I consulted a feng shui master in Hong Kong.

Huo Yuncheng was very excited on the way back to the old dyehouse.

"Tonight, Manager Zhou is finished, and Mr. Feng is in jail. If Gu Chengyue just goes through the accounts at Yongchang Construction, he'll definitely find another string of problems." He glanced at Chen Qinghe, then added, "You should be able to breathe a sigh of relief now, right?"

Chen Qinghe sat in the back seat, his expression remaining calm.

"He only broke one hand."

Huo Qingtang, sitting in the front, didn't turn around upon hearing this, but simply replied, "The head is still in the back."

Huo Yuncheng was momentarily speechless after hearing that, then touched his nose and remained silent.

I felt like I had been insulted.

It was already very late when the car stopped in front of the old dyehouse.

When the gate was pushed open, the inside was still in the same half-demolished and half-reconstructed state as it had been during the day.

The front yard was piled with wood, bricks and lime, and the wet mud by the well in the back yard had not yet been cleaned. The ink line stretched from the doorway all the way to the main hall in front, and it was particularly clear under the lamp.

Huo Yuncheng went in first and looked up at the front yard.

"They've already arrested everyone, you're not really going to keep going, are you?"

Chen Qinghe bent down and picked up the ink line he had used during the day to mark the lines.

"The person has been arrested, but the temple hasn't been established yet."

Huo Yuncheng couldn't help but laugh.

"Fine. I give up."

Despite saying that, he didn't leave; instead, he stood aside and watched.

Huo Qingtang also stayed at the door without urging him.

She suddenly understood why Chen Qinghe had been able to get to where he was now, step by step.

Because while others were busy finishing up, he had already started on the next thing.

Chen Qinghe stood in the center of the front yard, walked a few steps forward along the ink line, and finally stopped at the main seat in the main hall.

The ground was still just an empty space.

But when he looked down there, it was as if a palace already existed in his eyes.

A moment later, he pressed the ink line down on the ground and snapped another line.

"Smack."

The sound wasn't loud, but it was particularly clear in the night.

Huo Yuncheng, who had initially been somewhat amused by the spectacle, gradually calmed down upon hearing this.

This is not about repairing a house.

This is establishing a reputation.

Looking at the ink line that had fallen back down, Huo Qingtang suddenly said, "After tonight, the He family will definitely repay you handsomely."

"Gu Chengyue will also spread the word," Huo Yun added. "The old building, the He family, and Yongchang—if these are all taken into account, people in Hong Kong will soon know that Sanxuan Temple is no longer a place for fortune telling on the street corner."

Chen Qinghe didn't respond to these words, but only glanced down at the main seat again before putting away the ink line.

"The beam will be raised tomorrow."

Huo Yuncheng was taken aback: "So fast?"

"Once the money arrives, you should hurry."

No sooner had he said this than Huang Shouzhou emerged from the side room.

He had clearly not slept at all, still clutching the account book in his arms. As soon as he saw people return, he first looked at the Huo siblings, then at Chen Qinghe, and asked in a low voice, "Is it done?"

Huo Yuncheng, looking smug, answered for Chen Qinghe first.

"It's done. Gu Chengyue has taken them all down: Manager Zhou, Mr. Feng, and that lame guy—none of them escaped."

Huang Shouzhou's eyes lit up as he listened, and he rushed forward with the account book in his arms.

"Really? Then what about the He family—"

"Things are settled with the He family," Chen Qinghe said. "They'll send the money over tomorrow. Go find Carpenter Deng first thing in the morning, and also call the people from the timber shop."

Huang Shouzhou was taken aback at first, then overjoyed.

These days, he's been clutching his account book, his biggest fear being that he won't have enough money. He's bought the old dye house, but building the front hall, clearing the well, and repairing the threshold all cost money.

Now that the He family has secured this deal, at least their last breath can be kept going.

"Okay, I'll go first thing tomorrow morning!"

After he finished speaking, as if suddenly remembering something, he lowered his voice and asked again, "What about the group of people behind them? They're not just going to let it go, are they?"

Chen Qinghe glanced at him.

"Of course not."

"But not tonight."

After saying this, he turned and walked into the inner room.

Watching his retreating figure, Huo Qingtang suddenly said, "Even if Gu Chengyue arrests someone, he might not be able to get them to talk right away."

Chen Qinghe didn't stop walking.

"It's okay if you can't pry it open."

"If these people go in tonight, even if the hand outside doesn't hurt, it'll have to pull back."

"When it shrinks, many paths will actually be exposed."

After listening, Huo Qingtang remained silent.

She understood what those words meant.

The Xuanlin Society's method of setting up schemes in the shadows is most vulnerable not to losing one or two people, but to having their plans disrupted.

Gu Chengyue's arrest tonight effectively severed their most convenient and readily available supply line. If replacements are needed, they'll have to find new hands, new methods, and new locations.

If you change it, you'll expose the flaw.

Although Huo Yuncheng didn't think as deeply as his sister, he still understood the gist of it.

He walked up to Chen Qinghe and suddenly smiled.

"I understand a little now."

"You're not just good at breaking the deadlock."

"You're forcing them to keep moving."

Chen Qinghe finally turned around and looked at him, his tone still flat.

"Only by moving can you make a mistake."

Huo Yuncheng clicked his tongue, completely convinced.

That night, the Huo siblings didn't stay long and left quickly.

Huang Shouzhou squatted under the lamp, clutching his account book, flipping through it until late into the night. The more he calculated, the more engrossed he became, even muttering to himself, "The front hall needs a new beam, the threshold needs to be replaced with a whole piece of wood, and the incense table needs to be rebuilt... We can't use the old one again this time..."

Chen Qinghe ignored him.

He went into the backyard alone, stood by the well, and looked at it for a long time.

A night breeze swept across the well; the water inside was shallow, but still alive. The soil, freshly turned over during the day, was still damp. The two dark, dilapidated bungalows slated for demolition lay pressed down against the wall, like the last vestiges of an old dyehouse.

Chen Qinghe lowered his head and took out the scale-patterned wooden plaque from his sleeve.

The wooden sign was thin, casting a faint, cold light in the night.

Tonight, Gu Chengyue arrested someone. He will investigate the He family, Yongchang, and Jiulou. The Huo family will spread the news. The He family will reward him handsomely. The money from Sanxuan Temple will also be replenished.

On the surface, everything seemed to be going smoothly.

But he knew very well that this was only what was out in the open.

The person truly hiding behind the scenes still hasn't revealed themselves tonight.

He gently flipped the wooden plaque in his palm and suddenly remembered a line from his uncle's old score.

"First cut off his hand, then find his head."

Now, one of my hands is broken.

Now, it's time to move the head.

The next day, just as dawn broke, people from the He family arrived.

It wasn't an ordinary manager who came; it was He Wenchang himself who brought gifts.

Two camphor wood chests, one large and one small, the smaller one containing three gold pieces, and the larger one containing the deposit for timber and labor costs. In addition, there were two pieces of fine old fir wood, which were said to have been originally intended for the He family to repair their shops, but were now being used to build the front beam of the Sanxuan Temple.

When Huang Shouzhou saw the two old cedar trees, his eyes widened in amazement.

"This...this is a really good thing."

He Wenchang stood in the courtyard with his hands clasped in front of him, looking much more relaxed than he had a few days ago.

"Master Chen, you practically pulled the He family's life back from the well in the backyard and the wooden sign in the east warehouse. This little thing is just a thank you gift, not a repayment."

Chen Qinghe glanced at the two pieces of wood and did not refuse.

"That's enough."

He Wenchang lowered his voice again and said, "Detective Gu sent someone this morning to say that Manager Zhou, who was arrested last night, has started talking. There are still people behind Yongchang Construction, but they didn't give out all the names. They only mentioned that Pingma Warehouse, Jinfulou, and a secondhand shop in Xihuan are all on the same track."

Huang Shouzhou was still basking in the joy of the money and timber, but upon hearing this, his expression immediately changed.

"This isn't over yet."

Chen Qinghe's expression remained unchanged.

He had expected this.

The kind of person Manager Zhou can only ever speak about what he can actually achieve.

He may not really know anything beyond that, and even if he did, he might not dare to say it.

But that's enough.

Because the road has already been revealed.

After He Wenchang left, Deng the carpenter arrived with his men.

There were two more workers today than yesterday.

Clearly, the incident at the He family last night had become public knowledge, and people on the street had heard about it. When Deng the carpenter entered, he noticed that Chen Qinghe's expression was more cautious than yesterday, and he even lowered his voice.

"Master Chen, I've heard a bit about what's going on with the He family." He coughed. "The front beam can be installed today. When would you like to start?"

Chen Qinghe stood in the main seat of the front yard and looked up at the sky.

The sun had just passed over the rooftops; the light was gentle, and the wind was just right.

"Now."

As soon as he finished speaking, the old dye shop immediately sprang into action.

The workers were carrying timber, moving ladders, and mixing mortar.

Huang Shouzhou ran back with the account book in his arms, shouting louder than anyone else. He was covered in sweat, but his face was full of excitement.

Chen Qinghe stood in the center of the front yard, not doing anything himself, but just watching the front beam being lifted little by little.