Chapter 24 – Change of Plans

Although Jieshui Studio was just a feng shui workshop, it was small yet fully equipped. Apart from the reception room, meeting room, master’s office, and VIP hall on the upper floor, there was also a sizable basement downstairs, divided into several small rooms specifically for storing various props and tools needed for their setups.

In essence, so-called “golden-touch masters” shared similarities with magicians—both employed small tricks to divert attention and confuse the mind, deceiving clients who came seeking their services to achieve seemingly miraculous effects. For example, the methods used by handwriting analysts to switch papers, or the skills of face readers in breaking down sentences, and even the old tricks like frying a “little ghost.” However, as time progressed, these techniques evolved, becoming increasingly mysterious and difficult to discern. Master Sun, for instance, often used tricks like producing dry ice out of thin air or making incense smoke condense into purple clouds, all of which achieved surprisingly impressive results and were considered his closely guarded secrets.

Given the nature of these tricks, they naturally couldn’t be entrusted to strangers. Not only might the desired effects not be achieved, but if those nosy workers let something slip and exposed his methods, it could spell disaster. With the internet being so pervasive nowadays, a single exposure could attract reporters… well, you get the picture.

Thus, Master Sun preferred to spend the time preparing these tricks himself, and Wei Yang, his “exceptionally talented” assistant, naturally had to pitch in quite a bit. As a result, Wei Yang was very familiar with the basement. Flipping on the light switch, he led Zhang Xiuqi to the polishing machine and asked with some concern, “Brother Qi, this machine is usually used for small items. This piece of stone is quite large and not perfectly round. Can it handle it? If not, I can contact a processing workshop or something…”

Zhang Xiuqi, however, nodded and placed the Mount Tai Stone on the workbench, pointing to the ground. “Water.”

“Get a basin of water?” Wei Yang tentatively asked.

Zhang Xiuqi simply hummed in affirmation and said nothing more. Seeing this, Wei Yang quickly plugged in the polishing machine and enthusiastically demonstrated its use. “Brother Qi, this is the switch, this is the speed control, and this part needs to be close to the stone. Be careful not to touch it with your hand…”

But before he could finish, Zhang Xiuqi had already found a mask, put it on properly, took the buzzing polishing machine from Wei Yang, and bent down to skillfully start polishing the stone.

Wei Yang was momentarily speechless. So Brother Qi could handle such “high-tech” equipment too? Just how broad was Master Zeng’s teaching scope…? After watching for a while and confirming that Zhang Xiuqi truly knew how to use the machine, he went upstairs to fetch a basin of water. In just a few minutes, the workshop was already filled with a thin layer of dust. Fortunately, the exhaust fan was powerful enough to keep the air breathable. Wei Yang placed the basin on the ground and leaned in to take a closer look.

The Mount Tai Stone they had acquired was originally an irregular sphere, but under Zhang Xiuqi’s skilled hands, it was gradually taking on a more perfect round shape. However, due to the dust, the surface of the stone was covered in a white haze, making it hard to see any details. Zhang Xiuqi didn’t seem to mind, stopping every thirty minutes to rinse the stone in the water, cleaning off the dust and giving the machine a break.

After an entire afternoon of polishing and changing the water seven or eight times, the task was finally completed. When Zhang Xiuqi placed the stone in the water for the last time, he didn’t pick it back up. Wei Yang asked curiously, “Is it done?”

Zhang Xiuqi shook his head, thought for a moment, and said, “During the array activation, open the aperture.”

“Open the aperture on a stone?” Wei Yang’s curiosity was piqued, and he crouched by the basin to examine the stone sphere closely. Soon, he exclaimed in surprise, “Brother Qi, there’s a pair of fish patterns on this ball?”

Indeed, while the stone had shown no signs of patterns when placed on the workbench, once submerged in water, the part beneath the surface revealed a pair of fish-like patterns that seemed almost alive, their heads and tails connected, moving as if swimming in the shimmering water. Wei Yang couldn’t tell if these patterns were naturally occurring or had been carved. However, upon seeing this, he suddenly realized, “Is this going to be a feng shui ball? Made from Mount Tai Stone?”

Feng shui balls were important feng shui tools, typically placed on pedestals and rotated by water pumps¹Basically a kugel fountain, symbolizing “good fortune rolling in” and serving as a tool for attracting wealth. However, most feng shui balls were made from materials like granite, marble, white jade, or jade. No one used Mount Tai Stone, a “suppressing” material, to make feng shui balls. Moreover, their original plan was to use the Mount Tai Stone to suppress the earth energy in the community to dispel negative energy. Switching to a feng shui ball would significantly alter both the symbolism and the intended effect. Would this even work?

Zhang Xiuqi, however, nodded with confidence and uttered a single word: “Meng.”

“Meng what?” Wei Yang asked, puzzled. He looked at the Mount Tai Stone, then at the fish patterns beneath the water, and suddenly it clicked. “Are you talking about the Meng hexagram?”

Among the sixty-four hexagrams, mountain represents “Gen,” and water represents “Kan.” The combination of Gen above Kan forms the Meng hexagram, symbolizing the beginning of heaven and earth and the birth of all things. Wei Yang’s expertise was in feng shui, and whether he was a fraud or not, his understanding of the I Ching was far deeper than the average person’s. Naturally, he immediately thought of this.

Seemingly pleased with his response, Zhang Xiuqi’s usually emotionless eyes seemed to light up slightly. “Suppress, borrow to suppress.”

Listening to this guy always felt like solving a riddle, but Wei Yang had a level of intelligence and professional knowledge that others couldn’t match. With just the words “suppress” and “borrow,” he understood what Zhang Xiuqi was aiming for. In the world of feng shui, there were countless arrays, mantras, and closely guarded secrets, but they all ultimately boiled down to four characters: “suppress, borrow, seize, destroy.”

“Suppress” referred to using tools or geographical features to suppress evil spirits, which was the root of most legendary feng shui stories. When a place had bad feng shui, using suppression techniques to dispel negative energy and save people trapped in cursed locations was a common theme in popular tales. Master Yang, known as Yang the Savior of the Poor, became famous for his suppression techniques, and most feng shui texts and manuals primarily focused on methods to dispel negative energy.

“Borrow” was the foundation of both yin and yang house systems, referring to borrowing the essence of heaven and earth for one’s own use, nurturing people, energy, and vitality. Practices like finding dragon veins, selecting burial sites, and arranging yang houses all fell under the category of “borrow.” However, while good houses were easy to find, dragon veins were rare, and such opportunities often depended on fate. It was impossible for everyone to borrow the power of heaven and earth for their own benefit.

“Seize” took “borrow” a step further, seizing the creations of heaven and earth and snatching the fortunes of others. If a yang house was inauspicious, one could locate wealth or deity positions to extract earth energy and achieve prosperity. If a yin house was inauspicious, one could reshape mountains and seas, turning false dragons into true dragons, seizing the energy of the land to secure generational wealth and nobility. The concept of “seize” was incredibly alluring and had been the ultimate goal of those who believed in feng shui and sought to change their fate since ancient times. It could be said that the obsession with feng shui was largely due to the allure of “seize.”

Finally, there was “destroy.” Destroying spiritual energy, extinguishing vitality, and cutting off ancestral worship, altering others’ lifespans and fortunes, and severing a family line’s vitality—this method was the most ruthless and cruel. However, it had also been used throughout history, as conflicts inevitably led to various means of dealing with enemies. Whether through witchcraft or desecrating corpses, the methods used to harm enemies were numerous and often caused widespread devastation, becoming a terrifying calamity that people sought to avoid.

Among these four methods, “suppress” and “borrow” were considered harmonious with heaven and were the most legitimate. “Destroy,” while extremely malevolent, often brought various forms of heavenly retribution upon the practitioner. However, there were still those willing to risk it all for wealth, so “destroy” was used sparingly, but those who could wield it were often highly skilled. As for the most common “seize” method, it was where the majority of scams occurred—whether for wealth, luck, love, or success, ninety-nine percent of these claims were fraudulent. This was because “seize” was not a natural process and harmed the practitioner’s own foundation. Without significant rewards from powerful patrons, few were willing to sacrifice themselves for others’ benefit. If “seize” had no side effects, there would be no need for feng shui masters—they would all become wealthy and successful themselves, rather than working for others.

Although Wei Yang had always operated as a scammer, his understanding of the fundamentals of feng shui was no less than that of any expert. After all, knowing the basics was essential for creating convincing scams. Thus, he was quite familiar with these four methods. When Zhang Xiuqi had refused to alter the wealth position for Jieshui Studio, it was because it fell under “seize.” Now, however, he intended to use a genuine method of transforming “borrow” into “suppress.”

Understanding this, Wei Yang’s eyes lit up. He had never seen a true “borrow” technique before. Unlike “suppress,” successful “borrow” techniques often caused noticeable changes in the environment, creating striking external manifestations. If they could demonstrate this in front of others, it would be incredibly impressive. Wei Yang had an inexplicable trust in Zhang Xiuqi, perhaps due to the shock of witnessing the battle against the Yellow Husk, which had left a deep impression on him. Now, hearing about this “borrow to suppress” technique, he couldn’t help but feel excited.

“Heh, this is exactly what we need!” Wei Yang rubbed his hands together. “With your ‘borrow to suppress,’ Brother Qi, we’re going to make a big splash this time. But we can’t just set up the array right away—we need to build up some suspense. Master Bai? This time, we’ll make sure he walks in pale-faced and leaves red-faced!”

Seeing Wei Yang’s excitement, Zhang Xiuqi didn’t respond but instead frowned slightly. Before he could speak, Wei Yang quickly added, “Brother Qi, are you hungry? You’ve been working all afternoon. Let’s go home and eat first, and we can discuss the rest after dinner.”

Zhang Xiuqi’s furrowed brow immediately smoothed out, and he nodded expressionlessly. Wei Yang was surprised to find that he could detect a hint of happiness in those blank eyes, making him feel a bit awkward. Was he being conditioned like some sort of reflex? This Little Celestial Master was like a ticking time bomb—powerful, yes, but it was hard to predict when he’d go off or what the outcome would be. If he didn’t keep a close eye on him, Wei Yang, the seasoned con artist, might one day find himself in deep trouble.

Shaking his head helplessly, Wei Yang picked up the Mount Tai feng shui ball from the basin and led his Little Celestial Master back home.

It was the same rental apartment, and they had picked up takeout on the way, but upon arriving home, Wei Yang first sent Zhang Xiuqi to the bathroom. “Brother Qi, you should take a shower first. You’re covered in dust, and it’s not hygienic to eat like that. Let’s eat after you’re done, okay?”

His tone was almost like coaxing a child, and Zhang Xiuqi seemed to respond well to it. He nodded, took a change of clothes, and entered the bathroom. Soon, the sound of running water could be heard. As Wei Yang set the table, he wondered if there was enough hot water. But before he could finish setting the table, he suddenly remembered something else and grabbed a clean plastic bag, rushing to the bathroom door.

“Brother Qi, how’s the wound on your shoulder?” A few days had passed, and the wound on Wei Yang’s hand had already scabbed over, but Zhang Xiuqi’s injury had seemed quite severe. After the intense battle with the Three Corpses worm, he wasn’t sure if the wound had been aggravated. If it got wet and infected, that would be bad.

As he knocked on the door, the bathroom door opened to reveal Zhang Xiuqi standing naked in the small bathroom, his hair already wet and water droplets still clinging to his skin. The bandage on his shoulder was a mess, with traces of blood visible. Wei Yang’s heart tightened. He had completely forgotten about this. Today, he had even let Zhang Xiuqi polish the Mount Tai Stone for an entire day. Had the wound been aggravated? It was just that Zhang Xiuqi never showed any expression, and even Wei Yang occasionally forgot that he was a living, breathing human being.

Clearing his throat, Wei Yang said gently, “Brother Qi, I’ll use this plastic bag to cover your wound. Take a quick shower, and we’ll bandage it again when you’re out… ouch!”

Just touching Zhang Xiuqi’s shoulder made Wei Yang wince—the man’s body was freezing cold. He immediately realized what had happened and stepped into the bathroom to find the shower still running… Well, it was only running cold water. Did this guy not even know how to use the hot water? Just how had Master Zeng educated him? He could use a polishing machine but not a water heater? Something was seriously wrong here!

Testing the water temperature, Wei Yang found that the sun hadn’t been strong enough today, and even at the hottest setting, the water was barely warm. He turned and asked, “Brother Qi, how about I just wash your hair for you? We can rinse off the dust on your body…”

As he turned, Wei Yang was struck with embarrassment. Zhang Xiuqi had somehow found a towel and was modestly covering his lower body. Before, when he hadn’t covered up, it hadn’t been a big deal, but now, with the towel in place, Wei Yang couldn’t help but glance over. The muscles along his waist were simply… well, he even had a visible V-line…

Forcing his gaze away, Wei Yang awkwardly looked up, unsure of what to say. Zhang Xiuqi also seemed a bit confused, his lips slightly pale from the cold, and he said, “Uncle didn’t allow it.”

Wei Yang: “…”

Didn’t allow what? Didn’t allow you to shower with others? Didn’t allow you to be naked in front of others? Or didn’t allow you to be teased by strangers? This was supposed to be a normal roommate relationship, and showering together wasn’t a big deal for men. But now, with that statement, it suddenly felt like he had inadvertently violated some innocent child.

Master Zeng, you’ve really done a great job teaching him!

Wei Yang woodenly handed the plastic bag to Zhang Xiuqi. “Hurry up and shower. I’ll bandage you up when you’re done.”

Zhang Xiuqi visibly relaxed, obediently took the bag, and closed the bathroom door. Walking back to the living room, Wei Yang sighed helplessly as the sound of running water resumed. What kind of creature was he dealing with here? Was he raising a child or a pet?

After about ten minutes, Zhang Xiuqi emerged from the bathroom, his pajamas neatly on but unbuttoned, his body still slightly damp and cool. Wei Yang quickly sat him down on the bed and took out the prepared alcohol and bandages. Cutting open the white gauze on Zhang Xiuqi’s shoulder, he saw that the wound hadn’t fully healed, with a faint pinkish hue showing through. Wei Yang picked up the gauze and dabbed it with alcohol. “Brother Qi, this might sting a bit. Bear with it.”

With that, he carefully pressed the gauze onto the wound. It should have been painful, but Zhang Xiuqi didn’t even flinch, as if the injured shoulder wasn’t his own. Wei Yang himself felt a pang of sympathy, gently cleaning the wound and carefully bandaging it. He patted Zhang Xiuqi’s arm. “Brother Qi, if you ever get hurt, you have to tell me. Even if you’re bleeding, let me know. Don’t just ignore it. Your uncle isn’t here now, so I’m the only one you can rely on. Don’t worry, I won’t harm you.”

This was the first time Wei Yang had said something like this to anyone, and it came with a mix of awkwardness and guilt. It might not have been as sincere as when he was scamming people, but Zhang Xiuqi looked at him for a moment and nodded silently, buttoning up his shirt.

Wei Yang handed him the chopsticks. “Let’s eat. The food’s about to get cold.”

Takeout tended to become greasy and unpleasant when cold, but Zhang Xiuqi wasn’t picky. He picked up the chopsticks and began eating with proper etiquette. However, after a few bites, he suddenly stopped and picked up a piece of carrot from his box, placing it in Wei Yang’s bowl.

Wei Yang: “…”

Was this karma? He hated carrots! But there was a hint of expectation in Zhang Xiuqi’s eyes, like a police dog finally wagging its tail at its caretaker. Wei Yang forced a smile, stuffed the carrot into his mouth, and picked up a piece of chicken to return the favor.

“Brother Qi, let me know what you like to eat. We’ll be moving to a new place soon, and the takeout there should be a lot better. We can switch it up every day…”

The little con artist rambled on, for the first time talking about something other than scams. Zhang Xiuqi didn’t respond, quietly eating the nearly cold, cheap takeout as if it were a gourmet meal. Lao Ye had crawled out of its small basin at some point, slowly making its way to the corner. It stretched out a claw to nudge the round stone, sniffed it, and then settled down in the corner, tucking its head in and pretending to sleep.

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  Basically a kugel fountain