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A Prophet - Chapter 6 (Part 4)

Chapter 4 - Grandpa Personally Sets the Feng Shui Formation

After Liu Congyun retired into seclusion in Jianghuai, he once requested Grandpa's help to exact revenge. Grandpa refused. Grandpa had his own grand scheme. Through Liu Congyun's narration alone, he gained an even deeper understanding of the man named Qin Bailian.

Now, Grandpa was about to lock horns with Qin Bailian in a decisive duel. Had history arranged all these bitter grudges and entanglements just to culminate in this ultimate showdown between Grandpa and Qin Bailian? Grandpa was nurtured and trained by Zhang Dancheng, while Qin Bailian was raised and mentored by Liu Congyun; both men were classic examples of "the student surpassing the master." In this ultimate confrontation, exactly whose hands would the final victory fall into?

As I was pondering this, the bandit chief spoke up.

That bandit chief bore the surname Liu, and all his subordinates addressed him as "Commander Liu."

Commander Liu smiled and said to Grandpa, "Master Qin says Grandpa is the successor of the Tiebuzi Daoist lineage, proficient in the Tieban Shenshu numbers and well-versed in Feng Shui, with particularly deep research into the 'Jade Ruler Scripture.' That is why I have troubled Grandpa to travel thousands of miles to Sichuan to help this old man relocate my ancestral tombs."

Grandpa returned the courtesy: "Commander Liu is too polite. To be able to render service to the Commander is this humble person's utmost honor!"

Grandpa asked, "Where does Commander Liu plan to relocate the tombs?"

Commander Liu replied, "This entire region spanning several dozen miles is this old man's territory. Grandpa shall decide the location—as long as it is auspicious, anything goes."

Grandpa stepped down from his sedan chair, took the Luopan compass, stood by the roadside to survey the surrounding mountain hollows, and declared, "This spot is absolute perfection! Look, Commander: it rests against mountains while embracing water, the dragon leaps and the tiger bounds, the left is guarded by the Azure Dragon while the right is sheltered by the auspicious stars of Taibai, the front gathers wealth with clear waters, and the rear serves as a screen formed by verdant peaks. This is a supreme sanctuary for multiplying financial resources and enjoying smooth official fortune—magnificent, simply magnificent!"

Commander Liu stroked his beard and nodded, "Ah, marvelous!"

Qin Bailian also chimed in, "Grandpa is truly brilliant!"

Late that night, Grandpa returned to his quarters. I quietly asked him, "What kind of medicine is Qin Bailian selling in his gourd?"

Grandpa replied, "Just wait. The good show is about to begin."

The next day, Qin Bailian arrived early and said, "Grandpa, let me take you out to admire the various landscapes of western Sichuan."

Qin Bailian led us on a tour of several scenic spots, and afterward, he suggested, "This isn't quite satisfying enough, Grandpa. Let's go wander through some places further out."

Thus, for several days in a row, we roamed about outside, eventually wandering almost to the edge of the province.

Finally, we returned to Qin Bailian's guild hall. As soon as we stepped through the gates, one of Qin Bailian's footmen came running over in a panic: "Master Qin, Grandpa, this is terrible! Something has gone wrong!"

My heart skipped a beat, and the footman stammered, "Commander Liu's burial grounds have been blown up!"

A loud buzzing rang in my ears, and I thought to myself: it's over. The one thing Feng Shui formations feared most was an accident at a burial site; once something went wrong with the tombs, the entire scheme was breached.

Even as this thought crossed my mind, a loud shout rang out from outside the doorway: "Are the two masters back?"

I looked over and saw Commander Liu arriving with several dozen men, all gripping firearms with their eyes blazing red.

Qin Bailian looked at Commander Liu in astonishment and asked, "Big Brother, what is going on?"

Trembling with rage, Commander Liu snapped, "Don't call me Big Brother!" Then, pointing his gun directly at Grandpa's head, he snarled, "What kind of trash are you? Didn't you say that was auspicious Feng Shui?"

Grandpa maintained his composure and asked, "Commander Liu, what has happened?"

Commander Liu said viciously, "What has happened? My ancestral tombs were blown to pieces by grave robbers! The remains of my father and mother have been left without a single bone intact!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Bailian dropped heavily to his knees, crying out toward the open heavens and the river: "Father! Mother! Your son has been unfilial!" Then, clinging to Commander Liu's legs, he wailed, "Big Brother, such an unexpected tragedy has occurred, and I bear the responsibility. Big Brother, kill me! Kill me to console the spirits of our parents in heaven!"

Qin Bailian knew Commander Liu would not kill him because, in the Commander's eyes, Qin Bailian had also acted with the best of intentions—it was simply that the Feng Shui master he had invited was utterly incompetent.

Commander Liu let out a cold laugh. "This is the grand master you invited! Now the remains of my honored parents are completely destroyed—how can I ever show my face to our ancestors!"

Qin Bailian suddenly whipped his head around to glare at Grandpa. "What is the meaning of this! What kind of location did you pick! How can you make my Big Brother and me face such an unbearable disgrace!"

Grandpa calmly replied, "A person bears the consequences of their own actions."

In an instant, several bandits swarmed forward and bound Grandpa tightly with rope.

Commander Liu shouted an order to his men: "Wheel the cannon in!"

When I heard that, my mind reeled: A cannon? What does that mean?

A short while later, several bandits outside groaned and creaked as they pushed an artillery piece into the courtyard.

Commander Liu said to Grandpa, "I don't care whether your skills are real or fake, nor do I care how great your abilities or how renowned your reputation might be. Since you failed to adjust my Feng Shui properly and left my mother and father without a whole bone remaining, I have no choice other than to blow you apart with this cannon to comfort the souls of the two elders in heaven."

Suddenly, gunfire erupted outside the courtyard gates, startling everyone present as a voice roared at the top of its lungs: "Commander Liu, spare his life!"

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