The Feng Shui Treasure Appraiser

70: Chapter 70 Absorbing EvilHan Jingyang held the compass and walked around the villa, front and back, noting the flow of the terrain and the key qi nodes, before returning to the room to understand its layout.

Then he waved at Tongtong: ”I’ll speak, you take notes. Follow my instructions exactly when you start the construction.”

Tongtong nodded hurriedly and took out her phone to start recording.

Han Jingyang pulled out some peach wood nails he carried in his satchel.

He had had these peach wood nails custom-made in bulk, and they all had red silk ribbons tied to them in advance.

They didn’t have much real power; their main purpose was for marking locations. They were used primarily for outdoor work to avoid scrambling when needed, and they also made him look professional.

Han Jingyang inserted a peach wood nail into the lawn in the northwest corner of the backyard: ”Build a pavilion here. An octagonal one is best. The height shouldn’t exceed 3.3 meters, but the foundation needs to be dug deeper, at least 1.8 meters. Use strip bluestone for the base. Remember, it’s a pavilion, don’t turn it into a tower.”

A pavilion is a pavilion, and a tower is a tower. Pavilions, terraces, and towers all have strict specifications and standards; you can’t just call them whatever you want.

Tongtong nodded hurriedly: ”Are there any requirements for other materials?”

”Standard materials are fine. It’s best to use logs for the pillars, rafters, purlins, and beams, and cover the top with ordinary grey tiles. There is one thing to note: don’t hang a plaque or name it casually. A small pavilion used for suppressing feng shui earth qi in a home doesn’t need a name. Because once you name it, you have to hang a plaque, and once you hang a plaque, you fix the orientation. If the orientation isn’t set correctly, it will cause problems.”

”Can you set the orientation for me?”

”I can, but I need to observe the site on the day the pavilion is built to determine the orientation. I can’t set it now. It’s a bit troublesome; after all, I charge a fee every time I make a trip.”

”No problem, I’ll pay.”

”Alright then, write that down and call me when the time comes.”

Han Jingyang nodded, turned around, and walked to the front yard, where he inserted two more peach wood nails: ”It’s best to plant two trees here. Ginkgo or camphor trees—species that love the sun and have long lifespans. It would be best if you can buy ready-grown trees that are ten or twenty years old.”

”That shouldn’t be a problem.”

”If you can’t buy big ones, planting two small ones is about the same. The key is that they must be sufficiently vigorous. If they die, this formation will be broken, and I can’t guarantee what will happen then.”

”Okay,” Tongtong nodded vigorously.

Han Jingyang led Tongtong back inside the villa and knocked on one of the walls: ”This wall must be knocked down.”

He then pointed to the north-facing windows: ”Seal them all up. These modern buildings all have this annoying flaw—they only care about lighting, with windows on all sides. It’s a wonder they can hold any qi at all. Even good feng shui gets blown away, and you can’t even find a basic foundation for a layout.”

”Okay, I’ll clarify this with the workers immediately.”

”Seal the west-facing windows too, especially the floor-to-ceiling ones on the second floor. It’s absolutely ridiculous—how can you live there in the summer? Yin-Yang imbalance often occurs in the west. If west-facing windows aren’t handled properly, it’s very dangerous. Light and ventilation must be balanced. Especially here in Quancheng, you have to be extra careful about opening windows towards the north and west, because the Yellow River is right behind us.”

”What’s the principle behind that?”

”Feng shui has attributes too. The feng shui brought by water veins belongs to the water element and has a yin nature. Introducing it in moderation can excellently regulate feng shui, but once it’s excessive, it will inevitably damage the yang energy.”

”That sounds quite simple...”

”The theory is indeed simple, but the difficulty lies in how to precisely control the degree and quantity. Just like prescribing medicine in Traditional Chinese Medicine: the theory of ’monarch, minister, assistant, and envoy’ is simple, but when it comes down to which medicine to use and the exact dosage, only top-tier veteran doctors can adjust it precisely for each individual.”

Han Jingyang walked around while explaining, in high spirits, because Tongtong was an excellent listener, which brought out his tendency to be a teacher.

However, it was just one villa, and they finished looking it over in no time.

Han Jingyang checked the time: ”That’s it for today. The renovation can be simple, but what I’ve said must not be neglected. The most important thing is speed, otherwise, I’m afraid you won’t last until the house renovation is finished.”

Tongtong’s face turned slightly pale: ”Is it really that serious?”

Han Jingyang nodded: ”Although I’m not sure about your family’s actual situation, judging from the feng shui of this villa, it has reached the point of imminent collapse. Fortunately, this villa is yours and you haven’t officially moved in yet, otherwise…”

”Then, then before the renovation, is there any other way to help me block it?”

”Yes, I actually have a decent dharma instrument that can help you block the invasion of the malice, but the price isn’t cheap.”

”I have money.”

Han Jingyang fished a small box out of his bag and handed it to Tongtong: ”Open it, put it on. Nine hundred and ninety thousand.”

Tongtong transferred the money to Han Jingyang first, then opened the box and took out a crystal bracelet.

”Crystal?”

”Yes, just an ordinary white crystal. But don’t underestimate it; it can absorb and even convert the malice on your body. It counts as a type of amulet, and the effect is quite good.”

Han Jingyang could clearly see that the moment Tongtong put on the bracelet, the black malice permeating around the villa seemed to find a vent, threading and wisping into the crystal bracelet.

After confirming it was effective, he instructed: ”This bracelet is great in every way, but the only downside is that you have to take it off after wearing it for a while to clear the malice—that is, let the malice it absorbed dissipate. You can take it to a temple to have a high monk perform Consecration and blessing; that’s the fastest way. You can also place it in a sunny spot and wait for it to dissipate on its own, though that’s slower.”

”How long can I wear it?”

”An ordinary person could wear it for a long time, but given your situation, only about a month, at most no more than a month and a half.”

Tongtong nodded seriously: ”I’ll remember that. Thank you, Mr. Han. If it weren’t for you, I really wouldn’t know what to do.”

Han Jingyang asked curiously: ”Do you have any special feelings after putting on the bracelet?”

”Slightly cold?”

”That’s fine.”

”Fine? What do you mean?”

”It means your own situation isn’t serious. If you had a very strong reaction, it would mean the malice on your own body is also very heavy. Having no special reaction means the problem you’re encountering is external; the root is not in yourself.”

This was Han Jingyang’s own speculation.

This golden finger was simple to use, but he needed to collect more data to figure out the deeper rules of this material world through the various magical items he identified.

The intuitive feelings of people like Tongtong were also within the scope of his data collection.

As for the bracelet, it could only be considered decent; selling it for 990,000 was definitely not a loss.

”Name: Qing Daoguang White Crystal Bracelet.”

”Grade: Sixth Grade.”

”Attribute: Absorbing Malice.”

”Skill: None.”

He had picked it up at a street stall for 460 yuan.

And turned around and sold it for 990,000.

Who isn’t a businessman?

Han Jingyang declined Tongtong’s invitation to dinner and headed straight back to Jiguang Zhai.

He needed to select a set of tools to use at Tongtong’s villa.

For indoor layouts, one couldn’t just look at functionality; it had to be aesthetically pleasing and, more importantly, match the interior renovation style.

Fortunately, Tongtong’s villa hadn’t started renovation yet, so he could determine the core tools first and have the renovation style match these items.

But just as he sat down, Shi Xiaoya called: ”Thank you, really, thank you. It was me who judged your noble heart with my petty mind. Please forgive me. When the matters here are resolved, I will fulfill my promise.”

”???”