Chapter 009: Liao Haode

However, Ye Tian could not directly approach the old man as it would be embarrassing in front of the overseas Chinese if others did not believe him. After thinking for a moment, Ye Tian discreetly tugged at the little fatty.

Ye Tian waved his hand at Guo Xiaolong, and just as he was about to leave, he suddenly leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Xiaolong, the item your great-uncle is looking for is located six hundred steps from the village entrance"

Guo Xiaolong repeatedly waved his hand, glanced at his maternal great-uncle, and said softly: "That won't do, since it was given to you by your maternal great-uncle, you should keep it. Otherwise, I will get scolded."

Little Dragon, has your classmate left

Liao Haode had merely asked this question casually, but unexpectedly heard such a statement, which immediately shocked him to his core, and he seized Guo Xiaolong firmly

The few lines of text in his mind were gradually fading away. Ye Tian suddenly thought of this question: even if he could deduce Liao Haode's purpose for returning to the country, it would not help him, and it would be akin to taking someone else's candy for nothing

It was only after returning to his hometown that Liao Haode learned that his mother had passed away as early as the early 1950s

What is my great-uncle looking for? What is at the place six hundred steps from the village entrance?

Alright, thank you, Xiao Long, your Sun Wukong will be ready soon as well

Ye Tian has left, Uncle, he asked me to say goodbye to you

However, the term "Kanyu" now appears dim and gray, with only the two characters "Xiangshu" slightly shining, distinctly different from the surrounding characters

Ye Tian was not polite either; after casually responding, he turned his gaze towards Guo Xiaolong's maternal great-uncle, while his mind focused on the two characters "physiognomy".

Hey, is it really effective

Ye Tian, what is wrong with you? The monkey-shaped candy that your uncle sent you is truly beautiful

After seeing the *picture* book, Uncle and Grandfather gave the sugar figurine of Sun Wukong to Ye Tian first. Guo Xiaolong kept staring at Ye Tian, hoping to discern excitement and exhilaration on Ye Tian's face, which would also satisfy his own small vanity.

It is not that Ye Tian does not want to clarify; rather, he genuinely does not know where Liao Haode's mother is buried. In any case, having this clue means that he did not take someone else's candy figurine for nothing.

As Ye Tian gazed upon the old man's face, the two characters "Xiang Shu" on the turtle shell suddenly disintegrated, causing the entire shell to break apart and transform into a series of mysterious symbols, leaving Ye Tian dazzled.

Seeing his usually kind uncle with a flushed face and wide-open eyes, Guo Xiaolong was so frightened that he almost burst into tears.

More importantly, the tortoise shell actually predicted Liao Haode's purpose of returning home to visit relatives. This means that this compass, resembling a tortoise shell, can not only calculate a person's past but can also divine a person's future

Upon arriving in Taiwan, Liao Haode's father realized that over a million troops had poured into such a small territory, and many generals even resided in the military dependents' village

Can you help him a bit? See if it is possible to determine where his mother is buried

So you really are from America

My classmate said, "Grandpa, the thing you are looking for is six hundred steps from the village head..." Guo Xiaolong scratched his head and still repeated what Ye Tianlin had said when he left

However, Liao Haode's father is a talented individual, proficient in several languages. After living in the military dependents' village for ten years, he took his son to the United States, where he established his own company and settled down.

When helping Master Miao with feng shui at noon, Ye Tian clearly remembered that among the twelve characters and six terms of divination, feng shui, destiny, physiognomy, dream interpretation, and selecting auspicious dates, the terms "feng shui" and "physiognomy" were distinctly illuminated

Just by revisiting the craft of the sugar figurine maker, Liao Haode felt that his trip to the market was worthwhile. It is worth noting that in his childhood, he, like these children, eagerly wished to buy a sugar figurine.

In theory, matters such as locating dragons and identifying burial sites require the name and birth date of the person involved. He merely thought about it for a moment, and the tortoise shell provided such an answer. Ye Tian was also uncertain whether it was true or not

Ye Tian saw Guo Xiaolong's demeanor and couldn't help but wish to be taken to his home to watch television right then and there. He quickly said, "Ahem, Xiaolong, I will definitely come by when I have time. By the way, I have to leave now, please say goodbye to your great-uncle for me..."

Looking at the few lines of text in his mind, Ye Tian smiled. Although it was not detailed, it was sufficient for him to understand Liao Haode's life and past events

Liao Haode, born in 1933, went to Taiwan in 1949, and moved to the United States in 1959. This return home is intended to bury his parents together, but the burial site for his mother cannot be found. He is scheduled to return to the United States in three days

Liao Haode's father was an official in the Ministry of Education of the Nationalist Government before the liberation, working in Nanjing for many years. In contrast, Liao Haode's mother frequently returned to live in the countryside. After the age of ten, Liao Haode began attending school in Nanjing with his father

Ye Tian subtly complimented the chubby boy and then said, "Xiao Long, your great-uncle must have some matters to discuss upon his return this time"

At this moment, Liao Haode felt as if a tremendous wave was surging within him. He was not in the mood to ponder why Ye Tian would say such words; instead, he focused all his attention on the phrase "six hundred steps from the village head".

What does this mean? Which village entrance? Why does it sound so disjointed?" Looking at these few rapidly disappearing words, Ye Tian furrowed his brows

It's nothing much, just came back to see us. By the way, my great-uncle also gave us a lot of things. Let me tell you, the television in my house is the only one in my village. Ye Tian, when you have time, come to my house to watch TV. Shanghai Bund is really good, and Xu Wenqiang is the most handsome.

Without anyone to show off to, Guo Xiaolong felt a bit bored. However, he decided in his heart that once school started, he would definitely invite all his close classmates over to watch television at his home

Ye Tian suppressed the excitement within him and focused his attention on the turtle shell. Upon closer inspection, he immediately noticed some differences.

Guo Xiaolong did not understand Ye Tianwen's words and rambled on incoherently, even gesturing with his hands to mimic Xu Wenqiang's posture after shooting, completely neglecting the nearly finished Sun Wukong sugar figurine inside.

Ye Tian was somewhat unwilling to give up, and he muttered to himself once more. The turtle shell had indeed been summoned, but the inscriptions on it had all turned a grayish color, making it impossible to activate. This left Ye Tian feeling somewhat helpless.

However, having had the experience of having his fortune told by the old Daoist before, Ye Tian did not feel anxious. He only sensed a slight dizziness in his mind, and after a few brief seconds, several lines of text appeared in his consciousness.

As the saying goes, children of the poor take on responsibilities early. Although the two were of similar age, Ye Tian was well aware of Guo Xiaolong's feelings. He smiled and said, "Oh, it is indeed beautiful. Xiaolong, how about... I give it to you first?"

As soon as Ye Tian silently recited the two words "Shu Cang," his eyes suddenly brightened, for the mysterious turtle shell reappeared vividly in his mind.

During that movement that swept across all of China, many families with overseas connections, even their ancestral graves, suffered great calamities. Therefore, even the elders in the family could not specify the exact burial location of Liao Haode's mother at that time

Guo Xiaolong took the sugar figurine from Sun Wukong and looked at the elderly man beside him, asking curiously: "Uncle, did you come home to look for something?"

Hello, following your uncle, how many sugar figurines can one not obtain

Ye Tian muttered to himself, saying that ever since this tortoise shell appeared in his mind, whether it was for the old Daoist to read fortunes or for Miao Laoda to assess feng shui, there seemed to have been no mistakes.

Liao Haode muttered a few words to himself, turned around, and said: "Xiaolong, let's go home..."

Guo Xiaolong watched as Ye Tian's small body squeezed into the crowd in the distance, shaking his head in confusion. When he turned his face away, he found his great-uncle standing in front of him with a sugar figurine in hand

Hmm? Xiaolong, why do you ask Grandpa like that?

However, after Ye Tian took the sugar figurine, he stood there in a daze, which made Guo Xiaolong feel somewhat uncomfortable. He felt compelled to remind Ye Tian about the origin of the sugar figurine in his hand.

Are we leaving now? Well then, I still need to go around with my great-uncle and will return later

Let it be, after all, children speak without restraint; whether one believes it or not is up to them

In the year before last, Liao Haode's father passed away in the United States. Before his death, he instructed his son to ensure that his ashes were brought back to the country to be buried alongside his wife. This led to Liao Haode's journey back home.

"Ye Tian, what are you doing? My sugar figurine is about to be ready." Guo Xiaolong was quite displeased with Ye Tian's actions, his eyes scanning the crowd, fearing that his sugar figurine of the Monkey King would be snatched away by someone.

The art of concealment, reveal it to me

The so-called "military dependents' village" refers to the housing constructed to accommodate the Kuomintang troops and their families who were forced to migrate from various provinces of the Chinese mainland to Taiwan. The buildings are low and the environment is significantly poorer than that of the mainland.

Six hundred steps from the village head, six hundred steps from the village head

At the village head, six hundred steps down below... ...

Just as Ye Tian was about to question the turtle shell, those few lines of text had completely vanished. Just when Ye Tian intended to shift his focus to this issue, a line of small text suddenly appeared in his mind

Grandfather, he... he said that the item you are looking for is located six hundred steps from the village entrance, and he did not mention anything else

What? What did your classmate say

This result left Liao Haode somewhat disheartened; he had originally prepared to return to the United States, but unexpectedly received such information.

Liao Haode was taken aback upon hearing this; although Xiaolong's parents were aware of his purpose for returning, Xiaolong himself was not informed. Such matters need not be discussed with a child.

In 1949, as the Kuomintang faced a disastrous defeat, due to the urgent circumstances, Liao Haode's father did not have time to bring his wife along and instead took his son to flee to Taiwan. This departure marked a separation between the two sides of the strait, a farewell that would last an eternity.

Alright, Xiaolong, goodbye

This made Ye Tian feel somewhat excited, as he had always been unsure how to apply this thing before. Now that he can easily summon it, he believes that he will surely be able to unravel the mystery of this tortoise shell in the future

Hmm, how did the two characters of "Kanyu" fade away?