Lv San listened, skepticism still evident in his eyes, "You came all this way and went through so much hardship just to help Uncle Wu with the burial?"
Li Yanâs eyebrows furrowed slightly, "Not everyone in this world pursues profit and forgets righteousness. I should do what needs to be done, shouldnât I?"
He could tell that Lv San was sincere with animals, but extremely wary of people.
Lv San fell silent for a moment, then said, "Iâll tell you the location, and you can go find it yourself, alright?"
"Sure!" Li Yan immediately nodded in agreement.
He wasnât looking to trouble Lv San; figuring out the location and burying the deceased as soon as possible was the priorityâthere was no time to waste with him.
Lv San seemed a bit surprised and silently watched Li Yan for a few moments before speaking, "The Wu family ancestral graves are all on the mountain in the southwest. If you see a large pine tree on the mountain, the graves are right below it."
"Uncle Wu and his family were killed in an explosion, and at that time there were many bad rumors in the village. They wouldnât let them be buried in the ancestral grave, so they were buried in a gully behind it."
Having said that, he turned around, leapt up, and, with the aid of his glider, disappeared into the vast night.
Below the cliff in the distance, the lights of Manchuan Pass shone brilliantly.
"How can he be as timid as a mouse..."
Li Yan was somewhat speechless, shook his head, and turned to leave.
After he had left, the previously unconscious old fox stealthily opened its eyes, then quickly grabbed a skull and scurried away...
Having received the information, Li Yan didnât feel like lingering in Manchuan Pass. Although the place was bustling, he didnât have time to explore.
He returned to the Qin Street Mule and Horse Chamber of Commerce to retrieve his stored horse and immediately left Manchuan Pass, galloping into the vast night.
What he didnât notice was that several rats emerged from the grass along the official road, motionless, watching the direction in which he departed...
...
Early in the morning, before dawn, everyone was awakened by the sound of horse hooves.
Sha Lifei hurried out only to see Li Yan riding in, his body chilled with the frost and dew dripping from his bamboo hat.
"That was quick?"
Sha Lifei was somewhat surprised and hurried forward to hold the horse.
"Got lucky."
Li Yan dismounted, patted the horseâs neck, and said with some sympathy, "This little guy is exhausted, tell Uncle Meng to add more feed."
After taking care of the horse, Li Yan briefly recounted the events of the previous night to Sha Lifei.
Sha Lifei laughed, "This Lv San, when you say heâs timid, he single-handedly contended with Qiao Sanhu; when you say heâs brave, he runs at the slightest rustle of grass."
"Lucky it was you who went, or we really wouldnât have found it."
"His situation, one canât be too cautious." Li Yan shook his head, "The place is already known, and thereâs no time to delay, Master Wang, letâs go up the mountain and find the location now."
"Okay!"
Wang Daoxuan knew what Li Yan was anxious about, didnât talk nonsense, picked up the already packed bag, and followed Li Yan up the mountain.
This time, they were to find the graves of Wu Lao Siâs wife and daughters and also choose another auspicious spot to prepare for the funeral.
Sha Lifei and the porters stayed in the village.
Following what Lv San had said, Li Yan and Wang Daoxuan walked along the dry riverbed and indeed found that large pine tree on the southwest mountain.
It stood solitary on the mountaintop, lush and dripping with the morning light.
However, upon seeing the gravesite, both men were stunned.
A village gravesite like this, typically centered around the family, wasnât considered an auspicious spot; it was just scenically acceptable.
But now, most of the graves had been desecrated.
Gravestones were toppled, burial chambers were wide open, and skeletal remains were exposed.
"What a sin..." Wang Daoxuan said, slightly shaking his head.
Li Yan also frowned tightly, anger rising in his heart.
He had a vague guess as to who was responsible.
The villagers had nothing of value; it wasnât the work of grave robbers.
It was most likely Qiao Sanhuâs doing.
"Digging up your familyâs graves" wasnât just a phrase for cursing, as digging up graves to vent anger and expose corpses wasnât uncommon.
Looking at the situation, it hadnât been long since it was done.
Perhaps Qiao Sanhu, having been provoked by Lv San in Manchuan Pass and unable to find him, resorted to this despicable method for revenge.
"Letâs leave."
Wang Daoxuan was clearly also angry, "This Fengyang Tiger is really unfilial, originally planning to go to Fengyang to arrange a grand burial. Now it seems, itâs better to keep a low profile."
"The gravesite also needs to be more secretive, not here to prevent Qiao Sanhuâs men from coming to destroy it after we leave..."
"Right, just as Daoist suggested."
The two men talked as they walked down the hillside, searching for the gravestite of Wu Lao Siâs wife and daughters.
Not long after they had left, near the ancestral graveyard of the Wu family gully, a man slowly emerged from the overgrown grass.
It was Lv San.
Looking at the destroyed grave, shock and sorrow flashed through his eyes, followed by endless rage. He clenched his fists tightly, his teeth grinding loudly.
Squeak! Squeak!
Several rats scurried out of a hole in the ground, squeaking continuously.
Lv San paused, opened the pouch at his waist, and the rats immediately darted out, climbing up his trouser legs and one by one, burrowing into the pouch.
He then looked in the direction where Li Yan and another person had left and followed without hesitation...
...
"Where exactly is this?"
In the gully, Li Yan searched around with a troubled expression.
According to what Lv San had said, they had found the rear gully, but it was overgrown with weeds, and no grave mounds were visible.
Wang Daoxuan, holding the compass, looked around and shook his head, "This is not a good place, devoid of vitality, burying here would be inauspicious."
"Moreover, this area is low-lying and subject to flash floods. I fear the grave mounds may have already been washed away."
"Let me try..."
Li Yan said, preparing to perform the Yang Jue spell.
Now employing his full divine skills, he crouched down. He could smell odors from seven or eight meters away, perhaps he would be able to locate the corpse.
However, just as he activated his divine skills, Li Yan frowned and looked toward the northwest slope.
There, a figure crossed the ridge and slid down the gravel slope.
"Whoâs that?" Wang Daoxuan asked curiously.
Li Yan sneered, "Thatâs Lv San, I was probably deceived, letâs see what he has to say."
He had also come to his senses.
This young man mixed truth with lies and secretly followed them, probably still suspicious and seeking to confirm their identities.
Itâs right to be cautious, but it also becomes annoyingly so.
As expected, Lv San, just like last night, stopped at a distance, and spoke dully, "The bones arenât here, I deceived you."
Li Yan was amused, "Playing this game, very interesting."
Lv San seemed unaware of his anger, still expressionless and somberly said, "Youâre looking for Uncle Wu, I thought it was the same people as last time."
Li Yan narrowed his eyes, "What do you mean?"
Lv San no longer hid anything and said, "I have always known, Uncle Wu is no ordinary person, no birds or beasts dare come near his home."
"Uncle Wu was very kind to me, and Auntie Wu often brought me food. After the incident, I helped bury my uncleâs family."
Li Yan was intrigued, "What exactly happened at that time?"
Fear flickered in Lv Sanâs eyes as he reminisced, "A fierce ghost possessed Auntie Wu and stabbed the entire family to death."
"That night, Uncle Wu came back and dealt with the ghost, but he seemed very scared, woke me up in the middle of the night to hurriedly bury the family, then left Wu Family Gully and never returned."
Just as Wu Lao Si had said.
That fierce ghost must be his friend who repaid kindness with enmity...
Li Yanâs expression softened slightly, "You said others have been looking for him?"
"Yes."
Lv San nodded, "About three days after Uncle Wu left, two outsiders arrived in the village, inquiring about Uncle Wuâs family, claiming to have been entrusted by him to bury the family."
"Those two had a heavy killing aura. Sensing something was wrong, I quickly moved the bones of Uncle Wuâs wife and daughter and buried them in the cave on East Mountain."
"You did the right thing."
Wang Daoxuan said solemnly, "In some Mystical Sect Magic Veins, there are Tracking Techniques that can be performed using the bones of relatives. If they had found the bones, the elder might not have gotten far."
Li Yan thoughtfully said, "Could those two be his fellow sect members, considering he took âthatâ thing?"
He was referring to the Hook Paper.
It seems that âthat thingâ was still the treasure of Wu Lao Siâs Magic Vein.
If so, there might be trouble.
Li Yan had agreed to return the Hook Paper, but now he had become a living Yin messenger.
No, thatâs not right!
Didnât Wu Lao Si say that the Magic Vein was in decline,
even a Cold Altar traveling master had appeared.
This only happens when incense offerings have ceased.
Could it be that those two are not his fellow sect members?
All these doubts perplexed Li Yan, who helplessly said to Lv San, "I didnât know about this, you did right."
"Take us to find the bones..."