Chapter 27: Chen Yan's Caution

Chen Yan thought for a moment, then asked, "Director Fang, have you run into any strange people lately? Or come into contact with any unusual items?"

Director Fang thought it over carefully. "Now that you mention it, no… Actually, before, there was another master. Ah, that would be Uncle Qing from Luoyun Studio—you should have met him too.

I asked him to take a look for me, and he asked me the same question you just did. I'd already thought it through several times back then, and really, there were no suspicious people or incidents."

Uncle Qing? That guy's a charlatan…

Chen Yan laughed to himself, but he didn't say anything.

He remembered the rules the Old Grandma had chatted with him about when he was a child: in a trade as mysterious as this one, of course there were bound to be plenty of charlatans.

But the trade's rule was: see through it, don't call it out.

First, a lot of strange things—someone may not have the ability to handle them properly for you, but that doesn't necessarily prove they're a charlatan. Maybe their Dao is just not deep enough, or maybe they're a specialist in a different field, and the spells they learned simply aren't the right school for the job.

Second, it's simple: if you call it out, you're smashing someone's rice bowl, and you'll make an enemy.

Chen Yan continued, "Then, Director Fang, where do you usually go?"

"It's hard to say about a long time ago. Most recently, I've generally been staying at the company, occasionally going home," Director Fang said as he thought. "Mm… because there's been some family business lately, I've been going home less. Most of the time I've been in my office at the company. Like before this accident happened, I'd already been in the office for two days straight."

Chen Yan nodded. "Then let's go take a look at your company first. If we don't see anything there, we'll have to go to your home. Is that convenient?"

"Convenient, convenient! I'll have Assistant Yan go with you to my company! And if you need to, I'll have him take you to my home too!"

After saying that, Director Fang immediately shouted, "Xiao Yan!!"

Assistant Yan pushed the door open and came in right away—he must have been waiting outside the whole time.

He was very attentive; in his hands he was actually carrying a cup of hot tea from who-knows-where, which he presented to Chen Yan with both hands as soon as he entered.

"Xiao Yan, later please take Chen Chen Laoshi to our company to have a look."

"Got it!"

Chen Yan immediately set down the teacup. "Don't wait till later, let's go now."

"Huh?"

Director Fang was taken aback. Watching Chen Yan stand up, he suddenly seemed a little uneasy. "Um, Chen Chen Laoshi…"

"Is there something else, Director Fang?"

"I do have one more favor to ask, and it's a bit of a stretch," Director Fang hesitated, then sighed. "I won't hide it from you—I'm truly scared! Once you leave, who knows how long it'll be… and who knows how long it'll take to deal with this matter.

I was thinking, during this time, what if something else happens to me…"

Chen Yan's heart stirred. "What do you mean, Director Fang?"

"That protective jade plaque you gave Assistant Yan before, that one, that one…" Director Fang probed. "Could I also ask you for one?"

The miraculous power of that jade plaque—Director Fang had witnessed it with his own eyes!

Such a huge ceiling fixture crashing down, and Assistant Yan, standing right in the middle of the room, hadn't so much as a hair harmed!

He wants a jade plaque?

Chen Yan was actually willing… but he didn't have any in stock!

Back then he'd only bought two to experiment with.

One of them had even cracked when he was channeling his vital essence into it.

The remaining one—he'd casually carved some auspicious symbols on it while practicing his carving skills, and since it contained vital essence he'd channeled in, that was why it worked.

But now the other party wanted one, and he didn't have any left.

Besides, Chen Yan was quite clear: Director Fang didn't actually need any protective talisman right now.

He'd used his Qi-Reading technique to look, and the black aura on his body had already mostly dissipated, and was still continuing to dissipate.

The root of that black aura wasn't on Director Fang himself.

If Chen Yan's judgment was correct, as long as this Director Fang stayed in the hospital and didn't come into contact again with the person or item that had obstructed him, nothing else would happen.

"I came in a hurry and didn't bring any of those things on me." Chen Yan shook his head, feeling a bit regretful inside.

"Chen Chen Laoshi, you must help me! Even though I'm lying here in the hospital, I'm still scared! Without something to protect me, I can't feel at ease—I don't even dare close my eyes when I sleep!

Chen Chen Laoshi, I won't ask for your thing for nothing—please, I beg you, grant me a treasure to protect myself." Director Fang took a deep breath. "I'll pay… one hundred thousand!"

One hundred thousand?

Chen Yan's heart stirred!

He thought it over from every angle…

Then suddenly he glanced at the compass in his hand.

Ah! Got it!

"Alright then!" Chen Yan put on a troubled expression, took a deep breath. "Director Fang is sincere, and he's a man of fate with me—I can't very well turn him away."

He gave the compass a light pat, and on his face there seemed to be a trace of reluctance. "This magical instrument has been with me, by my side, ever since I first began learning the craft. Not a single day apart.

I imagine, having been with me all this time, it's absorbed some spiritual resonance—so I'll let Director Fang keep it as a collector's piece."

The moment Director Fang heard that, his eyes lit up!

Oh!!

Something he'd carried with him since he first began learning the craft!

Not a single day apart!

That had to be no ordinary item!

Director Fang had also had dealings with many people of the mystic arts, and the implements these people carried on their persons were all treasures they'd carefully selected and treasured for years!

It was sure to be spiritually potent!

This young Chen Chen Laoshi had casually given Assistant Yan a shabby jade plaque, and it was already so efficacious—Director Fang had examined that broken jade plaque closely; the jade quality was very poor.

Something he carried on his person had to be countless times better!!

"Th-then I thank Chen Chen Laoshi most sincerely for parting with it!!"

Director Fang's face was flushed with excitement. "Xiao Yan, quick! Quick, transfer one hundred thousand to Chen Chen Laoshi's account!"

Chen Yan pretended to sigh helplessly, but in his heart he was already grinning from ear to ear.

I didn't say a single word of lie!

This compass really was the one I held in my hand on the very first day I learned geomancy!

It's just... you never asked me how long I'd been studying.

Does one have to tell you that I've only been studying for less than twenty days in total?

·

Leaving the hospital, sitting in the big Benz personally driven by Assistant Yan, Chen Yan resisted the urge to take out his phone and check that bank deposit notification.

Since he's playing the role of a master, he can't be without a touch of gravitas.

Hmm, that compass he bought off a certain shopping app for one hundred and eighty yuan — if it had a spirit, it probably wouldn't have imagined that one day it could be worth so much, would it?

·

Arriving at Fang Fang Zong's company, walking into this somewhat old-fashioned office building, it was already half past ten in the morning.

There was no one at Fang Fang Zong's company — the ceiling in the boss's office had collapsed, and Assistant Yan had already notified the whole company to take a day off, on the grounds of getting the property management to come inspect and repair the ceiling.

The company was empty. From the moment he walked in, Chen Yan had activated his Heaven's Eye to observe Qi, watching all the way through.

He didn't spot anything amiss in the outer office area, but the moment he stepped through the door into Fang Fang Zong's office, Chen Yan's eyebrow shot up!

Sure enough, there was a wisp of black Qi curling within the office!

Faint, elusive, yet endlessly renewing itself, spiraling strand by strand.

The old slowly dispersed, while new ones were born thread by thread.

Chen Yan twitched his nose, then sneezed.

He immediately silently activated his Qi Circulation Technique, spreading Qi throughout his entire body — he hadn't been studying long and hadn't learned any more advanced spells, but this method of filling one's whole body with Qi was the most basic and simplest form of self-protection.

Chen Yan's expression didn't change as he strode into the room.

The debris on the floor hadn't been swept away yet, and with a section of the ceiling having caved in, there was almost no place to set foot in the open area of the room.

Chen Yan carefully made his way to Fang Fang Zong's desk, glanced at Assistant Yan, and asked: "Can you open the drawers of this desk?"

"Yes, Fang Fang Zong's keys are with me."

"Then open them all, open them up and let me have a look."

There weren't any valuables in the drawers — just two cartons of cigarettes, some personal seals, and things like receipts.

These weren't important; Chen Yan took one look and didn't look further.

But in the end, he took one item out of the drawer, a strange glint appearing in his eyes.

It was a long paper tube, only about as thick as a thumb, wrapped in plain, archaic-looking packaging with a pattern of curling clouds.

He opened the cap, and inside was a tube of sandalwood incense.

Slender sticks packed tightly together in rows, though there were gaps — it seemed a few had already been used.

Chen Yan had a good idea now. Pretending to be casual, he turned his head with a smile and asked Assistant Yan: "Sandalwood incense? Your Fang Fang Zong is quite the refined gentleman."

"Yes," Assistant Yan said with a cautious, ingratiating smile. "The boss usually believes in metaphysics, he likes these kinds of things. And he heard people say sandalwood incense has a calming effect, so he occasionally burns one in the room when he's drinking tea."

As he spoke, Assistant Yan pointed, and Chen Yan indeed saw a small incense burner sitting on a cabinet.

"Mm."

Chen Yan said nothing, casually set the sandalwood incense tube down, then deliberately picked up a few other items from the desk one by one, pretending to examine them seriously.

Paperweights, golden toads, things like that...

He picked up each and every item and had a good look.

Finally, Chen Yan cleared his throat: "I'm thirsty, Assistant Yan, is there any water here?"

"Yes! Um... because the ceiling collapsed, I had the property management cut the company's power, so I can't boil water to make tea for you. There's still bottled mineral water in the company, would that be alright?"

Chen Yan deliberately hesitated for a moment: "Is there any cola?"

"Eh?" Assistant Yan thought to himself: this young master really is different. In the past, those masters I accompanied the boss to receive all drank tea — black tea, green tea, compressed tea, picking the best and the most expensive.

This one actually likes cola.

"There's a vending machine downstairs, I'll go buy you a bottle of cola! Please wait a moment."

Chen Yan politely made a show of declining a couple of times, but Assistant Yan had already hurried off.

After Assistant Yan left, the polite smile finally vanished completely from Chen Yan's face.

Chen Yan picked up that tube of sandalwood incense again, opened it and pulled one out, bringing it up to his nose to sniff.

The smell seemed to be that of the most ordinary kind of sandalwood incense.

But Chen Yan had Qi within his body, his five senses were sharp, and he was especially sensitive to the primordial Qi of the universe and all manner of unorthodox phenomena.

(This seems like... the scent of a wisp of resentful Qi?)

After thinking for a moment, Chen Yan walked out to the open office area, pulled two sheets of A4 paper straight from a printer's paper tray, then walked back into Fang Fang Zong's office.

One stick of sandalwood incense, wrapped in a sheet of A4 paper, tucked into his clothes. Then he went over to the cabinet and picked up that incense burner.

The incense burner itself was fine — made of brass, it felt heavy in the hand.

There was still some incense ash left in the burner that hadn't been cleaned out. Chen Yan casually pinched a small pinch, rubbed it between his fingertips for a moment, then casually took a sheet of A4 paper, spread it on the desk, poured some of the incense ash from the burner onto the paper, wrapped it up, and stuffed it into his pocket.

After doing all this, Chen Yan carefully surveyed the room, made sure he hadn't left any traces, then nonchalantly walked back out to the open office area.

After waiting a few minutes, Assistant Yan returned with the cola. Chen Yan, looking relaxed, opened it and took a few sips, then smiled and said: "Nothing else to do here, let's go."

"Um... did you, see any problems?" Assistant Yan asked cautiously.

"Not for the moment." Chen Yan shook his head: "I still need to think it over, do a proper calculation."

"Then... shall I take you to Fang Fang Zong's home to have a look?"

Chen Yan deliberately took out his phone and glanced at the time: "Let's skip it for today, it's already noon, I still need to practice my arts this afternoon. The mental method I practice must be done at a fixed hour every day without interruption.

Fang Fang Zong's home, huh..."

Chen Yan said up to this point, deliberately laughing it off: "I've already sold my compass to your boss. Going to look at a house, one always has to survey the feng shui and such — it'd be inconvenient for me to go empty-handed.

In a couple of days, I'll make a new compass magical instrument, then go take another look at Fang Fang Zong's place."

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