Punishing the Bai family was merely a minor incident for Yan Shouyi and his group on their return to the village.
Yan Chou had not taken the Bai family seriously, and Yan Shouyi paid them even less mind.
Carrying their luggage, they boarded the pre-arranged vehicles and slowly drove away from Feifeng Mountain.
Bai Ao Guang watched the "plague gods" finally depart and let out a heavy sigh of relief.
A descendant of the Bai family beside him couldn't help but ask, "Patriarch, are the Lu Ban successors truly that formidable? He can manipulate feng shui with a word, and those curses all come true? What if he was just trying to scare us?"
Bai Ao Guang sighed and replied,
"You simply don't know their power. In any case, we can't stay in Feifeng Mountain any longer. Whoever wants to stay, stay. I'm not staying."
As the patriarch of the Bai family, Bai Ao Guang had considerable dealings with the ancestors and knew the capabilities of their kind.
Therefore, from the moment Yan Chou mentioned manipulating feng shui and curses, Bai Ao Guang had decided never to step foot in the Feifeng Mountain estate again.
However, the younger descendants of the Bai family thought differently. They had grown up here. Feifeng Mountain was not only beautiful and well-located but also had good feng shui and fresh air; even five-star luxury hotels outside couldn't compare to their estate.
Now that they had finally seen off the Lu Ban successors after much anticipation, they were eager to return.
At that moment, a portion of the Bai family members rushed back, anxious to see if their homes had been tampered with by Yan Shouyi and his group.
Then, a miraculous scene unfolded. The threshold of the estate seemed to have been raised by a few centimeters, or for some other reason. As the Bai family members entered one by one, they tripped. Each fall resulted in several tumbles. Being bruised and bloody was considered fortunate. Several older individuals suffered fractures on the spot.
Immediately, cries of pain erupted throughout the estate. Those Bai family members who were stubborn and disbelieving collapsed onto the ground in unison.
Seeing this, Bai Ao Guang knew that Yan Chou's words were true and not a joke.
Yet, even so, there were still some audacious Bai family members who walked in, their faces covered in blood.
Thus, the misfortunes of the Bai family began.
Sprained ankles, bumped heads against walls, stumbles, bird droppings on their heads, roof tiles falling and smashing their skulls...
These incidents, at first glance, seemed incredibly bizarre. But upon closer reflection, it appeared as though Yan Chou had made subtle alterations to the houses, leading to these occurrences.
For instance, the entrance threshold of the Bai family's estate had indeed been raised slightly by Yan Chou.
This caused the Bai family members, accustomed to the previous height, to stumble.
It was unknown how many similar subtle tricks were present in the estate. Just when the Bai family members thought they were safe, misfortune would suddenly strike.
Most terrifyingly, shortly after the Bai family entered the estate, Bai Ao Guang received several phone calls.
Several of the Bai family's industries were being investigated by relevant departments for suspected illegal activities.
The officials who were previously close to them and provided cover were also toppled.
Bai Ao Guang was so enraged that he nearly had a heart attack. The Bai family was now facing internal strife and external pressure, on the verge of collapse.
He quickly shouted at the Bai family members, "Stop going in, all of you! If you go in again, our Bai family will truly be finished!"
"But Patriarch, we still have so many things inside..."
"If you go in again, you might lose your lives. Why bother with those things?!"
Bai Ao Guang angrily called back the Bai family members who were trying to enter the Bai family estate, then added,
"Tomorrow, we will sell the estate at a low price, take the money, and relocate to another city. With our experience and connections, making a comeback won't be difficult!"
Bai Ao Guang was not wrong about this. While the Bai family was morally corrupt, they also possessed many talented individuals. Otherwise, among the three great ghost king families, only the Bai family would not have prospered the best.
Although the Bai family members were reluctant, they had witnessed the influence of feng shui on them and could only agree to sell the estate.
However, at this moment, a blind man slowly walked out from within the estate.
It was Zou Xiazi.
The threshold that caused everyone else to stumble had no effect on the blind man Zou Xiazi.
As Zou Xiazi walked out of the estate, he leaned by the door and said to Bai Ao Guang,
"This old blind man will be staying in Rongcheng for a while. I was just worrying about where to stay. This Bai family estate of yours looks good."
Bai Ao Guang's eyes widened.
According to Zou Xiazi, not only could they not sell their estate, but they also had to let this "stinky blind man" live there?
At that moment, a Bai family member wanted to curse Zou Xiazi.
But he was stopped by Bai Ao Guang. This Zou Xiazi was one of Yan Chou's people, and judging by his demeanor, he was certainly not someone to be trifled with.
The Bai family was already in dire straits. If they provoked someone they couldn't afford to offend, it would only worsen their situation.
So, Bai Ao Guang could only sigh and say to Zou Xiazi,
"Then please stay here for now. We will sell the estate when you decide to leave."
"En."
Zou Xiazi showed no embarrassment and walked back with a smile.
The Bai family members dared not speak out in anger and could only privately complain to Bai Ao Guang, "Patriarch, if this continues, as long as that blind man doesn't move, we won't be able to sell the estate. Aren't we going to be trapped in Rongcheng?"
"Then what better solution do you have?"
"Our Bai family has several hundred people, and the money is simply not enough. We can't afford to wait this out... That blind man is blind after all. How about we secretly drug his food?"
Just as Bai Ao Guang was about to remind this Bai family member not to harbor foolish fantasies, a brick suddenly flew out from the estate, hitting the head of the problem-solving Bai family member precisely.
This blow resulted in a gash and he collapsed onto the ground, stunned.
Bai Ao Guang felt no sympathy, only sighed and told the others to send the unlucky fellow to the hospital.
Finally, he cast a deep glance at his former home.
"Alas, Tong Jingcheng, Tong Jingcheng. Among all the women in the world, why did you have to choose Yan Shouyi's woman, causing our Bai family to be implicated!"
"If I had a chance to do it all over again, I, Bai Ao Guang, would never dare to provoke the Lu Ban successor, nor provoke that Yan Shouyi!"
After saying this, Bai Ao Guang led the remaining Bai family members, under the desolation of the autumn wind, and slowly descended Feifeng Mountain.
From then on, Feifeng Mountain was no longer called Bai. Da Feng Novel Network.
The top families of Rongcheng no longer had the Bai family's existence.
...
Rongcheng is located in the eastern coastal area of Jianzhou Province, while Chenjia Village is located in the northern part of Jianzhou Province, near Jiangxi Province.
Jianzhou Province is known as "eight mountains, one water, and one piece of farmland" primarily because Jianzhou is mainly characterized by hilly terrain, with a forest coverage rate of 65%, ranking first in the country.
In this type of terrain, mountains and forests become the theme.
Chenjia Village is close to the Wuyi Mountains, located at the foot of a branch of the Wuyi Mountains called "Yanqian Mountain."
Speaking of Yanqian Mountain, there are many stories.
Chenjia Village is backed by Yanqian Mountain, and in the hilly terrain of Jianzhou, Yanqian Mountain appears particularly unique. It resembles a giant stone embedded in the land. There is not a single tree on the mountain; it is bare, only supporting small vines and shrubs that can grow in rock crevices.
Legend has it that the entire Yanqian Mountain was once a meteorite that fell from the sky hundreds of years ago, becoming the present Yanqian Mountain.
Some also say that Yanqian Mountain is the Five-Finger Mountain, where Sun Wukong was once suppressed.
Others say that Yanqian Mountain is actually a phoenix egg, and at any moment, a phoenix might break out and soar into the sky.
Under the embellishment of numerous legends, Yanqian Mountain and the villagers of Chenjia Village strongly believe in the existence of gods.
Therefore, the local people highly value customs and sacrifices. If a child falls ill, they will first consult a shamaness.
Yan Shouyi grew up in such an environment.
In fact, Chenjia Village is not too far from Rongcheng.
There is no high-speed rail or bullet train service between the two places. One can only take an old-fashioned green-skinned train, which takes about six hours to reach the city that administers Chenjia Village, a county-level city named Zhicheng.
The origin of Zhicheng is quite remarkable. In ancient times, it was the capital of Jianzhou Province, known as "The First Capital of the Eight Min, the Ancient Capital of the Min Kingdom," and later Rongcheng took over this status.
Upon arriving in Zhicheng, they still need to take a bus to the town and then transfer to a tricycle to reach Chenjia Village.
At this moment, several people are sitting on the green-skinned train from Rongcheng to Zhicheng.
The train is filled with many travelers, most of them dressed simply, carrying snakeskin bags, and bringing local specialty products.
Whether they are traveling out or returning home, everyone's expression is different, but all carry a hint of anticipation.
The carriage is filled with peculiar smells, particularly strong are the aromas of Zhicheng guangbing and smoked duck. Lin Zitong, who had never tasted these local delicacies, couldn't help but sniff the air and ask,
"What smells so delicious? It's making me hungry..."