The Asian black bear is also known as the moon bear, often referred to as the "black blind" by folks in the Northeast. In Ai Laoshan's scientific documentaries, there have been multiple shots capturing traces of this bear.

At this moment, not far from Qi Yun and his group, there was such a big creature.

Its entire body was jet black, with glossy, oily fur. It was even bigger than the largest, most robust member of the group, Niu Da. It had a tuft of white fur on its chest, and its round eyes were wide open, holding a wild vigilance, staring fixedly at the intruders of its territory.

Perhaps because its feeding was interrupted, it still had a piece of bark-like object in its mouth. Its black nose twitched slightly, seemingly trying to discern the intent of these unwelcome guests.

Qi Yun had seen such a massive creature before. The last time when he encountered a brown bear in the wild, it was even larger than this one, so he wasn't particularly nervous.

He raised his hand and made a gesture to signal An Zai and the others to hold their fire and stay calm.

"Keep moving, don't engage unless it comes closer."

Generally, a black bear won't attack humans unless provoked or feeling threatened. Right now, this black bear was merely being vigilant, so there was no need to bother it.

Although a tranquilizer gun wouldn't cause substantial harm, this was an undeveloped primeval forest. A black bear deprived of its mobility would undoubtedly become prey for other carnivorous animals.

Luckily, this black bear was quite perceptive and seemed to realize that these men were not to be messed with, so it didn't forcefully try to cause a scene. The group slowly left its territory.

The further they went into the mountains, the more robust the vegetation became. The tree trunks were entwined with circles of blue-green vines, which looked eerily like snakes winding around the trees, quite frightening at first glance.

A thick layer of fallen branches and leaves covered the ground, crunching underfoot. The wild mushrooms that were sold at exorbitant prices outside were everywhere here.

After trekking for over an hour, Qi Yun checked his watch, which indeed started to spin erratically, like back in Lop Nur. The phone also lost signal.

"Old Yao, is the direction correct?"

Yao Yuzhong stopped for a breath, his gaze fixed on the leaves of the surrounding trees, "Yes, these leaves can be used to distinguish direction. The side facing the sun grows denser, and the undersides have sparse leaves. We should keep walking toward the denser leaves."

In the primeval forest, there were not many reference points. The heliotropism of plants was the most reliable compass.

"Once we cross this mountain top, we should reach the location where I encountered the mist-like gas last time," Yao Yuzhong added.

Although many years had passed, the memory of his last trip to Ai Laoshan was etched in his mind, still crystal clear even now.

"We'd better pick up the pace and cross this mountain before noon. Based on my experience with gas in the Shu Region, it tends to rise when the sunlight is strong," suggested Qin Sizhi from behind.

Qi Yun immediately agreed, "Alright, Brother Quan! Let's pick up the pace!"

The group increased their speed. When they reached the mountain top, they indeed saw a faint, fog-like white gas swirling in the saddle of the mountain, exactly the mist Yao Yuzhong had mentioned.

For safety reasons, everyone took out the pre-prepared gas masks from their bags and put them on, not delaying further, they continued their descent.

Two hours later, they arrived at a relatively flat open area in the valley, with many rocks scattered on the ground.

Yao Yuzhong squatted down and picked up a stone to observe it.

The stone was smooth, with clear signs of having been eroded by water flow. From this, he deduced that the ground below was once a riverbed.

However, whether it was the same river as when he last came remained uncertain, as the mountain's heavy rainfall often caused mudslides, making river courses subject to change.

Yao Yuzhong threw away the stone, stood up, and slowly turned in a circle, carefully observing the surrounding mountainous terrain, muttering to himself.

"What's he doing?" Qi Yun curiously asked Qin Sizhi.

Qin Sizhi glanced towards Yao Yuzhong and explained in a lowered voice, "He's referencing the mountain terrain, seeking the places where water vapor converges, which is what everyone commonly refers to as feng shui."

"Feng shui encompasses many principles, combining theories of yin and yang, the five elements, the heavenly stems and earthly branches, Bagua, and the Nine Palaces, enabling the seeker to locate dragons, inspect the shape of the land, observe water, pinpoint specific sites, and determine proper orientations."

"In contemporary scientific terms, feng shui is actually a comprehensive natural science involving geophysics, hydrological geology, astral science, meteorology, environmental science, architecture, ecology, and human life information science."

"This discipline originated during the Warring States period with Guiguzi. Due to its complex knowledge system, few, even among his disciples, mastered it. Later, during the Eastern Jin dynasty, Guo Pu authored the 'Zangjing,' which helped systematize it and gradually spread its concepts."

Qi Yun, though somewhat confused, gathered from Qin Sizhi's explanation that this was indeed difficult to learn. Considering Yao Yuzhong's limited formal education, probably barely literate, how did he learn this?

Qin Sizhi seemed to read Qi Yun's mind and chuckled, "If it's just for finding graves, with diligent study, frequent exploration, and basic understanding, it's achievable."

"However, reaching the realm of Yuan Tiangang or Li Chunfeng, who could examine the heavens and measure the earth, relies on innate talent. Historically, only they attained such heights."

Qi Yun nodded; indeed, Yao Yuzhong's dedication to this field was commendable.

"So, how does Old Qin's feng shui compare to his?"