When Zhou Huan's hand grasped the paper from the old woman's grasp, he slowly shook his head, for his fingers, extended near the crone's nose, felt no response; the elder had passed, and when he reached for her neck, there was no warmth left.

"Hong Kun, Shi Bingyuan, handle the arrangements for the elder," he said, picking up the note the old woman had left. Zhou Huan gazed intently at the words on the back: Zhou Huan, I see the person in your writing. Now that I am old and frail, and my family has passed one after another, there is no longer any value in my continued existence. I trust you, Master Zhou, to find the murderous vengeful spirit. I ask for nothing else; just have that spirit kneel and kowtow before the memorial tablets of my family.

Zhou Huan pulled the stone from his pocket, speaking softly to it: "Xiang Ning, it's time for you to make an appearance."

Ruan Xiangning descended from the stone in a flurry of floral shadows, still cradling the infant in her arms: "What instructions do you have for calling me forth, Master?"

Zhou Huan pointed a finger toward the offering table and the deceased old woman: "Kowtow three times to them, express your remorse, and pray they can forgive you."

"Yes, Master Zhou!" Ruan Xiangning bent her knees and struck her head against the ground three times with loud thuds. Then, Xiangning spoke in a clear voice: "Elder, I sincerely repent. I beg you and your family to forgive my ignorance and resentful energy."

Scarcely had Ruan Xiangning finished her kowtow when the old woman's head suddenly slumped lifelessly to the ground. Beneath the corpse's cushion sat an envelope, addressed in writing: For Zhou Huan, Receive Directly.

The appearance of a second letter only deepened Zhou Huan’s weariness. He couldn't help but think to himself, This old lady, if you're going to write letters, just write them all at once, why the separation? He picked up the envelope from under the cushion; applying light pressure, it felt slightly thick. Upon opening it, he found a key and a sheet of paper inside.

The note read: Zhou Huan, by the time you read this, it means you have made the vengeful spirit kowtow to this old woman. I, myself, have little left, only some things in the safety deposit box. I have no heirs, so everything in that box is entrusted to Master Zhou for safekeeping and use. As for the vengeful spirit, I, on behalf of my family, forgive her.

At the bottom, a string of numbers was written, followed by a sentence: Thank you for opening the door for me; I couldn't reach it!

After reading it, Zhou Huan immediately burned the letter, slipped the key into his pocket, turned, and left the room. Then he called out, "Ruan Xiangning, return to the stone. We're going to the next location."

"Understood. Thank you, old lady," Ruan Xiangning replied, leading the child she shared with Zhou Huan, whisking back into the stone with the wind. Hong Kun and Shi Bingyuan were inside the house setting fire to large spirit money and paper effigies of mansions.

"Master, we've finished tidying up. How should we handle the old lady's body?" Shi Bingyuan, this time, addressed Zhou Huan as 'Master' quite smoothly. Hong Kun snickered quietly nearby, and Zhou Huan allowed himself a silent smile as well.

"It's fine. Clear away the offering table in this room. Since the elder chose her end willingly, let the police handle the body. Later, we can collect the ashes from the crematorium and give her a proper burial," Zhou Huan's method was standard practice, which Shi Bingyuan and Hong Kun understood, so neither asked further questions.

Leaving the old woman's home, Zhou Huan first got into the car and then proceeded to Elder Sun's residence. Upon arrival at the villa, Mr. Wang was sitting by the main gate, sipping tea leisurely with Elder Sun, reminiscing about the past.

"Elder Sun seems to be in good spirits. Today, Zhou Huan brings you another piece of good news," Zhou Huan announced cheerfully.

Elder Sun saw it was Zhou Huan, followed by two other men. When his eyes fell upon Shi Bingyuan, Elder Sun’s brow furrowed deeply: "Shi Bingyuan?"

Zhou Huan was quite surprised. He glanced at Shi Bingyuan: "You two know each other?"

"Uh..." Shi Bingyuan was momentarily speechless, his face turning crimson with the effort to speak.

"Truly, the road of grudges is narrow. How long have I been looking for you? You never appeared. I still haven't found my grandfather's heirloom from the funeral rites you handled for him back then. Tell me now, did you take it?"

Shi Bingyuan's face flushed red like a monkey's backside, stammering incoherently.

Zhou Huan turned back to Shi Bingyuan, saying, "Don't dwell on the past. Truth spoken heals; holding it in only makes things worse. Look how tightly you’re clenching it—if you hold it too long, won't it cause trouble?"

"Uh..." Shi Bingyuan hesitated again, then looked at Elder Sun, then back at Zhou Huan, finally letting out a long sigh: "It was my greed back then. While I was interring the elder, I noticed a gold lock hanging around his neck. Judging by the craftsmanship, it must be from the Tang Dynasty, extremely valuable. So, greed got the better of me. I tampered with the elder's tomb, claiming I needed to construct an underground water channel for future drainage. Because of that, the Sun family quickly finished building this drainage route."

Zhou Huan let out a strange, low laugh: "Shi Bingyuan, was the method of coffin placement back then a hanmu (dry tomb)?"

"Yes."

Zhou Huan also sighed deeply before asking Shi Bingyuan, "After you looted the tomb, did you seal the drain?"

"I didn't seal it; I genuinely intended it for drainage."

"Take a look first. Elder Sun's grandsons are all dead. What do you think the problem with your dry tomb is? I dare say the water channel in your hanmu is filled with filth—at least the ashes from spirit money and paper offerings floated in from other graves. The drain outlet must have accumulated stagnant water for a long time, and it has certainly become a stagnant bog now." As he spoke, Zhou Huan pointed a finger at Shi Bingyuan: "The one who tied the bell must untie it. You need to move this elder's ancestral grave and return what belongs to them. Otherwise, the matter of the midnight flute's cry simply cannot be resolved."

"Yes, Master, your disciple understands!" Shi Bingyuan was utterly sincere, utterly changed by Zhou Huan's words, whether due to inner conflict or shame.

Mr. Wang stepped forward to intercede with Zhou Huan: "Enough, Brother Zhou, let's not dwell on it. Just take him and resolve the issue, and that should suffice. I believe Elder Sun can forgive him." He then directed his gaze toward Elder Sun.

Elder Sun rose, his body trembling slightly: "Very well, Master Zhou. I don't know how far you've gotten with my maternal grandson's situation. As for my ancestral grave, I agree to let you resolve the tomb issue. But I have one condition: I give you only three days. Give me a satisfactory resolution for my ancestral grave and my grandson's matter, or neither of you will be able to make a living in this city."

The expression in Zhou Huan's eyes shifted slightly toward the aged man. He thought this old man's temper changed faster than pulling off his trousers; clearly, the enmity between Shi Bingyuan and his family was deep.

"Elder Sun, please rest assured. With me, Zhou Huan, here, this matter will certainly be handled appropriately." Zhou Huan made a solemn pledge to Elder Sun, then glanced at Mr. Wang, who gave Zhou Huan a slight nod.

Seeing the tension, Mr. Wang had to step in to smooth things over: "Elder Sun, my old friend, it's been a while since we had a match. How about we play a game today?"

"Hmph, the person you brought actually brought an enemy!" Elder Sun's anger had not subsided.

Mr. Wang was quite adept with words: "Ah, ignore those people. Come on, come on, let's play chess. The stakes are a gold bar each, come on!" As he spoke, Mr. Wang signaled to Elder Sun's bodyguards, urging them to help the old man leave quickly before his temper flared up and caused further trouble.

Urged on by Mr. Wang, Elder Sun departed with Zhou Huan and his group, heading to the rear garden of the villa to play chess.

Zhou Huan turned back and met Shi Bingyuan's gaze. They stared at each other for a long time, exchanging no words, locked in a silent standoff.

Hong Kun couldn't hold back: "Master, what are you two doing?"

"I trust Shi Bingyuan can understand the meaning in my eyes. Otherwise, these past years would have been wasted," Zhou Huan's tone was amicable.

But a surge of hot blood rushed to Shi Bingyuan's head: "Hmph, Zhou Huan, don't think I don't respect you, but your look clearly implies you find the trouble I've brought you annoying. Never mind, your methods are indeed superior to mine; calling you Master is no disgrace. But you don't have to slight me like that. Moving an ancestral tomb, what’s the big deal? I'll handle my own mess." Shi Bingyuan snapped, turning abruptly as if to leave.

"Hey!" Hong Kun tried to stop Shi Bingyuan.

Zhou Huan, however, raised a hand to stop Hong Kun: "Let him go. We'll follow. If he can misunderstand me like that, it seems he hasn't truly grasped the gravity of this matter."

With that, Zhou Huan and Hong Kun followed Shi Bingyuan to the car. Silence reigned in the vehicle among the three men, until Hong Kun finally asked Shi Bingyuan, "Where is this old man's ancestral grave?"

"On a desolate mountain in the suburbs, a place with dragon energy—topographically, it's a 'Dragon's Eye.' His family's broken tomb is right there." Even at his age, Shi Bingyuan became so impulsive when his past was involved. It was understandable; after so long, no one would have expected Shi Bingyuan to cross paths with Old Man Sun again. Truly, the road of grudges was narrow.

Zhou Huan remained silent in the car, clutching the stone that contained Ruan Xiangning, while mentally chanting the Buddhist rebirth mantra for Elder Sun's ancestors.

The drive took nearly an hour and a half before the three finally arrived at the desolate suburban mountain Shi Bingyuan had mentioned. Zhou Huan was the first out, dusting off his clothes, looking up at the sky, then observing the so-called Dragon's Eye desolate mountain under the midday sun. Zhou Huan lowered his head and shook it.

Seeing Zhou Huan's reaction, Shi Bingyuan walked past him with a huff: "Master Zhou, what are you shaking your head for? Isn't this a Dragon's Eye?"

Hong Kun also got out, surveyed the surroundings, then hurried up to Zhou Huan: "Master, I can confirm this is a Dragon's Eye. If a tomb is buried here, descendants will undoubtedly achieve great wealth and status."