Chapter 140: The Land Purchase Voucher

In ancient times, people were not cremated after death as they are today; instead, tombs were constructed. Choosing a burial site first required finding a place with auspicious feng shui; once a location was selected, construction would begin. The very first step in building a tomb was to carve a stone tablet and bury it beneath the grave. This tablet was known as a "land purchase certificate," symbolizing that the tomb owner had bought a blessed piece of land from the underworld.

These "land purchase certificates" that surface in the market are typically items unearthed by grave robbers during their plundering. Usually, these thieves only take them when they find a poor grave and refuse to leave empty-handed. As Yang Meng said, anyone bringing back such an item is utterly shameless, for removing it is like stealing the fortune and blessings of the deceased. Those who cannot appreciate such items avoid them, and experts certainly would never buy them.

Frankly, these tablets hold no real collectible value. Not every antique is worth money; even if left buried for ten thousand years, garbage remains garbage. The "land purchase certificate" is essentially a stone slab buried under a grave, sometimes inscribed with a few characters if one is particular, or simply crudely marked and buried. After a few years, the writing fades, leaving just a blank slab—thus, it has no appreciable value.

That being said, grave robbers are truly cursed souls lacking virtue for generations.

Yang Meng looked at the stall owner and said, "Boss, why are you still selling this? Isn’t it damaging to spiritual virtue?"

The stall owner hurriedly replied, "You’re someone who knows your stuff—I won’t say much. This isn’t from a 'fresh pit'; it was dug up decades ago. This isn’t illegal."

The term "fresh pit" originally referred to newly unearthed bronzes, copper items, or ancient coins. Nowadays, it specifically denotes items recently stolen by grave robbers from tombs. Since the government strictly cracks down on tomb raiding, any 'fresh pit' items on the market are illegal.

Yang Meng pointed to the "land purchase certificate" and asked, "Boss, you know what this is, so why are you still selling it?"

The stall owner pulled out a cigarette, offered it to Yang Meng, and smiled, "Boss, want one? Hope you don’t mind my cheap smokes."

"Mind? What kind of boss am I without business or land?" Yang Meng took the cigarette with a grin.

The stall owner smiled faintly. "Just like you calling me boss and me calling you boss, it’s just a polite term. Look, I’m just a street vendor. Do you think selling fake goods like these can support my family?"

Yang Meng laughed. "Boss, you’re honest! Just openly admitting it’s all fake?"

The owner nodded. "It’s fine if you’re a layman, but from the way you talked earlier, you’re not a novice. You calling me out on my lies embarrasses me."

Yang Meng gave a thumbs-up. "Boss, you’re a wise man."

The owner chuckled, "That’s why I don’t expect to make money here. This is just a side gig. Displaying these 'land purchase certificates' helps promote my main business."

"Really? What’s your main gig?" Hu Ergeng asked curiously.

The owner took a few brochures from his bag and handed them over. "Gentlemen, how about learning about the underground palace of the 'Temple of Chasing Clouds'?"

Qi Kun took the brochure. "Underground palace? What’s that?"

Yang Meng explained, "Back in the day, temples were quite wealthy. Devout believers donated vast wealth to the temples. But you know the saying, 'wealth should not be outwardly flaunted.' So temples built large underground chambers to store treasures and Buddhist scriptures. With constant wars, these underground palaces also served as refuges for monks and storage for grain. It became a tradition; many national treasures in our museums were excavated from temple underground palaces."

"Do temples still have underground palaces?" Qi Kun asked, puzzled. "They can’t be storing that much treasure anymore."

Yang Meng nodded. "They do! Most large temples in our country are over a hundred years old and naturally have underground palaces. Newly built temples have inherited the custom of constructing them. So generally, temples today still have underground palaces."

Qi Kun questioned, "I get why old temples have them, but why would new temples build underground chambers? Are there really still things to hide?"

Yang Meng smiled. "There actually are—ashes of the deceased."

"Ashes?" Qi Kun and Hu Ergeng stared in disbelief.

Yang Meng elaborated, "Nowadays, cremation is promoted, but where should the ashes be placed? Some buy burial plots, others choose temples. Temples need income, right? So they use the underground palace to store ashes. Think about it—temples are built in auspicious places, with monks chanting sutras daily. For families of the departed, it’s a spiritual comfort. For temples, it’s a good source of income. A win-win."

Qi Kun said, "I never knew that. How come I didn’t hear about this?"

Yang Meng waved dismissively, "How often do you go to a temple? It’s no surprise you didn’t know. Each temple’s underground palace isn’t small, but how many ashes can it hold? Many want to enshrine their loved ones’ ashes there, but space is limited. Like real estate, wealthy people buy multiple spots as investments. Underground palace slots in famous temples are scarce. For example, a spot in Putuo Temple’s underground palace starts at 300,000 yuan and is hard to get."

"That expensive?" Hu Ergeng asked. "How big is a spot in the underground palace?"

Yang Meng gestured with his hand, "How big can a spot for ashes be? About the size of a drawer."

"What? Thirty thousand yuan for a drawer-sized spot?" Hu Ergeng’s eyes widened.

Yang Meng shook his head. "I’m talking about famous ancient temples. Smaller or newer temples are cheaper, depending on location. Our country always has investors. People speculate on everything from ginger to pork—how could underground palaces be exempt? If a place is suitable for a temple, investors rush to buy underground palace plots."

The stall owner gave a thumbs-up. "Boss, you really know your stuff—everything’s clear to you! Not to hide anything from you, a new 'Lingyun Temple' is being built near Qingniu Mountain. Construction’s halfway through, and all underground palace spots are pre-sold. Any interest, gentlemen?"

"Hmm?" Yang Meng laughed. "No wonder you’re selling 'land purchase certificates' here. You’re making sure people know you’re in the business of the dead."

The owner smiled, "Business is all about marketing, isn’t it?"

Qi Kun whispered to Yang Meng, "Meng Meng, is this legit?"

"Huh?" Yang Meng looked at Qi Kun. "What do you mean? Are you thinking of buying an underground palace? For yourself or investment?"

Qi Kun countered, "Don’t you know?"

"Know what?" Yang Meng asked, puzzled.

Qi Kun said, "I called home the other day. Dad said the village heard there’s going to be land requisition for factory investment. Where else could they take land in our little mountain village? Farmland can’t be touched—that’s the lifeblood of villagers. So Dad figured they might take our ancestral graves. You know, cremation is now encouraged."

Yang Meng’s eyes widened, staring at Hu Ergeng. "Is that true? I haven’t heard. I called my parents recently, and they didn’t mention it."

Hu Ergeng nodded, "My dad told me too. Our village isn’t ancient—just a group of refugees who settled together during wars. We don’t take ancestral graves too seriously. Dad isn’t worried; moving graves is no big deal. But if graves have to be moved, better to send ashes to an underground palace."

Yang Meng pondered, "You guys keep this boss’s number and check out that temple later. Building such a big temple won’t take long. But aren’t you curious why your home is suddenly being requisitioned for factories?"

Hu Ergeng explained, "Nothing strange—poverty alleviation plans have shifted from 'giving fish' to 'teaching fishing.' Dad said some college graduates became village officials, so the land requisition is probably their doing."

"Isn’t that just messing things up?" Yang Meng worried.

"Want to know if it’s a mess? Go home for New Year and see. Why worry now?" Qi Kun waved at the vendor. "Boss, can I have your card? We might check out your underground palace later. If we get money, we’ll learn to invest like the rich."

The stall owner smiled, "I don’t have cards. See the brochures? My phone number’s at the back. Just call me before you come."

Qi Kun carefully folded the brochure and pocketed it. "Okay, I’ll definitely contact you."

Yang Meng was surprised, "You’re really interested?"

Qi Kun nodded. "Of course! So many monks chanting and praying together—that’s a lot of spiritual merit!"

"Hmm?" Yang Meng suddenly snapped back to reality.

Right—the underground palace is full of blessings! Doing cultivation or merit-making there must be twice as effective.

But how to earn merit there?

Lost in thought, the stall owner suddenly asked, "Sir, you’ve been staring at this ‘land purchase certificate’ since earlier. What’s the meaning? You don’t want to buy it, do you? It’s really a bit unlucky."

Yang Meng snapped out of his reverie and quickly said, "Boss, you’re right. I actually quite like this ‘land purchase certificate.’ Tell me honestly, how much is it?"

Everyone was stunned. "Meng Meng, are you out of your mind? It’s so unlucky, yet you want to buy it?"

"Exactly. I want it precisely because it’s so unlucky."