Classic of Suspicious Dragons: Lower Chapter

The dragon is already identified as true — no doubt remains. Yet suspicious acupoints still torment the mind. When a true dragon approaches its destined acupoint, it first creates decoy acupoints that follow close beside. Acupoints come as nipples and as pincer-mouths; there are level slopes with nothing on left or right. Some high peaks trail sashes downward; some raise their heads at the ridge-crest. I have seen acupoints on level plains, surrounded by no high ridges. I have seen acupoints at the water's edge — vulgar people see no concealment. I have seen acupoints like a tilted palm, no different from an upturned palm. I have seen acupoints straight as a spear, with two waters shooting at the flanks — almost unbearable. There are also two mountains joining in one qi, two waters and three mountains sharing one arena. If you recognize acupoints but not the strange ones — if you only appreciate tight left-right embraces — you are no different from a layperson. Most such burials end up in false blossoms. False blossoms seem to have feeling on left and right, but careful examination reveals they are not the correct form. False and decoy acupoints are even more artful — yet careful inspection shows nothing truly fine. Strange forms and unusual acupoints are scorned by most people — yet how is it that their descendants inherit office generation after generation? Simply because you have not recognized the strange form. Once recognized, tailoring the acupoint presents no difficulty.

Recognizing dragons naturally entails recognizing acupoints — this has already been discussed in the Chapter on Changing Stars. For fear that you find acupoints difficult to assess, look backward along the dragon's body for distinction. Where the dragon produces peaks, that is the root and seedling; where it crystallizes an acupoint ahead, that is the flower blooming. If the root is true, the acupoint cannot be false — because it grows from a recognizable species. If you do not follow the star to identify the root-species, you will recklessly chase a false acupoint and hack into mountain recesses. Please study the Chapter on Changing Stars carefully — distinguishing pincer from nipple. Acupoints on high ground, low ground, and level ground all follow the dragon's body — who would recklessly set a pincer-or-nipple acupoint without regard? If the acupoint does not follow the star atop the dragon, it is certainly false and not true. Please also investigate old existing tombs: Greedy Wolf star produces nipple-forms; Giant Gate produces pincer-configurations.

Observe the form-image — it resides right in the center. The audience-mountain is the foremost guide for recognizing the true dragon. Height is determined solely by the audience-mountain — do not claim three acupoints bear the trace of immortals. A dragon coming a thousand li produces only one acupoint: the correct one is superior, the peripheral one inferior. Branch-acupoints may have form, but they are not as refined as the trunk dragon's. When the dragon comes from the left, the acupoint sits on the right — because it turns back to enter at the head. When the dragon comes from the right, the acupoint sits on the left — concealing its form like a turning millstone. Even on mountains ten thousand ren high, the acupoint may hide low — observe the left, right, and outer yang. When left and right are low, the acupoint is in the low place; when left and right are high, it is on the high ridge. The audience-mountain is the foremost indicator of the dragon's correct acupoint — no need to seek it with golden rulers and measurements. The correct acupoint's audience must have a 'general' (a prominent peak serving as counterpart). Where there is a general, that should be the facing direction. When the acupoint is in the south, seek from the north; when in the north, survey from the south. The audience-greeting stands tall on both sides, sheltering inward like a chicken spotting a snake — rigid with attention. When facing directly, it does not tilt; the moment you take one step aside, it slants. Use the 'general' to find the true acupoint — when the general is true, the acupoint is finest. Nipple acupoints fear wind-gaps: if wind enters, the lineage is extinguished. One must descend low to avoid wind — do not say that going low means the turtle-skirt runs out. Pincer acupoints are like a button hung on a wall-recess — the only dread is water coming from the top. If the hairpin-head is not round and mostly broken, water pouring into the acupoint brings certain disaster. Upturned-palm acupoints must be in the palm's center — left-right placement along the edges is likely wrong. Nest-forms must curve like a proper nest — no deviation left or right is tolerable. A slanted nest cannot be called a nest-acupoint; tilting and collapsing, disaster is unavoidable! Spear acupoints require outer wrapping — if the wrapping is not secure, disaster results instead. When the outer mountain wraps around and the acupoint stands like a spear, the pointed shape does no harm if left and right embrace it.