Tales of Folk Feng Shui Mysteries

What he'd said piqued my curiosity too. Logically, I knew my grandfather's character inside out—he always taught me to do good deeds and never reveal Heaven's secrets. With the kind of person he was, I couldn't believe he'd ever stand by and let someone die.

Knowing our goal this time, I was less tense than before, though I still cursed that chubby He professor for dragging me into this mess. I remembered him clearly—rotund, like someone had mounted a big head onto a round Doraemon-like body.

We sped all the way, and as we approached Beijing, he took me to a military-controlled area. At the gate, the armed guards snapped to attention, saluting as soon as they saw Director Xing's car.I thought to myself: He must be pretty high-ranking.

When we got out, I wanted to ask him a few things, but Director Xing immediately ordered a few soldiers to escort me straight into a small iron interrogation room.To be honest, I was dumbfounded. But before I could react, the two soldiers had already pinned me down and cuffed me to a chair.

"Hey! What's going on? Where's Director Xing? Aren't we supposed to be talking? Can you take the handcuffs off so we can talk properly?"I shouted, but the soldiers ignored me, standing motionless behind me on either side.The room was dim—far more unsettling than any police interrogation room I'd ever seen.

Then came a metallic clack—the interrogation room door swung open.Because of the lighting, I couldn't see the newcomer's face. I only heard the crisp click-click of leather shoes approaching.I tried to reason: "Director Xing brought me here—there must be some mistake, right?"

"Name." The voice was icy cold.

"What? You brought me here—don't you know who I am?" I protested.

Smack! One of the soldiers slapped me hard across the face.I was stunned. This wasn't some drill—I was really being detained!

"Name," the voice repeated.

Even though I'd seen gods and ghosts—and counted the Night Roaming God as an ally—those were supernatural beings, not human authorities. Gods can't casually intervene in human affairs without inviting Heaven's wrath.So yes, I was terrified.

"Zhang Dabao," I answered.

They switched on a high-powered halogen lamp, blasting light into my face so bright I couldn't open my eyes.Then they asked: "What's your relationship to Li Xiaozhang?"

"He's my grandfather," I said.

They grilled me on all kinds of details—why my surname was Zhang when Grandpa's was Li, among other things. I answered everything honestly. They kept repeating questions, and as exhaustion set in, someone asked:

"Do you know about the Pisces Jade Pendant?"

I replied I'd heard of it—from Director Xing.

He continued: "Where are the research findings? Li Xiaozhang wouldn't abandon you without good reason. Did he leave the data with you? Tell the truth, or I'll have you executed." He slammed the table for emphasis.

"Please, let me go! I'm innocent. My grandfather was a feng shui master, and so am I. Our family's so poor we can barely survive—how could we possibly have time for any research findings? Brother, there must be a misunderstanding! Director Xing told me Grandpa disappeared in Jilin, and I just want to find him."

The leader abruptly closed his file and instructed the two soldiers: "Lock him up."

They uncuffed me briefly, then everyone filed out.I shouted after them, demanding answers, denouncing their illegal detention. But clack—the door shut.Darkness swallowed me whole again.

I'd survived ghost domains and rituals, but the oppressive silence and isolation of that pitch-black room gnawed at my sanity.Humans left alone in absolute darkness long enough inevitably start to crumble inside.That's exactly what they wanted—to break me psychologically. Every day they repeated the same questions, leaving me to languish in darkness afterward.I felt like I was in a living hell, eventually spilling every secret I knew: time travel, the palace ghost princess, the mission from the Primordial Lord, the nine dragons, the Night Roaming God, the weasel spirit—everything.

One day, they came in with what looked like a medical team. They injected me with a sedative, and I passed out.When I woke up, I was in a hospital bed, surrounded by uniformed medical staff.

"You're awake," someone said.

I looked around blearily—and recognized Director Xing! My rage boiled over. Between coughs, I croaked, "I…I…"

"Take it easy, speak slowly," he said, leaning close.

"I curse your grandmother!" I spat.

His face turned purple, but he didn't retaliate. Instead, I heard someone else chuckle:"Old Xing, serves you right! I told the organization he was innocent, but no one listened."

"It wasn't my call," Xing replied. "The decoded information was shocking. We couldn't risk anyone until we confirmed their loyalty."

The voice belonged to He—the rotund professor. He added:"Since Li Xiaozhang didn't contact his grandson, it's clear he didn't want to drag him into this. But your psychological test nearly drove the poor kid insane—he was ranting about the Primordial Lord. I nearly died laughing watching the footage."

That explained everything: the brutal questioning was a test to see if Grandpa had passed on classified information.I realized Grandpa must've gotten involved in something serious.

Director Xing—whose full name turned out to be Xing Zhan—explained solemnly:"Li Xiaozhang was hired by us to locate a dragon vein. He now holds sensitive data that, if it fell into foreign hands, would be a massive loss to national security. But our investigation confirms your family's loyalty—we believe he didn't defect. We need your help to find him."

Then He added:"Also, you'll take over his assignment to figure out what's happening. Our researchers have been dying in bizarre ways. As a disciple of Daoist Wang, only you can handle this."

I had no more doubts—my own mission to find Grandpa perfectly aligned with theirs.After seven days of recovery, He visited daily, chatting about myths and folklore. When I asked to see his famous calf (which supposedly bore a unique birthmark), he flatly refused.

Once I was cleared by medical checks, two soldiers escorted me to an office. Inside, a high-ranking officer—his epaulets discreetly covered—addressed me. Judging by his age, he was in his sixties.

"Zhang Dabao," he called.

"Here!" I snapped to attention.

"I've read your file. As a Chinese citizen, you have a duty to serve your country with your skills. You must find and bring back Comrade Li Xiaozhang!" His grave tone and genuine patriotism stirred me deeply.

I couldn't help but answer firmly: "Yes, sir!"

He continued:"Geomancy was once widespread in ancient China—it helps us better understand our past. Your mission is classified as Top Secret File 001: investigate the cause of our researchers' deaths and locate your grandfather. Once you identify the perpetrator—capture or kill them."

This mission was exactly what I wanted anyway, so I agreed without hesitation.Then the officer waved his hand, and two guards led me out.

Professor He picked me up, his warm, chubby smile easing my nerves. But deep down, I knew this wouldn't end easily—what had the Pisces Jade Pendant revealed? Why did Grandpa take the research?

Together we went to the morgue. Masked and gowned, we stood before the cold storage drawers. He pulled one open, revealing a corpse—completely desiccated, skin clinging to bones, eyes clouded gray, nostrils flared, mouth gaping in a grotesque death mask.

"What do you see?" he asked.

I examined the body closely, palpating from the skull down, checking every inch.We opened several more drawers—each body equally shriveled.

He pointed at two puncture marks on one corpse's neck:"Could this be the work of a vampire or zombie?"

I shot him a skeptical look. "I thought you didn't believe in ghosts?"

He gave an awkward laugh. "I'm an archaeologist—I have to act skeptical in front of my team. If I went around jumping at shadows, who'd take me seriously? But between us…" He lifted his shirt, revealing a jade Guanyin amulet. "I got this blessed by a high monk at Mount Wutai."

His hypocrisy almost made me laugh—those who claim disbelief often fear the most.

I pointed at the neck wounds on several bodies. "Movies mislead people—zombies don't bite so gently. They drain yang energy, targeting arteries rich in life force. But something else did this."

As I touched one wound, I felt something brush my fingertip.Peering closer, I smiled darkly:"I know what killed them."

"What is it?" He looked eager.

"Call your superiors. Tell them I need to leave immediately—I won't stay another minute. Once we're out, I'll explain what really killed these men."Thinking back to that torturous confinement, I shivered involuntarily.