Three days later, Uncle Jiu, dressed in a yellow Taoist robe, along with Wang Han, Qiu Sheng, and Wen Cai, arrived at Master Ren's grave with the Ren family. Also present was Chang Wei, the town's security captain and Master Ren's cousin.
"Everyone should worship with sincerity and respect." After setting up the incense table, lighting the incense and candles, and placing the offerings of fruits and pastries on the table, Uncle Jiu lit three sticks of incense and said to the Ren family, "Make way for them."
After Uncle Jiu stepped aside, Master Ren immediately led the Ren family members forward to offer incense.
After the worship ceremony, Master Ren came to Uncle Jiu's side and said to him, "Uncle Jiu, the feng shui master said that this burial site was very hard to find, and that it was a good spot."
"Hmm, not bad." Uncle Jiu said upon hearing this, "This burial site is called Dragonfly Pointing to the Cliff. The burial site is 34 feet long, but only 4 feet are usable. It is 13 feet wide, but only 3 feet are usable. Therefore, the coffin cannot be buried flat; it must be buried according to the ritual."
"Amazing, Uncle Nine," said Master Ren, giving a thumbs-up.
“A legal funeral,” Wencai murmured, then asked in confusion, “Master, what is a legal funeral? Is it a French-style funeral?”
"Shut up," Uncle Nine said, shaking his head in disapproval.
"Uncle Jiu, we've already paid our respects, can we start construction now?" Just then, several workers came up and asked.
"Master, what exactly is a funeral rite?" Qiu Sheng asked.
"The so-called legal burial is a vertical burial." Uncle Nine walked to Master Ren's side, bumping Chang Wei back two steps, and said to Master Ren.
Master Ren nodded and said, "Yes, that feng shui master said that if the ancestors are buried upright, the descendants will definitely be great."
"Is it effective?" Uncle Nine asked.
“Uh…” Upon hearing this, Mr. Ren shook his head and said, “Over the past twenty years, our Ren family’s business has been getting worse and worse, and we don’t know why.”
“I think that feng shui master has a grudge against your Ren family,” Uncle Jiu said. “Did the old master have some kind of conflict with him before he died?”
Mr. Ren said, "This piece of land originally belonged to a feng shui master. My father knew it was a good burial site, so he bought it with money."
Upon hearing this, Uncle Nine knew what was going on and asked, "It was just an offer of bribes, not coercion?"
"Hehe." Upon hearing this, Master Ren laughed awkwardly.
“I think it must have been coercion, otherwise he would never have harmed you and made you cover the entire coffin with cement. It should be covered with snowflakes, that’s what a dragonfly skimming the water is. If the head of the coffin doesn’t touch the water, how can it be called a dragonfly skimming the water?” Uncle Nine said angrily. “He still has a conscience, telling you to exhume and rebury the coffin in twenty years. He’ll harm you for half your life, not your whole life, he’ll harm one generation, not eighteen generations.”
"We saw it." Soon, the servants dug out the coffin of the old master of the Ren family.
As soon as the coffin lid was opened, a plume of black smoke billowed out. Everyone rushed forward to see that the body of the Ren family's patriarch was dressed in Qing Dynasty official robes. Despite being twenty years old, it had not decomposed, and a faint black aura emanated from his body. Upon seeing this, Uncle Jiu's brows furrowed.
"Looks like this is troublesome." Looking at the corpse inside, Wang Han said to Uncle Jiu, examining it carefully, his thoughts unknown.
"Uncle Jiu, can this acupoint still be used?" Master Ren asked Uncle Jiu.
“No,” Uncle Nine shook his head and said, “If you just skim the surface and then touch it again, you’ll definitely not touch the same spot repeatedly. I suggest we cremate it on the spot.”
Upon hearing this, Master Ren immediately shook his head firmly and said, "Cremation? No, my late father was most afraid of fire. I cannot do that."
“Master Ren, there will be trouble if we don’t cremate him,” Uncle Jiu quickly advised.
"Anything is fine, just not cremation," Master Ren said firmly. "Ninth Uncle, please think of another way."
"Alright." Uncle Nine said helplessly, "Then let him stay at our mortuary for now. I will find another burial place for him tomorrow so that he can rest in peace."
"Alright, close the coffin lid and carry it to the mortuary," Chang Wei quickly ordered.
"Mr. Ren, please go back now," Uncle Nine said to Mr. Ren.
After the Ren family carried the coffin away, Uncle Jiu instructed Wencai and Qiusheng: "Light a plum blossom incense array here, and tell me how it burns when you come back. Make sure to burn incense at every grave."
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"People are most afraid of three long and two short, and incense is most afraid of two short and one long. It just so happens to be burned like this." That night, Uncle Jiu held the incense that Qiu Sheng and Wen Cai had burned and said with a headache, "If this kind of incense comes out of the house, someone must have died."
"Is it at Master Ren's house?" Wencai asked.
"Could it be here!" Uncle Nine glared at Wen Cai, scolded him, and came to the coffin with Wang Han.
Wencai said to Qiusheng, "If it doesn't concern me, I won't worry about it."
"Master," Qiu Sheng asked, "Will Master Ren's daughter be alright?"
"In short, the Ren family is in trouble," Wen Cai said, then realized what was happening. "Tingting."
Looking at Wencai's appearance, Wang Han smiled and said to Uncle Jiu, "Uncle Jiu, it seems your eldest disciple has turned into a lovesick fool."
"Sigh!" Uncle Nine sighed upon hearing this. Couldn't this talented fellow use his brain?
"Master, think of a way," Wencai and Qiusheng quickly asked Uncle Jiu.
“Uncle Jiu had already come up with a plan, otherwise why would he have brought the coffin back?” Wang Han said, shaking his head.
"Is there something wrong with this coffin?" Wencai asked.
“The coffin is fine, the problem is with the dead person,” Uncle Nine said.
"I also feel like something's not right."
"Yes, it's been twenty years and it hasn't rotted."
After thinking for a moment, Qiu Sheng and Wen Cai opened the coffin lid together.
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