273: Chapter 270 The Taoist Master Has Become

Hearing this, Zhou Sheng suddenly became agitated and spoke with displeasure: "How can this Bagua diagram be changed so casually? Even a slight deviation would have unimaginable consequences."

He paused, then pointed at the flag and said in a deep voice:

"Take a look. First, the flag of Lanwei Country has no eyes in the Yin and Yang. The Yin-Yang fish in the center lacks eyes.

The eyes of the Yin-Yang fish represent checks and balances, unity, tolerance, and mutual transformation; they represent the natural laws of the Universe, which are a combination of contradiction and inclusion.

However, by removing the eyes, there is no Yin within the Yang, and no Yang within the Yin. Consequently, there is only balance and opposition, devoid of unity and tolerance, naturally leading to division and endless conflict.

And they took the liberty of changing the black and white colors of the Yin-Yang fish into red and blue, which inherently represents the opposition of multiple camps. Does this not signify the division of this Lanwei Country land into northern and southern states?"

Hearing Zhou Sheng put it this way, Li Changsheng truly felt a sense of clarity.

"Daoist, does the I Ching really say that?"

"Not exactly. I am merely explaining it based on the fundamental concepts of the Dao. Furthermore, the Taiji Yin-Yang diagram has always been very easy to parse; it has been a settled conclusion since ancient times. It is just that Lanwei Country did not know this and changed it blindly."

Zhou Sheng shook his head.

"And this is just the beginning. Besides the Yin-Yang fish, they also changed the Bagua. A normal Bagua has eight trigrams, but they deleted four.

It is said that that foreigner modified it according to artistic aesthetics. I can only say, what a great modification!"

As he spoke, Zhou Sheng laughed, thinking of something.

"They left the four trigrams that seemed to have the most vivid symbolic meaning: Qian, Kun, Li, and Kan. They look quite nice.

These four trigrams represent Heaven, Earth, Fire, and Water, respectively, which are the four primary trigrams of the Bagua.

But they lack the other four trigrams—Gen, Zhen, Xun, and Dui—which represent Mountain, Thunder, Wind, and Lake. These four may seem unimportant, but they are indispensable.

Such reckless changes easily lead to the disruption of the flow between Mountain and Lake, and the interaction between Thunder and Wind.

Missing half, it is like nature having only Heaven, Earth, Water, and Fire, but no Mountain, Lake, Wind, or Thunder—like a barren, singular planet. Without Life Qi, without the nature that nourishes the world, Heaven and Earth stand directly opposed.

Changing the eight trigrams to four is already inauspicious, and it signifies the division of the country into two.

Therefore, if you look closely at the map, you can see that their border line is the wavy, distorted line of the Yin-Yang fish. This was destined by the trigrams."

Hearing this, Li Changsheng looked thoughtful. After careful consideration, he was immediately horrified.

It really was like that. The border line between the two countries was indeed the wavy line of the Taiji. The meaning of Taiji is that you have me, and I have you.

But here, because of the changed trigrams, there is no 'me' in 'you', and no 'you' in 'me'; they are mutually opposed.

"It doesn't stop there. That James also rotated their trigrams for the sake of aesthetics. As the saying goes, trigrams should not be changed lightly, and the Dao should not be transmitted lightly.

If it hadn't been changed, it would just be opposition between countries. But now that it has been changed, it's bad—it's getting fiercer and fiercer, a compound of ominousness, with three evil spirits at the helm."

Zhou Sheng shook his head; sometimes he even admired that British captain, James.

If you say he didn't understand trigrams, his changes made it perfectly, increasingly ominous, as if he were deliberately sabotaging the people of Lanwei Country.

If you say he did understand, he changed it blindly, aiming for the most inauspicious trigrams possible; not even winning the lottery would be this outrageous.

"With this change, it parses directly into four inauspicious omens: First is the Heaven-Wind Gou trigram, which is the image of a strong woman. It represents the 'glamorous' trigram, also known as 'five Yangs suppressing one Yin'. The Yin is in the first line, which is an ascending force.

Reflected in the national fortune, this represents their fence-sitting behavior, fawning and clinging everywhere. Secondly, it is also an image of developing and clinging to power through the strength of women."

He was right again!

Li Changsheng exclaimed in his heart.

Isn't Lanwei Country exactly like that internationally, a fence-sitter? And the women in their country are truly miserable, completely reduced to money-making tools for the chaebols.

Zhou Sheng continued, sighing: "The second is the Earth-Thunder Fu trigram. Ancient books record: 'The Duke of the Ma family is not compatible; people who divine this will have many worries. Benefactors are ungrateful and turn to resentment; right and wrong arise on flat ground.'

This trigram is too complex, so I will just tell you the hidden dangers. In terms of national fortune, it easily leads to the ruler's misfortune, meaning the monarch is bad at war and bad at governance. Over time, the monarch will inevitably face danger.

If the country continues to develop like this, the national prestige will not rise."

Right again.

Li Changsheng was speechless, thinking to himself, James, what kind of grudge did you have against the people of Lanwei Country?

Thinking carefully, since modern times, it seems no monarch of Lanwei Country has ever had a good ending. They either committed suicide, were killed, imprisoned, or exiled. Without exception, all were signs of the ruler's misfortune!

"The third is the Fire-Lake Kui trigram, which is the image of the ruler and subjects being inverted."

Right again!

Isn't the current Lanwei Country just a case of the monarch being suppressed by the chaebols?

"The fourth is the Water-Mountain Jian trigram. This one is actually not bad; it is an image of the Southwest flourishing while the Northeast declines."

Right again!

This was also flawless. In the current Lanwei Country, the development of the Northeast region is clearly far, far higher than the Southwest.

"Therefore, the trigrams cannot be changed lightly, especially on a flag. Using such a flag as the face of a country directly affects the national fortune. Recklessly using trigrams leads to endless disasters!"

Zhou Sheng shook his head and sighed, but there was still a smile on his face. Clearly, he was also unable to help but smile bitterly; the people of Lanwei Country were truly talented.

Li Changsheng was now completely convinced. Even if this person didn't have the miraculous abilities of the ancient Yuan Tiangang or Li Chunfeng, he had a solid foundation in the mystic arts; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to speak so eloquently and with such evidence.

As for whether he was talking nonsense, there was no need; the trigrams were there, and one could check the relevant meanings.

"Daoist Wuchen is a master, not far from Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng. I, Li, admire you!"

Li Changsheng cupped his hands in a gesture of respect.

Zhou Sheng smiled and waved his hand.

"Hehe, compared to Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng? I am still far behind those two. I can only calculate the clear trigrams. Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng used the I Ching to calculate and write the Tui Bei Tu, which predicted history for hundreds of years. How can I compare?"

After this exchange, the two had gotten to know each other. After some more idle chatter, Li Changsheng had a deeper understanding of this Zhou Sheng.

It turned out that this Zhou Sheng, Master Wuchen, was actually a descendant of the Quanzhen Dao. The Quanzhen Dao was primarily focused on Internal Alchemy, but he had not learned the Talisman sect of Quanzhen; instead, he specialized in the Zhan Yan sect.

This was considered an ancient cultivation sect because this lineage emphasized taking Medicinal Pills internally and cultivating Karma externally. They were best at divination, fate calculation, mystic arts, layout and formation, while Talismans were for fighting and Zhan Yan was for calculation.

"Daoist Wuchen, may I ask how old you are this year?" Li Changsheng thought for a moment and asked.

"Hmm, age?"

Zhou Sheng kept pinching his fingers as if calculating something: "I have already forgotten how long I have been cultivating. However, I have calculated it, and this year I am exactly twenty-two."

As he spoke, he revealed a grandfather-like smile, matching his middle-aged appearance. Li Changsheng wondered if he had heard wrong.

"Ahem, Daoist, you... how long have you been taking Medicinal Pills?"

"Ten years, perhaps. I have been fond of the Daoist art of alchemy and divination since I was a child. I practice not only Internal Alchemy but also External Alchemy.

Besides this Zhan Yan sect, I am also a fanatical enthusiast of the Dan Ding sect and have deep research into both internal and external alchemy."

Zhou Sheng stroked his slightly graying beard, his manner and movements becoming like an immortal, a high master about to achieve Immortal Ascension.

Li Changsheng's mouth twitched, and he forced a smile to agree.

This guy was truly a pure ancient cultivator.

The Zhan Yan sect was already considered an ancient cultivation sect, and the Dan Ding sect was even older.

As long as one knew that the Dan Ding sect originally developed from the Immortal School among the Hundred Schools of Thought, one would know how mysterious this sect was.

Of course, before the Song Dynasty, the Dan Ding sect followed the path of External Alchemy, which was using a Cauldron to refine lead, mercury, and other Ores into Medicinal Pills to ingest, as if ascending to an immortal realm.

After the Song Dynasty, they began to focus on Internal Alchemy, using oneself as a Cauldron to refine Essence into Qi.

And nowadays, the Dan Ding sect of the Quanzhen Dao belongs to the school that focuses on Internal Alchemy, but this guy was mostly walking the path of External Alchemy. He was a heretic!

His mental state was not good; I'm afraid he has taken too many pills.