Inheriting a Taoist temple, the story begins with Wu Zetian offering incense.

Chapter 128: Was having Chen Tang destroy the heretical cultivator's dojo a good fit for his profession? [Seeking monthly votes]

Zhou Yi took out his compass and pointed it at the shop, which was still under renovation. He noticed that the needle was swinging, but it eventually pointed upstairs.

This indicates that there is something going on inside the renovated shop, but it doesn't have as much yin energy as the upstairs shop, causing the compass to be attracted to the upstairs shop and thus overlook these two shops.

But how do we get in?
Zhou Yi knocked on it. There was a layer of spray-painted cloth on the outside, and a small locked door in the corner next to it. It was not easy to see without careful observation.

He walked over, just about to try and unlock the door, when a security guard suddenly rushed over:
"Hey, what are you doing?"

The I Ching reacts very quickly:
"I'd like to rent this shop to open a Pop Mart store. Can I go inside and take a look?"

The security guard said:

“This shop has been rented and hasn’t been vacated yet. If you’re interested in renting, you can check out other shops. Our mall has recently made several good prime locations available that should meet your needs.”

Haven't you moved out yet?
Zhou Yi smiled and inquired:
"Having been closed for so long, doesn't it affect your mall's business?"

While speaking, he discreetly took out a charm talisman from his bag and quietly slipped it into his pocket. This kind of talisman can increase charm and shorten the distance between strangers, but it is not as domineering as the peach blossom talisman, making it more suitable for salespeople.

The purpose of drawing these talismans in the Book of Changes is to bridge the gap with ancient people. In case a cold, taciturn, introverted, or stubborn ancient person suddenly appears one day, the charm talisman will work.

Unexpectedly, before even trying it on ancient people, it was used on the security guards of Jin Taiyang.

Sure enough, as soon as the talisman was stuffed into his pocket, the security guard's guarded expression noticeably lessened:
"The owner of this shop is someone important. He owns the same business as the owner on the third floor across the street. After renting the shop, the renovation was only halfway done when, apparently, a worker died. They've been embroiled in a lawsuit, and the project has stalled. They'd rather pay fines every month than give up the lease, saying they'll wait until the lawsuit is over."

It does sound like something those second-generation entrepreneurs who impulsively start businesses would do, only caring about right and wrong, and insisting on getting to the bottom of things no matter the cost... But what if they're deliberately using this as an excuse?
Zhou Yichong asked the security guard:
"I'd like to see the layout of this shop. Do you have a key?"

The security guard shook his head:

"They said it's a crime scene inside and we can't touch it. The key is with our supervisor, and I can't get it."

Zhou Yi asked a few more questions and found out that the mall's security office had people specifically guarding the two shops to prevent anyone from lingering there.

The more the security guard talked, the more uneasy he felt.

After saying goodbye to the security guard, Zhou Yi strolled around and bought a cup of fruit tea. He walked around the entire mall and became even more certain that there was something wrong with the two shops diagonally opposite each other on the second and third floors.

After finishing his fruit tea, he bought a serving of fried chicken frames and ate them as he walked towards the elevator in his apartment building.

After checking out the shopping mall, it's time to go to the apartment building. Let's go to the 18th floor and see what's there. If it's really unclean, we'll use this chicken carcass as an offering to lure out and eliminate the evil spirits.

It wasn't convenient to use lightning strikes inside the building, but Master Zhou didn't come empty-handed either.

He wore a Bagua jade pendant around his neck, twenty-four black beads wrapped around his wrists, and a cloth belt embroidered with a Taiji diagram around his waist. In addition, he carried various magical artifacts and talismans that were both offensive and defensive in his bag. He was armed to the teeth.

When he arrived at the elevator, he pressed the up button. Just then, an elevator slowly descended from above. As soon as the elevator doors opened, Zhou Yi was about to enter when he saw the blind man, leaning on his cane, slowly walking out of the elevator.

Zhou Yi, who was gnawing on a chicken carcass, almost choked on a bone:
"Old Han? What are you doing here?"

The blind man didn't seem surprised that Zhou Yi was here. Stepping out of the elevator, he calmly said:
"Don't go up there, let's leave first."

Zhou Yi knew that the blind man wouldn't cheat him in this matter, so he didn't ask any more questions. He simply pressed another elevator button to go to the underground parking garage, and drove the blind man away from the Golden Sun Mall.

It wasn't until they reached an intersection that the blind man spoke:

"Jintaiyang Shopping Mall is a huge feng shui formation. Go to No. 78 Renmin Road, there's a teahouse there. I'll tell you about it in detail and treat you to a meal while I'm at it."

The moment the topic of food came up, Zhou Yi instantly became extremely alert:
"Are you going to use an illusion to test me again?"

The blind man said irritably:

“What time is it now and you’re still testing us? We need to break this feng shui formation of the Golden Sun as soon as possible, or the consequences will be unimaginable… Your grandfather is the same, why did he have to leave now? If he were here, we could have solved the problem before dark.”

Zhouyi: "..."

Even after just a few days, you still love mentioning my grandfather.

The two arrived at No. 78 Renmin Road, where there was a teahouse called Tianshangke. The decor was very high-end, and the cars parked in front of the door were all worth at least one million yuan. Zhou Yi's Wuling Hongguang stood alone, somewhat out of place among the luxury cars around it.

The blind man unbuckled his seatbelt, pushed open the door, and got out of the car. He walked into the teahouse with practiced ease, and his nimble legs made Zhou Yi forget for a moment that he was blind.

After locking the car, Zhou Yi followed behind. As soon as they entered, a young and attractive waitress came over and took the blind man's arm.
"Welcome, Mr. Han. Would you like to stay in the 'High Mountain Flowing Water' private room on the third floor?"

The blind man nodded:

"Bring a pot of Longjing tea, a few snacks to accompany the tea, and some food for this young man."

"Yes, sir, I'll arrange it right away."

The waiter led the two into the elevator, and Zhou Yi then discovered that there were actually sofas and carpets inside... It was clearly a good place that wouldn't rip off poor people.

Upon reaching the third floor, the waiter opened a private room with a sign that read "High Mountains and Flowing Water." Inside, there was a tea table and a couch, with cushions and low tables on the couch. The tea table was covered with various tea sets, making it resemble a chemistry laboratory. The waiter arranged the room according to the habits of a blind man, asked Zhou Yi about his preferred flavors, and then went to prepare some snacks.

The blind man put down his cane, sat down in the armchair in front of the tea table, and said slowly and deliberately:
"The Sky Guest Tea House has been soundproofed in all aspects, so nothing you say can be heard. If you have important matters to discuss, it's better to come here."

Zhou Yi looked around:
"What if the boss installs a hidden camera?"

The blind man said calmly:

"Then this place should get a new owner... Your grandfather was involved in the renovation. All the rooms have a small array that can block detection. If someone secretly installs cameras or other things, the array will not only give an early warning but also launch a counterattack. Next time you come to the city, you can eat at this teahouse."

Zhou Yi was surprised that his grandfather had been involved in the layout of this teahouse, and asked curiously:

"If three to five people were to have a meal here, all red-faced and furious, how much would it cost?"

The blind man calmly said:
"Not counting drinks, it'll cost at most 20,000, not expensive."

The Book of Changes: ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

Are we talking about the same currency?

Goodness, a meal cost half of my Wuling minivan, and it wasn't even expensive... You guys in the feng shui business are all too extravagant. Can't you be a little more down-to-earth?
Zhou Yi originally planned to take the ancients to experience this when he had some free time, but since it's so expensive, let's go eat at a buffet instead.

It's not that the high-class guests can't afford it, but rather that buffets offer better value for money.

Soon, tea and snacks were served. The aroma of the tea filled the air as soon as it was poured into the cups, and the snacks were exquisitely made. There were also four dishes:

Three delicacies from the earth, stir-fried pork slices, sweet and sour fish slices, and dried shrimp.

All four dishes were exquisite. The shrimp used were palm-sized prawns, and paired with a bowl of fragrant Wuchang rice, Zhou Yi was indeed getting hungry.

After the waiter left, the blind man picked up his teacup and took a sip:
"Put away your charms. The waiters' hearts race and their breathing becomes unsteady whenever they see you."

Zhou Yi then remembered this detail, and just as he was about to put it away, he suddenly asked:

"I've put it away. Will we start arguing again?"

The blind man didn't respond, but instead said:

"Golden Sun Shopping Mall, its name carries yang energy, and it is located in the Qian position, full of powerful energy..."

Zhou Yi picked up a piece of braised pork and stuffed it into his mouth, asking:

"Then why is there so much yin energy inside?"

The blind man said:

"Yin and Yang are inherently mutually generating and restraining. Too much Yang energy will breed Yin energy... There are two Taoist temples on the 18th and 32nd floors that can absorb the Yang energy of the mall's customers and cultivate Yin energy using extremely Yang formations. This Yin energy will then give rise to Yin spirits. When these Yin spirits gather together, they will eventually become Yin deities..."

Zhou Yi exclaimed "Ah!"
"Are there still people who cultivate spirits these days?"

The blind man nodded:

"The reason why heretical practitioners are heretical is that no matter how righteous their starting point is, they will eventually go astray and become uncontrollable. Once they develop a yin spirit, the consequences will be unimaginable. Therefore, they must be destroyed as soon as possible."

The Book of Changes asks:

"What's the deal with those two shops on the second and third floors?"

"Two small formations are used to keep people away from the two ends of the mall and concentrate them in the middle. The middle position is directly below the apartment building, so the yang energy on your body will be gradually drawn upwards."

So that's how it is. No wonder there were no customers at either end of the mall.

Zhou Yi took a bite of the sweet and sour fish slices. The fish was fresh, without any bones, and fried perfectly. Coated with the sweet and sour sauce, it made him want to eat an extra bowl of rice.

He shoveled a couple of mouthfuls of rice into his mouth and asked:
"What's the next step? Can't we just barge in?"

The blind man said:

"The layout here was created by a director of the Feng Shui Folk Association. To break this layout, someone needs to keep him calm, and then two more people need to go to the 18th and 32nd floors respectively to destroy the two Taoist altars at the same time and quickly dissipate the yin energy in the building... I can keep that director calm, but you can't do the rest by yourself."

If we destroy them all at once, it will be really difficult; we'll need to increase manpower, and they'll have to be skilled.

Zhou Yi knows a few skilled people, including Old Lady Ji and the tailor, but both of them live in other places. As for Uncle Ming, if he were to ask him for help, he would probably be ripped off.

Just as I was racking my brains, Aunt Gongsun suddenly sent me a WeChat message:
"Taoist Master, when you came back, you bought three portions of fried chicken. General Zigong is here too. He said he was starving. I'm worried he'll steal my fried chicken. Buy more."

Upon seeing this message, Zhou Yi's eyes lit up:
"I was just worried about not having any help, and here it is!"

For a great general who has the merit of destroying a country, destroying a heretical cultivator's temple is just a side job!
(End of this chapter)