Chapter 1

Chapter 1

My name is Qiao Moyu. I’m a junior at Nanjiang University, and the only Earth Master successor alive today.

In ancient times, “Earth Master” was originally a general term for feng shui practitioners. Later, it came to refer specifically to grandmasters of feng shui who could read the stars.

As the old saying goes: “A first-rate Earth Master reads the stars, a second-rate Wind Master seeks the water mouth, and third-rate gentlemen wander everywhere.” Most of those practicing in the world today are ordinary feng shui masters. In ancient times, those who mastered the arts of stargazing and aura-reading all served in the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, pledging their loyalty to the imperial household.

My Qiao ancestors once held the post of Director of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau and were also the hereditary leaders of the Feng Sect.

That day, I was in the library, writing furiously, when I received a call from an unfamiliar number.

“Qiao Moyu, it’s me-

“Can you come to Taihe County, Jiangxi?”

“You are-”

“It’s me. Chen Junzhao.”

Chen Junzhao?

I froze with my phone in my hand, and a round, chubby face seemed to appear before my eyes.

Chen Junzhao and I met eight years ago. Back then, he was only twelve, trailing behind his father as they came to my master to ask for a protective talisman.

The Chen family belonged to the Yin Trade, a line of work that made its living off the dead.

As the saying goes: “The executioner’s blade, the coroner’s eyes, the paper effigy maker’s craft, and the cobbler’s needle and thread-those who make their money from the dead bring bad luck to anyone who meets them!”

The Chen family didn’t practice any of those four main trades. Instead, they worked in an even more niche profession-bone collecting.

Among the Hakka people and the Zhuang, there is a very ancient burial custom known as “bone collection burial,” also called “secondary burial.”

After a local person’s relative passed away, they would first bury the body in a coffin. Several years later, the grave would be reopened, the bones gathered, and every last bone placed intact into a funerary urn. Then an auspicious feng shui site would be chosen for reburial.

The people who collected those bones for them were called bone collectors.

Because they were in frequent contact with human remains, bone collectors’ hands were soaked in special secret medicines. Although the locals respected them, they also considered them taboo. In ordinary life, people were reluctant to associate with bone collectors.

Bone collectors didn’t attend weddings or funerals, didn’t shake hands with others, and couldn’t pass anyone cigarettes, alcohol, or food. For the most part, they came and went alone, with little social contact.

Since Chen Junzhao and I last parted, aside from the New Year’s greetings he sent me during the holidays, we basically hadn’t been in touch at all. Why would he suddenly think to call me?

Don’t tell me he wanted to borrow money!

These days, far fewer people chose earth burial, and the bone-collecting business had shrunk dramatically. The possibility was definitely high.

At that thought, I immediately sucked in a sharp breath and raised my guard to the highest level.

“Oh, it’s you. What’s up? If you’ve got something to say, make it quick. I still have to rush off to my part-time job. Sigh, I haven’t even scraped together next semester’s tuition yet.”

The other end of the line went quiet for a moment.

“Tuition?

“You’re a proper Earth Master. How are you still short on tuition? You-don’t tell me you thought I was calling to borrow money?”