Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
It sounded unbelievable to deliberately change a placeâs Feng Shui or create excellent Feng Shui for it. For masters like Miao Sanding, it was more of a theory to change a placeâs Feng Shui. He had applied the theory into practice before. He designed Feng Shui for a personâs graveyard, which was a completely different situation.
âWould you like to stay for dinner?â Wang Yao asked.
âNo, thanks,â Mia Sanding said. âI need to go back to have a good think about what to do next.â
He is a person worth making friends with, Wang Yao thought.
He had his standards when making friends. First, the person had to be kind. Wang Yao didnât like nasty people. It sounded simple, but nowadays there were fewer people who were truly kind. Second, the person had to possess some unique features or attractions. These were all he cared about when making friends.
After Miao Sanding left, Wang Yao went to visit Zhong Liuchuan, who was practicing what Wang Yao had taught him.
âHello, Dr. Wang,â Zhong Liuchuan said.
âHello, Liuchuan, how is your practice?â Wang Yao asked.
âI just started,â Zhong Liuchuan replied.
The breathing exercise changed his way of breathing. He felt awkward at the beginning, but he gradually got used to it.
âThereâs no rush, and no use in rushing,â Wang Yao said.
They had a brief chat about Zhong Liuchuanâs breathing exercise. Wang Yao left after making sure Zhong Liuchuan was doing fine.
Zhong Liuchuan had a long way to go. Short-term intensive practice was only appropriate at one stage. He needed to progress steadily with his practice. Rushing would do him no good.
It started to get dark outside. A car came to the northern side of the village. It didnât enter the village. A man in his 40s got out of the car. He was medium built, not very tall, and looked like an artist. He was quite attractive.
He lit a cigarette and quietly stood at the entrance of the village. He looked at the village while smoking. After he finished smoking, he slowly walked into the village.
The road was not wide. Two cars would struggle to park side by side. There was a river at the western side of the village, which was about 13 feet wide.
Some villagers were standing under the trees on the side of the road. Some of them were chatting, and some were smoking. Most of the villagers were elderly people. The youngest was in his 40s.
The man couldnât see any youngsters on the street. He walked very slowly, observing everything as he went.
âInteresting village,â he said.
He had been there once. However, he didnât get out of the car last time. He had only taken a glance at the village. His first impression of it was that the village was quiet and peaceful.
But, there are not many youngsters in the village, the man thought.
He walked slowly like he was taking a stroll.
Woof! Woof! Woof! A local dog suddenly stopped in front of him and barked at him.
âHello, doggie,â the man said.
Woof!
He smiled at the dog. His teeth were very white. He waved at the dog and continued to walk south.
When he had almost reached the southern side of the village, he saw a young man in his 20s. The young man was medium built and looked ordinary. However, he could tell the young man was not ordinary at all at first sight.
The young man was Wang Yao. Before he came to the village, the man knew Wang Yao lived there. He also knew that Wang Yao was the most well-known person in the neighborhood.
Heâs so young, the man thought.
The two men were looking at each other.
Another one? Wang Yao smiled at the middle-aged man, who was smiling back at him and said, âHello, Uncle, you are not from here.â
âWhat?â The middle-aged man dropped his cigarette. âUncle? Am I that old?â
âHaha, not really,â Wang Yao said.
âYou are right, Iâm not local.â The middle-aged man picked the cigarette up from the ground, flicked it with his finger, and continued to smoke. âI shouldnât waste it. Good stuff, you know.â
âWhat are you doing here?â Wang Yao asked.
âI passed this place and just want to take a look around,â the man said.
âI see,â Wang Yao calmly said. âYou should leave after you have finished looking around. People like you are not welcomed here.â
âReally? Why?â the man asked.
âThe smell on you is quite different. Your cigarette wonât cover it,â Wang Yao said as he pointed at the man.
âYou can smell me?â the man asked with surprise.
âI am a medical practitioner. Iâm very sensitive to smell,â Wang Yao said.
âI see. Iâll leave soon,â the man said.
âGood,â Wang Yao replied.
They passed each other. The manâs body suddenly had a tremor. He felt a gust of warm Qi enter his body from outside. The Qi went straight into his body.
He didnât think he was hallucinating. It was his body. He stopped and turned around to look at Wang Yao, who didnât bother to look back.
âDid you do that?â the man asked.
âWhat are you talking about?â Wang Yao stopped and turned around.
âYou just transferred a gust of Qi into my body,â the man said.
He no longer looked relaxed. Instead, he looked serious and alert. He wondered what capability Wang Yao possessed to do that to him without him realizing it.
âI think you should leave,â Wang Yao said before leaving.
The man took a deep breath and fetched another cigarette out of his pocket. He continued to walk south. He passed the river and reached the southwest corner of the village. He stopped in front of a house, which had a green iron gate. The gate was very old and rusty. The paint was flaking off.
Knock! Knock! He knocked on the door.
âWho is it?â a person inside the house asked.
âItâs me,â the middle-aged man said.
Zhong Liuchuan went to open the door. As soon as the door was cracked open, he stepped back a few feet. In the next minute, he had two sharp daggers in his hands. He stared at the middle-aged man still standing outside the door as if he was a big enemy.
âDonât be nervous,â the middle-aged man said. âI just passed here and thought I should pay a visit to you.â
âWhat are you doing here?â Zhong Liuchuan asked.
âDid that lunatic die here?â the middle-aged man asked.
âYes,â Zhong Liuchuan said.
âDid you kill him?â the middle-aged man asked.
âYes,â Zhong Liuchuan said.
âReally? You wouldnât be afraid of me if you had the capability to kill him,â the middle-aged man said with a smile.
âI was just lucky,â Zhong Liuchuan said.
âLucky, or did you actually have help?â the middle-aged man asked.
Zhong Liuchuan didnât answer. He was thinking if he should attack the man.
âIâm not here to kill you today,â the middle-aged man said. âPut your daggers away. That young man was right. I donât smell nice. But, I am curious whether he thinks you smell nice.â
âSmell?â Zhong Liuchuan asked with surprise.
He soon got what the middle-aged man meant. The man must have bumped into Dr. Wang, who detected a unique Qi on him.
âWell, shouldnât you make me a cup of tea?â the middle-aged man asked. âIâm your guest and came all the way hereâ
âOK, wait a minute.â Zhong Liuchuan went into the kitchen facing the man and took a pot of tea out. âHave a cup of tea please.â
He was very cautious. The middle-aged man was more experienced and powerful than that lunatic, so he was harder to deal with. He was definitely not as nice as he appeared to be.
âHmm, nice tea,â the middle-aged man said after taking a sip of tea. He finished the cup and poured himself more. âShall we have a chat?â
âWhat do you want to chat about?â Zhong Liuchuan asked.
âThe village seems to be really quiet and peaceful,â the middle-aged man said. âHow did you find such a village to settle down in?â
âBy accident,â Zhong Liuchuan said.
âIs there any houses for sale here?â the middle-aged man asked.
âWhy do you ask?â Zhong Liuchuan asked with surprise.
âI want to buy a house here. I also want to settle down in a nice village and be your neighbor,â the middle-aged man said with a grin.
âThere are houses for sale,â Zhong Liuchuan replied. âThe family next door is going to move to town next month.â
âReally?â the middle-aged man asked.
âOf course,â Zhong Liuchuan said.
âIâll think about it,â the middle-aged man said. âHow much does their house cost?â
âItâs $80,000 yuan and has four bedrooms and a big yard,â Zhong Liuchuan replied.
âThatâs so cheap!â The middle-aged man was a bit surprised.
They two were chatting like old friends. The middle-aged man soon changed the subject. âWhat do you know that makes them so nervous?â
âWould you believe me if I told you I didnât know?â Zhong Liuchuan replied.
âWhat do you think?â the middle-aged man asked.
âIn fact, I really have no idea,â Zhong Liuchuan said with a bitter smile.
âYou know, Iâm in a tricky situation.â The middle-aged man lit a cigarette. âYou know the rules of the company, especially when they apply to employees like us. Even if we quit our job, we still have to be cooperative when the company needs us.â