"What exactly is going on?" Yu Ke pressed.
Zhao Yuan didn't keep her in suspense and answered, "There's a problem with this house's Feng Shui..."
Before he could finish, Yu Ke interrupted him. "Wait, how did you end up on Feng Shui again? You believe in that nonsense? Don't tell me you're about to say that Dr. He's illness was caused by Feng Shui?"
Zhao Yuan nodded. "That's right. Dr. He's illness was caused by Feng Shui! Teacher Yu, it seems you have some misunderstandings about Feng Shui. It's actually a comprehensive discipline that integrates environmental science, architecture, magnetics, and more. It's just that too many charlatans have used the banner of Feng Shui to run their scams, ruining its reputation! In fact, even think tanks for the United States government have organized specialists to study Feng Shui. If it were just a scam, why would the Americans take it so seriously?"
Zhao Yuan continued, "Based on my findings, this house is trapped in a Gathering Water into Ice, House-Breaking and Family-Destroying Feng Shui Formation! And this wall is the focal point of the Feng Shui Evil Formation. Evil Qi is constantly seeping out from inside it, invading Dr. He's body and causing him to suffer from this strange illness of extreme chills and aversion to cold! If you want Dr. He to recover, you have to find a way to change this situation!"
Yu Ke frowned and raised a question, "If the Feng Shui here is really the problem, then why is it only Dr. He who's sick? His family is fine."
Zhao Yuan explained, "There's a saying in Traditional Chinese Medicine: 'When righteous Qi is strong within, evil cannot invade.' It means that when a person's immune system is strong, pathogenic external evils can't invade the body and cause trouble. If I'm not mistaken, Dr. He must have had some other illness before this strange one, which weakened the righteous Qi in his body, allowing the Evil Qi to take advantage. His family is fine for now, but as soon as their righteous Qi is compromised, the Evil Qi will immediately invade, and they will follow in Dr. He's footsteps!"
"I still find it hard to believe that Dr. He's illness was caused by Feng Shui," Yu Ke said, shaking her head. Even though Zhao Yuan's explanation was perfectly coherent, she still found it incredible.
"No problem. Let's do a little experiment, and then you'll believe me." Zhao Yuan knew that he couldn't convince anyone of his judgment without sufficient proof. He turned, walked into He Chengwei's bedroom, and asked, "Dr. He, you should have some Silver Needles at home, right? Could I borrow them?"
"No problem." He Chengwei told He Ting to fetch the Silver Needles and give them to Zhao Yuan. Then, supported by his wife and daughter, he forced himself out of the bedroom, wanting to see how Zhao Yuan would prove it—he had heard their entire previous conversation clearly from inside the room.
"Teacher Yu, place your hands on this wall. Yes, just like that."
Following Zhao Yuan's instructions, Yu Ke placed her hands on the northwestern wall. He then took out a Silver Needle and inserted it into her body.
Although Zhao Yuan had not formally studied Acupuncture, he had often consulted with senior students and knew how to use the Silver Needles. Of course, his technique was clumsy; he barely managed to insert the needle into the acupoint. It would have been completely inadequate for clinical treatment, but it was more than enough for a small experiment.
The moment the Silver Needle entered the acupoint, Yu Ke was hit by a wave of intense fatigue. Before she could even figure out what was happening, a brutal, bone-deep coldness forced its way into her body through her hands. She felt as if she had been plunged into an ice cave. Her face instantly turned deathly pale, and a thin layer of frost even appeared on the tip of her nose and her lips.
"Teacher Yu, how do you feel?" Zhao Yuan asked.
"Cold... so cold..." Yu Ke said, her voice trembling. She felt as if her blood was about to freeze solid and her heart was about to stop beating from the cold.
Seeing this, Zhao Yuan quickly removed the Silver Needle.
Yu Ke immediately felt the coldness lessen significantly. She snatched her hands back and stumbled several steps away, a trace of fear now in her eyes as she looked at the wall.
"Here." He Chengwei pulled a hot water bottle from his clothes and handed it to Yu Ke, then had He Ting get her a cup of hot water.
Yu Ke thanked him, clutched the hot water bottle tightly to her chest, and gulped down several large mouthfuls of hot water. Only then did she start to feel a little better. Still shaken, she asked, "What just happened?"
Zhao Yuan explained, "I just used the Silver Needle on an acupoint to lower your body's righteous Qi. As soon as your righteous Qi weakened, the Evil Qi from the Feng Shui Evil Formation immediately drilled into your body, giving you that experience... How about it? Not a pleasant feeling, was it?"
"It was a complete nightmare!" Yu Ke said, horrified. "For a second, I really thought I was about to be frozen into an ice sculpture!"
He Chengwei, who had been watching from the side, had seen the entire process clearly. He was certain that Yu Ke's reaction and the changes in her were definitely not an act!
He felt a glimmer of hope!
For days, he had been tormented by this strange illness, suffering beyond words. Worse, no treatment had worked, and he had once fallen into despair! But since Zhao Yuan could find the cause of the illness, there must be a way to help him escape this sea of suffering!
He asked urgently, "Zhao, how do we break this Gathering Water into Ice, House-Breaking and Family-Destroying Formation?"
He Chengwei couldn't help but be anxious. On one hand, he had been tormented terribly; on the other, he didn't want his family to follow in his footsteps. 'Destruction of the Family'—just hearing those words was enough to make one's blood run cold! He Chengwei certainly didn't want his entire family to die because of this Feng Shui Formation.
"The Feng Shui Formation has already taken shape. To break it, you must hire a real Feng Shui Master to make alterations!" Although the method for breaking the Gathering Water into Ice, House-Breaking and Family-Destroying Formation was listed under the Feng Shui section of his Miscellaneous Knowledge, Zhao Yuan had never studied Feng Shui Technique. He couldn't perform many of the skills required, and even if the Information Leaf provided instructions, there was no time to learn them now.
"Where are we supposed to find a Feng Shui Master with real skills on such short notice?" He Chengwei said with a pained expression.
After thinking for a moment, Yu Ke asked, "Hey, Zhao Yuan, I remember you said this northwestern wall is the focal point of the Feng Shui Evil Formation. So, if we knock it down, will that improve the Feng Shui?"
"Absolutely not!" Zhao Yuan quickly stopped her. "Improving Feng Shui requires meticulous calculations and arrangements. Making rash changes will only make the Feng Shui worse!"
He Chengwei thought of a solution. "What if my whole family moves out? If we don't live here, will things get better?"
Zhao Yuan shook his head and said in a grave voice, "You've lived here for many years and have already formed a connection with the house. Even if you move, this place's Feng Shui will continue to affect you for a short time. In your current physical condition, if there's no improvement, you'll be dead in seven or eight days at most..."
"Zhao, I'm begging you, please think of something, save my dad!" He Ting was terrified. THUD. She knelt before Zhao Yuan and pleaded.
He Chengwei's wife immediately knelt down after her.
"Get up, please get up. Don't do this. It'll shorten my lifespan." Zhao Yuan quickly helped them both to their feet. He frowned in thought for a moment, then said, "There is one way, but I don't know if it will work..."