DT |Chapter 8: Nineteen Coffins Eight

Sheng Feng never hid anything from Huang Rongxin. Even though the cases he handled were under confidentiality agreements, if Huang Rongxin wanted to know, Sheng Feng would tell him everything without reservation. However, this case was too complex. Even though Sheng Feng consciously simplified his account, it still took him a full hour to explain everything. “I’ve already sent the insects to the Underworld for analysis. The report should be out soon,” Sheng Feng said, taking a sip of water. Huang Rongxin thought for a moment and said, “So, all the clues hinge on that female ghost, but she’s refusing to say anything… It’s quite tricky.” He crossed his arms. “The Shen Yan you mentioned, is he a ghost who has reached the Xiyi Realm?” Sheng Feng silently nodded. “It’s good that he spared you, but after all, he’s a fierce ghost from the Xiyi Realm. Don’t trust him too much just because he didn’t kill you on a whim,” Huang Rongxin said with some concern, looking at his disciple as if Sheng Feng were a naive little lamb, easily deceived by a few sweet words. But Sheng Feng was not a naive lamb. Despite Shen Yan’s carefree demeanor, Sheng Feng still didn’t trust him. A Ghost King reigning over the Xiyi Realm could easily enjoy its splendor without needing to collaborate with a judge to suffer in the human world, unless he had a compelling reason to come. Considering this, their first unpleasant meeting was likely Shen Yan’s way of testing and intimidating Sheng Feng. “He must have his own motives and needs this identity to come up legitimately. Killing me wouldn’t benefit him and might even dirty his hands,” Sheng Feng said calmly. “I need his power to help me with the case, and he needs our identity as cover. Once the case is over, we’ll go our separate ways.” Huang Rongxin admired his disciple’s insight. Sheng Feng had never been a cause for concern. Even though he was inwardly praising Sheng Feng, he maintained a mentor’s demeanor, stretching lazily as he stood up and looked around the large living room. “Xiao Feng, how many years have you lived in this house?” Sheng Feng was taken aback by the sudden question and slowly replied, “A long time, probably over ten years.” “Oh…” Huang Rongxin walked around the room. “Have you thought about moving? With the salary from National Security Group 7, you could afford a big villa. You’ve saved quite a bit, right?” Sheng Feng lowered his head slightly. The salary from Group 7 was the highest in National Security, and the work was the most dangerous. Sheng Feng was never one to spend lavishly, and he had saved enough to buy a nice house within the city. “Shifu, I still… I still don’t want to move,” Sheng Feng said, sitting on the sofa, holding a cup with his long, fair hands, his hair a bit messy, and his tone inexplicably carrying a hint of grievance. “I like living here.” Huang Rongxin was exasperated. “Who are you putting on this act for? Others might not know you, but I do. Every time I tell you to move, you make excuses. Do you think I’m stupid? How can living in a house where someone died be comfortable?” He pointed at Sheng Feng, gritting his teeth. “Living in such a house will shorten your life!” Sheng Feng had seen Huang Rongxin’s angry outbursts before. He didn’t dare to argue and mumbled, “If it shortens, it shortens. Anyway, I age slower than ordinary people.” “What did you say?” Huang Rongxin asked sharply. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re thinking. Sheng Feng, it’s been fourteen years…” As the clock silently ticked to seven, Huang Rongxin knew that apart from making instant noodles, Sheng Feng couldn’t cook anything decent. To prevent him from blowing up the kitchen, Huang Rongxin decided to treat him to a meal outside. In the Xiyi Realm, ablaze with fire for eight hundred miles, demons ran rampant, and evil ghosts ruled. A giant python as thick as a tree trunk coiled around the towering boundary marker, and the night sky, devoid of daylight, emitted a bizarre starlight. This place was both a haven and a grave for wandering ghosts. Shen Yan, receiving the worship of various demons along the way, ascended the grand hall with a cold expression. A feast had just been held, and the bones of cattle and sheep scattered on the carpet still had traces of blood. The ghostly servants, drunk and leaning against the pillars, were snoring loudly. Seeing their master return, the servants quickened their pace in cleaning up the banquet. The bones on the carpet were swiftly collected, and the drunken ghosts were dragged away at Shen Yan’s signal. A man approached from the boundary marker, with delicate features and a calm demeanor. The ghosts retreated at his presence, and the demons showed him respect. He lifted his white robe and walked unhurriedly into the hall where the ghosts of the Xiyi Realm indulged, as if he had anticipated Shen Yan would greet him there. “Brother Xie, long time no see. How have you been?” Shen Yan lounged comfortably on a chaise, still eating the fruit offered by his attendants. Xie Bi’an was not annoyed. For thousands of years, he seemed to always wear that faintly smiling expression. “The location of the Corpse-Wrapping Array is known to the Underworld. If you continue to cooperate with us, I’m sure you’ll soon recover what you lost.” Shen Yan waved his hand and sat up straight. His attendants understood and left the hall. The air seemed to freeze for a moment as the two sides clashed silently. Finally, Shen Yan broke the silence, looking at Xie Bi’an with a slight smile. “The female ghost was influenced by the Corpse-Wrapping Array, causing chaos in the human world. Until the Corpse-Wrapping Array is captured, he remains part of the Xiyi Realm. I won’t shirk this responsibility.” He descended from the high platform, his gaze cold. “Bai Wuchang, you know what I want to ask.” Xie Bi’an remained calm, ignoring the naked threat in Shen Yan’s eyes. He smiled and said, “A mere mortal is not worth mentioning. You overthink. If there’s anything special, it’s that his soul carries a trace of divinity, allowing him to connect with both the human and ghost realms.” “Is that all?” “What else could it be, in your opinion?” Xie Bi’an replied frankly. Although Shen Yan was suspicious, he couldn’t find any flaws in Xie Bi’an’s words with just a few sentences, so he let it go. Life in the human world was not as carefree as in the Underworld. Bai Xiang sat at her desk with a sullen face, unwillingly. Since the entire floor of National Security Group 7 was a no-smoking zone, she could only hold a smokeless cigarette holder for comfort. Tian Nan Di Bei followed Sheng Feng everywhere, running up and down the twenty-plus floors of National Security from eight in the morning to noon, even during lunch, flipping through reports. Little Mayfly sat on the table, spacing out. Seeing Tian Nan Di Bei busy, she jumped off the table, grabbed a wet wipe from Bai Xiang’s desk, and handed it to him, saying, “Brother Tian Nan, wipe your forehead.” Tian Nan Di Bei took the wet wipe and wiped the sweat off his forehead, then tidied Little Mayfly’s hair. Bai Xiang turned her chair to face Tian Nan Di Bei, chewing gum, and asked, “Why so busy today?” “Yan Ting is on leave, and he usually organizes and archives the reports. You know I don’t understand these things,” Tian Nan Di Bei said, patting Little Mayfly’s head and pulling a lollipop from his pocket to give her. “Don’t let the team leader find out.” “When is Yan Ting coming back? I haven’t seen the boss all day, and now there’s no one good-looking in the office. It’s making me unhappy,” Bai Xiang, known for her “disrespect for the elderly,” made Tian Nan Di Bei sigh. “Are you here to work or to judge a beauty contest? How about you screen the interns next month and pick the handsome ones as your boy toys?” Sheng Feng had just finished organizing all the materials and hadn’t even stepped into the office when he heard Bai Xiang’s earth-shattering lament. “A paper bride, yet so busy. Tian Nan Di Bei, come with me.” Bai Xiang dared not speak, pretending she hadn’t said anything. Only after Sheng Feng left did she finally breathe a sigh of relief. Little Mayfly ran to the floor-to-ceiling window at the end of the corridor with the lollipop, stood on tiptoe, and looked out. She watched Sheng Feng’s car leave National Security, intending to wave goodbye, but accidentally dropped the lollipop, which fell onto the nineteenth-floor rooftop. She clung to the windowsill, her feet trying to reach the window frame, watching the candy lying there as if it were within reach. She stretched her arm down, leaning forward dangerously, almost losing her balance. Suddenly, a strong pair of hands caught her and placed her safely on the ground. “Little girl, you can always ask for more candy, but if you lose your life, you lose everything.” Little Mayfly looked warily at the suddenly appearing Shen Yan, examining his colorful outfit today. Recalling everything Tian Nan Di Bei had told her, she couldn’t help but find him a strange and suspicious character. “Little girl, where’s your leader Sheng?” Shen Yan played with his hair, seemingly very pleased with his non-mainstream outfit of a floral shirt and beach shorts. Little Mayfly stared at him and replied, “Brother Sheng just went out. Do you need something?” Shen Yan floated around the corridor nonchalantly, drawing whispers from the ghostly staff passing by. He didn’t care and asked, “Little girl, where’s your office?” Bai Xiang welcomed all good-looking creatures, but she sincerely felt that the man in front of her, at least 186 cm tall, was wasting such a handsome face. A floral shirt from who knows where, paired with cheap shorts, just needed flip-flops and a fan to look like a village elder. His fashion sense definitely needed improvement. “Handsome guy, thanks for saving us last time, but…” Bai Xiang paused, almost gritting her teeth, “Wasn’t your last outfit nice? Why change to this one?” “That one was too hot. I prefer this one; it’s more convenient and cooler. Why? Doesn’t it look good?” Shen Yan’s inexplicable confidence almost made Bai Xiang doubt her own taste. “It’s fine, as long as you’re happy.”