The Cat Corpse and the Headless Snakes

A generous reward always brought out brave men. As soon as the two men heard Zhang Yucheng offer more money, they stopped worrying about bad luck, jumped straight into the pit, and brought the wooden box up, setting it in front of me.

I crouched down and carefully examined the workmanship of the wooden box and the runes on it. A flicker of doubt stirred in me, and I muttered, "Looks like we're dealing with an expert."

With that, I found a small wooden stick nearby and pried the box open.

The moment the wooden box opened, a putrid stench wafted out. Everyone gathered around it drew a sharp breath.

Zhang Yunyao went deathly pale with fright.

"Who... who the hell did this? How could anyone be so vile?" Zhang Yucheng trembled with rage.

Inside the wooden box lay a cat's corpse. Its belly had been slit open, spilling its innards, and its body had already rotted and begun to stink. Both eyes had been gouged out, leaving only two dark holes, and all its teeth had been knocked out. It was a bloody mess, the aftermath of a horrific death.

One look at the cat told me it had been tortured to death while it was still alive.

And it had been buried here for quite some time-at least ten days.

Looking at the mangled cat corpse in the wooden box, Zhang Yucheng asked, "Young Master Wu, what's going on here? What does it mean to bury a dead cat in a graveyard?"

"The feng shui of your ancestral graves was excellent, but someone tampered with them. They set up a formation here to deliberately ruin their feng shui and fortune. After all this time, that fortune has almost completely drained away. This auspicious burial site is no longer usable," I said gravely.

Then I walked to another spot, stamped on the ground, and said, "There's another one here. Keep digging."

Zhang Yucheng's expression darkened, and he grew dizzy and muddleheaded. He came over to me and asked again, "Young Master Wu, who could have done this? Why would they ruin the feng shui of our Zhang Family's ancestral graves?"

"You're asking me? I was about to ask you. Have you offended anyone lately?" I asked, looking at him.

Zhang Yucheng thought carefully before saying, "I'm a businessman, so naturally I value harmony. I'm always polite to people. Why would I offend anyone? Even if I did, surely they wouldn't hate me this much?"

"I wouldn't know. I came to assess your family's feng shui. I can't find out who you've offended. You'll have to think it over yourself."

As we spoke, the workers nearby began digging again as I had instructed.

This time, the ritual object had been buried much deeper. They had to dig more than two meters down before uncovering another wooden box.

The first wooden box had been black, but this one was painted red.

When it was opened, its contents proved even more sinister: the bodies of nine snakes whose heads had been chopped off.

The snake corpses were tangled together. They, too, had rotted, giving off a powerful stench.

After I directed the men to dig up two wooden boxes in succession from the Zhang Family's ancestral burial ground, both Zhang Yucheng and Zhang Yunyao looked at me differently.

"No wonder you're the Feng Shui King's prized disciple, Young Master Wu," Zhang Yucheng said in amazement. "I consulted at least four or five feng shui masters, and none of them could figure anything out. Yet the moment you arrived, you found these things in the graveyard. It's incredible."

"All the plants around your ancestral graves have died. Not even grass will grow here. Those are clear signs that the life energy has been cut off and the fortune is dispersing. If I'm not mistaken, this is an evil method recorded in the Lu Ban Art. There's still one more ritual object buried here-the most important one, the key to the entire formation. If I'm right, the next wooden box should be white, and it's buried..."

My gaze swept across the ground and settled on the northeastern corner. "Take seven steps northeast from where I'm standing. That's where the final ritual object is buried. Dig that one up as well."

Zhang Yucheng did not dare delay. He immediately led the men over to dig.

More than an hour later, they did indeed uncover another wooden box.

Just as I had said, it was white.

At the sight of the box, Zhang Yucheng was utterly convinced of my abilities. "Young Master Wu, you're incredible!" he said excitedly. "You even guessed the color of the thing buried here!"

It had hardly been a guess. I had studied feng shui under my master for eight years and knew the cultivation methods of various schools and sects. It was purely a matter of experience.

As soon as the white wooden box was brought up, Zhang Yucheng eagerly reached out to open it, wanting to see what sinister thing it contained.

The moment his hand touched the box, a sudden sense of alarm gripped me. I hurriedly shouted, "Don't open it! Let me!"

But I was a moment too late. Zhang Yucheng was so impatient that he opened the white wooden box straightaway.

As soon as it opened, a cloud of black vapor burst out and struck Zhang Yucheng square in the face.

Zhang Yucheng shuddered and froze where he stood. A moment later, his rigid body toppled backward.

"Dad!" Zhang Yunyao rushed to Zhang Yucheng's side and reached out to help him up.

I was faster. I caught Zhang Yunyao by the arm. "Nobody touch him! He's been struck by baleful qi. Anyone who touches him will suffer too."

At my shout, everyone standing beside Zhang Yucheng froze and turned to look at me.

Zhang Yunyao was so distraught she was nearly crying. Clutching my hand, she pleaded, "Young Master Wu, what's wrong with my dad? Please save him!"

"Don't panic. With me here, he'll be all right." I walked over to Zhang Yucheng, crouched beside him, and examined him carefully.

This time, the spot between his eyebrows had turned black, and his face was ashen. His expression seemed frozen in place, and even his breathing appeared to have stopped.

This was the result of being struck by extremely potent baleful qi. Unless I quickly released it from his body, Zhang Yucheng's life would be in danger.

"Uncle Huzi, bring me the silver needles," I called.

Uncle Huzi immediately came over with a bundle. When he opened it, a densely packed row of silver needles lay inside.

My hand swept over the needles, then darted forward to pick one up. I inserted it directly into his Shanzhong Acupoint.

A short while later, when I withdrew the needle, a drop of black blood welled up from the puncture.

The instant that drop of black blood emerged, Zhang Yucheng began gasping for air like a drowning man who had just been pulled from the water.