The upgrade to his Qi Observation Technique was certainly a cause for celebration, but now wasn't the ti to be happy.
Having cald down, Zhao Yuan pointed to the four small gourds and asked, "Why are there only four of these? They should be a set of five to correspond with the Five Elents! Where's the white one?"
"Huh?" Wang Qing was taken aback. "There's another one? I had no idea. There were only four of them when I bought them." He suddenly put two and two together and quickly asked, "Master Zhao, are you saying the strange phenona in my house are being caused by these four little gourds?"
Zhao Yuan nodded. "More or less."
"What's the story behind these four gourds? Why are they so sinister?" Cheng Yunlong couldn't help but ask.
Strangely enough, as soon as Zhao Yuan saw the four gourds of different colors, information about them automatically materialized on his Information Leaf.
In response to Cheng Yunlong's question, Zhao Yuan simply had to read aloud what he saw: "These are the Five Elents Gourd. They're supposed to ward off evil and safeguard the ho, but unfortunately, the set is missing one piece. This has disrupted the balance of the Five Elents, giving rise to all sorts of strange phenona. And all of these phenona are directly related to the Five Elents!"
Cheng Yunlong and Wang Qing thought back and realized it was true. The kitchen fire, the burst water pipe, the crumbling walls, the moss overgrowing the house—they all corresponded to Fire, Water, Earth, and Wood.
The color drained from Wang Qing's face. He suddenly reached out, snatched the four small gourds, and turned to run out of the house.
"Old Wang, where are you going?" Cheng Yunlong asked urgently.
"I'm going to throw these cursed things out!" Wang Qing shouted back without looking.
Zhao Yuan spoke up. "It's no use. These four little gourds have already integrated with your ho's energy field. No matter how far you throw them, they'll find their way back here through all sorts of 'accidents'."
"What?" Wang Qing stopped in his tracks. A mont later, he had another idea. "Then I'll smash them to pieces!"
"Don't!" Zhao Yuan stopped him again. "These four gourds were nourished by the incense in an Earth God Temple, turning them into Magical Artifacts. If you smash them recklessly, your entire family will suffer the backlash and invite a terrible calamity!"
Wang Qing's face turned green with fear. He no longer dared to smash the gourds; instead, he cradled them carefully in his hands, terrified of dropping them and bringing disaster upon himself. With a long face, he asked, "I can't do this, and I can't do that. Am I just supposed to let them keep wreaking havoc in my ho?"
"How about this," Zhao Yuan said after a mont of consideration. "Sell these four gourds to , and I guarantee they will never trouble you again."
This was a decision Zhao Yuan had made after careful consideration.
'These four gourds are Magical Artifacts imbued with the Power of the Five Elents. Even though the tal-aspected gourd is missing, it's not impossible to compensate for it. Once I've completely mastered the Chinese Herbal Cultivation Technique, I'll need to start building a base for growing dicinal herbs. If I can use the Five Elents Gourd to set up a Feng Shui Formation, the results will be far superior to using Five Elents Coins!'
Hearing Zhao Yuan's offer and guarantee, Wang Qing was about to agree instinctively, but on second thought, he hesitated.
'These Five Elents Gourds are Magical Artifacts. If I can just complete the set, I could turn this misfortune into a blessing! They would protect my ho and keep my family safe! Besides, gourds are known to attract wealth and treasure. Maybe if I complete the set, not only will my ho be safe, but I'll draw in wealth from all corners. My fortunes would skyrocket, and I'd be set for life!'
Zhao Yuan's perception was sharp enough to see right through him. He knew exactly what Wang Qing was thinking.
He chuckled. "Oh, right. There's sothing I almost forgot to ntion. For now, these four gourds are just disrupting the Five Elents in your ho and causing these strange events. But soon, they'll start affecting you and your family. Once a person's Five Elents fall into disarray, they'll either be struck by a sudden illness or et with an unexpected disaster. When that ti cos, I won't be able to save you. You'll have to find soone more skilled."
Wang Qing was skeptical. "Is that true?" he asked, while thinking to himself, 'This kid isn't trying to trick , is he? Is he just making up so terrifying story to scare into selling him these gourds?'
"Believe it or not. I've said my piece. If sothing happens to you down the line, don't co looking for . Because even if you did, I wouldn't be able to help." With that, Zhao Yuan turned to leave.
Seeing this, Cheng Yunlong grew anxious and rushed to say to Wang Qing, "Old Wang, what on earth are you thinking? Would Master Zhao lie to you? Are you really going to wait until you're staring at the coffin to shed a tear?"
Wang Qing was still hesitating when a piece of plaster fell from the ceiling, grazing the tip of his nose before hitting the floor. The close call startled him, but it also shocked him back to his senses.
'He's right... Old Cheng is right. With sothing like this, it's better to be safe than sorry. What if I keep these four little gourds and really do bring disaster on my family? It'll be too late for regrets then! And even though completing the Five Elents Gourd set could turn this curse into a blessing, how could that be easy? Finding the missing one would be like finding a needle in a haystack...'
Having thought it through, Wang Qing scrambled to call out, "Master Zhao, don't go! I'll sell you the four gourds!"
Zhao Yuan stopped and turned around. "Na your price."
"As for the price..."
Wang Qing's mind raced.
In truth, he hadn't spent much when he acquired these items from the Earth God Temple. After selling the few pieces of huanghuali furniture that ca with them, he had not only recouped his initial investnt but also made a handso profit.
But he was a businessman, and what businessman doesn't want to earn a little extra? Besides, these four little gourds were Magical Artifacts! In Wang Qing's eyes, even if the set was incomplete, they clearly had value. Otherwise, why would Zhao Yuan want to buy them?
'Since they have value, I have to na a price that reflects it!'
Just as Wang Qing was mulling over a price, Cheng Yunlong frowned, leaned in close, and whispered, "Old Wang, you aren't actually thinking of selling him these four gourds, are you?"
"What else can I do? Keep them here and wait for disaster to strike?" Wang Qing sighed, a pained expression on his face.
Seeing that his friend had gotten the wrong idea, Cheng Yunlong quickly added, "I an you should give these four gourds to Master Zhao, not sell them to him!"
"Give them to him?"
Wang Qing was taken aback for a mont, but then he quickly understood what his friend ant.
'That's right. Selling them is just a transaction. Clean and simple, nobody owes anyone anything. But giving them away... that's a different story. The other party would have to rember the favor, would be indebted to .'
'Although I haven't seen for myself just how capable Master Zhao is, the way my old friend Cheng Yunlong is trying to curry favor with him ans he must be the real deal!'
'Getting on the good side of a genuinely skilled Feng Shui Master would be imnsely beneficial for and my family! In fact, those benefits might even outweigh what I'd get from completing a set of Five Elents Gourds to protect my ho and attract wealth!'
Having figured this out, Wang Qing waved his hand magnanimously. "Why talk about money? It sours the mood! Since you've taken a liking to these four gourds, Master Zhao, I'll just give them to you! Besides, you're taking them off my hands to lift this curse. I can't thank you enough, so how could I possibly accept your money?"
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