Chapter 187: Flustered, Soul Painter (6k)

"But before that, there’s still something I need to confirm first."

"Go ahead."

"You still haven’t found the things I mentioned, right?"

"We really haven’t. All the furniture in my house is made of fast-growing timber; even the materials haven’t been around for more than five years."

"During that period, did your family add any new diamonds, gemstones, or the like?"

"Diamonds?" Wu Tingsheng was taken aback. "I honestly don’t know. Let me ask my wife."

He went off to make a call, and soon came into the room carrying a jewelry box.

Inside the jewelry box was a messy pile of all sorts of jewelry. He then went to a drawer and took out a stack of receipts and slips.

He spent a long while comparing them, finally picking out a dozen or so pieces and laying them out on the table.

"These were all bought during that time."

"No others?"

"No, my wife would never wear the same piece of jewelry for more than three months."

Looking at the rings, earrings, bracelets, and necklaces on the table, he reached out and touched them one by one, finally selecting a diamond necklace.

When he touched it, he could clearly feel a strange kind of power.

It was just like the feeling He Changfeng gave off—a bit like a ghost, but not quite a ghost either.

"Where did you buy this thing, who handled it, is there a record?"

"Yes." Wu Tingsheng took out the invoice, certificate, and receipt.

Wen Yan handed them to Feng Yao. Feng Yao didn’t say a word, opened his laptop, and began investigating.

In just a few minutes, Feng Yao stopped and looked at Wen Yan.

"Just say it straight—if this is related to Boss Wu, he’s at the center of it."

"Found it. It was sold at a chain jewelry store, there’s a record, and the photo of the item matches up. Seems like nothing’s wrong, but the sales clerk who sold the necklace immigrated less than ten days after making the sale. We only know where she went; couldn’t find anything more after that. The money trail also came up clean."

As soon as he said this, everyone got it. Some things are just like that; you don’t need the most direct evidence.

Wu Tingsheng’s face darkened, and his fists clenched.

"Alright, it’s pretty much confirmed now. We can get started. I need an empty room."

"Okay." Wu Tingsheng arranged a room.

Once inside, Zhang Laoxi went to work first, sticking talismans all around to keep any soul bodies from escaping or getting lost.

Then he brought in Wu Tingsheng’s son, left Feng Yao and Wu Tingsheng waiting outside.

Wen Yan took out a bundle, pulled out that jade stone, and had Zhang Laoxi release He Changfeng.

Earlier, Wu Tingsheng had mentioned that his son had suddenly started knowing things from elsewhere. Comparing it carefully, it actually lined up pretty well with He Changfeng’s trajectory.

And then there was that Old Turtle business, and the Water Ghost Domain case.

Also, the Scorching Sun Department had already handled a problematic diamond before.

Now, the suspicious diamonds all match up.

Wen Yan was now basically certain—it was extremely likely all connected to He Changfeng.

The translucent He Changfeng fell to the ground, his expression dazed, looking on the verge of dissipating but somehow unable to truly vanish.

As for the incident with that diamond the Scorching Sun Department handled back then, it had a strict process—videos, records, everything was perfectly documented.

It’s absolutely certain: the suspect diamond found by the Scorching Sun Department back then was completely taken care of.

So if He Changfeng is still here, Wen Yan knew there must be more than one He Changfeng.

Wu Tingsheng’s son, Xiao Wu, sat there staring blankly. When he saw He Changfeng suddenly appear, a flicker of change passed through his eyes.

Wen Yan reached out a finger, a golden-red flame blooming at his fingertip, slowly moving it closer to He Changfeng on the ground.

"Come out on your own, or let me drag you out. Your choice. If I do it, there’s no turning back."

Seeing a glimmer of change in Xiao Wu’s eyes, but he still didn’t move.

Wen Yan’s finger sped up, fiery, jabbing right into He Changfeng’s translucent body.

With a sudden whoosh, the flame ignited, spinning as it seared. Wisps of divine white vapor floated out as He Changfeng began to dissipate on the floor.

Xiao Wu stood up, reached his hand into the fire, and golden-red flames burst out over his body as well.

In the flames, Xiao Wu’s eyes abruptly emptied. Behind him, his soul appeared amid the fire.

His soul—from his brow upward—was all gone, his skull vanished.

Where his brain should have been, there was only the glimmering outline of a strange, ethereal brain, stationed there.

As the fire burned, those white wisps flowed into it. The brain’s outline was seared by the flames, tumbled down, and merged into He Changfeng’s shadowy form.

At this point, Xiao Wu’s soul returned to his body, the flames naturally receded from him, not even singeing a hair on his head.

On the ground, He Changfeng’s once vacant eyes now had a new glint in them; his dazed expression twisted into an agonizing struggle.

"If you keep burning, he’ll really die..." Zhang Laoxi reminded at just the right moment from the side.

Wen Yan withdrew the flame, and as his hand returned, a gold grain the size of a millet seed appeared in his palm.

"No wonder that Old Turtle would rather die than speak. It knew exactly what part of Xiao Wu’s soul it swallowed. If it ever said it out loud, it would have been executed on the spot."

Swallowing Xiao Wu’s intelligence was what led to its later achievements. If anyone else ever found out, under the secrecy oath, the moment it dared to speak the truth, the backlash would be fatal. Unable to withstand it, it would revert to being a stupid snapping turtle—might even get stewed by someone one day."