Chapter 70: The Mahayana Feng Shui Formation—Nine-Meander Water Flow (Part 2)

Standing by the window, Li Chengfeng did not answer Chu Yunhong, fixing his gaze instead with utter concentration upon the sweeping expanse of the Huangpu River before him.

From time to time, he turned his head to observe the towering Northern Pearl nearby, then shifted his gaze across the river to the ancient iron bridge known as the Black Iron Ferry Bridge, and finally down to the Husong River flowing beneath its arches.

With a history spanning over a century, the Black Iron Ferry Bridge stood as a landmark architecture of Haicheng and a wildly popular destination for tourists and online influencers alike.

Within the scholastic traditions of Feng Shui, water dragon veins are categorized into affectionate and unprincipled waters. As the ancient saying dictates: a surrounding embrace breeds affection, while a reverse-bow repels it.

Affectionate waters encompass inner-embracing currents, outer-embracing currents, and winding tributary flows; whenever winding tributaries manifest as an inner embrace, they invariably form a supreme Feng Shui formation.

Unprincipled waters include reverse-bow currents, straight currents, and direct-impact currents, among which the reverse-bow current constitutes the most heartless Feng Shui layout.

The Huangpu River happens to be an inner-embracing current among winding tributaries, wrapping entirely around the Dongpu New Area and Chenjiazui. In the parlance of Feng Shui, this is likewise designated as the "Jade Belt Encircling the Waist."

The configuration of winding tributaries and the Jade Belt Encircling the Waist forge a naturally endowed, supreme Feng Shui dragon vein, cementing the region's status as the economic epicenter of Huaxia, with Chenjiazui serving as the economic core of Haicheng.

Directing one's gaze further to the Husong River beneath the Black Iron Ferry Bridge, its upper reaches originate from the Xuzhou River, traversing the entirety of Haicheng like a lengthy dragon before the riverwaters ultimately empty into the Huangpu River, thereby engendering the formation of the "Convergence of Twin Dragons."

Regrettably, following the merger of the Husong River waters with the Huangpu River, their duration of lingering is far too brief, and the river currents surge swiftly toward the downstream reaches. This dynamic results in the inability of the water dragon's Qi from the Husong River to flow into Chenjiazui.

Pondering this, Li Chengfeng turned his attention instead toward the Northern Pearl. Its circular architecture appeared exceedingly peculiar; numerous individuals failed to comprehend why the state had invested immense fortunes to construct a structure dominated by circular geometry, making it resemble some kind of grotesque monstrosity. Little did they realize that the Northern Pearl secretly harbored a profound Feng Shui arrangement.

A close and careful observation would reveal that the location where the Northern Pearl was erected stood precisely opposite the estuary where the Husong River merged into the Huangpu River, aligning along a flawless straight line. This arrangement is termed "The Golden Pearl Enticing the Dragon."

Dragons possess a fondness for playing with pearls, and through this mechanism, the water dragon's Qi of the Husong River is successfully drawn into Chenjiazui.

As the two water dragons of the Huangpu River and the Husong River pass by the Northern Pearl, they are drawn by the golden pearl, giving rise to yet another formation known as the "Twin Dragons Playing with a Pearl."

Li Chengfeng turned his gaze toward the nearby Golden Light Mansion, which resembled an ancient pagoda seated along the banks of the Huangpu River, creating the configuration of the "Pagoda Guarding the River" to anchor the water dragon's Qi at this very location.

Crucially, there is an even more vital characteristic: whenever the sea experiences a rising spring tide, the waters of the Huangpu River reverse their flow. In the terminology of Feng Shui, this phenomenon is designated as the "Water Dragon Turning Its Head."

As the saying goes: one remains oblivious until observing, yet viewing leaves one utterly astounded. The entire expanse of Haicheng is saturated with Feng Shui layouts; even if one were to spend an entire day observing them, the task would likely remain unfinished.

It is precisely these astonishing Feng Shui arrangements that have forged this auspicious terrain of extraordinary geomancy.

Having discerned the Feng Shui layout of the Huangpu River, Li Chengfeng felt a silent wave of astonishment wash over him. The grandmaster who had established the Feng Shui formation along the banks of the Huangpu River was truly formidable beyond measure.

Who could this Feng Shui master responsible for the layout along the Huangpu River possibly be? He truly longed to cross paths with the individual and express his deepest reverence in person.

Just as Li Chengfeng stood immersed in his thoughts, in a hazy trance, he fancied he heard the resounding roar of a dragon. Hurriedly raising his head to scan the direction from which the sound originated, he beheld the waters of the Husong River churning violently as a divine dragon soared out from the depths, hurtling straight toward the Northern Pearl.

Immediately afterward, turbulent waves surged within the Huangpu River, and a colossal dragon erupted from its midst as well, flying directly toward the Northern Pearl.

The two colossal dragons circled upward around the Northern Pearl, soaring back and forth through the air. After a brief interval, they darted toward the Golden Light Mansion, weaving amidst the towering skyscrapers before ultimately vanishing from sight.

Upon beholding the sudden manifestation of the twin divine dragons, Li Chengfeng was startled, though he remained fully aware that his eyes were not playing tricks on him. Both divine dragons were manifestations transformed from the Qi of the water dragons, likewise referred to as Feng Shui true-forms and true-form spiritual entities.

Superior and supreme Feng Shui formations that absorb the essence of the sun and moon, alongside the spiritual Qi of heaven and earth, will invariably materialize true-form spiritual entities of Feng Shui.

Seated upon the sofa, Chu Yunhong refrained from disturbing Li Chengfeng, choosing instead to monitor the passage of time. Roughly five minutes elapsed before he observed the young man slowly turning around, his face wreathed in absolute confidence as he spoke.

"Elder General Chu, the Feng Shui formation here is truly exquisite beyond words. The geomantic layout of the Huangpu River is more than a hundred times more profound than that of the Sea-Viewing Pavilion."

"There are simply far too many large and small Feng Shui arrangements here; even spending a full day observing them would likely prove insufficient to take them all in."

Hearing this, Chu Yunhong nodded slightly, assuming that Li Chengfeng had failed to discern the actual Feng Shui layout of the location. Believing that claiming it would take a whole day to view was merely an excuse, he reflected that it was entirely natural for the young man to miss it, given his tender years.

The Feng Shui formation here was exceptionally profound and certainly not something just anyone could comprehend.

A trace of disappointment inevitably lingered in his heart, yet at that exact moment, Li Chengfeng continued speaking.

"Elder General, if my eyes do not deceive me, the Feng Shui arrangement here consists of: winding tributaries, a jade belt encircling the waist, the convergence of twin dragons, a golden pearl enticing the dragon, a pagoda guarding the river, twin dragons playing with a pearl, a water dragon turning its head, and a wealth-gathering formation!"

Having listened to Li Chengfeng's complete exposition, Chu Yunhong stood frozen in place, his mouth agape and his eyes staring in disbelief. The impact of this revelation surpassed even that of the Sea-Viewing Pavilion.

He had actually guessed correctly once again!

It was utterly unimaginable how someone of such tender years could possess such extensive knowledge.

Chu Yunhong gazed at Li Chengfeng with a look of sheer incredulity: a pair of slippers, a pair of oversized shorts, and a dreadfully tacky T-shirt bearing four bold characters that read 'I am a poor peasant.' This exact attire gave anyone the immediate impression of an absolute bumpkin.

Who could have possibly anticipated that such a bumpkin would turn out to be a true master of Feng Shui?

As the vernacular adage goes, appearances can be deceiving just as ocean waters cannot be measured with a peck basket. Fortunately, he had not judged the person solely by his outward appearance from the outset, or he would have squandered the chance to encounter a prodigious genius of the esoteric arts of Feng Shui.

By this point, Chu Yunhong's gaze toward Li Chengfeng was akin to looking at a national treasure. Tears welled up in the corners of his eyes, surging with intense excitement: the esoteric arts of Feng Shui possessed a successor, and the Huaxia Feng Shui community possessed a successor.

Due to a multitude of historical factors, numerous quintessences bequeathed by the ancestors had already been lost, while the esoteric arts had been unfairly slapped with the label of feudal superstition. Even traditional Chinese medicine had failed to escape unscathed, with numerous profound medical techniques having vanished into history.

It was a truly heartbreaking state of affairs!

Hastily rising to his feet, Chu Yunhong clasped the young man's hand, his tone laden with deep affection.

"Little brother, sit down quickly!"

Li Chengfeng was left utterly bewildered by Chu Yunhong's sudden demeanor, wondering what on earth had gotten into the veteran general. He inquired with a puzzled expression:

"Elder General, what is the matter?"

"Nothing, nothing at all! I'm simply overwhelmed with excitement!"