Chapter 1 An Unexpected Ferocity

The first arrow only shot towards the Zhang family's gate, representing the noble Zhang family, but not so unattainable.

But the second arrow was unexpectedly fierce.

The first arrow borrowed the resentment from the City of Wrongly Dead, which was already enough to shake the entire Zhang family, reducing the fortune and lifespan of the Manchus. When the second arrow landed on that lonely grave, it suddenly caused endless wailing from ghosts and gods.

The person truly in charge of the Zhang family had just been alarmed by the ancestral hall's unusual activity and rushed over. Looking at the ancestral tablets on the ground, he was enraged when he saw a dark cloud rolling in from the north.

Instantly, he swallowed the sounds of angry scolding, and his eyes uncontrollably lost focus: "Where did this kind of vengeful curse power come from?"

In horror, he saw figures running back and forth, and family servants came to report one after another: "Reporting to the master, seventeen pots of magnolia in the family have withered, eleven of them in an instant..."

"Master, it's not good, the family's bronze dividing mirror is suddenly stained, the mirror surface is turbid and unbearable, even human blood can't wipe it clean..."

"Please, master, come and take a look, there are wild foxes wailing in the family's ancestral tomb, a few days ago... a few days ago, the fourth wife, Master Rong, who was buried there, actually... actually crawled out of the grave..."

"..."

With each report, the master's anger deepened, and by the end, his expression was almost terrified.

Seventeen pots of magnolia were kept in the family to observe luck. In the past twenty years, the number had grown from three to seventeen, indicating the prosperity of the noble Zhang family's luck. But in the blink of an eye, eleven pots withered, a disastrous plummet.

The bronze dividing mirror was used to counter those who secretly harmed the noble Zhang family. If an evil spell was cast, the mirror would naturally reflect it back, but now the mirror surface was stained, meaning it was cursed.

And this curse was so powerful that even treasures couldn't block it.

As for the grave...

...The family is restless, the ancestors are uneasy. Could it be that the noble Zhang family is facing imminent destruction?

"What audacity!"

He was flustered but not completely disoriented, his face gloomy as he loudly ordered: "Quickly light the lamps, bring out the palace lanterns left by the ancestors, and light them in all seven courtyards and twenty-eight compounds. If they don't light, let the servants swallow Soul Stabilizing Pearls and use their lives to blow them bright!"

Lighting lamps in broad daylight was already strange, but no one dared to disobey the family's orders.

In an instant, in the vast Zhang family estate of thousands of acres, one after another, seemingly old palace lanterns were lit, many of them blown to life with servants' lives. But what was bizarre actually felt appropriate.

As soon as they were lit, the midday sun inexplicably darkened, dark clouds gathered from all directions, and dull thunder rumbled, as if the sky had suddenly turned to midnight.

Outside in the pitch-black night, there seemed to be endless twisted ghost shadows raging and wailing, like a rolling dark current, eagerly trying to climb over the walls, only because the lights in the courtyard were lit in time, preventing it from being completely plunged into darkness.

But a large area of the noble Zhang family's courtyard still inevitably fell into endless panic. All the gates, large and small, were closed, but they kept hearing fierce knocking and howling from outside:

"I am Master Rong of the fourth branch, how dare you unfilial descendants not open the door?"

"Open the door, open the door, I am your twenty-first generation ancestor, how dare you block me outside? Which servant is inside, I will surely kill your entire family!"

"..."

The Zhang family members in the courtyard trembled in fear, not daring to make a sound. The servants inside desperately braced the door with their shoulders, only wailing: "Master Rong, old master, you... you are already dead, how can you come back home?"

But the people inside and outside dared not open the door, and the people knocking outside refused to give up, instead, more and more gathered at each door, constantly cursing their children and grandchildren.

"The family is in turmoil, ancestors return home..."

The Zhang family head felt incredulous: "This only happens when the family's luck is completely suppressed. Where in this world did this evil spirit come from, daring to cause trouble in my Zhang family?"

He dared not think too deeply, only felt panic in his heart.

Suddenly, he shouted: "Quickly invite Mister Wutou and the Four Hall Officials, it's time to let those human-flesh nails take effect."

In this world, countless people in various trades, or noble masters with great ambitions, all know that there are ten terrestrial veins in the world, which can control fortune, misfortune, and the destiny of the world.

They also know that these ten terrestrial veins are all intertwined at one end in the Zhang family's mansion, and at the other end, they travel throughout the world, intertwining with mountains and rivers to form qi points, and vital points, like a large net, holding the entire world.

And every person born in those qi points and vital points is a blessed and auspicious person.

There is an old man who is not from any trade, does not cultivate virtue, and has never eaten any heavenly treasures, but he is the luckiest person in the world, living to be over one hundred and ninety years old, still walking healthily, with teeth intact and hair black.

There is a great rich man who rose from humble beginnings, originally a beggar, but later rose to prominence, running his business smoothly.

Selling umbrellas on sunny days, planting millet on hillsides, transporting cotton robes to the South to sell, and supplying cold noodles exclusively to northern families. His business is so prosperous that he can always make a huge profit from even the most bizarre deals. Twenty years have passed, and he has dominated the region, worthy of being called the number one richest merchant in several states.

Even more so, in one place, a talented scholar was born, recognizing words at three, interpreting classics at five, speaking eloquently about weather and geography, and writing books on plans to pacify the people and eliminate bandits. At a young age, he enjoyed fame in all directions.

There is a village where a woman raised a large fat pig, but refused to sell it, using it as a breeding pig, twenty litters a year. The surrounding villages, and even the wild mountains, all had domestic and wild pigs that were descended from this pig ancestor.

But changes happen in an instant. As a middle-aged man wearing dirty black robes with one arm missing rushed to the Zhang family, burned yellow paper, and began chanting spells towards the dark night outside, various changes appeared.

The long-lived old man was being attentively served. To prevent accidents, his children had confined him to a small house, never letting him out a step since he was seventeen. But on this day, he suddenly heard crows cawing outside, felt upset and agitated, and his breath caught in his throat, and he died.

The rich merchant was leaning on the railing, admiring the flowers, feeding the koi in the pond, and inexplicably heard someone calling him from the pond.

Looking down, he saw a fat golden carp, opening its mouth and saying: "The time has come, the time has come, seeing that you have been feeding me well for the past few years, come with me..."

"This wealth position is not easy to occupy. The Zhang family allowed you to enjoy this wealth to ward off disasters and pay off debts. Now that the Zhang family is in trouble, it's time for you to repay the great debt..."

"..."

The rich merchant, in a daze, followed the golden carp.

Before long, chaos broke out in the garden, and the servants shouted: "The master fell into the pond and drowned..."

The talented scholar was sitting under the parasol tree, reading and pondering, just immersed in thought, when he inexplicably felt the words on the book jump up one by one, turning into small people, holding hands, in groups, and fleeing from the book.

Like refugees, they even ran over the courtyard wall. The talented scholar got up to chase, but tripped and fell. When he woke up, he felt his head was empty, and he no longer recognized a single word.

The pig ancestor was lying in its pen, waiting for good food to eat its fill, then going to mate with others, but in a daze, it saw a sea of blood all around, and countless sons and daughters who had been butchered came, grunting and complaining about being brought here by it, only to be butchered, and came forward to devour it.

On this day, piercing pig screams echoed through the clouds, and everyone in the village had nightmares.

These changes, seen throughout the world, are not eye-catching. Too many people do not know why they are rich, and do not know why they suddenly encounter difficulties.

Only in the Zhang family, they heard that the seventeen pots of magnolia had finally been preserved after twelve of them had withered. The night outside the mansion was still dark, but the sounds of knocking and smashing on the door were much less, and they finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But Mister Wutou, whom they had invited, was also greatly alarmed, and shouted: "Master, the human-flesh nails have helped the Zhang family ward off disaster, but the evil spirit has not been eliminated, and the trouble is still early..."

"After all, there is a limit to the number of human-flesh nails. Even if they die one by one, there will be an end. I'm afraid... I'm afraid..."

"..."

There was no need for him to explain, the Zhang family master also disliked the harmful and sinister arts, but deeply understood. He gasped in a cold breath and shouted: "It's something in the underworld, it must be that demon..."

The noble Zhang family not only occupied the feng shui treasure land of the ten terrestrial veins, but also buried nails in the qi points and vital points that should have been distributed to the people of the world. If something happened, they could let those with great fortune and heavy lives ward off disaster for the Zhang family.

Looking at it, like carps crossing the river, how numerous. No matter how powerful the curse, it would be blocked.

But now, the human-flesh nails were dying in droves, and it only slowed down the evil spell's speed, rather than eliminating it. The magnitude of this calamity was evident.

"Go ask the third son, that beast..."

The Zhang family master couldn't help but slam the table, his expression distorted: "Just taking a useless person over there, and this kind of thing happened?"

"Quickly send someone over there, whip him ten times, and ask him how he's doing things!"

"Yes... yes..."

In his rage, he did not lose his mind. Suddenly his voice trembled, and he remembered something more important: "The most crucial thing is the Dragon Lair, quickly, all four hall officials go over there, even if they have to leave their lives there, they must protect that Dragon Lair for my noble Zhang family!"

...

...

"He, who did he say he was?"

And in the underworld, in front of the Descending Spirit Platform, the third master of the noble Zhang family finally realized that something was wrong.

When the monster of flesh and blood could not harm Mister Longjing on the Descending Spirit Platform, he was already terrified. When he sensed the endless entanglement of evil spirits, his soul flew out of his body.

"He said his name is Longjing..."

The Meng family master next to him also sensed something was wrong, and said sternly: "This name only appeared once twenty years ago when the nightmare assassination targeted the imperial family..."

"Your Zhang family raised him for twenty years, and you don't even know who he is?"

"..."

"But... but..."

The Zhang family's third master was agitated, and cold sweat dripped down: "We specifically asked the National Teacher, and it was confirmed that he is Tie Guanyin..."