Chapter 14

"Boss!"

After exchanging a glance, Wang Yan and Zhang Zhen acted simultaneously, quickly pinning Li Rui to the ground.

Even now, Li Rui is still struggling desperately under the two men like a live fish, and his limping leg seems to have suddenly gained strength.

Li Rui's mother threw herself on her son, crying and begging Zhang Zhen and the others to let him go.

But no one listened to her; everyone's attention was drawn to Li Rui's loud shout.

"What Master Zong said it? Do you know anything about this?"

"Nonsense! I knew there was something fishy about Old Man Li's death. Look! The Li family has teamed up with the Bai clan to frame their own grandfather!"

"Don't talk nonsense! What use would Master Zong have for Old Man Li's life!"

"Not necessarily. Everyone knows Bai Zong doesn't have many years left to live, but Old Man Li is almost twenty years older than him and he's still lively and energetic in front of him every day. Tsk tsk, if it were me, I'd do the same—"

Once someone starts something like this, conspiracy theories just keep going, and people will enjoy the spectacle regardless of whether they're family or relatives.

"Shut up--!"

Bai Lu suddenly lost his temper. Even though he had lost his mind in a single day, he still had some temper left.

He looked at these people, and although they all had the same faces, the expressions on their faces when their grandfather was still alive and the expressions on their faces now that were slanted and pursed were completely different.

He didn't understand what had changed, nor did he want to delve into it; he simply didn't want to hear any more of these foul words.

So after everyone quieted down, he followed Bai Nan's footsteps and left.

The next day, in the courtyard of the Bai Lu family.

Under Wang Ma's watchful gaze, many members of the Bai family packed their belongings and left reluctantly.

Several older women who genuinely cared about Bai Lu wanted to go up to Wang Ma and ask her to stay with him for a few more days.

Wang Ma refused to agree to anything and chased them all away.

When the courtyard fell silent again, only Xu Xin and Bai Nan, two outsiders, remained. Xu Yuan had been called home the night before.

Before those people left, Bai Nan inadvertently learned the fate of Li Rui and her son.

They had gone mad, and both of them were admitted to a mental hospital.

Now, the black wooden coffin in the mourning hall was completely abandoned. Those who were willing and should have cared for it were either dead or insane.

Bai Nan should have been happy, but looking at Bai Lu's face, she lost her mood.

No matter what happens, you still have to eat.

After seeing the guests off, Wang Ma busied herself all morning and finally managed to prepare a decent meal before daybreak.

The group then sat down together again and started eating.

"Xiao Di, how is your sister?"

Wang Ma was probably worried about Bai Lu's situation, but she didn't dare to mention Master Zong again, so she awkwardly mentioned a familiar person who was not present.

"I'm being discharged from the hospital today."

Bai Nan suddenly remembered the question Zhang Zhen had asked her the day before, and hesitated for a moment. Bai Di should be discharged from the hospital soon.

Xu Xin glanced at her seemingly casually, opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing.

Halfway through this unusually quiet breakfast, the roar of an engine could be heard outside the courtyard.

Zhang Zhen strode into the courtyard, raised his hand to greet everyone, and said, "Good morning, everyone!"

Wang Yan was one step behind, and Bai Hua and his family of three were last.

He sat down very familiarly: "Aunt Wang, is there any food for me?"

Wang Ma naturally wouldn't refuse the police, and immediately got up to take out a few more sets of bowls and chopsticks.

"Sit down and eat, there's plenty of food."

Seeing that apart from a few children, all the other members of the Bai family had disappeared, Bai Hua exchanged a glance with Huang Ying and immediately understood the situation.

They immediately adopted the same airs as Master Zong, first washing their hands in the kitchen, then casually grabbing a white towel and wiping their hands as they walked to the dining table and sat down.

Wang Ma, who had served Master Zong for many years, couldn't help but secretly roll her eyes at their posture.

Bai Hua and Huang Ying each received one.

Once everyone was seated, Zhang Zhen's performance officially began.

He first gulped down his porridge, then casually revealed a piece of information.

"Li Rui has gone mad, you...you know that now, right?"

Upon hearing this, the expressions of everyone at the table changed.

First, Wang Ma tidied her hair behind her ear and said softly, "I don't know, I wasn't here last night."

"I didn't say I went crazy last night, did I?"

Zhang Zhen doesn't care who cooked the food he's eating; he doesn't hold back his sharp tongue.

Then there's Bai Hua, who prides himself on being mature and composed. He shook his head, holding a spoon in one hand with an air of nonchalance, and said calmly, "He's probably possessed by an evil spirit and scared out of his wits."

Huang Ying also pretended to take over the conversation: "It's more likely that he was possessed by an evil spirit, after all, Master Zong... was right next to him when he fell into the tomb."

Bai Nan felt a little nauseous when he saw that the two men's hands were trembling as they held the spoons, unlike Master Zong's usual upright manner.

"That's true. It's only natural to be terrified to see someone fall into one's own grandfather's grave."

Zhang Zhen didn't say anything to them.

In an instant, the tails of Bai Hua and his wife were wagging high again.

Zhang Zhen noticed that the minors at the table were all silent, focusing only on eating and drinking porridge.

He gave Wang Yan a wink, and she then took over the conversation and asked Bai Nan.

"Xiao Di, you saw him last night, didn't you?"

"What?" Bai Nan was a little confused.

Were you there when Li Rui went crazy?

"Um."

"I remember, during the burial yesterday, you were carrying the dragon pole on the left and Bai Zong was carrying it on the right, right?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Hua and his wife could no longer keep up the pretense.

"Xiao Di! You carried a coffin yesterday?!"

"Why didn't you tell Mom! Do you think you can just agree to something like this?!"

The two women became agitated and glared angrily at Bai Nan. Huang Ying even walked up to her and placed her hand on Bai Nan's wrist.

"No, I have to check..." she said as she took his pulse, and then suddenly let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness, I'm healthy."

Seeing that Huang Ying had distracted Wang Yan, Zhang Zhen immediately brought the conversation back up again.

"So you didn't notice anything when you were carrying the coffin?"

"Bai Zong fell straight down along the broken dragon-carrying pole?"

The two questions were similar to those from yesterday, but the tone was much stronger this time, conveying a sense of suspicion and accusation.

"I...I...saw something peeking out from the crevice of the coffin..."

Bai Nan carefully chose his words, as if recalling something, but stopped speaking under the warning looks from Bai Hua and his wife.

Zhang Zhen understood, so he quickly finished his meal and left ahead of time.

Before Wang Yan finished eating and left, he slowly added, "Aunt Wang, I'm going to take a look around the mourning hall. Is it locked?"

"No, no."

Wang Ma quickly replied to him.

After Bai Nan escorted Bai Lu back to his room, she first went to Bai Di's room, and then went into Xu Xin's room.

"Click"

After locking the door from the inside, Bai Nan went to the window and pulled the double curtains tightly shut.

He then breathed a sigh of relief and sat down next to Xu Xin beside the display shelf.

"Xu Xin, on my body..."

She found it difficult to speak, unsure how to explain her situation to him.

“I know what the Taoist priest is saying.”

Xu Xin's reaction was completely unexpected; he remained calm.

Bai Nan paused for a moment, then spoke again: "Could it be that you didn't tell the Taoist priest that 'neither of the two souls are yours'—"

"I know," he said earnestly.

Once the double curtains were drawn, the room was plunged into complete darkness, with only a dim yellow lamp shining through it. Through this halo of light, Bai Nan met his gaze.

"Then my talisman..."

She spoke again, her amber eyes gleaming with a different kind of light—this was not how she usually spoke of Li Laokou.

"I know that too."

Xu Xin pulled the paper out of his pants pocket; it was covered with many more words.

He pointed to the words he had added and said, "Bai Nan, these are my latest discoveries."

Bai Nan stared blankly at his profile.

The dim light made the fine hairs on his face clearly visible, and she seemed mesmerized, as if each hair was bathed in golden light.

He truly resembled the Bodhisattva my grandmother spoke of, the cold-faced Bodhisattva.

But those adorable, yellowish fur softened Bai Nan's heart, making him feel more like a cat.

He usually has a sour face, but when someone is feeling unwell, he can affectionately rub against their leg.

Xu Xin didn't say it directly: "Bai Nan, I know your secret, I know your past, I know your revenge. I think you are right, so I want to help you."

He simply said calmly, "I know."

Then, calmly, he said, "This is my discovery."

Thinking about this, she understood Xu Xin's actions somewhat.

Perhaps he didn't want her to feel indebted; it was a very subtle form of reassurance that was completely unsuitable for twenty-seven-year-old Bai Nan.

But for seventeen-year-old Bai Nan, it was a fatal blow.

"So, it's very likely that Bai Zong, together with Li Rui and the Taoist priest, set up a trap for Li Laokou. But why would Master Zong do that?"

"Is it really just what they say, that they're not healthy enough and can't stand Li Laokou being in their way every day?"

The two discussed this series of events, and Bai Nan still couldn't understand why Master Zong did this.

Xu Xin squinted, a disdainful expression on his face: "This has been done to death in big families for a long time."

"What's the meaning?"

"It's nothing more than the Five Ghosts Transporting Wealth Technique or the Seven Stars Soul-Swapping Technique; in short, it's all the dirty tricks of powerful and influential families."

"Bai Zong must have conspired with the Taoist priest to trick Li Rui into giving him something, and then used the Seven Star Soul-Swapping Technique on Elder Li in order to swap the souls of the two of them."

Bai Nan was shocked: "Master Zong... doesn't want to die?"

"Ha, powerful people don't want to die. They probably wish they could live forever. If there really were Tang Sanzang's flesh, they would all be eager to be the first to take a bite."

Xu Xin's words were chilling, and his expression was disdainful.

Bai Nan gradually recovered.

He was diagnosed with late-stage stomach cancer and didn't have many years left to live. To make matters worse, his own grandson was surrounded by a pack of wolves and tigers, constantly eyeing his inheritance.

The grandson is young and naive.

I'm afraid that if I let go, these flies will devour me whole, leaving not even a bone fragment.

At this critical juncture, a Taoist priest came seeking his guidance.

Their anger subsided, and after a private discussion, the two sides naturally decided that the eighty-year-old but physically strong father-in-law would become their target.

The birth date and time required for casting a spell, or some 'spell guides', are not things that are easy to obtain.

As luck would have it, Li Rui, the stingy grandson of Li Laokou, suddenly appeared. He was a cripple born with a limp, and since there was little grandfather-grandson relationship, he was easily hooked by a few promises.

Thus began a murder case targeting Li Laokou.

Officially launched.