Chapter 5: Chapter 5 There is a grandmaster in the painting
---
**The Next Morning**
Li Chengfeng arrived alone at Qingzhou's old district with the keys given by his grandfather. The street was lined with aged plane trees bearing clusters of fuzzy spherical seed pods. Shops crowded both sides of the road, and beneath an old residential building stood a shuttered storefront. A vermilion plaque hung above the door, its peeling gold characters reading: **"Hall of Serendipity"**. Beneath this, smaller text proclaimed: *Dream Interpretation • Naming • Character Divination • Feng Shui • Specialist in Intractable Ailments*.
Pushing open the creaking door, Li Chengfeng entered a sparsely furnished space. White walls bore minimal decoration save for a portrait of Guo Pu, the legendary feng shui patriarch, hanging above an altar table. Unbeknownst to him, the eyes in the portrait shifted subtly as he crossed the threshold, following his movements. The compact shop spanned 30-40 square meters, with a backroom bedroom visible through an inner door.
To the left stood a rosewood desk and an ornate armchair. On the right, a tree-root carved tea table paired with rosewood sofa caught afternoon light filtering through dusty windows. Beneath the tea table, Li Chengfeng noticed several ancient copper coins – remnants of what his grandfather had called the **"Open Door to Welcome Guests"** feng shui arrangement. Common in restaurants and hotels, this layout used seating areas with hidden coins to attract prosperity, appearing mundane to laymen but potent to initiates.
Approaching the altar, Li Chengfeng lit three sticks of sandalwood incense. Raising them ceremoniously above his head, he bowed three times before placing them in the bronze burner. As he began sweeping layers of dust accumulated over two years, a voice suddenly rasped behind him:
_"Boy! Clean this immortal's dining table properly!"_
Startled, Li Chengfeng whirled around – only the serene portrait of Guo Pu met his gaze. Shaking off the eerie moment, he meticulously wiped the altar table. Had he looked up, he would've seen the patriarch's painted lips curl approvingly.
By midday, the shop gleamed. As Li Chengfeng reached for his water cup, a clear female voice interrupted:
"Excuse me, is Master Li available?"
Turning, he saw a young woman in her twenties – delicate features framed by expensive silk, yet shadows haunted her eyes. "I'm Ye Mengyao. I need to consult Master Li urgently."
"My grandfather has retired," Li Chengfeng replied, masking excitement at his first client. "But I'm his grandson. Whatever he could handle, I can – and more."
Ye Mengyao's gaze flickered with disappointment. To her, mastery of metaphysics required silver-haired elders, not this brash youth. "Please," she pressed, "this concerns my father's life. Take me to him, and you'll be rewarded."
"Not happening." His refusal hung sharp as he studied her face. Her饱满的财帛宫 (wealth palace) indicated privilege, but the暗滞的父宫 (father's palace) on her forehead's left temple revealed grave illness. "You're here about your father's... unusual condition."
Her breath hitched. "How could you—?"
Two years prior, industrial magnate Ye Gucheng had awakened blind without medical cause. Countless specialists and cutting-edge scans found perfect health – except for nonfunctional eyes. Desperate, Ye Mengyao had sought out retired Master Li through an old herbalist's recommendation.
"Your father's eyes aren't sick," Li Chengfeng stated, watching realization dawn. "They're seeing something no doctor can treat."
---