The conversation was uneventful.
Ren Fa spoke at length, discussing details, conditions, and arrangements. Jiu Shu listened carefully, occasionally asking questions to clarify and confirm.
Uchiha Mo said nothing.
He simply listened.
Ren Tingting tried more than once to speak with him, but each attempt was met with polite distance.
Gentle—
But absolute.
Half an hour later, everything was settled.
The grave relocation would take place in three days.
"I'll go out for a bit," Tingting said as she stood. "I won't be of much help here."
Ren Fa smiled. "Go. Buy whatever you like—just return early."
Her expression brightened instantly.
Then—
She turned to Mo.
"Mr. Mo… would you like to come? I can show you around."
Mo paused.
He thought.
Ren Fa was a local power—resources, influence, connections. If this world became a long-term base, then this family would be key.
And Tingting—
His only daughter.
A perfect entry point.
"…Alright."
Mo nodded.
Her eyes lit up, though she quickly composed herself, returning to her graceful demeanor.
Then she left, her steps light and eager.
Mo followed behind at an unhurried pace.
Behind them, Ren Fa watched silently.
The smile on his face slowly faded.
His gaze turned sharp.
Cold.
"That young man…"
"He's dangerous."
"Jiu Shu," he said quietly, lowering his voice. "Where is he from?"
"A hidden clan," Jiu Shu replied calmly. "Do not provoke him… or you may invite trouble."
Ren Fa stiffened.
He understood immediately.
Cultivators were real.
And if even Jiu Shu gave such a warning—
Then Mo was far from ordinary.
"It's not that I want trouble…" Ren Fa forced a smile. "It's just that he seems… interested in my family."
His gaze drifted toward the stairs.
Anxiety.
His daughter.
"No…"
"I need people watching them."
"I can't take that risk."
Meanwhile, on the streets, Tingting knew nothing of this.
She walked ahead excitedly, introducing everything along the way—silk, jewelry, foreign goods, cosmetics.
Mo, however—
Was uninterested.
After an hour, he escorted her back.
Then returned directly to the mortuary.
Three days passed.
Quietly.
Mo explored every street, every shop, every house—memorizing everything.
Xiuren never left.
He studied constantly, occasionally discussing theory with Jiu Shu.
Jiu Shu prepared as well—rice, ink, talismans.
Ren Fa paid generously.
More respectful.
More cautious.
Then—
The day arrived.
Mid-morning, a crowd gathered at the grave.
"Jiu Shu!" Ren Fa stepped forward. "Everything is ready."
Jiu Shu nodded.
"Begin."
The altar was set—fruits, wine, incense, candles.
Jiu Shu changed into ritual robes and stepped forward with incense in hand. He bowed three times.
"Ren Gong Weiyong—at this hour, we move your resting place. May you rest in peace."
Ren Fa followed, kneeling with the servants behind him.
"See anything?" Mo asked quietly.
Xiuren smiled faintly.
"I have."
He pointed ahead.
"Dragonfly Touching Water. A classic feng shui formation."
"The pit is deep, but only part of it is usable. The coffin… cannot lie flat. It must stand upright."
Mo raised a brow.
"Upright burial?"
Xiuren nodded.
"If done correctly, it brings prosperity—generations of it."
Then he looked upward.
"At the cement layer. It seals everything."
"The dragonfly…"
"…no longer touches water."
"So what remains—"
"Is no longer fortune."
His eyes sharpened.
"Perfect feng shui… turned into a trap."
Mo understood immediately.
Someone had done this.
Deliberately.
"Interesting…" Xiuren murmured. "I wonder… if they're still alive."
By then, the coffin had been unearthed.
"Lift it!"
Workers strained as they carried it out and placed it on the ground.
Silence fell.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
Ren Fa stared, unmoving.
Jiu Shu stepped forward and examined the coffin carefully.
The longer he looked—
The darker his expression became.
"Open it."
Crowbars were brought forward.
Slowly—
The lid shifted.
Creak—
A foul stench escaped.
Jiu Shu leaned in.
Looked—
And froze.
The corpse was intact.
No decay.
But—
Its face was dark blue.
Its nails—
Black.
Purple.
As if—
It had never truly died.
"Father! Grandfather!"
Ren Fa collapsed, emotion finally breaking through.
But Jiu Shu didn't move.
His face remained grim.
"This grave…"
"Cannot be used."
"We must cremate."
"No!"
Ren Fa roared.
"My father feared fire! How can I burn him now?!"
Silence returned.
Heavy.
Suffocating.
Because everyone present—
Understood.
Something—
Was very wrong.