At this time, only Xia Liang, Old Liu, and Gao Hesheng were in Old Liu's office. Old Liu had kept everyone else outside.

"Master Xia Tian, if there's a problem, just say it," Old Liu said.

"Yes, Master Xia Tian. You're making my skin crawl," Gao Hesheng added.

The two men watched the frowning Xia Liang, their own hearts beginning to pound with apprehension. Xia Liang pointed at the mural on the wall.

"Old Liu, you'd better take a look at it yourself," he said.

Hearing this, Old Liu hurried over to the mural. However, the entire piece seemed to be stuck fast to the wall. He struggled for a long time but couldn't get it down. Finally, left with no other choice, Old Liu grabbed a stool and smashed the mural to pieces.

After a moment, Old Liu turned around with a grim expression, holding a pair of cold, stainless steel handcuffs.

"Old Liu, do you now understand why I said you were facing the threat of imprisonment?"

Old Liu's expression darkened even further. He had no idea who was trying to harm him, and this fear of the unknown made him shudder.

"Master Xia Tian, please, you have to help me! You must save me!"

Panicked, Old Liu dropped to his knees before Xia Liang with a thud. After all, when faced with something so sinister, even a man like him, who had knocked about in society for so many years, couldn't help but feel a pang of fear.

Xia Liang sighed. "Get up. I can't help you with this."

Hearing this, Old Liu's hands trembled.

CLANG!

The cold handcuffs crashed onto the floor.

Xia Liang slowly sat down in the executive chair. "Old Liu, Old Gao, you two should know what kind of setup this is, right?"

The two men nodded in unison. Being in the construction business, they had heard a little about the arts of such craftsmen. The most famous of these was the Lu Ban Arts: placing a dead cat in the foundation, putting handcuffs inside a room... This was clearly the work of an expert!

Old Liu frowned. "Master Xia Tian, this couldn't be the Art of Victory Aversion, could it?"

"I don't think so." Xia Liang shook his head. "The Art of Victory Aversion originates from the Ancestral Master Craftsman, Lu Ban. If Old Liu had truly run into someone skilled in this art, he would've likely gone to report to Lord Yama by now."

"This setup, to me, looks more like a curse."

The two men were stunned.

"A curse?"

Xia Liang nodded slightly. "Yes. Legend says that inheritors of the Lu Ban Arts must all suffer from one of the 'Three Deficiencies'—poverty, loneliness, or childlessness. This curse, however, has no such limitations, and its power is much weaker than the Lu Ban Arts."

Old Liu's voice trembled. "Then what do I do? I... I haven't offended anyone like that."

Even if this person only knows amateur curses, it's still not someone I can handle... unless I hire someone even more powerful. At this thought, Old Liu said urgently, "Master Xia Tian, you have to save me!"

Xia Liang knew Old Liu wasn't lying, but he still shook his head. "I shouldn't help you with this. I'm just in it for the money, after all. If I help you break this setup, its caster will come after me."

As he said this, Xia Liang's expression was impassive. Truthfully, it's not that I'm afraid. My connection to Old Liu is only through Old Qian and Old Gao, so we aren't that close. There's no reason to make an enemy for him. And while Old Liu has broken a lot of rules in his business over the years, he isn't a fundamentally bad person. Even so, I don't really want to help.

"Master, please be at ease," Old Liu said, his face filled with resolve. "As long as you help me overcome this crisis, I swear I'll turn over a new leaf! I will never again use such unscrupulous methods!"

Having just gotten to his feet, Old Liu knelt again and began to kowtow repeatedly.

For the sake of the mission... Xia Liang heaved a long sigh.

"Get up first. I can give you a small hint, but the rest will depend on your own abilities."

Old Liu's face had been ashen with despair, but upon hearing Xia Liang's words, he was immediately overcome with excitement and began to thank him profusely again.

Xia Liang stared intently at Old Liu. Due to his intervention, the setup in the mall was already broken. This means Old Liu's fate over the next fifteen days is bound to change. With that, Xia Liang quickly scanned Old Liu's circumstances for the next few days.

Old Liu asked anxiously, "Heavenly Master, how is it?"

Xia Liang stood up and patted Old Liu's shoulder. "I can only tell you one thing: he who comes bearing tales of right and wrong is himself the source of trouble. I won't say any more. The rest is up to you."

After saying this, Xia Liang fell silent. It wasn't that he was afraid of attracting trouble; he just found it to be a hassle.

"'He who comes bearing tales of right and wrong is himself the source of trouble?'" Old Liu murmured the phrase to himself, his brow furrowing ever deeper.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

Just then, a sudden knock came from the door.

"Old Liu, open the door," a voice called out.

Hearing this voice, Xia Liang smiled to himself. The main culprit has arrived. Whether or not Old Liu can figure it out, however, will be up to his own fortune.

"Who is it?" Gao Hesheng asked, puzzled.

Old Liu explained, "It's the other shareholder in this mall, Yuan Zhenguo. He's a friend of mine."

Then, Old Liu opened the door, forcing a smile onto his face.

"Old Liu, what is all this...?" Yuan Zhenguo glanced at the wrecked mural. When his gaze swept over the handcuffs on the floor, his expression flickered for a moment before he quickly composed himself. "Old Liu, how did things get like this? Whose handcuffs are those?"

Old Liu shook his head with a bitter smile. "Don't ask, Old Yuan. Someone is trying to harm me!"

Completely oblivious to any issue with Yuan Zhenguo, Old Liu pulled him over to a seat and began the introductions. "This is Xia Liang, Great Master Xia."

After Yuan Zhenguo entered, Gao Hesheng frowned imperceptibly and said nothing more.

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