Chapter 183: When Dragons Wrestle with Tigers, One is Bound to Get Hurt!
"At last, we’ve found it."
A smile touched Huang Ning’s lips. Heaven have mercy. Since she was a child, she had always traveled in luxury cars or by plane; this was the first time she had ever walked such a long mountain path. Moreover, they had already been wandering around in the mountains for several hours.
"Master Feng, let’s quickly get this settled and then head down the mountain," she urged.
For some reason, the longer she stayed in the mountains, the more uneasy Huang Ning felt. It was already afternoon, and it wouldn’t be long before dark.
Master Feng chuckled. "Miss Huang, don’t rush. We have enough time."
As long as he found the Huang Family Ancestral Grave, it wouldn’t take much time for a man of his skill to help the tomb’s occupant relocate to an auspicious new feng shui site for reburial.
"Thank you for your trouble, Master Feng."
A look of happiness appeared on Huang Ning’s face. With this issue resolved, not only would the dark spots on her skin disappear, but the family business could also recover. It was a significant accomplishment for her and the family alike, one that would certainly be recorded in the family’s book of merits.
"Let’s pick up the pace," she said. "We can head down once we’re done here."
The group hurried toward the gravesite.
「...」
Although he had agreed to stay, Huang Laoshi still felt deeply unnerved. Tiger’s Lair Mountain was simply too bizarre. The presence of a Zombie, and the possible existence of a Tomb-guarding Divine Beast, kept his heart in a constant state of suspense.
"Mr. Lin, what are you searching for?" Huang Laoshi asked. He had noticed that ever since picking the fruit, Lin Mu had been scouring the area, carefully parting clumps of grass to look for something.
How can it not be here? Lin Mu frowned slightly, filled with confusion. Logically, the Beauty Flower and the Hundred Fragrance Fruit grew no more than a hundred meters apart, sometimes even in the same spot. But despite expanding his search area, Lin Mu still couldn’t find the Beauty Flower.
Suddenly, Lin Mu’s gaze returned to the ditch, a strange light flashing in his eyes.
Could it be...?
A sense of alarm struck Lin Mu. He felt that things were spiraling beyond his expectations. He walked to the edge of the ditch and scrutinized it.
At first glance, the ditch seemed to have been carved out by rainwater, but closer inspection revealed that wasn’t the case. The weeds on both sides were bent in one direction—strangely, upward. If it were from rainwater, they should have been pushed downward. This was highly abnormal.
Soil had been churned up, and several thicker branches were snapped. If it had truly rained, it was impossible that only this single ditch would have been left behind. It was more like the trail left by a large reptile.
Lin Mu spread his Divine Sense, searching carefully within the ditch.
"Found it!"
Lin Mu’s eyes lit up. He bent down and picked up a piece of something white.
Snakeskin?
As if struck by a thought, Lin Mu turned to survey his surroundings. The mountain’s terrain rose and fell, but from this vantage point, the entirety of Tiger’s Lair Mountain was visible.
"When the Dragon coils and the Tiger crouches, Yin and Yang clash, and one must suffer!"
After reciting these words, Lin Mu looked back at the Green Spirit Fruit tree. He finally understood why only three Green Spirit Fruits had matured while the rest were not only unripe but seemed to have lost a significant amount of Spiritual Energy.
So that’s what happened. Its Spiritual Energy was siphoned away, and the Beauty Flower was stolen.
The Green Spirit Fruit tree grew toward the sun, absorbing the pure yang essence of the heavens. The Beauty Flower, however, grew in the shade, absorbing the essence of the moon. That so-called "dragon" was the thief who had stolen the Beauty Flower, which had amassed the moon’s essence, in an attempt to achieve a breakthrough. This wasn’t a ditch at all, but a trail left behind by the creature as it moved.
"Follow me."
Lin Mu began to follow the trail upward, hoping to retrieve the Beauty Flower before the creature could consume it. Huang Laoshi was completely baffled, but he hurried to keep up.
「...」
"What’s going on here?"
The scene before them puzzled Huang Ning and the others. Within a ten-meter radius around the entire gravesite, not a single blade of grass grew, creating a desolate and withered scene. Compared to the lush greenery elsewhere, this area was jarringly out of place.
Yan Lun suggested, "Maybe the villagers from Tiger Residence Village chopped it down for firewood or burned it."
Huang Ning shook her head. "Impossible. Tiger’s Lair Mountain is huge. They wouldn’t come all the way here to chop wood. As for burning it, why would they burn a perfect circle like this?" Yan Lun was suddenly at a loss for words, looking embarrassed.
With a stern expression, Master Feng stepped forward, dug into the soil in front of the tomb, and lifted a pinch to his nose to sniff.
"This is wrong!" he exclaimed. "This ancestral grave has been tampered with. It could be tomb robbers!"
The ancestral grave had been robbed?
Huang Ning was shocked—this was a major issue. A middle-aged man beside her looked particularly grim. "Master Feng, are you sure you’re not mistaken?"
He was the mayor of Qinxian Town. If the Huang Family Ancestral Grave had been robbed on his watch, he would be held responsible. Others might not know who was buried here, but he knew perfectly well. This was the tomb of General Huang Weihu. And Huang Ning was his descendant!
"What, are you questioning my master?" Yan Lun, still annoyed from his earlier exchange with Huang Ning, bristled. How dare the mayor of Qinxian Town suggest his master was wrong?
The mayor realized his slip of the tongue and quickly said, "That’s not what I meant. It’s just that no one has ever dared to rob a grave on Tiger’s Lair Mountain."
"We’ll know soon enough," Master Feng declared. He pointed to a spot. "Dig here, but be careful not to go too deep."
The men the mayor had brought, along with Huang Ning’s bodyguards, immediately complied. As they dug, Master Feng’s expression grew even darker.
He pointed at the freshly exposed earth. "The Huang Family Ancestral Grave is at least two hundred years old, but this soil is so fresh, as if it was just turned over. It even has a foul, fishy stench."
Following Master Feng’s example, Huang Ning took a pinch of the soil and sniffed it.
"UGH!"
Instantly, the repugnant odor made her retch. "It’s so foul!"
Master Feng’s face was grim. He began searching around the grave, the compass in his hand spinning wildly, its needle unable to settle. Suddenly, the needle jerked to a stop. Master Feng hurried toward a particular spot on the gravesite. When he saw what was behind the tomb—toppled weeds and a shattered, vine-entwined stone—he cried out in alarm.
"The Dragon coils where the Tiger should crouch! The feng shui is in chaos!"
"Master Feng, what does that mean, ’The Dragon coils where the Tiger should crouch’?" Huang Ning asked, fighting back her nausea.
Master Feng sighed. "As the saying goes, a proper feng shui site requires the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise to preside over the four directions. They both sustain and restrain one another, coexisting without interference. Your ancestor chose an excellent dragon’s lair for this grave. Furthermore, as a Martial General, he was blessed by the White Tiger’s spirit, which should have protected his descendants."
Pointing at the shattered stone, he continued, "However, because the grave was robbed, the White Tiger’s influence was broken, and the Azure Dragon seized the opportunity to dominate."
"When the Dragon and Tiger fight, one is sure to be injured. In this case, the Azure Dragon was clearly the victor. The White Tiger met a tragic end, and the resulting malevolent energy would inevitably bring harm to the descendants."
Master Feng brushed aside the weeds, revealing a dark, deep hole.
"Look. This is the robbers’ tunnel."
The mayor turned deathly pale, breaking out in a cold sweat.