doing. The old man unintentionally choosing the 'Double Funeral' day to hang himself is itself a form of irony and punishment. Such retribution only befalls those whose descendants are deeply immoral. We just happened to be the tools of Heaven this time."

Young Master Liu mused, "Thinking about it, that’s true. Why else would that five-step spirit snake have died accidentally by our hands?"

Zhang Enpu explained, "That's the right way to see it. Everything is destiny; the fixed decree is already in place."

Young Master Liu’s mood calmed somewhat. Seeing Zhang Enpu still clutching the rooster, he wasn't sure what should happen to it, since the entire charade was designed to deceive the Wang family. He asked, "Are you just going to hold onto that rooster?"

Zhang Enpu replied, "What else would I do?"

"Why don't we just let it go?"

Zhang Enpu scoffed. "In the wilderness? It'll be snatched up by wolves before long."

"Then what should we do?"

Zhang Enpu decided, "Either way, a wolf will eat it; we might as well roast it ourselves. I’m hungry already. We won't bother going back for dinner. Master, today I’m treating you to a picnic!"

Young Master Liu was delighted. "Perfect! Let's do it. Too bad we didn't bring any seasonings beforehand."

"Who said we didn't bring any?" Zhang Enpu pulled out a plastic bag from his satchel and produced several small packets—salt, chili powder, and Sichuan peppercorns, no less. At this, Young Master Liu was once again rendered completely awestruck by his resourcefulness.

Young Master Liu laughed. "You are incredible."

Zhang Enpu said smugly, "In our line of work, we’re often wandering the wilds. How could I not prepare some rations? Enjoy it! Isn't life colorful and exciting?"

Young Master Liu agreed. "Yes, life is colorful and exciting, it’s just that this rooster's life is decidedly less so."

Meanwhile, Village Head Zhao, having been rebuffed the first time, had intended to forcefully impart some profound life lessons to them. But after seeing their tense, ready-to-fight demeanor, he gave up. He squeezed out of the crowd, muttering as he walked, "Alas, how could our village produce such people? It’s a disgrace!" Young Master Liu happened to be nearby and advised him, "It seems we have to call the Public Security Bureau. Someone has already been killed."

The Village Head sighed. "That's the only way. I'll go now. The town isn't far—half an hour round trip. Otherwise, there might be an even greater bloodshed. This affects my performance review, and if I mess it up, it will affect my retirement."

"That's right, hurry up," Young Master Liu urged the Village Head. But just then, at the edge of the hill next to the Wang family's house, a contingent of more than a dozen people appeared, wearing red armbands and carrying bamboo poles and long spears.

It was the Joint Security Team. Young Master Liu was astonished—how so fast? Who reported the crime ahead of them?

These men leveled their weapons toward the Wang family's main door, completely surrounding the only exit.

The leader shouted inside, "Outsiders, disperse immediately! Those involved, drop your weapons!"