Chapter 11: Turmoil Arises Again

The tense atmosphere of the Jishantang Hall was temporarily confined within the makeshift laboratory set up by Su Jin’s team at the Municipal Environmental Science Institute.

This place had become the eye of the storm. Rows of flickering instruments surrounded a central experimental table, upon which lay a meticulously crafted miniature model of the “Enhanced Guiding Stake” by Yang Rui—a titanium alloy tube about the length of an arm. Though costly, this model promised higher experimental precision. Its inner wall was etched with a complex spiral mesh pattern, an optimized design by Yang Rui based on ancestral compass markings and the talismanic inscriptions on an iron box. Inside the tube was filled a carefully adjusted “imitated apotropaic material” composed of magnetite powder, ultra-fine pure copper wire, high-purity graphene sheets, and quartz sand of specific grain sizes.

The experiment had a clear objective: to simulate, within a controlled environment, the composite field conditions beneath the old mansion’s ground and test the directional guiding efficiency of this “guiding stake” model for magnetic fields and infrasound waves.

“The magnetic field generator is ready.”

“The infrasound emitter calibrated, locked at 18Hz.”

“The guiding stake model fixed, sensor array deployed.”

“Data acquisition system activated, recording started!”

Su Jin took command personally, her voice calm but her eyes fixed on the screen with intense focus. Yang Rui stood by, equally absorbed.

The experiment commenced. A powerful simulated static magnetic field and a deep, continuous 18Hz infrasound wave instantly filled the experimental chamber. On the screen, the curves representing the “source point” magnetic field and infrasound intensity surged rapidly and remained high. The sensor values at the “guiding stake” outlet also began to rise but far less than expected, with severe fluctuations. Data from several key monitoring points along the “guiding path” were chaotic, showing no clear energy flow.

“This won’t do!” Su Jin pointed at the screen sharply, her tone cutting like a researcher’s blade. “Magnetic field guiding efficiency is only 15%! The infrasound wave… shows almost no clear directional guiding effect! Energy is heavily scattered and lost inside the model and surrounding space! Yang Rui, your talismanic inscriptions and material combinations simply cannot achieve the effect you anticipated at the microscopic scale and within such a confined space!”

Yang Rui furrowed his brow, staring at the titanium tube model that seemed to hum faintly within the strong field. Where was the problem? Was the talisman design flawed? Or had the material proportions failed at the microscopic level?

He pondered repeatedly the profound scales and inscriptions on the ancestral compass, which seemed inherently capable of resonating harmoniously with the geomagnetic field. And the iron box—its intricate internal talismanic patterns must have played a subtle role before corrosion set in. Could it be… a matter of scale?

“Dr. Su,” Yang Rui suddenly spoke, a flash of insight in his eyes, “we may have fallen into a cognitive trap. The talismanic inscriptions on the iron box guide energy within mere inches. The ancestral compass’s scales divide heaven and earth upon its face. But our guiding stake’s talismanic design aims to direct energy across meters—even tens of meters! It’s like trying to weave a fishing net with embroidery stitches—no matter how exquisite the stitchwork, it can’t catch big fish!”

Su Jin froze momentarily, then caught on swiftly: “You mean…the ‘size’ and ‘geometric topology’ of the inscriptions must match the ‘wavelength’ of the energy field they intend to guide?”

“Yes!” Yang Rui nodded emphatically. “The wavelength of infrasound is extremely long. Though magnetic force lines are invisible, their spatial distribution also has a defined ‘scale.’ The fine, densely etched lines on the titanium tube are too small in geometric scale—like a high-frequency antenna trying to receive low-frequency waves! It simply cannot effectively ‘couple’ with the deeply buried, long-wavelength energy field!”

This analogy instantly enlightened Su Jin. She immediately pulled up the infrasound wavelength calculator on her computer, comparing it with the spatial distribution features of the energy field detected beneath the old mansion. “The 18Hz infrasound wavelength in underground media… is roughly 15 to 25 meters! Although the static magnetic field is complex, its spatial gradient changes at a scale far larger than our micro-engraved inscriptions! What we need is… a macroscopic energy guiding structure!”

Their minds cleared at once. They immediately adjusted their plan:

Abandon micro-engraved inscriptions: no longer pursuing fine etching on the titanium tube walls; instead, wrapping the tube’s exterior with coarse copper wire coils of specific diameter, pitch, and turns! Utilizing the coil’s macroscopic geometry to match the wavelength and mode of the target energy field, thus creating a “low-frequency antenna” effect.

Optimize internal filler: retaining magnetite powder and graphene sheets, but reducing fine copper wire and increasing porous ceramic particles of specific size.

External auxiliary structure: after driving the guiding stake into the ground, design a horn-shaped or specifically angled metal flow guide hood at the exposed end to further direct the guided energy toward the Clear Creek River, minimizing impact on the surrounding environment.

The new model was swiftly completed. Though rougher in appearance, its theoretical foundation was far firmer.

Second experiment!

Start!

The “source point” energy surged.

This time, a miracle happened!

The magnetic field strength curve at the “guiding stake” outlet, after a brief lag, began a steady, significant rise! Meanwhile, the “source point” magnetic field strength showed a clear, stable decline in synchrony!

Even more exhilarating were the infrasound data! The curve representing the 18Hz energy exhibited a strong, stable resonance peak at the “guiding stake” outlet! Meanwhile, the energy at that frequency was markedly suppressed at the “source point” and along the path monitoring points! The data clearly showed that energy was being efficiently “drawn” toward the guiding stake outlet!

“Success! Magnetic field guiding efficiency has risen to 65%! Infrasound guiding efficiency in the target frequency band exceeds 70%! Energy loss has drastically decreased!” Su Jin’s voice brimmed with uncontainable excitement. She looked at Yang Rui, her eyes for the first time devoid of doubt, replaced by pure exhilaration and the thrill of discovery. “Wavelength matching… macroscopic structure… Yang Rui, you’ve provided a completely new perspective! This is not merely feng shui—it’s… environmental physical field engineering!”

Yang Rui exhaled deeply, a genuine smile spreading across his face. The weapon of science was finally in the right hands.

However, just as they celebrated this groundbreaking progress in the laboratory, dreadful news arrived from Jishantang Hall!

Chen Bojun’s voice trembled with sobs, almost incoherent: “Master Yang! Dr. Su! Hurry back! Something’s happened again! Qiming… Qiming suddenly went berserk! Breaking things! Raving incoherently! And… that ‘Copper Flow Well’ of yours… the stone slab at the wellhead… it cracked! Cold air’s coming out! The lights at home… all flickering!”

The two were shaken to their core and immediately rushed back to Jishantang Hall.

Inside the old mansion was utter chaos. Chen Qiming was pinned down on the bed by several strong servants, his eyes bloodshot and wild, shouting incomprehensible phrases mixed with terrifying words like “scrape! scrape the bone!” and “so many eyes!” The giant new floor-to-ceiling glass window in the west wing was riddled with radial cracks! The air was thick with a stronger metallic rust stench and… the smell of ozone? The temporary fluorescent lamps flickered wildly, casting the place in a haunted-house glow.