Chapter 42: Entrapped in the Fiefdom

Time flew by, and three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Chen Fan remained at the Fu family estate, checking Fu Xueyue’s physiognomy every day. Although traces of resentment still lingered, her features had improved significantly compared to the "near-death" appearance she had displayed earlier.

The golden-haired Zhao Chenxi greeted Chen Fan before heading off to work at the group with Fu Xueyue. Everything in the Fu household seemed to be returning to normal.

"Tsk, they’ve hidden themselves quite deeply," Chen Fan couldn't help but sigh. The people intent on targeting Fu Xueyue and destroying the Fu family were still out there.

He walked into his room and took several photographs out of a drawer: the Seeking Dao Bodhisattva, the Seeking Dao Vajra, the Zhao couple, the evil cultivator hiding in the basement, and the trio of master and disciples—Ku Sha and Chou Sha. There were eight photos in total. Chen Fan placed the Seeking Dao Bodhisattva and the Seeking Dao Vajra in the second row on his desk, the Zhao couple in the first row, and the trio of Ku Sha and Chou Sha along with the unknown evil cultivator in the third row.

"The initial cause was the Zhao couple’s bankruptcy. They coveted the Fu Group and wanted to seize the nest for themselves," he muttered. "The Zhao couple worships the Seeking Dao Bodhisattva, and they were in a partnership with the master and disciples, Chou Sha."

"But... what is the sacrifice the Seeking Dao Bodhisattva is after?"

"And why hasn't the targeting of the Fu family's feng shui stopped?"

Chen Fan began to re-analyze the situation. To gain a foothold in the world of feng shui, one needed a clear head and keen judgment. He paused, then swapped the positions of the Zhao couple’s photo with that of the Seeking Dao Bodhisattva and the Seeking Dao Vajra.

"The cause! My previous reasoning was wrong!" Chen Fan’s eyes narrowed. "I previously thought the reason for targeting the Fu family was because the Zhao couple wanted to seize their wealth. Their motive for having such thoughts seemed logical enough."

"But... if I examine the cause of the Zhao family’s bankruptcy more closely?"

Fu Xueyue had told him previously that when the Zhao family’s business was struggling, the Fu Group had offered them a partnership project. Landing a partnership with the Fu Group—even one from another province—would be enough to ensure a large enterprise didn't go under. Yet, just a few months later, Zhao Kai’s business declared bankruptcy. Chen Fan didn't believe for a second that there wasn't something fishy going on.

"The Seeking Dao Bodhisattva set its sights on the Fu family. No, it should be said that it set its sights on Zhao Kai first."

"After Zhao Kai was cursed into bankruptcy, the Seeking Dao Bodhisattva appeared like a savior."

"It drove the Zhaos to target the Fu family, to make the Fu family collapse so they could claim the inheritance."

"The Zhao couple’s reasons for targeting the Fu family were driven by forces they didn't understand..."

"What else is in the Fu family’s inheritance?"

A flash of inspiration struck Chen Fan. He pulled out his phone and immediately asked Fu Xueyue to send a photo of the Fu Group building. A few seconds after the message was sent, Fu Xueyue replied with a photo. It showed the view looking out from the Fu Group headquarters, along with a pair of long, slender, straight legs clad in suit trousers.

*Scheming, Boss Fu!* Chen Fan thought to himself. He added a follow-up message asking for an aerial view of the Fu Group building. The next second, a selfie of Fu Xueyue looking upward was sent. Her features were delicate, her makeup elegant, and a hint of shyness was hidden beneath her cold expression.

*Boss Fu is shaking my resolve...* Chen Fan muttered to himself. He didn't reply to Fu Xueyue, instead searching online for photos of the Fu Group building and aerial views of the Qingcheng CBD area before its redevelopment.

"This..."

"The feng shui is wrong."

"Before this area was developed into a CBD, the location of the Fu Group building was a famous 'Trapped Seal Site'."

Chen Fan said in a low voice, "Falling into a Trapped Seal Site, the Fu Group shouldn't have achieved such great success."

In this world, there are blessed lands and dangerous places, but blessed lands do not retain their fortune forever, and dangerous places do not always suppress one's feng shui. However, a Trapped Seal Site is an exception. When a structure that transcends the local energy is built on an ordinary spot, or when someone with great fortune moves in, it consumes the area's luck. Once that person of great fortune leaves, the luck diminishes, and the land's energy becomes fixed. It does not change naturally. Yet, the Trapped Seal Site where the Fu Group stood had seen an anomaly.

"What on earth is going on?" Chen Fan frowned.

He had previously surveyed the feng shui of the Fu Group and found it to be an unprecedentedly blessed land, never suspecting it was built on a Trapped Seal Site. After all, the luck of a Trapped Seal Site cannot be altered, yet the Fu Group’s luck was flourishing.

"Is the goal of the Seeking Dao Society the Fu Group building itself?" Chen Fan’s brows furrowed. If he hadn't intervened, and Fu Ankang and Fu Xueyue had died, the building would have become part of the inheritance, falling into the hands of the Zhao couple. Then, the Seeking Dao Bodhisattva would have taken what it needed from within...

Chen Fan sent another message to Fu Xueyue, asking if there were any notable phenomena when the Fu Group building was constructed. He waited in silence for a long while, only for Fu Xueyue to reply with a single word: "Me."

*This Boss Fu, seeing that the contract is about to end, is really letting herself go.*

"Forget it, I'll ask old man Fu."

Chen Fan sent a message to Fu Ankang, who immediately sent him a document containing the architectural blueprints of the Fu Group building and the progress reports for each stage of construction.

"Construction began in January 2003. The first month was fraught with difficulties; because the workers were unskilled, several accidents occurred."

"Trucks were delayed, the quality of the cement slabs was inconsistent..."

Chen Fan frowned. "That's right, these are exactly the kinds of things that happen at a Trapped Seal Site."

He continued to scroll down on his phone.

"February 2003, construction proceeded in full swing, and monks even came to visit..."

Chen Fan closed the document, his suspicions confirmed.

The Seeking Dao Bodhisattva... was searching for a golden body!

And when the Fu Group was being built, it was highly likely that... a golden body had been suppressed within the foundation.

Chen Fan stood up and sent one last message to Fu Xueyue, saying he would be arriving at the Fu Group shortly. Fu Xueyue’s reply made his old face flush.

"Do I need to change my clothes to wait for you?"