"This is truly a feng shui layout map?" In an instant, Wang Guan was overjoyed, pleased with his flash of inspiration.

"No doubt about it."

At this moment, Elder Duan was quite certain, yet puzzled. "You're showing this to me, hasn't it already been confirmed?" "It was only a suspicion, which is why I needed your confirmation, Elder."

As he spoke, Wang Guan urged somewhat anxiously, "Elder Duan, tell me, what is the deeper meaning within this feng shui layout map?" "What deeper meaning could there be?" Elder Duan was perplexed. "It's just a feng shui layout. The posture of the returning dragon looking back at the head, surrounded by favorable features—it's a relatively classic arrangement."

"Uh..." Wang Guan felt it hard to explain, so he simply asked, "Elder Duan, are you free recently? Could you possibly come to Taicang in Suzhou?" "Taicang?" At the same time, Elder Duan was also very surprised. "Aren't you in Shanghai? How did you end up in Taicang?" "It's too complicated to explain briefly. Just come over. Otherwise, I'll come pick you up."

Wang Guan added an explanation: "The feng shui layout you see now is located in Taicang."

"Really?" Hearing this, Elder Duan immediately became more interested. "Don't try to fool me, or I won't let you off easily."

"How could I dare? I'm relying on your expertise to help locate the spiritual nexus point."

Wang Guan did not hide his intentions, directly stating his purpose.

After all, in his feeling, the spiritual nexus point within the feng shui layout must be the key.

However, Elder Duan seemed to have misunderstood something. After a moment of silence, he actually began to offer comfort: "Wang Guan, people are subject to the natural laws of aging, sickness, and death. No one can avoid it..." Hearing this, Wang Guan was naturally stunned, then quickly realized and found it both funny and exasperating. "Elder Duan, it's not what you think. No relative of mine has passed away. Please don't jinx me."

"...Good that it isn't."

Elder Duan, besides his surprise, also joked, "However, my appearance fee is very high. You need to be mentally prepared. Also, about the matter of the Confucius Sacred Sites Map... forget it, I'll ask when I see you in person..." As he spoke, without giving Wang Guan a chance to explain, Elder Duan hung up.

"How did it go?" Lu Chongming, who was listening nearby and had understood the gist, still wanted to inquire about the specifics.

"He agreed to come. We'll go pick him up tomorrow."

Wang Guan smiled. "He's the feng shui master I mentioned. He's highly skilled. Once he arrives, he can certainly help us thoroughly study and decipher this engraving."

"That's good then."

Lu Chongming was also quite pleased, though he harbored some doubts. "But, this engraving might just be an ordinary feng shui chart, without any special significance."

"Whether it has any or not,"

Wang Guan said casually, "We'll know after we study it."

"Mhm."

Lu Chongming nodded softly.

Silence followed their exchange.

The next morning, the two drove to Shanghai, but not back to the Shanghai Museum; instead, they went to meet Elder Duan, who was traveling from Shandong province.

They had planned to host Elder Duan in Shanghai, perhaps treating him to a meal and letting him rest first, but once the elder understood the situation, he flatly refused any delay.

He instructed them both to drive directly to Taicang.

Under the elder's firm insistence, the two naturally went along with his wishes.

They traveled again, winding their way to Taicang.

While driving, Wang Guan casually asked, "Elder Duan, have you ever been to Jiangnan before?" "Of course, I have,"

Elder Duan nodded. "But I never visited Taicang. I only went to Nanjing, to see the place where Qin Shi Huang allegedly buried gold to sever the Dragon Vein."

"Severing the Dragon Vein?" In a moment, Wang Guan and Lu Chongming grew intrigued and quickly inquired further.

Elder Duan was happy to elaborate: "Nanjing was formerly known as Jinling; you both should know that. Legend says much gold was unearthed there, hence the name Jinling. But who buried the gold remains a subject of much debate."

"Some say it was the hidden treasure of the King of Chu during the Spring and Autumn period, others suggest it was the treasure of King Goujian of Yue. But in the records passed down among us feng shui masters, the one who buried the gold was Qin Shi Huang."

Elder Duan spoke at length. "It is said that after Qin Shi Huang unified the realm, he felt his achievements surpassed the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, so he proclaimed himself the First Emperor, hoping his dynasty would continue for second, third generations... lasting for eternity. To achieve this goal, he heeded the slanderous advice of the court alchemists and decided to sever the Dragon Veins in various locations."

"Nanjing is a classic example. Legend has it that when Qin Shi Huang toured Nanjing, the alchemists accompanying him asserted that Jinling's terrain was perilous, its presence majestic, forming a Dragon Vein landform with extremely strong imperial energy. If no countermeasures were taken, an emperor would sit here in five hundred years. Hearing this, Qin Shi Huang naturally couldn't sit still. He immediately ordered the alchemists to sever Nanjing's Dragon Vein and buried a large amount of gold to suppress the imperial aura."

As he spoke, Elder Duan chuckled, "Of course, some say it wasn't Qin Shi Huang who did this, but the King of Chu at the time. Regardless, the notion of severing the Dragon Vein has deeply rooted itself. After all, looking across five thousand years of Chinese history, most dynasties that established their capital in Nanjing were short-lived, their national fortune not enduring, which is why the saying about the severed Dragon Vein persists."

"Then, Elder, do you believe Nanjing's Dragon Vein has indeed been severed?" Lu Chongming asked curiously.

"That's hard to say,"

Elder Duan smiled. "If you believe it was severed, then it was severed. If you believe it wasn't, then it wasn't. In the study of feng shui, belief or disbelief rests entirely on a single thought."

"Oh."

Not receiving the expected answer, Lu Chongming felt a little disappointed.

"If you believe, then I can tell you clearly: a Dragon Vein cannot truly be severed; it can only be temporarily suppressed."

At this moment, Elder Duan spoke fluently. "In the eyes of a feng shui master, a Dragon Vein undergoes a minor change every fifty years and a major change every hundred years. When the time comes, the vital energy will naturally shift. If suppression cannot hold, it naturally cannot be cut off."

"If you don't believe in feng shui, the explanation is even simpler,"

Elder Duan smiled enigmatically. "From a geographical perspective, Nanjing is surrounded by mountains and water, like a tiger crouching and a dragon coiling—easy to defend and difficult to attack. The emperors who built capitals here initially focused on maintaining stability and defense, lacking the ambitious drive for conquest and expansion into the Central Plains. Moreover, Nanjing is situated in a remote corner of southeastern China, separated from the vast North China by the formidable Yangtze River barrier, making it all too easy to settle for comfortable stagnation."

"From an economic perspective, Jiangnan has always been the land of fish and rice. Such affluent economic conditions provided a fertile ground for rulers to accelerate their indulgence, causing emperors and generals to become intoxicated in the lap of luxury. Aside from external factors like geography and economics, the dynasties that established capitals in Nanjing lacked the determination and strength to conquer the Central Plains and unify China. Perhaps it is these myriad reasons that led the Six Dynasties to perish swiftly."

Elder Duan listed the points one by one. "Are you satisfied with this explanation?"

"Elder Duan,"

Wang Guan sighed at the right moment. "Elder Duan, are you really a feng shui master? Why do you sound like a historian?"

"Feng shui, also known as the art of Kanyu!" In an instant,

Elder Duan declared proudly, "According to ancient texts, Kan refers to the Way of Heaven, and Yu refers to the Way of Earth. Observing the heavens above and examining the geography below—these are the two major characteristics of the feng shui art. Without understanding the principles of heaven and geography, history, and mathematics, one doesn't even qualify to be called a feng shui master. At least in my view, a true feng shui master must first be a polymath."

"Polymath is not a pejorative term. Being miscellaneous without specialization—that is pejorative. If one is miscellaneous yet excellent in many fields, that is called erudite and versatile."

As he spoke, Elder Duan also showed some emotion. "Think of the feng shui masters of ancient times. Even those of moderate talent could be considered profoundly learned. Even so, they could only walk the streets and alleys, making a living among the common folk. True feng shui Grandmasters were usually employed within the imperial court, serving the royalty. Only after growing weary of courtly struggles would they return to the countryside to write and record their knowledge."

"As for today, people study two books and dare to set up stalls to fool others. This was unimaginable in ancient times; if discovered, they’d likely be beaten to death with sticks..." Hearing this, Lu Chongming was taken aback. "That severe?"

"Before the Yuan Dynasty, it was probably like that,"

Elder Duan chuckled. "Before the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, people believed in this more strongly, especially during the Tang and Song eras when it was practically the social trend. But by the Ming Dynasty, too many people entered this profession, naturally leading to a mix of genuine and fraudulent practitioners, and the standards were ruined."

Amidst Elder Duan's laments, the car arrived in Taicang. Without stopping, it slowly proceeded toward Lu Chongming's hometown.

"Stop."

Before reaching the village entrance, Elder Duan called for a halt, then excitedly got out of the car and gazed out intently.

After a moment, he couldn't help but sigh, "Wang Guan, you were right. This is truly a fine place."

"Didn't I say so?"

Wang Guan said with a smile. "This must be an auspicious site for feng shui."

"No, no..." Elder Duan shook his head. "It can't be called a treasure site; at most, it's a fortunate land. Mainly, the mountain ranges representing the Azure Dragon and the White Tiger are a bit too short, and the Vermilion Bird among the Four Symbols—the spot where we are standing—isn't considered very good. Of course, it's not bad either. In summary, it can only be described as having relatively good feng shui."

"Let's look at the Heavenly Gate and Earthly Aperture next... alright, that means the source and the direction of the river flow."

Elder Duan gestured. "The source of the water is the Heavenly Gate. The Heavenly Gate should be wide so that the flow of wealth is abundant. As for the Earthly Aperture, that is the direction the water flows out; it must be contained. Being contained means the Earthly Aperture should be relatively narrow, or perhaps winding, or maybe there should be obstructions in the water so that it can accumulate. More water means more financial fortune, after all."

At this point, Elder Duan had fully entered his element, strolling through the village and commenting on the advantages and disadvantages of the local feng shui. As for Wang Guan and Lu Chongming, they understood some of it, but more of it left them completely bewildered.

But it didn't matter; neither of them intended to steal any secrets. They just needed to chime in affirmatively, no matter what Elder Duan said.

Unknowingly, and under Lu Chongming's conscious guidance, they arrived next to his paternal uncle's residence.

"This place is good,"

Just then, Elder Duan nodded approvingly. "Especially this household; they must hold some standing in the village."

"Huh."

In an instant, the two were stunned. They hadn't told Elder Duan that this was Lu Chongming's uncle's house, and that his uncle was, in fact, the village secretary, thus holding some status. But how could Elder Duan tell just by looking?

"What, you don't believe me?" Elder Duan asked with a smile.

"It's not that we don't believe you."

Wang Guan blinked. "We just don't know why you are so certain, Elder?" 〖Book Network∷Fast Updates∷No Pop-ups∷Pure Text∷www.〗RT