Chapter 478 - 474: Guiding the Smoke

Victor Tucker froze for a moment, but Owen Griffin just scoffed. "It was just a casual question. I’m not interested in your business."

With that, he walked straight past Victor Tucker and left.

Victor Tucker stood there in a daze. Although a sense of guilt remained, his heart wasn’t pounding like it had the first time.

「That weekend, on Mount Lyra.」

In an open area at the foot of the mountain, Cecilia Sterling slowly brought the car to a stop and got out of the driver’s seat, wearing a pair of sunglasses.

It wasn’t even nine in the morning, but the scorching sun had already pushed the temperature to ninety degrees. Since they were going to be climbing the mountain, Cecilia hadn’t bothered to dress up, simply throwing on a lightweight sun-protection jacket to avoid getting a tan.

"It’s so hot today!" The passenger door opened, and Jane Sterling clambered out. "I can’t believe this is my first time ever coming here."

Mount Lyra was huge. It was impossible for Jane Sterling’s maternal grandfather to have owned the entire mountain—he only owned one of its peaks.

But even a single peak was enormous—more than enough space for any project.

Cecilia tilted her head, casually glancing around. As far as she could tell, it was just an ordinary mountain; she couldn’t discern any of its secrets.

"That master Mr. Sullivan introduced should be here soon, right?"

Cecilia glanced at the time and nodded. A second later, the sound of tires crunching over gravelly ground drifted toward them.

They both looked up at the same time and saw a luxurious Bentley slowly approaching from down the road.

Cecilia couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow, while Jane exclaimed in astonishment, "The master drives a Bentley?"

"Don’t make a fuss. Be careful not to offend him," Cecilia quickly reminded her.

Jane Sterling nodded and obediently shrank back behind Cecilia.

As soon as the car stopped, Cecilia took the initiative to step forward and open the rear door. "Hello, Master. I’m Cecilia Sterling."

The man slowly raised his head, revealing a pair of slightly cloudy eyes. The whites were almost cyan, which caught Cecilia by surprise and made her jump.

But Cecilia showed no outward reaction, even though her heart had just skipped a beat.

A faint smile touched Master Ingram’s lips as he nodded gently. "I know."

With that, he stepped out of the car. His rather gaunt frame was draped in a pure black robe, and he casually slipped on a pair of black sunglasses.

His entire aura changed in an instant.

He looked like a fortune-teller.

’The con artist type.’

Jane Sterling grew suspicious but didn’t dare say more. After all, Mr. Sullivan had said this Master Ingram was very famous in Lorcain.

’Besides,’ she told herself, ’you can’t judge a book by its cover.’

Just then, a young man got out from the driver’s side. He looked to be in his early twenties, with thick eyebrows, large eyes, and an energetic air about him.

He went around to the trunk, took out a backpack, and then walked back over to Master Ingram, bending down slightly.

Without a word, Master Ingram nimbly climbed onto the young man’s back. With a slight push, the young man easily hoisted the master’s slender frame.

"Is it up here?" the young man asked, turning his head toward Cecilia.

Cecilia quickly nodded.

There was a path up the mountain, but it was steep and winding, a strenuous climb to the top.

But the young man ascended as if walking on level ground, carrying Master Ingram as if he weighed nothing. Soon, he left Cecilia and Jane Sterling far behind.

Only then did Jane Sterling dare to speak. "Cecilia, are you sure about this guy? The little old man looks like he can barely take care of himself."

"Shh." Cecilia quickly motioned for her to be quiet. "There’s no point in second-guessing him now. We’ll find out soon enough if he’s the real deal."

Jane Sterling pouted. Truth be told, she didn’t believe in any of this stuff.

After a long, breathless climb, the two women finally reached the summit. Master Ingram and the young man, who had arrived long before them, were already busy at work.

The young man was lighting a small, bronze-colored censer, using a flint—the kind of thing you’d only see in period dramas.

Meanwhile, Master Ingram held a Compass and paced in circles on the summit, his fingers pinching back and forth in what looked like a profound calculation.

Cecilia and Jane Sterling exchanged a look and silently stepped aside.

After a long moment, Master Ingram put away his Compass, walked over to the small censer, and stared, transfixed, at the smoke rising from its opening.

It was just ordinary white smoke, seemingly nothing special.

"Young lady, what do you plan to do with this peak?" Master Ingram suddenly asked.

Cecilia, still a bit lost in thought, took a moment to reply. "I wanted to ask you, Master, to determine if this peak has good Feng Shui. What do you think of building a cemetery here?"

Jane Sterling’s eyes widened to the size of saucers as she stared at Cecilia. "You...!"

’Build a cemetery?’

’Of all the things she could come up with!’

Cecilia quickly whispered an explanation, "It’s just an idea. We still need to hear the master’s opinion."

’The living consult Feng Shui when choosing a place to build a home.’

’So for the dead, choosing a place for eternal rest is even more critical. I have to ensure that any cemetery built here has exceptional Feng Shui, or it will never sell.’

Hearing this, Master Ingram gave Cecilia a second look.

"Master, the ’smoke is guiding’!" the young man suddenly called out.

They all looked over. The smoke from the censer was drifting straight forward, off the front of the mountain peak. It didn’t look particularly unusual.

Jane Sterling frowned. Hearing the term "smoke guiding," she felt the two were just putting on an unnecessarily mysterious act.

But then Cecilia nudged her lightly, jutting her chin toward a black banner planted next to the censer.

Jane Sterling stared at it, and even in the ninety-degree heat, she instantly broke out in goosebumps.

The flag was fluttering in the exact opposite direction of the smoke...

’The flag is moved by the wind, fluttering in the direction of the breeze. But the smoke... it’s drifting against the wind?’

’How is that possible?’

"Don’t be alarmed. This is a basic Feng Shui procedure, not some paranormal event."

Master Ingram slowly rose, his gaze following the drifting smoke. In that direction lay Lorcain, the bustling metropolis faintly visible in the distance.

"Tiger, explain it to them," Master Ingram said.

"Yes, Master."

The young man, Tiger, walked over to Cecilia and pointed. "From our current perspective, that direction over there is south to us, correct?"

Cecilia nodded.

Tiger continued, "But because the guiding smoke drifted that way, it means that direction is north."

"Huh?" Jane Sterling suspected she was hearing things. "Didn’t you just say it was south?"

"For the living, that way is south." Tiger looked at Jane Sterling and explained in more detail, "But the guiding smoke follows the direction for the deceased. For them, that direction is north."

His words were starting to delve into metaphysics. ’Since I’ve been reborn myself,’ Cecilia thought, ’this doesn’t scare me.’

Jane Sterling, however, was genuinely getting scared. Curious as she was, she didn’t dare ask any more questions.

Tiger continued his explanation, "According to the Feng Shui classics, ’facing north toward civilization, with Jade Creek to the south at one’s back,’ constitutes an auspicious site, a perfect place for eternal rest."