Chapter 68: Valuing Harmony Above All

"I truly don't know what kind of evil deeds I committed in my past life to have both a grandfather and a grandson come to claim my life in this one. Ah, misery!"

At this, Uncle Blind Li took a fierce drag from the hand-rolled cigarette in his hand.

I stood respectfully to the side. I knew that since Uncle Blind Li had accepted the cigarettes I brought him, it meant he would definitely help me.

Sure enough, after taking a few puffs, he continued:

"Chen Qiyue, I know you have your suspicions about me. Originally, I didn't want to tell you any of this. But since I've already decided to help you, I might as well just lay it all out. That way, you kid will remember this great debt of gratitude I'm doing you!"

I quickly bowed to indicate that I would never forget his venerable grace.

Only then did Uncle Blind Li continue:

"Where there are people who want you dead, naturally there are people who want you to live. I have not the slightest interest in the power struggles of the Fengshui underworld. Isn't it wonderful enough for me to just wander the jianghu selling my craft like this?"

"However, your grandfather was well acquainted with me back in the day and entrusted me to look after you. Now that you've run into danger, it's truly hard for me to just stand by and watch. What's more, helping you can yield benefits—with such a good deal, how could I not take part?"

"Besides, Chen Qiyue, this is a high-stakes gamble concerning the beginning of your karmic tribulation. If we win the gamble, everyone rejoices; if we lose, we both die! Do you realize the gravity of this?"

Uncle Blind Li blew out a ring of smoke, then looked at me and spoke with utmost seriousness.

It was only at this moment that I finally understood what all of this was truly about.

I nodded solemnly, indicating that I had prepared myself.

Regarding my karmic tribulation, people had already begun taking sides.

I clenched my fists slightly, silently vowing to myself: whether for my own sake, for my fiancée Liu Qingqing, or for my deceased grandfather, as well as Uncle Hu, Uncle Blind Li, and Uncle Golden Mace who had stood by my side, I had to strive to become stronger. I could not let them down!

"Enough, all of that is for the future. Whether we can even live to see that day is still up in the air. Let's first figure out a way to get through the tribulation right in front of us. Qiyue, we've gotten ourselves into something massive this time!"

Facing the blowing wind, Uncle Blind Li tossed his long hair back, and that unrestrained, free-spirited aura of his instantly returned.

I asked Uncle Blind Li:

"Blind Uncle, since we're already in the same boat now, can you tell me who the man in the painting is? Is the entity you hold in such awe actually him? Or is it something behind him?"

Uncle Blind Li did not answer me directly. Instead, he pulled a glossy piece of yellow paper from his bosom and folded it into the shape of a crane.

As he folded the paper, he muttered a spell under his breath that I couldn't understand.

Then, he tossed the paper crane up into the air, and it fluttered its wings and flew upward.

Watching the crane fly higher and higher into the sky, Uncle Blind Li finally turned around and said to me:

"Qiyue, you've been wandering the Fengshui underworld for a few days now. Based on your understanding, what is this jianghu like?"

"Human hearts are dark and devoid of human warmth."

Without a moment's hesitation, I blurted out the two phrases that came to my mind.

Hearing this, Uncle Blind Li let out a long sigh and slowly said to me:

"Qiyue, your current strength is still far too low. Though you understand some Fengshui secret arts, compared to true experts, it's merely scratching the surface. If you want to continue investigating the identity of the man in信する that painting, you probably won't live much longer."

Hearing Blind Uncle say this, I was completely stunned.

How did investigating the identity of the man in the painting become tangled up with Fengshui secret arts again?

Could it be that this fellow is capable of manipulating the entire Fengshui layout of the provincial capital?

If that were truly the case, then things would indeed become extremely tricky.

"Blind Uncle, let's prioritize figuring out how to save people first. My unwed wife holds the destiny and fortune left to me by my grandfather; I certainly don't want to hand them over to someone else for nothing."

I cried out somewhat anxiously.

Hearing my exclamation, Uncle Blind Li turned around and flicked me on the forehead, saying indifferently:

"You little bastard, what are you panicking for? Isn't she still alive and well right now? Haven't you been to the top floor of the women's club? How does your strength compare to the club's owner? Do you have any certainty of taking her down?"

I was somewhat puzzled as to what Uncle Blind Li meant by saying this, and could only shake my head.

If I were to get into a fight with the owner of the women's club, I feared I would be slaughtered in a matter of seconds.

"That settles it then. Such a big figure as the owner of the women's club wants to keep things peaceful—are you really planning to fight the other party to the bitter end?"

"It's not quite that dramatic. As long as she doesn't harm my wife, I couldn't care less about getting entangled with her."

I said earnestly and slowly.

"There you go then. Grievances are better resolved than knotted. We haven't reached the point of completely falling out with the other party yet, so let's try to maintain peace wherever possible."

Uncle Blind Li scratched his head, his hand smelling entirely of greasy dust.

"But Blind Uncle, they're already plotting against my fiancée. How are we supposed to keep the peace then?"

I was somewhat bewildered. The other party had already bullied their way to our doorstep, yet Blind Uncle was still telling me to prioritize peace.

"Let's try it out first. If that doesn't work, resorting to force later won't be too late. When you went inside, what did he ask you to do?"

Uncle Blind Li seemed like he hadn't smoked these filtered cigarettes in a long time, and at that moment, he lit another one.

I closed my eyes, recalled carefully, and finally said to Uncle Blind Li:

"He told me to help him find his head. His head is missing!"

As soon as my words fell, Uncle Blind Li flicked my forehead again and said to me:

"You stinky brat, isn't that the end of it right there? You help him find his skull, and this matter is settled."

What the hell...

For a moment, I was left somewhat speechless and didn't even know how to refute Uncle Blind Li.

What the old man said wasn't wrong. If we found the skull of this headless male corpse, perhaps we really could make peace.

I carefully recalled my encounter on the top floor. Although the male corpse in the coffin had scared me half to death, it didn't seem to harbor any intention of dealing a fatal blow to me.

This meant its original intention wasn't to kill me, but rather to have me help it find its head.

If we could truly find its missing skull, perhaps it really would let my fiancée go.

After all, I had no confidence in being able to defeat it. Judging by Uncle Blind Li's cowering and evasive demeanor, his bark was probably worse than his bite, and his actual combat skills were likely just for show.

If I wanted to save my fiancée, it seemed I had only this one method: going to find its head.

Yet another problem arose: where on earth was I supposed to look for its head?

"Blind Uncle, I acknowledge your suggestion. But I feel like finding his head won't be any easier than trading blows with him. You say if this matter were so easily resolved, wouldn't those big shots from the women's club have done it long ago?"

I directly voiced the doubt in my heart to Uncle Blind Li.

Hearing my words, Uncle Blind Li shook his head.

He slowly said to me:

"Qiyue, the nature of our situation and theirs are entirely different. We are merely seeking a truce, just getting it to give up on targeting your wife—that's all."

"As for the big shot you mentioned, the thoughts running through their mind are far more complex than ours. We aren't even in the same weight class! Do you think those are the same thing?"

Uncle Blind Li said to me with a smile. At that moment, he seemed to have already come up with a countermeasure.