Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Ah? The Feng Shui master stopped outside the clinic. He walked around it three times with interest.
âFantastic. It is really fantastic,â he sighed.
âWhat do you say?â the villager asked.
âThe house is really good,â the Feng Shui master said.
âGood? How do you know?â the villager asked.
âThe location is very good since it is nestled under a mountain and near a river, embellishing the boundless plain in front of the door,â the Feng Shui master said. âItâs construction is also very good. It is the style of garden architecture in the south harmonized with Qi.â
The Feng Shui master was quite impressed. âMay I go in to have a look?â
âHm... I need to ask that.â The villager following him knocked and went into the clinic.
Wang Yao was reading a medical book. When seeing Zhang Beijing come in, he hurriedly stood up. âUncle.â
âAre you busy, Xiao Yao?â Zhang Beijing asked.
âNot really,â Wang Yao replied. âWhatâs up?â
âAn, the thing is that...â He told him about the visitor outside.
âA Feng Shui master wants to come in to have a look?â Wang Yao was amazed. He never thought such thing would happen to him.
âYeah, but it is not necessary if it is not convenient,â Zhang Beijing said.
âItâs fine. Nothing is inconvenient,â Wang Yao said. âPlease sent him in.â
When the Feng Shui master came in, his eyes lit up. He took a good look at everything inside. âItâs marvelous, so marvelous!â
Ah? As he looked around, he was shocked to see Wang Yao. He whispered to himself, âHow is that?â He stared at Wang Yao as if he was bewitched. âHow, how old are you?â
âIâm 27 in nominal age,â Wang Yao said.
âItâs so odd,â the Feng Shui master replied.
âWhatâs odd?â Wang Yao asked.
âI have never, to my knowledge, set eyes on the physiognomy like you,â the Feng Shui master said.
âIs it not good?â Wang Yao asked with a smile.
âYes, itâs very good. Your physiognomy is comely and peculiar, like a god,â the Feng Shui master said.
âWhat kind of god do you mean?â Wang Yao asked.
âA god is a supernatural being living in the sky.â The explanation from the Feng Shui master was comprehensible
âIâm flattered,â Wang Yao said.
âSorry to have disturbed you,â the Feng Shui master said.
âNot at all,â Wang Yao said.
The Feng Shui master left after having a look at the yard and asking some questions. He came, looked, spoke something, and went away.
Zhang Beijing, who was accompanying the Feng Shui master, was confused. He had no idea what the master was saying. âMaster, do you know anthroposophy?â
âJust a little,â the Feng Shui master said with a laugh. He seemed to be really happy.
âThen, what do you think about my physiognomy?â Zhang Beijing asked.
âYou. Itâs not bad,â the Feng Shui master replied.
âIs that all?â Zhang Beijing asked
âWhat else do you want to know?â the Feng Shui master asked.
âTo be more specific, And, I will pay for that.â Zhang Beijing hurriedly took out money from his pocket.
âWhat do you want to know?â The Feng Shui master did not hurry to take the money.
âPlease tell me all,â Zhang Beijing said.
âI cannot do that. You can choose one from marriage, wealth, health, and family. Whatâs more, fortune telling is not a good thing,â the Feng Shui master said. âThe more frequently you seek fortune telling, the poorer your fate will be.â
âThen, what do you think about my wealth?â Zhang Beijing asked.
âYou will not be wealthy for your whole life.â The Feng Shui master was direct.
âWhat?â His one sentence struck Zhang Beijing seriously.
âWhatâs what? It is not necessarily good to be wealthy or bad to have no money,â the Feng Shui master said. âYou look very happy now in my view. Hasnât your son passed the entry examination of a university?â
âYeah, you even guessed that,â Zhang Beijing replied.
The Feng Shui master laughed.
âCome on, letâs go onto the mountain,â Zhang Beijing said.
They quickly went onto the east of the mountain. The Feng Shui master became serious. A graveyard was a very particular part in Feng Shui theory. It was related to the destiny of the offspring of the person buried inside. Choosing the right place for a cemetery was not easy.
The Feng Shui master wandered around the mountain. He told Zhang Beijing the places he picked up something.
Huh? On the mountain, he saw Nanshan Hill. It was a patch of dark green and appeared to be very distinct in the bleak wild.
âThe woods?â he asked.
âThey were planted by the young man you just met,â Zhang Beijing said.
âAh, no wonder,â the Feng Shui master replied.
After choosing the location of the cemetery, he was invited to have a meal and given part of the remuneration.
âMaster, do you mean that the village is not proper to live in?â The villagers had been scared by his words at the entry of the village. There would be more people dying in the village? How many? And, who? Would it be themselves?
âYes, it is not proper for you to live in,â the Feng Shui master said.
âCan you resolve it?â a villager asked.
âI have no way,â the Feng Shui master said as he lowered his head to take a sip of wine. âIn fact, itâs not bad to move out. I wandered around nearby and saw there were only few youngsters in the village, right?â
âYes, the youngsters are all unwilling to come back,â a villager said.
âItâs not good to be lethargic with no vigor and vitality,â the Feng Shui master said.
Youngsters represented lively vigor and vitality, like the rising sun. The old naturally represented lethargy, like the setting sun. It was the natural rule to be born, turn old, suffer from diseases, and die.
âWhat can I do when I go out?â They really took the masterâs words into consideration.
They asked the Feng Shui master to tell their childrenâs fortunes, as well as about the elders and their wealth. It was very accurate, which amazed them. Generally, a fortune teller could guess a past accurately. As for your future, it was not very precise. Were there truly any masters? Yes, but only a few.
The Feng Shui master left after the meal, but he did not leave the village. Instead he went to Wang Yaoâs clinic and approached the door to knock.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
âPlease come in.â A clear voice came out from inside.
The Feng Shui masterâs hand stopped when it was raised up in the air before it fell onto the door. Then, he pushed in the door. âHello, Dr. Wang.â
âHello, whatâs up?â Wang Yao asked.
âPlease let me introduce myself. My name is Miao Sanding.â
âHello, Mr. Miao. Iâm Wang Yao.â
âCan you tell me who your teacher is?â Miao Sanding asked.
âMy teacher?â Wang Yao stopped for a minute. âIt is from the sky.â He laughed and pointed to the top of the head.
Miao Sanding was confounded a moment and then laughed. âCan you tell me is there a Feng Shui tactic deployed in the yard?â
âMaybe,â Wang Yao said. âDo you know it?â
âYes, it seemed simple. But, in fact, itâs peculiar and marvelous,â Miao Sanding said with praise.
He had talked about it more than once, but he never thought he would see it here, in a small yard. âIs there the subtle and marvelous tactic on the Nanshan Hill?â
âYou also saw that.â Wang Yao squinted.
âCertainly, the nimbus there is rich and strong, almost beyond the imagination,â Miao Sanding said with a sigh.
People like him were not really into money or beauty. They knew the rules of what they could own and what they could not in their destiny. So, they were often fond of Feng Shui or something like that.
âThere is tactic,â Wang Yao said.
âMay I have a look?â Miao Sanding asked
âSure!â Wang Yao laughed hearing his words. âGo ahead.â
âThanks!â Miao Sanding solemnly expressed his appreciation to Wang Yao.
They closed the door and went toward Nanshan Hill along the mountainous roads.
âMr. Miao, May I asked you a question?â Wang Yao asked.
âYes, please go ahead,â Miao Sanding replied.
âHow do you know the Qi activity in the yard and the nimbus on Nanshan just by watching? Is it real what they say that there is watching Qi in Feng Shui theory?â
âYes, there is. Itâs fundamental and pivotal. It is also the secret kept in schools,â Miao Sanding said.
âWhich school are you from?â Wang Yao asked.
âI learned from many, like Yang Gong school and San He school,â Miao Sanding replied.
âAh, what does the nimbus look like in your eyes?â Wang Yao asked.
Miao Sanding stopped his steps and looked at Wang Yao. âCouldnât you see that?â
âTo be frank, I feel it. I donât see it,â Wang Yao said.
He could feel the subtle changes of Qi between the heaven and earth.
âHow can I describe that?â Miao Sanding thought awhile. âQi is colorful in my view.â
âColorful? Can you ensure itâs not your illusion?â Wang Yao asked.
âOf course I can,â Miao Sanding said. âHave you read the Feast at Hong Gate?â
âYes,â Wang Yao said.
âFan Zeng asked others to watch Liu Bangâs Qi. It was like a dragon and tiger, which was owned by emperor,â Miao Sanding said.
Wang Yao laughed hearing his words. âIt was partly overstated.â
âYou naturally would not trust me because you never saw it,â Miao Sanding said.
âHave you seen it, the dragon or tiger shaped Qi?â Wang Yao asked.
âNot really, but I saw colorful Qi,â Miao Sanding replied.
âReally?â Wang Yao was surprised.
âYes, itâs in this village,â Miao Sanding said.
âWhere?â Wang Yao asked.
âIn the west of the mountain, there is black and gray Qi, which is the death Qi!â Miao Sanding pointed to the western slope. âOn Nanshan Hill there seems to be colorful Qi, but itâs mainly based on green Qi.â
âAh, colorful Qi. Is it owned by the emperor?â Wang Yao asked.
âNot really,â Miao Sanding said with a smile. âGreen Qi shows vigor and vitality. Itâs also nimbus.â
âIt sounds fantastic, like in the novels or films,â Wang Yao said.