"I'll pick the Green Spirit Fruit first."

Since the Zombie had already fled, Lin Mu wanted no further complications. On the fruit tree, besides the unripe green ones, were three vividly red fruits emanating an enticing, sweet fragrance. A slight smile touched Lin Mu's lips; three were enough.

He reached out, but instead of touching a fruit with his hand, he enveloped it in Spiritual Energy to prevent its essence from dissipating. Fruits preserved this way retained superior medicinal properties. After placing the three Green Spirit Fruits into the wooden box he had brought, Lin Mu felt a deep sense of satisfaction. The task was half-complete. All that remained was to find the Beauty Flower, which grew near the Green Spirit Fruit, and he would have all the main ingredients for the Ever Youth Pill.

Meanwhile, Huang Laoshi had finished kowtowing. He stood up, looking both embarrassed and terrified. "Mr. Lin, how about… how about we head back first, okay?"

He was utterly frightened. Whether that creature was a Tomb-guarding Divine Beast or a Zombie, it was something Huang Laoshi had only heard stories about. Seeing one in the flesh had completely shattered his perception of the world and filled him with a profound, primal fear.

Lin Mu frowned. "I haven't finished what I came for. We can't leave yet."

"But… this place is too dangerous!" Huang Laoshi wailed. "Didn't you see how terrifying that thing was?"

Lin Mu chuckled. "What are you afraid of with me here?"

With you here? You can't even protect yourself, and you're asking me what I'm afraid of? Huang Laoshi thought frantically. He hadn't seen Lin Mu make a move; he assumed Lin Mu had only pulled him back. As for how the Zombie's hand got severed, wasn't it because he himself had flailed his chopper around?

Huang Laoshi glanced down. The chopper was still securely fastened to his waist. And with his strength, could he really have cut through a Zombie's hand? The thought only amplified his panic. He didn't want to stay here a second longer.

"Mr. Lin, I'll be honest with you. You can keep the rest of the money, but I have to go down the mountain now!" Huang Laoshi glanced at the horizon. Dusk was settling in, and it would soon be dark. Descending the mountain after nightfall would be a fool's errand.

Lin Mu's brow furrowed. "Are you determined to leave?"

Huang Laoshi nodded firmly. "Yes. I have to go down now. This mountain is too dangerous. I don't ever want to come back."

"But won't it be dangerous for you to go down alone?" Lin Mu countered. "Stay with me, and I'll ensure your safety."

"Oh, Mr. Lin, I'm just a simple, honest man from the mountains! I have a wife and family at home. If something happens to me, what will they do?" As Huang Laoshi spoke, he began to weep. Seeing a man in his fifties squatting on the ground and sobbing gave Lin Mu a headache.

"In that case, I won't force you. You can go."

Huang Laoshi looked up. "You're not leaving?"

Lin Mu shook his head. "My business isn't finished. I can't leave yet."

"You…" Huang Laoshi was so exasperated he was speechless. How can this person be so oblivious to the danger? Ah, forget it. I must have owed him in a past life.

He pushed himself to his feet, gripped his chopper tightly, and said through gritted teeth, "Fine. Leaving you alone in these mountains isn't something we mountain folk do. I'll stay and keep you company." While his words sounded noble, the bigger reason was that he was terrified to go down the mountain by himself.

Lin Mu smiled slightly. "Don't worry. You'll be glad you made this choice."

"Let's hope so," Huang Laoshi muttered.

「...」

"Master Feng, have you found it yet?"

On a path winding up Tiger's Lair Mountain, a group of people was slowly making their ascent. A woman in hiking gear carefully posed the question to an old man in front of her who was holding a Compass. The elder wore a traditional Tang suit and sported a goatee, giving him the distinct air of a Taoist immortal.

Hearing her, Master Feng glanced at the needle on his Compass and replied, "Patience, Miss Huang. We are almost there. Tiger's Lair Mountain possesses an excellent geographical location and Feng Shui configuration. However, your ancestors have been buried here for over two hundred years. Finding the exact location requires some effort."

A young man nearby added with a grin, "Don't you worry, Miss Huang. My master is a man of profound abilities, whose skill rivals creation itself. He will certainly locate your ancestral burial site."

Huang Ning frowned. "Master Feng, are you certain this black patch on my back was caused by the destruction of my ancestral grave?"

Two years ago, a black patch had appeared on Huang Ning's back. Initially no larger than a fingernail, it was neither painful nor itchy, so she paid it little mind. But after trying numerous medicines, she found it not only failed to improve but had actually grown. Now, it was the size of her palm.

Eventually, her family's elders sought out Master Feng, a renowned Feng Shui master from Harbor Island. He diagnosed it as a "sand spot," an affliction caused by the desecration of her ancestral grave's Feng Shui. Thus, Huang Ning accompanied Master Feng to Tiger's Lair Mountain to find the grave and seek a solution.

Master Feng continued to survey the terrain, following the direction his Compass needle pointed. "People today only know that Feng Shui can nourish a person, but they are unaware that it can also kill."

He smiled proudly. "The sand spot on your back, Miss Huang, is known in the study of Feng Shui as 'grave poison.' It means the ancestral grave has been desecrated, turning what was once a fine Dragon's Lair into an Ominous Lair. With the ancestral foundation damaged, you, as a direct descendant of the Huang Family, are naturally affected."

Huang Ning's elegant brows knitted together. Master Feng's theories seemed to challenge everything she knew. Still, having witnessed some of his skills, she said, "Once we find the ancestral grave, I will be counting on you, Master Feng."

Master Feng stroked his beard and smiled. "Rest assured, Miss Huang. Your grandfather and I are old friends. At his request, I will certainly help you resolve this matter."

Yan Lun chimed in with a smile, "Miss Huang, you can relax. For my master, a task like this is a trivial matter."

Huang Ning's ancestors came from a long line of prominent families. She had heard that one of them was even a General, buried right here on Tiger's Lair Mountain. Later, circumstances forced her ancestors to travel by sea and settle overseas, and they rarely returned to their homeland. If not for the sand spot on her back, she would never have known her lineage originated from Tiger Residence Village.

Huang Ning sighed softly. Why did something like this have to happen to her? Back on Harbor Island, the Huang Family was a major household, and she was their prized jewel, a true heir to generational wealth. But ever since the sand spot appeared, the family business had plummeted, and her own health had steadily declined. Master Feng had warned that if this issue wasn't resolved, the Huang Family could slowly wither away into obscurity.

The thought made Huang Ning's face turn pale. At her side, Yan Lun offered quiet words of comfort, his undisguised adoration for her evident in his tone. But Huang Ning was in no mood to pay him any attention, her mind consumed with finding a solution as quickly as possible.

Suddenly, Master Feng let out a hearty laugh.

"At last, I've found it!"

Huang Ning's spirits lifted. Following his gaze, she saw a depression in the mountainside not far ahead. There, a solitary grave mound was visible. The moment she saw it, Huang Ning knew. This was her family's ancestral grave. This was the reason she had come.

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