chapter eight 1
Boss Tan’s home is in Tanfang Village, about sixty miles away from Mujiaying. There is a rugged mountain road in the middle, and it takes more than an hour to drive there.
The next morning, Mu Linfeng got up at around four o'clock and woke up Xiao San and Gao Hongjin at the same time. They had to reach Tanfang Village before sunrise.
The five elements of qi change greatly during a day. Only at dawn, when the sun has not yet risen, is the interference least and it is most accurate to observe the five elements of qi in a place. Therefore, this time is the best time to choose a tomb.
The three of them washed up hastily and prepared to leave without eating. Just as they were about to go out, the weasel ran out from somewhere, and the little thing jumped onto the back of the chair and squeaked at Mu Linfeng, as if it wanted to go with them.
Mu Linfeng said to the weasel: "Brother Huang, we have something to do. You stay at home and we will be back soon..."
Before Mu Linfeng could finish, Gao Hongjin interrupted him impatiently: "Lin Feng, it's an animal and it can't understand you. Why waste your time arguing with it? Let's go quickly and don't delay the important matter..."
Unexpectedly, as soon as Gao Hongjin finished speaking, the weasel opened its mouth to reveal its sharp teeth, screamed at him a few times, and arched its back as if it was going to rush towards him. Gao Hongjin was so scared that he quickly took two steps back.
It was obvious that this little elf could not only understand what they said, but also knew everyone's attitude towards it. A thought suddenly flashed through Mu Linfeng's mind that maybe bringing it along would be helpful to him.
Without this weasel, Mu Linfeng would not have been able to find the things left by his great-grandfather. He knew that this little elf was extremely smart, so he said to the weasel: "Okay, I can take you with me, but you must be obedient and don't scare others."
The weasel immediately squeaked twice more, with obvious joy in its sound.
Mu Linfeng looked around, trying to find something suitable to put the weasel in. Because he was staying here temporarily, there was nothing else in the house except a bed and a desk, so he couldn't find a suitable utensil for the time being.
Suddenly, Mu Linfeng's eyes fell on the handbag that Xiao San was carrying. In the bag were only the compass left by his great-grandfather and a few small items. So he took the bag from Xiao San, unzipped it, took out the compass wrapped in red silk and put it in the compartment, then said to the weasel: "You can just hide in here for a while, but don't pee in it..."
Before Mu Linfeng could finish his words, the elf nimbly jumped into the handbag. This handbag made of cowhide was propped outward, just enough to hide the weasel.
In the minds of local people, the weasel is a spiritual animal that is both good and evil. Hiding it can prevent people from being disturbed. Later facts proved that Mu Linfeng's decision was very correct. The weasel really helped him a lot. Gao Hongjin drove the Toyota Prado left by Boss Tan and arrived at Tanfang Village in less than an hour. The village is located in a small basin between several mountains. There are three hills surrounding the village. It should be said that Tanfang Village is the village with the highest altitude within a radius of 100 miles.
At the mountain pass, Mu Linfeng asked Gao Hongjin to stop the car. The terrain here was much higher than inside, and it was just right to see the entire picture of Tanfang Village .
All three of them got out of the car. It was already light, and the surrounding scenery could be seen clearly. Three mountains arranged in a triangle surrounded the village. A cloud of water vapor gathered above the village in the middle of the valley, as if a thin layer of white gauze was floating, and the mist was as hazy as a dream.
Looking at the beautiful scenery ahead, Gao Hongjin said in admiration: "This Tanfang Village is really a great place, surrounded by mountains and clear water. It is obviously a beautiful Feng Shui treasure land. No wonder it can produce talents like Boss Tan."
On the surface, this is really a nice mountain village, which is what people often call a Feng Shui treasure land. However, in Mu Linfeng's opinion, this is not the case. Mu Linfeng has a different understanding of Feng Shui from others.
The flow of air forms wind, and water in nature is the water in Feng Shui. Changes in ambient temperature lead to different fortunes for people, and wind and water are the main factors affecting changes in ambient temperature. Therefore, people call the technique of determining a person's fortune by observing temperature changes "Feng Shui."
When building a house, people always pay attention to facing south, thinking that such a house has good Feng Shui. In fact, it is true, because the house facing south enjoys the most sunshine, which is why people living in the north are healthy, while people living in the south are prone to illness. Because the south house receives less sunlight, it is dark and damp, which is easy to breed bacteria, which is not good for the body. After a long time, people will naturally get sick. This is the simplest Feng Shui technique, and it is also the Feng Shui technique that everyone understands.
When talking about Feng Shui, some people always think that a place with mountains and water, surrounded by mountains and water, with dragons and tigers leaping, seems to have good Feng Shui. In fact, these are all ignorant talk. Here is an example to illustrate this simple truth.
There is a well-known great man who was born in a place surrounded by green mountains and clear waters. It is indeed a good place with beautiful scenery. His house is located halfway up the mountain facing southeast. Many people say that it is a place with excellent feng shui, which is why great men are born there. But have you ever thought that good or bad feng shui is for specific people? Three brothers were born in the same house and on the same bed. One of them became a great man, while the other two brothers were killed by the enemy and died young. So this place is definitely not a good place for his brothers.
Everyone is made up of the five elements of gold, wood, water, fire, and earth. The universe is also made up of these five elements, which is a big five elements. Everyone's destiny is affected by the operation of Yin and Yang and the five elements at all times. The factors that affect the prosperity and decline of the five elements are mainly the time and the location. The time refers to the weather conditions when the five elements run to a certain point. The weather has the greatest influence on the prosperity and decline of the five elements, especially the time when a person is born, or the state of the five elements at birth, which determines the fate of this person. For example, a person's five elements need fire the most. When he was born, it happened to be a clear sky, the sun was blazing, and the fire from heaven to earth was strong. Then this person has the heaviest fire. Imagine what can be stronger than the fire of the sun? Those who can benefit from the time must be geniuses in the sky. Therefore, the quality of Feng Shui in any place depends on the person. It is absolutely impossible to say that a place with beautiful scenery is a Feng Shui treasure land.
Mu Linfeng didn't have time to discuss these things with Gao Hongjin now. He had to rely on his first impression to instinctively feel the five elements here. Therefore, Mu Linfeng concentrated on observing the situation in the entire valley and the surrounding mountains. This was a common method mentioned in the ancestors' "Tomb-Watching Notes".
Xiao San followed Mu Linfeng carrying the bag containing the weasel. The little thing in the bag also noticed that the car had stopped, and it struggled to stick its head out from one end of the zipper, staring at the unfamiliar environment with its two round eyes.
During this time, Xiao San and the weasel had become very familiar with each other and had become good friends. When he saw the weasel sticking its head out, Xiao San stroked its head and whispered, "Ah Huang, be obedient and hide quickly, or I won't bring you out again."
Xiao San actually gave the weasel a name, but the name "Ah Huang" is also good and very descriptive. The little elf seemed to accept the name very well and obediently retracted his head.
Seeing that Mu Linfeng and Xiao San ignored him, Gao Hongjin walked aside, took out his cell phone and started making a call. Hearing him calling Mr. Tan, Mu Linfeng guessed that he was talking to Boss Tan.
After observing for a while, Mu Linfeng had a basic idea in his mind, so he asked the two to get in the car.
Before their car reached the entrance of the village, they saw Boss Tan coming out of the village in a hurry, followed by two people. One of them was someone Mu Linfeng knew. He was Boss Tan's secretary. They had gone to see him together yesterday.
Gao Hongjin hurriedly stopped the car and said to Mu Linfeng, "The man following behind Boss Tan is his younger brother. The two brothers came out to greet him together. You really have a lot of face."
Mu Linfeng smiled without saying anything, then opened the car door and got out.
After exchanging a few simple pleasantries with the Tan brothers, Mu Linfeng asked directly: "Where are the cemeteries in your village located?"
Boss Tan pointed to the surrounding hills and said, "To be honest, the cemeteries of the mountain people are relatively scattered. Each family's cemetery is scattered in the mountains and forests they contracted. There are cemeteries on the three surrounding mountains. Our family has a relatively large number of people. The cemeteries of our ancestors are concentrated at the foot of the mountain in the southwest corner of the village. What do you think of that location, Mr. Mu?"
Mu Linfeng shook his head gently and said slowly, "Excuse me for being blunt, but the three mountains around your village and your family's cemetery are not suitable as your father's longevity tomb."
"Oh! Please tell me clearly, Mr. Mu." Boss Tan said in surprise.
Mu Linfeng continued, "The Book of Burial says: Burial means hiding, and taking advantage of vitality. The qi of yin and yang exhales to become wind, rises to become clouds, and descends to become rain. It moves in the earth, which is called vitality. There are five types of mountains that are not suitable for burial: Qi is harmonious because of life, so a virgin mountain is not suitable for burial. Qi comes because of momentum, so a broken mountain is not suitable for burial. Qi moves upward, so a rocky mountain is not suitable for burial. Qi stops because of momentum, so a mountain that passes through is not suitable for burial. Qi gathers with dragons, so a mountain that is alone is not suitable for burial. Therefore, these five types of mountains, namely, virgin, broken, stone, passed, and alone, cannot be used as cemeteries, otherwise new disasters will occur and existing blessings will be eliminated..."
At this point, Mu Linfeng pointed to the hill behind the village and continued, "This mountain is a typical child mountain. Child mountains are rough and hard, with dry soil and no energy to generate harmony, so it is not suitable for burial..."
Then he pointed to the mountains on both sides of the village and said, "You see, these two mountains have cliffs, which are the broken mountains I just mentioned. When the mountains are broken, the vital energy is cut off and there is no connection, so it is not suitable for burial. Therefore, the three mountains around the village are not suitable for cemeteries."
After listening to Mu Linfeng's clear and logical explanation, several people said yes regardless of whether they understood it or not. Boss Tan asked hurriedly: "Master Mu, is the cemetery located in the southwest of the village suitable? This place should not be on the mountain."
Mu Linfeng shook his head again and said, "Although the cemetery in the southwest of the village is not on the mountain, it is even less suitable as a cemetery."
"Ah! Why?" Boss Tan asked with his eyes wide open.
Mu Linfeng was very surprised by Boss Tan's astonished expression, because Boss Tan left him with the impression of a man as strong as a mountain. Such a man would not even frown even under a mountain of pressure, so how could he be so surprised after hearing what he said?
Mu Linfeng didn't rush to answer Boss Tan's question. Instead, he pointed to the mountain on the right side of the village and asked a few people, "Take a look at what this mountain looks like?"
Several people looked up for a while, but no one said anything. Suddenly, Zhang Xiaosan said, "This mountain looks like a tiger lying there."
"Well, that's right. I didn't realize it just now, but after hearing what the little cripple said, I took a closer look and found that it was indeed the case. It really looks like a lying tiger." Gao Hongjin continued.
Boss Tan also nodded and said, "I really didn't pay attention to it before, but now that I hear you guys talking about it, it really does look like a tiger."
Mu Linfeng pointed to the other two mountains and said to Boss Tan: "To be honest, the location of your Tanfang Village is very good, but you just haven't noticed it. As the saying goes, there are four forces on the ground, Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermillion Bird, and Black Tortoise, and we have them all here. The mountain on the right is the White Tiger, the one on the left is like the Azure Dragon, the mountain behind the village is the Black Tortoise, and the winding stream coming down from the back mountain is the Vermillion Bird. There are four forces on the ground, and the energy comes from all directions. There are really not many villages with such a terrain..."
Boss Tan looked at Mu Linfeng with a puzzled look on his face: "Master Mu, according to what you said, our village has such a good terrain, so why can't it be used as a cemetery?"
"A good terrain is not necessarily suitable for a cemetery. Everything has its positive and negative sides, and the terrain is no exception. The Black Tortoise hangs its head, the Vermillion Bird dances, the Azure Dragon winds, and the White Tiger lies flat. This kind of terrain is suitable for a cemetery; the opposite is not favorable. Mr. Tan, please observe the terrain of the three mountains surrounding your village."
After hearing what Mu Linfeng said, several people began to look at the three surrounding mountains again. After looking for a while, they all shook their heads. It was obvious that they didn't see anything.
Boss Tan turned around and said to Mu Linfeng, "I'm really shortsighted and didn't see the mystery. Master Mu, please tell me frankly."
"The Book of Burial clearly mentions that there are four types of terrain that cannot be chosen as cemeteries: tiger squatting, dragon squatting, black tortoise not hanging down, and red bird not dancing. This is because a tiger squatting is said to hold the corpse, a dragon squatting is said to be jealous of the master, a black tortoise not hanging down is said to reject the corpse, and a red bird not dancing is said to have flown away..."
Mu Linfeng pointed to the mountain behind the village and said, "Do you see this mountain with its head held high? The main mountain is high and its head does not hang down, as if it is unwilling to be buried and rejects it. This is what the burial book says, 'The black tortoise that does not hang down rejects the corpse.' Therefore, tombs cannot be built on this mountain, otherwise it will be bad for the deceased."
As he spoke, Mu Linfeng looked at the mountain on the right and said, "The mountain on the right looks like a tiger squatting there, looking up at the grave, as if it wants to bite the corpse in the grave. This is what the Book of Burials says, 'A tiger squatting is holding a corpse.' Therefore, the cemetery in the southwest of the village is a bad choice. And the mountain on the left looks like a crouching green dragon, refusing to surrender, looking back and squinting, as if jealous, which is 'A dragon squatting is jealous of its master.' Digging a longevity grave on such a mountain is also not good for the deceased, and it will also bring disaster to future generations..."
People have a habit of preconceived ideas. When you tell them what something looks like, they will look more and more like it. After Mu Linfeng said this, several people nodded repeatedly and praised it.
Boss Tan seemed to be frightened by Mu Linfeng's last words. His face changed and he said anxiously, "Since Master Mu thinks there is no suitable place around our Tanfang Village, please point out a Feng Shui treasure land. Don't worry about the money, as long as Master Mu thinks it's okay."
Boss Tan's feelings are understandable. What people fear most is that disaster will befall future generations, especially for someone as rich and powerful as him.
What Mu Linfeng said just now was not to scare him. There was indeed such a record in the "Grave Notes" left by his ancestors. He just said it verbatim. In order to make everyone more convinced, Mu Linfeng deliberately added words like "burial book" and "burial scripture". In the minds of ordinary people, the things in the scriptures, or the things passed down by the predecessors, are true. This is why some people always like to promote "family secret recipes" and so on.
Burial is to hide and to take advantage of the vital energy. The vital energy flows through the earth and gives birth to all things. People receive their bodies from their parents, their bones receive the energy, and their remains receive the shade. The living are the gathering of energy. The condensed energy becomes bones, and only the dead remain after death. Therefore, burial is to return the energy to the bones to shade the living. When the energy is strong and responds, the ghosts’ blessings will be passed on to people. Therefore, when the Tongshan Mountain collapses in the west, the Lingzhong Bell responds in the east.
This ancient text is from the Book of Burial, which talks about the relationship between deceased parents and their descendants. It is easy to understand and does not require further explanation. The last sentence "Tongshan collapsed in the west, and the Lingzhong bell responded in the east" tells a true historical story.
One day during the Western Han Dynasty, the big bell in the Weiyang Palace suddenly rang for no reason. Dongfang Shuo said: It must be the mountain producing copper collapsed. A few days later, a report came from Western Shu that the mountain producing copper collapsed, and the time was just when the big bell in the Weiyang Palace rang by itself.
Emperor Wu of Han asked Dongfang Shuo how he knew this, and Dongfang Shuo replied: Copper comes from the mountains, and the qi is inductive, just like a person receives his body from his parents.
Emperor Wu of Han sighed and said: "If animals are like this, how much more so for people! Zengzi was very filial to his mother. When he left home, his mother wanted him to come back, so she pointed at him and Zengzi felt heartbroken. When people's parents are not well and they are away from their parents, they will also feel heartbroken. However, ordinary people are not filial and are not aware of it. Therefore, we know that the bell will ring when the mountain collapses, which is also the reason.
Seeing Boss Tan's uneasy expression, Mu Linfeng gently waved his hand: "No need to look outside, there is a great place right here, it just hasn't been discovered yet."
"Oh! Where is it?" Boss Tan asked hurriedly.
Mu Linfeng pointed to the back of the village and said, "Just now when I was at the mountain pass, I saw a stream flowing down from the back mountain, and it turned a corner at the foot of the mountain behind the village. There should be a treasure land there."
Hearing Mu Linfeng's words, Boss Tan's face suddenly changed, and he was speechless and said, "I... I... Mr. Mu... can you explain it more clearly... why is that place a treasure land?"
"Boss Tan, is there something wrong?" Seeing Boss Tan's expression suddenly change, Mu Linfeng also felt a little strange, and couldn't guess why he had such an expression...
When Boss Tan heard Mu Linfeng say that there was a place suitable for a tomb behind the village, he suddenly behaved very abnormally. For someone who had experienced so many ups and downs like him, normal things would not make him behave like this. Mu Linfeng felt that there must be some hidden story behind this.
Boss Tan pondered for a few seconds, as if he had made a great decision, and then said to Mu Linfeng: "Master Mu, I will tell you the truth. My father's tomb was built several months ago. It is in the cemetery on the southwest side."
Mu Linfeng was not surprised by what Boss Tan said. There was a custom in the local area to build tombs for living people. Some tombs had not been used for decades. It was puzzling that a rich man like Boss Tan did not build a cemetery for the elderly in advance. But Mu Linfeng did not understand why he invited him here again.
Seeing that Mu Linfeng was very calm and didn't ask him anything, Boss Tan suddenly felt a little apologetic and had to tell the truth: "Mr. Mu, I will tell you the truth, please forgive me."
Mu Linfeng nodded and didn't say much, because he was somewhat unhappy in his heart. Especially for this kind of thing, he absolutely couldn't do anything rash. How could he lie to himself?
Boss Tan went on to say, "Half a year ago, a stranger in his thirties found me. He was gentle and refined, with a scholarly temperament. He told me directly that my father would face a 'crossroads' in half a year, and that my father might not make it. He handed me a map showing the topography of our Tanfang Village. He told me to quickly build a cemetery for my father, which might help my father get through this 'crossroads'. He also said that as long as my father could get through this 'crossroads', he would have no problem living another ten years... As a child, of course, we hope that our elders can live longer, so I built a tomb for my father according to the map, and it took me just over ten days..."
"So the cemetery in the southwest of the village was chosen by that person?" Mu Linfeng asked thoughtfully.
"Yes, that person knows me and the situation of Tanfang Village very well. I remember that when he gave me the sketch, he specifically reminded me that the tomb must be in the southwest, and specifically told me not to choose the location behind the village that Mr. Mu just mentioned. So I was a little surprised to hear what Master Mu said..."
"Mr. Tan, don't you know the person who gave you the picture?" Mu Linfeng asked curiously.
Boss Tan said in a positive tone: "I definitely don't know him, and I have never met him."
"Then how can you believe him?"
"Well, this is what the saying goes: when you are ill, you will try any doctor you can find. I also knew that my father's illness could not be cured, but I was always hoping for a miracle, so I didn't think much about it. And that person left a very deep impression on me. His manners and conversation revealed an elegant temperament, which made me believe him without a doubt... A few days ago, when my father returned home from the hospital, I suddenly realized that this matter was very strange. The more I thought about it, the more I felt something was wrong. It happened that Master Gao came to see my father and recommended Master Mu to me, so I went to invite Master Mu..."
Boss Tan paused for a moment and then said hurriedly, "The main purpose of inviting Mr. Mu is not only to select the tomb, but most importantly to ask you to preside over my father's funeral."
Boss Tan's words did not alert Mu Linfeng, and he did not think deeply about what Boss Tan said, because tomb physiognomy is very similar to fortune-telling a person's eight characters, and the methods are almost the same. People who understand fortune-telling by eight characters know that the key to fortune-telling by eight characters is to choose a "useful god" from the "ten gods" that is most beneficial to the day stem, and once the "useful god" is chosen wrong, the result of the speculation will be exactly the opposite, and auspiciousness will be interpreted as great misfortune, and a bad omen will be seen as auspiciousness. So a place that looks dangerous to someone may be a treasure land in the eyes of others, and there is such a record in the "Tomb Physiognomy Notes" left by the ancestors.
Mu Linfeng smiled slightly and said to Boss Tan: "Don't take this matter too seriously, Boss Tan. It's not surprising that such a situation exists. Such a situation does occur when looking at a tomb. In the eyes of different people, good and bad luck may be opposite..."
Before Mu Linfeng finished speaking, Tan Lao Er asked anxiously: "Who should we listen to? Is the cemetery we built for our father a treasure or a bad place?"
Mu Linfeng looked at Tan Lao Er and said, "This question is the simplest. Ask your heart. Your intuition will give you the best answer."
Boss Tan nodded: "Although Master Mu's words are profound, they are the best answer."
"Haha, actually you have already made your choice in your heart..." Mu Linfeng said while waving to everyone, "Let's hurry up and go to the back of the village to check if my judgment is correct."
"Mr. Tan, shall we drive over there?" Gao Hongjin earnestly sought Mr. Tan's opinion.
Boss Tan did not answer, but turned to look at Mu Linfeng. He now admired Mu Linfeng with all his heart, so he respected Mu Linfeng's opinion in everything.
This is a small mountain village with less than a hundred households. It only takes a few minutes to walk through the village. Mu Linfeng said to Boss Tan: "Let's walk over. We can just observe the situation in the village."
"Okay, let's go this way." Boss Tan said readily, leading the way.
Now that the economic conditions are better, the village no longer has stone houses. They are basically flat-roofed houses with reinforced concrete structures, and the doors and windows are made of aluminum alloy or plastic steel, with beautiful wall tiles on the front and back. Houses can best reflect the economic strength of a village. Driven by the Tan brothers, Tanfang Village has developed very quickly, and it can be seen that it is much better than Mujiaying.
Because it was still early, there were not many people on the streets in the village, and the group of six people quietly passed through the village. The alleys of the mountain village were all paved with cement, which looked very neat and clean. All of this was the credit of the Tan brothers. The Tan brothers did not forget their fellow villagers when they became rich, and they had a good reputation in the local area, which was why Mu Linfeng wanted to do his best to do this.
When they reached the middle of the village, Tan Lao Er took a few quick steps to catch up with Mu Linfeng and Tan Lao Da who were walking in front, and then asked softly: "Master Mu, what kind of cemetery is good? As long as you choose a place, I have discussed with my eldest brother and will spend several million to build a luxurious cemetery for the old man..."
