Chapter 040: The Nine Palaces and Flying Stars

This matter was actually about helping Lvzhu and her companions; in other words, the owner of this hotel hadn’t asked for my help. To be honest, it all felt rather absurd. In the past, the people who sought my services were always living, breathing humans. But this time, the client was a ghost—a female spirit who had been dead for over seventeen hundred years.

I wasn’t sure if it was right for me to take on such a request from a ghost.

After leaving the hotel, I circled the building twice. Given the current situation, I couldn’t openly use my compass for investigation. Still, after walking around twice, I did notice a few things.

This building was situated in an excellent location. The front faced a gate blessed with auspicious energy, and to the rear, there was a sunlit hill for support. From the outside, there were no apparent feng shui taboos at all. In fact, the property’s configuration was quite auspicious. Although it didn’t qualify as a “treasure land,” it was certainly above average.

I was in a quandary. Originally, I thought that if there were any feng shui issues with the building, I could approach the hotel owner under legitimate pretenses. That way, I could solve both Lvzhu’s problem and help the owner improve the feng shui. But now, there was no issue whatsoever; in fact, the feng shui was excellent.

Of course, if I wanted to sabotage the property’s feng shui, I could easily do so. In half a day, I could create major problems through strategic alterations. But as a feng shui master, I could never bring myself to violate professional ethics. This was an iron rule instilled in me since childhood by my teacher—the one unbreakable bottom line.

My teacher always said, “No matter what, if you encounter a feng shui master who dares to cross this line, there’s only one thing to do: show no mercy!”

So, I would never disrupt the feng shui here.

After grabbing a quick meal at a small restaurant nearby, I returned to the hotel. This time, I deliberately sat in the lobby for a while, casually observing the arrangement of the space. It didn’t take long for me to notice that the lobby had clearly been arranged by a skilled feng shui master.

At the very least, the arrangement of the Flying Stars of the Nine Palaces was impeccable.

The Flying Stars refer to the numbers one white, two black, three jade, four green, five yellow, six white, seven red, eight white, and nine purple. Their positions change with the passage of each year, and their influences are not fixed. The stars’ annual positions affect the fortunes of those within the building. If the auspicious stars are arranged properly, luck will flourish; if the inauspicious stars dominate, their effects must be neutralized to avoid disaster.

Therefore, Flying Star arrangements are not a one-time thing; they must be adjusted annually according to the shifting auspicious and inauspicious positions.

This year, the six white Wuqu star resides in the east, the eight white Zuo Fu in the central palace, and the one white Greedy Wolf in the west. These three—one white, six white, and eight white—are known as the three great wealth stars. For businesses, ensuring these three stars are in command guarantees prosperous finances. Conversely, if these stars are not properly placed, loss and disaster are inevitable.

The lobby’s arrangement was spot-on in this respect. In the west, where the one white Greedy Wolf star presides, there was a glass ornament depicting “Twin Dragons Guarding the Treasury.” In the east, at the location of the Wuqu star, there were sofas and coffee tables for guests to rest, a scroll painting of General Xie Tai Sui on the wall, and red carpeting to boost the energy of the Greedy Wolf star and ensure the hotel’s thriving business.

At the center, where the Zuo Fu star is, the space was kept spotless—no decorations whatsoever, not even a water dispenser nearby. Clearly, this was to prevent wealth from “flowing away.”

Moreover, in addition to empowering the three wealth stars, the lobby’s arrangement also addressed the positions of the inauspicious stars accordingly. After making a round, I found every detail meticulously handled.

I am a stickler for feng shui details, and with my discerning eye, I could find nothing to criticize here. Whoever arranged this must be highly skilled in the art. I even wondered if my own teacher had set up this feng shui pattern.

But as I mentioned before, Flying Star arrangements must be adjusted annually. This year’s setup was perfect, but if left unchanged next year, it could cause major trouble. That’s why, when we revisit hotels or shopping centers after a year or two, we often find their interiors rearranged—because the owners make intentional changes based on the shifting stars.

So, this couldn’t have been my teacher’s work. If it were, I would have known about it.

After inspecting the lobby, I didn’t take the elevator but walked up the stairs. So far, I still hadn’t found the source of the thunderous power Lvzhu mentioned.

When I reached the third floor, a cleaning lady tidying up trash on the landing saw me. She was momentarily surprised, then quickly greeted me, “Hello, sir!”

I smiled politely. “Hello.”

“Um…may I ask, why aren’t you taking the elevator?” she asked, puzzled.

I laughed, “Well, I just ate, so I thought I’d climb the stairs to help digest.”

“Oh!” she replied, then smiled. “Not many young people are as disciplined as you these days.”

I chuckled and prepared to head up to the fourth floor.

“Um…sir, you…” She hesitated, as if wanting to say more.

“Is there a problem?” I asked.

“No…nothing…uh, if you’d like some exercise, there’s a gym on the second floor you could use,” she suggested.

From her tone, it was clear she didn’t want me continuing up the stairs. That only made me more curious.

So I paused and said, “Oh, I’m staying on the sixth floor. Last night I couldn’t sleep, so I went for a walk and heard someone in high heels pacing back and forth in the stairwell. It was so late that I didn’t dare check it out alone. Now that it’s daylight, I just want to walk through and see for myself.”

“What? You…you heard that…” The color drained from her face, and her polite “sir” became the more familiar “you.”

“Yeah! You heard it too?” I pressed.

Of course, I already knew—the commotion on the stairs between the fifth and sixth floors last night was caused by the ghost Zhang Caiwei. The high heels that sent Shang Wuyong sprawling were her doing.

I wanted to hear something new from this cleaning lady.

Sure enough, upon hearing my words, her face turned ashen, eyes full of terror. Still, she struggled to compose herself. “It’s…nothing. It must have just been someone else who couldn’t sleep, blowing off steam.”

Taking a walk to relax, was it?

I understood why she’d say that—she didn’t want to scare me and risk rumors of a haunting spreading, which would harm the hotel’s business. If the owner found out, she could lose her job.

So I didn’t expose her. Instead, I continued, “By the way, do you know anything about room 627? Last night I also heard sounds of a fight in there.”

“6…6…627?” Her face grew even paler. No doubt there was something wrong with that room. Last night, Shang Wuyong and Qi Guiyun had fought there, and we’d barely escaped.

“Sir… I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I don’t know anything. I have to get back to work!” she apologized repeatedly and tried to leave with her cleaning tools.

I couldn’t just let her go, so I quickly stepped forward and blocked her way. “Don’t worry, big sister, just tell me. I’m not easily scared! Besides, I’m a feng shui master—if there’s really a problem here, maybe I can help!”

She looked me up and down. “You’re a feng shui master?”

I nodded earnestly. “I am.”

“Really?” She was clearly skeptical, probably because I looked so young.

I smiled, “Don’t underestimate me. I really am a feng shui master. Have you heard of Master Zhang, who specializes in feng shui? I’m his disciple.”

“Master Zhang? You…you’re his disciple? Then your surname must be Yu?” Her eyes brightened.

“That’s right. My name is Yu Wei.” I nodded.

My teacher’s reputation was well known, at least throughout the three southwestern provinces. Even those who hadn’t met him had heard of him.

“Really?” she asked, looking at me intently.

“Of course. Why would I lie? Do you want to see my ID?” I tried my best to look sincere.

“Well…if you really are Master Zhang’s disciple, then I can tell you. But you must never tell anyone it was me who told you. Otherwise, I’ll lose my job!”

“Don’t worry! I promise I won’t tell a soul,” I assured her.

“All right, here’s how it is…” And with that, the cleaning lady began to tell me her story.