Chapter 322: Four Symbols Zhou Tian, Jiankang Grand Array

The elegance of Jin Ling is sixty percent concentrated in the single Qin Huaihe.

Compared to the vastness of the Dajiang, the Qin Huaihe is much narrower, yet it remains a great river nonetheless. Its green waves ripple, its water glitters, and the houses built along both banks are all carved beams and painted halls, the residences of noble families.

As the capital of the Southern Dynasty and one of the world's famous five capitals, Jiankang City is composed of three rings: the Imperial City, the Inner City, and the Outer City, arranged in order from northeast to southwest.

The Imperial City leans north against the space between Mount Fuzhou and Mount Jilong, its core being the site of the former Eastern Wu Taichu Palace.

Next is the Inner City, located southwest of the Imperial City, between Mochou Lake and Yanque Lake. It is extremely prosperous, with houses standing like fish scales and alleys crisscrossing; it is the place of Jin Ling's beauties and the romance of the Southern Dynasty.

Only the outermost area, where the Qin Huaihe winds around, is the Outer City. Twenty-four bridges lock the water gates, and both banks are filled with flower houses and singing girls. From Danyang Bridge to Zhuge Bridge, it is all a place of romance. Past Zhuge Bridge, Zhu Que Bridge and Huishan Bridge are where the noble families gather...

Jiankang leans against lakes and mountains, occupying the most majestic strategic position in Jiangdong. The convergence of mountains and water transforms into the Black Tortoise; beneath Jin Ling, dragon qi surges.

In Qian Chen's eyes, every street and alley of the entire city holds its own mysteries.

"When Jiankang was built, it followed the terrain of mountains and water, and Zhang Tianshi was invited to set up the array!" Si Qingcheng, having entered the city through the water gate of the Qin Huaihe, switched to a small black-awning boat and traveled down the river, pointing out the city scenery on both banks for Qian Chen.

"Zhang Tianshi is truly extraordinary. Observing the terrain of this city, it surpasses even the Dajiang-Blocking Array by far."

Qian Chen pointed to the Jiankang Inner City on the south bank of the Qinhuaihe and smiled: "I know where Xie Daoyun's Dajiang-Blocking Array drew its inspiration from! It's just that the Dajiang-Blocking Array can only manifest strange beasts, while the array spirit here has already become a god!"

"Oh!" Si Qingcheng stood with her hands behind her back, curious: "Can Shixiong see the methods of the Jiankang Grand Array? My father said that the old man from the previous generation of Zhang Tianshi didn't do things very openly, and the arrays he set up were secretive, filled with many mysteries. Many people cannot understand the arrays... Opinions vary on the details of this city-protecting array. Would Shixiong be willing to reveal a thing or two?"

Hearing this, the old servant rowing at the bow turned his head in surprise—why would his own princess praise this person so highly?

His eyesight was not poor; he could see that the young Daoist's bone age was clearly younger than his own princess, and he didn't know why he could be the princess's Shixiong.

Jiankang's city-protecting array concerns the foundation of the state, so naturally, there are layers of concealment. Many key points are guarded by imperial cultivation monks, and there are layers of restrictions.

Under the cover of clouds and mist, even those with extraordinary array cultivation find it extremely difficult to see through the details of this formation.

As far as he knew, Jin Ling occupies the best strategic position in the southeast, and since ancient times, Jiangdong's talents have gathered in this city. But since the Great Jin established its capital here again, only one young talent had glimpsed its mysteries, leaving behind a poem that revealed the array's secrets.

That poem was originally inscribed on the Jinque Tower in the city, but it has since been destroyed by people sent by the imperial court.

And that young talent was the former talented woman who chanted of catkins, Xie Daoyun of the Xie family, who had made a name for herself in her early years by dressing as a man.

The old servant just smiled, leaning on his wooden oar, and stopped the boat in the middle of the river. At this time, the sun was setting over Zhong Shan, dyeing it with a layer of golden brilliance. From here in the heart of the river, one could see the purple-gold Zhong Shan and the distant Xuanwu Lake rippling slightly under the setting sun, like golden scales. At the same time, he intended to see if this young Daoist would make a fool of himself.

"The Four Symbols Zhou Tian is a truly wonderful secret, pity the array's secrets are hidden and untold. Everything always begins with the opening of the Two Instruments, Yin and Yang change and the Taiji is complete."

"The Taiji is complete, locking the Dajiang, Zhong Shan's Green Dragon presses on Jin Ling. Shicheng's tiger crouches to guard Jiangning, locking the twin dragons as the Zhu Que soars. The Zhu Que soars, its light bright and clean, perfect for admiring the bright moon from the cinnabar terrace. The moon hides the Jade Rabbit, the sun hides the Crow, naturally, the Tortoise and Snake are coiled together. Coiled together, life and nature are firm, yet one can plant golden lotuses in fire. Gathering the Five Elements and using them in reverse, once the array is complete, it can startle Buddhas and Immortals."

After Qian Chen finished singing the song, the old servant at the bow couldn't hold his oar and accidentally dropped it into the water.

He clearly remembered the array-hiding poem Xie Daoyun had written in the past—

"The Four Symbols Zhou Tian changes are hidden, yet there are Tortoise and Snake locking the Dajiang. Where the mist and rain of Zhong Shan are vast and grey, the tiger crouches and the dragon coils at Shicheng!"

The mysteries hidden within were exactly the same as the meaning in Qian Chen's poem.

In the three hundred years of Jiankang, there had only been one Xie Daoyun. Could he actually see a second one on the boat today?

The old servant was suspicious and couldn't help but ask: "Is this the young Daoist's first time in Jiankang?"

Qian Chen was stunned and smiled: "Perhaps I have been here before!"

He had never been here in this life, but he had been to Nanjing in his previous life, and he didn't know if his predecessor had been to Jiankang, so he could only answer this way.

"If you've been here, you've been here; if you haven't, you haven't. What does 'perhaps I have been here before' mean?"

The old servant was puzzled, then suddenly understood.

"It seems he has been to Jiankang, heard that poem, and is now showing off. When asked by me, he felt embarrassed to answer and could only be vague!" The old servant thought he had seen through Qian Chen and said no more.

Si Qingcheng was intelligent and quick-witted; she covered her mouth with her sleeve and smiled slightly, saying: "Can Shixiong explain more clearly? Regarding the way of arrays, I only understand six out of seven orifices; I am completely ignorant!"

"Shimei, why feel ashamed? Seriously speaking... I am too!"

Qian Chen smiled.

Si Qingcheng said solemnly: "In today's battle of Xie Daoyun blocking the river, Shixiong broke three of her arrays in a row. Who would dare say Shixiong is not proficient in the way of arrays?"

The old servant's expression changed several times. He turned back to look at Qian Chen carefully, and his eyes toward his own princess were also filled with doubt and uncertainty, not knowing if she was joking or what.

What was Xie Daoyun's status? One of the twenty-eight characters of the previous generation of Shenzhou, who trapped a generation of talents with her arrays, and only six people could break out; she was known as a figure who suppressed the ten directions with her arrays.

How many years had this young man lived, yet he dared to compare himself to her?

But he also knew that his own princess was not someone who liked to boast! Since she said this, there must be a reason!

Qian Chen sat sideways at the stern, leaning against the black awning, pointing to the distant Zhong Shan, which was bathed in the sunset and looked like purple gold: "The city-protecting array of Jiankang is the Zhou Tian Four Symbols Grand Array, or it can be called the Four Symbols God-Suppressing Grand Array! In my life, I have only seen it surpassed by the Chang'an Grand Array. Of course, compared to the Chang'an Grand Array, it is still more than a notch behind."

Si Qingcheng smiled: "Chang'an and Luoyang are ancient capitals of several dynasties, possessing the foundation of the Divine Dynasty and the Immortal Han. Jiankang was only recently established, how can it compare?"

"Setting aside the false and true, real and fake concealments, the foundation of the Jiankang Grand Array is two dragons: one mountain and one water!"

Qian Chen smiled slightly and continued to point: "Other places in the city—the layout of the Taichu Palace and the restrictions everywhere in the city are just minor details. Zhang Tianshi concealed those things, but he could not conceal the true foundation of the array! As long as the foundation remains unchanged, following the terrain of the array, one can naturally see all the changes. Looking from the big picture, these things cannot be hidden."

Si Qingcheng rested her chin on her hand, curious: "Then how does the Jiankang Grand Array change according to the feng shui terrain?"

"Jiankang's feng shui lies in the two dragons of mountain and water. On the way here, a friend mentioned to me the story of Zhang Tianshi piercing Xuanwu Lake with his sword. Has Shimei heard of it?" Qian Chen turned his head and asked.

Shimei's eyes lit up, and she said: "Father told me this story, saying that the previous generation of Zhang Tianshi was an old man who didn't behave properly, greedy for the achievements of the Immortal Han Wu Hou and claiming them as his own..."

The old servant at the bow coughed hurriedly. The previous generation of Zhang Tianshi was venerable and respected. How Tao Tianshi spoke of him was not for others to manage, but as a junior disciple of the Orthodox One Sect, Si Qingcheng still had to be cautious with her words.

Si Qingcheng stuck out her tongue and stopped talking about these gossips.

She whispered to Qian Chen: "Uncle Sima is my mother's old steward. After my mother passed away, it was mostly Uncle who took care of me!"

Qian Chen turned back. This old steward's cultivation was not bad, also at the Core Formation realm. Of course, compared to Tao Tianshi, he was like an ant. But for Sima Little Sixteen's mother, as an ordinary daughter of the royal clan, to have an old steward at the Core Formation realm already showed the deep foundation of the noble family.

He pulled the topic back and said: "The dragon vein of the southeast forms a cave at Zhong Shan, and the dragon vein of the Dajiang also falls in this section of Jiankang. Although these two dragons of mountain and water have been continuously suppressed by successive generations, their fortune has finally surged in the Southern Jin Dynasty."

"Tracing back along the two dragons, Jiankang's true feng shui terrain is Zhong Shan coiling like a dragon, Shicheng crouching like a tiger, gathering Yin and Yang to produce the Black Tortoise. The Qinhuaihe flows north to become the Zhu Que soaring!"

"Zhong Shan winds like a dragon and is the location of the mountain dragon, sitting to the east of Jiankang, which is the Eastern Green Dragon. Shicheng crouching like a tiger refers to the original site of the ancient city of Jiankang, the location of the ancient Shicheng, situated under Mount Fuzhou, which is the current Imperial City!"

"Shicheng and Zhong Shan are east and west, forming the posture of the Green Dragon and Bai Hu!"

"And after Zhang Tianshi pierced Maling Lake, the energy of Yin and Yang gathered, forming the Black Tortoise... which is the current Xuanwu Lake. And the Qin Huaihe originates in the south and flows north to the Dajiang, which is the pattern of the Zhu Que! The Eastern Zhong Shan Green Dragon, the Western Shicheng Bai Hu, the Southern Qinhuaihe Zhu Que, and the Northern Lake as the Black Tortoise—this is the grand feng shui layout of Jiankang, with the Four Symbols arranged to suppress the city."

"In terms of this array, Xuanwu Lake is in the position of Great Yin, and Zhong Shan is in the position of Great Yang. The moon hides the Jade Rabbit and the sun hides the Crow, which means it corresponds to the celestial phenomena. When the moon rises, it is above Xuanwu Lake; when the sun rises, Zhong Shan is like purple gold, uniquely obtaining the essence of the sun and moon!" Qian Chen opened his arms as if embracing the Two Instruments and Four Symbols, full of spirit.

"Shicheng is in the position of Lesser Yin, nourishing the Bai Hu with Yin energy, making it gentle. Lesser Yin faces Great Yang, leaning against Zhong Shan to inherit its fortune. Lesser Yin faces Great Yin, also having the meaning of Yin and Yang! It does not let it overshadow the host!"

"And the Qin Huaihe winds through, dominating the position of Lesser Yang. Flowing into Xuanwu Lake, Lesser Yang returns to Great Yin, which is also the change of Yin and Yang! It also fits the image of the Black Tortoise..."

"Therefore, the Imperial City sits like a crouching tiger, leaning against Zhong Shan, encompassing the Black Tortoise... And in order not to let your Sima family monopolize this Four Symbols layout, the noble families live along the Qinhuaihe line, opening up spiritual fields and blessed lands, intercepting the fortune of the Zhu Que. With the help of the Zhu Que's northward soaring momentum, they stand on equal footing with your Sima family!"

Si Qingcheng smiled bitterly: "Now, where does the Sima family still monopolize the Three Symbols!"

She pointed to Xuanwu Lake and said: "Now, beside Xuanwu Lake, there are all spiritual fields of noble families, and their ancestral graves are also on Zhong Shan. If it weren't for keeping a close watch on Mount Yuquan, I'm afraid there wouldn't even be purple-patterned dragon-tooth rice to eat!"

"Who said your Sima family monopolizes the Three Symbols!" Qian Chen shook his head slightly and sighed in his heart: "I have already seen the person who monopolizes the fortune of Jin Ling! Your Sima family was calculated by the Prime Minister of Shu Han to raise a dragon for the remaining fortune of the Great Han, do you know that!"

But he dared not mention this in front of Si Qingcheng. She had received the title of princess and was entangled in the karma of the Southern Jin. Qian Chen was already too late to help her cut off these entanglements, so how could he let her know this?

Even if Si Qingcheng had no thoughts of the Sima family being supreme, knowing these things would do more harm than good. If she knew too much, she might be unable to help herself in the future and be drawn into the continuous catastrophe of the Southern Jin's collapse.

Qian Chen had no good feelings for the Sima family. If the Sima family was destroyed, it was destroyed. As long as Shimei Qingcheng was not involved, he couldn't be bothered to care about their life or death.

The old servant beside him listened, breaking out in a cold sweat. He had only vaguely sensed the theory of the Four Symbols. But hearing Qian Chen's explanation of the fortune occupied by the noble families and the Imperial City, he finally understood! If these words were leaked, it would cause a huge uproar in the imperial court!

He looked warily at the large number of spiritual fields and manors of the noble families on both sides of the Qinhuaihe!

He felt that the scene he had been accustomed to was suddenly so glaring at this moment...

The old servant's look at Qian Chen was completely different. This ability to ignore all concealment and point directly to the foundation of the Jiankang city-protecting array—if one still said he heard it from hearsay, that would be laughable.

"Since Zhong Shan, Shicheng, Xuanwu, and Qinhuaihe are the Four Symbols, what about the Zhou Tian?" Si Qingcheng asked curiously.

"Why can the noble families contend with your Sima family by occupying the Zhu Que symbol?" Qian Chen pointed to the Qin Huaihe: "The Qinhuaihe passes through the city, flows into Xuanwu Lake, and then into the Dajiang. How many bridges are there on it?"

Si Qingcheng was just about to answer when she heard the old servant at the bow say solemnly: "Twenty-four! Four of which are the main ones, all on the Qinhuaihe, namely Danyang, Zhuge, Zhu Que, and Biaoji..."

"Where is Zhu Que Bridge?"

Qian Chen stood up at the stern and looked forward. The boat moved slowly. In the distance ahead, a stone bridge spanned the Qin Huaihe, with two heavy towers suppressing it in front and behind, and two golden sparrows perched on the flying eaves of the towers. It was extremely elegant.

"It's right ahead..." The old servant stared at the stone bridge ahead, his tone grim: "Behind Zhu Que Bridge is Wuyi Lane, the location of the Wang and Xie families!"

Qian Chen clapped his hands and smiled: "That's it! Green mountains are hidden and the water is far away, autumn ends in Jiangnan and the grass has not withered. On the night of the bright moon on the twenty-four bridges, where is the beautiful person teaching to play the flute? The Four Symbols guard the four directions, and the twenty-four bridges, plus the positions of the Four Symbols themselves, make the twenty-eight mansions!"

"Bridges are the key to guiding and crossing energy, and locking the water gates. The twenty-four bridges can not only guide the spiritual energy of the Four Symbols and connect the spiritual energy of both banks, but also lock the water dragon of the Dajiang brought by the Qinhuaihe. The twenty-eight constellations are arranged in the Zhou Tian, intercepting the fortune on both banks of the Qinhuaihe... There should be twenty-eight pavilions in the city, set up with Zhang Tianshi's array."

"But if you look closely, you will find that those twenty-eight array-eye pavilions all have roads leading to the twenty-four bridges. The reason why four towers do not connect is because four array eyes are all in the Imperial Palace!"

The old servant was already convinced and bowed: "Sir's words are not wrong! And the main road of Jiankang, the great road of the Imperial City, leads directly to Zhu Que Bridge. It nourishes the Wang and Xie families with the fortune of the capital! I wonder if Sir has a way to break the vicious calculations of the noble families?"

Qian Chen laughed loudly: "I'm just talking about it. If you really let me modify the array, I can't do it!"

"Sir..." The old servant's tone was urgent.

"Uncle Si!" Si Qingcheng's tone was serious, stopping him: "Shixiong only came as a friend. Why involve him in the turmoil of the noble families and the imperial court? And even if the Imperial Uncle wanted to change the array, could he really go against the will of the noble families?"

The old servant was speechless... and could only row in silence.

Arriving at Zhu Que Bridge, looking at the small Wuyi Lane on the south bank, the two families had strict family status, and the mansions were quiet.

Qian Chen asked curiously: "When the Southern Jin was founded, Emperor Wu established the capital in Jiankang and invited Zhang Tianshi to set up the array. Zhang Tianshi's layout of these twenty-four bridges should not have been hidden from him. Why is it now..."

"Originally, these twenty-four bridges were just four floating bridges and twenty ferry crossings. It was only later that Jiankang City gradually became prosperous, and the noble families built twenty-four stone and wooden bridges on the grounds of hindering navigation!" The old servant's face was ashen, and he said calmly.

"So that's how it is..." Qian Chen sighed: "Floating bridges are not fixed, and ferry crossings are even more connected and disconnected, so naturally they didn't manifest. Once the twenty-four bridges were fixed, it could immediately make the fortune flourish..."

Qian Chen sighed secretly in his heart. The Jiankang Grand Array was already complete. Even if it were him, he could not forcibly cut off the fortune of the Zhu Que to make the Four Symbols merge into one.

"I'm afraid even Zhuge Wu Hou did not expect that his layout would have such a big loophole because the Southern Jin royal family was too incompetent, and the noble families intercepted so much fortune!"

"Where does Shimei live?" Qian Chen asked Si Qingcheng with a smile.

Shimei's expression was strange, and she pointed forward: "I don't like the atmosphere of the Imperial City, so I set up a manor by the Qin Huaihe. I asked my father to come and see it, and it was built next to Wenjin Bridge. I didn't expect the spiritual energy of the spiritual fields here to be so good, and the harvest to be abundant!"

Qian Chen laughed. No wonder her expression was strange. It turned out that she also had a share in nourishing the fortune of the Qinhuaihe. He didn't believe Tao Tianshi couldn't see the mystery here... It seemed Tao Tianshi also had no good feelings for the Sima family, otherwise he wouldn't have pointed this out. ===== CHAPTER 323 =====