Chapter 162
Chapter 162
Facing the anxious group, I explained further…
The most fundamental way to eliminate fire-form baleforce was naturally to destroy the environmental configuration that created it.
For example…
They could demolish one of the three smokestacks facing the kitchen window.
They could remove the billboard on the street opposite the master bedroom balcony or turn it in another direction.
As for the intersecting roads outside the living room balcony… Uh, there was probably nothing they could do about that!
It was impossible to alter the direction of a road.
Yao Tianlin spoke to me helplessly.
“Young Mr. Wu, removing the billboard across the street or turning it in another direction would be easy enough. My wife could ask someone to handle it, and it wouldn’t do any real harm. But…”
“Those three smokestacks at the foot of the distant mountain probably belong to a brickworks. Without a legitimate reason, we can’t simply demand that one be demolished.”
“As for the roads, they’re even further beyond our power to change. Not even the county magistrate could do anything about them. So, Young Mr. Wu, is there another solution besides moving? This apartment consumed all our savings.”
Although the Yao family was considered wealthy in Lianghe Town, in the late 1990s, they were only modestly affluent. Their assets hadn’t yet ballooned and couldn’t compare at all with the wealthy of later years–or even with their own wealth a decade later!
A large four-bedroom, two-living-room apartment in the area’s most upscale residential compound had essentially exhausted all the savings they had accumulated through years of business.
Moving to another home was clearly out of the question.
His wife, Zhao Jiao, and daughter, Yao Nan, also looked at me pleadingly.
“Please, Deskmate!”
I smiled.
“It isn’t as complicated as you think. There’s another solution. We only need to find certain special materials and fashion them into dragon-turtle figures. Place them like decorative ornaments in the corresponding positions, and the problem will be resolved.”
This was known as Dragon-Turtle Baleforce Suppression!
Not only was it more effective than temporary methods such as hanging copper coins and placing mirrors and bowls of water…
It was also unobtrusive.
The figures could even lend the home an air of wealth and distinction.
It was far more convenient than moving or finding a way to remove the enormous objects creating the form baleforce.
Yao Tianlin was delighted.
He hurriedly asked what special materials were needed to make the dragon-turtle ornaments.
I told him, “The best material is lightning-struck peach wood–a peach tree struck by lightning. Naturally, that’s extremely difficult to find. The next best is fine white jade, followed by crystal. The least desirable material is steel.”
“Steel is already enough to neutralize fire-form baleforce. Better materials naturally provide additional benefits. But the ornaments must be completed within seven days at the latest.”
“The temporary method I just arranged using copper coins, mirrors, and bowls of water will remain effective for only seven days! Once the dragon-turtles are finished, I’ll determine the proper positions and place them. The choice of material is yours.”
The moment I finished, Zhao Jiao hurriedly interjected.
“Use white jade, honey! Don’t you have a friend in Yunnan who works in the jade business? Call him immediately and buy the finest white jade possible. Better yet, ask him to have it carved into dragon-turtles for us, then send them here as quickly as possible.”
Yao Tianlin nodded at once.
“All right. I’ll call him now. Everyone, please excuse me for a moment.”
With that, he went to the balcony to make the call.
I couldn’t help marveling at how convenient it was to be rich!
Wealthy people not only had extensive connections and abundant resources, but could solve problems much more quickly.
Then again… if they weren’t rich, perhaps so many people wouldn’t want to harm them in the first place?
Yao Nan’s mother was also an official, holding a position half a rank above that of Wang Dachun’s father, Wang Min. Now that her husband had recovered, some of her formidable career-woman bearing returned.
“Who could be harming my family so viciously? I have always tried to be courteous when handling my work and avoid making enemies whenever possible. Yet someone still used such a malicious method to murder my family. I will find the culprit and will not let this matter rest…”
Zhao Jiao’s voice was icy, and a ruthless glint flashed through her eyes. She radiated the authority of someone accustomed to holding a high position.
I nodded slightly to myself. Now this was how a leader should carry herself!
When she turned to me, her gaze became gentle and courteous once more.
“Young Mr. Wu, may I ask whether you can identify the person using feng shui arts to harm my family from behind the scenes?”
She was clearly planning revenge!
That was understandable. Given Yao Nan’s parents’ social status, someone had nearly destroyed their family outright. It would have been strange if they didn’t retaliate fiercely.
To tell the truth, if every coincidence hadn’t aligned today… Yao Tianlin might truly have died on the spot!
If that happened, the Yao family might not fall all the way to ruin, but they would undoubtedly suffer.
After all, Zhao Jiao might possess high social status and official authority, but her salary was only so large.
The matter also made me rather angry.
Over the past half year, Yao Nan and I had become fairly close friends. The fact that someone had plotted against her family with a malicious feng shui configuration displeased me too.
I also wanted to identify the person behind it and teach them a harsh lesson.
So I said to Zhao Jiao, “Auntie, you shouldn’t think people like us are omnipotent. You may actually find it easier to identify the culprit than I would. The billboard and smokestacks are obviously new. You only need to investigate who owns them, then follow the clues back to their source.”
“That’s right!”
Zhao Jiao froze, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
“Today was my first time truly witnessing such wondrous occult arts, and I was a little overwhelmed. I instinctively wanted to solve the problem through occult methods. But now that I think about it, identifying the culprit through normal investigative channels shouldn’t be difficult.”
“Exactly!”
I nodded and added, “Once Uncle Yao finishes his call, you can also ask whether either of you has recently come into conflict with anyone. You should be able to find some clues there.”
“After you more or less identify the suspects, tell me. I can think of a way to drag the culprit out or retaliate against them. Either is possible.”
Naturally, Zhao Jiao thanked me profusely.
Beside her, Wang Min and Zeng Daquan also looked at me with admiration.
I noticed Yao Nan repeatedly signaling to her mother, Zhao Jiao, with her eyes. She even tugged gently on her sleeve and whispered…
“Mom, pay him! How can you let my deskmate do something like this for free?”
Yao Nan spoke so softly that her voice resembled a mosquito’s buzz, but naturally, it couldn’t escape my ears.
Realization dawned on Zhao Jiao. Looking embarrassed, she was about to speak.
I shook my head and stopped her.
Looking at Yao Nan, I said, “Deskmate, given our relationship, there’s no need for money.”
“But…”
She looked at me and said softly, “Wang Dachun told me that people in your line of work try to avoid accumulating karmic debt. He said that if money changes hands, no karmic debt remains.”
I laughed heartily, feeling somewhat touched.
At the same time, I glanced at Wang Dachun. The guy had definitely repeated some of the things I had mentioned while casually chatting with him in the past.
Yao Nan had only recently learned about my circumstances, so she was naturally filled with curiosity. Perhaps in private, she had asked Wang Dachun about some of the things I had told him before.
Since they were only subjects I had mentioned in passing, she could hardly pursue me with solemn questions. That left Wang Dachun as the person she could ask.
In truth, karmic debt sounded mysterious, but it wasn’t difficult to understand.
In ordinary language, it referred to the connections among all people and things.
But these connections weren’t judged by human society, morality, or law. They were determined by the unseen response of the Heavenly Dao.
For example, suppose two people were strangers. There would be no emotional connection between them. How could one person handle a matter for the other free of charge?
Wouldn’t that create an unequal exchange of effort and benefit from nothing?
That was why “money” was required to balance and dissolve the debt.
But Yao Nan and I had long since become friends. Karmic ties already connected us. Whether she paid me made little real difference…
More importantly, the last time Deng Liqian used gu on Yao Nan, I had used the incident to make her hand over The Great Leidong Gu Scripture–which meant I owed Yao Nan a considerable debt.
Helping her now would also plant another benevolent karmic cause.
This differed from paying Li Miao when I asked him to help with corpse retrieval… In short, matters of karmic debt were infinitely complicated, woven from countless connections that were nearly impossible to untangle.
I had once asked Master about the subject. Her answer was characteristically consistent.
Master had said, “Follow your heart! That is also our lineage’s attitude toward karmic debt. If you believe a connection is benevolent, form it. If you don’t want entanglement with someone, avoid it.”
All right… She might as well have said nothing.
So I decided not to charge any money for helping Yao Nan’s family identify the culprit who had created the fire-form baleforce.
Yao Tianlin finished his call and returned with a smile, announcing that everything had been arranged!
His friend had promised to handle the matter personally. Three dragon-turtles carved from high-quality white jade would arrive by Friday at the latest.
New Year’s Day had passed. The date was January 3, 2000, a Monday.
If they arrived safely in Lianghe Town by Friday, that would fall within the seven-day limit.
…
For the time being, the matter came to an end.
I took my leave from Yao Nan’s home and returned to Old Cao’s coffin shop.
Over the following week, I attended school normally during the day. At night, I learned coffin-carrying techniques and the making and use of spirit paper from Old Cao.
On Wednesday night, we carried a coffin in Chenjiagou to the north. Nothing much happened.
The corpse merely thrashed a few times as the coffin was finally lowered into its grave.
Old Cao and the others determined that resentment wasn’t the cause. A little yin energy had simply entered the corpse during the night. Once they resolved that, the burial proceeded smoothly.
Friday arrived.
After school, I left the gate laughing and talking with Wang Dachun and Yao Nan. A car was parked outside.
At that time, fewer than ten people in the entire town owned private cars.
Naturally, several government-owned vehicles also existed.
The Yao family owned one of the private cars. They rarely drove it to the school, however, because they worried Yao Nan might flaunt her wealth too much. Their family discipline was still very good.
The fact that their car had come directly to the school gate meant something important must have happened.
Sure enough.
After Yao Tianlin got out and saw us, he immediately strode over.
“Young Mr. Wu, the white-jade dragon-turtles have arrived. And we’ve narrowed the people using malicious feng shui arts to harm us down to two suspects!”
I nodded.
“All right, get in. We’ll place the dragon-turtles in your home first, then discuss the culprit.”