Formerly, Lao Gong's words had strong logical sense.
But at this moment, what he said was a bit of foreword out of place with the latter part.
Except for the initial assumption that the ghost in the bamboo forest might be Qin Wei Zi, there was no logical coherence to what followed.
"How could we bring Lao Qin out if we don't go to the bamboo forest?" I denied Lao Gong's statement.
"Of course, it's a conspiracy against you! She will definitely demand that only you be taken out, with at most my accompaniment, and no others are allowed to enter. What happened in there? Can you control it? Can you handle those ghostly artifacts?" Lao Gong countered: "If we completely assume it's a conspiracy, let's further assume that the ghost is not the old Qin but something she left behind. Is it possible that it is the body that disappeared from the coffin?"
The moonlight was dim, and suddenly I felt a chill.
Dealing with Yinyang Master is too taxing on the brain, and you never know when you will be taken advantage of...
Moreover, there is one fact I cannot ignore, which is the admiration other Yinyang Masters have for Ding Rui Pu. Lao Gong himself can hardly hold back, let alone Tao Mingyi, Xu Wangwang, and the old man who used the bell before.
By then, even if I were to die in the bamboo forest, and Ding Rui Pu concocted an excuse, everyone would believe it without a doubt, and Four Regulations Mountain wouldn't be able to do anything about it.
"This isn't a conspiracy, it's a sunami. She knows we will think that way and try to guess the danger. She might do that too, but if I don't go, she will still get what she wants." I opened my mouth again and my voice became especially hoarse.
"But that's not certain, Grandpa, we have our own methods too."
Lao Gong chuckled and looked like he had come up with another ghostly scheme.
I asked Lao Gong what he had thought of.
Lao Gong said that he would wait and observe the old woman's reaction and what tactics she uses before he spoke out.
Asking questions is Lao Gong's usual habit, and seeing him with confidence in his chest, I felt a bit more calm.
At this moment, some cars started to come from the distance, towards the front of the Ding family.
The distance of a hundred and eighty meters isn't far, and it was clear to see some Yinyang Masters getting off the car in a disheveled manner and walking towards the courtyard. Some of them had bandages wrapped around their heads, looking very pitiful.
Lao Gong's eyes had a slight confusion.
More cars arrived from the back and stopped next to us. Out of the cars came Fei Fang, Xu Jin, Liang Jieshi, Chang Xin, and others.
Of course, there were also people from the Cangshou Organization and members of the Liang family. I'm not familiar with them, just their names.
When I sent a message earlier, I also mentioned a few details about the situation here, asking them to come over.
This could prevent other Yinyang Masters from using retaliatory means, and I and Lao Gong could watch from the side.
"Master Liang isn't up to scratch; their heads are all fine, not one has been peeled off." Lao Gong said discontentedly.
"Hmm... Well... I mean..." Liang Jieshi was slightly embarrassed and explained: "After all, not all of them are from the Ding family. We can't take it too hard, right? Killing too many Yinyang Masters, my Liang family's territory won't last a few days before it's wiped out... "
"Lao Gong." I whispered to stop him.
"Does Cangshou also fear Yinyang Masters?" Lao Gong glanced at Fei Fang and then said, "The organization called 'Ming Fang' is numerous as cattle, so they're not afraid of being wiped out one or two, right? He has even gone as far as bullying my grandfather now."
Fei Fang's face went stiff, and he coughed dryly without saying anything.
"Alright, you all have something to worry about. There are many things in life that are more important than death." Lao Gong shook his head, retreated into the night bottle bag behind me, and disappeared without a trace.
"What's the current situation?" Fei Fang finally asked me.
I pondered for a moment and then recounted the series of events that had occurred earlier, as well as Lao Gong's enigmatic comments.
Fei Fang nodded, saying seriously, "Lao Gong's words are true. We must be cautious about all this."
At this time, a person from the Ding family came out, it was Tao Zhi, he hurriedly came towards me.
As he approached, Tao Zhi first bowed to the others around me, introduced his name and background, and then told me that Mr. Ding had come out, asking me to return inside to discuss her earlier proposal.
"Women can also be called 'Master', does this not make a mess?" Chang Xin wondered aloud.
"Hahaha, Sir, you don't know. In our line of Yinyang Masters, it's indeed like that; those who are skilled are all called 'Master'. Ding Xiangshen is indeed not ordinary. Today, we can say we've gotten to know each other in a way that wasn't expected." Tao Zhi explained to Chang Xin with a friendly demeanor.
Chang Xin nodded, looking thoughtful.
We returned to the courtyard, and now, compared to before, the Ding family compound was much more crowded. Firstly, there were many Yinyang Masters present. Together with the thirty-plus people from Yu Tai Dao and Wegui Dao, and many others from the Ding family behind Ding Miao.
The people from the Daoist organizations were still fine, but they looked at me with some jealousy. However, among the Ding family people, the gazes towards me were somewhat cold and resentful, especially Ding Moo, who seemed to bear a hidden grudge and a killing intent.
Ding Rui Pu sat in the throne chair of the reception hall, with three other chairs beside him, occupied by Tao Mingyi, Xu Wangwang, and the old man who had used the bell earlier.
The coffin inside the room had been removed.
Ding Rui Pu's strange and ugly face was smiling as he said, "Luo Xian Shen, as we previously discussed, I will accompany you to the ancestral tomb bamboo forest. You can bring your people to the foot of the mountain, and we will be the only two of us going up the mountain and into the forest. After all, it is my Ding family's ancestral home, please excuse me."
"But if you hurt Ding Xiangshen, we will not sit back and watch this," Tao Mingyi spoke up immediately.
Xu Wangwang's fingers gently tapped on the table, and his eyes conveyed everything.
As for the old man who had used the bell earlier, he looked a bit drowsy.
Indeed, her words coincide exactly with Lao Gong's inference!
Before I could answer, Ding Rui Pu continued, "But you must promise me that you will treat the body of your master well. He is infested with three-body worms, which I have locked in the coffin using a special method. I heard Tao Zhi say that you have a way to remove the three-body worms? That would be excellent. I suppose it was because you were unable to help that he was left exposed to the elements?"
Ding Rui Pu's eyes were filled with a question.
At this moment, suddenly, Lao Gong's head appeared on the table next to her throne chair!
Lao Gong chuckled at Ding Rui Pu and said, "Madam, let's not talk about this for now. Let Old Qin lie in your family's ancestral tomb a bit longer. My master felt a bit guilty about taking action against the Ding family and wants to apologize."
I furrowed my brow, wondering what Lao Gong was doing.
The rest of the Ding family members' faces showed a slight easing, all looking at me.
Including Tao Mingyi, Xu Wangwang, and others, their gazes all landed on me.
"Well, apologies can be accepted." Xu Wangwang said: "After all, we still need to help the four-rule mountain. However, even if Luo Xian Shen apologizes, he will still have to face the punishment of the four-rule mountain."
It sounds like Xu Wangwang's high-and-mighty attitude, as if the Daoist sects will only agree to his help if he hears them.
"Yes, if you get beaten, you should stand up straight. If you make mistakes, you should be punished. However, my master's apology is not just empty words; he will actually bring out real things. If the value is enough, can we forgive him?" Lao Gong turned to look at Xu Wangwang and the others.
I was even more confused, wondering what Lao Gong was trying to pull with his night pot.
"Oh? Then you should be more specific, or let Luo Xian Shen directly take out the things. But you should be clear that there aren't many items that catch our eyes. If you want to fool Ding Xiangshen, I won't agree." Xu Wangwang posed even more authoritatively.
"I'm not afraid, the things aren't on my master's body, they are in the Cloud Peak Mountain. When I was alive, I had a lot of interest in various spiritual techniques and made many friends. There is a special geomancy technique that takes mountains as the foundation, stars and moons as adjutants, and images as people. This technique, are you interested in it? My master offended not just the Ding family, but everyone here. If you want to give up this place where the technique is located, and follow me again, how?" Lao Gong's eyes were shining with excitement.
The room fell silent abruptly.
I could clearly see that Ding Rui Pu's hand trembled involuntarily, as if Lao Gong had exposed her hidden secret and made her lose her composure!
"This is truly so!?" Xu Wangwang's eyes shone with excitement!
