Chapter 11 Revelations

Having heard the news about Luo Tianhe, Jiang Cheng digested it briefly before turning to Ding Zhenzong and Lin Qianqian, asking directly, "What have you two discovered?"

"Let me explain," Ding Zhenzong said eagerly. "Lin Qianqian and I didn't go far. We investigated near the Wu mansion, mainly focusing on the red and white lanterns hanging in front of the gate."

"We already know about the white lanterns, which signify the death of Master Wu. As for what the red lanterns represent, we both felt there was something significant."

"Sure enough, we found something. The red lanterns do represent a joyous occasion." Ding Zhenzong lowered his voice mysteriously. "Someone in the Wu mansion got married... on the very day Master Wu died!"

"Truly a clash of red and white," Yuan Shanyuan muttered, his expression slightly odd.

While holding a wedding and a funeral together was certainly bizarre, Jiang Cheng was more focused on who exactly was involved. He pressed, "Who in the mansion got married? Do you know?"

The Wu family had a fairly prosperous lineage, with several eligible young men. Immediately, the image of the second young master's weak, pale face and his strange, sickly leg flashed through Jiang Cheng's mind. Could it be...?

Unexpectedly, Lin Qianqian spoke up, her voice low. "The strange thing is, we subtly inquired with many people, but no one seemed to know which member of the family got married."

"And there's something else strange. The Wu family's gates were tightly closed that day, with no one entering or leaving, meaning... no bride was welcomed into the mansion!"

"Not only no bride, but no guests were invited either, correct?" Luo Tianhe asked suddenly.

Lin Qianqian nodded, carefully adding, "Also, no one heard the music that usually accompanies a wedding. Everyone said the Wu mansion was very quiet that day, especially quiet."

Just listening to the account, goosebumps rose on Fatty's back. After all, they had to return to the mansion to sleep that night, and he felt utterly unsafe.

The scene reminded him of the Dahe Niangniang, but this seemed even more bizarre.

What was even stranger was that the Wu family had never mentioned anyone getting married in the mansion.

As they talked, the sky gradually darkened. Everyone couldn't help but worry about Yao Shunyu and Li Bai. "Why haven't they returned yet? Could something have happened?" Lin Qianqian asked anxiously.

"They should be fine," Yuan Shanyuan reassured.

Finally, just as everyone was preparing to return to the mansion to wait for news, two figures appeared in the distance. Judging by their silhouettes, it was indeed Yao Shunyu and Li Bai.

But as the figures drew closer, everyone was surprised by their appearance. They were covered in scratches and their shoes were caked with mud, as if they had just returned from an outdoor adventure.

"What happened to you two?" Fatty asked curiously.

Yao Shunyu maintained his nonchalant attitude, a subtle smile playing on his lips. "Miss Li Bai and I took a trip to the mountains."

"Did you find anything?" Ding Zhenzong asked, more concerned with the clues they might have brought back than their safety.

Suddenly, Luo Tianhe frowned slightly, his gaze sharply fixed on Yao Shunyu. "Where exactly did you go? Why do you have such a strong smell of corpse on you?"

As soon as he said this, everyone's expressions changed.

Yao Shunyu suddenly laughed, nodding repeatedly at Luo Tianhe. "Mr. Luo is indeed remarkable. I've washed many times, but you still detected the scent."

As if sensing the unfriendly gazes, Yao Shunyu shrugged. "Alright, I won't keep you in suspense. Miss Li Bai found the location of the Wu family steward's grave. We went to examine the body."

"You dug up the steward's grave?" Ding Zhenzong exclaimed, his eyes wide.

Yao Shunyu looked at Ding Zhenzong, saying with a headache, "Alright, don't be so surprised, okay? You've been through many missions, so why do you always act like a newbie? Are you really incompetent, or are you just pretending?"

Those words were too harsh, and Ding Zhenzong's expression immediately changed. But he chuckled twice and didn't retaliate.

Turning his head, Yao Shunyu continued nonchalantly, "The grave is in a relatively remote location in the mountains. We searched for a long time before we found it. The burial objects were very simple, indicating that they intentionally didn't want to attract attention."

"After digging open the coffin, we found a man in his fifties. I'm not an expert at identifying corpses, but Miss Li Bai said the body had been dead for about five or six days. Based on the clues we had previously obtained, I think that's about right."

"The important thing is that the corpse's cause of death was the same as Master Wu's: his abdomen was ripped open. And after examining the body, we found that apart from the abdominal lacerations, the corpse's other body parts were undamaged, meaning..." Yao Shunyu paused for effect.

"Meaning the corpse wasn't attacked by wild animals. His abdomen was ripped open and his internal organs were taken by something in an instant. If it were wild animals, he would have other wounds on his body from struggling," Jiang Cheng said, playing along.

"Exactly, that's right." Yao Shunyu narrowed his eyes and nodded at Jiang Cheng.

"Do you have photos?" Yuan Shanyuan asked suddenly.

Li Bai, who had been silent all along, nodded. The smell of corpse on her was much fainter than on Yao Shunyu. Li Bai took out her phone, tapped it a few times, and held it out for everyone to see the screen.

Li Bai's phone had a decent camera with high resolution. The scene was rather gloomy, and the background suggested they were deep in a dense forest.

The grave wasn't very deep. Yao Shunyu was also in the photo, his back to Li Bai. In front of him, in the pit, was a coffin, the lid rudely tossed aside.

One could barely make out a middle-aged man in the coffin, but his face...

"His eyes were sewn shut with thread. I was worried about causing trouble, so I didn't cut them open," Yao Shunyu explained.

Sewing the eyes shut was unsettling in itself, and even if another group had gone, they probably wouldn't have cut the thread.

After a moment of silence, Luo Tianhe spoke. "During the process of opening the grave, did anything strange happen?"

"Strange things..." Yao Shunyu stroked his chin, recalling. "I don't think so."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Bai's expression became strange. She raised her head, as if she had something to say, but stopped just as her mouth opened. The scene was slightly awkward.

"Do you have something to say?" Jiang Cheng asked, looking at Li Bai.

Li Bai hesitated, then said with uncertainty, "I don't know if my feeling is accurate, but while Yao Shunyu was digging the grave, I always... always felt like something was watching us, nearby, but I couldn't find it."