"That's right, Mr. Miller. Forgive Old Preacher for being blunt, but your house has a spacious bright hall, with beautiful facing mountains—its feng shui was originally excellent. However, these two ponds here cause the people in the bright hall to weep, widows and orphans to cry for long periods. Not only will adults and children be plagued by sudden illnesses, but I'm afraid other misfortunes may also befall you..."

Old Preacher's words were not meant to deliberately frighten Mr. Miller. Feng shui and the earth's energy are inherently related to yin and yang. With these two ponds behind the residence, yin energy will accumulate and stagnate, and over time, it will cause people to become absent-minded.

Second Miller's car accident may not be directly related to these ponds, but filling them in and leveling the ground will undoubtedly be greatly beneficial to those living here in the future.

"So... so if we just fill in the ponds, will that solve it?"

After hearing Old Preacher's words, Mr. Miller finally realized that the problem lay here, and couldn't help but regret it deeply. His momentary decision had actually cost his own brother's life.

"Yes, Mr. Miller. Find someone to fill in the ponds, and the feng shui will naturally be restored."

Old Preacher nodded, then cupped his hands and said, "Mr. Miller, the feng shui issue here has been resolved. My disciple and I still have matters to attend to at the temple, so we'll take our leave now."

"Master..."

Hearing Old Preacher's words, William Clark couldn't help but tug at Old Preacher's sleeve. After coming all this way, not to mention the repairs for the temple, they hadn't even had lunch yet—how could they just leave? Was his teacher really trying to be a model citizen like Lei Feng?

Before William Clark could speak, Mr. Miller was the first to object. He grabbed Old Preacher and said, "Master, that won't do! You're my nephew's savior. If I just let you leave like this, won't people talk behind my back?"

Although Old Preacher said the feng shui issue was resolved, Mr. Miller still felt uneasy. Besides, the ominous energy in the house was still present. What if the child fell ill again after Old Preacher left?

"Brilliant, truly brilliant..."

Seeing this, William Clark quietly withdrew his hand from Old Preacher's sleeve. No wonder his master made him memorize The Art of War and the Thirty-Six Stratagems—turns out, the 'feign retreat to lure the enemy' tactic was being used to perfection by the old man.

"Well... Mr. Miller, I really do have matters to attend to," Old Preacher said, looking troubled.

"Master, if you have anything you need, just say the word and I'll help you get it done, all right?" At this moment, Mr. Miller was like a drowning man clutching at a life-saving straw—he simply refused to let go.

"Well..."

Old Preacher pondered for a moment and said, "To be honest, Mr. Miller, the temple on the mountain has fallen into disrepair over the years, and last night's heavy rain even damaged the ancestral master's memorial tablet. I need to find a construction crew to do some repairs, or else I'll feel I've let down the founder."

"Mr. Thompson, so that's what it is! I know all the construction crews in town. How about this: you stay here for a day, and tomorrow morning I'll bring the crew to help you repair the temple—how does that sound?"

Upon hearing Old Preacher's words, Mr. Miller immediately patted his chest. Compared to his family's safety and fortune, spending a bit of money to help Old Preacher repair the temple was nothing at all.

"Very well, since we also need to dispel the ominous energy in your house, Old Preacher will stay one more day..."

Seeing Mr. Miller's enthusiastic invitation, Old Preacher naturally went along with it, and together with William Clark, returned to the house.

Chapter 006: Ritual

"Mr. Thompson, you and the young master haven't eaten yet, have you? Is there anything you can't eat?"

After sitting down inside, Mr. Miller asked William Clark and his master. With all the recent misfortunes at home, he hadn't had much of an appetite, but now that the root of the problem had been found, Mr. Miller was starting to feel quite hungry.

"People of the mountains aren't picky—we'll eat anything..."

Old Preacher put on the air of a calm and unruffled master, but William Clark, sitting beside him, clearly heard the old man's stomach rumbling.

Although the two of them had eaten quite a bit in the morning, after walking for several hours, they were now so hungry their stomachs were practically touching their backs. If he didn't have to maintain the image of a master and disciple, William Clark would have grabbed the steamed bun in front of the black-and-white photo in the room and eaten it.

In the countryside, weddings and funerals are usually held at home. Since the funeral had just taken place yesterday, there was plenty of food left. Before long, Mr. Miller's wife had prepared and served the meal.

Perhaps worried that Mr. Thompson wouldn't wholeheartedly help dispel the house's ominous energy, Mr. Miller hurriedly ate a bowl of rice and then went out to contact the construction crew.

As soon as Mr. Miller left the room, the master and disciple, who had been eating very politely, immediately tossed aside their chopsticks, each grabbing a pork knuckle and gnawing away. In no time, they had devoured all the good dishes on the table. When Mr. Miller's wife came in to clear the table, she looked at William Clark and his master with a rather odd expression.

"Master, no wonder you look down on those street vendors—turns out, it's so easy to scam a free meal!"

After eating and drinking his fill, William Clark contentedly patted his little belly. Although his father would occasionally catch some fish or shrimp to improve their meals, dishes like today's were a rare treat.

"You rascal, do you think you can just waltz onto Liangshan with nothing to your name? There's a lot to learn here."

Old Preacher glared at William Clark and then said, "Later, go over there and recite the 'Duren Sutra' a few times to dispel the ominous energy."