Chapter 132: The Seven Stars of Northern Seclusion

When it came to Yin-Yang and Feng Shui, Zhang Qinglin was reminded of an ancient book on the subject that he had previously acquired from the Liulichang antique market. According to the text, "dragons" in Yin-Yang and Feng Shui were a general term for mountain ranges.

One observes the dragon by its momentum, which represents its vital essence and spirit, and inspects the acupoint by its form, which is where its spirit resides—the center of gravity.

In Yin-Yang and Feng Shui, "dragons" are specifically classified into: the Azure Dragon of the East, the Xuanwu (Black Tortoise) of the North, the White Tiger of the West, and the Zhuque (Vermilion Bird) of the South. Each of these is further divided into seven constellations. Simply put, mountains close to water are called the Azure Dragon and Xuanwu, while mountains far from water are called the White Tiger and Zhuque.

How does one apply Yin-Yang and Feng Shui to seek the dragon and locate the acupoint? As the saying goes, it takes three years to find the dragon and ten years to locate the acupoint. Accurately finding the exact spot is no easy task.

Generally, setting the acupoint follows the principle of receiving Yin with Yang and receiving Yang with Yin.

That is to say, a protrusion within a depression, and a depression within a protrusion.

The acupoint is determined based on the surrounding Azure Dragon and White Tiger sand formations and the altar-like tableland position in front of the Mingtang (Bright Hall).

Acupoints vary in size; the smallest may be thirty to forty centimeters, while large ones can span eight to ten meters with no fixed standard. Small dragon acupoints are easier to pinpoint, whereas large ones are extremely difficult. Using a Luopan compass to determine the Taiji center point of the Heavenly Heart cross vertically and horizontally is how the exact location is fixed.

The book recorded quite a few rules and principles for locating acupoints, which were extremely profound. Zhang Qinglin had bought the book back then simply because he was rather interested in Feng Shui.

Stopping at the edge of the village in Qian County and looking toward Mount Liang, he thought that it might actually come in handy now. Applying the acupoint-locating principles recorded in the book, he found the direction of the tomb. However, upon second thought, entering the underground palace beneath Emperor Gaozong of Tang's mausoleum was exceptionally difficult, and the underground palace had never been plundered by grave robbers to this day.

According to the instructions on the map, it would be best for Zhang Qinglin and his group to enter from the eastern side. Since they were carrying a considerable amount of special equipment, they needed to travel through hidden paths.

Along the way, Hu Geming had no opportunity to speak with Zhang Qinglin, so he could only follow behind and wait for a chance. Seeing Bai Weiwei beside him, her eyes gleaming with a cool light, he said, "Miss, your eye for people is quite good. No wonder Second Master trusted you to come along. But this kid has quite a temper; I'm afraid that once he knows the truth, he won't continue helping us."

Bai Weiwei adjusted the large pack on her back, the corners of her mouth twitching slightly, and glanced sideways backward. "I am not that familiar with you."

With that, she strode forward.

Hu Geming sighed self-deprecatingly, muttering, "I'm from Henan."

When Zhang Qinglin and the others reached the mountainside, the man surnamed Liang pulled Zhang Qinglin aside under the pretext of answering nature's call. Walking into a nearby grove, the man asked Zhang Qinglin where the exact location of the tomb was.

Zhang Qinglin scanned the surroundings and replied that he would not tell him until he saw Cheng Che and the others.

Consequently, the man surnamed Liang called Zhao Chu. Over the phone, Zhao Chu stated that they were already in the mountain and as long as Zhang Qinglin found the location of the tomb, he would bring Cheng Che and Chi Tan before him.

Afterward, Zhang Qinglin parted ways with the exploration team led by the man surnamed Liang, weaving directly out of the woods and onto a winding path.

Dark clouds were rolling across the sky overhead. Zhang Qinglin quickened his pace and headed toward the back of Mount Liang.

When they reached an overgrown slope, Zhang Qinglin pointed to the sunken ground on the left side of the slope.

"We've arrived."

The man surnamed Liang stepped forward to inspect the area and called Zhao Chu. By the time Zhao Chu arrived with Cheng Che, Chi Tan, and several of his subordinates, a strong wind had picked up.

Cheng Che and Chi Tan had their arms bound with ropes and their mouths gagged. To his astonishment, Zhang Qinglin saw Wu Guangen walking behind Zhao Chu. Wu Guangen also brought several men, who were carrying tools in their hands.

Before Zhang Qinglin could speak, he was grabbed by two men, one gagging his mouth and the other binding his arms. Once tied up, he was placed together with Cheng Che and the others.

Zhao Chu nodded to the man surnamed Liang, who then urged the others to hurry. They took out the prepared tools and began to dig.

Watching them dig frantically, Zhang Qinglin turned pale with horror when he saw the soil they were unearthing. He groaned and made muffled sounds at Zhao Chu, but Zhao Chu completely ignored him.

Upon seeing the yellowish soil, Zhang Qinglin knew in his heart that this acupoint must be ominous. He suspected that the spot he had chosen was wrong, but he could do nothing to stop these people. Turning his head toward Cheng Che and Chi Tan, he blinked at them, signaling them to escape quickly.

However, guards were stationed beside each of them. At that moment, the grave diggers suddenly shouted that they had struck an opening. Everyone gathered around, and after the man surnamed Liang took a look, they resumed digging.

Just as Zhang Qinglin was fretting over how to untie the ropes on his body, a dark figure flashed past from his right. Zhang Qinglin's eyes glinted; someone had likely come to rescue them.

He saw the dark figure dart past and, a moment later, arrive behind them. With a crisp sound, the person standing guard behind them collapsed to the ground.

Zhang Qinglin watched as a figure dressed in black and wearing a cap swiftly untied the ropes on Chi Tan. A moment later, the person in black came behind Zhang Qinglin. Just as the ropes were being untied, they were discovered.

Zhao Chu ordered several men to rush over. At the same time, lightning flashed and thunder rumbled across the sky, instantly unleashing a heavy downpour.

Wu Guangen also charged over with a few men. Seeing them rushing close, Zhang Qinglin shouted to Cheng Che, "Cheng Che, take them and run first!"

As the words left his mouth, they were surrounded by Wu Guangen's men. The person in black was frantically trying to untie the ropes on Zhang Qinglin when someone suddenly grabbed her clothes. A sharp scream rang out as her body leaned backward, and the cap on her head fell off.

Zhang Qinglin and the other two were instantly shocked—the person in black turned out to be Jiang Xinyue.

Zhang Qinglin's expression shifted drastically. He spun around, threw a punch, and then raised his foot to kick away the person who was grabbing Jiang Xinyue.

By this time, the rain had eased. Bai Weiwei and Hu Geming had also rushed over, knocking down two men on one side. Hu Geming urged Zhang Qinglin to come with him.

Breaking through Wu Guangen's encirclement, Zhang Qinglin and the others followed Hu Geming and Bai Weiwei running down the mountain. Wu Guangen and his men pursued them from behind.

Rushing down Mount Liang, Cheng Che said that Zhao Chu's vehicle was parked near the village. They forced open a van, started the engine, slammed the doors shut, and sped away along the road against the wind and rain.

Zhang Qinglin looked at Jiang Xinyue sitting beside him, not knowing what to say.

The rain had stopped, and Cheng Che drove the car out of Qian County.

"There seems to be a car following us from behind. What should we do now?" Cheng Che asked, keeping his hands on the steering wheel while glancing sideways at the left rearview mirror.

Zhang Qinglin said, "Find a way to shake them off first."

Jiang Xinyue gazed out of the car window at the vehicle gradually receding in the distance, then turned to Zhang Qinglin and asked, "Brother, what on earth were those people digging for?"

Turning his head slightly, Zhang Qinglin replied, "What else could it be on Mount Liang? This time, they might have truly dug up a treasure."

Upon hearing the word "treasure," Chi Tan immediately turned around and asked, "Brother Xiaolin, what kind of treasure? If we had known, we should have gone and grabbed some for ourselves so we could sell it for more money. Then Grandma wouldn't have to get up early every day to sell wontons."

"Even though the Qianling underground palace lies beneath Mount Liang and legend has it that countless gold and silver treasures are buried inside as funerary goods, anyone who covet the treasures of the underground palace invariably meets a violent death. At such a young age, you're already thinking about going astray—do you want to become a grave robber? You better study hard when we get back to Beijing."

Reaching out, Zhang Qinglin gave Chi Tan's head a firm tap and said.

"Ouch... Understood!" Chi Tan rubbed his aching head.

Zhang Qinglin looked at Jiang Xinyue and gently brushed a few wet strands of hair away from her forehead.

Bai Weiwei asked Hu Geming beside her, "Where are the items?"

Lowering his head, Hu Geming pulled a plastic bag from the pouch inside his chest. The bag contained items, which he handed to Bai Weiwei. Instead of taking it, Bai Weiwei gave him a look. Hu Geming turned his face toward Zhang Qinglin and handed the plastic bag to him.

Taking the plastic bag, Zhang Qinglin pulled out the items inside to take a look: the calfskin notebook and the two maps. He exclaimed excitedly, "Brother Hu, you really pull off the impossible! You actually stole these out!"

"Don't forget what you promised the Second Master. I've already gotten these two things into your hands for you. You need to find the exact location quickly; we can't afford to waste any more time."

Zhang Qinglin had almost forgotten about this matter. He unfolded the maps and began to examine them.

Held in his left hand was the line diagram from the Xiahe Map of State and Society. He then unfolded the other map. Neither map revealed anything significant on its own. Zhang Qinglin began leafing through the notebook and discovered that on one of the final few pages, a terrain resembling the shape of the Big Dipper constellation had been drawn, marked with place names, and with "Luo River" and "Seven-Coffin Tomb" written in the lower left corner.

Where on earth was the Luo River? Could it be...

A flash of inspiration struck Zhang Qinglin's mind. He searched the two maps for intersection points resembling the Big Dipper, and finally placed one map beneath the other. By overlapping and staggering them, he made a major discovery.

Tianshu at the top, Nanluo marked; Yaoguang at the bottom, Shuidou marked. Connecting the various points between them formed the Big Dipper constellation chart.

This discovery confirmed that the owner of the notebook had also been to the Luo River. Checking the geographic names written for the terrain and orientation in the notebook, this was undoubtedly the place.

Mount Mang, also known as Beimang or Mang Ridge, was an offshoot of the Qinling Mountains and a branch of the Xiaoshan Mountains. It was a hilly region situated on the south bank of the Yellow River—a watershed dividing the Yellow River and its tributary, the Luo River. He had originally thought Luo River was a place name, but it actually referred to the Luo River waters. Mount Mang acted like a dam lowered from the heavens, separating the Luo River and the Yellow River to the north and south, each flowing in its own course.

"Brother, aren't these the maps we put together earlier?" Jiang Xinyue leaned close to Zhang Qinglin and asked in a low voice.

Puttng away the items in his hands, Zhang Qinglin said, "Yueyue, once we reach the train station, you, Cheng Che, and Chi Tan will return to Beijing. You are not allowed to be this willful next time. If Uncle Jiang finds out you sneaked out because of me, he'll definitely skin me alive."

"My dad treats you even better than he treats me; he won't beat you," Jiang Xinyue said, blinking. Realizing that something was off about Zhang Qinglin's words, she asked further, "Aren't you coming back with us?"

Clenching the rolled-up Xiahe Map of State and Society tightly in his hand, Zhang Qinglin said, "You guys go back first. I have a very important matter that I must attend to."