Chapter 644

It turns out it was for this matter.

Uncle knew that Jin Wuya had previously helped repair the bone whistle, and that was probably why he sought out Jin Wuya.

I said: "Then go ahead and be busy, but no matter who you work for, you must keep your wits about you—do what you can, and if you have doubts, set them aside for now and come ask me."

Jin Wuya replied repeatedly: "Sure, I'll listen to you."

The next day, Jin Wuya got up early to make me breakfast, and only left after watching me finish eating.

He said that once he was done over there, he would come back to keep me company.

This time he went, and didn't return until evening.

I several times wanted to rush straight to the ancestral grave to check the situation, but I restrained myself.

Three days' time, already one day and one night have passed.

The elder cousin, Qian brother, and the second uncle—I had people secretly investigate each of them, and found no issues.

So, anyone who comes into contact with Jin Wuya from now on could possibly be the person Grandfather fears.

For now, the only suspicious target I can pin down is Uncle.

Although I really don't want to suspect him, since it concerns the entire Shi Family, as well as my and Grandfather's lives, I cannot let my guard down.

If I were to go to him now, I would likely scare the snake in the grass.

I have no choice but to endure again and again.

At around five in the evening, when Jin Wuya came back from outside, he looked exhausted.

As soon as he entered the door, he went to the bathroom to wash up and change clothes.

After tidying himself up, he then came over and sat beside me.

I asked him: "Why is your complexion so bad? Is repairing the bones particularly tricky?"

Jin Wuya shook his head: "I didn't have time to deal with the bones today. That coffin, close to the edge of the tomb, the ground underneath—whether it got waterlogged and softened or something else—ended up causing the surface to collapse, and half the coffin got lodged underground, breaking a large piece. Now it's not just about repairing the bones; I also have to help Uncle fix that half of the coffin."

He said this while raising his hand and vigorously rubbing his temples.

My heart gave a jolt, and I instinctively asked: "Something this big happened—how could Uncle not even notify me and Grandfather?"

Regarding the ancestral grave matter, even if it were Uncle's father, he would have the authority to handle it himself, but out of respect he should at least inform Grandfather, right?

"I told Grandfather." Jin Wuya said, "But he told me not to let you know for now, seeing as you just had a miscarriage and need proper rest."

If I hadn't repeatedly urged Jin Wuya yesterday to tell me about any matters, he might really have kept it hidden.

"Then what was Grandfather's attitude after he learned of this?"

"Grandfather hasn't been feeling well lately either; he asked for the details, then handed full authority over this matter to Uncle, merely reminding him that the ancestral grave has a Feng Shui array laid down, so the foundation must not be disturbed arbitrarily, and digging must not go deeper than nine feet."

Using today's length units for conversion, three chi is approximately one meter, and nine chi is three meters.

Uncle shouldn't be digging another three meters deeper, should he?

After all, the coffin itself is buried at a certain depth.

Is there really a Feng Shui array buried three meters down?

While I was thinking about that, Jin Wuya asked: "Have you eaten?"

"I have." I said, "You go eat; I'll lie down for a bit."

After a while, the person I sent to watch Uncle reported back, and the situation was not much different from what Jin Wuya said.

Uncle also seemed quite normal.

Could it be that I'm overthinking?

After Jin Wuya finished dinner, he came over to chat with me for a while, told me to sleep first, and said he had a bit of business to attend to in the study, and would come back after finishing.

He still needs to go to the ancestral grave tomorrow morning.

I leaned against the headboard, thought for a moment, then got up and went to the study.

In the study, Jin Wuya was hunched over the desk drawing something, brows furrowed, fully focused; he didn't even notice when I came in.

I walked over softly, stood beside him, and watched for a good while but still couldn't make out what he was drawing.

On the white paper spread out on the desk, many scattered parts were drawn, each bearing patterns; Jin Wuya drew, erased, drew again, erased again—seemingly racking his brains.

I whispered: "What is this?"

Jin Wuya jumped: "Shi Rou? When did you come over?"

"Just now." I pointed again at the drawing on the paper and asked, "What are you drawing?"

"Tomb-suppressing Beast." Jin Wuya explained: "When a corpse that caused trouble after death is buried, a knowledgeable expert will bury one Tomb-suppressing Beast at each of the four corners facing the coffin, to suppress the corpse and keep the household peaceful. These are the two Tomb-suppressing Beasts on one side of Uncle's father's coffin; they got crushed in the collapse, and Uncle asked if I could help restore them."

"Uncle's father... I wasn't even born when he passed away, so I don't know whether his corpse caused trouble, which master was invited back then, or whether Tomb-suppressing Beasts were buried."

This matter can only be asked of the elders.

"Grandfather only wants to send me away; he won't let me handle these things, and asking him would only bring unnecessary trouble."

I thought it over, called the second uncle, and asked about the burial circumstances back then.

The second uncle immediately sighed: "Back then it was quite a disturbance; everyone of the older generation knows that later they still invited an expert from Mao Shan, who I recall set up some kind of Formation Array and placed several mortise-and-tenon structured Tomb-suppressing Beasts around the coffin, which finally suppressed it completely. Ah, Xiao Rou, why are you asking about this?"

"Just asking." I probed: "I heard water got into the ancestral grave, and Uncle Grandfather's coffin got soaked; I'm worried something might happen."

The second uncle exclaimed: "It's been so many years—can't there be another disturbance? That expert from back then doesn't even know how many years ago he died, Xiao Rou. Do you have any reliable experts on your side? First get in touch, just in case."

I replied: "Uncle knows far more experts than I do; he should have contacted them already. If not, I'll help look around here."

The second uncle showed understanding.

After hanging up, I had Jin Wuya tell me in detail about the Tomb-suppressing Beasts.

"These two Tomb-suppressing Beasts are both made of bronze, with mortise-and-tenon structure." Jin Wuya said, "Objects with this structure all share a common trait: pull one thread and the whole thing moves. As long as you can find that key piece, a light tug will make the whole thing fall apart; if you can't find it, even if you hack at it with a knife, you won't be able to pry it open."

"Today we found so many scattered pieces in the damp mud at the ancestral grave; I now need to somehow reassemble them, and first I must locate that crucial piece."

Jin Wuya pointed at one of the pieces and said: "If I haven't mistaken, this should be the key mechanism part of one of the Tomb-suppressing Beasts; the other piece hasn't been found yet."

I frowned: "In other words, when my great-uncle's coffin tipped sideways and sank into the wet mud, it just happened to strike the mechanisms of both Tomb-suppressing Beasts, causing them to break apart and scatter completely?"

When I asked like that, Jin Wuya was suddenly stunned.

Our eyes met, and we exchanged glances.

Jin Wuya said, "Shi Rou, am I being used as a pawn by someone?"