So, what exactly was being bought and sold in this transaction that cost so much Luck?
Li Zhiyuan walked back to his bedroom, turned on the desk lamp, and took out "Liu’s Qi Observation Technique."
He flipped it open and frowned.
He missed Wei Zhengdao’s writing.
Out of the many sets of books he had taken out from the basement, it was only Wei Zhengdao’s writing that he found most comfortable to read.
Enduring the discomfort, he carefully read on, page by page.
He wasn’t sure if he was gradually getting accustomed to this cursive script’s charm,
or if the content of "Liu’s Qi Observation Technique" was genuinely profound and mystical.
The more Li Zhiyuan read, the more engrossed he became, finding it harder and harder to stop.
This book discussed the way of Feng Shui of rivers and seas.
It was a very special category because the general meaning of "Feng Shui" implied a broad layout, with water being just one element, and the main focus was on mountains and lands.
After all, whether for the living or the dead, most would find their places on the land.
This book, however, was centered around water, involving aspects such as Water Burial, watery prisons, water disasters, etc., with mountains and land only as supplementary elements.
From a practical standpoint, to give an analogy:
Other Feng Shui books, once you truly understand and delve into them, could make you sense something as you travel around famous mountains and rivers: Here, there might be ancient tombs.
After reading this book, while sitting on a ship at the bow, an occasional intuition might allow you to point out: Here, there may be a corpse.
Li Zhiyuan did not rush to continue reading the Liu family’s books but picked up "Qin’s Jiao Observation Method" again for a look.
He found that the theme was the same, it seemed that back then, both the Liu family and the Qin family were equally prestigious families on the river.
The same theme, but different methods and approaches.
This was of great benefit to the learner, allowing for cross-validation and deeper understanding.
Once both books were understood, his knowledge of Jianghu’s Feng Shui would become extremely profound.
Glancing at the time, it was his bedtime.
Li Zhiyuan put away the books, turned off the desk lamp, took the washbasin to bathe, then returned to the bedroom, got into bed, folded the blanket, lay down, and went to sleep.
A quarter of an hour later, Li Zhiyuan sat up, unable to sleep.
Even the strongest habitual logic could not suppress the impact of his mother’s phone call on his psyche.
He pushed open the door, walked to the balcony, and sat down on the wicker chair, staring blankly at the pitch-black sky.
After who knows how long, the door of the east room was opened by Liu Yumei, who could only manage to hang a cloak on her granddaughter as she looked like she was about to go out.
Raising her eyes and seeing the boy sitting on the second-floor balcony, Liu Yumei felt a rush of mixed emotions.
Are they not spending enough time together during the day, now they want to play together at night as well?
But looking at the boy’s indifferent expression, she felt puzzled: Wasn’t he alright during dinner? Why does he look now?
Could it be that he’s missing his mother while sleeping at night?
Although a child’s nature is as it is, Liu Yumei felt that this little boy shouldn’t be so fragile.
His demeanor was strikingly similar to how Alii looked sitting behind the door threshold in the past.
Shortly, she saw her granddaughter’s figure on the second floor, the girl sat down on a wicker chair next to the boy.
After a while, the girl actually took the initiative to share half of her cloak by draping it over the boy.
Liu Yumei’s eyes widened. Her granddaughter, taking the initiative to show concern for someone?
She had been staying at Li Sanjiang’s house for a while, but Alii’s condition had only been kept in check without further deterioration, and there was no sign of improvement.
It was only after the boy started staying with Grandmaster that there appeared signs of improvement in Alii’s condition, like water droplets finally forming on ice.
But no matter the improvement, it couldn’t compare to the progress of this day and night!
She started by nodding and shaking her head to express herself, and now she could even make such proactive, caring gestures.
Liu Yumei lifted her head, trying not to let the tears rush to her eyes, she sincerely saw hope for her granddaughter’s recovery. Perhaps it really wouldn’t take too long.
She went inside the house, sat in front of the altar table, pointing at them:
"Alii fell ill because of your irresponsibility. If only you had left some spirit to protect her according to tradition, she wouldn’t have ended up like that."
Picking up a handkerchief, she wiped away her tears, Liu Yumei spoke with a sobbing tone:
"If I had known that smashing your memorial tablets would benefit Alii’s condition, I would have chopped you up for firewood long ago."
Li Zhiyuan didn’t know when the girl arrived; it seemed she had been there for a long time, and something warm had been placed on his back.
The girl looked at the boy, and this time she took the initiative to hold his hand, then she seemed to notice something, lowering her head and unfolding the boy’s palm.
There was a wound in his palm.
The girl’s fingertips, caressed it.
A rare moment of tenderness, Li Zhiyuan couldn’t help but smile, but that smile quickly stiffened.
Because the girl’s five fingers were all pressing into the center of his palm, five neither long nor short nails pierced directly into his flesh.
Li Zhiyuan cried out in pain, standing up as his body almost twisted around.
"Alii, it hurts, it hurts..."
They say every finger is connected to the heart, but the palm is still tender and sensitive; the girl’s five nails sank deeply into the flesh and continued to exert force.
The feeling was like having a rake driven through one’s hand.
Li Zhiyuan crouching beside the channel earlier, willingly grabbing the incense from Run Sheng’s hands. At that moment, he truly did not feel pain because he was not in a normal state.