Chapter 8: Shattering Perceptions

The copper rods were meticulously engraved with simplified spiral patterns and stood upright at the bottom of the shaft, arranged in a triangular formation atop a bed of magnetite and copper shavings. Yang Rui used a specially crafted engraving tool to complete the markings on-site with fluid, practiced movements, as if rehearsed countless times. Afterward, sand and gravel were backfilled and covered with stone slabs. Throughout the entire process, Su Jin’s instruments showed stable data, as still as dead water.

“Hmph, no reaction at all,” Su Jin murmured to her assistant, a trace of relieved disdain in her tone. “It seems the so-called ‘guidance’ is nothing but psychological comfort.”

Yang Rui appeared not to hear her. He walked over to the shaft, crouched down, and gently pressed his palm against the cool stone slab covering the wellhead, closing his eyes in deep concentration for a moment. Then he stood and measured the distance along the direct path connecting the copper flow well and the foundation pit with his footsteps. Finally, about one-third of the way from the copper flow well, he stopped and tapped the ground with his foot.

“Here,” he said, pointing beneath his foot, “dig half a meter down and bury this.” He handed over a small package wrapped in oiled paper. Inside was a “replica talisman powder” he had mixed according to the iron box’s analysis report, using the closest available materials in specific proportions.

“Nothing but mystification,” Su Jin sneered.

The package was buried and the soil compacted. At the very moment the earth completely covered it—

A faint, low hum, seemingly emanating from deep underground, sounded briefly before fading away. The noise was so slight it could have been mistaken for a figment of the imagination.

Yet the monitoring screen before Su Jin erupted like a lake struck by a massive stone, suddenly rippling with waves!

The curve representing the static magnetic field strength at the copper flow wellhead surged upward by more than ten microteslas! Simultaneously, along the path connecting the copper flow well and the original energy core—especially at the point where the “replica talisman powder” was buried—a sharp peak in magnetic field strength appeared in sync! More crucially, near the foundation pit, the magnetic field strength showed a brief but distinct dip precisely as the wellhead field spiked!

Infrasound monitoring also registered anomalies. The low-frequency signals at 16-20 Hz detected at the copper flow well nearly doubled in intensity instantly, while the persistent faint “ghost frequency” signal in Chen Qiming’s room significantly diminished at the same moment!

Though the magnitude of these changes was not enormous, their directionality was unmistakably clear. The energy appeared to be drawn by an invisible hand, flowing along the path Yang Rui had set from the old core towards the new copper flow well—a brief but unmistakable surge, like water rushing into a newly opened channel.

“This… this is impossible!” Su Jin abruptly rose from her chair, eyes fixed rigidly on the synchronously fluctuating curves on the screen, her face drained of color, etched with shock and disbelief. “The synchronization… the directionality… this… this cannot be random fluctuations!”

Her assistant was equally stunned, pointing at the screen. “Dr. Su, look! The energy core is falling! The release point is rising! The path node is peaking! This… this looks like… energy flow!”

Although Chen Bojun couldn’t interpret the complex curves, the drastic changes in Su Jin and her assistant’s expressions, along with their exclamations, made him realize something extraordinary was unfolding. Excitedly, he looked at Yang Rui: “Master Yang! Is this… is this working?!”

A faint, relieved smile crossed Yang Rui’s face, though his gaze remained serious. He stepped to Su Jin’s computer and pointed at the curves that had begun to slowly decline but still clearly showed the path and directional traces.

“Dr. Su, the data doesn’t lie. Do you see? The energy is responding to my guidance. Though it’s only an initial, brief ‘diversion,’ this proves my concept—that by using specific material combinations and spatial arrangements, we can build a low-resistance channel to direct and release this complex composite physical field—is both feasible and effective!”

Su Jin sank back into her chair, dazed, her hands gripping the edge of the desk so tightly her knuckles whitened. Her proud scientific worldview was rent apart once more by this living, instrumentally recorded phenomenon of “Feng Shui guidance.” She searched desperately for explanations: geomagnetic disturbance? coincidence? instrument error? But all the data changes were highly synchronized in time, showed clear directionality in space, and matched Yang Rui’s construction points perfectly. This was no coincidence or error!

“Why…” she lifted her eyes to Yang Rui, her gaze filled with confusion, unwillingness, and an unprecedented thirst for inquiry, “Why do those powders… those copper rods’ positions… produce this effect? What is the underlying physical mechanism?”

“That’s the question we need to study together, Dr. Su,” Yang Rui’s tone softened, sincere. “That earlier Feng Shui master developed this method through experience. I inherited his idea and, combining analysis of the talisman materials with modern substances, replicated and optimized it. But the deeper principles—such as how specific alloy ratios and geometric patterns interact with the geomagnetic field and infrasound; how energy is guided and transformed through soil, metal, and air—these require your expertise in physics, materials science, and environmental engineering to measure, model, and analyze before we can unlock the mystery.”

He extended his hand, meeting Su Jin’s eyes steadily. “Admitting the unknown is no shame, Dr. Su. Isn’t science the continual pursuit of the unknown? Now, we have an outstanding living sample. Rather than resist it, why not collaborate? Use scientific methods to interpret and optimize this ancient art, transforming it from ‘occult’ to a quantifiable, reproducible environmental regulation technology that benefits many. Isn’t that a more meaningful endeavor?”

Su Jin looked at Yang Rui’s outstretched hand, then at the indisputable data traces on the screen, and finally at Chen Bojun’s hopeful gaze. Her pride and her scientific quest for truth waged fierce war within her. At last, she drew a deep breath, did not take his hand, but abruptly rose and approached the monitoring equipment, her voice resolute and decisive.

“Restart all sensors! Increase sampling frequency! Record all raw data! Xiao Zhang, contact the institute immediately—request deployment of the mobile geoelectromagnetic detector and the three-dimensional infrasound array! I want a precise three-dimensional model of the energy field beneath this house! Also,” she finally turned to Yang Rui, her gaze complex yet tinged with reluctant compromise, “Master Yang, I need a detailed composition report of your iron box and replica powder, as precise as possible. And give me a copy of your ‘guidance talisman’ blueprint—I must analyze its geometric topology and possible field effects!”

She never said “cooperate,” but her actions spoke volumes. She was determined to dissect Yang Rui’s Feng Shui with cutting-edge science.