The low-key prince summons trainees from the Imperial Household Department at the start of the game.

On the southern slope of Cuiping Mountain outside Qingzhou City, there is an old tomb that the locals call "Ghost Cry Tomb".

It is the most bizarre place in Qingzhou that has been causing the most trouble in recent months.

Every night at midnight, faint weeping sounds would emanate from the grave, like sobs and lamentations, sending chills down one's spine.

Several households of villagers at the foot of the mountain moved away one after another, and the remaining households locked their doors after dark, with no one daring to pass by the south slope at night.

The prefect of Qingzhou sent people to investigate twice.

When the constables went into the mountain during the day, apart from feeling that the area in front of the tomb was particularly cold and that there was always an endless amount of grayish-white powder on the stone steps, they couldn't figure out anything else.

Left with no other option, the prefect ordered a warning sign to be erected in front of the tomb, advising the people not to approach it.

But everyone knows this is just burying their heads in the sand.

As long as the evil spirits are dispelled, the crying will not stop, and the villagers will not have a moment's peace.

Guo Pu, carrying his jujube wood cane that he had used for two lifetimes, stood on a protruding rock halfway up the southern slope, squinting as he surveyed the mountain terrain below.

His ability to observe qi (vital energy) was honed through a lifetime of traveling to famous mountains and rivers.

What is meant by observing qi?

The Book of Burial states: "Qi disperses when carried by the wind and stops when it encounters water."

The vital energy between heaven and earth surges along the mountain range, just like the blood vessels in a person's body.

Where mountains rise high, there is abundant fortune.

In low-lying areas of valleys, the flow of qi (vital energy) is stagnant.

By standing on high ground, a Feng Shui master can judge the flow of Qi underground by observing the direction of the mountains, the speed of the water flow, the withering and flourishing of vegetation, and even the color and smell of the soil.

To the average person, it is nothing more than a landscape of green hills and clear waters.

But in his eyes, every mountain ridge is a vein of energy, and every mountain valley is a pore of energy.

What he saw at that moment was a cloud of gray-black yin energy swirling above the old tomb at the foot of the mountain.

It's like something is blocking its way, accumulating more and more, becoming thicker and heavier.

"Found it." Guo Pu pointed to the foot of the mountain with his jujube wood staff, his tone calm, as if he were saying that the weather was nice today. "The earth vein runs south from the main peak of Cuiping Mountain, passing Eagle Beak Cliff and Luoyan Slope, and should have run straight to the foot of the mountain and flowed into the water mouth of Qingzhou City."

"But look at that dead pine forest at the foot of the mountain. Pine and cypress are evergreen and are the most drought-resistant tree species. Even the pine trees have withered and died, which means that the earth's energy has been depleted for a long time."

"When the earth's energy is depleted, yin energy takes advantage of the situation and enters. This old tomb happens to be located at the end of a branch of the earth's veins, like a silted pond where water cannot flow in and the silt accumulates thicker and thicker."

He jumped down from the rock, drew a simple landscape diagram at his feet with his jujube wood staff, and continued to explain, "The flow of energy between heaven and earth is like a river."

"A great river has a main stream and tributaries."

"The dragon vein is the main trunk of this great river, while the earth vein is the tributary."

"The imperial court's fortune is like a dike along a river, protecting the villages and towns on both banks from floods."

"But even the best dike has its weak points, and the end of the earth's vein branches is the weakest point in terms of the coverage of the qi."

"This old tomb is right at such a critical juncture. The tomb itself is a semi-enclosed space, and once the yin energy rushes in, it is difficult for it to dissipate on its own. Over time, it has formed a yin evil."

"When the Yin energy accumulates to a certain extent, it will disturb the living."

"The crying that the villagers heard was actually the sound of yin energy vibrating, similar to the whistling sound of wind blowing through a narrow gap."

"However, the frequency of this whistling sound happens to coincide with the range of human hearing, so it sounds like crying."

Li Chunfeng looked up at the autumn sun that was about to set on the horizon, and suddenly said, "Brother Guo is absolutely right, but I would like to add a layer."

"The reason why this Yin energy has suddenly intensified in recent months is related to celestial phenomena."

"Celestial phenomena refer to the laws governing the movement of the sun, moon, and stars."

The Yi Si Zhan states: "The celestial energy is what the heavens distribute and what the earth receives." The arrangement of the stars in the sky and the flow of energy on earth have a relationship similar to that between the tides and the moon.

"At present, it is the time between the White Dew and the Autumn Equinox. The sun and moon have moved to a specific position on the ecliptic, and the yin energy between heaven and earth is stronger than usual."

"In two months, around the winter solstice, the yin energy will reach its peak."

He took out the star map covered with dense markings from his sleeve, pointed to several vermilion circles, and said, "I traveled south along the canal, passing through six prefectures along the way."

"The timing of each instance of Yin energy overflowing coincides with a specific celestial movement node."

"This is no coincidence."

Lai Buyi squatted on the stone steps in front of the tomb, which were covered with grayish-white powder.

He picked up a pinch of powder with his fingertip, smelled it, and then brought it close to his eyes to examine it carefully.

He was the most down-to-earth of the three.

In his previous life, he dealt with various feng shui problems in the folk for decades and had seen all sorts of strange and mysterious things.

But this was the first time he had ever encountered such a dense cloud of Yin energy condensed into Yin Ashes.

He dusted off the powder on his hands and took the compass out of his satchel, placing it flat on the stone steps.

This compass was made by his own hands in this lifetime.

The plate is engraved with densely packed directions, trigrams, and the twenty-four directions, making it the most basic tool for feng shui masters to survey the location of the earth's veins.

As soon as the compass was placed firmly, the magnetic needle on the dial began to spin wildly.

The yin energy surrounding this tomb was so dense that it interfered with the Earth's magnetic field.

"Both gentlemen are right. The timing and location are both in place; all that's missing is the right people." Lai Buyi stood up, dusted off his knees, and said, "I always handle feng shui issues in three steps."

"The first step is called 'diagnosis,' which is to figure out where the yin energy comes from, why it is accumulating here, and how wide its spread is."

"The second step is called 'dredging'. The earth's veins are like a silted-up river channel. It's not enough to just dig out the silt; you also have to dredge the channel again to allow the earth's energy to flow again."

"The third step is called 'strengthening the foundation.' After the Yin energy is cleared away, the tomb must be completely sealed with righteous energy, and then peach wood nails must be used to suppress the four directions. Otherwise, the Yin energy will gather again before long."

"This is the three-word formula of folk feng shui: 'connect, transform, suppress,' which is the same principle as a doctor diagnosing a patient."

"First, unblock the meridians, then dispel pathogenic factors, and finally consolidate the vital energy."

Guo Pu, leaning on his jujube wood cane, strode to the tomb and walked around the tombstone.

His steps appeared casual, but in reality, each step landed on a vital point in the earth's veins.

In his previous life, his book "The Book of Burial" was the pioneering work of Feng Shui.

But in that life he was just a theorist, studying feng shui his whole life but never actually putting it into practice.

Now, his righteous energy as a seventh-rank scholar is surging through his meridians.

With each touch of the jujube wood staff, a wisp of pale golden light emanated from the tip, precisely piercing the earth's energy channels and clearing away any blockages.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he put away his jujube wood staff, and the golden light on the tip of the staff slowly faded away.

He exhaled a long breath of stale air, saying that the accumulation of yin energy underground was more severe than he had anticipated.

The main vein was blocked in three places, the branch veins were blocked in seven places, and there was a man-made yin energy barrier remaining around the tomb.

The remaining traces of the formation are very new, unlike anything from the previous dynasty.

Li Chunfeng put away the star map and walked to the front of the tombstone.

He didn't use any magical implements; he simply made a strange hand seal with both hands and chanted incantations.

Those who practice divination use Yin and Yang and the Five Elements as their foundation, and astrology and calendrical methods as their framework, to deduce the changes in the universe and all things.

Li Chunfeng excelled at using numerology to deduce the laws governing the flow of Qi, and used his own righteous Qi to reintegrate the accumulated Yin Qi into the great cycle of Qi in the universe.

About half an hour later, he released his hand seals, wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, and said that the yin energy had been completely cleared, but there was something even more ancient deep underground.

The thing was very heavy and old, and it didn't seem to be left over from the previous dynasty. It seemed to be something from an even earlier period. He couldn't move it for the time being, so he could only seal it in place for now.

Lai Buyi had already taken out the peach wood nails he had made himself from his satchel.

He walked around the tomb, driving peach wood nails into the four directions one by one, reciting a sedative incantation for each nail he drove in.

After he finished nailing them all, he clapped his hands and smiled at Guo Pu and Li Chunfeng, saying, "Mission accomplished."

"I only used 30% of my strength; this job isn't that big."

"In the past, when we encountered Yin energy of this level, it would take most of the day just to set up the formation."

"With two gentlemen here today, one to clear the earth's veins and the other to resolve the root cause, I'll just drive in a few nails—it'll be a piece of cake."

Guo Pu hoisted the jujube wood staff back onto his shoulder, shook his head, and said that he had only used 30% of his strength.

This little bit of siltation is just a minor issue. The real test of their abilities will come when they encounter those massive creatures buried deep underground and suppressed for countless years.

Li Chunfeng carefully put away the star chart and said that the most dangerous time was around the winter solstice.

They need to investigate all similar points within Qingzhou before the winter solstice arrives, and resolve as many potential problems as possible before the full outbreak of Yin energy.

The three of them went down the mountain together, and when they passed the mountainside, they ran into a group of villagers carrying lanterns up the mountain.

When they heard that the prefect had invited a master to restore the "Ghost Crying Tomb," they spontaneously brought lanterns and rushed over to help.

Lai Buyi stepped forward and told them with a smile.

The unclean things in that old grave have been cleaned up, and there will be no more crying from now on. Everyone can go home and sleep in peace.

The villagers were skeptical, but seeing the three gentlemen's calm demeanor and reassuring confidence, they gradually relaxed, thanked them, and left.

Guo Pu stood on the mountain path, watching the villagers' departing figures. The light of the lanterns gradually faded into the night, like a winding galaxy.

He suddenly remembered the sentence he had written on the title page when he annotated the Classic of Mountains and Seas in his previous life: "Heaven and earth possess righteous energy, which manifests in various forms."

At that time, he was just talking about it on paper, but now he truly understands the weight of those words.