Feng Shui Chapter 143: A Royal Plea

Chen Xiao was startled and rushed to fling open the door.

“What did you say?! When did this happen? How big is the sinkhole?”

Beside him, Xi Yunqing also moved swiftly out of the room, standing still as he looked at the pale and shaken Shen Yanxing.

Shen Yanxing had no time to wonder why his teacher had come out of his uncle’s room so late at night. He quickly explained, “It just happened. I was being scolded by my father, my royal uncle was there too. My father was berating me for deploying troops to the northern district without reporting first, and Uncle was defending me when someone rushed in with news.

“They said a sudden collapse occurred in the northern district. A huge sinkhole opened up, swallowing more than ten homes and everyone inside, casualties are severe. The city guards stationed nearby have already started rescue efforts. When I ran out, my father was assigning more manpower to the site.”

Chen Xiao made a quick decision. “I’m going to the scene.”

Shen Yanxing nodded immediately. “That’s why I came to get you, Teacher. The capital is under curfew now, no one without an official pass is allowed outside.”

Chen Xiao paused and turned to Xi Yunqing. “Are you coming, Brother?”

Xi Yunqing met his gaze and replied, “Of course. I’ll go with you.”

Chen Xiao felt reassured and followed Shen Yanxing, who had already broken into a run.

By now, the news of the sinkhole had spread to the inn. The innkeeper and staff stood at the doorway, faces grim, peering into the night. Residents on the street had come out to see what was going on. If not for the city guards racing through the streets shouting “Curfew!” many would have already made their way toward the northern district to see the disaster for themselves.

Chen Xiao nodded inwardly, at least the city’s response was swift. During rescue efforts, the last thing one needed was unrelated people milling about and causing chaos.

Shen Yanxing, in his hurry, had brought only a single scaled horse. Chen Xiao and Xi Yunqing simply relied on their movement techniques to travel, and they weren’t any slower than the horse.

From a distance, Chen Xiao could already see the neighborhood he had visited just yesterday was now cordoned off. The cries of frightened women and children rang in his ears. Residents were being evacuated. Faced with such a sudden catastrophe, how could ordinary citizens not be terrified?

Several massive floodlights, powered by spiritual pearls and normally used only for royal outdoor banquets, had been brought in from the palace. The milky white glow lit up the disaster site like daylight.

In this illumination, Chen Xiao saw many people still dressed in undergarments, some barefoot in cloth shoes. Noticing his gaze lingering on them, Shen Yanxing quickened his pace on the scaled horse, found someone who looked like a squad captain, and asked a few questions.

He returned shortly after. “My father is worried the collapse will expand, so he ordered the evacuation of everyone in the area.”

Chen Xiao said in a low voice, “Your father acted promptly. But it’s cold tonight, and many of these people have no warm clothes. Has anyone arranged shelter for them?”

In his previous life, nations had detailed emergency plans. During crises, schools and parks would be converted into shelters, stocked with food and supplies. As long as people stayed there, they didn’t have to worry about food, water, or warmth, they’d even be provided with blankets and clothes.

But if the authorities only evacuated the residents without arranging shelter, food, or warm clothing, the displaced would surely fall ill, or worse, die from exposure and hunger.

Shen Yanxing froze. Clearly, he hadn’t considered that. He quickly turned back to the captain, exchanged a few urgent words, and the man ran off to report to his superiors.

Panting slightly, Shen Yanxing returned. “Thank you, Teacher. If not for your reminder, we’d be facing public outrage soon. I’ve asked some of the noble families nearby to open their martial practice halls for shelter. The city will send supplies shortly.”

With Shen Yanxing leading the way, no one stopped Chen Xiao and Xi Yunqing. Zhou Zheng had arrived earlier and led them up to a high vantage point near the sinkhole.

From the rooftop of an empty house, Chen Xiao surveyed the scene below with a grave expression. The sinkhole was massive, an oval-shaped crater, roughly thirty meters across at its narrowest, and fifty to sixty meters wide at its broadest. Despite the bright lights, the bottom couldn’t be seen.

He turned to Zhou Zheng. “How deep is the pit? Is there water at the bottom?”

Zhou Zheng now looked at Chen Xiao with newfound respect. After all, Chen Xiao had warned of the potential collapse just earlier that day, and now it had actually happened.

“The sinkhole is over twenty meters deep." Zhou Zheng replied respectfully. “The bottom is uneven, there’s no water at the high spots, but some moisture is seeping out of the lower soil layers.”

A fall from that height, with houses and people, left little chance for survival. Chen Xiao frowned, heart heavy, watching the city guards still digging and searching below. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret. If only I’d noticed earlier and given a warning, maybe those lives could’ve been saved.

But he also knew that was wishful thinking. Even if he had spoken up, the Shen royal family wouldn’t have easily agreed to evacuate an entire district without solid proof.

With a quiet sigh, Chen Xiao asked, “Is the structure down there stable? We can’t afford another collapse that would injure the rescue teams.”

“Rest assured, Master Chen." Zhou Zheng said. “His Majesty personally inspected the site. The soil layers appear firm enough for now. No sign of instability.”

After a brief pause, he added, “Before you arrived, I reported your earlier discovery to the King.”

Chen Xiao was taken aback for a moment, then gave a slight nod. “Understood.”

Chen Xiao had originally intended to go down and take a look, but seeing the City Guards busily clearing rubble and digging up corpses, he gave up on the idea.

In just a short while of watching, seven bodies were already excavated from the bottom of the pit. The scene was tragic and gruesome. Both Chen Xiao and Shen Yanxing turned pale, their stomachs churning.

Just as Chen Xiao was about to leave, Shen Yonghe appeared. With his status, he wouldn’t normally need to attend such a scene in person. But this was the first disaster to occur since the founding of the dynasty, especially one that had struck so close to the capital. Shen Yonghe had no choice but to come and assess the situation himself, worried it might pose a threat to the palace’s security.

Shen Yongqing was also present, along with several other officials. Among them, Chen Xiao thought he glimpsed a familiar face. When he looked closer, he was surprised to see the former City Lord of Jin City.

Upon spotting Chen Xiao nearby, Shen Yonghe quickly made his way over. When he reached him, he raised his hand in a formal salute. Chen Xiao was taken aback and hurried to return the gesture.

“Your Majesty, such courtesy is too much for someone like me," he said.

Shen Yonghe replied, “If not for Master Chen’s warning, my son would not have made the necessary preparations in advance. Today’s disaster could have been far worse.”

Only then did Chen Xiao learn that aside from the corpses now being unearthed, several others had been rescued from collapsed buildings by City Guards who arrived promptly when the ground first gave way. Hearing this brought him a sense of relief, at least some lives had been saved.

Shen Yonghe offered another bow, this time too swift for Chen Xiao to stop. Chen Xiao said helplessly, “If Your Majesty has something to say, please speak directly. There’s no need for such formality, I can’t bear it.”

“Master Chen is more than worthy of it." Shen Yonghe said. “I’ve heard that you’ve reached a conclusion, predicting that a ground collapse would occur in the capital. On behalf of the Shen royal family, I earnestly implore Master Chen to lend your aid in saving the people of this city.”

Chen Xiao frowned slightly. “The only reason I could foresee this disaster was due to my understanding of geomancy and Feng Shui. But seeing the signs and resolving the problem are two very different things. I’m still young and inexperienced, I dare not guarantee I can prevent the capital from succumbing to this calamity.”

Shen Yonghe looked disappointed. “Even Master Chen is uncertain… Does that mean the Shen royal family’s only option is to relocate the capital?”

One of the officials behind him stepped forward and advised, “Your Majesty, moving the capital would exhaust the people and drain our resources. It could even destabilize the nation. Unless there is truly no other choice, we must not act rashly.”

Chen Xiao understood perfectly. Whether or not the nation itself would be shaken was unclear, but the Shen royal family would certainly suffer a great loss of strength. It might not spell total ruin, but it would take decades to recover. Even more damaging than the loss of vitality would be the blow to royal prestige, something that centuries of effort might not restore.

Helping those in urgent need and warding off disaster is the duty of a Feng Shui master. Chen Xiao said, “Your Majesty need not be too anxious. While I currently have no means of fully resolving the collapse, I do have a method to delay it. This method can stabilize the ground below and prevent any further collapse in the short term. That would buy us time, whether to find a true solution or to prepare for relocation, it can be done calmly and in order.”

Shen Yonghe was overjoyed. “Whatever solution Master Chen has, please share it.”

“My method will require manpower and materials." Chen Xiao said, “and I’ll also need Your Majesty’s full cooperation.”

“Just say the word." Shen Yonghe said solemnly. “The Shen royal family will go through fire and water if necessary.”

Chen Xiao smiled. “There’s no need for your royal kin to go through fire and water, only that the City Guards work a little harder. The most important thing is to clear this large pit as soon as possible and begin refilling it. What I need is for this entire block to be redeveloped according to my design.”

“Consider it done." Shen Yonghe agreed without hesitation. He turned to the capital’s acting officials and commanded, “Officials of the Capital Prefecture, hear me! While Master Chen is overseeing the redevelopment of this area, everyone in the Prefecture and the City Guard must give their full cooperation. No delays or disobedience will be tolerated!”

Three officials immediately stepped forward from the ranks and bowed. “We hear and obey.”

They spent the whole night at the edge of the pit discussing plans. It wasn’t until dawn that Chen Xiao and Xi Yunqing returned to the inn. As soon as they arrived, Tong Nuonuo and Tang Ru came out to greet them.

“What happened to you two?” Chen Xiao asked in surprise. Both of them had been secluded, one in closed-door cultivation, the other recovering from injuries, and rarely left their rooms.

Tong Nuonuo said, “I heard something happened in the north of the city and that you were summoned. I wanted to see if I could help. But there’s a curfew outside, and the City Guards won't let me on the streets.”

Tang Ru nodded. “The pit collapse startled everyone in the inn. Many feared the disaster might spread this way. Naturally, I heard about it too, how could I stay at ease and continue healing?”

Chen Xiao gave a small smile. “For now, it won’t spread to this area. But your timing is perfect, we’re moving. His Majesty Shen has given us a new place to stay: one of the royal gardens. I’ve visited before, but I’ve never had the chance to live there.”

Xi Yunqing, standing beside him, glanced over. When had Xiao ever visited a royal garden? He’d been an ordinary person before, when they first met, he was just a clerk at an antique shop.

Unknowingly, Chen Xiao had let something from his past life slip out. But since Xi Yunqing always kept his doubts to himself, Chen Xiao remained unaware of his own slip.

Shen Yanxing had arranged for a carriage to take them to the royal garden. He had also brought some of his own things and moved in as well, saying it was to stay close to his teacher and learn from him. This time, he came with full permission, Shen Yonghe’s small banquets had ceased, and no one would pressure him to attend again.