Chapter 27: The Main Road Charging Straight In Creates Sha Qi

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Chapter 27: The Main Road Charging Straight In Creates Sha Qi

Ancient buildings were constructed with great attention to detail. The simplest considerations included having them face south with their backs to the north, ensuring the ground was not too damp, and determining what kind of soil was suitable for construction. The shape of a building was also designed according to the principle of harmony between heaven and humanity. Even something as simple as the eaves involved considerations such as whether they should be upturned and which auspicious beasts should be used to suppress the building.

By comparison, many modern buildings are square and box-shaped, and the corners of these squares are themselves a form of “ sha .” If the direction they face happens to have the right environmental conditions, it can create a very unfavorable setting. And if these buildings were merely square, that would still be manageable. But more and more architects are coming up with all kinds of ridiculous designs with their abundant imaginations. Some building designs can easily turn an otherwise auspicious location into a place of great misfortune.

After all, ancient architecture placed great importance on harmony between heaven and humanity, while many modern architects simply have no idea about any of this.

“This layout probably formed by accident,” Chen Yuan said. “If it were aimed at a particular household, no one would bother doing something like this in a place like this.”

Yu Shenliu only had to think for a moment to understand what Chen Yuan had in mind. He asked, “You want these problematic shops?”

Chen Yuan nodded and blinked slyly. “Because there’s a problem with them, the price will be lower. Isn’t that great? The storefronts aren’t very big, and with this factor taken into account, the price should be quite low. Maybe I can even buy one.” He had originally wanted to buy a shop outright, but he didn’t have enough money. Now that a suitable opportunity had appeared, of course he wasn’t going to let it pass. Besides, this wasn’t really taking advantage of anyone, so it didn’t go against Chen Yuan’s usual way of doing things.

Seeing that slightly crafty smile on Chen Yuan’s face, Yu Shenliu’s eyes softened. “Can you tell what’s causing the problem here?” Chen Yuan had been looking around just now, so he must have been searching for the reason this unfavorable layout had formed.

“Ah, come over here and take a look.” The two of them were standing outside the shop on the second floor. Chen Yuan pulled Yu Shenliu over and pointed beyond the railing. Directly ahead was the entrance they had driven through.

“I looked around just now, and there’s nothing else nearby that could be causing problems for these shops. So we have to look at things on a larger scale. When we came here just now, we drove all the way down a main road to the entrance of this building, right?”

Yu Shenliu still didn’t understand what Chen Yuan was getting at, but he confirmed what Chen Yuan had said and nodded. “Mm.”

Chen Yuan’s brows lifted slightly. Whenever the subject was something he was good at, he seemed particularly animated. “The key is that the road runs straight toward this entrance. In feng shui, there’s a major taboo against a main road directly charging toward a building. Put simply, it forms a T-shape, with the building forming the top bar and its entrance facing the road below. I didn’t think much of it before because the building looked circular, but since these shops are having problems, that means this layout is still what’s causing the trouble.”

“Generally speaking, if a square building has this kind of T-shaped layout, the entire building will start having ‘strange’ things happen. For example, if there’s a building like this in a residential area, you’ll often hear stories about people hearing spiritual voices when walking along the corridors beside its walls at night, or that someone died there. I don’t know about ghosts and spirits, but I do know that living in a building like this for a long time can lead to irritability, a short temper, insomnia, and similar problems. A decline in one’s minor fortunes is also common.”

“The place we’re standing in is, after all, a ring-shaped building. A complete, rounded form represents the Taiji, cycling and returning again and again, with misfortune eventually giving way to good fortune. A building of this shape naturally has the ability to dispel various forms of sha. And with all those books here, there originally wouldn’t have been much of a problem. However, that road runs straight toward the entrance, strengthening the force of the sha. On top of that, the position of the entrance somewhat disrupts the building’s overall rounded form, so the shops directly facing the road and the entrance are affected as well.”

What Chen Yuan said left Yu Shenliu completely dumbfounded. He had never imagined that such a simple design could have so many problems. Thinking about the government buildings, he was at least glad they were situated on either side of the road.

It sounded as though this layout was quite formidable, which made Yu Shenliu curious. “So how are you going to fix it?”

“The wisdom of the ancients.” Chen Yuan raised one finger. “The simplest method is to put up something to block the entrance, such as a screen.”

Based on the theories Chen Yuan had explained earlier, adding a screen would close the opening in the otherwise complete ring-shaped building, allowing it to counter this sha.

“But the other tenants wouldn’t let you do that, would they?” Although it would be a good thing, this was still the entrance to the entire building. If they put up something there without permission, someone would probably come out to stop them.

Chen Yuan nodded. He knew all too well how much trouble could come from dealing with other people. After all, the siblings from the Huo family and Yu Shenliu, the only people he had developed anything resembling a close relationship with so far, were all such easy people to get along with. That probably meant his luck was pretty good, too. “Then I’ll use another method. I can simply change the smaller layout and turn the inside of the shop into a Taiji-style arrangement. It’s my own territory, so I can arrange it however I want. No one can object to that, right? For the corners where the sha qi is strongest, I’ll put some potted plants there, using the substantial qi of earth and the life force of the plants to balance it out. Later, I can find some jade ornaments and add a little spiritual energy. It’ll be easy to solve.”

“Now that you mention it…” Yu Shenliu rubbed his chin. “Should I do something like that in my own office, too?” If plants, jade, and things like that could be used, it seemed like something he could do as well.

Chen Yuan burst out laughing at that. “The layout an official needs is different from the layout I need. Even an ordinary business owner’s layout would have subtle differences from mine. Just wait. Someday, I’ll go take a look at your office and help you adjust everything properly. But you know what the token of sincerity is.” He raised his hand and rubbed his fingers together in front of Yu Shenliu, making no attempt to hide what he meant.

Compared with the charlatans who claimed that money had to be offered before Guanyin or something similar, Chen Yuan’s bluntness actually made Yu Shenliu appreciate him more. He smiled and nodded before changing the subject. “Of the three shops on the second, third, and fourth floors, which one do you want?”

“The second floor. I can’t be bothered climbing stairs.” Chen Yuan was quite casual about it. He looked at the phone number on the rental notice posted on the shop and took out his phone to call.

Yu Shenliu glanced at the neighboring shops and thought for a moment. Although there was a problem with the layout, given the amount of money Chen Yuan currently had and the size of the shops here, buying one outright would probably be difficult. And once Chen Yuan fixed the problem with the layout, the value of the shops here would rise as well. That would make things less ideal. He would see how much the owner was asking first. Chen Yuan’s pride meant he would never accept something simply given to him, but borrowing money was another matter. After all, they had known each other for some time now and understood each other fairly well. Neither of them was the type to put on airs. Besides, Chen Yuan had told him so much about metaphysics. Perhaps that was, in its own way… a sign of closeness?

Yu Shenliu unconsciously turned his face slightly away. For some reason, thinking about it made him feel a little awkward.

The owner of the second-floor shop lived nearby, so ten minutes later, she arrived.

She was a woman with somewhat sharp features. When she first saw Yu Shenliu, a hint of surprise appeared on her face. She recognized the handsome Mayor Yu, after all. But the moment her gaze shifted to Chen Yuan, her expression immediately darkened.

Her steps, which had initially been eager and hurried, slowed at once. The woman walked over to Chen Yuan and, seeing the phone in his hand, realized that he was the person who had called her earlier.

Chen Yuan looked at the woman and opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off.

“Why, look who it is, Master!” The woman’s tone was dripping with sarcasm. “What, did you swindle some money somewhere and now you’re trying to buy my shop?”

Chen Yuan froze for a moment. From the way she addressed him as “Master,” he could tell that she knew him, but when he first looked at her face, he honestly couldn’t remember who she was. Perhaps it was a side effect of having spent so long studying physiognomy. Chen Yuan had a slight form of face blindness. He usually judged people’s appearances from the perspective of physiognomy, but when it came to recognizing whether an ordinary person’s face looked familiar, he simply couldn’t tell.

“Didn’t you say my daughter wouldn’t be able to get into a good school? Well, let me tell you, my precious daughter is now attending the best private school in Jincheng! Your fortune-telling was completely wrong, and you still had the nerve to say all that back then!” The woman glared at him, looking even more sharp-tongued and spiteful.

Those words finally jogged Chen Yuan’s memory. Looking at her again, he noticed her thin, pointed eyebrows, narrow lips, pale complexion, and somewhat thick neck. Wasn’t she the mother from the mother-daughter pair whose fortunes he had read at the school gates right after he crossed over?

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