Mr. Dai looked at his ancestor in the coffin, his expression grim. His brows were deeply furrowed, and the rest of the Dai family was somewhat frightened—after all, it was their first time seeing a jiangshi. Even Daphne's face paled; she only dared to glance briefly at the jiangshi in the coffin before looking away.
I asked Stella, Is that old man in Taoist robes her master? And who is the blind man?
Stella nodded and confirmed it, adding that the blind man was named Webster, a fortune-teller who was also very knowledgeable in Feng Shui. She had heard people say that Webster was blinded as divine punishment for revealing too much of the heavens' secrets. Others claimed he had been caught peeping at another man's wife bathing, and the enraged husband poisoned and blinded him—only afterward did he learn fortune-telling as a disabled man.
Regardless, this Webster was indeed quite capable, and his fortune-telling was rarely wrong. Otherwise, Mr. Dai wouldn't have invited him.
After saying this, Stella pressed a finger to her lips, signaling me to stay quiet. She said she was afraid her master might overhear and later drag her back to practice kung fu.
Wait a minute—didn't this girl say she goes to her master's place every weekend to train? She's just trying to fool me.
At that moment, Master Raul circled the coffin twice with his hands behind his back, then reassured the Dai family there was no need to fear.
He explained that jiangshi were classified into six levels, the first being the White Zombie.
When a corpse is buried in a Corpse-Nurturing Land, within a month, white fur begins to grow on its body. This type of jiangshi moves sluggishly and is easy to deal with—it fears sunlight, fire, water, chickens, dogs, and humans alike.
The second level is the Black Zombie, which was what lay in the Dai family's coffin.
If a White Zombie is saturated with the blood of cattle and sheep, over several years, its white fur sheds and is replaced by black hair several inches long. At this stage, it remains afraid of sunlight and fire, and its movements are still slow, but it no longer fears chickens or dogs. Generally, a Black Zombie will avoid humans and rarely confronts them directly, preferring to suck blood while its victims sleep.
A Black Zombie isn't particularly dangerous, Master Raul said. With so many people here tonight, the Dai family need not worry.
Hearing this, the rest of the family finally relaxed—only Mr. Dai remained uneasy. Until this matter was fully resolved, he, as the head of the family, couldn't rest easy.
Mr. Dai pressed Master Raul, What exactly is happening here? Why has a prosperous dragon vein turned into a Corpse-Nurturing Land? The previous expert he consulted had told him the dragon vein had been sabotaged with a Malevolent Array—one that was impossible to break.
Webster tapped his walking stick on the ground once, then turned his head to survey the grave mountain. I found it a little strange—isn't he blind? What can he see? And why is he wearing sunglasses at night? Even someone with sight wouldn't be able to see.
But upon closer observation, I realized he wasn't looking—he was smelling. His nose twitched as if he were inhaling deeply, trying to catch every scent.
Is this guy... sniffing out Feng Shui? Is that even possible?
After half a minute, Webster finally spoke. He confirmed that there was indeed a Malevolent Array—the most vicious formation in grave Feng Shui, the Seven Fiends Formation!
Once this formation is activated, even the finest Feng Shui will be ruined, and the descendants will suffer the consequences.
Webster explained that the foul stench plaguing the Dai family's restaurant was due to the Feng Shui being corrupted by this formation. The so-called stench was the smell of corpses—because all the bodies buried here had been affected. A once-prosperous dragon vein had turned into a Corpse-Nurturing Land—how could it not reek?
Furthermore, the reason guests heard something jumping outside their hotel doors was because the corpses had become restless... and had turned into jiangshi.
What exactly is the Seven Fiends Formation?
It is an extremely malicious formation. When deployed in Feng Shui, it brings:
Bad Luck – One's fortune plummets, and misfortune follows.
Declining Momentum – In any competition, defeat becomes inevitable. Without momentum, decline is certain—and without momentum, destruction follows.
Shortened Lifespan – Unexpected deaths occur, and lifespans are cut short.
Trouble with Corpses – The buried bodies become restless, reviving as zombies or other undead.
Financial Losses – Wealth drains away, leading to bankruptcy or business failure. One loses all affinity with prosperity.
Misfortune to Descendants – Future generations are doomed to suffer.
Physical Ailments – The body falls ill frequently, plagued by serious diseases and constant minor ailments.
When Webster finished, Mr. Dai confirmed grimly that everything he described had come true.
The Dai family had once prospered, growing into a powerful lineage—but ever since the grave mountain was corrupted, their fortunes collapsed. Their children withered, their status dropped from first-tier to second-tier, and if nothing changed... the Dai family would face extinction.
Mr. Dai grew anxious and asked how the formation had been created and how it could be broken.
Webster continued sniffing the air as he explained that the Dai family's mountain was truly a Dragon Vein with excellent Feng Shui - no wonder they had become such a prominent family.
This mountain range soared like a dragon, its form elusive, sometimes hidden and sometimes prominent. It could trap wind and store water, making it a Feng Shui-blessed land of great wealth and high status. Moreover, the dragon's head was raised skyward as if roaring across thousands of miles, ensuring descendants would achieve success, prosperity, and high-ranking official positions.
Unfortunately, the Malevolent Array had completely destroyed this excellent Feng Shui.
First, regarding the dragon's head - it was hard to notice anything amiss in the darkness now. But if one climbed to the mountain's summit and observed directly, they would find a ring of tiny cracks around the dragon's neck - meaning the dragon's head had been severed!
With its head severed, how could it still look upward? Furthermore, seven nails had been driven into the top of the dragon's head, as if nailing the dragon in place.
Once the dragon died, the living vein turned dead, the dragon's roar became resentment, corpses became sources of evil, and the dragon vein transformed into a Corpse-Nurturing Land.
Webster had also been observing the mountain's river. While it flowed normally by day, at night it ran backward - an extremely ominous sign.
In Feng Shui, this was called reverse bow-shaped flow, indicating great misfortune and foretelling wealth flowing away. Any earnings would have to be returned.
Webster then asked us to examine the grave's trees carefully.
Generally, grave trees must follow specific planting rules - they can't be planted randomly, just like houseplants require consideration of species.
A common saying goes: "No mulberry in front, no willow behind, no poplar before the gate." This clearly prohibits planting mulberry, willow or poplar trees at home.
Mulberry is forbidden because its Chinese pronunciation resembles "funeral" - inauspicious. Willow branches are used as mourning sticks and associated with funerals. Another saying claims willows bear no seeds, so planting them foretells no heirs. As for poplars, their wind-rustled leaves sound like ghostly applause. Planting them invites ghosts and misfortune.
There are also three types of trees that should never be planted on graves: Chinese toon, Chinese scholartree, and camphor trees. This is because the roots of these three species penetrate deep into tombs. Not only do they damage the burial site, but they may also absorb nutrients from the corpse... or worse, allow the corpse to absorb something from them, leading to zombie mutation.
For proper grave planting, one should use pine and cypress trees. These must be planted at least three meters away from the grave - one on the left for male descendants and one on the right for female descendants, always maintaining an even number.
However, the trees on this mountain's graves break all these rules. There's an odd number - nine trees in total - consisting of three Chinese toon trees, three Chinese scholartree trees, and three camphor trees each.
Strangest of all, while these trees should have extensive root systems, their roots appear to be missing. Yet they continue to thrive, growing unnaturally lush. Why is this happening? And what could the ominous number nine signify?