Although he didn’t point fingers, it was obvious that he was asking Leo.
“It was me,” Leo said calmly, looking directly at him.
Fraser’s expression remained unchanged upon hearing this, a demeanor that contrasted greatly with Caelan’s. He asked again, “Give me a reason to tear down the family ancestral hall.”
“The White family ancestral hall not only affects the geomancy of Golden Blade Village downstream but also has an adverse impact on White Orchid Village’s own geomancy. If left unchecked for too long, it will be detrimental to the people of White Orchid Village in the end,” Leo explained confidently.
Leo’s words irritated some of the onlookers from the White Orchid Village.
“What do you mean by bad geomancy in the ancestral hall?”
“What do you mean by affecting Golden Blade Village’s geomancy?”
“And saying that we’ll be unlucky in the end is just unacceptable!”
With Fraser present and highly respected within their village, they couldn’t act too recklessly and could only whisper amongst themselves while casting unfriendly glances towards Leo.
Fraser heard Leo’s words, and a glimmer of light flashed in his eyes because he knew very well that what Leo said was the truth.
When he designed and built the ancestral temple, it was indeed out of selfishness. Of course, he had also thought about making amends afterwards. But as time went on, he realized that it was impossible to make up for it. The best he could do was to try to dispel the harm of geomancy in Golden Blade Village.
In addition, the main purpose of building the ancestral temple was not actually geomancy, but the abundant source of wealth…
Although he knew it in his heart, Fraser could never admit that what Leo said was true.
He had designed and supervised the construction of the ancestral temple himself. If the geomancy of the ancestral temple was bad, wouldn’t that mean his own abilities were lacking and he had ruined the centuries-old reputation of the White family?
Bentley and Caelan, standing behind Fraser, sneered on their faces. They knew very well about Fraser’s geomancy skills. For Leo, who was so young, to say such words was like showing off his skills and making himself a laughingstock!
The voices of the villagers grew louder and louder, and in the end, as long as they weren’t deaf, they could clearly hear the mockery and ridicule directed at Leo. Hurtful words were endless, challenging Leo’s composure at every moment.
“White Orchid Village has probably had several sudden deaths from illness in the past year,” Leo said calmly, maintaining a faint smile on his face. His voice was not loud, but it drowned out the laughter of the villagers, and every word entered their ears clearly.
The noisy scene suddenly quieted down. Leo’s words seemed to have a magical power, turning everyone present into mute spectators.
All the villagers’ gazes focused on Leo’s face, their expressions complex.
This extremely abnormal atmosphere made Antonio nervous. A young outsider first arrogantly claimed that he wanted to demolish the ancestral temple of White Orchid Village, and then he mentioned that the villagers of White Orchid Village were dying from illness. It was like adding fuel to the fire.
However, the subsequent development did not go as Antonio expected. The expressions on the faces of the villagers were not anger, but sadness, as if Leo had just told a heartbreaking story.
Fraser’s expression also changed constantly. He was about to say something to break the current deadlock when a piercing voice rang out.
“Fraser, six months ago, I secretly invited an external geomancy master to examine the geomancy of the Village. The geomancy of the ancestral temple indeed has problems. My father also died because of the illness caused by the geomancy.”
“For more than a year, strange illnesses have been occurring one after another. I suspect it’s caused by the ancestral temple you built. Now that it’s been exposed by an outsider, what else do you have to say!?”
After this piercing voice spoke, the sound of a woman sobbing immediately followed. In this quiet environment, the sobbing sounded extremely mournful.
Fraser remained silent, and Bentley coldly shouted, “Seth, you’re being outrageous! Your father was already sick, if it wasn’t for Fraser helping with his treatment, he would have died five years ago. Now you’re actually helping an outsider question the geomancy of the ancestral temple. What are your intentions!?”
Bentley’s words stunned a considerable number of villagers, and their gazes shifted to Seth one after another.
In fact, regarding the frequent occurrence of strange illnesses in the past year or two, the villagers had their suspicions. However, due to Fraser’s authority in White Orchid Village, even if they had thoughts in their minds, they didn’t dare to express them.
In White Orchid Village, Fraser was the local ruler. If he was angered, there would definitely be consequences.
“Hmph, trying to cover up the truth…” Seth wanted to argue further, but an elderly man next to him glared and whispered something to him, forcing Seth to swallow the unfinished words.
Every single word spoken by everyone present couldn’t escape Leo’s ears, no matter how softly they were spoken.
The old man whispered to Seth, “Does your son still want to finish college?”
The main source of income for the villagers of White Orchid Village was the production of geomancy tools and replica antiques, which were then sold through specific channels.
In general, whether it was geomancy tools or replica antiques, it was difficult for them to find buyers. However, White Orchid Village was different because it had the renowned geomancy master, Fraser White, in residence, so they never had to worry about sales.
The villagers of White Orchid Village had poor environmental awareness, coupled with their practice of production as a united family, which completely disregarded the pollution caused by their activities.
The small stream that flowed through Golden Blade Village used to be clear and transparent, and during the 1970s and 1980s, it was even safe to drink directly from it. It was only due to the pollution from White Orchid Village’s wastewater that it became turbid and foul-smelling.
Originally, the municipal government was planning to shut down the small workshops in White Orchid Village, but due to Fraser’s immense influence, the issue had been continuously delayed and left unresolved.
Although some villagers were dissatisfied with Fraser’s actions, when it came to their own interests, they could only choose to compromise.
The villagers of White Orchid Village even had an unspoken consensus that Fraser must not fall.
Because Fraser’s reputation ensured the sales of geomancy tools and antiques, which brought in substantial profits due to their low production costs.
It was precisely for these reasons that the villagers of White Orchid Village were willing to tolerate the unreasonable things Fraser did.
Leo had exposed these tacit agreements, making the atmosphere awkward. Even Bentley and Caelan remained silent.
Leo had pinpointed the exact issues that Fraser cared about and worried about the most. In the past, any problems were resolved by Fraser’s status as a geomancy master and his connections with the higher-ups. But if the matter were to spread to the city or even the capital, it would be troublesome.
Over the years, Fraser had made a fortune through his geomancy skills and the labor of the people of White Orchid Village. He couldn’t let his industry be ruined by an outsider!