Chapter 24: Relocating the Grave

None of the members of the Ye family, including Ye Ning'an, expected the Second Elder to openly state the dark secret they had been trying so hard to hide.

A heavy silence descended for a moment. The Second Elder did not press them, as if he were simply waiting for an answer.

Ye Ning'an paused, then said calmly, "Master, let us head inside first..."

"That's right, she isn't."

Yu Fanrou's sudden interjection was completely unexpected.

Ye Zhixuan’s expression shifted, and he cast a warning glance her way. "What kind of nonsense are you spouting?"

It was a warning that walls have ears, not to mention the Second Elder was standing right there. He had never imagined the Second Elder would know; he assumed Ye Ning'an must have confessed.

Yu Fanrou, however, remained indifferent. She smiled faintly, with a hint of mockery: "I didn't say anything wrong. But Ning'an is still the eldest daughter of the Ye family, so the Second Elder can rest easy."

If her initial admission could be understood as a mother wanting to prove her daughter's status, this current remark was undoubtedly stirring up trouble for the Second Elder. It made it seem as if Ye Ning'an’s identity was shameful, yet she was kept around purely because of the benefits she provided.

*What is there to worry about? Aren't you all very powerful?*

Ye Zhixuan’s face darkened instantly. Catching the Second Elder's predictably displeased expression, he did not hesitate and slapped Yu Fanrou across the face in front of everyone.

The slap was loud and heavy; half of her face swelled up visibly.

Ye Ning'an’s eyes flickered. "Dad, Mom didn't mean it that way."

"Don't worry about me. I'm not feeling well, excuse me." Yu Fanrou ignored the injury on her face, glanced at everyone present, and turned to leave.

"Mom..." Ye Ning'an frowned, her voice cool and detached, showing no discernible emotional fluctuation.

At this moment, Ye Zhixuan only cared about the Second Elder's attitude. He forced a smile and said, "Second Elder, dinner is prepared. Shall we head inside?"

The Second Elder narrowed his eyes and nodded complacently. "Thank you for the trouble."

Clearly, he was satisfied, though he looked down on Ye Zhixuan for resorting to violence.

Ye Zhixuan relaxed, followed him inside, and grabbed Ye Ning'an by the arm as he passed. "Your mother has no brains; don't take it to heart."

For the sake of worthless blood ties, Yu Fanrou had truly gone mad.

...

White Marsh Village.

Le Zhengmei, dressed in attire reminiscent of an ethnic minority, walked in the lead.

Less than half a meter behind her were Fu Qiqi, who wore sunglasses and held a flowerpot in one hand, Yue Yi, who was clutching her arm, and the grandfather-grandson duo, Bai Zhenrui and Bai Zekai.

Because Fu Qiqi had mentioned the need to relocate a grave, Bai Zekai had specifically come to help with the labor.

There was always someone beside her, staring longingly and looking as if they had something to say but were holding back.

Fu Qiqi found it difficult to ignore. She cut straight to the point: "Village Chief, the matters of the village will be handled by tomorrow. Don't be anxious."

Bai Zhenrui immediately flashed a warm smile, but he couldn't help asking, "Abbot, what is the specific reason for this?"

As soon as he spoke, the ears of those around him pricked up.

Fu Qiqi glanced at him and said, "Seven years ago, you worshipped the Divine Ancestor, the legendary ancestor and divine beast, Bai Ze."

"That's correct. Nothing went wrong at the time, and we even added extra offerings."

The villagers of White Marsh Village passed their traditions down through generations. They interacted with the outside world and did business, but they never lived outside the village, nor did they buy property elsewhere. They firmly believed they were descendants of Bai Ze and had to remain in the village. The number of self-built villas in the village continued to rise.

Bai Zhenrui remembered it so clearly because, with the changing times, the village had earned some money that year, and every household had enjoyed a prosperous New Year.

Fu Qiqi said meaningfully, "The place we are going to shortly has to do with this matter."

Bai Zhenrui was startled. "Are you talking about Bai Qingcang?"

Before he could ask for details, they arrived at Bai Qingcang's house.

The other three felt a sense of disappointment. *Why are we already here?*

Bai Zekai was scratching his head in agitation, looking like a restless monkey, stifled and uncomfortable.

Meanwhile, Le Zhengmei knocked on the door. "Brother Qingcang, are you home?"

There was no answer from inside for a long time.

She explained, "Brother Qingcang doesn't do business or work for others; he usually spends his time farming on the mountain. He might not be back yet, but Sister-in-law Ma should be home—that's his wife. I'll try knocking again."

Just as Le Zhengmei was about to knock again, the tightly shut door was opened from within.

A middle-aged man with a hoe on his shoulder appeared. Despite the cold winter, he wore thin clothing, and his skin was tanned and roughened by the sun.

Bai Qingcang looked at the people at his door. He didn't recognize two of them, so he didn't pay them much mind. He asked calmly, "Village Chief, is something the matter?"

Because of Fu Qiqi’s earlier words, Bai Zhenrui had a bad premonition, though he didn't show it on his face.

"This is the Abbot of Floating Cloud Taoist Temple. She has brought a friend—the relative of the body you saw on the mountain earlier."

Once the introduction was complete, Yue Yi hurriedly spoke up: "Uncle Bai, thank you so much for what you did back then..."

It should have been a heartwarming scene of gratitude.

To everyone's surprise, she was interrupted by Bai Qingcang before she could finish.

"I don't welcome you, and your grandmother doesn't need you to visit her."

No one had expected him to say such a thing.

Yue Yi froze, her eyes already turning red. She was already feeling aggrieved and was trying to hold back, but at this point, she lost all restraint.

"By what right do you say that? I was heartbroken when Grandma went missing! Yes! I am grateful for your kindness, but Grandma was my relative. By what right did you take it upon yourself to bury her, and now you say these things!"

Since this was a private family matter, Bai Zhenrui and the others found it difficult to intervene.

However, listening to Yue Yi, Bai Zhenrui frowned. He remembered the event, and it didn't seem to be as Yue Yi described, so he stepped forward to mediate.

"Could there be a misunderstanding? At the time, Qingcang notified me first, and then we went to the police together, and we even found your family."

But later, he had had other urgent matters to attend to, so he didn't follow up and didn't know what had happened afterward. The next time he heard from Bai Qingcang, it was that the police had given him permission to handle the burial.

Bai Qingcang looked down, remaining silent.

"What misunderstanding could there be?! If you called the police and found the family, why couldn't my grandmother's body be returned home? I'm not saying your village is bad, but this is not Grandma's home!"

Yue Yi cried while shouting, though her remaining sense of reason kept her from saying anything truly reckless.

"Yue Yi, stay rational."

It was Fu Qiqi.

She seemed somewhat helpless; having finished soothing the old spirit in the yellow talisman, she now had to soothe the young one.

Fu Qiqi’s voice helped Yue Yi calm down significantly. She wiped away her tears and sobbed, "Miss Fu, I... I'm sorry."

Miss Fu had mentioned before coming that there were hidden circumstances; how could she have forgotten?

"Understood." Fu Qiqi took off her sunglasses and placed them on Yue Yi's face. "Disobedient child, stay behind me."

Yue Yi pursed her lips. "Okay."

She still felt aggrieved and wanted to cry, but she felt magically much calmer.

As for Bai Qingcang, watching Fu Qiqi draw closer, his expression remained unchanged, yet he strangely gave off the impression that he was prepared.

It was very odd.

"Abbot of Floating Cloud Taoist Temple..."

He murmured the words under his breath, then suddenly smiled with a sense of relief.

"Can we go somewhere else?"