148: Chapter 148 One True and Nine False

Han Jingyang shook his head as he reached this point. "Actually, you all have your suspicions too, don't you?"

Zhou Jianjun sighed. "Isn't that the truth? Although the village has been sailing smoothly over these years, everyone knows there's no such thing as love or hate without a reason. He Dingkun spending so much money here must mean he’s after something. Considering his age, health, and all those rumors, we definitely have our thoughts..."

"Your guesses are correct."

"Is it really the legendary Sowing the Life Base?"

"No, no, no. It can only be said that it's a similar method for longevity, but it's not Sowing the Life Base. Sowing the Life Base is something those Feng Shui Masters from the south mess around with, and it has almost no effect. What He Dingkun is using is a true Heaven-Defying Technique."

"This, this..."

"Don't panic. To put it simply, it's borrowing the rich Vital Energy from the dragon vein to nourish oneself. It sounds simple, but the actual implementation is difficult and the risks are high. If one isn't careful, it could backfire. The reason He Dingkun and the Dingshen Group have become like this is because they suffered a backlash."

Zhou Jianjun's eyes widened. "Wasn't it said that it was... it was your doing, Little Master Han?"

"Me? No, no, no. I don't have that much capability. When I met He Dingkun, he was already on the verge of suffering a backlash. I merely added a little force to speed up the process. If it were based solely on my own strength, I could never have toppled a local tyrant like He Dingkun; such a person's fortune is very profound."

"Then how do we break it? Will just tearing down that pagoda do?"

"Yes, tearing it down will restore things to their original state. After all, your main terrain hasn't undergone major changes or large-scale projects. However, if you tear down that pagoda, your reservoir will be ruined."

"Ruined?"

"Yes. Although that pagoda is unfriendly to your village, it has unintentionally nourished the reservoir next to it. Haven't you noticed? The fish in the reservoir are fresher and more tender than fish from other places."

"I noticed," Zhou Jianjun said as he caught onto something. "Little Master Han, do you mean there's a way to have the best of both worlds?"

"Exactly. But that's a big project; you should be mentally prepared."

"Go ahead and speak, Little Master Han. As long as it's a legitimate project with a reasonable explanation for the higher-ups and the public, I can make the call."

"Tear down the pagoda and replace it with a landscaped garden. It's best to build a corridor wrapping around the hillside, connecting the reservoir, the hillside, and the village. Supplemented with other methods, this will not only resolve the various hidden dangers left by He Dingkun but also channel more of the Qi from over there into the village."

"Is that really possible?" Zhou Jianjun was both surprised and delighted.

"It is."

Hearing this, Zhou Jianjun was even more pleased and cupped his hands seriously. "Thank you for your hard work, Little Master Han."

"You're welcome."

"When do we start construction?"

"That's for you to decide. To start, the pagoda must be torn down first. There are no special requirements for this; once the villagers agree and you gather enough manpower, just tear it down. However, remember not to break the ground."

"Break the ground? What does that mean?"

"It means do not dig downward within a three-zhang radius of that Octagonal Pagoda," Han Jingyang organized his words. "Let's put it this way: dismantle it gently, piece by piece, board by board. Don't cause destruction. Be even more careful once you reach the foundation. Use manual labor if possible; use hands instead of shovels if you can, to avoid disturbing the qi veins."

"Are there any other precautions?"

"After dismantling it, you'll definitely need to backfill. You must use pure earth from the mountain."

"Pure earth?"

"Yes, soil that hasn't been contaminated. No construction waste or household garbage in the soil."

"I... I've noted it down."

Zhou Jianjun nodded solemnly with a serious expression, even taking out his phone to make notes for fear of forgetting something.

Han Jingyang drew a simple sketch on the dust-covered tabletop. "When building the corridor, follow this pattern. You can decide the details yourselves, but the key nodes cannot be handled carelessly. Find me to mark them before you start work."

"This is... the Big Dipper?"

Zhou Jianjun looked at the pattern on the table, feeling it looked very familiar.

"Yes, the Big Dipper Array. Using the qi node on the hillside as the array core, connect the other six points with the corridor to form a large artificial Feng Shui array. This will allow that qi node to be better utilized, bringing more benefits to your village."

Zhou Jianjun nodded repeatedly and asked about many more details.

Han Jingyang answered them all patiently.

It wasn't until past five or six o'clock that Zhou Jianjun left satisfied.

Shi Xiaoya asked in a low voice, "Boss, is everything you said true?"

Han Jingyang smiled. "There's truth and there are lies."

"How much of each?"

"One part truth, nine parts lies."

"Huh?"

"Don't panic. The words are fake, but the effects are real. If they do as I said, the results will only be better."

"I get it. Actually, it would be fine not to tear down the pagoda, but you said all that with only one goal: to make them willing to tear it down themselves."

"Wasn't our goal in Dongpo Village the bronze tripod inside the pagoda? Is there any method more clever than this?"

"No, but even after the pagoda is torn down, that tripod won't necessarily end up in our hands. These people aren't stupid."

"As long as the bronze tripod comes to light and isn't directly taken away by the relevant departments, it'll be fine. At worst, we'll just spend some money to buy it."

"This method is the most secure," Shi Xiaoya nodded. "Boss, leave this task to me. I'll watch them tear down the pagoda. I'll even keep an eye on who might try to hide a single brick."

"Good."

Back at the farmhouse stay.

Han Jingyang entered the bedroom with the six dharma instruments he had acquired.

He went straight to identifying them.

The compass came first.

This compass was different from the one he was currently using; it was made of pure copper and was relatively small, like a pocket watch, with a glass cover. It was also in quite good condition.

Compasses come in various materials, but wood and copper are the most common.

Some Feng Shui Masters prefer wooden compasses, believing they are the least likely to be interfered with.

Other Feng Shui Masters prefer copper compasses, believing them to be more sensitive.

Han Jingyang didn't know which was better.

After determining the approximate era of this compass, he identified it directly.

"Name: Republican Era Copper Compass."

"Grade: Rank 3."

"Attribute: Qi Observation +20."

"Skill: Gathering Qi into a Mountain."

Holy crap?

Holy holy holy holy crap!

Rank 3!

Is this for real?

Not a hallucination?

A copper compass made during the Republican era can be a Rank 3 item?

Incredible!

Too incredible!

Thank you, Zhou Jianjun!

Thank you, Wang Jinliang!

Thank you, Wang Wei!

Thank you, He Dingkun!

Thank you...

Han Jingyang was instantly so ecstatic he almost didn't know what to do; the words 'Rank 3' were the only thing in his head.

This was simply too unexpected.

I never would have dreamed I'd encounter a Rank 3 item here.

Even for the bronze tripod I had my eye on, I hadn't dared to think it would be a top-tier Rank 3 treasure.

A Rank 3 item.

This was no joke.

Look at these attributes. For Qi Observation, it directly adds 20 points, which is 11 points higher than the wooden compass I'm using now.

In other words, with this copper compass in hand, my 'Qi Observation' ability has increased by more than double.

This is a meteoric rise.

Not to mention, there's an even more incredible skill.

Gathering Qi into a Mountain.

What does that mean?

Condensing earth qi into a mountain to be used for offense or defense; it can be called a god-tier skill for both attack and defense.

It's similar to the move used by Monk Kongyun and Monk Delin, but more powerful, because what's being condensed is actual earth qi—condensing earth qi into a mountain—rather than creating an aura using one's own soul.

The two are fundamentally different.