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Feng Shui Chapter 101: Han Yuanzhi's Token of Gratitude
🕑 Added 2025-05-20 04:58:54 +0000 UTCWhen Chen Xiao and Xi Yunqing arrived to meet Han Yuanchun, they found him pacing back and forth, unable to contain his joy, an occasional chuckle escaping his lips. Chen Xiao let out a hearty laugh, and when the City Lord turned to look, he congratulated him warmly, “Congratulations, City Lord Han! At long last, your wish has come true. The City Lord’s residence is about to welcome a new life.”
Han Yuanchun laughed aloud and quickly walked over. “Master Chen already knows? I was planning to deliver the good news to you myself. I wonder who had such a loose tongue.” As he spoke, he shot a glance at Chief Steward Han, clearly blaming him for ruining the surprise.
The steward hastily defended himself. “City Lord, I’ve kept my mouth shut. I didn’t say a word!”
Chen Xiao smiled. “City Lord Han has wronged the Chief Steward. He truly didn’t say anything, I guessed it myself. What else could bring such joy to both you and your steward but this?”
Han Yuanchun burst out laughing again. After a long breath, he beamed with delight. “It’s all thanks to Master Chen. Without your help, the Han family might never have solved this great problem. Please, Master Chen, Immortal Master Xi, have a seat.”
He personally led them to their seats and had the steward serve tea himself, a level of hospitality he hadn’t even shown to Steward Yin of the Chongxuan Sect when they met for official matters. Clearly, Chen Xiao had won genuine respect through his mastery of feng shui.
After they sipped their tea, Han Yuanchun finally sighed with emotion. “It’s been a long and difficult journey to reach this point. Yuanzhi and Yilan went through so much before we finally received this good news.”
‘Yilan’ was the name of Han Yuanzhi’s wife, Chi Yilan. That Han Yuanchun would refer to her so directly in front of Chen Xiao and Xi Yunqing showed his desire for closeness.
But Chen Xiao, mindful of the differences in cultivation and status, would not casually refer to her by name.
He smiled politely. “This just proves the couple was destined to have a child. No matter how powerful feng shui is, it cannot grant children to those fated not to have them.”
Han Yuanchun couldn’t stop smiling. “Regardless, Master Chen, you deserve immense credit. As I said before, the City Lord’s residence owes you a great debt of gratitude.”
Then he turned and signaled the steward. This time, the steward personally brought over a tray bearing a small box. Placing it beside Chen Xiao with a smile, he said, “Master Chen, this is a small token of thanks from the Han family. We hope you’ll accept it with a smile.”
Seated at the head of the table, Han Yuanchun didn’t wait for Chen Xiao to respond politely, but immediately changed the subject to draw everyone’s attention elsewhere. “My sister-in-law had been living on fasting pills while staying in Changjia Village. Then, all of a sudden, she started craving a specific restaurant dish, fruit-glazed pork belly. At first, she tried to suppress it, but she couldn’t sleep that night from the craving. My brother had no choice but to rush back to the city in the middle of the night to fetch the chef from that restaurant and have him cook the dish specially for her. When I heard about it, I thought there might be something to it, so I quickly had a physician skilled in obstetrics check her. And sure enough, she was pregnant! Otherwise, neither my brother nor his wife would’ve had any idea. After pregnancy, fasting pills are no longer suitable; proper food is needed for the fetus to develop. No wonder she was so troubled, it was the little one in her belly demanding meat!”
Chen Xiao found it amusing. So even female cultivators experienced pregnancy cravings. He asked curiously, “But didn’t Madam Han have a child before? How could she not recognize the signs herself?”
Han Yuanchun shook his head and chuckled. “I asked the physician the same thing. Every pregnancy is different. With her first child, Yilan didn’t experience any cravings at all, so this time caught her off guard.” He then said seriously, “Not only am I deeply grateful to you, Master Chen, but my brother and sister-in-law are as well. However, it’s been so hard for Yilan to conceive again that we didn’t dare have them travel back just to thank you in person. We feared it might affect the pregnancy. When you’re free, I’d like to host a banquet over there so we can celebrate properly, and they can thank you face to face.”
Ever since the news, Han Yuanzhi had treated his wife like a precious treasure, not leaving her side for a moment. He’d even handed over his responsibilities at Zhishi Hall temporarily.
Chen Xiao responded with a calm smile. “There’s no need to go to such lengths. What matters most is that she rests and takes care of herself. I understand your gratitude.”
As he glanced at the small box on the tray, he noticed that while it was slightly smaller than the ones given out during the public celebration banquet, it was far more exquisitely crafted.
Han Yuanchun smiled. “I wasn’t sure what Master Chen might need, so we prepared some spirit stones to support your cultivation. I hope you won’t find our Han family’s way of doing things too crude.”
The profession of feng shui master was virtually unheard of before. If it had been a blacksmith or alchemist, they could have been given rare materials to show their sincerity. But based on what Han Yuanchun knew, the only things Chen Xiao had taken from the storeroom were some beast hairs and various kinds of paper, no matter how rare, not exactly appropriate for a formal gift. So in the end, he had prepared a small box of spirit stones.
In the cultivation world, spirit coins were the lowest form of currency. In minor realms like Gengsheng, gold and silver still circulated due to the lower cost of living. But in the middle realms and above, spirit coins were the baseline. Even spirit pearls weren’t considered the highest denomination there, true spirit stones, which Chen Xiao had never even heard of before, held far more value. In a spirit stone vein, the dregs with no energy became spirit coins, those with a small amount of energy were made into pearls, and the rich, pure ones were cut into standardized spirit stones.
Just like the conversion of spirit coins to spirit pearls, the exchange rate followed the same principle of one to a hundred. A hundred spirit pearls could be exchanged for one spirit stone. If spirit pearls were used to power various semi-refined items, then spirit stones were the most precious energy source in the cultivation world, used to supply power to magic tools, treasures, and arrays.
After hearing Xi Yunqing whisper an explanation in his ear, Chen Xiao finally understood just how generous the reward from Lord Han truly was. His smile deepened as he said, “Lord Han’s magnanimity truly earns my admiration. However, I do have one more request.”
Lord Han Yuanchun responded immediately, “Please speak, Master Chen. As long as it’s something within the Han family’s power, we will not refuse.”
Chen Xiao said, “I would like to request permission to visit your treasury again and use the spirit stones in this box as the standard to exchange for materials.”
Han Yuanchun paused for a moment, then said, “Of course.”
To Chen Xiao, wealth could always be earned again in the future. What was more valuable was the opportunity to gather enough materials all at once—especially those rare and hard-to-come-by ones—to stock up in advance. This time, with Xi Yunqing accompanying him, things would be different from the previous visit when he was unprepared and had to hastily pick what he needed. Having read the contents of the ivory plaque, Xi Yunqing already knew what materials Chen Xiao would need in the future and which ones would be hard to find.
This time, Lord Han personally accompanied the two of them to the treasury and even opened up a previously sealed chamber that stored more precious materials for Chen Xiao to choose from. Chen Xiao asked Xi Yunqing to make the selections for him, and Xi Yunqing, without hesitation, picked several high-grade materials that he had seen mentioned in the ivory plaque—ones Chen Xiao would definitely need in the future.
News that the Han family had finally conceived an heir quickly spread through Hanshan City, and prestigious families began visiting to offer their congratulations. But Chen Xiao felt that, since the result was now certain, there was no reason for him to continue staying at the City Lord’s estate.
Xi Yunqing had invited him earlier to travel together, retracing the places he had visited during his previous journey to see more of the world and its people.
The feng shui work that could be done in Hanshan City was more or less complete. Among lower-level cultivators and practitioners, the market had already reached saturation. Once the Han family’s success became widely known, more influential families were bound to approach him. However, with Chen Xiao’s current strength, he was not yet ready to take on their commissions. The only reason he was able to successfully solve the Han family’s problem this time was due to the discovery of the feng shui treasure land in the Chang family’s village. If other families came with similar expectations, where could he possibly find another site of such quality so quickly?
Therefore, Chen Xiao decided to leave Hanshan City and travel with Xi Yunqing. Once he gained new insights or advanced further with his compass, he would return to engage with those families.
When City Lord Han said he would host a formal banquet, he really meant it, formal invitations were sent to Xi Yunqing and his companions, inviting them to the Han family residence in the Chang family village.
Because it was an official invitation, Tong Nuonuo and Du Rong also joined the gathering. This time, it was a private family feast. Although not as grand as the celebration banquet, with fewer performances and less pomp, the dishes were even more refined and carefully prepared. Several signature dishes were specially made by chefs invited from the city’s top restaurants to suit Chi Yilan’s palate. It could be said that this meal fulfilled Chen Xiao’s desire to taste all of Hanshan City’s classic cuisines in one sitting.
During the banquet, Han Yuanzhi and Chi Yilan raised their cups to toast Chen Xiao, expressing their gratitude for his use of feng shui to help them conceive new life. Han Yuanzhi said emotionally, “My wife and I had already given up hope and never expected such a miracle. If we were at all neglectful toward Master Chen before, we hope you will forgive us.” Chi Yilan added, “We truly thank Master Chen for all the hard work and effort you put into this residence.”
At this point, neither of them believed it was merely a coincidence. On the contrary, they had begun to contemplate the deeper meaning behind it all. It was precisely because they had resolved their past grievances with the Chang family that they were able to build their residence on this treasured land. The other side had taken their only son, and now, in a different form, returned a child to them. If they hadn’t chosen to forgive, perhaps they would never have received such a blessing.
Han Yuanzhi took out a token from his robes and handed it to Chen Xiao. “I thought this might save Master Chen some trouble, so I took the liberty of arranging for a new identity medallion. My brother’s gift was a token of his appreciation. Though this may not be as precious, it is the best way my wife and I could think of to express our thanks.”
Chen Xiao looked at Han Yuanzhi in surprise and solemnly accepted the medallion. Mimicking a cultivator’s technique, he channeled a trace of spiritual energy into it. A stream of information appeared, besides his name, appearance, cultivation level, and place of birth, there was a new line written in glowing characters:
Primary Auxiliary Profession: Feng Shui Master!
