Chapter 26: Transplanting the Tree Atop the Grave (Part II)

Li Chengfeng felt speechless. These men had been acting all tough just a moment ago, boasting that they didn't know the meaning of fear, yet now they were scared to the point of wetting their pants. They were terrified to this pathetic state by nothing more than a few wisps of ghost fire manifested from spirits.

The reason these ghost fires appeared in the graveyard was that the spirits residing in these graves had sensed living people nearby. They had chosen not to manifest their physical spirit forms, but rather to transform into ghost fire to avoid frightening the living. Who could have guessed that these men would be so cowardly that they would be scared anyway?

In truth, as Li Chengfeng watched nearly a hundred ghost fires emerge from the mounds, his own legs were trembling. However, as a Feng Shui master, he could not afford to show weakness; no matter how terrified he was, he had to endure it.

Liang Daqiang called back the men who were trying to flee. Only now did they realize that this young man was not a con artist, but a true Feng Shui master with genuine skills. Their gazes toward Li Chengfeng shifted, filled with newfound awe. Most of these workers were from rural areas and held a deep belief in ghosts and deities. Seeing Li Chengfeng utter a few simple words to the graves, causing the spirits to move aside, was something they had never witnessed before. They secretly marveled that this young man truly had some impressive tricks up his sleeve.

Once all the ghost fires had drifted to a nearby hill, Li Chengfeng solemnly recited the Incantation for Calming the Land, then continued, "Opening the grave and breaking the earth, may the auspicious spirits stand aside and the malevolent spirits retreat..."

Li Chengfeng recited a lengthy announcement before instructing Liang Daqiang and the workers to begin removing the tree. With many hands making light work, the grave of Ye Mengyao’s great-grandfather was leveled in just twenty minutes, revealing the roots of the locust tree. Although the trunk was only as thick as a bowl, its root system was incredibly developed. Many roots had tightly coiled around the coffin, while others had pierced the decayed wood, burrowing deep inside.

Liang Daqiang and the workers were stunned by this sight. From a distance, it looked as if a giant hand had seized the coffin, attempting to crush it. Seeing the coffin entangled and pierced by the roots sent chills down their spines.

Li Chengfeng sighed and blurted out, "Roots piercing the coffin, the descendants will meet their end."

Liang Daqiang asked curiously, "Mr. Li, what does 'roots piercing the coffin, the descendants will meet their end' mean?"

"I’ll explain it when there’s time. We must move the tree before dawn. Everyone, hurry up!"

Li Chengfeng walked up to the locust tree and noticed traces of the roots having been severed by human hands, along with many newly grown roots. If this tree had grown naturally, the roots would not show signs of being cut. It was clear that someone had deliberately planted this locust tree on top of Ye Mengyao’s great-grandfather's grave. Someone was using secret Feng Shui arts to wipe out this entire branch of the Ye family. The perpetrator’s heart was truly venomous; did they not fear divine retribution for using such dark arts to harm others?

Li Chengfeng realized that the person who planted the tree must be a practitioner in the field of Feng Shui. He turned to Liang Daqiang and said, "Brother Liang, sever all the roots, then move this locust tree to the side. We'll find a place to replant it later."

"Understood!"

Liang Daqiang and the workers moved quickly. In just over ten minutes, they had severed all the roots and moved the locust tree outside the Ye family graveyard. Li Chengfeng knew full well that moving the tree alone was not enough; the roots inside the coffin had to be cleared as well.

He asked Liang Daqiang and a few workers to open the coffin lid. A worker shining his flashlight inside let out a shriek and dropped the light, terrified. The coffin was densely packed with roots, and a ghastly white human skeleton lay within, while two large rats scurried about. Startled, the rats jumped out of the coffin and vanished into the night. The owner of this skeleton was none other than Ye Mengyao’s great-grandfather.

Li Chengfeng picked up the flashlight and shone it inside. He saw that many roots had bored into the skeleton. One thick root, split into several branches, had pierced the eye sockets and the mouth of the skull, while another was coiled around the neck. Looking further down, roots had burrowed into the chest cavity, wrapping around the ribs, and deeper still, they had coiled around the right leg bone.

Seeing this, Li Chengfeng was shocked. When he first met Ye Gucheng, he had noticed that his eyes, neck, chest, and right leg were entangled with black mist. At the time, he hadn't understood where this mist came from or why it appeared on Ye Gucheng. Now, seeing the skeleton entangled by the roots, he realized the locations were identical. He understood that the reason Ye Gucheng, Ye Wushuang, and the other direct descendants of the Ye family were suddenly falling ill—often with the same symptoms—was precisely because of these roots strangling the bones in the coffin.

Having found the cause, Li Chengfeng dared not delay. He hurriedly asked Liang Daqiang, "Brother Liang, could you find a few men to clear all the roots out of the coffin?"

Liang Daqiang shook his head immediately, and none of the workers behind him were willing to go into the coffin. To them, clearing roots from a coffin was highly inauspicious. Many of them hadn't wanted to come dig up graves in the dead of night to begin with; they only agreed because Ye Mengyao offered 2,000 yuan each. It was agreed that they would only move the tree, not clean out a coffin containing a skeleton. The task was too terrifying.

Seeing no one move, Li Chengfeng continued, "Good brothers, please, do me a favor."

"No way!"

"If you want it done, go down yourself. We aren't going."

"How about this: whoever is willing to go down and clear the roots, I will speak to Miss Ye and have her pay each person an additional 20,000 yuan."

As the saying goes, there is always a brave man under a heavy reward. When the workers heard "20,000 yuan," some fell silent. That was not a small sum; they only earned 50,000 to 60,000 yuan in a year of hard labor. Clearing roots from a coffin for ten minutes to earn 20,000 yuan—equivalent to half a year's income—tempted many of them.

An older worker asked skeptically, "Young man, are you good for your word? If I go down and clear the roots and Miss Ye doesn't pay me, what then?"

"Rest assured, brother. If Miss Ye doesn't pay you, I will pay it myself."

No sooner had Li Chengfeng finished speaking than the older worker jumped directly into the coffin and began clearing the roots. Soon after, another man joined him, and then Liang Daqiang followed. The three of them filled the coffin. The other workers who had hesitated now regretted missing out on the 20,000 yuan.

The roots strangling the bones were pulled out. Within minutes, the coffin was cleared of the roots. The three men climbed out immediately. Li Chengfeng said earnestly, "Three brothers, don't worry, I won't short you a single cent of what I promised."

"Good, we trust you."

Once everything was done, the coffin was covered, and the grave was restored to its original state. Li Chengfeng turned to look at the nearby hill, where the green ghost fires were still drifting in a haunting manner. He called out to them, "Ancestors of the Ye family, we are finished. You may return now."

Upon hearing Li Chengfeng’s voice, the ghost fires flew rapidly down from the hill and slipped back into their respective graves. Liang Daqiang and the workers were left dumbfounded. This was truly a divine being! He could command the ghost fires to leave and return at will.

After the ghost fire of Ye Mengyao’s great-grandfather flew back, it did not enter the grave immediately but hovered right beside Li Chengfeng. Looking at the ghost fire inches away, Li Chengfeng turned pale with fright, wondering what it wanted.