92: Four Pillars Heaven Overcomes Earth Clash

"Xiao... Xiao Dong has been abducted."

As soon as the woman finished speaking, she collapsed to the ground, wailing bitterly. Zhao Gen stood frozen in place. I was about to wonder who Xiao Dong was, and who this woman might be, when I suddenly remembered that Zhao Gen had once mentioned his son's nickname was Xiao Dong.

Chaos—utter chaos.

Here, on this side of the family, Zhao Bayi's corpse had just been stolen; on the other, the son Xiao Dong had been abducted. In that instant, I was almost certain that both incidents were orchestrated by the same group.

It was pure instinct.

"Who? Who on earth did this? Who would do such a thing to my family?" Zhao Gen broke down, slumping to the ground.

Soon, villagers gathered at the door to comfort the couple. Someone reminded them that not only was the child missing, but Zhao Bayi's body had also been taken. They urged Zhao Gen to call the police—crying would not bring them back. Only then did Zhao Gen hurriedly report the incidents.

The fact that both happened simultaneously told me that calling the police would be useless. After all, the perpetrators were no ordinary people. If they dared to steal a body and abduct a child in broad daylight, they wouldn’t be afraid of the authorities.

Though I knew it was pointless, I didn’t stop them. After all, it was only a suspicion on my part; perhaps it was just a coincidence that the two incidents occurred back-to-back. Still, from my perspective, I was convinced the same group was behind both.

Why take Zhao Bayi’s corpse? And why abduct Xiao Dong?

I thought of the strange tomb on the mountain and immediately approached Zhao Gen's wife, Li Lan, to ask for Xiao Dong's exact birth time.

Li Lan looked at me in surprise. I explained that Zhao Gen had called me to handle Zhao Bayi's matter, and that Xiao Dong’s disappearance might be related to the missing body.

With the birth details, I quickly went inside, fetched paper and pen, and calculated the Eight Characters (Ba Zi) for both Zhao Bayi and Xiao Dong.

At a single glance, even I was stunned.

A single set of Eight Characters rarely reveals much, but when two are compared together, anyone versed in the art would be deeply alarmed.

In the Eight Characters, the Heavenly Stems can clash, and the Earthly Branches can conflict.

Zhao Bayi’s Eight Characters and Xiao Dong’s were a perfect match for such a clash—their Heavenly Stems clashed, and their Earthly Branches conflicted.

It’s not unusual for one’s own Eight Characters to have such internal clashes, and between two people, a clash of Stems or Branches can also occur. In marriage, people often compare Eight Characters before marrying, to check for such harmful clashes, as these can spell trouble for a couple—constant arguments at best, and at worst, one spouse may even bring death to the other.

The Eight Characters of Zhao Bayi and Xiao Dong clashed in every possible aspect, something I’d never even seen recorded in my grandmother’s notes.

The Eight Characters consist of four pillars: year, month, day, and hour. In these two, every pillar’s Heavenly Stems clashed, and every Earthly Branch conflicted. To be precise, Zhao Bayi’s year pillar’s Heavenly Stem clashed perfectly with Xiao Dong’s, and their Earthly Branches as well—this didn’t just occur in the year pillar, but in all four.

With this configuration, Zhao Bayi and Xiao Dong could never get along in life. Whenever the grandfather and grandson met, there would be conflict.

For a grandfather’s Eight Characters to clash so severely with his grandson’s—if it were just one pillar, it might be understandable. But all four? That was unnatural.

Yet, when combined with the strange tomb chosen three decades ago by the old man, it started to make sense.

This led me to suspect that the old man who selected the tomb had not only plotted against Zhao Bayi but had included Xiao Dong in his schemes as well. Thirty years ago, Xiao Dong hadn’t even been born. I had no idea how he could orchestrate such a coincidence with Xiao Dong's birth time, but considering the mysteries of metaphysics and the cunning of that old man, perhaps it wasn’t impossible.

At that moment, I desperately hoped I was wrong, because if my analysis was correct, Xiao Dong’s life was in danger—perhaps he was to be used as a sacrifice by the mastermind.

The goal was obvious: to release whatever had been sealed underground. Yet, thinking it over, it seemed unnecessary. The thing underground was suppressed by a geomantic formation. If they wanted to release it, all they had to do was break the formation—why abduct Zhao Bayi and Xiao Dong?

When Zhao Gen returned from calling the police, I cross-checked the birth details with him, to make sure my calculations were correct.

After confirming, Zhao Gen nodded and admitted both birth times were accurate. He wasn’t slow to realize I might know something, and begged me to tell him.

The truth was harsh. After some hesitation, I explained my suspicions, making it clear that it was only a guess—that perhaps the clash between Zhao Bayi and Xiao Dong’s Eight Characters was a coincidence. But before I finished, Zhao Gen firmly insisted it was no coincidence.

Hearing this, I realized there was more to the story and asked for details.

"Master, as you can probably tell, I had my son late in life. Before Xiao Dong, we tried many ways and remedies, but nothing worked. We both got checked, and we were healthy. Then one day, an elderly fortune-teller came to the village. Passing by my house, he suddenly asked if we were having trouble conceiving. I was anxious at the time, amazed that he saw right through us, so I invited him in.

He swallowed nervously and continued, “I hadn’t said anything, but that fortune-teller described everything we’d been through. In the end, he told my wife and me to try on the sixth day of the lunar month at noon, promising that we’d surely conceive. He was adamant about the time, and said if it didn’t work, he’d be struck by lightning. He took no money, just left. When the day came, we tried, thinking it couldn’t hurt—and then, we really did conceive.”

Hearing this, my scalp tingled. I had a fair guess of what came next but let him continue.

"When the due date approached, the doctor gave us an estimate, but a month before the date—on the day Xiao Dong was born—a black cat suddenly appeared at our house. It didn’t make a sound, just sat on the wall staring at my wife. She thought nothing of it, assuming it belonged to someone else, and went to rest inside.

Around noon, the cat suddenly cried out—a sound like a person weeping, truly unsettling. My wife was about to chase it away when she felt labor pains. With no one home, she shouted for help. Within two or three minutes, neighbors arrived, and Xiao Dong was born. My wife barely felt any pain—she was in a daze. At the time, we paid it no mind.”

So it was true.

I was sure now—the entire Zhao Gen family had been ensnared.

The old man had not only played tricks with Zhao Bayi’s tomb but had also manipulated Zhao Gen and his wife, rendering them unable to conceive after marriage. The fortune-teller’s appearance was no coincidence—he had foreseen the time and arranged for Xiao Dong’s birth, dictating the precise timing of their union.

In metaphysics, black cats are never auspicious. Black dogs ward off evil, but black cats attract it.

The mastermind had used secret arts to control Xiao Dong’s birth, ensuring his Eight Characters would form a four-pillar clash with Zhao Bayi’s.

It was all a setup.

Xiao Dong’s fate was man-made.

This was a scheme akin to the one laid by Master Qin, but far more sophisticated and complex.

What exactly was sealed underground? That was the question that haunted me.

Knowing that Xiao Dong had been taken by those behind the plot, Zhao Gen pleaded with me to find a way—if we delayed, the child would be in grave danger.

As I glanced around for the mysterious woman, who had vanished without a trace, I realized the situation had outstripped my abilities. Reluctant as I was, there was no other choice but to call on Xu Buhuo.

I told Zhao Gen to get a car and take me to fetch Xu Buhuo.

When we arrived at the place where he’d been recovering, Xu Buhuo was already waiting, a cloth bag slung over his shoulder, smiling as if he’d known I would come.

He climbed into the car before the engine stopped and asked me to explain the situation. After I finished, he said, "Describe in detail the surroundings of the tomb."

I recounted every detail I’d seen. When I finished, Xu Buhuo looked at me and said, "You are mistaken."