Chapter 20
Chapter 20
Early the next morning, I slung my canvas bag over my shoulder and headed to the Lou Family’s house, with Lou Qianqian leading a whole crowd of classmates trailing behind.
Her home was in the Southern City villa district. It couldn’t quite compare to Jiang Haoyan’s place, but with over a thousand square meters, it was still seriously impressive.
As I walked through the Lou Family’s front gates, I saw that the feng shui master from Hong Kong had already arrived.
He looked to be in his sixties, with a lean build and hair half-turned gray, a neat goatee, and dressed in traditional Tang-style clothing-a real air of otherworldly wisdom about him.
Lou’s Dad greeted me warmly at the door and asked someone to bring me tea.
“Tch, Lou Fusheng, this is the master you invited? Just a teenage girl? Are you sure about this?”
Lou’s Mom gave me a once-over, her gaze full of disdain. Lou Qianqian walked over, clung to her mother’s arm, and lifted her chin high.
“Mom, I told you already, she’s just a fraud!”
Lou’s Mom gently patted her daughter’s hand, then nodded deferentially to Master Chen.
“Master Chen, don’t mind her. Let’s start.”
But Master Chen obviously wasn’t about to let this go.
He clasped his hands behind his back and strode right up to me, fixing me with a cold, steely gaze.
“Young lady, in the mystic arts, orthodox tradition matters most. The Book of Changes, Eight Trigrams, the Classic of Dwellings-you’ve probably only skimmed a few pages. Even if you’d been learning this since birth, you’d still just be scratching the surface.
“I despise nothing more than people faking it in metaphysics. Get out.”
I ignored him and turned instead toward Lou’s Dad. Master Chen also looked at Lou’s Dad, his tone growing even harsher.
“Mr. Lou, this is completely inappropriate. In our circle, sects have strict rules. As someone from the Feng Sect, I have my own ancestral skills. Where’s the sense in having several people assess a place at once? If you insist on letting her stay, then I’ll leave.”
That drew some hesitation from Lou’s Dad.
At first, Lou Fusheng had been sure about me, but this Hong Kong master… He carried himself like a true expert-his bearing, his speech, the way he dressed. Just look at his gear: the Luopan, the Sanqing Bell, the peach wood sword, and the two black-suited assistants by his side. He looked every inch the real deal-straight out of the great sects.
Behind us, the gawking classmates started whispering among themselves.
“Oh wow, Qiao Moyu must be mortified-pretending to be a master, only to get called out and kicked out.”
“Seriously. If it were me, I’d never show my face again.”
Master Chen waved his hand. At once, the two assistants stepped forward.
“Miss, if you please.”