Chapter Nine, Fateful Entanglement

I... I am called Chu Qi. I wiped the tears from my face with my sleeve and lowered my head to speak

I honestly shook my head and casually said, "During the grave-sitting period, living people generally do not disturb, especially the villagers. Everyone knows about Old Lady Zhou's matter, and no one would want to come."

Upon hearing this, I hurriedly stepped aside obediently. Yang Yuanshan mentioned that if the formation could not be broken before midnight tonight, not only would Uncle Er and his family face calamity, but even I, the unfortunate soul afflicted by the malevolent energy, would likely meet my demise as well. As I watched the sun gradually dip in the west, time was running short.

Mr. Wu Da and Uncle Zhou exchanged a glance, then exclaimed in astonishment: "Mr. Yang, do you suspect that Master Ma is at odds with the Zhou family?"

As they grew older, Daniu and Lanlan attended private school together and played together after school. The two were inseparable, each relying on the other. However, a piece of tragic news ended the neighborly relationship between the Sun and Zhou families. The reason was that Lanlan was diagnosed with asthma only at the age of ten. At that time, medical technology was naturally powerless against this illness, and the Sun family had no savings to speak of, let alone afford treatment for Lanlan. In the end, they could only rely on inexpensive traditional Chinese medicine to suppress her condition.

Not wanting the elders to prevent the two from playing together, the two secretly played together until they were both around sixteen or seventeen years old. One day, Daniu suddenly ran to Sun's house alone, declaring that he wanted to marry Lanlan. Naturally, Lanlan was overjoyed and did not hesitate, after all, they had been childhood sweethearts since they were young. Now that they had grown up and were discussing marriage, who could possibly have any objections?

As the narrative unfolded, all present fell into silence, yet Yang Yuanshan continued to inquire: "Apart from the Meng Heizi you just mentioned, have you encountered anyone else?"

At this moment, I was even more confused; however, the shock of hearing these words from Yang Yuanshan had already overshadowed my confusion. Even Mr. Wu and several farmers beside me were staring blankly at Uncle Zhou.

Yang Yuanshan then asked a perplexing question: "Could it be that this old horse is dissatisfied with the amount of money the Zhou family has given?"

As we all fell silent, Yang Yuanshan continued, "Therefore, it is imperative to quickly identify those who have grievances with the Zhou family. This person should offer incense to the late Old Master Zhou as an apology. As long as we can prevent the vengeful spirits from harboring resentment, we can then proceed to deal with the Black Bamboo Enchantment."

Seeing Uncle Zhou rush over in a fluster, Yang Yuanshan suddenly shifted his gaze and fixedly stared at me, saying: "Chuqii, you must now recount in detail everything that happened to you last night"

Yang Yuanshan looked at Uncle Zhou again and said, "Old Zhou, given that things have come to this point, there are some matters that should be discussed with all of us, right? Do you really wish to see the Zhou family cut off from descendants, completely extinguished?"

Mr. Yang, I... I really can't figure out who our family has offended! Uncle Zhou has surprisingly returned here, still facing away from the venue, and continued: "hetushu.com. Over the years of collective production, as the village head, I have been distributing land and dividing fields, inevitably causing some dissatisfaction among families. If anyone has grievances against me, they wouldn't express it openly. This, this makes it quite difficult to pinpoint exactly who has been offended."

Yang Yuanshan pondered and said: "In order to break the Black Bamboo Enigma today, it is essential to first resolve another issue"

The last sentence was directed at Uncle Zhou Er, who immediately shook his head and said: "Of course I invited him; after all, Old Ma's age is there, and in terms of seniority, I should invite him first before looking for Chu Qi. However, he mentioned beforehand that he had other matters to attend to. So, I went to the dilapidated temple to find Chu Qi, but unexpectedly, this child Chu Qi had already come on his own."

"Grave pressing?" Yang Yuanshan suddenly frowned and asked, "Is there anyone else here besides you who does this kind of work?"

After hearing my response, Yang Yuanshan surprisingly followed up with a question: "Why didn't he come? Didn't Brother Zhou invite him?"

"Everything? Oh..." Upon gaining Yang Yuanshan's approval, I immediately began to recall from the starting point of the dilapidated temple and started to narrate...

However, the elder of the Sun family said to Daniu, "This matter cannot be taken lightly. Although we, the elders of the Sun family, have no objections, your parents only have you as their child. Earlier, our two families agreed to sever ties, and now you bring this up; it cannot be counted. It requires your parents' approval." Upon hearing this, Daniu turned around and ran home, telling Uncle Zhou and Aunt Zhou that no matter what, he must marry Lanlan. To his surprise, Uncle Zhou immediately took a carrying pole and gave Daniu a good beating.

Yang Yuanshan said: "That is the body of Old Master Zhou inside the coffin, which is about to undergo transformation! Old Master Zhou was just buried yesterday, and now that the first seven days have not yet passed, having absorbed so much malevolent energy... It is imperative to first appease Old Master Zhou's spirit; otherwise, if the spirit accumulates resentment, it will transform into a vengeful soul, making the situation even more difficult to handle"

Mr. Wu patted my shoulder and comfortingly said, "Indeed, on the seventh day of the new year, Mr. Yang is a remarkable figure of his generation. Moreover, the Zhou family members are all kind-hearted people, so Mr. Yang will surely use his skills to provide assistance. You should step aside and not disturb Mr. Yang."

In the village, Sun Erhuo is a straightforward farmer, now at the age of fifty. At this point, it is necessary to mention his only daughter, Sun Lanlan. During the Great Leap Forward, after Sun Erhuo's wife gave birth to Sun Lanlan, she was constantly busy in the fields and her health deteriorated, so she never became pregnant again. Although Sun Erhuo was anxious, seeing other families having one child after another, both boys and girls, he only had this one daughter. However, being anxious was of no use; years passed, and the Sun family's lineage had not continued. Thus, the Sun family cherished their only daughter as a treasure.

Mr. Yang... Uncle Zhou turned around, trembling as he glanced at all of us. He did not finish his sentence, lowered his head for a moment, and finally, as if he had mustered up all his courage, said: "Mr. Yang, you need not meet with Master Ma; I know who has framed our Zhou family!"

That evening, Aunt Zhou Er sought out the old matchmaker from the neighboring village. After a round of inquiries, she settled on the Chen family from the adjacent village. The Chen family had three daughters; the eldest had already married off, and now the second daughter, Xiuqiao, was tall and graceful, with a pair of large, sparkling eyes. Upon hearing this, Aunt Zhou Er immediately made up her mind to finalize the arrangement.

At this point, Uncle Zhou discussed with his family and decided to sever the ties between Daniu and Lanlan for the sake of Daniu's future happiness. The Sun family understood the situation as well; if they were to cut off contact, so be it. After all, the children were still young, and who knows what kind of match they might have when they grow up. From then on, the two families had little interaction, eventually leading to enmity between them

At this moment, Uncle Zhou awkwardly smiled and said, "We don't have much money, but we manage to get by. Naturally, the arrangements for the elder's funeral should be somewhat respectable, especially since the contribution for the grave is not insignificant. However, as fellow villagers, if Old Ma is willing to come, we will certainly not treat him poorly, it's just..."

Yang Yuanshan smiled faintly and said, "I didn't mean that, but if possible, I would still like to meet this person"

In an atmosphere of extraordinary gravity, Uncle Zhou finally revealed a shocking and scandalous affair, an event that had somehow been overlooked by everyone in our village, and now, as we listen, it evokes an immense sense of regret and sorrow

Uncle Zhou's family is quite fortunate, as they have only one child, Daniu. Although the two families live far apart, they share a sense of kinship due to their similar circumstances. Since childhood, Daniu has played with Lanlan, who is one year younger than him. Daniu is handsome, while Lanlan is clean and robust. The adults have noticed this and are pleased, having the intention of arranging a marriage between the two since they were young, yet neither family has explicitly stated this.

Hmm... Yang Yuanshan pondered for a moment and then said: "Is that old horse still in the village? Can we invite him over?"

As I watched Meng Heizi walk away, I distinctly saw his face unnaturally turn to one side. This subtle change was not merely a coincidence that I stumbled upon. When I turned back, I saw Yang Yuanshan slowly glance back at me with a mysterious smile. I was puzzled, yet I also managed a grin.

I immediately replied: "Yes, the horseman at the village entrance, but he did not come last night"

Yang Yuanshan listened carefully and then said: "The Zhou family need not avoid us any longer, Old Zhou, please come over and speak."

Yang Yuanshan was initially somewhat surprised, but then spoke gently: "On the seventh day, this matter is not as simple as you imagine. Moreover, since I have come here, I will not stand by and do nothing. You need not be sad; I will certainly do my utmost to break this formation."

Yang Yuanshan extended his hand to help me up, and nodded repeatedly, saying: "Although inherently lazy, my true nature is kind-hearted. Not bad, not bad... What is your name?"

Uncle Zhou Er immediately nodded and called for Meng Heizi: "Heizi, go and invite Old Ma here, quickly!"

"Mr. Yang, what is the issue?" Mr. Wu asked solemnly