Chapter One, I was born on the day of the Awakening of Insects

The Yin-Yang master shouted in a sharp voice, shouldering the soul-calling banner, scattering paper money, followed by eight strong men carrying a high-quality coffin made of golden silk nanmu wood

Moments later, the young man in the robe crossed paths with the funeral procession. He suddenly paused, furrowing his brow as he glanced at the area beneath the coffin. After the procession passed, he crouched down and brushed his fingers against the ground, noticing that a drop of blood on his two fingers was visibly coagulating into a clump at a rapid pace

After the young man in the long robe finished speaking, he completely disregarded the strange gazes of those around him, turned around, and walked down the mountain with his canvas bag on his back

Dad

Suddenly, a delicate white hand grasped the handle of the knife and pulled the kitchen knife up from the ground

No entry for the living, do not obstruct the path of wandering souls and wild spirits

More than two hours later, in the urban area of Caofeidian City, near a small hotel close to the train station, a young man dressed in a long robe entered carrying two jin of pig head meat, a bag of peanut skins, and a bottle of Lao Baigan

The young man in the long robe spread his hands and said, "I did not say that the tomb you are looking for has any issues, I only mentioned that this coffin will be unusual, two different matters, do you understand?"

The master of Yin and Yang pointed his two fingers towards the sky and said with a resonant voice: "I swear by the name of my ancestral master, if this grave is not the grand tomb and library blessed by the descendants of the Fu family, I will personally remove my family's entrance and no longer concern myself with the matters of Yin and Yang..."

This funeral procession set out from the urban area of Caofeidian, making its way to a mountainous area in the eastern suburbs, where the ancestral grave of this family is located

Lifting the coffin to guide the way, to see the deceased off to their final resting place

The gentleman looked up at the sun obscured by dark clouds, extended his finger to calculate a few moments, then turned around and said: "Let us raise the coffin and sit in the hall"

At the foot of Dongshan, after the young man in a long robe descended from the old graveyard, he turned back and forgot about the grave site on the mountain above, where a dark cloud was drifting towards the mountaintop.

The middle-aged man with a slicked-back hairstyle darkened his expression, and the geomancer seemed like a rabbit whose tail was set on fire, letting out a yelp as he sprang up, hopping and cursing: "You little brat, are you saying that the feng shui burial sites I found through my divination are problematic?"

The young man in the long robe stood up and immediately turned around to follow behind the funeral procession

The middle-aged man turned his head and asked in a calm tone, "Sir, are you sure there is nothing wrong with this tomb?"

After the coffin was buried, the soil began to be filled in. A circle of people stood solemnly beside the grave pit, their expressions filled with sorrow. On the ground nearby, a plain and unremarkable kitchen knife was stuck into the earth, appearing to be an ordinary tool used for cutting vegetables. It was rusty and had been discarded on the ground, unnoticed by anyone.

After three bows, the Yin-Yang Master shook the soul-calling banner and continued to shout hoarsely: "Living people, do not enter; wandering souls and wild ghosts, do not block the way..."

Behind the golden silk nanmu coffin, there followed a long procession of mourners, creating a dense crowd of dark figures

At the Qiaotou Station, life and death are unseen... The funeral procession reached a bridge, and the Yin-Yang master turned back to the crowd behind him, shouting: "Younger generations, step forward and bow three times to send the ancestors across the bridge to the world of the living"

Suddenly, a young woman walked past the middle-aged man, stopped the fortune teller, and turned to the middle-aged man saying: "Dad, he is clearly from out of town and hasn't even arrived at Caofeidian yet, how does he know that three days from now is Grandpa's seventh day of mourning?"

After a quarter of an hour, the Yin-Yang master led the group to the old graveyard on Dongshan, where a grave pit had already been dug.

The few individuals standing at the front of the funeral procession were mournfully lamenting, with cries occasionally heard.

The middle-aged man was taken aback for a moment, and after uttering an "oh," his expression of suspicion deepened.

The man with a slicked-back hairstyle and the woman dressed in all black standing beside him bowed respectfully three times towards the coffin

Grandfather, may you have a safe journey ahead

Eight bearers tied with hemp ropes around their waists moved the coffin directly above the grave. After the geomancer planted the spirit-raising banner into the ground, he said: "Eight flowers lift their heads... shake the waist flowers a little"

The young man in the long robe untied the kitchen knife that was fastened to his bag and placed it on the ground, softly saying: "Three days later, if there is anything unusual at your home, you may take this kitchen knife to the hotel near the train station in the city to find me"

The face of a child in June changes at a moment's notice

In the funeral procession, a middle-aged man with a slicked-back hairstyle wore a mourning cloth, followed by at least thirty men, women, and children, all of whom bowed three times in unison towards the direction of the bridge. This scene appeared to represent a prosperous and large family.

With a "poof," this person pinched hard with two fingers, and the hardened blood clot immediately shattered, releasing a puff of black smoke

The middle-aged man paused slightly and said decisively: "Alright, let us proceed with the burial"

June 16, suitable for marriage, funerals, and weddings

The middle-aged man cast a suspicious glance at the kitchen knife on the ground, and the master of yin and yang, in a fit of anger, raised his leg to kick the knife that was stuck in the ground: "You little brat, spouting nonsense without knowing your place..."

The flower refers to the hemp rope tied to the coffin. The act of shaking the flower means placing the coffin into the pit, while scattering the flower occurs after the coffin has fallen into the grave, at which point the hemp rope at the bottom of the coffin is pulled out. At this point, the coffin is considered to be securely placed. Following this, only the final step remains, which is to prepare to fill the grave with soil

Half an hour later, the funeral procession left Caofeidian and proceeded to the old cemetery leading to Dongshan

The young man in the long robe directly swept past the yin-yang master, who resembled a jumping monkey, and turned to address the middle-aged man with a slicked-back hairstyle: "I will only stay here for three and a half days. Three days from now marks the seventh day for the person in this coffin. If there are any changes in your home by then, take that kitchen knife and come to the city to find me... Remember, only with the kitchen knife will it count; that is my proof of payment"

As the coffin was lowered into the grave, the family stepped back slightly. The master of ceremonies scattered paper money and bowed in all directions, saying: "New soul passing through, may the spirits from all sides step aside. Please accept this offering of respect and the money as a token of gratitude."

Since ancient times, wealthy families have had their customs, such as the belief that a coffin should not touch the ground and that burial should ensure peace. Even using a vehicle for transport is somewhat taboo, hence it is customary for designated individuals to carry the coffin to the ancestral burial site.

The Yin-Yang master turned to the eight porters and said: "The flowers have been shaken... the mouth is tight, prepare the coffin, get ready to scatter the flowers"

The young man in the long robe grinned, revealing a set of neat white teeth: "I was born on the day of the Awakening of Insects, and my name is Wang Jingzhe"

"Hotel!" The young man in the long robe took out his ID card and handed it over. The innkeeper and the bookstore owner glanced at it, and upon seeing the name on it, instinctively uttered, "Wang Jingzhe?"

As the coffin was about to be buried, a young man in a long robe, who had been following the funeral procession, suddenly approached from behind, leaving the Yin-Yang master and the middle-aged man with slicked-back hair in astonishment.

The Yin-Yang master ground his teeth and said: "Isn't that the same? If the coffin is different, then the tomb is not right. I have searched for dragons for three years and pointed out graves for ten years. I have been in this profession for over twenty years, and the tombs I have pointed out number in the hundreds and thousands, yet my lineage's reputation has never been tarnished."

Ahead on the mountain road where the funeral procession was advancing, a young man suddenly appeared on the horizon. He was dressed in a dark blue long robe and carried an old canvas bag on his back. With each step he took, a crisp sound of "clink, clink" resonated. Even more peculiar was the ordinary kitchen knife tied to the bottom of the bag he carried.

A dark cloud drifted across the horizon, and before long, a light rain began to fall, pattering softly. The raindrops struck the coffin made of golden silk nanmu wood, merging into several streams that cascaded down to the ground

The Yin-Yang master beside him snorted and said: "Your old master’s passing is not like that of an ordinary person; if he had the intention to inquire, would he not know the exact date? This child is merely speaking nonsense, and you actually believe him?"