Under One Person: Feng Shui Master, I Will Protect the Mountains and Rivers with My Own Body

"Brother Ding? Brother Ding? Are you awake? You can move now."

"Oh no, can't wake him up? Could he have made him stupid? I'll try reciting the Great Compassion Mantra."

"Namo Ratna Trayaya ~ Namo Arya ~"

It's so noisy...

Ding Shian felt as if his body was a small boat tossed about in a storm, being rocked around until he was dizzy and disoriented. The annoying chanting of Buddhist scriptures seemed to come from near and far, and there was a tone-deaf guy singing along, his voice carrying a familiar, irritating quality.

He took a deep breath, like a drowning person finally surfacing, his pupils suddenly focusing.

What came into view was Yan Sen's enlarged face, which showed some concern. The Nokia phone in his hand was playing the Great Compassion Mantra on a loop.

"I......"

Ding Shian opened his mouth, his throat terribly dry. The last image remaining in his mind was still that enormous eye that filled the entire world.

The feeling of despair, of being isolated, squeezed, and rejected by the whole world, is like a leech clinging to the bone; even after waking up, a layer of cold sweat still remains on the back.

How pathetic.

All those years of cultivation have been wasted on dogs!

Ding Shian mentally cursed himself.

He, who prided himself on mastering all the arts and aspired to challenge the strongest in the world, was actually stunned by a single glance? Even the thought of resistance was crushed into dust in that instant.

If this gets out, Ding Shian will likely become a laughing stock among his various sects.

"It's good that you're awake, it's good that you're awake."

Yan Sen saw that Ding Shian's eyes had regained their clarity, although they still carried a bit of confusion and doubt about life, but at least they hadn't become demented.

He let out a long sigh, plopped down on a nearby rock, and handed over a bottle of water.

"Brother Ding, you looked really scary just now. I was thinking of contacting a hospital here for you. I heard the food at the sanatoriums in Changbai Mountain is pretty good."

Yan Sen was talking nonsense, but he was genuinely relieved.

Ding Shian was not only his designated top henchman, but also his "beloved friend and brother." If he really ruined him, wouldn't he lose everything?

Ding Shian took the water, but didn't drink it. He just held it in his hand, feeling the cold touch to confirm that he was still alive.

"I'm fine."

Ding Shian gave a wry smile and shook his head. His usually sharp face had lost some of its usual sharpness and gained more emotion. "Not only am I not injured, but I also feel completely refreshed. It seems that even my meditation skills have improved slightly."

He raised his head, looking at Yan Sen with an open and honest gaze: "Losing to you in a sparring match isn't something I find hard to accept. I just didn't expect... that my pride and joy would be defeated so easily. I don't even know how I lost."

That's the most devastating thing.

If he was outmatched and got beaten black and blue, then he would accept it.

But when he was completely overwhelmed by a single glance from the other party before he even understood what was going on, the difference in their levels left him with a deep sense of powerlessness.

Upon hearing this, Yan Sen's playful smile faded somewhat.

He looked at Ding Shian and shook his head seriously.

"You lost, Brother Ding. We won't deny that, after all, you did roll your eyes just now." Yan Sen pointed at Ding Shian, "But you didn't lose to me."

Ding Shian was taken aback.

A warm feeling welled up in my heart.

My dear brother!

You know how to save face for your brother!

Was she saying this on purpose because she was afraid that her brother's Dao heart would be broken?

Ding Shian was somewhat moved. He reached out and put his arm around Yan Sen's shoulder, giving him a light punch on the chest as if he were a younger brother. He laughed and said, "Alright, little brother, a loss is a loss! No need to comfort me! In all these years of seeking out masters to spar with, haven't I lost countless times? Didn't I get slapped into the ground by Master Tianbiao just a few days ago? It's okay! I'm thick-skinned, I can take a loss!"

Yan Sen coughed from the punch, rolled his eyes, and speechlessly pushed away Ding Shian's enthusiastic arm.

"I'm serious, Brother Ding. Can you stop trying to win me over?" Yan Sen said with a look of disdain. "I don't usually comfort men, especially musclemen like you. What I mean is—you did lose, but you didn't completely lose to 'Yan Sen' as a person."

Yan Sen stood up, extending one finger from each hand. His left finger pointed to the majestic Changbai Mountain at his feet, while his right finger pointed to the vast sky above.

"You lost to this place." Yan Sen's voice became somewhat ethereal. "It was they who defeated you."

Ding Shian frowned, a sudden inspiration flashed in his mind, as if he had grasped something, but it was like looking through a thin layer of paper, blurry and unclear.

"You'll get punched if you only say half of what you mean, little brother," Ding Shian humbly asked. "Extend your story?"

Yan Sen picked up the half-empty bottle of water from the ground, tilted his head back and took a swig to moisten his throat, which had become a little dry from pretending to be a ghost.

"I only recently figured out this trick, and I haven't named it yet. But I can explain the principle behind it to you."

Yan Sen crossed his legs, striking a pose like a storyteller.

"To use this technique, there is an extremely demanding prerequisite—that is, you must 'befriend' the local energy. And not just any 'friend,' but the kind of 'friend' that accompanies you day and night, without any distinction between you and the land."

Yan Sen pointed to himself: "These past few days, I've been sitting on the altar, breathing in and out evil energy and nourishing the earth's veins without sleep. I've gradually discovered that, without knowing when, I've been able to perfectly integrate my innate Qi into the vast earth's vein cycle of Changbai Mountain."

"It's not the kind of integration that creates a distinction between ruler and subject, but rather a fusion, a true unification."

A glint of light flashed in Yan Sen's eyes.

"At that moment, I felt inseparable from the mountain beneath my feet; I was the mountain, and the mountain was me."

"The reason I told you not to move was because I made this mountain actively 'reject' you. In that specific energy field, you, Ding Shian, are a 'virus' that must be eliminated from this world, an 'foreign object' that should not exist."

Yan Sen looked at Ding Shian, a wicked smile playing on his lips.

"As long as you walk on this land, this small world that is made up of me and the earth's veins will stop at nothing to target you."

"You might trip over a blade of grass you wouldn't normally even glance at, fall flat on your face, or get hit precisely in the eye by a bird dropping from the sky. Only the rocks beneath your feet might suddenly collapse, and some random stone might accurately find the weak point in your protective escape light, shatter it, and eventually bury you underground, or even..."

Yan Sen pointed to the sky, "A dark cloud might inexplicably drift by, and while the whole of Changbai Mountain remains dry, it will strike you with lightning."

"This is—the world's rejection."

"In this situation, you're not fighting against me, Yan Sen, but against all the mountains, rivers, and vegetation of Changbai Mountain, against the will of heaven and earth. Brother Ding, no matter how strong you are, can you be stronger than the heavens?"

Ding Shian was stunned.

He opened his mouth wide, and the mineral water bottle in his hand made a cracking sound as he squeezed it.

"This...isn't this cheating?" Ding Shian muttered to himself.

Although he said he was cheating, the light in Ding Shian's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

Cultivate yourself, and you will also cultivate your destiny.

To infinitely magnify the insignificant individual in order to achieve harmony between humanity and nature.

This was a completely new cultivation system that he had never encountered before.

"Then what about that giant version of you I saw? What was that?" Ding Shian asked, snapping out of her daze. "That eye... it was terrifying."

Upon hearing this, Yan Sen showed a hint of apology on his face.

"Um... if I'm not mistaken, you were using some kind of internal cultivation technique called 'insight meditation' just now, weren't you?"

Ding Shian nodded: "That's true."

"That's right." Yan Sen slapped his thigh. "The 'huge' version of me that you see is not actually a real entity. Rather, it's a 'manifestation' of this small world that you perceive through the spiritual perspective of 'observing the Dharma'."

"Because when I use this move, my will covers this area. When you use the Observation Technique to spy on me, it's equivalent to you spying on heaven and earth. When you feel something, there will be a response, and when you respond, there will be a consequence. So you will naturally feel that heaven and earth are looking down on you."

Yan Sen scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed: "I didn't expect it to have this effect from the perspective of Guanfa. Sorry, Brother Ding, I forgot to remind you not to look around."

Ding Shian remained silent for a moment.

Then, he suddenly burst into laughter, a hearty laugh that made the leaves around him rustle.

"Hahahahaha!"

Ding Shian patted Yan Sen hard on the back, making Yan Sen grimace.

"Young man, what are you apologizing for? I'm thanking you!"

Ding Shian's eyes burned with a fanatical flame. "I already said it's nothing, don't take it to heart. Whether I'm defeated by heaven and earth or by you, the result is the same—it only proves that my cultivation is not enough!"

"Moreover..." Ding Shian looked at Yan Sen with sincere eyes, "Speaking of which, I'm the first victim of your methods, right? Hahaha, I'm extremely honored! How many times in a lifetime can a person have the opportunity to face such power of heaven and earth? For me, this is an invaluable experience!"

Yan Sen looked at the martial arts fanatic in front of him, who was laughing like a fool, and couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration.

This person is so pure that it makes you envious.

"Alright, alright, stop laughing. My concealment technique is almost up, the staff will probably find out soon." Yan Sen stood up, patted the dirt off his backside, and said, "I've rested enough, I should leave too. Staying in this place for too long will make me prone to rheumatism when I get old."

The two tidied up quickly.

Before parting, Ding Shian took out a crumpled piece of paper with a number written on it from his pocket and handed it to Yan Sen.

"Here you go, little brother."

Ding Shian said solemnly, "I don't usually leave my contact information with others; I find it troublesome and I don't like socializing. But keep this number safe. If you ever need anything or encounter any problems you can't solve, call this number. I'll definitely help you."

Yan Sen took the note and carefully put it in his pocket.

"Oh, right." Ding Shian seemed to remember something and added, "If you ever develop any new methods and have nowhere to test them out... remember to come to me. I'm not very good at giving advice, but I'm tough and can try them out for you myself. I'm not afraid of pain, I'm just afraid of not having a chance to fight."

Yan Sen's lips twitched slightly.

Good grief, is he treating himself like a personal guinea pig? Or the kind of guinea pig that doesn't need to be paid, and might even have its travel expenses covered?

"Alright, Brother Ding, with your words, I'll definitely not hold back from now on." Yan Sen cupped his hands in greeting.

The two parted ways at the foot of the mountain.

Yan Sen, carrying his canvas bag, watched Ding Shian's departing figure and couldn't help but call out, "Brother Ding! Where are you going?"

Ding Shian waved his hand without turning his head: "Back to the sect! I've gained a lot of insights from this trip, and I need to go back and digest them properly. I'll also ask Master if there's any way to practice how to resist 'Heaven and Earth'!"

Which sect or school?

"I haven't decided yet! I'll just go with the flow! Anyway, I have many mentors, surely one of them can teach me!"

Watching the figure disappear into the forest, Yan Sen smiled and shook his head.

"This person is strangely kind of cute."