Yang Ergou, standing beside them, also looked confused.
Yu Daochen was about to leave when he was stopped by several elderly women who insisted he meet their daughter.
Yu Daochen managed to extricate himself after much persuasion.
On the way to the back mountain, Yang Ergou analyzed the situation: according to the elderly women, Chen Xiaobao and his wife had died over ten years ago, and Chen Qingshui was likely responsible.
But why would Chen Qingshui do such a thing? Yang Ergou asked Yu Daochen.
Yu Daochen shook his head. Based on what the elderly women said, it was indeed possible that Chen Qingshui had used some sort of witchcraft to kill his own parents. As for why, they would only know after the burial and finding Chen Qingshui's soul.
However, none of this concerned him. As long as Chen Qingshui was buried, his mission would be complete.
Arriving at the dirt path leading to the back mountain, Erhu was sitting on a small mound, smoking a cigarette. Several cigarette butts with glowing embers lay on the ground, indicating he had been waiting for some time.
Seeing Yu Daochen arrive, Erhu stood up and walked over.
Yang Ergou greeted him, "Second Uncle-Master."
Erhu nodded, his expression grim. "Master Yu, the geomantically auspicious tomb has been tampered with."
Yu Daochen noticed Erhu's expression and realized something urgent had happened. "What's wrong, Brother Erhu?"
"This back mountain has excellent feng shui. I found a geomantically auspicious tomb, but someone planted a Kui tree in front of it."
Yu Daochen frowned. While he wasn't an expert in feng shui, he knew a little.
A geomantically auspicious tomb was a grave with strong yang energy. There could be more than one such place in an area.
As the saying goes, bamboo on a grave brings wealth, while planting a Kui tree in front of a grave invites disaster.
The Kui tree is heavy with yin energy. If planted in front of a grave, it would bring financial ruin and disaster for the family, or even complete annihilation in severe cases.
"Brother Erhu, perhaps it's a coincidence. Let's check other places," Yu Daochen suggested.
Erhu shook his head. "I've already checked seven geomantically auspicious tombs, and all of them had Kui trees planted in front."
Yang Ergou asked, "Could they have been planted deliberately before we arrived?"
Yu Daochen nodded in agreement. "If they were planted recently, the yin energy wouldn't have spread to the geomantically auspicious tomb yet."
Erhu was unsure. "I don't know, but judging by the age of the Kui trees, they look like they've been there for seven or eight years, not recently planted."
The three of them began to worry. If Chen Qingshui wasn't buried today, his corpse would surely reanimate.
"Brother Erhu, let's split up and search for more geomantically auspicious tombs," Yu Daochen said.
Erhu and Yang Ergou agreed. Yu Daochen headed left, while Erhu took Yang Ergou to the right. They would regroup at the rear of the mountain.
Yang Ergou wanted to go alone but was called back by Erhu to follow him.
Erhu took out a Bagua disk from his satchel, formed a hand seal, and chanted, "In ancient times, tomb seekers observed the mountains; one mountain, one pass. Today, I use the compass to find the tomb. Open!"
As soon as Erhu finished speaking, a wisp of spiritual energy condensed at his fingertip and touched the needle of the compass.
The needle on the compass began to spin rapidly.
Yu Daochen watched with curiosity. Coffin bearers were considered half-feng shui masters. While not as skilled as renowned feng shui masters, they were capable of examining graves.
Erhu handed the compass to Yu Daochen. "Master Yu, this Bagua disk will guide you to geomantically auspicious tombs, but it will only function for three hours."
Yu Daochen took the compass and nodded. "Alright, we'll meet at the back of the mountain then."
Erhu nodded and led Yang Ergou to the right.
The back mountain wasn't large. It would take at most four hours to circle it completely.
Yu Daochen followed the compass needle. Soon, the needle pointed to a spot and stopped.
Yu Daochen walked over and saw a patch of overgrown land with a Kui tree planted in front.
Yu Daochen frowned and approached the Kui tree. He grabbed a handful of soil from beneath it and examined it closely.
After a few moments of careful observation, Yu Daochen put the soil back, clapped his hands, and said, "The soil is heavy with yin energy. It doesn't look like it was moved recently."
Yu Daochen then followed the compass needle to another geomantically auspicious tomb, but again, a Kui tree was planted in front.
As Yu Daochen observed, he noticed that Kui trees were only planted next to geomantically auspicious tombs; they were nowhere else to be found.
Meanwhile, Yang Ergou recounted the past of the Chen family, which he had heard from the elderly women, to Erhu.
Erhu's expression changed. If that was true, then Chen Qingshui was indeed the mastermind. But if so, why did Chen Qingshui die?
As Erhu pondered, he saw Chen Ruolian sitting by the edge of the field.
Both of them frowned. Yang Ergou looked at Erhu beside him. "Second Uncle-Master, this..."
Erhu shook his head, signaling Yang Ergou not to approach, and walked over himself. "Miss Ruolian, what are you doing here?"
Chen Ruolian's pale face was expressionless. "I like to stay here."
Then, Chen Ruolian asked, "The masters all say my maternal grandparents are dead, but they are clearly alive."
Erhu furrowed his brows and asked, "Ruolian, can you tell me about your family?"
Thank you for the gifts from [Uchiha Xingxing] [Jiang Tian Gu Li, Ren Jian Sheng Wang] [Song Zhi Yu] [] [Jue Xing Zhi Di Ji Shi Yong Heng] [Fei Cheng yyds], thank you for your support.