"The person I'm looking for?"
Old Liu repeated Mr. Zhao's words and quickly realized that this young man before him might be that person.
Old Liu, with a gaze mixed with doubt and a hint of certainty, asked Mr. Zhao, "Could this be the Peace Amulet..."
He didn't finish his sentence. The owner of Wenxin Hall, Mr. Zhao, nodded at Old Liu.
This made Old Liu incredibly excited. He almost wanted to grab Meng Huai's hand. But that would be inappropriate. However, his tone and expression clearly betrayed his feelings.
"Boss Meng... is that you?"
As Old Liu spoke, Meng Huai nodded and told him, "Just call me Meng Huai."
"Boss Meng, I've long admired you. Your Peace Amulets have been a great help to me! Do you have time today? I have some matters I'd like to consult you about."
Meng Huai didn't think much of it, but the classmates who accompanied him were quite puzzled.
"Peace Amulets?"
These individuals were also adept at using talismans. Hearing the name, they knew it was related to talismans, but they were genuinely unfamiliar with the Peace Amulet.
"Peace Amulet? A new type of talisman? What does it do?"
Someone curiously asked Meng Huai. Answering this question was Mr. Zhao's forte; he was the foremost promoter of the Peace Amulet.
"This Peace Amulet is quite extraordinary. Back then, I..."
Mr. Zhao began recounting to the students how the Peace Amulet had saved his life. Unlike his usual customers who often disbelieved his stories, these students were utterly convinced by his account.
Of course, Mr. Zhao knew that these students weren't believing him, but rather the quality of Meng Huai's creations.
At this point, Old Liu also introduced himself to Meng Huai. "Yes, when Old Zhao first pitched it to me, I truly didn't believe it. It was only out of consideration for our neighborly relationship that I reluctantly bought one. Little did I know it would save my life."
Wang Ziming curiously asked Old Liu, "What happened?"
Old Liu, seeing all the young people looking at him, began to recount his experience.
"The first time, the flying vehicle malfunctioned. It almost plummeted from the sky. You know, the chances of something like that happening are extremely slim."
As Old Liu spoke, Li Wei clearly seized upon a key phrase: "The first time?"
Could there have been a second time?
Indeed, there was. Old Liu nodded resolutely and continued, "Yes, that was just the beginning."
Old Liu proceeded to tell everyone about all the events that had befallen him. "After the flying vehicle malfunctioned, Mr. Zhao found me and said the Peace Amulet saved my life. I still didn't believe it! But the Peace Amulet had indeed turned to ash, so I decided to believe in it just in case and bought ten more. Then, one accident after another occurred, and each time, the Peace Amulet saved me."
Old Liu still felt a lingering fear as he spoke, but others listening couldn't help but speculate. Wang Ziming even joked, "Boss Liu, your words almost sound like Mr. Zhao deliberately caused some accidents to sell you Peace Amulets!"
Hearing the student's jest, Mr. Zhao of Wenxin Hall quickly interjected, "Not at all! Firstly, I would never do something like that. And secondly, I'm not capable of causing such accidents! I just sell Peace Amulets; it's not like I'd go that far..."
Seeing Mr. Zhao's earnest explanation, Wang Ziming quickly said, "I was just joking, Mr. Zhao, please don't take it to heart."
"Not at all, not at all," Mr. Zhao replied, waving his hands.
Meanwhile, Old Liu was also putting in a good word for Mr. Zhao. "It was Mr. Zhao who told me about Boss Meng and suggested I see if you could resolve this issue. But he mentioned you weren't at the academy recently, and I've been anxiously awaiting your return! I never expected you to come house-hunting today; our connection is truly extraordinary!"
Meng Huai explained, "I haven't been around lately, I just returned."
Meng Huai pondered for a moment, then said, "I can take a look for you and help resolve this matter."
Hearing Meng Huai's words, Old Liu became extremely animated. Enduring constant danger day after day, even with the Peace Amulets, his heart was always clenched, which was truly uncomfortable.
However, Meng Huai added another sentence, making Old Liu's heart clench again. Meng Huai asked his classmates, "Shall we first help this boss examine what's going on and resolve it?"
Wang Ziming and the others had no objections. They were already accompanying Meng Huai on this house tour today. If there was something to be done, they might as well join the fun.
"Alright."
Meng Huai nodded. "Boss Liu, would it be convenient for us to visit your home?"
Old Liu didn't ask any questions and quickly replied, "Yes, yes, of course."
But Wang Ziming and the others inquired, "Do we still need to go to the house? Can't we just do a divination or something?"
As Wang Ziming asked this question, he mimed shaking coins with his hand, which was quite amusing.
Meng Huai was amused by his gesture and explained, "Haha, for matters like these, divination can only provide a general idea. If external factors are involved, it might not be calculable. It's best to see the actual site. And for situations like Boss Liu's, where dangers occur frequently, the home is the most likely place for the problem."
Wang Ziming and the others listened to Meng Huai's explanation, nodding along. Old Liu, on the side, was also listening intently to Meng Huai's words, wondering if there truly was something wrong with his house.
However, he couldn't think of anything.
Soon, the group arrived at Old Liu's home. In this era, owning a detached house with its own courtyard in the Imperial Capital Star required not only significant wealth but also substantial connections. Otherwise, even with money, one couldn't acquire such a place.
The population was growing, and lifespans were increasing. Despite continuous development, resources remained limited. But these details were unimportant as the group followed Old Liu's steps into his residence.
Opening the door and seeing the scene in the courtyard, the students began to converse.
"You wouldn't think it by looking at him, but Old Liu has quite the taste."
"Yes, this rock garden and landscape must have cost a considerable sum."
"Tsk, people who can afford to live here wouldn't care about a little bit of money!"
Old Liu didn't get angry at the young people's comments. He had been paying close attention to Meng Huai's expression and noticed that as he opened the grand entrance, unlike the shocked expressions of others, Meng Huai seemed to frown slightly.
Old Liu, feeling uneasy, asked, "Is there a problem?"
Meng Huai looked at Old Liu's cautious demeanor and said with a smile, "Boss Liu, please relax, don't be nervous."
Upon hearing Meng Huai's words, Old Liu took a deep breath to compose himself. However, before he could fully calm down, he heard Meng Huai say, "There is indeed some issue with this rock garden..."
Old Liu thought to himself: What? He just told me to relax and not be nervous, and now he's telling me there's a problem! How can I not be nervous!