Feng Shui Chapter 118: The Rising Hu Family

The eldest son of the Hu family was named Hu Qingzhi, the second son Hu Qinglu, and the third son Hu Qingyun. Just from their names alone, one could tell what expectations the old city lord had for his sons.

Although the old city lord’s talent was only average, he first encountered a fortunate opportunity that allowed him to establish the family. Later, he allied with the right patron house and gradually built their family into a prestigious clan. In the end, he rose even higher and was granted the title of City Lord of Jin City.

The Hu family was a rising noble house, but its foundation was still somewhat lacking. The old city lord deeply hoped that one of his sons would cultivate to a high level and take charge of the family’s affairs. Among the three sons, the youngest had the best talent, so naturally, the greatest hopes were pinned on him. The old lord always thought that regardless of whether the eldest or the second son became city lord, they would be burdened with managing family and city affairs. Hu Qingyun could then focus solely on cultivation, undistracted by worldly matters, dedicating himself entirely to becoming an immortal. When the time came, after he succeeded, he could support and guide his two elder brothers in their cultivation. Wouldn’t that be better than having the two older brothers stumble through life, uncertain of the path?

However, although the three sons knew their father’s expectations, they did not fully agree.

The eldest son was favored for being born first and receiving the most training. He worked hard and was now approaching the completion of the Golden Core stage, about to break through to Nascent Soul. But Hu Qingzhi himself knew that his immortal path was bleak, his talent limited, and whether he could break through was still uncertain. Unless he had a lucky encounter like his father, most of his remaining years would be spent in seclusion and trials, searching for opportunities.

Having grown accustomed to a dignified but constrained life, he did not want to spend his remaining days facing repeated setbacks. Becoming city lord, ruling over a city, was a comfortable retirement plan in his eyes.

The second son was less favored than the eldest and received the fewest resources. His cultivation talent was the worst; he had been stuck at the ninth level of Foundation Establishment for a long time, unable to break into the Golden Core. He was honest and hardworking, managing most of the family’s daily affairs. He was like a model worker in the cultivation world, going wherever he was needed. Though his cultivation and talent were inferior to his brothers’, he held the majority of the Hu family’s management power and his voice was no less important.

Hu Qinglu was especially skilled at handling affairs and confident in this ability. He believed the city lord title should rightfully be his and reckoned only under his leadership could the Hu family thrive and grow stronger in Jin City.

The youngest son was the youngest of five children and had always been favored. His spiritual root talent was the best among the siblings. Both the old city lord and his wife often privately gave him various good resources. The family even spent a great deal to acquire the most suitable cultivation method for him. He progressed the fastest and had already surpassed the second brother, Hu Qinglu. His early Golden Core cultivation was only a few small levels behind the eldest brother, Hu Qingzhi.

Hu Qingyun’s desire to become city lord was neither for enjoyment nor ambition. He knew his two elder brothers were somewhat jealous of his talent and smooth immortal path. Whoever became city lord would not keep their promise to give him the best resources. So he thought it better to be city lord himself, directly controlling the city’s resources would be more convenient.

That all three sons wanted to be the city lord, was the intelligence Chen Xiao had secretly gathered in recent days, with Xi Yunqing helping him analyze. So Chen Xiao had long set his sights on these three, prepared for one of them to approach him. He just hadn’t expected the youngest son’s subordinate to be the quickest and smartest to find him.

Although Chen Xiao was surprised, he kept a calm expression. During their conversation, he had learned the subordinate’s surname was Hong. Chen Xiao then slowly asked, “Supervisor Hong, I understand what you mean. But today, who do you represent in coming here?”

This question hit the core: was Hong acting on his own, or representing Hu Qingyun? Did Hu Qingyun even know about this? These were all important questions.

Supervisor Hong was momentarily at a loss.

He had only heard rumors circulating in Jin City and thought no matter how capable this feng shui master was, he should try to win him over before the other two young masters did. His original plan was to test Chen Xiao; if Chen was truly capable, then report back to Hu Qingyun. If not, just abandon the matter and let others deal with it.

Therefore, Hu Qingyun was unaware of this visit, and Hong had no authority to represent his master’s will. This request was completely unauthorized, he had overstepped.

Chen Xiao didn’t need Hong to speak; his expression revealed everything. Chen Xiao said knowingly, “In that case, you should report to your master first and confirm his intentions before proceeding. Next time you come, Supervisor Hong, I will receive you properly.” With that, Chen Xiao raised his teacup and politely ended the meeting.

Supervisor Hong felt both regret and shame. His earlier arrogant and picky attitude had fully revealed his insincerity. Not only did he lose face himself, but he also caused his master’s impression to drop significantly in front of these two.

Hong then stood straight and bowed solemnly. “I was disrespectful this time. May I ask where you reside? I will send an official invitation to apologize in person.”

Chen Xiao gave an address. After understanding the location, Hong became even more respectful. After another bow, he took his leave. Once outside, he promptly paid the bill for Chen Xiao’s consumption and the private room fee. He even asked the shop to send rare tea and fruit for Chen Xiao and Xi Yunqing to sample.

After the items were delivered, Chen Xiao didn’t touch them. He only glanced at them and said to Xi Yunqing, “Brother, let’s head back. No need to go out again. We’ll just wait for Hu Qingyun to come to us personally.”

Xi Yunqing asked, “Why? No more waiting for others?”

They had done a lot of investigation these days. Many were eager to advance, including scattered cultivators and noble families. They were all potential clients. If Chen Xiao took them all, his cultivation might improve significantly.

Chen Xiao smiled. “I don’t want to get too entangled. Just handle feng shui on the sidelines. No need to get dragged deeper. The more people I deal with, sooner or later I’ll have to pick sides. I’ve already caught the biggest fish. Those small fry can be discarded. Choosing one has its benefits. After completing the feng shui, I can just be an onlooker. Even the old city lord can’t do anything to me. But if I help everyone, in the end, if I accidentally offend someone, the old city lord won’t blame his sons but will take it out on me, someone who seems to play both sides. I might even be labeled a troublemaker.”

Throughout feng shui history, unlucky folks who got caught up and implicated were countless. Even those mixed in at court had bad endings. Someone like Chen Xiao, who had only dealt with officials at the department level, wasn’t going to court death willingly.

After waiting two days at home, a servant came to report that two people had delivered invitations requesting an audience.

Chen Xiao and Xi Yunqing exchanged glances. Chen Xiao took the invitations and saw only Supervisor Hong’s name written on one. Chen Xiao smiled faintly, “Looks like Hu Qingyun is still somewhat cautious.” Being cautious was good, if he were reckless, Chen Xiao might not have been willing to help him.

Xi Yunqing told the servant, “Please ask the two guests to wait in the main hall. Tell them we will be there shortly.”