The village's suffering moved me. The men we'd spoken to were half - dead from (ulcerated) sores. Each life lost meant a broken family. If Wang Yi truly had a way, money meant nothing.
Mentioning he'd get all the reward transformed Wang Yi instantly. Zhou and I listened as he rambled on about the Twelve Child Coffins.
The huge bronze pillar was the array's marker, engraved with twelve taotie (gluttonous (ferocious beasts)). The array cruelly required twelve 8 - year - olds, one for each zodiac. A rat - zodiac boy was first, his body filled with mercury to trap his soul, buried in piao (rotten) soil. Each year, another boy was added. After twelve years, the coffins were arranged by Twelve Earthly Branches clashes (Zi - Wu, Chou - Wei, etc.), controlled by taotie and bronze nails. Centuries later, the (evil qi) was sealed by a yang mixture of saltpeter, sulfur, cinnabar, and (virgin boy's urine).
I was horrified—ancient people were ruthless. Wang cleared his throat. "That's all I know. How to break it? Your guess is as good as mine. I'm no expert—self - taught, bad memory."
"Is that it?" I balked.
"Yep. You're the feng shui master—break the array, neutralize the qi." He sat on the steps, smoking, blowing smoke in my face to confirm he'd get all the money.
I resisted punching him. Zhou knelt, choking, "I was an orphan raised by the village. Save us, and I'll be your servant."
"Get up," I helped him. "Do you have a detailed map?" He fetched a geological survey plan. Spreading it, I located the coffins. Wang traced twelve positions forming four triangles pointing to the pillar. "That's the Death Gate, anchored with tiger's blood—no tigers now. Figure it out."
By noon, Wang demanded food. At Zhou's adoptive mother's house, the old woman wept as we ate. After lunch, Wang napped while I circled the village, marking the Seven Xuan Guan—vital qi channels.
As dusk fell, the village was eerily quiet. "Gather laborers," I told Zhou. "Dig where I marked until you hit black stone."
Back at the house, Wang snacked on melon seeds. "Done?"
"How did you know my plan?"
"Talent shows. You unlocked the Divine Eye in a day—finding qi channels is child's play." His insight surprised me. "Why involve me?" I asked.