Why is my anime art style so weird?

Xu Ming was taken aback; the old man was actually turning evil without anyone noticing.

He immediately focused all his attention on the old man, ready to eliminate him the moment he launched an attack.

hum!

Some force within the ancestral hall seemed to sense the old man's unusual behavior, and all the memorial tablets suddenly began to tremble.

The golden light on the old man's body immediately intensified, and the black negative energy was driven out by the golden light. The old man quickly returned to his kind and amiable appearance.

Xu Ming took in the changes in the old man and seemed to be deep in thought.

This golden light is indeed the blessing of our ancestors.

It may be similar in essence to the power of faith in gods, but unfortunately, the two are not on the same level in terms of either quality or quantity.

This ancestral protection, at best, safeguards the spirits of one or two souls, preventing them from falling into evil.

Aside from that, it has little effect and is even less likely to affect the present world; otherwise, Niujia Village would not have been massacred by the chaotic army.

Under the protection of his ancestors, the old man, who had returned to normal, was stunned for a moment, and then a bitter smile appeared on his face.

"I'm sorry to have troubled you, young man. It's truly because my Niujia Village has suffered such a calamity for no reason that I couldn't help but feel..."

Xu Ming bowed with a complicated expression.

"Father-in-law...please accept my condolences."

As an outsider, Xu Ming could not comprehend the old man's suffering.

The old man sighed.

"It's been a long time since I've talked to anyone this much, please forgive me, young man."

Ah~ As people get older, they just become long-winded…

The old man chuckled self-deprecatingly, then looked at Xu Ming.

"Young man, could you do me a favor?"

"Please speak, sir."

Of course, it must be within my capabilities and something I can do easily.

Xu Ming silently added a sentence in his mind.

The old man seemed to have seen through Xu Ming's thoughts and chuckled.

"It's not a difficult matter. On the contrary, I will give you a great opportunity."

The old man pointed to the offering table in front of the memorial tablet as he spoke.

"There is a hidden compartment inside that offering table, where there is a jade tablet. Take that jade tablet out first."

Xu Ming instructed Parker to take out the jade tablet as instructed by the old man.

However, this jade plaque seems to be only half, with the bull-shaped totem in the middle split in two.

Xu Ming examined the jade tablet for a while, then cast a questioning look at the old man.

The old man gazed at the jade tablet, a nostalgic look on his face. After a long while, he slowly said:

"Take this jade pendant to Chunjiang Ward in Xiapi City, find a family with the surname 'Niu', and give the jade pendant to a man named Niu Qifu."

"he is?"

Xu Ming looked at the old man with a puzzled expression.

The old man nodded.

“He is my younger brother, who moved to Xiapi City thirty years ago.”

Xu Ming suddenly realized.

After hesitating for a moment, Xu Ming accepted the jade token.

He was already heading to Xiapi, and this request wasn't difficult; it was just a small favor, so he naturally helped if he could.

But before that, Xu Ming has to do something first...

Seeing that Xu Ming seemed ready to leave the ancestral hall, the old man quickly said:

"Why did you leave, young brother? My clansmen outside the ancestral hall have turned into vengeful ghosts and are completely out of their minds."

They'll pounce on any living person they encounter, but they dare not enter the ancestral hall. Young man, you only need to wait until dawn, until the evil spirits dissipate, and then leave on your own."

Xu Ming patted non-existent dust off his shoulders, a confident smile spreading across his face.

"Don't worry, old man. Before I leave, I'll send your clansmen to be reincarnated."

With that, Xu Ming strode out of the ancestral hall.

"Hey! Young man! Wait a minute!"

The old man couldn't stop him, so he couldn't help but stomp his foot.

As soon as Xu Minggang stepped out of the ancestral hall, the headless vengeful ghosts that had been wandering around the area smelled the scent of a living person and immediately pounced on him.

Xu Ming calmly picked up his phone, and after three seconds, when the ghosts were almost upon him, he lightly released the shutter button.

Click!

A bolt of purple-gold lightning appeared out of nowhere, instantly tearing through the dark night sky.

These vengeful ghosts didn't even have time to scream before they turned to ashes.

They didn't vanish into thin air, of course; rather, their negative energy was purified, and they were reincarnated.

The exorcism phone, being full of positive energy, naturally wouldn't destroy the soul; instead, it would help it pass on to the afterlife.

The old man followed behind him, and under the blinding light of the exorcism, he himself was also somewhat unable to maintain his form.

Fortunately, he had almost no negative energy, otherwise he would have been exorcised as well.

"The younger generation is truly formidable! The younger generation is truly formidable!"

The old man exclaimed in surprise.

Xu Ming toured the village, forcibly performing rituals to release the wronged souls of many villagers.

Occasionally, he would encounter some extremely vengeful ghosts who would try to pull him into an illusion, reliving the tragic scene of the massacre of Niujia Village by the rebel army.

The one with the strongest resentment was a heavily pregnant woman. The resentment of the mother about to give birth and the unborn baby combined was almost overwhelming.

Fortunately, Xu Ming was equipped with extremely luxurious gear, which allowed them to suppress and deliver him from suffering.

Even so, after witnessing the various illusions, Xu Ming understood the meaning of that sentence even more—

Better to be a dog in times of peace than a human in times of chaos.

Chapter 710 Visiting the White Gate Tower

Xu Ming sat on the second floor of a restaurant, looking down at the bustling crowd below, deep in thought.

At this point, they were already inside the city of Xiapi.

At dawn, when he entered Xiapi City, he took the jade token to the address the old man had instructed him to go to. Only then did the neighbor tell him that Xu Mingniu Qifu's family had already moved away.

Fortunately, the neighbors knew the approximate address, and Xu Ming finally found Niu Qifu's house after some stumbling and bumping around.

But he's already a powerful man now.

It is said that Niu Qifu climbed the social ladder by marrying into a prominent family in Xiapi and made a small fortune in business.

When Xu Ming first knocked on the door, the doorman opened it and, seeing Xu Ming's strange attire, thought he was some poor kid who had come from who-knows-where to claim kinship.

Xu Ming asked him to hand over the half of the jade pendant, and his face clearly showed his reluctance.

Unexpectedly, shortly after he took the half of the jade tablet inside, the main gate of the Niu mansion suddenly opened wide, and Master Niu personally led people out to welcome Xu Ming into the mansion, where he was treated with great hospitality.

Xu Ming later learned from Grandpa Niu that he had been searching for Niujia Village for a full twenty years.

Thirty years ago, although his family moved to the city of Xiapi to develop their careers, they would still often return to Niujia Village to visit during festivals, especially to pay respects to their ancestors every year, which they never forgot.

Twenty years ago, Cao Cao led his army to attack Xuzhou, and the entire Xuzhou, including Xiapi City, fell into war. Niu Qifu lost contact with Niujia Village.

After the Battle of Xuzhou ended and Lü Bu was defeated and killed, Xiapi gradually returned to peace. Niu Qifu immediately set off to return to his hometown to pay respects to his ancestors.

When he tried to find the original site of Niujia Village based on his past memories, he kept getting lost and unable to enter the village.

Xu Ming guessed that this was a way for the ancestors of Niujia Village to protect their only surviving descendant. After all, Niujia Village was now filled with resentment and was no longer suitable for the living to go there.

After being rejected by the village, Niu Qifu frequently returned, hoping to return to Niujia Village, but he was never able to do so.

Twenty years have passed in the blink of an eye, and the inability to return to his hometown has become a source of heartache for Niu Qifu.

Now that Xu Ming has brought a jade pendant from his hometown, how could he not be overjoyed?

So, he arranged for Xu Ming to stay temporarily at the Niu residence, while sending someone on horseback to the original site of Niujia Village.

Niujia Village is only fifty li away from Xiapi City. If you ride a horse, you can go in the morning and return before the city gates close in the evening.

While the servants went to Niujia Village to investigate, Niu Qifu hurriedly asked Xu Ming about the current situation of Niujia Village.

Xu Ming did not hide anything and told Niu Qifu about the looting of Niujia Village by the rebel army and his encounter with his brother in the Niujia Ancestral Hall.

Upon hearing this, Niu Qifu burst into tears.

By evening, the people who went to investigate returned and confirmed Xu Ming's words.

Niu Qifu immediately wanted to go back to Niujia Village, but his family persuaded him to stay.

In the evening, Niu Qifu warmly entertained Xu Ming and presented him with some gold ingots, copper coins, and a small amount of silk.

With this start-up capital, Xu Ming suddenly had more money on hand.

The Niu family was busy returning to Niujia Village to handle important matters such as the burial of their clansmen and ancestral worship, while Xu Ming himself went out to help.

After asking for directions, he arrived at a restaurant near the White Gate Tower, intending to gather some information.

While asking for directions, Xu Ming noticed something strange.

The people of Xiapi seemed to keep the White Gate Tower a closely guarded secret.

At that moment, he stopped a middle-aged man to ask for directions.

"Brother, could you tell me how to get to the White Gate Tower?"

As soon as he opened his mouth, the middle-aged man's expression changed drastically upon hearing the words "White Gate Tower".