As I looked into the water-filled grave pit, I had a bad feeling.
Under normal circumstances, in a place where yin energy gathers, the soil being damp and cold is to be expected.
But now that water was pooling inside, something was definitely off.
I called Jin Qiaoqiao and the others over, but none of them could figure out what was going on.
The four bodyguards, drenched in mud and water, weren't experts, but even they knew that water accumulating in a grave wasn't right. They paused and asked me, "Mr. Li, what should we do?"
"Keep digging. We'll talk once we see the coffin!" I handed them a liquor bottle nearby and added, "If you're struggling, take a few sips!"
I then called Qian Zhong over and told him to find a way to pump the water out of the grave.
He immediately took two people to make preparations.
The four men in the pit took turns drinking the liquor. Their pale faces regained some color.
Alcohol helps improve blood circulation and invigorates the yang energy. It also gives you courage.
With the help of the liquor, we soon saw the coffin. Though it had been soaking in muddy water, it still looked as new as ever.
Qian Zhong quickly brought a generator and a water pump to drain the water from the pit.
With no muddy water in the way, the four men pushed forward and completely unearthed the coffin.
Those waiting nearby rigged a triangular hoist, secured the ropes, and began lifting the coffin upward.
I noticed the water in the grave was seeping from beneath the coffin, almost like there was a spring below.
I quickly activated the third level of my spiritual sight.
Still, I couldn't see anything unusual.
I had examined the area earlier — no dragon veins or underground water lines passed through here.
Where was the water coming from?
Jin Qiaoqiao came over and asked, "Did you see anything?"
I shook my head. "What about you?"
She blushed slightly but quickly responded righteously, "I don't know anything about feng shui — if I did, what would we need you for?"
I could tell from the moment we arrived on the mountain: she was just here to tag along.
But I couldn't say that out loud.
Huang Jiu wasn't so polite. He immediately snapped, "You don't know anything? Then why are you even here? We're doing the work, and you still want a share?"
Jin Qiaoqiao glared at him and replied with confidence, "Without me, don't talk about getting half — you wouldn't get a single cent!"
She wasn't wrong.
When Han Chu first saw me, he clearly didn't trust me.
If Jin Youcai hadn't introduced me, they wouldn't have even given me a second look.
Fifty million yuan — for that kind of money, they could hire any expert they wanted.
Huang Jiu was left speechless, sulking as he clung to my shoulders and ignored her.
Since I couldn't see anything wrong with the grave, I told the others to lift the coffin out and take it to the new burial site as quickly as possible.
Once it's buried and reconnects with new earth energy, whatever is inside should settle down.
But just as the coffin left the pit, dark clouds began to gather above. And strangely, the clouds weren't across the entire sky — from the ground, it looked like they were forming directly over the grave site.
In less than a few minutes, rain began pouring down.
"This is some haunted stuff!" Qian Zhong's expression changed, and he cursed.
I turned around and shouted for Xu Wanrong and Zhan Ling to prepare the ritual altar and place offerings for Elder Han.
Zhan Ling said, "I'm afraid that won't do much now."
"We're doing it anyway!" I snapped back.
She didn't argue further. She immediately set up the altar and lit incense.
Meanwhile, I told the others to keep pulling.
As the coffin rose further, the rain intensified. Lightning flashed and thunder roared, like a deity undergoing tribulation.
My brows furrowed.
Even if I couldn't see the exact problem, I could guess something was wrong under the coffin.
I ordered everyone not to stop — the faster we moved, the less likely anything would go wrong.
They didn't dare delay and picked up the pace.
Once the coffin was lifted from the pit, I told them to load it onto a prepared cart and transport it to the new grave site.
To prevent accidents along the way, I had Huang Jiu and Zhan Ling accompany it.
Xu Wanrong and Jin Qiaoqiao stayed behind to assist me.
Once the coffin was on the road, the tents were moved, and the torrential rain poured straight down, soaking me completely.
Seeing that the water pump couldn't drain the grave fast enough and the pit was about to flood again, I jumped in and started feeling around in the mud.
Because of the water, the mud was soft — I could reach right in.
After a bit of random searching, I felt a hard object near the water source — seemed like a box.
It was hard to pull it out of the thick mud with force, so I used a gentle rocking motion, and after about a minute, I finally freed it.
The yin water felt like ice in winter. Holding the box, I climbed out of the pit, shivering all over. I grabbed a liquor bottle nearby and took two large gulps to warm up.
Just then, lightning struck down from the sky, hitting a nearby mountain peak.
My heart skipped a beat.
This really looked like a heavenly tribulation.
And the lightning seemed aimed at the box I held.
Without hesitation, I wiped the mud off the box with my sleeve and revealed a lock on the side.
I looked at it and told Xu Wanrong and Jin Qiaoqiao to step back.
Once they were clear, I pierced the lock with a blood needle and pried it open.
The moment I saw what was inside, my expression changed drastically. I slammed the lid shut and bit my finger, drawing a symbol on it with my blood.
But the rain was too heavy. Even with spiritual energy binding it, the blood washed away quickly.
Just then, another bolt of lightning struck ten meters from me.
Even from that distance, I could feel the power of the thunder — numb all over, heart pounding.
One more strike, and it might hit me directly.
I didn't dare delay. Holding the box, I ran toward the new burial site.
Xu Wanrong and Jin Qiaoqiao saw and followed closely behind.
The new and old graves were on the same mountain, but one sat in a valley and the other on a ridge.
Halfway up, I paused and looked up. The dark clouds had followed us, lightning dancing across the sky — terrifying.
Jin Qiaoqiao caught up to me and asked, "Li Yang, is that a dragon pearl inside?"
I froze.
She hadn't seen what was in the box earlier — how did she know it was a dragon pearl?
There was no time to ask. I simply nodded.
She said, "My uncle said, 'When a water dragon rises, it must return to the dragon to find peace.'"
I frowned, pondering the meaning of those words. A few seconds later, I suddenly understood.
A water dragon's greatest wish is to ascend and become a true dragon — even if that's just a legend.
But for a water dragon, it's an obsession.
And the dragon pearl is essentially a demon core, containing the essence of its soul.
As long as it was under the old man's coffin, hidden from the world, it remained dormant.
Now that it had seen the light of day, its first instinct was to undergo tribulation and ascend.
I said, "I understand. Go catch up with Zhan Ling and tell her they can't bury Elder Han's coffin yet — not until I get there!"
Though they didn't quite understand, they nodded.
As they left, I ran eastward toward the mountain ridge, carrying the dragon pearl.