Chen Bo, who followed Wang's family, quickly realized that I was the one in charge and hurriedly said, "Master Li, I was wrong earlier. Please don't hold it against me."
I casually waved my hand, asking, "Can I go in?"
Chen Bo immediately opened the door without hesitation, not caring if he disturbed his young lady, and signaled that I could go in.
Chen Bo had a very distinctive face: a broad forehead, which meant he would have a life of comfort and small authority, but his flared nostrils were a rare sign of a servant's fate. In ancient times, he would've been a eunuch, but he was born in this era and became a housekeeper for a wealthy family.
Apart from that, there was no sign of malice or evil, which is why I didn't take offense to him. His earlier rudeness was understandable; after all, he had only seen high-ranking officials and then encountered someone like me, a simple country person. It was already good that he didn't mock me.
I smiled, led Huang Jiu into the room, and Huang Jiu climbed onto my head, standing up straight, with its small eyes darting around.
I quietly asked it, "Can you tell what kind of animal is in that black mist?"
Huang Jiu stared at it for a while and said, "It looks like two snakes."
Snakes?
The malevolent energy in the black mist must have been released by these creatures. But where did that yin energy come from?
My mind raced, recalling the things Grandpa had taught me. Almost at the same time as Huang Jiu, I spoke, "It's the 'pressing victory' technique!"
"Pressing victory" is a craft often used by carpenters. It's said to be a folk technique from the last part of the Lu Ban Scroll.
In ancient times, building a house was a significant event. The homeowner would seek good fortune by having a carpenter place certain items in the roof beams, something similar to pressing beams, but different in that pressing victory was more like a Feng Shui arrangement. It could both save lives and also cause harm in subtle ways.
Some unscrupulous carpenters would secretly sabotage the "pressing victory" process to extort money from the homeowner, while others would take money to secretly use the technique to kill.
In the 1970s and 80s, when food was scarce, many carpenters emerged in the southern regions, using "pressing victory" to intimidate homeowners and extort money.
News traveled fast in the craftsman's world, and this practice spread across the country. As more people took advantage of it, the technique originally considered royal became deemed as an evil one.
If Lu Ban knew about this, he would probably turn in his grave.
What I was seeing now—the shadow of a snake—was likely an expression of the "pressing victory" through yin energy.
I quietly left the room without waking the sleeping young lady and gently closed the door behind me.
Chen Bo, seeing that Huang Jiu and I had whispered for a long time before emerging, hurriedly came up and asked, "Master Li, have you figured anything out? Will my young lady be alright?"
Huang Jiu gave him an annoyed glare and said, "Old man, can't you speak properly? My big brother and I are here, how could she not be alright? If you don't know what to say, just keep quiet. Instead of talking, you should be preparing two big roosters for me to avoid further trouble."
I was about to say something, but Huang Jiu spoke for me.
I smiled and said, "Let's go downstairs to talk!"
When Wang Shukun, the boss, saw Huang Jiu, his mouth dropped wide open. He had regained some of his energy, as though he had clung to a lifeline, gripping my uncle's hand tightly as if afraid we would run off.
Once Wang Shukun accepted Huang Jiu's presence, I began explaining the situation in detail.
Chen Bo treated Huang Jiu with the utmost respect and actually got a rooster for it, though it was overcooked. Huang Jiu wasn't too happy about it, but still sat on the marble coffee table, eating greedily, with oil dripping from its mouth.
After hearing my explanation, Wang Shukun looked somewhat lost, muttering to himself, "In recent years, my business has been booming, and I've inevitably offended some people. But I never thought it would come to such a revengeful act."
I felt a bit speechless. This matter was actually simple—just ask the construction team from back then, and everything would be clear.
But I was only responsible for solving the "pressing victory" problem. As for the personal grudges, I didn't want to get involved. I simply reminded Wang Shukun, "To perform 'pressing victory,' the item must be used. Either it was placed during the construction, or it's from someone close to you, Mr. Wang."
At my words, Chen Bo became uncomfortable. He wasn't involved in such matters, but the situation matched his position, and it clearly made him uneasy.
Wang Shukun's eyes lit up when he understood. I knew this was a complex situation, so I laid it out clearly: "Mr. Wang, let's be clear—what's agreed upon is agreed. I'll solve the pressing victory issue, but other matters are your responsibility."
Grandpa always said that the world of yin and yang each manages its own half. I could only manage one side, but the other side was out of my jurisdiction. Moreover, human nature is far more treacherous, and while I can deal with evil spirits, I may not be able to handle humans.
Wang Shukun didn't want us to dig deeper into the matter. Upon hearing my words, he grasped my uncle's hand and turned to me, saying, "Masters, as long as you can solve my daughter's condition, the reward will double. Twenty thousand will become forty thousand."
Even with my knack for keeping cool, I couldn't help but sit up when I heard forty thousand.
I had thought this job would only pay a few thousand, but I never expected it to be this much—and now it was doubling.
Rich people's money really is easy to earn.
But Wang Shukun had probably hired a master from Hong Kong, so the price might not be this simple.
My uncle, on the other hand, was a bit more modest. He hadn't dared to ask for too much when negotiating yesterday, so twenty thousand was all he settled for.
Thankfully, Wang Shukun was generous and doubled it, so it wasn't a bad deal.
However, my uncle waved his hand and said, "Mr. Wang, in business, honesty is what matters. We agreed on twenty thousand, so that's what it'll be."
Then, my uncle gave me a look and added, "Yangyang, what are you waiting for? Get to work!"
I cursed my uncle silently. At this point, his insistence on honesty was ridiculous. His commitment to this principle meant we'd lost twenty thousand!
Twenty thousand! My parents could dig in the fields their whole lives and still never see this amount of money.
For a moment, I felt like I couldn't breathe from the sting of losing it.
But I understood my uncle's real motive. He was eyeing the connections behind Wang Shukun and hoped to gain some favor by sticking to his principles.
So, I didn't argue. I grabbed Huang Jiu, who was still chewing on a chicken leg, and vented my frustration on it. I shook it in my hands like a rag doll and said, "Eat, eat, eat! That's all you ever do—don't you have any work to do?"
Huang Jiu, with a chicken bone in its mouth, looked at me innocently.
This scene left Chen Bo and Wang Shukun dumbfounded, their mouths hanging open, unsure of what to say.
After all, in their eyes, Huang Jiu was the real master.
Like Feng Shui, the "pressing victory" technique relies on finding the right location for the item. Once found, the energy's source can lead to the solution.
I could see it all with my spiritual vision, but Grandpa always warned me that dealing with death and the unknown can be tricky, so it's best to keep your sharp edge hidden.
Since I had offended the people from Laoshan, I knew there would be future encounters in this city. It was not a good idea to reveal everything about myself now.
So, I planned for Huang Jiu to break the "pressing victory" and keep my options open.