Wu Tao Wen Guan

Chapter 273 Acknowledging Defeat but Not Yielding

Song Tian and Yuan Fei observed the mountains and wind, and differentiated the color and humidity of the soil.

Before they could come to any conclusion, a joyous shout suddenly came from the other side.

"Water's up!"

"Water's up!"

The landowner, watching the muddy water gush out around the drill pipe, shouted with delight, like a happy child.

The well-drilling master came down from the vehicle, took off his hat, and said in confusion, "Hey, that's strange. I just started and water came up?"

He scratched his head and looked at the drill pipe, which was less than halfway down. "It's not even two meters deep!"

Gurgle gurgle...

The mud and water erupting from underground surged with force, beginning to spread outwards.

Lin Fan smiled. As expected, his judgment was correct.

Of the wheat in the field, only here did it grow exceptionally lush, a full stubble taller than elsewhere.

Furthermore, looking with his Purple Extreme Spiritual Eyes, a faint mist of water permeated the surface, clearly indicating an excellent water eye.

Yuan Fei, who was squatting on the ground, probing the earth's energy with his Dragon Seeking Ruler, heard the shouts from this side and hurriedly stood up, looking over.

The drilling machine had stopped rotating, and a dark patch was slowly spreading on the ground.

"How is this possible?"

Yuan Fei's mind buzzed, as if struck by lightning on the crown of his head. He couldn't stand steady.

"Disciple, stay calm. Don't panic yet."

Song Tian's expression was also very grim.

"Master, I've lost, haven't I?"

Yuan Fei's face was a picture of misery, worse than crying.

How long had the drilling machine been running before water appeared?

Where could he find a water vein closer to the surface than this?

Song Tian comforted him, "There's always a way out. Let's keep searching."

"Mm."

Yuan Fei felt slightly relieved.

He lowered his head and inserted the Dragon Seeking Ruler into the ground. However, his previously practiced movements were now crooked and uneven.

He was even disoriented.

He had forgotten which places he had already probed.

"Alas~"

Song Tian sighed deeply, utterly bewildered.

What exactly was going on?

Song Tian never believed in people who were born with innate knowledge.

The only possibility was that Lin Fan had cheated!

...

On the other side, after his initial joy, the landowner turned and asked, "Master, should we drill deeper?"

He rubbed his hands, hesitant.

Drilling wells was charged by the meter. Now that water had appeared at just one meter, he feared the other party wouldn't even cover their fuel costs.

"Let's drill a bit deeper, shall we? I'm afraid the well will be too shallow and won't hold water."

The well-drilling master suggested tentatively.

"Ah, alright, let's go deeper."

The landowner nodded.

What the other party said made sense, and there was no reason to make someone do business at a loss.

"Alright!"

The well-drilling master returned to the vehicle, and the roar of the drilling machine sounded again.

Zhong Chen sidled up to Lin Fan and asked in a low voice, "Master Lin, how did you know there was a water vein underground?"

"I used my eyes."

Lin Fan pointed to his eyes.

Zhong Chen was stunned. "As expected, you possess extraordinary skills!"

An Hai stood behind Zhong Chen and said to Lin Fan with confidence, "While I don't know how you did it, with your skill, your chances of winning are quite high. No matter how powerful Li Yusheng of the Li Qi Sect is, he probably doesn't have such marvelous abilities."

Soon, the muddy water around the drill pipe became even more turbulent.

Even from two meters away, everyone was forced to retreat by the spreading mud and water.

Long Yun glanced at Master Song and his disciple, who were still busy. "I don't know what they're stubbornly trying to prove. They lost, so they lost. Isn't it shameful to be like this now?"

Not long after.

Song Tian and Yuan Fei conferred for a while, then put away their Dragon Seeking Rulers.

As they walked over, the drilling machine was being lifted.

The moment the drill rig was completely lifted, clear underground water burst out with a "whoosh."

"Good heavens, did we hit a spring?"

The well-drilling master was incredibly surprised.

He had felt something was off all along; the drill pipe was barely encountering resistance, so he quickly lifted it.

"There's water! What wonderful water!"

The landowner was overjoyed. Looking at the water flowing into his fields, he envisioned his granaries overflowing with golden grain.

Yuan Fei's face was grim.

He knew that the water vein he had found was definitely not this abundant, but under everyone's gaze, he couldn't bring himself to admit defeat.

Moreover, if he lost this, how could he represent the Xing Shi Sect in the competition?

The more Yuan Fei thought about it, the uglier his face became, resembling Zhou Yu, who died of anger inflicted by Zhuge Liang.

Zhong Chen had been waiting for them to concede, but unexpectedly, they said nothing. He had to ask, "Master Song, have you found a water vein?"

Song Tian cupped his hands. "Although this competition was entirely unfair, a loss is a loss. It was my lack of foresight; it has nothing to do with my disciple Yuan Fei."

After speaking, Song Tian turned to leave.

"Master..."

Yuan Fei followed him dejectedly. "Master, it's my incompetence that has caused you to lose face."

"Hmph, lose face? If anyone is to lose face, it's me!"

Song Tian said angrily, "I never expected that after a lifetime of hunting geese, I would be blinded by a sparrow this time!"

"Master, what do you mean by that?"

Yuan Fei asked with a frown.

Song Tian's face was filled with resentment. "Lin Fan repeatedly claimed he didn't understand feng shui. How could he not understand? He was merely playing the fool to catch the tiger!"

"I ask you, what place is this?"

"This... it's called Wangjia Village, I think."

After saying this, Yuan Fei seemed to understand his master's meaning.

Song Tian gritted his teeth and said coldly, "Lin Fan is a native of this place. If he has always understood feng shui, and has for many years, then he must be intimately familiar with every blade of grass, every tree, every mountain, and every stream in these ten li."

"Yuan Fei, you're new here, but he's grown up here. How could you possibly compete?"

Yuan Fei suddenly understood.

So he had been careless and fallen into Lin Fan's trap!

No wonder Lin Fan could accurately pinpoint the water vein in such a short time. It was because Lin Fan already knew!

He recalled his own feng shui practice: hadn't he also run around his residence, looking east and west, and surveying the surrounding ten li?

Thinking of this, Yuan Fei gnashed his teeth in anger.

"Master, Lin Fan is so cunning and devious. He has no real skill. We absolutely cannot let him represent us in the competition! Otherwise, the Xing Shi Sect will surely lose all face!"

"Alas, Zhong Chen and An Hai are two old fools who were easily deceived. No, if anyone is to blame, it's Long Yun. If he hadn't colluded with the enemy from the inside, Lin Fan wouldn't have been able to fool the two chairmen so easily."

Yuan Fei nodded and then asked, "Master, what should we do now?"

"In my opinion, let's play along with the plan."

A sinister glint flashed in Song Tian's eyes. "That old fool Zhong Chen always says you're young and talented and need more refinement and experience. What a joke! Raw jade needs polishing, but true gold fears no fire!"

"Yuan Fei, let's both go to the competition venue. As soon as Lin Fan reveals any flaws, you immediately challenge Li Yusheng. He's young and impetuous, and he certainly won't refuse your challenge. At that moment, you will become the great savior of the entire northern feng shui world!"

Song Tian spoke with an exaggerated expression.

"Yes, Master. Your disciple will surely not let you down!"

Yuan Fei's fighting spirit ignited.

He could already envision Lin Fan being utterly defeated in the competition, making a fool of himself like a stray dog.

Then, at the critical moment, he would turn the tide and become renowned throughout the land!