Chapter 47 Another Sudden Turn of Events

Compared to Su Juanjuan's tragic departure, the other corner involving Hu Dawei's ghost marriage was plunging toward a near-collapse.

"No, no..." Hu Dawei's lingering soul shrieked a few times before snapping back to reality and turning to flee.

"Hmph! You're no exception!"

Fan Biao showed no mercy. His copper-coin sword swept out once more, flashing with golden light. Before Hu Dawei's remnant soul could even emit a scream, it was completely reduced to flying ash and dissipated without a trace.

The cold storage room returned to absolute stillness. Only the humming of the refrigeration equipment and a thick, impenetrable sorrow lingered in the air.

"Phew... Is it finally completely over now..."

Behind him, Fan Biao let out a long breath, breaking the silence.

Before Zhou Fan and Fan Biao could reply, Le Dong hurriedly chimed in, "What about that mother worm?"

Hearing this, Zhou Fan nodded, reaching out to repeat the process. He produced another talisman, placed the slightly larger mother worm retrieved from Old Master Hu's body onto it, and chanted the incantation. Golden light flashed once more, and a moment later, everything settled into quietness, leaving behind only three small piles of black ash.

At this point, the source that had plagued them for so long and almost cost them their lives had been completely resolved within these seemingly simple yet perilous few minutes.

Le Dong and Cai Kun exchanged glances, a surge of immense admiration welling up in their hearts.

"Master Fan, Uncle Zhou, the two of you... are truly divine!" Le Dong praised from the bottom of his heart, and Cai Kun nodded repeatedly beside him.

"Just muscle memory," Fan Biao waved his hand, though a trace of relaxation appeared on his face as well. "Alright, your business is concluded. The fee can be wired over tomorrow."

With that, he took the lead and walked out of the morgue, followed closely by a nodding Le Dong.

Outside, Boss Hu, surrounded by a group of bodyguards, greeted them with a flattering smile plastered across his face. "Are the masters finished? Just in time for dinner, please do me the honor of moving elsewhere so I can properly host you all..."

Seeing Boss Hu's ingratiating smile, Le Dong, having learned of Su Juanjuan's blood-soaked history, felt a deep sense of disgust toward him.

Not just him, but Fan Biao and the others also wore cold expressions.

"No need."

Hearing Fan Biao's unquestionable tone of rejection, Boss Hu did not push further. Instead, he turned and tried to change tactics, attempting to get Le Dong and the others to put in a good word.

Seeing this, Le Dong sneered. Leaving aside the fact that he and Fan Biao weren't close, even if they were, he would never help him!

"Boss Hu."

Le Dong spoke up first, cutting off whatever Boss Hu was about to say. "I suggest that your daughter-in-law's... hometown, you should still show them some care. You know what I mean..."

This remark caused even the worldly-wise Boss Hu to involuntarily take half a step back, the smile on his face freezing instantly.

He looked at the expression on Le Dong's face, his eyes flickering, before finally agreeing in a low voice.

Realizing that dinner was definitely out of the question, Boss Hu reluctantly retreated to the side, instructing the staff to send the bodies from the villa for cremation.

However, as he walked toward the car, Fan Biao called out to Boss Hu once more.

Boss Hu turned around in confusion, only to see Fan Biao laboriously dragging a heavy-looking cardboard box from the back seat.

Le Dong and Cai Kun exchanged glances, though they felt no curiosity. They had already received their rewards, and it would make no sense if Ma Wenwen, whom Boss Hu regarded as an esteemed guest, didn't have one. Judging purely by the size of the box, the gold bars inside would only be more, not less!

"Boss Hu, this is the 'token of gratitude' you had people send to my disciple's hospital room earlier. We appreciate the sentiment, but please, take this back."

Fan Biao placed the box heavily on the ground.

With a bitter face, Boss Hu hurriedly declined, "Master Fan, Master Ma saved my life, this little token of appreciation..."

"No need!" Fan Biao interrupted him decisively. "Our profession has rules. What we ought to collect, we won't be polite about; what we shouldn't collect, we won't take a single cent of. Take this money back and use it for righteous purposes—like the matter Le Dong just mentioned..."

Having said that, he turned and walked a few steps before seeming to remember something. He turned back and said:

"By the way, Boss Hu... would it be convenient for me to take a look at the tattoo on your father's body?"

The latter was startled, but considering Fan Biao's identity, he still took the lead and walked toward Old Master Hu's remains.

Curious as to why Fan Biao was so fixated on the tattoo, Le Dong followed behind to watch.

Observing Old Master Hu's body this time was much clearer. The old man was not very tall and had a somewhat plump build, but due to the struggle after being possessed by the worms and the prolonged exposure to the air, his body was already mostly decomposed.

Even so, a string of mysterious talismans could still be discerned on his bruised purple chest, though the skin right in the middle of the talismans had ruptured.

"That was because there were too few people when we dug up the body that time. While carrying him back, I slipped and fell, and his chest jammed against a shovel and got sliced open..."

Sensing Fan Biao's strange gaze, Boss Hu hastened to explain, and even Cai Kun behind him nodded in agreement.

Most likely, the one who had carried the body that time was none other than Cai Kun.

"Hmm..."

Fan Biao nodded, his peripheral vision lingering on Boss Hu's chest for a long time before he turned and left.

On the return trip, the atmosphere inside the car was somewhat heavy.

While driving, Zhou Fan glanced through the rearview mirror at Fan Biao, who sat in the passenger seat with his eyes closed in repose and his brows tightly furrowed, and finally couldn't help asking: "Old Fan, is something wrong with that tattoo?"

Fan Biao slowly opened his eyes, remained silent for a few seconds, and then said in an extremely low voice, pronouncing each word distinctly: "That's not any so-called totem... Those markings look very much like the legendary 'Soul-Hiding Seal'."

"Soul-Hiding Seal?!" Zhou Fan's grip on the steering wheel tightened abruptly, causing the car to sway slightly. Extreme shock instantly flooded his face. "Are you sure?!"

Fan Biao did not answer. He merely closed his eyes again, his brows locking even tighter as if sinking into even deeper doubts.

Zhou Fan did not press further. Inside the car, only the roar of the engine and the heavy thoughts of the two men remained.

Only Le Dong and Cai Kun felt a true sense of relief in their hearts.

With the matter at the Hu family finally drawing to a close, Le Dong's life returned to peace.

He went back to work, and aside from that, he helped Cai Kun organize the second-instance trial documents for his distressing falling case.

The other matter weighing on his mind was Ma Wenwen. The good news was that about two days after the Hu family incident was resolved, Le Dong received a call from Fan Biao stating that Ma Wenwen had finally regained consciousness! Although still very weak, her mind was clear and she could communicate simply.

Le Dong went to visit her alongside Cai Kun without hesitation, and upon hearing from the two of them that her gold bars had been returned by her master, he complained with a bitter face quite a bit...

For several consecutive days, the torrential rains nearing autumn fell without stop. When Le Dong returned home from work, the world outside his window was already a curtain of rain. Thinking that tomorrow was a rare day off, he planned to visit the hospital again to check on Ma Wenwen's recovery.

To pass the time while having dinner, he habitually turned on the television and switched to the local news channel.

On the screen, the anchor was reporting an emergency event in a solemn tone:

"......According to the latest news from our station, last night, a vicious prison break occurred at the city's First Detention Center, where three high-risk detainees attacked the guards and forcefully escaped.

The identities of the three fugitives have been confirmed: Ma XX (male, 52 years old), suspected of intentional homicide and murder; his son Ma X (male, 28 years old); and the murderer Zhang XX (male, 30 years old)..."

The news footage shifted, and three wanted poster photographs abruptly appeared on the screen—none other than Steward Ma, his son, and that seemingly harmless little Zhang!

"At present, the police have activated the emergency response mechanism for major cases and are pursuing them with all out efforts. The three fugitives are extremely dangerous. If any citizens discover clues, please report to the police immediately and do not approach..."

Le Dong could no longer hear the sound from the television. He only felt an icy chill shoot instantly from the soles of his feet straight to the crown of his head, as if the blood throughout his entire body had frozen solid!

He stared fixedly at the gloomy and indifferent face of Steward Ma on the screen.

The remote control he had just picked up dropped to the floor with a sharp clatter...