Chapter 234
Chapter 234
Su Bei and Li Shu exchanged a glance, their eyes flashing with mutual disdain. The son showed no grief over the death of the mother who raised him alone, even treating her as some sort of evil spirit just to make a quick buck. What a heartless guy.
Brother Wang, a driver who cherished his parents, reacted even more strongly. Hearing the man’s words, he shot to his feet, eyes blazing, ready to unleash a string of curses.
Before he could speak, Su Bei intervened: “Teacher Wang, got a nicotine craving? Go have a smoke outside to cool off.”
This snapped Brother Wang out of his anger. He looked down, meeting Su Bei’s faintly indifferent purple eyes.
For some reason, despite the lack of emotion in those eyes, Brother Wang felt as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped on him.
Calmed down, he realized his outburst nearly ruined Su Bei and Li Shu’s plan. Flustered, he forced a smile: “I’ll go have a smoke.”
Fearing he might still snap at the man, he quickly left the room.
The son was puzzled by Brother Wang’s reaction but didn’t get a chance to ask. Li Shu, acting as if he hadn’t noticed the man’s earlier contempt for his late mother, offered consolation: “Please accept our condolences. Losing a mother is truly heartbreaking.”
The man, sensing Li Shu’s sympathy, thought it might make him more likely to rent their house. He immediately put on a dramatic sob: “My mother and I were so close since I was young, but we’re too poor to even give her a proper funeral.”After humoring him for a bit, Li Shu asked a key question: “I heard your mother was killed by a monster. It won’t come back to kill again, will it?”
“Of course not!” the man replied firmly, worried Li Shu might back out. Realizing his tone was off, he softened: “The other two houses only had one death each. I don’t think the monster’s coming back.”
That attitude? Su Bei’s brow twitched, a glint of intrigue in his eyes. This guy clearly knew more about his mother’s death than Zhou Zijian had suggested, not just assuming it was a monster’s doing.
Li Shu asked more about his mother’s death, but whether the earlier question made the man wary or not, he revealed no further slip ups, answering with vague ignorance.
Figuring they’d get no more, Li Shu and Su Bei took their leave. They didn’t burn bridges by saying they wouldn’t stay, instead claiming they needed to check with the Village Head, who was arranging things.
Leaving Grandma Wang’s house, Brother Wang said sheepishly: “Sorry, I lost it back there. You two students handled it better than me.”
“Just be careful next time,” Li Shu said with a smile, though his pink pupils held a cold, almost reptilian chill.
Brother Wang suddenly realized that, despite their different appearances, Li Shu and Su Bei shared a detached indifference toward those they weren’t close to. Their reactions to him were strikingly similar.
They said they were going to the Village Head’s, but the three actually returned to Zhou Zijian’s house, their agreed meeting point. On the way, they met a few villagers, and Li Shu asked about Grandma Wang’s family. The villagers were evasive, and none spoke ill of her son or daughter-in-law.
Their behavior was odd. The son hadn’t even held a proper funeral for the mother who raised him alone—villagers should’ve condemned him. Why the secrecy?
If Grandma Wang had been a bad person, it might make sense, but according to the uncles and aunties, she was a bit stingy but decent overall.
For someone like that, neighbors should’ve spoken up for her. Yet they stayed silent despite knowing something was wrong. This suggested they were complicit. 𝙧𝔞₦Ố𝔟ЕS
As the saying goes, when an avalanche happens, no snowflake is innocent. In the face of evil, bystanders like these villagers weren’t blameless. Their behavior even hinted they might be beneficiaries—why else stay silent when investigators came?
Back at Zhou Zijian’s, the other three were already there. Seeing them, Jiang Tianming shared their findings. Grandpa Zhou’s family was wealthy and large—three sons, two daughters, and their kids. A big clan.
Unlike others, they weren’t overly warm, not needing the small change. But they allowed Su Bei’s group to see the mourning hall, as a crowd boosted their status.
“About Grandpa Zhou’s death, I think they know something. Not everyone’s a good actor—some looked unnatural,” Jiang Tianming said, adding, “Their grief seemed fake too.”
He didn’t hold back. Zhou Zijian coughed loudly: “Cough, cough. Actually, their family’s always had issues. When younger, Grandpa Zhou neglected his kids and wife. Her death was supposedly tied to him—rumor says she died of anger over his affair…”
This was news to Jiang Tianming’s group. Having a local like Zhou Zijian was handy; even after years away, he knew the village’s old stories.
“Sounds like a motive for murder,” Li Shu said thoughtfully, then shared their findings at Grandma Wang’s.
He hadn’t noticed the cigarette pack or makeup, but Su Bei pointed them out on the way back. Li Shu’s take: sudden wealth in poverty.
They’d come into money but, stuck in a remote village, could only spend it on small luxuries.
This led to an obvious pattern: both families benefited after the elders’ deaths. Grandma Wang’s family got a windfall; Grandpa Zhou’s got rid of a neglectful father and inherited a fortune.
Another commonality: none of the three victims—Grandma Wang, Grandpa Zhou, or Xiao Chen—had anyone genuinely mourning them.
After they spoke, Ling You, usually silent, shared her observation: “Grandpa Zhou’s second daughter is seriously ill.”
Her Ability, [Plague], wasn’t healing-based, but she was sensitive to disease. Though not contagious, she could tell it was serious—mid-stage cancer at least.
Grandpa Zhou’s second daughter? Jiang Tianming recalled: “The one in the black dress?”
She’d stayed silent while her siblings bickered, pale and standing in a corner, exuding a quiet presence. Without Zhou Zijian’s introduction, they wouldn’t have known she was a daughter.
“Didn’t expect her to be sick. But if she’s ill, wouldn’t she fight for inheritance? She got little during the notarization. Has she given up?” Zhou Zijian, hearing this for the first time, asked, surprised and confused.
“No, there’s another possibility,” Jiang Tianming said calmly. “She already got what she wanted.”
If she’d traded her inheritance share for a cure, she wouldn’t get much during notarization.
Healing could be arranged privately, not in the will.
“They moved fast,” Li Shu said, his tone neither mocking nor kind. “Like they knew something in advance.”
Exactly. They seemed to know their father would die, arranging the inheritance split beforehand. Otherwise, a big family like that would’ve argued for days, not settled it so quickly.
Clearly, both families knew something. And not just them—likely the whole village.
But they wouldn’t just spill the truth. To uncover it, they needed a breakthrough.
“Tonight, sneak into the Village Head’s and Old Ancestor’s houses?” Jiang Tianming suggested.
Li Shu raised his hand: “I’ll go with you.”
His enthusiasm, whether Jiang Tianming liked it or not, pleased Su Bei: “You two take the Village Head’s. Ling You and I will check Old Ancestor’s.”
He looked at Ling You: “That okay?”
The plan wasn’t just for amusement—it was practical. The Village Head’s house was occupied, and Li Shu’s Ability could control people, letting Jiang Tianming search. Old Ancestor’s was empty, so Su Bei just needed to tweak luck to avoid encounters.
“No problem,” Ling You agreed.
Seeing they’d settled it, Jiang Tianming accepted the split: “Let’s head to the Village Head’s now. He’s probably arranged our lodging.”
As expected, the Village Head had sorted it. The five were split across three homes, paired up, staying with three relatively wealthy families.
Jiang Tianming and Li Shu stayed at the Village Head’s. Brother Wang was assigned to another villager’s. Su Bei and Ling You stayed at Zhou Zijian’s, convenient for their nighttime outing.
As for the hint to Grandma Wang’s son? Su Bei hadn’t lied—the Village Head didn’t include their house, and they couldn’t go against his wishes.
Zhou Zijian’s was the most comfortable. Knowing their identities and purpose, they didn’t need to hide anything there.
Waiting until after midnight, Su Bei and Ling You set out. Mountain villages lacked entertainment, so most were asleep by now. Luckily it was a dark, windy night—ideal for sneaking around.
Adjusting their luck, Su Bei led Ling You out slowly. As expected, they met no one, the village eerily quiet, like it was uninhabited.
“Su Bei,” Ling You’s cool voice broke the silence.
Hearing her, Su Bei stopped and turned: “What’s up?”
Ling You’s brows furrowed slightly, her purple eyes fixed on him. After a moment, she asked concisely: “You’re acting odd?”
Su Bei raised a brow, intrigued: “Odd how?”
The question seemed hard to answer. Ling You thought before replying: “You seem unusually focused on Old Ancestor’s house?”
Based on Su Bei’s usual behavior, he’d try to do as little as possible, not volunteer to search Old Ancestor’s house. “Hmm, there might be something good there,” Su Bei said vaguely, not mentioning the Life Stone. Nightmare Beasts, like Ability users, had diverse powers. A careless word could alert them, triggering an attack.
Though Longevity Town’s villagers were doomed, their deaths by fate versus because of Su Bei were different. Taking on that karma was like saving them, with unknown consequences.
Su Bei hadn’t saved so many at once before and didn’t know the cost. Per Feng Lan’s warning, he’d avoid it unless necessary.
If the villagers were pure and kind, he might’ve considered it despite his laid-back persona. One life, he could ignore, but so many? He’d try to save them without breaking character.
But were these villagers worth saving? After a day’s observation, Su Bei couldn’t say yes.
He strongly suspected the deaths were tied to the villagers. Even if the victims were at fault, they didn’t deserve death. Their fate was likely their own doing.
“Something good?” Ling You looked puzzled. “What?”
“You’ll see when we find it,” Su Bei said, hands in his pockets, strolling into Old Ancestor’s house.
Unexpectedly, the house wasn’t a well-kept memorial but a mess, like it’d been ransacked by bandits.
Both were surprised, hurrying to investigate. Furniture was lightly dusted, untouched for about a month—since Old Ancestor’s death.
Was his death not natural, but a robbery?
Unlikely. Zhou Zijian said Old Ancestor was highly respected. A 150-year-old elder would be revered anywhere. If someone killed him, the village wouldn’t cover it up.
So, villagers likely rummaged through after his natural death. The mess suggested they did it—otherwise, someone would’ve noticed a break-in and cleaned up.
Ling You suddenly asked: “What if they already took what you’re looking for?”
“It's possible,” Su Bei nodded. He suspected the Life Stone was gone. But why would villagers want it? It looked like a regular stone—Ability users might not even notice, let alone villagers.
“Let’s keep looking,” Su Bei said, not leaving but searching. If the villagers missed something, it could be a key clue.
Thanks to his luck adjustment, Ling You soon found something: “Got something.”
Su Bei looked over. Ling You stood by a desk, holding a crumpled draft paper with scattered text—likely discarded, or it wouldn’t be tossed under the desk.
“Only my Ability can seal this thing’s aura, but what happens when I die?” Su Bei read slowly, his expression turning serious.
No doubt, “this thing” was the Life Stone. This explained why it went undetected so long—Old Ancestor’s Ability hid its aura.
When he died, the aura leaked, causing the Nightmare Beast frenzy.
The paper had two more lines: “Perhaps I should hand it to the government soon. That’s the best solution…” and “If only I could live forever, there’d be no issue.”
These weren’t too revealing, though they were suggestive. Without more evidence, Su Bei wouldn’t speculate.
So, why did Old Ancestor hide the Life Stone so long? Per Knowledge Nightmare Beast data, it was useless to humans—just a rock.
Even if he kept it to avoid boosting Nightmare Beasts, he could’ve joined the government to protect it. Or, nearing death, handed it over. The note showed he’d considered it.
What made him abandon that plan?
And what did the villagers want with the Life Stone? They wouldn’t take it without reason—they must think it’s useful.
“Longevity Town…” Su Bei muttered.
Hearing him, Ling You echoed his earlier words: “Longevity Town, long life.”
Exactly! The village’s lifespans far exceeded normal. Old Ancestor lived 150 years—rare even for Ability users.
If the Life Stone caused it, it made sense. Su Bei guessed prolonged exposure extended life.
Though Knowledge Nightmare Beasts said Life Stones were useless to humans, they likely never tested it on humans, especially over long time periods. They wouldn’t know.
Old Ancestor, somehow discovering this, settled in the village, extending his life and benefiting the villagers. Su Bei felt he’d hit the truth. If so, the villagers’ motive for stealing was clear.
Living here so long, Old Ancestor likely didn’t hide the Life Stone well. Knowing he had a life-extending treasure, they wanted it after his death.
How they hid its aura and why they killed those people might be linked, but Su Bei needed Jiang Tianming’s findings to confirm.
Unlike him, Ling You didn’t know about the Life Stone, so her guess was partial: “Old Ancestor had a life-extending treasure, and it was taken by others?”
It matched his logic. Su Bei nodded: “Probably.”
Ling You hesitated: “So, unrelated to the case?”
“Not necessarily,” Su Bei shook his head, saying no more. He couldn’t mention the Life Stone, and without that key piece, his reasoning couldn’t conclude.
Seeing he wouldn’t explain, Ling You didn’t press. But she had another question: “Are you chasing longevity?”
Su Bei paused, then tilted his head: “In a way, yes.”
Ling You, sharp despite her quiet nature, asked: “Whose longevity?”
If Su Bei sought only his own, he’d have nodded outright—he wasn’t shy about such things. His vague answer meant she was half-right.
The ambiguity was in the subject. Su Bei wasn’t after his own longevity but someone else’s.
Who could it be? His parents? Close friend? Or a lover?
The closer question silenced Su Bei longer. He hesitated—should he tell the truth? Was it necessary now? How would he explain later?
Forget it. He needed to reveal his goal eventually. Recalling his plan to plant foreshadowing, Su Bei gave a surprising answer: “Humanity’s longevity.”