Chapter 25: Transplanting Trees Atop the Grave (Part I)

Because Ye Wuming was suffering from the "Shrinking Genital Curse," he was hospitalized and had no mood to trouble Ye Mengyao.

The fact that his "little bird" had retracted into his abdomen caused immense disruption to his life. He dared not stand to urinate in the restroom, for if he did, it would stream down his legs and soak his trousers. Nowadays, he was forced to squat like a woman, which filled him with profound shame. What was the point of living if, as a man, he could not even stand to relieve himself? This was a torment perhaps only a man could truly comprehend. Though the condition was neither painful nor itchy, it ravaged a man’s soul, leaving Ye Wuming looking utterly haggard. If he could not retrieve his manhood, what was there left to live for?

Ye Mengyao took this opportunity to sneak into the hospital to see her father and aunt. Both were worn thin by their illnesses, subjected to endless rounds of medical examinations daily. Their conditions continued to deteriorate without a single sign of improvement. Under the care of the medical team, Ye Gucheng remained blind, his coughing grew more frequent and severe—often accompanied by blood—and his entire right leg had lost all sensation. Ye Gucheng felt that death would be a relief. Ye Wushuang was in no better shape; besides her blindness and loss of speech, she had developed lung complications over the last two days, mirroring Ye Gucheng’s situation.

Watching her father and aunt suffer so intensely broke Ye Mengyao’s heart. She knelt by the bedside, clutching Ye Gucheng’s hand. "Father, Mr. Li has agreed to help me remove the locust tree from the top of Great-Grandfather’s grave. If he is not a fraud, perhaps you and Aunt will recover once the tree is moved."

Ye Gucheng lay on the bed and nodded, though he held little hope for Li Chengfeng. If so many doctors and experts could not find the cause or cure his illness, how could Li Chengfeng possibly succeed? To spare him further worry, Ye Mengyao did not tell him that the Ye family’s assets had been usurped by their distant relatives, nor did she mention how Ye Wuming had bullied her.

Two days later, the auspicious day mentioned by Li Chengfeng arrived. Ye Mengyao hired over a dozen workers, all born in the Year of the Dragon, and prepared incense, paper money, red cloth, firecrackers, and other necessities. At around one in the morning, they arrived at Suiyuantang.

Li Chengfeng had been idle for the past two days, having hired a carpenter to install a new gate for the shop. When he had nothing to do, he would light a couple of sticks of incense for his founding master, hoping the master in the portrait might move again, though regretfully, the spirit had not manifested.

Hearing the knock, Li Chengfeng stepped out and looked at Ye Mengyao and the dozen workers behind her. He asked casually, "Are you certain none of these people were born in the years of the Rooster, Dog, Monkey, or Pig?"

"Rest assured, I have checked all their identification documents. They are all born in the Year of the Dragon."

Li Chengfeng nodded, thinking to himself that this woman was quite capable. Finding a dozen people with the required zodiac sign must have cost a fortune. He continued, "And the items I requested? Are they all here?"

"Everything is accounted for!"

Li Chengfeng performed a quick inspection to ensure nothing was missing. The group then set off in three or four cars, carrying their tools and supplies, heading toward the Ye family ancestral graveyard outside Qingzhou City.

By the time they reached the cemetery, it was around three in the morning. Because Ye Mengyao was a woman, Li Chengfeng forbade her from entering the burial ground, telling her to wait in the car. Ye Mengyao was displeased and asked, "Mr. Li, why can’t I go?"

"Because you are a woman."

"Why can't a woman go?"

"Because this is a rule passed down by our ancestors."

Whether it involves relocating a grave, breaking ground, or visiting ancestral tombs for Qingming or the Ghost Festival to burn offerings, women are traditionally forbidden from attending. This is a rule established thousands of years ago: because a woman’s innate nature is *yin*, visiting ancestral graves to burn paper can easily bring unclean spirits back home, inviting misfortune. There is a common folk saying: "When a woman visits a grave, bad luck enters the home." It is strictly advised never to bring women when paying respects to ancestors. Since ancient times, matters of grave relocation and ancestral worship have been the domain of men, which is also the root of the patriarchal traditions that have persisted for millennia.

Ye Mengyao felt helpless and could only wait in the car. Though she was annoyed, she had no choice but to follow Li Chengfeng’s instructions. As she sat in the vehicle, her mood was complex; despite knowing of Li Chengfeng’s abilities, she still found it hard to fully trust him. Would removing the locust tree from her great-grandfather’s grave really cure her father, her aunt, and the other Ye family members? She sighed. She had no other options left and could only pin all her hopes on Li Chengfeng.

She watched as Li Chengfeng led the dozen workers, laden with tools and supplies, marching toward the Ye family ancestral cemetery. In the dead of night, the site—dotted with nearly a hundred burial mounds of various sizes—evoked an inexplicable sense of terror. It was fortunate there were so many of them; had she been alone, she would never have dared to come to such a place. A cold gust of wind blew, and she couldn't help but shiver.

The foreman, Liang Daqiang, had looked at Li Chengfeng with disdain from the moment they met. A mere yellow-haired youth daring to pose as a Feng Shui master! The other workers shared his skepticism, viewing Li Chengfeng as a charlatan. However, they were laborers working for pay and didn't wish to meddle, so they kept their thoughts to themselves. Yet, what happened next would force them to see Li Chengfeng in an entirely new light.

Liang Daqiang asked cautiously, "Mr. Li, what do we do next?"

"Don't be impatient. I will tell you what to do when the time comes."

Li Chengfeng first took out a red cloth strip, about fifty or sixty centimeters long, and tied it to the locust tree. He then lit the incense and paper money before the grave and had someone set off a string of firecrackers. In the silent night, the crackling sound was piercing.

Standing before the tomb, Li Chengfeng addressed Liang Daqiang and the workers, "Gentlemen, no matter what you see in a moment, do not be afraid."

"Don't worry, there's nothing we haven't seen; we don't know what fear is."

"That’s right, we’ve lived long enough to have seen every kind of demon and ghost."

"Haha..." Liang Daqiang and the others chuckled in response.

Li Chengfeng smiled as well. He could tell they were mocking him, treating him as a fraud. He didn't take it to heart, turning instead toward the graves and murmuring, "Ancestors of the Ye family, please forgive this intrusion. I am Li Chengfeng, a successor of the Qimen school, invited by your descendants to resolve the calamities plaguing them. I ask you all to please step aside for a moment. If I cause any offense, I beg your forgiveness. If you agree, please move aside. If you do not, I shall turn and leave, and the Ye family will surely face the end of their lineage. I believe you understand this better than I do."

In matters of moving earth in a cemetery, it would have been best if a male descendant of the Ye family had been present to kneel and weep before the grave, but with Ye Gucheng ill and having only a daughter, Ye Mengyao, Li Chengfeng had to explain the situation to the ancestors himself.

Liang Daqiang and the workers watched as Li Chengfeng muttered to the tomb, thinking to themselves that this con artist was truly a master of theatrics. But what happened next turned their faces deathly pale. The timid ones collapsed onto the ground, and cries of alarm broke out.

"Ah!"

"Holy crap, what is that?"

"This is terrifying!"

"Ghost fire!"

Before their eyes, a basketball-sized, eerie green "ghost fire" drifted out from the great-grandfather’s grave. Immediately after, ghost fires of various sizes erupted from all the surrounding graves. Once they emerged, they all drifted toward the hillside opposite. As some began to panic and scramble to flee, Li Chengfeng shouted firmly, "Do not run! They will not harm you!"