Siheyuan: Tathagata's Palm suppresses the entire courtyard!

Xu Mingjie nodded gratefully and held his wife's hand tightly, feeling the warmth and strength. Although the road ahead is full of unknowns, he believes that as long as the two of them are united, they can overcome all difficulties.

As the night deepened, the courtyard seemed particularly quiet in the wetness after the rain. Xu Mingjie sat at the desk, flipping through the diary left by his grandfather, his heart full of questions and expectations. The mysterious "pavilion" seemed to be calling him, and he also knew that he was about to embark on a journey from which he could not turn back.

Xu Mingjie paced back and forth in the courtyard, his mind in a mess. He thought of the conversation he had just had with Yi Zhonghai, and felt vaguely uneasy. He felt as if he had been drawn into a huge whirlpool, and every clue seemed to be pushing him deeper into this complex mystery.

Just as he was thinking, there was a slight sound of footsteps in the yard. He looked up and saw that it was an old lady who came in from outside with a basket of vegetables. The old lady was known to be warm-hearted in the courtyard. She usually had a good relationship with her neighbors and was always willing to help others, but today her face seemed a little strange.

Xu Mingjie frowned slightly and decided to go up to her and say hello, and see if he could get some clues from her. "Auntie, it's raining so hard today, are you still going out to buy vegetables?" Xu Mingjie asked casually, trying to break the silence.

The lady looked up at him and forced a smile, but it seemed a little forced. "Yes, Mingjie, isn't it time to buy groceries today? We don't have much left at home."

Xu Mingjie nodded, but he felt something was wrong. Usually, Auntie was always talkative and especially liked to chat with him about interesting things in the courtyard, but today she seemed to be in a hurry to leave, and even her eyes seemed to be evasive.

"Auntie, I have something I want to ask you." Xu Mingjie saw the right opportunity and decided to directly ask about the doubts in his mind.

The aunt was stunned for a moment, and the basket in her hand shook, seeming a little unnatural. "Oh? What's the matter, Mingjie?"

Xu Mingjie took a deep breath and tried to make his tone sound more natural: "I recently heard that there used to be an old house in this yard. It was abandoned a long time ago. Everyone said that the place was quite weird. You have lived here for so long, have you heard of this?"

The lady's expression instantly became stiff, and a trace of panic flashed in her eyes, but she quickly regained her composure and forced a smile, "Ah, Mingjie, these are all old rumors, there's nothing much to say. We old guys don't usually talk about these things, they're all old things from the past."

Xu Mingjie's heart skipped a beat, and he felt something was wrong. Auntie was always straightforward and rarely evasive when speaking. Today's behavior was even more abnormal. He stared at Auntie's eyes, trying to catch something from her expression.

"Auntie, are you hiding something from me?" Xu Mingjie asked tentatively, his voice a little serious. He had begun to suspect that Auntie might know some key information but chose to conceal it.

The aunt's face suddenly became even uglier, and her eyes were wandering, as if she was weighing how to deal with this question. "Hide it from you? No, Mingjie, you think too much." Her tone was a little hurried, as if she wanted to end the topic as soon as possible.

Xu Mingjie was filled with disappointment and anger. He was almost certain from the reaction of the aunt that she was hiding some important information. This thought made him feel extremely uncomfortable. The usually kind aunt would lie to him at this time.

"Auntie, I know you may have your concerns, but this matter is very important to me. If you really know something, please tell me." Xu Mingjie's voice became low and firm, and there was a pleading look in his eyes.

The aunt was shocked by his tone and gaze, and remained silent for a while, as if she was struggling fiercely in her heart. Her fingers tightly grasped the handle of the basket, and the veins on the back of her hand were exposed, showing her inner tension.

Finally, she sighed, lowered her head and avoided Xu Mingjie's gaze, her voice revealing a trace of fatigue and helplessness: "Mingjie, it's not that I don't want to tell you... Some things are not good to know. Your grandfather also advised me not to meddle in these things, and I don't want you to follow his old path."

Xu Mingjie felt a pang of pain in his heart when he heard this. He could hear the complex emotions in the words of the aunt, which seemed to be a deep regret and helplessness, but this could not calm the doubts and anger in his heart. "But, since these things are so important, why do you hide them from me? I have the right to know my grandfather's past and the secrets of this family!"

The aunt tightly closed her eyes, as if unwilling to face Xu Mingjie's questioning. Her tone was pleading: "Mingjie, some secrets are better left in the past. Your grandfather passed away early, but he wanted to protect you and didn't want you to be involved in these things. Just listen and don't ask any more questions."

Xu Mingjie felt a strong anger in his heart, and this feeling made him almost unable to control his emotions. How could he accept such a reason? The aunt he had respected since childhood chose to conceal the truth at such a critical moment, which made him feel a pain of betrayal.

"Aunt, I have always respected you, and you know that I will never give up easily. Please tell me the truth! I don't want to be kept in the dark, and I don't want my grandfather's last wish to be buried underground forever!" Xu Mingjie's voice couldn't help but rise a few degrees, with a stubborn look in his eyes.

The aunt's face turned pale. She raised her head and looked at Xu Mingjie's determined eyes. Finally, her shoulders trembled slightly, as if she had completely given up the idea of ​​hiding it. "Mingjie, I..." Her voice was weak and powerless, and she almost wanted to slip out of her mouth, but she swallowed it back.

Xu Mingjie's heart ached. He knew he was pushing too hard, but he couldn't stand the feeling of being kept in the dark. He stared at the aunt, waiting for her response, waiting for the answer that could completely change his fate.

Finally, the aunt sighed deeply and whispered: "Mingjie, you are too stubborn... Well, I can only tell you one thing, that place does exist, your grandfather once went deep into it, but he never mentioned it again after he came back. The things there are not what you can handle, I advise you not to go."

Xu Mingjie had mixed feelings in his heart. He felt relieved and heavy at the same time. Although it was finally confirmed, the truth made him even more uneasy. What was hidden in that place, and why was Auntie and the others so scared?