The moment Zhou Huan and the others disembarked, much like in the States, all the vehicles sent to greet them drove right into the airport. Boarding the cars, the group headed straight for the archaeological site of the tomb.

Dongzi’s leg seemed to have been injured during the earlier skirmish with the ninjas; he felt a dull ache in his ankle, but out of pride, he endured the pain without a sound.

No one expected the return trip to be so fast. Exhausted from the journey, Zhou Huan and his party were truly struggling to cope, but he was anxious to resolve the matter quickly, so he had no choice but to grit his teeth. He closed his eyes to rest while soothing the two ghosts he carried.

“Master Zhou, we are almost there. Do you think we should go in directly or proceed on foot?” Mr. Wang remained energetic. Despite his age, he simply didn't care for sleep, finding himself unable to rest anyway.

“Stop here. We’ll walk in. There’s still some time before dark. We can’t just summon those entities now; they would be courting death coming out during the day. We’ll wait until nightfall to set up a summoning altar, and we'll prepare some seats for the spirits so they don't get impulsive when they arrive tonight, which could complicate matters,” Zhou Huan explained. Behind him, a police car suddenly screeched to a halt. Wang Xiaohe emerged from the vehicle.

“Brother Huan, let’s go. Tian Xiong and the others inside have already prepared the items you requested. Tonight is all up to you. I think you should rest in my car for a bit. I’ll have someone arrange for Xiaoling to be sent home.”

Zhou Huan looked at Xiaoling, who shook her head. Xiaohe saw this and smiled, “Alright then, since everyone wants to stay and help, let’s all lend a hand. Let’s go!”

Zhou Huan and the group got out of the cars. Wang Xiaohe utilized police resources, assigning a dozen officers to secure the perimeter of the burial ground. Then, Bingyuan, holding a bundle of tightly bound straw effigies, began circling the tomb, planting one effigy at regular intervals until the entire burial ground was encircled.

“Bingyuan, what exactly are you doing?” Zhou Huan was unsure what his apprentice was up to.

Shi Bingyuan bowed respectfully to Zhou Huan. “Master, innovation and modification are highly valued at the Fushou Hall now. These little figures I made are woven from straw and have a ‘Xiong Bing Talisman’ pasted on them. Wherever they stand, it will be difficult for any spirit to enter. Think of them as heavy garrisons, deterring troublesome spirits from coming to watch the excitement tonight.”

Hearing Shi Bingyuan, Zhou Huan picked up one of the straw figures, examining it back and forth a few times. He then returned it to Bingyuan. “A good idea. It seems Dongzi brought a good influence; at least people are starting to innovate and create new things. Excellent!”

As a master, Zhou Huan was naturally pleased to see such initiative; it brought him honor. Looking at his apprentices, Zhou Huan felt increasingly happy and satisfied!

Everyone at the graveyard was busy. Those familiar with Zhou Huan generally trusted him to resolve the bizarre occurrences at the site, while others who didn't know him whispered that they were engaging in some sort of feudal superstition.

“Brother, the sun and moon are shining together!” Dongzi pointed it out to Zhou Huan, shouting quite loudly.

The sky, nearing dusk, still held the sun’s incredible intensity, blazing red; yet, the moon had risen relatively early—it was only around 4 PM. Although the sun was set to disappear soon, the moonlight already seemed to surpass the sunset's glow.

“Apprentices, it’s time for the performance. Come on, bring out the Shoushi robes you prepared!”

What the Shoushi robes were was another scheme devised by Bingyuan and Tian Xiong. Previously, Zhou Huan always wore Taoist robes, and even then, only on rare, extremely special occasions. This time, they had discussed amongst themselves: the discipline of Shoushi was pioneered entirely by Zhou Huan, so shouldn't he have his own distinct attire? Constantly borrowing from Taoist vestments wasn't ideal. Thus, they spent two nights researching and finally created the Shoushi uniform.

The Shoushi uniform consisted of four components: the crown, the robe, the boots, and the gloves. The crown was the hat—the Shoushi hat resembled a headscarf, featuring two long ribbons trailing down the back, colored purplish-red. The robe was the garment, also based in purplish-red, featuring a circle on the chest and back—a blank circle representing the Wuji (Limitless). Along the four edges of the robe were motifs of green pine and fiery clouds. The boots were made of pure cotton, featuring the oldest style of layered soles. The purplish-red boots were highlighted by a striking, sturdy golden double line. Finally, the gloves were specially made for Zhou Huan. Since a Shoushi often handles corpses, these were created to ward off corpse poison or other unclean energies. They were crafted from heavenly silkworm silk mixed with cinnabar, yellow wine, black dog blood, gold powder, the juice of purple Bodhi seeds, and the ash of a Soul Refining Talisman.

When Zhou Huan donned the entire set, purple energy billowed around him, reaching the highest heavens. It possessed the splendor to outshine the sun and moon, illuminate the souls of all ten directions, summon the spirits of heaven and earth, and ferry the lost in death.

This time, Hong Kun alone, with a few temporary workers he hired, erected the ritual platform. In the center of the platform was a main dais slightly higher than the rest, clearly reserved for Zhou Huan. Flanking it were two slightly shorter seats, meant for the four Dharma Protectors. Surrounding these were eight raised stands, four on each side, reserved for the various benevolent immortals and good spirits who came to lend support. Speaking of these eight stands, each held specific significance: Zhou Huan’s seat was the Mother Seat, representing Wuji. The four Protector stands flanking the main dais—two black and two white—represented the Yin-Yang fish, or the Liangyi (Two Forms). The Liangyi combined form the Four Symbols, and two paths bordering these formed the Eight Trigrams.

Zhou Huan studied the formation for a long time. “Apprentices, whose masterpiece is this?”

“Master, all of this came from what Hong Kun saw in Zhuge Liang’s military treatises, combined with his own understanding of formations and deep study of the I Ching, which is how he designed this array.”

“Good! This formation is excellent. It’s only slightly better than Kongming’s Eight Trigrams formation, not in its foundation, but in its application! Good, good, good!” Zhou Huan exclaimed ‘good’ three times in succession. Previously, he had intended to create a grand formation of his own, but imitation never resulted in anything truly worthwhile, nor did it suit his current circumstances or those of Fushou Hall. To innovate, however, required breaking away from the natural cycle of cosmic creation and destruction, coupled with the constant demands on his time, which had delayed his research. He hadn't expected that a rough sketch he had drawn years ago would be utilized so effectively by Hong Kun. Although the placement was slightly altered, this was still the fruit of his apprentices' labor, which caused Zhou Huan to praise it so effusively.

Zhou Huan was truly overjoyed. He turned to look at his apprentices. Tian Xiong was helping Dongzi into a Shoushi robe. Bingyuan and Hong Kun had already dressed themselves in their Shoushi robes. Their robes were largely similar to Zhou Huan’s, differing only in color and the central motif.

Bingyuan wore red, representing Fire, the fierce Southern Fire, symbolized by the Vermilion Bird, the enforcing deity. Thus, his robe featured the Vermilion Bird instead of the Wuji.

Tian Xiong wore green, representing Wood, the robust Eastern Wood, symbolized by the Azure Dragon, the enforcing deity. His robe bore the image of the Azure Dragon.

Hong Kun wore white, representing Metal, the hard Western Metal, symbolized by the White Tiger, the enforcing deity. His robe featured the image of the White Tiger.

Dongzi wore black, representing Water, the vast Northern Water, symbolized by the Black Tortoise, the enforcing deity—a turtle growing seaweed on its back.

Upon seeing his assigned position, Dongzi immediately became annoyed. “Senior brothers, are you intentionally messing with me, Dongzi? Why did you saddle me with a giant turtle’s shell!”

Before stepping onto the platform, Hong Kun deliberately teased Dongzi. “The Black Tortoise is a big turtle, eh. Just focus on your duty and don’t think about other things. There’s even more fun later!”

“What fun? Stop with the tricks. Who wants to switch with me?”

Zhou Huan noticed the large crowd present. He turned back to instruct Wang Xiaohe to manage the order with Yang Xiaoling and Da Luobo on site. Then, Zhou Huan’s hand grasped Dongzi’s arm. “Stop fooling around. Do what you’re told. Their arrangement has a reason. Your destiny is water. The four of you perfectly comprise the Five Elements: Metal, Wood, Water, and Fire. Take your positions according to the plan. Do what you’re told when it’s your turn, and don’t cause trouble.”

It was true; Dongzi only truly listened to Zhou Huan. After hearing his master’s words, he became compliant, following behind Zhou Huan as they ascended the ritual platform.