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Chapter 30: Peril
🕑 Added 2025-02-24 10:16:52 +0000 UTC"Dongyu" referred to the Feng Shui sect that Chen Xiao had belonged to in his past life, while "Fang Gu" was the name of his master.
In his previous world, Feng Shui had long spread beyond its homeland. Not only had it thrived in Southeast Asia, amassing a large following, but even across the seas in major Western countries, early Feng Shui masters had ventured far, settling down and establishing new sects.
Among the many branches of Feng Shui, Dongyu was not a particularly renowned one. Historically, it had not produced any famous masters nor left behind any groundbreaking contributions. Its most distinguished figure was none other than the previous generation's Fang Gu, whose reputation had once shaken the land far and wide.
During Fang Gu’s youth, the domestic environment was tumultuous, and many sought out Feng Shui for guidance. The trade flourished, and as a result, the craft of Feng Shui artifacts thrived as well. It was during this time that Fang Gu commissioned a master artisan to craft a custom-made Luo Pan compass for him.
By the time Chen Xiao was born, the chaos had subsided, and the once-devastated Feng Shui industry began to recover. However, the masters who perished in those turbulent years, along with their lost knowledge, could never be restored. By the time Chen Xiao made a name for himself, no one was capable of creating an artifact as refined as Fang Gu’s Luo Pan.
Although Chen Xiao's own Luo Pan was of fine quality, it lacked the same spiritual resonance as his master’s. There had been a time when he shamelessly pestered Fang Gu, hoping to borrow the Luo Pan for his own use. However, his usually kind and indulgent master had stubbornly clutched the instrument, refusing to let go. In a rare display of possessiveness, he had even joked that the Luo Pan was like half of his soul, no one could have it while he was alive, and even in death, he intended to take it with him to the grave.
Chen Xiao understood well that a Luo Pan, after years of use, could become attuned to its owner's fate. Perhaps his master had not been joking at all and had truly intended for it to be his burial companion. From that moment on, Chen Xiao never brought it up again and instead devoted himself to carefully nurturing his own Luo Pan.
Now, however, he found it strange, why had he suddenly dreamt of his master’s Luo Pan?
As he pondered over this oddity, a faint noise reached his ears. It was the muffled thud of someone in cloth-soled shoes landing on the ground from a height.
Chen Xiao’s heart tightened instantly.
With utmost vigilance, he reached into a hidden compartment of his bed frame and retrieved a dagger. At the same time, his other hand grasped a rope secured beside his bedpost.
Apart from the initial sound, no further noises came, no matter how intently Chen Xiao strained his ears. Yet, he did not let his guard down; instead, his senses became even sharper.
The night was gloomy, with heavy clouds blanketing the sky. Though it wasn’t pitch-dark, the overcast sky reflected ambient light from distant sources, casting an eerie glow.
Chen Xiao held his breath and fixed his gaze on the window. Soon, he noticed a dark silhouette slowly stretching across the windowpane. The outline clearly belonged to an unidentified intruder with ill intentions. The figure’s hand fumbled against the window frame, seemingly preparing to employ some kind of method, perhaps a knockout smoke, or even poison. Whatever the case, Chen Xiao had no reason to believe this person meant well.
Suddenly, a sharp cry of pain came from outside, followed by another voice exclaiming in alarm.
Chen Xiao’s heart skipped a beat. There was more than one intruder. An accomplice was lurking nearby!
Without hesitation, he yanked the rope in his grasp.
A bronze gong, hidden in a discreet corner of the house’s outer wall, erupted with an urgent and resounding clang—Clang! Clang! Clang!
At the same time, Chen Xiao gripped his dagger tightly, sprang from his bed barefoot, and rushed to the door.
With all his might, he shouted, "Fire! Fire! The house is on fire!"
His voice rang out in the quiet night, and the sound of the gong carried far. The sudden commotion immediately alerted the patrolling night watch. Furthermore, Chen Xiao’s courtyard was small, with only a single wall separating it from the neighboring houses. On ordinary days, even minor arguments between households could be overheard. Now, with his frantic cries, his neighbors were jolted awake.
Outside the courtyard, one of the intruders cursed under his breath, then shouted furiously, "Abort! Run for it!"
Hurried footsteps pounded against the ground as they scrambled toward the gate.
Hearing them flee rather than storming inside to take him hostage, Chen Xiao finally allowed himself a moment of relief.
Yet beneath his shock and lingering fear, rage simmered within him.
These weren’t mere thieves, they were outright murderers! If he simply let them escape, he would never be able to stomach it.
Without delay, he flung open the door, dashed to the kitchen, and grabbed the torches he had prepared for nighttime illumination.
With a flick, the flames ignited.
The courtyard was instantly bathed in a flickering, fiery glow.
The two bandits had already flung open the courtyard gate and bolted. Chen Xiao rushed out through the wide-open doors, standing in the middle of the street, waving his torch and shouting at the top of his lungs, “Robbers! Catch the robbers—!”
By this time, his earlier commotion, banging the gong and shouting about the fire had already woken up nearly the entire street. Doors and gates swung open one after another, and many of the men emerged, some carrying water buckets, others holding torches, ready for action.
The sheer momentum of the crowd was enough to terrify the fleeing bandits, causing them to stumble and hesitate. Their slowed pace led them straight into the path of the arriving security patrol, and not a single one managed to escape.
That night, few people got any sleep. This was a quiet, law-abiding neighborhood, and it had been decades since anything as outrageous as a home invasion by robbers had occurred.
Aunt Huang and her family, who were on good terms with Chen Xiao, gathered around him anxiously. The rest of the neighbors stood in the outer circle, chattering away in agitation, cursing and condemning the criminals with righteous fury.
Fortunately, the security patrol had caught them quickly, otherwise, no one in the area would have been able to sleep soundly again.
As the victim of the crime, Chen Xiao was taken to the patrol station to assist in the investigation. He spent half a day there, and soon, the captured robbers confessed everything.
It turned out there weren’t just two of them, there was a third man as well, keeping watch outside. These three were notorious thugs in the county city, idlers who spent their days frequenting brothels and gambling dens.
The leader of the group had the worst luck, he owed the casino a huge debt, and if he didn’t pay up by the deadline, the owner planned to sell him off to work in the pitch-dark mines. Desperate to escape this fate but unwilling to endure hardship, the leader made up his mind and roped in his two underlings. They schemed to pull off one big job, take the money, and disappear.
After surveying their options, they set their sights on Chen Xiao.
He had simply been too conspicuous lately, constantly receiving guests, mingling with wealthy merchants. These small-time crooks knew nothing about the intricate art of residential feng shui. All they saw was that Chen Xiao had suddenly become a rising star in the city’s business circles, making a fortune. And after asking around, they confirmed that he had no family to rely on. That made him the perfect target.
When the patrol searched them, they found a blood-grooved dagger and a pouch of poison smoke. Clearly, these men had never intended to leave any witnesses alive.
When Pang Hemu arrived and heard the details, he was both furious and terrified. He immediately scolded Chen Xiao, “I told you ages ago to get a bigger house and hire some martial artists for protection! If you’d just listened to me, this wouldn’t have happened!”
Chen Xiao gave a helpless smile and shook his head. “I live alone. There’s no need for such a big house.”
Frustrated, Pang Hemu slammed his hand on the table and dropped into a chair beside Chen Xiao. “At the very least, you need a personal bodyguard! With your current wealth, you can easily offer double the usual pay and hire a truly skilled martial artist. Sure, you installed traps on the doors and windows, and you rigged the courtyard with that alarm gong. But what if next time, they aren’t just after your money, but your life? How many times do you think you can survive that?”
Chen Xiao exhaled slowly. “You’re right. This time was too close, I wasn’t careful enough.”
He had hidden a dagger in a secret compartment and set up a series of security measures, including traps and a rope-triggered alarm gong. But, as Pang Hemu pointed out, if the attackers had been more ruthless, willing to risk everything for a final strike, all of his precautions would have been meaningless.
“Leave it to me,” Pang Hemu declared. “I’ll find you a top-tier martial artist.”
“Then I’ll trouble you with that, Boss,” Chen Xiao conceded.
When he returned home, the hired help had already tidied up the place. Chen Xiao sat down in his study, his expression dark.
Last night, he had been startled and frightened. But now, all he felt was anger and helplessness.
A gang of ignorant thugs had broken into a feng shui master’s home, completely disregarding the consequences. In his past life, something like this would have been unthinkable. For thousands of years, feng shui had been deeply ingrained in people’s beliefs, influencing every aspect of life. Ordinary folk understood that provoking a feng shui master was unwise, doing so invited the wrath of the master’s sect and peers.
Even though feng shui practitioners belonged to many different schools, scattered across regions, when it came to matters of personal safety, they stood united.
Ultimately, those robbers had dared to target Chen Xiao because he lacked that invisible yet formidable backing. He was alone, an easy mark.
And that realization infuriated him.
Chen Xiao, who had always taken pride in the legacy and authority of feng shui masters, clenched his fists.
One day, he swore, he would make sure the name of feng shui masters echoed throughout this world. He would let everyone know that feng shui masters were not to be trifled with!
Perhaps his determination was too strong, because even though it was broad daylight and he hadn’t been sleeping, his consciousness was suddenly pulled back into that dark, dreamlike space from the night before.
But this time, his eyes were open. His vision split into two overlapping layers, one showing the familiar furnishings of his study, the other a pitch-black void.
A moment later, a golden light flickered in the darkness.
Chen Xiao, now aware that something was amiss, didn’t wake up in shock this time. Instead, he moved cautiously toward it.
The golden compass grew closer and closer.
