Seeing the situation was not going well, Miaoqiu hurriedly stood between the two and smoothed things over, saying, "Lin Tian, don’t make things difficult for my uncle. Please wait outside calmly, and we’ll go in and take a look first, alright?"

"Hmm, I think this is a feasible plan," Xu Beishan agreed. He was chilled by Lin Tian’s gaze, and since Miaoqiu was offering a way out, he naturally followed.

Lin Tian glanced at the Xu Family’s ancestral shrine again, nodding, "Alright, but I hope you do it quickly."

Miaoqiu also understood the urgency of the situation, and after greeting Xu Beishan, she walked towards the shrine.

"Third Uncle, don’t you feel something’s wrong? Why are the incense candles in the shrine so dim today?" Miaoqiu asked.

The Xu Family’s ancestral shrine had someone tending to the incense candles every day, day and night. Letting the incense burn out was not only disrespectful to the ancestors but also considered very unlucky.

With Miaoqiu’s mention, Xu Beishan finally noticed, whispering, "Yes, why is the side room of the shrine dark tonight? And why are the lanterns at the entrance also dim?"

The two exchanged a glance, raised their alertness to the highest level, and quickly pushed the door to enter.

Lin Tian and the others followed, but did not enter the shrine.

Lin Tian’s x-ray vision was always on, observing the situation inside.

The elderly woman sitting on the prayer mat heard the commotion outside, suddenly waved her hand, and a strange gust of wind blew through, extinguishing all the candles in the shrine, leaving only the incense burner emitting a faint red glow.

At this moment, the uncle and nephew stepped through the main door, passed a corridor, and stood on the courtyard of the main hall. Suddenly, everything went black, and by Mao Lulu’s moonlight, only the words ’Ancestral Kindness and Filial Piety’ could be seen on the plaque above the main hall.

Instantly, the two stopped in their tracks.

The enemy is in the dark, we are in the light; at such times, one must not act rashly.

"Who’s there playing tricks? Aren’t you afraid the ancestors will punish you?" Xu Beishan shouted, his voice resonating through the entire shrine as though it were a great bell.

"Heh? Ancestors? They enjoy the incense here daily, but they’re just blocks of wood with carvings; what’s there to fear?" the middle-aged woman laughed, "Big Brother, I advise you to leave here now, or you could help me as a guardian. Anyone who disrupts my plans today will pay with their life!"

The voice, dark and twisted, sharp and somewhat piercing, was clear even to Lin Tian and the others outside the shrine.

"Nanhai? Is it you!" Xu Beishan exclaimed in surprise at the voice, asking, "What are you doing here?"

"Doing what? You’ve come all the way here, and yet you still don’t know what I want to do?" Xu Nanhai’s voice was sharp, "Didn’t you also find that Lin kid during the day to get some Ancestor Returning Elixir? Big Brother, let me tell you, if you want to awaken your bloodline, why make it so difficult? Didn’t a little girl with a captivating physique come to our Xu Family a few days ago?"

Xu Beishan had not understood Xu Nanhai’s intentions until now, and it all became clear.

She had set her sights on the captivating bone of Mei Ruyan!

Common people have 206 bones, while those with a captivating physique naturally have an extra bone located below the abdomen, next to the Sea of Qi. It’s a piece of soft cartilage with a unique texture.

Xu Nanhai wanted to take this captivating bone and graft it onto herself to significantly boost her power.

"Aunt, do you believe in such wicked practices? Hand Ruyan over to us, and we’ll pretend this never happened," Miaoqiu advised.

Miaoqiu, although related by blood to this aunt, was practically a stranger, with little to no interaction usually.

Everyone in the Xu Family practiced the Charm Technique. Xu Nanhai’s technique was unique, with a pair of naturally fox-red eyes. When she used her Charming Skill, she could capture one’s heart and soul.

This wasn’t a captivating physique, but a mutated one. Despite her natural fox eyes, her strength was stuck at the high-level Martial Artist stage.

For other high-level Martial Artists, when the opportunity comes, they could condense a Golden Core. However, for Xu Nanhai, she could never form a Golden Core.

Furthermore, these fox eyes had a significant flaw: they burned her lifespan. One of Xu Nanhai’s days was equivalent to two for others. She looked like an old lady of seventy but was just over forty.

Her body aged, yet her eyes were as bright as the moon, needing the body to sustain. But for how many years could she maintain it?

Maybe next month or the next year, she would become a pile of bones, while those eyes remained as bright as ever, not decomposing for a hundred years.

No one could accept such results, which led Xu Nanhai’s mentality to become increasingly abnormal, with a penchant for collecting wicked practices.

It was said she had seduced countless men into Dual Cultivation using her fox eyes.

The ultimate outcome, naturally, was those men exhausted their essence and perished within a few years. But for Xu Nanhai, it was nothing but a drop in the ocean!

Because of this phenomenon, her brother Xu Dongxu, traveled to the outside world, studying the Taoist arts for ten years to find a legitimate solution for Xu Nanhai.

Unfortunately, in ten years, he hadn’t found a single clue.

"Aunt, Ruyan’s captivating bone does not match you. Forcibly attaching it to yourself will be bad for everyone. Why do something harmful and unprofitable? How about this: you hand her over to me, and I’ll get some pills from Lin Tian for you to cultivate a Golden Core, how about that?"

"Cultivate a Golden Core?" Xu Nanhai sneered, "What good is a Golden Core? Wouldn’t I age quickly just the same? Only by transplanting the captivating bone to myself can I slow aging. Doesn’t it match? If I can extract her bone, is attaching it really an issue? It’s just a bit more trouble getting her essence."

Miaoqiu’s eyes widened slightly, her voice cold, "You’ve taken her essence too?"

"Hehehe, just a little essence? I might as well take it all. Once her captivating bone is removed, she can’t live anyway; why not use it?"

Xu Nanhai said coldly, "That girl is just Xu Shaohui’s illegitimate child. Having some use to our Xu Family is her honor; let her die."

"Nanhai..." Xu Beishan’s voice sank, "Hand her over to us."

"Big Brother, are you still trying to stop me?"

Xu Beishan clenched his fists tightly, saying sternly, "I’m trying to save you!"

"Fine, very well, then let’s see if you have the capability."

As Xu Nanhai’s voice fell, a strange wind suddenly blew in the courtyard, rustling the surrounding plants, making it impossible to discern her position.

"Gather your qi, protect your eyes!" Xu Beishan said.

In fact, without needing his words, Miaoqiu had already used Spiritual Qi to protect her eyes.

When facing others, she could use her eyes to employ her Charming Skill, but against Xu Nanhai, it was courting death!