Hearing that even elder brother found nothing, Zhu Yuanhao pointed below.

“Could this feng shui arrangement be set up underground?”

“Impossible.”

Zhu Yuanmo flatly refused.

Creating a feng shui arrangement, especially at one’s own family ancestral grave, was an extremely risky matter. One misstep could change even the original fortune of the ancestral grave.

Not to mention excavating the underground tomb.

This couldn’t be found, that was impossible—Zhu Yuanhao grew anxious: “Then what do we do now?”

Zhu Yuanmo felt indescribably tired all over. He sat down on a rock, his eyes staring blankly into the distance.

“Third Brother, if you were Father, what would you do?”

“I…”

Zhu Yuanhao was stumped.

He was only a second-rate feng shui master.

If he wanted to use a woman to resolve backlash and heavenly punishment, he would only cast spells and set up formations.

This was a long process.

First, he’d need a portrait of that woman, then burn half a purple incense stick while facing the portrait, along with his personal belongings.

Halfway through burning, he’d need that woman to call out his name.

Then burn that woman’s fingernails and hair. The resulting ash would go into a sachet for that woman to carry with her.

The second step was testing.

He would cut his finger. If that woman could feel the pain, they’d share fortune. If not, the first step would need repeating.

The third step: facing the portrait, burn the remaining half stick of incense along with that woman’s fingernails and hair, while calling his own name. Finally, put the remaining ash in a sachet for the woman to carry.

This would complete the entire transfer.

Henceforth, all misfortune that backlashed onto him would be transferred to that woman.

Father and Mother lived together day and night—doing these things would be convenient. But the key problem was…

Father was much cleverer than him!

“If it were me.”

Zhu Second clenched his fist and said coldly: “I’d use a formation to make a cage and trap Mother inside.”

Zhu Yuanmo’s head snapped up, his gaze boring straight into Zhu Second.

After staring for quite a while, he suddenly seemed to think of something. His gaze shifted toward the mountain peak, then he scrambled to his feet.

“Hurry up the mountain.”

“Elder Brother!”

Zhu Third’s expression changed slightly: “Did you think of something?”

“We’ll talk on the mountain!”

Zhu Yuanmo bellowed and hurried up the mountain.

The two brothers dared not delay and quickly followed.

Climbing a mountain in the snow truly killed the three men, but even the most pampered Zhu Third didn’t dare complain.

Reaching the summit, the three brothers collapsed in the snow like dead men, gasping roughly, their throats filled with the taste of blood.

After recovering from that bout, the three helped each other up and walked step by step toward the very peak.

To this mountain’s highest point, Zhu Yuanmo had come once before.

When Grandfather passed away, the coffin was buried at an auspicious time. According to capital customs, the next day sons and grandsons would come to the grave to present food.

Father had brought him along.

After presenting food and burning paper money, Father said the weather was nice—let’s go look at the mountain.

Upon reaching the mountain, Father stood with his hands behind his back for quite a while, until his legs went numb, before saying to go down.

At that time, he hadn’t yet begun studying burial sites and didn’t understand good from bad. He only felt that looking down from the mountain, the peaks stretched endlessly, the lake water was jade-green, and the view was indescribably expansive.

He still clearly remembered where Father had stood.

“Right here.”

Zhu Yuanmo pointed to the large rock before him: “Father stood right here to look. Second Brother, Third Brother, quickly—help me up.”

Zhu Second used his sleeve to brush the snow off the rock, and together with Zhu Third, one on the left and one on the right, they helped elder brother climb onto the large rock.

Zhu Yuanmo steadied himself but didn’t rush to look. Instead, he slowly closed his eyes, waiting for his heartbeat to gradually stabilize before opening them again.

Before him was still a vast expanse of white—nothing could be seen clearly.

Truly heaven was not cooperating.

If the weather were a bit better, he should be able to discern some…

Suddenly, Zhu Yuanmo’s eyes froze.

In the vast whiteness, something seemed to slowly surge upward.

It was actually black qi.

The black qi pierced through the white mist, emerging a bit.

Then emerging a bit more…

Zhu Yuanmo’s eyes, filled with both shock and terror, slowly widened, widening until his eyeballs seemed about to burst from their sockets.

A huge chill rose from the bottom of his heart. His eyes went black and his whole body toppled forward.

“Brother!”

“Elder Brother!”

Two brothers, four hands, desperately caught Zhu Yuanmo and brought him down from the rock.

Zhu Yuanmo fell on his bottom in the snow, his face more ghastly than a dead man’s. Tears poured from his eye sockets one after another, sobbing sounds coming from his mouth, unable to say a single word clearly.

What had elder brother seen?

Without another word, Zhu Yuanhao climbed onto the rock using hands and feet.

In the howling snow, he saw above the Zhu family ancestral grave a black cloud hanging over it.

The shape of that black cloud was exactly as Second Brother had said—

It was a birdcage!!

…

Military Commissioner’s Office.

Zhu Qing strode in: “Third Master, the three Zhu brothers have entered the city.”

Xie Zhifei had made do for two hours lying on his desk, his face bearing several impression marks from sleep.

He rubbed his face and said in a hoarse voice: “Prepare breakfast, prepare hot water, and go wake them all up.”

Zhu Qing: “Will Master follow along?”

“I’ll follow along. You stay here.”

Xie Zhifei raised his face: “As soon as there’s news about that person called Taiwei, come report immediately.”

“Rest assured, Master.”

Zhu Qing turned and walked into the courtyard. A guard ran up to him and spoke in low tones.

After listening, Zhu Qing hurried back. “Master, the Crown Prince’s Heir sent someone to ask if there’s any progress with the Zhu family matter.”

Xie Zhifei thought for a moment: “Tell him there’s nothing yet, but as long as we find that person Taiwei, there definitely will be.”

“Yes!”

After sleeping in the “dog kennel,” everyone felt revived.

No one dared waste time. Even the most talkative Young Master Pei obediently kept his mouth shut while eating breakfast.

Half an hour later, Yan Sanhe’s group returned to the Zhu residence.

The old steward waited with an umbrella at the side gate of the Zhu residence. Seeing the carriage arrive, he quickly came forward. “Miss Yan, the three masters are in Madam’s courtyard.”

Yan Sanhe: “The former one or the current one?”

The old steward: “The former one.”

That courtyard has problems.

After making this judgment in her heart, Yan Sanhe immediately said: “Let’s go take a look together.”

The old steward led them straight to Madam Mao’s courtyard.

From a distance, Yan Sanhe saw the three Zhu residence masters holding compasses, braving the snow, busily working back and forth outside the courtyard.

Seeing people arrive, Zhu Third tossed down what was in his hands and jogged over.

“Miss Yan, please go sit in the main hall first. We need about another cup of tea’s time here.”

Yan Sanhe looked at his disheveled state, her brows pressing down: “You found it?”

Zhu Third’s eyes dimmed as he nodded.

Hearing they’d found it, everyone’s expressions instantly became electrified.

Where could Li Buyan and Young Master Pei still sit? One followed Zhu Eldest, one followed Zhu Third, watching what they were busy with outside the courtyard.

Xie Zhifei also wanted to go look, but his body couldn’t take it. He could only go inside and sit obediently.

Yan Sanhe turned to look at the old steward. “How is Madam now?”

“Same as before. Most of the time unconscious, occasionally waking up crying that her body hurts.”

The old steward turned away to wipe tears: “Yesterday, Eldest Miss, Third Miss, and both young madams took turns watching over her all night.”

Sixteen hours with ten remaining.

Yan Sanhe calculated in her mind. “Go quietly summon Eldest Miss.”

“Yes!”

“Wait.”

“Miss Yan, any other instructions?”

“Later you also come listen in the main hall.”

The old steward’s heart skipped a beat.

“Yes!”