Mystery One, Toyotomi's Secret Order

important donors.But unexpectedly the old cowboy's reaction was direct and candid.

"Denton? Boy, what are you doing there?"

"Oh! I taught history for a year at the University of North Texas (UNT, University of North Texas, founded in 1890)."

"I see. The old man Redman should have introduced you earlier. Heh! Heh!"

Austin walked towards the sofa with a hearty laugh, and gestured for Zhang Wei to sit down, but he slid into the large sofa first.

"Mr. Zhang Wei, I think Redman should have told you the reason for inviting you here."

"Yes, Mr. Austin. The curator made a brief mention about your collection: maps and compasses."

"My collection? Did he tell you that?" Austin stroked his beard and narrowed his eyes, "That's not my collection... Hehe. I've never been to Asia, those places are...too much for me." It’s far away. I don’t know anything about the East. Of course, I’m not interested in collecting cultural relics from the East. It should be... my family’s collection.”

"Family favorite?"

Hearing a few words collected by the family, Zhang Wei's heart fell alive.After all, families always have more history and stories than individuals.With his back on the sofa, the old cowboy lighted his cigar, took a deep breath, and puffed away the smoke leisurely, not caring about the guest's reaction at all.After a while, he seemed to be satisfied before speaking again.

"Yes! It's my family's collection. My family... is quite famous in Texas. Mr. Zhang Wei, since you are a historian, you should be able to find out some clues from my surname, right?"

While puffing out the smoke, the old man raised the straightforward pride of being a Texan.Not offensive, but not too comfortable either.Thinking of Redman's repeated warnings, Zhang Wei had no choice but to hold back his temper and began to face the old cowboy's first test question.

Austin is not an uncommon surname in America.There are too many celebrities in American history to list, and it takes some effort to think of this old cowboy as a possible candidate related to Texas.Zhang Wei knew that this was probably an entrance exam.Coming from afar, Zhang Wei didn't want to be struck out like a rookie in major league baseball in the first round.Zhang Wei closed his eyes and thought for a while, and then... came up with an answer.

"Austin? Austin?... Stephen Austin, are you a descendant of Stephen Austin?"

[Note: Stephen Fuller Austin (Stephen Fuller Austin, 1793-1836) is known as the father of Texas. 】

The old cowboy stroked his raised chin and smiled triumphantly, apparently satisfied with the answer of the testee——Zhang Wei.

"It seems that your historical knowledge is qualified. No wonder Redman assured me that... if you can't figure it out, he can't do anything. You are the last... candidate..."

There was a glint of admiration in the old cowboy's daylight.And Zhang Wei passed the first test.

"Perhaps, it should be said that the reputation of your family ancestors...is too prominent; history is difficult...to ignore! As for me, a Yankee who has just arrived, at least...in this land of Texas, this basic knowledge should be necessary."

Zhang Wei boasted a bit of sophistication and slyness, which made the old cowboy laugh out loud.

"Young man, besides being a historian, it seems that you are also a "socialist"...Call me Jason/Jason!"

The old man glanced at Zhang Wei, and the corners of his frowning eyes were full of joy that he hadn't seen for a long time.In the eyes of Zhang Wei who was sitting opposite, he thought to himself, it seems that the difficult old cowboy that Raideman said was not as difficult to get along with as he imagined.

"You can call me Champ! That's what my friends call me, if you don't mind, Jason."

"Champion (Champ)! Ha! Redman invited me this time...Mr. Champion, things should be fine...It must be done!"

"I hope so... I hope so." Zhang Yingying felt a little guilty, thinking about what problems the old cowboy would have next.

"Son, you're much more humble than those Yankees before."

[Note: Yankees means that the southerners of the United States despise the northerners. 】

Austin looked at Zhang Wei with a smile, took a deep breath of the cigar, and then calmly let it out.The spicy and pungent cigar smell, accompanied by the tone of the cowboy, is like a group of American bison/buffalo running around in the room, choking the visitor - Zhang Wei almost couldn't resist.

"These guys thought I was a cowboy from a declining family. They deliberately found some antiques as an excuse to exchange some banknotes. They always thought that we Texans were uneducated and inferior to their urbanites. Hmph! It's really... ridiculous."

Then the old cowboy cursed a series of Fxxx words.

Immediately, Zhang Wei probably understood what was going on, and the huge stone in his heart was immediately unloaded.It must be that the previous experts made a mistake and stabbed the old cowboy's self-esteem intentionally or unintentionally.Although he didn't stay in Texas for a long time, Zhang Wei understands the self-esteem and pride of Texas people, which is no less than those in the Northeast's self-proclaimed cultural metropolis.

"Champ, since you know the origin of my family, surely you can also tell me the story of the "compass"?"

"Jason, I'm starting to...feel like I'm taking a middle school history test."

Zhang Wei put on a helpless look, which caused the old cowboy to laugh again.

"That's right. This is an entrance exam. Before appraising my family's collection, I, the owner, have the right to know the historical background and origin of these things."

The old cowboy rested his right leg on his left leg and continued to puff and smoke. He pinched a cigar between the index finger and ring finger of his left hand, as if he was holding a gun... pointing to Zhang Wei and said.The attitude is confident but half-threatening.

"You, it is necessary to let me know what I should know. I can't just let someone walk into my collection room, read the treasures of my family, and try to dismiss me as an old man with a few nonsense words. .”

The old man's eyes stared like a big Texas bull with long horns, which made people fearful.

"I don't like this. Even if these things are broken copper, you have to give me a reasonable explanation and tell me the origin. Son, you say that my old man's request is not too much?"

After the old cowboy finished his statement, his tone could not hide his excitement, but his frankness was a relief to Zhang Wei.At least now he understood why the old cowboy had such a hard time making comments.

"Reasonable, not excessive at all."

Understanding the reason, Zhang Wei took a breath, pondered for a while, and then spoke.

"Jason, have you ever heard of "Feng Shui"?"

Jason nodded.

"Chinese superstition."

"So you don't believe in Feng Shui?"

Jason's undisguised heroic laughter told Zhang Wei that the answer was negative.Looking at the cowboy, Zhang Wei straightened out his thoughts again, and spoke cautiously.

"Chinese people believe that there is a kind of qi between the sky and the earth, and even in the human body. The qi of the Chinese people is similar to our air in some respects. It is invisible and colorless. But it is very important. In the Chinese concept, qi circulates everywhere in the heaven, earth and human body. If the qi runs smoothly, it will produce a lot of power, just like... the airflow is like an airplane, good and stable Airflow, which helps the plane fly."

Unlike many high-ranking scholars and masters, Zhang Wei does not like to show off terminology, but likes to explain professional knowledge and concepts in the most popular and plain spoken language; having seen the old cowboy's ability to fly a plane, Zhang Wei chooses to use the familiar things to explain.

"When good qi is in the human body, the human body will be healthy, and success in doing things will be easy, and the country and society will be peaceful and prosperous."

Looking at Austin's confused expression, Zhang Wei knew that it would not be easy for a layman to understand such a concept for a while.

"However, if the qi is not smooth, things will not go well, and if it is serious, it will be easy to get sick and even die; just like the blood vessels in the human body, if they are blocked, it is easy to get high blood pressure, heart disease, and when the plane encounters chaos in the air. The movement of Qi is not only in the human body, but also among all things in the world. Therefore, the Chinese people’s residences and even the buildings of the imperial palace must pay attention to the orientation. Having the correct orientation is not only conducive to the circulation of Qi, but also Conversely, if the circulation of qi is blocked, it will not only affect the physical condition, but even bring disasters to the country. Such as earthquakes, hurricanes, droughts, floods, etc. And... the flow of qi, Just like the flow of water, it has a certain direction. It can only flow forward, not against it. Therefore, the judgment of direction and orientation is very important.”

Austin shook his head with an unbelievable expression; but at least he figured out one thing—the compass has something to do with Qi.

"So, the Chinese invented the compass because they believed in Feng Shui?"

"It can be said that the Fengshui compass used by Chinese people to read Fengshui has been used to this day. It can be found in New York or San Francisco's Chinatown today. I wonder if there is a Chinatown near Talas?"

"The Chinese are really a very superstitious people."

"Superstition? Maybe! But, in fact, there are quite a few peoples who have benefited from this superstition. There is no such thing as your so-called "superstition"..."

Zhang Wei deliberately paused, then raised the index and middle fingers of his left and right hands again, and made a common "quotation mark" gesture for emphasis.

"No product of these superstitions. Perhaps you and I might still be living in Europe today?"

Seeing Zhang's serious teaching expression, the cowboy couldn't help laughing again, so Zhang stopped