Chapter 1 Aftermath

After Liu Sanye left with the boy, the shopkeeper also got up to say goodbye, saying that he would notify them as soon as there was any news.

After the outsiders had left, Jiang Cheng got up and closed the door. Turning around, he saw that the faces of the remaining people had become particularly unsightly. Finally, Li Bai spoke, "Everyone, something's not right. This boy seems to know too much."

Luo Tianhe frowned, his gaze involuntarily sweeping towards the door. "It's more than just knowing a lot. He's completely leading us by the nose. If this continues, we might die without even knowing how."

Although he had also noticed the strangeness of the boy, Fatty believed his instincts. He didn't sense any malice from the boy. "I don't think it's that serious. He... he might just be an important clue. We've encountered similar situations before, haven't we?"

"Little friend Wang is young, so don't be deceived by appearances. This child is definitely problematic. I even suspect that he is the carrier of our world, and that out-of-control door is on him!"

"But from what we've seen so far, he doesn't seem to be fully awake yet, so as long as we act fast enough, we can end this mission before he awakens."

Fatty heard a hint of killing intent in Yuan Shanyuan's tone and immediately became vigilant. "What do you want to do?"

"What else can I do? Kill him directly." Yuan Shanyuan's eyes flashed with killing intent. "I'm 90% sure that as soon as he dies, we can leave here."

The successive missions had left Yuan Shanyuan frazzled. He couldn't delay any longer; further delays would only lead to complications. Regardless of the boy's origins, it was clear that he was close to Wang Fugui. Since he was an enemy, not a friend, he had to be eliminated after his usefulness was exhausted.

Moreover, his words weren't entirely unfounded. He was indeed confident that he could end the mission after killing the boy. Not only end the mission, but also eliminate Jiang Cheng, Luo Tianhe, and the others.

"Mr. Yuan, have you lost your mind?"

Jiang Cheng's casual remark caused Yuan Shanyuan's eyes to blaze with even more ferocity, but Jiang Cheng ignored him and continued to speak his mind. "The situation isn't clear yet, and you're already thinking about killing a key clue. Do you want to complete the mission, or do you want to doom us all?"

These words directly placed Yuan Shanyuan in opposition to everyone else. And now, everyone was essentially showing their cards. Everyone knew what a person who brought a ghost in with them was thinking.

This time, even Luo Tianhe didn't side with Yuan Shanyuan. Of course, he didn't speak up for Jiang Cheng either, but simply watched from the sidelines.

Noticing the unfriendly gazes of the others, Yuan Shanyuan, as a seasoned veteran, was as thick-skinned as he was capable. He smiled and mocked himself, "I'm getting old, and when old people encounter problems, they tend to overthink and get stuck in a rut. What I said earlier was out of line, but my starting point was for everyone's sake. What does my old life matter? But it would be a pity if you young people died here."

Li Bai didn't want to make the situation too tense. If Yuan Shanyuan was cornered, it wouldn't be good for anyone. So, she quickly smoothed things over. "We all understand what Mr. Yuan means, but we need to consider this proposal further, at least until we find solid evidence."

Yuan Shanyuan nodded with a smile. "Miss Li Bai is right. I was being rash. Heh, hehe."

Then, everyone seemed to forget about the unpleasantness. They sat together and calmly began to review the entire mission, from the Luo Man Grand Hotel to the Wu family's old house. As the mission was broken down and refined, the various seemingly chaotic clues were linked together, like a giant spider web. And the core was the Blood Corpse Tomb. All the sinister things flowed out of this Blood Corpse Tomb.

"The昏侯 (Hūn Hóu), 妄言侯 (Wàngyán Hóu)..." Jiang Cheng murmured for a moment, then looked at Luo Tianhe and Yuan Shanyuan. "Have you two heard of these titles?"

"I've only heard of 东昏侯 (Dōng Hūn Hóu) and 海昏侯 (Hǎi Hūn Hóu). Both of them were deposed emperors. But judging from the specifications of the Blood Corpse Tomb and the things unearthed from it, the owner of this tomb was definitely no ordinary person."

After a pause, Luo Tianhe continued, "In my opinion, the owner of this tomb probably committed a major crime and was then executed by the ruler at the time. The burial chamber should contain his family members or his close subordinates. To form a Blood Corpse Tomb of this scale, there must be extreme resentment and unwillingness, and the number of people buried with him wouldn't be small. Presumably, his entire lineage was massacred."

Fatty couldn't help but think that this person was too miserable. It was one thing for him to die, but his entire family was killed. He couldn't help but sigh, "What kind of crime did he commit?"

"Disrespecting royal authority, treason!" Yuan Shanyuan suddenly said, "I think that's how this so-called 妄言侯 (Wàngyán Hóu) got his name. He probably said something he shouldn't have, was reported, and suffered this calamity."

Fatty had heard similar stories. During the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty, the power of the Embroidered Uniform Guard expanded greatly, to the point that all the officials trembled at the mere mention of them. It was said that one official secretly complained to his concubine during a night of intimacy, and the next day, what he said was compiled and placed on the desk of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. The fate of this man was predictable.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard slaughtered ninety million, only because their lives were dedicated to the Emperor.

After pondering for a moment, Jiang Cheng said calmly, "If he was a recorded marquis, his identity wouldn't be so ambiguous. So, I think this person probably didn't reach the rank of marquis during his lifetime. He was buried according to the specifications of a marquis after his death."

Fatty was confused. On one hand, he said that this person committed treason and had his entire family buried with him. On the other hand, he said that he was given a higher rank for burial. Was this a reward or a punishment?

Hearing this, Luo Tianhe revealed a strange smile. "Brother Jiang has a wide range of knowledge. It's not easy for you to have even heard of such an obscure theory."

"The ancients emphasized matching social status in life and equal fortune in death, meaning that whatever status you had when you were alive, you should be buried according to that status after death. Death is just another beginning. They still need to enjoy the same life as they did before."

"So, princes and nobles all hoped that the emperor would posthumously bestow a good posthumous title. Some people who made great contributions could even be granted the honor of being buried above their station."

"The ancients said that imperial power was granted by heaven, so being buried above one's station was a reward for these people. But for the one in the Blood Corpse Tomb, it was a punishment, and a severe one!"

"This person committed a heinous crime, but he was still buried above his station. Although it wasn't his intention, it actually constituted an act of deceiving the heavens and would surely be punished by heaven!"

"I once heard a Yu surname expert I met during a mission say that such a burial violated the laws of nature. The buried person could not enter reincarnation and could only lie in the coffin forever. Their three souls and seven spirits would be immortal, suffering eternal imprisonment."