"What is it?" everyone asked in unison.
Zhao Yuan spun a tale. "I once learned how to make an Exorcism Talisman from the priest of an Earth God Temple up in the mountains. This Exorcism Talisman truly has the power to protect a person, secure a home, and ensure safety. But whether it can suppress a Feng Shui Evil Formation⊠I can't guarantee that."
"It doesn't matter if it works or not, we have to try. Zhao, what do you need? I'll go buy everything right now!" said He Chengwei's wife, Yong Qin, her voice filled with excitement.
Zhao Yuan listed the materials needed to make the Exorcism Talisman, then said, "A Wolf Hair Brush, Yellow Paper, and vermillion ink are all easy enough to find. The only problem is the Five Elements Coinsâthey might be difficult to track down."
"What exactly are Five Elements Coins? I've heard of Kangxi Tongbao and Hong Wu Tongbao, but never Five Elements Coins," Yu Ke asked, perplexed.
Zhao Yuan explained, "Five Elements Coins aren't a currency that was circulated in the market. They're Copper Coins that were cast by ancient Daoist Families for use in rituals. You could even call them a type of Magical Artifact. They're extremely rare because so few were made and they don't have much value to collectors."
"I have a friend in the antiques business. He travels all over collecting old wares, so he might have some Five Elements Coins." He Chengwei had He Ting bring him his phone, then found a number and dialed.
After hanging up, He Chengwei said, "My friend says he has some unusual Copper Coins, but he doesn't know if they're Five Elements Coins. I told him to bring them all over so you can look through them."
"Alright," Zhao Yuan agreed with a nod.
Roughly twenty minutes later, He Chengwei's friend hurried over with a large bag of Copper Coins.
He was a stout man in his forties named Cheng Yunlong. Perhaps from frequently traveling to the countryside and mountains to collect antiques, his skin was dark and coarse. He had a constant smile on his chubby face, which made him instantly likable.
"All the oddball Copper Coins I've collected over the years are right here." Cheng Yunlong handed the bag to He Chengwei and asked with concern, "Old He, how are you feeling?"
"Same as usual." While exchanging pleasantries, He Chengwei passed the bag to Zhao Yuan and asked him to see if there were any Five Elements Coins inside.
Seeing this, Cheng Yunlong lowered his voice and asked curiously, "Old He, who's this kid? And what do you need Five Elements Coins for?"
"I need the Five Elements Coins for my treatment." Since they were old friends, He Chengwei didn't hide anything and told him the truth. "This isn't a normal illness. I'm being afflicted by a Feng Shui Evil Formation. The Five Elements Coins are to make an Exorcism Talisman to suppress it!"
"Huh?" Cheng Yunlong's jaw dropped. After confirming He Chengwei wasn't joking, he frowned and shot a glance at Zhao Yuan. "Don't tell me *he's* the one who told you all this? This kid⊠is he a Feng Shui Master or something?"
It was no wonder he was suspicious of Zhao Yuan. The kid looked so young, he didn't seem the least bit reliable.
He Chengwei shook his head and whispered, "Zhao isn't a Feng Shui Master. He's a medical student, but he knows a great deal about feng shui. He was the one who identified the Gathering Water into Ice, House-Breaking and Family-Destroying Formation in my house."
"He's not just trying to swindle you out of your money, is he?" Cheng Yunlong was deeply suspicious.
"Impossible." He Chengwei, however, had complete faith in Zhao Yuan. "From start to finish, Zhao hasn't mentioned money once. Besides, as long as he can cure this strange illness of mine, I'd give him any amount of money he asked for!"
Cheng Yunlong raised an eyebrow, thinking, 'What kind of Kool-Aid has this kid been feeding Old He to make him so trusting? It looks like there's no point in trying to talk sense into him right now. But that's fine. I, Cheng Yunlong, have traveled far and wide for years. I've eaten more salt than this kid has eaten rice. I'll definitely see through his little act. And when I do, I'll expose him right to his face. Then we'll see if Old He doesn't recognize him for the fraud he is!'
Out loud, Cheng Yunlong didn't hold back either. He said sarcastically, "Old He, if you really think your illness is caused by feng shui, I can introduce you to a few renowned Feng Shui Masters. They're all highly respected, definitely not some charlatans."
Before He Chengwei could reply, Zhao Yuan spoke up. "Mr. Cheng, you know some Feng Shui Masters? That's excellent. Whether my Exorcism Talisman is effective or not, please introduce a truly skilled Feng Shui Master to Dr. He. The only way for Dr. He and his family to be completely well is to change this Feng Shui Evil Formation."
Cheng Yunlong was stunned. He had expected Zhao Yuan to take this opportunity to brag about his own skills. He never thought the young man would say something that sounded so self-deprecating.
'Could I have been wrong about him? Maybe this kid isn't a con artist after all?'
The thought surfaced in Cheng Yunlong's mind, but he quickly dismissed it.
'There's definitely something fishy going on! I see it now. It's a classic case of feigning retreat to advance. He's using these seemingly sincere words to make Old He trust him even more. By the end of it, Old He will be helping him count the money from his own sale! Ruthless. Absolutely ruthless! But you're still too green to pull one over on me, Cheng Yunlong! Just you wait. The moment you slip up, I'll expose you without a second thought!'
Cheng Yunlong's eyes were wide as he stared at Zhao Yuan, not missing a single one of his movements.
However, Zhao Yuan did nothing else, simply focusing on rummaging through the pile of Copper Coins. In a short time, he had inspected every coin by hand and picked out more than thirty Five Elements Coins.
These Five Elements Coins looked like any other Copper Coinâround with a square hole in the center. But upon closer inspection, the differences became clear. The front of each Five Elements Coin was engraved with a bagua trigram, and the back bore inscriptions describing the properties of the Five Elements.
Many of the thirty-odd Five Elements Coins were duplicates. In the end, Zhao Yuan barely managed to assemble two complete sets.
Pointing to one of the sets, Zhao Yuan said to Cheng Yunlong, "One set of Five Elements Coins is enough to make the Exorcism Talisman. As for this other set⊠would you be willing to sell it to me?"
Cheng Yunlong waved his hand dismissively. "If your Exorcism Talisman actually helps Old He get better, you can have the set for free!"
Despite his words, it was clear from Cheng Yunlong's tone and expression that he didn't believe for a second that Zhao Yuan could cure He Chengwei.
Zhao Yuan didn't get angry. He simply nodded.
Next, he took an Ink Pot Line soaked in vermillion ink and strung one set of the Five Elements Coins together, tying them in a specific pattern. He then picked up the Wolf Hair Brush that Yong Qin had bought, dipped it in the vermillion ink, and began to inscribe a Rune onto a sheet of Yellow Paper spread out before him.
Zhao Yuan moved the brush with extreme slowness, as if the tiny Wolf Hair Brush carried the weight of a mountain.
Cheng Yunlong couldn't help but sneer, muttering, "What's taking so long? Did he forget how to draw the Talisman or something?"