"So many years without seeing you, and you've gone bald!"

"Can't help it. I'm getting old."

A hint of unease flashed across Xia Mingjie's face before he returned to normal. Xia Liang's eyebrows furrowed slightly.

There's something wrong with this Xia Mingjie.

In just a moment, Xia Liang understood everything about Xia Mingjie's past. A faint smile touched his lips.

Meng Kexi made the introduction. "Old Xia, this is Master Xia Tian."

"Master Xia Tian?" Xia Mingjie looked puzzled, glancing at Xia Liang before giving him a nod.

Xia Liang watched Xia Mingjie with a hint of a smile. "Xia Mingjie, who handled the work on the mountain spring for this manor back then?"

Xia Mingjie's expression changed slightly upon hearing this. After a moment, he regained his composure, feigning confusion. "The source of the spring? What source?"

"Meng Kexi, take us there," Xia Liang said, shaking his head with a laugh. "It seems that after all this time, he's forgotten about that spring."

Ten minutes later, the group arrived at the spring.

Xia Liang suddenly asked Meng Kexi, "When this manor was being built, you and that Taoist Priest Chen hadn't had a falling out yet, right?"

Meng Kexi nodded. "However, the construction took a long time. Some friction started between us midway through the project."

Hearing this, Xia Liang nodded and cast a casual glance at Xia Mingjie. When he mentioned Taoist Priest Chen's name, Xia Liang clearly saw Xia Mingjie's body tremble slightly.

Xia Liang chuckled. "Xia Mingjie, you still can't remember?"

This time, Xia Mingjie remained silent. His gaze shifted evasively, as if he were in the midst of some internal struggle.

SLAP!

At that moment, Xia Liang slammed his hand on the wooden table in front of him, making Xia Mingjie jump in fright.

"Still not talking? How much did Chen Xuandu pay you to tamper with the water channel?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was startled. Meng Kexi knew that the name of the Taoist Priest from Longhu Taoist Temple was, in fact, Chen Xuandu.

At this point, Meng Kexi understood everything. He looked at Xia Mingjie with a dark expression. "Could Chen Xuandu be behind all of this?"

Xia Mingjie immediately grew anxious. "This... this has nothing to do with me! I didn't dare to offend Taoist Priest Chen!"

Xia Liang waved his hand. "It's alright. Just tell us."

Xia Mingjie glanced at Xia Liang evasively, his voice as faint as a mosquito's hum. "At the time, when the construction was halfway through, Taoist Priest Chen found me..."

Xia Liang frowned. "Cut to the chase. Just tell me, where does the source of the spring lead?"

"It leads to..." Xia Mingjie stammered, then finally gritted his teeth. "It leads to the Meng Family's ancestral cemetery..."

"What?"

Meng Kexi's face fell. He slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "No wonder Chen Xuandu asked our Old Meng Family to relocate our ancestral graves before! So that's what this was all about! Master Xia Tian, what should we do now?"

Meng Kexi looked at Xia Liang imploringly, a pitiful expression on his face. He couldn't believe it. Xia Liang had only looked at the spring once and had already figured out the entire story.

Xia Liang glanced at the sky. "It's too late today. We'll make plans tomorrow. After all, disturbing the graves is a major event for your Old Meng Family. Let's discuss it once all your family members are here."

Meng Kexi glared fiercely at Xia Mingjie. "Xia Mingjie, you know the consequences of what you've done, don't you?"

Xia Mingjie trembled all over, shivering uncontrollably.

Xia Liang waved his hand. "The one who tied the bell is the one who must untie it. We might still need Xia Mingjie's help when the time comes."

Hearing this, the anger on Meng Kexi's face subsided slightly.

「Early the next morning.」

Meng Kexi, formally dressed, was downstairs to greet Xia Liang. The visit to the ancestral graves was clearly of great importance to him, as he had bathed and changed his clothes specifically for the occasion. Welcomed by Meng Kexi, Xia Liang got into the car.

"Meng Kexi, have the other members of the Old Meng Family agreed?"

Meng Kexi shook his head with a bitter smile. "The other brothers are fine, it's just my eldest brother..."

Before being sabotaged by Chen Xuandu, the Meng Family's feng shui had been exceptionally auspicious. In Meng Kexi's generation, each brother was more promising than the last. Meng Kexi's eldest brother, Meng Kezhong, was an especially powerful figure who could command the wind and rain.

Xia Liang nodded. "Your eldest brother, Meng Kezhong, has more influence than you in every respect, so it's expected that he wouldn't listen to you."

Meng Kexi nodded, but then added, "But don't worry, Master Xia Tian. He just hasn't seen your true capabilities. Once he does, he will definitely be convinced."

Meng Kexi was certain of this. He had doubted Xia Liang's words yesterday, but in just one short day, he had come to admire Xia Liang's abilities with the utmost reverence.

「Around the Meng Family ancestral graves...」

A number of people were already standing there, waiting.

"Is what Second Brother said reliable? Are we really moving the ancestral graves?"

"Yeah, he was the one who pushed for the last relocation, and now he's the one saying there's a problem."

"I heard he even invited a Heavenly Master to come over today."

"I bet Big Brother won't agree to this."

"Agree? As if! When he gets here, just watch me, his eldest brother, give him a thrashing he'll never forget!"

...

The younger members of the Meng Family chattered among themselves, obviously waiting for Meng Kexi to arrive.

"Hey, look, Second Brother is here!"

Everyone looked into the distance and saw a car slowly making its way toward the back of the mountain. Inside were none other than Xia Liang and Meng Kexi.

However, no sooner had the car door opened than a man even heavier than Meng Kexi strode over. His steps were solid, and his large, bald head shone brightly. He exuded an air of unspoken authority.

Upon seeing the man, Meng Kexi hurriedly grinned. "Big..."

SMACK!

A slap sent Meng Kexi staggering backward.

"You still have the nerve to call me Big Brother?" the man roared. "You were the one who wanted to move the graves last time, and it's you again this time! Our mother has only been gone for a short while! Do you want to prevent her from resting peacefully in death?"

Meng Kezhong was seething at the sight of his brother, and he berated him furiously.

Meng Kexi forced a smile. "Big Brother, let me explain, Master Xia Tian..."

"Master Xia Tian?" Meng Kezhong's eyebrows furrowed as he turned his gaze toward Xia Liang, who was smiling calmly nearby. "So, relocating the graves was your rotten idea?"

His brows furrowed again, and he glared at Meng Kexi with disappointment. "Thank goodness I flew here overnight, or you would have actually dared to dismantle our ancestral graves! Have you forgotten the rules of the Old Meng Family?"

Hearing this, Meng Kexi felt utterly helpless. As the saying goes, seeing is believing. No matter how much he praised Xia Liang's miraculous abilities, no one would believe a word of it now. In their eyes, Xia Liang was just a charlatan.

Xia Liang, of course, knew what these people were thinking. He gave a cold laugh. "The Old Meng Family has its rules, but I, Xia Liang, have my own! Since none of you believe me, I might just have to raise my price later!"

Xia Liang's response took Meng Kezhong by surprise. Those fortune-telling charlatans were all flatterers. They would say pleasing things to make you happy and walk away with a reward. But this young man before him was doing the exact opposite.

However, Meng Kezhong certainly wasn't going to believe in Xia Liang's abilities because of this small surprise. His gaze remained intense as he stared at Xia Liang.

"Raise your price? You'd better have the skills to back that up!"

Xia Liang met Meng Kezhong's gaze without flinching, a faint smile playing on his lips as he looked at the man's round face. "How about we make a bet, Meng Kezhong?"

Meng Kezhong frowned slightly. "What are you suggesting?"

Xia Liang chuckled lightly. "Meng Kexi is my client, after all. Since he invited me here, I am responsible for him. You just slapped my client right in front of me. How do you expect me, Xia Liang, to save face?"

Meng Kezhong sneered. "An elder brother is like a father. Isn't it right for me to discipline my worthless younger brother?"

"Your family matters are none of my business," Xia Liang said without backing down. "But from the moment I came here with him, his business became my business."

Hearing this, Meng Kezhong laughed, his face flushed with anger.

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