"What exactly is the price we need to pay, Dr. Tang?" asked Ma Chengye without hesitation.
"In the next five years, the Ma Family will have no single mber born; 10 babies under 3-years-old will have a heart pattern on their glabella, and will share the good fortune of Ma Family, but only one of them will survive. Your Ma Family needs to collect magical tools with tal, wood, water, fire, and earth elents each in order to revitalize and accumulate the good fortune for 5 years, and lastly, one mber of the family will have his or her lifespan reduced for 10 years to carry on the praying for the blessing," said Tang Xiu lightly.
"Hiss..."
Ma Jianpeng and Ma Chenyu, as well as the other four elders of Ma Family, gasped at the sa ti, looking at Tang Xiu with a shocked expression.
Wasn’t this price... way too horrifying?
"It’s not like you’ll get no benefits at all if you choose this option," said Tang Xiu flatly. "The surviving child will at least beco the hope of Ma Family in the future. As long as there’s no wicked Feng Shui expert to destroy the Feng Shui structure of your family, he can lead the Ma Family to go further, beco stronger, and be more prosperous."
Ma Jianfeng was silent for a long ti before he said with a wry, bitter expression, "This has great influence to the family, so I need to discuss it with the senior mbers of the family, Divine Doctor Tang."
"He can only endure up to half a month." Tang Xiu pointed to the old man on the bed and plainly said, "If you haven’t made a decision by then, then not only he will die, but your family will also be in decline until your generation passes on his authority. Also, I’m going back to Shanghai quickly and will leave Shanghai tomorrow to manage so important things for an unknown amount of ti. So, please discuss it only until this afternoon."
Only until this afternoon?
All the mbers of Ma Family’s expressions changed, and they quickly exchanged glances. Then, Ma Jianfeng solemnly said, "Could you diagnose my father too, Dr. Tang?"
Tang Xiu nodded and went to the bed. He took the old man’s wrist and checked his pulse to diagnose his physical condition, which was no different from his own pre-judgnt. As he left the room and ca to the first floor, he said, "Give a quiet room; I need to draw sothing."
"There’s my father’s study at the end of the corridor to the left," said Ma Jianfeng imdiately.
Tang Xiu nodded and followed him to the study. As he walked in, he observed the antique study before his eyes landed on the writing brush, ink stick, ink stone, and paper on the desk. In this era, only a few people still had these so-called "scholar’s four jewels", while the wall around the room was practically full of calligraphy, and paintings from ancient and modern master calligraphers and master painters. Staying in this place would make one feel capable of appreciating the culture of Confucianism and Taoism.
"Is there anything else you need, Dr. Tang?" asked Ma Jianfeng.
"Cinnabar ink and yellow paper. If you’re determined to save your father, I’ll need 10 uncut jades as well," said Tang Xiu.
"I’ll imdiately order my people to find them," said Ma Jianfeng in a deep voice. "Also, I have to discuss this issue with the other family mbers, so I can’t accompany you here."
"Go ahead!" Tang Xiu waved and said, "Just in passing, send soone to deliver so food here."
Ma Jianfeng was stunned, as he suddenly rembered that it was noon and Tang Xiu had not eaten yet! A smile then appeared on his solemn face as he acquiesced to the request and then left with the rest of the Ma Family mbers.
Mo Awu stood in front of the desk as he watched Ma Jianfeng closed the door from the outside. Afterward, he asked with a lowered voice, "Do you perhaps prepare a butcher knife to chop them down, Boss?"
"The Ma Family has so much wealth more than they needed, don’t you think so?" asked Tang Xiu back with a curled-up mouth; the faintest smile. "You also know that I’m kind-hearted and generous, so I’m going to help them spend so money or share so other treasures. Well, you know, those kinds of good deeds..."
"..."
Mo Awu felt his heart twitch and speechlessly looked at Tang Xiu.
He had been following Tang Xiu for not just one or two days. He saw his actions so many tis that the ans his Boss had in order to butcher others made him shudder a little.
Soon after that, fragrant als were delivered as Tang Xiu and Mo Awu had a al and drank their fill. The Ma Family then sent cinnabar ink and 10 fine pieces of jade. After sending them off outside, Tang Xiu imdiately began to draw the symbols charm and manufactured so magical tools.
At dusk, Ma Jianfeng ca to the study room where Tang Xiu was staying, a gloomy expression on his face. This ti, he was only accompanied by his second uncle, Ma Chengye.
Looking at their expression, Tang Xiu instantly figured out what option they had taken. He sighed secretly inside, yet spoke with an indifferent expression, "Since you have made up your mind to give up the old patriarch Ma, then there’s no need for to do anything anymore. I’ve just manufactured good charms and magical tools myself, but since you don’t need them, then I’ll just charge you a service fee according to the market price."
Ma Jianfeng took a deep breath first before he replied with a serious expression, "It seems that you’ve already guessed the result, Divine Doctor Tang. I was very much wanting to save my father, in fact. But I really can’t do anything. The Ma Family has many mbers but for the entire family to have no descendant in the next 5 years as well as 10 children..."
"I understand your difficulties." Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt him and calmly said, "Alright, I will take my leave then. Also, soone will send you the money for the cinnabar ink and the jade pieces tomorrow, naturally."
"But Dr. Tang, do... do you have any ans to temporarily maintain my father’s life?" said Ma Jianfeng quickly. "Just 10 months would be enough."
"I don’t get you." Tang Xiu frowned.
Ma Jianfeng steeled his heart and gritted his teeth. "The Ma Family will have a lot of new mbers co of age in 10 months. As long as we have more than 10 new people by then, we will choose to save my father."
Tang Xiu squinted his eyes to carefully observe his face a few tis, and then said lightly, "I do have a way to make your father live for a year and a half, but you’ll need to pay a lot of money. May I ask what price the Ma Family can pay for more?"
"What do you offer us to pay for, exactly?" asked Ma Jianfeng.
Tang Xiu squinted his eyes and blurted the bluff, "I can double the ti for him to live for a price."
Hiss...
Ma Jianfeng and Ma Chengye gasped and exchanged glances, while quietly calculating the price that was worth the lifespan to pay Tang Xiu.
After a long while, Ma Jianfeng said in a deep voice, "Feel free to speak your request, Divine Doctor Tang. Our Ma Family will do everything in our power, as long as it’s within our ability."
"Ore. At least 10 pieces of precious ores of the size of a fist; plus 1 billion yuan," said Tang Xiu lightly. "Of course, if your family has so particularly strange objects that interest , there’s no need for that 1 billion."
Ma Jianfeng thought over it for a mont and answered straightforwardly, "10 precious ores and 1 billion yuan, then. Please give us so ti this evening, and we guarantee that they will be in your hands before 12 AM tonight."
"Alright!" concurred Tang Xiu. He then ca directly to the room on the second floor where the old patriarch Ma lived. Ma Jianfeng and the rest wanted to follow him, but Tang Xiu stopped them. After entering the room, he took out a Holy Healing dicine and broke half of it and fed it into the old patriarch Ma’s mouth, then he walked to the side and sat down cross-legged.
Half a Holy Healing dicinal pill was enough to greatly enhance old patriarch Ma’s life force. Moreover, as long as this elderly man moved out of this building, it wouldn’t be an issue for him to live for another year.
Ti ticked forward and three hours passed by. Tang Xiu controlled his blood and Qi to deliberately make his face look ghastly pale and sweats appear on his forehead. He looked at the old patriarch Ma, who had been breathing smoothly on the bed before he walked out of the room.
"Divine Doctor Tang, are you... are you alright?"
After seeing Tang Xiu’s appearance, Ma Jianfeng’s heart thumped and he hurriedly asked.
"It’s alright. I’m fine." Tang Xiu struggled to squeeze out a smile and said, "It’s just that I had to extract my qi and life force out and inject them into the old patriarch Ma’s body, hence consuming much of my energy. Your father will be fine for the ti being. As long as you move him from this attic and send another person to live here, he won’t have any problem."
"Moving my father to live sowhere else is not a problem," said Ma Jianfeng. "But why should we send soone else to live here?"
"Human body itself is but the primordial beginning of the Feng Shui diagram, and only a select few gifted people are able to continue to accept the power of fate and destiny to ensure the Ma Family will continue to be blessed in good fortune," explained Tang Xiu. "Otherwise, this Feng Shui structure of your family’s will not only give you benefits, but it can also make your family decline quickly. Nevertheless, prosperity is always bound to decline as the result of a Heavenly Dao cycle."
Ma Jianfeng instantly ca to a realization but he still asked, "Will the new person et the sa situation as my father’s?"
"Living here for a year and a half will not have disadvantages but will obtain benefits instead." Tang Xiu shook his head and said, "As for what kind of benefits they are, you’ll find out about it later."
"Then I’ll imdiately send soone else to move here once I move my father out," replied Ma Jianfeng imdiately. "Could you please go and stay in my father’s study room and stay there for a while, Dr. Tang? I’ll need to hurry up, but I’ll co imdiately when I’m done. You’ll have 10 pieces of precious ores and 1 billion yuan, as promised, by then."
"Alright!"
Tang Xiu was naturally unwilling to leave the attic imdiately since he had only absorbed less than one-tenth of the power of fate and destiny here, even though he tried his best to absorb it throughout the afternoon and night. If it weren’t for him having sothing to do tomorrow, he would have tried to stay here until he completely absorbed all the power of fate and destiny in this place.
It must be noted that the power of fate and destiny in this place was different from the one contained in the Qin Emperor’s Imperial Jade Seal treasure. The power of fate and destiny here was very gentle and didn’t go crazy when he attempted to absorb it into his body, whereas the one contained inside the Qin Emperor’s Imperial Jade Seal was enormous, and it drilled straight into his body. He had nearly blown himself up and would have died right as he attempted to absorb it.
The Ma Family indeed had good prestige and reputation. After waiting for half an hour, Ma Jianfeng had hurried back. He ordered 5 stocky n to put 10 precious ores in five trays on the table in front of Tang Xiu. He then waved, gesturing those n to leave and imdiately took out a bank card, saying, "Divine Doctor Tang, this bank card has 1 billion yuan and the PIN is written on the back. Also, please appraise these 10 precious ores too. If any of these precious ores disinterest you, I’ll send my n to exchange it."
Tang Xiu put away the bank card in his pocket and reached out to lift the yellow cloth on the tray. Right as he looked down, the black stone was the first thing he saw.
’This is...’
Tang Xiu’s heart thumped wildly as disbelief flashed in his eyes.
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