Put Away Your Divine Techniques Now!
Chapter 114 - 75 [Going Up the Mountain]

Chapter 114: Chapter 75 [Going Up the Mountain]

Chapter Seventy-Five [Going Up the Mountain]

The path in the mountains was narrow, but the weather was very good today. Although it was winter and nearly the New Year, the sun was high, and the mountains were rare for not having the cold, damp mist.

Two cars stopped at the foot of the mountain, and after the group got out, they headed up the mountain path.

This mountain wasn’t small. Along the way, Chen Yan listened to Chu Keqing’s introduction. This mountain range extended around four to five miles and had three small peaks. Though the elevation wasn’t high, the ridges had a low, rolling terrain.

The He family had lived in the village at the foot of the mountain for over three hundred years.

The southwestern peak was where the He family’s ancestral graves were located—only direct descendants could be buried there.

As for the other family members, they were buried halfway up the mountain or on the eastern peak.

This mountain had no minerals, so the government hadn’t come to develop or requisition it, and the peaks had been preserved.

A few years ago, the He family pooled money from all the relatives, went through the government procedures, and bought the land on these peaks. Officially, it was for developing mountain goods or orchards, but in reality, it was to secure this place for the ancestral tombs.

This kind of southern mountain path, though not steep, was full of dense foliage and narrow trails. The ground didn’t naturally have a path; it was trampled out over time, with tall grasses on both sides and branches and twigs stretching across.

After all, Chu Keqing was a woman. By the time she reached halfway up, her legs were already weak, and her breath was unsteady.

Chen Yan subtly glanced at her—this woman’s Cloud Sect cultivation technique was flawed, lacking the part that nourished the body with primordial qi. Although she had reached the Guiyuan Realm in cultivation, her primordial qi hadn’t nourished her body, so her physical strength was quite limited.

In fact, her body was only slightly stronger than an ordinary person’s.

Unlike Chen Yan, who managed to climb up without turning red or breathing heavily, his forehead was clean without a drop of sweat.

Fortunately, Chu Keqing’s assistant was a practitioner. She followed along, supporting Chu Keqing up the mountain, lending her much strength.

The assistant held Chu Keqing with one hand and carried a backpack on her back.

Her shoes were already covered in dirt. Chen Yan, reaching the final slope, casually found a patch of grass on the roadside and wiped his shoes.

The He family’s ancestral graves were on this slope, arranged in an orderly manner from top to bottom.

Some were quite old, with obviously worn tombstones, even though they had been renovated. Several ancient large graves had been restored by later generations, with concrete tomb walls and tops, and newly redone corners.

When Chu Keqing finally climbed up, Chen Yan saw her gasping lightly beside him. He thought for a moment, then handed her a bottle of mineral water.

"Thank you, senior," Chu Keqing said in a low voice, took the bottle, and drank a couple of sips.

Chairman He had already walked to the graveside, his expression very somber, his face gloomy.

Following Chairman He’s gaze, Chen Yan easily found the old lady’s tomb—at the edge of the slope.

The tomb had clearly collapsed.

Due to the landslide caused by previous heavy rains, soil and fallen trees had rushed down.

The slope where the old lady’s tomb was had cracked, and the tomb’s concrete skirt walls and tombstone were collapsed, the tomb itself even exposed.

What Chen Yan saw now was the scene after the He family had gathered people to dig and clear the area. It still looked broken and messy.

Chen Yan glanced and couldn’t help but sigh.

No wonder Chairman He was so furious—he was a filial son, extremely devoted to his mother. Her death was already a heavy blow to him, and her tomb ending up like this made him devastated.

Chu Keqing and Chen Yan walked over together. Chen Yan looked around quickly, calculated something in his mind, and nodded.

This tomb’s position was chosen by Chu Keqing for Chairman He—her skill wasn’t bad, her acupointing technique was proficient.

The tomb was on the southern side of the slope. Looking south, a stream wound from west to east at the foot of the mountain, like a dragon.

The dragon’s head faced the sunrise, forming the shape of "Jiao Long Chasing the Sun."

And the dragon’s water flow seemed to circle the old lady’s tomb on the slope, making it a favorable location.

On both sides of the tomb, there were peaks—one higher on the left, lower on the right.

The higher left side and lower right side had particular significance!

If it were reversed, with the right side higher, it would be inappropriate.

The so-called left green dragon, right white tiger—if the right-side peak was higher than the left, it would become a "white tiger turning its head," a place of evil qi.

Back then, when Chen Yan asked about the tomb’s location, Chu Keqing had confidently called it an "auspicious spot."

Indeed, it lived up to its reputation.

Chairman He looked at his mother’s tomb for a while, then turned with a dark face and nodded to Chu Keqing: "Ms. Chu, please take a look."

Chu Keqing nodded seriously: "Alright!"

Her assistant, holding her wooden box, was about to come over, but Chen Yan stopped her, taking the box. The assistant hesitated, then handed it to Chen Yan and stepped back a few paces.

Chen Yan brought the wooden box to Chu Keqing’s side. She glanced at him, opened the box, and took out a white jade compass.

Chen Yan recognized the high-quality mutton fat jade—the compass was invaluable, far superior to the one he bought from online stores.

With the compass in one hand and her fingers pinching a technique in the other, Chu Keqing circled the tomb, with Chen Yan following closely, holding the box.

Chen Yan used his Qi Observation Skill to scan the surroundings, nodding slightly as he observed.

The He family’s ancestral grave’s location was impressive. Using the favorable terrain, it gathered the surrounding primordial qi, with a bit of an absorption tendency.

Through Qi Observation, Chen Yan squinted and saw the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi converging in fine, extremely subtle threads towards the place.

This effect had no array assistance, purely relying on feng shui to achieve it.

Though the effect was far inferior to his Spirit Gathering Array.

However... this was a grave. Over ten, hundred, or hundreds of years, the momentum would naturally strengthen with time!

Obviously, when the He family’s ancestors chose this place, they had someone knowledgeable help select it.

Beside the tomb were two coffins.

One was clearly damaged, with much of the paint scraped off and the wood showing signs of severe wear, even cracking.

The other was newly made.

Chen Yan exchanged a look with Chu Keqing. She nodded and immediately walked to the coffin, with Chen Yan following closely.

Upon closer inspection, the old coffin lid had its nails removed. Though the lid was still on, it showed signs of being opened recently.

Chen Yan used Qi Observation to examine it, then shook his head.

No trace of Yin Qi.

The so-called Yin Qi was the corpse qi—any place with creatures, where something died and the body decomposed, left some Yin Qi.

Chu Keqing pinched a finger technique and whispered a mantra, her eyes scanning her surroundings. Suddenly, she felt Chen Yan give her a light kick on the heel.

She turned to see Chen Yan signaling her with his eyes, then looked at the coffin lid.

Chu Keqing immediately understood and asked aloud, "Chairman He, I need to see inside the old lady’s coffin."

Chairman He’s face was solemn. After a brief hesitation, he nodded: "Do it! The body is already missing, so opening the coffin is not disrespectful to my mother. As long as you can find the cause, you can check anything here!"

Chu Keqing nodded, deliberately saying to Chen Yan, "Help me open the coffin!"

Chairman He looked at Chen Yan, then turned to his two assistants: "Help him."

"No need," Chu Keqing immediately stopped them, "There are rules for opening a coffin, Chairman He. Your men should stay back to avoid disrupting my methods."

Chairman He didn’t understand but trusted her and gestured for his men to step back.

Chen Yan stepped forward, took a deep breath, and circulated the primordial qi within his body first.

One hand slipped into his pocket, activating a Fortune Charm hidden there, then stuck it to his leg.

Then, withdrawing his hand, he pushed the coffin lid with both hands.

After a few creaks, the lid moved a third of the way. Chen Yan exhaled and joined Chu Keqing in looking inside.

The coffin was empty, though the original burial silks and some incense and other burial items were untouched.

Chen Yan sniffed and exchanged a glance with Chu Keqing, who narrowed her eyes, deep in thought.

Chen Yan’s eyes carefully searched inside the coffin. Suddenly, he noticed something and lightly wiped a corner with his fingers, then rubbed them together, his lips curling slightly.

He then searched inside the coffin for a while before exhaling and withdrawing his hand, standing beside Chu Keqing.

After standing by the coffin for two full minutes, Chu Keqing looked at Chen Yan. Seeing him lightly shake his head, she silently contemplated before saying, "Close it."

She stepped away from the tomb and exhaled.

The assistant retrieved a small silver basin from her backpack. Although called a basin, it was only the size of a large bowl.

She set the basin down, opened a bottle of water, and poured it in.

Chu Keqing approached, took out a Taoist Talisman, burned it, and dissolved it into the water.

She washed her hands in the basin, then turned to Chairman He: "President He, you should wash your hands too."

Chairman He was taken aback. Chu Keqing slowly said, "This is rootless water, activated with talisman power. We’ve been to the graveyard today. It’s necessary to wash away any Yin Qi."

Chairman He raised an eyebrow and washed his hands. He glanced at Chu Keqing: "Have you found anything?"

Chu Keqing shook her head: "President He, let’s discuss this back at the house."

He Jianbo silently looked at Chu Keqing, then nodded.

After that, everyone gathered to wash their hands in the silver basin and returned down the mountain the way they came.

Chen Yan noticed that as they descended, Chairman He kept looking back at his mother’s damaged grave, eyes slightly reddened, reluctance written all over his face.

This reaction made Chen Yan sigh inwardly, thinking of when his own old lady "passed away," he had shown the same grief.

The group reached the foot of the mountain and drove away.

However, just a few minutes into their drive, a procession playing music appeared on the village road.

People were lighting firecrackers along the way, the popping sounds unceasing.

The procession carried white banners and canopies, with dutiful sons and worthy grandsons in mourning clothing...

Clearly, it was a funeral procession heading up the mountain!

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