Chapter 81

Plans never go as expected.

Originally, Li Zhuiyuan wanted to make small, individual dishes, each numbered and prepared slowly, one by one. Now that all the ingredients had been thrown into the pot together, he would just make a mixed stew; it could still be a good dish.

He was there for revenge anyway, and if he could also lean against his enemy's door and watch the show, that would be double the pleasure.

“Remember, no matter what happens, if you can solve it outside, don't dither inside. We have formations set up outside; it's a waste not to use them, and they are also our escape route.”

“Understood.”

“Got it.”

Reaching the temple gate, Li Zhuiyuan stopped.

The temple gate wasn't a large iron or wooden door, but a half-human-height sliding design. Though it was ostensibly electric, it was actually manual, and even a child could easily climb over it.

However, with this gate as the dividing line, Li Zhuiyuan smelled something different.

It was so strong that Yin Meng frowned, and Tan Wenbin kept twitching his nose.

It was normal for an old temple to have a slight musty smell, but the problem was, where was this intense, almost dripping, fishy smell coming from?

It was as if what stood before them wasn't a temple at all, but a long-decayed swamp.

Li Zhuiyuan took out his compass, glanced down, and saw: "Place of hidden malevolence."

But the problem was, he had been here before and visited the temple. If it truly had this layout, why had he noticed nothing that day?

Overturning a Feng Shui layout wasn't impossible; he had done such things before, but those were always modifications built upon an existing foundation.

Yet, during his visit that day, he hadn't seen any robust Feng Shui arrangements in the temple. The only thing that barely counted was the cracked fissure beneath the general's statue.

Normally, unless a Feng Shui master had provided detailed standard blueprints, and a large construction team had thoroughly renovated the General Temple during the day...

No, even if the newly renovated Feng Shui layout could function, this dense stench of decay couldn't have permeated it overnight. There was a time-honored accumulation in that smell that couldn't be fast-forwarded.

Li Zhuiyuan crouched down, extended his left hand to scoop up a handful of damp soil from inside, and as he carefully rubbed it, he covered his mouth with his right hand, softly chanting descriptive words of perception to compare with what he had read in books.

The prerequisite for inferring autumn from a single leaf is a vast database, and observing soil is no different.

Tan Wenbin also crouched down, mimicked Li Zhuiyuan, reached out, grabbed a handful of soil, placed it in front of him, and licked it with his tongue.

In an instant, he felt as if he was reliving his experience of trying houttuynia cordata back in Mountain City.

Unable to make too much noise, Tan Wenbin could only open his mouth wide and dry heave silently.

Li Zhuiyuan looked at Tan Wenbin in confusion: “Binbin, what are you doing?”

Tan Wenbin finally recovered, saying with a hint of guilt: “Learning, like you.”

Li Zhuiyuan removed his right hand from his mouth, revealing a clean palm. Then he loosened his left hand, and the soil dropped.

Tan Wenbin's eyes widened. It was dark, and his vision was poor, so he hadn't distinguished between the left and right hands.

Yin Meng commented from beside them: “He saw things, thought you were eating dirt, and ate some too.”

Tan Wenbin: “You...”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Water monkeys do have a habit of tasting soil, but this method is too rash and not good.”

Tan Wenbin immediately nodded: “Yes, yes, yes, I was wrong.”

Yin Meng changed the subject and asked: “Brother Xiaoyuan, why does it feel so strange inside?”

“When I first came to General Mountain, I discovered this place. It's practically a standard blessed land for water burials, and ancient people likely chose this spot for water burials as well.”

Tan Wenbin asked, puzzled: “But a standard place means it's easily discovered, right? Shouldn't water burials aim for concealment? Burying someone here is just inviting grave robbers, isn't it?”

“When emperors built imperial mausoleums, they generally assumed their dynasties would last ten thousand generations, and high-ranking officials would also believe their wealth could be passed down permanently. So building here isn't strange; they believed this place could be guarded for generations.

This water burial site was likely plundered by water monkeys long ago. The temple built above it was also an act of suppression, performed by ancient people in accordance with tradition in such places.

Many small temples by riversides, in mountains, or in non-densely populated areas originated this way. Their purpose wasn't to facilitate worship or incense burning, but merely to ward off evil and ensure peace. Thus, the offerings in these temples are often bizarre; it's simply a formality, without needing to adhere to specifics.

However, such places also give rise to another unique Feng Shui pattern: black and white intertwined, good and evil clashing, where the living don't interfere, and the deceased don't enter.

Some Feng Shui masters like these places and specifically choose them to build dojos or houses. Such places are generally called 'Yin-Yang joint burial' or 'Yin-Yang cohabitation,' combining the dwelling for the living with the dwelling for the dead.”

Yin Meng: “So the corpse retrievers in this temple are actually following an unconventional path?”

Every industry has its own pecking order. Among corpse retrievers, water monkeys are at the very bottom, almost expelled from the ranks and lumped in with grave robbers.

And among traditional corpse retrievers, there are also those who follow orthodox paths and those who take unconventional ones. Although the Yin family has long declined, they have always considered themselves orthodox.

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head: “Yin Meng, your family has an old house, right?”

“Yes, but it's in the countryside, nobody has lived there for a long time, it's quite remote, so I didn't take you there.”

“Unless I'm mistaken, your family's old house was also likely built on such a Feng Shui site. Because the profession of a corpse retriever involves frequently traversing between Yin and Yang and crossing the Yellow Springs, choosing such a boundary to build one's own dwelling for the living is most suitable.”

Yin Meng was speechless for a moment, surprised that the unconventional path was her own.

“Great-grandfather's house was actually like that too, but since his house was rebuilt, it's not as obvious. Runsheng's old home, the house where Uncle Shan lives, is easier to see.

Such houses are usually built at the edges of original village clusters, with few neighbors nearby. If there are any, they only adjoin on one side, making it unlikely for dense neighboring houses all around.

However, these are choices for ordinary corpse retrievers. This place right here...” Li Zhuiyuan pointed to the temple in front of him, “to be able to settle down on a large water burial site, they're considered to be doing very well among our peers.”

General Mountain is currently undeveloped, and this temple has no reputation. Upon closer inspection, even the general statue in the main hall is one of the Four Demon Generals, smuggled from who knows which temple gate.

Yet, they still managed to secure a "protected status," putting up a sign. Although funding and benefits must be pitifully small, it counts as using imperial aura to guard the residence.

The master and apprentice were nominally temple staff, but it was just the old owner changing into a work uniform while at home.

This set of tactics truly opened Li Zhuiyuan's eyes.

His own great-grandfather had to go to the police station to register his status, but these people had directly hung an official public sign at their home.

“I don't know what they're planning, but since all the living people are here tonight and the dead have also arrived, their scheme should be coming to fruition.

They have now closed the door to the dwelling for the living and opened wide the door to the dwelling for the dead.

If we enter the temple now, it won't be like visiting during the day; we'll truly be stepping into the dwelling for the dead.

In short, be very careful once we go inside. Anything strange could happen in there.”

Tan Wenbin smacked his lips and said, “Holy cow, that sounds amazing. If developers choose this kind of place to build houses in the future, wouldn't homeowners be able to sneak out extra square footage for free?”

Yin Meng couldn't help but roll her eyes and said, “So, live in the dwelling for the living by day, and return to the dwelling for the dead to sleep by night, right?”

Tan Wenbin: “Why not?”

Yin Meng: “What developer would be that foolish?”

Tan Wenbin retorted, “Brother Liang said that with great economic development in the future, real estate will definitely skyrocket. If houses for the living become expensive, do you think dwellings for the dead would remain cheap?

I've seen Hong Kong dramas on TV where cemeteries are sold for exorbitant prices. Who's to say that eventually, small cities near big ones won't build commercial housing here to attract people from the big cities to buy homes just to house an urn?

A community where both living people reside and ashes are kept—isn't that exactly the 'Yin-Yang cohabitation' Brother Xiaoyuan just mentioned?”

Yin Meng felt Tan Wenbin was talking nonsense but didn't know how to refute him.

Tan Wenbin's face showed a smug expression.

Li Zhuiyuan said lightly, “A small city next to a big city, isn't that just our Nantong?”

Tan Wenbin: “...”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Alright, let's go in. The show inside should have already started.”

Yin Meng was the first to flip over and enter. She frowned slightly upon landing, leaned forward to brace herself, then gestured that it was clear.

Li Zhuiyuan entered second. As he landed, he clearly felt the soft soil; with each step, water seeped up around his shoes.

After Tan Wenbin climbed in, he whispered, “Are all Yin dwellings this damp? And it's foggy too.”

It was only a gate away, yet inside the temple, it was not only frighteningly damp but also filled with mountain mist, hazy and indistinct, allowing them to see only the figures beside them.

Moreover, the mist seemed disturbed, continuing to gather here, growing thicker and thicker.

“Follow me.”

Li Zhuiyuan reached back with his right hand, grabbing Tan Wenbin's waist, and forward with his left hand, grabbing Yin Meng's waist.

At his touch, Yin Meng's body flinched.

“Brother Xiaoyuan...”

Her waist was sensitive and ticklish.

Previously, Runsheng would clear the path. When Runsheng wasn't around, the stronger Yin Meng naturally took the lead.

Li Zhuiyuan had to change his grip, his fingertips holding Yin Meng's waistband, his knuckles pressed against her back.

There was no other way; he needed to use force to guide Yin Meng's direction of movement.

And they couldn't hold hands; the two people leading and covering the rear previously had to keep both hands free and alert at all times to deal with potential anomalies.

They slowly moved forward like this, finally walking out of the dense fog. In front of them was a bulletin board with ID photos and names. The first row listed two permanent staff, and below them were two temporary staff.

Mao Zhushan's name was in the first row, next to a photo of an elder, also surnamed Mao, named Mao Chang'an.

Looking back, the dense fog behind them had vanished. The three of them had only walked less than ten meters from the temple gate, but these ten meters felt as long as a hundred.

It seemed the water monkeys who plundered this water burial site back then were very skilled. While robbing it, they largely preserved the original layout of the water burial, which is why the current Yin dwelling effect was so good.

This "ghost mist" was a relatively common anti-theft measure in water burials.

Yin Meng secretly reached out and pinched her own waist. She felt it was embarrassing and inappropriate that she was still ticklish in that situation earlier.

Tan Wenbin muttered softly, “Heh heh, I think we should custom-make action suits in the future, with wristbands on the waist.”

Although it was a joke, Yin Meng, for once, didn't refute him.

Several places in the temple were lit, but the light was dim and gray, appearing as an eerie blue-green.

“Continue walking along the corridor inside; don't go outside.”

The corridor was part of the living dwelling's architecture. Although it certainly wouldn't be absolutely safe, walking freely in open areas would expose them to too many unpredictable changes.

Along the corridor, they passed an office with an open window.

Looking inside, they found the area to be incredibly spacious.

Normally, this should have been a small office of three or four square meters, or a reception desk, but looking in now, it was several tens of square meters.

Tan Wenbin rubbed his eyes in disbelief, retracting his head to look outside then back inside.

Earlier, he had joked about being able to "steal" extra space, but now he realized he had been too conservative. How many times the area had actually been stolen?

However, it was empty inside, and the ceiling was flat with only grooves around the edges. This scene felt familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before.

He remembered: this layout, wasn't it just like the side chambers they had seen when the four of them entered the underground palace?

So, the corridor he was walking along now was actually a tomb passage?

The corridor first passed through the office area, with a left turn halfway that led directly to the main hall, where the general's statue was located.

At this moment, the lights there were brightest, and human voices could be faintly heard.

The group that had entered the temple earlier should be there.

And that spot was the switch between the Yin and Yang dwellings.

When he came last time, he only discovered a mezzanine beneath the general's statue, but he hadn't expected such a vast arrangement to be hidden. Primarily, out of fear of the dormant walking corpse, he hadn't conducted a spiritual inspection.

However, upon reaching the window of the second office, the scene inside was different.

Although it was still small outside and very large inside, like the first office, this time it wasn't empty. Instead, there was a six-step platform with a bed frame on it, and an old man lay on the frame.

The old man had red lips and a pale face, wore a shroud, and his hands were folded over his abdomen, presenting a peaceful appearance.

The old man was Mao Chang'an, Mao Zhushan's master, whom they had seen that day and whose characteristics as a corpse retriever were evident even in his walk.

He was dead?

Beside him was a funeral couplet, signed by his disciple, Mao Zhushan.

Tan Wenbin said in