The sight of the three corpses completely burned before him brought no pity to Xie Yuchen's heart. These three men, relying on their families' influence, had terrorized the city, even kidnapping women. For the ritual, Xie Yuchen had specifically brought this one.
As black energy surged from within the altar, Xie Yuchen was ready. He didn't know exactly how the altar worked, but activating it first was the priority. Indeed, after these three men were sacrificed, the cauldron of the altar emitted a golden light. Following this, golden imprints began to appear beneath the large cauldron, revealing text.
Having been raised in a prominent family, Xie Yuchen understood ancient script. "With the souls of ten thousand, I shall be reborn." "Once into the River of Oblivion, deeper than the sea; looking back, one dreams no more." As he read the inscription, Xie Yuchen felt a sense of foreboding. Had the girl not been resurrected, but someone like Huang Shuliang been brought back? If that were the case, it would be troublesome.
However, in the next moment, Xie Yuchen's thoughts changed. The cauldron was burning intensely, yet there was no movement. It was as if… nothing had happened. Seeing this, Xie Yuchen frowned slightly. "I hope she can be resurrected," Xie Yuchen murmured, his gaze fixed on the cauldron. The cauldron itself was pitch black, and beneath it, there was no fluctuation whatsoever. The soul energy that had just appeared was fleeting. This made Xie Yuchen doubt the effectiveness of the object before him.
"Alas, it seems it's all fate, and this is all fake." Xie Yuchen recalled Huang Shuliang being killed by a palm strike from Zhang Tian. Perhaps this was meant to revive him, but his physical body had been destroyed by Zhang Tian. There was no way back. "Never mind, since that's the case, so be it." Xie Yuchen waved his hand, his figure flashing as he disappeared into the tomb.
Not long after Xie Yuchen left, the altar began to shake again, and a wisp of black energy shot out from the cauldron. Deep within the tomb, a female weasel with a swollen belly was present. The next moment, the black smoke entered the weasel's belly. The weasel then successfully gave birth to a small weasel. Xie Yuchen was unaware of any of this. This scene was also unseen by the audience. Huang Shuliang, in his wildest dreams, would never have imagined that after death, he would transform from a human into a rat, reincarnated as a weasel.
In the audience's view, the team of experts had already moved the coffin out for further research. The scene then shifted to Zhang Tian's side. Zhang Tian hadn't been home for several days and felt a persistent itch in his backside. The morning sun shone on his face, bringing a moment of gentleness. Looking at the construction on Longteng Mountain, Zhang Tian felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders.
In these few days, word had spread among the prominent families about his construction and the establishment of his group. Yet, no one had come to cause trouble, and Zhang Tian hadn't detected anyone monitoring him. It was clear, as he had expected; someone as unknown as him would likely go unnoticed. On the mountain, to preserve the trees to the greatest extent, Zhang Tian was cutting down as few as possible, aiming for a naturally beautiful aesthetic.
At the foot of the mountain, Zhao's Heavy Industry had already begun assisting with the construction. Zhao's Heavy Industry was a conglomerate owned by the Zhao family of Beili, operating in the construction sector. Fatty had likely found it through Da Jin Ya, and subsequently invited Zhao's Heavy Industry. The cost to build one building was tens of millions. While building in this era was expensive, it was far from the tens of billions needed in his previous life.
"Boss, our nest is almost built. Boss, how do you feel? Excited? Surprised?" Fatty was even more animated than Zhang Tian, a lewd smile spreading across his chubby face.
"Fatty, you might not be well-educated, but your speaking skills are also lacking. We call this a group, what's with 'nest'?" "By the way, where's Old Hu?" Zhang Tian shot Fatty a disdainful glance.
"Boss, you wouldn't believe it, Old Hu has been acting mysteriously lately, saying he's researching Virgo..." Upon hearing Zhang Tian ask about Hu Bayi, Fatty leaned in and spoke cautiously.
"Researching constellations?" Zhang Tian frowned slightly. Why had Hu Bayi become interested in constellations? Was China's Twenty-Eight Mansions not enough for him to study?
"Fatty, keep an eye on things here, I'm going back to take a look." Zhang Tian said, striding away. As Zhang Tian left, a smile spread across Fatty's face. "Heh heh, Fatty is about to become a leader." Thinking this with delight, Fatty put his hands behind his back and swaggered towards the construction site, looking exceptionally pleased with himself.
Soon, at the siheyuan. Hu Bayi was drawing diagrams in the courtyard. Upon closer inspection, they were indeed drawings of constellations. Only when Zhang Tian returned did Hu Bayi slowly lift his head.
"Old Hu, what are you doing...?" Zhang Tian asked, watching Hu Bayi draw on the ground with chalk.
"Boss, do you remember the map of the Medicine King's tomb we obtained earlier?" "I've been studying that map recently, and it has deeply impressed me." "The map shows twelve locations, each representing one of the Twenty-Eight Mansions, and also includes the twelve zodiac animals." Hu Bayi said, showing Zhang Tian the star formation he had drawn on the ground.
"Boss, look at this star formation arrangement. The easternmost is Kang Jin Long, the southernmost is Zhang Yue Lu, the westernmost is Lou Jin Gou, and the northernmost is Dou Mu Xie." "Thus, east, south, west, and north represent the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise, forming four major wealth arrays." Hu Bayi explained, and Zhang Tian understood. Kang Jin Long, of course, represented auspiciousness and salvation for humanity, generally considered good. The others were also auspicious constellations. Furthermore, connecting them, Kang Jin Long represented Fire, Zhang Yue Lu represented the Moon, Lou Jin Gou represented Metal, and Dou Mu Xie represented Water.
"The moon is Yin, Fire is Yang. Yin and Yang merge. Metal and Water are incompatible. This is a heaven-defying array!" As Zhang Tian's mind raced, he was stunned. The owner of the Medicine King's tomb was not only skilled in alchemy but had also created an incredibly profound burial ground. Using the Twelve Mansions to form an array, clearly dividing them into zodiac types, ultimately merging Yin and Yang while being incompatible with Water and Fire. It seemed complicated, but in simple terms, it meant: 'I am very powerful, do not touch me. If you do, you will die.'
"Boss, I didn't think about it as an array, but it's highly probable that this is indeed an array." "I never thought anyone would engrave an array so flawlessly." Hu Bayi murmured, his eyes gleaming with fervor. "This Medicine King's tomb is no simple matter."
"However, speaking of which, Fatty said you were arranging Virgo?" Zhang Tian asked, puzzled. "No, I just happened to draw that constellation at the time. Virgo is very similar to Zi Shu. I was inspired by Old Jin at the time." "I discovered that this constellation, when paired with Zi Shu, brings good fortune." Hu Bayi said softly. Zhang Tian was speechless; Fatty had clearly overreacted.
"By the way, Boss, I heard that the expert team and Shirley Yang have recently gone to the Northeast." Hu Bayi suddenly said. Zhang Tian narrowed his eyes. Why was Hu Bayi suddenly bringing this up?