Chapter 88

"Dear colleagues, it's time for our competition segment again. Today, we will proceed with the second round of the contest."

Lin Qiusheng, as usual, opened the afternoon session with his words, which immediately lifted everyone's spirits. Even the feng shui masters who had lost in the first round were now staring intently at Lin Qiusheng, waiting for him to announce the topic for the second round.

"Our feng shui masters not only need to be adept at assessing yin dwellings but also yang dwellings. Therefore, the second round of the contest involves the three yang dwelling cases on your tables. You need to determine what dangers or effects these three yang dwellings will bring to their owners. Write down your opinions on paper, and our three judges will tally the results. Correctly identifying one case earns one point, two cases earn three points, and all three cases earn five points."

"Additionally, these three yang dwelling cases all occurred several years ago, so you can be assured of the accuracy of the assessments, as they have already been tested."

Seeing the puzzled expressions on many of the feng shui masters after his first sentence, Lin Qiusheng added, "President Lin has indeed thought this through." Qin Yu nodded in agreement. The field of feng shui is as diverse as the Hundred Schools of Thought, with various schools each having their unique perspectives. Without the test of time, even the words of these three masters would be hard to convince all the feng shui masters.

The same yang dwelling might have one issue according to one school but another issue according to another. Convincing the other party would be extremely difficult without immediate evidence. Even if you are a master, you still cannot persuade everyone.

President Lin must have known about this issue, so he specifically chose cases from several years ago. The problems that these yang dwellings have caused over the years have already been verified, and no feng shui master from any school can deny this.

Facts speak louder than words. No matter which school of feng shui or what theoretical calculations are used, the final proof must be based on facts.

Unlike the photos from the first day, the three cases in front of everyone this time not only include photos but also the names and birth dates of the yang dwelling owners and their three generations of relatives.

Qin Yu opened the first case file. The first photo was an overall view of a two-story duplex. Qin Yu glanced at it and flipped to the next page. The second photo was an aerial view of the location, showing that the house was in an alley surrounded by tall buildings. Clearly, this alley was retained during the development of the area.

This was evident from the contrast between the bustling high-rise buildings and the dilapidated houses in the alley, a common feature of urban modernization. The main roads of the city are lined with high-rise buildings, presenting a prosperous scene, but behind these buildings, there are often many old houses, jokingly referred to as "surrounded slums."

The third photo showed the interior structure of the house, a floor plan with labels for each area: bedrooms, balcony, kitchen, bathroom, living room, stairs, etc.

Qin Yu carefully examined the floor plan. The structure of a yang dwelling is the most likely place for problems to occur. Some basic common knowledge is widely known, such as not having a bedroom directly opposite a bathroom door, and placing the stove in the south direction because the south is associated with fire.

However, beyond these basics, the arrangement of the house has many other considerations. Depending on the birth dates of the occupants, the same house can bring good fortune to one person but misfortune to another. Of course, most houses are ordinary and have neither positive nor negative effects.

Qin Yu looked at the birth dates of the house's occupants while studying the floor plan, mentally calculating. Soon, he had a definite idea and wrote a line on the form.

After writing the line, Qin Yu looked up and saw Xu Cheng, who had just put down his pen. Their eyes met, and they both smiled, surprised to see each other at that moment.

Qin Yu understood that not only did he take Xu Cheng seriously, but Xu Cheng also took him seriously.

After finishing the first case, Qin Yu opened the second case. The house in the second case was a standalone building with a mountain behind it. The house was a simple four-story building in a small town.

In front of the house was a cement road, and on the other side of the road was a field. Qin Yu looked for a while but didn't notice anything wrong, so he continued to the next photo.

The second photo showed the back of the house, revealing three tiled rooms behind the main house. Between the tiled rooms and the main house was an open well. Without looking at the caption, Qin Yu could deduce that these tiled rooms were the kitchen.

In small towns, many houses are designed this way. Residents often build their own houses with open spaces in front and back. The front is bright and spacious, and the back can be used for practical purposes, such as digging a well and building a kitchen, which is very common.

Some residents even build several additional rooms at the back or sides of their houses for storing miscellaneous items or raising livestock, which is very convenient.

Qin Yu continued to the next photo. When he reached the seventh photo, his eyes lit up. It was a picture of the main hall, showing that two main halls were connected. A round arch-shaped stone wall was built between the two halls, connecting them.

Qin Yu looked at the information about the house's occupants. The owner had two sons, and the house was a two-bedroom layout. It seemed the owner planned to leave the house to his two sons, avoiding future conflicts.

Qin Yu read the text beside the photo: "In June 2008, Liu Anquan divided the house between his two sons, with the elder son on the left and the younger son on the right."

After reading this, Qin Yu pondered for a moment, then smiled and wrote a few lines on the paper before closing the second case.

"Hey, this house's layout is similar to my second uncle's new house," Zhang Hua, sitting in the guest seats, said in surprise as he flipped to the second case.

"Many houses in small towns or rural areas are designed this way. We have many similar houses in our area," Tong Min agreed.

"My second uncle's house has been lived in for several years, and nothing has happened. This house shouldn't have any feng shui problems, right?" Zhang Hua was puzzled. If this layout had problems, his second uncle's family would not have been so peaceful and smooth for so many years.

"Each case is different. Assessing yang dwellings involves not only the orientation, surroundings, internal structure, and arrangement but also the birth dates of the occupants. The quality of feng shui varies from person to person," Li Weijun explained. He had consulted a feng shui master when he chose his house, so he was familiar with these considerations.

"Look at this third house. Doesn't it look like a pyramid?" Mo Yongxing opened the third case and pointed to the first photo of the house, showing it to everyone.

"Wow, Mo Shao, you're right. If the house were coated with yellow paint, people might mistake it for a pyramid," Liu Shun Tian said, opening the third case and exclaiming.

"I've never seen a house like this. I wonder what the owner was thinking. Did he want to be buried in the house like the Egyptians and become a mummy?" Liu Shun Tian added.

"Mummies are for Indians. Here, the owner probably wanted to become a zombie," Mo Yongxing laughed, making a malicious guess.

At this moment, the house Mo Yongxing and others were discussing was also in front of Qin Yu. Qin Yu frowned, admitting that the first time he saw the house, he also thought of a pyramid. This was the first time he had seen such a strange house design.

The design of the house seemed to break away from traditional Chinese architectural styles. The foundation of the house was triangular, and each floor was narrower than the one below it, with the top of the sixth floor being a pointed roof about ten feet wide.

Qin Yu frowned as he read the information about the house's owner. The more he read, the more he felt something was wrong. The owner was over forty and ran several hardware stores, making him a person of some means. However, what was strange was that the owner's family did not live with him but had bought a house elsewhere. This house was occupied only by the owner.

"Triangular foundation, hardware stores, living alone... What is the connection?" Qin Yu had a vague feeling that there must be some connection, and this connection was the reason why the owner built such a house.