DT |Chapter 6: Nineteen Coffins Six

As soon as Shen Yan finished speaking, the walls and structure of the entire villa began to undergo massive changes. The wall plaster splattered and cracked, pieces falling to the ground, revealing the wallpapered walls beneath. Sheng Feng watched the illusion collapse without the protection of the female ghost, marveling at her high talent for creating illusions. The real villa came into view, accompanied by a strong smell of blood. Tian Nan Di Bei was the first to turn on the power switch, and the dark environment was suddenly illuminated by the living room lights. It took a while for everyone to adjust to the brightness. Sheng Feng took out a brocade pouch from his pocket, which looked much less impressive than the embroidered one containing Shen Yan. He opened the pouch and walked to the unconscious female ghost. The pouch opened and closed, slowly swallowing the ghost whole. “What are you going to do with her? Hand her over to that old judge?” Shen Yan stood with his hands on his hips, his expression back to normal. “I say, why not just execute her on the spot and call it ‘eliminating evil for the people.'” For the first time, Sheng Feng didn’t retort. He simply tied up the pouch and put it back in his pocket, patiently explaining, “A hundred years ago, she should have reincarnated with the other eighteen coffins’ owners, but she chose to linger. There are still many things we haven’t clarified. Hastily executing her would be too rash.” Surprisingly, Shen Yan agreed with Sheng Feng. He moved closer to Sheng Feng, glancing at Tian Nan Di Bei and the others, whispering, “Are these your subordinates?” Sheng Feng looked at him in confusion, and Shen Yan continued, “They’re pretty weak. The younger one almost wet himself when he saw the corpse upstairs.” “What corpse?” Sheng Feng asked as he walked up the stairs, noticing dried blood stains on one side of the steps leading to the second floor. Shen Yan lifted his robe and followed Sheng Feng, inexplicably excited by the sight of blood. Tian Nan Di Bei and the paper bride followed at the end. Luo Han, the youngest, was terrified by the gruesome corpse he saw for the first time, so Tian Nan Di Bei let him stand outside the villa to calm down and call the National Security Group’s cleanup department. “Hey, who is this guy? The boss’s new recruit?” The paper bride exchanged a lively glance with Tian Nan Di Bei. Tian Nan Di Bei shrugged, signaling with his eyes, “How would I know where he came from?” “How could you not know? You’re always with the team leader! You’re such an incompetent bodyguard!” The paper bride gestured animatedly. Meanwhile, the two they were discussing were already standing in front of the bedroom with the strongest smell of blood. Sheng Feng consciously put on disposable gloves, turned the metal handle, and pushed the door open. What met his eyes was a visually shocking corpse, almost unrecognizable as Hong Dechang. His stomach was completely cut open, his organs scattered on the bed. A rope tightly tied around his neck hung him like cured meat from the ceiling above the bed. A long soul-severing nail, several dozen centimeters long, was driven into his temple. His tongue was pulled out, and his eyes bulged so much they seemed about to fall out. The paper bride didn’t want to see the gruesome murder scene again. She leaned against the second-floor railing, smoking. “Tsk tsk tsk, seeing it again, this female ghost really did a sloppy job. Killing is one thing, but making it so disgusting,” Shen Yan maintained his usual nonchalant attitude in the face of such a nauseating scene. He leaned towards Sheng Feng, “What kind of grudge would make a vengeful ghost use a soul-severing nail?” Sheng Feng remained silent, his gaze fixed on the two talismans at the bedside, which he had given to Hong Dechang the night before. He touched the talismans, and sure enough, one seemed to have been soaked in water, losing its original effectiveness. Perhaps it was Hong Dechang’s sweat that soaked the talisman, or maybe he accidentally dropped it in water. The reason was now unknown, but it directly led to his tragic death. After Sheng Feng arrived, National Security Group 7 immediately dispatched twenty people to handle the aftermath. As soon as they opened the bedroom door, they all ran out to vomit repeatedly. It wasn’t until dawn that they finally cleaned up the scene, marking the first time Group 7 faced such a cleanup failure. On the drive back, Sheng Feng was lost in thought. After twenty minutes of silence, Shen Yan couldn’t hold back any longer: “Team Leader Sheng, it’s dangerous to be distracted while driving…” He took the opportunity to pinch Sheng Feng’s cheek, quickly withdrawing his hand before Sheng Feng could catch him. A shameless person is invincible; a shameless ghost is the first in the underworld. Clearly, Shen Yan was such a thick-skinned ghost, always looking to take advantage. “Feels nice. Your face could fetch a good price in our Xiyi Realm. Why work yourself to death for National Security? How about we make a deal? I know some wealthy clients. I’ll connect you, you entertain them, and we split the money seventy-thirty. You’d still make a profit.” Sheng Feng couldn’t be bothered to respond, dismissively saying, “My looks are unremarkable, hardly worthy of your Xiyi Realm.” “Hey, Team Leader Sheng, how can you belittle yourself like that? Although self-awareness is important…” At a red light, Sheng Feng slowly stopped the car, his eyes piercing as they fixed on the chattering Shen Yan, forcing him to swallow his words. Only then did Sheng Feng relax, leaning back in his seat. After a while, the light turned green. “What do you think about Hong Dechang’s murder?” After much consideration, Sheng Feng decided to ask Shen Yan’s opinion. He always felt that this person beside him, despite his carefree and frivolous demeanor, was actually deep and calculating, with a ruthless streak when confronting evil spirits. Sheng Feng was truly grateful he hadn’t used those methods against him. Shen Yan nonchalantly replied, “I don’t think much of it. For a female ghost to use such insidious means to kill someone, I can’t think of any reason other than a deep-seated grudge. As for where the hatred comes from, you’ll have to ask the one in your pouch.” Sheng Feng pondered how to get the female ghost to speak, while Shen Yan continued after a moment of silence, this time with rare seriousness: “But there’s one point that piques my curiosity.” The vehicle slowly decelerated as it turned into the National Security gate. Sheng Feng lowered the window to signal the security personnel, then drove towards the underground garage. Passing by the automatic face recognition machine, Shen Yan caught a glimpse of his personal information, noting he’d been in the position for eight years. “Are you talking about that nail?” Sheng Feng navigated the garage with ease, finally parking in an empty spot. Shen Yan raised an eyebrow at him, getting out of the car with Sheng Feng, and stopped beating around the bush: “I didn’t expect you to catch on. That nail is called a soul-severing nail. The most common ones on the market are about two inches long, capable of extracting souls. But the one nailed into Hong Dechang, judging by the size of the head, is definitely longer than two inches.” He drew out his words, saying, “As far as I know, this item is only sold underground. And such a long soul-severing nail can only be found in the black market of Xiyi Realm. Its effects are no longer limited to extracting souls. This female ghost probably wanted Hong Dechang’s soul to be scattered, eternally damned, with his descendants suffering for generations.” “How do you know so much about it?” Sheng Feng couldn’t help but ask, hearing him speak so knowledgeably. Shen Yan gracefully performed an ancient salute to Sheng Feng, saying, “I am but a humble scholar. A hundred years ago, I commissioned a few of these at great expense and have studied them quite a bit.” He joked, then noticed the wound on Sheng Feng’s shoulder, his gaze turning dangerous, “Is the injury serious? That evil ghost really deserves to die.” Sheng Feng dismissed it: “It’s a minor wound. I’ll just apply some medicine.” Under the harsh white light, Hong Dechang’s gruesome corpse was being painstakingly pieced back together by the body repair team. Even the experienced head of the National Security’s forensic department had never seen such a horrific corpse. He carefully extracted the nail from the corpse’s temple, placed it in an evidence bag, and handed it to Sheng Feng waiting in the hallway. “Team Leader Sheng, here’s the nail you requested. The damage to the body is too severe, with some organs missing. The report will have to wait.” Sheng Feng took the evidence bag, exchanged a few pleasantries, and headed to the elevator, pressing the button. Shen Yan leaned over to examine the nail, still stained with blood, about ten inches long, confirming his earlier guess. After Sheng Feng looked at the nail, he glanced at Shen Yan, who looked like a golden retriever bringing back a frisbee, eager for praise. “See, I was right. This thing wasn’t obtained by the female ghost herself. I suspect someone is behind the scenes, deliberately orchestrating this.” Shen Yan didn’t cause any trouble as they entered the elevator. Sheng Feng pondered silently. He had already considered this. The female ghost was a formidable entity in the human world, but in the demon-infested Xiyi Realm, she was nothing more than a meal. How could she connect with the Xiyi Realm’s black market? The brocade pouch had been handed over to Tian Nan Di Bei for processing. The second interrogation room of National Security Group 7 was fully set up by Underworld staff, specifically for interrogating “dirty things” other than humans. The shackles were designed for evil spirits, not humans. As they arrived, the speech artist Bai Lingdang emerged from the interrogation room, greeting Sheng Feng immediately. However, she seemed to completely ignore Shen Yan beside him. “How’s the interrogation going?” Sheng Feng took the file from Bai Lingdang, briefly reviewing the notes. Bai Lingdang shook her head. Despite working overnight, her delicate face showed no signs of fatigue: “Her name is Chu Xiao. She can’t remember her birth and death years, probably died in a land sacrifice. As for why she lingered in the human world for a century, she remained silent.” For a ghost, most hold some hope for reincarnation. Sheng Feng had seen evil spirits lingering too long in the human world. Some were fierce, some brutal, but they all held a glimmer of hope for reincarnation. Who would choose to be a wandering ghost forever? Ultimately, Sheng Feng decided to try again. He entered the interrogation room alone with a cup of water. He didn’t activate the Underworld’s restrictions, and he was only about three meters away from Chu Xiao. Shen Yan couldn’t understand Sheng Feng’s actions. Anyone unaware might think Sheng Feng was invincible. Without restrictions, his life was completely exposed to an evil spirit. If she was displeased, killing Sheng Feng would be easier than crushing an ant. But Sheng Feng couldn’t die. He still had something Shen Yan was interested in. At least until Shen Yan figured it out, Sheng Feng couldn’t die. “Have some water.” Sheng Feng placed the cup in front of the bowed Chu Xiao. “You should be able to touch it, right?” Chu Xiao seemed soulless, not responding to Sheng Feng’s words. After glancing at him, she picked up the paper cup and took a sip. After drinking, she seemed to realize Sheng Feng hadn’t ordered the restrictions to bind her. She grinned, her smile sinister. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you without the restrictions?” Chu Xiao laughed, her eerie laughter echoing in the room. Bai Lingdang, standing in the monitoring room, was unnerved by Chu Xiao’s voice, even though only a glass wall separated them. Sheng Feng showed no fear. He moved to his seat, facing Chu Xiao three meters away, his tone gentle: “Chu Xiao, why do you hate Hong Dechang? Did he dig up your grave, open your coffin, or steal something from you?” Chu Xiao fell silent again, just as she had during Bai Lingdang’s interrogation. “Chu Xiao, think carefully. Killing Hong Dechang wasn’t your ultimate goal. Your goal is far from achieved, right? Soon, we’ll hand you over to the Underworld. Once you’re there, the judge won’t give you any chance to speak.” Sheng Feng leaned forward, subtly provoking Chu Xiao, “Why do you hate him so much? Does he really deserve to die?” “He deserves to die! How could he not?” Chu Xiao angrily knocked the water cup to the ground, her face twisted with rage. “He! And that Taoist! They both deserve to die! You’re just like those thieves!” Thieves? Bai Lingdang quickly activated the restrictions as Chu Xiao lunged, sending her back to her original spot. She first screamed in anger, then laughed maniacally, and finally fell silent, breaking into heart-wrenching sobs. Sheng Feng leaned against the hallway wall, rubbing his temples. The intense work had exhausted him. Shen Yan stood opposite, still smiling: “We probably won’t get any more information from this little girl for now. Since I’m free, I might as well return to Xiyi Realm and help you inquire about the black market source of the soul-severing nail. But the price will have to be negotiated separately.” Sheng Feng didn’t want to haggle with him now, so he waved him off, rubbing his temples, telling himself he needed to sleep. Suddenly, Shen Yan pulled Sheng Feng back, catching him off guard. Sheng Feng stumbled, regaining his balance, and cursed, “What are you doing? Can’t you just talk without touching?” Shen Yan removed the carved jade pendant from his waist and handed it to Sheng Feng. Sheng Feng gave him a strange look, almost writing “Is there a conspiracy?” on his face for Shen Yan to see. Shen Yan clicked his tongue, flicked his wide sleeve, and said with hands on hips, “Sometimes I wonder if your brain got stuck in a door. You’re supposed to have yin-yang eyes, yet you can’t see the heavy yin energy in your house?” He pointed at Sheng Feng, “Living in that house without any protection, you’re lucky to be alive. Since I’m naturally helpful, I’ll lend you this jade pendant for now. Put it under your pillow when you sleep, and you probably won’t experience sleep paralysis.” But Shen Yan’s mouth was too chatty. Eventually, Sheng Feng, too tired to keep his eyes open, didn’t care what he said afterward. He thanked him, stuffed the jade pendant into his pocket, and got off the elevator. “Hey, Team Leader Sheng, the jade pendant is charged by the hour!” Sheng Feng probably didn’t hear this. Shen Yan watched the floor numbers slowly descend, involuntarily smiling.