204: Chapter 204 Plan

Han Jingyang and the other two followed Liu Qing's cousin into the villa. They lit incense in front of the old lady's coffin, bowed in respect, and left five hundred yuan as a gift.

The one standing guard by the coffin to acknowledge the guests' respects was the eldest brother, Liu Jian.

Liu Jian had a gloomy expression. He swept a glance over Han Jingyang's group of three and silently acknowledged their respects, directly dismissing them as young people looking to Liu Qing for favors.

He had seen many such people.

Over the years, people often came to his door, stuffing him with gifts and cash, entrusting him to pass messages to Liu Qing and the like.

Han Jingyang, meanwhile, observed carefully without showing any emotion.

After leaving, Liu Jing whispered, "Boss, did you find anything?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Mm."

"Did you find the person?"

"Found him."

"Where?"

"Right inside the coffin."

"Ah? Why? Wait, could it be that inside the coffin..."

"Exactly. There are two people in the coffin—one dead, one alive."

"What is the purpose of this?"

"I suspect it's some kind of sinister Feng Shui secret technique, similar to sacrificial burial. I just don't know what its specific use is."

"What?" Liu Jing was shocked. "This... this actually happens?"

Han Jingyang sighed. "Living sacrifices aren't a rarity. They've existed from the time of primitive tribes until now. It's just that they used to be done openly, and now they've become very secretive. Da Sheng Zhuang is a typical example. It's just that these kinds of secret techniques are too wicked, so fewer and fewer people do them, but that doesn't mean they've completely disappeared. They exist domestically, and even more so abroad. There are cases like this everywhere in Southeast Asia, Africa, Central Asia, Europe, the Americas, and even in the neighboring Cosmic Country."

"Ah? So many? Even abroad?"

"It's only more insane abroad. The religious atmosphere in China is very thin now, so things can't get too chaotic. But abroad... just search for the nonsense that happens in the Cosmic Country and you'll know. Many times, Jianghu rumors aren't just rumors; they're the truth."

"What about domestically?"

"There were still some in earlier years, but they're almost invisible now. The remaining ones are almost unknown and done very secretly. Do you really think the people at the Bureau of Religious Affairs are useless? Such a large logistics support base isn't just for show."

Liu Jing realized, "No wonder certain departments of the Bureau of Religious Affairs not only have privileges but are also so strong."

Han Jingyang nodded slightly. "It's good that you understand. This world isn't that bad, but it's definitely not that good either. Where there is sunlight, there must be shadows."

Once these words were spoken, the atmosphere became somewhat oppressive.

The gap between reality and ideals is always so vast.

In an ideal world, it should be beautiful, sunny, harmonious, and orderly, where everyone's rights are one hundred percent guaranteed.

In reality, this world is filled with injustice, darkness, and chaos that can be seen everywhere. Many people's rights are being trampled and violated without restraint.

By comparison, the domestic situation is already doing very, very well, although there is still room for improvement.

Of course, Han Jingyang wasn't interested in managing so much. It was enough for him to take care of his own affairs and the affairs of those around him.

Shi Xiaoya felt much the same. She had long experienced the darkness of this world, so she didn't feel anything special. She just frowned and asked, "Boss, how do we save him?"

"Do you have any good ideas?"

"No. During the funeral period, there are people guarding twenty-four hours a day, and quite a lot of them. There's no chance to make a move."

"Wait for the burial?"

"Even less of a chance. There are more people before the burial, and after the burial, the workload is huge—you'd have to dig up the earth and open the tomb. Plus, the timing has to be perfect. If you don't get the timing right, the person will likely suffocate to death," Shi Xiaoya said, then asked again, "Boss, are you sure he's still alive?"

"Certain."

Han Jingyang certainly wouldn't be mistaken.

Although he didn't have X-ray vision,

the earth qi and qi field around that coffin were completely different. The Yin and Yang were very distinct. In particular, the unique inner qi on Xu Xin's body was identifiable at a glance.

Xu Xin practiced Taiji. The qi inside his body had distinct Yin and Yang, circulating in an orderly, peaceful, and stable manner. His qi field was like a three-dimensional Taiji diagram. Though not very powerful, it was indeed unique and easy to distinguish.

Because of this, even through the coffin boards, he could discover Xu Xin's presence and confirm that Xu Xin was still alive.

The problem now was how to get Xu Xin out before he died.

Considering he was sealed in a coffin without food or water, Xu Xin could at most hold on for three or four days.

In other words, regardless of when the old lady was buried or what the Three Liu Brothers were actually up to, the person had to be rescued within three days.

But with so many people at the scene, how could they save him?

Call the police?

That was a decent idea, but the Three Liu Brothers wouldn't necessarily confess. There was room for them to shirk responsibility; they could completely push all the blame onto the carpenter who made the coffin.

Furthermore, although illegal detention is a criminal offense, before it results in serious consequences, the sentence wouldn't be heavy. For the Three Liu Brothers, it would be a mere slap on the wrist.

The most crucial point was that the Three Liu Brothers clearly didn't understand Feng Shui; there must be an expert giving instructions behind the scenes.

Calling the police could only result in the arrest of the Three Liu Brothers, but it wouldn't touch that potentially existing expert.

Therefore, it was best to find a way to catch the whole gang in one fell swoop.

Save the person first, then catch the perpetrators.

Han Jingyang briefly explained his thoughts to Liu Jing and Shi Xiaoya.

Liu Jing didn't have any good ideas. She wasn't good at these things to begin with, and now she had become the combat specialist. For problems that could be solved with a battle blade, she definitely wouldn't use her brain.

Shi Xiaoya, however, offered many good suggestions. She was meticulous, bold, and had strong execution skills, so the ideas she came up with were all highly feasible.

Shi Xiaoya made suggestions,

and Han Jingyang supplemented and refined them.

They soon settled on the plan with the highest feasibility.

Now they just had to wait for the right moment.

Meanwhile, inside Liu Qing's study,

Liu Qing and Mr. Tian sat opposite each other.

Mr. Tian was comfortably crossing his legs and sucking on grapes, popping them in one by one. He'd toss a grape into his mouth, give it a squeeze, follow it with a "ptui" sound as he spat out the skin, and then toss in another.

The clean, tidy, and luxurious study was littered with grape skins; even the ceiling hadn't been spared.

As the owner, Liu Qing didn't dare show even a hint of dissatisfaction. He could only say with a forced smile, "Mr. Tian, are you really not afraid that Xu Xin's friends or family will come looking for him?"

Mr. Tian gave a cold laugh. "What if they do? Being able to find him is what counts as skill."

"But, just in case... if they call the police, they might bring police dogs."

"Do you think I haven't thought of the problems you can think of? I already placed a secret technique to scare dogs near the coffin. No dog will dare get close," Mr. Tian snorted. "Besides, are you a waste? Are you three brothers all useless? To let someone bring dogs to search near the coffin during such a solemn occasion—how could you ever hold your heads up in the village again? Be bolder. If anyone tries that, call all the villagers to come and block them. Just say the villagers won't stand for such a violation of tradition. Whoever tries to search is making an enemy of the entire village."

Liu Qing's face was bitter. "But, this kind of behavior seems like an even worse violation of tradition."

"Are you fucking stupid? You don't have to do this kind of thing personally. What are your two useless brothers for? Just let them step forward and take the blame. Besides, the Feng Shui roots of your Liu family are all anchored in you. As long as nothing happens to you, your Liu family's rise to wealth and power is right before your eyes. Once this storm passes, just fish them out. At most, give the two of them some compensation. What do you think?"