After Nanli and the others left, Fan Shizhong gradually regained consciousness and went to inform Old Mr. Fan of the matter.
Old Mr. Fan had just begun to recover slightly when he suddenly heard this bad news, and his vision darkened, almost causing him to faint.
But he was the most respected figure in the Fan family, so he forced himself to stay alert and had someone help him up, saying, "Gather all the members of the Fan family to the main hall and inform them of this matter."
"Dad, it’s already late now. Why not wait until tomorrow?" Fan Shizhong suggested.
The fate of the Fan family was already sealed. Whether they were informed earlier or later didn’t matter.
"No, this matter is of great importance," Old Mr. Fan said with lowered eyes, lost in thought.
Fan Shizhong had no choice but to send people to call everyone from the various courtyards.
Today, some people from the Fan family had been digging trees with considerable commotion, and no one was allowed to approach.
The servants had already leaked some information, saying that they had dug up headless corpses under the trees, which frightened many people. Those who came to inquire about the news were all sent away by Fan Shizhong.
Now, in the middle of the night, when the Fan family members were urgently summoned to the main hall, it didn’t take much thought to figure out that it was about this major incident.
Except for the children, the people of the Fan family quickly gathered in the main hall.
The Fan family was prosperous, and one main hall couldn’t accommodate so many people, so some of them stood in the courtyard and corridors.
Old Mr. Fan sat in the main seat of the hall, his face wrinkled, the candlelight reflecting off his white hair.
"I called everyone here tonight to discuss an important matter," Old Mr. Fan said with all his strength, "Shizhong was deceived by a Feng Shui master, and a headless corpse formation was set up in the mansion. We, the Fan family, have lived here for ten years, already enveloped in malevolent aura, and our lives are ebbing away!"
With these words, the expressions of the other members of the Fan family changed drastically.
Sounds of shock, questioning, and crying filled the hall.
Seeing that the situation was about to get out of control, Fan Shizhong hurriedly said, "Everyone, calm down. I will find experts in the world to help the Fan family survive this disaster."
"That’s right!" Second Master Fan also said, "We’ve been tricked, but we won’t sit idly by. If he can set up the formation to harm people, there must be someone in this world who can break it."
Fan Shizhong was now the head of the family, and most of the clan looked up to him. After hearing these words, they calmed down slightly.
However, in the dark night, a figure walked out of the courtyard gate. The moonlight was pure white, shining on the figure, adding a hint of mystery.
The man smirked, slowly saying, "Even if you search the world for experts, they will only say one thing: without the heads of the headless corpses, it is impossible to break the formation and dispel the malevolent aura."
Seeing this figure, Fan Shizhong and Second Master Fan immediately rushed out.
"It’s really you! Zhou Lu!" Fan Shizhong exclaimed angrily. "I trusted you so much and never shortchanged you on money. Why did you harm the Fan family ?"
This man was the Feng Shui master!
He was even wearing several human skulls tied with ropes, which looked even more eerie in the moonlight.
Second Master Fan grabbed Fan Shizhong and whispered, "Big brother, that should be the head of the headless corpse. He holds our lives in his hands. We shouldn’t provoke him."
After he finished speaking, he put on a smile and stepped forward, saying, "Mr. Zhou, if you want something, just say it. We can discuss it."
The Feng Shui master heard the term "Mr. Zhou" and chuckled coldly.
He slowly approached, scanning the members of the Fan family, and finally fixed his gaze on Old Mr. Fan.
"I’m not surnamed Zhou, I’m surnamed Fan," he said slowly and clearly, with a hint of resentment in his words. "My name is Fan Guizong."
Old Mr. Fan suddenly widened his eyes, trembling as he stood up and looked at Fan Guizong, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"You’re called Fan Guizong... So that’s how it is. So that’s how it is. You don’t want money, you want revenge."
Seeing his father suddenly understanding everything, Fan Shizhong hurriedly asked, "Dad, what’s going on?"
Old Mr. Fan sighed and said, "As you all know, I have a younger brother. He violated the rules of the Fan family years ago, so I drove him out of the family. He... he is your second uncle’s son."
The expressions of the crowd varied.
They never expected that the one harming them was actually a member of the Fan family.
Someone immediately questioned, "We are all family, why would you harm us ?!"
Fan Guizong glared fiercely at them and said, "Back then, he already drove my father out of the Fan family and erased my father’s name from the family tree. Who says we’re family?"
Only his father still clung to the idea of returning to the Fan family, so he gave him the name Fan Guizong.
Old Mr. Fan’s murky eyes cleared up a bit. "Indeed, it’s true. You’ve already been removed from the family tree. You’re no longer part of our family."
The cold of this night couldn’t match Fan Guizong’s cold laughter.
The corners of his mouth curved up greatly, eerie and fierce.
"After so many years, you’re still ," Fan Guizong said. "Back then, everything my father did was for you. But you not only didn’t appreciate it, but you also disregarded brotherly love and drove my father out of the Fan family. You’re truly hypocritical!"
Old Mr. Fan was also angry, his face turning pale.
The events of the past were handled quietly by Old Mr. Fan, and many people didn’t know what Fan Guizong’s father, Fan Lu, had done to be removed from the family tree and driven out of the Fan family.
"Father, back then..." Fan Shizhong wanted to understand.
Old Mr. Fan waved his hand and, in front of the other clan members, intermittently recounted the events of the past.
Fan Lu, Fan Guizong’s father, had been interested in Taoism since he was young and had collected many books on the subject. After years of study, he had achieved some success.
At that time, Old Mr. Fan’s fiancée met a scholar, fell in love with him, and wanted to persuade her parents to break off the engagement.
When Fan Lu learned of this, he was furious. If his brother’s engagement was broken off, how could his brother and the Fan family maintain their reputation?
So, he secretly cast a curse on the scholar.
The scholar did indeed die by drowning, but when his fiancée saw her lover dead, she also committed suicide by hanging herself.
Old Mr. Fan inadvertently learned of Fan Lu’s actions and was infuriated, causing the deaths of two people.
He wanted to capture his brother and report him to the authorities, but since Fan Lu had secretly cast the curse, reporting him to the authorities would be futile.
Helpless, he removed Fan Lu’s name from the family tree, forbidding him from ever stepping foot in the Fan family again.
Old Mr. Fan finished speaking in one breath, already exhausted and sweating all over.
The people looked at each other in shock after hearing this.
"Father’s decision back then was not wrong," Fan Shizhong said.
"That’s right, it was your father’s own fault. Why are you seeking revenge on us? What kind of reasoning is this?" Second Master Fan said angrily.
Fan Guizong shook the human skull in his hand, resembling a demon from hell.
"That scholar seduced a woman who was already engaged. His fiancée was fickle, and both of them were to blame! My father did it for the sake of his elder brother and the reputation of the Fan family. He put in so much effort, only to end up in the end! Fan Jiang, my father has been waiting for you to come back to the Fan family, but you never even glanced at him. The brotherly love of many years is nothing but a joke!"