In the distant southeastern city of Guangzhou, a group of workers crowded together in front of an unfinished building on a construction site, whispering and discussing something.
"Is this the third one now?"
"I've been saying this building is haunted. Big Boss didn't listen to my advice. Is making double the salary really worth it? Now look, we didn't earn the money, but we lost lives. I'm still young and haven't gotten married or had children. How am I going to face Big Boss's mother during Chinese New Year?"
"Young people are fearless and refuse to believe in superstitions. Look what happened now!"
"Quick, the boss is here!"
Several vehicles entered the construction site, led by a Mercedes-Benz sedan that stopped in front of the building. A middle-aged man in a suit and polished shoes stepped out of the Mercedes-Benz, followed by others getting out of the remaining vehicles.
"Mr. Li!"
A foreman-like figure from the construction site hurriedly dispersed the gathered workers and approached.
"What's going on? Did someone fall from up there again?"
Li Weijun's face turned unpleasant. This was already the third worker to fall from a high-rise building this month. As a developer, the last thing he wanted was fatalities, especially within the same building. The consecutive deaths had caused anxiety among the workers on the site, and if word got out, it would also impact the leasing of the commercial spaces. After all, no one would want their businesses in a building where people had died.
"I... I don't know. How could someone just suddenly fall like this? They were perfectly fine!" The foreman also wore a despondent expression. These workers were all hired by him, and the accidents had cost him a lot in compensation. With three consecutive deaths, his entire year's profit had been lost.
"Mr. Li, there are a few journalists outside the construction site. They heard about the haunting rumors and want to come in for an interview. I've kept them outside for now," whispered a secretary-like man who approached Li Weijun.
"Interviews? Will that stop people from dying? They are just a bunch of attention-seekers!" Li Weijun, who had transitioned from the military, had a hot temper, and had no good feelings towards journalists who only sought to attract public attention through sensationalism. He cursed them without hesitation.
"Mr. Li, what should we do now? These journalists are like flies, finding their way in. It's only a matter of time before they report it, and if another accident occurs..."
The person speaking didn't finish his sentence, but Li Weijun understood the implications. If this matter wasn't resolved, it would eventually become known to the entire population of Guangzhou. If it reached that point, his commercial district would be ruined.
"Have the police been here? What did they say?"
"Mr. Li, the criminal investigation team has been here several times. They've thoroughly inspected the entire building, but they haven't found any clues. They say it should be accidents."
"One accident could be considered accidental, but when accidents happen multiple times in the same place, can they still be called accidents?"
Glancing at the angry expression on Li Weijun's face, the foreman hesitated, wanting to say something but couldn't bring himself to.
"If you have something to say, just say it directly. Don't beat around the bush." Li Weijun glanced at the foreman, softened his tone, and spoke.
"Mr. Li, according to the older generation, this building is haunted. There might be something sinister lurking inside." The foreman spoke cautiously, watching Li Weijun's expression. Only when he saw that Li Weijun didn't show displeasure did he continue speaking.
"Something sinister? When this commercial district was under construction, we had a Buddhist monk from Longyun Temple perform rituals, and a feng shui master examined it. How is it possible for something sinister to be present?"
"Mr. Li, I think Liu is making sense. Feng shui is not static; it is constantly influenced by the surrounding environment. Sometimes even the slightest change can affect the fortunes associated with feng shui. After over two years, there might have been changes in the feng shui here," a young man who followed behind Li Weijun suddenly spoke up.
"Zhang Hua, are you suggesting that the feng shui master I hired was not competent?"
It turned out that this young man was Qin Yu's cousin, Zhang Hua. After completing junior high school, Zhang Hua ventured out into the world and eventually became a project manager under Li Weijun's company. Apart from his personal efforts, his position was also due to Li Weijun's appreciation for his capabilities.
"That's not what I meant, Mr. Li. I've heard from my cousin that feng shui is not constant. It is always subject to the surrounding environment. Sometimes even a small factor can alter its auspiciousness. After more than two years, the feng shui here might have changed."
"Should we find another feng shui master to take a look then?" Li Weijun hesitated. He had a high opinion of Zhang Hua, considering him hardworking and intelligent, which is why he had invested in his development.
"Mr. Li, I'm afraid an ordinary Feng Shui master might not be able to handle it. I have a talisman that my cousin gave me, claiming it has the power to suppress evil spirits. We can try using it."
Zhang Hua reached into his bag and pulled out a yellow talisman, handing it to Li Weijun. Li Weijun looked at him skeptically and asked, "Are you sure this will work?"
"My cousin told me that the talisman can suppress malevolent energy and other impurities, and there will be signs indicating its effectiveness. We just need to hang this talisman in the building."
The talisman Zhang Hua had was given by Qin Yu. His cousin worked in construction and sometimes encountered malevolent energy during construction projects. That's why Qin Yu drew a few talismans for him and taught him how to use them.
Li Weijun was skeptical but followed Zhang Hua and a group of people to the building. They couldn't forget the recent incident where a worker fell from the building, leaving everyone feeling uneasy.
Following Qin Yu's instructions, Zhang Hua held up the talisman, performed a ritual in the air three times, and then proceeded to the ground floor. He placed the talisman on a wall in the middle, sticking it firmly in place.
As soon as the talisman was attached, Zhang Hua felt a wave of heat rushing towards him. He involuntarily stumbled back a few steps and looked again. The talisman emitted a faint yellow glow, seemingly engaged in a struggle with the wave of heat.
Not only Zhang Hua, but everyone who had come along was wide-eyed at the sight of the yellow glow. Li Weijun's eyes sparkled with astonishment.
The yellow glow from the talisman grew stronger, and everyone felt a mournful roar in their ears. Then, the glow from the talisman vanished, returning to its ordinary state, motionless on the wall.
"This... this is a real divine talisman!"
Someone in the crowd exclaimed, clearly stunned by the extraordinary sight of the talisman. However, after the initial shock, Zhang Hua's brows furrowed. He remembered what his cousin had told him: "If the yellow glow from the talisman becomes too intense, it indicates that the malevolent energy in this place has become extremely dangerous. The talisman can only suppress it temporarily. Over time, the malevolent energy will become even stronger, and sooner or later, it will break through the talisman, intensifying the situation."
"Zhang Hua, did your cousin really draw this talisman?" Li Weijun's expression was also filled with excitement. This talisman was simply extraordinary, resembling the legendary divine talisman. Li Weijun had interacted with many Feng Shui masters and seen numerous talismans, but it was the first time he had witnessed a glowing one.
"Mr. Li, can we go somewhere else? I need to talk to you about something."
"Okay, let's go to that corner then."
Li Weijun noticed that Zhang Hua didn't look well. Clearly, he had made some discovery. The two of them went to a secluded corner.
"Mr. Li, according to my cousin, the more extraordinary the talisman behaves, the more dangerous the malevolent energy is. The fact that the talisman emitted a strong yellow light means that the malevolent energy in this place has reached an extremely ferocious level. I'm afraid the talisman can only suppress it temporarily," Zhang Hua said directly.
"So, this talisman only suppresses the malevolent energy and doesn't eliminate it?" Li Weijun quickly understood Zhang Hua's meaning. His expression grew serious, and he pondered for a while before saying, "Zhang Hua, since this talisman was drawn by your cousin, who seems to be quite skilled, could you invite him to our construction site to have a look in person?"
"Mr. Li, let me make a phone call to my cousin and ask!" Zhang Hua didn't immediately promise, but took out his phone and dialed Qin Yu's number.
"I'm sorry, the number you have dialed is currently unavailable. Please try again later. Sorry..." Zhang Hua dialed twice more, but it was the same crisp female voice each time. He could only cast a helpless look at Li Weijun, indicating that he couldn't reach his cousin for now.
...
At this moment, Qin Yu was deep in the Copper Bell Mountain area, searching for a cave with the Mo family. Qin Yu and He Ping were in the lead, with Qin Yu holding an aerial view map of the Copper Bell Mountain area, clearly displaying the terrain. Qin Yu couldn't help but marvel at how much more comfortable Feng Shui practitioners had it nowadays compared to the past. Ancient Feng Shui masters had to climb and explore step by step without the aid of maps.
Behind the two of them were the Mo siblings and a dozen bodyguards who were vigilant about their surroundings. They were deep in the mountains now, far from tourist areas, where encounters with humans were rare. It was possible for a wild beast to suddenly appear.
"He Master, we have already been to two of the three mountains that could potentially produce dragon veins. Only the one ahead remains!" Qin Yu spoke and discussed with He Ping.
"Yes, according to this aerial view map, only the terrain of these three places can nurture dragon veins. We haven't found anything in the previous two locations, so if the notes are correct, this last place is our only hope for finding a dragon vein."
A week ago, Qin Yu joined the Mo family's team and carefully analyzed the terrain of Copper Bell Mountain with He Ping. They marked three locations that could potentially have dragon veins. Through their conversations, Qin Yu also learned that the current He Master, He Ping, was a well-known Feng Shui master with a considerable reputation in China.
Director of the Chinese Metaphysics Association, member of the Chinese Humanistic Environment Research Association... These titles left Qin Yu astonished. It seemed that Feng Shui practitioners nowadays were organized and keeping up with the times.