Feng Shui Chapter 139: Feng Shui Stone

This contraption wasn’t just impressive in Chen Xiao’s eyes, even the cultivators from the prestigious clans present understood its significance. When the device was brought onstage, it resembled a satellite receiver: a dish-like canopy facing upward with a base below it. The entire structure was jet-black, except for the dish, which sparkled with silvery dots.

Like everyone else around him, Chen Xiao craned his neck, trying to get a better view. His height had caught up thanks to recent growth, but this was the cultivation world, tall people were everywhere. Unfortunately, the person sitting in front of him was just tall enough to block his view, and they were making the same neck-stretching motion, making it hard for Chen Xiao to see anything.

Noticing Chen Xiao’s frustrated expression, Xi Yunqing found it both amusing and a little pitiful. He gently raised his hand and grasped Chen Xiao’s shoulder, pulling him closer. Caught off guard, Chen Xiao lost his balance and leaned against Xi Yunqing.

“Big Brother?” Chen Xiao looked at him in surprise. Their faces were now close enough for Chen Xiao to see the long, curled lashes framing Xi Yunqing’s eyes. Xi Yunqing seemed slightly taken aback by the proximity as well and paused a moment before saying, “It’s easier to see from here, isn’t it?”

Chen Xiao stiffly nodded. “Thank you, Big Brother.”

Xi Yunqing didn’t say more. Chen Xiao turned his attention back to the stage. With nothing obstructing his line of sight now, he had a perfect view of the platform. But oddly enough, his heart wasn’t in it anymore. His focus had completely shifted to the man right beside him. The warmth and closeness stirred emotions he’d long ignored. Even as he enjoyed the comfort, he had to force those feelings down.

While both of them were distracted, the auctioneer announced the starting bid: 20,000 spirit pearls.

The number shocked Chen Xiao. He quickly straightened up and turned to whisper to Tong Nuonuo, “How many spirit pearls do you still have?”

Tong Nuonuo gave a bitter smile, his round face wrinkled with worry. “All together, not even 18,000.”

Most of those had come from selling white spirit fruit and looting the black-market broker’s stash. Only a small portion came from their adventures and Shen Yonghe’s reward.

Chen Xiao’s expression turned grave. “I still have 2,000 on me, plus a box of spirit stones. Even if we pool it all together, it’s not enough to compete with these clans.”

He hadn’t spent much, his savings had just built up over time. The only major purchase had been a high-quality magical weapon, which had already cost half his total funds.

While they spoke, the bidding had already climbed to 45,000. Chen Xiao and Tong Nuonuo could only sit helplessly, watching the clans flex their wealth. Chen Xiao had assumed smaller Heavenly Realm clans would be poorer, but it turned out they were all quietly loaded.

Next time I do feng shui for these clans, Chen Xiao thought darkly, I’m definitely going to bleed them dry.

Tong Nuonuo whispered, “It can’t be helped. Anyone with a good eye can tell how valuable this is. Among similar devices, this Dragon-Subduing Bone ranks near the top. Big clans and sects often use it for defensive purposes.”

Chen Xiao sighed. In his previous life, even nations that were dead broke would scrape together funds to improve their defenses. Clearly, there was no way they’d be walking away with this item today.

Once the bidding hit 87,000, the pace began to slow. The auction rules required a minimum raise of 500, and now it was inching up gradually.

Xi Yunqing’s brows furrowed slightly. He raised his hand and called out, “90,000 spirit pearls.”

His sudden bid shocked both Chen Xiao and Tong Nuonuo, nearly making them jump out of their seats. Chen Xiao immediately grabbed Xi Yunqing’s arm, trying to pull him back toward him, whispering urgently, “Big Brother, what are you doing?!”

Xi Yunqing looked at him, confused. “Didn’t you really want it?”

Chen Xiao was almost in tears, he wasn’t sure if it was from being touched or terrified. He quickly shook his head. “That price is way too high! It’s not worth it. Nuonuo just wanted to study the mechanisms. Even if I wanted it, I’ve got nowhere to put it. It’d be useless to us right now!”

His words were firm and finally dissuaded Xi Yunqing from throwing money around just to make Chen Xiao happy. Still, Xi Yunqing felt a twinge of regret, and there went his chance to impress... If Chen Xiao ever found out what Xi Yunqing had been planning, he might just fall to his knees in admiration on the spot.

Xi Yunqing didn’t place any further bids, allowing the remaining competitors to breathe a sigh of relief. Without him disrupting the field, the device sold for 105,000 spirit pearls. Any auction item that went over 100,000 came with a free storage pouch. The Dragon-Subduing Bone was packed away and handed directly to the winning bidder by a female attendant.

The second Dragon-Subduing Bone was then brought onstage. Its starting bid was immediately set at 100,000, a time-saving measure, since it was guaranteed to surpass the previous item’s final price anyway.

No one objected. Bidding for the second device was just as fierce. In the end, it went for 110,000 spirit pearls to a middle-aged man seated in the front row.

With the highlight of the auction over, the final item was bought out: a massive stone.

Chen Xiao hadn’t paid attention to its description earlier, but now, listening to the attendant’s explanation, he realized it was once an ornamental stone from a prestigious clan’s courtyard. It stood as tall as a person and wasn’t particularly unusual in shape, but just standing there, it exuded a grandeur like a mountain swallowing the rivers and sky.

However, after the intensity of the previous two rounds, most people had lost interest. The crowd was noticeably less enthusiastic about this ornamental stone.

The auctioneer didn’t mind. The final item after a big-ticket highlight was usually something more laid-back, less valuable, but somewhat unique. It was mostly symbolic, the kind of item you could win with a token bid, or see go unsold without surprise.

Ever since the massive stone was brought out, Chen Xiao hadn’t taken his eyes off it for even a second. Among the entire crowd, he was the only one who could see the steady flow of energy surrounding it. This wasn’t just any ornamental stone, this was clearly a massive “Taishan Stone”!

If the term “Taishan Stone” wasn’t familiar, calling it a Shigandang would make its purpose instantly clear.

Mount Tai, revered as the greatest of all mountains, was considered sacred. Stones from it were believed to have powerful feng shui effects, warding off evil, stabilizing homes, and suppressing negative forces. On top of that, their striking and unusual appearance made them popular collector’s items. Those with wealth or influence, whether private households or entire city streets, would often place one at a road intersection or ominous location to dispel misfortune.

This was the first time Chen Xiao had seen a stone with such vibrant spiritual energy since coming here. As a feng shui ward, its power was extraordinary.

Down below, Chen Xiao was growing a little anxious. Up on stage, the attendant was still slowly going on about how long the stone had stood in a noble family’s courtyard, trying to increase its perceived value. But no matter how much he hyped it up, the crowd remained unmoved, except for Chen Xiao, whose gaze never left the stone.

Seeing this, the attendant gave up on his sales pitch and simply announced, “The starting bid for this ornamental stone is five hundred spirit pearls. Each increase must be at least fifty pearls.”

The price drew incredulous stares from several cultivators of the noble clans. They might be rich, but they weren’t fools. Five hundred spirit pearls could easily buy a complete set of entry-level magical gear. If someone truly wanted a decorative stone, even importing one by waterway from far-off regions would cost far less.

Chen Xiao relaxed once he realized no one else was going to bid. He calmly called out, “Five hundred.” The attendant confirmed multiple times that there were no other offers, then declared Chen Xiao the winner.

One by one, the female attendants began escorting their guests out of the auction hall. Chen Xiao and his group remained behind, they had to collect the stone themselves due to its massive size.

Once the crowd had mostly dispersed, the three of them approached the stage. It was only then that Tong Nuonuo asked, “Where are you planning to put that stone? Do you really like things like this? I don’t think it’s particularly good-looking.”

Chen Xiao chuckled. “I didn’t buy it for decoration. This stone has its own natural energy, it’s a feng shui stone. It’s the first one I’ve ever seen of this size. How could I possibly pass it up?”

Tong Nuonuo finally understood. “Ah, I see.”

“There’s no need to put it anywhere special." Chen Xiao added. “I’ll just keep it with me. Sooner or later, I’m sure it’ll come in handy.”

Still not satisfied, Chen Xiao turned to the attendant and asked, “Where did this stone come from originally? Where was it placed before?”

The question caught the attendant off guard. He had only memorized the prepared script and knew no more than what he had already said on stage.

Unable to answer, the attendant led the three of them to find a supervisor. Thankfully, the manager had some knowledge about it. “This massive stone was said to have been transported from another Sky Realm. It used to sit in the courtyard of a city lord’s manor.”

Chen Xiao couldn’t tell whether the stone had always been innately spiritual, or whether it had gained its energy after being placed in that location. He pressed on, “Was there anything special about the place where it was set? Also, if there were any other stones that came with it, I’d like to see those too.”

The manager thought for a moment, then shook his head. “No, there weren’t any others. The reason I even remember this one is because, apparently, when it was dug up, all the other stones in the courtyard shattered.”

“Oh?” Chen Xiao’s interest was piqued.

Beside him, Xi Yunqing spoke up. “It’s likely that this stone was placed directly over the array’s focal point in the manor. That would explain why the other stones broke when it was removed.”

The manager nodded. “Seems that’s the case.”

So, this stone wasn’t born innately spiritual, it had become a feng shui stone through the accumulation of energy over time. This realization left Chen Xiao a little disappointed.

“Sigh, oh well. It’s still a good find." he consoled himself.

As the group was talking, a sudden commotion erupted. Several aggressive-looking men barged in, pushing Chen Xiao and the others aside as they surrounded the manager with threatening expressions.

One of them shouted, “That Dragon Subduing Bone is seriously defective, it doesn’t work at all! If you don’t give us an explanation, I’m tearing this place down!”

The manager immediately broke into a cold sweat and rushed to calm them down. “Please, immortal masters, don’t be angry! I promise I’ll resolve the matter!”

Chen Xiao looked over and recognized the man, he was the one who had bought the second mechanism for a staggering price of 110,000 spirit pearls. He exchanged a glance with Tong Nuonuo and moved a little closer to listen in.

It turned out that after winning the Dragon Subduing Bone, the man had brought a few friends to test it out. No matter how they tried to activate it, the thing simply wouldn’t respond. Only then did he realize he had spent a fortune on a useless item. Furious, he stormed back with his friends to demand an explanation.

Tong Nuonuo, far from bothered, looked downright excited. He didn’t mind if the mechanism was broken, he was interested in studying it. Whether it worked or not didn’t matter. He was even thinking about taking it off the man’s hands.

But Chen Xiao quickly stopped him, subtly shaking his head and mouthing a warning: Wait. Let them finish dealing with this. Maybe we can buy it later for dirt cheap.