Liu Zhendong was stunned. "Layout, Master Xia Tian? Do you mean the architectural layout?"

Xia Liang waved his hand. "No, the placement of objects. A single mistake wouldn't have a huge impact on your mall, but you have too many small problems here. An accumulation of minor issues has led to a fundamental one."

Xia Liang walked to the nearest fish pond, where there was a rather peculiar problem. "There's an issue with this fish pond."

"What kind of issue?"

Xia Liang squatted down and picked up an ornamental fish from the water. "Do you know what this fish is called?"

Liu Zhendong shook his head, and Xia Liang gently placed the fish back into the water. "This type of fish is commonly known as a Fengshui Fish. While it usually swims lazily and isn't very alert, it's meant to symbolize a secure home and prosperity."

Hearing this, Liu Zhendong was even more puzzled. Since it was a Fengshui Fish, what could possibly be wrong with having it in the mall? Thinking this, he looked at Xia Liang in confusion.

Xia Liang chuckled, seemingly having anticipated his question. He then pointed to something nearby. "And what is this called?"

This time, Liu Zhendong answered proactively. "A Dai Crocodile, from the Dai Kingdom. It has another nickname, 'business magnate.'" He then grew puzzled again. "But... this type of crocodile is only the size of my palm. It's also supposed to enhance feng shui."

Xia Liang shook his head. "You really are clueless, aren't you? When this Dai Crocodile gets hungry, it eats the Fengshui Fish. Tell me, how the hell is your feng shui supposed to prosper then? We have an old saying in the Heavenly Dynasty: 'What thrives too well will decline.' Putting these two together will not end well!"

Xia Liang explained, following the hints from the system's question mark, and Liu Zhendong had a sudden epiphany. That makes perfect sense! It's like placing two Auspicious Beasts together. No matter how auspicious they are, if they are incompatible and start fighting, all the good fortune would be completely ruined.

Thinking of this, Liu Zhendong hurriedly asked, "Should I get rid of these two Dai Crocodiles?"

"No need!" Xia Liang waved his hand. "Are you the one in charge of this mall?"

Liu Zhendong was taken aback but nodded. "I'm a partial owner, you could say. When the mall was being built, I took shares to cover half of the labor costs."

Xia Liang thought for a moment. "Raise those two Dai Crocodiles separately. Keep one in your office and the other in the office of the other person in charge. But remember, they must be kept apart."

Liu Zhendong nodded quickly and called someone over to purchase fish tanks.

However, Xia Liang stopped him. "Don't be in such a rush. There are plenty more things to buy."

Xia Liang thought for a moment, then beckoned the purchasing agent over. He swiftly wrote down dozens of items on a piece of paper. "Pay close attention to these. If an item is listed as metal, it must be metal. If it's a wood carving, it absolutely cannot be a plastic composite. If any more problems arise because of this, I'm washing my hands of it."

The purchasing agent didn't dare delay and quickly took the list. "This..."

He was flabbergasted. To buy everything on the list would cost a small fortune!

Liu Zhendong urged from the side, "What are you standing there for? Get going!"

"Ah? Right away!" the man replied and hurried off.

An hour later, the purchasing agent returned, drenched in sweat. "Manager Liu, the items have arrived."

Just as he finished speaking, several security guards appeared behind him, carrying large and small bags. They set everything down, then went back to collectively carry in two large statues, placing them to the side. The surrounding shopkeepers also came over, eager to help.

"Who is this young man?"

"Even Manager Liu is so respectful to him."

"I overheard a little. I think he's a Heavenly Master that Manager Liu hired to check our feng shui."

"A Heavenly Master? At his age?"

"You can't judge a book by its cover. He might actually have some real skills."

"True, otherwise Manager Liu wouldn't have hired him."

The shop owners had been plagued with anxiety for some time, worrying about their future prospects. At this point, even if Xia Liang were a complete charlatan, they were willing to hold onto a sliver of hope, clutching at straws.

"Place this Statue of Guan Gong in the very center of the mall," Xia Liang commanded. "The water element here is too strong, so it needs wood to balance it. Put a basin of water on top of this, and place Lucky Bamboo in the water."

"Over here..."

"And here!"

Xia Liang moved quickly, pausing only briefly at each problematic spot. This was torture for the security guards carrying the heavy objects.

"Sir, could you please slow down a little? We're exhausted carrying this stuff..." a guard holding a bronze statue over a foot tall said woefully. He wanted to complain more but didn't dare, his calves already trembling from the strain.

Finally, after some time, Xia Liang stopped. He let out a long sigh. "The first floor is mostly taken care of. There's one more very important place, but we'll deal with that later."

However, before anyone could breathe a sigh of relief, he added, "Carry everything up to the second floor. There are even more problems up there!"

The security guards: "..."

Upon reaching the second floor, Xia Liang paused and frowned. "This is..."

He had spotted a very large, glowing question mark in an inconspicuous corner. Driven by curiosity, he walked over. A moment later, he called for Liu Zhendong. "Who was in charge of this specific area during construction?"

Liu Zhendong thought for a long time but couldn't recall.

Xia Liang's tone grew serious. "Old Liu, did you offend anyone while working on this construction site?"

Liu Zhendong shook his head. "I kept to myself during that time, just going back and forth between the site and home. I didn't offend anyone!"

"How strange!" Xia Liang shook his head. He had looked into Liu Zhendong's past; while Liu had his share of rivals, both overt and hidden, none of them knew how to use methods like these.

Liu Zhendong was confused. "Master Xia Tian, what exactly is going on?"

A moment later, Xia Liang stamped his foot on the floor. "Get some workers with a jackhammer. Tell them to break open the concrete here. You'll understand once it's open."

Before Liu Zhendong could even respond, a security guard behind him was already on his walkie-talkie. Soon, two workers arrived with a jackhammer, pried up the floor tiles, and began smashing the concrete beneath.

"There really is something in here! Everyone, come look!" one of them shouted.

Hearing this, Liu Zhendong rushed forward. "This... this is..."

He was horrified. Embedded in the concrete was none other than a dead black cat. It had clearly been dead for a long time; its skin and flesh were dried and cracked, making for a gruesome sight.

Liu Zhendong frowned and muttered, "Could it have been some careless workers..."

He trailed off, knowing it was impossible. Even the roughest of workers knew that burying a creature in concrete was an act so vile it was practically unheard of.

"This Heavenly Master is the real deal!"

"I've never seen this master before. How could he know something was buried just by looking at the floor?"

"You truly can't judge a book by its cover!"

"Yeah, he's way better than that old geezer who came last time."

"That old guy was all talk, just spouting pretty words to flatter Manager Liu."

"But this young Heavenly Master saw the problem at a glance. He's a true expert!"

Listening to the crowd's murmurs, Liu Zhendong also frowned slightly. Who would do something like this? He couldn't figure it out.

"This is also a major problem," Xia Liang said. "Pick up this dead cat. Don't just throw it away. Find a place with moist soil and give it a proper burial."

As Xia Liang spoke, his eyes swept over the crowd, but no one was willing to move. After seeing how accurate his predictions had been, who would dare to invite that kind of bad luck?

"Don't worry," Xia Liang added. "It won't affect you."

Finally, Liu Zhendong had to offer a cash bonus. Only then did a slightly braver security guard step forward, pick up the dead cat, and take it away.

Liu Zhendong asked cautiously, "Master Xia Tian, is someone really targeting me?"

"It's not certain yet," Xia Liang replied, shaking his head. "How about this: take me to your office for a look first."

If someone had truly set a trap, there was bound to be a clue in Liu Zhendong's office.

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