What do you mean by saying that the corpses I sew are all ominous creatures?

I listened quietly, my fingers gently tracing the rim of the teacup.

"The feng shui of the ancient tomb's perimeter has been altered by human intervention, and it is now filled with all sorts of insidious traps and poison arrays."

Zhang Xuanqing continued.

"It took me a lot of effort to sneak into the depths of the ancient tomb."

There, I did not see the usual burial objects, but only a huge black stone platform.

In the center of the stone platform, a stone coffin was tightly bound by bronze chains.

At this point, Zhang Xuanqing raised his head, looked directly at me, and his eyes revealed a profound meaning.

"A very powerful evil creature is sealed inside that stone coffin."

Even through the thick coffin lid, I could feel the chilling resentment emanating from it.

However, what truly puzzled me was not just the evil creature, but the seal on the stone platform used to suppress the stone coffin.

Zhang Xuanqing put down his teacup and leaned forward slightly.

"Brother Chen, the aura emanating from that seal is cold and domineering."

Although I don't understand the specific methods of your corpse-stitching lineage, I have seen you and visited the ancestral graves on the back mountain of Zhoujia Village.

I can tell you with absolute certainty that the sealed aura on that ancient tomb's stone platform and the malevolent energy flowing around you are of the same origin!

Upon hearing this, my eyelids twitched slightly.

A sealed aura of the same origin?

A cool sensation quickly circulated in my mind, suppressing the turbulent thoughts in my heart.

How is that possible?

The aura of menace I possess was cultivated through my grandfather's personal instruction.

Besides me, there should only be one other person in this world whose grandfather possesses the same aura.

Could it be that the seal in that ancient tomb on the edge of western Hunan was set up by my grandfather himself?

But why did Grandpa go to those deep mountains and forests to seal away an evil creature?

"Is this why you're planning to go to Jiangcheng to find me, Daoist Master?"

I looked at Zhang Xuanqing and asked in a calm tone.

"That's right." Zhang Xuanqing nodded.

"That seal is very mysterious. It seems to have existed for many years and there are faint signs that it is loosening."

I'm planning to investigate carefully to see if I can reinforce the seal or find the connection between the seal and you.

But……"

Zhang Xuanqing sighed, a bitter smile appearing on his face.

"But before I could even get close to the stone platform, I was ambushed."

Zhang Xuanqing's eyes sharpened, as if he were back in that sudden battle.

A group of men in black suddenly appeared and surrounded me.

They worked together seamlessly, employing ruthless and unpredictable methods.

Some are skilled at using the poisonous Gu of the Southern Frontier, while others employ insidious techniques similar to those of your Corpse-Sewing lineage. Some even possess rudimentary knowledge of feng shui killing formations.

Upon hearing this, I frowned slightly.

The methods used by this group are so varied that they are clearly not from the same sect, but rather a group of interests temporarily put together for a common purpose.

That sounds like the style of the guardian of the tripod.

"Although I was somewhat passive at the time, I was still able to cope thanks to the thunder magic of Longhu Mountain."

Zhang Xuanqing picked up his teacup, took a sip of water to moisten his throat, and then spoke.

"Until the leader shows up."

Zhang Xuanqing's voice trembled slightly, almost imperceptibly.

"He was a middle-aged man dressed in Miao clothing, with half a bronze mask on his face."

His first move was an extremely domineering display of murderous aura, directly withstanding my two palm strikes of lightning.

In the instant our swords clashed, a corner of his mask was knocked off by my sword energy, revealing half of his face.

Zhang Xuanqing took a deep breath and stared intently at me.

"Brother Chen, you'd never guess who that person is."

He... was actually the last surviving member of the Sang family!

An orphan of the Sang family?!

My heart skipped a beat, and my previously steady breathing involuntarily paused for half a second.

The Sang family, which was wiped out by a coalition of major powers in southern Xinjiang thirty years ago, still has members alive in this world?

Moreover, this person became the leader of the ambush against Zhang Xuanqing, and may even be one of the masterminds behind the sabotage of hiring Yan Shouyi to Jiangcheng.

The way things have unfolded has completely exceeded my previous predictions.

"Master, how can you be so sure that person was from the Sang family thirty years ago?"

I remained calm and asked questions.

"After all these years, it's possible to mistake someone for someone else."

"I will never admit my mistake."

Zhang Xuanqing's tone was resolute, without the slightest hesitation.

He put down his teacup, his gaze becoming distant, as if lost in memories from long ago.

"That year, I was only fifteen years old. I had just received my ordination and went on a journey down the mountain with my master."

We traveled all the way to southern Xinjiang. Because our master had some connections with the then-head of the Sang family, we stayed at their home for more than half a month.

A bittersweet nostalgia crept onto Zhang Xuanqing's lips.

"The Sang family had a young master who was about my age at the time."

For those two weeks, the two of us, half-grown boys, spent all our time together, discussing Taoist techniques and exchanging insights.

Although he practices the Yin-style techniques of sewing corpses and refining evil spirits, he is a very generous and righteous person, and we get along very well.

Even when we parted, he gave me a domino he had carved himself as a keepsake.

As Zhang Xuanqing spoke, his eyes sharpened again.

"Those who cultivate the Tao have a far greater memory of qi and bone structure than ordinary people."

That half of his face, and the unique way he exerted force when he made a move.

Even after thirty years, I will never admit my mistake.

That person is the young master of the Sang family, the one I sparred with back in the Sang family's back mountain!

After hearing Zhang Xuanqing's words, I fell into a long silence.

The private room was so quiet that the only sound was the faint crackling of sandalwood burning in the bronze incense burner.

If Zhang Xuanqing hasn't mistaken the person, then the complexity of this matter has increased exponentially.

An orphan of a family that was massacred thirty years ago not only survived but also gained formidable strength.

Why did he appear in that ancient tomb that had a seal containing the same aura as mine?

More importantly, if he is indeed Yan Shouyi's employer, why would he send people to Jiangcheng to sabotage the feng shui?

Logically speaking, the Sang family was wiped out because of the "Heavenly Garment Strategy".

If he wants revenge, he should go after the Southern Frontier forces that participated in the encirclement and suppression back then.

It's really hard to understand why he went to Jiangcheng to stir up trouble.

Countless questions swirled in my mind, weaving together into a vast web.

"Master, since you recognized him, did he recognize you?" I asked softly.

Zhang Xuanqing shook his head, his expression somewhat gloomy.

"I called out his name in a daze, but he didn't respond at all."

His eyes were filled with cold killing intent as he looked at me, as if he didn't recognize me at all.

Moreover, at that time, every move he made was deadly; he clearly wanted to leave me in that ancient tomb forever.

"Seeing that he was completely determined to kill, I dared not hold back any longer."

After temporarily repelling them, I dared not linger in that strange place and immediately withdrew.