Chapter 129: The Question

Although Lu Jiu had left the house safely and found nothing unusual, I still dared not lower my guard in the slightest. I checked the time; it was already eleven o'clock. Since it was this late anyway, a few more minutes wouldn't make much difference.

I sent a WeChat message to Bai Xiaoli to let her know I was safe. She didn't reply, so I assumed she had already fallen asleep. I then walked over to Liu Zhongguo and sat down beside him.

Liu Zhongguo filled my glass with white spirit and said, "Are you curious about who we are?"

I nodded.

Liu Zhongguo didn't beat around the bush. After clinking glasses with me and taking a sip, he began, "The River Guardians have been our friends for thousands of years."

The River Guardians? My grandfather's friends?

I suddenly became tense. Gripping my glass tightly, I looked at Liu Zhongguo and asked, "If you are my grandfather's friend, then do you know where he is, or whether he is dead or alive?"

Liu Zhongguo took another drink. He didn't even blink as the potent liquor went down. "Perhaps alive, perhaps dead—no one knows."

Dead or alive? That was as good as saying nothing at all.

I stared at him, but his expression didn't seem to betray any dishonesty. Knowing I wouldn't get anything more out of him, I changed the subject. "What is your purpose in coming here? To watch me die?" I felt a surge of resentment as I said this, given that these people had never once intervened during the several times I had faced danger.

Liu Zhongguo saw through my thoughts and said, "Pi Yangxi, don't be angry. It’s not that we won't help you, but we need to ask you some questions first. If your answers align with what we are looking for, then we are on the same side, and you can come to me whenever you run into trouble in the future."

"What do you want to ask?" I found their behavior increasingly eccentric—demanding I answer questions before they would agree to help me.

"Drink first." Liu Zhongguo had another round with me. I considered my tolerance to be no worse than his; if it weren't for the fact that I was still thinking about my wedding night, I would have tried to drink him under the table to pry more information out of him.

Seeing me finish three glasses without a change in my expression, a flash of surprise crossed Liu Zhongguo's face. He stopped pushing the liquor and asked, "First question: what is your relationship with Yin Shushu, and why would she give you such a generous gift?"

I glanced at the divine artifact in my hand, shrugged, and said, "If I told you this was my first time meeting Yin Shushu, would you believe me?"

"I believe you!" Liu Zhongguo observed my expression and answered without a moment's hesitation. He then continued, "What do you think of the Feng Shui layout of Duhe City?"

After studying it for these past few days, I was quite familiar with the layout.

The Qinglong Mountain stood tall, piercing the clouds to suppress evil spirits, while the Dragon Head Canal possessed a grand momentum that drew in the dragon veins. The original Feng Shui conflict between the Changbai Mountain range and the Dragon Head outlet of the Yellow River had been masterfully reversed, restoring vitality to this entire basin. Every time I looked at this brilliant design, I was filled with awe.

A look of pride appeared on Liu Zhongguo's face. "I was the one who designed that plan."

I froze, staring blankly at Liu Zhongguo. Could this massive Feng Shui project in Duhe City really have been created by the middle-aged Feng Shui master sitting before me?

Had he had too much to drink to spout such an unrealistic claim?

Seeing my look of disbelief, Liu Zhongguo said, "Don't believe me? You can check the archives; the design blueprints are still kept at the Bureau of Archives."

To have personally laid out the Feng Shui for Duhe City and constructed the Dragon Head Canal, this Liu Zhongguo had to be at least a state-level Feng Shui master. Yet, he looked so young that I couldn't help but be skeptical.

Again, reading my mind, Liu Zhongguo reached into his pocket and tossed an ID card in front of me. According to the age on the card, he was seventy years old this year—only five or six years younger than my grandfather.

My eyes widened in shock. No matter how I looked at him, he appeared to be only forty. This indirectly suggested that Liu Zhongguo might not be lying; he truly was a state-level Feng Shui master.

"Master, please forgive my lack of respect!" I quickly stood up.

Liu Zhongguo waved his hand and said, "Sit, sit. Don't be so formal."

"Master Liu, what is the second question you wanted to ask me?" I felt a genuine sense of admiration for the master before me.