The paper-manipulation technique used by Huang Jiu and Huang Xian'er is not something I would call flawless, but it is certainly unique in its own right.
We followed the chubby little boy for about thirty minutes until we reached a hollow in the mountain, where he suddenly stopped.
Huang Jiu immediately went on high alert, and I too placed my hand on my waist, cautiously listening to the surrounding sounds.
The owner of the ghost servant hadn't shown up, meaning they could be hiding nearby, ready to strike at any moment.
However, as soon as the little chubby boy stopped, he deflated and reverted back to a simple paper figure.
Seeing this, Huang Jiu jumped off my shoulder, picked up the paper figure, and said, "My technique hasn't been broken. Why did it suddenly fail?"
I had kept the Earth Dog Star nearby, and I also had my spiritual eyes open. If someone had disrupted the technique, I would have felt it.
Huang Jiu scanned the area and said, "This place is too eerie. We can't go forward any longer!"
Being deep in the mountains with such strange happenings, my spine tingled, and I immediately suggested, "Let's go back to the village and check. Perhaps the little girl returned already."
Of course, I was just giving myself a reason. If she had returned, she wouldn't have done so without a word.
Huang Jiu, seeing my concern, nodded quickly.
I didn't hesitate, turning around and heading back.
We walked out of the dense forest, and when we reached an area with fewer trees, I finally relaxed and asked Huang Jiu, "Do you think there's a problem with Mr. Tang?"
Huang Jiu replied, "The sadness in his eyes is not something that can be faked. He really did lose his son, but he's too calm."
"Anyone who just lost their son and had their attempt at finding a good burial site ruined by us would normally have some emotional reaction. He wouldn't stay so composed."
I suddenly stopped and asked, "Could it be 'bright red flowers on the surface, darkness beneath'?"
Huang Jiu froze for a moment and nodded, "It's possible."
My heart sank.
If that's the case, it could be a huge problem.
"Bright red flowers on the surface, darkness beneath" is a saying in the feng shui profession. Some feng shui setups involve hidden activities, and the master might hire two people—one visible and one hidden.
The person in the open handles the more obvious tasks, gaining admiration from others like a blooming red flower. Meanwhile, the person in the shadows deals with underhanded dealings, clearing obstacles and creating opportunities for the person in the open.
This way, the master's reputation is preserved while the goal is achieved.
However, as times have changed, no one uses such tricks anymore.
Now, it seemed like the latter scenario was at play.
Mr. Tang's goal was more than simply burying his son at the Qianlong Tomb.
So, what was he really after?
I had many questions and also some worries.
Because in such a setup, the two people working in the light and the dark would never meet, and their communication would be entirely managed by the master.
This meant Mr. Tang was likely one of the insiders.
While lost in thought, I unknowingly entered the village.
I didn't alert the village chief and went straight to the team.
As expected, the little girl was not there.
I stood in the courtyard, feeling somewhat lost.
Huang Jiu said, "The Qianlong Tomb issue is solved. Should we just leave the rest alone?"
I didn't respond immediately, instead running through the events in my mind, then asked Huang Jiu, "Didn't Lai Youwei mention taking my heart's blood to Mr. Tang?"
At the time, I just thought Lai Youwei was boasting and didn't take it seriously.
But now, it seemed things weren't so simple.
Huang Jiu understood immediately, and stood up, saying, "If they really came after you, we'll have to shake things up."
Whether it was really about me or not, I couldn't be sure, but we had to plan for everything.
I paced back and forth in the courtyard and then decided, "Let's go out again and find the little girl before we do anything else."
Huang Jiu quickly asked, "Are you crazy?"
"Also, are you sure she isn't trying to trap you? Maybe she's setting you up, leading you into a trap?"
Huang Jiu tugged at my hair, leaning forward from my shoulder to look at me with wide eyes.
I hesitated for a moment but quickly replied, "She's fine."
Huang Jiu, still confused, asked, "How can you be so sure?"
I continued walking toward the exit, answering, "I can feel it."
I made up my mind to act, but I couldn't do so recklessly.
Back at the village chief's house, Xu Dafa and the others were gathered around the fire, warming themselves. When they saw me return, they all stood up.
Xu Dafa asked, "Mr. Li, is the issue resolved?"
I shook my head.
Before he could say anything, I added, "Find a place with a signal and have my second uncle call my employee, Hu Wenhui, to come here."
I wrote the phone number on the ground with a matchstick and then asked, "Where did you leave Lai Youwei and his companions?"
Li Erwa said, "Just outside the village, on the road near the big hill. I was worried that if we left them in a more remote place, no one would see them and they wouldn't make it back."
I was speechless. The people in the mountains are just too kind-hearted.
The "big hill" he referred to was likely the first small hill on the way into the village.
Xu Dafa, being impatient, immediately took the village chief and said they would go to make the call and bring me along.
I originally wanted them to wait until morning because the road was dangerous, but they insisted on going right away, so I didn't argue.
When we reached the big hill, the engine noise died down, and we could hear the two men groaning on the roadside.
I got out of the car and reminded Xu Dafa and the others to be careful.
After watching the van leave, I walked over to the two curled-up men.
Breaking their kneecaps was similar to the ancient "patella punishment," and both of them were in a half-comatose state from the pain.
I slapped Lai Youwei's face and pressed a few acupoints to temporarily stop his pain.
Lai Youwei opened his eyes, saw me and Huang Jiu, and shrank back in fear, repeatedly muttering, "Grandfather, grandfather, I know I was wrong."
Huang Jiu looked at him with disgust and said, "Enough, enough. With a grandson like you, I'm disgusted."
I had initially thought this was a simple setup and hadn't questioned it.
But now, I needed to ask more.
I helped Lai Youwei sit up and lean against a dirt bank at the side of the road, asking, "Was it true that you talked about my heart's blood in the mountains?"
Lai Youwei hurriedly replied, "It was false! I was just trying to use Mr. Tang's hand to deal with you. I said it on purpose."
Hearing this, I breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed they hadn't come after my heart's blood after all.
I asked again, "And what about the 'Heavenly Fate' stuff? Was that just made up too?"
Lai Youwei's expression changed, and he didn't answer immediately. Instead, he made a request: "If I tell you, you need to have someone take me out of the mountains, or I'll die here, and I still won't tell you anything!"
In the face of this slim hope, Lai Youwei finally hardened up.
Huang Jiu picked up a rock and was about to hit his wounds to force him to talk, but I stopped him, nodding at Lai Youwei, "I promise."
Lai Youwei, quick-witted as ever, said, "You swear it."
I laughed in frustration. Did he think everyone was like him?