mousepad-d2 Chapter 42: Cheongsam
Chapter 42: Cheongsam
What is Yin Water Sha?
Tieguai Li asked first.
Master Ma placed the teacup back on the armrest. "The underground water veins never see sunlight, and the cold, damp energy that accumulates at the bottom of the water will eventually condense into malevolent energy."
"When there is a suppressing object, the evil energy sinks to the bottom of the water and cannot rise. Once the suppressing object is removed, the evil energy loses its suppression and will flow up the water vein."
"Where are we going?"
"Any water outlet, wellhead, spring, or crack in the ground that is connected to the earth's veins is a passage."
Cheng Xiaojin thought of the hair-thin crack in Zone C and the cold air emanating from it.
"Are those three old wells in Panjiayuan changing color and emitting a rusty smell? Is it some kind of 'yin water evil'?"
"It's a sign."
Master Ma tapped the lid of his teacup with his finger. "If the Yin Water Sha really comes into play, it's not as simple as just the water changing color and emitting an odor."
"What will happen then?"
"You heard about the security guard having nightmares this afternoon, right?"
Cheng Xiaojin was stunned for a moment.
How did you know?
"I overheard Lao Zhou talking to Miao Daqing when I was wandering around the market this afternoon. They said the black water was waist-deep and rose up to their necks, making it impossible for them to wake up."
Master Ma looked at him.
"The Yin Water Sha (煞) primarily affects people who are light sleepers and those with weak Yang energy. It starts with nightmares, then insomnia, then daytime mental confusion, and in severe cases..."
"What happens if it gets serious?"
Before Master Ma could answer Cheng Xiaojin, Tieguai Li stood up from the steps.
"Master Ma, is this thing curable?"
"rule?"
Master Ma glanced at him and said, "The Yin Water Sha is not an illness, so there is no cure. To cure it, you have to treat the root cause. Put the removed talisman back in, or use another method to re-suppress the leaking water outlet."
"Then put it back."
"I said the same thing to Zhou Bansian this afternoon."
Cheng Xiaojin added, "He said putting it back isn't as simple as just burying it in the ground; it's not that easy."
"Zhou Banxian is right."
Master Ma nodded. "Besides, the foundation of that old house has already been dug up by the farmers. Nobody knows how much the original pit has been damaged. If you rashly stuff the iron back in, it might be worse than not putting it in at all."
The three of them remained silent for a while.
The red cloth over the well in the courtyard was blown up by the night wind, and Master Ma reached out and pressed it down.
"That's all for tonight. I've asked someone to come and take a look tomorrow. Until then, no one is allowed to touch the water in those three wells."
"Whom did you entrust?"
"Don't worry about it for now, go back to sleep."
"Master Ma, how can I possibly sleep right now..."
"If you can't sleep, go back to bed. You have things to do tomorrow."
Cheng Xiaojin spent the whole night on a cot in Tieguai Li's studio, tossing and turning until he finally drifted off to sleep around 3 a.m.
The Panjiayuan market opened as usual the following morning.
Miao Daqing cordoned off the three old wells with caution tape and hung a handwritten sign: "Suspended from use due to water quality testing."
The stall owners were whispering among themselves. Some said it was a problem with the water pipes, others said it was groundwater pollution. Zhao Defa made a bet with Old Liu from the next stall that it was a sign of an impending earthquake.
Cheng Xiaojin sat at his stall, his mind filled with what Master Ma had said last night.
It's just past ten o'clock.
A young woman walked in from the east gate of the market.
Cheng Xiaojin was drawn there by the sound of high heels on the stone pavement, tap-tap-tap-tap, with a steady rhythm.
She wore a dark blue cheongsam, with the collar buttoned up to her chin.
She was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with her hair tied up in a bun at the back of her head. She wore no jewelry, carried a brown leather case in her left hand, and a dark red wooden box in her right.
Zhao Defa was the first to see her. "Jinzi, look, look, look! Who is this? Wearing a cheongsam to stroll around Panjiayuan so early in the morning?"
Cheng Xiaojin ignored Zhao Defa and stared at the leather suitcase.
The box is the wrong shape.
It's not an ordinary suitcase; it's a rounded square shape, about six or seven centimeters thick, with brass buckles and a hidden lock on the leather surface.
He had seen this kind of box before.
It was drawn in Grandpa's notes.
Compass box.
The young woman walked past the stalls in the east section, her gaze not daring to look to either side, but heading straight for the three old wells that were surrounded by barriers.
She stopped in front of the first well, placed her suitcase on the ground, opened it, and took out a brass compass.
The compass was larger than any compass Cheng Xiaojin had ever seen, with a diameter of more than a foot. The copper surface was polished to a shine, and the surface was covered with densely packed characters.
She held the compass horizontally in her hand, walked to the well, stood there for a while, glanced at the pointer, and then walked to the second well.
The same procedure was followed for the next two wells.
Finally, she put away her compass, picked up her box and wooden case, turned a corner, and walked straight toward Cheng Xiaojin's stall.
The high heels clicked and clacked on the stone slabs, getting closer and closer.
Cheng Xiaojin picked up a string of old Southern Red Agate beads from the stall and began to fiddle with them.
"You're Cheng Xiaojin?"
The sound was crisp and clear, with a hint of southern accent.
"Yes, that's me. And who are you?"
"Tang Wanqing, a member of the Zhenlong lineage, is here to deal with the loss of control over the water veins."
Her gaze shifted from Cheng Xiaojin's face to the stall cloth, scanning it over.
Cheng Xiaojin handed the string of red agate beads to her.
"Oh, Miss Tang, my apologies for not recognizing you. Since you're already here, would you like to take a look? It's an old Southern Red Agate from the late Qing Dynasty. Look how lustrous the patina is. I'll give you a special price."
Tang Wanqing reached out and picked up the bead, looked at it for less than a second, and put it back on the cloth.
"This is ordinary Southern Red Agate from the late Qing Dynasty. The material is dry and the color is uneven. Although it's genuine... Is this the quality you're offering at your stall?"
Zhao Defa gasped in shock at the stall next door.
Cheng Xiaojin's smile remained unchanged.
"Miss Tang has a good eye, but this is a street stall in Panjiayuan, not an old brand in Liulichang. If you want to see real quality goods, you've come to the wrong place."
Tang Wanqing didn't respond to his words.
"Ma Wenchang sent me. He told me about the discoloration of the well water and the cracks in the ground. Are you the one who pulled the Zhenhai Iron out of the water outlet pile?"
Two or three stall owners at the nearby stalls perked up their ears.
Cheng Xiaojin's smile faded slightly, and her voice lowered considerably.
"Miss Tang, how about we talk somewhere else?"
"No need to change, I'll just ask you a couple of questions and then I'll leave."
Tang Wanqing placed the compass box on the ground and rested her left hand on the wooden box.
Where is Zhenhai Railway located now?
"In a safe place."
"What constitutes a safe place? Is it something stored in a metal cabinet? Or something placed under the bed leg?"
Cheng Xiaojin looked at her.
"Miss Tang, I respect you because you were invited by Mr. Ma, but your way of speaking is a bit impolite."
"I don't have time for your politeness."
Tang Wanqing raised her voice by half a tone.
"Do you know what happened after you pulled that piece of metal?"
"When the water outlet is lost, the earth's vein branches tremble, and the three water outlets along the line simultaneously exhibit abnormalities. In feng shui, this is called 'pulsation.' When the pulse starts, the stabilizing objects at every pile position along the entire branch will be affected."
She tapped the lid of the wooden box lightly with her fingers.
"Your greed alone could disrupt the balance of nine groups of 135 talismans."
Cheng Xiaojin stopped playing the beads in her hand.
"Miss Tang, this piece of iron was dug out by an old farmer from Hebei from under his own land. He didn't know what it was when he dug it out, and I didn't know it was a talisman when I bought it. You're being a bit too harsh with the word 'greed'."
"Is it not your responsibility if you don't know?"
"How can that be my responsibility? Something buried underground in a foundation that's been neglected for six hundred years, without even a mark on it, how am I supposed to know it's a water outlet pile location?"
Tang Wanqing looked at him for a few seconds.
"So now you know, what are you planning to do?"
"I'm trying to figure something out."
"What can you do?"
Tang Wanqing glanced at his stall.
"You think you can come up with a solution by selling these cheap, low-quality goods at a street stall every day?"
Cheng Xiaojin put the beads back on the cloth and stood up.
He was almost a head taller than Tang Wanqing, and he looked down at her.
"Miss Tang, I admire your orthodox background, but I have a problem: if someone belittles me on the first meeting, no matter who they are, I won't be happy."
"Go ahead and deal with the water veins, I'll cooperate fully. But if you're here to lecture me, then we don't need to say another word."
Tang Wanqing's expression didn't change much, but the slight disdain at the corner of her mouth disappeared.
"Okay, you said you'd fully cooperate. Then we'll clear the area tonight. I'll set up an array to suppress the evil spirits at the most severely affected well. Call everyone involved in this matter here; I need to know all the details."
"What time is it?"
"Zi Shi, um... early Zi Shi, around 11 o'clock."
"OK."
Tang Wanqing picked up the compass box and the wooden box and turned to walk towards the well that was in the worst condition.
Cheng Xiaojin sat back down on the stool, and Zhao Defa came over from next door.
"Jinzi, who's this young lady?"
"have no idea."
"Is what she said true? What about water veins and talismans?"
"I don't know..." Cheng Xiaojin said with an expression that suggested he shouldn't ask too many questions.
"Did you two have a fight?"
"No, we just exchanged opinions."
Zhao Defa chuckled twice and returned to his stall.
Cheng Xiaojin sat on the stool without moving, watching Tang Wanqing walk back to the third well.
She opened the compass box.
The brass compass was held horizontally in the hand and placed next to the well opening.
The pointer started moving, spinning rapidly.
Cheng Xiaojin was far away, but he could see the pointer rapidly drawing circles on the copper plate, so fast that the markings on the plate became a blurry line.
Tang Wanqing paused for a moment as she put away the compass.
It was so brief that a passing stall owner wouldn't even notice.
But Cheng Xiaojin saw it.
She wasn't sure she could handle it.