Chapter 35: A Gift of an Amusement Park

"Old Fu," Chen Fan said calmly, "if you want to leave Liangmian Mountain alive today, my advice is that you should start preparing a tent now."

Fu Ankang and Jiang Mingyuan, walking ahead, both came to a halt.

Jiang Mingyuan's expression darkened instantly. He said in a deep voice, "Young man, I advise you not to show off your limited knowledge in front of me."

"Your vision is not deep enough to see through the illusions and veils, nor can you perceive the danger that Fu Ankang is facing."

Seeing that Fu Ankang was about to speak, Jiang Mingyuan interrupted him again.

"Little Fu, what you need to do right now is to leave Liangmian Mountain with me immediately. This place poses a mortal threat to you."

Chen Fan’s expression remained unchanged, his gaze fixed on Fu Ankang. Fu Ankang did not answer immediately; instead, he let out a soft chuckle.

"Old Jiang, since you’ve just returned to Qingcheng, why not have some tea first? I’ve had a simple tea room set up here at Liangmian Mountain. It’s makeshift and a bit crude, but the tea is excellent."

As he spoke, Fu Ankang turned to Chen Fan and asked, "What would you like to drink, Chen Fan?"

"A cola, chilled," Chen Fan replied indifferently.

The remark left Fu Ankang stunned, while Jiang Mingyuan shook his head slightly, his eyes filled with disdain. Young people would always be young; this was the divide between them.

"Little Li, go and buy some now," Fu Ankang said with a smile.

"Yes, sir!"

As Little Li nodded, Chen Fan added a final instruction: "Remember, at the third intersection after leaving Liangmian Mountain, drive straight through without hesitation."

Little Li paused, but not taking the words to heart, he simply gave a casual acknowledgment and turned to leave.

"Heh." Jiang Mingyuan let out a faint chuckle at Chen Fan’s warning.

He had been studying physiognomy since childhood. Now, nearing eighty, he had read countless faces in his lifetime. Since the age of thirty, his readings had never been wrong. Fu Ankang’s assistant, Little Li, possessed an inherently blessed face—a destiny destined for a peaceful life until eighty. To suggest that something would happen to Little Li because of Chen Fan’s words? How could that be possible?

"Little Li is blessed with good fortune; you needn't worry about him, young man," Jiang Mingyuan said coldly.

"Perhaps," Chen Fan shrugged.

He, however, had seen the true nature of Liangmian Mountain. The entire perimeter of the mountain had had its feng shui altered, with malevolent objects used to suppress the area. Anyone entering would, in the short term, be plagued by misfortune and prone to making disastrous judgments. This was the reason why he hadn't immediately discerned the geomantic layout upon his first arrival.

"Haha, let’s go sit in the tea room," Fu Ankang said quickly. "Old Jiang, Little Chen meant well."

"Meant well?" Jiang Mingyuan scoffed. "In the field of feng shui and physiognomy, one should know what can be said and what cannot. Sometimes, 'good intentions' only lead to mistakes, and besides, this is merely posturing."

Jiang Mingyuan cast an unhappy glance at Chen Fan as he spoke. Chen Fan merely chuckled, ignoring the slight, and didn't hold it against him, despite the apologetic look Fu Ankang gave him.

They walked to the tea room, where Fu Ankang brewed hot tea. He served Jiang Mingyuan first, then pushed a cup toward Chen Fan without caring whether he would drink it or not, before finally pouring his own.

"Old Jiang, it’s not as mysterious as you make it sound, is it?" Fu Ankang sipped the hot tea, feeling his spirits lift slightly. The previous warnings from Jiang Mingyuan about mortal danger had weighed heavily on him, especially after he had met Master Kusha.

"Physiognomy never lies," Jiang Mingyuan said calmly. "But the premise is that you must have the ability to see through it."

Chen Fan took a sip of the hot tea with a neutral expression, then frowned slightly.

"It’s stale."

Fu Ankang was stunned. This was new tea; it couldn't possibly be stale. A second later, he realized what was happening. Jiang Mingyuan’s previous remark had been a jab at Chen Fan, and now, by criticizing the tea, Chen Fan was actually hitting back at Jiang Mingyuan. Both were speaking in veiled insults, and the winner would be whoever lost their composure first.

"Young man, what did you say?" Jiang Mingyuan’s face darkened.

Chen Fan said calmly, "In the profession of feng shui, one looks at skill, not age."

"Hmph! Who do you think you are?" Jiang Mingyuan sneered. "Do you think you are the Daoist Leader Chen? Back then, the Daoist Leader fought seven sects, six schools, and three mountains alone, slaying countless feng shui masters—that was indeed impressive. But today, more and more young people have forgotten what respect means!"

Jiang Mingyuan slammed the table. The three teacups on the table instantly developed cracks, as if they were about to shatter at any moment. The tense, hostile atmosphere made Fu Ankang’s expression grim.

"Old Jiang!" Fu Ankang rebuked. "Enough! Little Chen meant well, why must you be like this?"

Chen Fan felt a stir of emotion. If only it had been Fu Ankang and not Jiang Yueshan who had signed the contract with him last year.

Jiang Mingyuan frowned and looked deeply at Fu Ankang. He let out a long sigh. "If that is the case, from this day forward, the debt I owed the Fu family is repaid. Even in the afterlife, your father will have nothing to reproach me for."

Fu Ankang hesitated, then nodded slightly.

"Fine, let’s lay our cards on the table."

Jiang Mingyuan sat down slowly and took an Yin-Yang compass from an oil-paper parcel. He placed it on the table, and Chen Fan raised an eyebrow. This was the Jiangji school of the Yangtze River basin—a school of feng shui where the river divides Yin and Yang, and those on opposite banks look at each other as if gazing at the dead. It was rumored they possessed the ability to summon spirits into the living.

"Little Fu, I won't hide it from you: the malevolent energy on you is extremely heavy," Jiang Mingyuan said in a low voice. "Breaking this curse is difficult. It would be better for you to abandon Liangmian Mountain. The Fu family... can afford the loss."

Fu Ankang shook his head slightly, whispering, "When Xueyue was still here, I promised her I would build her an amusement park... to build one here at Liangmian Mountain, and to spend a whole day there with her and her mother."