Chapter 71: The Eerie Affair
The name He Jian Bo was not widely known among the common folk of the Dragon Nation, yet in the world of commerce, it carried great weight. Before the age of fifty, he had already carved a formidable path in business, his early struggles now shrouded in the haze of time. What remained undeniable was his success—a publicly listed company under his name, valued at over ten billion. His investments spanned multiple industries, and his wealth had once earned him a place, albeit not at the forefront, on the nation’s rich list.
His business empire thrived within the flourishing economic triangle of Jin Ling Prefecture, Hu Prefecture, and Lin’an Prefecture, but his roots lay in a rural village, a place where his personal history held a secret known to few outsiders.
Despite his wealth and stature, He Jian Bo had neither a father nor a large family. His only kin was an elderly mother who lived alone. Yet, even this was not as it seemed, for those close to the family knew that she was not his birth mother.
In his youth, He Jian Bo belonged to a distant branch of the He Family, born into hardship alongside two brothers. Tragedy struck when his birth parents perished in an accident, leaving the three siblings struggling for survival. The elders of the He Family, bound by tradition, decided to pass him into the main lineage, ensuring his continuation of the family name.
The household he was placed into had already been struck by misfortune. The man of the house had passed away, leaving behind a widow with no children to inherit the family line. Yet, the late husband had left behind enough wealth to secure the widow’s livelihood. Seeing an opportunity to mend the broken lineage, the family elders arranged for three-year-old He Jian Bo to be adopted by the widow. From that day forth, he called her mother and honored her deceased husband as his father, fulfilling the rites of inheritance and securing a place for himself in the He Family’s ancestral records.
By this twist of fate, he rose from a mere branch descendant to a recognized member of the main bloodline. His new mother cherished him deeply, raising him without hardship. Their bond was one of genuine affection, as she sacrificed much for his education and future. When he grew older, she even sold off family assets to fund his ventures and arranged for him to marry a steady and virtuous wife.
Despite the wealth and splendor he later amassed, He Jian Bo remained ever filial. He built his mother a grand residence in their hometown and accepted the marriage she had arranged without protest, even ensuring that his wife stayed by her side for companionship. No matter how busy he was, he always returned home during the holidays, upholding his reputation as a filial son.
For years, the village folk spoke of the widow’s good fortune—having raised such a devoted and successful son. But all things in life must come to an end. Some time ago, the old madam passed away peacefully at the age of seventy, her life considered full and blessed.
At her bedside, He Jian Bo remained to the very last breath, personally witnessing her departure. Consumed by grief, he spared no expense in organizing an elaborate funeral, ensuring her final rites were conducted with the highest honors.
Her final wish had been clear—she did not desire cremation, preferring to rest eternally beneath the earth, in accordance with the old traditions. Though modern law forbade such burials, He Jian Bo, with his influence and the He Family’s deep roots in the region, maneuvered circumstances to grant her wish. Thus, she was interred within the He Family’s Ancestral Tomb.
Everything proceeded as expected—until calamity struck.
—
A mere ten days after her burial, a torrential storm descended upon the land. Rain lashed against the mountains, relentless and unforgiving. By dawn, the deluge had loosened the very bones of the earth, triggering a landslide that swept down upon the ancestral burial grounds.
Alarmed, the He Family rushed to the site, only to find that the very spot where the old madam had been laid to rest had collapsed under the weight of the landslide.
Hearing the news, He Jian Bo abandoned all affairs and returned immediately to oversee the situation. Under his command, the He Family’s men dug through the wreckage, clearing away the debris to retrieve the coffin.
Miraculously, the coffin was largely intact—the lid still nailed shut, though cracks and fractures marred its sides. Deciding that his beloved mother should not rest in a damaged casket, He Jian Bo arranged for a replacement. Rituals were performed, monks and mystics summoned to conduct the proper rites before her remains were to be transferred.
Yet, when the coffin was finally opened, a terrifying revelation paralyzed the assembled mourners.
The coffin was empty.
—
The stunned silence was broken only by the shivering whispers of the family members.
“The body was placed inside! Everyone saw it with their own eyes!”
“The coffin was sealed, the earth laid down by our own hands. He Jian Bo himself held the shovel!”
At this moment, a woman stepped forward—Chu Ke Qing, a known expert in geomancy and spiritual arts, her expression calm but shadowed with concern. She had been present at the burial, personally consulted by He Jian Bo to ensure the site’s feng shui was auspicious.
Upon being asked about the burial site’s properties, she did not hesitate.
“It was a blessed resting place,” she declared. “A lucky tomb.”
And yet, the body was gone.
Chen Yan furrowed his brows in thought before speaking. “Could it be that someone bore a grudge against Boss He and, after the old woman was buried, stole her body in revenge?”
Chu Ke Qing sighed, her expression grave. “To be frank, I had considered that possibility myself. Perhaps Boss He offended someone outside, someone well-versed in the mystic arts, who then stole his ancestor’s corpse to enact some kind of wicked curse. But… it doesn’t quite make sense.
“First, such malevolent curses usually require a blood connection. But Boss He and the old madam were not blood relatives—he was not her birth son. Second, the coffin was completely intact when we unearthed it from the collapsed earth. The lid was nailed shut, firmly sealed. If someone had stolen the body, the coffin lid should have been pried open. Moreover, if this were the work of grave robbers, they would not have left behind the valuable burial items—gold, jade, all untouched.”
Chen Yan remained expressionless, yet his mind turned swiftly. So… the old madam’s corpse had vanished into thin air?
After a moment of contemplation, he finally nodded. “Very well. I’ll go with you to take a look.”
Chu Ke Qing’s face brightened with a smile. “Senior, do you truly mean it?”
“I will go and see,” Chen Yan replied with a shake of his head. “We must first examine the matter before drawing conclusions.”
Chu Ke Qing’s eyes gleamed with joy. “With your strength, Senior, success is assured!”
They set the plan—Chen Yan would prepare at home, and at first light, Chu Ke Qing would come to escort him to Boss He’s ancestral village.
Before leaving, Chu Ke Qing cast a glance at the arranged blue stone tablets in the courtyard. Though she was not well-versed in formations, she could tell that the carvings on those stones were some kind of sigil—intricate beyond her comprehension. Without Chen Yan’s permission, she dared not scrutinize further. Peering into another master’s mystic arts unbidden was a grave taboo.
—
“What is it? Tempted by the money?”
After seeing Chu Ke Qing off, Chen Yan returned to find Gu Qing Yi lounging in the hall, twirling a slip of paper between her fingers. A knowing smirk danced upon her lips.
“It’s not just about the money,” Chen Yan said, keeping his expression composed. “This case is simply too strange. My curiosity got the better of me.”
Not just about the money, indeed.
It was also because he had the heart of a young maiden, enchanted by the pink hue of banknotes! Was that so wrong?
Gu Qing Yi shot him a sidelong glance before asking, “That woman—she’s quite striking. Where did you meet her?”
“Why?”
Gu Qing Yi took a deep breath, her face adopting an unusually serious expression. “Didn’t you say you already have a girlfriend? If so, you shouldn’t be entangling yourself with every passing flower.”
She paused, then added with a shake of her head, “That woman… she has some cultivation in her. But I don’t like her. Something about her tells me she’s trouble.”
Hey, now!
One couldn’t simply judge a book by its cover. Just because she looked alluring didn’t mean her character burned the same way! Chen Yan shook his head. “You’re overthinking. I have no such relationship with her. She’s Luo Qing’s sectmate from Falling Cloud Retreat…”
The moment he mentioned “Falling Cloud Retreat,” Gu Qing Yi’s gaze drifted to the distance. She coughed, stuffing the remainder of her fried dough stick into her mouth and chewing furiously.
Chen Yan briefly explained Chu Ke Qing’s background, but Gu Qing Yi remained silent, her eyes evasive.
Chen Yan then turned to her. “What about you? Want to come along?”
Gu Qing Yi shook her head immediately. “Not interested. A missing corpse? It’s either some spirit beast lurking in the mountains or someone plotting against Boss He in the shadows. If you want to investigate, be my guest. I’ll stay home.”
Chen Yan was a little surprised. “You’re not coming?”
Without this powerful little stepmother, he felt somewhat lacking in security.
Gu Qing Yi smirked coldly. “You just want me as your bodyguard, don’t you?”
Chen Yan replied without hesitation, “When you agreed to be my stepmother, you promised to help me beat up people and let me walk sideways without fear.”
Gu Qing Yi took a sharp breath, coughed, and turned away from his gaze. Yet, she extended a hand.
“I never said I wouldn’t help you. Here, take these.”
In her palm lay two talisman papers.
Chen Yan picked them up, examining the runes. His eyes widened. “Wait… these are?”
“Formless Cataclysm-Slaying Slash.”
Chen Yan’s eyes nearly popped out of his skull. “What the hell?!”
Gu Qing Yi met his gaze calmly. “I have sealed two strikes of Formless Cataclysm-Slaying Slash within these talismans. But I am not skilled in spellcraft, so each strike contains only thirty percent of my current power.”
“Wait, hold on—thirty percent of what level? Is it your Heavenly Mortal Realm power, or…?”
“Keep dreaming!” Gu Qing Yi snorted. “If these held even thirty percent of my power from the Heavenly Mortal Realm, they could heavily wound an ordinary Heavenly Mortal. What I’ve given you is only thirty percent of my power at Platform Ascension Stage. But even so, against the so-called Platform Ascension experts of this world, it’s more than enough to cut them down.”
More than enough, indeed!
A few days ago, Gu Qing Yi had mentioned that when she slew the Mountain Golem, she had used less than ten percent of her strength.
Now, she had given him a full thirty percent?
“This world has no proper mystical inheritance, and the Heavenly Dao suppresses cultivation. The strongest beings here are mere Platform Ascension practitioners—and even they are fragmented, incomplete. The Formless Cataclysm-Slaying Slash within these talismans, even at thirty percent of my strength, is more than enough to slaughter any so-called expert here.”
After speaking, Gu Qing Yi turned away. Yet, in a voice soft as a whisper, she added, “Finish this quickly and return. You still owe me a ghost marriage.”
Chen Yan chuckled, tightening his grip on the talismans. Suddenly, a thought struck him—
Wait… had she prepared these talismans in advance?
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