Chapter 48

I helped Zhao Qian out of the room, and the Zhao Xi couple had already lined up behind the coffin. Zhao Yi, due to his minor fault, was not taken to the police station for investigation like his father, so he was holding the portrait of the old man for his eldest grandson, Zhao He.

At the door, Uncle Hai and Lin Feiyu were standing outside watching. I told them all the information I had obtained from Han Shanshan about Wu Zhenghua. They were surprised, but also showed a look of "that makes sense." After all, if we didn't mention that the fixed-star compass and the compass book had been taken by Wu Zhenghua, the two elders might underestimate him in the future.

I never thought that a treasure in someone else's hands could be so powerful. With the fixed-star compass, Wu Zhenghua could easily track our movements using the yin-yang positioning.

Uncle Hai immediately called his friends in the county and told them about this. His friends all said that if Wu Zhenghua came, they would unite to deal with him. Therefore, Uncle Hai told me not to worry about Wu Zhenghua for the time being.

The time came, and the guide lit the firecrackers and carried two baskets out of the village. Lei Qing and over a dozen brothers each carried a wreath at the front, and the coffin was carried by the Zhang family, making for a quite luxurious procession in the county.

The relatives of the Zhao family were all weeping, and I, supporting Zhao Qian, felt some sadness as well, even though I knew that the old man's soul was not in the coffin, and it didn't matter whether we led the way or not.

Han Shanshan, being a police officer, did not attend to avoid suspicion. Only I was supporting Zhao Qian. Zhao Qian had mostly studied outside the county, and she didn't have many female friends. At this time, most of her friends were working outside, so in the county, apart from Han Shanshan, she had almost no female friends. Most of the people who came were male friends.

Now, Zhao Qian didn't want to pay attention to them. Even if they greeted her, she would only give a weak response and then ignore them.

These rich young men, seeing me supporting their idol, felt jealous and resentful, secretly cursing Zhao Qian for choosing the wrong person.

The journey was indeed short, and I helped Zhao Qian quickly reach the prepared grave. The Zhao family was skilled in geomancy, and the chosen location was by the mountain and the river, with the grave on the hillside.

The surrounding mountains were majestic, and looking up at the mountain top, the clouds and mist rolled, presenting a beautiful scene.

I thought something might happen during the funeral, but I was wrong. When we carried the old man's coffin to the site, the grave had already been dug by the Zhao family, and it was ready for burial.

The priest solemnly scattered paper money and instructed that certain people should not watch the coffin being lowered at a certain time. Then, he had the coffin placed in the grave.

We threw a string of firecrackers into the grave and scattered a lot of paper money. I supported Zhao Qian and watched as the old man's coffin was buried.

The Zhang family helped shovel soil over the grave, and finally, they built a tomb and placed a paper house on top, with Lei Qing leading the way to arrange the wreaths.

The entire process went smoothly without any issues.

Respecting the dead, I lit three incense sticks and placed them in front of the grave.

Zhao Qian and I both had some knowledge of incense, so we waited for the incense to burn.

"The dead will reach the Western Paradise and will surely bless your family to be safe and sound. You two lit the incense so seriously, it will be hard not to become wealthy. Yes, in terms of love, it will also go smoothly." A slightly fat man squeezed in beside us, seeing us burning incense, and started to chatter politely.

Zhao Qian and I were focused on the incense, and we didn't notice this fat man, but I thought it was nice that someone could say comforting words at this time. The voice was familiar, so I turned to thank him.

When I turned, I was stunned. The fat man, however, didn't seem to mind my gaze and nodded and smiled at me. He had some acne on his face, was around 23 or 24 years old, and had short hair, looking very well-off.

Zhao Qian was still watching the incense burn and didn't notice my gaze.

"Zhang Xiaofei!"

I inwardly thought, "This is bad." After tomb raiding, this guy had no issues and even came to help the Zhao family dig the grave.

"Brother Tian! Look, the incense we burned is the same, from left to right, forming a staircase, it's the 'Paradise Incense'! As the incense spectrum says: 'Cultivating immortality leads to the golden pill, and common people will eventually have joy.' It must be Grandpa protecting us." Zhao Qian, who had been sad enough, was now a bit excited about this good omen.

"Cultivating immortality leads to the golden pill, and common people will eventually have joy. Yes, it's indeed very good, right? Brother Tian!" Zhang Xiaofei's sneer was ugly, and one might think his mouth was twitching.

I didn't dare to respond, as the fat on his face trembled as he stared at me, ready to explode at any moment.

"Brother Tian?" Zhao Qian turned to look at me and noticed Zhang Xiaofei. She immediately covered her mouth. That night, she had called me "Brother Tian," and now he had found us by the name and voice.

I pretended not to recognize him and asked, "Who are you?"

"Brother Tian, that night behind Liancheng Mountain, how have you been?" Zhang Xiaofei smiled meaningfully and drew a triangular handkerchief over his mouth.

"Ha, Zhang Xiaofei, listen, there was a bit of a misunderstanding. How about I treat Zhao Qian and you to dinner tonight, and we can talk it over?" I laughed awkwardly. At this moment, the Zhang family was crucial, and if I left in anger, it would be disastrous. They might even dig up the old man's coffin in anger.

"Hey, treat me to dinner? That's great. Zhao Qian lives in the Longyuan residential area, right? I'll bring my big brother to visit tonight. What do you think?" Zhang Xiaofei's face was still ugly, but he continued to smile.

I looked at Zhao Qian, who was scared white. The Zhang family were tomb raiders, and she could guess the consequences if they found out that we had tricked them at Liancheng Mountain.

"Paradise Incense, Paradise Incense, now it's truly a source of sorrow."

This dinner was actually a challenge.

By revealing that Zhao Qian lived in the Longyuan residential area, Zhang Xiaofei meant that we couldn't run away, and we should face the challenge.

"Fine, I'll wait for you." I said with a stiff face.

Zhang Xiaofei's lips curled into a smile, and he turned and waved. The Zhang family members were surprised by his sudden change in expression, but those who knew him knew that Zhang Xiaofei rarely got angry. Now, his expression was like a ball of fire, and if they didn't follow, it might explode, so they obediently left with him.

The Zhao Xi couple came over to ask why the Zhang family had suddenly left, even leaving behind tools like shovels and picks.

Zhao Qian didn't dare to speak, looking at me nervously. She felt extremely guilty, thinking that if she hadn't called me at that critical moment, this wouldn't have happened.

When her father left, Zhao Qian said regretfully, "It's over, Brother Tian, why didn't I remember the Zhang family?"

"It's fine. This matter would eventually be discovered by the Zhang family. I just don't know how severe their loss was that night. From the way Zhang Xiaofei left, it seems that compensating them with money might be enough. I'm just having a run of bad luck these days!"

"Compensating with money is enough?" Zhao Qian asked, somewhat surprised.

"Would they want our lives instead? I'm afraid they might break our limbs and come to extort us. I don't have much money left. If Zhao Qian doesn't plan to support me, I might have to wash dishes in a restaurant. If the boss doesn't pay me, I'll starve to death on the street. Is Zhao Qian, who seems to be doing well, also as poor as me because of buying talismans and tools?"

"No, no, if it's just money, I have a few hundred thousand in savings. If it's not enough, I can sell my property and car. If that's still not enough, I can ask my parents for some. But will compensating with money really be enough?" Zhao Qian looked at me carefully.

"A few hundred thousand? And it's just sitting there! She must be making good money as a feng shui master! I feel quite pitiful after inheriting this ghost-cultivating path!"

"It's fine. Let's be polite first, then see how much the Zhang family wants."

"Okay, I'll definitely follow Brother Tian's advice! I won't speak recklessly again. This lesson is profound. I'm glad my parents and relatives don't know, or I would have been scolded severely."

Her brother offended the Wang family, and she offended the Zhang family. The two of them had offended most of the other three major mystical sects outside their own family, making them a truly unique pair of troublemakers.

"Your grandfather has been laid to rest, and Uncle Hai will help him remove his grievances and find a ghost officer to guide him into the six paths of rebirth. So don't think too much. Just focus on the present. Actually, these aren't big issues. As long as I'm here, I'll help you through it." I comforted Zhao Qian, afraid she would worry too much.

"Okay, with Brother Tian here, I believe everything will turn out well." Zhao Qian looked at me with a red face.

I liked the way she looked at me, so innocent and pure.

We followed the Zhao family's relatives back to the Zhao family village on foot. Although the Zhao family had just weathered the Wu Zhenghua storm, I could see that they would not escape the center of the storm in the future.

After all, the matters of the mystical sects in the county were deep and complex.

After saying goodbye to Uncle Hai, Lin Feiyu, and the Zhao family, I drove Zhao Qian and Han Shanshan back to the Longyuan residential area.

On the way, we stopped at a supermarket to buy the white rabbit milk candies that Yu Xiaoxue had specified, as well as a lot of vegetables and fruits. Since Zhang Xiaofei said he would bring his big brother to talk to us tonight, we decided to be polite first and not be too stingy.

Maybe if we drink some wine, we can negotiate. After all, the Zhang family is all about money.

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