Chapter 202
Chapter 202
The speaker was an old monk whose Dharma name was Pudu. He wore a monk’s robe that was worn but spotlessly clean, and looked no different from an ordinary old man.
This monk, however, was nothing like the one they had encountered before. He was the abbot of Little River Temple on the outskirts of Huicheng.
Few people in Huicheng had heard of Little River Temple. It was completely different from the grand temples in the city: merely a ramshackle building of a little over one hundred square meters, with a clay Buddha enshrined inside.
The temple refused all offerings. Even when its monks begged for alms, they accepted only simple food such as rice and steamed buns.
Pudu was best known for rescuing a child from a Fiend incident and emerging entirely unharmed.
Every member of the upper class knew the story, which was why the Zhao family had invited him.
“Master, what did you see?”
The speaker was a remarkably handsome young monk. He was the child Pudu had rescued all those years ago, later accepted as the old monk’s final personal disciple. This disciple was the very reason Pudu had emerged from seclusion this time.
“This patron’s countenance is exceedingly strange. I cannot discern his past or see through his future. He carries no karma, yet every moment of his existence affects the people around him.”
The old monk turned to John.
He had met this young man once before. At the time, Pudu had seen the signs of an early death. John should not have lived beyond the age of thirty-five.
Now, however, Pudu could no longer see through his fate.
“Master, the Zhao family seems to be moving its ancestral graves again. They have moved them five times in the last decade. What are they trying to do?” the young monk asked.
He had heard people nearby discussing the matter and couldn’t suppress his curiosity.
The old monk fell silent at the question, then shook his head.
“It cannot be spoken. It cannot be spoken! Yijie, remember this: when this affair is over, leave Huicheng.”
“Master! Why are you saying that? Have I done something wrong? Master!”
The old monk said nothing. He closed his eyes and continuously recited sutras.
Elsewhere, Liu Ye asked curiously, “Big Brother, why do people move ancestral graves?”
The Driver sat up from the floor and removed the handkerchief from his head.
“In feng shui, a person’s fortune is divided into three parts: heaven, earth, and humanity. Heaven is the destiny granted to you by the heavens. Humanity is the fate you earn through your own efforts. Earth is the fortune given through the protection of your ancestors. And why would your ancestors protect you? Because they need a good place to live. That’s why the feng shui of an ancestral grave is so important to great families.
“If you became rich, you would create a better environment for your descendants, wouldn’t you? An ancestral grave works the same way.
“Naturally, ancestors can protect their descendants, and descendants can repay their ancestors. You know the old saying: when an outstanding descendant appears, green smoke rises from the ancestral grave. It means the descendant has brought honor to the ancestors.”
Liu Ye understood something new. He secretly resolved to work hard so green smoke would rise from his own ancestral grave one day!
Black Cow Village.
The Fiends stumbled frantically out of their houses. Soot-covered and disheveled, they stared at the flames towering over the village and sank into silence.
Why had their perfectly good village suddenly caught fire? What had that little bastard Liu Ye done now?
Back at the Zhao estate, Xiaoshuai asked John curiously, “Then why does your family need to move its graves so often?”
“Grandfather says our family once offended someone. Every two years, we have to move the ancestral grave so they can’t target it.”
“What kind of logic is that?”
Xiaoshuai was speechless. If two parties became enemies, why attack the other side’s ancestral grave instead of the person?
“It’s true. Experts select every location for our ancestral grave, and each one possesses excellent feng shui. Yet within two years, the site’s feng shui is always destroyed.”
“Oh, I know what this is,” Liu Ye suddenly said.
“I’ve heard about these things. They’re corporate tactics-corporate warfare! Yes, that must be it.”
Everyone fell silent.
Strangely enough, Liu Ye might actually be right. Real corporate warfare really was like that.
People uprooted their rivals’ fortune trees, smashed their lucky cat statues, or, if they were particularly vile, hired someone to cut a competitor’s internet cable.
Destroying a rival’s ancestral grave wasn’t an impossible tactic either.
“We considered that possibility, but our family has offended too many people over the years. We have no idea who might be responsible, so we can only inconvenience our ancestors.”
Tormenting the dead was better than tormenting the living. Affection ran thin in the Zhao family. Moving their ancestors to a new home now and then was no great concern.
As for whether it affected their fortune, the younger generations didn’t believe in such things. Among the older generation, no one except Grandfather and Second Uncle cared very much either.
Now that it had become a mission, however, John suspected the matter was far more complicated.
The Driver seemed to have noticed something. He looked toward a certain part of the house, an amused smile appearing on his face.
He thought he knew what the people here had done. He had heard of such a practice before but never imagined anyone would truly carry it out.
Of course, none of that concerned him. He only wanted to know whether Liu Ye could gain some benefit from it… Huh? Where was Liu Ye?
He turned and discovered that Liu Ye had disappeared.
Cold sweat instantly covered him. As the saying went, when a child grew quiet, trouble was brewing.
The moment the Driver looked away, the kid vanished. Now he was terrified Liu Ye might accidentally blow up the entire Zhao estate.
“Where’s Liu Ye?”
The Driver grabbed Xiaoshuai.
“I think he went to the garden. I saw him head outside a moment ago.”
“Then why didn’t you follow him? You’re comfortable leaving him alone?”
His words displeased the nearby members of the Zhao family.
“Sir, the Zhao family’s security is exceptional. Master Liu will be perfectly safe.”
The Driver stared at him.
You think I’m worried about him? I’m worried about your family!
At that moment, black smoke suddenly rose beyond the window.
An alarm began to blare. Everyone hurried to the window and saw flames towering over the garden.
The room fell silent.
“Holy crap!”
The Driver knew where Liu Ye was. He rushed outside.
Everyone else ran out as well. Second Uncle was frantic. He ordered the servants to lead the guests somewhere safe, then brought people to fight the fire.
After a long and exhausting effort, the once impeccably dressed guests were covered in grime.
Then they saw Liu Ye standing in the garden, soaked from head to toe. Before him lay a person burned completely black.
“What did he do to offend you?” the Driver blurted out.
“It wasn’t me! He was already on fire when I got here,” Liu Ye hurriedly explained.
The Zhao family didn’t believe him. Some even wanted to call the police, but John stopped them.
He took a pair of gloves from his clothes and put them on before approaching the charred figure. Although the man was burned black, John recognized him from his clothing.
It was Third Uncle!
John examined him. Third Uncle’s injuries looked terrifying, but the burns themselves were superficial. The most serious wound was actually blunt-force trauma to the head.