Begin your practice with the crane-shaped stance.

As Xia Dong and Zhao Ting were chatting, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the door.

A junior officer from the Eagle Wolf Guard, dressed in a flying fish uniform, hurriedly pushed open the door and solemnly handed Zhao Ting a note.

Zhao Ting took the document and glanced at it. His previously smiling expression instantly changed. He looked up at Xia Dong with a very complicated expression, his lips moved, but he hesitated to speak.

Seeing this, Xia Dong couldn't help but feel curious and asked, "Brother, what happened? Has something changed at the Thousand Household Office?"

Zhao Ting took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Xueyi, after hearing this, don't panic. Calm your mind."

"My business?" Xia Dong's heart skipped a beat.

In that instant, countless thoughts flashed through his mind: Could it be that his secret has been exposed?

His blood and qi surged secretly within his body, and his magical power began to stir.

Xia Dong immediately felt an urge to use the "Wind Control Technique" to escape.

But he forcefully suppressed this instinctive fear, keeping his hands tucked into his sleeves and his face as still as a mountain: "Brother, please speak freely, I can bear it."

Zhao Ting sighed heavily, his tone tinged with indignation: "Your father and mother's graves... have been vandalized."

Xia Dong was clearly stunned upon hearing this.

Digging up graves?

This is an irreconcilable feud in the secular world.

What kind of person could harbor such deep hatred to commit such a heinous act?

Aren't you afraid of retribution?

Xia Dong remained silent for a moment.

As a transmigrator, he didn't actually have any deep feelings for the adoptive parents of this body. However, since he was in a cultivation world full of demons, monsters, gods, and karma, Xia Dong never neglected etiquette.

During holidays and festivals, he would always take time to clean and pay respects at the cemetery outside the city. If he was in seclusion and couldn't leave, he would specifically ask Xiao Hong to take care of it for him.

What puzzled him most was that so many years had passed peacefully, so why would someone suddenly go and dig up his parents' graves?

"Brother, could you take me to see the scene?" Xia Dong asked in a deep voice, gathering his thoughts.

"Of course we should. After something like this happened, we brothers must find the culprit." Zhao Ting stood up, picked up the sword on the table, and added, "By the way, Fellow Daoist Qin's father is there right now."

"Uncle Qin is here too?" Upon hearing this, Xia Dong was filled with doubts.

Since joining the Eagle Wolf Guard and gaining a secure official position, he no longer went to Lin Yuan Prefecture, the prefectural capital, to participate in the provincial examinations.

Over the years, he hadn't had much contact with the Qin family. Only once, when Master Qin celebrated his sixtieth birthday, did he prepare a generous gift to offer his congratulations. During the meal, they only exchanged a few polite words and weren't particularly close.

However, Xia Dong knew very well that Master Qin had indeed been extremely kind and righteous to his family.

Not to mention that during festivals, Master Qin would always send servants to pay respects and clean his parents' graves. This practice had already begun before Xia Dong passed the imperial examination and was still a poor scholar.

Even when Xia Dong's parents passed away one after another, it was all handled by Mr. Qin, who provided both money and effort.

Regardless, the friendship between Master Qin and Xia Dong's father during their lifetimes was definitely extraordinary.

But how could Master Qin happen to be at the site of his father's destroyed grave at such a time?

"Let's go and see for ourselves, then we'll know the answer," Zhao Ting said solemnly.

Xia Dong suppressed her doubts and followed Zhao Ting out of the Hundred Household Office.

...

...

Fuqing Mountain, located outside Pingyang County, is a scenic spot with clear waters and lush mountains. It is a feng shui treasure land where many wealthy families and gentry in the area are buried.

The tombs of Xia Dong's parents were also placed here.

When Xia Dong and Zhao Ting arrived at the cemetery halfway up the mountain, they saw a scene of utter devastation from afar.

Several Eagle Wolf Guards dressed in flying fish robes were on guard around the area, while an old man in brocade robes stood there looking dejected and full of guilt.

This old man was Qin Wan's father, Master Qin.

He had a round face, a slightly plump figure, and a neatly trimmed short beard.

On ordinary days, Master Qin always wore an expensive and exquisite silk dress. His every move exuded a kind and generous demeanor, as if he were both shrewd and magnanimous. His actions were quite like those of a wealthy and righteous tycoon in the martial arts world.

At this moment, however, he was covered in dust, his once meticulously styled hair was now disheveled, and his expression was one of fear and unease.

"Nephew Xia Dong greets Uncle Qin." Xia Dong stepped forward, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed respectfully.

Upon seeing Xia Dong, Master Qin's face flushed crimson. He quickly stepped aside to avoid the bow, overwhelmed with shame, and said, "Xueyi, you mustn't... This whole affair is my fault. I was kidnapped and taken all the way to your father's grave. However..."

As Mr. Qin spoke, his voice trembled slightly. He stretched out his trembling hand and pointed to the grave that had been violently broken open in front of him.

Xia Dong looked in that direction and saw that the earthen slab had been dug up, and the heavy coffin lid had been overturned. However, what was chilling was that the coffin was completely empty, without even a single bone.

"I was knocked unconscious by their blows," Master Qin explained with a wry smile. "When I woke up, I was already like this. I was terrified and immediately ran down the mountain to report it to the authorities."

"Commander Xia, this coffin was originally empty," a junior officer from the Eagle Wolf Guard who was left behind suddenly interjected.

Xia Dong turned his head and recognized the man as Li, a well-known expert in investigating cases in the police station.

Li Xiaoqi and Xia Dong usually have a pretty good relationship, because Xia Dong not only helped him treat several troublesome old injuries, but also helped him with a few small favors.

Li Xiaoqi walked to the coffin and pointed inside, explaining, "Look, the inner walls of this coffin are smooth. Although the silk and burial clothes at the bottom are a bit damp, there are absolutely no traces of bodily fluids or stains left by the decomposition of the corpse."

"That's impossible!" Upon hearing this, Master Qin immediately became anxious. "Xueyi, I was personally present at your father's funeral, and I watched as his body was placed in the coffin and buried! You were there, wearing mourning clothes!"

Xia Dong frowned slightly, quickly flipping through the original owner's memories in his mind, and nodded, saying, "Yes, nephew remembers, I did indeed watch my father being buried."

Zhao Ting, who had been listening intently, frowned and interrupted the crowd's astonishment, turning directly to Master Qin: "Master Qin, what exactly did those people who kidnapped you look like? What were their characteristics?"

After carefully recalling the events, Mr. Qin shook his head with lingering fear: "They were all dressed in black, their faces covered with black cloth. I was being held hostage and couldn't recognize them at all, nor did I dare to look closely. However, before I was knocked unconscious, I vaguely heard them mention your father..."

"They mentioned Brother Xia, saying something like... 'remnants of the Xuan Yin Sect,' and something like... 'Snake Taoist.'"

"The Snake Taoist?!"

Zhao Ting's expression turned serious upon hearing those three words.

He dared not utter a sound, but his lips barely moved as he immediately transmitted his voice to Xia Dong: "Xueyi, this matter is of great importance, let's talk about it privately. I'll have someone settle things here first."

Immediately afterward, Zhao Ting turned around, his face darkening, and sternly ordered Li Xiaoqi and his men, "You lot, immediately restore and rebury the grave. Also, send two people to keep a close watch on Master Qin, escorting him safely back to his residence. Absolutely no mistakes are allowed!"

When Xia Dong heard the words "Xuan Yin Sect...Snake Taoist", he felt a chill run down his spine.

Considering her own entanglement with the Xuan Yin Sect, she did not raise any objections to Zhao Ting's arrangements and silently nodded.

The two exchanged a glance, left the cemetery, and came to a secluded, deserted grove halfway up a mountain.

Zhao Ting's expression became extremely solemn. He took out a compass-shaped magical artifact from his pocket and activated it by injecting magical power into it.

An invisible soundproof barrier instantly enveloped the two of them.

After doing all this, Zhao Ting lowered his voice: "Xueyi, listen to your brother's advice. Regardless of whether you know the inside story or not, you absolutely cannot admit any involvement in the matter of the 'Snake Taoist' of the Xuan Yin Sect!"