Feng Shui Chapter 122: Shen Yanxing

“These are two fellow Daoists I met during my training. I wouldn’t dare disturb Elder Brother’s quiet cultivation." Hu Qingyun said lightly.

Hu Qingzhi smiled, his eyes briefly scanning Chen Xiao before lingering on Xi Yunqing. After a moment, he said, “In that case, little brother, I’ll take you both on a proper tour of the City Lord’s residence.” Then, in a reproachful tone aimed at Hu Qingyun, he added, “Father has high hopes for you. Don’t waste your thoughts on trivial matters. Train diligently and don’t let him down.”

With those loaded words left hanging in the air, Hu Qingzhi nodded in farewell to the two visitors and walked past them.

Whether his words were deliberately pointed or a thinly veiled reprimand to Chen Xiao and company, Hu Qingyun was visibly annoyed, his expression darkening. When he turned back to face Chen Xiao and Xi Yunqing, his face relaxed slightly. “Master Chen, is there anywhere else you need to inspect?”

Chen Xiao replied, “I’ve finished my inspection and can now present a plan to you, Young Master Hu.”

“Already?” Hu Qingyun was first surprised, then pleased. “Please, Master Chen, go ahead.”

The interior walls of Hu Qingyun’s residence needed to be knocked down and rebuilt to allow multiple entrances and exits, creating a layout of a large courtyard surrounding a smaller one. Outside, the pond and the forest path also posed some obstacles. The path was easy enough to reroute, but the pond was more problematic. Since the house couldn’t be moved, a screen wall had to be added at the courtyard gate facing the pond. Additionally, the space between the pond and the gate shouldn’t be left empty, it was best to transplant some plants and shrubs to form a natural barrier.

After explaining the blockages both inside and outside and the proposed solutions, Chen Xiao looked at Hu Qingyun, waiting for his decision.

Hu Qingyun furrowed his brow, while Manager Hong whispered quietly, “Young Master, now’s not the time to hesitate.”

Slowly, Hu Qingyun nodded, “Alright, I’ll follow through with all of it.” If anything, others might think he was being capricious or meddlesome, but his father wouldn’t care about a few walls torn down, some flowers and trees added, or a path moved.

They returned to the house, where Chen Xiao pointed out the exact locations he had calculated. “This spot will be beneficial to you. However, the right Feng Shui talisman is hard to find, you’ll need to search for one.”

Hu Qingyun asked, “What kind of talisman would be suitable?”

Without hesitation, Chen Xiao said, “A Dragon God Seat. When you set up a desk here, place the Dragon God Seat in the upper left corner. This talisman suppresses enemies and neutralizes bad influences. It enhances power and authority, especially fitting for someone of your status, Young Master Hu. The effect will be even stronger.”

Working at the antique street had taught Chen Xiao that in this world there were legends of divine beasts, with the dragon being one of the most revered. Ordinary animals who cultivated became demons, while fierce beasts born powerful from the start eventually evolved into divine beasts. Various divine beast artifacts, though mostly decorative, could under certain circumstances generate an energy field themselves and become talismans.

Collecting a Dragon God Seat wouldn’t be too difficult for Hu Qingyun, but Chen Xiao would still need to identify which ones were truly suitable Feng Shui talismans.

At first, they were optimistic and thought the task would be simple. But after Hu Qingyun finished renovating both inside and outside the residence, they still hadn’t found the right Dragon God Seat.

One day, Hu Qingyun invited Chen Xiao and Xi Yunqing to a private room at a tavern to look over a bunch of Dragon God Seat ornaments. One was a proud, majestic dragon with its head raised, tail swaying, perched on a base. These were the basic models, but each varied slightly based on the creator’s craftsmanship, some held pearls, some played with them, others were adorned with swirling clouds.

Chen Xiao sighed, “These still won’t do.”

Hu Qingyun looked disappointed. Manager Hong suggested, “Does it have to be a talisman? If not, maybe a craftsman could forge one.”

Chen Xiao shook his head, “A Feng Shui talisman must be an object blessed by its energy field, not just any ordinary talisman. These Dragon God Seats all have potential, they only need long-term exposure to the right energy, or someone to perform a blessing. Feng Shui is an absolute art, and I’m powerless to perform such blessings myself. Young Master Hu will have to find a Dragon God Seat that has naturally formed its energy field over time.”

Wiping his brow, Hu Qingyun nodded, “I understand. These aren’t old enough. I’ll find some more ancient ones, preferably related to immortals or rare antiques.”

“That’s the right direction." Chen Xiao agreed. “For ordinary people, these Dragon God Seats are sufficient. But cultivators require talismans with an energy field. If you can’t find the right Dragon God Seat, your only option is to make Mei Hua coins yourself and carry them on your person. Once they’ve absorbed your energy, you can place them in your desk drawer. But this method is time-consuming and less effective than a Dragon God Seat.”

Hu Qingyun naturally wanted the best effect and was running out of time. Without delay, he left with Manager Hong, leaving the useless Dragon God Seats behind in the private room. Chen Xiao gathered them all up and stored them away for future use.

The pressing urgency in Hu Qingyun’s demeanor began to affect Chen Xiao as well. He didn’t want to fail Hu Qingyun’s task just because they hadn’t found a suitable Dragon God Seat.

So Chen Xiao decided to visit the Cultural Street in Jin City to see if he could find one there. This street was lined with shops selling brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, calligraphy, paintings, and antiques. Although it wasn’t as concentrated a hub as the Antique Street where Taxue Xunxian was located, it still had a rich atmosphere and attracted many antique enthusiasts.

Walking down the street, Chen Xiao couldn’t help but recall his days working as a clerk back in Dai Kingdom. Xi Yunqing glanced at Chen Xiao, his eyes softening, who would have thought the two of them would end up traveling together like this?

Actually, Hu Qingyun had already combed through all the shops on Cultural Street. Chen Xiao also checked them one by one but found nothing new. Standing inside a high-end antique store, Chen Xiao suddenly felt a faint breeze sweep past his feet. That surprised him, it was indoors, so how could there be wind? Unless it was the collision of energy fields stirring up an air current.

With his elder brother nearby, only someone at the Out-of-Body stage could cause such a reaction, or it had to be a magical artifact imbued with an energy field.

This thought sparked an idea in Chen Xiao’s mind. He quickly turned his head toward the shop entrance, where the clerk was attending to two customers who had just come in. The man leading them was young, maybe in his twenties. He had a refined, scholarly air and wore a chestnut-colored robe tied with a plain belt, a fabric only affordable to cultivators. Behind him was a sturdy, imposing man in his thirties, with sharp eyes full of fierce energy.

At that moment, Chen Xiao felt an odd sense of déjà vu. This scene looked very familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before. Suddenly it dawned on him, the two men resembled the way he and Du Rong had once disguised themselves as noble scions traveling as master and servant. Back then, it had been a ruse; now, these were genuine noble scions out on a journey.

Chen Xiao fixed his gaze on the two men at the door, drawing the attention of the fierce-looking man. Their eyes locked; Xi Yunqing’s imposing aura immediately pushed back, causing the man to hesitate and temper his hostility. The man whispered something in the younger man’s ear, who looked surprised and glanced toward Chen Xiao. Chen Xiao nodded in greeting.

The younger man hesitated briefly, then approached with his obvious bodyguard trailing behind. He gave a polite bow and said, “I didn’t expect to meet you here in Jin City so soon, what a fortunate coincidence. I am Shen Yanxing, and this is my guard, Zhou Zheng. May I ask your names?”

Chen Xiao smiled and introduced himself, then introduced Xi Yunqing.

Shen Yanxing replied courteously, “So it’s Immortal Master Chen and Immortal Master Xi.”

Chen Xiao found it a bit novel to be addressed as “Immortal Master.” As they drew closer, the energy radiating from Shen Yanxing became more distinct, occasionally colliding with Xi Yunqing’s powerful aura, creating sharp ripples.

Chen Xiao’s eyes caught a flawless white jade pendant hanging from Shen Yanxing’s waist. With his keen eyesight, he immediately recognized it as a coiled dragon jade pendant. However, in this region, it wasn’t called a coiled dragon pendant but a Divine Dragon Beast Jade Pendant.

Chen Xiao felt like he had struck gold without effort. Though they hadn’t found the Dragon God Seat, here was the Divine Dragon Beast Pendant.

He said, “Shen Gongzi, that jade pendant you carry, it must be an ancient relic. Pure white jade without a flaw, exquisite carving, and steeped in an old-world style. It must surely be the work of a master artisan…”

Xi Yunqing looked on as if Chen Xiao was speaking a foreign language. Chen Xiao, drawing on what he’d learned about antiques, went on to lavish praise on the pendant in rich detail.

Shen Yanxing blushed and beamed with pride. As a jade and antique enthusiast, it was rare to meet someone with such a deep understanding of jade, so he gladly took off the pendant and handed it over for Chen Xiao to examine.

According to Shen Yanxing, the pendant was over a thousand years old, carved from premium jade nugget material. The pendant felt warm to the touch, with intricate carvings of a dragon beast so vivid it seemed alive. Shen Yanxing often handled it, feeling its cooling warmth in summer and comforting heat in winter, a truly fine piece.

Chen Xiao carefully studied the Divine Dragon Beast Pendant. It already emanated its own stable energy field and could be considered a feng shui talisman.

Shen Yanxing planned to stay in Jin City for a while and wasn’t staying in a cultivator’s inn but had rented a courtyard at the city’s largest guesthouse. He invited Chen Xiao to visit whenever he was in the capital, promising even more precious collectibles at home.

After they parted, Chen Xiao was quite pleased. “This is great. We finally found a substitute talisman. We just need to craft a stand and place it in the right spot to form the feng shui formation.”

Xi Yunqing finally understood Chen Xiao’s enthusiastic attitude and felt the weight he’d been carrying lift. He smiled and said, “I thought you just liked jade a lot.”

Chen Xiao replied, “Well, I do like it somewhat. Now let’s get this good news to Hu Qingyun and have him try to buy the pendant from Shen Gongzi.”

Since Shen Yanxing had quite a collection of jade pieces, and this pendant was obviously his favorite, it would depend on Hu Qingyun’s ability to persuade him to part with it.