Chapter 485

What is meant by an offending geomancer's site? In geomancy, wherever there is a cave or dwelling in the mountains, and it faces the direction of the rising sun in the east, able to first receive the essence of sun and moon, that is the offending geomancer's site.

So-called offending the geomancer refers to offending the geomancer who selects burial sites. Any geomancer who selects a site and buries someone in an offending geomancer's site will die within three years; even the lighter cases will end up disabled for life.

Among the populace, many stories circulate. Including many modern people, they all parrot the belief that practicing geomancy is not to be casually advised, and even think that selecting burial sites and seeking dragon veins will cause these people to become disabled and short-lived. Consequently, people regard a good geomancer as rare as an immortal. Moreover, many even hang themselves high, using this to boost their own worth, thus mystifying and deceiving the masses.

Actually, this is a fallacy, a gross fallacy. These statements are generally made by half‑understood dabblers who pretend to be Daoist Sect to mystify things, or by those especially greedy for profit who use this to boost their own status.

The so‑called 'selecting a site means death' is as absurd as saying that entering the Dao inevitably incurs the five flaws and three deficiencies, that divining for others leaks heavenly secrets and leads to a bad death. Ask yourself: you spent half your life's energy learning geomancy and divination, yet after learning you don't put it to use. You constantly say heavenly secrets must not be leaked, that leaking them brings misfortune for three generations and shortens life! This is like saying you have English level eight but then claiming you cannot speak English—utterly contradictory, laughable.

Yet people are all curious and all worship the mysterious. They really don't believe, yet they wholeheartedly believe in the mystifying nonsense. In modern terms, it's like fishing: if you play a good hand of mystery, the fish will bite more eagerly.

Therefore, if someone constantly tells you heavenly secrets, constantly coaxes you that to learn true mastery you must sacrifice your life and pay a heavy price for practicing the Dao, you need not believe it. Among those who study divination, many seniors who have examined plenty of geomancy and many destinies live into their seventies or eighties, still surrounded by descendants, with rosy complexions and robust health—such cases are by no means few.

The so‑called Dao, the so‑called law, are all for seeking people's welfare, to drive away evil and settle disturbances for those in need. If even such benevolent people meet no good end, then where is heavenly justice in this world?

Likewise, the Way of geomancy, like divination, does not inevitably bring the five flaws and three deficiencies, resulting in half‑body disability merely by acting. Divination incurs heavenly punishment only if one goes against heaven, stealing fate and luck. Geomancy incurs heavenly punishment only if one forcibly seeks a dragon site for someone lacking virtue to bury them, or if one selects an offending geomancer's site, or the true dragon emperor's site.

An offending geomancer's site is the site that offends the geomancer of geomancy. Ordinary geomancers, upon seeing such a site, are cautious to the extreme; without special reason they will not select it for burial. This site differs from an ordinary auspicious geomantic site; it is a quick‑yielding site, taking effect remarkably fast. Moreover, its wealth and rank press upon one; if buried there, the family will enjoy a hundred years of prosperity—not mere modest wealth but great riches and nobility. At the highest, a first‑rank civil premier may appear, the foremost talent under heaven; at the lowest, a first‑rank high official who holds power, the line lasting three generations.

According to hearsay, the ancestor of Yang Shouren who was buried in an offending geomancer's site was indeed a geomancer. During the Qing dynasty, when this ancestor of Yang Shouren traveled to the vicinity of the Three Gorges, he discovered this blessed spot and conceived the idea of making it his final resting place.

However, wherever there is a geomantic site, only those blessed with fortune can enjoy it. How many good deeds this Yang ancestor performed to compensate for his postnatal deficiencies, we cannot know. The fact before us is that the Yang ancestor lies buried in this offending geomancer's site, and he truly secured a hundred years of prosperity for his descendants.

When Pangzi said that this site was indeed the offending geomancer's site among geomantic sites, QingSongShu had not yet spoken, but Yang Shouren involuntarily gave a thumbs‑up and exclaimed, "Master Xiao Wang, you truly have keen eyesight—you actually recognized the origin of this place!"

"A little eyesight counts for nothing," QingSongShu obviously meant to give Pangzi a warning, and he said to us with deep significance: "In the Way of geomancy, eyesight is only the basics; you must also be able to read the terrain, understand how to divide gold and cut water, and select auspicious days for burial."

Having spoken, QingSongShu took the lead and walked down the mountainside.

The Yang family's ancestral grave lay below where we stood, like a small island; although the surroundings were thick with trees, near the tombstone there was a large square‑round area whose perimeter was encircled by a stream. If ordinary people were to describe it in one sentence, it would be most apt as 'embracing water, hugging the mountain'.

As we approached the Yang family ancestral grave site, QingSongShu squatted, pinched a small lump of earth from the ground, and rubbed it between his fingers.

Observing sand and water is not just a matter of eyesight; like a doctor, it involves inspection, listening, inquiry, and palpation. The sand and water outside the tombstone fully explain the interior condition of the grave. The layout of the surroundings and the shape the grave has taken also portend the general situation of the tomb owner's descendants.

"A level expanse before the grave means thriving descendants; water embraced behind the grave indicates a wealthy family—upon entering another's grave you can tell their kin: a high left side denotes the eldest son, a high right side the second son. If the rear is high and ever higher, the offspring are hailed as heroes. If the rear gradually slopes down, they will certainly take three wives. If the rear is low by one foot, generation after generation the descendants will be sparse."

Such folk sayings are all used for judging graves. This example describes the grave's longitudinal trend; anyone who studies geomancy and kan‑yu almost always has some secret, orally transmitted verdicts—judging sand and water, judging the yin‑residential layout, from the sand and water of the layout judging the descendants' fortune and misfortune. Though simple, I dare guarantee it is a hundred percent accurate.

"This sand is black on the outside but white as pure snow within—it is unequivocally killing sand. No wonder your family, Boss Yang, has suffered successive misfortunes." QingSongShu clapped his hands and stood up.

The speaker meant no harm, but the listener took it to heart. Upon hearing QingSongShu's words, Yang Shouren's expression grew more worried and anxious, and he wondered: "Could it be that the three‑killer stele my ancestor placed in the cemetery precinct has gone wrong?"

QingSongShu pondered a moment, then slowly shook his head: "Saying this now is still premature; let me have another look." After speaking, QingSongShu stroked his beard and began to walk around the grave.

After a while, QingSongShu stroked his beard, gazed at the layout of the grave's surroundings, and said with keen interest: "I was wondering why—now I see the reason."

Upon hearing this, Yang Shouren hurriedly leaned forward, anxiously looking at QingSongShu and asked: "Master, have you discovered something? Is there hope for my son?"

"Hehe, Boss Yang, please calm down!" QingSongShu waved his hand and explained: "I haven't discovered the cause of your son's affliction by the killing influence; I merely clarified the concern that has been on my mind."

QingSongShu said: "When I saw this offending geomancer's site, I have always wondered: such a site is a rare spiritual place in the world; logically it should not bear killing influences, nor should one install a three‑killer stele, which is superfluous. I previously did not understand, but now I have resolved my doubts."

Yang Shouren followed QingSongShu's gaze; their eyes fixed on a spot about ten meters northwest of the grave, where there was an abrupt little pit that also held accumulated water—quite strange.

"Alas, just as Master Wang supposed. Back then, too, it was because my ancestor's servant unintentionally damaged part of the spiritual energy of this Teng Snake site, causing the subterranean spiritual form to become angry and give rise to killing energy. My ancestor could not bear to let this spiritual site go to waste, so he placed a three‑killer stele beneath the grave."

Yang Shouren sighed, and in that sigh recalled the deeds of that ancestor.

It turns out that long before that ancestor anticipated his great age and prepared for burial here, a servant discovered that a locust tree had sprouted on this spot for no reason. Know that the locust tree is one of the five yin trees; although this locust tree is relatively far from the grave, one would think that having a locust tree grow beside a tomb is always an ill omen.

Thus, the servant took it upon himself, grabbed a shovel, and dug up that locust tree. But the servant did not know that the spiritual form of this place is well known, and the emanating spiritual form is also one of the auspicious beasts, the Teng Snake. In geomancy, wherever there is spirit there is form; according to the terrain, every spiritual site possesses its own spiritual form.

Moreover, the servant did not realize that the locust tree grew right on the Teng Snake's seven‑inch spot, which the Teng Snake uses to absorb the essence of sun and moon for cultivation. The stronger the spiritual form in the earth, the more flourishing the geomantic fortune of the land naturally becomes.

However, if the Teng Snake is injured, it will naturally harm the vital energy of a good geomantic site. More seriously, it will suffer a backlash from the subterranean spiritual form.

The vital point of a snake is its seven inches; now its own seven inches have been wounded, how could a sentient being not be enraged? When the Teng Snake erupts in anger, this site naturally gives rise to killing energy; for an ordinary person buried here, forget about a hundred years of prosperity—just avoiding the Teng Snake's revenge that would cut off descendants would be a relief.

But this Yang ancestor was different; he was a man of means. Although he also regretted his carelessness, he knew that further regret would only be futile sorrow.

He himself had spent a great deal of time seeking auspicious geomantic apertures, and half his life accumulating virtue and doing good. Unexpectedly, this calamity arose, nearly ruining his efforts. How could this Yang ancestor possibly resign himself to giving up?

Thus, this Yang ancestor thought of the three‑killer stele, choosing the method of fighting poison with poison—using the stele's killing energy to counter the Teng Snake's killing luck. Through their opposition, the geomantic fortune rose, bringing benefits to his descendants.

However, this Yang ancestor's approach, though akin to mending the pen after losing the sheep, also greatly damaged the fortune of the offending geomancer's site. Although the Yang lineage later produced many officials, scholars, and warriors, they never attained the first‑rank grand preceptor and premier that should have resulted from burial in such a site.

Furthermore, before burial, this Yang ancestor left behind this saying for posterity.

"The geomantic fortune can be guarded for only three generations; the prosperity of geomancy lasts no more than four sixty‑year cycles."

Taken at face value, this means that the geomantic fortune can protect only three generations of descendants, and the wealth and rank brought by geomancy can last only four sixty‑year cycles.

One sixty‑year cycle equals sixty years; four cycles equal two hundred forty years. From the Qing dynasty to the present, we have almost reached the time predicted.

But a year ago, Yang Shouren's eldest son was suddenly taken by a violent illness and passed away, while his younger son now lies bedridden, allegedly harmed by killing energy entering his blood.

Many physicians found it ineffective, and some diviners said the problem lay in the ancestral grave. Yet the specific cause, these diviners could not uncover.

Left with no choice, Yang Shouren called in some favors and found QingSongShu. Combining his son's illness with the ancestor's left‑behind prophecy, Yang Shouren wondered whether the fortune of this site had run its course and whether the ancestor ought to be relocated.

Perhaps, this is not so simple!

"Xiaoqiang, Hai Sheng, come over here." QingSongShu, who had been idling near the ancestor's tombstone, suddenly waved at us and called out.

After I and Pangzi ran over, QingSongShu, without a moment's thought, pointed to the soil on the left side of the tomb mound and said: "You two, go get a shovel and dig here!"

"What? Dig here? This is someone else's ancestral grave!" I was shocked in my heart, but my hands were not slow; I and Pangzi fetched a shovel and began to dig at the spot QingSongShu indicated.

QingSongShu had us do this; he surely had his reasons.