Chapter 25 – Feng Shui Setup

Two days later, just as the sky was beginning to lighten, Manager Cheng, dressed neatly, arrived at Chaoyang Community. Although the community was named “Chaoyang”¹Facing the Sun, fewer and fewer people came out for morning exercise these days, likely scared off by the infamous reputation of the haunted house. It seemed that no one dared to venture out until the sun was fully up. However, this was just as well, as it made it more convenient for them to handle today’s business.

Standing in the cool morning breeze for about a quarter of an hour, Manager Cheng saw two luxury cars drive into the community’s main gate. He quickly hurried over and, like a doorman, respectfully opened the door of the leading Mercedes SL: “Director Chang, you’ve arrived.”

The man addressed as Director Chang didn’t pay much attention to the eager Manager Cheng. Instead, he politely turned to the man beside him and said, “Master Bai, we’re here.”

The man who had come with Director Chang was none other than Master Bai Luan. Today, he had clearly put some thought into his appearance. He was dressed in a custom-made layman’s robe with a gray base and subtle patterns, paired with cloud-patterned cloth shoes with a thousand-layered sole. In his hand, he held a string of golden star rosewood prayer beads, their patina adding to their charm. The faint streaks of gray at his temples didn’t detract from his image; instead, they added a touch of transcendent wisdom to his refined face, making him appear exceptionally composed and sagacious.

Hearing Director Chang’s words, Bai Luan nodded with a reserved air. “Thank you, Director Chang.”

Seeing Master Bai, Manager Cheng’s heart skipped a beat, and he inwardly groaned. This was really not his fault! When this master had first come to Chaoyang Community to set up the feng shui layout, he hadn’t informed anyone. Manager Cheng had assumed that the headquarters had simply hired some random feng shui master to dispel the negative energy. He hadn’t dared to promote it too much, and the results hadn’t been great. The rumors of the haunted house had persisted from start to finish, leaving him, the person in charge, utterly distressed.

However, after the incident on the 13th floor the other day, he had immediately believed that Mr. Wei and his senior brother truly had real skills. Not only had Miss Yan’s testimony been convincing, but even the security guards in the community and the residents of Building 3, who had heard the news, had unanimously agreed that it had worked. How could he not be overjoyed? Just two days ago, he had contacted Mr. Wei, hoping that he could come back to properly fix the feng shui layout and arrange for their accommodation. But before he could even report his success, he had been doused with a bucket of cold water from above. It turned out that the previously ineffective feng shui layout had been orchestrated by someone from Tiande, and it was the renowned Master Bai? Manager Cheng had broken out in a cold sweat on the spot. He didn’t dare to offend the seemingly capable Mr. Wei, but he also didn’t have the guts to interfere with Master Bai. Wasn’t this just setting himself up to be roasted over the fire?

Now, things had come to this. He had already arranged for Mr. Wei to set up the feng shui layout, but Master Bai had also come to inspect the site in person. This was bound to lead to trouble. His heart was in turmoil, and Manager Cheng truly didn’t know how to react. He could only follow behind Director Chang with a bitter expression. Director Chang, on the other hand, acted as if nothing was wrong. He walked all the way to the community’s landscape fountain and stopped, turning to ask, “Xiao Cheng, when are those two you mentioned supposed to arrive?”

Manager Cheng felt sweat breaking out on his forehead and quickly replied, “The setup is supposed to happen at 6:30. Young Master Wei should be here soon.”

Director Chang gave a noncommittal “Hmm,” not showing any particular attitude. In truth, he was also feeling annoyed. He had spent a lot of effort to get Master Bai here, and now, not only had there been no results, but there were also a bunch of troubles. He didn’t know whether the person Manager Cheng had found was the real deal or a fake. If they ended up offending Tiande Culture because of a fake, it wouldn’t do the construction group any good. Damn it all to Xu Li, that bastard! It was just a funding chain break; was it really necessary to jump off a building? And why did he have to choose the Chaoyang Community, which was cooperating with their group, to do it? This was just adding to the mess!

However, glancing at the still dimly lit community courtyard, he shivered and quickly coughed softly at Manager Cheng: “Go make a phone call. We’re all here, and it’s not right to just keep waiting!”

Director Chang was Manager Cheng’s direct superior, so he didn’t dare to argue. He hurriedly ran off to make the call. Watching the other man’s somewhat panicked retreat, Bai Luan smiled faintly: “Director Chang, it’s not that I want to pour cold water on you, but feng shui is a serious matter. There are too many charlatans out there using shady methods to cheat people out of their money. I heard that this Mr. Wei came for a resident on the 12th floor and just happened to solve the problem on the 13th floor. This is something that really makes one think.”

Director Chang frowned, also feeling a bit irritated. Feng shui had always been a tricky thing. Tiande was a real gold-standard brand in Shanxi Province, and he had spent a lot of effort to befriend Master Bai. But now, a kid had come along and messed up the good relationship he had built. How could he not be furious? However, if he didn’t believe it at all, deep down he was still a bit uneasy. After all, the situation at Chaoyang Community had spread too widely and had too much of an impact. If this issue wasn’t resolved, it might even affect the sales of the houses their group built in the future. This was a matter that could hurt their foundation. Moreover, Director Xu’s suicide had been too bizarre. What if he had harbored some resentment toward him or the company? That would really be…

And so, they were stuck in this awkward situation. Director Chang actually had a vague suspicion that Master Bai wasn’t entirely confident about this matter. But if even such an expert wasn’t confident, did those two kids the property owner had found to exorcise the evil spirits have a chance? Maybe they weren’t even as good as Master Bai. If they turned out to be fakes and ended up offending Master Bai, it would be a complete disaster. It was all Manager Cheng’s fault for having no judgment! Director Chang silently clenched his teeth, deciding that if things really went south today, he would definitely make Manager Cheng the scapegoat and then ruthlessly deal with those two little frauds, letting them know that the construction group wasn’t so easy to swindle!

Just as he was pondering this, Manager Cheng came running back and said in a low voice, “Director Chang, the two young masters are here!”

Director Chang immediately looked up, and his heart sank at what he saw. Two extremely young men walked into the community gate, heading toward them. One of them was dressed somewhat formally, at least in a suit and glasses, while the other was just wearing a shirt and jeans. Were they here for a job interview or a day out? Stealing a glance at the dignified and imposing Master Bai beside him, Director Chang’s evaluation of these two instantly dropped several notches.

The two young men, however, were in no hurry. Even though they saw a group of directors and managers waiting, they didn’t speed up their pace at all. It took them several minutes to finally reach the group. The bespectacled young man smiled slightly and spoke first: “Sorry to keep you waiting, Manager Cheng.”

You still know that! Manager Cheng was almost roaring in his heart, but on his face, he forced a dry smile: “No problem, no problem. Mr. Wei, let me introduce you. This is Chang Heng, Director Chang, the head of our group. This is Bai Luan, Master Bai from Tiande Culture. They’ve come specifically to watch you and Mr. Zhang set up the feng shui layout.”

In front of Master Bai, Manager Cheng didn’t dare to call the two of them “masters” and introduced them somewhat nervously. Wei Yang glanced at the people standing in front of him and focused his gaze on Director Chang: “I didn’t expect Director Chang to come in person. My apologies.”

Although he said “my apologies,” Director Chang could tell from the tone that this was just a polite formality. This kid really didn’t care about making him wait. Hmph, what a big attitude! Bai Luan, standing to the side, had already sneered: “I thought you didn’t want to come, Xiao Wei. What, couldn’t bear to part with the apartment on the 12th floor?”

The barb in his words was sharp enough to stab someone eight times over. Wei Yang didn’t take the bait and instead smiled, turning to Director Chang: “By the way, earlier I saw a Bagua mirror and a dragon bone tree in the hallway. If Director Chang trusts me, you should remove them as soon as possible. The mirror is probably starting to fog up, and the tree roots might not survive. Leaving them there won’t do anything to improve the feng shui.”

This back-and-forth was a blatant exchange of verbal daggers. Director Chang coughed dryly and quickly changed the subject: “Mr. Wei, you’re too kind. Haha, let’s talk about today’s feng shui layout first…”

Although he laughed it off, Director Chang still gave a meaningful glance to the assistant standing beside him. The assistant was a sharp one and immediately sent someone to check the mirror and plant in the hallway. These were tangible things that could be verified. If what Wei Yang said was true, then Master Bai’s words would have to be taken with a grain of salt.

Wei Yang, glancing at Master Bai’s clenched fist, smiled and nodded: “My senior brother and I have studied this for a long time and have come up with a solution specifically for Chaoyang Community. We’ve brought the ritual tools with us. We can set up the formation first, and if any of the directors have objections, we won’t say anything more. We’ll just take our tools and leave. What does Director Chang think?”

This proposal was completely unexpected, especially for Director Chang. He had never heard of a feng shui master setting up a formation before receiving payment. Even if there were those who accepted payment afterward, the cost of the ritual tools had to be paid upfront. There was no such thing as a “trial” in the feng shui world. Was this kid overly confident or just clueless?

Bai Luan, however, let out a cold laugh and slightly raised his chin, looking like he was watching a show. This kind of trick was too amateurish to fool him. It was just a variation of the “door pestle” tactic, no different from those street vendors selling fake medicine. A trial? The methods for faking this kind of thing were as plentiful as the stars in the sky. He wanted to see what kind of tricks this kid could pull off!

Seeing that Director Chang had no objections, Wei Yang turned to Manager Cheng, who had been standing to the side, and said, “Manager Cheng, could you turn on the fountain here?”

Manager Cheng had been hiding on the sidelines for a while now. The verbal daggers being exchanged as soon as they met had left him quite nervous. He hadn’t expected Wei Yang to suddenly call on him and ask him to turn on the fountain. The fountain was one of the community’s artificial landscapes, originally installed as a decorative feature without much thought. Later, to save water, the main nozzle had been turned off, leaving only a shallow pool of water. Who would have thought that Wei Yang would be interested in the fountain?

His eyes immediately turned to Director Chang, who gave him a subtle nod. Manager Cheng coughed dryly: “Sure, I’ll have someone turn on the fountain right away. Mr. Wei, please wait a moment…”

A staff member ran off to turn on the fountain. Wei Yang, meanwhile, took the wooden box he was carrying and placed it on the ground, carefully opening it and pulling something out. His demeanor was so solemn that it drew the attention of everyone around him, and they all turned to look at what he was holding. At the sight of it, Director Chang let out a surprised “Huh”: “Is that a feng shui ball?”

It was no wonder he was surprised. The role of a feng shui ball was well-known to anyone in the construction industry, and many had even presided over the unveiling ceremonies for such balls. But wasn’t this thing used to attract wealth? Chaoyang Community was a haunted house; what did it have to do with a feng shui ball? And why turn on the fountain? Was he planning to place the feng shui ball on the fountain? That was a joke! Any feng shui ball had a specialized pump system underneath it to create a strong flow of water that would spin the ball. But the fountain in the community was purely decorative; the water pressure wasn’t even close to being enough!

While the others were merely surprised, Bai Luan’s face was filled with undisguised mockery: “Using Mount Tai stone for a feng shui ball? That’s quite original. Is that Mount Tai stone even real?”

The patterns on the Mount Tai stone were too distinctive, and Master Bai, being an old hand in the business, immediately noticed something was off. Who would use Mount Tai stone, a material meant for suppression, to make a feng shui ball? This was a joke! Feng shui balls were all about “circulation,” while Mount Tai stone was about “suppression.” These were completely opposing concepts. Was this just a gimmick to solve the problem?

Wei Yang, however, didn’t respond to the strange looks or Bai Luan’s provocation. Instead, he handed the feng shui ball to Zhang Xiuqi: “Senior brother, you can open the aperture now.”

His voice wasn’t deliberately lowered, and everyone nearby heard him. Bai Luan’s mouth twitched. Opening the aperture? Were they going to chisel out a pattern on the spot? He had never heard of such a bizarre thing as opening an aperture on Mount Tai stone.

Zhang Xiuqi didn’t take out a chisel either. Instead, he pulled a simple inkstone from his shirt pocket, dipped a small wolf-hair brush into the cinnabar in the inkstone, and with a gentle flick of his wrist, placed two dots on the stone ball.

In less than 20 seconds, the so-called “opening the aperture” was complete. Zhang Xiuqi nodded at Wei Yang, who immediately understood, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He held the stone ball properly and walked over to Director Chang.

“Director Chang, our ritual tool is ready, and the timing is just right. We can set up the formation now.” As he spoke, the previously quiet fountain began to gush with water, forming a beautiful umbrella-shaped spray in the air before falling back into the pool. Amid the sound of the water, Director Chang frowned and studied the stone ball in Wei Yang’s hands. It had only two freshly painted red dots on it, which seemed utterly unremarkable. Bai Luan had already stopped sneering and was now fully in the mood to watch a joke unfold: “Are you trying to make those red dots stay on in the water? Hah, this kind of trick hasn’t been played in decades.”

Director Chang was still hesitating when his assistant suddenly walked over and whispered something in his ear. Director Chang’s eyes lit up, and his expression toward Wei Yang immediately became more natural. He replied politely, “Then, Xiao Wei, how do you plan to set up the formation?”

Wei Yang didn’t hide anything: “Just have someone place the ball on top of the fountain. Would Director Chang like to try it himself?”

Director Chang’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, and Manager Cheng quickly stepped forward: “Let me do it. I’m the most familiar with the fountain in the community!”

Of course! The fountain was currently filled with water, and it wouldn’t do to have the boss wade through it! Director Chang was quite pleased with Manager Cheng’s proactive attitude. Since the feng shui master had suggested it, it was better to have someone from their side do it to avoid any potential tricks. Nodding slightly, Director Chang instructed, “Xiao Cheng, go ahead. Be careful not to damage the ritual tool.”

Manager Cheng’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly memorized this. This was also a way to set someone up. If he accidentally dropped the other party’s item, it would be hard to explain. However, Wei Yang didn’t seem to have any such intentions. He simply placed the stone ball securely in Manager Cheng’s hands: “Manager Cheng, don’t worry. Just place the stone ball above the flowing water. The formation will activate on its own.”

The stone ball was quite heavy in his hands, and Manager Cheng inwardly cursed. How was this thing supposed to move on top of the fountain? But now wasn’t the time to speak up. He quickly nodded and carefully carried the stone ball toward the fountain.

The fountain was now running, and scattered water droplets were splashing around the pool. Although the pool wasn’t very large or deep, stepping into it would still wet his pants. Manager Cheng glanced at the water, gritted his teeth, and decided not to take off his shoes. He stepped directly into the water and made his way to the fountain. Looking at the not-too-large spray of water and the not-too-small stone ball in his hands, he finally steeled himself: “I’m putting it down now.”

With that, he reached out and placed the stone ball on the fountain’s nozzle. Just as he let go, Manager Cheng’s eyes widened in disbelief. The stone ball, under the impact of the water, bounced slightly, as if lifted by an invisible hand, and began to float slowly!

How was this possible! Manager Cheng took a step back, almost losing his balance in shock. That was a stone ball! He had held it in his hands! That weight, that size—how could it be lifted by such a small fountain? But before he could recover, the smooth surface of the stone ball began to change. Around the two red cinnabar dots, lines started to appear, as if a nimble brush was sketching out two lifelike swimming fish. The two dots of cinnabar perfectly formed the eyes of the fish. Like the finishing touch on a dragon’s eyes, the pale gray lines suddenly came to life, shimmering with light, the cinnabar a vivid red. The two small fish seemed to come alive, swimming along the surface of the ball in an endless cycle.

A breeze picked up. A refreshing, cool wind, carrying the scent of trees and grass, rippled across the surface of the clear pool.

The sun rose. The morning sunlight broke through the thin clouds, like the dawn of creation, bringing vitality and energy, casting its light on the water.

The breeze, the bright sun, the dancing water spray, the lively fish, and the scattered droplets of fountain water combined to create a scene so dreamlike it felt unreal! The stone ball began to roll in the air—once, twice, three times… until it had rolled a full nine times. Finally, it slowly settled onto the fountain’s nozzle, and the spray of water was gently pressed down by the ball, turning into a steady stream that pushed the ball to roll, transforming it into a true feng shui ball.

“This… this… what’s going on!” Manager Cheng felt his legs go weak, and he turned his head in panic to look at the others. Had he been hypnotized? This was just too unbelievable!

However, wherever he looked, everyone was staring in shock, their jaws practically on the ground. Master Bai, in particular, looked utterly disheveled, his mouth hanging open in disbelief. Could it be that what he had just seen was real?

Wei Yang was also shocked. He had expected some unusual phenomena when using the “borrowed technique,” but he hadn’t anticipated it to be so dramatic! Struggling to keep his emotions in check, he quickly pursed his lips, adopting an air of “everything is under control,” while secretly glancing at the cold-faced Little Celestial Master, inwardly wailing. Brother, you should have told me this feng shui ball was so high-end! Now even I regret it!

Swallowing his inner turmoil, he cleared his throat with a composed air: “Director Chang…”

His voice snapped everyone out of their daze. Director Chang shuddered: “M-Master!”

Wei Yang’s lips twitched into a smile: “In front of Master Bai, I dare not call myself a master.”

Master Bai’s face instantly turned red, but Director Chang couldn’t care less. He quickly stepped forward: “My mistake, all my mistake. Master Wei, please don’t take offense. I truly didn’t expect… such a miraculous reaction. What exactly is the principle behind this formation?”

Unfortunately, Wei Yang hadn’t grown a goatee yet, or he would have stroked it pretentiously. Instead, he lightly pushed the bridge of his glasses and smiled faintly: “This formation is called the Mount Tai Fish-Dragon Formation. It’s not actually a feng shui ball but a suppression technique used to control the earth’s energy and activate vitality. Director Chang should be aware that Chaoyang Community is adjacent to the new district park, a place full of vibrant energy, abundant water, and lush vegetation. However, an excess of water flow isn’t always a good thing in feng shui. As the saying goes, ‘Qi is the mother of water.’ When water energy is too strong, it can erode yang energy, creating a small area of yin energy. Normally, this wouldn’t be a problem—it might just make people a bit lazy. But this community, located in the Kan position, was painted with red walls and accompanied by a concave wind evil. Over time, this caused the yin energy to stagnate. When someone committed suicide in the center of the community, the resentful spirit activated the yin energy, turning Building 3 into a vortex of yin energy. In such an environment of imbalanced yin and yang, spirits naturally become more malevolent and difficult to suppress.”

“On that day, my senior brother and I broke the source of the resentful energy on the 13th floor, dispelling the vortex of yin energy. Although the community will no longer be haunted, if the yin energy isn’t dispersed, trouble will inevitably arise again. This fountain is located directly in front of the center of the evil influence, and the Mount Tai Fish-Dragon Formation uses the suppressing power of Mount Tai stone, marking the eyes of the fish and transforming the fish into a dragon. The overwhelming dragon energy lifts the might of Mount Tai, allowing the stone ball to roll on this small fountain. The Shang Gen and Xia Kan trigrams form the Meng hexagram, which governs the growth of all things. Once this formation is set up, it will harness the abundant wood energy of the park to activate the community’s vitality. Water generates wood, wood generates fire, and fire generates earth, which in turn nourishes the Mount Tai stone, creating a greater suppressing force that stabilizes the community’s energy field. This endless cycle will naturally make the environment here pleasant and suitable for living.”

This explanation, filled with the principles of the Five Elements, the Eight Trigrams, and feng shui, left Director Chang dumbfounded and nodding repeatedly. Looking back at the stone ball on the fountain, he noticed that the fish patterns on the ball hadn’t disappeared, and the two dots of cinnabar seemed even more vivid. He swallowed hard: “This ball… can it… have other effects? Like, if we moved it somewhere else…”

This was the real deal! Placing it in a residential community was such a waste! Director Chang immediately had the idea to take the feng shui ball home. Wei Yang, however, firmly shook his head: “Feng shui is specific to each location. Something that works here and has a significant effect might have the opposite effect elsewhere. Ultimately, this stone ball is still Mount Tai stone, meant for suppressing evil, not for attracting wealth or luck. Director Chang, don’t get the wrong idea.”

Director Chang’s face turned red, and he quickly waved his hands: “Master, you misunderstand. I wouldn’t think that way, haha. I’m just worried someone might have ill intentions. If it were stolen, wouldn’t that be a huge loss for us, haha…”

Wei Yang, as if oblivious to the awkwardness in the other man’s laughter, also smiled: “That is indeed a concern. How about Director Chang has a cover made later to enclose the stone? This way, it becomes a dragon spitting pearls, which not only won’t affect the formation’s effectiveness but might even enhance it. Then you won’t have to worry about someone stealing it.”

“Yes, yes, Master is right!” Director Chang nodded repeatedly, giving a thumbs-up.

Wei Yang chuckled: “Then, this formation…”

“Satisfied! Absolutely satisfied! I’ve never seen such skill in my life!” As if suddenly remembering something, Director Chang called out to Manager Cheng, who was still dumbfounded by the fountain: “Xiao Cheng, come here! What did you tell the master before? They’ve put in so much effort; of course, we must properly reward them… Hehe, Master, to be honest, our company has been plagued by disasters recently. We really need talents like you…”

Wei Yang waved his hand: “Well, each has their own expertise. Our Jieshui Studio is more specialized in dispelling evil. We can’t take on just any case.”

If this had come from any other feng shui master, Director Chang would have scoffed. If you’re not proficient in your craft, why bother? But now that Wei Yang said it, he felt that this young Master Wei was truly an honest man, speaking plainly and not making empty promises. Where could you find such a dedicated feng shui master these days? Hmph, those who specialize in grave relocation but insist on dispelling evil—is that a responsible attitude? Who would be to blame if something went wrong?

Filled with both excitement and emotion, Director Chang grabbed Wei Yang’s arm: “Master Wei, today you must grace us with your guidance. This Mount Tai Fish-Dragon Formation—how should it be maintained and utilized to achieve the best results? You have no idea, ever since that bastard Xu Li jumped to his death, this community has been severely affected. The second phase of construction is already planned. If we can’t start, the losses… Sigh! Master, you’re truly our savior!”

At this point, Manager Cheng had scrambled out of the fountain, grabbed the wooden box on the ground, and hurried over to Wei Yang with both hands: “Director Chang is right, Master Wei! This time, you’ve really worked hard. Ah, and Master Zhang too!”

He carefully glanced at the cold-faced young man beside him, feeling both respect and fear, almost trembling. He quickly turned back and continued: “Let’s find a place to sit down and discuss this in detail. Director Chang, it’s almost breakfast time. How about we go to Yongxiang Teahouse in the city for some morning tea?”

Director Chang inwardly praised Manager Cheng for his quick thinking and quickly chimed in: “Xiao Cheng is right. We must trouble the two masters. Let’s find a place to sit down and talk…”

Wei Yang smiled and nodded, then took Zhang Xiuqi’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze: “Senior brother, let’s go somewhere else first. The tea and snacks at Yongxiang Teahouse are also quite good. We can try them.”

When others spoke to him, Zhang Xiuqi wouldn’t respond at all. But this time, he slightly softened his expression, allowing the little charlatan to lead him toward the Mercedes at the roadside.

In the blink of an eye, the crowd gathered in the square dispersed like birds and beasts. Some were sent to guard the fountain, others to make a cover for the stone. The rest eagerly followed Director Chang and the two young masters, flattering them along the way, completely forgetting about Master Bai. Standing in place, Bai Luan opened his mouth in astonishment but couldn’t utter a word for a long time. His face turned from red to white, then from white to green, his lips trembling. But not a single person turned to look at him. Director Chang and the others got into their cars and drove off without a second thought.

After a long while, a young security guard finally approached the almost petrified Master Bai and said, “Mr. Bai, could you move the Bagua mirror you set up last time? The higher-ups said to clean up the hallway, hehe… Sorry to trouble you.”

Bai Luan: “…”

Finally suppressing the urge to vomit blood, Bai Luan looked at the stone ball slowly rolling on the fountain, at the two fish on the stone, and with a flick of his sleeve, stormed off.

The security guard hurriedly called after him: “Sir, sir, don’t leave…”

Behind them, the warm sunlight fell on the edge of the pool, casting rippling reflections. The fish patterns swayed, the water rippled, and in the tranquility, there was a strange sense of vitality.

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  Facing the Sun