Under One Person: Feng Shui Master, I Will Protect the Mountains and Rivers with My Own Body

"What did you, Third Brother, and Uncle Xu decide last night? Did you discuss this with Uncle Gao?"

Yan Sen leaned back lazily on the sofa, twirling the empty tofu bowl in his hand, his eyes glancing at Xu Si, who was sitting on the other side of Feng Baobao, burying his head in his food and turning his grief into appetite.

Xu Si's mouth was stuffed full, and he ate with such resentment that he almost choked. He swallowed the food with difficulty, let out a loud burp without any regard for his image, and then slowly opened his mouth.

"It's all arranged, we already discussed it. Don't you trust my dad to handle things? He may be old, but he's still sharp-minded. He already spoke with Grandma Guan Shihua, one of the 'Ten Elders,' a long time ago." Xu Si wiped his mouth with a tissue, looking helpless. "A couple of days ago, we went to the Northeast, and because we were in a rush to catch the Japanese, we didn't have time to pay our respects. She wasn't too happy about it and specifically called my dad to ask why we were called back without even a sip of hot water after our children accomplished such a big task. Does she look down on this old woman?"

Xu Si shrugged: "So the first thing we need to do on this trip is to pay her a visit and make up for the lack of proper etiquette."

"As for what happens next..." Xu Si took out his cigarette case and skillfully knocked out a cigarette. "Xu San originally wanted to come along, but my old man stopped him. The house can't be left unattended. So this time it's just the three of us going. After visiting Guan Shihua, Deng Youfu and his brother Deng Youcai, the two henchmen of that old man Liu, will lead us to Changbai Mountain to find that supposedly great immortal from the Python family. That's roughly the plan."

After listening, Yan Sen nodded thoughtfully. Guan Shihua was a leading figure in the Ma family of Northeast China, one of the Ten Elders. He certainly had to give her face. There was no reason for someone to think that just because they flattered you, you should take it for granted.

Moreover, having a local guide to lead the way will save a lot of trouble in finding that mysterious "civil official" immortal.

"When are we leaving? Are you in a hurry?" Yan Sen put the bowl on the coffee table, his playful mood suddenly aroused. He deliberately acted lazy to tease Xu Si. "When we get to Tianjin, I haven't had a chance to explore properly yet. I've already decided to go to Beijing first. I heard that Deyun Society is quite popular lately, and I plan to go see a crosstalk performance..."

"No, no, I'll call you 'brother,' okay?" Upon hearing this, Xu Si immediately shook his head like a rattle-drum, looking miserable. "Come back, come back! I'll take time off to come back and accompany you. We can go wherever we want, and all expenses will be paid by Young Master Xu! My dear brother, please have some understanding for us working folks. I can squeeze in some time, but not for my baby. She has a lot of fieldwork backlog. Being an official doesn't give you freedom."

Xu Si gets a headache whenever this is mentioned.

To outsiders, he was the son of a high-ranking regional head, but in reality, he worked under his father, Xu Xiang, and was treated like a donkey.

His father was a notorious workaholic, the kind of person who would squeeze every last drop of energy out of even the smallest thing. The fact that he was allowed to take the baby on another trip to Northeast China was already a "publicly funded trip" that Xu Si had fought tooth and nail for.

It's much better than making him sit in the office writing those long and tedious task reports, right?

If that's the case, it would be better to just stab him and be done with it.

"You're coming with me? Forget it." Yan Sen waved his hand dismissively. "If you're going to come with me, I'd rather go on a field trip with Sister Bao. At least Sister Bao is a girl, and she's not as cunning as you. Stop dawdling, hurry up and book the tickets, let's go."

"Wow, this trip to the Northeast was definitely worthwhile, my accent has even gotten a bit off." Xu Si joked, then took out his phone to call and book tickets.

This time when I go to Northeast China, I don't have to hide like a thief like before.

After all, Minamoto no Yoshitsune and his gang of Japanese devils had been wiped out, and the traitor Li Qingshui had been arrested, so things were very peaceful there now. Xu Si booked three direct flights to Yanji directly, all in one go, since it would all be reimbursed with public funds, and he would just have to sign off on it later.

"Alright, tickets booked, 2 PM flight." Xu Si put away his phone, stood up, patted his butt, and said, "Shall we go? Since we still have some time, let's go to the airport to grab a bite... uh, I mean, let's go to the waiting area to rest."

The three of them packed a few things quickly. Actually, there wasn't much to pack. Yan Sen hadn't brought much luggage, and Feng Baobao had nothing but a bunch of snacks.

The group reached the door, and Xu Si and Feng Baobao went out first. Yan Sen, who was walking at the back and preparing to lock the door, had just taken out his key when he suddenly caught a glimpse of something amiss.

In the open kitchen, the door of their large double-door refrigerator was slightly ajar, revealing a gap about two fingers wide. The refrigerator light inside could be faintly seen burning dimly.

Yan Sen stopped in his tracks. He remembered clearly that when he went to get the bowls that morning, the refrigerator door was tightly closed.

"Sister Baobao." Yan Sen narrowed his eyes slightly, without turning around, and simply called out to Feng Baobao, who had already reached the courtyard gate.

The figure walking ahead, wearing baggy overalls, trembled very slightly.

"..."

No one answered.

"Baby Sister?" Yan Sen raised his voice and called out again.

Feng Baobao stopped in her tracks. She didn't turn around; her back was to Yan Sen, but her shoulders were twitching very slightly, as if she were... chewing?

"Hmm...what's wrong?"

Feng Baobao replied vaguely, her voice muffled, as if her mouth was stuffed with something.

Yan Sen looked at that retreating figure, feeling both annoyed and amused. He took a few steps forward and walked around to stand in front of Feng Baobao.

The girl's mouth was tightly closed, but her cheeks were bulging, and a bright purplish-red liquid was flowing down the corner of her mouth, the color standing out starkly against her fair skin.

"Did you see the dragon fruit in my refrigerator?" Yan Sen pointed into the room and asked with a half-smile.

He found it both funny and a little sad. Dragon fruit wasn't anything special; was it really necessary to steal it?

Yan Sen then glared at Xu Si, who was covering his mouth and chuckling to himself. How dare he laugh? This thing isn't anything valuable. Couldn't you buy her something? Is your Xu family really that stingy?

"Hmm...I didn't see it...Oops..."

Feng Baobao's eyes darted around, avoiding eye contact with Yan Sen. While vaguely denying the allegations, she quickened her chewing, her throat moving rapidly, clearly trying to destroy the "evidence" before it was discovered.

"Then what's this in your hand?" Yan Sen pointed to the purple object in her hand that had been gnawed down to just a thin layer of skin and looked utterly wretched, and deliberately raised his voice to ask.

The perpetrator was caught red-handed!

Feng Baobao was caught red-handed, but she did not show the slightest panic.

With astonishing speed, she opened her mouth and swallowed the last bit of fruit in one gulp. Then, with a flick of her wrist, the piece of peel traced a graceful parabola through the air and landed precisely in the trash can across the street.

"Clatter".

Evidence destruction complete.

Feng Baobao turned around, her face still covered in red juice that she hadn't had time to wipe off, and stared at Yan Sen with her clear, innocent eyes.

"I don't know."

"I picked that up."

Her tone was self-righteous, as if it were the truth.

Yan Sen: "..."

In that instant, Yan Sen felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck the top of his head. Silence, a deafening silence.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found himself speechless.

Picked it up?

Did you find it in my refrigerator?

Isn't your scavenging area a bit too wide? You're even scavenging in people's homes?

Yan Sen took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the overwhelming urge to complain. He looked at Feng Baobao's messy face, sighed helplessly, took out a pack of tissues from his pocket, pulled one out, and handed it to her.

"Stop sneaking around, you've turned into a vampire." Yan Sen's tone was complicated. "From now on, at my house, whatever's in the fridge, just take it if you want to eat it. Stop sneaking around. No need to 'pick up' it, understand?"

Feng Baobao took the tissue, wiped her face haphazardly a couple of times, and then nodded, still looking very serious.

"I didn't steal it," she emphasized. "Fourth Brother said that as long as no one sees you take it, it's considered finding it, not stealing. Since it was found, then it's mine!"

Upon hearing this, Yan Sen abruptly turned his head and stared intently at Xu Si, who was standing to the side, covering his mouth and trying to suppress his laughter, his face turning red and his neck thick.

That look in his eyes was like looking at a scumbag, a degenerate, a parasite on society.

"Xu Laosi..." Yan Sen gritted his teeth, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth, "What the hell did you teach her?!"