Chapter 798: Extra 4: 35

The driver helped the old man to the entrance of Yin Dang Hang; the old man waved his hand, and the driver stepped aside to stand on the right side of the gate.

That bearing... at a glance it's not the agility and neatness an ordinary driver should have.

The old man leaned on his cane and walked step by step to the counter.

Xiao Jiu raised her hand in a gesture of invitation, indicating for the old man to sit in the chair before the counter.

After the old man sat down, he placed his dragon-headed cane to one side.

During this time, Xiao Jiu had already scanned the old man's physiognomy once.

She found that the old man's physiognomy was originally that of great wealth, nobility, and longevity; although his life path had many obstacles, he could turn danger into safety everywhere and seek honor in adversity.

Even without the aid of that golden luopan, his physiognomy should have destined him for promotion and honor, with a house full of descendants.

How could something so fine become involved with that golden luopan?

At this moment, a thick black vapor swirled between the old man's eyebrows, not only indicating that his lifespan was nearing its end, but also showing that his descendants were implicated, likely faring poorly as well.

The key is that this misfortune will not end with the old man's passing.

As long as the matter of the golden luopan is not properly resolved, the old man's descendants will suffer retaliation generation after generation, until the line dies out.

The more Xiao Jiu looked, the more careful she became, and her brows furrowed tighter and tighter.

The old man naturally noticed Xiao Jiu's gaze; he did not speak to stop her, nor show the slightest annoyance, but rather lifted his face, openly letting Xiao Jiu see clearly.

Xiao Jiu's physiognomy skill was already quite high, but compared to A Cheng's professional mastery, she was still slightly lacking.

However, it was sufficient.

Xiao Jiu understood that what she could perceive, the experts kept by the old man's side must have already seen long ago, so there was no need for her to elaborate further.

She asked as usual: "May I ask if you came to Yin Dang Hang to pawn something?"

The old man smiled and said: "Yes, Xiao Jiu Zhanggui, I came to pawn a golden luopan, a dead pawn; you may set the price as you wish, or if you need me to attach any conditions before you accept this golden luopan, please speak freely—whatever I can do, I will surely do; if I cannot, I will think of another way and do my best."

That was quite sincere.

He had not made any prior pawn trials, nor did he use official authority or power to pressure Xiao Jiu.

Moreover, he did not indiscriminately drag in connections.

This made Xiao Jiu feel much more relieved in her heart.

Xiao Jiu thought for a moment and asked: "Before I decide whether to accept this golden luopan, I want to ask, what do you need me to do for you?"

"Xiao Jiu Zhanggui doesn't need to do anything," the old man said. "As long as you accept this golden luopan, all the sins of my Meng family will end here; Xiao Jiu Zhanggui's great kindness and virtue, the Meng family will never forget."

The Zhejiang Meng family.

Xiao Jiu knew that involvement with this golden luopan would certainly require dealing with the high-level officials of Zhejiang.

The Zhejiang Meng family—she had also glanced through a pile of materials given by Fang Chuanzong.

Official family, with a good reputation and pure household style, there was nothing to fault.

But the fewer flaws one could find, the more likely there were turbulent undercurrents hidden beneath the surface calm.

Water too clear holds no fish.

Xiao Jiu shook her head and said: "Yin Dang Hang operates for business and has its own rules; after taking your golden luopan, I must resolve all the problems entailed behind it. I have seen that golden luopan and know exactly how deep the waters run here. Let me say something that might offend you: this thing could sever your family's incense line—how could I possibly do nothing?"

The old man's expression turned grim, then he showed a look of pain.

He gave a self-deprecating smile and said: "After all, I cannot escape Xiao Jiu Zhanggui's discerning eye, but I am not deliberately deceiving Xiao Jiu Zhanggui; rather, the matter I wish you to handle, once you accept this golden luopan, will already be accomplished together."

Xiao Jiu listened, bewildered: "What do you mean?"

"In the first half of my life I served as an official, with clean sleeves and upright conduct," the old man said slowly. "But people face sudden fortune and misfortune; in the year when I was most prosperous, I fell victim to my rival's scheming, nearly capsizing in a ditch and never able to recover."

"It was then that someone pointed out to me that the feng shui layout of my family's ancestral grave had gone awry; in desperation I sought help, asking that expert to fix the ancestral grave's feng shui, and he told me to obtain an artifact capable of gathering the ancestral grave's feng shui and place it in the grave, so as to preserve the Meng family's fortune."

"I didn't understand these things; at the time I also took the attitude of trying a dead horse as if it were alive, I asked him to give it a try, and he buried this golden luopan in my family's ancestral grave, where it soon showed results."

Xiao Jiu asked: "Did you not ask that expert about the origin of the golden luopan at that time?"

"No," the old man regretted. "After all, I'm a layperson—who would understand all those twists and turns? I spent a lot of money, indeed saw the effect, and thus trusted him completely."

Xiao Jiu again asked: "Then when did you start noticing something was off?"

"At that time I already had an eldest son," the old man said. "My wife was also pregnant, and soon she safely gave birth to my eldest daughter; when the daughter grew to over one year old, we noticed her appearance was excessively beautiful, resembling neither me nor my wife."

Xiao Jiu's heart skipped a beat: "May I look at her photos or videos?"

The old man is now over ninety; if his eldest daughter were still alive, she would be about seventy.

What Xiao Jiu did not expect was that the old man pulled out a blue-checkered handkerchief from his pocket, unfolded it bit by bit, and revealed several old photographs inside.

Those few black-and-white photos are somewhat aged, but they have been well preserved.

The little girl in the photos is only about two or three years old, yet one can already see that her eyebrows and eyes are quite handsome—describing her as "good-looking" is not quite fitting.

More fitting is an adjective that ought not be used for a two- or three-year-old girl: "bewitching."

Yes, that is bewitching.

Her skin was whiter than snow, her eyebrows and eyes like a painting, the corners of her eyes slightly raised; with every frown and smile, she seemed to possess a power that captivates the soul.

Xiao Jiu merely from these few old photos already sensed that something was amiss.

"She lived only to three years old," the old man said sorrowfully. "We all loved her dearly; our family circumstances were excellent, and at the time we even had a dedicated nanny looking after her, but when she just turned three, she suddenly disappeared. We searched everywhere we could think of that she might have gone, but found nothing, and then……"

Saying this, a hint of fear appeared in the old man's eyes.

Xiao Jiu asked: "Later, where did you find her?"

"The ancestral grave," the old man said. "Her whole body lay in a pool of blood, and beneath that blood was the place where the golden luopan was buried."

Xiao Jiu drew a sharp breath in shock; this was something she could never have imagined.

The old man covered his mouth and coughed twice, then after a pause continued: "Eighteen years later, I again had a granddaughter……"