Chapter 1

Chapter 1

A post has been trending on the forums lately: [Does Chinese Taoist magic work on foreign ghosts? Can talismans deal with vampires?]

I replied seriously: [It should work. I’m actually on my way to a cemetery castle right now. I’ll let you guys know when I get back.]

My comment was quickly upvoted to the top, mostly by people calling me out for bragging.

[A cemetery and a castle? What even is that? Stop making things up if you can’t even tell a clear story.]

[Exactly. Let me tell you, Chinese magical artifacts are completely useless abroad. My senior brother tried to hack a vampire with a peach wood sword and got insta-killed in one move.]

[Yeah, I can vouch for the guy above me. I’m that senior brother.]

[LMAO, I’m dead. Your IP is in the UK; you’re way more credible than that braggart.]

The boarding announcement rang out, and I put my phone down with a sigh.

They didn’t know that I really wasn’t bragging.

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

In ancient times, “Earth Master” was a general term for feng shui practitioners, but it later came to specifically refer to feng shui masters who could observe the stars.

As the saying goes: “A first-rate Earth Master gazes at the stars; a second-rate master seeks the water’s mouth; a third-rate practitioner wanders the earth.” Most of those walking the world today are just ordinary feng shui practitioners. Those capable of the art of Star-gazing and Qi-watching held positions in the Imperial Astronomical Bureau in ancient times, serving the imperial family.

My Qiao Family ancestors were Directors of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau and the hereditary Sect Masters of the Feng Sect.

This time, I had been invited by Director Chen to travel to England to investigate a Ghost Tomb.

Director Chen owned a massive estate. His gardener was a drunkard who claimed every month that he saw a phantom castle.

Director Chen hadn’t taken him seriously until he, too, caught a faint glimpse of a castle hidden in the mist, looking much like a mirage.

I explained to him that this so-called Ghost Tomb was also known as a Hidden Tomb. It usually couldn’t be found and would only reveal a trace of itself on the fifteenth of every month, when yin energy was at its peak.

The word for “tomb” used here-zhong-originally referred to a grand burial mound. Generally, only the graves of royalty and nobles could be called a “zhong.” Hiding such a massive tomb required a great price, something ordinary people wouldn’t do. Thus, this kind of grave was called a “Hidden Tomb.”

A Hidden Tomb was concealed using Qi Men Dun Jia, but it wasn’t without flaws.

Tombs are inherently yin in nature. If one smeared pure yin blood onto the tomb’s entrance, the surge in yin energy would make the tomb visible to the naked eye.

After hearing my explanation, Director Chen’s eyes lit up.

“So you’re saying the owner of this Ghost Tomb in my garden must be someone extraordinary! The things inside-*hiss*-”

“Master Qiao, just as we agreed: in addition to the price I promised you, you can take any one item you want from the castle.”

Before I could speak, Song Feifei stood nearby, rolling her eyes with a sneer. “Are you trying to brush off a beggar? Do we look like we’re that desperate for your scraps? Lingzhu, let’s go!”

Lu Lingzhu also let out a sigh, looking at me with a face full of disappointment.

“Sigh, Qiao Moyu, I never expected this. I treated you like a friend, but you treated me like a blood pack. This friendship was clearly misplaced.”