“Dad.”

When Xu Ying entered, she saw Xu Qiaomu sitting in a wheelchair, his life clearly nearing its end. Her eyes reddened, and tears welled up.

“Hm?” Su Jie was surprised to see Master Ma and Zhang Manman there as well.

“Young man, you came too? Are you part of the Xu family?” Master Ma waved him over enthusiastically. “Come, come here! Haha, Old Luo, we were just discussing outstanding talents. What kind of talent do you think this young man has?”

“Hello, Master Ma.”

Su Jie walked over, and Master Ma stood up personally, took his hand, and led him to Master Luo. 

Xu Qiaomu was stunned. This old fox didn’t know who Su Jie was, but seeing him walk in with Xu Ying, he began to suspect that Su Jie was his grandson.

What he didn’t understand was why this grandson seemed so familiar with Master Ma.

The arriving Xu Ziqiang, Xu Zide, and Xu Ziming were all dumbfounded. Even the younger generation—Xu Jiahong, Xu Jiaren, and the beaten Xu Jiahao—couldn’t believe what they were seeing. But they had no say in this room.

Even Xu Ying was taken aback.

“This young man…” Master Luo had been observing Su Jie from the moment he entered.

When Master Ma brought Su Jie over, Master Luo suddenly stood up, grabbed his hand, and began feeling it, pressing on his shoulder, examining his back—like a blind fortune-teller reading bones.

“Well?” Master Ma smiled. “What kind of talent is my young brother here?”

“This child…” After a long examination, Master Luo finally spoke. “Without saying more, his pulse is barely detectable, and his thoughts flit in and out—clear signs of a highly cultivated spiritual state. His bones and skin are like jade and glass, and his vitality is more than ten times stronger than the average person. Even more impressive is the purity of his aura—righteous, unmixed, with no hint of evil. His character is clearly excellent. He has virtue, intelligence, and physical excellence. This child is a hidden dragon—at the very least, a man of great talent. With the right opportunities, he will soar through the heavens, a giant among men.”

That was Master Luo’s evaluation.

“Old Luo, you’ve still got an eye for talent. Reading a person’s character, cultivation, and constitution just from feeling bones—you might really steal my job one day,” Master Ma laughed.

“Old Ma, I know your physiognomy skills have reached another level—you can read people not with your eyes or ears, but with your heart. You’re far beyond me. But where did you find this young man? He’s incredible.”

Master Luo turned to Su Jie: “Young man, would you be willing to study with me? I can get you into the world’s top architecture programs—Harvard, MIT, Princeton—I can recommend you for any of them, and even secure you the highest level of scholarship.”

Master Luo was already trying to recruit him.

From his words, Su Jie could tell that this man was likely a world-class architect. After all, feng shui is a form of architecture and a branch of psychology. Su Jie had long thought that feng shui and architecture had many overlapping principles.

Master Ma was a world-class psychology expert, skilled in Ma-style physiognomy and psychological therapy. He fused traditional physiognomy with modern psychology to achieve groundbreaking results.

Master Luo must be of a similar caliber.

Su Jie understood that anyone who achieves greatness must extract the essence of ancient traditions and study them with modern scientific methods. Clinging to outdated ways would never lead to high achievement.

Gu Yang, Uncle Mang, Odell, Master Ma, and Master Luo—all followed this path.

“Old Luo, you want Su Jie as your disciple? I think you’re barking up the wrong tree. The young man is just a step away from transcending the boundary between spiritual death and divine rebirth. He’s beyond both of us. Why not study together instead?” Master Ma chuckled.

“No wonder you call him ‘young brother.’” Master Luo nodded. “There’s no real hierarchy in the pursuit of knowledge—those who understand, lead. If he truly crosses that threshold, he’ll be ahead of us.”

Hearing their exchange—even without understanding the more obscure terminology—Xu Qiaomu realized that the young man named Su Jie had gained tremendous respect from both masters, even being called a man of great and exceptional talent.

“Xu Ying, come here.” Xu Qiaomu beckoned his daughter, whom he hadn’t seen in over twenty years, to his side.

“Dad.” Looking at her father in the wheelchair, Xu Ying was overcome with emotion, unable to speak.

“This is your son?” Xu Qiaomu asked.

“Yes.” Xu Ying nodded.

Xu Qiaomu asked no further. He closed his eyes, lost in thought.

“Old Luo, we each have our strengths—you excel at feng shui, I at physiognomy. We’ve long competed, but we’re walking different paths toward the same goal. Why not join forces? We both have businesses and compete, but that’s not sustainable. Like the Xu family—once old Xu dies, they’ll be left without strong heirs. With Su Jie here, why not pass on our research to him? He’ll refine and elevate our work.”

Master Ma suggested.

“Agreed.”

Master Luo didn’t even hesitate. “Nothing is more gratifying than discovering a genius and nurturing them. You must’ve already predicted I’d be here and used this opportunity to propose a partnership, right? I bet some force got to you, and you realized you couldn’t face it alone—so you came to me.”

“Exactly.” Master Ma smiled.

Su Jie picked up on something—both masters were under some kind of pressure and had to unite.

“Wait.” Xu Qiaomu suddenly spoke: “Masters, this child is my grandson. That makes him family. Would you be willing to…”

“Old Xu, let me be blunt.” Master Ma cut in. “This child is a dragon. Even the four seas can hardly contain him—how could the tiny Xu family? A man of exceptional talent educates the world. A man of great talent governs the nation. A virtuous man revitalizes a region. A gifted man manages a household. Your Xu family needs only a gifted man. This boy would be wasted here. I actually came today to see if your family had any promising young men for my niece. Now that I’ve seen, I’m leaving.”

With that, he stood up. “Come, Manman, let’s go.”

“Master Ma, stay a few more days,” Xu Qiaomu said, clearly disappointed. He’d hoped to arrange a marriage alliance with the Zhang family—get one of his third-generation boys to connect with Zhang Manman, expand the Xu family’s business. But clearly, none of them impressed Master Ma. Instead, Su Jie—his external grandson—had been completely embraced and even praised as extraordinary.

“No, I’ve other matters.” Master Ma declined, then pulled Su Jie along. “Young brother, come with me—I have something to say. Old Luo, you coming?”

“Old Ma, are you trying to act all mysterious again?” Master Luo laughed and stood up. “Let’s talk outside.”

The four of them left the Xu household and walked to the village road.

“The Xu family’s luck is bad. I sense bloodshed. Don’t tell me you didn’t see it, Old Luo—why get involved?”

Master Ma pointed toward the Xu ancestral home. “It used to be a good place, but their own actions turned it into a cursed one.”

“They’re like a big tree rotting from the inside. Looks lush on the outside but can’t weather a storm. Once Xu Qiaomu dies, everything will fall apart. They do have some talents, but the timing isn’t right.”

Master Luo nodded. “But since they’re paying me, I’m here to fix things. If I hadn’t come, I wouldn’t have met this young man. It’s a blessing in disguise. But listen, kid—don’t get dragged into their mess. I can see your mother just barely escaped all this. Dragging her back in would be a huge mistake.”

“I agree.” Su Jie had already seen that the Xu family was trouble.

“Old Luo, once you finish your work with them, let’s regroup. You saw it—Su Jie is on the verge of a major breakthrough. If he crosses over, it’ll benefit us too.” Master Ma said. “If we can both break into the realm of the ‘living dead,’ our insight will deepen, our sixth sense will sharpen—and we won’t be so easily fooled or ambushed.”

“You’re right.”

Master Luo nodded and looked at Su Jie again like he was a priceless treasure. “I’ll go wrap up the Xu business.”

“Su Jie, come visit me sometime.” Zhang Manman invited him warmly.

“Definitely.” Su Jie said his goodbyes and returned to the Xu household with Master Luo.

Now, the second and third-generation Xu members looked at him completely differently.

Even Xu Qiaomu had mixed feelings. He’d once strongly resented Su Jie, because of Xu Ying’s long-ago rebellion and elopement.

“Why would this b*stard child win over both Ma and Luo? Could Xu Ying have staged this whole thing with them?” Xu Zide whispered to Xu Ziqiang.

“You think you could get those two to play along like that?” Xu Ziqiang was equally annoyed—but helpless.

“Master Luo, what do you think of my daughter?” Xu Qiaomu asked as Luo and Su Jie returned.

Master Luo smiled. “She’s talented, but not suited for the Xu family. You know full well—if your daughter were to take charge, how many would accept it? Your family has always been male-dominated. Go against that tradition, and disaster will strike. You know this. Anyway, I’ll now do the third task you asked of me—choose a capable talent from your family.”

As he spoke, he pointed to Xu Jiazhi.

Xu Jiazhi flinched and tried to shrink back.

“Jiazhi, come forward,” Xu Qiaomu ordered.

Xu Jiazhi had no choice but to step up.

“This young man is steady and composed. With proper guidance and some experience, he could handle important responsibilities,” said Master Luo.

“Oh?” Xu Qiaomu seemed thoughtful. Then he asked, “Then, Master Luo, could you point out the debt-collectors in the family? I will reward you handsomely.”

Whoosh!

Everyone’s face turned pale.

Su Jie suddenly felt a bit sorry for them—like ministers under a tyrant king. They had no freedom of their own.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep