CHAPTER 33: CHAPTER 28: INCOMPATIBLE AS WATER AND FIRE

"What’s wrong?" Nick Zeller pretended to be puzzled, frowning and said, "When I came out, I did a divination, and today is quite a good day, especially suitable for looking at feng shui in commercial real estate."

"Great Heavenly Master, have you forgotten? The rules set by our founding master, as Heavenly Masters, we can’t work for free, otherwise we risk backlash, facing the danger of Five Miseries and Three Deficiencies."

Lawrence Winters insisted earnestly, blocking Nick Zeller’s path, "I can’t let the Great Heavenly Master take such a risk."

"... Working for free? No way?" Nick Zeller turned around in surprise and looked at Keith Newman, "Mr. Newman is the wealthiest man in River City, how could he let us work for free?"

Keith Newman smiled awkwardly but cursed Nick Zeller in his heart for asking for too much.

Earlier, the intermediary he contacted told him that Nick Zeller’s starting fee for feng shui consultation on a house was non-negotiable, at least a million.

He had no choice but to try and let Nick Zeller give it a shot first.

Paying later if successful wouldn’t be too late. If not, he would pretend it never happened.

People usually believe that monks from afar can recite sutras well.

Despite being generous with the money for the external feng shui master before, Keith Newman was skeptical of Nick Zeller because they were both locals, always worried he was a fraud.

It turned out this little disciple of the Great Heavenly Master seemed rather shrewd...

And, what exactly are these Five Miseries and Three Deficiencies?

Keith Newman’s round face gleamed with oil, and he blinked his small eyes, asking in confusion, "...Could this Little Heavenly Master tell me what Five Miseries and Three Deficiencies mean? I’ve hired Heavenly Masters for feng shui before, and I’ve never heard them mention this..."

Lawrence Winters replied with a businesslike expression, "Heavenly Masters from legitimate sects are all aware of the Five Miseries and Three Deficiencies. If no one has mentioned them to you, it either means they’re unqualified or insincere, not providing a genuine feng shui service."

"No way?" Keith Newman’s heart tightened, recalling his last feng shui master and feeling inexplicably uncomfortable, "...Do Heavenly Masters really have sects?!"

"Of course." Nick Zeller lifted his robe with an air of authority and casually said, "The Celestial Path Sect’s Four Great Heavenly Masters are Alexander Zeller, Ge Xuán, Tyler, and Hudson Hunt."

"The only legitimately recognized and inherited one is our Zeller lineage."

"The others can’t really be called Heavenly Masters. If they claim the title themselves, they’re just pretending to be something they’re not."

Lawrence Winters picked up on Nick Zeller’s words, saying, "The so-called Five Miseries and Three Deficiencies of a Heavenly Master imply that revealing too many secrets to the heavens will attract divine punishment."

"The Five Miseries are widowhood, orphanhood, solitude, loneliness, and disability, while the Three Deficiencies are money, life, and power."

"But Heaven, with its benevolent nature, still leaves a way out for humanity."

"As long as both parties exchange equally, trading what you have for what you want, it doesn’t count as revealing secrets or affecting fortune."

"Therefore, the founding master of our Zeller sect decreed that to avoid the threat of Five Miseries and Three Deficiencies for Zeller Heavenly Masters, our business dealings are strictly money for value. Transactions are settled without residual karma."

"As long as there’s an equal exchange, there will be no Five Miseries and Three Deficiencies."

Keith Newman’s small eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, "Is there really such a thing?! I haven’t read much, don’t try to fool me!"

"I’ve only heard that saving a life is better than building a seven-tiered pagoda, but never about Heavenly Masters insisting on money for value!"

"That’s your ignorance dressed as knowledge," Lawrence Winters retorted casually, "The Buddhist Scripture says that a Saint Monk under Buddha’s guidance once recited sutras, receiving only three pecks and three liters of golden grains, and was scolded by the Buddha Ancestor for selling too cheaply, leaving descendants with no money to use."

"It shows that even equal exchanges are permissible in the eyes of the Buddha Ancestor."

"Thus, our founding master of the Zeller sect decreed that to avoid the Five Miseries and Three Deficiencies for future generations, and for the fortune of ordinary people, there must be an equal exchange."

Consistently mentioning "equal exchange," Lawrence Winters turned the mysticism of feng shui into a normal economic activity.

Keith Newman now fully understood.

They wanted to get paid first before working.

If there was no payment, they’d walk away.

Keith Newman had no choice but to take out his phone, call his accountant, and instruct him to transfer a total of one million to Nick Zeller’s company bank account in four installments.

Lawrence Winters’ phone received a bank notification, confirming the transfer, and he smiled with satisfaction, telling Nick Zeller, "Great Heavenly Master, the risk is resolved."

Nick Zeller laughed heartily, slapping Keith Newman on the shoulder, "Mr. Newman’s a straightforward person; this time I’ll take it as making a friend and give you a special friendship price for looking at your commercial real estate’s feng shui!"

A million as a friendship price, why don’t you go rob a bank?!

Keith Newman was choked to the point of a near heart attack, but on the surface, he had to humbly flatter Nick Zeller, "Great Heavenly Master Zeller, your noble heart and kind spirit solve problems for us common folk. This little offering is nothing. Use it to buy candy for the kids at home!"

Lawrence Winters, as "the kid at home," felt very satisfied.

...

Nick Zeller drove, taking Lawrence Winters, and followed Keith Newman’s car all the way to the Newman’s factory located in the outskirts of River City.

Keith Newman, being River City’s wealthiest man, had factory grounds spanning over a hundred acres.

Under the streetlights at night, rows of pale blue factories stood on the horizon, appearing slightly greenish, giving off an eerie vibe.

Nick Zeller chuckled as he saw it.

He got out of his Grand Cherokee and walked with Keith Newman towards the factory area, casually asking, "Mr. Newman, why are all these factories painted pale blue? At night, they look like a vast patch of greenish-blue."

Keith Newman hurriedly explained, "The last feng shui master said my factory here lacked water in the Five Elements, so painting them pale blue would attract water, and water gathers wealth..."

Of course.

Nick Zeller laughed, pointing at the bluish-green factories with a wave of his hand, saying, "Mr. Newman, I’m not snubbing my peers, but that previous feng shui master you consulted, he was really half-baked!"

"How so?!" Keith Newman grew even more nervous, dripping sweat from his forehead despite the zero-degree winter night here in River City just before the Lunar New Year.

"If I’m not mistaken, ever since you painted the factories this pale blue, not only did your business not improve, but it also plummeted, worse than before repainting, right?"

Keith Newman couldn’t help nodding repeatedly, "Great Heavenly Master Zeller, you’re truly a divine figure! That’s exactly it!"

He began to narrate his business woes incessantly, recounting the various methods he tried without being able to turn things around.

"...Great Heavenly Master Zeller, you’re my last straw!" Keith Newman was about to kneel before Nick Zeller.

Nick Zeller shook his head, lamenting with regret, "Truly, you were tricked by this counterfeit amateur."

"I’m telling you, from a feng shui perspective, your factory indeed lacks water; that person wasn’t wrong about that."

Keith Newman grew anxious, "...but you just said he was problematic!"

"Don’t rush, listen to me." Nick Zeller walked further into the depths of the factory, his voice carrying clear and melodious through the empty factory grounds.

Keith Newman’s entourage, who accompanied him, all perked up their ears, ready to use this as a fascinating talking point.

Isn’t it about to be New Year soon?

When relatives gather, they could talk about it at the gathering.

Nick Zeller began to explain, "Mr. Newman, the water within the Five Elements isn’t the water found in rivers, lakes, and seas. It’s not blue, it’s black!"

"And the pale blue color you painted the factories is not pure; its undertone seems green. In the Five Elements, green belongs to fire."

"Water and fire are incompatible! That’s why your business, after painting the factories pale blue, didn’t slow its decline but accelerated it instead!"

"Oh, so that’s what it is!" Keith Newman exclaimed, "Does that mean painting them black would bring improvement?!"

"Black would indeed be better than pale blue," Nick Zeller smoothly replied, "Though I am more familiar with the real estate industry, I only know a bit about feng shui for manufacturing factories. If there isn’t a significant improvement, I hope Mr. Newman will understand!"

"Great Heavenly Master Zeller is too modest!" Keith Newman now wished to place Nick Zeller on the altar and offer three incense sticks daily, continually asking him for more advice.

Moreover, to demonstrate sincerity in "equal exchange," he even had his accountant transfer another million to Nick Zeller immediately.

Receiving a signal from Lawrence Winters, Nick Zeller chuckled, "Since Mr. Newman is so sincere, I’ll take another look then!"

He took a walk around the main buildings of the whole factory district with Keith Newman before saying, "If there’s something more to improve, I noticed your sewage treatment seems problematic."

"You’re already short of water in terms of the Five Elements, yet you discharge untreated sewage directly to the riverbank. — This has angered the Water Deity, hence your financial losses!"

"Water gathers wealth, but if the Water Deity is angered, the God of Wealth will not come."

Nick Zeller concluded, "So, treat your sewage discharge according to national environmental requirements, and if you still can’t turn a profit, come find me again!"