464: Chapter 464 The Chen Family's Secrets, the Vampire Monster

Inside the lounge, it was dead silent.

Only the low breathing of a few people intertwined.

"Young Master Chen."

Fang Cheng gazed at the slightly agitated man in front of him, finally speaking slowly after a long moment:

"Before answering this question, I'd like to ask you to tell me honestly, do you have a very important secret that you're hiding from us?"

"A secret?"

Second Young Master Chen Xuan's body stiffened imperceptibly, the agitation on his face instantly replaced by astonishment.

He smiled awkwardly:

"No, how could I intentionally conceal important information?"

"I'm dying for you guys to find the murderer as soon as possible, quell this storm, and restore the Chen Family to its former peace."

"Young Master Chen, straightforward people don't speak in riddles."

Lin Chuqiao also took a step forward, her voice crisp and cold:

"Since we chose to ask you face-to-face, we definitely have enough evidence."

"Only by laying everything out in the open now and speaking clearly can we resolve the predicament facing the Chen Family even faster."

"If you're still thinking of covering things up, in case a misunderstanding breaks the clues, it won't just delay the capture of the murderer; in the end, if the Chen Family's trouble isn't resolved, rifts will inevitably arise between us, and I'm afraid nobody's face will look good then."

Lin Chuqiao said all this in a calm and eloquent manner, carrying a hint of a threat.

The atmosphere in the room grew tense.

Pan Wendi loosened his wrists, his joints making a slight "crack" sound.

Bailing also puffed out her cheeks, her large eyes staring fixedly at Second Young Master Chen Xuan.

Second Young Master Chen Xuan, however, lowered his head, concealing his gaze, and only his Adam's apple could be seen rolling repeatedly.

Evidently, he was struggling with whether or not to confess to something he had deliberately concealed.

Fang Cheng did not rush him, just looking at him calmly, and spoke again:

"In your younger brother Chen Shaoze's room and your grandmother's room, I found some key clues, all of which point to the exact same place..."

Second Young Master Chen Xuan suddenly raised his head:

"What place?!"

"The northwest corner of the Chen Family Manor, that sealed old building."

Hearing this, Second Young Master Chen Xuan couldn't help but clench his hands slightly.

Fang Cheng calmly met his gaze and continued:

"When we left the hospital earlier, we actually returned to the Chen Family Manor specifically to investigate that old building."

"Inside the building, besides the coffins and memorial tablets of the Chen Family's successive ancestors, there was nothing else suspicious."

"But in the basement, we found a bizarre three-eyed divine statue and a corpse of unknown origin."

This sentence was like a heavy hammer striking Second Young Master Chen Xuan's heart.

His eyes locked firmly onto Fang Cheng, and his originally steady breathing suddenly became heavy.

A few seconds later, the hesitation in his eyes gradually faded, his Adam's apple rolled, and he let out a long breath of foul air.

"As expected..."

His voice carried a bit of relief, as if he had finally made up his mind:

"Since you've investigated to this extent, there's no need for me to hide it anymore..."

As soon as these words came out, Bailing immediately clenched her hands into small fists to guard her chest and leaned closer to Fang Cheng.

Pan Wendi, on the other hand, leaned his shoulders slightly forward, striking a stance as if ready to fight at any moment.

Lin Chuqiao's body was likewise tense, her eyes staring vigilantly at Second Young Master Chen Xuan.

Fang Cheng still stood calmly, but the muscles beneath his clothes had long since bulged like solid rock.

As long as the opponent made the slightest unusual move, he could unleash a thunderous strike at any time.

Second Young Master Chen Xuan seemed not to notice, and only slowly said:

"To tell you the truth, the source of the series of changes in the Chen Family is very likely from that black building."

After a pause, he specifically added an explanation:

"The black building is where our Chen Family stores the remains of our ancestors. It involves secrets of the Family's Bloodline abilities. I didn't mention it to you before because this belongs to the Chen Family's taboo..."

Second Young Master Chen Xuan spoke to himself, then shifted his gaze and suddenly saw the four people looking as if facing a formidable enemy, a trace of astonishment inevitably appearing on his face.

"What are you guys doing?"

As soon as his voice fell, he abruptly woke up to the situation and gave a self-deprecating smile:

"Could it be... you suspect that I am the murderer?"

"Little Chen."

Pan Wendi shrugged and spoke bluntly:

"It's not that we want to suspect you, but your previous behavior was indeed very suspicious."

"That's true."

Second Young Master Chen Xuan was stunned for a moment, then shook his head with a bitter smile:

"If I were investigating this case, I would also treat the Chen Family's Second Young Master—a good-for-nothing who reaps without sowing and profits the most—as the primary suspect target."

He sighed and raised a hand to rub his brow.

"My talent isn't high; I can't compare to my Elder brother, who has been cultivated as an heir since childhood, nor can I compare to my younger brother, who is naturally smart and knows how to win Grandmother's favor."

"A month ago, I had long been marginalized in this Family, and I only wanted to steadily be a wealthy Young Master."

"I never dreamed that so many things would happen afterward..."

"During this time, I've always wondered why the victim wasn't me, and why in the end I had to shoulder the Family's heavy burden?"

He muttered to himself, as if pouring out the distress in his heart to several people.

The original dashing image of a prestigious Family scion was completely gone, replaced by a deep exhaustion.

Fang Cheng and Lin Chuqiao looked at each other in dismay.

Second Young Master Chen Xuan's performance completely exceeded their expectations.

They had originally thought this person was scheming and would sophistically quibble, or simply tear off his face and directly resort to violence.

Yet they didn't expect the other party to have his defense broken directly, venting his overburdened heart in front of outsiders like them.

If this was acting, then this acting skill was simply too good; with such vivid emotion, it would be a waste of talent not to win an Oscar.

Bailing couldn't help muttering softly:

"Since you knew where the source was, why didn't you take action all along, letting your own relatives be murdered and suffer the pain of the descent head?"

Lin Chuqiao and Pan Wendi also looked at him with suspicious eyes.

When all is said and done, Second Young Master Chen Xuan's words and actions still contained too many doubts.

Fang Cheng's expression remained unchanged as he waited quietly for the other party's explanation, his body not relaxing in the slightest.

Hearing this, Second Young Master Chen Xuan's face once again flashed a bitter smile:

"I also wanted to do something, but that black building is the Forbidden Ground where our Chen Family suppresses its Luck. Without conclusive evidence, even acting as the head of the Family, I have no authority to thoroughly investigate."

"In case something goes wrong and it shakes the Chen Family's Foundation, I would be the eternal sinner of the Family."

"What's more, everything before was just my guess."

"It wasn't until you came to investigate, and I heard from Mr. Bai that the murderer's traces had been found, that I had this thought: to use the pretext of your action to gather the clansmen together, force Grandmother to open the black building, and investigate the truth publicly."

"Who would have thought... before tomorrow even arrived, the clansmen who returned from the Secret Realm all fell ill one by one..."

With that, he let out a long sigh, full of helplessness.

The entire lounge fell into silence once again.

"You said you aren't the murderer."

Fang Cheng asked at the right time, breaking the silence:

"Then, who on earth do you suspect the murderer to be?"

Second Young Master Chen Xuan hesitated for a moment, a trace of fear flashing in his eyes.

Then, looking at Fang Cheng, he asked with a dry voice:

"If... I said the murderer is a corpse, would you be willing to believe it?"

"A corpse?"

Lin Chuqiao furrowed her brows slightly.

Hearing this, Bailing's cheeks turned a bit paler.

Pan Wendi also drew a sharp breath, seemingly recalling the horrifying scene he saw in the black building.

Fang Cheng was likewise somewhat surprised; he had thought Second Young Master Chen Xuan would mention that bizarre three-eyed divine statue.

"Right."

Second Young Master Chen Xuan increased his tone, saying word by word:

"It's that corpse you saw in the basement, which is none other than my grandfather, Old Master Chen Hongye."

Hearing this, Fang Cheng and the others were even more surprised.

"But."

Lin Chuqiao was the first to react and immediately pressed:

"According to intelligence records, didn't your grandfather pass away three years ago? How could his corpse kill people?"

"It's a long story."

Second Young Master Chen Xuan pulled out a chair beside the table and sat down.

Then, steadying his mind, he slowly said:

"Three years ago, my grandfather suddenly fell seriously ill and passed away without lasting a few days."

"According to the Chen Family's rules, after a clansman dies, they are not buried immediately."

"Instead, their remains are kept on vigil in the black building for three years to dissipate the corpse Qi. After three years, the remains are exhumed and moved into the Family Secret Realm to be worshipped alongside past ancestors."

Fang Cheng's eyes flickered slightly, recalling what Pan Wendi had said during his investigation in the black building.

In the coffins of the three victims, including Chen Shaoze, there were no bones present at all.

"This tradition of our Chen Family is indeed very strange, but the rules handed down by our ancestors are like this, and no one dares to break them easily."

Second Young Master Chen Xuan continued speaking, his voice turning ethereal:

"Originally, this was just an ordinary Family funeral."

"Yet not long after Grandfather was entombed, my grandmother began having nightmares consecutively. She always said she dreamed that Grandfather was shaking with cold down below, crying out that he was hungry, and saying that evil ghosts were hunting him down and wanted to eat him."

"Not just her; several Elders in the Family also had similar dreams, and someone even dreamed of an evil ghost grabbing Grandfather's hand and dragging him into Hell."

"After this matter spread within the Family, for a time people were panicked, and everyone felt that Grandfather's Soul was not at peace."

"One day, Grandmother said she dreamed that Grandfather appeared in her dream asking her to send his corpse into the Family Secret Realm for burial as soon as possible so that he could rest in peace."

"Grandmother immediately called a Family meeting, but the Elders all rejected her proposal on the grounds that 'the ancestors' rules must not be violated'."

Speaking of this, Second Young Master Chen Xuan sighed:

"Grandmother had no choice but to discuss it with my father, settling for the second best option by moving Grandfather's coffin to the basement of the black building."

"That place enshrines a three-eyed God of Wealth passed down by our Chen Family, hoping to use the power of the divine statue to suppress evil spirits and let Grandfather's Soul rest in peace."

"Sure enough, after that, the nightmares plaguing the Family disappeared, but who could have expected that the real nightmare had actually just begun."

"In the first year, there were no anomalies."

"Yet two years ago, my father, who was the head of the Family, suddenly passed away from illness."

"At first, everyone thought it was caused by Father being too overworked, and by last year, my Second Great-Uncle and Fourth Uncle also passed away successively."

"Their bodies had always been very robust, without even cardiovascular disease, yet they all quietly stopped breathing in their sleep, with the cause of death entirely being heart failure."

"At that time, although everyone found it a bit strange, they didn't pay too much attention, treating it as a coincidence since birth, aging, sickness, and death are common occurrences."

"Until this year's Chinese New Year, things began to completely spin out of control."

Second Young Master Chen Xuan took a deep breath, his complexion sinking as he said:

"My younger brother Chen Shaoze brought his fiancée back to the manor, saying they wanted to see their parents. As a result, on the second night, his fiancée went out for a walk and disappeared."

"We searched for a whole night before finding her corpse in the woods near the black building. Her skin was withered and the flesh on her face had sunken in, just as if someone had sucked her blood dry alive."

"Shaoze was like a lost Soul ever since, locking himself in his room all day long without eating or drinking, and before two months passed, he also..."

Second Young Master Chen Xuan's voice suddenly choked up, and he couldn't help pausing for a moment. After adjusting his emotions, he continued:

"Next, more and more terrifying things happened, and victims within the Family appeared one after another. Even my eldest brother had a car accident and is still lying in the intensive care unit."

"These matters are all recorded in the Naihe Bridge intelligence in your hands, so I won't say much more."

Fang Cheng nodded slightly, rapidly comparing this information with the clues he had mastered in his mind.

"You just said that Chen Shaoze's fiancée was also murdered."

Lin Chuqiao keenly grasped the key point: "Why wasn't it recorded in the intelligence data?"

"Because she wasn't yet a member of the Chen Family."

Second Young Master Chen Xuan explained:

"And that manner of death was too bizarre. Grandmother was afraid of drawing the police and the Special Investigation Team to intervene, so she used Family connections to privately settle the matter and cover it up."

"Besides her and subsequent investigators, were there any other non-Chen Family members murdered in the manor?"

Fang Cheng then also asked.

"There were also two servants, who were also found at night. Their manner of death was exactly the same as Chen Shaoze's fiancée."

Second Young Master Chen Xuan answered truthfully.

Fang Cheng and Lin Chuqiao looked at each other, both seeing the solemnity in each other's eyes.

Sucking blood—this looked more like the predatory behavior of some eerie creature.

"I know what you guys are thinking."

Second Young Master Chen Xuan said bitterly:

"At that time, I also thought a monster that ate human flesh and blood was hiding in the manor, and I secretly investigated for a long time."

"But ever since those two servants died, that thing never appeared again, as if it had suddenly vanished from the face of the earth."

"Until a week ago, when I became the acting head of the Family and got the key to the black building."

"I suddenly had a whim to use my Spirit Pupils again to inspect the corpses of Chen Shaoze and the others. Perhaps after the corpses decomposed, they might leave some clues."

Second Young Master Chen Xuan's voice lowered once more.

"But when I opened the coffin stored on the third floor, I found that Chen Shaoze's corpse was gone, and even the corpses of the other two victimized clansmen had vanished without a trace."

"I was greatly shocked at the time and immediately traced it with my Spirit Pupils, and as a result, I sensed a faint abnormal aura coming from the basement."

"So I took the key and cautiously walked into the basement that had been sealed year-round..."

As he said this, Second Young Master Chen Xuan's fingers resting on the table trembled slightly, as if he had returned to that terrifying scene once again.

"Inside, it was piled high with skeletal remains, and the air was filled with the stench of decay."

"I followed the aura forward and finally stopped in front of a pitch-black coffin. When I saw the scene inside, my whole body froze."

"I saw in that coffin... my grandfather's corpse."

"He was lying inside, and for three years, he hadn't rotted in the slightest; his skin even had a bit of bloody color..."

"His muscles looked even fuller than before he fell ill and was hospitalized, and his chest was still rising and falling slightly, just like... just like he was still alive!"

(End of Chapter)