Zombie World: Starting as an apprentice of the Thunder King

Master Zhao led the two into the main room and had tea served.

"Here's the thing, my father passed away last month, and we haven't been able to find a suitable place to bury him. I've consulted several feng shui masters, but none of them are satisfactory."

"I've heard that Master Shi is an expert in geomancy, and I'd like to ask him to help me find an auspicious burial site."

Lin Bei nodded. "Don't worry, Master Zhao, we'll take care of this."

"Then thank you very much, young Taoist priests." Master Zhao took out ten silver dollars from his sleeve and placed them on the table. "This is a deposit. We'll pay the rest once we find a place."

Lin Bei glanced at the silver dollars on the table but didn't take them.

"Master Zhao, let's talk after we find the place."

Master Zhao was taken aback for a moment, then quickly nodded: "Alright, alright, then I'll trouble you two young Taoist priests."

Lin Bei and Shi Shaojian left the Zhao family's house and headed out of the town.

"Junior brother, have you mastered all of Feng Shui?" Shi Shaojian was somewhat unsure of himself; he had long forgotten everything Shi Jian had taught him.

Lin Bei's lips twitched slightly as he gently rubbed his forehead: "Senior brother, you've just returned what Master taught you to him again!"

He then took out a compass from his bundle. "This thing can not only be used to find ghosts, but also to locate dragon veins and acupoints."

Shi Shaojian looked at the compass, then at Lin Bei: "Is it reliable?"

Lin Bei shrugged. "Anyway, it works pretty well for me when I'm looking for ghosts. Why don't you give it a try?"

The two spent several days wandering in the mountains and forests around the town, following the compass needle, but they couldn't find a feng shui treasure site, let alone a place with even slightly bad feng shui.

"Junior brother, the feng shui around here is quite ordinary." Shi Shaojian sat down on the ground, exhausted.

Lin Bei looked around. The terrain was flat and without any hills, so it was indeed not a good place.

"Let's keep looking. Auspicious burial sites aren't that easy to find."

On the fourth day, the two climbed a small hill.

Lin Bei stood on the mountaintop and raised his compass.

Suddenly, the compass needle spun around a few times and pointed southeast.

Lin Bei was immediately delighted; there was movement: "Let's go, that way."

The two followed the direction of the pointer for half an hour and arrived at a valley.

The valley is not large, surrounded by mountains on three sides and open on one side, resembling a grand master's chair.

At the bottom of the valley, there is a stream with clear water that flows down from the mountain stream and forms a small pool.

Lin Bei stood in the middle of the valley and raised his compass.

The compass needle pointed steadily due south, without moving an inch.

"Found it!" Lin Bei was overjoyed.

Shi Shaojian leaned closer: "What kind of auspicious place is this?"

Lin Bei didn't rush to answer. Instead, he squatted down, felt the ground with his palm for a moment, looked up at the surrounding mountains, and then slowly stood up, holding the compass horizontally in front of his chest.

"Look at this compass. The needle in the celestial pool is perfectly still, pointing due south. This is not an ordinary feng shui sign, but a sign of a true dragon spitting out a pearl." Lin Bei's tone became serious.

Shi Shaojian scratched his head: "A dragon spitting pearls? What are you talking about?"

Lin Bei put his hands behind his back, pretending to be profound: "A true feng shui treasure land is one where the energy doesn't dissipate, the wind doesn't blow, and the water doesn't flow straight."

"The mountain ridge on the left is called the Azure Dragon Sand, which should be tall and winding. You can see that it stretches and undulates like a giant dragon coiled up. The mountain ridge on the right is called the White Tiger Sand, which should be low and docile. It is shorter than the one on the left, which perfectly matches the feng shui pattern of the Azure Dragon being high and the White Tiger being low."

"The mountain behind is called Xuanwu. It should be bowing inwards, with the middle higher than the sides, like a person sitting there with their head slightly bowed. This is called Xuanwu bowing its head, which means that the foundation is solid and that noble people will emerge from the descendants."

"Surrounded by mountains on three sides and open on one side, this is called the 'Grand Master's Chair' terrain, a layout that gathers and retains energy."

Lin Bei then pointed to the stream at the bottom of the valley, "The water flows down from the mountain stream and gathers into a pool. This is called a jade belt around the waist, which signifies wealth and nobility."

"Mountains are dragons, water is veins, and where the dragon veins converge, there must be a Feng Shui treasure land."

Shi Shaojian was stunned. "You've learned all the feng shui techniques your master taught you?"

"It's not that I've learned everything, I just have a basic understanding..."

"I know a little..." Shi Shaojian's eyes were resentful. Damn junior brother, he's been secretly practicing behind my back again.

Lin Bei patted him on the shoulder, "It's okay, just practice your wooden stake technique. I'll take care of the feng shui."

After determining the acupoints, Lin Bei took out paper and pen and drew the location of the valley, marking the surrounding terrain.

Then they walked around the valley again and confirmed several key locations.

It took me most of the day to write everything down.

The two returned to town and found Master Zhao.

"Master Zhao, we've found him."

Master Zhao was overjoyed. "Really? Where?"

Lin Bei took out the blueprints and pointed them out to him, "This place, more than 20 miles from the town, is called Qing Shi Valley."

"Surrounded by mountains on three sides and open on one side, with a stream at the bottom of the valley, it has the topography of a grand master's chair and the layout of a jade belt around the waist, making it a superior feng shui treasure land."

Master Zhao took the blueprints and looked at them again and again, his hands trembling with excitement.

"Very well! Thank you, young Taoist priests!"

He pulled fifty silver dollars from his sleeve and stuffed them into Lin Bei's hand.

"Here is the agreed-upon payment, please take it, you two young Taoist priests."

Lin Bei looked at the fifty silver dollars in his hand and split twenty-five dollars with Shi Shaojian.

"Master Zhao, there are a few things you must remember to pay attention to when you are buried," Lin Bei instructed. "The coffin should be placed with the head facing south and the feet facing north, without any deviation. The burial time should be in the morning, before sunrise."

Master Zhao nodded repeatedly: "I've got it, I've got it. Thank you for your guidance, young Taoist priest."

Lin Bei and Shi Shaojian left the Zhao family's house and headed towards Jufulou.

"Junior brother, we have twenty-five silver dollars. How should we spend them?" Shi Shaojian asked, grinning from ear to ear as he touched the silver dollars in his pocket.

"Let's go to Jufulou and order a table of good food, pack it up and take it back so that Master can also try it."

"Great idea!"

The two entered Jufulou Restaurant, and Lin Bei walked to the counter.

"Manager Li, bring me your best banquet, and pack it up so I can take it back to the mountain."

When Manager Li saw that it was Lin Bei, his face immediately lit up with a smile.

"Master Lin, it's been a while since you last visited! Very well, I'll have the kitchen prepare the best for you."

"Braised pork knuckle, sweet and sour carp... plus a jar of fine wine."

Lin Bei recited a long list of dishes, which Manager Li noted down one by one.

"Master Lin, there are so many dishes, how many people are eating them?"

"Three people, what, can't finish it?"

Manager Li smiled, eager to order more. "I know Master Lin's appetite; he can finish it all."

Lin Bei chuckled and found a seat to wait.

Half an hour later, the dishes were ready and filled four large food boxes to the brim.

Lin Bei paid the money, picked up the food box, and walked back with Shi Shaojian. The journey was peaceful, and no one dared to block their way.

Previously, Lin Bei had encountered Old Ghost and Weasel in succession, and Shi Jian had cleaned up the area within a hundred miles, leaving it as clean as it could possibly be.