One divination a day, a trainee celestial master

When the big boss gives the order, the employees below are naturally extremely efficient.

In less than fifteen minutes, Da Long, a worker from Daqiang Building Materials, arrived at the villa in a pickup truck with another strong young man.

"Boss, what are you moving?" The two men wiped the sweat from their brows and looked at the people in the room, especially Jiang Shou, who was wearing a blue Taoist robe. They were a little confused.

Instead of issuing orders directly, Wang Daqiang turned to Jiang Shou with utmost respect and bowed slightly: "Master Jiang, what do you think of the layout of this room? How should it be rearranged?"

Jiang Shou held the broken compass in his left hand, and with his right hand, he joined his index and middle fingers together, forming a sword gesture, and pointed to the thick crossbeam directly above the headboard.

"The beam pressing down overhead is ominous. This bed must not be left even an inch below this beam."

Jiang Shou glanced down at the compass in his hand. He couldn't understand the densely packed Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches on it at all, but that didn't stop him from pretending to be meticulously calculating something. With a flick of his sleeve, he pointed to an open space on the other side of the bedroom, against the wall, completely avoiding the beam:

"The head of your bed must be moved from the northwest (Qian) position to the southeast (Xun) position. Qian represents heaven, and Xun represents wind. Moving it to the wind position will help dispel the pent-up emotions that have been building up over the past two weeks."

"Alright! We'll do as the master says!" Wang Daqiang immediately ordered his two henchmen, "Dalong, Xiaohu, move the bed over there!"

Da Long and his companion rolled up their sleeves and, with a whoosh, dragged the large double bed out.

"Screech—" The bed legs scraped against the floor with a harsh screech. The moment the bed was moved, a pungent smell of dust wafted out.

Underneath the bed, a thick layer of gray, fluffy dust had accumulated, and there were even a few crushed, dead cockroaches, which looked particularly disgusting.

Wang Daqiang covered his nose and took two steps back, glancing awkwardly at Jiang Shou. For the past year, since the couple had been sleeping in separate rooms, Wang Xiaoyan had barely tended to this room, and the cleaning lady had probably been lazy too, as the area under the bed hadn't been cleaned at all.

Jiang Shou remained unfazed, merely waving his wide Taoist robe sleeves lightly in front of him, and coldly said: "Dust accumulates under the bed, forming yin energy, which easily attracts malevolent spirits. First, bring a broom and a wet mop to thoroughly clean this area and under the bed. Clean away the yin grime first, then move the main bed."

"Did you hear me! Go get the mop right now!" Wang Daqiang immediately yelled at his employee.

After the workers had cleaned the space under the bed until it was spotless and placed the bed securely in the southeast corner, Jiang Shou turned and walked towards the windowsill.

He looked at the row of unknown green plants, so dense they resembled a tropical rainforest, and waved his hand dismissively: "Take every single one of these plants out of here!"

The workers immediately rushed forward, carrying potted plants down to the courtyard. Wang Xiaoyan, who had been silent the whole time, watched as her carefully selected potted plants were taken away like trash. Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but when she met Wang Daqiang's somewhat cold and stern gaze, she ultimately gritted her teeth and held back.

Ten minutes later, the windowsill, which had been completely blocked, was finally cleared away, revealing the spacious and bright glass window.

Jiang Shou stepped forward, reached out and grabbed the window handle, and with a "click," pushed open both windows.

"Whoosh..." A gentle breeze carrying the refreshing scent of early autumn rushed in from outside the window. The stuffy air in the master bedroom, which had even carried a slightly sour smell of decaying plants, was instantly washed away by this fresh air.

Jiang Shou stood by the window, feeling the gentle breeze on his face, and nodded slightly, his tone unfathomable: "The turbid air dissipates, and the pure air enters. This is the second step in breaking the evil spirit."

The old woman chimed in, "With this window open, even I, an old woman, feel much better!"

Jiang Shou turned around, his gaze finally landing on the giant cactus that was still on the ground.

"Such a sharp and menacing creature should not be kept in the bedroom." Jiang Shou glanced at the cactus. "This thing carries its own malevolent energy and can easily make people uneasy. Move it to the yard and expose it to the sun to neutralize its thorns with the warmth of the sun."

"I'll do it, I'll do it!" Da Long quickly picked up the potted cactus and ran outside.

After the cactus was moved away, Jiang Shou then directed Da Long to move the bedside table, which was originally flush against the wall, about half a foot forward towards the bed.

"A screen is placed here to block any remaining evil influences," Jiang Shou said calmly, looking at the repositioned bedside table.

Wang Daqiang paused for a moment, then asked with some confusion, "A screen? Master Jiang, there's no screen in my room. Should I go and get a solid wood one now?"

"No need." Jiang Shou shook his head, a "everything is under control" smile playing on his lips. He pointed to the bedside table that had been moved aside, "Everything can be used as a formation. This bedside table that has been moved half a foot away is a screen to ward off evil spirits."

After this series of actions, the oppressive atmosphere in the room completely disappeared. Without the psychological shadow of the beam overhead, without the sense of danger of the spikes pointed at his forehead, and with the circulation of fresh air, Wang Daqiang felt as if the heavy stone that had been pressing on his chest for the past two weeks had been completely removed.

"Amazing... truly amazing..." Wang Daqiang looked at the newly renovated bedroom and was completely in awe of Jiang Shou.

"Although the physical evil has been broken, you have been frightened for days and your mind is unstable. You still need one last layer of protection."

Jiang Shou's expression turned solemn. He held the compass in his left hand and slowly reached his right hand into the wide lapel of his Taoist robe. His movements were extremely slow, carrying an extremely solemn sense of ritual, as if he were about to pull out some extraordinary and peerless magic weapon.

Wang Daqiang and the old woman involuntarily held their breath, not daring to even blink.

Jiang Shou carefully pulled out the "Tranquility Talisman" from his pocket, a talisman he had spent five hours drawing and wasted half a dozen sheets of yellow paper the night before.

The yellow paper has an antique texture, and the cinnabar on it is vividly red. The intricate and flowing lines of the runes, under the sunlight, faintly exude a mysterious and peaceful aura.

"This is the [Tranquilizing and Mind-Soothing Talisman], a secret technique passed down in my Shouyi Temple." Jiang Shou held the talisman between two fingers and gave it a gentle shake, producing a crisp "snap" sound.

"You've been plagued by the Three Fiends for over half a month, damaging your spirit and making your soul unstable. Although I've broken the negative energy in your room today, you may still experience palpitations when you sleep tonight."

"Tonight, place this talisman at the head of your bed. It can calm your mind and soothe your soul. It will ensure that you have a clear mind and peaceful sleep tonight, and that no evil spirits will dare to approach you."

Looking at the cinnabar talisman, the old woman's eyes were filled with undisguised surprise and awe, and she clasped her hands together and chanted Taoist incantations repeatedly.

Wang Daqiang accepted the "Tranquilizing Talisman" with trembling hands, as if it were a sacred decree, treating it like a priceless treasure.

The old woman kept repeating, "Thank you, little celestial master! Thank you, little celestial master, for saving my life!"

Wang Daqiang was now completely convinced. Without saying a word, he reached into the leather handbag he was carrying under his arm and pulled out a bulging, thick wallet.

Unzipped, inside were stacks of brand-new 100-yuan bills. Judging by their thickness, there must have been at least several thousand.

"Master Jiang, you've saved my life today!" Wang Daqiang said, reaching for a wad of cash in his wallet. "How much do you think is appropriate for this exorcism ritual fee..."

Jiang Shou's eyes were practically glued to the stack of bright red banknotes. However, reason forcefully pulled his outstretched hand back.

"I can't take it! Take it now! I've put on such a big show today, laid the groundwork for so long, how can I close the case for such a small amount of profit?" Jiang Shou was calculating in his mind, but his eyes remained stubbornly calm.

He put his hands behind his back, slightly raised his chin, and adopted the posture of a hermit who regarded money as dirt.

"Boss Wang, what are you doing?" Jiang Shou's tone was calm, yet it exuded an air of unapproachability.

Wang Daqiang's hand, which was reaching for the money, froze in mid-air, somewhat at a loss: "Master Jiang, you...you think it's too little?"

"My approach to governance is based on the concepts of 'fate' and 'spirit'."

Jiang Shou turned around, his gaze fixed on the direction of Cuiwei Mountain outside the window, and said calmly, "I won't accept this money now. Tonight, just stick this reassurance talisman by your bedside and sleep peacefully."

Jiang Shou turned his head, looked into Wang Daqiang's eyes, and said, word by word, "If you are still plagued by nightmares tonight, it is because I, Jiang Shou, am not skilled enough."

"But if you wake up tomorrow and find your nightmare gone, your mind as usual, and you feel that my method of dispelling evil is indeed effective..."

Jiang Shou smiled slightly and waved his sleeve: "When the time comes, you can bring your sincerity and personally go to Shouyi Temple on Cuiwei Mountain to fulfill your vow, and add some incense money before the Three Pure Ones. It won't be too late!"

After saying that, Jiang Shou didn't give Wang Daqiang a chance to take out any more money. He turned around cleanly and walked out of the master bedroom with graceful steps.

As Jiang Shou walked downstairs with his back to everyone, a smirk appeared on his face: "Giving him the money now might appease the fat guy, but we haven't seen the real deal yet! He'll probably be satisfied with just a few thousand. Now that the room is well-oxygenated and we've given him enough psychological cues, once he gets a good night's sleep and fully experiences the 'miracle,' he'll be weeping and carrying ten or twenty thousand yuan up the mountain to give thanks tomorrow. We have to play the long game and catch the big fish!"