Chapter 35: Crows Mourning and Rats Relocating

Regardless of the circumstances, the man was the village chief. Li Chengfeng might not need to give him any face, but Wang Bin could not afford to be so dismissive, as he still had to live in this village.

Wang Bin hurriedly stepped forward to explain to the village chief, telling Wang Xilai about the bleeding stone oxen and suggesting that the recent events in the village might be linked to them. He emphasized, "The reason our village's chickens, ducks, cattle, and sheep are dying is very likely the work of those two Japanese men. They tampered with these stone oxen, which is why our livestock are restless and our households are in turmoil. My classmate here is a Feng Shui master; he can help us solve these problems."

Wang Xilai first glared at Li Chengfeng, but upon hearing the mention of the two Japanese men, his face showed clear signs of panic. He quickly composed himself and said sternly, "There are no Japanese men here. Don't talk nonsense; I have never seen any Japanese men."

"Village Chief, have you forgotten? Half a month ago, two Japanese men came to our village wanting to buy these two stone oxen. I was the one who brought them to your house," Wang Bin said, looking puzzled. It had only been half a month; surely the village chief’s memory couldn't be that poor?

Seeing that Wang Bin had described the events of that day so clearly, Wang Xilai glared at him. Realizing he could no longer hide the fact that the Japanese men had visited, he resorted to bureaucratic pretense: "It is true that two Japanese men came to our village to buy these stone oxen that day, but I did not sell them. These stone oxen are treasures of our village; no matter how much money they offered, I would never sell them."

The villagers gathered around nodded in agreement, declaring that the stone oxen should not be sold for any price.

Li Chengfeng had been observing the changes in Wang Xilai’s expression. As he spoke, his eyes kept blinking—a clear sign he was lying. A slight smile played on Li Chengfeng's lips as he asked curiously, "Village Chief, are you certain you didn't sell the stone oxen to those two Japanese men? Even if you didn't sell them, I suspect you have reached some sort of agreement with them."

"Nonsense!" Wang Xilai glared at Li Chengfeng with murderous intent. Clearly agitated and angry, he snapped, "This is a matter for our village. What does it have to do with an outsider like you? You’d better stop meddling in other people's business. If you dare to spout such nonsense again, I won't let you leave this village alive."

Faced with Wang Xilai’s threat, Li Chengfeng immediately backed down; after all, he was on someone else’s turf, and things could get ugly if he weren't careful.

However, Li Chengfeng’s words had already made the villagers realize that Wang Xilai was lying. Even if he hadn't sold the oxen, he had certainly struck some deal with the Japanese men. Although they knew he was lying, no one dared to stand up and confront him.

It was the old man who stepped forward then, his weathered face etched with sorrow and anger. "Wang Xilai, tell the truth to everyone. Did you sell the stone oxen, or did you agree to some condition? If you didn't, how would they dare to tamper with them? This concerns the lives of over two thousand people in our village. You had better tell the truth."

The surrounding villagers turned their gazes toward Wang Xilai, waiting for his answer. Seeing that he was backed into a corner, Wang Xilai stopped hiding it and said arrogantly, "It’s just two stone oxen. I sold them, so what? It’s not against the law. I sold these two pieces of rock for over 1.5 million. Tell me, isn't that worth it? Wouldn't it be better to use that money to build bridges and pave roads for our village?"

Upon hearing the figure of 1.5 million, many villagers' eyes lit up, but then, realizing that the money had likely been pocketed by Wang Xilai alone, they were filled with fury.

Half a month ago, the two Japanese men had approached Wang Xilai and stated their intent to buy the oxen. They started with an offer of 20,000, which was rejected. They didn't give up and kept raising the price until it hit 1.5 million. Anyone would be tempted by that sum for two stone oxen. Wang Xilai knew the oxen were common property, and that the villagers would never agree to have them taken away, so he had voiced his concerns. Strangely, once the Japanese men understood the situation, they held a brief discussion and made a decision: they would buy the oxen, but they wouldn't move them—they only wanted the ownership rights.

Thus, Wang Xilai took the 1.5 million and signed a contract. He hadn't intended to tell anyone, hoping to keep the money for himself. He never expected that selling the oxen would lead to so much trouble in the village.

The old man, trembling with rage, gritted his teeth and said, "Wang Xilai, you are a fool! Those two stone oxen are the guardian spirits of our village. How could you sell them?"

"I am the village chief! I sell what I want to sell. Is that any of your business?" Wang Xilai retorted arrogantly, showing no regard for the old man or the villagers.

The villagers stood by, angry but silent. Only the old man continued to rebuke him. Just then, the sound of crows suddenly filled the air nearby. A flock of about fifty or sixty crows flew into the village, landed on a tree, and began to caw incessantly.

As the villagers stared at the crows in wonder, one of them shouted in alarm, "Look! Look at all those rats!"

Immediately after, waves of rats began to swarm out of the village. Many large rats were carrying smaller ones, running as if their lives depended on it, fleeing the village. Even stranger, some of the rats would collapse while running, kick their legs a few times, and fall lifeless to the ground. These rats fled into the fields and soon disappeared.

Wang Bin and the villagers were terrified by the sight. "What... what is going on? Why are there so many rats? And why did these crows fly into our village?"

Watching the crows cawing on the branches and the rats fleeing the village, Li Chengfeng frowned deeply. "Crows mourning and rats relocating—this is a sign of great catastrophe. A great catastrophe."

Crows are strange birds; they never enter villages where the living reside, preferring instead to inhabit graveyards, crematoriums, and other places heavy with yin energy. If a flock of crows flies into a living village, it is a sign of disaster. In Feng Shui, this is called "Crows Mourning."

Everyone dislikes rats, but they are spiritually sensitive animals that can foresee danger and natural disasters. When they sense peril, they abandon their burrows and lead the colony to relocate. In Feng Shui, this is known as "Rats Relocating." If a swarm of rats flees a village in a frenzy, it is a sign of a major crisis.

With the village experiencing both "Crows Mourning" and "Rats Relocating" simultaneously, it was clear that a major calamity was imminent. If the Feng Shui issues were not resolved, the entire village would be doomed.

The surrounding villagers were terrified upon hearing this, but Wang Xilai was incensed. He pointed at Li Chengfeng and threatened, "If you continue to spread such superstitious nonsense, I will call the police and have you arrested!"

"I am not spreading superstition," Li Chengfeng replied calmly. "I am speaking the truth."