Tomb robber: I am the tenth of the nine gates

Upon seeing the only door in the tomb chamber, the five exchanged glances, and finally Zhang Qishan gave the order, "Open the door."

Just as the five were about to step forward, Chu Ning stopped them with his arm outstretched, "Are you really going?"

I can handle the rest of the route myself.

Chu Ning's suggestion was rejected by the five people. Chu Ning was not surprised at all. He had obviously known all along that he was looking for an answer with a result in mind. Now that they had come this far, how could these people possibly give up?

"After preparing for so long, we even went back to the Zhang family's old residence for this..." At Zhang Qishan's pause, those in the know clearly understood that it was about a blood transfusion.

"Xiao Ning, the things inside must not be brought into the world."

We've lost wave after wave of brothers and friends because of this; we should at least know one answer.

It could also stop the increasingly rampant rumors, letting everyone know that the tomb under the mine wasn't so mysterious, and eliminating any thoughts of exploration.

Of course, it would be best if they couldn't take it; they certainly wouldn't leave it to foreigners or Japanese.

Chu Ning frowned, turned to the side, and stopped trying to stop him.

As the bronze door opened, the scene at the entrance gradually came into view.

Everyone's eyes were drawn to the stone tablet directly in front of them.

Above the multi-tiered stone steps in the very center of the tomb chamber stands a heavy stone tablet, flanked by two exquisitely carved stone beasts with ferocious appearances.

Surrounding the stone tablet and the stone beast are four carved stone pillars, and irregularly arranged stone blocks, pottery jars, and bronzes are placed on the ground.

Qi Tiezui looked around, muttering speculations, "This feng shui, this layout... is it for a sacrificial ceremony?"

The six people climbed the steps. Er Yuehong first looked at the inscription on the stone tablet, scanning it up and down, and then said a name.

"Qingwuzi?"

Qi Tiezui immediately turned around and exclaimed in surprise, "Qingwuzi?!"

Then everyone saw Qi Tiezui kneel down and kowtow to the stone tablet without saying a word.

Lieutenant Zhang couldn't keep an eye on him and, with a furrowed brow, counted how many times Qi Tiezui had chewed.

"Eighth Brother, what are you doing?"

Zhang Qishan asked Qi Tiezui, but Qi Tiezui was stuttering and couldn't answer Zhang Qishan for the time being.

"Who exactly is this person who can make Eighth Master kowtow nine times?"

Zhang, the adjutant, was also surprised. After Qi Tiezui finished kowtowing, he carefully crawled two steps on his knees and gently wiped the dust off the stone tablet with his sleeve.

Chu Ning stepped forward and handed the handkerchief to Qi Tiezui, who took it with even greater devotion.

"Xiao Ning, do you know?" Chen Pi leaned against the stone pillar and asked Chu Ning.

Chu Ning nodded. "This senior is said to be a disciple of Peng Zu from the Shang and Zhou dynasties. He was skilled in health preservation and geomancy. He entered Huayin Mountain to cultivate Taoism and is said to have ascended to heaven after living to the age of 471."

He is revered as the founder of Feng Shui, and his geomantic techniques are also known as "Qingwu Technique."

Seeing that everyone only had a vague understanding, Chu Ning had no choice but to extract the key points: "You could say that this old man is the patriarch of the Feng Shui industry."

His book, "Qingwuzi's Burial Classic" (most of the current versions are attributed to him by later generations), proposed principles such as "surrounded by mountains and water, sheltered from the wind and gathering qi," which are the core principles of our current traditional site selection and burial.

Furthermore, it distinguishes between Yang dwellings (residential houses) and Yin dwellings (burial sites), using the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise to determine directions.

Chu Ning spoke with great respect. When his deeds were told, the others were shocked. Could it be that they had... entered the tomb of their ancestor?

"Burying without cutting grass is called stealing a burial."

Burying near ancestral graves will bring misfortune to one's descendants.

One grave brings prosperity, ten graves bring poverty and loneliness…

Qi Tiezui knelt before the stone tablet as if he had gone mad, his eyes fixed on the words on the tablet, uttering words that most people couldn't understand.

What is he reciting?

Lieutenant Zhang looked up again and asked.

Er Yuehong nodded to Chu Ning. He obviously knew, otherwise he wouldn't have known about Qingwuzi just by reading the contents of the stone tablet.

"He was reciting the Qingwu Sutra, and the author of the Qingwu Sutra was Qingwuzi."

"...When internal and external factors work together, feng shui naturally forms."

Observe with your perspective and understand with your emotions.

If one can understand this, one can roam freely throughout the world.

After Qi Tiezui finished reciting, he stood up and turned to face the crowd, his eyes already slightly red. "Today I am fortunate to have the opportunity to enter his tomb. It is truly an honor!"

"Qingwuzi traveled the world and loved collecting divine stones. Legend has it that a huge piece of meteorite fell to earth. Because of its weight, it could not be moved, so Qingwuzi built an ancient tomb around the meteorite." [Note 1]

……

This must be the place.

Er Yuehong recounted Qing Wuzi's life story to everyone. Seeing that Chu Ning had remained silent after introducing Qing Wuzi, he asked with concern.

"Xiao Ning, has something come to mind?"

Chu Ning shook his head, regaining his senses, and continued his analysis based on Er Yuehong's words, "Presumably, this ancient tomb was later buried underground for some reason and eventually became a mine."

Since it was built by an elder, it is not surprising that there are various mechanisms and traps in the tomb.

The closer they get to the meteorite, the more dangerous it will become.

Chu Ning originally intended for everyone to stop here, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw Qi Tiezui hugging and stroking the stone tablet with a silly grin.

"Qingwuzi and I are truly destined for each other!!!"

Even the most timid Eighth Master showed great interest in this place, which showed that there was no way to stop them now.

"There is a stone gate here."

Chen Pi did not participate in their speculation, but said something to signal people to go around the stone tablet and come to the circular stone gate to check.

"Pangu was in a state of chaos, and the primordial energy was pure and simple."

Dividing into Yin and Yang, into clear and turbid.

The stone gate is inscribed with the first four lines of the "Qingwu Jing".

"Old Eight!" Zhang Qishan called out to Qi Tiezui, who was clinging to the stone tablet, and asked him to come and translate.

"Oh, here it comes!"

…………

This means that in the beginning, heaven and earth were in a state of chaos and unity, and primordial energy was generated in the most original and simple state.

Yin and Yang differentiate; the clear and light rise, while the turbid and heavy sink.

Chu Ning frowned, “...Yin-Yang differentiation.”

"I don't understand, but we're all going to get there anyway. We'll just push it open and see for ourselves."

As Chen Pi was about to reach out, Chu Ning grabbed his arm.

"This should be the first warning left by the senior Qingwuzi - this tomb is not an ordinary ancient tomb, but a place where yin and yang meet."

Entering here marks the true arrival at the ancient tomb.

Chu Ning spoke solemnly, prompting the five to ponder.

"You mean what we went through before was just an 'appetizer'?"

Is the real 'main course' behind this door?

Chen Pi's face was grave. If the appetizer was already so dangerous, it seemed that the main course would either result in death or serious injury.

[Note 1] "Qingwuzi collecting divine stones" is a setting in the drama, not part of the official history or the original text of the "Qingwu Scripture".

1. In the drama, Qingwuzi is portrayed as a top feng shui master of the Northern and Southern Dynasties and the author of "Qingwu Jing". He is obsessed with collecting divine stones throughout his life.

2. During his travels, he discovered a huge meteorite (divine stone), which was too heavy to move.

3. He then built an ancient tomb next to the meteorite and lived in seclusion there to study its mysterious power.

4. An octagonal array was set up outside the tomb to prevent outsiders from entering.

5. Later, due to a landslide, the ancient tomb was buried deep underground, and the Qingwuzi and the meteorite disappeared together.

The talisman here will be modified.