Chapter 80: The Strange Matter

The name He Jianbo is unknown to most ordinary citizens in Longguo, but he is well-known in the business world.

This businessman, under fifty this year, left his hometown early to make his fortune along the coast—his early rise to wealth is now forgotten by most.

Yet the outcome is clear: today he owns a publicly listed company with a market value exceeding ten billion, and over the years he has invested widely, holding shares in numerous major industry firms.

A few years ago, he even appeared on the wealth ranking list; though his position wasn’t high, his net worth should still be nearly ten billion.

He’s business interests are mainly concentrated in Jin Ling, Hu Zhou, and Lin’an—this region known in Longguo as the prosperous economic triangle.

But his hometown lies in a rural village.

Moreover, He Boss has a family matter unknown to outsiders.

At under fifty, He Boss has no father; his household contains only an elderly mother living alone.

Yet only close family members know this elderly mother is not He Boss’s biological mother.

As a child, He Boss’s original family was a collateral branch of the clan, poor, with three brothers—his biological parents both died in an accident.

Unable to support themselves, the three brothers were placed under the clan elders’ decision to be adopted out.

He Jianbo was adopted into a main-line household.

The man of that household had already died, leaving only a widow; since he passed away early, he left no children to carry on the family line, thus ending the lineage.

Fortunately, before his death, the man left behind a decent estate ensuring the widow lived comfortably.

The clan elders then arranged the adoption: the three-year-old He Boss was taken in, made to recognize the widow as his mother and the deceased man as his father, thereby continuing the lineage.

His surname didn’t change—he was already a He by birth, merely from a collateral branch.

This shift, ironically, made him a legitimate main-line descendant, eligible to be recorded in the family genealogy—his original collateral status was too distant to qualify.

He was adopted at age three; the adoptive father was already dead, so he grew up solely under the widow’s care.

It is said the widow treated him exceptionally well, doting on him; after adoption, he never suffered hardship. They lived years in mutual filial devotion.

As He Boss grew, the widow even sold off family assets to fund his education and support his business ventures abroad.

She even arranged a good marriage for him.

He Boss was deeply filial toward this non-biological mother; after achieving success, he returned to his hometown and built her a grand house. Though he had seen the world’s luxuries, he willingly accepted her choice of wife—a modest, virtuous woman—and left her behind in the village to care for his mother, fulfilling his filial duties.

Every year during festivals and holidays, He Boss always put aside all business to return and visit his mother.

In his hometown, He Boss was widely known as a model filial son.

The old lady, having adopted such a son, was considered blessed—her son became successful and devoted, and neighbors all said she had a kind heart and now enjoyed comfort because of him.

Indeed, that was how things stood.

But people, after all, are subject to birth, aging, sickness, and death.

A few days ago, the old lady passed away at over seventy, living a good life.

The ever-filial He Boss attended her bedside until her final breath, watching her die.

Devastated by his mother’s death, He Boss threw an elaborate funeral, reportedly grand and filled with utmost honor.

Then came the burial—the old lady held traditional views, having insisted in life that she did not wish cremation, but earth burial, to rest peacefully in the ground.

He Boss, a devoted son, remembered her wishes.

Although Longguo’s laws prohibit earth burial, He Boss had wealth and influence, and the He family was a deeply rooted traditional clan; after much maneuvering, they succeeded in burying her in the ground.

The old lady’s body was interred in the He family ancestral graveyard.

—Up to this point, everything was normal.

What followed was unnatural!

·

Ten days after burial, a heavy rainstorm struck, pouring relentlessly for a day and night, triggering a landslide that engulfed the hill where the He ancestral graves lay.

The He family hurried up the mountain to inspect—and discovered that the very grave where the old lady had been buried…

…had collapsed!

Hearing this, He Boss, frantic, rushed back to his hometown to handle it himself.

He family members mobilized manpower and excavated the landslide area thoroughly, unearthing the old lady’s coffin.

The coffin remained largely intact, its lid still firmly nailed shut, though the sides were damaged and the surface cracked in places.

Following He Boss’s decision, since the coffin was broken, they would replace it—how could the old lady rest in a ruined coffin?

Thus, they invited a renowned master from nearby to perform rites and open the coffin to transfer the body.

Result… on the day they opened it, every member of the He family, including He Boss, froze in shock!

The coffin was empty!

The old lady’s body was gone!

·

“On the day of burial, dozens of He family eyes watched her placed into the coffin!”

“The coffin was buried under dozens of He family eyes!”

“When sealing the grave, He Boss himself wielded the shovel, digging earth alongside He family members.”

Chu Keqing paused here, her tone softening: “To be honest with you, I was there that day—He Boss hired me to inspect the grave’s feng shui.”

“How was the grave’s feng shui?”

Chu Keqing answered without hesitation: “A blessed site.”

Chen Yan frowned, thinking: “Could someone have a grudge against He Boss and stolen the body after burial?”

Chu Keqing sighed: “To be honest, I thought the same—perhaps He Boss made enemies abroad who hired a master of occult arts to steal his ancestor’s corpse to cast a vile curse.

But… this doesn’t make sense.

First, such a vile curse requires blood kin. He Boss and the old lady were not biologically related.

Second, the coffin was intact; when dug up, the lid was still nailed shut. If someone stole the body, the lid would have been pried open. Moreover, if it were grave robbery, the coffin contained several valuable burial items—gold and jade artifacts—all undisturbed.”

Chen Yan’s face remained expressionless, but his mind raced.

So… the old lady’s body had simply vanished without explanation?

After a moment’s thought, Chen Yan nodded: “This matter… I’ll go with you to investigate.”

Chu Keqing’s face lit up: “Master truly will help?”

“First, let’s see,” Chen Yan shook his head. “We must observe before we judge.”

Chu Keqing’s eyes gleamed with delight: “Master’s power is supreme—you’ll surely succeed at once!”

They agreed: Chen Yan would prepare at home, and tomorrow morning Chu Keqing would come to pick him up and take him to He Boss’s hometown.

Chu Keqing then took her leave; as she departed, she glanced twice at the stone slabs arranged around the courtyard.

Though she understood no array arts, she could discern the carvings on the stones were likely some form of runes.

But they were too intricate for her to decipher, and without Chen Yan’s permission, she dared not stare—unauthorized observation of another’s magical arts was a grave taboo!

·

“So, did the money sway you?”

After seeing Chu Keqing off, Chen Yan returned home to find Gu Xiaoniang holding the paper with the written sum, watching him with a sly smile.

“It’s not really about the money—I’m just curious. This case is too bizarre, and I want to see what’s truly happening.”

Chen Yan spoke without blinking.

Not really about the money.

Mainly because this old man has a girl’s heart—and loves the pink hue of banknotes!

Is that wrong?

Gu Xiaoniang shot him a glare, then asked: “Your friend there is quite striking—where did you meet her?”

“What’s wrong?”

Gu Xiaoniang took a deep breath, her small face serious: “Didn’t you say last time you already had a girlfriend? If you have one, don’t go chasing after other girls.”

She paused, then shook her head: “Just now, that woman had some cultivation. I didn’t like her—she doesn’t seem trustworthy.”

Hey!

You can’t say that.

You can’t judge someone’s character just because she’s beautiful… Chen Yan shook his head: “You’re imagining things. I have no such relationship with her—she’s a fellow disciple of Luo Qing from Luoyunzhai…”

At the mention of “Luoyunzhai,” Gu Xiaoniang’s gaze drifted away. She coughed, then quickly shoved the remaining half of her fried dough stick into her mouth, chewing furiously with puffed cheeks.

Chen Yan briefly explained Chu Keqing’s background; Gu Xiaoniang avoided his eyes and fell silent.

Chen Yan then asked: “How about it? Will you come with me?”

Gu Xiaoniang immediately shook her head: “Not interested! I heard the story—body vanished. Either a spirit emerged from the mountains, or someone is scheming against He Boss. You go if you want—I’ll stay home.”

Chen Yan was surprised: “You… won’t come?”

Without this immensely powerful little stepmother, he felt genuinely uneasy.

Gu Xiaoniang sneered: “You think I’m here to be your bodyguard?”

Chen Yan replied firmly: “When you accepted being my stepmother, you promised you’d beat up anyone who bothered me and let me walk tall.”

Gu Xiaoniang’s breath hitched. She coughed, looked away, then extended her hand.

“I didn’t say I’d abandon you. Take this.”

In her palm lay two talismans.

Chen Yan picked them up—surely not another summoning talisman like the one she gave him against the Shan Kui?

But this time he was going far—He Boss’s hometown was distant from Jin Ling.

Gu Xiaoniang couldn’t teleport across miles—could she even summon herself?

Yet as he examined the talismans’ inscriptions, Chen Yan froze: “What is this?”

“Formless Severing Slash!”

Chen Yan’s eyes widened: “What the hell?!”

Gu Qingyi looked into Chen Yan’s eyes: “I sealed two Formless Severing Slashes into these talismans.”

“But I’m not skilled in spellcraft, so each of these two Formless Severing Slashes sealed in the paper talismans carries only three-tenths of my current strength.”

“Wait, clarify this first—three-tenths of what? Your Heavenly Person realm’s strength, or...”

“Dream on!”

“If it were even three-tenths of a Heavenly Person’s strength, a single Formless Severing Slash could severely wound a typical Heavenly Person!”

“What I’m giving you is certainly not three-tenths of a Heavenly Person’s strength!”

“In this world, I cannot manifest the Heavenly Person realm. Right now, I’m only at the Stage Establishment realm—but even three-tenths of my Stage Establishment strength in a Formless Severing Slash... is more than enough for you!”

More than enough... Chen Yan’s expression was thoroughly satisfied.

Two days ago, Gu Qingyi had said that the Formless Severing Slash used to destroy the Mountain Golem had been delivered at no more than one-tenth of her strength.

Now, three-tenths?!

“Your world has no spellcraft lineage and is suppressed by the Dao’s restraint; the strongest beings here are merely at Stage Establishment. And in my view, they’re all weak, fragmented Stage Establishment cultivators.”

“Even three-tenths of my Stage Establishment strength in this Formless Severing Slash—sealed in these talismans—is enough to slay your world’s weak Stage Establishment cultivators, for it is Gu family’s ultimate technique, perfected for slaughter!”

Gu Qingyi finished speaking and turned away, not looking at Chen Yan, yet still murmuring softly: “Finish your business quickly and return soon—I’m waiting for you to help me complete my ghost marriage.”

Chen Yan smiled and squeezed the talisman in his hand. Suddenly, a thought struck him:

Huh? These two talismans—she must have drawn them long ago.

·