Chapter Thirty-Two: Opening the Heart

The atmosphere in the room grew heavy once more. Nianxue whispered, "If Huahua was murdered, could there be others who died in the same way, and we know nothing about it?"

Ye Dong expressed his worry as well. "The last big case was also dragged into the light by Xiaoting's murder. I have a bad feeling about this all of a sudden."

Liang Lingzhi and the others were equally anxious in their hearts. Even the usually talkative pair, old and young, had fallen silent, merely listening quietly to Wantianze and the others' discussion.

Wantianze spoke. "According to the old Daoist, the evil energy from the Tomb of Eternal Life was deliberately channelled to the ancient well."

Zhengzheng grew alarmed inside. "Doesn't that mean the orphanage is in serious danger right now!?"

He sighed.

Wantianze shook his head with a wry smile and let out a long breath. "The old Daoist pondered for three days and nights and finally devised a way to temporarily contain the evil energy leaking from underground."

Nianxue was intensely curious. "What method?"

Wantianze stared blankly at the calligraphy on the wall. "If not me, then who will descend into hell?"

Everyone was startled. "Does that mean...? The old Daoist, he...?"

Seeing the sorrow on everyone's faces, Wantianze hurriedly waved his hands. "You've misunderstood. The old Daoist merely went down into the ancient well himself to guard the passage, preventing the evil from rising up."

Zhengzheng's eyes widened. "The old Daoist has been living down there alone for over a year?"

Wantianze nodded slowly in confirmation.

Faced with this answer, Ye Dong and the rest felt not just shock but a deep, genuine respect for the old Daoist.

Nianxue said admiringly, "Uncle Wan, may I ask the old Daoist’s name?"

Wantianze replied, "Of course. His name is Daoist Weizi."

Nianxue was taken aback, then smiled after a moment. "So it’s Daoist Weizi. For someone of his stature to descend personally and stand guard, it truly commands admiration!"

Seeing Nianxue so moved, Ye Dong grew curious as well. "Why? Is he very powerful?"

Nianxue answered solemnly, "Of course he is. In terms of seniority, even my father would have to address him as Senior Uncle, and we would call him Grandmaster Uncle."

Everyone beamed with delight. "So he's a founding elder of our sect?"

Wantianze looked puzzled. "Though I’ve known Daoist Weizi for a long time, I only knew his master was Daoist Hongguang of the Zhengyi sect. I never heard of any master-disciple ties between him and your family. Daoist Rihui must also be exceptionally skilled, I suppose?"

Ye Dong recalled, "Master is indeed formidable, able to 'commune with the divine,' and I suspect what we saw that day wasn’t even his full power!"

Nianxue explained, "Uncle Wan flatters us. According to my father, Grandmaster Uncle Weizi never officially took disciples, and he preferred to wander alone, spending years outside fighting monsters and demons, so they rarely made contact."

Wantianze nodded. "I see. It seems our meeting was truly destined by fate."

Ye Dong and the others exchanged glances, their eyes saying, "We’re tied up in this affair now."

Then Zhengzheng murmured, "I never knew the orphanage was so strange. Now that I do, it’s actually a little frightening."

Wantianze smiled bitterly. "This affair is too bizarre—the fewer who know, the better."

Suddenly, Ye Dong asked, "Do Director Zuo Leng and Aunt Zhen know about this?"

Wantianze narrowed his eyes and asked in return, "Why do you ask?"

Ye Dong explained, "Miaomiao pointed it out. She said the director and Aunt Zhen are not good people, which left me very puzzled."

Wantianze nodded. "Zuo Leng and Aunt Zhen do know the old Daoist is guarding the passage below. They're responsible for his daily needs. As for why Miaomiao says they're bad people, I really don't know."

Nianxue said softly, "There's one possible explanation: Huahua always stayed by Miaomiao’s side. If Aunt Zhen and Zuo Leng interacted with Miaomiao too much, they’d surely be tainted by the ghostly aura of Huahua. Since they often deliver food to Grandmaster Uncle, with his level of cultivation, he would definitely sense something off. If that happened, Huahua could no longer stay with Miaomiao."

Everyone nodded repeatedly. Ye Dong speculated, "Your explanation makes sense. If Miaomiao had to choose between Aunt Zhen, Zuo Leng, and Huahua, she would certainly pick Huahua, because she loves her more and always listens to her."

Nianxue then recounted the strange things Miaomiao had said to her when she picked up the ball that day, and pondered, "Why did Miaomiao say Zhengzheng would be in danger?"

Her gaze drifted, intentionally or not, to Lai Jiayu behind Wantianze, and saw that he, too, was looking at Wantianze.

Wantianze tapped the coffee table with his fingertips. "So Miaomiao sensed there was a problem too."

Ye Dong said, "It’s probably not Miaomiao, but Huahua, who sensed it."

Zhengzheng was confused. "What is it? How am I in danger?"

Wantianze let out a long sigh. "Daoist Weizi once said, whoever could deliberately tamper with the array must have extraordinary powers. According to his deductions, to draw the evil energy from the array outside, you need someone who is a 'pure yin' person as a medium."

Dashun asked, "Why bring the evil energy outside?"

Wantianze explained, "For example, the Tomb of Eternal Life is like a sealed chamber full of poison gas. To be safe, you must vent the gas outside."

Zhengzheng asked, "What exactly is a 'pure yin' person?"

Nianxue explained, "To be a 'pure yin' person, two criteria must be met. First, you must be born at the coldest, most yin moment of the year—this is 'heaven’s disadvantage.' Second, you must be a premature baby, born before your body was ready—this is 'body’s disadvantage.' Frankly, babies like this rarely survive infancy."

After the explanation, Ye Dong and the others all looked at Zhengzheng, then at Wantianze, their eyes asking, "Is Zhengzheng a pure yin person?"

Zhengzheng pouted. "What? Why are you all looking at me like that?"

Wantianze smiled bitterly. "That's right, Zhengzheng is indeed a pure yin person. Moreover, according to Daoist Weizi’s observations, you seem to have two faint spiritual energies within you, likely the soul power of the two Daoists I rescued from the tomb. Considering all these factors, you really are the prime candidate as the medium."

Ye Dong thought, "This might explain why someone wanted to kidnap Zhengzheng."

Zhengzheng seemed not to understand and retorted, "But I was at the orphanage the night Huahua died, too. Why was I fine? Wasn’t the evil energy after me?"

Wantianze pondered before replying, "If you must find a reason, it’s that Huahua used her own life to shield you from disaster."

Zhengzheng could hardly believe it. "Impossible! She was just a child; how could she know to sacrifice herself for me?"

Ye Dong speculated, "If we follow Uncle Wan’s logic, then Huahua’s identity isn’t as simple as it seems. She may well have been hiding another identity."

Wantianze agreed. "This whole thing is too strange. Not long after Huahua’s accident, I deliberately sent the orphans out of town to prevent anyone from interfering with Daoist Weizi setting up the formation."

Zhengzheng’s fingers turned red from clenching, her heart filling with bitterness. She thought, "Was Huahua’s death really because of me?"

She then asked, "So once the formation was set up, Daoist Weizi went down the dry well to guard the stone gate, and the orphans returned?"

Wantianze nodded. "Exactly. In a few days, our group’s newly built orphanage will open. The children will have a new environment, and you’ll see them again."

Liang Lingzhi could not help but praise, "Uncle Wan, you truly have a kind heart, doing so much for these children."

Wantianze shook his head in shame. "Honestly, I should have built the new orphanage much earlier. It was careless of me not to anticipate that someone might find another way into the tomb."

Ye Dong said, "So, as you say, Uncle Wan, Miaomiao’s odd behavior had already drawn your attention. Looking at it another way, it would also attract the attention of tomb robbers. That’s why Zhengzheng is always surrounded by a group of bodyguards."

He looked at Lai Jiayu. "So Uncle Wan specially hired many skilled bodyguards."

Lai Jiayu, however, showed no reaction at all to Ye Dong’s words. Inwardly, Ye Dong complained, "This Lai Jiayu is a real actor. He’s nothing like the guy who wet his pants in fright that night—must be professionally trained."

Only now did Zhengzheng realize how much Wantianze had done for her. "I grew up always under my father’s protection, yet I treated him that way..." Her eyes reddened as she looked at Wantianze, her heart filled with guilt.

Xiaobao asked softly, "Uncle Wan, do Zhengzheng’s bodyguards carry guns?"

Wantianze only smiled, as if the answer was self-evident.

He lifted his tea and took a sip. "There are some things in this world that guns can’t stop."

Nianxue nodded with a smile. "So Uncle Wan wants us to protect Zhengzheng?"

Wantianze smiled wryly. "At first, I didn’t explain the situation clearly. My apologies, everyone."

They all shook their heads quickly. Not only did they not blame Wantianze, their respect for this chivalrous and tender-hearted man only grew.

Liang Lingzhi turned to Lai Jiayu. "Then why was Lai Jiayu at the wild graveyard last night?"

Zhengzheng looked back at Lai Jiayu. "You went to the wild graveyard last night?"

Lai Jiayu nodded. "I was carrying out a task for the master."

Wantianze smirked. "Last night, he spotted one of the tomb robbers and secretly followed him into the mountains. In the end, he lost track of him, and when he returned to the graveyard, he happened to see you all practicing. He was afraid you’d venture into the mountains, which would both alert the tomb robbers and put you in danger since you weren’t prepared. So he decided to put on a show for you."

Ye Dong said awkwardly, "So that’s how it was? We even called him a coward at the time."

Wantianze laughed heartily. "Jiayu is as brave as an ox and highly skilled. Even if the four of you teamed up, you probably wouldn’t be his match."

Dashun asked, "What about that clownish ghost? Is he with you too?"

Wantianze pondered. "The living and the dead should not mingle. We really shouldn’t have too much contact with him, but..." He hesitated, as if unsure whether to continue...