Zhu Fanfan moved a stone next to the garden, and the once lush garden immediately turned into withered, yellowed grass roots. Just as expected.
Tan Fuya, who was standing next to her, exclaimed in surprise, "Old Fu—Old Fu—"
Fu Minghao was inside looking for areas for improvement when he heard his wife's words and rushed out. He saw that the garden, which had just been vying for attention with its vibrant colors, had turned into withered branches. He asked in surprise, "What happened?"
Zhu Fanfan asked, "Grandpa, who was cleaning here before?"
The fact that people were able to move into this courtyard so quickly means it wasn't rented out. The fact that it's clean and tidy overall suggests that it's regularly cleaned, so it must have been cleaned by someone else.
Fu Minghao's face darkened: "He was a former servant of the Fu family, Uncle Fu, what's going on?"
An old man who watched him grow up resigned after liberation to live with his son. Since there were many people in the family, he was asked to take care of the small courtyard and clean it regularly. He was paid a considerable amount of money, which was also to help support his family. After he passed away, his son continued to clean it. He was a trustworthy person.
Zhu Fanfan explained, "This is a formation called Reversal, which is the exchange of fortune between the person who sets up the formation and the host family. However, this formation is incomplete, so it is not very effective. But it is covered by a deceptive illusion formation. These flowers look like a cluster of blooms, but once they are picked, they reveal their true form. You don't come here often, so you haven't noticed it."
Fu Minghao's face darkened: "What conditions are required for this reversal formation?"
Zhu Fanfan said, "It requires the master's birth date, hair and nails, and three drops of blood. The person who sets up the formation needs to have a karmic connection with the master and a verbal agreement, otherwise it will have no effect. Judging from the fluctuations inside this formation, Grandma made a promise to someone. However, the person who set up the formation is a bit shallow, so the effect is greatly reduced. Grandma, who did you promise what to?"
Tan Fuya thought for a long time but couldn't think of anyone: "Although I'm a bit slow, I still know the value of keeping my word, so I won't make promises lightly. I can't think of anyone."
Her parents warned her not to make promises she couldn't keep, because if she couldn't keep them, she would break her word and her character would be flawed. People with flawed character often have a miserable old age, especially since she wasn't very smart, so she should be careful what she said.
Fu Minghao asked again, "Is it possible to find out who it is?"
Someone was plotting against him right under his nose, which was undoubtedly a slap in the face. He had always thought he was on guard, but he didn't expect that someone would still take advantage of him. He was not sure if Uncle Fu had been bribed.
Zhu Fanfan shook her head: "My skills are not good enough to calculate it, but I'm willing to give it a try."
Tan Fuya asked curiously, "How do we try it?"
Fu Minghao wanted to facepalm. His good wife, this was about her own destiny, how come she wasn't nervous at all, and even had the mood to be curious.
Zhu Fanfan was equally speechless, but what could she do? This was her maternal grandmother! Her maternal grandfather had spoiled her his whole life, and he was largely responsible for her naivety.
Fu Minghao said, "Each faction has its own unique techniques. We just need to wait for the results."
Many of the traditions are secrets and cannot be known to outsiders. He is very grateful that Fanfan is willing to help. Nowadays, these things passed down from our ancestors are regarded as the scourge of feudal society and are all dross. Even those who know them dare not say that they know them, for fear of being criticized and denounced.
Zhu Fanfan was unaware of that: "Grandpa Ji from our compound taught me the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams, and I also learned some divination from Grandpa Dan, so I know a little bit, but I'm not an expert."
She mainly studied medicine and alchemy, which were her proudest achievements. She learned everything else as a pastime, such as playing musical instruments, chess, calligraphy, painting, divination, array formations, and mechanical manufacturing. She would learn some knowledge from the grandfathers in the compound when she got tired of studying, treating it purely as a hobby, so she only learned the basics.
There are so many talented people in the compound who are willing to teach the children, but most of the children are not willing to learn. She is popular because she is willing to listen to their past achievements and can concentrate on learning.
Fu Minghao asked, "What do we need to prepare?"
Zhu Fanfan looked at the scenery before her: "I need an absolutely quiet environment, Grandpa. Lock the door and don't let anyone in to disturb me. Before breaking the formation, Grandma, who can get those things I mentioned?"
Tan Fuya said, "We usually don't tell our birth date and time to outsiders. Only family members know it. But I don't keep in touch with my family much these days. Even if my friends know my birth date and time, they don't know the exact time. Birth date and time is considered a private matter in our family, and we don't easily tell others."
Sometimes, people were afraid of being taken advantage of. After all, there were many capable people in Shanghai at that time, and it was also quite chaotic. They were afraid that someone would use their birth date and time to do something. So, some people would lie about their birth date and time to keep others guessing.
"As for fingernails and hair, they were easy to collect in the past. There were people to take care of combing hair and cutting nails. But they would be destroyed after collection, as this was a woman's private matter. Blood is a bit more difficult to collect. We noble ladies are usually very careful, and the servants dare not be careless. They serve us very diligently so that we won't get hurt."
Zhu Fanfan asked, "Do you have anyone in mind who can get these things?"
Tan Fuya went through everyone in her mind: "Still no."
Zhu Fanfan knew that there were no bad people in her grandmother's eyes, so she stopped asking and started preparing things: "I have a few useful things in my luggage. I'll go get them. We'll start the divination on this formation to check who Grandma promised to."
Tan Fuya wanted to ask more, but Fu Minghao stopped her: "We'll just wait for Fanfan to get ready."
Fanfan can say whatever she wants, but she can't say what she doesn't want to say. Sometimes, the best approach is not to ask too many questions that shouldn't be asked.
Tan Fuya sighed, "I never expected Fanfan to know how to do divination and set up formations. Will Fanfan become a charlatan in the future?"
Fu Minghao: ...You're overthinking it. Fanfan is a third-generation Red, and feudal superstition is the worst thing for him.
In a short while, Zhu Fanfan came downstairs and spread a white sheet around the garden, placing a nail in each of the four corners. Tan Fuya asked, "What are you nailing?"
While still setting things up, Fanfan took a moment to reply: "I'm going to meditate in a bit, and I didn't like the floor being dirty, so I laid out a white cloth in case the wind blows the sheets away. I'll secure the four corners."
Fu Minghao and his wife: ...They thought there was some deeper meaning behind it.
Zhu Fanfan began placing some strange and unusual things around the area, such as a strange-looking animal, a piece of wood missing a bite, and several irregular pieces of jade. At least Fu Minghao had met many metaphysical masters, but he had never seen such a way to break the formation.
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