Beipai Tomb Raiders Notes

Chapter 599 Hiding Place

"Uncle Cha, wait a minute! I still have questions to ask!"

"what is the problem?"

"Now I know that the real name of the Celestial Star Technique should be Xuan Kong Feng Shui Theory. The stars have been evolving over time. We have seven visible stars in the Big Dipper and two invisible faint stars, which makes nine, or the Nine Palaces. How should these Nine Palaces be distributed in the Feng Shui of Yang Houses? This may be the secret behind the Jiang Family Compound."

Uncle Cha thought about it seriously for a moment and replied, "Kid, as I just said, I can't see through the secrets contained in that courtyard, so don't make wild guesses. As for how the Nine Palaces affect the feng shui of a house, I can briefly explain it. If you can understand even a little bit of it, then even if you don't do this job in the future, you can still make a living with this skill."

"Do you know how to use a compass?"

"of course."

He nodded: "The simplest way is to look at the feng shui of the house. Take out a farmer's almanac, which usually has the Nine Palaces Flying Stars chart for the year drawn on it."

"Divide the house floor plan into a small nine-square grid, stand in the center of the house with a compass to determine the orientation, measure the orientation of the main entrance, kitchen, toilet, and living room, and then check them against the Nine Palaces Flying Star Chart."

"I understand, Uncle Cha. Suppose this year, the Eight White Wealth Star flies to the southeast of the house, and that direction happens to be a window, then we can gain wealth? Conversely, if that direction happens to be a wall, then it's like blocking the wealth star out? Am I right?"

Uncle Cha nodded, satisfied, and said, "Don't pile up clutter near the windows. Keep the air circulating, clean, and bright. If you change the curtains to dark red, the effect will be even better."

"Because fire generates earth? That would amplify the effect?"

"Yes."

"What if the southeast corner of your house isn't a window, but the bed in your bedroom? If the Eight White Star flies into the bedroom, can you still make money? Suppose I buy a lot of stocks, wouldn't I be making money while I'm sleeping?"

Uncle Cha chuckled and added, "The premise is that there can't be a water dispenser or fish tank near the bed, because the Eight White Star belongs to Earth, and Earth will suppress Water."

I said, "The Eight White Star is a good star. If an inauspicious star flies into the kitchen or toilet of the house, shouldn't we use the method of the Five Elements' mutual restraint to deal with and resolve it?"

Uncle Cha shook his head: "No, that's the worst way. The ominous star is fickle and often becomes more ferocious the more you try to suppress it. It often tries to cause trouble when you are weak, which can easily lead to family discord and a series of misfortunes. The best way is to control and release it."

"How should we collect it? How should we release it?"

Uncle Cha raised his eyes and said, "Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, all things, are mutually generating and mutually restraining. I can't explain them all clearly. You just need to find the corresponding attribute and weaken it. For example, fire is afraid of water, but if the oil pan in the kitchen catches fire, using water will only make the fire bigger. On the contrary, if you cover it with a lid, it will naturally go out slowly after a while."

I asked thoughtfully, "Let's assume that this year a malefic earth star flies into my home. Would it be enough for me to place a brass gourd in a suitable location? Copper belongs to metal, and metal can weaken earth."

Uncle Cha nodded.

I asked again, "But what if it stays inside the gourd and never leaves?"

Uncle Cha said irritably, "Not leaving? May I ask if your home is a blessed land or a fairy island? Regardless of whether it's an inauspicious or unlucky star, it will leave after the beginning of spring every year and fly to another home. As the old saying goes, fortune turns around and it will come to your home next year. This is the application of Xuan Kong Feng Shui for Yang houses."

After hearing this, I suddenly understood and everything became clear.

Uncle Cha seemed a little down. I asked him what was wrong and if something was on his mind.

Uncle Cha shook his head, saying that he still needed to learn and needed to go further.

As soon as I came out, Xiaoxuan said, "Yunfeng, you two are chatting so enthusiastically, are you thinking of changing careers to become a feng shui master?"

I went upstairs and put my arm around Xiaoxuan's shoulder.

Xiaoxuan didn't say anything about my unusual initiative, but I could tell from her expression that she was very happy.

“Xiaoxuan, unless I can’t make it in this industry anymore, I will never change careers in my life. It’s just that the deeper my understanding of feng shui becomes, the more I feel my own insignificance. Feng shui is everywhere and omnipotent.”

"Can feng shui help me lose weight?"

"You're not fat at all, why are you trying to lose weight?"

"I've gained weight. Look, I have belly fat when I sit down. I've been eating very little for the past month, but I haven't seen any weight loss. I'm thinking, if I don't control myself now, what will I look like when I'm 37?"

Xiaoxuan added, "I'm not tall. If I get too fat, I'll become an apple-shaped body, like an apple stuck upside down on two chopsticks. That would look awful."

"Nonsense, everyone has belly fat when they sit down! You know Tingting, right? She weighs more than four times your weight, and she's never said anything about dieting. You must eat more in the future and never even think about dieting."

Xiaoxuan playfully stuck her tongue out at me.

Holding Xiaoxuan in my arms, smelling her scent, and gazing at the boundless blue water before me, my understanding of feng shui suddenly deepened.

Feng shui is not a science, but something that stands above science. It comes and goes without a trace, it cannot be seen or touched. It contains the laws of all things, while humans are just one of them. Our perspective, knowledge, and understanding are all limited. Just like the Jiang family compound located deep in the mountains, those who have not seen it can never truly understand it.

.....

Around noon, we landed on a small island in the southern part of Qiandao Lake. The head of the island had arrived forty minutes earlier than us, and I thought this was our hiding place.

"Yunfeng, come with me. Xiaoxuan, keep an eye on the people."

He led me to a secluded place, which was full of wild grass and stones.

He moved his head aside from the stone slab, revealing a hole in the ground.

The cave was small, only a few square meters in size, and resembled a water cellar. It was filled with many things, some in boxes and others wrapped in tattered bed sheets.

"Boss, could these be... something new from Zukengyuan?"

“That’s right, Chao Sheng got it the night before last.”

"so much!?"

I quickly jumped into the pit to check. Although it was midday, when I opened the cardboard box, I was still dazzled by a flash of "golden light".

It's gold leaf... a whole box of gold leaf, and because of the puddle, it looks brand new.

These gold leaves all have long, rectangular stamps on their surfaces, indicating the shop name or workshop. They were likely made by a money exchange during the Northern Song Dynasty and served as currency.

I looked at other things too.

It was all shoddy goods, including miscellaneous gold items, shoehorns, silver ingots, and jade items, all small pieces.

I quickly covered the hole and whispered, "Boss, these things look like they were looted from various places by the rebels back then. I talked to Watermelon Head, and we can sell this batch of goods to the church behind him."

"What's your estimated price?" the foreman asked.

I did the math and said, "It adds up to at least 2,500. After deducting Chao Sheng and Piao Zi Ke's share, and also deducting the hardship fee for Uncle Cha and Ji Ba Tou, we can each save about 400."

He nodded: "That's about what I thought. Adding what we had left over, it should be around 600 per person."

It's much safer to hide the goods on this nameless island than in the city. It has a wide view and is only accessible by water. If no one is there to guide you, you definitely won't be able to find it.

"Boss, Master Ji, you're the one who had Brother Yu find him, right?"

"Yes."

"Where's Brother Yu and Bean Sprout? Where are we staying tonight?"

"I don't live here. I brought you here so you could see these things."

"Not staying here? Isn't this our hiding place?"

He shook his head.

"They should be here around this time."

After saying that, he turned his head to look away.

I followed suit and looked in that direction.

Suddenly, a large ship appeared on the previously empty lake.

I looked closely and saw a young man standing at the bow of the boat. He was tall and wore a black trench coat. He was carrying a bucket and had a cigarette in his mouth. The lake breeze made his trench coat flutter, making him look quite imposing.

Isn't that the silly guy with the steering wheel?