This Taoist priest is so unprofessional!

By the time we left the village committee, it was completely dark.

The whole village was eerily quiet, with only a few houses having faint lights shining from their windows.

Guided by his memory, Wang Xiaoer led Zhang Chen along the overgrown path back to his dilapidated old house.

Pushing open the creaking wooden door, a musty smell that had been there for a long time wafted out.

Everything inside was covered in a thick layer of dust, and spider webs hung from the roof beams, swaying gently in the draft.

The two tidied up the room briefly and put their luggage down.

Late at night.

The village was deathly silent; even the chirping of insects that should have been present on a summer night had disappeared. A cold wind blew in from the mountains, carrying the earthy smell and a hint of chill.

Wang Xiaoer and Zhang Chen stood in the courtyard, both looking towards the direction of the back mountain.

Under the cover of night, the mountain resembled a crouching behemoth, its silhouette pitch black and exuding an ominous aura.

Suddenly, Zhang Chen pointed to the mountainside.

"They're here."

Wang Xiaoer looked in the direction he was pointing, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

In the pitch-black forest, a few eerie green lights appeared out of nowhere, like phosphorescence, without a fixed source, drifting and flickering erratically among the treetops.

The light was dim, yet extremely penetrating, sending chills down one's spine in the deathly silence of the night.

Immediately afterwards, a sobbing sound drifted over on the night breeze.

"Waaaaah..."

The cries were shrill and mournful, intermittent, like a woman wailing in despair. They were particularly chilling in the quiet night, as if they could seep into one's very bones.

Wang Xiaoer felt extremely uncomfortable listening to the crying. It seemed to have a strange magic that made his chest feel tight and a strange sadness and panic welled up in his heart.

"This crying... it doesn't sound like a human crying?" Wang Xiaoer wondered.

Zhang Chen's face looked unusually solemn in the moonlight, and he shook his head.

"This is neither human crying nor ghost crying."

He stared at the few shimmering green lights and spoke slowly and deliberately.

"This is the earth weeping."

"The Earth Weeps?" This was the first time Wang Xiaoer had heard this term.

"Yes." Zhang Chen's eyes sharpened. "There is a very large tomb at the foot of the mountain. The yin energy has been stagnant for too long, accumulating to a critical point, and resonating with the earth's veins, which caused this strange phenomenon."

He took a deep breath, his voice heavy as a stone.

"This crying sound is the earth crying. It means that what's inside is about to burst."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Xiaoer's innate intuition suddenly made him feel a strong palpitation.

It's the feeling of being watched.

He turned his head sharply, looked into the distance, and said in a deep voice, "Someone's there!"

Almost at the same instant his words fell.

"Swish! Swish! Swish!"

Several blinding beams of flashlight beams tore through the darkness, waving wildly like searchlights, before finally landing squarely on the dilapidated gate of Wang Xiaoer's house.

The footsteps were chaotic, approaching from afar, making the gravel on the ground rustle.

Zhang Chen suppressed the seriousness on his face, and instead, a playful smile appeared on his lips.

"You just got back in the dark and someone's already showing up at your door. You're pretty well-informed."

Wang Xiaoer's eyes turned cold. He remained silent, simply watching the beams of light getting closer and closer.

Soon, the group walked outside into the courtyard, their outlines illuminated by the dim yellow light coming from inside the house.

There were five or six people who came, all of them burly men.

The leader was a bald man with a gold chain around his neck that could be used to leash a dog. His face was full of fat and glistened with oil under the light.

Beside the bald man, a skinny young man was bowing and scraping as he led the way. When he saw Wang Xiaoer in the courtyard, his eyes darted away.

Wang Xiaoer's gaze swept over the young man, and he sneered inwardly.

That was Li Ergou, a local hoodlum who idled away his time and did nothing productive. Unexpectedly, he ended up acting as a guide for outsiders.

"This is it, Brother Long," Li Ergou said with a fawning smile, pointing to the courtyard. "That's Wang Xiaoer."

The bald man, known as Brother Long, looked the dilapidated courtyard up and down, his face revealing undisguised contempt.

He stepped forward, without even intending to knock.

"Bang!"

With a loud crash, the already slightly ajar courtyard gate was kicked open, and the old wooden planks slammed against the earthen wall, causing rubble to fall from the top of the wall.

A stone the size of a fist wobbled precariously against the wall.

Brother Long swaggered in with his men, his arrogant gaze immediately locking onto Wang Xiaoer.

"Who's Wang Xiaoer? Our boss has his eye on that piece of land behind your house!"

His voice was rough and loud, breaking the dead silence of the village.

Wang Xiaoer and Zhang Chen stood there, coldly watching them, without going up to say a word.

Li Ergou felt a little guilty under Wang Xiaoer's gaze and shrank behind Brother Long.

Seeing that no one spoke, Brother Long took out a thick wad of banknotes from his pocket and slammed them onto the stone mill in the yard.

The red banknotes were scattered out, amounting to at least ten or twenty thousand.

"They all call me Brother Long. I work for Boss Qian."

He gestured with his chin toward the money on the millstone, his tone carrying an arrogant air of charity.

"This money is a deposit. We want all the ownership of your land on Coffin Mountain, whether it's the land deed or just a verbal agreement."

Wang Xiaoer didn't even glance at the stack of money; his voice was flat, revealing no emotion.

"My family's ancestral graves are on that piece of land, I'm not selling it."

Brother Long's face twitched, seemingly surprised that this seemingly ordinary country boy dared to refuse so decisively.

His eyes darkened, and the threat in his tone intensified.

"Kid, I advise you to think carefully before you speak."

"I've heard you're an orphan. You were even out there hanging around for a while. You're all alone and helpless. Don't be so stubborn and refuse to listen to reason."

He took a step closer, and a stench of cigarettes and alcohol hit him.

"Our Boss Qian has connections in both the legitimate and underworld circles in the city. He's got plenty of money and connections. You can't afford to offend him."

The atmosphere instantly became tense and hostile.

The burly men also surrounded them, clenching their fists with ill intent, making cracking sounds as their knuckles popped.

Zhang Chen, who had been silent until now, suddenly smiled.

He had somehow dragged over a stool and sat down, crossing his legs and looking like a leisurely spectator.

He slowly pulled out a can of Coke, popped it open, and then casually blew away the foam on top.

"Buying the mountain? That's not out of the question."

All eyes were on him.

Zhang Chen took a sip of cola, smacked his lips, and then looked up at Brother Long with a hint of pity in his eyes.

"However, I see that Brother Long's forehead is dark and his head is surrounded by a menacing aura. Within three days, he will surely suffer a bloody disaster."

His voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.

"You're probably risking your lives to make this deal."

Brother Long's heart skipped a beat, and a chill ran down his spine for no reason.

He naturally knew something about what his boss did, and over time, he became a believer in these superstitious things. But then he thought, he had the upper hand and was not going to be intimidated by a pretty boy's few words.

Enrage instantly overwhelmed the fear.

"Who the hell do you think you are!"

Brother Long pointed at Zhang Chen's nose and cursed, "You're cursing my father! You slick-haired little charlatan, believe me or not, I'll make you bleed right now!"

Zhang Chen remained calm and composed, even smiling at him and shaking his head.

Brother Long felt like he had punched cotton, which made him even more agitated.

He turned back, glared fiercely at Wang Xiaoer, and issued an ultimatum.

"Kid, I don't have time to waste with your nonsense!"

"You have one night to think it over! We'll come back tomorrow!"

He stretched out a finger, almost poking Wang Xiaoer's face.

"If you still don't agree, don't blame us for being impolite! Whether you end up with a broken hand or a broken leg, don't blame me for not warning you!"

After saying that, Brother Long snorted heavily and turned to leave.