Chapter 888: Going to Jiaonan

"Zhao Ge, let's hurry up and give it a try, take a little risk." Ding Li said.

"Moving the Ancestral Tomb is a major undertaking, and without local protection, we definitely can't manage it with just a few of us." I said.

"What should we do then?" Ding Li asked.

"Tian Shi's meaning is clear: go to his hometown to see. This shows that the Tian Family has influence and capability to protect us locally." I said.

"But Tian Shi isn't here; even if we go, we don't know anyone from his hometown. What should we do?" Ding Li said.

"Tian Shi isn't here, his wife is."

"This is what we'll do: Ding Li, after we finish paying respects to Shi Yong tomorrow, you go find Mr. He, I'll go find Tian Shi's wife, and we'll discuss together what to do." I said.

"All right, Zhao Ge, we'll do as you say." Ding Li said.

The next morning, Ding Li and I went to Beishan together and arrived in front of Shi Yong Tomb.

We burned paper offerings for Shi Yong,

poured wine, lit incense,

Both Ding Li and I couldn't help but tear up, tears streaming down our faces.

At that moment, I really wished Shi Yong would stand beside us with his goofy smile and say, "Brother, is there another mission? Leave it to me, Shi Yong—I'll make sure you can relax."

But it was all an illusion.

Shi Yong could never return to our side again.

After the rites, Ding Li and I split up; he went to He Family Village to fetch He Zuming.

I had contacted Yu Fang; I wanted to meet and talk with her.

Yu Fang and I met at Tian Shi's home.

I directly told Yu Fang the purpose of my visit,

After Yu Fang heard me out,

she sighed and said: "Jianqiang, on this trip to Xianggang, Lao Tian has run into trouble.

Otherwise he wouldn't have come up with this plan.

Sigh, he treats Geng Ping as a brother, but Geng Ping treats Lao Tian as a fool.

I never expected him to treat Lao Tian this way.

"Sister-in-law, some things are just like that—when faced with interests, there's hardly any loyalty to speak of.

It's just that we're unfamiliar with Jiaodong and don't dare to rush over there.

We need you to take us there." I said.

"Of course, Lao Tian already told me.

I will certainly take you,

Lao Tian and Geng Ping are from the same county,

just from different towns.

The Tian County in Jiaonan County is Lao Tian's close relative; we can speak freely about anything.

When the time comes, you decide how to proceed.

I'll fully support you."

"All right, sister-in-law, we're heading to Jiaonan County today.

I've already had Ding Li pick up Mr. He; we'll set off together then." I said.

Yu Fang nodded,

"Sigh, we must subdue Geng Ping,

Jianqiang, this is currently our only way forward."

As Yu Fang's words fell, my phone rang,

I saw it was Ding Li calling,

"Zhao Ge, I've already picked up Mr. He. Where should we meet?" Ding Li asked over the phone.

"Ding Li, you drive to the highway entrance; I'll walk to the highway ramp. We'll meet at the highway entrance.

then we'll head straight to Jiaonan County." I said.

"All right, Zhao Ge." Ding Li hung up.

I told Yu Fang,

"Sister-in-law, let's go, hurry to Jiaonan County."

So I drove Yu Fang to the highway on-ramp.

Not long after, Ding Li's car arrived, with He Zuming and Xiao Yan aboard.

I waved at them, then got onto the expressway.

From our Zaocheng to Jiaonan, the trip takes over five hours.

We didn't stop along the way, driving straight to Jiaonan County,

Upon arriving in Jiaonan County,

we first had a quick bite at a roadside restaurant.

Yu Fang asked me whether we should first go see Tian County.

I felt that we hadn't figured out how to proceed, so seeing Tian County now would be pointless.

So I asked Yu Fang,

"Sister-in-law, do you know the Ancestral Tomb of the Geng Family?"

"Of course I know— that plot of land was originally purchased with Lao Tian's help in contacting the seller.

It was about twenty mu or more; at that time, Lao Tian and Cheng accompanied the grave relocation. I have come with Lao Tian before." said Yu Fang.

That's great, sister-in-law, we won't go look for Field County first.

Let's first go look at Geng Ping's ancestral tomb, then see, let He Zuming see if there's any solution." I said.

At this moment, He Zuming smiled and nodded.

Yu Fang nodded in agreement.

Our group, driving two vehicles under Yu Fang's direction, quickly arrived at the Geng family ancestral tomb.

The Geng family ancestral tomb is near a place called Zhuzi Mountain.

Zhuzi Mountain is a small hill locally, with an altitude of just over two hundred meters.

The Geng family ancestral tomb lies on the southeast side of Zhuzi Mountain, following the mountain and enclosing about twenty mu of land.

Besides the tomb, there is also an ancestral hall for worship.

Inside, green trees provide shade, making it very beautiful.

We first arrived at the main gate of the Geng family ancestral tomb.

The gate faces south, has a dedicated gatekeeper, and inside the gate a wide spirit road is being built.

Various stone carvings are placed on both sides of the spirit road.

It is indeed magnificent.

This is hardly different from the imperial tombs of ancient times.

We walked around this tomb in a circle.

He Zuming looked on, silent and speechless.

After a while, he said to me, 'Jianqiang, we can't see the interior arrangements clearly from here. We can't just go in and look, otherwise we'll alarm the Geng family.'

How about this: we go up that Zhuzi Mountain over there,

standing on that mountain we can see inside clearly.

I said: "Okay, He Zuming, let's go, we'll go to Zhuzi Mountain."

We quickly climbed Zhuzi Mountain.

Zhuzi Mountain has an irregular mountain path, mainly for people going up the mountain to collect fruit.

Upon reaching Zhuzi Mountain, it was already past four in the afternoon.

Looking down from Zhuzi Mountain,

the Geng family ancestral tomb was clearly visible.

He Zuming examined it carefully, then had Xiao Yan take out a compass to check the direction.

After a moment, He Zuming nodded, took out a cigarette, and I quickly lit it for him,

"Has He Zuming figured anything out?"

"Jianqiang, let Xiao Yan speak first." He Zuming laughed.

"Master, is this Zhuzi Mountain the supporting mountain of their ancestral tomb?" Xiao Yan said.

He Zuming nodded,

"Xiao Yan, continue."

"Master, I see their ancestral tomb is in the golden dragon embracing moon style. Look, from the west side of this Zhuzi Mountain there is a water ditch,"

"This water ditch was likely formed by mountain water erosion,"

"and it is a seasonal stream, becoming a small river in summer when there is much rain, and a ditch in winter when there is no water."

"This ditch flows down from the west side and then flows into their ancestral tomb grounds."

"That ditch winds around their ancestral tomb, flowing continuously to the southeast."

"Look, they have artificially dug a pit on the south side of their ancestral tomb,"

"this pit can hold water,"

"just right to form a pearl shape."

"The water flowing out from the west is golden water."

"The winding part is dragon-shaped,"

"The dragon's tail is at Zhuzi Mountain, and the dragon's head is at the south side of the ancestral tomb."

"It is like a golden dragon embracing their ancestral tomb."

"This is very good feng shui." Xiao Yan explained, pointing.

"Under Xiao Yan's direction, indeed as he said,"

"that winding ditch truly resembles a dragon, winding around the south of Geng Ping's ancestral tomb."

"Geng Ping also dug an artificial lake on the south side of their ancestral tomb, which from afar looks like a bright pearl."

"It seems Geng Ping also consulted a famous feng shui master."

"After Xiao Yan finished speaking, he looked at He Zuming and said, 'Master, am I right?'"

"He Zuming laughed and said, 'Xiao Yan, not bad, this is the golden dragon embracing the pearl, also called golden dragon embracing the moon.'"

"In terms of feng shui, this is excellent feng shui."

"It brings wealth and blessings."

"Xiao Yan, do you see any flaws in the feng shui here?"

"Xiao Yan shook his head and said: 'I haven't seen any, Master, please instruct me.'"