The people of Atraria placed great importance on the continuation of their ancestral temples, and the Stone family had lived here for hundreds of years without ever breaking this tradition. Additionally, the Stone family believed in geomancy and that if their ancestral temple were to be destroyed, it would break the flow of good fortune from their ancestors’ spirits and affect future generations.
“Leo, there’s a well-known story about ancestral temples in Golden Blade Village,” Larry said as he began to tell Leo about geomancy.
Larry’s mother was also a member of the Stone family from Golden Blade Village, so he knew a lot about its history. “What story?” Leo asked with interest.
Larry organized his thoughts before saying succinctly, “This happened when Golden Blade Village faced many disasters. First came famine, then an outbreak of disease.”
“Seeing that the number of people in the village was decreasing every day, and with medicine ineffective against the epidemic, the chief at that time did something unexpected by everyone,” Larry paused intentionally.
Chasel, who loved hearing stories the most, couldn’t wait and said impatiently, “What happened? Continue!”
“The chief suddenly left the village without a word, and he was gone for more than ten days. Just when everyone thought the chief had escaped the village to avoid the epidemic and would never return, he came back. And with him, there was a middle-aged man with a goatee,” Larry said.
“The middle-aged man claimed to be a geomancy master and spent two days wandering around the village with a compass. He concluded that the epidemic in the village was caused by evil energy and to resolve it, the evil energy needed to be eliminated,” Larry continued.
“The chief asked him how to eliminate the evil energy, and the geomancy master said that they only needed to modify the geomancy arrangement of some ancestral shrines.”
“Modify the geomancy arrangement? How did they modify it?” Leo recalled the incident of Demon Cultivator and Oktrar being hidden beneath the ancestral shrine in Golden Blade Village.
Larry pondered for a moment, then continued somewhat uncertainly, “According to the elders in the village, it seems they hollowed out the underground of the ancestral shrine to vent the evil energy.”
This statement from Larry confirmed one thing for Leo: that geomancy master was most likely connected to Demon Cultivator Oktrar.
Perhaps the epidemic was brought by Oktrar himself, with the intention of finding a hiding place beneath the ancestral shrine in Golden Blade Village using the epidemic as a cover.
But why did they choose the ancestral shrine in Golden Blade Village? Was there something special about its geomancy?
“Continue,” Leo nodded.
Larry continued, “After the geomancy modification of the ancestral shrine was completed, the chief issued a prohibition that no one was allowed to enter the underground of the ancestral shrine to avoid disturbing its geomancy.”
“Strangely enough, since the geomancy of the ancestral shrine was improved by that geomancy master, the epidemic suddenly disappeared. Not only that, but Golden Blade Village also seemed to have turned fortunate. The crops had abundant harvests, and even during national famines or floods, they didn’t suffer major calamities.”
“From then on, the people of Golden Blade Village placed even greater importance on the ancestral shrine. They believed that as long as the ancestral shrine existed, the villagers would continue to thrive and live in peace.”
As they were discussing, the group had arrived at the middle section of Golden Blade Village.
The scene here caught the attention of Leo and the others.
Almost every house here was a traditional courtyard. Although they appeared to be quite old, they were in stark contrast to the dilapidated houses on the outskirts.
It seemed these old-style courtyards were what they called “nail houses.”
After a brief introduction of these courtyards, Larry led Leo and the others towards the largest one, which was the residence of the chief of Golden Blade Village.
Arriving outside the entrance gate of the courtyard, they found it tightly closed, with a sign hanging that said “No Visitors Allowed.”
Larry pointed at the sign and said, “In recent times, there have been several groups of people coming to see the chief almost every day, all for the purpose of land acquisition and demolition. The chief didn’t entertain any of them and eventually got tired of it, so now he refuses to see anyone.”
“So, does that mean we won’t be able to see the chief either?” Leo asked.
Larry patted his chest confidently and said, “Leo, with me here, I guarantee you’ll meet the chief.”
With that, Larry stepped forward, pulled the door knocker, and knocked on the door while calling out loudly, “Uncle Antonio, it’s Larry. Are you home?”
After knocking and calling out, they waited for a while, and then someone opened the door from inside.
In Leo and the others’ eyes stood a hunched old man, with a head of weathered and gray hair, and facial skin resembling dried orange peel.
Judging from his appearance alone, he must be at least eighty years old, old enough to be Larry’s grandfather. But why did Larry call him “Uncle” instead?
While Leo and the others were observing Antonio Stone, he was also observing them.
“Larry, why are you shouting? What’s the matter?” Antonio asked somewhat displeased.
Larry quickly smiled and said, “Uncle Antonio, they are my friends. We have something we want to discuss with you…”
Before Larry could finish his sentence, Antonio abruptly slammed the door shut with a loud bang.
“Larry, I’ve already made it clear. I won’t see anyone except the people of Golden Blade Village. Get them out of here!” Antonio’s hoarse and dissatisfied voice came from behind the closed door.
Larry panicked, “Uncle Antonio, my friends here are all good people. Please open the door.”
“Good people? Hmph, I don’t care if they’re good or bad. If they have any intentions of taking the land of Golden Blade Village, forget it!” Antonio had already concluded in his mind that Leo and the others were here for land acquisition and demolition. He didn’t want to discuss it, let alone say another word.
Larry sighed, turned around, and awkwardly looked at Leo and the other three.
Just then, a group of flamboyantly dressed youths approached.
The leader was a young man with blond hair and an earring on his left ear, with a carefree appearance.
He walked straight up to Larry, glanced at him sideways, spat on the ground, and sneered, “Hey, isn’t this Mr. Longman? Heard you moved into the Cloud Dream Mountain villa area. How come you have time to come to our slum?”
Disgust appeared on Larry’s face as he stared back and retorted, “Kobi Stone, Golden Blade Village isn’t your family’s property. I can come if I want. Stop your nonsense.”
“Heh, haven’t seen you in a while, our Mr. Longman’s temper has grown, huh?” Kobi, the blond-haired youth, rolled up his sleeves and said, “Brothers, what do you think should be the punishment for someone who breaks the rules set by the clan leader?”
“Of course, we should loosen their tendons and let them know the importance of following the rules,” one of his followers replied.
“Exactly!” Kobi nodded heavily, coldly scanning Leo and the other three, and then his gaze fell on Larry again.
“Larry, apologize quickly, and then get out of here with these four people. Considering your mother is from Golden Blade Village, I can let this slide without holding you accountable.”