“Hmph! Young man, do you think I’m afraid to sit?”
Without looking carefully at the reclining chair, the old man took a couple of steps forward and sat down heavily…
“Crack!”
The chair shattered instantly, leaving the old man lying awkwardly on the ground. The long sword in his hand also slipped out, and he was now covered in dust.
“Haha! You really should consider losing some weight, shouldn’t you?”
Shui Miao bent down and picked up the sword, pulling it out with a swift motion. He immediately caught a strange smell—realgar!
Are you kidding me? Does this old guy think I’m a monster?
“What a fine sword! Indeed, a truly ‘precious’ one!” Shui Miao closed the sword and, with a serious expression, said to the confused old man who was clumsily getting up, “Old man, this reclining chair has been a family heirloom passed down from the Ming Dynasty. I’ve cherished it carefully all these years. I even dared not put much pressure on it when lying down—I treated it like I would treat my ancestors! But now you’ve destroyed my ‘ancestor.’ How do you plan to settle this?”
“You little brat! Are you trying to extort me?”
The old man flew into a rage and lunged to snatch the sword from Shui Miao.
Shui Miao sidestepped with a grin and said, “Old man, I advise you not to start anything and bring trouble upon yourself. There are cameras here, you know. If the police find out about this elderly person bullying a child like me, it won’t look good.”
“You brat, give me back my Qinggang sword.”
The old man looked around desperately for the cameras.
Influenced by Shui Miao, he was actually starting to believe he had become the bully.
Shui Miao shook his head and said, “You first need to compensate me for my ancestral reclining chair. It’s not expensive—only worth eight million.”
“Are you out of your mind? This junk as an antique? You must think I’m…”
The old man picked up a bamboo stick from the ground, ran his hand over it, and found it covered in dust. He froze instantly. Hurriedly, he ran behind Shui Miao and saw that Shui had no dust on him. Suddenly, he realized—he had encountered a true expert!
Shui Miao examined the sword in his hand and said, “Well, seeing as you’re so old, I won’t ask for too much money. Just leave this Qinggang sword with me as collateral.”
“…”
The old man stared at Shui Miao in silence.
“What? Are you angry?”
“Or is it that you’re reluctant?”
“Hehe, if you’re so reluctant, then why did you stick your neck out for someone else?”
“Feng Shui master, you claim to be a Feng Shui master. Well then, do three things for me, and I’ll return this sword. How about that?”
Shui Miao waved the Qinggang sword in his hand and looked seriously at the old man.
After glancing at the sword, the old man reluctantly replied, “Fine.”
Shui Miao looked around and said, “Well, there’s nothing much to do. So first, answer one question for me. You must be honest, or else this sword will never be yours again.”
“You… ask.”
The old man clearly lacked confidence.
“Were you sent by Qin Gang?” Shui Miao asked with a smile.
The old man was startled. “You’re indeed impressive. Yes, it was him.”
Shui Miao nodded. “Good. Let’s forget that question. Now for the second task: fix my reclining chair.”
“But it’s broken into pieces?”
The old man saw that some bamboo pieces were even snapped in half.
“Just do your best,” Shui Miao said, then took the sword and returned to his shop.
Knowing Shui Miao was an expert he couldn’t afford to offend, the old man hurriedly and obediently began assembling the chair. After much effort, he finally managed to put it back together, although it looked like it would collapse at the slightest touch.
“Alright, that’s good enough,” Shui Miao said as he stepped out, handing the sword back to the old man. Then, he casually lay down on the chair, which appeared incapable of supporting anyone’s weight. “Oh, and one last thing: tell Qin Gang from me that next time, he should send someone more capable. I hope he won’t disappoint me again.”
“…”
The old man was speechless. He glanced awkwardly at Shui Miao and then turned and walked away.
Shui Miao casually picked up a leaf and continued his nap.
Zhang the blind man and Wang the lame man had just wanted to come over and talk to Shui Miao, but seeing him asleep again, they stopped in their tracks.
※※※
It was a little past one in the afternoon, with the sun blazing overhead.
Suddenly, a white car pulled up in front of Shui Miao’s shop.
An old man, about seventy years old, with a square face and white hair and beard, stepped out of the car, supported by a beautiful young woman in her early twenties.
The old man glanced at Shui Miao’s signboard with a faint smile and walked directly into the shop, briefly inspecting the interior before stepping back out.
A bodyguard who had been driving took a folding chair from the car and placed it beside Shui Miao for the old man to sit on.
Smiling, the old man introduced himself while watching Shui Miao: “My name is Qin Feng. I’ve studied Feng Shui for many years and could be considered a Feng Shui master. Today, I heard from an old friend that you possess profound Daoist skills and are a true master of the world. I’ve come especially to seek your guidance. I hope, young sir, you might offer me a word or two of advice!”
“…”
Shui Miao lay there motionless, seemingly asleep.
The young woman beside the old man couldn’t stand it anymore. She kicked the reclining chair with her high heel. “Hey, my grandfather is talking to you!”
“…”
Shui Miao still showed no reaction.
Seeing Shui Miao’s indifference, the young woman reached out to remove the leaf covering his face, but the old man, Qin Feng, immediately stopped her. “Don’t be disrespectful. Go back to the car.”
“But Grandpa, he’s the one being rude!”
The young woman pouted and stamped her foot.
“Get back in the car!”
Qin Feng, his face stern, repeated the command.
“Hmph!”
The young woman turned sharply and stormed back into the car.
Qin Feng bowed to Shui Miao with a smile and said, “Please don’t mind the child’s behavior. I sincerely came to visit. If you’re indeed very tired, I can wait.”
The reason Qin Feng was patient enough to wait was because he had noticed the reclining chair. It was clearly put together haphazardly, and even a breeze could knock it over. There was no way it could support a young man’s weight. Obviously, this young man must be a true master of the world!
“Look, look! Isn’t that Qin Feng, the president of the Huanghai Yi Society?”
“I can’t see clearly, but it might be him…”
“Wow, even Qin Feng has come! Shui Miao must really be an extraordinary person!”
“Shh, speak softly. Don’t upset our benefactor.”
“Yes, yes, he’s our benefactor, our benefactor…”
Zhang the blind man and Wang the lame man whispered to each other while secretly watching.
At that moment, the reclining chair beneath Shui Miao suddenly collapsed, scattering pieces all over the ground. Yet Shui Miao still maintained his lying posture!
“Hehe, old man, you flatter me. I’m no master of the world. I just learned a bridge-stiffening technique from my grandfather when I was young. I was actually practicing my skills lying here,” Shui Miao said, removing the leaf and standing upright with a slight smile toward Qin Feng. Then he glanced toward the young lady inside the car. The girl had delicate skin, big eyes, and a refined appearance, clearly a wealthy family’s cherished daughter.
“Hmph! Pretending to be something he’s not. I knew he wasn’t really a Feng Shui master,” the young lady said. She pushed open the car door and prepared to get out.
Since the young lady was wearing a miniskirt, getting out risked exposure. Qin Feng suddenly barked, “Stay in the car! Don’t come out!”
“I will come out…!”
The young lady was stubborn and refused to obey Qin Feng’s order.
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