Chapter 69

In the coffee shop, upon hearing Ren Fa's inquiry, Uncle Jiu couldn't help but frown and couldn't resist advising, "I think you should think it over carefully. In matters like this, it's better to be still than to act."

But Ren Fa replied with a smug smile, "I've already thought it through. The feng shui master said that after twenty years, we must exhume and relocate the coffin. This will be good for us."

Wen Cai pursed his lips and said, "You can't trust what the feng shui master says."

Ren Yingying retorted disdainfully, "Can you trust what you guys say?"

Wen Cai immediately turned his head to Uncle Jiu with a smug smile and said, "Of course..." But he soon stopped talking because he noticed Uncle Jiu's eyes filled with anger!

Ren Fa also timely stopped Ren Tingting from speaking again, smiling and saying, "When adults are talking, children shouldn't interrupt."

Seeing that Ren Fa had made up his mind, Uncle Jiu pondered for a moment and then continued, "Since that's the case, we'll start the exhumation in three days."

Ren Fa asked, "What do we need to prepare?"

Wen Cai immediately responded, "Money, of course!" At this point, Uncle Jiu was almost at his breaking point. He looked at Wen Cai and asked in a stern voice, "How much do you want?" Wen Cai unconsciously extended his hand, but before he could give a specific amount, Uncle Jiu's glare forced the words back into his throat.

Seeing this, Jiang Chen couldn't help but feel sorry for Wen Cai. This guy was definitely blinded by his infatuation. Even with Jiang Chen's prior warning, he still completely disrespected Uncle Jiu.

Ren Fa also noticed Uncle Jiu's anger and quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "No problem, money is not an issue."

Soon, the coffee and lemon juice were served. Thanks to Jiang Chen, Uncle Jiu and Wen Cai didn't make too much of a fool of themselves. In the middle of the conversation, Ren Fa left for a while to greet a friend. When he returned, Ren Tingting proposed going to buy cosmetics and left early. Seeing his beloved leave, Wen Cai couldn't bear it and quickly found an excuse to follow her, leaving Jiang Chen to listen to Uncle Jiu and Ren Fa discuss the exhumation.

Despite the decline of his family's fortune in recent years, Ren Fa, as the richest man in town, still had considerable wealth. Relocating his father's grave was a matter of the Ren family's feng shui and fortune, so he was very generous. He immediately offered 100 silver dollars as a reward, indicating his willingness to cover all expenses and promising a substantial reward afterward.

Although Uncle Jiu wasn't a greedy person, he certainly didn't think Ren Fa's reward was too much. Jiang Chen was just a companion and didn't say much throughout the conversation. Once the matter was settled, he followed Uncle Jiu back to the mortuary. On the way back, they encountered Ren Tingting, who was leaving in a huff. Upon asking, they learned that Qiu Sheng had mistaken her for a prostitute from the brothel across from the cosmetics shop.

"Slap!" Uncle Jiu's anger couldn't be contained. His two apprentices were one more embarrassing than the other. When Wen Cai, the foolish boy, unknowingly walked into it, Uncle Jiu turned around and gave him a heavy slap, saying, "Follow me back."

Wen Cai, holding his red cheek, was full of委屈 (grievance). Inside the cosmetics shop, Qiu Sheng also had a long face, knowing that he couldn't avoid punishment.

Only Jiang Chen was unaffected. He shrugged helplessly at his two "cheap" senior brothers and then hurried to follow Uncle Jiu back to the mortuary.

Returning to the mortuary was not the end; it was just the beginning. Wen Cai and Qiu Sheng were in big trouble, punished to squat in a horse stance. Although they mainly practiced Daoist techniques, they also practiced martial arts, which Jiang Chen recognized as Xingyi Quan.

Uncle Jiu had told him: In this era of declining Daoist power, it was almost impossible for cultivators to achieve great success. Practicing martial arts was also a form of protection, and it didn't conflict with Daoist cultivation; in fact, it could complement it.

Jiang Chen didn't particularly care about these matters. Watching his two "cheap" junior brothers being punished, he could only mourn for them in his heart and then returned to his room to cultivate.

His magical power had already accumulated to the limit of 365 strands. Now, he could only continuously refine and purify it to make it more pure. For three days, he did this. The first two days went well, but on the third day, after a night of cultivation, he found that he had already refined his magical power to its limit.

After all, he was still at the initial stage of cultivation, and his capabilities were limited. No matter how hard he tried, how much could he refine and purify his magical power? After all, everything has a limit at a certain stage.

"It seems it's time to form the immortal root," Jiang Chen thought, having gained some insight. However, seeing the eastern sky turn fish-belly white, he knew it was too late now. He could only turn to practicing his internal martial arts, the Dragon Elephant Vajra Skill, to strengthen his body and power.

Currently, his martial arts skills, Iron Palm Skill and Shakyamuni Elephant Throwing Skill, were already at their limits, and the One Yang Finger had reached the first level. The only remaining skills he could continue to practice were the Complete Perfection Sect's Primordial Skill, the Nine Yin Manual by Huang Chou, and the upgraded version of the Dragon Elephant Vajra Skill.

The Primordial Skill was passed down by the Complete Perfection Sect's founder, Wang Chongyang, and was said to have been inherited from the legacy of Lü Zu, giving it a divine flavor. In reality, it was a profound martial art. The Nine Yin Manual and the Primordial Skill were both high-level Daoist martial arts, and the Dragon Elephant Vajra Skill was a protective skill of the Buddhist Esoteric Sect.

Because of this, although Jiang Chen already had the martial arts cultivation of the fourth stage, due to the lack of time, he had not yet perfected these three supreme martial arts, especially the Dragon Elephant Vajra Skill, which had been enhanced to fifteen levels. He was still at the twelfth level.

Fortunately, Jiang Chen wasn't in a hurry. He knew very well that being anxious wouldn't help. Just like cultivation, martial arts required gradual practice to continuously enhance one's strength, even with the cycle talent.

The sky soon brightened. Since today was the day of Ren Lao Taiye's exhumation, Jiang Chen, Uncle Jiu, and Wen Cai all got up very early. Qiu Sheng also arrived at the mortuary early. The four of them divided the tasks and prepared many things, including dozens of incense sticks of various lengths and thicknesses.

After preparing everything, each of the four drank a cup of water. They couldn't eat breakfast. Soon, people sent by Ren Fa arrived and stopped in the hall, respectfully saying, "Uncle Jiu, Master Ren has sent us to follow your instructions. Just tell us what needs to be moved or carried."

"Sure, sure," Uncle Jiu responded. He then handed the large items to them, while Wen Cai carried the smaller items. Qiu Sheng and Jiang Chen were left with nothing to carry, so they were free.

The group arrived at the grave of Ren Lao Taiye, where Ren Fa, Ren Tingting, and Ren Fa's nephew, Ah Wei, had been waiting for a long time. There were also dozens of villagers who had come to witness the ceremony.

Uncle Jiu directed everyone to set up the ritual platform. After washing his hands, he changed into a light yellow Daoist robe, put on a Daoist cap, and held a duster in his hand, waving it and placing it on his arm.

Ren Fa, with his daughter Ren Tingting and nephew Ah Wei, respectfully placed incense sticks in front of Ren Lao Taiye's grave and then came to Uncle Jiu, saying with a hint of pride, "Uncle Jiu, the feng shui master said this spot was hard to find and is a good one."

"Indeed," Uncle Jiu nodded, adding with a hint of indifference, "If I'm not mistaken, this spot is called the 'Dragonfly Touching Water Spot.' It's three zhang and four chi long, but only three chi is usable, and it's one zhang and three chi wide, but only four chi is useful. Therefore, the coffin cannot be placed flat; it must be buried according to the ritual."

"Amazing, Uncle Jiu, that's exactly right," Ren Fa said, surprised. He knew his father's grave well, and when Uncle Jiu spoke, he realized that Uncle Jiu's description matched the feng shui master's words from twenty years ago perfectly, so he couldn't help but praise him.

"Ritual burial?" However, someone still didn't understand. Wen Cai was puzzled and couldn't hide his curiosity, so he asked, "Master, what is a ritual burial? Is it a French-style funeral?"