Chapter 52: Prelude to a Conspiracy
I shook my head.
Chang Nanxi stood up, placed her feet in a wide "eight" position, and crossed her arms across her chest: "That's it, understand?"
I was amused by his lifelike imitation.
These students who don’t listen to the lectures and only like to take photos show their photos on WeChat Moments every day - to show that they are on equal footing with famous teachers like their lecturers.
No wonder they all changed the name of "study class" to "seminar."
Chang Nanxi said expressionlessly, "Only on the last day, when Master Chen arrived, did these people cling closely to him, demonstrating their close relationship with the nation's top master."
I asked, "Can I have a cigarette?"
Chang Nanxi took out a cigarette and handed it to me, then asked, "Do you think what I said was too harsh?"
I shook my head. "No. This is my first time attending a training class like this. Now that you mention it, I have to think carefully about whether it's worth it for me to attend a class like this next time."
"It all depends on your mindset. If you're truly eager to learn, you can acquire knowledge."
"If they don't ask questions in class and don't complete the homework assigned by the teacher in the afternoon, how can they learn?"
Chang Nanxi laughed wildly towards the sky. After laughing, he said, "Mr. Shanhong, you are still very pure."
For the first time, I discovered that the word "purity" is more terrifying than "falling." Chang Nanxi actually laughed at me and made me feel ashamed.
My face flushed and I was speechless for a moment
His face was sullen, and there was disdain in the corners of his eyes:
"They don't care. They go back and use the same old fortune-telling and divination methods. Have you read Fortress Besieged? Fang Hongjian spent a few years at a fake university abroad. Just knowing how to say yes and no makes people bow down to him."
My face was solemn and I let out a long "Oh".
Chang Nanxi raised his eyebrow and asked, "Who is your teacher?"
I didn't know how famous my master was in this circle, so I whispered, "A man named Hongyuan Daochang."
He was very calm: "I've heard of him. He's not as famous as Shao, Huo, Chen and others, but he has some reputation in the industry. I just haven't met him."
I smiled and said, "Next time you come to Wuxiang City, you are welcome to visit us."
He didn't answer me, but asked: "What do you think of Feng Shui?"
This wasn't a simple question; a book wouldn't even be enough to fully explain it. So I switched gears: "I'm not very knowledgeable, but I'd appreciate your insights, Senior Brother."
Chang Nanxi looked confused: "I'm also very confused, so I'm asking you."
I burst out laughing. "If I were an apprentice, the teacher would have a set of self-consistent theories and I would just follow them. But sometimes, when I'm sleeping in bed, I wonder if that's really the case."
Chang Nanxi wanted to smoke again, so he took out a cigarette box, gave me one, lit it himself, took a deep puff, and said in a deep voice:
"Theory originates from practice and in turn guides practice. But I have doubts about whether Feng Shui is a theory - is it really so?"
I laughed and said, "A philosopher once said that when humans think, God laughs."
He slapped his thigh. "That quote you quoted is so interesting. People like us might be wrong. But they don't take notes, don't complete homework, take pictures with the teacher after class, and take pictures with the scenery in the afternoon. Maybe they are right."
I was puzzled: "I don't quite understand what you mean."
Like a philosopher, he looked up at the sky and asked leisurely:
"If the theory of feng shui itself is wrong, why should we learn it?"
I blurted out, "Brother, you are a true scholar and thinker."
Chang Nanxi didn't speak for a long time. After a moment of silence, he said:
"I didn't learn from any great masters. After graduating from university, I failed at several companies because I was too serious."
I thought to myself, people who are too serious find it difficult to live a good life.
He seemed to have entered his own world, talking to himself:
"My grandfather and father were both fortune tellers and feng shui practitioners in the village. My father laughed at me, saying I made over 5,000 yuan a month, could only take a nap at my desk at noon, and was a sickly person. I should learn feng shui from him instead.
I looked down on his profession, even though it was easy money. One autumn, I was laid off from a company and still hadn't found a job by the end of the year. Finally, my father persuaded me to join him, and I studied with him for a year. Now, I'm better than him.
I praised: "You have a very good understanding."
He shook his head. "You do this too. Most things in the world are either this or that. For example, whether it's a boy or a girl, anyone can guess 50% right, right?"
I nodded: "If you know a little about medicine and summarize more often, the probability will reach 70%."
Chang Nanxi said, "So, this theory of numerology and feng shui doesn't seem like a theory. It's more like an empirical study. It's a summary of experience, but it can't be applied in practice."
"Why, aren't we always right?"
Chang Nanxi shook his head. "So-called accuracy is a probability, not a science. Science can promote human progress. For example, aerodynamics can calculate how powerful an engine is needed for an airplane to take off. Experience cannot calculate that."
I clasped my fists and said, "Brother, listening to your words has really enlightened me."
Chang Nanxi asked: "Does God exist?"
I was stunned for a moment. I had never thought about such a profound question, so I shook my head.
Chang Nanxi said: "Nature is God."
I was still confused and didn't know how to answer him.
He stood up, stretched out his hand and pointed to the sky:
"The sun is so scorching, yet it warms us without being too hot or too cold. The moon is so far away, yet it shines on us without abandoning us."
Then, a hand made a circle from left to right:
"The mighty rivers flow, rising into water, spreading rain and dew to nourish us; the plants are silent, blooming in spring and bearing fruit in autumn, endlessly nourishing us.
The natural world is so interconnected and indispensable. It provides us with the environment and nutrition we need. If it is not God, what else can it be?
I stood up and bowed with both hands: "Sir, please accept my three bows."
Chang Nanxi shook her head. "Don't be so serious. Since we are discussing this, we should be equal. I am satisfied to have someone like you who is willing to listen to my twisted ideas."
"Respecting nature is respecting God. Yours is not a fallacy, but the truth."
Chang Nanxi said dejectedly: "Many people say I am crazy."
I consoled him, "Anyone who says you're mentally ill is in the advanced stages of the disease, and there's no cure."
Chang Nanxi laughed out loud. After he had finished laughing, he said, "Junior Brother Wan, you are so humorous. So humorous."
I really admired him, so I said, "I'm lucky to meet you, brother. Let's add WeChat. After I leave, I can always ask you for advice."
He happily added me on WeChat and said cheerfully, "I also like people like you. You constantly ask questions in class and you're a scholar."
The more we talked, the more interesting it became. When it was almost time for dinner, I invited him:
"Brother, I'd like you to go to a small restaurant outside and have some fried dishes and a drink."
He didn't refuse.
Three miles down the road from the hotel, there's an alley on the left that looks like a bustling place. We walked in, turned two corners, and found ourselves at the food court. It was packed with diners. We finally found a small restaurant, but the owner said the only space was in the attic.
The two of them went up to the attic and saw that it was a nice place. It was a little cramped, but it had a lot of romance. Sitting in the attic, with the curtains separating it from the outside, it became a world of its own.
I ordered three side dishes, a vegetable dish, and a soup. After three glasses of wine, the conversation became even more lively.
At this time, the cell phone rang.
It turned out to be He Qiaobo calling. He said:
"Shanhong, I'm planning to come to the city these days. I sent a text message to Master, but he didn't reply. My phone is also unreachable. It's turned off. What's going on?"
I also felt that it was not normal, so I paused and said:
"Mr. He, I came to Hangzhou to study. I can help you ask."
After calling Master's wife to find out, I called Mr. He and said, "Master is in retreat at Qinglong Temple. I couldn't get through to him either, so I only found out after asking Master's wife."
Mr. He said, "I'm holding a seminar and would like to invite him as a consultant."
I knew in my heart that Master must have known about this in advance and didn't want to participate in the so-called seminar, so he used it as an excuse to practice cultivation - because the so-called "retreat" means not seeing anyone or paying attention to anything. So I replied:
"In my opinion, a period of retreat and cultivation usually lasts for more than ten days, completely isolating oneself from the outside world."
Mr. He smiled on the other end: "Well... I appreciate your kindness. You can explain it to Master next time."
I suddenly felt that this was the prelude to a conspiracy: Mr. He was going to demolish the He family compound. A grand fake seminar was about to begin.
I hung up the phone and picked up the wine glass: "Brother, come, cheers——"
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