Chapter 2057: Chapter 1960: Familiar Black Qi
During the survey, Huo Sining unexpectedly discovered that the undercurrent of Yin energy in the tomb disturbed her, and the Spiritual Energy within her automatically resisted the intrusion of those Yin energies, leading to significant exhaustion. Even Huo Sining felt somewhat overwhelmed by it.
Despite the fatigue, Huo Sining still had to say what needed to be said:
"Drawing the map is easy, but starting the excavation is not a simple task. This ancient tomb is quite special, and the matter of the Gathering Yin Formation, I think both professors have heard my master mention it. This tomb is rather sinister, otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many mysterious incidents. So my intention is, before the work starts, the Gathering Yin Formation must be deciphered."
"Besides, if you look at my drawings, you’ll understand what makes this tomb special."
Huo Sining pointed at the drawing she had made, her expression somewhat solemn, as if recalling the time during her survey when she stopped at the final location, where her sight was filled with piles of white bones.
"This is the burial pit for accompanying the living. Some strange events occurred in Yunling back then, which are indeed hard to explain with science. However, it’s better to believe it exists than not. I think, if we want this archaeological excavation to be completed smoothly, it’s best to invite a master to perform protective rituals for the souls."
Ji Kun was stunned at hearing this, while Shi Qingyun and Zhuang Xiangyang exchanged glances.
But Zhou Shitao didn’t hesitate at all and immediately nodded, saying, "Alright, I’ll find someone to handle this."
It’s not that Huo Sining is superstitious, but because she discovered that many of the grave goods inside the tomb are shrouded in black aura. That black aura felt familiar to Huo Sining, being similar to the strange aura she had seen on the Tri-colored Tang Horse.
Back then, that Tri-colored Tang Horse brought misfortune to many people: some had miscarriages, some had car accidents, and some were scared to death inside the tomb. Even Feng Yang and Li Xuanbing, who merely touched those horses randomly, ended up unlucky. If Xie Daoyuan hadn’t helped them by finding a monk to resolve it, there might have been more incidents.
Huo Sining understands the sinister and powerful nature of that black aura because just a year ago, she received a call from the Dongyang lawyer, Feng Jinglin, who informed her that Watanabe Yasu had died, having jumped from his office directly.
When Huo Sining received the news, she was stunned for a few seconds.
The news report stated that Watanabe Yasu chose to commit suicide because of massive debt.
However, Huo Sining knew that someone like Watanabe Yasu would absolutely not commit suicide easily.
Having interacted with Watanabe Yasu multiple times, Huo Sining even understood the shamelessness of Watanabe Yasu. A person like him is resilient as a cockroach; not urging others to end themselves was commendable, much less him committing suicide, which seemed improbable.
Huo Sining clearly remembers that Watanabe Yasu and Liang Jinghong attended the Imperial Capital’s black market, where Watanabe Yasu bought that Tri-colored Tang Horse, and during her next encounter with Watanabe Yasu in Dongyang, she noticed his brow had a black haze, which grew thicker over time. Huo Sining then knew Watanabe Yasu was doomed.
However, Watanabe Yasu’s vitality was indeed stubborn, as when Huo Sining attended the New York International Treasure Appraisal Conference, Watanabe Yasu was still standing right in front of her, continuously provoking her with various nuisances.
But at that time, Watanabe Yasu’s face was clouded with black energy, and Huo Sining knew his days were numbered.
The news brought by Feng Jinglin later verified Huo Sining’s assumption, but she understood the real reason for Watanabe Yasu’s suicide wasn’t the debt but that Tri-colored Tang Horse.
The black aura infiltrates the body, slowly corroding it, making the person irritable and constantly plagued by bad luck, until either the person dies by misfortune or chooses suicide because of the relentless wave of catastrophe.
Underneath Anmin Alley lies the Witch Lord Han Tomb, harboring much of this black aura. Huo Sining felt that if archaeologists recklessly entered, they might very well become infected with this aura. Although she wasn’t entirely sure these black auras were harmful, it was best to invite a master to check it out just in case.
To decipher the Gathering Yin Formation is simple, just find someone knowledgeable in the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams to resolve it. The first person Huo Sining thought of was Bai Buzhi. Bai Buzhi is a practitioner skilled in the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams, so Huo Sining didn’t hesitate to call him and explained the situation in Fucheng.
Bai Buzhi not only enjoys practicing Daoism but also has a taste for curiosity. Hearing about a thousand-year-old tomb with a Gathering Yin Formation piqued Bai Buzhi’s interest. As soon as Huo Sining stated her intention, he immediately agreed and started packing for Fucheng.
However, finding someone capable of dispelling the black aura wasn’t that simple. The only people Huo Sining could think of were the high monk of Mount Wutai, whom Xie Daoyuan invited during Yunling’s event, and Master Miaoshan from the temple she encountered in the Magic Capital.
Yet the high monk certainly appeared to be a sage, and Huo Sining wasn’t acquainted with him. He probably went to Yunling back then for Xie Daoyuan’s sake;
As for Master Miaoshan, there’s even less to be said. Huo Sining chanced upon him by coincidence in the Magic Capital. In fact, she later sought out this monk, but the temple abbot informed her that Master Miaoshan doesn’t reside permanently at the Taoist Temple, instead traveling extensively.
These two were the only high monks Huo Sining could think of, but inviting either proved incredibly challenging.
While Huo Sining was still grappling with this dilemma, Zhou Shitao already had a candidate, yet he merely mentioned inviting a master without specifying who, only saying it’s a genuine Living Buddha.
Huo Sining was unsure what a genuine Living Buddha signifies, but since Zhou Shitao said so, there probably wouldn’t be any issues.
Since Anmin Alley is situated above the ancient tomb, initiating any excavation requires relocating all the residents in the vicinity.
Thus, while Huo Sining’s team was drawing out maps and discussing excavation details, officials from the Imperial Capital Cultural Relics Bureau began negotiating with the Fucheng City Government.
Perhaps because Huo Sining mentioned Jiang Weide’s father-in-law to Zhou Shitao earlier, those officials were under Zhou Shitao’s instructions and intentionally or unintentionally avoided mentioning him during communication and planning with the city government.
