“Damn, could it really be this freaky?!”

Michael Bolton stared intently at the talisman on the ground and whispered to Henry Foster beside him.

The carpenter was at a complete loss—this kind of situation was extremely rare, almost like seeing a ghost. Second Uncle's expression also turned grim.

“This is a sign of a haunted house!”

The elders, experienced and knowledgeable, spoke softly. Raising the main beam is meant to ensure safety, but now the talisman simply won’t hang up, which is a sign that the homeowner is facing misfortune.

A shadow fell over everyone’s faces. Seeing this, Henry Foster knew it was the right moment for him to step forward and speak frankly with Second Uncle. He took a stride and walked into the center of the crowd.

“This isn’t a sign of misfortune. It’s just that the feng shui master didn’t avoid some negative energy when choosing the site,” Henry Foster picked up the talisman from the ground and addressed everyone.

“Xiaoyu, don’t talk nonsense!” Henry FosterSecond Uncle glanced at a middle-aged man beside him and interrupted Henry Foster.

Following Second Uncle’s gaze, Henry Foster sized up the middle-aged man. He wore a felt hat and had a handlebar mustache. His face was a bit sullen as he stared at Henry Foster and said:

“Youngster, what do you know about feng shui? Spouting nonsense here. My The Thompson Family has chosen sites for countless families in town, and we’ve never made a mistake.”

“If it were Old Master Thompson, there’d be no mistakes, but as for you, Mr. Thompson, that’s another story.”

Henry Foster glanced at him. An incompetent master harms both others and himself, yet he’s still so arrogant. Henry Foster had no intention of saving his face—letting such a feng shui master continue would only bring harm to more families in town.

“Then why don’t you, Mr. Thompson, tell me why the talisman won’t hang up?”

“This…”

David Thompson wanted to say it was because the homeowner was facing misfortune, but with Henry FosterSecond Uncle right there, he couldn’t say it out loud.

“You want to say it’s because my Second Uncle’s family is facing misfortune, right?”

Henry Foster sneered, glanced at David Thompson with clear disdain, and said, “Feng shui is mysterious and complex, extremely rigorous. A feng shui master must be meticulous and thorough when choosing a site for others. But you…”

“You brat, if you say my site selection is wrong, then point it out. If you can’t, you’ll have to kneel and apologize to me in front of everyone here.”

David Thompson was so angered by Henry Foster’s words and disdainful look that his eyes were practically spitting fire. As the only feng shui master in town, everyone greeted him with a smile, and every family invited him respectfully for weddings and funerals. Now, being questioned by a youngster, he couldn’t stand it.

“Xiaoyu!” Henry FosterSecond Uncle spoke up, his voice tinged with worry. To be honest, he had also suspected a feng shui problem when the talisman wouldn’t hang, but since The Thompson Family was the only family in town who understood feng shui, he was afraid Henry Foster was too young and impulsive and wouldn’t be able to explain himself, leaving them in an awkward position.

“Second Uncle, don’t worry. Since I dared to speak up, I’m confident!”

Giving Second Uncle a reassuring look, Henry Foster continued to question David Thompson:

“Mr. Thompson, you must be familiar with the feng shui requirements for choosing a house site, right?”

“Hmph, that’s obvious. Feng shui has strict rules for site selection. A good house must face south, to embrace the sun. It’s best to have water in front, and there must be wind. A house without wind is the biggest taboo in site selection.”

David Thompson answered with annoyance. These were basic feng shui principles, and this youngster was actually asking him about them.

“So when you chose the site for my Second Uncle, you must have paid attention to all these things!”

“Of course!” David Thompson replied proudly, “Although there’s no water in front of this house, there are fields in the distance, which also count as being surrounded by water. The bright hall is open and faces the wide fields, gathering the winds of all seasons, embracing them, and accumulating all kinds of wealth and fortune…”

“Gathering energy, huh? Too bad what you’re gathering is misfortune and the wind of loss!” Henry Foster had no patience for such a half-baked practitioner and interrupted him without hesitation.

“You’re talking nonsense…”

David Thompson’s eyebrows shot up, his face flushed red, and he glared angrily at Henry Foster.

“We’ll see soon enough if I’m talking nonsense.”

At this point, Henry Foster ignored David Thompson’s murderous glare and continued:

“You only know about wind, but you don’t know that wind has yin and yang, curves and straights, and can be either gentle or harsh. My Second Uncle’s house faces open fields, so the wind comes straight in, completely unobstructed. Straight wind is harsh and unfeeling. As it blows across the fields, the plants absorb some of its vitality and yang energy, so by the time it enters my Second Uncle’s house, it’s become yin wind, a cold and unfeeling wind.”

“I know you’ll say I’m talking nonsense, but I’ll prove it to you!”

Henry Foster walked to the table, grabbed a handful of red rice, and made a mark at each of the eight directions. Then he turned to the stunned Michael Bolton and said:

“Cousin, I’ve marked the eight trigrams on the ground. Stand at each position and feel the wind.”

“Xiaoyu, what are you up to? Do you really know feng shui?”

As Michael Bolton walked past Henry Foster, he asked in a low voice before standing at the spot Henry Foster had marked.