Having changed into the most formal clothes in his wardrobe, Qu Nanzhu opened the door to find an elderly man in a tailcoat standing outside, just about to knock.
Why do I keep finding people waiting at my door today?
He saw the elderly man quickly hide the surprise in his eyes and ask, "Are you Young Master Qu Nanzhu?"
The title "young master" stirred some unpleasant memories from Qu Nanzhu's past, but he quickly collected himself. "Yes. And you are?"
The man politely turned sideways and bowed slightly. "You may call me Butler Si. Young Master Huo sent me to pick you up."
Hearing the surname Huo, Qu Nanzhu knew who it was. Huo Sili had asked for his address last night; so it had been to make sending someone to pick him up today easier.
He was making quite an occasion of it.
That was what Qu Nanzhu thought, but when he got downstairs, he discovered that the man had come in person. His physical condition had simply kept him from going upstairs.
Huo Sili even made a point of explaining this. Qu Nanzhu, however, felt there had been no need for him to come personally at all. He had planned to take a taxi over himself.
In the car, the man sat tall and straight beside him, looking directly ahead. Whenever they talked, he would lean a little closer and turn his head to listen.
Several times, when their conversation reached something amusing, the man even chuckled along.
Judging only by the way this man spoke in the livestream, he never could have imagined he would be so easygoing in person. Most importantly-
With someone built like that sitting beside him, it was really hard to ignore him!
The rescue last time had been urgent. Even though he had already put his arms around him and carried him, his only impression at the time had been that he was heavy!
Very heavy!
All Qu Nanzhu could think was that this man was solid all the way through!
The luxury car crossed Lianjiang Bridge and entered private grounds. Qu Nanzhu watched as the buildings around them grew fewer and greenery began to dominate the view. They arrived at a villa that resembled a manor.
Opening the door and stepping out, Qu Nanzhu looked at the house before him in some surprise. Getting Huo Sili out of the car was more troublesome; he needed to be lifted.
A little while later, he maneuvered his wheelchair over to Qu Nanzhu's side. Seeing the changing expressions on his face pleased him.
Qu Nanzhu stammered, "This is your home?"
"One of my residences," Huo Sili said, watching Qu Nanzhu's expression.
Sure enough, the young man gave him a look full of mixed feelings.
Qu Nanzhu was reading his face.
For someone as richly blessed as Huo Sili, the Heavenly Dao would conceal some aspects of his physiognomy.
During their two encounters, Qu Nanzhu had only taken him for someone ordinarily destined for wealth and status. Now it seemed to go far beyond that.
Sure enough, with blessings and fortune gathered in one person, calling him the Heavenly Dao's own son would be no exaggeration.
Huo Sili did want Qu Nanzhu's attention, but not this sort of scrutinizing attention. He coughed awkwardly twice and pointed toward the villa's front door.
"Xiao Qu, shall we go inside first?"
Qu Nanzhu turned to look at his wheelchair. "Do you need my help?"
Just then, Butler Si stepped forward from behind them and took hold of the wheelchair's handles, smiling. "No need, Young Master Qu. I can do it."
They went inside through the hall. The interior was more spacious than Qu Nanzhu had imagined, but also emptier. The dining room was on the right, while the left seemed to be where guests were received. A large open space lay in the middle, with a chandelier covered in diamond ornaments overhead.
Several servants were moving about. Normally, at this hour, they would be resting in the small villa where the servants lived, but there was an honored guest in the main house today, so they had to stay to attend to him.
When they saw Huo Sili enter, they stopped and nodded in greeting.
"Sir."
Someone stole a glance at Qu Nanzhu, thinking that this must be today's honored guest.
They continued farther in and out through the villa's back door. This area had been specially designed to connect to a covered walkway, which branched ahead of them, with a small garden at one end and a lake at the other.
At the fork, Qu Nanzhu instinctively headed toward the rockery. Huo Sili called him back. "Xiao Qu, this way."
Qu Nanzhu stopped and turned to look at Huo Sili, then at the lake over there. "Can I go over there and take a look first?"
Naturally, Huo Sili did not refuse.
He turned his wheelchair around and followed beside Qu Nanzhu.
"Is there something over there that interests you?"
"A little. I sense something over there."
Huo Sili pondered for a moment. "When this place was being built, my parents invited a feng shui master to assess it. That master stressed that the lake here must not be disturbed, or it would ruin the feng shui."
Qu Nanzhu nodded in agreement. "He was right. That lake should be something like a formation core."
He had not seen it while walking through the villa, but now that they were outside, he discovered towering mountain ranges on either side, forming natural dragon veins.
He helped Huo Sili down from the covered walkway onto the lawn as he explained, "Have you heard of two dragons playing with a pearl? The mountain ranges on either side are the dragons, and this lake is the pearl. Naturally formed dragon veins are rare, and places where two dragons converge like this are rarer still. That makes this lake especially precious." The natural spiritual power it contained was beyond what even countless pieces of jade could match.
They came to a stop before the lake. It was circular, with a radius of around ten meters. From the shore, its surface looked calm and still.
Huo Sili told Qu Nanzhu a few more details. "The lake's shape formed naturally. My parents found it strange, which was why they invited the master. Looking back now, it was fortunate they did. Also, we measured its depth. Even after swimming fifty meters down at the very center, there was still no bottom in sight. For safety, we fenced the lake off, and children aren't normally allowed near it."
So even Huo Sili could not be sure exactly how deep it was. He was genuinely afraid Qu Nanzhu would suggest going down to take a look again; he really would not know how to stop him.
Fortunately, Qu Nanzhu had no intention of going down, because he knew it was impossible to swim to the bottom of this lake. The deeper one went, the narrower the space became. Farther down, probably not even a human finger could fit through.
But he did have a favor to ask.
Huo Sili could also see the hesitation in his silence and took the initiative to ask, "Is there something you find difficult to ask?"
Qu Nanzhu turned his head and saw the smile at the corners of his eyes.
The man seemed to have been smiling all day. He was already handsome and possessed an extraordinary bearing. When he was not smiling, he gave an impression of refined elegance; when he smiled, he had a different charm altogether.
Qu Nanzhu rested a hand on the wheelchair's push handle and said earnestly, "I have a very important friend. His living soul left his body, and an evil ghost tore at his soul body to devour it, leaving his soul unstable. I need a great deal of spiritual qi to restore his soul. If possible, could I place him in this lake to recuperate?"
Huo Sili had not expected such a simple request. He could not help chuckling twice and agreed without hesitation. "I thought you wanted to drain the lake. If that's all, of course you can. Is there anything you need me to do?"
His well-timed little joke amused Qu Nanzhu too, making him tease back, "Then if I really wanted to drain it, would you?"
"How could I dare disobey my lifesaver?" Huo Sili said.
"You wouldn't listen to the feng shui master anymore?"
"There's someone even more capable right here. I'll listen to the more capable person."
The old feng shui master promptly cried himself unconscious in the bathroom.