Lv San listened, skepticism still evident in his eyes, "You ca all this way and went through so much hardship just to help Uncle Wu with the burial?"
Li Yan’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, "Not everyone in this world pursues profit and forgets righteousness. I should do what needs to be done, shouldn’t I?"
He could tell that Lv San was sincere with animals, but extrely wary of people.
Lv San fell silent for a mont, then said, "I’ll tell you the location, and you can go find it yourself, alright?"
"Sure!" Li Yan imdiately nodded in agreent.
He wasn’t looking to trouble Lv San; figuring out the location and burying the deceased as soon as possible was the priority—there was no ti to waste with him.
Lv San seed a bit surprised and silently watched Li Yan for a few monts 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 ti there were many bad rumors in the village. They wouldn’t 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 sowhat 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 didn’t feel like lingering in Manchuan Pass. Although the place was bustling, he didn’t have ti to explore.
He returned to the Qin Street Mule and Horse Chamber of Comrce to retrieve his stored horse and imdiately left Manchuan Pass, galloping into the vast night.
What he didn’t notice was that several rats erged 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 sowhat surprised and hurried forward to hold the horse.
"Got lucky."
Li Yan dismounted, patted the horse’s neck, and said with so sympathy, "This little guy is exhausted, tell Uncle ng 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 he’s timid, he single-handedly contended with Qiao Sanhu; when you say he’s brave, he runs at the slightest rustle of grass."
"Lucky it was you who went, or we really wouldn’t have found it."
"His situation, one can’t be too cautious." Li Yan shook his head, "The place is already known, and there’s no ti to delay, Master Wang, let’s go up the mountain and find the location now."
"Okay!"
Wang Daoxuan knew what Li Yan was anxious about, didn’t talk nonsense, picked up the already packed bag, and followed Li Yan up the mountain.
This ti, they were to find the graves of Wu Lao Si’s 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 n were stunned.
A village gravesite like this, typically centered around the family, wasn’t 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 wasn’t the work of grave robbers.
It was most likely Qiao Sanhu’s doing.
"Digging up your family’s graves" wasn’t just a phrase for cursing, as digging up graves to vent anger and expose corpses wasn’t uncommon.
Looking at the situation, it hadn’t 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 thod for revenge.
"Let’s 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, it’s better to keep a low profile."
"The gravesite also needs to be more secretive, not here to prevent Qiao Sanhu’s n from coming to destroy it after we leave..."
"Right, just as Daoist suggested."
The two n talked as they walked down the hillside, searching for the gravestite of Wu Lao Si’s wife and daughters.
Not long after they had left, near the ancestral graveyard of the Wu family gully, a man slowly erged 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 imdiately 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 try..."
Li Yan said, preparing to perform the Yang Jue spell.
Now employing his full divine skills, he crouched down. He could sll odors from seven or eight ters 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.
"Who’s that?" Wang Daoxuan asked curiously.
Li Yan sneered, "That’s Lv San, I was probably deceived, let’s see what he has to say."
He had also co to his senses.
This young man mixed truth with lies and secretly followed them, probably still suspicious and seeking to confirm their identities.
It’s right to be cautious, but it also becos annoyingly so.
As expected, Lv San, just like last night, stopped at a distance, and spoke dully, "The bones aren’t here, I deceived you."
Li Yan was amused, "Playing this ga, very interesting."
Lv San seed unaware of his anger, still expressionless and somberly said, "You’re looking for Uncle Wu, I thought it was the sa people as last ti."
Li Yan narrowed his eyes, "What do you an?"
Lv San no longer hid anything and said, "I have always known, Uncle Wu is no ordinary person, no birds or beasts dare co near his ho."
"Uncle Wu was very kind to , and Auntie Wu often brought food. After the incident, I helped bury my uncle’s family."
Li Yan was intrigued, "What exactly happened at that ti?"
Fear flickered in Lv San’s eyes as he reminisced, "A fierce ghost possessed Auntie Wu and stabbed the entire family to death."
"That night, Uncle Wu ca back and dealt with the ghost, but he seed very scared, woke 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 Yan’s 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 Wu’s family, claiming to have been entrusted by him to bury the family."
"Those two had a heavy killing aura. Sensing sothing was wrong, I quickly moved the bones of Uncle Wu’s wife and daughter and buried them in the cave on East Mountain."
"You did the right thing."
Wang Daoxuan said solemnly, "In so Mystical Sect Magic Veins, there are Tracking Techniques that can be perford 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 mbers, considering he took ’that’ thing?"
He was referring to the Hook Paper.
It seems that ’that thing’ was still the treasure of Wu Lao Si’s Magic Vein.
If so, there might be trouble.
Li Yan had agreed to return the Hook Paper, but now he had beco a living Yin ssenger.
No, that’s not right!
Didn’t 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 mbers?
All these doubts perplexed Li Yan, who helplessly said to Lv San, "I didn’t know about this, you did right."
"Take us to find the bones..."
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