Je ne serai pas ta poupée

Chapitre 18

Mark said, enunciating each word clearly: "'Heavenly Book'!"

Xiu and Qiqi looked at Mark with a speechless and innocent expression.

Mark was a little embarrassed: "Ahem, I didn't mean to mess with you guys. I only came here to see Qiqi—Xiu, don't get me wrong, you haven't been officially hired yet, headquarters doesn't have your file, but the general manager has already noticed Qiqi's resume—"

Qi Qi was startled: "Me? The boss noticed me?"

Mark nodded and said, "The boss is human too, and he also likes to look at beautiful women. It's normal that he noticed you—of course, not just because you're pretty, but also because you are—the descendant of Yang Jiupin, the greatest feng shui master of all time!"

Qi Qi quickly said, "I must say something modest on behalf of my ancestor Yang Jiupin. The title of 'the greatest feng shui master of all time' is too big for him to bear."

"Nothing much, nothing much. This is a title given by the general manager. The general manager holds Mr. Yang Jiupin in high esteem because—"

“Because he is the one who has mastered the Heavenly Book,” Xiu added.

Mark looked at Xiu in surprise and said, "You can read minds too?"

Xiu curled his lip and said, "Even a fool could guess. You came here to ask Miss Qiqi if she has some kind of ancestral 'heavenly book' to offer to the general manager so you can get promoted and make a fortune, right?"

Mark blinked, licked his lips, and mumbled, "Not entirely..."

“That’s basically it,” Xiu quickly interjected, then shut up.

Mark shrugged helplessly and said, "I was just following orders. But it seems that Miss Qiqi knows nothing about her ancestors possessing the Heavenly Book, so I can report back."

Qi Qi said, "Something's not right... If my ancestor Yang Jiupin obtained the Heavenly Book, he could easily teach hundreds or even thousands of people the art of Feng Shui—"

"not necessarily!"

Xiu interrupted her, saying, "Our ancestors, regardless of their profession, were very cautious about taking on apprentices. 'Teaching an apprentice can starve the master,' so it was impossible for them to take on a large number of apprentices."

After thinking about it for a moment, Qiqi realized that it made sense.

Mark said, "Let me continue with my delusional story, which is recorded in a fragment of Qin Dynasty bamboo slips in the British Museum. It is said that it was a treasure pulled from the ashes when Qin Shi Huang burned books and buried scholars alive... It tells the story of how Fuxi finally obtained the 'divinely bestowed book'..."

Upon hearing the name "Fuxi," Xiu, who had remained calm all night, shuddered.

Qi Qi retorted, "What? Is this even a story? There's no beginning or middle, just the line 'In the end, Fuxi received the divinely bestowed book'?"

Mark shook his head repeatedly: "No, no, this is just the beginning of the story. It's just that because it's an incomplete version, it doesn't include the reason and process of Fuxi obtaining the Heavenly Book—'the divinely bestowed book,' which, if translated, could also be called the 'Heavenly Book,' right? Fuxi obtained the Heavenly Book and knew its function and importance. Fearing it would be lost and also fearing it would be passed on to the wrong person, he divided the Heavenly Book into five volumes: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, burying them on five famous mountains in China. The metal volume is about cultivating Taoism and alchemy, and it's estimated to produce superpowers; the water volume is about the Book of Changes, including the principles of the Book of Changes and related derivative predictive techniques; the earth volume is specifically about geomancy, that is, feng shui; the wood volume is about astrology, and I estimate it was transmitted outside of China, which is similar to the twelve constellations and astrology commonly used in the West today; the fire volume was about something, and it was burned. That damned Qin Shi Huang, could he be the reincarnation of God who specifically burned the Heavenly Book? It seems so!"

Xiu said, "Later, Fuxi passed on the five heavenly books to his five disciples, right?"

Mark nodded and said, "You guessed right again. Xiu, you're really something. However, it wasn't a direct transmission, but rather 'those with affinity will receive it,' and it was passed down to disciples from a different generation. Perhaps the old man Fuxi was also afraid of offending God and having trouble explaining himself when he returned, so he only took the Bagua section of the second volume and passed it down directly at that time."

Xiu lazily looked at the glass chandelier on the ceiling and said, "This story is too old-fashioned and not good to listen to."

Mark raised his hand and said, “I’ll keep it short. Later in Chinese history, there were countless stories about the mysterious transmission of the Heavenly Book. What is certain is that the Ji family of King Wen of Zhou obtained the second volume, which discusses the principles of the I Ching; the Yang family of Yang Jiupin stole the complete third volume, the Feng Shui Heavenly Book, from the Tang Dynasty palace; and Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching is only a small part of the first volume of the Heavenly Book. As for the fourth volume, if I’m not mistaken, it didn’t take root in China and was taken abroad.”

Xiu stood up and said, "I'm a little hungry, so I'd like to go ahead."

"build!"

Mark called out to him and said, "Actually, you are the biggest gain from this trip. Don't you want to know why?"

Xiu shook his head and said, "I'm not surnamed Yang, otherwise I would have been beheaded by Cao Cao long ago."

"But you are also one of the inheritors of the Heavenly Book!"

Mark shouted.

Qiqi was taken aback.

Xiu remained unmoved and said indifferently, "This kind of statement does not arouse my curiosity at all."

Mark stood up, walked over to Xiu, and said, "Do you know how excited I was the moment I saw you?"

Xiu frowned as he looked at Mark, who was standing nearby, and said, "My sexual orientation is perfectly normal."

Mark was both amused and exasperated. He said, "Xiu, every inheritor of the Heavenly Book has a set of information in their genes, which is like constantly sending signals to find their kind. I can feel the signal on you; it's so strong!"

Xiu said indifferently, "It's not me, it's the wind."

He turned and gracefully left the house.

Mark stood there, stunned.

Qi Qi also stood up and said, "I'm sorry, I really don't have the Heavenly Book with me. I'm leaving too."

Mark became anxious: "Ms. Yang, there's something crucial I need to verify with you."

Qiqi stood there, patiently asking, "What is it?"

Mark asked, "Back then, your ancestor Yang Jiupin fled the imperial palace to Ganzhou, Jiangxi, to escape the Huang Chao Rebellion. He taught at 'Yangxianling.' There are two people in history who can be identified as having such a background: Zeng Wendi and Liu Jiangdong. As a descendant of the Yang family, do you have any family genealogy or similar records that document other disciples personally taught by your ancestor?"

Qi Qi said, "Theoretically speaking, there was one, but that disciple was later expelled from the sect, so there should be no record of it in official history. What I saw was a handwritten copy left by our ancestor, which recorded this matter."

Mark's eyes lit up: "Really! What's that person's name? Why was he expelled from the school?"

Qi Qi recalled for a moment and said, "It seems to be called... Xin something planted chrysanthemums... because the prefect of Ganzhou at that time was honest and upright, which offended a local gentry. The gentry bribed this man surnamed Xin, who used his knowledge of feng shui to destroy the prefect's ancestral graves, causing the prefect to be imprisoned and executed three years later, along with his entire family, including nine generations of relatives, to be exterminated. My ancestor Yang Jiupin was furious and expelled him from his school. And from then on, he never taught his disciples how to destroy feng shui."

Mark was very excited and paced back and forth, saying, "I know what happened next. Because Xin Zhongju offended the public, he had nowhere to go in the world, so he eventually went to Japan and founded a school of feng shui based on what he had learned. He took the name 'Nine Chrysanthemums School' and took one character from his own name, 'Chrysanthemum,' as the school name."

Qi Qi exclaimed in surprise, "I never imagined that the Nine Chrysanthemum Sect was actually—it was actually founded by a direct descendant of our Yang family!"

Mark said, "And did you notice the woman who appeared at the Fenghe Shuiyuan construction site this morning?"

Qiqi said, "I saw it, that beautiful Japanese girl in a kimono."

"I'm certain that this girl has also inherited the Heavenly Book, and she's very likely a member of the Nine Chrysanthemum Sect!"

Mark said mysteriously.

"How did you know?" Qi Qi asked, puzzled.

“The moment our eyes meet, I can clearly receive a message from every successor of the Heavenly Book…”

Mark's voice sounded slightly dazed.

He finally let Qiqi go.

It's so late, and you haven't even invited them to dinner.

Hungry and desperate, Qiqi began to hate Mark.

No matter how well he speaks Chinese, this foreign boy still doesn't understand many of the most basic social customs and etiquette in China.

Chapter Sixteen: A Grand Gift

1.

The next day, as soon as Qiqi arrived at work, she took on a new order: the renovation of a four-story shopping mall near Hongqiao, and she asked the fortune teller to adjust the feng shui layout.

According to Zhou Haisheng, that shopping mall has changed hands three times, each time leaving behind a mountain of debt. The mall has also caught fire at least twice.

The new owner is a Zhejiang businessman from Wenzhou surnamed Qiu. He is a firm believer in feng shui and specially spent 150,000 yuan to invite a feng shui master to take a look.

Zhou Haisheng actually looked down on these small orders; he figured it was better to do one for Tianyuan Apartment than five.

However, since Qiqi was free anyway, I let her go.

The other party sent a stretched Cadillac to pick up Qiqi.

That shopping mall is on Huaguang Road and is called "Four Seasons Mall". It mainly deals in the wholesale and retail of small ornaments.

During the conversation with the driver, I learned that this Zhejiang businessman was very familiar with several large jewelry wholesalers in Yiwu and planned to turn this place into a wholesale base for small jewelry from Shanghai in Yiwu.

Because it was rumored in the business district that this building had "bad feng shui," Boss Qiu decided to have Qi Qi come and see for herself to see what the feng shui was really like.

Upon hearing this, Qi Qi secretly praised Boss Qiu for being shrewd. According to the rules of the Prophet, the feng shui fee is a percentage of the total project price. However, if it is to see whether a property can be purchased, the fee is calculated based on the total price of the shopping mall. The cost of the Prophet would be over a million, while the total price of decorating the shopping mall would not be much.

However, Qiqi didn't point it out. Since she was already here, she figured she might as well take a look. If it didn't involve renovations and she was just looking at the quality of the property, it would be much simpler.

To Qiqi's surprise, Mr. Qiu from Wenzhou personally greeted her at the entrance of the dilapidated Four Seasons Shopping Mall.

Beside Boss Qiu was a heavily made-up secretary, who looked to be no more than eighteen. The moment the girl saw that Qi Qi was a pretty girl, her face immediately fell, and she glared at Qi Qi with hostility.

Qiqi was too lazy to pay attention to this kind of girl. She shook hands with Boss Qiu and said, "I need to walk around the building first."

Boss Qiu immediately said, "Let me drive you around for a bit!"

Qiqi smiled: "Thank you, no need. I not only want to look at the Four Seasons Shopping Mall, but also the orientation of the surrounding roads and the shapes of the main buildings around it."

Mr. Qiu said enthusiastically, "Then I'll accompany you for a walk, and I can learn a couple of tricks along the way."

Qiqi has never been afraid of others learning her feng shui techniques.

She is happy to teach others some easy-to-learn and easy-to-use Feng Shui techniques, bringing them more convenience and benefits.

The boss, Mr. Qiu, probably realized that his secretary was not treating Qi Qi very well, so he immediately sent her away.

Then, Boss Qiu, with his belly bulging like he was seven months pregnant, walked alongside Qi Qi.

"The reason for the frequent fires is that the kindergarten gate opposite the main entrance of the shopping mall is triangular. The element of triangle is fire. Moreover, the kindergarten gate is painted red, and red is also associated with fire. The exterior walls of the shopping mall are pure white, which belongs to metal. Fire controls metal, hence the fires."

"Will the fire in the mall keep burning? Would it be okay if the kindergarten were moved?"

Qiqi thought to herself, "What a wealthy and powerful company! They're moving a kindergarten right off the bat." She quickly said, "No need. Let's find a way to get them to change the shape of the door and paint it yellow. Yellow belongs to earth, so that earth generates metal."

"Great idea!"

"That's what Boss Qiu said."

Turning the corner, he exclaimed, "It feels so good to walk. I've spent almost all of the last few months in cars and hotels, and I haven't walked as much as I just did. I've almost forgotten how to take a step."

Qiqi didn't know whether to congratulate him on regaining his ability to walk or envy him for never having to walk, so she simply didn't respond and continued talking about feng shui.

"This small warehouse on the right is dirty and messy, which is bad! The left is the Green Dragon and the right is the White Tiger. The right side of the mall must be kept clean. Also, it is not advisable to open a door here. Opening a door here violates the feng shui principle of 'opening a big mouth on the Tiger side,' which is believed to cause miscarriages for women working in the mall."

"Oh, Miss Yang, you're brilliant! Last year alone, three or four pregnant women here miscarried because of falls or tumbling down the stairs. So that's where the problem lies!"

Qi Qi said, "Boss Qiu has been observing this building for quite some time, hasn't he?"

Mr. Qiu laughed heartily: "Of course, this can't be hidden from Miss Yang. I've been watching this place for over a year. Hongqiao is now going to develop a major transportation hub, and what I want is this piece of land, not this dilapidated shopping mall."

Qi Qi immediately said, "This is a trade secret, Mr. Qiu doesn't need to tell me."

Mr. Qiu said, half-jokingly, "In front of a feng shui master, what secrets do we ordinary people have? If we want to receive guidance from the master, we have to be honest with each other, right?"

Qi Qi had to admit he was very good at talking. In just a short while, he first lied to Zhou Haisheng, saying the mall was under renovation but they hadn't even bought the building. Then, Qi Qi said he was looking at the feng shui from the mall's perspective, and now he was saying that even if they bought it, they wouldn't continue building the mall, but only wanted the land. This two-faced businessman was still talking to her about "honesty and openness"!

Qiqi could only shake her head and smile bitterly.

She had lost interest in continuing to turn around; in fact, there was no point in turning around anymore, because this building would soon be razed to the ground and then replaced with some other building for some purpose.

Looking at the dilapidated and empty shopping mall, Qiqi suddenly felt a little lost.

Mr. Qiu seemed to be very perceptive, and asked, "Miss Yang, are you tired? I've booked a table at the Shangri-La Hotel where I'm staying. Would you do me the honor of attending this noon?"