Chapter 86: Human Misfortune

When encountering a funeral procession heading up the mountain, both vehicles on this side immediately stopped and pulled over to the roadside, clearing the main path.

In the front vehicle, He Dong had already gotten out and stood by the roadside watching the funeral procession; he then walked forward and exchanged a few words with several elderly men in the procession, after which he stood by the roadside and watched the procession pass.

Chen Yan and Chu Keqing also got out of the car and waited by the roadside.

As the procession passed, firecrackers exploded and smoke filled the air. Chen Yan stared at the funeral procession, his expression turning strange.

He turned his head and saw Chu Keqing push up her glasses and frown: “Who ever holds a funeral in the afternoon?”

“Indeed strange.”

In Longguo, funeral customs follow strict rituals, whether in city or countryside—burial always takes place in the morning.

The ritual of interment is conventionally held in the morning, and never later than noon.

Now, it was already around four in the afternoon; in winter, the sun was nearly set.

Chen Yan squinted, watching the procession slowly pass, but when he noticed one of the mourners—a filial son or grandson—holding a small urn of ashes, he averted his gaze.

After cremation, the ashes carry no vital qi; the Qi-seeing art could detect nothing.

Chu Keqing and Chen Yan slowly walked over to He Dong’s side; Chu Keqing whispered: “Mr. He, just now I saw you speaking with people from the procession—do you know them?”

“Mm, people from the same village,” He Dong shook his head and sighed: “The Ding family from the west end of the village lost someone.”

“The Ding family?” Chu Keqing asked casually.

“Yes, the Dings are outsiders to He Village—they migrated here generations ago. Though they don’t bear the He surname, they’ve intermarried with the He family and settled here, branching out. Now, over half the village bears the He surname, and a quarter are Dings.”

He paused, then shook his head: “The deceased was Ding Youquan—by relation, I should call him a distant uncle-in-law. He died seven days ago; I was overwhelmed with my own affairs at the time, but still went to pay my respects.”

Chen Yan thought for a moment, then suddenly asked: “Has anyone else in He Village died recently, besides this Ding Youquan?”

His sudden question as a junior disciple was somewhat improper and impolite—Chu Keqing was his nominal elder, and she hadn’t spoken; logically, it wasn’t his place to ask such questions.

He Dong glanced at Chen Yan—but as a wealthy man of considerable composure, he showed no arrogance; though puzzled, he nodded in deference to Chu Keqing’s presence and answered: “A few days ago, the Wang family also lost someone—they’re another outsider family in He Village. But they’re not related to my family, so I didn’t go, only sent gifts through someone.”

Chen Yan nodded and fell silent.

After the funeral procession passed, the group reboarded their vehicles and returned to He Village.

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Back at the He family mansion, before getting out of the car, Chen Yan instructed Chu Keqing’s female assistant: “When you go out later, say you’re going to buy something. Then, walk around the village and ask around about the deceased Ding and the other Wang the boss just mentioned.”

Find out what kind of people they were, how they died, and when.

Also, find out if any other families in the village have lost someone recently.

Be subtle when asking.”

The assistant instinctively glanced at Chu Keqing, who frowned: “What Chen Yan says is as good as what I say—go do it properly!”

The assistant got out of the car; Chu Keqing looked at Chen Yan: “Senior, you suspect the deaths in the village…”

Chen Yan nodded: “Mm. I have a hypothesis.”

·

After getting out of the car and returning to the main hall, He Empress Dowager Sun Chen had already come forward and ordered tea brought in.

He Dong’s expression was grave; he had no interest in small talk and said to Chu Keqing: “Miss Chu, about what we saw on the mountain…”

Chu Keqing nodded: “Mr. He, let’s talk. Would you prefer to speak here or in your study?”

He Dong thought for a moment, then told those around him: “Everyone, leave.”

He glanced at Zhao’s assistant: “You stay outside and keep everyone away.”

Zhao’s assistant immediately nodded and led the maids out of the room.

Even He Empress Dowager, after glancing at her husband, received his brief pause and then: “You leave too.”

He Empress Dowager, gentle by nature, showed no resentment; she squeezed her husband’s hand and whispered: “Don’t be too anxious. Since you’ve brought Miss Chu, things will be resolved.”

With that, she turned and left.

Inside the hall, only He Dong, Chu Keqing, and…

Chen Yan remained.

Logically, He Dong had dismissed everyone to discuss something important with Chu Keqing; Chen Yan, a junior disciple, staying behind seemed brazenly out of place.

Yet Chen Yan sat calmly beside Chu Keqing, and Chu Keqing said nothing. He Dong raised an eyebrow, puzzled, but remained silent.

After the hall door closed, He Dong slowly pulled out a cigarette pack, lit one, glanced at Chen Yan, then fixed his gaze on Chu Keqing: “Miss Chu, now you can speak—what exactly is wrong with my mother’s grave? How did her body disappear? Was it stolen?”

Chu Keqing shook her head: “Mr. He, a single visit isn’t enough to resolve this.”

He Dong frowned: “You saw nothing? Not even a clue?”

Chu Keqing spoke slowly: “I do have some leads.”

“Then speak,” He Dong drew a deep breath, his eyes flashing with intensity: “No matter what, I must find my mother’s body! If I find who stole it, I’ll make them pay!”

He was a billionaire; in his early days, his capital accumulation had crossed gray areas. Now, when he grew fierce, he radiated startling authority.

Chu Keqing sighed softly: “Mr. He, I…”

She paused, then said slowly: “I suspect something unnatural has emerged in these mountains.”

He Dong blinked: “Unnatural?”

“Mm. ‘Unnatural’ is a general term—beings that have cultivated into spirits, or native mountain entities like shan kui or shan xiao—all are called ‘un naturals.’

There are water spirits and mountain spirits.

Your mother’s body vanishing is too bizarre to be human work—no human could steal a corpse silently and without trace from a sealed coffin.”

He Dong’s face grew even graver; he nodded: “After the incident, I had the coffin inspected—the nail holes showed no signs of being reopened…

Meaning, the coffin lid hadn’t been opened since burial—until we planned to exhume the body, it was the first time opened.

And the coffin planks were intact, no signs of being dismantled.”

Chu Keqing nodded: “Precisely. This couldn’t be human work. Only a mountain spirit could accomplish this.”

He Dong’s eyelid twitched: “Do spirits really exist in this world?”

He did believe in superstition—otherwise, he wouldn’t have sought out Chu Keqing, the “Purple Elder.”

But his belief wasn’t fanatical; he still harbored doubts about such entities.

Chu Keqing said nothing, only gazed steadily at He Dong—her silence made her meaning clear: If you don’t believe me, why did you summon me?

He Dong, a man of sharp acumen who had built his fortune, thought for a moment and nodded: “Fine. If it’s a spirit… can you resolve it?”

“I need time,” Chu Keqing shook her head. “This won’t be settled in a day or two. For the next few days, I’ll stay here and take my people up the mountain daily to search for traces of the spirit… Mr. He, please be patient.”

He Dong pondered: “Search the mountain? If needed, I can mobilize manpower—I can gather a hundred or two hundred men from He Village easily. If that’s not enough, I’ll bring more from nearby.”

“No need,” Chu Keqing declined. “Searching for spirits benefits no one—only my people will go.”

He Dong’s face darkened; he thought again, his eyes reddening: “Miss Chu… why would a spirit steal my mother’s body? What does such a thing do with a corpse?!”

“Hard to say,” Chu Keqing shook her head. “But your mother was a blessed woman, with no great misfortune awaiting her—I calculated her Bazi long ago. So don’t worry too much. Perhaps the mountain spirit merely seeks to use her immortal body for some ritual… I know you’ll imagine the worst, but rest assured—I’ll do everything to recover her body.”

“If you need anything else from me, say it,” He Dong sighed.

Chen Yan suddenly spoke: “There is one thing I need your cooperation on.”

He Dong glanced at Chen Yan—this impudent youth stirred mild dislike, yet he replied steadily: “Speak. If it helps recover my mother’s body, name your demand.”

Chen Yan looked at Chu Keqing, then at He Dong: “When your mother was buried, did everyone in the village come to pay respects?”

He Dong, though puzzled by the question, answered: “The He family is deeply rooted here. When my mother passed, every household in the village sent someone.”

“Then surely you kept a guest list?” Chen Yan pressed.

“… ” He Dong glanced at Chu Keqing, but she said nothing, only watched him calmly.

He nodded: “We kept a list. My mother always valued village relationships; following her lifelong teachings, I recorded every guest—every debt of gratitude must be repaid.”

“We need that list,” Chen Yan said firmly.

He Dong’s eyes flickered; he gritted his teeth and whispered: “The list?”

He looked at Chu Keqing: “Miss Chu… are you suggesting human malice was involved?”

Chu Keqing remained silent; Chen Yan answered: “Your mother’s grave had excellent fengshui—surrounded by mountains, fed by water, occupying a superior geomantic position! A top-tier auspicious site!

Such a site carries its own fortune—how could a single rainstorm cause a landslide and collapse?

And why did only your mother’s grave collapse, while every other spot remained intact?

A place of strong fortune shouldn’t suffer such misfortune. This event is inherently unreasonable.

We suspect foul play, but we must investigate further.”

He Dong’s expression changed sharply!

He understood the young man’s meaning—how could a place of fortune suddenly suffer such calamity?

Like a man with perfect luck suddenly being crushed by a falling light fixture inside his own home?

Chu Keqing sighed softly: “Mr. He, we inspected the grave—its fengshui is flawless, a superior geomantic site, not a dangerous one. So even with heavy rain, the mountain shouldn’t have collapsed—and if it did, it shouldn’t have collapsed precisely over your mother’s grave! I, Chu Keqing, have guided countless graves in my career—never once have I erred.

Frankly, before arriving, I even doubted myself—wondering if my skill was insufficient, if I’d chosen a bad site and caused… this calamity.

But today, I re-surveyed the site. The fengshui is sound. The qi says this calamity should not have happened.”

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