Outside Cold Pine Lodge, Fang Han, who was sitting beside the carriage, suddenly frowned, as though he had heard someone whispering in his ear.
A moment later, he stood up clutching his stomach and called to the accompanying servant, "Qing Ge'er, I'm going to find a privy!"
The servant waved a hand and swore back, "A lazy donkey always needs to piss and shit when it's time to turn the mill! Don't dawdle. If the master comes out and there's nobody to drive, you'll be in for it!"
Fang Han said nothing. He scurried to the rear courtyard and, following the old immortal's instructions, took two steps back before nimbly scrambling over the wall.
The Mighty Spirit Essence Qi attached to him then spoke in a low voice. "There's no one in the front courtyard. Head straight toward the rear courtyard, and don't make a sound."
Inside Gao Family Village's ancestral hall, Jiang Yi held three sticks of incense between his fingers, watching the situation at Cold Pine Lodge through the eyes of the Mighty Spirit Essence Qi.
Profound Mystery True Person, curled on his lap, stretched his neck and clicked his tongue in wonder:
"How does this courtyard look anything like a place for living people? It's plainly an ill-omened site for raising yin corpses! Especially that Buddhist shrine-low in the middle and high at both ends. The very image of an overturned funerary urn."
Jiang Yi asked with a smile:
"Cat Master, you even know the arts of geomancy?"
Profound Mystery True Person puffed out his chest and said proudly:
"Once you understand one aspect of Dao cultivation, you understand them all. Methods like seeking dragon veins and pinpointing auspicious sites also fall within the [Five Phases] and [Yin-Yang]. They're nothing particularly remarkable. You'll understand once