Chapter 29: Product Placement in a Grave? (Please Follow for Updates)

My father mentioned that our great-uncle is quite an eccentric character. He is a legitimate Taoist, one who holds an official Taoist registry. He is fairly well-known in the local area, primarily specializing in the geomancy and feng shui of burial sites.

"It seems you really have changed; you’re actually interested in learning about these things now," my father said, looking visibly gratified.

"Tell me about it, Dad. What’s the situation?" Chen Mo asked curiously.

In truth, during his previous life, Chen Mo had worked in online film production and had frequent exposure to these topics—naturally, as it was tied to the popular film genres of that time. In the world of online movies, zombie films and grave-robbing adventure stories were unavoidable staples, both of which are deeply intertwined with burial customs and folklore.

"A fellow townsman who moved to Hong Kong came back. The land where his ancestral grave is located is being slated for development, so he needs to relocate the tomb. He came to us looking for a prime feng shui spot. Your great-uncle recommended our company’s 'Dragonfly Skimming the Water' site, but the other party felt the price was too high, and they couldn’t reach a deal," my father explained.

"'Dragonfly Skimming the Water' site?" Chen Mo paused, momentarily stunned. This was something he was intimately familiar with.

"Is that the 'Dragonfly Skimming the Water' site from the movie *Mr. Vampire*?" Chen Mo asked.

"What *Mr. Vampire*? Stop talking nonsense; I’ve never even heard of it. Wait, you know about this 'Dragonfly Skimming the Water' site too?" My father looked startled, then frowned and glanced at Chen Mo with a hint of surprise.

"I know a bit. As the name suggests, the chosen location must be in a wide, open area. Furthermore, it requires a water source—ideally surface water. For instance, if the land was previously a pond or a ditch that was later filled in, but groundwater still seeps through. Alternatively, one could manually build a water pit in front of the grave and ensure it always stays filled. That satisfies the conditions for a 'Dragonfly Skimming the Water' site," Chen Mo blurted out without hesitation.

"Not bad! You actually do know your stuff. What else? Keep going," my father said, looking at Chen Mo with pleasant surprise.

"It also requires a 'Dharma Burial,' right? The coffin must be placed vertically, and it needs a 'snow-capped' cover instead of being sealed with cement. Am I right?" Chen Mo added.

"Correct, all correct. Where did you learn all this? And what was that *Mr. Vampire* you mentioned?" My father was truly impressed, though he remained curious about where Chen Mo had acquired such knowledge.

Chen Mo wasn't surprised that his father didn't know *Mr. Vampire*. He picked up his phone and opened a search engine to look it up. However, he was immediately struck with confusion—he couldn't find a single trace of it.

"That's strange," Chen Mo muttered, feeling bewildered.

He then searched for the name of Uncle Ying. He found results, but to his even greater surprise, in this world, Uncle Ying had not passed away young. He was still alive and well, though he didn't seem as famous as he was in his previous life. Furthermore, he had never made the legendary zombie film series.

Not only had he never made them, but after searching on Baidu, Chen Mo realized that none of the other famous zombie movies existed in this world either. He didn't know where the divergence had occurred, but the golden age of Hong Kong zombie cinema simply didn't exist here.

He soon felt a sense of relief. After all, this wasn't his original world. While it was mostly the same, some differences were to be expected. A moment later, a look of joy spread across his face. He had been fretting over what kind of film to make next, and this was the perfect choice—the genre he was most skilled at and comfortable with. In his past life, he had produced seven or eight online films inspired by *Mr. Vampire*.

Watching the changing expressions on his son's face, his father asked with concern, "Son, are you alright?"

"Oh, I'm fine. Dad, how much are we asking for that 'Dragonfly Skimming the Water' site?" Chen Mo asked.

"That site? It’s on the hillside of our mountain cemetery. Your great-uncle put a lot of effort into modifying it; you could say it’s the best piece of geomantic land we have. The price is naturally high—we’re asking 1.66 million," Chen Shouxin replied.

"Tsk, tsk." Chen Mo couldn't help but be surprised; he hadn't expected the price to be quite that high. Considering it was only 2010, that amount could buy three apartments in his hometown. It was no wonder the client thought it was too expensive.

"Dad, does our company have many of these 'Dragonfly Skimming the Water' sites?" Chen Mo asked.

"What are you talking about? How could there be many such prime sites? If they were that easy to find, they wouldn't command such a high price," his father replied, shooting him an annoyed look.

"No, I mean, can these sites be man-made? Like, if we don't hold the conditions to such a strict standard, could we make something 'good enough'?" Chen Mo persisted.

"Well, I suppose that’s possible. The conditions for a 'Dragonfly Skimming the Water' site aren't as rigid as other geomantic treasures. If you relax the requirements, it can be manufactured. While it might not compare to a perfect one, it would still be a rare, high-quality burial plot. But what's the point of making it if we can't sell it? It would be a waste of effort," his father said, failing to see what Chen Mo was getting at.

Chen Mo chuckled. He had his reasons for asking.

"Dad, it's hard to advertise burial plots, right?" Chen Mo asked.

"Of course. It's not like they're for the living," his father said helplessly.

"What if I could help advertise this 'Dragonfly Skimming the Water' site? How much would the family be willing to spend on advertising?" Chen Mo grinned.

"Don't you go doing anything reckless. How do you advertise a grave? And what do you mean by 'how much advertising fee'? What are you up to?" his father asked urgently.

"Making a movie. Ever heard of product placement?" Chen Mo revealed his plan.

"Product placement? Of course I know what that is. You think your dad's a dinosaur? But in a movie? I don't think that's possible, is it? Aren't these types of things banned from broadcast?" his father asked, looking skeptical.

"They can't be shown in theaters, but it's fine if they're released online. I'm planning to make a unique film and put it on the internet. The plot will feature this 'Dragonfly Skimming the Water' site. See? That's effectively a product placement," Chen Mo said with a smile.

"An online movie?" His father looked confused; this was outside his area of expertise.

"Exactly. Internet speeds are getting faster every day. People watch shows and movies online now, so it’s perfectly normal for me to make a movie specifically for the web," Chen Mo continued.

He had no moral hang-ups about this. Besides, these high-priced, "prime" burial plots were for the wealthy; he felt no psychological burden. Moreover, he wasn't swindling anyone. Even though he didn't understand feng shui and didn't really believe in it, that didn't stop others from believing. Making money wasn't anything to be ashamed of.

"Can this really work? If you need money, just say so, don't mess around with this nonsense," his father said, clearly finding the idea unreliable.

"I really don't need money. You know how popular my shows have been. I'm just trying to help you out, old man. Besides, this is keeping the business in the family. If you aren't interested, you can help me find other peers in the industry and see if they are," Chen Mo said, suddenly realizing that this concept had massive potential.

Even if his father wasn't interested, surely others in the business would be? If this actually worked, the potential for *Mr. Vampire* was truly immense.