Chapter 1786 - 321:

The old man was silent for a long time.

He didn't ask if the little boy in the painting was the young man in front of him, but instead, with a sob in his voice, said:

"The lingering spirit won't go away!"

Using a strong fate to transfer evil is considered the bottom-of-the-trunk trick for Liu Jinxia and her daughter.

For normal clients, unless offered an irresistible price, they would refuse such a job.

Back then, Liu Jinxia helped Li Zhiyuan transfer an evil spirit this way only because Li Weihan had taken care of her and her daughter.

This strong fate indeed came from a family legacy, as the Jin Family's life chart was inherently special; but within this "inheritance," there's also a curse from the Black Flood Dragon mixed in.

Jin Xingshan thought that sending his daughter away would ensure her safety, and his idea wasn't wrong, he did achieve it.

But escaping the Black Flood Dragon's curse was not that easy, especially after the residual spirit from the Black Flood Dragon Skin was born, which harbored a strong hatred towards the Jin Family.

As Jin Xingshan became more and more incapable of suppressing it, it grew more solid, and its revenge became more severe.

This is also why, despite having the same strong fate, there's a noticeable escalation among Liu Jinxia, Li Juxiang, and Cui Cui.

Li Zhiyuan spoke up: "Tell me completely how your Jin Family suppresses this Black Flood Dragon Skin, and I'll resolve this matter entirely."

Earlier, the old man had been wary of Li Zhiyuan and Zhao Yi, especially when Li Zhiyuan brought up his descendants, causing him to instinctively feign ignorance.

There are countless similar cases in Jianghu where a family's bloodline or life chart characteristics caused them to be oppressed, leading to the entire family, including future generations, being reduced to mere tools—this was not unheard of.

However, after the young man handed him these paintings, the last bit of his doubts was eliminated.

He now completely believed that the young man had old ties with his daughter's family.

Old man: "There are no books or written records anymore; originally there were, but I personally destroyed them."

Li Zhiyuan: "You can just tell me verbally."

Old man: "Then I'll speak slowly, if there's anything you don't understand, feel free..."

Li Zhiyuan: "Please speak as quickly as possible."

Old man: "Uh... alright."

Next, the old man began narrating the methods and history of how the Jin Family suppressed the Black Flood Dragon Skin.

It aligned with what Li Zhiyuan had previously speculated: the Jin Family inherently possessed a special life chart, which could be said to be destined to work in the field of Xuanmen.

Perhaps Zhao Wuyang had also noticed this aspect of the Jin ancestors.

Historically, the Jin Family's suppression of the Black Flood Dragon Skin was to use their life chart as a medium to forcibly neutralize the lingering resentment on the Black Flood Dragon Skin.

This method was tiring, strenuous, and painful. The Jin Family persisted until the Zhao Family took away Zhao Wuyang's head from underneath the Jiang Locking Tower; when the unprotected Jin Family continued to suppress the Black Flood Dragon Skin in this manner, their life chart began to be tainted by the Black Flood Dragon.

The Flood Dragon itself is a very peculiar existence. So many legends about the Flood Dragon transforming into a true dragon actually illustrate its awkward existence at this stage.

In astrology, all descriptions related to "flood" signify shortcomings or hidden dangers.

While listening, Li Zhiyuan was simultaneously jotting down notes and sketches on paper; this time, it wasn't merely drawing, but beginning to devise plans.

While writing, the pen in the young man's hand paused slightly.

He had discovered a problem.

That is, in the early days, the Jin Family used their life chart in conjunction with specialized means to indeed dissipate the Black Flood Dragon Skin's resentment, but later, due to the turmoil caused by the Zhao Family and the Jin Family's life chart being tainted by the Black Flood Dragon...

This suppression instead turned into a kind of "sacrificial nurturing."

In a way, the fact that the Black Flood Dragon Skin could give birth to a residual spirit was largely due to the Jin Family's fostering.

This is a very cruel truth.

Jin Xingshan was probably caught in the middle of this, and since it had been the same from his grandfather's generation and father's generation, he didn't notice anything unusual.

When Li Zhiyuan had just entered the courtyard and "greeted" the Black Flood Dragon's residual spirit below the well, he felt suspicious.

If there was a mighty force inside the house, even without tying it with a rope, they could keep this residual spirit obedient.

But the state that Jin Xingshan was in, if the Black Flood Dragon's residual spirit tried to escape, he actually was powerless to stop it.

This suggested that the relationship between the Jin Family and the Black Flood Dragon Skin evolved from early suppressors to feeders.

Admittedly, in objective terms, this was also a kind of "suppression method," like cutting flesh to feed a tiger, keeping the Black Flood Dragon's residual spirit here, hence preventing it from harming ordinary people.

But the Black Flood Dragon's residual spirit was also planning for its future, and with Jin Xingshan running out of fuel, it had to actively seek out new members of the Jin Family.

Liu Jinxia, Li Juxiang, and Cui Cui were all future keepers prepped by the residual spirit for itself.

Old man: "I've finished talking, is there anything else you need me..."

Li Zhiyuan: "Alright, I understand now."

Old man: "I..."

Li Zhiyuan: "Leave the rest to me."

The old man was still a bit unaccustomed to this style of communication with the young man.

He was indeed willing to impart all of the Jin family's heritage to the young man without reservation, but the key points that he himself found difficult to understand and wanted to elaborate on were swiftly bypassed at the young man's request.

There was a sense that the Jin Family's teachings meant nothing to the young man.

Yet despite the young man's somewhat indifferent attitude, he was still very polite to him, so the old man didn't feel like the young man was intentionally mocking the Jin Family's unique skills.

Old man: "How long do you need to prepare... What do you plan to do?"