As the charcoal fire was changed several times, the night grew darker, and most of the girls, unable to stay awake, went to bed. At this moment, Uncle Second and a few carpenters also came to the hall.
At midnight, it was the time for the beam-lifting ceremony. Although modern houses no longer have beams, the carpenters hung a red silk talisman in the center of the hall, symbolizing the beam-lifting ceremony.
A group of young people gathered around the charcoal fire. After Qin Yu explained the customs of the beam-lifting ceremony, everyone compared the carpenters' actions and found that each move indeed had a meaning.
A new redwood ladder, which was essential for the beam-lifting ceremony in every new house, could not be stepped on by anyone before the carpenters climbed it, to show the importance of the ceremony.
Qin Yu and Zhang Hua stood to one side, watching the carpenter finish the blessing words and prepare to climb the ladder. Qin Yu frowned, thinking to himself, "The beam-lifting ceremony is for peace and prosperity, but this inauspicious wind will bring misfortune and financial loss. It would be strange if the red silk talisman could be hung up."
The carpenter held the talisman in one hand and the ladder in the other, climbing step by step until he reached the top of the hall. He reached out to hang the talisman on a specially reserved steel hook at the top.
Whistling~~~
As soon as the talisman was hung, Uncle Second's happy expression had not yet faded when a sudden gust of wind blew, making the talisman sway and eventually fall to the ground.
"What... What's going on!"
The crowd gasped in shock, and the carpenter was stunned for a moment before quickly tried to salvage the situation:
"The wind brings blessings!"
He then climbed down the ladder, picked up the talisman, and performed a ritual to the four directions, reciting the "Luban's Beam-Lifting Text." After that, he climbed the ladder again and hung the talisman on the hook. This time, he held it for a while, but found nothing unusual, so he let go.
"Boom!"
As soon as the carpenter let go, the talisman began to sway again and fell to the ground in front of everyone.
"Damn, this can't be so evil!"
Zhang Hua stared intently at the talisman on the ground and whispered to Qin Yu.
The carpenter was at a loss, as this situation was extremely rare, almost like a ghostly phenomenon. Uncle Second's expression also turned grim.
"This is a sign of a cursed house!"
The older generation, who had seen many things, spoke softly. The beam-lifting ceremony is for peace, but if the talisman can't be hung, it foretells misfortune for the house's owner.
Everyone's faces were clouded with worry. Seeing this, Qin Yu knew it was time for him to step in and speak to Uncle Second. He took a step forward and came to the center of the crowd.
"This is not a sign of a cursed house. It's just that the feng shui master did not avoid some inauspicious energy when choosing the site," Qin Yu said, picking up the talisman from the ground.
"Xiao Yu, don't talk nonsense!" Uncle Second glanced at a middle-aged man beside him and interrupted Qin Yu.
Qin Yu followed Uncle Second's gaze and sized up the man. He wore a felt hat and had a mustache. His face was now somewhat grim, and he stared at Qin Yu, saying:
"A young person like you, what do you know about feng shui? My family has chosen sites for many families in the town, and we have never made a mistake."
"If it were the old master, he wouldn't have made a mistake, but it's hard to say about you, Mr. Li."
Qin Yu glanced at the man, thinking that a mediocre master would harm both himself and others. He had no intention of giving him any face. Such a feng shui master would only harm more families in the town if he continued to practice.
"Then, Mr. Li, can you tell me why the talisman can't be hung?"
"This..."
Li Guofang wanted to say it was because the house's owner had a bad omen, but he couldn't say it in front of Uncle Second.
"You want to say it's because my uncle's family has a bad omen, right?"
Qin Yu sneered, looking at Li Guofang with disdain. "Feng shui is a profound and complex science. As a feng shui master, one must be meticulous and thorough when choosing a site. But you..."
"Childish talk! If you say there's a problem with the site, point it out. If you can't, you'll have to kneel and apologize to me in front of everyone."
Li Guofang's eyes almost shot fire at Qin Yu's words and disdainful expression. As the only feng shui master in the town, everyone greeted him with a smile, and every family invited him respectfully for important events. Now, being questioned by a young person, he couldn't bear it.
"Xiao Yu!" Uncle Second spoke, his voice tinged with worry. To be honest, he had also suspected a feng shui problem when the talisman couldn't be hung, but the Li family was the only one in the town who understood feng shui. He was afraid that Qin Yu, being young and impulsive, might not have a solid reason, and there would be no way to back down.
"Uncle, don't worry. I have confidence in what I'm saying."
Qin Yu gave Uncle Second an assuring look and continued to ask Li Guofang:
"Mr. Li, you must be familiar with the principles of feng shui in choosing a site, right?"
"Hmph, that's a given. Feng shui has strict rules for choosing a site. A good house must face south, to embrace the yang energy. It's best to have green water in front, and there must be wind. A house without wind is the biggest taboo in site selection."
Li Guofang answered with a displeased face. These were basic principles of feng shui, and this young person was actually asking him.
"So, when you chose the site for my uncle, you must have considered these things, right?"
"Of course!" Li Guofang said proudly, "Although there's no water in front of this house, the distant fields can also provide the effect of green water. The hall is bright and faces a wide field, gathering the four seasons' winds, embracing and accumulating all kinds of wealth and blessings..."
"Great, but you're gathering the wind of financial loss and the wind of misfortune!" Qin Yu had no good feelings for such a half-baked person and interrupted him without hesitation.
"You're talking nonsense..."
Li Guofang raised his eyebrows, his face turning red as he glared at Qin Yu.
"Whether it's nonsense or not, you'll see soon."
Qin Yu ignored Li Guofang's glare and continued:
"You only know about wind, but you don't know that wind has yin and yang, straight and curved, and emotional and non-emotional aspects. My uncle's house faces a wide field, and the wind comes without any obstruction. This is straight wind, which is non-emotional. It blows over the field, and the plants absorb some of the vitality and yang energy. By the time it reaches my uncle's house, it's yin wind, non-emotional wind."
"I know you'll say I'm talking nonsense, but I'll prove it to you!"
Qin Yu walked to the table, grabbed a handful of red rice, and made marks in eight directions. Then he turned to Zhang Hua, who was standing to one side, stunned, and said:
"Cousin, I've marked the eight trigrams on the ground. Stand in each direction and feel the wind."
"Xiao Yu, what are you doing? Do you really understand feng shui?"
Zhang Hua asked in a low voice as he walked over to Qin Yu and stood in the marked positions.
"Cousin, you're standing in the Qian position. How do you feel now?"
"Feel? I don't feel anything different, just like before."
"Good, now try the other directions."
"Putting on a show!" Li Guofang sneered, not believing that a young person could know more than him with years of experience.
"Hey, it feels a bit cold, chilly."
Zhang Hua stepped into another position and felt a gust of cold wind. Without waiting for Qin Yu to speak, he moved to another position.
"Damn, it's so cold!" Zhang Hua stepped into another position and exclaimed, shivering as if he had seen a ghost, and immediately left that position.
Qin Yu saw clearly that Zhang Hua had stepped into the Kun position, which in the eight trigrams represents the most yin energy. Combined with the non-emotional yin wind, this position would be extremely cold.
"That's enough, Cousin, no need to try anymore."
"Xiao Yu, why did I feel so cold in that position?"
Zhang Hua stood next to the Kun position, still trembling. The cold feeling was like being in a freezer, making his hair stand on end and his skin break out in goosebumps.
"That's because you were standing in the Kun position, which is a gathering place for yin energy. With the yin wind blowing for a long time, the yin energy accumulates and doesn't disperse, making it feel abnormally cold. If you don't believe me, you can try it yourself."
Qin Yu's explanation caused a stir among the crowd. Everyone tried it, and each person who stepped into the Kun position shuddered and their faces changed, just like Zhang Hua.
At this point, the crowd's gaze toward Li Guofang became suspicious. They were starting to believe Qin Yu's words, especially after experiencing the cold themselves.
Seeing the questioning looks, Li Guofang still tried to defend himself, saying, "What's the big deal? The Kun position is naturally a yin position, so it's normal for it to be a bit colder."
"Is it just a bit colder? Haha."
Qin Yu laughed coldly and said, "In a normal house, the Qian position is a yang position, the place with the most yang energy. It should feel slightly warmer compared to other places. But now, standing in the Qian position doesn't feel warm at all. Since the Kun position is abnormally cold, the Qian position should be abnormally warm. The current imbalance of yin and yang is due to the accumulation of yin wind and the lack of yang energy."
"We often say feng shui, but it's not just about wind. Wind can be good or bad. This kind of yin wind, straight wind, and non-emotional wind will only bring misfortune to the house's owner. If it continues, it will lead to financial loss and misfortune!"
Uncle Second's expression had already turned grim. He had personally tried standing in the Kun position and believed his nephew's words. Thinking about his family moving into the new house and facing financial loss and misfortune, he looked at Li Guofang with a hostile gaze.
"Talking nonsense, wind can't be that complicated!" Li Guofang's face turned red, still trying to defend himself. This was a matter of his reputation, and he couldn't easily admit his mistake.
"It seems you won't believe it until you see it. Fine, I'll show you clearly!"
Qin Yu took out a talisman from his pocket and said, "This inauspicious wind is a source of financial loss and misfortune. It's natural that the talisman can't be hung. I have a talisman called the 'House Protection Talisman' that can suppress the inauspicious energy in the house!"
Qin Yu held the talisman in one hand and picked up some rice paste from the table with the other, applying it to the talisman. Then he stuck the House Protection Talisman on the back of the red silk talisman.
"Please try hanging the talisman again!" After doing this, Qin Yu handed the talisman to the carpenter, who, though skeptical, still climbed the red ladder as instructed.
Qin Yu didn't hang it himself because the beam-lifting ceremony is traditionally done by the carpenter, symbolizing that the house will stand for thousands of years.
Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on the carpenter, including Li Guofang, who was even more worried. However, his worry was different from the others. He was worried that if the talisman really stayed up, combined with Qin Yu's words, his reputation as a feng shui master would be ruined.
"It's done! The talisman isn't moving this time!"
"It really didn't fall! The House Protection Talisman really works!"
The talisman hung on the hook without moving, and the crowd was amazed. They then turned their gaze to Li Guofang, and Qin Yu had proven his words with facts. This time, Li Guofang had nothing to say.
Li Guofang's face turned pale, and his eyes scanned the crowd. He saw suspicion, ridicule, and the Zhang family's anger in their eyes. He wanted to say something but couldn't. After a long moment, he flung his sleeves and left.
"Cousin, let him go!"
Qin Yu stopped Zhang Hua, who was angrily watching Li Guofang leave. With so many townspeople witnessing tonight's events, it wouldn't take long for the news to spread throughout the town. Unlike other professions, a feng shui master's reputation is ruined if they make a mistake. Qin Yu knew that in the future, no one in the town would invite him to choose sites anymore.
The Chinese way of doing things is to leave a way out for others and not to cut off their livelihood. However, Qin Yu understood that if he didn't expose Li Guofang's mistake in public, he might continue to cause problems for other families in the town, which he didn't want to see.
"Xiao Yu, Uncle really needs to thank you. Otherwise..."
Uncle Second and Uncle Third walked over, and Uncle Second patted Qin Yu on the shoulder, still shaken by the events.
"Uncle, we're family. There's no need to thank me. Just have Auntie cook a braised pork knuckle for me. I haven't had Auntie's pork knuckle in a long time." Qin Yu stuck out his tongue and pretended to lick his lips, making Uncle Second laugh and say, "If you want pork knuckle, no problem. How many do you want? I'll have Auntie cook as many as you want!"
"Xiao Yu, who taught you feng shui? And did you draw this talisman yourself?" Zhang Yuanqiao asked from the side.
"I learned from a Taoist on the mountain, and this talisman was given to me by him."
Qin Yu answered, having prepared his story. There was a mountain in the town with a Taoist temple, but it wasn't very popular, and there was only one Taoist. The Taoist passed away two years ago, and the temple fell into decline.
Qin Yu used to visit the temple often because the mountain wasn't very high, and during high school, he often climbed it to relieve stress. Over time, he got to know the Taoist.
"I see. That Taoist must have been a great master. It's a pity he's gone."
Zhang Yuanqiao didn't doubt his nephew's words, as this explanation was plausible. The crowd was enlightened, thinking that Qin Yu must have been taught by a great master, which explained his young age and knowledge of feng shui. Only Zhang Hua's eyes flashed with a strange light, but he didn't say anything.
Qin Yu's words could fool anyone, but not Zhang Hua. When he saw the talisman, he thought of the wolf-hair brush and cinnabar Qin Yu had asked him to find. However, since his cousin didn't want to reveal it, he wouldn't expose it either.
...
"Crackling!"
Firecrackers sounded continuously. Uncle Second's housewarming party was lively, with over thirty tables set up. After a day of celebration, everyone finally dispersed, and Qin Yu returned