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Translator: Silavin
“Wow, the Tai Chi Halo is so domineering?” Hansheng exclaimed in admiration after hearing about it.
Doctor Zhu began digging while continuing to narrate the origin of the Tai Chi Halo.
In nature, there were five colours of soil: Chalky White Soil represents gold, Green Soil represents wood, Black Soil represents water, Red Soil represents fire, and Yellow Soil represents earth. The Tai Chi Halo was circular, with a diameter of about ten metres. It naturally contains these five coloured soils within it, which was extremely rare. Moreover, the soil within the halo nurtures Five Coloured Earth Spawns, commonly known as ‘Dirt Eggs’. Dirt Eggs were all hollow inside and occasionally contain insects resembling silkworms.
“Is there really such a strange place?” Hansheng doubted.
“I’ll take you to see it when we have time,” his Father promised.
Hansheng took the hoe, and took over the digging from his Father.
“Someone has fainted!” A woman’s cry came from the bamboo forest.
Doctor Zhu quickly grabbed his medicine box and ran towards the bamboo forest, with Hansheng dropping the hoe and following closely behind.
Li Laoer from the north end of the village had collapsed in front of his Ancestral Grave, with his Wife, Aunt Li, screaming hysterically beside him.
“Be careful! There’s black gas! Take her opposite of where the wind is blowing!” his Father urgently instructed.
Hansheng pulled Aunt Li to the upwind direction. He watched as his Father open the medicine box and hastily stuffed a Pill into Li Laoer’s mouth.
Hansheng tilted his head, looking left and right, but still could not see the so-called black corpse gas.
“Squint your eyes. Try to use your peripheral vision, catch it with an inadvertent glance,” his Father advised Hansheng.
Hansheng followed what his Father said. He squinted his eyes and glanced back and forth. Finally, he caught one or two glimpses of a faint grey gas diffusing from the grave pit.
“I saw it!” He excitedly exclaimed.
His Father smiled at Hansheng, gently helping the slowly awakening Li Laoer to sit up. He explained that there was some foul and poisonous gas in the grave, and they should wait for the gas to dissipate before collecting the bones.
By early afternoon, the bones of Hansheng’s Grandparents and Mother had been separately placed in cloth bags. After filling the grave pits, Father and Son returned home with their Ancestors’ remains.
During dinner, his Father gave more pointers on Feng Shui Qi Perception Techniques. He thought to himself, this child may not succeed in medicine, but he seems to have some extraordinary talent in the art of Feng Shui.
※※※
Late at night, Hansheng was still studying by lamplight in the west room, growing more astonished as he read. The formulas recorded in the Classic of the Black Satchel were truly incredible. For some difficult diseases, a single dose of medicine could cure them.
Past 3am, Hansheng finally finished reading it through. He had a heavy sigh as he closed the book. He clearly knew what he wanted to be in this life, he truly wanted to be a doctor who helps the world, just like Hua Tuo did in the past.
After putting away the wooden box containing the classic, he let out a long yawn, blew out the oil lamp, and entered a sweet dream.
Early in the morning, his Father knocked on the door of the west room.
“We’re burying our Ancestors’ bones today, quickly get up,” his Father said through the door.
During breakfast, Hansheng quietly asked his Father, “Dad, are you thinking of burying Great Grandfather and Grandfather’s bones in the Tai Chi Halo?”
“Bah, how could you think of that? Our Family has been doctors for generations, only thinking of helping others out of difficulties, with no other desires. If we wanted wealth and glory, your Great Grandfather would have entered the Tai Chi Halo long ago,” his Father scolded.
“I didn’t mean it that way. It’s quite good to be able to travel around as a doctor, helping people out of their difficulties,” Hansheng said.
“Haaaa… Your Father naturally understands your thoughts. But, studying medicine requires talent, otherwise you’d just be a quack doctor and harm people instead. You’re already twenty years old, and you don’t want to farm, but you haven’t succeeded in studying medicine either. I thought about teaching you some Feng Shui Techniques, but nowadays, nobody believes in them. In life, you need to have some kind of skill,” his Father frowned.
Hansheng lowered his head without speaking, thinking to himself, [I won’t say anything now. One day I’ll surely surprise you, Dad!]
After breakfast, Father and Son packed their things, with Hansheng carrying the Ancestors’ remains on his back. They left the village and headed towards the depths of Nanshan, with their big yellow dog coming along in front.
Wuyuan was located at the junction of Zhejiang, Anhui, and Jiangxi Revolutionary Bases, in the hilly area extending from Huangshan. The Wuxi River meanders from northwest to southeast, which has been the ‘separating line for the Wu and Chu Dynasty’ since the Spring and Autumn Period (771BC – 476BC) and the Warring States Periods (475BC – 221BC). With high mountains and distant waters, it was inconvenient for transportation. It has historically been a place where officials and gentry from the Central Plains sought refuge from war, also a place to return to nature. During the Jin Dynasty (266-420), Tang Dynasty (618–907) and Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), there were large migrations from the Central Plains, forming a constellation of villages in the southern Anhui mountains, with Nanshan Village being one of them.
Walking along the northern foot of Nanshan, his Father stood on a high ridge, gazing far towards the northwest, and explained, “Feng Shui, formerly known as ‘Geographical Divination,’ involves observing celestial phenomena, examining mountains and rivers, seeking Dragon Veins and identifying auspicious spots. Lai Buyi, the great Feng Shui Master of the Song Dynasty, once came to Nanshan and stayed at the home of our Zhu Family Ancestors. One night, drinking under the moon, Lai Buyi revealed a great secret.”
“What great secret?” Hansheng eagerly asked.
“The Tai Chi Halo.”
“Dad, tell me quickly,” Hansheng urged.
“This has been passed down from our Ancestors. Back then, Lai Buyi said that according to his observations, two Dragon Veins from Huangshan, one Yang and one Yin, came from the northwest and southeast. The Yang Dragon rushed straight towards Poyang Lake in the northwest, while the Yin Dragon meandered to the southeast to this place, becoming a Hidden Dragon. Huangshan is its Old Ancestral Mountain, Dazhang Mountain is its Younger Ancestral Mountain, and Nanshan is its current Ancestral Mountain. This place overlooks Pengli to the west, Baiyue to the north, the Yangtze River to the east, and Huguang to the south. With clouds gathering and mist condensing, the atmosphere there is magnificent, with Dragon Veins, sand, caves, and water all naturally formed.
Lai Buyi had travelled through dozens of prefectures and counties in Jiangnan but had never seen such an excellent Feng Shui location. Lai Buyi, who had roamed the world all his life and was skilled in identifying auspicious locations, discovered a ten thousand year auspicious spot during his journey to check Dragon Veins.
The Tai Chi Halo is located at the mouth of the Yin Dragon.
That night, under the bright moon and stars, Lai Buyi, in high spirits from the wine, took our Ancestor up Nanshan to observe the spot. He firmly stated that this place would produce a generation of emperors.”
“Could it be that the burial place of Zhu Yuanzhang’s Mother is on the Yang Dragon?” Hansheng speculated.
“Correct, it was on that Yang Dragon, which produced a generation of emperors for the Ming Dynasty,” his Father nodded.
“Are there Tai Chi Halos in both places?” Hansheng asked, somewhat confused.
“Lai Buyi called this ‘Yin-Yang Double Halo.’ I think what Liu Bowen later discovered was the Yang Halo, while this one is the Yin Halo. Lai Buyi once told our Ancestor that the energy of the Hidden Dragon’s Yin Halo far exceeds that of the Yang Halo,” his Father explained.
Hansheng thought to himself, [Well, there are indeed many mysteries in nature.]
“Let’s go.” his Father continued along the mountain path.
At a depression on the back of Nanshan, his Father stopped and put down the tools and items he was carrying on his shoulders. He advised, “Let’s bury the bones here.”
Hansheng put down the cloth bags and looked around.
“This is a depression in the Dragon’s spine, sheltered from the wind and gathering energy. It’s a moderately auspicious place. After all, we don’t want great wealth and honour. Just catching a bit of the Dragon’s energy for future generations to have enough food and clothing is fine.”
“Where is the Tai Chi Halo?” Hansheng asked.
“After we’ve buried the remains, I’ll take you to see it,” his Father said as he began to dig.
The weather was clear, with golden sunlight spilling over the mountains. Purple mist lingered in the air. The Wuxi River meandered like a belt through the hills, and in the distance, Hui Style farmhouses with white walls and black tiles, small bridges over flowing water, were present. It created a scene of tranquillity.
Two hours passed, and Father and Son were covered in sweat, having finally dug three grave pits. His Father took out three empty pottery urns from his basket, and together with Hansheng, they filled them with the remains of their Great Grandfather, Grandparents, and Mother respectively. They sealed the urn lids and placed them in the pits in order of seniority, with the seniors placed furthest to the east.
His Father opened a bottle of liquor and poured it in front of the pits. His eyes were red, but he said nothing, silently shovelling down the first spade of soil.
When burning the paper money, Hansheng cried.
A few dark clouds drifted over the sun, suddenly dimming the earth.
“Let’s go. It’s time to take you to see the Tai Chi Halo,” his Father said.
※※※
His Father led the way, with Hansheng following behind carrying the basket on his back. The two walked along the mountain ridge.
As they walked, Hansheng’s eyes suddenly lit up, and he stood there in amazement, hardly believing his eyes…
Although the hills as far as the eye could see were all of uneven heights, Nanshan seemed to be the central point, with the hills to the east, south, and west radiating outward. They were all bowing their heads towards Nanshan. Looking back towards the northern horizon, the majestic Huangshan descended in layers of peaks like waves, with purple mist lingering, gathering vital energy.
“You see it now? Three sides bowing in worship, eight directions paying tribute. This mountain formation alone shows the energy of an emperor,” his Father remarked with emotion.
“But the tail of Nanshan is a flat plain. It is as if the mountain formation has been interrupted,” Hansheng frowned.
“A Dragon Vein coming from a thousand kilometres away, before ending, first constricts its energy to pass through a gorge before suddenly rises up. This section of the mountain Dragon formation is called ‘Hidden Dragon Crossing the Gorge,’ and we’re standing right on the Dragon’s head.”
“Then where is the Tai Chi Halo?” Hansheng looked down, scanning the ground.
“The Yang Dragon cave forms above the eyebrow, the Yin Dragon cave forms below the lip. Follow me,” his Father said as he continued walking forward. The mountain path sloped down and became increasingly narrow. Finally, they passed through a patch of shrubs and climbed down from the Dragon’s head.
“Oh, isn’t this Linggu Cave?” Hansheng was surprised to find they had arrived at the entrance of Linggu Cave.
His Father nodded with a smile, looked around to make sure no one was there. He used the cave entrance as a reference point, paced out about thirty metres, then walked fifteen steps to the left. This area was overgrown with shrubs. He beckoned to Hansheng, bent down, and plunged into the shrubs.
Hansheng put down his basket and followed suit.
In the centre of the shrubs was a clearing of about two metres. His Father used the hoe to remove some turf, exposing the soil beneath. Faintly visible were circular rings of soil in five colours – white, green, black, red, and yellow, each layer a single colour, varying in intensity and depth, dazzling to the eye, like a truly divine halo.
“It’s so beautiful,” Hansheng’s eyes widened.
His Father continued to dig a few more times with the hoe. He dug out a fist-sized green Dirt Egg and handed it to Hansheng: “This is an Earth Spawn. Green in the Five Elements belongs to wood, so it’s called a Wood Egg.”
Hansheng took the Wood Egg, holding it in his palm. He weighed it, finding it not heavy and it was truly hollow.
His Father replaced the turf he had dug up and stomped it down with his foot, saying, “Be careful. You cannot let anyone else discover this.”
Hansheng fingered the Wood Egg in his hand, a smile appearing on his face, because the Classic of the Black Satchel also mentioned these Five Elements Earth Spawns.
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