The viewers certainly had vivid imaginations, but the people from the Celestial Master Bureau had naturally thought of those possibilities too. They had even sent people to investigate, but found nothing.
Since the evil entities inside did not come out to harm anyone, the Investigation Bureau had temporarily sealed off the house without sending anyone specifically to deal with it.
Qu Nanzhu patted Daoming on the shoulder, indicating that he still needed practice.
He had more or less confirmed what he wanted to know. Only one thing remained to be verified.
He asked Daoming, "Do you have a photograph of the first family who lived here?"
Daoming said, "No. Photography wasn't very advanced back then, and the information network hadn't been established either. If there were any photographs, that wealthy businessman probably took them with him. We couldn't find him now even if we wanted to."
That did make things a little difficult.
Just as Qu Nanzhu was considering summoning a ghost from over thirty years ago to ask, Daoqing arrived with his team.
Zhou Mingzhong and Bai Shiyu followed behind him, carrying a very large, heavy photograph between them.
Before anyone could ask, Daoqing explained, "We found this, and happened to hear the director say that Master needed it, so we brought it up."
The frame was half a person's height, and held a family photograph: an elderly couple and a young couple. Beside the young woman stood a little boy of four or five, holding hands with his sister, who was twelve years older than him.
They really did look like a happy family.
Su Liyun and Lin Qianyu gathered around and asked, "Where did you find it?"
Zhou Mingzhong said, "We dug it out of the basement. It took a huge effort to get it out. I reckon it was too big to move easily, so they left it there."
[I can vouch for that. Uncle Mingzhong nearly threw his back out, haha.]
[That was seriously scary. Zhao Lin just refused to help.]
[Exactly. Everyone else was working hard to find clues, while she complained about everything. If she doesn't want to do this, can she just leave the show?]
[Wow, Daoqing's team really came through!]
[LMAO, Shiyu stuck right to Wenxi as soon as Wenxi arrived.]
[Is this the wealthy businessman's family? They really do look happy and harmonious, but their family ended up ruined and dead. What a shame.]
Seeing Daoming standing to Qu Nanzhu's right, Daoqing took his place on the left without prompting and asked, "Senior, what do we do next?"
Qu Nanzhu looked at the photograph and nodded leisurely. "Let me test you two."
Daoqing and Daoming: "??????!"
Without waiting for either of them to agree, Qu Nanzhu pushed them forward. "Come on. Let's test your face-reading skills."
Seriously?
Though they were not the bureau's most outstanding disciples, they did have some confidence in face-reading. It was just that, with Qu Nanzhu watching, both of them were somewhat nervous.
Daoming drew a deep breath and straightened his clothes, then began carefully studying the family's faces under the expectant gazes of the celebrities around him.
"This wealthy businessman had the face of someone whose honest simplicity brought blessings. His slow wits instead became a protective charm, keeping him away from scheming and preserving his blessings. His financial fortunes ran smoothly throughout his life, not through maneuvering, but entirely through kindness and accumulated virtue, with Heaven lending its aid."
"To me, this elderly woman looks petty and calculating, stubborn and a little hypocritical. She probably usually gave people the impression that she was generous and tolerant."
"The elderly man had a difficult fate. He lost his mother in childhood and his father in middle age... Mm, he finally managed to raise his child, but died of illness before he could enjoy an easy life."
"The businessman's wife was destined for a comfortable life, but unfortunately, she was overly sensitive-something like a persecution complex. But she wasn't destined for an early death. Her fate had been affected."
"The youngest son had a somewhat vicious look, making him the most likely to cause discord in the family."
"The eldest daughter was timid and easily fell into emotionally draining patterns, like her mother."
Once the two finished their analysis, Qu Nanzhu voiced his approval. "Not bad. You haven't disgraced your master."
Their readings were fairly superficial, but they had gotten everything right and identified the key points.
The two lowered their heads bashfully at the praise, while the guests watching beside them obligingly applauded.
Once his bashfulness passed, Daoqing cleared his throat and asked, "So, Senior, what does this have to do with their deaths?"
After all, what they had described were only minor character flaws, hardly enough to cost anyone their life.
With the test over, Qu Nanzhu generously imparted his knowledge and cleared up their doubts.
"It comes down to what Daoming just said about that wife's fate being affected."
He walked to the window and motioned for everyone to look at the distant mountains again, his words reaching every ear clearly.
"On the surface, the feng shui here forms a rare twin dragons wealth-gathering formation. But what if the mountain isn't an azure dragon, the water isn't living water, and the soil isn't spiritual soil?"
Meeting their puzzled gazes, Qu Nanzhu explained unhurriedly, "I suspect that mound wasn't formed naturally, but was dug up at that feng shui master's instruction. The task was probably entrusted to the elderly woman in the photograph. To save money, she cut corners. Instead of buying yellow-bright soil as the feng shui master required, she simply dug up black soil nearby."
"The mountain is steep, cramped, and barren, making it a baleful dragon. The water is cold yin water that never sees the sun or moon, making it dead water. The soil is black earth where not a blade of grass grows, making it corpse-nurturing ground."
"For people living in this feng shui formation, if their minds are pure and free of malice, then it is a twin dragons wealth-gathering formation. But if they harbor crooked thoughts or improper intentions, then it becomes a yin-locking and baleful energy-summoning formation."
Qu Nanzhu's explanation truly illustrated the difference between outsiders watching the spectacle and insiders understanding the workings. Those who knew nothing listened with rapt interest and exclaimed over how exciting it was, while Daoming and Daoqing gained tremendous insight.
Daoqing said, "So the youngest child was affected first. The death of her beloved grandson led the elderly woman to resent the others, believing they had killed him."
Daoming picked up, "Although the suspicious wife never said it outright, she always felt that her mother-in-law hated her. Because of that, she grew constantly depressed and paranoid. The eldest daughter was affected too, and both ultimately died from falling off the building."
Yet the simple, honest businessman remained unaffected. His work even went more and more smoothly, and money kept pouring into his pockets.
[666, that twist really caught me off guard. After all that, this family brought it on themselves.]
Absorbed in listening, Lu Luqing asked without thinking, "What about the households that came afterward? Was it because of this too?"
This time, Qu Nanzhu did not need to explain. Daoming and Daoqing could do it.
Daoqing said, "People had died in this house, so the agent handling it worried it wouldn't sell and set a very low price. At the businessman's request, the buyer was explicitly told that people had died here, yet still bought it. That shows they were after a bargain to begin with."
Daoming continued, "Also, if a house where people have died isn't cleansed of evil, yin energy will accumulate. Anyone moving in will naturally be affected by that yin energy, becoming emotionally unstable or developing health problems. As the cycle repeated, it eventually became the yin residence shrouded in yin energy that we see today."
The tragedy had been caused both by the original feng shui master's inadequate skills and by the elderly woman's desire to save a little money. It was absurd and full of coincidences.
The feng shui master thought he had found an auspicious site. The elderly woman thought she had cleverly saved on labor and materials. In the end, they had brought about this irreversible tragedy.
The guests and viewers all sighed over it.
But after the sighing, they still had to break this feng shui formation. Just then, the director informed everyone over their earpieces to get ready to come out for lunch. Daoming checked the time and said, "Senior, it's twenty minutes until noon. Let's head out now."
Qu Nanzhu nodded in understanding, closed the window, and headed outside.
The guests followed behind. Lu Luqing hurried to catch up and asked, "What's special about noon?"
Daoqing said, "The best way to break this feng shui formation is to mix that pile of black soil with something of utmost yang and burn it completely at noon."
Like an eager student, Lu Luqing kept asking questions. "We just have to burn that pile of dirt? Then what are we doing this afternoon?"
Daoqing explained patiently, "This is only the first step. The soil must be replaced, the mountain opened up, and the water redirected. But those later tasks can be left to the local government. As for the afternoon, there are things to do in the afternoon."
[Why does that last line sound like my annoying boss?]
They talked as they walked and ended up being the last two out of the villa. Outside, Daoming had already prepared the tools and asked the other guests to help grind mugwort into powder and stick peachwood swords into the nearly person-high mound.
Zhou Mingzhong passed them up from below while nagging the two young men. "Make sure they're secure. Push them in farther."
Wearing a mask, Su Liyun whispered to Lin Qianyu, "What do you think Master keeps in that case of his?"
Watching the scene, the livestream viewers thought it looked nothing like an exorcism ritual, and much more like a group of older folks doing farmwork.
Calls and shouts rang out from every side.