Chapter 40

On his way home, Fang Tianfeng planned his cultivation, deciding to first refine the seven types of qi into qi weapons. This way, he would have the means to protect himself even against ordinary firearms. Then, he planned to visit some veterans who had fought in the Eastern Front or the Annam War to gather killing qi and battle qi.

After two days of simple and peaceful living, Fang Tianfeng finally forged his first hundred-refined qi weapon.

The sword of sickness had a blue-black blade, a black hilt, and resembled a common three-foot-long sword from Huaguo. The tip of the sword pointed downward, floating above the qi river, emitting an indescribable power.

On the hilt, a strange character appeared, somewhat like a small seal script. Although Fang Tianfeng had never seen this character before, he could guess it was the character for "sickness."

The day after the sword of sickness was formed, the total amount of qi in Fang Tianfeng's qi river increased by fifteen percent.

After the argument, An Tian Tian and Lu Yingna added a curtain to the bedroom door, and the relationship between Fang Tianfeng and Lu Yingna dropped to an icy point.

An Tian Tian, being warm-hearted, tried her best to resolve the conflict between the two. Fang Tianfeng was willing, but Lu Yingna was not. Fang Tianfeng had tried to talk to Lu Yingna, but she did not respond, so he eventually stopped bothering her.

Xia Xiaoyu got Fang Tianfeng's phone number through An Tian Tian and said she was too busy to send the money. If he was passing by, he could go to the provincial hospital to pick it up. Fang Tianfeng said it wasn't urgent and that there was no need to go to the provincial hospital for just a few dozen yuan, as the round-trip bus fare would cost two yuan.

The rental issue was resolved, and Fang Tianfeng got back half a month's rent.

The news of President Cheng's arrest spread quickly, and Shi Weicheng wanted to invite Fang Tianfeng for a meal to celebrate. However, Fang Tianfeng was cultivating and declined the invitation.

That noon, Fang Tianfeng made a large pot of egg fried rice. Halfway through the meal, he received a call. It was Zhang Bowen, the owner of Tianyue Hotel.

They had eaten together a few days ago, and Fang Tianfeng had a good impression of him. Zhang Bowen was very proper in his speech and actions and treated the waitstaff with respect despite his high position.

"Master Fang, are you free?"

"I'm eating."

"That's perfect. Tianyue Hotel has just received a batch of Australian lobsters. You can come and try them, completely free of charge."

"If it's really free, I'll bring some people over right away. President Zhang, no need to be so polite. Is there something you need?"

"Ah, I'll be straightforward. I bought a piece of land with some friends to build a building. We are currently digging a deep foundation pit, and I've been feeling uneasy lately. Can you come and take a look? Do you have time?"

"I have time."

"Great! Please wait, I'll come to Chang'an Garden to pick you up."

Soon, an Audi A8 stopped at the entrance of Chang'an Garden. Zhang Bowen picked up Fang Tianfeng and drove to the construction site.

As soon as they got in the car, Zhang Bowen handed over a leather bag and patted it, saying, "Master Fang, this is fifty thousand yuan for your travel expenses. Whether it works or not, this is for you. If you really find something, I'll give you another fifty thousand."

Before Fang Tianfeng could speak, the young driver said, "Uncle, you're usually so shrewd, why are you being like this today? Aunt will be upset if she finds out."

Zhang Bowen angrily said, "Shut up, brat. Don't interrupt when adults are talking. Drive properly! If you interrupt again, go back to work at the hotel."

The young driver stopped talking but glanced at Fang Tianfeng in the rearview mirror, giving a sly smile.

Zhang Bowen turned to Fang Tianfeng and said, "Master Fang, I'm sorry. This is my nephew, he's not very considerate."

Zhang Bowen glared at his nephew, but he couldn't do much about it. He didn't want to argue with his wife.

Fang Tianfeng didn't mind and said, "Tell me the details."

Zhang Bowen recounted what he knew.

One of Zhang Bowen's friends had a way to get a piece of land and contacted a buyer. Everything was arranged, but someone said the land was very valuable, so his friend asked the buyer to raise the price, and the deal fell through.

In a fit of anger, his friend found a few people to buy the land and build a small high-rise together. However, none of them, including Zhang Bowen, were experts. The original plan was to build a one-story garage, but the other four friends thought building two stories would be more profitable, so they pushed through the new plan.

Zhang Bowen had many friends in the industry and had heard of some construction accidents. He had considered the terrain, but the other four didn't, thinking that professionals could handle it.

At the time, Zhang Bowen had muttered to himself that if everything could be handled, there wouldn't be any construction accidents.

Today, when the foundation pit was being dug, Zhang Bowen went to the site again, still worried.

The foundation pit is the space below ground level, including the large pit and the building foundation. The depth of this foundation pit exceeded five meters, making it a deep foundation pit.

The land was relatively low, and experienced project managers, supervisors, and construction team leaders all admitted that building a one-story underground garage was fine, but building two stories would likely cause water seepage. The supervisor provided data showing that 70% of foundation pit accidents were directly or indirectly related to water.

The construction team leader said that most issues could be resolved, but Zhang Bowen was still uneasy.

Around noon, Zhang Bowen consulted Shi Weicheng, who said that no one could predict the outcome until the end. To know in advance, they needed to consult Master Fang.

After listening, Fang Tianfeng understood Zhang Bowen's purpose. If the project was fine, the fifty thousand yuan would buy peace of mind and a better relationship with Fang Tianfeng. If there was a problem, the money would be even more worthwhile.

Soon, the car stopped, and Zhang Bowen led Fang Tianfeng to the construction site. A large wall had been built, and inside was a huge pit where many people were working.

The young driver followed, looking around.

Someone immediately came over to greet them, asked the reason, and brought safety helmets. The three of them put on the helmets and entered the site.

Zhang Bowen pointed ahead and said, "Please take a look."

Fang Tianfeng used his qi-sensing technique.

Ahead, there was a faint, pale green mist, loose and sparse, a natural disaster qi formed due to environmental changes. This disaster qi was minimal and sparse, not life-threatening. It contained water vapor, indicating that a water-related accident would occur.

The natural disaster qi was slowly changing, with some areas sparse and others dense.

Fang Tianfeng carefully observed the site and said, "Your concerns are valid; there is indeed a problem here."

Zhang Bowen's face changed slightly, then he asked in a low voice, "How serious will the loss be?"

Fang Tianfeng used his qi-sensing technique to check Zhang Bowen's wealth qi. A new green disaster qi ring had appeared below his wealth qi, originating from the construction site. This ring was not present during their previous meal, indicating it appeared after the foundation pit was dug.

The green disaster qi ring was slowly dissipating and would disappear in at most seven months. This ring did not reduce Zhang Bowen's wealth qi but slowed its growth.

Fang Tianfeng smiled and said, "There will be a loss, but overall, the building will still be profitable, just with less profit."

Zhang Bowen breathed a sigh of relief but, driven by his business instincts, asked, "Can you determine the cause of the problem?"

Fang Tianfeng said, "Based on my divination, the issue is caused by groundwater, leading to a minor accident. The construction will be delayed by seven to eight months. For other aspects, I need more time to observe."

Zhang Bowen frowned; each day of delay meant a significant financial loss.

"Master Fang, you say the construction will be delayed, but it can be resolved, meaning there is a solution. Can you find the solution in advance?"

"You need to consult a professional," Fang Tianfeng said.

Zhang Bowen thought for a moment and said, "According to your prediction, this construction team cannot shorten the delay?"

Fang Tianfeng said, "Based on what I see, that's correct."

"Then I'll call the construction team leader for you to confirm."

Soon, Zhang Bowen brought the construction team leader. Fang Tianfeng saw that all his qi was affected by the natural disaster qi from the site. The natural disaster qi on him was dense and persistent, indicating he could not solve the problem and needed to leave to escape it.

The construction team leader's bad luck was rapidly increasing and would reach the thickness of a pinky finger in at most three days.

However, Fang Tianfeng did not make a hasty judgment and observed a few more workers. Their qi was also affected by the natural disaster qi.

Fang Tianfeng thought that since the accident would not be severe, the construction team leader's bad luck reaching the thickness of a pinky finger would be when the accident occurred.

Thus, Fang Tianfeng asked the construction team leader, "If there is a serious water leak, do you have a solution?"

The construction team leader hesitated and said, "Our dewatering system is excellent; there won't be a major problem."

This "dewatering" referred to the process of lowering the groundwater level and draining water.

Zhang Bowen immediately asked, "What if there is a major problem? Do you have experience in this area? Any successful cases?"

The construction team leader was silent.

After the construction team leader left, Fang Tianfeng said, "President Zhang, based on my calculations, this construction team cannot solve the problem. It would be better to replace them sooner rather than later."

Zhang Bowen thought for a long time and finally said, "This involves a loss of millions or even tens of millions. We can't delay! I'll gather the shareholders and inform them of this issue. We'll replace the construction team!"

The young driver muttered, "Will they believe you?"

Zhang Bowen quickly looked at Fang Tianfeng, afraid he would be upset.

Fang Tianfeng just smiled and said, "President Zhang, if you tell the shareholders now, they won't believe you. I can guarantee that the foundation pit will have a problem in three days. If they still don't believe me and don't replace the construction team, I'll have to question your judgment in choosing friends."

The young driver whispered, "What if there's no problem?"

Zhang Bowen glared at his nephew and then asked, "Master Fang, can you be sure there will be an accident in three days?"

"99% sure," Fang Tianfeng smiled.

"99% is enough! President Cheng is the best example! I'll call them over now and discuss a plan."

Fang Tianfeng said, "We should have a result by dinner time, right?"

"Should be."

"Good, I'll wait here."

The three went to the construction site command center, and Zhang Bowen called the others.