Feng Shui Chapter 144: Three Circles

The royal garden covered a vast area, with a lake, pavilions over the water, artificial hills, and dense woods. Although they called it a "lake." It was actually more like a large pond. Due to the disruption of the groundwater layer, the water level had dropped by over a meter.

This garden served as the royal family’s summer retreat, and the buildings were constructed to palace standards, lavish and ornate. Since Shen Yonghe had designated the place for Chen Xiao and his companions to stay, he had people clean and prepare it in advance, leaving behind a number of servants to attend to their needs.

Chen Xiao had once lived in the City Lord’s manor in Hanshan City and had also stayed in the grand estates of powerful clans. Now, surrounded by servants and living in such comfort, he remained calm and composed, no longer fazed by luxury or deference.

Initially, Shen Yonghe had wanted him to reside in the main hall, but Chen Xiao declined politely. He instead chose a palace set slightly farther back, second only to the main residence. As the palace was spacious and had many rooms, the four of them decided to stay together there.

On the first day after they moved in, three officials from the Capital Prefecture came to pay a visit. Chen Xiao received them in the main hall. The three officials were the chief and deputy administrators of the Capital Prefecture and the commander of the city guard. The deputy administrators were surnamed Liu and Zheng, while the city guard commander was surnamed Long.

Deputy Liu was a high-level cultivator, already advanced in years; he looked to be around sixty. He brought with him a detailed map of the northern part of the city, especially of the sunken area.

“Immortal Master Chen, I thought you might find this useful, so I took the liberty of bringing it." he said.

Chen Xiao replied, “Deputy Liu, you’re too polite. My cultivation is modest, I don’t deserve the title of ‘Immortal Master.’ Just call me Master Chen.”

Deputy Liu nodded. “Very well, Master Chen. May I ask if you have any specific requirements for the backfilling plan?”

Chen Xiao’s expression turned serious. “First and foremost, the base of the pit and the surrounding structures need to be reinforced. Earth-element spells should be sufficient for this, right?”

Deputy Liu answered without hesitation, “That won’t be a problem. I’ll immediately dispatch cultivators with earth-element spiritual roots. It should take just two or three days to complete the reinforcement.”

Chen Xiao let out a breath of relief. “Good. In my previous life, filling such a pit would have required all kinds of modern equipment. Here, I can only marvel that while the methods of the immortals aren’t truly all-powerful, they come quite close.” He added, “After backfilling, the surface must be leveled and compacted.”

He unfolded the map and studied it for a moment, then said to the three men, “Additionally, I’ll need the buildings around the pit demolished and rebuilt. That involves relocation and resettlement, so I’ll have to trouble the two deputies of the Capital Prefecture to handle those arrangements.”

Deputy Liu and Deputy Director Zheng were briefly stunned, then responded together, “Master Chen is too polite. That’s our duty.”

Deputy Liu continued, “If you could provide us with a list, we can begin preparations early.”

Chen Xiao paused in thought, then said, “Please have the Capital Prefecture start gathering bluestone slabs and mortar from the market. I plan to build a plaza over the backfilled area.”

At this, Shen Yanxing, who had been sitting quietly to the side, asked, “Teacher, are we not going to rebuild residential houses here? Once the pit is reinforced with earth-element spells, it won’t collapse again. In fact, it should be the safest area in the city now.”

Chen Xiao shook his head. “The reinforcement only addresses the symptoms, not the root cause. The stabilization will only affect the layers disturbed during the magical duel. If we don’t resolve the issue with the underground water table beneath it, then when that dries up, the entire area will still begin to sink again.”

Shen Yanxing’s expression fell. He pressed on, unwilling to give up. “Is there truly no way, Teacher?”

Chen Xiao said to him, “Yanxing, in feng shui, haste leads to ruin. If I haven’t come up with a foolproof solution, I won’t act rashly, nor speak prematurely.”

Shen Yanxing’s face grew solemn. “Understood, Teacher.”

Chen Xiao looked at him with satisfaction. “But don’t worry, I will do my best to save your hometown. Otherwise, wouldn’t that shake your faith in learning feng shui?”

Shen Yanxing’s eyes immediately lit up. Chen Xiao’s words implied that he did have some ideas on how to resolve the sinkhole crisis. It was just that, out of caution, he wouldn’t share them until he was fully confident.

After a few more words with Shen Yanxing, Chen Xiao turned to Deputy Liu. “How many households are in this district?”

Deputy Liu had just reviewed the records that morning. He answered promptly, “Including the dozen or so homes swallowed by the sinkhole, there are ninety-eight households in total.”

“Ninety-eight…” Chen Xiao frowned slightly. After a moment of thought, he asked, “May I keep this map?”

Deputy Liu replied, “Of course. It was brought here for your use.”

Chen Xiao nodded, then turned to Commander Long. “During this period, I’ll need the city guard to maintain order in that neighborhood. Don’t let petty thieves take advantage of the situation. If any anxious families want to go back for their belongings, do your best to calm them. Tell them to wait until after the pit is filled and the plaza is built. They’ll have time to retrieve valuables before the buildings are torn down and rebuilt.”

Commander Long thumped his chest and replied in a loud voice, “Rest assured, Master Chen, no one will get through on my watch.” He was especially grateful to Chen Xiao. Thanks to him, the city guard had earned praise both from the public and higher-ups. Now, whenever commoners spoke of them, it was with admiration for their swift response and the lives they saved.

Though they were cultivators and didn’t particularly rely on public favor, being respected still felt far better than being ignored. What’s more, in the capital, the words of the city guard now carried more weight than ever.

Deputy Director Zheng, who was in charge of finance, asked at this moment, “Once the houses are torn down, will the residents be given funds to rebuild them on their own? Or will the government reconstruct them and return the houses afterward?”

Chen Xiao replied matter-of-factly, “Of course the Capital Prefecture will organize cultivators to handle the rebuilding. Once the houses are completed, the residents will move back in.”

Liu and Zheng exchanged glances. While they had expected the labor and material costs to be high, what truly surprised them was how readily Chen Xiao proposed using cultivators for such mundane work, rebuilding houses for ordinary civilians!

Deputy Director Zheng looked troubled and said, “Can’t the Capital Prefecture simply offer higher wages and hire idle laborers in the city to do the construction?” At this time of year, right between the end of winter and the start of spring, many laborers were looking for work. If the prefecture posted an announcement, it would immediately draw a crowd of willing hands.

Chen Xiao looked at him seriously and said, “The reason I insist on cultivators is because of their extraordinary abilities. Only cultivators can complete the reconstruction of an entire district in a short amount of time. No matter how strong mortal laborers are, they just don’t have that capability.”

Deputy Director Zheng understood the logic, but he also knew that in Jin City, having cultivators rebuild houses for commoners was entirely unprecedented. He had no idea how to even begin processing such a request.

Seeing the dazed look in his eyes, Chen Xiao thought for a moment and decided to explain from a different angle. “The new houses will be rebuilt in a very specific arrangement. When completed, the entire district and plaza will form a feng shui array. It’s like constructing a formation, it must be precise down to the last inch. I can’t trust ordinary people with something so exact. Only cultivators can handle it.”

At that, Deputy Director Zheng immediately put on a look of realization and even added, “If that’s the case, then we truly can’t afford any mistakes. In that case, I’ll arrange for someone well-versed in formations to oversee the entire reconstruction.”

Chen Xiao nodded. “Handle it however you need to, but just make sure the houses are completed as quickly as possible. The sooner they’re finished, the sooner the feng shui array will be established. Only then will the district finally be at peace.”

Deputy Director Zheng solemnly accepted the task, as if a great weight had been placed on his shoulders. He gave Chen Xiao his word and vowed to begin arrangements immediately upon returning, even if it meant exhausting all resources to complete the district’s reconstruction within a month.

Once the three men each went off to fulfill their respective duties, Shen Yanxing approached Chen Xiao and asked in a low voice, “Master, what you said just now, was it true? That only cultivators can construct buildings according to feng shui principles?”

Brother Chen Xiao don't want his disciple to form the wrong impression, so he told him the truth. “Not necessarily. I only said that to give Deputy Director Zheng a proper excuse, one that would ease his conscience about using cultivators for the task.”

Seeing Shen Yanxing’s eyes widen in disbelief, Chen Xiao coughed lightly and added with a solemn expression, “The faster we rebuild the houses, the sooner the displaced residents can return home. When arranging something like this, we mustn’t overlook the details. You must understand, every day spent outside is a hardship for those who have lost everything.”

Shen Yanxing immediately looked at him with admiration. “So Master was doing it all for the sake of the people.”

Chen Xiao replied gently, “Yanxing, remember this: as a feng shui master, you must never treat human lives lightly. Never regard ordinary people as expendable. Do not act solely for your own convenience at the expense of righteousness. Always think carefully before you act, and leave no hidden dangers behind. Never do anything to the extreme, always leave a margin, as it may turn out to be your only chance at redemption.”

These were the words Fang Gu had told him after he’d recovered, when they revisited the once-abandoned mountain village ruined by Chen Xiao’s rashness.

Although the villagers had since been relocated to a newly developed tourist town adjacent to the ancient Great Wall, formed by merging several displaced villages, and now made their living running farm inns, it was still a forced departure from their homeland, and not everyone welcomed the change.

Shen Yanxing, seeing the sincerity in Chen Xiao’s tone, said earnestly, “I will never forget Master’s teachings.”

Chen Xiao patted him on the shoulder with a satisfied smile, then added, “Of course, I wasn’t completely bluffing with Deputy Director Zheng. While the plaza is meant to dispel the baleful energy, the danger is still brewing. As long as the ominous energy continues to fester, the plaza alone won’t be enough. The houses must be rebuilt to form a supporting structure and complete the formation.”

Shen Yanxing, intrigued, asked, “Master, I’m really curious now, what exactly will the plaza look like once it’s completed? And how will the houses work with it to form a feng shui array?”

Chen Xiao smiled knowingly. “I knew you’d ask.” He walked over to the table, took out a brush from his storage case, dipped it in tea, unrolled a map, and began drawing.

First, he drew a circle. Then a smaller circle inside it. Finally, a larger circle around the original.

As Shen Yanxing looked at the three concentric circles, he was baffled. What on earth did this mean?