Chapter 2: Fourth Brother’s Guest

Inside a courtyard on Longshan Road in Langling, Henan, I sat on a long bench, having waited for over an hour. The half cup of tea in my hand had been refilled and cooled numerous times. I checked my watch for the 32nd time, thinking that if no one showed up in ten minutes, I’d buy a train ticket for the afternoon and leave.

This private residence was left by my grandfather. It was kept very clean, with a spirit tablet and incense burner on the altar. My grandfather’s ancestors were renowned Geomancers, and they were very particular about their craft. Even though the courtyard was now empty, the incense before the altar never ceased.

After finishing the last cup of tea, I placed the cup down and stood up, dragging my suitcase with me. I thought to myself that it wasn’t that I didn’t want to help out, but if I stayed any longer, I might freeze to death here.

Squinting at the street signs, I realized that this small, broken county used to be all wasteland. Now it had been redeveloped into residential areas, leaving me dizzy and disoriented.

As I was scratching my chin, I heard someone honk twice behind me.

A Passat turned down from the slope, and a head poked out from inside the car, cursing, “You little brat, what are you pondering here?! I told you to go to the shop, but you wouldn’t. Do I have to personally invite you?”

The buzz-cut man in the car was my grandfather’s eldest disciple, an uncle by generation, though not much older than me. Since my grandfather passed away, he had been managing the family craft and business. My grandfather said he had a pure yin birth chart, making him resilient. He could even live in a yin house to evade debts without much trouble.

Compared to him, I had no affinity for this line of work. But we grew up like brothers, sharing everything. He’s the fourth in his family, so I got used to calling him Fourth Brother, and the habit stuck.

I’m still a proper university student, not skilled in cursing. Fourth Brother had taken over my grandfather’s business for several years now and had a sharp tongue. Before I could think of a retort, he cut me off.

Fourth Brother said, “Young Master, have you gotten so dumb from studying outside that you don’t recognize people anymore? Do you think I’m idle? Get in the car! Stop standing there like a fool.”

I took a deep breath, lifted my suitcase, and got into his car. Honestly, the last time we went crab-catching in the mountains was years ago. The business of geomancy isn’t easy, and the shop is hard to maintain, often requiring connections on both sides.

Fourth Brother had seen more strange things than I had, and I felt he had changed significantly over the years. Regardless of whether he cared about our old friendship, I couldn’t just turn and leave in front of him; that would be too disrespectful.

Facing someone as seasoned and mature as him, I couldn’t help but feel nervous. It wasn’t fear, but a natural reaction to a strong presence. I always felt he could see through most of what I was thinking.

Fourth Brother smoked a cigarette, glanced at me through the rearview mirror, and smiled, “It’s rare for you to have a break. Stay at my shop for a few days. After the New Year, we can visit the cemetery to see the master. How’s your mom?”

“She’s doing well. She moved to the south with her boyfriend. They just moved there and plan to spend the New Year there, so they won’t be coming back this year,” I replied.

I fully supported my mom in pursuing her happiness. My grandfather only had her, his precious daughter. In her youth, she foolishly liked handsome men, but after marriage, she found they weren’t compatible, so they divorced.

She discovered she was pregnant with me after the divorce, which must have been a surprise. But my birth delighted my grandfather, and he threw a grand full-month banquet. Geomancers from all over came to congratulate him, and naturally, I took my mother’s surname, Gan, with the name meaning “heavenly rain, clear skies.”

The county wasn’t big, and before I knew it, Fourth Brother had parked the car by the roadside, right across from a shop called “Ying Gan Hall.”

Fourth Brother got out, extinguished his cigarette, and said to me, “Gan Ji, go upstairs and put your things in the room. I’ve had the staff prepare it for you. We have guests coming soon, and they’re all insiders. Don’t say anything to mess things up.”

I nodded and followed him into the shop, internally complaining about how seeing a house still required so many formalities, like in the old days, with everyone being secretive. No wonder my mom didn’t like coming back for the New Year.

Though the shop’s front was small, it was surprisingly spacious inside. The house was absurdly deep, appearing unremarkable from the outside but large enough inside to be considered half a hall.

I saw incense burning on the table, with well-maintained tea sets. Fourth Brother, like my grandfather, enjoyed fiddling with tea leaves. For freshness, he would drive a hundred kilometers to Xinyang to find tea farmers.

Just as I went upstairs with the staff to put my things away, a commotion of footsteps came from downstairs. I grabbed some sunflower seeds, nibbling while peeking over the wooden staircase. The shop was tastefully decorated, with a screen placed before the stairs leading up.

Many people entered the shop one after another, and the staff stood still in unison. I hid behind the screen, wondering why Fourth Brother had so many clients. It was nearly the end of the year, yet so many people were coming to see the house?

“Everyone’s here, Chen Si. Shouldn’t we start?” I heard a young male voice say.

I was puzzled. Chen Si was Fourth Brother’s real name. He had gained fame over the years traveling and learning the craft from my grandfather. Many peers in the Central Plains called him Fourth Brother, and it was rare to hear someone address him by his full name, which seemed disrespectful.

As soon as the words were spoken, Fourth Brother raised his hand, and the staff at the door began to close it. First, they shut the two internal soundproof mahogany doors, then pulled down the second layer of the security net, and finally lowered the outer roller shutter. Once everything was secured, two staff members stood guard by the door.

Suddenly, the shop fell silent, with only the sounds of tea being poured.

I had to stop nibbling on the sunflower seeds, wondering what was going on. Could Fourth Brother have agreed to some secret mission to save humanity for the security bureau? I quickly dismissed the thought. Our family just looked at houses; it couldn’t be that serious.

Fourth Brother circled to the main seat and asked one of the guests, “Yu Qing, what’s going on? You came in such a hurry, I didn’t have time to prepare anything.”

“I heard from Yu Jingzi that the key has appeared again,” said the person, whose face I couldn’t see. His tea-drinking movements were fluid, and his tone was calm, without any fluctuations. “After years of peace, things are going to get turbulent again.”

Key? What key?

Suddenly, someone slammed the table, making the teacups clatter.

I leaned forward and heard a broad-shouldered, heavyset man curse, “Tian Yuqing, you’ve gone stupid learning those foreign devils’ tricks. Yu Jingzi only spouts nonsense. Who knows what she’s up to? If you believe that woman’s words, the Tian Family will be ruined because of you!”

The person called Tian Yuqing wasn’t angry despite being scolded. He just took off his glasses and wiped them, “The Liu Family controls the water trade, a place of trade and exchange. Their ancestor, Liu Sanshui, was known for shady dealings, so it’s not surprising they have many intelligence channels. Yu Jingzi’s words hold some credibility.”

“Hah! If you trust that woman so much, why isn’t she here today? Could it be that you two are up to something unspeakable?”

Suddenly, a small red door on the right side of the first floor was pushed open from the inside, startling me so much that I dropped several sunflower seeds. That was Fourth Brother’s room, and I hadn’t expected anyone to be inside, let alone a woman.

A very beautiful woman walked out, her qipao accentuating her graceful figure. Without glancing at me, she slowly walked around the screen in high heels and sat on a lantern chair beside Tian Yuqing.

Her steps were slow, and when Rogue Tan saw her, he immediately stopped talking.