Chapter 121

p: 【Two-in-one, ten-thousand-word chapter】

As time passed, the silver radiance in the sky grew brighter and brighter, and the mist gradually thinned out.

"Thank you, sir, for clearing up my confusion."

Ye Qin slowly opened his eyes, his pupils seeming to flash with flowing light; he was naturally exceptionally perceptive, and Professor Zhang's words in the dream had given him special inspiration.

He already had some ideas on how to set up the formation, but whether it would succeed still depended on the actual operational effect.

He stared fixedly at the village for a moment, then turned and left; the mist also dissipated in midair, everything returned to calm, as if nothing had happened at all.

The first streak of dawn light pierced through the darkness, the sky began to suffuse with azure hues, clouds and rosy glows drifted at the horizon, all tinged with a special color, like a golden-tailed giant carp leaping out from the sea horizon.

After saying this, the group turned and left; Zheng cadre hurriedly followed up, saying many more pleasantries, only then seeing them off.

He had made a total of eight such stones.

"If you're worried about damaging the local ecological environment, I can guarantee that I will try to minimize the impact as much as possible, letting things be as they should be."

The crowd did not take this matter to heart.

Because he is quite famous in the industry and officially certified, anyone with stature knows him, aware that he has considerable research in Zhouyi.

The exploration around Zu Ci's tomb is nearly complete; Professor Zhang and the others are preparing to leave.

Before they even reached the village entrance, they saw several vehicles approaching not far away, kicking up dust all along; the originally narrow passage became even more congested.

Normally, there is nothing much going on, so the village head would not gather everyone together, after all, everyone has farm work to attend to daily.

Li Minghai is the main person in charge of this project, and he was the one who initially selected this site.

Ye Qin also did not mind it; at most, he had expended some mental energy, which was nothing major, and he continued to move the stones beside him.

The villagers firmly refused to yield: "No matter who you are, if you want to develop, go develop elsewhere—this place is not allowed!"

As Professor Zhang and the village head were still talking, the car door slowly opened, and several men in suits and leather shoes, carrying briefcases, stepped out—clearly elite personnel.

Since several cadres had already said that, the village head could not well ask further.

Mr. Li heard this and gave a cold smile: "Whether to develop or not is not up to you to decide; this land belongs to the state, not to you, the village head."

"Not too bad, I suppose."

It is said that these villages are like labyrinths; once someone walks out, they get lost inside and can never find their way out again, unless guided by a local, then they can escape.

The man addressed as Mr. Li surveyed the buildings not far away.

Professor Zhang shifted his position several times to look again, still finding nothing: "Maybe I didn't rest well last night."

"Professor Zhang, you must be thinking about it by day and dreaming about it by night—we've already come down from the mountain, how could we possibly still be near Zu Ci's tomb?"

This time they parted on bad terms, so next time this group comes, they definitely won't notify us again.

After drinking several cups of water, he barely felt relieved.

……

Before he had finished speaking a few sentences, Professor Zhang felt his mouth dry and tongue parched, his throat somewhat hoarse, and his voice inexplicably uncomfortable.

Before he could finish speaking, the village head interrupted: "Tourism project? I disagree with this; if you want to develop, go develop elsewhere, not here in our village."

Perhaps one day they will personally witness the mystery of this great mountain and change their current views, but for now, they likely haven't even come into contact with it.

"As the current Demon Ancestor, this place is my birthplace; it ought to be the holy land of the demon race! Without a mountain-protecting great formation, it is truly improper!"

Ye Qin's tail twitched slightly, nimbly rolling one of the stones, then tossing it toward the southeast; the remaining stones were likewise tossed by him in all directions.

"The matter is already settled; even if you don't allow it, there's nothing you can do—the upper documents have already been approved, not something you can change; you'd better think it over yourself."

But now it involves a major matter concerning the Mountain God, and everyone attaches great importance to it.

"I don't know what business Professor Zhang has here?"

Seeing this, the village head immediately grew anxious, wanting to say something, but Sun Zhenbang gave him a look and shook his head.

Besides, it's not like we absolutely have to rely on that tourist scenic area to make money; we support ourselves with our own hands, we won't starve to death, and if worse comes to worst, going to the city still won't even get us a mouthful of rice to eat?

The village head's gaze swept across everyone's faces, seeing expressions of worry or indignation, he felt relieved that everyone had stood on the same line.

But this dream is really too strange; moreover, the speaking mist in the dream gave him an incredibly real feeling, as if it had truly happened in reality.

Many people want to ask Professor Zhang to look at feng shui, or test physiognomy and divination, but unless the person is of special and precious status, generally even the wealthy cannot get Professor Zhang to act.

Mr. Li curiously asked: "What is this used for?"

However, Captain Zhou and Bai Yanfei and the others had found no new leads; the case again fell into a stalemate, planning to stay here for a while longer.

Zheng cadre nodded, his eyes somewhat excited and thrilled.

As they were about to go up the mountain, they were stopped by the villagers.

When returning, Zheng cadre's face looked somewhat unpleasant.

Compared to yesterday's excitement and joy, this time Professor Zhang appeared preoccupied, always feeling as if something had been set aside in his heart.

If too much is injected carelessly, or the speed is too fast, the stone surface will crack due to inability to withstand the force.

"If this place is developed, once there are many people, it will surely damage the local ecological environment."

Setting up the legendary slaughtering great formation now is obviously impossible; he hasn't reached that level yet, and besides, it would be too conspicuous; he plans to start from the most basic, then continuously upgrade and improve.

The cadres' faces instantly lit up: "Then let's just stroll around this area?"

A greenish shadow crawled between the leaves, leaving a continuous rustling sound; after Ye Qin finished surveying the surrounding terrain, he planned to set up the formation here.

Whether profitable or not is secondary; no matter what, Longyuan Mountain must not be moved—even if it means they remain poor for a lifetime, they cannot entertain the idea of disturbing this great mountain.

As they were about to quarrel, Zheng cadre hurriedly comforted:

"Mr. Li, don't get angry; the villagers don't really understand these things, nor do they know that establishing a tourism project has great significance."

"Isn't this Professor Zhang? I thought I had mistaken the person, never expecting to meet you in such a poor and remote place."

Judging by the current situation, it definitely won't work; by then, we'll likely need to mobilize more personnel from outside.

Having been disturbed by the village head's earlier remarks, Mr. Li and the others also lost interest: "Then you just explain things clearly to them!"

"Is what I saw yesterday really like this?"

Sun Zhenbang tentatively opened his mouth and said: "Your investigation is going fairly smoothly, right? Did you encounter anything strange when you entered the mountain?"

They did not know what had happened, but they could vaguely sense that their living environment seemed to have undergone some subtle change.

After all, it was not easy to come all this way; it was impossible to just leave like that.

The news that Longyuan Mountain was to be developed into a tourist attraction quickly swept through the entire village, and all the villagers, worried and anxious, gathered in front of the Mountain God's temple.

"So this matter is being closely watched by both the county and the city; we must make it happen, we cannot neglect these people, you, on the other hand, just open your mouth and want to drive them away."

His spiritual power covered these heavenly and earthly qi, driving them to merge into the stones.

Official Zheng hurriedly changed the subject: "Mr. Li, look, our area here is backed by mountains and beside water, with continuous mountain ranges, outstanding natural beauty, a rich ecological environment, and very beautiful scenery."

Ye Qin coiled his body together, with some small stones placed around him; these small stones were nothing special, just casually picked up from the ground.

Several officials were left aside in the cold, not angry, quietly waiting for the man to finish speaking before making a decision; the village chief, however, could not help but feel indignant for them, and unwillingly pulled them to the side.

Sun Zhenbang is also a smart person; seeing this situation, he said no more.

Bai Yanfei revealed a polite smile, avoiding the topic: "Team Leader Sun, could you trouble yourself to hand over the case files about nearby incidents for us to look at?"

"Do you know who I am? Blocking me here, my time is money, I have no leisure to waste here with you."

Sun Zhenbang was momentarily in a dilemma; publicly he should not stop this, but privately he must stop it.

The small animals living there seemed to sense something; at this moment, regardless of what they were doing, they all looked into the distance, as if a pause button had been pressed.

This was also the only idea the village chief could think of.

Mr. Li and these people still did not know what the Mountain God's temple meant to the villagers; once these words were spoken, it was undoubtedly touching the dragon's reverse scale.

This change was not caused by Professor Zhang, nor by Captain Zhou and Bai Yanfei and them, but came from another side.

Coincidentally, the area near Longyuan Village was the selected place; due to the beautiful scenery here, with mountains and water, after discussion it was decided that this place was very suitable for developing tourist attractions and related projects.

It was almost identical to the scene in the dream, even said to be a complete copy, except that around here there was no that mysterious, unfathomable mist.

Only a faint sound was heard, as if something had cracked open; the originally smooth stone now had a deep fissure, like a spiderweb rapidly spreading outward.

Professor Zhang himself was also a little confused: "Yes, I yesterday——"

"No, we've seen enough, we're preparing to leave."

Professor Zhang rubbed his temples: "I really am a bit dazed; even if the dream is real, it's still just a dream."

He suddenly threw out a grenade, startling Sun Zhenbang.

Captain Zhou and Bai Yanfei did not understand why Sun Zhenbang would ask such a question: "We're fine, we didn't encounter anything."

Seeing him so stubborn, Official Zheng did not want to waste more words.

"So this time we all stand united against the outside; we absolutely cannot let those people succeed; this is our home, and also the home relied upon by the Mountain God, Sir!"

Hearing the villagers' words, Mr. Li flew into a rage: "The saying 'poor mountains and evil waters produce troublesome people' is indeed true; I cannot reason with you."

After saying this, Official Zheng also left the village.

One through, all through; one change, all changes.

The wind surging in the mountains brought the latest news; the mountain wind never ceased, as if whispering something.

"Look at Li Minghai, our place is indeed remote, but the location is still not bad; even Professor Zhang said the local feng shui is not bad."

After shouting several times, the person on the bed dazedly opened their eyes, looked around, seemed dazed, and subconsciously blurted out: "How did I end up here?"

"There's nothing much, just that there's a place nearby with special feng shui, so I came to take a look."

Sun Zhenbang revealed a formal smile.

Professor Zhang's face showed a strange expression, muttering to himself: "Yes, just a dream after all."

Ye Qin's cultivation level had reached this point; plus, there was already a qi pill in his body, making it much easier to manipulate the heavenly and earthly qi.

Official Zheng feared the village chief would stall things, so he hurriedly said: "They are a few people from the city coming for inspection, wanting to develop a large tourism project here——"

But the villagers were stubborn, refusing to accept these things.

At this moment, the magnetic field around seemed to have changed; this kind of change was initially not obvious, but it was gradual and progressive.

The light fell evenly on the center of the eight directions; here, plants on the left grew more lush, so the shadow area was slightly larger; on the right, there were fewer obstructions, so sunlight fell down from there.

Besides, there were also grassroots leaders from the county accompanying them, all section-level officials.

Pang Juan escaped after, thinking he had gotten away, but unexpectedly walked into another formation of Sun Bin; finally, at the Ma Ling crossroads, Pang Juan's army was defeated and he committed suicide, and Sun Bin from then on became famous throughout the world.

Most people in later generations think the Eight Trigrams Formation is just a legend, but it is not; this formation did exist in history, only possibly exaggerated.

"Li Minghai, you also saw it; now these villagers are emotionally unsettled, your rashly entering the mountain is not good either; how about this: we each take a step back, you go back today, and I will do ideological work for the villagers?"

The villagers chatted seven tongues eight ways, their meaning consistent with the village chief's.

Official Zheng looked at the village chief somewhat speechlessly; it seemed his previous words had all been in vain.

"Then you bring us first to look around the vicinity."

The village chief lit a stick of clear incense and devoutly bowed before the god's statue.

But thinking about it, it's also true; I'm just a police officer, I also have no right to know the city's construction planning.

"Yes, village chief, we must stop it; the Mountain God, Sir, has helped us so many times; how could we allow his abode to be disturbed?"

If development goes well, perhaps later we can develop a series of specialty industries, forming a new-type town centered on tourism, letting tourism drive local development.

Compared to Official Zheng's joy, the village chief had only one thought in his mind.

The stones on the ground seemed unchanged, but if one carefully sensed, they would feel a strand of extremely peculiar qi.

Li Minghai did not want to waste words with them, directly took out his phone to call the police.

As soon as he spoke, he seemed to think of something, the whole person froze in place; yesterday's words were not many, but in the dream, he had said the whole long night!

Hearing this, several officials all showed happy expressions.

The village chief shook his head violently: "This is not a small matter; the consequences of this matter are serious; destroying the Mountain God, Sir's habitat, he will definitely get angry; if by then tourists accidentally offend him again"

"Village Chief Wu, some things should be done in moderation; you believe that is your matter, and has nothing to do with developing the tourist attraction."

The heavenly and earthly qi gathered more and more, soon filling the surroundings; that layer of mist, centered on Ye Qin, then split into eight streams flowing toward where the stones had previously fallen.

The things in the dream—how could they possibly be related to reality? It must just be a coincidence.

Ye Qin muttered to himself, his eyes bright, looking forward to the day the mountain-protecting grand formation is completed.

So there is still some distance between them, and they have never actually met.

The village chief's expression also turned grim: "How could there be no connection? When the Mountain God gets angry, what then? At that time, everyone in the village will suffer! No matter what, I absolutely will not allow it."

"What background do these Zheng officials have? They seem to be putting on such airs."

"No matter what you say about heavenly flowers falling in chaos, we will not agree. Moreover, we earn our living with our own hands; we do not rely on tourist attractions to make money."

The village chief and Sun Zhenbang are old acquaintances. Seeing this situation, he quickly said: "Officer Sun, you've finally come. These people want to develop this great mountain into a tourist attraction. You also know the situation in the mountains—this absolutely cannot be done."

The man paid no attention, but when he looked toward Professor Zhang, his expression changed again, appearing very enthusiastic.

However, the mountain range is continuous and vast. Unless deliberately sought, the two sides would hardly meet. Moreover, Professor Zhang and his group mainly operate near the Zuo Ci tomb.

"Qi" refers to the three wonders: Yi, Bing, Ding; "Men" refers to the eight gates: Xiu, Sheng, Shang, Du, Jing, Si, Jing, Kai; "Dun" means concealment; "Jia" refers to the six Jia, namely Jiazi, Jiaxu, Jiashen, Jiwu, Jiachen, Jiayin.

The people nearby also glanced a few times, naturally saying: "It's like this, nothing has changed."

He usually keeps a very regular schedule; by this time, he should have already gotten up.

That's it—finished!

If this place really becomes a tourist spot in the future, when people come and go, it won't matter much to us villagers living at the mountain foot. The key is: what about the Mountain God?

Wouldn't that affect the Mountain God?

"No way!"

They also noticed Professor Zhang's presence, and one of the men enthusiastically went up to greet him.

The village chief quickly introduced: "This is the Mountain God Temple we built in our village."

Zheng official slightly frowned: "This is still a minor issue; we will definitely try our best to protect it."

Even if he is not here, the formation will operate automatically; it only needs periodic energy infusion, that is, replenishing the Qi of Heaven and Earth.

The entire upper surface looks unchanged, but the earth veins have already begun to change, thereby affecting the entire terrain.

Originally extremely hard stone, upon contact with these Heaven and Earth Qi, seemed to momentarily block a ripple, as if turning into water.

Logically, stone cannot store Heaven and Earth Qi, but Ye Qin's mental power acts like a seal, able to temporarily seal them inside.

Having unearthed the "Wind Lord Eight Formations Military Strategy Diagram" from an ancient tomb already explains one or two things.

These small stones are not heavy; strangely, when they fall to the ground, they directly sink into the soil, as if taking root, and a mysterious, profound aura spreads from them.

"Village chief, we absolutely will not allow this to happen; otherwise, the Mountain God Lord will surely get angry."

Fortunately, they appeared in time to stop it, thus avoiding an accident.

After receiving the alarm, the police station wanted to rush over immediately, but upon discovering the trouble was in Longyuan Village, they felt helpless.

With the appearance of this pattern, it was as if adding the eyes to a dragon—the entire formation came alive, invisible power surrounded it, followed the earth veins, and continuously spread outward.

"I just don't understand: developing a tourist attraction is also for your benefit—why do you disagree? Guarding this broken mountain—what good is it for you?"

But this formation is certainly superior to a bewildering formation, because with the infusion of Heaven and Earth Qi and subsequent upgrades, its power will also be greater. Ye Qin temporarily named it the "Heavenly Grand Formation."

The meaning of "Qimen Dunjia" is composed of the three concepts: Qi, Men, and Dunjia.

Professor Zhang also has a peculiar temperament—if you say he is aloof, he actually gets along well with villagers and usually does not put on airs; if you say he is not aloof, facing these people's enthusiasm, he merely shows this attitude.

Everything comes from the heart; it can be said to be acting on one's whim to the extreme.

"Longyuan Mountain is the Mountain God Lord's territory; we must protect it well."

The village chief nodded: "Just now I received a notice from the county saying several leading officials are coming for an inspection."

The village chief quickly shook his head, firmly opposing: "This absolutely cannot be done!"

Professor Zhang and his group have already stayed here for two days; the terrain and feng shui near the Zuo Ci tomb have been roughly surveyed.

Hearing this, the man couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed: "Well then, I hope that if fate brings us together again in the future, we can still meet Professor Zhang."

"Crack—"

"This—"

"We've gotten through so many years before—why suddenly insist on making a tourist attraction?"

Stone is a dead thing; to infuse Heaven and Earth Qi into it, one still needs to put in some effort.

After receiving the news, Sun Zhenbang rushed over here, and by the time the people arrived, the dispute between the two sides had already reached a white-hot stage, with a strong smell of gunpowder in the air, and they were almost about to come to blows.

Originally, the city planned to launch several projects, led by the government to attract investment and commerce, aiming to help several economically backward areas and thus drive local economic development.

If it later brings about a killing and cutting effect, then it will be even more extraordinary.

Trickles of water continuously flowed in; the surrounding land seemed to also receive special nourishment, shining in response to the buried underground stones, emitting a brilliant glow.

? ￠o

In the air, it was as if two invisible big hands were connecting these eight threads one by one; invisible golden threads spread throughout the forest.

And the basic formation usually comes with a bewildering effect.

On the other side, those few men sent Professor Zhang into the car; when facing the villagers, they again put on a somewhat aloof expression.

Originally, he thought developing a scenic spot would be a major project, and he would definitely need to mobilize the villagers to help.

"These days we must constantly watch the outside road, see if any outsiders pass by, and also assign people to watch the mountain paths."

"I clearly remember being near the Zuo Ci tomb just before"

Moreover, after waking up, he still remembers most of the content inside very clearly, unlike before, when he would forget many things upon waking.

Therefore, the local police station directly made a phone call.

Sun Zhenbang did not know he had let his guard down too early, nor did he know that Longyuan Mountain was about to undergo a great change.

"The Mountain God Temple must be removed; otherwise, how can we renovate here?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Zhenbang reluctantly let down his guard; if they continued like this, even if they conducted investigations in Longyuan Mountain, they would surely not stir up any trouble.

These gases can in total be transformed into two streams: one constantly rising, the other descending, forming a mysterious impact.

A group of people came again to the vicinity of Zuo Ci's tomb, and Professor Zhang looked especially serious.

Several people exchanged glances and smiled, thinking Professor Zhang was half-asleep, "Professor Zhang, you're naturally here, otherwise where else could you sleep?"

But this change posed no threat to them, and soon the animals resumed their normal activities, as if nothing had happened.

At this moment, the sun was high in the sky, and several rays of light fell onto the ground, leaving irregular traces that looked like a star-scattered chessboard, containing myriad changes.

Although Ye Qin's understanding of formations is not deep, he has one major advantage: he can infuse the qi of heaven and earth into the formation, causing it to transform, upgrading directly from a blind-eye method to the grand formations commonly seen in novels, thus compensating for other shortcomings.

At the critical moment, the village chief brought many villagers rushing over, and the situation changed instantly.

Sun Zhenbang examined the documents and credentials; the procedures were indeed complete, even including approval documents from the city, leaving no room for criticism.

Hearing this, the village chief also sensed something amiss; from these people's words and demeanor, it seemed they intended to carry out rectifications in the surrounding area.

Li Minghai looked at the villagers blocking his way, his expression full of impatience, originally thinking that Zheng Ganbu had already persuaded these villagers.

His movements appeared random and without pattern, but the positions where the stones landed strictly corresponded to the eight directions of Qian, Kun, Zhen, Xun, Gen, Dui, Kan, and Li.

Not only Professor Zhang's group, but also Zhou Team and Bai Yanfei, who came to investigate, were present on this mountain peak.

Whether later generations exaggerated the effects of formations or they truly possessed such great power is now unknown.

"So you mean, the mountain next to us is going to be developed into a tourist attraction?"

Li Minghai was nearly laughing from anger, "My documents and credentials are fully compliant and reasonable, all obtained through proper procedures, even bearing the government's seal—what right or qualification do you have to stop us from entering the mountain?"

The village chief, having little education, listened in a daze and instinctively asked back: "What is that?"

"Professor Zhang, would you like to come along too? It would be nice to have company on the road."

When people asked him at that time, he again said there was none.

First came the police from the neighboring province, then professors from the Social Science Academy in the capital, and now even leading officials have come to join the fun—no one knows why they came.

Formations were already in use in ancient times, mostly in warfare, to encircle enemies and achieve victory through surprise.

This still requires Ye Qin to study for a few more days.

Seeing Sun Zhenbang's hesitant expression, Li Minghai couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.

Ye Qin released his spiritual sense to perceive the formation's range, roughly located in the center of the mountain forest; however, his current attainment is still insufficient to cover the entire mountain range.

The diagram consists of nine parts: one is the Eight Trigrams Formation, and the other eight are eight formations, namely: Heaven Covering Formation, Earth Bearing Formation, Wind Raising Formation, Cloud Drooping Formation, Dragon Flying Formation, Tiger Wing Formation, Bird Soaring Formation, and Snake Coiling Formation.

Professor Zhang's trip this time was very low-key, and his itinerary was kept secret; apart from the local police station, no information was leaked to the outside world.

Li Minghai clearly wasn't satisfied with this answer, but given the current situation, there seems to be no other option.

From afar, it looked like one yin and one yang, like a huge Taiji diagram, filled with an indescribable spiritual charm.

Speaking of which, the area around Longyuan Village has been unusually lively recently.

The Qi Dan slowly rotated, and the surrounding heaven and earth qi gathered toward Ye Qin; after a moment, a thin layer of light mist rose around his body, appearing especially hazy under the sunlight.

Professor Zhang and the others went to bed early yesterday and woke up early, but when breakfast was ready, only Professor Zhang had not yet gotten up.

"That also makes sense; after we build a good road later, directly connecting to the mountain base will be much more convenient, but this Mountain God Temple is somewhat in the way and must be demolished."

Fortunately, Ye Qin's mastery of spiritual power is already superb, and he also benefited greatly from his prior experience in alchemy.

"Team Leader Sun, you won't favor these villagers just because you know them, will you? My documents are flawless—even if I report to the city, no one can say anything."

Whether it's Zhou Team or Bai Yanfei, neither is the type to be easily swayed by a few words from others.

"Earlier, an ancient tomb was unearthed here, and it is still well preserved; if you're interested, we can go take a look later."

This formation is the most basic, only capable of trapping people inside, but its simple framework has already been established; further improvements and enhancements are needed, and the formation's functions and range will certainly be enhanced as well.

The place where Ye Qin stands is the formation's eye; he poured a great deal of heaven and earth qi into the ground beneath him, complementing the eight stones previously placed, mutually enhancing each other.

The village chief suddenly flared up in anger: "This land is not mine, but this place belongs to the Mountain God!"

After wasting several stones in front, the ones behind all succeeded.

"Team Leader Sun, I respect the law and follow procedures—these ignorant villagers are the ones insistently blocking me; don't listen to them, you can't reason with them at all."

They knocked on the door with no response; upon entering, they found Professor Zhang still lying in bed, breathing long and deep.

Besides, Sun Bin was also skilled in using formations.

This matter came too suddenly; before this, Sun Zhenbang had received no news at all.

The village chief was about to retort, but Zheng Ganbu beside him grabbed his sleeve, frantically making eye signals, forcing him to swallow his words.

Zheng Ganbu waved his hand: "I can't explain this clearly in a short time; in short, we must properly entertain these few Gods of Wealth."

"In our area, we want flat land where there is flat land, mountains and rivers where they should be, and there are also lakes and streams nearby; although the location is somewhat remote, these are not problems."

The village chief's face darkened further: "These people, without a word, want to demolish the god's temple—just like bandits, still talking about tourism development projects, utter nonsense."

Sun Zhenbang felt they were also stubborn; when Zhou Team and Bai Yanfei came again to the police station, he couldn't help but speak up to advise:

"They say investigating further will yield no clues; you'd better give up early to avoid wasting effort."

"May the Mountain God Lord in heaven protect us and help us stop those people."

But it doesn't matter; the path up the mountain is just a few trails, and as long as the villagers guard them, they can always wait for people to come.

Seeing that it was about time, Ye Qin added another layer of spiritual power, covering the surface of the stones, then followed the same method, infusing heaven and earth qi into each remaining stone one by one.

Looking at the two sides tense and ready to draw swords, Sun Zhenbang frowned: "What's going on?"

Alchemy and formations are two different aspects and concepts, but spiritual power plays an important role in both.

I don't know what background or identity these people have; several officials seem quite enthusiastic toward them, as if they are seeking something from them.

This isn't him putting on airs—after all, his status and position here mean that unless he himself wishes it, there's no need to actively seek connections with others.

Seeing that reasoning was futile, Li Minghai and the others couldn't just waste time here; they gritted their teeth and said directly: "Let's charge through!"

Seeing the village chief speak more and more outrageously, Zheng Ganbu also lost patience.

In short, rumors about these ancient villages are numerous; to this day, they remain a mystery, not yet fully solved, and no scientific explanation can be given.

Others looked puzzled and said: "Professor Zhang, you didn't say anything yesterday either—why does it feel like you overused your voice, making your voice hoarse?"

Moreover, the eightfold path stands out clearly, interconnected in a continuous flow, with endless vitality gathering and converging.

Professor Zhang's identity is certainly not something that would have him traveling with them, and he has already completed his survey near Zu Ci's tomb, so there is no need for him to stay here any longer.

"Village Chief Liu, you usually seem level-headed, but just now you nearly ruined a major affair for our town!"

Mr. Li frowned slightly, probably not expecting a mere villager to dare speak to him like that, and his tone turned somewhat cold and stern.

The hazy mist enveloped those dull little pebbles, and the originally ordinary stones became somewhat extraordinary, as if they were divine stones fallen from the nine heavens.

He gathered his thoughts, dispelled distractions, and no longer thought about anything else.

The man surveyed his surroundings, his gaze falling on the village, looking at those low, simple houses and the dirt paths, his expression somewhat critical, before he reluctantly nodded.

Official Zheng chattered on endlessly, but the village chief only caught one sentence of it.

Professor Zhang found the man somewhat unfamiliar in appearance, not recalling having met him before, and merely nodded politely as a greeting: "Hello."

The villagers guarding this place were few, only about five or six, but the people Li Minghai brought numbered over a dozen, and it was clear they were gaining the upper hand.

After speaking, he produced numerous government directives and flung them in front of the villagers.

"Folks, this is another major problem our village must face besides natural disasters. The Mountain God has always looked after us, even saving the lives of all the villagers, so we cannot be ungrateful."

It is said that Zhuge Liang once fought a classic battle using eight piles of stones, with a command platform in the middle, guarded by archers and infantry, deploying elite troops in the Tiger and Dragon formations to trap Lu Xun.

At this moment, Professor Zhang and the others were still on the mountain; they were fortunate, as the formation's coverage had not yet reached here, so they were unaffected.

Compared to the villagers' houses seen earlier, this building is not bad; at least from the outside, it appears considerable effort was put into it, with many people coming and going, though it is unclear what they are doing.

The man should know Professor Zhang's temperament, for his face showed no displeasure—on the contrary, his smile grew brighter, and he spoke curiously:

The Lost Soul Formation is also profound; to this day, similar examples exist throughout the country, and ancient villages built according to the Lost Soul Formation still remain.

"Though we are poor, at least we can rest easy. Now, with all this, I dare not even sleep."

The matter of formations is mysterious and profound, closely tied to astronomy and geography.

If this wave of popularity can be capitalized on, it will be far from ordinary.

Unless there is official permission and proof, one cannot approach the tomb; Captain Bai and the others are here to investigate the case, so naturally they will not deliberately come near this place.

"If it truly becomes a tourist attraction, with crowds coming and going, will the Mountain God grow angry and leave, or even take his wrath out on us?"

Professor Zhang stood facing southwest, gazing into the distance; the terrain of the nearby mountains showed no change, yet he felt something was off, though he could not pinpoint exactly what.

"Yes, if we can attract countless visitors, ticket sales alone could bring us considerable revenue. And your nearby villages could run guesthouses—wouldn't life be better from now on?"

On the other side of the mountains, in what could be called the central area, vegetation grows denser than elsewhere due to the surrounding plants blocking the light, making the light even dimmer.

Even with several officials present, the village chief immediately hardened his expression: "The Mountain God Temple is the root of our village—where the village stands, the temple stands. If you dare to remove it, first level the village."

Mr. Li and the others gazed into the distant mountains—green peaks, layered ridges, rising and falling like ocean waves, surging and magnificent, grand and splendid.

Mr. Li expressed some surprise, saying bluntly: "What era is this, still believing in the Mountain God? If one must worship, it should be Buddha or Guanyin—surely they are more effective than these wild mountain spirits."

The village chief spoke passionately, quickly stirring everyone's emotions.

Most of these formations have been lost over the long river of time; even if a few remain, they are difficult to restore to their original power.

Upon hearing this, the village chief could bear it no longer, instantly raising his voice several degrees: "What?! Demolish the Mountain God Temple? That is absolutely impossible."

Official Zheng quickly made a gesture to silence him.

Professor Zhang, no doubt possessing some skill, but as a mere mortal, how could he discern Ye Qin's arrangements? Though he sensed subtle changes, he could not be certain.

Seeing the village chief waiting at the door for a long time, Professor Zhang could not help but wonder: "Village Chief, is someone expected to come today?"

Only after these vehicles enter can they exit.

The beast's pupils stared unblinkingly at the center of the mountain forest.

The villagers are numerous and live at the mountain's foot, heads down, never seeing what's above; Li Minghai does not wish to break face, but having said all he could, these villagers are stubborn as ever.

Watching Official Zheng's retreating back, the village chief seemed struck by a great blow, stumbling backward several steps, gazing at the distant green mountains, and suddenly feeling an ominous premonition.

Official Zheng sighed: "You simply do not understand what this means. If the tourism project can be implemented and built well, not only will your village prosper, but the entire county will follow suit, and the people's living standards will rise significantly."

Professor Zhang stared for a long time, his eyes growing somewhat blurred; he rubbed his temples, saying: "I don't know if I'm overthinking, but I always feel the terrain here has undergone some change."

He quickly asked: "Official Zheng, tell me, what exactly do these people do?"

"Don't speak recklessly—if word gets out, you might make them unhappy. These few are the Gods of Wealth; if treated well, our entire county's GDP might achieve a qualitative leap and rise. Your village could also benefit, and by then, every household will move into new homes."

Official Zheng continued to promote his ideas energetically, as if desperately selling his own product.

Sun Zhenbang instinctively retorted: "Of course not; we police absolutely enforce the law impartially."

Professor Zhang suppressed his inner strange feeling, thought no more of it, and after breakfast, the group planned to rest briefly before continuing up the mountain.

"What? This place is going to be developed!"

The others stared at each other, dazed, looking for a long time, yet felt no change: "Professor Zhang, you're probably just too tired."

There is nothing much to see in the village; a few people simply walked around the mountain's foot, during which they happened to see the nearby Mountain God Temple.

"The Demon Court's Mountain-Protecting Formation, initially formed."

On this mountain peak, this spot is the closest to the terrain favored by Qimen Dunjia, possessing natural advantages; if a formation is set here, it could achieve twice the result with half the effort.

"It looks, truly, exactly like it."

"Professor Zhang? Professor Zhang?"

Ye Qin needed to block others' exploration and prying, so he must have had the effect of a Lost Soul Formation, which could serve as a reference for setting up a protective barrier in the mountains and forests.

The small village at the mountain's foot also awakened, a few wisps of cooking smoke rising slowly, mingling with the thin mist in the mountains, welcoming the rising red sun.

If someone were to accidentally enter, they would become lost within, but to the outside world, everything remains unchanged.

As the village chief had guessed, not long after, Li Minghai and his group returned, and this time they brought even more people, carrying surveying tools.

Moreover, it inherently carries topical significance, being the origin of the famous Li Huo incident and also the recent Gui Huo program, with high online popularity.

Additionally, the construction of the "Eight Formations Diagram" in Zhuge Village is said to protect Zhuge Liang's descendants; the entire village, viewed from above, resembles a giant Bagua diagram.

The city police bureau had previously instructed that all matters concerning Longyuan Village must be reported to the city police bureau for handling.

Li Minghai's face was so dark it seemed water could drip from it; without even thinking, it was certain that this village chief had gathered these villagers together.

Ye Qin looked up at the sky; it was roughly noon, and the sun had risen considerably.

Li Minghai placed the documents and various identification papers in front of Sun Zhenbang.

It is said that Sun Bin arranged a formation on the ground in Yanggu, trapping Pang Juan's large army, and deliberately opened a small gap in the southwest of the formation to let Pang Juan escape.

It would be best if these police could conduct ideological work among the villagers.

He nodded reluctantly, "Alright then."