The Almighty Mystic Just Wants A Quiet Life - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Bo Nan raised his hand and pointed into the air. With a faint popping sound, the surrounding mist suddenly froze as if it had been solidified by something. He took a step forward; ahead of him was that eerie little pond, yet he walked onto the surface of the water as if he were on level ground.

He pressed down with his foot, and the pond water rippled beneath him. The dense fog surged toward him almost instantly, and the ripples pushed back against him, as if trying to repel him.

Actually, it wasn’t wrong to put it that way.

All things have spirits, and natural treasures like this are especially unwilling to fall into the hands of others.

Bo Nan smiled, his brows relaxing. He stomped his foot, and the mist and moisture that had been surging toward him like a tsunami were cut off by an invisible barrier beneath his feet, unable to harm him in the slightest. He said leisurely, “Alright, since we’ve reached this point, let’s get on with it. Your ‘old man’ here is in a hurry to get home.”

Before his voice finished fading, a streak of rainbow light suddenly flew out of the pond. Bo Nan tilted his head to avoid it. The light vanished into the thick fog instantly, but Bo Nan was in no hurry, letting it flee as it pleased.

A clear breeze arrived, and the previously stagnant mist began to show signs of dissipating.

Some things look mysterious, but in reality, that’s all there is to it.

The guide had mentioned that the fog here would clear when the sun came up and only reappear at night, which followed natural laws. But since the fog hadn’t cleared for several days, it was obvious that they had either encountered a once-in-a-century weather anomaly or the feng shui of the area had gone wrong.

In his previous life, Bo Nan thought it was a weather issue, but he later learned that a rare treasure had surfaced, disrupting the local feng shui.

The Book of Burial states: “Qi rides the wind and scatters, but is bounded by water and stops.” The ancients gathered it to prevent it from scattering and directed it so it would have a terminus; hence it is called “Feng Shui” (Wind and Water).

The current situation was that the treasure was causing the “qi-field” to condense, and that qi had merged into the fog. Since fog is water, the qi naturally wouldn’t scatter, causing this patch of mist to defy natural laws and linger indefinitely.

As long as this treasure was brought under control so its qi-field didn’t overflow, the thick fog would naturally dissipate, and he would be able to go home.

Bo Nan’s gaze landed on the edge of the pond. He raised his hand slightly, and a pebble and a dead branch flew into his palm. Without even looking, he closed his fingers, and his qi-field instantly condensed in his palm. After a long moment, he opened his hand; the pebble and branch were now coated in a faint, lustrous glow, appearing as hard as steel.

Resources were limited, so this would have to do for now.

Bo Nan threw them into the pond.

The moment the two objects hit the water, the mist that had started to clear became dense once again, looking no different than before.

Not bad; he had acted fast enough.

A place capable of nurturing a natural treasure naturally has its own wonders. Now that the treasure had been pushed out by the qi-field, this spot had become “ownerless.” Before the land could realize its “child” had run away, Bo Nan offered it two other items to see if they could develop into something new.

This was the rule of his trade—just as fishermen release fingerlings and loggers plant trees, one must never exhaust resources entirely; one must always leave some leeway for future generations.

Of course, since objects carrying his qi-field had entered the sacred land, this entire patch of fog now carried his qi as well. He had a great use for them later.

Bo Nan gave a satisfied nod, then stepped away from the small pond to track the treasure’s trail.

Everywhere he walked, the mist automatically receded. Bo Nan found a clear patch of land almost effortlessly—the treasure’s qi-field was incompatible with his own, and in such a short time, it hadn’t been able to merge with enough moisture to hide. It was easy to find.

Bo Nan dug twice into the mud with a stick and soon discovered a light green, comma-shaped jade stone. He picked it up to examine it. The moment it touched his hand, a piercing chill surged from the contact point, as if he were holding a block of ice. He had guessed correctly; it was indeed one of the Yin-Yang Fish.

With this, both the Yin and Yang Fish were in his possession.

Bo Nan casually tossed it into his pocket, where it clinked crisply against the Yang Fish. He thought back to his memories and found the woodshed in the backyard. From it, he pulled out a case of bottled water and a case of compressed biscuits, along with a bag of well-sealed charcoal. These items were thoughtfully placed on a small handcart, making them easy to move.

He pushed the cart toward the exit. Just as he stepped into the mist, he suddenly heard someone shouting: “Bo Nan! Where are you? Answer me!”

It was the guide.

He responded, “I found food and supplies. Walk along the wall; meet in the Main Hall.”

The guide breathed a sigh of relief and shouted back, “Alright—!”

Bo Nan thought privately that he must have given the guide a massive fright; he’d have to remember to give him an extra “shock-recovery” fee once they were out.

The guide and Bo Nan met at the back door of the Main Hall. The guide looked like he wanted to say something but held back. Bo Nan looked calm and asked, “What is it?”

“…Nothing,” the guide said. “Don’t wander off without saying something next time.”

“Mm,” Bo Nan lied without blinking. “I saw the woodshed just now and called out to you. Maybe you didn’t hear me. I thought you were following, but when I turned around, you were gone.”

The guide: “…”

Did he look that much like an idiot?

If Bo Nan could see a woodshed two hundred meters away through fog this thick, would they still be trapped on this mountain?!

Bo Nan didn’t stop and walked into the Main Hall. When the others saw him return with supplies, they burst into cheers, rushing forward to help distribute the water and food. The guide followed him in. He wasn’t in a hurry to eat; instead, he opened the charcoal bag to start a fire. Once the bright glow occupied the hall, everyone felt a collective sense of relief.

They were safe.

“Conserve the food, everyone. We don’t know when the fog will clear,” the guide said, looking at Bo Nan.

Bo Nan lowered his head to bite into a compressed biscuit, his expression unreadable. “Maybe it will clear tonight?”

“That would be for the best.”

Everyone agreed. Although they were wealthy heirs, those who dared to come out like this usually had some sense. No one wasted anything; they ate slowly, using small sips of water to dissolve the biscuits in their mouths. Each person stopped after a small portion.

Li Zhou sighed, “When we get out, I’m taking everyone for top-tier Japanese cuisine…”

“Forget Japanese food, I want meat! Big chunks of braised beef! And a dozen beers… even Coke would do.”

Someone wailed, “Thank you so much! Can we please not mention this right now?!”

Bo Nan brushed the crumbs off himself and smiled. “Japanese food or beef doesn’t matter. But when we renovate this temple later, I’m definitely building a warehouse and filling it with military rations and canned goods.”

Everyone nodded, agreeing that they must contribute to this fund.

As they chatted, some couldn’t hold out any longer and fell asleep against the walls. Gradually, snoring echoed through the hall. Bo Nan also leaned against the wall to rest, taking the opportunity to organize his memories.

After all, too much time had passed. If he hadn’t obtained the Yang Fish here, he might not have remembered the events so clearly.

He put his hand in his pocket, toying with the two Yin-Yang Fish. Who would have thought? These two small items would cause the tragic deaths of his entire family ten days from now?

The story was complicated, yet strangely simple.

In his last life, he accidentally found the Yang Fish on Mount Heng but had no idea what it was. Because of the lack of water and his broken leg, he was sent straight to the hospital for surgery after the rescue. He hadn’t even been in the hospital a week when he received news that his brother and father were both dead.

Not only them, but Auntie Li, Uncle Zhou—everyone who happened to be at home that day was gone. Everyone died a horrific death. His brother was crushed into a pulp by a tired truck driver on his way home. His father’s brakes mysteriously failed on the way to collect the body, and he plunged off a highway into a lake.

Auntie Li died by shoving her head into a pot of boiling oil at home. Uncle Zhou, a doctor, injected sulfuric acid into his own veins. The gardener, the bodyguards… they all died on the same day. Anyone could tell it was suspicious.

Back then, he was only twenty and had never touched the family business. He tried to use his connections to investigate haphazardly, but he was suppressed by a coalition of families he didn’t even know. His family’s power was swallowed whole, and he nearly lost his life. Later, an aunt who was distantly related by marriage told him that his family had offended a feng shui master and was being retaliated against. Those families suppressing him were doing so at the request of that master.

Perhaps the heavens didn’t want him to die. By a stroke of luck, he learned feng shui. What followed was simpler. He was talented in the craft and reached a high level in just a few years. He began retaliating against those families to draw out the master behind them, but the matter was shrouded in mist, and he could never identify the culprit.

Since he couldn’t find the specific person, everyone was a suspect. Finally, he found Gao Changdong. By then, Gao was a famous leader in the industry. Bo Nan killed him and took his diary; only then did he learn the truth.

An entire family slaughtered because of one Yang Fish. How ridiculous.

But it was fine. In this life, there was still time.

Gao Changdong looked up at the foggy forests of Mount Heng in the distance, weighing the timing.

Outside the mountains, seventeen or eighteen tents were pitched. The area was brightly lit, with people coming and going. Occasionally, people in orange search-and-rescue uniforms rushed out of the tents.

“Master, should I go and drive them away?” Li Bing complained. “I heard a group of rich kids went in exploring and are lost. The rescue teams and the families’ search parties are making a mess, all trying to get inside!”

“No rush. Let them look.” The compass in Gao Changdong’s hand pointed steadily toward the Mount Heng forest. Even though that wasn’t north, he seemed very happy; even the fine lines at the corners of his eyes crinkled upward. “Ah Bing, finding things is a matter of destiny. If it’s meant to be mine, it’s mine. If not, it isn’t. Rushing is useless.”

“Tomorrow is an auspicious day. We’ll enter the mountain then.”

Li Bing nodded. He was about to speak when he heard the sound of a hovering helicopter. The people in the square below scattered, and soon a helicopter landed, from which six people emerged.

Cheers erupted from the crowd. People rushed forward to check on their children, followed by doctors ushering them into tents.

“It looks like they were rescued.” Li Bing said with a mix of envy and jealousy. “They actually have some skill… to fly a helicopter in with fog this thick.”

“That is their fortune,” Gao Changdong said with a smile.

The next day, Gao Changdong entered the mountain. With his compass, he wasn’t misled by the fog at all and found the small pond in the ruined temple almost directly.

Li Bing unpacked his bag, taking out incense, candles, and offerings to set up a small altar. Gao Changdong stepped forward, lit the incense, burned paper money, and performed the three-kneel nine-kowtow ritual to heaven and earth. He waited patiently for the incense to burn out before starting his ritual.

There was pride in his eyes. The treasure in this pond was destined to be his.

The wind rose, fluttering Gao Changdong’s robes and revealing the numerous magical artifacts hanging beneath. These artifacts were his secret to victory; with them, no ordinary ill wind or water could stop him.

Even so, he moved forward cautiously against the wind. Just as he was about to step into the pond, a sudden violent gust knocked him backward. He fell clumsily to the ground. Li Bing instinctively called out, “Master!”

Gao Changdong waved him off, signaling him to be silent. He unfastened a jade pendant from his robe and almost crawled on the ground to the edge of the pond. He pressed the jade into the water. Instantly, it was like water hitting boiling oil; water splashed everywhere, drenching him completely.

If it weren’t such a critical moment, Gao Changdong would have laughed at the sky! With such power, this treasure was no ordinary thing!

Perhaps it was already a formed artifact; he wouldn’t even need to find someone to refine it!

He threw a jade ruler in, allowing him to take another step. By the time he stepped into the water and reached the center of the pond, the many artifacts he wore were mostly exhausted. Normally he would be heartbroken, but thinking of obtaining this treasure, he didn’t care.

Gao Changdong gritted his teeth and threw his compass into the water—this was his most precious artifact! Sure enough, as soon as the compass hit the water, the qi-field in the pond went into chaos. The fog cleared completely in an instant. Gao Changdong reached down and grabbed an object. Joy filled his heart, but as he was about to stand up, the qi-field counterattacked, hitting him directly!

Gao Changdong instantly spat out a mouthful of blood, his face turning deathly pale. He could barely stand.

But it was fine; he had the treasure…

He looked down, and his face turned from white to red, then from red to green. He fell straight into the water. Li Bing rushed forward to pull him up: “Master?! Master, what’s wrong?!”

Gao Changdong turned and spat out another mouthful of blood containing bits of internal organs. He clutched his chest, gritting his teeth as he threw the rotten leaves and broken stones in his hand aside: “Don’t let me find out who did this! Not only did they steal my treasure, they intentionally set a feng shui trap to harm me!!”

On the other side, Bo Nan was being held down by a doctor to check his blood pressure. Suddenly, his heart stirred, and he revealed a subtle smile.

The first one has already taken the bait.

His brother, Bo Yizhen, slapped him on the forehead: “What are you smiling about? What kind of scheme are you plotting now?”

Bo Nan looked at Bo Yizhen, whom he hadn’t seen in decades. A warm smile that hadn’t appeared in a long time burst into his eyes. “I’m thinking about the business of killing.”