Chapter Twenty: The Mystery of the Crippled and the Feng Shui Treasure (Part Two)

He Zhixing asked, “Mr. Chen, have you ever been to Meixian?”

Mr. Chen replied, “Yes, I went once during the summer vacation, but I didn’t find anything valuable. I wandered through most of Meixian, from the south, north, and east of the city to Hua Ping and so on, but I still couldn’t decipher the meaning behind those two lines of poetry.”

“The temple under the rolling hills—I could only guess it referred to the Thousand Buddha Pagoda. I scoured every corner within a hundred miles, both on the mountain and below, inside and outside the temples, high and low, front and back. The rear mountain seemed somewhat promising, but after checking, I couldn't find anything.”

He Zhixing said, “Oh, wasn’t that already pretty close? You didn’t find it?”

Mr. Chen rolled his eyes at him. “You think it’s that easy? If it were, they wouldn’t have waited for me. The senior would have found it himself long ago and wouldn’t have left me with this incomplete map.”

“Oh, that makes sense. So what are you going to do now, Mr. Chen? Planning to continue the treasure hunt? I imagine it’s very difficult.”

Mr. Chen chuckled, making He Zhixing’s scalp tingle a bit. “Well, you’re so lucky—I want to take you with me. Maybe this time, together, we’ll find it.”

He Zhixing said, “Alright, since it’s a challenge, I’ll join in. There’s no such thing as an impossible task for someone determined. Shall we leave today?”

Mr. Chen nodded. “Yes, go pack your things right away. We’ll catch the bus together.”

“Okay.”

It takes more than two days to travel by bus from Wuzhen to Meixian, including transfers along the way. He Zhixing was exhausted—the journey was grueling, and he had never been so far from home or sat on a bus for so long. It felt like pure suffering.

They finally arrived at Huaxian, where they got off, had a meal, and spent the night resting. The next day, they took a short bus ride to the Thousand Buddha Pagoda Temple, which was truly stunning: the pagoda soared upward, imposing and solitary.

Entering through the mountain gate, they saw clusters of temple buildings ahead: the light of the Buddha illuminated all beneath heaven, willing to enlighten those at the ends of the earth. Passing the temple guesthouse, they turned toward the main hall, climbed multilayered steps, entered the grand lobby, and walked through corridors straight to the Thousand Buddha Pagoda—a tall tower built of yellow stone bricks, a marvel of the south. From the top, one could gaze across all of Meishi District: “Climb high and look far, at the edge of sight, it seems the clouds touch the horizon.”

The stone bricks along the pagoda walls were carved with all manner of Buddha statues, Bodhisattvas, monks, and travelers—endless streams of people. Bathed in the glow of Buddhist culture and local customs, the atmosphere was tranquil and serene.

Monks chanting scriptures, tourists exploring, craftsmen carving statues, and the thousand oil lamps lit in the halls—all blended together, as if immersed in a sea of Buddhist culture. He Zhixing was dazzled wherever he went, his eyes shining with curiosity and interest.

But Mr. Chen grew impatient, grabbing his hand. “Alright, that’s enough. We have business to attend to.” He led the way out.

He Zhixing asked, “Mr. Chen, where are we going? Why leave? Isn’t there anything worth investigating inside?”

“I’ve examined this place many times—there’s nothing. I want to take you up to the hill with the car. This place is surrounded by walls. We’ll leave, circle around to the back mountain, and climb to that hill from the other side.”

“Oh, I see. Then let’s hurry.”

Taking the rear route around the mountain wasn’t easy; it took a lot of effort before they found the place that looked like a mysterious geomantic formation, supposedly the dragon’s lair. The site had clearly been disturbed—someone had dug here before. There were several pits left unfilled, obvious traces of damage.

“Mr. Chen, could there really be treasure here?” He Zhixing smiled at him.

Mr. Chen slapped him on the head. “You little rascal, always asking what you already know. Still, we need to check carefully. Even if it’s a false site with nothing, we must inspect every place that matches the map.”

He Zhixing grasped the little wooden figurine in his hand and smiled. No matter what it is, if it’s real, I’ll make it show itself. Using the help of the wooden beauty, He Zhixing pushed his energy to the limit.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before he shook his head. He infused the wooden beauty with his true energy, but she found nothing—no connections at all. Mr. Chen still wanted to dig, hoping to find treasure here, pinning his hopes on this spot.

He Zhixing believed that his search through the wooden beauty’s true energy could not be wrong. He tried to persuade Mr. Chen, but to no avail, so he let him carry on with his efforts.