Chapter Seven, The Bluebird Scholar

Watching Dr. Zhu and his son leave just like that, Wu Daoming felt somewhat unwilling.

The person nodded slightly, their gaze sweeping over Dr. Zhu and landing on Han Sheng's face

The journey to the county seat is seventy miles, and they must reach Nanshan Town to catch a bus. Therefore, the father and son hastily grabbed a few bites and set off in a hurry

Then their intention is directed towards ... ... '' Han Sheng seemed to understand a bit.

"Are you saying that the matter of relocating the ancestral grave is related to them?" Han Sheng speculated

***

On the path in the woods stood two individuals, one of whom, a short and stout man dressed in a Zhongshan suit, was recognized by Dr. Zhu as Meng Zhuqi, the director of the Revolutionary Committee of Nanshan Town

"Slow down, may I take a look at the soil egg in this young man's hand?" A cold voice came from behind, belonging to Wu Daoming

Rest assured, Father, I will not speak of it

"Since ancient times, crows have been associated with graves; now that there are no graves to rely on, it is naturally rather dull." Someone laughed heartily from the other side of the bamboo grove, speaking with a Lingnan accent

Barefoot doctor? That person seemed to be puzzled

Many people are traveling from Nanshan Town to the county seat, and a father and son have worked hard to squeeze onto the bus

Dr. Zhu gave a wry smile and sighed, still just a child

That person smiled again and said: "Wuzhe, Wenmao girl, this place produces both talented scholars and beautiful women. I see that the young brother has an extraordinary demeanor; if given time, he will surely become a distinguished scholar who achieves success in the imperial examinations."

"Isn't that Dr. Zhu from Nanshan?" The short and stout Director Meng, who was not very talkative and always wore a stern expression, turned to the person and whispered, "He is the barefoot doctor of this village"

Dr. Zhu, this loess is still damp, it certainly cannot be an old item, am I correct in saying so?" Wu Daoming chuckled.

"You flatter me; I am merely a scholar of the Qingniao. Wuyuan is truly a place where great talents and hidden masters reside." The person humbly waved his hand.

Dr. Zhu's body trembled slightly as he turned around with a blank expression, his eyes revealing a hint of unease. Han Sheng had never seen his father so serious.

The early morning of late autumn carries a slight chill, with dew drops hanging abundantly on the wild grass by the roadside. The birds in the forest are chattering incessantly, and Han Sheng recognizes that the black-feathered one is a local species of myna.

They have come for the Tai Chi vortex

"Precisely, that is why I need to clarify the origin of this egg." Wu Daoming signaled with his eyes

Among the people in the car, some recognized Dr. Zhu and respectfully greeted him, which led to a significant quieting among everyone, and they all smiled at the father and son.

Director Meng turned his face seriously to Dr. Zhu and said: "Dr. Zhu, where did this egg come from? Anything buried underground belongs to the state, and I believe you would not lie to the government"

I will certainly make that barefoot doctor speak out. Director Meng seems to be confident.

But why are they looking for Tai Chi?" the father muttered to himself

The old bus rumbled along, belching black smoke as it bumped along the gravel road. The passengers on board were all local villagers heading to the county town for the market, and the cabin was crammed with strings of chili peppers, dried mountain vegetables, and sweet potato flour, along with two fluffy chickens that occasionally clucked a few times, only to be met with a couple of slaps from their owner.

Upon returning home, my father appeared to be in low spirits

A strange cry echoed above, and Han Sheng looked up to see an angry crow, its red eyes fixed intently on him. This crow had a tuft of white feathers on the top of its head.

"Tai Chi vortex! Are we not about to ... ... " Upon hearing this, Director Meng's expression changed dramatically

The father nodded slightly

This is what my grandfather bought for me when he took me to the market during my childhood. Later, I no longer wanted to play with it, so I buried it in front of the old grave. This time, during the relocation of the grave, it was dug up again. I will not sell this memento of my grandfather. "Han Sheng snatched the earthen egg and said, 'Dad, let's go.'

This place in Wuyuan is truly a land of outstanding people and exceptional talent, young brother, do you know the meaning of the character 'Wuyuan'?

"Go have fun, arrive at Fengjia Noodle House by noon, we will have noodles there," my father said with a smile

Han Sheng rolled over and got up. Since childhood, he had enjoyed going to the market, and every time he would linger and forget to leave, especially since it was the grand market in the county town

After more than two hours, we finally arrived at the county town

"It was I who buried it in the ground," Han Sheng suddenly said

Oh, is that so? Let me take a look, if that's alright

"He is just a wandering doctor in the jianghu," Director Meng explained

Wu Daoming chuckled and said: "Isn't what the young brother is holding in his hand the Tai Chi soil egg? Where did it come from? I am willing to pay a high price to purchase it."

Dr. Zhu, this is Mr. Wu Daoming, a renowned feng shui master from Hong Kong invited by the county.

Han Sheng responded with a sound and had already vanished from sight

Father's face turned red, and Han Sheng noticed the veins on his neck slightly trembling

"Mr. Wu, what do you mean by 'earth eggs'?" Dr. Zhu asked calmly

Comrade, I apologize for the embarrassment; this is my son, Hansheng. Upon hearing this person praise his son, Dr. Zhu felt a surge of goodwill in his heart

"Father, we are merely country doctors, not involved with them, and they shouldn't bring any harm to us, right"

"Master Wu, what is so remarkable about this earthen egg that you value it so highly?" Director Meng remarked dismissively from the side

The market is located in the west of the city, and from a distance, one can already see the bustling crowd, a scene of throngs of people. After all, this is the county's large market, which is incomparable to the markets in the towns and villages

Wu Daoming said solemnly: "This is not an ordinary earth egg; this object is called the Taiji Egg. Its color is green, representing the wood egg, and it is born from the Taiji halo"

The person who just spoke is an outsider in his fifties, dressed in a suit and leather shoes. He has a distinctive bone structure, with hair receding at the temples, an eagle-like nose, and two drooping eyebrows resembling brooms. His voice is clear and resonant when raised, and when lowered, it resembles the sound of a mouse gnawing, leaving a lingering echo at the end of his speech

"Old man, that master from Hong Kong seems to know quite a bit. What brings him all the way to our small mountain village?"

Two hundred yuan, this is the living expense for myself and my father for half a year, no, my father refuses to clarify, he simply does not want outsiders to know the location of Taiji Yun, and I cannot say either: "This was bought at the market when I was a child"

Dr. Zhu was greatly astonished; this person had an unusual disposition in the five elements, indicating that he must be someone of significance

On the way home, I noticed several patches of fresh soil scattered in the bamboo grove, left behind by the villagers after relocating graves. Han Sheng glanced around and saw that the ancestral grave of Li Lao Er's family had also been moved.

Wu Daoming stepped forward, staring at the soil egg in Han Sheng's hand, and said softly: "Little brother, if you tell me where this thing comes from, I am willing to offer two hundred yuan"

In the early morning, Father got up early to prepare some congee and called Han Sheng to get out of bed, saying that today there is a large market in Wuyuan County and they need to buy some Chinese medicinal herbs to bring back.

Han Sheng shook his head; he had never considered it

This ruler is dark blue in color, feels icy to the touch, and is remarkably heavy. When I was a child, I once heard my grandfather say that the rarest type of dark wood in the world is blue in color, formed after being buried underground or underwater for thousands of years, and is exceptionally precious

***

Father pondered for a moment and solemnly advised: "This person is not ordinary. Look at his unique bone structure, the way his eyes are set deep, his high and hooked nose, he is certainly not an average individual. A hooked nose signifies danger, and those with broom-like eyebrows often meet their end at the execution ground. His facial features are indeed ominous. In short, be cautious and wary of this person."

"In the past two days, the old acquaintance has disturbed the crows, which has made them quite irritable," explained the father

"What are you burying it in the ground for?" Director Meng's gaze was fixed on Han Sheng

He turned and approached the traditional Chinese medicine stall at the edge of the market, greeting the familiar vendor and casually chatting about everyday matters. Before noon, he had already purchased some herbs for clearing heat and cooling the blood, such as Rehmannia, Scrophularia, and Mugwort, as well as blood-nourishing herbs like Angelica and White Peony, filling a large basket. Noticing that it was getting late, he bid farewell and left the market, heading towards the Feng family's noodle shop

In the past, while rummaging through the boxes, I once came across a ruler like this. My father told me that it was used to determine auspiciousness and inauspiciousness when constructing ancestral tombs and placing ancestral tablets, and that it belonged to superstition

Father looked at Hansheng and sighed: "A couple of days ago, the town requested us to relocate the ancestral graves in front of Linggu Cave. Today, I saw Director Meng and this feng shui master here; there must be something suspicious about this matter"

This ruler must be made of dark wood, Han Sheng concluded

Director Meng, you are busy with your matters, we will take our leave first. Dr. Zhu and Han Sheng turned and left.

Han Sheng reluctantly opened his palm, which was seized by Wu Daoming in one swift motion

We do not understand what is meant by soil or eggs; it is merely a child's plaything, and it has been so for several years now. The father continued to speak calmly.

Han Sheng saw clearly that sitting in the jeep were Director Meng and the master Wu Daoming who had come from Hong Kong

At night, Han Sheng lay in bed tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. He simply took out the blue ruler from the wooden box. This is a Dinglan ruler, also known as the Yin-Yang ruler, approximately thirty centimeters long, marked with ten divisions, inscribed with the characters Ding, Hai, Wang, Ku, Yi, Guan, Si, Xing, Shi, and Cai. Each division is further divided into four smaller sections, engraved with many small words such as wealth, departure from home, and loneliness.

A Beijing 212 model jeep honked its horn as it sped past, leaving behind a large cloud of dust.

He sat on the wooden bench outside the Feng family's noodle shop, resting and waiting for Han Sheng