Chapter 143 – Extra 4 – Master Sun’s Marvelous Adventure 4

The next day, Ling Miao personally visited Sun Chengfeng. As a billionaire, this gesture could be considered as a sign of humility and respect. However, his sincerity did not earn him the enthusiasm of Master Sun. Unlike the confidence he had shown the day before, Sun Chengfeng now wore a deeply troubled expression and got straight to the point: “Director Ling, I was a bit overconfident yesterday. This stone is likely more complicated than I had imagined.”

Hearing this, Ling Miao frowned. Having spent considerable time in the feng shui circle and encountered countless charlatans, he was quite familiar with their tactics for raising prices. Coming out with such a statement right away—was this an attempt to hike up the fee? Though he felt somewhat annoyed, Ling Miao quickly replied, “Master Sun, since we’ve entrusted this matter to you, we can discuss the price. Please don’t refuse…”

Sun Chengfeng waved his hand, cutting him off, and said calmly, “Director Ling, you’ve misunderstood. I, Sun, am not the type of person who’s blinded by money. It’s just that this matter is truly difficult to handle. You should now understand the significance of Yang Bi. Such a rare treasure lying in the mountains—doesn’t that strike you as strange?”

Ling Miao’s heart skipped a beat. Indeed, Sun Chengfeng had mentioned yesterday that the black stone was a rare treasure. After the meeting, Ling Miao had personally tested it and found that the stone indeed had magnetic properties, even affecting a compass. However, no genuine feng shui compass placed nearby would react, which defied scientific explanation. Such a precious material, if used as a ritual instrument, would surely have extraordinary effects. But why would anyone leave such a treasure in the depths of the mountains?

He was quick to catch on and pondered for a moment before asking, “Could it be that someone deliberately placed the Yang Bi in the mountains?”

“Exactly,” Sun Chengfeng nodded with a grave expression. “That stone might be connected to a secret from the Daoist tradition. It’s said that a great calamity once occurred in Sichuan, and a Daoist elder sealed the disaster beneath a Yang Bi, setting up a Forbidden Technique to prevent anyone from rashly entering the mountains and disrupting the formation.”

“So, we’ve violated a taboo? Is the Yang Bi not to be moved?” Ling Miao’s expression turned extremely grim as he pressed for an answer.

“It cannot be moved. In fact, by removing a small piece of the stone, you may have already caused some trouble.” Sun Chengfeng’s face was more serious than ever. “That thing once caused widespread devastation in Sichuan during the late Southern Song dynasty. Since the Song and Yuan dynasties, Sichuan has frequently been plagued by human calamities, which are likely connected to it. If it could cause such harm to the world, imagine the consequences if you act rashly.”

Ling Miao’s face turned pale. He wasn’t sure if this was just a ploy to extort money, but it was better to err on the side of caution. After hesitating for a long time, he finally said, “How can you prove this?”

“If there’s something beneath the stone, a simple probe with detection equipment would reveal it. Director Ling, if you don’t believe me, you’re welcome to test it yourself,” Sun Chengfeng replied with certainty.

“But right now, we can’t get anyone into the site…” Ling Miao suddenly realized something. “Master Sun, do you have a way to get our people back in?”

After a long pause, Sun Chengfeng answered faintly, “I’m not entirely confident.”

“Even a seventy percent chance would do.” Ling Miao immediately made a decision. “What’s beneath the Yang Bi is still unclear, but our construction project must proceed. We can’t afford to stall like this—every day costs tens of thousands in losses. Shuirui can’t bear this!”

Sun Chengfeng, however, frowned slightly: “That’s precisely what I wanted to discuss with you, Director Ling. If there truly is a calamity beneath that stone, it would be best to halt the development project. You know that once development begins, tourists will come. If someone accidentally stumbles into that area and causes a mishap, it would invite Heavenly Retribution.”

Ling Miao was visibly flustered and shot up from the sofa: “Master Sun, this is a project worth over a billion yuan. We can’t just stop it like that. Don’t you have a better solution?”

Sun Chengfeng remained silent, offering no reply. His silence only made Ling Miao more anxious. After some thought, Ling Miao added, “How about this, Master Sun, go and assess the situation first. If there’s really a problem, we can discuss anything. I won’t even take the Yang Bi. As long as the current project can be salvaged, you can name your price.”

“I’ve already said, this isn’t about money,” Sun Chengfeng shook his head again. “Forget it, I’ve already agreed to help you, so I’ll go take a look. If it’s truly beyond my capabilities, I’ll have to ask you to find someone else.”

With this assurance, Ling Miao finally calmed down and nodded: “Alright, I’ll arrange the flight immediately. Everything depends on you, Master Sun.”

Not wanting to waste any time, Ling Miao turned and left. After seeing him out of Jieshui Studio, Sun Chengfeng returned to the reception room and collapsed onto the sofa like a boneless heap. Wei Yang and Zhang Xiuqi emerged from the inner room, and upon seeing them, the old charlatan immediately sat up, his eyes gleaming: “Ah Yang, it seems that Ling guy bought it!”

“With Uncle Sun handling it, this level of task is a breeze, isn’t it?” Wei Yang smiled as he took a seat.

Flattered, the old man’s dignified demeanor vanished instantly. He stroked his dyed white beard with a sly grin and chuckled, “Of course, hahaha! But Ah Yang, aren’t you laying it on a bit thick? What if we can’t create that big of a scene when we get there?”

Wei Yang smiled: “With Brother Qi around, we can create as much of a scene as we need. You don’t have to worry about that, Uncle Sun. But when the time comes, you’ll need to cooperate with us. Don’t scare yourself first.”

Sun Chengfeng immediately slapped his chest: “Bring it on! I get a full-body checkup every year—my heart’s in great shape!” Then his expression shifted again, and he grinned obsequiously: “But going into the mountains at night is a bit creepy. Ah Yang, could you give me a few protective talismans? It’ll help me feel more at ease.”

Whether he was actually scared or not was unclear, but his request for talismans definitely wasn’t out of fear. Wei Yang smiled and took off a string of copper coins from his wrist, handing it over: “This is the real deal, much better than the Five Emperor Coins on the market. Take good care of it, don’t lose it.”

“Of course, of course.” Sun Chengfeng’s eyes practically disappeared into his smile as he quickly put on the bracelet and leaned back on the sofa contentedly. “Don’t worry, Ah Yang, I won’t let you down this time!”

Wei Yang nodded with a smile, feeling reassured. In truth, his statement about “sharp turning into fishy” was both true and false. The people he intended to deceive weren’t just the big boss Ling Miao, but also the timid old charlatan. If he had revealed the true danger of the situation, Sun Chengfeng wouldn’t have gone for any amount of money, making it difficult to stop Shuirui’s project. Only by making Sun Chengfeng believe it was all an act, while convincing Director Ling that it was real, could the plan succeed.

This was the essence of deception—when the false is taken as true, the true becomes false. Without understanding the intricacies, who could unravel the truth?

Beside him, seeing the faint smile on Wei Yang’s face, Zhang Xiuqi’s lips also curved into a slight smile. He raised his hand and gently patted Wei Yang’s back. He could never devise such a scheme or set up such an elaborate trap, but he didn’t dislike Wei Yang for doing so. On the contrary, he quite enjoyed seeing him so spirited and confident.

Watching the two of them being all lovey-dovey again, the old charlatan on the opposite sofa immediately averted his gaze, pretending he saw nothing.

The next morning, the three of them took a flight to Chongqing. After landing, they transferred to a car and spent several hours traveling to the construction site outside Wushan County. Ling Miao had returned to the site the day before and was now waiting with two close associates. As soon as they met, he introduced them solemnly to Sun Chengfeng: “Master Sun, this is Director Yu and Engineer Yue from Shuirui Group. They’re core members of the company and won’t leak any information.”

Sun Chengfeng glanced at the two men and nodded indifferently. He then pointed to the two people behind him and said, “Assistant Wei is a disciple I’ve personally trained, and Master Zhang has some ancestral ties to my family. He’s also a master of Daoist arts. Both are my capable assistants and the pillars of the next generation of Jieshui Studio. We’ll rely on them to handle the critical parts of this task.”

This introduction was quite formal. Ling Miao had been curious about the two young men in layman’s robes, but now he immediately understood and asked, “Are these the two young masters who exorcised the evil for the construction group? I’ve heard about this from Old Chang and was quite amazed. With the three of you here, I can rest assured!”

Sun Chengfeng waved his hand: “No need for formalities. Let’s take a look at the site first.”

This was exactly what Ling Miao needed. Without hesitation, he led the three masters toward the construction site. Since it was a mountain road being built, the path through the forest was only slightly wider than a single lane, with uneven ground marked by tire tracks. It seemed that in the near future, it would be paved with bricks and stones to create a proper trail. For now, however, the area was a mess, with freshly felled trees not yet cleared away, scattered building materials, and a scene resembling the aftermath of a typhoon.

After walking about a kilometer, they reached a long strip of cloth blocking the path. Ling Miao explained, “This is where the incidents started. The location of the stone is further in, but from here onward, workers began experiencing issues. We didn’t dare let anyone go further, so we sealed it off.”

Sun Chengfeng nodded approvingly: “You handled it well. Let me first check if the formation here is dangerous.”

With that, he took three small yellow flags from Wei Yang. The flags were adorned with red patterns, giving them an elegant and mysterious appearance. Sun Chengfeng took the flags and quickly walked to the red line, inserting them into the soil. Strangely, even though there was no wind in the forest, the flags, once planted, suddenly spread out flat and remained motionless, as if pinned in mid-air.

Sun Chengfeng’s shoulders twitched, and after staring at the flags for a while, he slowly nodded: “It’s not a major issue. Xiao Zhang, you lead the way.”

As he slowly retreated to Wei Yang’s side, Zhang Xiuqi glanced at him but said nothing, quickly stepping forward.

Watching the Little Celestial Master tear open the cloth barrier and walk into the forest, Sun Chengfeng finally felt the tension in his legs ease. He had carefully examined the flags beforehand—there were no hidden mechanisms. How the hell did they just float like that? Was this forest cursed or something?

Behind him, Wei Yang whispered, “Master Sun, should the people from Shuirui Group follow?”

Though his voice was low, the people nearby could still hear him. Sun Chengfeng immediately snapped back to attention and asked Ling Miao, “Director Ling, what’s your decision?”

Ling Miao hesitated for a moment before gritting his teeth and saying, “If it’s not too much trouble, we’d like to go as well. It’s always good to learn something.”

This was clearly a sign of distrust, as they wanted to witness the process firsthand to ensure nothing was being faked. In the past, Sun Chengfeng would have cursed these people for making things more difficult, but now he was eager for some company in his misery. He immediately nodded and said, “Very well, we’ll lead the way. Xiao Wei, keep an eye out.”

Wei Yang, of course, knew what the old man was thinking and quickly replied, “Don’t worry, Master.”

With this assurance, Sun Chengfeng finally stopped hesitating. He took out his treasured Feng Shui compass from his pocket, held it in one hand, and began walking forward. With the added burden of the others, the group didn’t move very quickly. After walking about six or seven hundred meters, they saw Zhang Xiuqi standing by a tree at the side of the path. He had already placed seven dark copper coins on the ground and was holding a talisman in his hand. Seeing the group approach, he said coldly, “Master Sun, this is the Mao Mountain Blindfold Formation. I’ll break it first.”

Sun Chengfeng swallowed hard and replied in a deep voice, “Proceed!”

With that, Zhang Xiuqi flicked the yellow talisman in his hand. It flew out at a moderate speed, like a dry leaf floating through the air, and landed in the Copper Coin Formation with a strange arc. A soft “snap” was heard, and the air seemed to ripple as if a veil had been torn away. When everyone looked again, Ling Miao and his associates collectively gasped. Where the ground had been empty just moments ago, there now stood several stone figurines about three inches tall. Their bodies and limbs were lifelike, but they had no faces, standing dumbly in the forest, appearing eerily ominous in the slanting sunlight.

A sudden urge to urinate surged through Ling Miao. He swallowed hard and asked shakily, “What… what are these things? They weren’t there before… Master…”

Sun Chengfeng was too stunned to respond. Wei Yang, standing beside him, quickly answered, “Director Ling, this is likely the formation that caused the workers to lose consciousness and experience strange symptoms. It’s a Five Puppet Formation, designed to attack people with different physiques. It can either cause loss of consciousness or induce mental confusion, mimicking the symptoms of a spirit possession. However, since its offensive power is limited, as long as you don’t step into its range, it won’t pose a threat.”

With that, Wei Yang nudged Sun Chengfeng in the side: “Master Sun, let Brother Qi handle this formation. You should conserve your energy for the critical moment.”

Sun Chengfeng hummed in agreement, though his voice wavered slightly. No one noticed except Wei Yang. Zhang Xiuqi had already drawn the Suihou Sword from his waist, stepped into the center of the stone figurines, and with a twist of the blade, plunged it into the soil. Strangely, as the sword tip entered the ground, the previously silent figurines let out eerie creaking sounds, and wisps of black smoke emerged from the stones. Zhang Xiuqi didn’t retreat. Instead, he flicked his finger, sending a long nail shooting through the smoke and embedding it into the tree behind the statues. With two cracking sounds, the statues split open, and several small objects rolled out.

Due to the passage of time, it was hard to make out what they were, but upon closer inspection, they appeared to be the dried remains of small animals and a snake, shriveled into tight bundles. Wei Yang immediately realized that the formation was likely related to the Five Immortals, and his earlier claim about the Five Puppet Formation was just a bluff. The real source of the formation’s power was probably the animal remains inside.

However, Zhang Xiuqi didn’t even glance at these objects. He pulled out his sword and continued walking deeper into the forest.

After a long moment of stunned silence, Sun Chengfeng finally opened his mouth, but no words came out. He closed it again and followed awkwardly.

As they progressed, Ling Miao’s worldview was thoroughly shaken. Apart from the initial two formations, they encountered a series of other formations like the Misaligned Yang Formation, Calamity Dragon Formation, and Soul Shocking Formation. Each time a formation was broken, some bizarre phenomenon would occur that left everyone speechless. Ling Miao was certain that this forest had been sealed off for several days, making it impossible for anyone to prepare in advance or create these scientifically unexplainable phenomena. The deeper they went, the more anxious he became, and he started to firmly believe in the calamity beneath the stone.

While Ling Miao and his group grew increasingly uneasy, Sun Chengfeng gradually regained his composure. With Zhang Xiuqi clearing the path ahead and Wei Yang providing explanations, they worked seamlessly together, leaving Sun Chengfeng with little to do. The old man, who was naturally bold and loved to show off, now free from the threat of danger, began to strut around again, exuding an air of confidence. He barely spoke, simply maintaining an expression of assured victory, which earned him the awed gazes of the others. The thrill of basking in someone else’s glory was indeed intoxicating, and it didn’t take long for the old man to become full of himself.

However, no matter how composed he pretended to be, this “adventure” had to come to an end. After an hour, the group finally arrived at the clearing. There, a black boulder about half a person’s height stood amidst the trees, surrounded by barren ground and withered vegetation. The last rays of the setting sun were fading, and in the dim light, the stone appeared even darker, as if it were devouring the surrounding brightness.

Ling Miao no longer felt the excitement of discovering a treasure. Instead, he shivered as he approached and asked, “Master, the Yang Bi is right there. Can you resolve this?”

Sun Chengfeng glanced surreptitiously at Zhang Xiuqi, who was still intently staring at the boulder, and didn’t immediately answer. Instead, he cautiously circled the stone, occasionally glancing at the compass in his hand. When he saw Zhang Xiuqi look away and nod at him from the corner of his eye, the old charlatan felt a surge of confidence. He took a deep breath and returned to Ling Miao’s side: “It’s even more troublesome than I thought. I’m afraid I’ll need Director Ling to make some preparations.”