The elders argued endlessly, the most stubborn of whom was Feng Aotian's second uncle, who wasn't even a blood relative, but just a collateral branch of the family.
Feng Aotian had no choice but to watch the elders argue endlessly.
The argument went on and on until it got dark outside, and no one could convince anyone else.
Feng Aotian didn't ask everyone to leave. After the room quieted down, he invited, "Since that's the case, why don't you all stay for a meal, and then we can watch the excitement before deciding whether to open the coffin?"
Yuan Qi hadn't expected to dine with a group of old men. She was speechless, but fortunately, Madam Feng, her daughter-in-law, and her daughter were all there to keep her company, along with several unmarried young ladies and gentlemen from the Feng family.
A large, bustling room full of people.
The Feng family prepared a sumptuous dinner, and Yuan Qi ate with great relish, without any restraint.
However, the young masters, ladies, and wives of the Feng family were very reserved. In front of so many elders, they were afraid of being scolded if they made a mistake, so they ate very cautiously.
After dinner, it was completely dark. The Feng family home was unusually quiet today, just like any other day.
Feng Aotian originally wanted the servants to light more lamps, but Yuan Qi said that this would disturb evil spirits, so he didn't allow them to light lamps and just do it the same as usual.
Yuan Qi specifically instructed that they should not go to the ancestral hall in advance, and that they should not do anything, so as not to disturb the evil spirits.
The clan elder, Second Uncle, thought Yuan Qi was just being mysterious and was determined to expose him later.
The Feng family arranged for Feng Caiyi and Madam Feng to accompany Yuan Qi. The three of them chatted together, with Madam Feng and Feng Caiyi doing most of the talking while Yuan Qi diligently drew talismans on the side. Madam Feng and Feng Caiyi couldn't understand what he was drawing and didn't dare to disturb him, so they chatted quietly on the side.
Finally, as midnight approached, Yuan Qi stretched and yawned, stood up, and handed the drawn talisman to Madam Feng: "It's almost time. Let's go to the ancestral hall. Before we go, please distribute these to everyone who is going to the ancestral hall to watch the excitement today. This is a concealing talisman, which can hide the aura of the living and prevent the ghosts and ghost messengers from discovering it."
Madam Feng dared not delay and immediately went to the flower hall next door to inform them of the matter. Everyone received a concealment talisman and then quietly headed towards the ancestral hall.
The Feng family ancestral hall was usually unattended, and at night it was dark and gloomy. Knowing that there were evil spirits, everyone felt uneasy.
Yuan Qi, Feng Aotian, and Feng Chenghai were at the front, while the others found places to hide, holding their breath and waiting to see the so-called evil spirit.
Yuan Qi knew that the elders of the Feng family didn't quite trust her, so she simply opened everyone's Yin Eyes. When the time came, everyone would be able to see it, and she wouldn't have to bother explaining.
Sure enough, once the Yin Eyes were opened, everyone saw unclean things. A servant who had drowned a few days ago was wandering around the mansion, and two female ghosts, one old and one young, were floating over the Feng mansion.
Although there wasn't much filth, it was still quite shocking.
Many members of the Feng family believe in the saying "Confucius did not speak of strange phenomena, physical prowess, disorder, or spirits," and believe that there are no ghosts in the world, and that death ends the cycle of life and death.
Not long after, Yuan Qi saw a ghostly figure float in from outside, holding a mourning stick, and enter the ancestral hall directly through the doors and windows.
The Feng family members all saw it clearly, and many covered their mouths, unsure whether it was a good thing or a bad thing.
Although no one has ever seen the underworld messengers, there are legends about them. Legends say that the Black and White Impermanence wear tall hats and carry mourning sticks or soul-catching chains.
Seeing his ancestor, who had been dead for many years, enter the ancestral hall with a mourning stick, he was terrified.
Feng Aotian added softly, "It was my second great-uncle. He's been gone for over ten years, Seventh Miss. Has he become a messenger in the underworld?"
Yuan Qi didn't know who this second great-uncle was, but this ghost was actually holding a mourning stick. Although the mourning stick was a bit small, it was clearly something that only underworld officials would have.
"It's hard to say. It depends on whether he has an official seal on him. The mourning stick doesn't prove anything; it might have been stolen. However, the mourning stick alone can harm people. With just a light touch, the soul of someone with a weak birth chart will be knocked out of their body, and with a few blows, the soul of someone with weak yang energy will be shattered."
Yuan Qi said calmly, she felt a little sorry for the Feng family, most likely the Feng family's children were beaten to death by this mourning stick.
Feng Aotian and Feng Chenghai heard it clearly, and both of them felt a chill run down their spines, staring angrily at the ancestral hall.
Undeterred, Feng Aotian asked, "Then does Miss Seven believe that all those children who died young died from this mourning stick?"
Yuan Qi nodded slightly: "Probably. If underworld officials kill a living person without authorization, the punishment is severe, far beyond the simple matter of going through fire and water or being boiled in oil. Not every ghost can withstand such punishment, and no one dares to offend the King of Hell, right? But your ancestor must have colluded with the underworld officials, otherwise, how could they not know about the deaths of so many of your children? They must be pretending to be ignorant. Once the higher-ups find out, they'll say it was negligence. The difference between dereliction of duty and the crime of murder is huge."
Feng Aotian was well-versed in the laws of Rongguo. He understood this principle. He gripped his sword, ready to strike at any moment. He was determined to eliminate this scourge today.
"Seventh Miss is right."
Yuan Qi saw that his sword was indeed a good sword, but it would not cause any harm to ghosts or underworld officials.
She took a peach wood sword out of her cloth bag and handed it to him: "Use this instead, it's specially designed to deal with these kinds of ghosts. Yours is good for killing people, but it's useless against ghosts."
Feng Aotian frowned slightly: "This sword has followed me to the battlefield, it should at least have some killing intent, but it's completely useless?"
Yuan Qi shrugged: "It's not a good thing for weapons to have a murderous aura."
At this moment, there was movement in the ancestral hall. The originally dark ancestral hall was suddenly lit with candles.
The candlelight flickered incessantly, terrifying the Feng family. Everyone knew no one was on duty in the ancestral hall that night, so who had lit the candles?
Seeing that the other party could no longer hold back and was about to make a move, Yuan Qi formed a hand seal, hooked the little fingers of both hands together, and with her fingers flying, a green dragon flew out of her hands in the blink of an eye, and the green dragon flew straight to the ancestral hall.
Yuan Qi also flew after him and quickly sealed the doors and windows of the ancestral hall to prevent the evil spirit from escaping.
Feng Aotian and his son Feng Chenghai also picked up their swords and followed, followed by the younger generation of the Feng family who knew martial arts.
Strange noises came from inside the ancestral hall: a squeaking sound, the sound of fingernails scraping against metal, and the roar of a blue dragon.
Yuan Qi pushed open the door and entered, only to see the mourning staff thrown aside, and a ghostly figure held in the mouth of the Azure Dragon—the very ghost that had just drifted into the ancestral hall.
The Feng family members immediately recognized the ghost before them as Feng Mushan, the half-brother of Feng Aotian's grandfather, who was their ancestor from fifteen years ago.
Yuan Qi examined the mourning staff closely and realized why it was so short—it had been broken in half. A further search of Feng Mushan revealed that he did not possess any official seal of the underworld.
"Tell me, where did this mourning staff come from?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
