The Four Great Schools

That thunderous shout was deafening. Everyone standing in the room felt their ears ring, and they were nearly scared out of their wits.

I had no idea what method the old Taoist used, but after that shout, a cloud of black qi suddenly flew out of the crown of my head. He reached out, seized it, and stuffed it straight into a wine gourd.

The old Taoist shook the wine gourd in his hand and took a swig, praising it lavishly. "A soul with a four yang fate really does give the wine a different flavor."

He hung the wine gourd at his waist, then told my family, "Let my disciple rest at home for a few days. I'll come back to take him away in three days."

With those words, the old Taoist drifted away, leaving my family standing there dumbfounded.

That was it?

Granny Liu had worked all day without finding a solution, yet the old Taoist had settled everything in less than a minute...

After he left, Granny Liu examined me carefully. The corpse spots on my body had miraculously vanished, my breathing had steadied, and even my high fever had subsided.

"That old Taoist is a true master. His methods are incredible," Granny Liu said in astonishment.

"Little Jie is all right now?" Grandpa asked, still finding it hard to believe.

Granny Liu nodded firmly. "That's right. There's nothing wrong with him anymore. After a few days' rest, he'll be running around again. It seems this child wasn't destined to die. His misfortune turned into a blessing. With that Taoist master teaching him, Little Jie won't have to worry about facing any more calamities. He'll surely turn danger into good fortune."

Hearing that I was all right, everyone in my family let out a long sigh of relief.

But when they thought of the old Taoist coming to take me away in three days, and of not seeing me for the next ten years, they grew troubled again.

Grandpa was especially worried. By the time he could see me again in ten years, he would be over eighty. He did not know whether he would live to see that day.

Granny Liu reassured him that he would surely live to a hundred. She also said that although she did not know who the old Taoist was, he clearly possessed extraordinary powers, and I was bound to learn a great deal from him.

Granny Liu was right. Only later did I learn just who my master was.

My master's name was Li Xuantong, the reigning king of feng shui. No one in the world could surpass his mastery of it.

The others who had come to my house were no ordinary people either. Every one of them was a renowned figure in the feng shui world.

There were four great schools of feng shui at the time: the Eight Houses School, the Flying Star School, the Yang Gong School, and Golden Lock and Jade Pass. The last was also known as Passing Yin-Yang.

Chan Master Jueming, the burly monk who had been the first to arrive at my house, was the leader of the Eight Houses School. Founded by the Tang dynasty monk Chan Master Yixing, who was well versed in astronomy and calendrical calculations, the school based its core theory on matching the eight trigrams with the nine stars and eight houses. Combined with the annual movements of the nine-palace flying stars, it divided people into two fate groups, the Eastern Four and the Western Four, incorporating them into a complete feng shui system. It truly achieved the perfect unity of heaven, earth, and humanity, serving as the most direct expression of the Yellow River Chart and Luo River Writing. Its teachings were vast and profound, its mysteries endless.

The old man named Shen Xiuyuan was no ordinary figure either. He headed the Flying Star School, which took the mountains, waterways, and physical features of the natural environment as its external basis and combined them with three cycles and qi theory. Through distinctive divinatory calculations such as arranging dragon veins and establishing sites, plotting flying-star charts, and gathering mountain qi while expelling malign influences, it predicted events with uncanny accuracy, inspiring awe. The essence of its theory profoundly reflected the natural laws governing the movement of heaven and the corresponding formations of the earth.

The middle-aged man who had brought his daughter along to take me as a disciple was named Yang Gaoyi, an outstanding practitioner of the Yang Gong School. Its founder was Yang Yunsong, who served as Grand Master of Splendid Happiness during the Tang dynasty. In charge of Lingtai Geomancy at the time, he established the Yang school of feng shui, specializing in tracing dragon veins, studying surrounding hills, locating water, setting orientations, and choosing sites. Yang Gaoyi came from a family of feng shui practitioners with a long tradition of learning, and he too was a celebrated figure in the field.

The last visitor, the beautiful woman in a qipao, was named Ma Yuanling. She was the foremost practitioner of Passing Yin-Yang feng shui. Passing Yin-Yang was also known as Golden Lock and Jade Pass. The name Galloping Yin-Yang meant that a feng shui master could make an unerring judgment while merely passing by and taking a cursory look, demonstrating the school's speed and accuracy. Golden Lock and Jade Pass signified that its techniques were precious and difficult to obtain. She was another exceptionally formidable master.

These four held enormous prestige in the feng shui world and were known as the Monk of the South, Shen of the North, Yang of the East, and Ma of the West.

Those names represented their unrivaled standing in the world of practitioners across China.

My master, however, was even more remarkable. There was a saying among practitioners: "The Monk of the South, Shen of the North, Yang of the East, and Ma of the West-even together, they cannot match a single Li Xuantong."

My master had united the strengths of all four schools. A grandmaster of feng shui, he had founded the Wonder Gate School himself. No one in the world could surpass his accomplishments in feng shui, and everyone in the world of practitioners acknowledged it.

That was why those four had immediately abandoned their plans to take me as a disciple the moment they saw my master.

They knew their skills fell short of his, and they had no right to compete with him.

All four had been determined to take me as a disciple and were prepared to compete for me. But Li Xuantong, who had not appeared in the world of practitioners for over ten years, had unexpectedly turned up as well. They could only give up.

On the night I was haunted by Old Man Wang, who possessed a four yang fate, Granny Liu had been at her wits' end and my life had hung by a thread. As the yellow weasels and foxes bowed to the red moon, a strange celestial phenomenon appeared. While observing the heavens that night, those four and my master all noticed the anomaly at the same time. They realized that someone with my unusual fate had appeared in the world, so they all hurried toward my home. That was what led to the farce during the day.

In truth, whichever of them I had studied under, my future prospects would have been limitless.

But becoming Li Xuantong's disciple was the best possible outcome.

The day after Taoist Master Li left, I woke up. Although I still looked rather frail, I had finally pulled through.

My family was delighted, but there was sadness mixed in with their joy.

During those few days at home, my parents and Grandpa treated me especially well, buying me all sorts of delicious food and drinks. They had never been so good to me before, and I felt overwhelmed by the attention.

Yet I still had no idea what was about to happen.

My father even considered hiding me away. I had recovered, after all. When the old Taoist came, he could simply say I had gone on a long trip, and there would be nothing the old Taoist could do.

But Granny Liu said there was no need for that. A man had to stand by his word. Since they had made a promise, they could not go back on it.

Although my family could hardly bear to part with me, they had no choice but to go through with it.

Three days later, the old Taoist did indeed return.