Chapter 5 – The Bloody Platter

“Master Sun! This old fool truly didn’t recognize Mount Tai before his eyes! I was far too disrespectful this morning! I must ask you to take a careful look at my cemetery. Otherwise, I really can’t rest easy…” When they met again, Boss Wang’s previously insincere, perfunctory smile was gone, replaced by a face full of genuine fear. The first thing he did upon entering was bow and apologize.

Sun Chengfeng smiled lightly. “Boss Wang, you’re too kind. Feng shui is also about fate. Since you’ve placed such trust in me, Sun will naturally do his best.”

His words carried no hint of arrogance, and paired with Master Sun’s impressive appearance, they made people feel at ease. Boss Wang’s expression immediately relaxed, and he shot a glance at Assistant Song behind him. Assistant Song quickly stepped forward and handed over an envelope. “This is a small token of appreciation for your trouble this morning. It’s just a humble gesture, but we hope Master Sun will accept it.”

In truth, Jieshui Studio’s policy was to offer wind and water readings for free, only charging for arranging feng shui layouts or resolving feng shui calamities. Since they hadn’t even started yet, receiving money upfront was certainly a welcome gesture. However, Sun Chengfeng didn’t reach out to take it. Instead, Wei Yang, standing beside him, pushed the envelope back. “The master doesn’t care for this. Let’s follow the rules.”

His expression was stiff and unyielding, instantly making Assistant Song flush with embarrassment. But after the initial awkwardness, Boss Wang became even more anxious. He quickly pushed Assistant Song aside and said repeatedly, “Yes, yes, let’s follow the rules, follow the rules…”

Only after Assistant Song took the money back did Wei Yang step back into position. However, his right hand made a subtle gesture unseen by the others. When he had intercepted the envelope earlier, he had felt that it contained at least 20,000 yuan. This wasn’t just a bite at the bait—it was a desperate one. They could squeeze a lot out of this.

Sun Chengfeng glanced out of the corner of his eye, a faint smile curling at the corners of his lips. After inviting the two guests to sit, he spoke at a leisurely pace. “Actually, the root of this problem lies in the term ‘cemetery.’ I’m sure many people have told you how to arrange the hall, how many levels the pagoda should have, how to handle the Azure Dragon and White Tiger, and so on. But if you follow the feng shui principles for burials, it won’t bring any blessings to the cemetery. Instead, it will create a dire situation.”

Boss Wang was dumbfounded. He stammered, “How… how can that be? It’s still a place for burying the dead, isn’t it?”

Sun Chengfeng’s expression turned serious. “Burying the dead is true, but burials are about letting the deceased rest in peace. Modern cemeteries are based on cremation, which in the past would have been considered burning the corpse. No matter what kind of luck or evil forces were present, a single fire would have burned it all away. Ashes are just a pile of dust. Whether or not they’re buried doesn’t matter much.”

This theory was completely opposite to conventional wisdom. But those in the cemetery business were naturally bold and daring. Boss Wang quickly nodded in agreement. “Exactly! When you think about it, that really makes sense! Master Sun is absolutely right! So, is the problem with my cemetery due to the decoration?”

“Yes, and no.” Master Sun stroked his beard and said leisurely, “While ashes don’t carry any evil energy, the incense burned during worship can’t be ignored. Simply put, feng shui is an intangible force of energy. When the energy of life reaches a certain level, it naturally affects its surroundings. Your cemetery originally adopted a pagoda layout to harness the mountain’s energy, with the pagoda positioned in the Azure Dragon’s location. In theory, there’s no issue. But a pagoda must have a solid foundation. If the pagoda’s spire gathers too much life energy, making it top-heavy, it becomes a dangerous situation where the Azure Dragon transforms into a serpent. You also started construction in the Fire position below, naturally causing an excess of yang water, creating a conflicting current…”

“That’s it!” Boss Wang slapped his thigh and exclaimed excitedly, “Master Sun, you’ve hit the nail on the head! Last month, when we started the third phase of construction, as soon as we broke ground, the fish in the pond started floating belly-up, turning the surface white with dead fish! Then a few trees died too, and I started to panic. I immediately had the pit filled in! Master Sun, it’s not that I didn’t trust you, but there are just too many scammers out there. You’re the only one who’s been able to explain things so clearly!”

Seeing Boss Wang’s excited, spit-flying demeanor, Sun Chengfeng secretly chuckled to himself. How could he not guess? When they found out the cemetery was starting construction, Wei Yang had gone under different identities five times to investigate. He discovered they had dug something up from the site—which wasn’t unusual, as Miaotou Mountain was a historically significant burial area. Finding something was common—and immediately took action, tossing something into the pond that caused all the fish to float belly-up. He also took advantage of a smoke break to mess with two saplings… With this kind of preparation, if they couldn’t guess, then no one could.

Meanwhile, Wei Yang, standing to the side, showed no expression, as stoic as a wooden figure. Master Sun gave a light cough, suppressing his self-satisfaction, and continued, “But that’s secondary. The main issue is that you dug something up. I believe the calamity is tied to that object. I’ve tried to deduce it, but all I can guess is that it’s neither metal nor jade…”

Boss Wang jumped up from the sofa. “Yes, yes! It’s neither metal nor jade!”

Of course it wasn’t. If they had dug up gold or jade, they would have kept digging even if it meant bad luck. Why would they have filled the pit? Sun Chengfeng inwardly scoffed, but his eyes narrowed slightly, taking on an air of complete control. However, Boss Wang didn’t stop talking this time. Instead, he pushed Assistant Song and said, “Xiao Song, quickly bring it out for Master Sun to see!”

This was somewhat unexpected for Sun Chengfeng and Wei Yang. They had thought the excavation had uncovered some pots or bones, but it seemed they had actually found something?

Assistant Song also looked a bit scared as he tremblingly opened his briefcase and pulled out a small wooden box. “It… it’s this…” He carefully placed the box on the table and quickly retreated back into the sofa.

Boss Wang also lowered his voice, speaking softly, “This thing was originally inside a jar. The excavator broke the jar, and it was exposed to the air… Master, I feel like this thing is really sinister. I don’t know how to deal with it, so I brought it for you to take a look.” As he spoke, he slowly opened the box, revealing its contents.

Inside the wooden box was a small object, about six or seven centimeters long, cylindrical in shape, and gleaming white. It looked smooth and polished. Sun Chengfeng was momentarily stunned. What was this? But before he could figure out how to respond, a voice came from beside him.

“A Bone Formation…” Wei Yang spoke, his voice distant, carrying an ominous tone. The three others present all shivered. At that moment, Wei Yang seemed to snap out of it, his expression instantly turning serious as he repeated, “Master, is this thing the legendary Bone Formation? That sinister artifact?”

Sun Chengfeng reacted swiftly, furrowing his brow. “Exactly! It is indeed a Bone Formation! This thing is extremely malevolent. It’s carved from the linked fingers of someone who died unjustly, specifically used for casting curses. I suspect your cemetery was once the focal point of some kind of sinister formation. By digging it up, you disrupted the earth’s energy and activated the formation’s malevolent forces.”

His words were so mystifying that Boss Wang broke out in a cold sweat. “Then… then Master, what should we do about this…”

Sun Chengfeng’s expression turned grave. “It’s more serious than I thought! This kind of malevolent force can’t be dealt with through ordinary means. I’m afraid we’ll have to…”

Boss Wang quickly interjected, “Money is no issue! As long as we can get rid of this evil, no amount of money is a problem!”

Master Sun solemnly waved his hand. “It’s not about money. To suppress this kind of evil, we’ll need top-tier ritual artifacts. I originally thought of setting up a Spirit Tortoise Formation, where the serpent entwines the turtle, forming the Black Tortoise. This would not only restrain the Azure Dragon’s malevolent energy but also suppress the agitated Fire element, killing two birds with one stone. But now… sigh, it’s difficult!”

Boss Wang’s chubby face, which usually showed a toothy grin, was now trembling. He pleaded, “Master Sun, with your connections, you must be able to find a suitable artifact. You’ve seen the situation—you can’t just leave us to die!”

Sun Chengfeng sighed softly. “Very well. Since I’ve encountered this, I can’t just stand by. Given the current situation, there are two ways to deal with this malevolent force. The first is to set up a simple formation, combined with later renovations to the cemetery, which could keep things peaceful for the next decade or so. But to completely eradicate it, we’ll need to make more extensive preparations and upgrade the artifacts. It won’t be easy…”

“We need to cure the disease at its root!” Boss Wang gritted his teeth. “Money really isn’t an issue. I can wait. Master, please help me completely resolve this issue for the cemetery. This isn’t the kind of expense we can skimp on!”

Master Sun nodded. “Since you’ve said that, I’ll risk my life to help you! The artifacts will take some time to prepare. Once I find something suitable, I’ll let you know. For now, take this bronze turtle back with you. Dig a pit seven feet deep in the northwest corner of the pagoda’s base and bury the turtle there, facing the direction of the construction. This will temporarily suppress the conflicting energy. If no more living creatures die in the next few days, I’ll personally come to the cemetery to set up the formation and resolve this feng shui calamity.”

This all-encompassing attitude earned Boss Wang’s profuse thanks. The bronze turtle artifact was only a temporary solution and not very expensive, costing him just 300,000 yuan. As for the subsequent “root treatment,” it would depend on the level of the artifacts they found, so they couldn’t set a price now. Faced with Master Sun’s straightforward approach, Boss Wang was completely convinced. He insisted on leaving a million yuan for Master Sun to buy better artifacts. After much insistence, Master Sun finally accepted a bank card, saying he would notify Boss Wang when purchasing the artifacts so he could personally inspect them and agree to the purchase before proceeding.

After all the arrangements were made, Boss Wang felt much more at ease. He immediately arranged for a hotel banquet to thank them. This time, Master Sun didn’t refuse, only saying that setting up a feng shui formation required some fasting, so he couldn’t eat meat or drink alcohol at the banquet. Boss Wang quickly changed the venue to a high-end vegetarian restaurant, where they dined for two hours before parting on good terms.

Back at Jieshui Studio, with the doors closed, Sun Chengfeng sprawled on the sofa, picking his teeth without a hint of his earlier dignified demeanor. “I think that Wang guy can still cough up another million or so. Ah Yang, do you think we should squeeze him harder?”

“It’s better to fatten the pig before slaughtering it,” Wei Yang replied, crouching by the coffee table and examining the wooden box. “Later, we can also renovate their cemetery for them, which will be another source of income. People like him have wide social circles, so we don’t need to squeeze too hard. Consider it an investment in advertising.”

“Hmm, that makes sense.” With a ptui, Sun Chengfeng spat out a piece of vegetable stuck in his teeth and glanced curiously at Wei Yang, who was still examining the finger bone. “Why are you still looking at that thing? What the hell is it? Is it really that ‘Bone Formation’ you mentioned?”

“I’m not sure either.” For once, Wei Yang’s voice carried a hint of doubt. “When I saw it, the term just popped into my head, but when I think about it now, I can’t recall where I heard it… Uncle Sun, can I take this thing home to study?”

“Take it if you want. It’s just taking up space here anyway.” Sun Chengfeng waved his hand generously. The Bone Formation had been intercepted under the guise of being extremely malevolent, and it would just end up collecting dust in a cabinet here. “By the way, I heard from Ah Hua that you’re planning to buy a house? It’s about time! Housing prices have been skyrocketing these years. If you don’t buy now, you’ll just get gouged later! Do you have enough money? If not, I can give you an advance. Forget about down payments and loans—just buy it outright…”

“Thank you, Uncle Sun.” Wei Yang smiled, not refusing. He slipped the small wooden box into his pocket and stood up. “Then I’ll head back now. Tomorrow morning, I’ll go to Cultural Street to see if there are any good items.”

“Alright, take your time. Don’t go for anything too expensive—something good and affordable is best.” Sun Chengfeng had complete faith in Wei Yang’s discerning eye and casually waved his hand, pulling an iPhone 5S out of his pocket to start playing games.

Wei Yang glanced at the shameless old charlatan, shook his head, and walked out.