The Blade-Wielding Legend
Chapter 197 - 143: The Corrupted Scheme_2

Chapter 197: Chapter 143: The Corrupted Scheme_2

Indeed, the courtyard was very clean and elegant.

After arranging rooms for a few people, Butler Wang pleasingly said with a laugh, "You have come from afar, please rest first. I will instruct someone to prepare hot water and dinner for you."

After saying this, he carefully closed the door and left.

No sooner had he left than Sha Lifei jumped to the door and peered out before making a hand gesture, asking if they could speak.

Li Yan pinched a spell, took a deep breath, and sensed that no one was eavesdropping nearby, then turned to say, "Daoist, what is going on?"

"We’ve got a bit of a problem."

Wang Daoxuan slightly shook his head, "Did you communicate with the spirits just now? Tell me what you saw."

He naturally knew that Li Yan could communicate with spirits.

The Mountain God of the Chaotic Burial Mound, the Daoist from the Medicine King Temple... it was through Hook Paper that Li Yan communicated with the spirits to find a way to break the situation.

"This mansion is indeed not simple."

Li Yan slightly shook his head and said, "The fengshui layout of this Yang House, just as the Daoist said, is quite remarkable, it can actually form a situation similar to a Taoist Temple."

"In fact, before even entering the mansion, the Hook Paper reacted. Later, when I entered the main hall and saw the ancestral tablet, I immediately had a reaction, seeing a scene..."

"It was a lotus-shaped Eight Trigrams throne, with an old man sitting upright in it, wearing a dead man’s clothes, his face ashen, staring straight at me. Those eyes... they didn’t look human at all!"

"Also, some black viscous fluid was continuously dripping from above him, staining the whole person, even the Jade Bowl was not spared."

"I left in time, remembering what the Daoist had said earlier, so I spoke out to remind everyone, to take a gamble."

"Indeed it is so!"

Wang Daoxuan, tugging at his beard, frowned and said, "This Du family, in their quest for wealth and status, really dares to do anything."

"Generally speaking, forming a Dissolution situation takes time, as fortune slowly accumulates, and it takes ten years for it to bless the descendants, but there is also a Secret Technique that can speed up the process."

"If I’m not mistaken, they must have secretly moved the bones of their ancestors and buried them outside the big tombs around Haojing City, and perhaps even more audaciously, buried them in the tombs of the nobility from ancient Zhou."

Li Yan furrowed his brow, "That would work as well?"

"Ordinary methods wouldn’t work."

Wang Daoxuan shook his head, "But this is Dissolution, they hastened this process through using the bones of their ancestors."

Li Yan suddenly understood, "Did this method cause problems?"

Wang Daoxuan shook his head, "Not exactly, the method is dangerous, but there is also a way to stabilize it, by performing a ritual every seven years, every leap year, to dispel the evil spirit and resentment in the ancestors’ tomb."

"There would have been no issues, but coincidentally, something major happened recently, which you might guess."

A flash of insight struck Li Yan’s mind, "The ancient Zhou tombs were robbed!"

"Yes."

Wang Daoxuan nodded, "Those tomb raiders used a lot of explosives, and the tomb of the Du family’s ancestor was likely nearby and affected, resulting in the leakage of the tomb’s energy."

"Relocating graves and disturbing the soil, especially in such dangerous situations where the ancestors’ resentment could burst forth, will inevitably bring misfortune upon the descendants, starting with the youngest."

"Hiss! That harsh?"

Sha Lifei took a sharp breath of cold air, "Can’t they perform a ritual to appease the ancestors’ resentment?"

"Difficult!"

Wang Daoxuan sighed, "Their method is akin to situating their ancestors within the tombs of the ancient Zhou, which no one would be pleased with, and additionally relying on the Dissolution to make the ancestors become protective Yin Gods."

"That’s the one that Brother Yan saw."

Sha Lifei cursed, "Seriously, for the sake of wealth and status, they tormented their ancestors like this, no wonder there’s retaliation."

Wang Daoxuan stroked his beard and shook his head, "This is a self-inflicted Bloodline Curse. I certainly don’t have the ability to unravel it."

"Perhaps, when the people from the Taixuan Orthodox Sect return, they might have a way."

Having figured out the reason, the three of them didn’t think further.

After all, if even the Magic Veins of Shang Mountain were helpless, they naturally had no solutions either.

Soon, Butler Wang brought in the hot water and dinner.

Sha Lifei pulled him aside and skillfully extracted some information.

Indeed, just as Wang Daoxuan had said.

Not long after the ancient Zhou tombs were destroyed, Landlord Du’s grandson began to run high fevers, speak nonsense, always saying that great-grandfather wanted to take him away.

Landlord Du naturally knew what was going on and even made a special trip to the old tomb to check, nearly passing out on the spot from anger.

They had called upon witches and wizards, but they could not awaken the grandson.

Not long after, the grandson suddenly disappeared and never appeared again.

Just a day later, the granddaughter fell into the same state, feverish and delirious, constantly talking nonsense.

Landlord Du’s old lady was heartbroken over her granddaughter and often stayed up at night to check on her, but a couple of days ago, she saw something that terrified her to death.

Since then, the entire Du Mansion had been in a state of panic.

After the steward left, the three of them looked at each other, speechless and shaking their heads, and then went to bed.

They had decided that they would talk to Landlord Du the next day to seek more capable help...

In the mourning hall, paper money was burning incessantly in the fire basin.

Du An, the eldest son of Landlord Du, was absent-minded, his eyes vacant and occasionally glancing toward the direction of the backyard.

Given the gravity of the situation, he should have been in charge, at least to prevent his father from worrying.

But in a short period of time, first his son disappeared with his life hanging in the balance and then his daughter took ill before he could react, and then his mother passed away.

The consecutive shocks had almost driven this middle-aged man to the brink of collapse; all he could do now was to keep vigil for his mother.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded from behind.

Du An’s hair stood on end, and like a frightened rabbit, he spun around. After seeing who it was, he sighed in relief and stammered, "I... I have seen you, Daoist Luo."

It was Luo Faqing.

Luo Faqing nodded, scanned the surroundings with a blank expression, and then said, "It’s alright; I’m just here to check."

With that, he turned to leave.

But halfway out, he turned his head back to look at the distraught Du An and said somewhat compassionately, "Don’t worry, it’s not your turn yet..."

He stopped midway, finding his own words awkward, lightly flapped his mouth, and then turned and left.

He walked briskly and soon arrived at a small courtyard behind the Du Mansion.

Inside a room in the courtyard, a young girl in the bloom of youth lay on the bed, her face flushed and sweat-soaked hair plastered to her head, her jaws clenched, and eyelids trembling as if she was having a nightmare.

The girl lay on a step-bed that only wealthy families owned, exquisitely carved and inlaid with jade and tortoiseshell, very valuable.

And this step-bed was now entwined with dense red ropes, not only adorned with copper coins and copper bells but also covered in many talismans.

Landlord Du, holding a long sword, sat outside the room, surrounded by some servants who, although armed with swords, spears, and clubs, were all trembling with fear.

Seeing this, Luo Faqing shook his head and said, "Landlord Du, these things are useless. The bloodline curse comes from within."

"I know."

Landlord Du clenched the sword handle tightly and gritted his teeth, "I just want to see him again. Back in the day, he almost ruined the Du family; so many years have passed, and he’s come to haunt us again!"

"I should repay him for wanting my life back then!"

Although his words were fierce, his spirit had deflated, and he seemed to age in an instant as he turned and entered the room, his right hand trembling as he touched the exquisite carvings on the step-bed, and murmured,

"I had this made for Wan’er when she was a child, thinking that one day I might personally escort her out the door..."

His voice wavered as he spoke, "Daoist Luo, do you think I was wrong back then, to deserve what’s happening now?"

Luo Faqing remained silent, unsure of how to respond.

He thought of the Du An he had just seen.

He was proficient in many powerful killing and destruction techniques, but averting disasters and expelling evil was not his strong suit.

The words Shen Sanyou had said before he left suddenly came to mind.

"Having spells without morality, having spells without morality..."

Could it be,

I’ve indeed gone astray?

As Luo Faqing’s thoughts were in turmoil, he suddenly noticed that Landlord Du was staring behind him with a fearful expression, his face turning pale.

Luo Faqing’s scalp tingled, and he immediately turned around, a talisman appearing in his hand.

In the corner of the beam, a shadow had emerged, hazy, resembling a large bird.

Beneath the black feathers, there was a ghastly pale human face...