Chapter 95

"Qin Yu, do you know why we asked you to come here?"

"Not really." Qin Yu shook his head, looking at the three elders in front of him.

These three elders were none other than Lin Qiusheng, the president of the GZ Mystical Society, an elder surnamed Xiao, and Pang Guang. Along with Qin Yu, the four of them were in a secluded tea room at the Sunshine Hotel.

"Qin Yu, I can see that you don't like to stand out. You must be very confused about why I keep pushing you to the forefront during the meeting. Are you still thinking that I, this old man, have something against you?"

Lin Qiusheng looked at Qin Yu with a smile, and his words made Qin Yu a bit embarrassed. Lin Qiusheng had indeed hit the nail on the head; Qin Yu had often grumbled about him in his heart.

"How could that be? I believe President Lin is trying to help the younger generation. I am very grateful." Qin Yu replied insincerely.

"Haha, I said this kid wouldn't tell the truth. What do you think, Old Xiao? You lost this bet this time."

Lin Qiusheng laughed heartily after hearing Qin Yu's response and said smugly to the elder surnamed Xiao.

"Insincerity. Young people should be straightforward and speak their minds. The Doctrine of the Mean is indeed a profound way of dealing with things, but young people should still have the spirit of youth. Chairman Mao once said: 'In our youth, we are full of vigor and talent, full of passion and ambition. At this age, one should have the courage to challenge the heavens. Being as smooth as an old man is not a good thing.'" The elder surnamed Xiao ignored Lin Qiusheng and instead stared at Qin Yu, his face serious.

"Uh." Qin Yu was confused by the elder surnamed Xiao's words. Since obtaining the Zhuge Nei Jing, he had become more smooth and steady, like a man in his forties. This was partly due to the nature of his profession, as feng shui practitioners who are more steady are more likely to be trusted. Being so young, Qin Yu had to appear steady and smooth to make a good impression.

Could I be doing this wrong? Qin Yu recalled how Mo Yongxing often said he acted like an old man, and that anyone who spent time with him would find it boring. His face showed a look of confusion.

Seeing Qin Yu's expression, the elder surnamed Xiao, Lin Qiusheng, and Pang Guang exchanged a look of satisfaction and continued:

"The Doctrine of the Mean does not mean being smooth or always keeping a low profile. No matter what, you have already won first place. Those with narrow minds will still envy you, regardless of whether you speak up or not. Just remember one thing: 'Not being envied means you are mediocre.'"

"Since you have won first place, you will definitely be envied by some people. Since you are destined to be envied, why not use this opportunity to build your reputation? Especially your final statement, which I think was the biggest failure. You attributed your success to your approach, and while those in the know would understand your humility, how many of today's guests would lower their opinion of you because of your words, reducing the height you had achieved in their minds?"

The elder surnamed Xiao's words were like a splash of cold water, making Qin Yu feel as if his worldview was being shattered. He couldn't help but ask himself: Could my way of dealing with things really be wrong?

"Since you are competing, you should make it worthwhile. Otherwise, it's better not to compete at all. Your behavior today, to put it bluntly, is like wanting to defecate but not wanting to take off your pants. There is no such thing as a free lunch. If you are going to lose something, you should maximize what you gain. For example, when Lin Qiusheng asked you, you clearly found his behavior repulsive and probably cursed him in your heart. You should have said it outright instead of flattering him insincerely. This will have a significant impact on your character. You think you understand the Doctrine of the Mean, but you don't understand its essence at all."

Each word from the elder surnamed Xiao hit Qin Yu like a hammer, and seeing his confused expression, Lin Qiusheng gave him a worried look: Was he being too harsh?

"Cough, Qin Yu, Old Xiao's tone may be a bit harsh, but overall, he has a point. Young people should act like young people. I saw a phrase online the other day: 'If we don't go crazy now, we will be old soon.' There is some truth to this. Youth is your greatest capital. As long as you don't violate your conscience, there is no need to hesitate."

Pang Guang spoke up, his tone much lighter than the elder surnamed Xiao's, and he smiled at Qin Yu.

"Thank you for your guidance, elders. I have learned a lot." Qin Yu bowed deeply to the three elders, seemingly forgetting why he had entered the feng shui profession in the first place: to enter high society and be worthy of Meng Yao.

For a feng shui practitioner to enter high society, they need both high-level feng shui skills and a good reputation. This exchange meeting was undoubtedly the best way to achieve this. Just like in his hometown, the county magistrate's invitation came because he had resolved the Feng Shui problem for his second uncle, which spread among the townspeople.

As for coming to Guangzhou, it was because of his cousin, which led him to meet wealthy people like Li Weijun and learn about Meng Yao's family background. However, such coincidences were rare, and not every high society figure would conveniently meet him. More often, he needed to build his reputation to attract their attention.

"Haha, these are just some of the experiences we old men can share with you. Ultimately, you need to be strong yourself. Your skills in feng shui are the foundation."

Qin Yu's attitude pleased the three elders, and they had their own reasons for doing this. Lin Qiusheng continued:

"Qin Yu, going back to the beginning, I have my own reasons for wanting to push you to the forefront."

"Reasons? I don't quite understand." Qin Yu was puzzled. What benefit could President Lin gain from pushing him to the forefront?

"Have you heard about the relationship between the Northern and Southern schools of feng shui from your master?"

"The relationship between the Northern and Southern schools?"

"What, you don't know? That's strange. Given your current level of feng shui, your master must be a feng shui master and should have mentioned the relationship between the Northern and Southern schools."

"I've never even met my master, let alone heard about the relationship between the Northern and Southern schools." Qin Yu grumbled in his heart but didn't say it out loud. He replied:

"My master is a Taoist priest, and he only taught me feng shui, never mentioning anything about schools."

Qin Yu once again mentioned the deceased Taoist priest from his hometown, which made Lin Qiusheng and the others sigh.

"No wonder you have such a high level of feng shui at such a young age. Your master only taught you skills and didn't mention these things to avoid confusing you. We three are not as good as him in this regard."

"What confusion? The Zhuge Nei Jing doesn't even mention these things. No matter how great Mr. Zhuge was, he couldn't predict the state of feng shui a thousand years later." Qin Yu smiled inwardly, finding it convenient to have a deceased master to blame everything on.

"Since that's the case, I'll tell you about the relationship between the Northern and Southern schools of feng shui..." Lin Qiusheng's voice slowly revealed the story of the Northern and Southern schools of feng shui to Qin Yu.

After listening to Lin Qiusheng, Qin Yu realized that the feng shui world was not peaceful. There were many schools of feng shui, and they were divided into Northern and Southern schools based on geography. Originally, this was just a regional division, but as events unfolded, the two schools gradually became hostile and began to despise each other.

One of the most hated actions by the Southern school against the Northern school was the digging of dragon veins. The famous Purple Mountain dragon vein incident, which began with Emperor Qin Shi Huang, saw many emperors throughout history digging the Purple Mountain dragon vein. When Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty moved the capital to B City, a feng shui master told him that the dragon vein in Nanjing was still active, and if they left it alone, it would produce someone who could overthrow the Ming Dynasty.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Yongle ordered the feng shui master to find a way to destroy the dragon vein in Nanjing. The feng shui master, upon receiving the order, had people dig into Purple Mountain. The dragon vein of Purple Mountain suffered from the digging of successive emperors. During the reign of King Wei of Chu, a lake called Xuanwu Lake was dug, which is a divine beast that suppresses the dragon vein. In the Qin Dynasty, a river called the Qinhuai River was dug to drain the dragon vein's energy.

A dragon vein is very important for a region. Many Chinese dynasties were built in the north to prevent the rise of people who could overthrow their rule. These emperors, in their madness, dug dragon veins in the south, and Northern feng shui masters played a role in this.

Without the Northern feng shui masters, the emperors would not have known how to find the dragon veins. Many dragon veins in the south were destroyed, and the Southern feng shui masters have always harbored deep resentment towards the Northern feng shui masters.

The destruction of dragon veins not only prevented the rise of emperors but also reduced the number of outstanding figures in various fields, which is why the Southern feng shui masters hate the Northern feng shui masters so much.

In ancient times, Northern feng shui masters were always the guests of emperors and high officials, and they looked down on the Southern feng shui masters, thinking they were inexperienced and didn't understand true feng shui.

Over time, the contradictions between the Northern and Southern schools deepened, and there were even frequent feng shui battles.