“Brother.”
Bo Nan entered the house under the cover of night. His gaze swept indifferently over the ambulance with flashing red lights parked near the entrance. His lips curled slightly. “Unlucky.”
Bo Yizhen, wearing a loose bathrobe and holding a cup of freshly brewed hot tea, had clearly just stepped out of the bath. Hearing this, he couldn’t help but ask, “Aren’t you afraid something happened to someone in the family?”
“Impossible.” Bo Nan didn’t explain why he was so certain. He leaned in with a smile to peek at his brother’s tea and sized up his complexion. “I thought you’d be brewing goji berries by now.”
“Get lost,” Bo Yizhen laughed and cursed. “I’m not at that age yet!”
“I went to the company a few days ago, and I saw everyone in the R&D team with a cup of goji tea… or American ginseng slices on their desks. You’re not that much younger than them,” Bo Nan teased before shifting gears. “Where’s Dad?”
“Asleep.” Bo Yizhen looked out the window. The ambulance had loaded someone onto a stretcher and was preparing to pull away. He suddenly asked, “Tell me, what’s going on?”
Bo Nan’s expression shifted, a trace of fleeting disdain crossing his features. “Didn’t I set up a Feng Shui layout for the house? Someone tried to mess with it and got hit by the backlash otherwise, how could I have returned at such a perfect time?”
The Bo family lived in a villa district. While not remote, it still took an ambulance about twenty minutes to arrive. If Bo Nan hadn’t sensed the Feng Shui array being triggered in reverse, he wouldn’t have arrived exactly when the medics did.
Bo Yizhen gave him a flat look and remarked, “Oh. I thought you were just playing around with that stuff. I didn’t expect it to actually work.”
Bo Nan was momentarily speechless, but he quickly moved to exchange information with his brother. “The Qian family is about to collapse. Bro, count the cash at home and get ready for some acquisitions.”
The person outside was sent by the Qians?” Bo Yizhen said. “The Qians have powerful in-laws; they won’t be moved that easily.”
Bo Nan chuckled. “You just focus on the business side. Leave the rest to me.”
Bo Yizhen looked at him sideways, and Bo Nan met his gaze.
He expected his brother to offer some words of caution, but instead, Bo Yizhen drained his tea and said airily, “Just don’t do it at our doorstep next time. It’s bad luck.”
Bo Nan: “…I’ll try my best?”
Bo Yizhen patted Bo Nan’s shoulder as he headed to his room. Bo Nan called out to him, “Bro, who is Master Yu? Do you know him? Apparently, he knows Dad; he’s in the antique business.”
“Master Yu?” Bo Yizhen stopped. “Why are you asking about him?”
“You probably mean Yu Ren. He’s the top figure in the antique world; Qianli Auction House is his property. But I heard he stopped managing things long ago and handed power to his godsons. They say he started out in the ‘Jianghu’ (underworld/itinerant circles) in his early years…” Bo Yizhen paused, the unspoken meaning clear to both of them. “He values the code of the Jianghu and has a good reputation, but he’s not someone to be trifled with.”
Bo Nan thought for a moment and briefly explained the situation. “I happened to save one of his sons today, a guy named Liu-zi. He was the one who tipped me off about the Qian family. I’ll go pay him a visit tomorrow.”
“Alright, be careful,” Bo Yizhen nodded. “Steal some of Dad’s good tea later, or you’ll have nothing decent to bring as a gift.”
Bo Nan grinned. “OK! You have to cover for me later!”
“Got it.” Bo Yizhen waved him off. As a corporate “social animal,” he wasn’t going to stay up late with Bo Nan.
Bo Nan didn’t say anything more. At this point, his brother wasn’t an idiot; he wouldn’t hesitate to strike where needed. In his past life, the family’s tragic end wasn’t due to Bo Yizhen’s lack of intelligence, but because the enemy used methods that weren’t “business as usual.”
For a wealthy family, things like hostile takeovers, short-selling, corporate espionage, and headhunting were routine. Even unconventional moves like someone storming the office with a hammer, stealing the corporate seal, poisoning, or kidnapping were within the realm of expectation. Who could have predicted a Feng Shui master would bury a few trinkets and wipe out an entire family overnight?
It was like playing Mahjong. According to the rules of the game, as long as you weren’t caught cheating, it wasn’t cheating. Everyone calculates their tiles and thinks of how to win beautifully. Then, one person suddenly flips the table, pulls out a gun, shoots the other three, and announces they’ve won. It was that absurd.
The Bo family understood Feng Shui to an extent—the extent of a normal person. They believed in it, but not that much. Buying land or building a house in a place with “good Feng Shui” was common sense. No one wants to live across from a graveyard or next to a hospital where you hear sirens 24/7 and might see a hearse at midnight.
That’s just basic human psychology and environmental science. But if Bo Nan hadn’t entered the path of Feng Shui himself, he wouldn’t have believed someone could use “trash” to commit mass murder. He would have suspected a professional assassin before a Feng Shui master.
Fortunately, masters who can kill via Feng Shui are rare.
That guy’s name was Gao Changdong, right? Given that he could find the Yin-Yang Fish and sense the trouble with the Jade-Heart Bamboo, he had some talent. Unfortunately, this profession is ruthlessly dependent on innate gift.
Do you know why Bo Nan could survive the pressure of the entire industry in his past life? Because in the entire world of Feng Shui, no one could even see his shadow.
There are rules in the industry. Most masters stick to health, wealth, and ancestral blessings. People like Gao Changdong, who kill using the craft, are one in a thousand—as rare as a murderer in a normal population. Such actions, once known, would lead to being hunted by the entire community. Just as Bo Nan was in his previous life.
“This time is different. I was forced to defend myself,” Bo Nan smiled playfully.
The next day, the news of the sudden deaths of both the patriarch and the heir of the Qian family caused a massive uproar. Some had already heard by midnight. However, Bo Nan didn’t pay them much mind. Instead, he took his gifts to visit Master Yu.
Master Yu was exactly what one would expect of an elderly “Big Boss.” He wore a loose white Tang suit, had a peaceful face, and held a Tai Chi sword. If you threw him into a park, he’d blend in perfectly with the morning exercise crowd.
He didn’t live in a sprawling estate, but in a standard alleyway house in Suzhou. It was larger than others, appearing to be several houses joined together.
“Bo the Second?” Master Yu didn’t seem surprised by his appearance. “Few young people wake up as early as you nowadays.”
Bo Nan smiled warmly. “To thank you, I naturally had to come early.”
“I heard about the Qian family,” Master Yu nodded, leading him into the house. “I didn’t realize your father could raise two tigers. Both you and the elder Bo are good kids.”
“Thank you for the compliment.” Bo Nan accepted it gracefully.
Master Yu sat down and gestured for Bo Nan to do the same. A servant quickly served tea and snacks. He studied Bo Nan. “You didn’t just come here to thank me, did you?”
Bo Nan smiled. “I am here to thank you. If you hadn’t tipped me off, I would still be in the dark. Once this busy period is over, I’ll bring my father and brother to thank you properly for your guidance.”
Master Yu narrowed his eyes. “No need. The Qians left no room for retreat. Otherwise, I wouldn’t bother meddling in you youngsters’ affairs.”
“If you say that, you’re treating me like a stranger.” Bo Nan looked out the window. The house was well-maintained with a nice view, though the exterior was marred by Suzhou’s old town restrictions tangled power lines and neighbors’ misshapen awnings. He wasn’t some street-corner fortune teller looking for a job, so he didn’t comment on the local Feng Shui.
Bo Nan came today for three reasons: first, a genuine thank you; second, Master Yu was a titan and etiquette must be observed; third, to leave a lasting impression. To get information in the future, one must offer something real—money, beauty, jewelry, or antiques.
When it came to social maneuvering, Bo Yizhen could outclass ten of him. He’d leave the negotiations to his brother.
After some small talk, Bo Nan went to the hospital to see Liu-zi and Chen Shan. Liu-zi was still out, but Chen Shan was alert. “Young Master Bo, thank you for yesterday.”
“Don’t mention it.” Here, Bo Nan was much more relaxed. “I take some responsibility too. Qian Cheng and I don’t get along; he took his anger out on you because of me.”
Chen Shan shook his head. “…Thank you for the business card. Without it, I don’t know if I’d be alive.”
He had been in the passenger seat. The truck hit that side directly. There was no logical reason he only had fractures while Liu-zi was critical. When they were hit, he felt a burning sensation from his wallet. Later, when he could move, he found that the only thing damaged in his wallet was Bo Nan’s card.
Working in antiques often brings one close to Feng Shui; he had his suspicions.
Bo Nan smiled. “Then I won’t be modest. Don’t worry about repaying me—just remember to call me when you find some ‘good stuff’.”
Chen Shan laughed. “I won’t lie to you, I have a warehouse… when you go there later, you can take your pick.”
“Deal.”