Beginning with the Ubume Bird
Chapter 657 - Chapter 657 Chapter Forty-Three Raging Waves

Chapter 657: Chapter Forty-Three: Raging Waves Chapter 657: Chapter Forty-Three: Raging Waves By the time Li Yan took the bus back to the funeral home, it was already dark. The street was filled with white rolling shutters, with only a few lights still on. According to the previous arrangement, in fifteen minutes, Xue Wenhai and Ye Shiru would personally come here to pick up the pawned Wenle.

Wenle sat in a chair in the corner of the room, his head drooping motionless.

Qian Wu, who was on duty outside, withdrew his gaze and said to Li Yan, “My fellow apprentice is very arrogant; in a bet he’s certain of, he’d follow through to the end, even at the cost of his own life. With the Heavenly Yi Noble assisting him, he has stood unscathed to this day, never having lost once.”

Upon hearing this, Li Yan asked in return, “Mr. Wu, if you’re so confident in him, why did you stay behind to help me?”

Qian Wu pursed his lips and hesitated for a moment before speaking, “Because, I bet that you are the once-in-a-century Sanqi Noble.”

Li Yan showed no sign of surprise but asked with interest, “Mr. Wu, you previously said that the Sanqi Noble is like finding a needle in the ocean, and even the most skilled Feng Shui Master can’t trace any clues. But you also said that with just one glance at others, you can determine their destiny. Doesn’t that mean that if you can’t figure out someone’s destiny, they must be the Sanqi Noble?”

Qian Wu shook his head, “An ordinary Feng Shui Master has ‘five nos’ and ‘three inefficacies’ in face-reading. Even I have moments of uncertainty. For example, those who indulge in alcohol and pleasures, or sink into hallucinogenic drugs, often have a cyanotic and vague complexion, making it difficult to discern. At best, I can only narrow down their probable date of birth. Without the exact eight characters of their birth time, it’s very hard to see through their destiny. Besides, there are those who hold important positions, protected by imperial aura; those in possession of unique treasures that lock their destiny deeply; or monks, nuns, and Taoists–Feng Shui Masters cannot discern the destiny of these people. And then there’s you, you’ve killed many, covered in the blood light of heaven, and physiognomy can hardly take effect.”

Qian Wu revealed a distracted expression, “To be honest, when I first saw you at the refrigerator, I had a very bad impression of you. I’m not some moralizing Taoist, and Chen Zhengcong deserved to die. But you are too indifferent to human life, certainly no kind person. When the refrigerated corpse case broke out, I even reported you to the police for killing Chen Zhengcong. Later, when I met Jiang Sihai, he confessed to me that he was the perpetrator behind the hundreds of deaths in the cold storage case. When I saw his indifferent face, I was reminded of you, and I realized that evildoers will grind each other down. It was then that I started to have the intuition that you might be the Sanqi Noble.”

Li Yan nodded with a smile, “I hope so.”

Mr. Wu put his hand on Li Yan’s shoulder, his expression serious, “You have to be, as the Heavenly Yi Noble is no trivial matter. If you are not the Sanqi Noble, we are bound to lose tonight without a doubt.”

Li Yan wanted to say something more, but at this moment, the copper bells throughout the funeral home suddenly started to ring loudly, though all doors and windows were closed tight, not a breeze in the halls–the ringing of the bells was very eerie.

“They’re here.”

——————————–

The Mercedes parked at the entrance of the funeral home, with Vivian looking uneasy in the driver’s seat. Xue Wenhai, however, was resting with his eyes closed, leaning on his Civilized Stick in the rear seat, appearing unflappable.

“Godfather, how about you wait in the car, and I go in and talk to them?”

Xue Wenhai slowly opened his eyes, “He specifically asked to see me, and you agreed. There’s no reason to go back on your word.”

“But you said…”

“You called from right outside their doorstep and repeatedly pried into their affairs; of course, they’re not pleased. He refused to discuss any terms and just asked to see me, which proves my point. It doesn’t matter; it’s just a matter of apologizing. Wenle can’t afford to have any issues right now. If Ten Evils Grand Defeat disappears without a trace, he is the last clue.”

Vivian licked her lips, “But Wenle didn’t seem to be lying that day.”

“Silly girl, human hearts are inscrutable. Even one’s own children will lie; what more a godson?”

After saying that, Xue Wenhai’s eyes drifted, then he added, “Remember, you cannot fully trust anyone’s words, including mine.”

Vivian smiled, and after a while asked, “So, shall we go in now?”

“No hurry. I’m waiting for a phone call.”

No sooner had Xue Wenhai finished speaking than a ringing tone came from his pocket.

Mr. Rong? The person has arrived? That’s good. Please make sure to keep him until twelve o’clock, this matter is of great importance. Alright, hahaha, certainly, certainly, thanks to your blessings.”

Vivian stared at the dark funeral home, her fingers gripping the steering wheel tightly.

Xue Wenhai hung up the phone, let out a light breath and said, “Let’s go in.”

They had just gotten out of the car when Xue Wenhai looked up at the wildly shaking copper bell on the door and couldn’t help a stifled laugh.

He raised his hand and gently hooked it, snapping the red string on the door, and the copper bell landed right in his hand. The copper bell was small, Xue Wenhai clenched his hand and enveloped the entire bell, and instantly all the bells in the funeral home went silent.

Xue Wenhai stepped inside, followed closely by Vivian. They walked all the way to the hall where all the lights were off, until finally, at the end of the corridor, they saw Li Yan and Qian Wu.

“I presume this gentleman must be Comrade Li Yan? Delighted to meet you.”

Having said that, Xue Wenhai turned to Qian Wu, laughed silently and said, “Junior brother, junior brother, you know I carry the Myriad Assembly of Humanity’s Prime, and you still use the Rebirth Bell’s petty trick to guard against me? Isn’t that teaching your grandmother to suck eggs?”

Qian Wu replied in an indifferent tone, “What’s in the heart appears in the eyes. I’ve seen corpses here for decades, and that copper bell with talisman paper is for redeeming those lost souls. It was the Rebirth Bell reacting to the fierce and malevolent entity on you that made it act up. In your eyes, it seems like I intentionally guarded against you.”

Xue Wenhai wasn’t offended: “Then as a senior brother, I was being petty.”

After that, he no longer paid attention to Qian Wu.

“Comrade Li, I hear you haven’t been in Hong Kong long. Why bother getting into this muddy water? The way I spoke with your children earlier was inappropriate, and I apologize. I also have some connections with Zhou from Zhongxing Baode. I heard that Jin Boqing gave you a thousand-year lingzhi before you two got acquainted. Heh, although I don’t have a penchant for collecting precious medicinal materials, I reckon I can also produce something that would interest Comrade Li.”

“Wutou Qing has been arrested.”

The smile on Xue Wenhai’s face froze, and a piercing coldness shone in his eyes, “What did you say?”

“Wutou Qing was arrested at the docks in Kaohsiung, subjected to a surprise interrogation, and his confession has already been sent back to Hong Kong.”

Li Yan was unhurried, “It was my doing.”

Xue Wenhai’s face turned the color of iron, and he forced down his anger, “Has Comrade Li made up his mind to oppose me?”

“Yes, I wish you were dead right now.”

As soon as Li Yan finished speaking, he flicked out a black droplet with his hand.

For no apparent reason, Xue Wenhai was overcome by a chill, Vivian stepped forward to shield him, reaching out to catch the ‘Disaster Water’ that came flying. A hissing corrosion sound was heard, and a wisp of blue smoke emerged from Vivian’s hand. Sweat appeared on her forehead, obviously in great pain, but the palm of her hand remained smooth, without a single blemish.