make a name for himself
The three Feng Shui masters, who were affected by the backlash of the magical duel, hastily moved from the underground chamber to the surface. The commotion caused by the lightning strike on the villa had drawn attention, making them aware that their hiding place was likely exposed.
Upon reaching the surface, several individuals in black suits welcomed them. Without much ado, they ushered the three into a business car parked in the courtyard. The car departed from the western suburb and headed straight to the city center. After half an hour, they arrived at a private club on Beijing's Chang'an Street. The three were taken to an upstairs tea room, where a young man in his thirties was calmly brewing tea.
The Feng Shui master most affected by the backlash had already regained consciousness on the way. He appeared dispirited, with drooping eyelids and evident signs of significant injuries. Two streaks of bloodstains lingered at the corners of his mouth. The other two were in slightly better condition but clearly lacked energy.
The young man brewing tea looked up at the trio, sighed faintly, and said, "The old man had warned me. He said the money from the Chen family isn't as easy to obtain as you think. If they were really vulnerable, someone would have squeezed them dry long ago. Look, did he predict it correctly? Yet, I still don't believe in superstitions. What a slap in the face."
"Mr. Liu, we didn't anticipate the setback in our plans. The Feng Shui formation in the Chen family has been functioning for decades. We believed that the original Feng Shui master who set it up was no longer in this world. We thought that this time, intervening, we could surely break the formation. But unexpectedly..."
One of the Feng Shui masters began to explain, only to be interrupted by the young man. He calmly said, "Unexpectedly, the person was still alive, and then, he appeared and dealt with you all, right? I told you, you're not so old yet, don't you understand that there aren't so many 'ifs' in this world? It's necessary to use facts. The fact is, you lost, isn't it?"
The faces of the three Feng Shui masters showed disappointment, but they didn't have the courage to argue. The young man's identity was intimidating.
"Tell me, what level is the opponent? How did they defeat you so thoroughly? It seems like you didn't even have a chance to fight back," the young man asked, sipping tea gently. "If I bring out some higher-level individuals from our side, can we still have a go at the opponent? I'm a non-superstitious person. Is the Chen family's money too hot to handle? I don't believe it."
The three Feng Shui masters exchanged glances and shook their heads, saying, "It's uncertain. The opponent's level is clearly one step higher than ours. From the beginning of the duel, we were at a disadvantage, and there was no chance of turning the tables. The crucial point is, we've never met the opponent in person, and we don't know if they have any hidden cards. If... we bring out some seniors from our side, perhaps we might have a chance at the opponent."
At this point, another Feng Shui master added, "However, Mr. Liu, our seniors rarely reveal themselves anymore. For nearly ten years, they haven't taken any action. I'm afraid..."
"Are you afraid they won't agree to help?" the young man interjected. "I don't want to hear that. What's this about agreeing or not? It depends on the price. You originally weren't willing to show yourselves easily, but weren't you forced out by me with money? Don't act so lofty. If something can be resolved with money, it's not a problem."
The faces of the three Feng Shui masters turned red under the young man's ridicule. However, they had no way to refute him. The young man indeed possessed the strength to compel their seniors to take action, and the intimidating background made them reluctant to argue.
"But let's handle this matter carefully. Chen's family hasn't been beaten down completely; they're likely on guard now. I need to clean up the mess before anything else," the young man said, tapping the table with his fingers. After a moment of contemplation, he continued, "Go back and inform those seniors of yours. Tell them that I possess several items lost in the Tai Gong Tomb back then. If they're willing to come out, I can generously let them choose one."
The three Feng Shui masters were astonished, and even the one who had suffered the most severe injuries had a glint of excitement in his eyes.
The Tai Gong Tomb referred to the burial site of Jiang Ziya. Many years ago, it had been excavated, but unfortunately, before the excavation, the tomb had already been looted. The theft was attributed to the top few tomb robbers in the country, who, rather than plundering everything, chose only a few items and left.
Tomb robbers, especially the top-notch ones known as "tomb raiders," had sharp eyes. The items lost in the Tai Gong Tomb were treasures that would make any grandmaster in Feng Shui and divination drool with envy.
Tomb raiders were not ordinary grave robbers; they had their own rules. One of them was to never leave a tomb empty-handed, but they wouldn't take away everything either.
There are reports that the stolen items were personal belongings of Jiang Ziya during the time he assisted King Wu of Zhou in overthrowing the Shang Dynasty. Jiang Ziya was extremely proficient in divination, formations, and Feng Shui. The lost items were considered treasures coveted by masters in the fields of Feng Shui and divination.
In Tangshan, at the Chen family's grand residence:
Alone, Xiang Que returned to the bedroom arranged for him by Chen Sanjin. Chen Sanjin had already rushed to Beijing to handle the aftermath of the recent events.
Despite breaking the formation and winning in the magical duel, Xiang Que's expression wasn't too pleasant. In his view, although he emerged victorious, he wasn't entirely satisfied. He had to employ quite a few methods to secure the victory. He had thrown numerous talismans, used two bowls of black dog blood, scattered many ancient coins, and finally had to resort to the iron piece. From his perspective, the cost was quite high, and he had revealed quite a few cards.
Seriously speaking, at this level of confrontation, if it were Lao Dao or his Master Uncle who intervened, either of them could easily handle it without breaking a sweat.
Xiang Que remembered that when he was ten years old, accompanying Lao Dao back to the Ancient Well Pavilion, they passed through a small village in Hebei. In that village, a family had made a mistake while burying their deceased, resulting in the corpse undergoing a strange transformation. The body, dead for over a year, hadn't decayed and turned into a giant zongzi. Dozens of men in the village, armed with iron tools, failed to stop the zongzi and ended up injured. Coincidentally, Lao Dao was passing by and resolved the situation with ease.
During the incident, Xiang Que vividly remembered Lao Dao merely using hand seals to immobilize the zongzi. He then took out a yellow paper from his pocket, pasted it on the zongzi's forehead, and casually drew a talisman, extinguishing the zongzi with ease.
The technique was quite elegant, seemingly carefree.
Later, in the fourth year since Xiang Que entered the mountain, he accompanied his Master Uncle to replenish household supplies. One night, in a forested area, they encountered a group of wandering souls and wild ghosts that aggressively charged towards them. His Master Uncle was even more formidable; he exhaled a breath of malevolent qi, dispersing the group of wandering souls and wild ghosts, who dared not approach.
Look at himself now, winning but feeling a bit embarrassed. It was somewhat disappointing for Gejia, the Ancient Well Pavilion.
Xiang Que could only console himself, thinking that he was still young, and his cultivation level was relatively shallow. The two old fellows had lived for decades, and it was normal for them to be more impressive. After all, the rising tide will eventually overtake the previous waves, right? In a few years, Xiang Que must be able to make a name for himself.