Chapter 23 – Stirring Trouble

The visitor’s tone was calm, but his demeanor was anything but humble. From head to toe, he exuded an air of superiority. However, Wei Yang wasn’t intimidated. He responded with confidence, “May I ask your name, sir, and what brings you to our Jieshui Studio?”

The man didn’t speak. Instead, the short, stout man beside him barked angrily, “Kid, are you new in town? You dare steal business from Tiande? Do you not want to stay in Jin Province anymore?”

“Steal business?” Wei Yang raised an eyebrow. “I don’t recall meeting any of you, and in the world of feng shui, there’s no such thing as stealing business. It’s simply a matter of competence.”

This statement caused a stir among the entourage. The group seemed ready to lash out, but the middle-aged man at the forefront raised his hand slightly, silencing them. “Well said, ‘competence.’ I, Bai Luan, have been in this field for over a decade. I’ve seen countless young people like you, who can’t even walk properly yet but already want to run. You’re all so arrogant, and their fates… well, let’s just say they don’t end well.”

The two cold snorts carried undisguised contempt. Sun the Otaku, though anxious and scared, couldn’t help but feel a spark of anger. Just as he was about to speak, Wei Yang raised a hand to stop him and replied with a smile, “Bai Luan? Could it be Master Guo’s esteemed disciple, Bai Luan? My apologies for not recognizing you earlier. But for someone of your stature to visit our humble establishment—what brings you here? Surely you didn’t come just to assert your dominance?”

The words were neither warm nor cold, carrying a hint of sarcasm. Bai Luan seemed taken aback that the young man didn’t back down. His thin brows furrowed slightly as he retorted, “Isn’t it you, Mr. Wei, who first made a move against us? The matter at Chaoyang Community—you’ve got quite the nerve and skill!”

At the mention of Chaoyang Community, Wei Yang immediately understood. Before taking on Ms. Yan’s case, he had known that someone had already set up a feng shui arrangement in the community. However, he hadn’t realized that it was done by someone directly affiliated with Tiande. But since this person had neither controlled the evil energy nor detected the presence of the Three Corpses worms, his “skills” must be rather limited, right?

While his mind raced, Wei Yang’s expression remained calm. “So that was your work, Mr. Bai? I must say, I’m surprised. I’m curious—why did you go through all that trouble but leave no name behind? Were you trying to be a modern-day Lei Feng?”

This jab hit a sore spot for Bai Luan. The Chaoyang Community case had fallen into the “three no-touch” categories of feng shui: haunted houses, murder cases, and personal grudges. These required genuine skill, and the feng shui world was full of pretenders with little real ability. Most practitioners avoided such cases, leaving them to monks, Taoists, or charlatans.

Bai Luan had taken on the Chaoyang Community case because he owed a favor to a senior executive at the construction company. He had also done some research and found that the “haunted house” label might have been exaggerated, which gave him the confidence to set up a feng shui arrangement. However, less than half a month later, a brash young man had disrupted his work, claiming to have completely resolved the evil energy. This made Bai Luan’s earlier arrangement look like a joke.

This was a matter of company reputation and personal prestige. Even someone as composed as Bai Luan couldn’t let it slide. What was Jieshui Studio? Just a small, insignificant workshop. He had even taken the time to investigate—the owner, Sun Chengfeng, wasn’t particularly well-known in the industry, and this time, it wasn’t even Sun himself who had intervened, but his two apprentices. This was intolerable!

Faced with Wei Yang’s veiled mockery, Bai Luan’s voice turned cold. “When the adults aren’t around, you kids run wild? Let’s not mince words. Your little tricks might fool outsiders, but you can’t deceive us. Tiande’s arrangement at Chaoyang Community wasn’t publicized, so we can let this slide if you apologize and withdraw your involvement. Otherwise…”

“Otherwise what? You’ll drive Jieshui Studio out of Jin Province?” Wei Yang’s voice also turned cold. “Since you’re Master Guo’s disciple, you should know that the feng shui world values real skill. You can deceive the world and cover the sky, but you can’t fool the malevolent spirits. We genuinely resolved the evil energy at Chaoyang Community, and we’ll continue to ensure it’s thoroughly dealt with—not for fame, but for the thousands of families living there. Your calculations, Mr. Bai, are off the mark.”

Wei Yang’s voice was clear and resolute, firmly standing on the side of righteousness. Bai Luan almost laughed in anger. Did this kid think he was a fool who would back down at the sight of a righteous banner? As if reading his thoughts, the stout man beside him barked again, “Kid, don’t push your luck! We’ll tear your shop apart right now!”

“I believe it. Tiande is powerful and influential. Crushing a small studio like ours would be child’s play.” Wei Yang’s tone was sarcastic. “Do you want to make it even more dramatic with some ‘colorful’ gestures?”

The feng shui world, after all, was still partly rooted in the cultural sphere. Resorting to thuggish behavior was rare, and the stout man’s threat had already lowered the tone.

“A-Tao, shut up!” Bai Luan snapped. He then turned to Wei Yang with a cold smile. “Since you’re so adamant, let’s settle this on the spot. On the day you set up the feng shui arrangement at Chaoyang Community, I’ll personally come to observe. If your arrangement doesn’t work… well, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”

This was a blatant threat. Bai Luan’s message was clear: if Wei Yang dared to set up the arrangement, he would bring people to disrupt it. Most feng shui arrangements were superficial, and their effectiveness was questionable to those in the know. If Jieshui Studio had truly capable people, they wouldn’t be so obscure. If they were just ordinary charlatans, their business would be finished—Tiande would ruin their reputation, leaving them with no place in Jin Province.

Faced with this direct challenge, Wei Yang didn’t retreat. Instead, he wiped all expression from his face and nodded slightly. “If you wish to observe, Mr. Bai, you’re more than welcome. Just be careful not to bite your tongue when the wind blows.”

This was beyond mere disagreement. Bai Luan gave Wei Yang a deep look and, without another word, led his entourage out the door. Sun Muhua was both angry and anxious, with a hint of fear. His father was in the hospital, and now they were facing such a big problem. If this went wrong, Jieshui Studio would be ruined! And what was the situation at Chaoyang Community anyway?

As he watched the imposing convoy leave, Wei Yang patted Sun the Otaku on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, Woody. I’m confident this time. There really was evil energy at Chaoyang Community, and Brother Qi personally dealt with it.”

“What?” Sun Muhua’s eyes widened. “There really was a ghost? In that community where someone jumped off a building? Damn, when did you guys go exorcise it? Why didn’t you call me?”

The last sentence was almost a blatant complaint. The earlier worry instantly vanished into thin air. Wei Yang chuckled and gave him a light smack on the head. “Call you? With your scaredy-cat reaction to horror movies, I’d be worried you’d faint on the spot. Alright, call Uncle Sun later and tell him not to worry. Also, stay hidden and don’t let anyone find you. Brother Qi and I will go prepare some ritual tools.”

“Ritual tools?” Sun Muhua’s eyes lit up. It was unclear if he had even heard the earlier part of the conversation. He craned his neck to inspect the two of them but didn’t notice anything unusual. However, what the new idol was holding—could it be…

“Brother Yang, is that Mount Tai Stone in the Little Celestial Master’s arms?” After all, Sun Muhua came from a family of spiritual practitioners, so he recognized the stone. But Mount Tai Stone was such a common item—was this really a ritual tool? Or just another scam?

“What do you know? Yellow ritual paper, red cinnabar, white glutinous rice—they’ve been used for thousands of years, and the classics endure. Don’t cause trouble here. Go do your job!”

After sending Sun the Otaku away with a mix of coaxing and scolding, Wei Yang let out a sigh. This situation was more complicated than he had expected. He wasn’t as confident as he had appeared when facing Master Bai. Tiande was a formidable force, and they posed a significant threat to Jieshui Studio. However, the trouble had been caused by their own actions. If they backed down now, their business would be finished. Moreover, they had risked their lives to deal with the Three Corpses worm at Chaoyang Community. Why should they let someone else take the credit? Wei Yang wasn’t willing to accept such a loss.

It seemed that their original plan wouldn’t work anymore. With a worried glance at Zhang Xiuqi, who was holding the Mount Tai Stone, Wei Yang cleared his throat. “Brother Qi, things have changed a bit. We need to show some real skill to make an impression. So, about that feng shui formation you mentioned—is it really effective?”

Zhang Xiuqi hadn’t understood a word of the argument earlier, but his fragmented mind could vaguely sense that the atmosphere was tense. Seeing Wei Yang’s slightly pleading gaze, he slowly lowered his eyes and touched the Mount Tai Stone in his hands. “Smooth it.”

Smooth the Mount Tai Stone? This wasn’t part of the original plan. But desperate times called for desperate measures. Wei Yang gritted his teeth. “You want to smooth this stone, right? I remember there’s a grinder in the workshop downstairs. It should do the job.”

Zhang Xiuqi nodded. Seeing the seriousness on his face, Wei Yang didn’t dare delay. He led the Little Celestial Master down to the dimly lit basement.