At twenty-one, Liu Dashao was exactly at the age for daydreaming. Clutching a newly bought ring tightly in his palm, he fantasized about getting rich. He shoved other random items the sleazy man had brought into a box and casually tossed it behind the counter. After locking the door, Liu Dashao happily hummed to himself, “We ordinary folks are so happy today… We ordinary folks are so happy today…”
After finishing a day’s business, Liu Dashao planned to close shop early, guessing that no one would come looking for a feng shui reading on Mid-Autumn Festival. He wanted to buy something delicious with Bai Bing to celebrate at home. As he was thinking about what to buy, the phone rang. Bai Bing answered, murmured a couple of “uh-huhs,” and handed the receiver to him.
“He says he’s a customer,” Bai Bing whispered.
“Hello, may I ask who’s calling?”
“Hello, Mr. Liu, this is the relative of a client you helped with feng shui not long ago. My father’s surname is Wang.”
Oh no! Is something wrong? Liu Dashao’s nerves tensed up immediately.
“Hello! Hello! What can I do for you?”
“Oh, nothing serious. I just came back to Hong Kong for the Mid-Autumn Festival, and my father mentioned you. He’s very grateful, so I’d like to invite you for a casual meal to express our thanks. Would that be convenient?”
Phew—so it’s just that. Liu Dashao exhaled in relief. “Oh, no need, really. It’s part of my job. Please give my regards to Uncle Wang. I should’ve visited him during this festive season.”
“You’re too polite. Please don’t refuse. I’ve already booked the restaurant. Tomorrow night at six, Room 12 at the Triumph Palace. We’ll see you there.”
The call ended abruptly. Liu Dashao slowly hung up the receiver, puzzled. “Hey, is this guy out of his mind? He sounds like he’s forcing me to come to dinner. Doesn’t feel right. But the place is pretty decent! There’ll definitely be lots of good food. Bai Bing, you’re coming with me tomorrow. I’ll show you what the big leagues look like.”
The next day, Liu Dashao and Bai Bing had a very light lunch. Bai Bing was confused, but Liu insisted the dinner restaurant was such a great place that eating too much at noon would ruin their appetite. At 4:30 PM, Liu Dashao closed the shop early and took Bai Bing in a luxurious taxi. When Bai Bing asked why they were leaving so early, Liu said he was afraid of traffic.
So it was that they arrived at the Triumph Palace at 5:15 PM. They entered the grand lobby and asked a server where Room 12 was. A beautiful receptionist with a Hong Kong accent personally led them there. Entering the elegantly decorated private room, Liu Dashao marveled, “Only when you’re rich can you truly appreciate style and ambiance. Poverty really holds a hero back!”
“Haha, Mr. Liu, you’ve got real insight!” A cheerful voice came from outside the door. A man in his early forties, slightly overweight and sturdy-looking, walked in, followed by a younger man. “Mr. Liu, nice to meet you. I’m Wang Zhicai, and this is my best friend, Dakang. We both like to arrive early.”
As Wang Zhicai introduced himself, he sat down and exchanged greetings.
Wang Zhicai seemed fine, but the man named Dakang gave Liu Dashao an uneasy feeling. There was something eerie and unsettling about him.
“Nice to meet you! Nice to meet you!” Liu Dashao, not entirely inexperienced in social settings, replied, “I’m Liu Dashao. This is my friend from the shop, Bai Bing.”
They all sat down, and a waitress promptly brought the menu. Wang Zhicai pushed it toward Liu Dashao. After some polite back-and-forth, Liu Dashao picked up the menu. Every dish had a photo, all beautifully presented. But the prices were shocking. He ordered one dish and quickly passed the menu back to Wang Zhicai.
Wang Zhicai looked through it and ordered swiftly. The waitress smiled and left the room.
“Mr. Wang, where do you do business?”
“Haha, Mr. Liu, you flatter me. I just run a small business in Xinjiang, barely making ends meet.”
“Making ends meet? Mr. Wang, you’re too modest. Your father lives in such a luxurious villa. You must be doing more than just surviving. Haha.” Hypocrite! The richer they are, the more fake they get. Pretending to just scrape by!
“Well, nowadays, skills bring money. Expertise brings wealth! I have neither, so I just run small businesses. Nothing grand like you, Mr. Liu, who understands the Five Elements so well. You’ll go far someday.”
“Ah, just scraping by like everyone else. I’m not looking to get rich—I’d be happy with a modest life. If you have any feng shui needs at your company or home, just let me know, okay?”
“No problem, no problem. Let’s make money together! Haha.”
At that moment, the waitress brought in dishes like abalone, sea cucumber, shark fin, and bird’s nest, along with a bottle of Maotai. She poured wine for everyone, and the banquet began.
“Brother Liu, who was your teacher?” Wang Zhicai’s eyes gleamed mysteriously.
Liu Dashao thought, “Trying to dig into my background? Do you think I, a seasoned practitioner, would fall for your tricks, you privileged little brat? We’ll see who ends up tricking whom.” With a smile, he replied, “To be honest, I’m originally from mainland China. My master was the previous Celestial Master, Zhang Enpu. Unfortunately, he passed away early, and I only learned the basics. I wonder if he’d be upset with me from beyond the grave.”
“Ah, a disciple of the Celestial Master! Long admired!” Wang Zhicai smiled. Liu Dashao noticed his smile lacked sincerity and wondered if he doubted him. He quickly raised his glass awkwardly, “This toast is to thank Mr. Wang for inviting me tonight. It’s an honor to make your acquaintance. I’ll drink first!”
As the wine flowed and the meal progressed, the atmosphere warmed. Wang Zhicai, eyes half-closed, asked, “Little Brother Liu, have you heard of the Jingyi Mizhi?”
Liu Dashao paused mid-sip. “Mr. Wang knows of the Jingyi Mizhi too?”
“Yes, nowadays, fewer and fewer people know about it. I’ve heard of it, but I don’t understand it well. A friend of mine told me it’s the greatest book on feng shui ever. So I just asked casually. Mr. Liu, are you familiar with it?”
“To be honest, when I first came to Hong Kong, I found a Song dynasty edition in Kowloon, and an old master gave me some pointers.”
He recalled the story. Back then, book stalls were common in Kowloon. Liu Dashao, newly arrived in Hong Kong, wandered around to get his bearings and learn the ropes. One day, he spotted the Jingyi Mizhi in a corner of an old book stall. He spent an hour reading it, realizing that apart from the Zang Jing, this was the most important feng shui text. He kept returning to the stall, fearing someone else might buy it. Though he wanted to buy it, he was just an assistant to Master Diao, surviving on cheap boxed meals and couldn’t afford it. The old vendor eventually got to know him.
One day, the old man chuckled, “Young man, why do you keep coming to read this book but never buy it? Are you afraid it’s fake? I promise you, it’s a genuine Song edition. I wouldn’t lie to you!”
Liu Dashao scratched his head sheepishly, “Old man, I want to buy it, but I can’t afford it. I just love reading it, so I keep coming. Please don’t mind.”
The old man laughed again, “You haven’t even asked the price. How do you know you can’t afford it?”
“Don’t tease me. A Song edition like this must cost at least a thousand dollars. I’m just a worker. I really can’t afford it.”
“You seem to truly appreciate this book. I’ll sell it to you for twenty dollars. Interested?”
“Twenty?” Liu Dashao couldn’t believe his ears, staring wide-eyed at the vendor.
It turned out that some things are about fate. In the end, Liu Dashao bought the Song edition of the Jingyi Mizhi for twenty dollars and spent a long time chatting with the old man. The insights and guidance the old man offered were invaluable. But back to the banquet.
Liu Dashao collected his thoughts and continued, “I’ve read it thoroughly. How much I truly understand is hard to say, but I’ve gained deep insights. The language is elegant and poetic, so I enjoy reading it again and again. The more I read, the more I appreciate its profound wisdom.”
“I’m also very interested. Could you tell me more?”
Liu Dashao rarely received such appreciation. Praise combined with Maotai made him feel light-headed. “The Jingyi Mizhi draws from classics like Qing Nang, Tian Yu, and Bao Zhao, emphasizing the balance and regulation of yin and yang, primarily based on dragon and water veins. It’s one of my favorite ancient texts. But Mr. Wang, how did you know I knew this book?”
“I saw the feng shui mirror arrangement you did for my father and guessed. I didn’t expect it to be true. You really are a master!”
“Me? A master? Just a hobbyist!” He picked up a large prawn with his chopsticks and placed it in Bai Bing’s bowl. “Bingjie, don’t hold back. Eat more!”
Bai Bing smiled awkwardly and accepted the gesture.
Wang Zhicai chuckled, “Brother, you’re really good to your friend. You’re a man of loyalty and righteousness. Would you be willing to be friends with me?”
“Of course! Meeting is fate!”
“Then from now on, we won’t stand on ceremony. Whatever I need, you’ve got to help me out, okay?”
“Of course, of course.” What could he possibly need? Someone so rich must have problems even money can’t solve. Obviously, this was a win-win situation.
The dinner ended on a pleasant note.
Three days later at noon, Wang Zhicai unexpectedly showed up.
“Brother Wang, you’re here! Have you eaten?” Liu Dashao stood up immediately.
“Already eaten.” Wang Zhicai glanced at Bai Bing beside him and smiled.
Liu Dashao immediately understood. He sent Bai Bing out to buy cigarettes. Some customers preferred privacy.
After Bai Bing left, Wang Zhicai lit a cigarette and said, “Little Brother, I’ll speak plainly.”
This opening confused Liu Dashao. He stayed silent, waiting to hear more.
“I admire your feng shui skills greatly. But running this little shop, how much can you really earn?” Seeing Liu Dashao say nothing, he continued, “I’ve got a way for you to make real money. Interested?”
Money? Liu Dashao’s eyes lit up. He had dreamed of this moment!
Seeing Liu Dashao’s fleeting expression, Wang Zhicai smiled confidently, “Your skills are wasted just doing house readings. We’re forming a private archaeological team at my company. We need someone like you. Join us!”
At this point, Liu Dashao already understood most of what Wang was implying. But he felt uneasy and hesitated to respond. Archaeology? In nicer terms, it was scientific research. In harsher terms, it was grave robbing.
Desecrating graves and stealing from the dead had always been illegal and immoral. Liu Dashao, though struggling, questioned whether he should really do this. He hesitated.
Wang Zhicai, a seasoned negotiator, pulled out 20,000 Hong Kong dollars from his bag and placed it on the table. “This is a deposit. Don’t worry, I won’t shortchange you. You don’t have to do anything big—just help me analyze the terrain and point me in the right direction. Even if I get caught one day, I’ll never implicate you. In our line of work, loyalty is everything.”
Liu Dashao’s resistance slowly crumbled—not so much from Wang’s words, but from the money on the table. Mentally calculating, he thought deposits were usually 30%. If this 20,000 was just a deposit, the total must be at least 70,000! For Liu Dashao, living in an era where a ten-thousand-dollar household was considered wealthy, even in Hong Kong dollars, this was a huge sum.
“I’m not someone without principles!” His final protest…
Wang Zhicai opened his bag again and slammed another 30,000 onto the table. “Fifty thousand deposit! Think it over carefully. I’ll be going now. Call me the day after tomorrow when you’ve made up your mind!” With that, he turned and left without looking back.
Wang Zhicai’s confident stride seemed to suggest Liu Dashao would definitely join. Watching him leave, Liu Dashao felt uncertain whether this was good or bad news. But looking down at the money on the table… Good or bad? Nothing mattered more than the treasure right in front of him.
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