Chapter 27: Going Up the Hill to Dig Up the Cheng Family Ancestral Grave

Lin Dongfan gave the order, and Jian Sining, Tang Xia, and Zhang Xiaoguang promptly put on white gloves and launched the search without hesitation.

Cheng Dao, truly a bureau-seat-level figure, calmly slurped his instant noodles the whole time.

He gave the impression of being upright and having nothing to fear from a crooked shadow.

Lin Dongfan's eyes flashed like torches: "Chief Cheng, you just said you drive an Alto—what about your son? I heard he likes racing and owns several sports cars."

"How many sports cars he has is his own business."

After finishing the noodles, Cheng Dao lifted the cup again and drank two sips of broth, then pulled out a tissue to wipe his mouth, maintaining a calm and composed demeanor.

Lin Dongfan chuckled and asked: "You're father and son by blood—if the son wants a sports car, haven't you, as his father, ever lent a hand?"

"He's an financially independent adult who refuses my control, and we don't even live together usually."

Cheng Dao lit a cigarette.

He continued: "A few days ago, my unruly son injured you. I told him to apologize to you, but he wouldn't listen, and I couldn't force him. So I swallowed my pride and personally came to apologize. In this matter, I feel I've done nothing wrong to you. Today you've brought people to investigate me—are you making a mountain out of a molehill?"

Implicitly, he accused Lin Dongfan of retaliation.

Lin Dongfan let out a self‑mocking laugh: "Chief Cheng, in Jianglan Province's Anti‑Corruption Bureau, it's not up to me, Lin Dongfan, to call the shots. I'm just following orders—don't drag this into personal matters."

"It's year‑end again, the season for performance reviews—surely your Anti‑Corruption Bureau isn't also scrambling for results?" Cheng Dao teased Lin Dongfan: "Xiao Lin, you've come to the wrong place. My situation is clear as day; coming to my house looking for achievements is like a bald man hunting lice—purely a pointless effort."

As they chatted, Jian Sining walked over to Lin Dongfan and shook her head in silence.

She, Tang Xia, and Zhang Xiaoguang searched from the living room to the bedroom, study, bathroom, kitchen, and balcony, leaving no conceivable hiding spot unchecked.

Even the frames on the walls were taken down and carefully inspected, in case contraband was hidden inside.

They found nothing.

Cheng Dao smugly gestured "please" to Lin Dongfan: "Take your time—I won't see you out."

"Chief Cheng, how about you change your shoes first? Please come with us," Lin Dongfan said, keeping a faint polite smile.

Cheng Dao's face darkened.

He glared at Lin Dongfan and snapped: "My house is this small—you've already searched it top to bottom! No evidence at all, and you want me to go with you? Is your rank too low? Even a clay Buddha has three parts earthiness; I advise you not to overstep—my patience has limits too!"

"Compared to you, a vice‑department‑level official, my rank is indeed low. If I hadn't grasped any evidence, how would I dare break ground on Tai Sui's head? Let's go, Chief."

In the midst of their banter, Lin Dongfan pressed on Cheng Dao's shoulder and shoved him forward a step.

Cheng Dao staggered forward two steps.

He bellowed on the spot: "Lin Dongfan! You're doing this to me just because my son offended you! Brazenly settling personal scores—do you still have any regard for the law?!"

"If I were really settling personal scores, the law would punish me—no need for you to worry. Please cooperate with our investigation for now."

Lin Dongfan shoved Cheng Dao out the door with sheer force.

It was clear there was no escaping today's situation.

Cheng Dao had no choice but to slip on the old leather shoes from the shoe cabinet, all the while threatening: "If you don't find anything on me today, just wait till I get my revenge!"

"If I turn up clean tonight, you won't even need to act—my superiors will take care of me."

Lin Dongfan gave Tang Xia and Zhang Xiaoguang a look; the two understood instantly, moved forward, and grabbed Cheng Dao's left and right arms to prevent him from making a break for it.

After going downstairs, they directly escorted Cheng Dao into the vehicle.

At first, Cheng Dao calmly mocked Lin Dongfan for settling personal scores all the way; but once the car left the city and entered the dimly lit country road, he suddenly grew nervous.

Cheng Dao leapt up and shouted: "Stop! What are you doing taking me out this late? Are you trying to silence me? Stop! I want to get out…"

"Sit down!"

Lin Dongfan and Zhang Xiaoguang, seated opposite, pressed hard on Cheng Dao's shoulders, pushing him back into the rear seat.

Cheng Dao went limp, as if his soul had left him.

Under the night sky.

The car's high beams were on.

One could clearly see that the road grew narrower from the city to the town and then to the village—this was the way to Cheng Dao's ancestral home, Cheng Family Village.

Tang Xia, the driver, then asked: "Chief Cheng, could you point the way? Where is your family's ancestral grave?"

"!!!"

Beads of sweat the size of beans had already appeared on Cheng Dao's forehead, and he remained silent, grim.

Lin Dongfan said: "Chief Cheng, you've come all this way—are you really not going to give directions? You should know this calamity cannot be avoided."

"What calamity this, what calamity that—I have no idea what you're talking about!"

In that moment, Cheng Dao seemed to suddenly recall something; the tension on his face faded quietly, and he regained his composure.

He pointed ahead to the village lane: "There's a fork up front—just keep going straight."

"You'd better not play any tricks."

Tang Xia followed Cheng Dao's indicated direction, driving straight ahead, and soon reached the foot of the mountain—where the road ended.

Cheng Dao said the ancestral grave was on the mountain, so everyone decided to escort him up together.

On that pitch‑black night, the wild mountains and ridges.

A gust of yin wind blew, making Jian Sining shiver with her arms crossed, unable to move her legs.

This damn thing isn't just "Ghost Blows the Light"—it's even more ghostly than that.

Because there's literally no light.

All around was pitch black; venturing into the mountains at night to dig up graves, Jian Sining felt Lin Dongfan must either be an omniscient god or a lunatic who's read too many tomb‑raiding novels.

Jian Sining tugged nervously at Lin Dongfan's clothes: "Senior brother, you… really aren't afraid at all?"

"Afraid of nothing—hurry up and grab a weapon."

Lin Dongfan opened the car's trunk, where the tools had long been ready.

Inside were four head‑mounted miner's lamps, fully charged, plus several newly bought engineering shovels—all prepared in advance.

Everyone put on the miner's lamps, took up the engineering shovels, and escorted Cheng Dao to the gravesite.

Cheng Dao remained calm all the way.

After arriving at the graveyard, Cheng Dao pointed at a lone grave and said to Lin Dongfan and the others, "This is my family's ancestral tomb; what do you want to do?"

Lin Dongfan examined the tombstone carefully.

He saw that the tombstone indeed bore the words "Filial son Cheng Dao" and that it looked weathered by wind and rain, not like a recently carved fake.

Lin Dongfan immediately ordered his subordinates: "Get to work, dig."

"Lin Dongfan!" Cheng Dao's eyes bulged like a bull's, and he roared like rolling thunder: "If you dare dig up my family's ancestral tomb today, I won't let you off!"

That shout startled Jian Sining, Tang Xia, Zhang Xiaoguang, and the others.

Digging up someone's ancestral tomb.

This matter is indeed no small thing; anyone would be anxious about it.

Zhang Xiaoguang solemnly reminded Lin Dongfan: "Captain, maybe… you should reconsider? If we don't dig up any evidence, the blame for digging up someone's ancestral tomb would be too much for us to bear."

"Dig!"

Hesitating another second would be disrespect to the military shovel in hand.

Lin Dongfan led the way in digging out the first shovelful of yellow earth. Zhang Xiaoguang had no choice but to grit his teeth and dig the grave. Tang Xia then joined the work crew.

Jian Sining stood aside, watching the great filial son Cheng Dao.

Cheng Dao suddenly knelt before the tomb with a thud, weeping and wailing: "Mom! Sorry, I am an unfilial son! I am an incapable son! I can't even hold down your coffin lid…"