Chapter Thirty-Nine: My Price Isn't Just Ordinary
2324 Words
Jiaxing is not far from Hangzhou.
An hour and a half later, the car slowly drove into the city.
"Master, my master and I just entered Hangzhou city... Oh, if you have something to do, go ahead... Wait, let me ask my master..."
Xu Xiaoli, who was on the phone, turned her head at a red light and said, "Master, my master said he's helping with the feng shui at someone's factory and wants to have lunch with you. So, I'm asking if you should book a room first to put your luggage down and wait for him, or go to the factory to wait?"
Fang Yi thought for a moment, "Let's wait there."
...
Half an hour later, in the Economic Development Zone.
The car stopped in front of a garment factory.
At the entrance, Zhu Changqing and a short, thin old man with gray hair looked around.
A man and a woman in their twenties were standing nearby.
When they saw Xu Xiaoli's car,
the group quickly went forward to greet her.
Fang Yi got out of the car first.
Xu Xiaoli then backed into the parking space.
Zhu Changqing immediately stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Master."
The short, thin old man also quickly bowed, saying, "Cheng Shan greets the Master."
"Greetings, Master."
"Master, you're so young!"
"Shut up! Don't be rude to the Master!"
A man and a woman followed suit, bowing and greeting each other.
The young man was more composed, offering only a simple greeting. The
young woman was a bit impulsive, and was scolded by Cheng Shan as soon as she opened her mouth.
Fang Yi guessed that Zhu Changqing had spoken to these people, which was why they were so respectful to him.
He nodded in acknowledgment, "It's a pleasure to meet you all."
Zhu Changqing introduced the three of them.
Cheng Shan was the chairman of the Hangzhou Feng Shui Association, holding a very high position in the Feng Shui world. His ancestor and Zhu Changqing's ancestor were fellow disciples, and it was said that they both possessed family-inherited magical arts.
The other two were his disciples, the man named Xiao Qin and the woman named Xiao Jin.
Fang Yi couldn't help but glance at Cheng Shan again, harboring the thought of borrowing his magical arts.
He wondered if he could get them, after all, they were not related.
At this moment, Xu Xiaoli parked her car and quickly walked over.
She skipped over to Zhu Changqing, "Master, what are you doing here?"
Zhu Changqing explained briefly.
Fang Yi then understood what was going on.
The feng shui arrangement Cheng Shan had made for the garment factory owner had been deliberately sabotaged, and the two of them were here to try and fix it.
"More than ten years ago, I was invited here to set up a 'Jade Belt Around the Waist' feng shui arrangement," Cheng Shan said, frowning. "However, this land has evil energy, and it's located at the core of the formation, so something must be used to suppress it, otherwise the feng shui arrangement can't be done. Boss Wei was very obedient and did as I said, and everything has been peaceful until recently when the core of the formation to suppress the evil energy was destroyed. Now there are only two ways to fix it: one, demolish the factory and rearrange it, which is unlikely; demolishing and rebuilding so many factories would cost a fortune."
Xu Xiaoli asked, "What's the second method?"
Fang Yi listened quietly; although he didn't understand feng shui very well, listening wouldn't hurt.
Cheng Shan sighed, "Alas, the second method is to find something that can suppress the evil energy and also serve as the array's core, but we can't find one. That's why I asked Lao Zhu to come over and discuss how to solve the problem of suppressing the evil energy and the array's core without demolishing and rebuilding the factory."
Zhu Changqing looked at Fang Yi expectantly, "Master, do you have a solution?"
Fang Yi shook his head, "I'm not an expert in feng shui layouts."
Xiao Qin and Xiao Jin, who had been full of curiosity about Fang Yi
, immediately lost interest when they heard that he had no solution either.
Cheng Shan, however, was very enthusiastic, saying, "It's alright if you're not an expert. Lao Zhu and I will think about it some more. Master, why don't you go inside and sit in Boss Wei's office for a while? I'll treat you to a welcome dinner when I'm done."
"Thank you,"
Fang Yi nodded.
The group went inside.
It was quite large.
They passed several factory buildings before arriving near the office building.
Just as they reached a corner,
Fang Yi heard a man's voice cursing loudly.
"What the hell are you all doing?"
"Huh? My red-bud pearl Podocarpus macrophyllus, which I bought for over a million to ward off evil spirits, was killed by someone pouring boiling water on it and you didn't even know?"
"Idiots! A bunch of idiots! You can't even catch the person who killed my Podocarpus macrophyllus! I really don't know what you're good for. I paid you to install surveillance cameras, why did they malfunction when the Podocarpus macrophyllus was killed? Huh? Speak up!"
Turning a corner,
Fang Yi saw the man who was cursing loudly.
He was a tall, strong man in his fifties wearing a black suit, with a scar on his face; he was clearly not a good guy.
Standing in front of the scarred man was a man in his forties wearing a gray suit, and seven or eight security guards.
The group remained silent under the barrage of insults.
In the tree pit next to them was a Podocarpus macrophyllus, over a meter tall with a trunk only two or three centimeters thick, its bark torn open. Podocarpus
macrophyllus symbolizes longevity, good fortune, and wealth, and is often planted in temples or residences; it is also known as the money tree.
It usually costs a few hundred to a thousand.
So why did the other party say it cost over a million?
Fang Yi asked curiously, "What kind of Podocarpus macrophyllus is worth millions?"
Zhu Licheng lowered his voice and said, "Master, let me explain in detail. Boss Wei's Podocarpus macrophyllus is different. Its full name is Red Bud Pearl Podocarpus macrophyllus. Pearl Podocarpus macrophyllus is the most expensive variety of Podocarpus macrophyllus, and Red Bud Pearl Podocarpus macrophyllus is a variant of Pearl Podocarpus macrophyllus, extremely rare and precious. It's not surprising that it's worth millions."
Cheng Shan sighed and added, "This Red Bud Pearl Podocarpus macrophyllus is used to suppress evil energy and act as the core of the formation. Red Bud Pearl Podocarpus macrophyllus is already extremely rare, let alone one that has been transplanted and grown for ten years. You could say that even money can't always buy it."
Fang Yi seemed thoughtful, thinking to himself, "No wonder Zhu Changqing and Cheng Shan said it couldn't be replaced. It turns out this kind of tree is too precious."
Xu Xiaoli asked somewhat confusedly, "Why would people water the tree with boiling water for no reason?"
“At first, I didn’t understand either,” Cheng Shan said, both amused and exasperated. “Later, Boss Wei explained it to me and Lao Zhu, and we realized it was a business competitor trying to sabotage us. Although he hasn’t found out exactly who did it, he can roughly guess that the competitor hired someone.”
“Uh, is this what business warfare is?” Xu Xiaoli was bewildered.
Cheng Shan explained, “Boss Wei told us that real business warfare isn’t just about crushing others in terms of business. It also involves things like bribing the cleaning staff to cut off the company’s internet cable, the chairman climbing over the wall to take photos, the former chairman leading several burly men to seize the company seal, and the company manager leading the vandalizing of the competitor’s bicycle seat, etc. Sigh, we don’t understand business stuff, it’s too bizarre.”
"Isn't that just bizarre!"
Fang Yi chuckled, speechless. He'd always seen thrilling business battles on TV and in novels, but now it seemed real business was just about watering someone's money tree?
The group walked forward, talking amongst themselves.
The middle-aged man with the scarred face, who had initially looked fierce, immediately changed his expression, a fawning smile spreading across his face as he saw Zhu Changqing and Cheng Shan approaching. "Master Cheng, Master Zhu, please help me think of a solution. I can't get my hands on this ten-year-old red-budded pearl pine. We can't really demolish the factory and rebuild, can we?"
"Boss Wei, Old Zhu and I will find a way, don't worry," Cheng Shan said, gesturing to Fang Yi. "Come and greet Master Fang first."
The man in the gray suit and several security guards cast curious glances.
They seemed puzzled as to why the term "Master" still existed in this day and age.
Moreover, in their minds, so-called enlightened masters were always elderly men with white hair and youthful faces; this young man didn't look like an enlightened master at all.
On the contrary, Boss Wei was quite shrewd. Even though he shared the same thoughts as his employees, he was very enthusiastic, extending both hands to shake Fang Yi's, saying, "Hello, Master Fang."
Fang Yi shook hands with him and said, "Hello, Boss Wei."
Cheng Shan seemed to have a good relationship with Boss Wei, and even hinted, "Boss Wei, Lao Zhu and I will continue to think of a solution. Please invite Master Fang to his office to rest for a while. Be sure to treat him well and bring out the best tea."
Boss Wei, with his large business, was naturally quick-witted. Upon hearing this, he immediately realized that the young man in front of him was not simple.
He immediately said expectantly, "Master Fang, the feng shui layout of my factory has been disrupted. Could you please take a look?"
Fang Yi had just stated that he didn't know anything about feng shui. Although Boss Wei didn't know this, for Cheng Shan and the others, this was like bringing up a sore spot!
Cheng Shan, knowing how high the status of a "Master Fang" was, was startled and quickly said, "Boss Wei, what nonsense are you talking about? A Master Fang with that kind of status wouldn't be able to do feng shui for you! Alright, stop messing around, quickly invite Master Fang to his office to rest."
Boss Wei realized he'd misspoke and quickly smiled apologetically, "Master
Fang, I'm sorry, I'm just a roughneck and not very good with words, please don't take it to heart." "Hehe, no, no," Fang Yi waved his hand with a smile.
Everyone thought things were pretty much settled.
Next, Boss Wei would simply take Fang Yi and Xu Xiaoli to his office and serve them fine tea and water.
As for Xiao Qin and Xiao Jin, they would follow the two masters to learn how to fix the feng shui arrangement.
However, unexpectedly
, after saying "no," Fang Yi added with a smile, "Hiring me isn't just expensive, you know."
Huh?
Aren't you not good at feng shui?
Not only were Xiao Qin and Xiao Jin confused,
but even Zhu Changqing and Cheng Shan were puzzled.
Only Xu Xiaoli's eyes shone with an inexplicable brilliance.
Others might not know, but she had witnessed Fang Yi's incredible power in battling Asura and ultimately defeating him, so of course she thought Fang Yi was omnipotent.
It was just a feng shui consultation, after all.
For a god-like figure like her master, this was nothing at all.
Yes, she was filled with an extremely fanatical faith in Fang Yi!
Boss Wei hadn't expected Fang Yi to actually agree to help.
He knew Cheng Shan's status in the feng shui world; he couldn't speak for other places, but at least in Zhejiang, he was one of the top figures.
Someone who could command such respect from Cheng Shan was certainly no ordinary person.
Boss Wei immediately cheered and hurriedly said, "Any price is fine, as long as Master Fang is willing to help."
Fang Yi seemed to have thought of something and shook his head, saying, "Forget it, let Master Cheng and Master Zhu do it for you; I won't get involved." He had
originally considered taking advantage of this opportunity to make some money, considering he was short of cash. But this was Cheng Shan's business, and Zhu Changqing was there to help; how could he steal their business? That would be too unethical. Although Fang Yi wanted to earn more money, he couldn't bring himself to do such a thing. He didn't want to steal business from others. However, others thought Fang Yi was too proud to do such a trivial matter, fearing it would damage his reputation. Cheng Shan even glanced at Zhu Changqing, seemingly hesitant to ask Zhu Changqing, who had a good relationship with Fang Yi, to try and persuade him. Boss Wei had a different idea. He thought from a businessman's perspective, believing that Master Fang changed his tune because he didn't see how much he was willing to help. Boss Wei's mind started racing, thinking of offering more to get Fang Yi to act. He really wanted to see what was so special about Master Fang, whom even Cheng Shan, a renowned figure in the feng shui world, so highly praised. It wasn't just Boss Wei who wanted to see how powerful Fang Yi was. In fact, Cheng Shan and his two apprentices, Xiao Qin and Xiao Jin, also wanted to see if Fang Yi was as amazing as Zhu Changqing said. It was just that Fang Yi refused to act, so they didn't have the chance to see it for themselves!
- Writer
