Feng Shui Chapter 150: Surging Waves

A flood of thoughts surged in Chen Xiao’s mind. He wanted to say how unfortunate it was that he hadn’t gotten to eat the roasted lamb; to mention how much causal energy he’d absorbed this time and how close he was to leveling up again; to complain that out of the ten talismans he learned, only seven were useful, and three were downright useless... All these scattered thoughts boiled down to one feeling: he missed the days with his big brother sharing and accompanying him. Even though they hadn’t really parted, and there was only a door between them, he still longed for his presence.

Realizing this made Chen Xiao a bit embarrassed to voice it out loud, something rare for him.

He called out once, then fell silent, simply watching Xi Yunqing. That caused Xi Yunqing’s eyes to flicker, and his arm lifted slightly.

What was he about to do? Chen Xiao held his breath, nervous yet filled with a subtle anticipation.

“Chen Xiao, what did you need me for?” Tong Nuonuo’s voice came from afar, growing closer. Xi Yunqing’s hand paused, then simply patted Chen Xiao’s arm, leaving him disappointed.

Tong Nuonuo hurried over, glancing at Xi Yunqing with surprise and delight. “Daoist Xi, you’ve come out of seclusion! Congratulations on your successful promotion!”

Since emerging, Xi Yunqing had reached the eighth layer of the Golden Core stage, just one step from Nascent Soul. In the cultivation world, the Nascent Soul stage marked the greatest dividing line, splitting cultivators into two distinct tiers.

The number of cultivators at each realm resembled a pyramid, the higher the level, the fewer the people. If Golden Core cultivators accounted for one in a thousand, Nascent Soul cultivators were one in ten thousand. At the later stages, advancement relied less on accumulated true energy and more on comprehension and opportunity.

Xi Yunqing nodded slightly in response. Tong Nuonuo didn’t mind the other’s cold demeanor, having grown accustomed to it. He stood before Chen Xiao and asked, “I heard you needed me for something, so I came as soon as I could. What’s the urgent matter?”

Chen Xiao remembered and pulled out a carefully drawn schematic from his storage box, handing it to Tong Nuonuo. “I want you to make me a tool. It’s a specialized auxiliary device for Feng Shui practitioners, called a compass.”

Tong Nuonuo scanned the detailed design. For a master of mechanisms like him, it was no challenge. “This is easy enough. But the materials you listed, wood and metal, what properties do they need to have?”

Chen Xiao answered, “Materials belonging to the earth element will do.” The golden-yellow energy of the earth element was his reference.

Tong Nuonuo nodded. “Understood. I’ll have it ready for you soon.” Folding the blueprint, he tucked it into his sleeve. “Anything else you need?”

“Nothing else." Chen Xiao replied.

With that, Tong Nuonuo turned and left briskly. “I’ll get to work and let you know once the compass is finished, ”

He came in a hurry and left even more quickly. The royal gardens had been abandoned for three or four years, only superficially tidied up before they moved in, leaving many damaged areas unrepaired. Just then, Tong Nuonuo stepped on a broken stone slab, twisted his ankle, and fell to the ground with a loud thud.

Chen Xiao jumped in alarm and rushed over with a few others to help him up. “Are you okay?”

Tong Nuonuo’s face was pressed against the ground, his forehead, nose, and lips all bruised and swollen. Fortunately, cultivators had extraordinary physiques, so he avoided serious injury. Still, the impact on his fragile nose made the round-faced youth’s eyes redden instantly with tears.

He pursed his lips, trying to hold back the sting and pain. “My face is fine, but I think I twisted my ankle.”

Chen Xiao knelt down, pulled off Tong Nuonuo’s boots and socks, revealing an ankle already severely swollen. Frowning, he couldn’t help but say, “How did you get hurt so badly? You’re a Foundation Establishment cultivator! Falling flat on level ground like this shouldn’t happen.”

Tong Nuonuo winced and said confusedly, “I don’t know either. I was trying to steady myself, but suddenly my leg wouldn’t support me. It just gave out, and I fell.”

As the culprit, Xi Yunqing had seen this happen too many times before. Right after breaking seclusion and reaching a new level, his special ability was prone to losing control. Feeling guilty, he walked over and said, “Daoist Tong, you were probably affected by me.”

Tong Nuonuo muffled a response through his hand over his nose, “I was just careless. How is this related to you, Daoist Xi?”

Xi Yunqing hesitated, then said, “There’s a reason I say that.” He briefly explained how he’d carried bad luck his whole life, how he could usually control it now, but after every breakthrough, it caused him to lose control for a short while.

Tong Nuonuo listened skeptically. “It can’t be that bad, right? If I hadn’t been in such a hurry and paid more attention, I wouldn’t have stepped on that broken slab.”

This was the first time Chen Xiao had heard about this from Xi Yunqing and found it quite surprising. Previously, he only knew Xi Yunqing could transform and control negative energy at will but hadn’t noticed any uncontrollable aura around him.

Xi Yunqing fixed his gaze on the two of them and asked, “Then how do you explain suddenly losing all strength, unable to even turn over and dodge?”

Tong Nuonuo was at a loss for words. He blinked rapidly, and after a moment, his expression turned incredulous. “Now that you put it that way... it is bizarre!”

A hint of bitterness flickered in Xi Yunqing’s eyes. “Not just bizarre, it’s utterly impossible to guard against. Even after I went into seclusion and developed a method to dispel it, I still couldn’t prevent it in advance.”

Chen Xiao stood up and said, “Don’t be discouraged, big brother. It’s not necessarily going to happen every time. I was fine, wasn’t I?”

Xi Yunqing turned to look at him. “Before I met you, it happened every single time without exception. But it seems that kind of misfortune has no effect on you. I’ve been trying to understand why you’re immune to it.”

Tong Nuonuo’s injured ankle made it difficult for him to move, so Chen Xiao and Xi Yunqing helped him sit at the desk. Injuries from falls and sprains were common among cultivators, and medicinal salves were always on hand. As Chen Xiao applied the medicine, he fell into deep thought.

The medicine worked quickly. In just a short while, the bruising had dispersed and the swelling subsided. Tong Nuonuo put on his socks and boots himself and stood up to test his footing. Aside from a slight ache, he was fine.

Chen Xiao stepped up to the desk and spread talisman paper across its surface. He rinsed his brush clean in the water pot, took out a fresh dish, and poured in ink. Looking up, he said, “I think I know why I’m unaffected.”

Tong Nuonuo gently rotated his ankle to help the medicine absorb faster. With one hand on the desk, he asked, “Why?”

Chen Xiao answered confidently, “Because of Feng Shui.”

Xi Yunqing looked at him in surprise. Chen Xiao nodded at him. “Feng Shui has many ways to attract good fortune and ward off calamity. Since I’ve studied it, it’s only natural I wouldn’t be affected by the misfortune that follows you.”

It sounded simple enough, Chen Xiao’s practice of Feng Shui had shielded him from harm. But that was only the surface reason. The real reason... was the compass.

Aside from its auxiliary functions, the compass itself was a Feng Shui artifact, capable of warding off evil, dispelling bad luck, and attracting good fortune. More importantly, the compass in Chen Xiao’s sea of consciousness was no ordinary artifact. It had the divine ability to absorb and transform fortune into vital energy.

Tong Nuonuo asked, “Chen Xiao, is there a way for those of us who don’t know Feng Shui to avoid being affected by Brother Xi too?”
Falling like that wasn’t exactly debilitating, but it was definitely painful, and best avoided if possible.

Chen Xiao picked up the brush again. “The compass I had you make already has the power to ward off disaster. But most people wouldn’t carry one with them at all times. There is another method, and I think it’ll work.”

Calming his mind, he silently circulated his vital energy. Bending slightly, he let the tip of his brush fall onto the talisman paper and swiftly drew a symbol neither of them had seen before.

As Chen Xiao’s brush moved, the symbol began to faintly glow, the energy within it slowly absorbed into the paper. When it was done, he exhaled in relief and smiled. “It’s done. This is a Safety Talisman, a Feng Shui charm used for protection. It’s not something I learned from the talisman arts, so I wasn’t sure if it would work.”

In the past, Chen Xiao had mostly set up Feng Shui formations for others and rarely drew talismans himself. He usually used ones drawn by others. But he’d seen this one often enough that he’d memorized the lines. After arriving here and learning proper talisman techniques, he had become skilled enough to draw one successfully on the first try.

He blew on the talisman to dry the ink and handed it to Tong Nuonuo. “Keep this on you until Big Brother can regain control of that power.”

Tong Nuonuo studied the unfamiliar lines. The strange script radiated a sense of mystery that filled him with awe. Once the ink was completely dry, he carefully tucked the talisman close to his body. He no longer dared to walk around carelessly, he made his way back slowly.

Even after Tong Nuonuo disappeared from sight, Xi Yunqing still looked dazed, as if unable to believe it.

The problem that had plagued him for so long had suddenly found a solution through Chen Xiao’s insight, and even a way to prevent future mishaps. It felt as though all the past confusion, pain, loneliness, and helplessness had led to this moment of complete release and relief.

He felt immense gratitude toward the heavens for bringing Chen Xiao into his life. More than just a friend and brother, Chen Xiao had become the most precious and cherished person in his world.

Chen Xiao had lowered his head again, already starting on a second talisman. Watching that focused profile, a strange warmth welled up in Xi Yunqing’s chest, quickly turning into something more intense. He was seized by an impulse, to say something, to do something, but words failed him. He didn’t know how to begin, or what to do.

So he simply stood quietly by the desk, watching as Chen Xiao finished talisman after talisman.

By the time Chen Xiao had used up a good amount of vital energy to draw ten Safety Talismans, he set aside one for Tang Ru and let the rest dry before stacking them together. Handing them to Xi Yunqing, he said, “Here, big brother. Keep these. If that power ever gets out of control again, give one to whoever’s nearby. It should help prevent any incidents.”

Xi Yunqing took the talismans and looked deeply at Chen Xiao. “You’ve gone to such lengths for me, and I don’t even know how to thank you.”

Chen Xiao smiled warmly. “Being able to do this for you already makes me happy. You don’t need to thank me.”

Then he suddenly remembered something. “Why don’t you tell me about your past, big brother? You know all about my background, it’s pretty simple. But I’m really curious about yours.”