Chapter 109

Whoosh~

In the cave, torches burned fiercely.

"Right here."

Lu San pointed ahead and said in a muffled voice.

Li Yan looked in the direction he pointed and saw two graves, one large and one small, buried in the center of the cave. There were no tombstones, and they were very simple.

This was a cave on the cliff of Dongshan, in a hidden location. If Lu San hadn't led them, they would never have found it.

Li Yan nodded, stepped forward, cupped his hands respectfully, bowed, and burned some paper money with incense before turning to strike a torch and walk to the corner of the cave.

When the torch shone, he saw traces of artificial excavation.

"It's a cliff tomb!"

Wang Wang Daoxuan's eyes lit up, and he stroked his beard, "I was just finding it strange; after entering this cave, the vitality flows, and there is no smell of decay or gloom."

"It's mostly likely that some wealthy family started excavating it, but a sudden change occurred, and it was abandoned. I didn't expect Brother Lu to also be skilled in the way of Feng Shui and geomancy."

Lu San shook his head, "I don't understand Feng Shui; I only came here because I heard the birds say there was such a place."

"Then that's correct."

Wang Wang Daoxuan smiled, "This is a place where the local earth energy gathers. After opening it, there is no sealing soil, and the earth energy connects with the vitality, so it's naturally a good place."

As he spoke, he looked around and nodded, "Not bad. Let's choose this as the lucky spot. I estimate I won't find a better one nearby."

Li Yan also agreed, "Let's follow the Daoist's words."

Wu Laosi's family was all gone. The reason he sent the coffin a thousand miles was to fulfill his original promise.

These cliff tombs were only used by wealthy families. Whether hiring someone to find the spot or hiring craftsmen to excavate, it would cost quite a bit.

Being buried here was not a slight to Wu Laosi.

Just as the two were about to leave, Lu San, who had been silent all along, suddenly asked, "Daoist, I'd like to ask, can more people be buried here?"

Wang Wang Daoxuan was slightly stunned, immediately understanding his meaning, and shook his head with a sigh, "Of course, this grave is not small; it can also be used as a family graveyard."

"But forgive me for being blunt, the ancestral graves in Wu Family Village have been destroyed, and the skeletons of the ancestors are exposed to the sun. I'm afraid it will be difficult to recover them even if you bury them here."

Lu San didn't seem to care at all, nodding in a muffled voice, "That's fine, I'll go collect the skeletons."

After saying this, he left the cave, climbed up the mountain along a rope, and without speaking to the two, left alone very quickly.

Watching the figure of the other party leaving, Li Yan was a bit speechless, "This kid's head is mostly likely a bit wrong."

Wang Wang Daoxuan sighed, "He's a bit like a dog."

Li Yan laughed, "Daoist, although this kid is not easy to deal with, there's no need to call him names."

"Revenge alone is called courage; not forgetting kindness is called righteousness. I actually admire him."

"How could I be calling him names?"

Wang Wang Daoxuan shook his head, "When I was traveling in Qilu, I once saw a mountain village destroyed by an earthquake. Other villagers moved away, but only one old dog remained, guarding the grave. Later, to protect its master's skeleton, it was bitten to death by other wild dogs."

"The locals called it the 'Righteous Dog' and built a temple to commemorate it."

"He's really like that kid..."

…………

At night, in the abandoned ancestral hall of Wu Family Village.

"Everyone, it might be hard work."

Wang Wang Daoxuan said in a low voice, "The situation is like this. Originally, I thought about spending some silver to hire people in Fengyang County, but now it seems this matter cannot be handled with great fanfare."

"We'll listen to the Daoist!"

The leader of the porters, Master Yue Master Yue Bala, cursed, "Forcing the whole village to leave their homes and digging up people's ancestral graves—I've never seen anything so despicable and immoral."

"Daoist, you tell us how to arrange it. We don't have much ability, but we can still sell our strength."

Wang Wang Daoxuan nodded and cupped his hands, "You are all righteous!"

"Senior Wu saved my life. Although the situation is urgent and we cannot have a grand funeral, the necessary procedures cannot be neglected. It's just a little bit of my heart."

"Tomorrow is the first day of the tenth lunar month, the Cold Clothing Festival, a day for ghosts, suitable for sacrifices but not for burials. Moreover, every family will be going up the mountain to burn cold clothing, so it will be difficult to avoid trouble. Therefore, the burial day is set for the second day of the tenth lunar month, which is perfect for breaking ground."

"Brother Sha."

"Yes."

"I'm sorry to trouble you to run to Fengyang County again tomorrow to buy some bamboo sticks, white paper, colored paper, paper figures, and soul-calling banners. I will make them myself to avoid suspicion. Also, incense, candles, and ingots—I'm afraid you'll have to run a few more times."

"Alright, leave it to me."

"Brother Master Yue, you go up the mountain with Little Brother Yan tomorrow. The ropes for the coffin and the mud and stones for sealing the grave must be prepared in advance, so as not to miss the time..."

Wang Wang Daoxuan often helped people with funerals and was extremely proficient in these matters, arranging everything in an orderly manner very quickly.

Because they would be busy all day tomorrow, everyone went to sleep early. Li Yan hadn't closed his eyes for two days, so after a simple meditation, he fell into a deep sleep.

On the southwest mountain, at the Wu Family Village ancestral graves.

Under the moonlight, the sound of digging soil continued.

Lu San bent over, picking up skeletons one by one. Sweat dripped from his forehead, and he kept talking to himself:

"Uncle Wu, you were kind-hearted back then, wanting to take me as your grandson. Although Big Brother Wu didn't allow it, I still remember your intention..."

"Grandma Liu, your words were harsh, but the cotton clothes you sent in winter were very warm. That was the first time I wore new clothes..."

"Third Brother Wu, you died early, but I heard that when the bullies in the village bullied me and my master, you were the one who stood up for us..."

"Sixth Uncle Wu, you really are a rascal, teasing me all day long..."

"Everyone is gone, the home is gone, and only I am left..."

…………

The Cold Clothing Festival, also known as the "Netherworld Festival" or "Autumn Sacrifice," is one of the three major ghost festivals, along with Qingming and the Zhongyuan Festival.

This day is the first day of the tenth lunar month, the first day after entering the cold winter.

In ancient times, on this day, women would prepare warm clothing in advance to send to relatives far away who were guarding the borders or performing corvée labor, which was called 'Cold Clothing'.

Later, ancestors and the deceased would also be sent a portion.

Of course, what was sent wasn't real cotton clothing, but colorful clothing cut from paper, burned for the deceased relatives to express mourning.

Early in the morning, Fengyang County was bustling with people.

The common people, carrying the old and young, with sacrificial offerings and paper cold clothing, left the city to go to nearby mountains to burn paper and sacrifice to their ancestors.

The great affairs of the state lie in war and sacrifice.

No one dared to be careless about sacrificing to ancestors.

Those without money would still scrape together money to get some paper, fold it into clothes, and burn it, so that their deceased relatives below wouldn't be cold.

Those with money had even more elaborate displays.

For example, the County Lieutenant Brother Qiao Brother Qiao Sanhu, known as the "Tiger of Fengyang," had ten large horse-drawn carriages just for paper figures and cold clothing, not to mention the various sacrificial offerings, including roasted pigs and whole roasted sheep.

At the front of the procession were monks and Daoists chanting scriptures.

In the center were a large number of burly men, each one big and strong, with dragons and phoenixes tattooed on their bodies. Even though they were wearing mourning clothes, they were still blowing their noses and glaring, scolding pedestrians on the street to move aside.

And at the very back were several carriages carrying Brother Qiao Brother Qiao Sanhu's wives, concubines, and children, not to mention the servants.

When such a huge procession passed by, the whole street went quiet. The common people dodged, and even those in the martial world didn't dare to talk nonsense.

If one were to talk about it, Brother Qiao Brother Qiao Sanhu's backing was much harder than that of Yuan Qu and Zheng Zheng Heibei back then.

Although his cousin Master Yue Master Yue Fachong forbade him from going to Chang'an, where hidden dragons and crouching tigers lay, to avoid causing trouble for himself,

in this small Fengyang County, no one dared to provoke him; he was like an emperor of the land.

After this huge procession left, the common people breathed a sigh of relief, and the previously stagnant street became lively again. "Pah!"

In the crowd, Sha Sha Li Fei, wearing a bamboo hat, spat and turned to enter the incense and candle shop next door.

"Boss, give me some white paper, colored paper, and bamboo sticks."

"Oh, customer, you want to make them now? It's too late. Why not buy the ready-made ones? My shop's craftsmanship is..."

"Stop the nonsense, just get them."

"By the way, give me some incense and candles too, just follow this list..."

A funeral procession requires things like soul-calling banners. Who knows if there are Brother Qiao Brother Qiao Sanhu's men in these shops? If he bought them directly, he might be discovered.

……

"Zhao Kui!"

Outside the city, the huge sacrificial procession hadn't gone far when a deep voice came from the luxurious carriage at the back.

"My lord, I am here."

!.

Beside him, a bearded man immediately ran to the carriage.

His name was Zhao Kui, and he was the head constable of Fengyang County.

Brother Qiao Brother Qiao Sanhu was powerful and influential. Almost all key positions in Fengyang County had been replaced by his own people, and successive county magistrates had almost been sidelined.

And this Zhao Kui was originally a rogue who was favored by Brother Qiao Brother Qiao Sanhu because of his good blade technique and was taken in as a lackey.

He was also very diligent and dared to do any dirty work.

The people of Fengyang privately called him a "ghost lackey."

The curtain of the carriage was slowly lifted, revealing a thick face with a broad forehead, prominent features, long, narrow eyebrows, a wide mouth, and thick lips. Although one eye was large and the other small, he was quite imposing.

According to physiognomy, this was a "White Tiger" face, naturally ambitious, daring to fight, and ruthless.

This person was Brother Qiao Brother Qiao Sanhu.

He stroked his mustache lightly and said indifferently, "Find a few people and go check the ancestral graves of Wu Family Village."

The "ghost lackey" Zhao Kui was stunned and said flatteringly, "My lord, rest assured, we handle things cleanly. The ancestral graves of those mud-legged people were already leveled."

"Fool!"

Brother Qiao Brother Qiao Sanhu glanced at him and scolded, "What's the use of digging up a few broken grave mounds? I want to hook Lu San into appearing."

"That kid has awakened a supernatural ability and is skilled at taming beasts. Even the Grain Transport Gang treats him with courtesy. Although he can't do anything to me right now, leaving him alive will eventually be a disaster."

"Today is the Cold Clothing Festival; he might come back to pay his respects. You take some men to see. If you find any traces, come back and tell me immediately."

"Yes, my lord."

"Wait!"

Just as Zhao Kui was about to leave, Brother Qiao Brother Qiao Sanhu called him back again and said in a low voice, "Go, invite Mr. Lu as well. Lu San knows some sorcery, so you don't fail to capture him."

"Yes, my lord."

Zhao Kui cupped his hands and left, then came to the very end of the procession, bowing respectfully before the carriage, "Mr. Lu, the lord invites you to go with us to provide support."

"What a bother..."

A hoarse voice sounded. A man in black lifted the curtain, jumped off the carriage, and picked up a long black cloth bag.

He had messy hair and a stubbly beard, but his face was terrifyingly pale, even grayish, like the skin of a dead person.

Zhao Kui shrank his head, not daring to say more.

This person had defected to Brother Qiao Brother Qiao Sanhu's side a few years ago. He rarely went out and spent his days at home, not knowing what he was tinkering with.

Especially the stench of rotting corpses emanating from his body.

Zhao Kui always felt that

this was not a person!

…………

Clatter!

Lu San's face was pale. He carried the last large bag of skeletons on his back, took one last look at the Wu Family Village ancestral graves, and turned to go down the mountain.

After going down the mountain, he went directly toward the cliff tomb on Dongshan.

After a night of collecting, he had collected all the skeletons that had been exposed or whose graves had been severely damaged in the Wu Family Village ancestral graves.

There were some that were ancient and decayed, and even the grave mounds had disappeared, so they had escaped the disaster, and Lu San didn't disturb them.

He didn't understand funeral customs, but he knew these skeletons couldn't be put directly into the cliff tomb; he had to move them in together when Wu Laosi was buried.

That would count as having a procedure.

Of course, he was naturally unsociable and wouldn't ask anyone for help.

He was used to doing everything alone.

……

"The lord's foresight is amazing!"

An hour after Lu San left, Zhao Kui led his men from the other side up the mountain. Seeing the missing skeletons and the obviously leveled graveyard, he was overjoyed.

But immediately after, he was full of annoyance, sighing, "It looks like the person has already left. If I had known, I would have camped here for the past two days, and I would definitely have caught that kid!"

Saying this, he looked cautiously at the dead-faced man in black beside him and said respectfully, "Mr. Lu, I wonder if you have any way..."

"Mr. Lu" glanced at him, "I only know the art of killing; I'm not familiar with tracking."

Zhao Kui was helpless and had to search everywhere.

But he was unlearned and unskilled. He was good at being a lackey, but he didn't know half of the skills for tracking and investigating cases in the yamen, and his subordinates were the same.

Not finding anyone, they had to go down the mountain to report.

"Head Constable Zhao, look!"

Halfway down the mountain, a man suddenly pointed ahead.

From here, they could see the abandoned Wu Family Village in the distance.

They hadn't entered the village when they came, but had taken a detour directly up the mountain. After all, an abandoned village couldn't arouse anyone's interest.

However, at this moment, there was a wisp of smoke in the center of the desolate village.

Although there was only one wisp, it was exceptionally obvious from here.

Seeing this, Zhao Kui was filled with excitement.

"Quick, quick, go down the mountain!"

"What's the rush!"

The "Mr. Lu" beside him suddenly scolded, "Although I haven't fought Lu San, I know this person understands the language of birds and beasts. I'm afraid you'll be discovered and he'll escape before you even get close."

"That's right, this kid is very slippery."

Zhao Kui suddenly realized and cupped his hands, "In your opinion, sir, what should we do?"

"Mr. Lu" said in a low voice, "Go back and find more men, guard all the exits of the village, and when night falls, I will perform sorcery to eliminate him!"

"Sir is brilliant!"

Zhao Kui was a bit reluctant, as the credit would be shared by many, but he knew that Brother Qiao Brother Qiao Sanhu valued this "Mr. Lu" highly, and he couldn't afford to offend him.

A man beside him scratched his head, "Head Constable, why don't we send someone to check first? Maybe it's just travelers passing by looking for a place to stay."

Slap!

Zhao Kui gave him a slap and glared, "It's not your place to speak here. If they are travelers, it's their bad luck; just treat them as bandits and throw them into the county jail."

As for "Mr. Lu," he didn't speak, but walked behind the crowd, touching the rotting scar on his chest, a hint of excitement flashing in his eyes, muttering: "It's the Gou Die, it's the Gou Die."

"Junior Brother Wu, I've finally waited for you..."

(End of chapter)