Chapter 65: The Abandoned Mine

“There are plenty of things you haven’t anticipated. This time, you have to admit you messed up your intel.”

The man in the dark sunglasses shook his head and said, “But we took the shortcut—they had to travel much farther than us.”

“Even if it’s a shortcut, aren’t we still here waiting for them?”

We bantered back and forth for a bit, and I found it rather amusing. I lit a cigarette and waited with him for a long while. Eventually, he seemed bored and asked, “Do you know anything about feng shui?”

I shook my head. He continued, “I’ve dabbled in it before. Come, let me tell you a bit about it.”

He then began to explain the basics of feng shui to me. Feng shui is an arcane art, also known as Qingwu or Qingnang. Academically, it’s called geomancy. It’s a kind of special power: “wind” represents vitality and atmospheric energy, “water” denotes flow and change. Feng shui is a form of geomantic divination—also called earth reading or, in ancient times, Kan Yu. It’s a philosophy that studies the relationship between the environment and the cosmic order. Since humans are part of nature, and nature is part of humanity, the goal is to achieve the unity of heaven and man. The founder of feng shui is the Daoist goddess, the Mysterious Lady of the Nine Heavens. The discipline reached maturity during the Warring States period. Its core is the harmony between humans and nature, the unity of heaven and man. Early feng shui concerned itself with the selection, orientation, and construction of palaces, dwellings, villages, and tombs—a mystical art for choosing auspicious locations.

As for the definition of feng shui, countless interpretations have been offered over the centuries, but the earliest historical definition comes from Guo Pu of the Jin dynasty. In his famed “Book of Burials,” he wrote: “Burial is about harnessing living qi. Qi disperses when it rides the wind, is contained when it encounters water. The ancients gathered it so it wouldn’t scatter, moved it so it would be contained—thus, it is called feng shui. The method of feng shui prioritizes finding water and then storing wind.” Thus, feng shui is a branch of geomancy, with its own division into the ‘yang dwellings’ of the living and the ‘yin dwellings’ of the dead.

Sunglasses spoke with such authority that I thought to myself, “This is hardly just dabbling—you’re practically an expert.” Yet he admitted it was all theory. Very few people truly grasp feng shui. Take, for example, Old Simpleton from Old Ghost’s crew—he’s a real master, skilled at locating auspicious burial sites. Most of Old Ghost’s successful tomb raids, eight or nine out of ten, were thanks to Old Simpleton’s expertise. Such talented people can pinpoint grand tombs or inauspicious grounds just by reading the land—a rare gift.

I asked him how the feng shui was here. He shook his head, unable to tell—so it seemed he really didn’t understand it that deeply.

We chatted idly, passing the time. In the distance, through binoculars, I could see Old Ghost’s group drawing nearer—they weren’t far off. The mountain road was rough, and some sections were impassable by car, so progress was slow. It was already past four in the afternoon when Sunglasses told me to hide; Old Ghost’s team would arrive soon.

We quickly found a concealed spot behind a pile of large stones, overgrown with wild grass—an ideal hiding place, not far from Old Ghost’s group. From here, we could see them clearly, even hear their voices.

Old Ghost, sipping from his thermos, ordered everyone to rest up. Old Simpleton climbed to a high vantage point, alarmingly close to us—I was honestly worried we’d be discovered, but Sunglasses gave me a reassuring look, signaling me not to worry.

Soon, Old Ghost joined Old Simpleton on the high ground. My hearing has always been unusually sharp, and now I could clearly catch their conversation. Old Ghost asked, “Well, is this the place? I wonder if they’ve found it yet.”

Old Simpleton chuckled, “It should be here, Ghost Boss. Look at that Killing Dragon, Sword-Backed Dragon—dragon’s body with stones, north aligned with Bing and facing Ren, even compatible with Ji Hai; east aligned Bing facing Ren and compatible with Wu Zi. Such a feng shui treasure is truly rare. I can’t imagine how those nomads from the border found such a geomantic gem. Fascinating, truly fascinating.”

“The ancients were wise beyond measure,” Old Ghost nodded. “There are plenty of things we can’t comprehend even now. Perhaps they had their own feng shui masters back then—one never knows.”

“You’re absolutely right, Ghost Boss. The others have probably already gone inside. We’re a little late—after all, this is West Gate’s territory, and they have feng shui experts as skilled as I am. It’s normal they found the spot first. Just a few days ago, one of our brokers got word that West Gate was making some moves. Not sure what happened, but now they’re taking major action. I wonder if some higher-ups have given new orders.”

Old Ghost waved him silent. “No more of this. We have no part in those people’s affairs. We just need to do our jobs. The more you know, the less chance you have of surviving, understand?”

“Yes, you’re right, Ghost Boss. I’ll remember.”

They didn’t say much, but the information was heavy: West Gate, brokers, and those ‘higher-ups’—who were they? I glanced at Sunglasses, who seemed lost in thought.

Then I heard Old Ghost say, “I wonder what Black Five is up to. We haven’t seen the car he snatched from us. There’s no place for cars here—where could he have gone? Stay alert, that kid is trouble.”

“Yes, understood, Ghost Boss.”

Old Simpleton nodded, and the two climbed down. So Black Five referred to Sunglasses—I hadn’t expected such a clumsy name; I’d thought it would be something bolder. Sunglasses, for his part, showed no reaction. With those big shades, it was impossible to read his expression; he seemed deep in thought, unmoving.

We remained hidden for maybe half an hour, until my limbs began to ache. Then Old Ghost shouted, and everyone sprang into action, swiftly packing up and assembling. Their movements were sharp and disciplined, clearly the result of frequent training.