chapter 6
After leaving Grave Mound Ridge, I first returned to my old home, still harboring a sliver of hope-maybe Grandpa had already come back?
Unfortunately, the thick layer of dust in the house shattered my last illusion.
I asked around the neighbors nearby, but they all said that the Lin grandfather and grandson hadn’t returned for many years.
I stayed there for an afternoon and left before dusk, preparing to head to the Cao Family.
But after all, I had lived on Grave Mound Ridge for ten years; I was out of touch with many things. And with current prices, the money Mute Granny gave me was quickly spent, barely enough for travel expenses.
Thinking it over, I remembered that Grandpa had once been a top figure in the field, and I had learned feng shui from him since childhood. So I decided to travel the world as a Feng Shui Master.
Later, I helped Boss He, who made his fortune in hardware trade in Zhengzhou, resolve a life-threatening issue. That earned me a large sum of money, freeing me from financial worries and allowing me to focus on dealing with the Cao Family.
And as fate would have it, the matter with the He family also brought me something else-a Southern Sea Demon Pearl.
This thing looked like a precious golden bead, but in fact, it was a kind of harmful sorcery from the Southern Seas.
After this Southern Sea Demon Pearl was brought home, the He family’s luck would be slowly drained and devoured. Eventually, not only would their wealth be lost, but the family would be ruined!
I had Boss He’s eldest son take me around their house. Finally, I pointed to a pear tree in the southeast corner of the yard and told him to have someone saw it in half.
Though father and son were puzzled, they still did as I said and had the tree cut down.
The moment the saw cut through, it nearly scared everyone present out of their wits.
Thick, sticky black blood gushed out from the trunk!
I told the two men to keep sawing, and soon we found the Southern Sea Demon Pearl inside the tree.
Three days later, Boss He’s illness was cured, and he looked much better.
In his own words, he used to feel stifled at home, but now he felt refreshed and all gloom was swept away.
When I left Zhengzhou, I took the Southern Sea Demon Pearl with me.
Boss He thanked me profusely, gave me a large sum of money as a reward, and told me to contact him anytime if I ever needed anything.
After finishing things in Zhengzhou, I headed straight for Meicheng and arrived that afternoon at the foot of Green Dragon Mountain, northwest of Meicheng.
“This is Green Dragon Mountain. Look at the shape of the mountain range-doesn’t it look like a green dragon lying down?” Driver Zhang pointed ahead and asked with a smile.
I studied the mountain range, was silent for a moment, then smiled. “It does. Shall we go up and take a look?”
“Sure.” Driver Zhang parked the car and went up the mountain with me. “I’ve been here several times. Every time, I go up to worship at Cao Immortal Temple. They say it’s very effective.”
“Cao Immortal Temple?” I was a bit puzzled.
“Yes, you’ll see it when we get up there,” Driver Zhang said with a smile.
It was my first time at Green Dragon Mountain, but inwardly I was far from as calm as I appeared.
Because this was where the Cao Family’s Ancestral Grave was located-the root of everything.
I’d once heard Grandpa mention the “Dragon-Locking Lair.” If I was right, the Cao Family’s ancestors must have been guided by a master to find this Dragon-Locking Lair in Green Dragon Mountain and moved their Ancestral Grave here.
From then on, the Cao Family prospered, even producing high-ranking officials.
But in this world, how could all the good fortune belong to just one family?
As time passed, the Dragon-Locking Lair must have developed a major problem, bringing disaster upon the Cao Family.
So the Cao Family sought out my grandfather, a top Feng Shui Master, hoping he could help them defy fate.
Of course, Grandpa understood the enormous risks and would never have agreed.
But later, in order to borrow Cao Xuerong to extend my life, he had no choice but to accept the Cao Family’s request as an exchange.
Even so, Grandpa never expected the Cao Family to be so malicious, never intending to honor the marriage agreement at all.
“There’s Cao Immortal Temple!”
We climbed a winding stone stairway, and as we neared the summit, Driver Zhang pointed ahead and called out.
Looking up, I saw a massive Taoist temple at the mountain’s peak, grand and imposing.
Up close, the plaque above the entrance gleamed with the three golden characters: “Cao Immortal Temple.”
Incense burned vigorously inside, with a steady stream of worshippers coming and going.
“When was Cao Immortal Temple built? It wasn’t here before, was it?” I asked with a frown.
“If you count from when construction started, it’s been about ten years,” Driver Zhang calculated.
That was exactly when Grandpa helped the Cao Family resolve the Dragon-Locking Lair.
“Why is it called Cao Immortal Temple?” I asked, looking at the three characters on the plaque.
“They say all the money to build this temple was donated by the Cao Family.”
Driver Zhang smiled and explained, “Have you heard of the Cao Family? They’re Meicheng’s Top Philanthropist and Meicheng’s First Family!”
“I’ve heard of the Cao Family, but this ‘Meicheng’s Top Philanthropist’-isn’t that a joke?” I chuckled.