Chapter 1: The Super Feng Shui Master

May 29th. Above Huanghai City in northern Jiangsu Province, the sky was clear and cloudless, the weather pleasant and calm.

At 9:11 in the morning, a black Kia Sorento exited the coastal expressway and entered the city. There were three young men in the car, all around twenty years old. Except for the driver, who looked somewhat wealthy, the other two were dressed quite plainly—long pants and T-shirts, the typical outfit of ordinary youths.

Shui Miao was the young man sitting in the front passenger seat.

He stood at 183 centimeters tall, was thin and pale, but his eyes were especially lively and sharp. His pair of sword-like eyebrows radiated an irresistible air of heroism, making people look at him differently and naturally feel a sense of trust and warmth.

“It’s been three years. Finally, I’m back!”

Shui Miao suddenly shook his head slightly, letting out a heartfelt sigh. The scenery outside the car whizzed past his eyes. Compared to three years ago, his hometown had changed dramatically. Neat rows of collective farms, lines of clean and tidy villas, and newly rising buildings under construction… However, Shui Miao’s home wasn’t in the city, but in a small village to the north of the city—a village called Xinfeng.

“You should’ve come back to visit earlier, buddy!” The driver, a young man with curly hair, wore large sunglasses on his nose and a thick gold chain around his neck. He smiled and glanced sideways at Shui Miao, “Oh, by the way, are you definitely leaving again in three days? If so, I’ll go with you. If not, don’t mess with me—I’ve got seven or eight dog breeding farms in Zhonghai, and business brings in hundreds of thousands every day…”

The curly-haired young man was Lin Haiyang, who ran two dog breeding farms in Zhonghai, dealing in pet dogs. He had become close friends with Shui Miao while living there.

“Stop showing off, or I swear I’ll cook your two breeding dogs!” Chen Bing, sitting in the backseat, interrupted Lin Haiyang by flicking a folded newspaper airplane at his head, then turned to pat Shui Miao on the shoulder, saying, “Hey Shui, I heard Xiao Ye is back in town too. How about we brothers get together tonight?”

“Sure! But first, I need to go see Grandpa…”

At the mention of Grandpa, Shui Miao fell silent. Lin Haiyang and Chen Bing also quieted down.

Three years ago, Shui Miao had left home after a bitter falling-out with his adoptive father. There were too many grievances, too much pain. Lin and Chen both understood this, so they usually avoided mentioning Shui Miao’s background to avoid stirring up painful memories.

※※※

In front of a two-story house in Xinfeng Village…

“This is the 30,000 yuan I owe you. Now we’re even.” Shui Miao tossed the money into the arms of a middle-aged man in his forties, sighed softly, and then stared at him, asking quietly, “Is Chenxiang doing okay?”

“Who do you think you are? You don’t even have the right to say her name!”

The middle-aged man took the money, glared at Shui Miao, and then turned to walk straight into the house.

His name was Chen Jianguo. He had once been Shui Miao’s adoptive father. His wife had been unable to conceive, so he paid 3,000 yuan to have a baby brought in from elsewhere. That baby was Shui Miao. In rural terms, this was called “buying a son for luck.” Indeed, a year later, Chen Jianguo’s wife gave birth to a daughter, and the next year to a son. With three children now, Chen Jianguo no longer wanted to invest in Shui Miao and tried to sell the three-year-old boy. On the way, he was stopped by the village’s old feng shui master, Xiong Ying.

Xiong Ying was a well-known local feng shui master who made money easily but had a serious gambling addiction. When he saw a glimmer of spirit in Shui Miao’s eyes, he took a liking to the boy. He offered to pay Chen Jianguo monthly for Shui Miao’s care, on condition that he continue raising him.

It was Xiong Ying who gave Shui Miao his name. Why he chose that name, he never explained, and Shui Miao never asked.

In the blink of an eye, Shui Miao turned seventeen.

That year, Chen Jianguo forced his daughter, Chenxiang, to drop out of school and work in a factory to earn money for building a villa for his beloved son. Over this, Shui Miao had a huge fight with Chen Jianguo. Chen Jianguo screamed at Shui Miao, calling him a bastard bought for 3,000 yuan, and demanded that Shui Miao repay him 30,000 yuan and leave.

Furious, Shui Miao left home and went to Zhonghai to work, enduring countless hardships, until he finally earned enough money.

“Stop right there!”

The usually gentle Shui Miao suddenly shouted, making Chen Jianguo flinch in fear. Two of the 30,000 yuan notes in his hand fell to the ground.

Shui Miao strode forward, grabbed Chen Jianguo’s collar tightly, and pulled out a knife, pressing it against his neck coldly. “Listen here, Chen. Don’t push me too far. We’re not related anymore. But if you dare mistreat Chenxiang, I’ll kill you and your precious son, and you’ll die without descendants!”

Shui Miao looked like a madman ready to kill!

But in reality, this was a special trick he had prepared for Chen Jianguo. There was no other way to deal with someone like him—he only understood intimidation.

It was also a way to vent his anger.

This scene had played out countless times in Shui Miao’s mind. He had long decided that Chen Jianguo was a cowardly bully—good for nothing but picking on women and children. He knew that if he acted tough, Chen would show his true colors.

“Shui… Shui Miao… please, don’t do anything rash!” Chen Jianguo knew exactly how cruelly he had treated Shui Miao in the past. He was so scared his legs trembled, stuttering uncontrollably. The cold blade against his neck felt like death itself. “Alright, alright, I’ll talk. She’s working in a garment factory. She’s been there for three years. It wasn’t me forcing her—she wanted to go. You can ask her yourself if you don’t believe me!”

A stench of urine filled the air…

Shui Miao looked down and saw that Chen Jianguo had wet himself.

“Coward!”

Shui Miao shoved Chen Jianguo to the ground, spat at him fiercely, then put away the knife and walked away.

“Ahhhh…”

As he walked out the gate, Shui Miao let out a loud roar toward the sky!

Startled, Chen Jianguo dropped the remaining 10,000 yuan into his own puddle of urine…

※※※

Shui Miao had vented his anger, but he still worried deeply about Chenxiang.

Although she was Chen Jianguo’s biological daughter, he never treated her like one. In his eyes, only his son mattered. His daughters were just burdens—unless they could earn enough money, they were worthless.

Shui Miao returned to the roadside where Chen Bing was waiting for him.

Taking his backpack from Chen Bing, Shui Miao gave a rare smile. “Tonight, I’ll buy the drinks. Let’s meet at the old place.”

“Sounds good!”

Chen Bing replied cheerfully, then turned and left without further words.

They had grown up together. Chen Bing could tell—Shui Miao had finally moved on. Today was not only his birthday, but also a new beginning in his life!

※※※

“Grandpa… Grandpa, I’m back…”

Shui Miao ran excitedly toward a small tile-roofed house, calling out repeatedly. But Grandpa wasn’t inside. He quickly ran to the riverside dock, where there was a pavilion—his grandfather’s favorite fishing spot. It was a high ground, with only one house—Grandpa Xiong’s. To the east, west, and north, cotton fields stretched endlessly. To the south was a drainage ditch running from east to west, full of reeds, fish, and shrimp.

“It’s Xiao Shui coming back!”

“It really is Xiao Shui!”

Xiong Ying was a small old man in his sixties. Upon hearing Shui Miao’s voice, he excitedly threw down his fishing rod and ran toward him. “My dear child, you’ve finally come back! Is it really you!?”

They hadn’t seen each other in three years. Missing him dearly, Xiong Ying was overwhelmed with emotion at finally seeing Shui Miao again, tears streaming down his face.

“Grandpa, why has your hair turned all white…”

Shui Miao knelt in front of his grandfather, hugging the small-framed old man tightly, tears flowing uncontrollably.

“My good child, my good child! It’s so good that you’re back!”

Xiong Ying wiped his face, trying to pull away, but Shui Miao clung tightly. “Grandpa, I missed you so much. I just wasn’t capable enough to take care of you…”

“Nonsense…”

Xiong Ying’s nose twitched, his eyes watering again.

This touching reunion lasted several minutes. After calming down, the two exchanged warm smiles. Suddenly remembering his fishing rod, Xiong Ying ran back and found he had caught a one-pound flatfish. Perfect for steaming.

Back inside the house, Shui Miao put down his backpack and took out six bottles of Moutai liquor.

“Moutai!”

Besides gambling, Xiong Ying loved drinking. But he knew how expensive Moutai was.

Seeing his grandfather’s surprised expression, Shui Miao blushed and explained awkwardly, “Grandpa, I worked many jobs, and finally got a job as a food server in a big hotel. I used all my money to pay back Chen Jianguo. These bottles weren’t bought—they were leftovers from rich guests who ordered but didn’t finish. I just collected them. I hope you don’t mind…”

A food server in a big hotel earned only a little over a thousand yuan a month. Over three years, Shui Miao had changed jobs many times and spent a lot. His thin, pale appearance was due to years of frugality and malnutrition. With little money, he had no choice but to bring these bottles home to honor his grandfather.

“Foolish child, how could I mind? These bottles are sealed—opened or not, they’re still liquor!” Xiong Ying was not a rigid man. He knew how hard Shui Miao had it and naturally had no complaints.

Hearing this, Shui Miao finally relaxed.

The two busied themselves preparing a meal. Xiong Ying then mysteriously went into the room and brought out a birthday cake, inserting candles and lighting them. Taking a deep breath, he said to Shui Miao, “My boy, you’re twenty now, and so mature. My heart is at ease. Blow out the candles, and Grandpa will fulfill a long-held wish of yours.”

“Ah! Grandpa, you bought a cake? And you’ll finally teach me feng shui?”

Shui Miao suddenly became excited. He had always been fascinated by feng shui, but Xiong Ying had never agreed to teach him. Whenever he asked why, Xiong Ying would only say, “Not yet, not yet. Don’t rush.”

To his surprise, today was finally the day!

Xiong Ying smiled and nodded. “Blow the candles. Once they’re out, Grandpa will teach you a unique feng shui technique like no one before or after—making you a super feng shui master!”

“A super… super feng shui master!?”

Shui Miao could hardly believe his ears.