Chapter 29: The Founder's Wrath

When Ye Mengyao drove Li Chengfeng to the hospital, he was still fast asleep in the back seat. Seeing that he was sleeping soundly, Ye Gucheng did not dare to wake him, opting instead to wait alongside Ye Wushuang and Ye Mengyao.

Taking this opportunity, Ye Mengyao recounted everything she had heard from Liang Daqiang and the workers. Ye Gucheng listened in astonishment; had this been the past, he would never have believed that someone as young as Li Chengfeng could possess such formidable abilities. Yet, having seen his own illness cured overnight, he was forced to accept the truth.

Perhaps due to her deep-seated prejudice, Ye Wushuang remained entirely unconvinced. In her eyes, Li was nothing more than a filthy beggar and a grand swindler.

Looking at the sleeping Li Chengfeng, Ye Gucheng turned to Ye Wushuang and Ye Mengyao. "He is our savior, a great benefactor who has granted our family a new lease on life. From now on, he shall be an honored guest of the Ye family." He continued sternly, "Although he is young, he is a master of the esoteric arts of Feng Shui. We must maintain a good relationship with him; we must never cross him. Do you hear me?"

Ye Mengyao nodded. Her attitude toward Li Chengfeng had undergone a significant shift, and she no longer wore a cold expression. Having witnessed him use the forbidden folk art of the "Shrinking Yang Curse" to render Ye Wuming impotent, she had begun to regard him as an idol.

Ye Wushuang, however, looked on with disdain. To her, the idea of a stinking fraud becoming an honored guest of their family was out of the question. She resolved to find an opportunity to expose his scam and force Ye Gucheng and Ye Mengyao to see his true face.

As the three were talking outside the car, the door suddenly pushed open. Li Chengfeng climbed out and stretched. Ye Gucheng hurried forward with a smile, his voice filled with gratitude. "Mr. Li, thanks to you, our family has been spared. Words cannot express my thanks. If you need anything, just say the word..."

Before he could finish, Li Chengfeng interrupted with a wave of his hand. "I was just doing a job for money; there is no need for thanks. I have other matters to attend to, so I will take my leave."

Li Chengfeng did not want to be overly involved with the Ye family. In his view, this was merely a business transaction: finish the task, collect the money, and leave without further entanglements. That was the ideal outcome. Now that the locust tree on the grave had been removed and the Ye family members had regained their health, the business was concluded.

Ye Gucheng felt a twinge of awkwardness, though he wasn't angry, only regretful. He had hoped to befriend him, but it seemed difficult given Li's cold demeanor. He sighed. He realized that after the humiliation Li suffered during his first visit to the Ye estate—being chased out by his younger sister—he must still be harboring resentment.

Seeing Li Chengfeng preparing to leave, Ye Gucheng quickly said, "Mengyao, take Mr. Li back."

"Yes!"

Li Chengfeng did not decline. However, just as he was about to get into the car, he turned back and said, "Mr. Ye, there is something I would like to remind you of."

"Oh, please, go ahead!"

"The reason your family members fell ill is that someone tampered with your ancestral grave. The person who did this is likely also a Feng Shui master, and I suspect he has already realized the locust tree has been moved. That master will certainly not let this rest. This matter is not over yet; you must be careful."

Ye Gucheng nodded and expressed his thanks. As he watched the car drive away, he frowned, deeply believing Li’s warning. Beside him, Ye Wushuang sneered. "Brother, he’s just a fraud. All this talk about someone tampering with the ancestral grave is nonsense. Don’t let him fool you. I don't know what tricks he used, but he has already turned Mengyao’s head completely."

Ye Gucheng looked displeased and spoke sternly. "Little sister, I know you are biased against Mr. Li, but I hope you can let that go. If the master who tampered with our grave returns, we will have to rely on Mr. Li to deal with him."

"Impossible! I just don't like him. If that master dares to show up, I will go to Master Hu Yansong, the vice president of the Profound Arts Association."

Ye Gucheng shook his head helplessly. At the mention of Master Hu, a mocking smile touched his lips—he was mocking himself for his own poor judgment, having treated a fraud as a master and a true master as a fraud. Seeing Ye Wushuang’s worshipful expression, he realized there was no reasoning with her; she would never learn until she hit a wall.

Ye Mengyao dropped Li Chengfeng off at Suiyuan Hall and said gratefully, "Thank you. If it weren't for you, our family would have..."

Before she could finish, Li Chengfeng cut her off. "No need for thanks. This was just business. Remember to transfer the rest of the money to me. And remember, do not tell anyone that I was the one who moved the locust tree, especially Ye Wuming."

"Yes," Ye Mengyao replied softly. She wanted to continue, but Li Chengfeng opened the car door and stepped out without looking back.

Watching him walk into Suiyuan Hall, Ye Mengyao glared at him with resentment and pounded the steering wheel. "Jerk! Such a dense man, completely lacking in romance. Here I am, a beautiful woman, wanting to talk about feelings, and all you talk about is money! You’re infuriating!"

She took out her phone, transferred another 200,000 to Li, and sped away.

Li Chengfeng entered Suiyuan Hall and went to offer incense to the Founder’s portrait, but he froze the moment he looked up. The Founder in the portrait was glaring, his mouth curled in a sneer, looking absolutely furious.

Startled, Li wondered what was wrong. He quickly lit three high-quality incense sticks and placed them in the burner. But as soon as he did, the smoke, which had been filling the room, suddenly vanished. Li was shocked—the Founder was refusing his offering.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, he knelt and asked cautiously, "Founder, what is wrong? Have I angered you? If I have, please tell me, and I will correct it..."

As he apologized and kowtowed, the expression on the portrait softened, and the incense sticks suddenly reignited. Li let out a sigh of relief and was about to pour a glass of water when the Founder in the portrait suddenly spoke.

"You little idiot, do you know why I’m angry?"

Li was so startled he nearly dropped his cup. He shook his head.

The Founder continued, "Because you’ve been swindled. The gold rice bowl you bought me is a complete fake! Phah! How did our sect end up with an idiot like you, unable to even recognize real gold? It’s truly shameful."

After grumbling for a bit, the portrait returned to its normal state. Li finally understood. He hurried to the altar to inspect the incense burner, the candlesticks, and the gold fruit platter. They looked bright and golden, but when he tried to bite them, they wouldn't give. Genuine gold is soft and should bear teeth marks.

Feeling a sense of dread, he grabbed a kitchen knife and scraped the surface of the incense burner. In an instant, the thin layer of gold plating peeled away, revealing the yellow brass underneath.

Li Chengfeng was so furious he could have breathed fire. He had spent over 800,000 for a pile of fakes! The items were just brass worth a few dozen per catty, thinly plated with gold. This would not stand.

He grabbed a plastic bag, stuffed the burner, platter, and candlesticks inside, and prepared to head to the Shenghai Gold Store to demand an explanation from those crooks.