Chapter 6: Difficult to Distinguish Cause and Effect

~

Yun Qianfeng squinted his eyes and worked diligently in front of the computer, while Jiang Roujia stood behind him, curiously observing him piecing together the peculiar map.

He opened a high-definition world map on the computer, took screenshots of the continents using editing software, and began arranging them like a jigsaw puzzle, with the African plate as the core. In no time, the map formed a shape resembling a recumbent cow.

Africa occupied the center, resembling the cow's abdomen;

Europe was located to the south, adjacent to Africa, resembling the cow's neck;

Asia was at the southernmost, next to Europe, resembling the cow's head;

The Malay Archipelago and Indonesia were faintly connected to Asia, resembling the cow's horns;

North America and Greenland were combined on the eastern side of Africa, resembling the cow's back;

South America and Antarctica were connected to the northern tip of Africa, resembling the cow's buttocks;

Australia extended into the sea from the west, connected to Antarctica, resembling the cow's tail;

The Indian Plate was situated between the buttocks and tail, resembling the cow's valley path.

This huge landmass was surrounded by oceans on all sides.

Following that, Yun Qianfeng drew a circle within the western ocean and labeled it "The Great Western Continent." The Great Western Continent was half-embraced by the recumbent cow, resembling stars surrounding the moon, but it was unfortunate to be adjacent to the Indian Plate, like a piece of cow dung.

Finally, Yun Qianfeng adjusted the proportions of the assembled map, making the continents fit seamlessly, and turned on the projector.

Jiang Roujia looked up at the projection on the wall, her eyes shining.

"This is it, exactly like this! You're amazing! My brother's second map is this shape. What is the purpose of this assembled map?" she asked.

Yun Qianfeng looked at the projected map on the wall and sighed, saying, "This map was deduced by German geologist Alfred Wegener based on the shapes of continents. It is called Pangaea, also known as the Recumbent Cow Map due to its resemblance. Some 'great' foreign robbers once said that 'the Recumbent Cow Map may not lead you to treasure, but it will surely guide you to miracles.' I believe your brother wanted to use this map to find traces left by the gods."

Saying this, Yun Qianfeng pointed at the three books on the table.

"Previously, I didn't know the connection between these three books, but now that we have this map, I understand why your brother mainly consulted these three books," Yun Qianfeng explained.

Curiously, Jiang Roujia asked, "Is there a connection between the stars and this map?"

Yun Qianfeng nodded and said, "Of course, there is a connection, but it must be related to the stars from ten thousand two hundred years ago. During the Pangaea era, the Earth had no axial tilt, and the celestial equator and the equator were in the same plane.

At that time, the Vega star was the North Star, and the Four Symbols, Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise, were firmly located at the four cardinal points of the sky, dividing the entire celestial sphere into four equal parts, each occupying six regions, which later became the basis for the twenty-four solar terms.

In that ancient civilization, when building cities, burying graves, and even hiding treasures, they used the Four Symbols as coordinates. This practice served religious purposes and helped prevent loss or forgetfulness.

Your brother used this knowledge to replay the ancient continental layout and starry sky to find those hidden miracles. It's similar to how tomb raiders use Feng Shui to deduce burial locations. While Feng Shui may not be scientifically proven, using it to find burial sites is a scientific approach."

In response, Yun Qianfeng stood up and went to the wall. He used a pen to mark seven points on the southwest lower edge of the Pangaea map, forming a curved line. He then explained, "In ancient times, our ancestors used the highest peaks in a region as pointers for establishing locations. They would draw a line from the mountain peak to a specific star position in the sky, extending it to the ground to create coordinates.

During the prehistoric Pangaea era, the location of this map was approximately where Myanmar and Vietnam are now. If you carefully turn the map, you'll notice that its position closely matches that of today's maps, which proves that this region received minimal squeezing and impact during the fragmentation of Pangaea. Therefore, it's highly probable that Bampa Bum, being a tall mountain in this area, was your brother's chosen pointer. This is why he marked it on the map.

Even if geological changes have shifted Bampa Bum from its position as an ancient pointer, it doesn't matter. Your brother believed it was, and that's enough. After all, we are trying to find your brother. As for the seven points I marked, they correspond to the seven stars of the Vermilion Bird constellation—Jing, Gui, Liu, Xing, Zhang, Yi, and Zhen—projected onto the ground using pinhole imaging."

Excitedly, Jiang Roujia exclaimed, "It seems like my brother marked these positions!"

Seeing the admiration in her eyes, Yun Qianfeng smiled proudly and said, "If I'm not mistaken, this is a route map. Because of the pinhole imaging, the position on the sky is inverted on the ground. Therefore, the correct route is most likely to start from the Jing star, passing through the Gui, Liu, Xing, Zhang, Yi, and finally reaching the destination, the Zhen star. Of course, we'll also need to consider the terrain to confirm the exact route.

Now we need to find a skilled 3D modeling expert who can recreate the positions of Pangaea's Bampa Bum and the Vermilion Bird constellation from ten thousand two hundred years ago. Then, we'll accurately use pinhole imaging to obtain a map similar to the one your brother had."

Before Yun Qianfeng could finish his sentence, Jiang Roujia immediately used her financial ability to hire a studio specialized in making 3D maps. She urged them to work overtime and reproduce Pangaea and the prehistoric starry sky as accurately as possible.

This map was what her brother had used, and having it would lead them to him! Jiang Roujia couldn't wait.

With this matter handled, Jiang Roujia's eyes finally showed traces of happiness. She felt incredibly lucky to have found Yun Qianfeng to help her.

"Yun Qianfeng, you are a Feng Shui master, how do you know all this knowledge? I'm truly amazed!" she said.

Yun Qianfeng shrugged and replied, "Only a Feng Shui master would understand these connections. To comprehend the relationship between Preheaven Bagua and Postheaven Bagua, as well as the connections between the River Map and Luo Shu, one must inevitably come across the primitive Four Symbols constellation and Preheaven Continent. Knowing both the facts and the reasons behind them."

Jiang Roujia couldn't help but smile and said, "So, I'm really lucky to have found you."

Yun Qianfeng did not respond, he continued, "Logically, if you were truly lucky, you wouldn't have encountered this troublesome situation. At best, it could be considered a mix of good and bad fortune."

Jiang Roujia rolled her eyes and jokingly said, "You're not a qualified employee!"

However, despite their different attitudes, Jiang Roujia was genuinely happy, looking forward to finding her brother once the map was ready.

In contrast, Yun Qianfeng's face was filled with worries. Sensing his emotions, Jiang Roujia couldn't help but ask, "What are you worried about, Yun Qianfeng?"

Yun Qianfeng pondered for a moment and replied seriously, "Have you ever thought about why your memories remained intact and unaltered? If some force wanted to erase the evidence of your brother's existence, the first target should have been your memories. But your memories are preserved perfectly. Isn't that strange?"

Jiang Roujia was taken aback and her expression turned serious. Doubts began to fill her pretty face. "Yes, even "it" could arrange a family and a fake son for Qin Shuying. Why were my memories kept? If Qin Shuying and her son were the "effect" of this matter, then I am the bigger "effect"!

Yun Qianfeng contemplated and said, "Is it possible that erasing the evidence of your brother's existence was not the "goal" of "it," but merely the "cause"?"

Confused, Jiang Roujia looked at Yun Qianfeng with a questioning gaze.

Yun Qianfeng continued, "In chess, you need to plan ahead and consider the next three moves. The first move is made with the purpose of the next move. Could it be that you are the true "goal" of "it"? Preserving your memories is to have you search for your brother as the "effect." If that's the case, would you still dare to find your brother?"

This speculation shocked Jiang Roujia, and she felt a strong sense of fear. However, without any hesitation, she nodded firmly and said, "Yes! Even if it's a huge trap, I will jump into it!"

----------