Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Three-Day Hidden Retrieval

But such a person simply cannot exist.

The truth is, the knowledge of the Great Luo Feng Shui that has been passed down through the ages is extremely scarce. And even within that fraction—less than a tenth—the depth and complexity are beyond the grasp of ordinary people.

Historically, only two figures were renowned for understanding Great Luo Feng Shui: one was Fan Zeng, and the other was Liu Bowen. Unfortunately, when Fan Zeng applied Great Luo Feng Shui to predict the fate of the realm, he made a critical error and ultimately failed to assist Xiang Yu in establishing his empire. In plain terms, he was simply not skilled enough and misread the signs.

As for Liu Bowen, although he made good use of the limited Great Luo Feng Shui he knew, the enormous energy it demanded meant he didn’t significantly aid Zhu Yuanzhang. The folk tales about him are somewhat exaggerated. At the end of the day, Liu Bowen merely used Great Luo Feng Shui to see through the fact that Zhu Yuanzhang would succeed; his contributions were limited, which is why he does not appear on the list of founding heroes of the Ming dynasty.

Despite only scratching the surface of Great Luo Feng Shui, Liu Bowen essentially had a glimpse into the celestial secrets of his time.

The terrifying aspect of mastering Great Luo Feng Shui lies not merely in foreseeing events, but in the ability to alter many things. Ordinary people may dismiss this, but if you understand feng shui, you will know how horrifying it is to change the feng shui configuration of a place or a person's future.

I don’t disbelieve in this kind of feng shui; I simply know nothing about it. Though the fat man spoke with such authority, I still couldn’t grasp how this related to the “Three-Day Burial.”

Moreover, hadn’t he himself said that Great Luo Feng Shui didn’t cover matters of burial? So why would there be something called the “Three-Day Burial”?

The fat man lit another cigarette and continued.

No form of feng shui can transcend heaven and earth. Even the seemingly heaven-defying Great Luo Feng Shui is but a method within the mortal realm. The “Three-Day Burial” is like a kind of tail-end feature within Great Luo Feng Shui. Simply put, it represents a limitation—or a “weakness.”

No matter how formidable the full scope of Great Luo Feng Shui is, it is constrained by the Three-Day Burial. Imagine someone mastering the essence of Great Luo Feng Shui without any restriction: that person could manipulate all the wind veins of the world. Wherever they wished prosperity, that place would flourish; wherever they desired to sever the veins, nothing would grow there.

Yet such a thing never happens. The reason is that Great Luo Feng Shui is a discipline born from the evolution of heaven and earth; it cannot wield unlimited control over everything. The Three-Day Burial serves to restrain the boundless spread of Great Luo Feng Shui’s influence.

Anyone wishing to practice Great Luo Feng Shui, no matter how powerful, must first construct a Three-Day Burial. It is a prerequisite—a binding spell of sorts. Once you establish the Three-Day Burial, you effectively put a tightening ring on yourself. From then on, no matter how you employ the methods within Great Luo Feng Shui, you must operate within the boundaries the Three-Day Burial can govern. Interestingly, Great Luo Feng Shui is absolutely singular.

In other words, at any given moment, there can only be one Great Luo Feng Shui configuration in the world. Attempting to create a second one is impossible until the first is completely broken.

Of course, all this presupposes that someone fully comprehends Great Luo Feng Shui in its entirety. Thus, within the realm of feng shui, Great Luo Feng Shui remains largely theoretical—no one truly attempts to manifest it.

Though the full Great Luo Feng Shui is unattainable, the Three-Day Burial is feasible.

The fat man said that to create a Three-Day Burial, the person buried inside must be someone comparable to an immortal. The conditions are incredibly stringent—thousands of times more complex than electing the President of the United States.

Legend has it that the method of the Three-Day Burial was known in the early Ming period, but because the requisite person was so difficult to find, it was never executed. After all, those who practice these arts are feng shui masters; you can’t very well ask them to kill figures like Qin Shi Huang or Emperor Wu of Han and bury them in this way.

I found myself wondering why those emperors, with their flourishing imperial aura, never arranged a Three-Day Burial for themselves.

The fat man replied that the Three-Day Burial is a method for burying immortals and clashes with ancient rites. Its practices are extreme—so extreme that even the most formidable emperors of history could not accept them.

Nevertheless, if a Three-Day Burial succeeds, it would be an extraordinary event.

“It sounds so mystical, but what exactly makes the Three-Day Burial so powerful?” I asked.

The fat man’s expression grew serious as he lowered his voice: “The Three-Day Burial can be called a tomb, but it’s not a tomb.”

“Hmm,” I grew more confused. “What do you mean it’s a tomb but not a tomb? Please explain clearly.”

“Sigh, if I knew clearly, I wouldn’t have to be down here digging,” the fat man said. “All I know from the Daoist teachings is that a tomb made into a Three-Day Burial doesn’t stay in one place forever. It moves, like a living thing.”

I shivered, goosebumps rising on my arm. “No way. An ancient tomb can move? How does it move? What if it accidentally wanders underground?”

“That’s all legend; who knows if it’s true,” the fat man glanced around. “But since that kid Zhang Yadong mentioned it, Professor Chen and the others must know something suspicious. My guess is that even if the Three-Day Burial isn’t as sinister as the rumors say, it’s certainly a huge tomb beyond our imagination. Tsk…”

As he spoke, the fat man seemed already pondering how to make a trip there.

I hurriedly interrupted him, “Don’t think too much about it. Most of these so-called mystical things are probably false. By the way, what about the ‘Underworld Lord’ you mentioned?”

After I asked, the fat man shook his head. “Probably just a ghost. Without Professor Chen and Zhuge Xuan talking about it, we wouldn’t even know.”

The fat man was right. But now their team had already suffered two deaths and one disappearance in succession. Neither he nor I dared question them as boldly as before. Still, I was certain that the “Underworld Lord” Zhang Yadong mentioned was inside this ancient tomb. Judging by the expression he had when saying it, I knew it was definitely something sinister.

“Then why did Zhang Yadong say the Underworld Lord is among us?” I asked, looking at the fat man.

Suddenly, Professor Chen whispered, “That is a legend passed around within our archaeological team.”

His sudden voice startled me. We were still some distance away, and my voice had been deliberately low, yet Professor Chen heard it clearly.

“Professor Chen, there’s no need to explain to them,” Zhuge Xuan said, casting a sharp glance at me and the fat man.

“Ah, since things have come to this, forcing it isn’t helpful,” Professor Chen said, glancing at Huasheng with a hint of other meanings. “Mr. Cao, I’m afraid you realize by now that our mission isn’t merely to rescue people. We’ve known each other for a long time; you should understand that once we’re underground, some matters are better left unsaid. Please don’t blame me for pressing you.”

Just moments ago, I had been pondering those matters, yet now Professor Chen was voluntarily opening up to us. It was unexpected. The fat man and I exchanged a look, then simultaneously stepped forward.