Chapter Eighty [Even Demons Have Feelings] (9400 words)
A withered claw reached over and took the pack of cigarettes from Chen Yan’s hand.
Seeing Mrs. He light a cigarette, Chen Yan pulled out another pack from his pocket and lit one for himself—though he didn’t actually smoke. It wasn’t that he couldn’t, but that he didn’t like it.
However, given the situation, he felt compelled to have one.
He took a puff and slowly exhaled before speaking, "On my first day up the mountain, I checked your Yin residence at the He Family ancestral grave. When I opened the coffin, I knew you probably weren’t dead."
"There was no corpse odor in the coffin." Chen Yan spread his hands: "I calculated the dates—from your ’funeral’ to the seven-day mourning period, then another ten days later when a heavy rain caused a landslide... Then there were the rituals and the exhumation... all together, it must have been about a month.
Though it’s winter now and things decay slower because of the cold weather... after all, it was a coffin, not a freezing chamber.
A month’s time. Even with traditional burial practices involving some form of embalming... in a month’s time, if you had indeed been lying in that coffin, you would’ve turned into a piece of dried meat by now.
How could it be that there wasn’t the slightest bit of corpse odor on the shroud and other burial items inside the coffin?
So, I guessed that you, Mrs. He, probably weren’t dead after all.
The body wasn’t missing because someone stole it, but rather, you used some spell to deceive everyone at the time of the burial, or maybe you have some divine technique that allowed you to escape the coffin after being buried."
Mrs. He chuckled dryly again, "Before you saw me, how did you know I had spell and divine techniques, and wasn’t just an ordinary old lady?"
"Two reasons," Chen Yan replied frankly, "First, your son, Boss He, and your daughter-in-law, Sun Chen, their Eight Characters are too compatible.
Also, they each wear a Jade Token, which I recognized as a magical artifact for Qi Extinguishing!
Seeing that artifact, along with the compatibility of their Eight Characters, led me to my speculation."
Chen Yan glanced at Mrs. He with a probing look: "You, Mrs. He, aren’t human, are you..."
Mrs. He remained silent.
Chen Yan continued, "I suspected at the time that you were either of the Demon Race or a spirit monster that took human form.
No matter what kind of spirit monster or Demon Race you are, you would naturally carry demonic Qi. Ordinary humans cannot withstand demonic Qi; prolonged exposure would lead to illness and disaster from being eroded by it.
That Jade Token was given to your son, Boss He, out of your love for him. With that magical artifact, Boss He lived with you for so many years without being affected by the demonic Qi.
In your home, Sun Chen also has a Jade Token. You care deeply for your son and daughter-in-law too."
Mrs. He’s voice became cold: "I raised my son with my own hands, if I don’t care for him, who will? My daughter-in-law... she is also a good woman."
Chen Yan gave Mrs. He a look, half-smiling, "Not just because Sun Chen is a good woman... more because her fate is compatible with your son’s and able to influence his fate! Of course, you must protect this daughter-in-law and ensure she isn’t eroded by your demonic Qi.
Otherwise, if she were bedridden and her luck diminished, it would affect your son, Boss He’s luck as well. Isn’t that right?"
"So how did you end up here tonight?" Mrs. He puffed on her cigarette, her voice somewhat muffled.
"Piecing together a few things," Chen Yan scratched his head, "I learned about the grudge between Sun Zhihui and the He Family, I heard about the three troublemakers who died in the village, and then I discovered your grave was damaged—not by nature, but by human hands.
I guessed that the three troublemakers who died were probably taken care of by you personally."
Mrs. He shook her head: "They collapsed my grave. Although they didn’t harm me, they damaged the He Family ancestral grave’s Feng Shui. How could I let people like that live?"
Well, this old lady does hold a grudge... Chen Yan slightly frowned.
In his opinion, maybe Sun Zhihui, the ringleader, deserved some punishment.
But the three dead troublemakers in He Village were a different story.
Were those three bad men?
Did they do bad things?
But strictly speaking, their crimes didn’t warrant death.
But... this had nothing to do with Chen Yan; he had no intention of seeking justice for three dead ruffians by going after this dangerous and powerful spirit monster old woman.
"I guessed that those three ruffians were killed by you, and the instigator, Sun Zhihui, surely wouldn’t be alive for long either." Chen Yan nodded, "Honestly, I came here tonight gambling on a hunch.
Because there was one thing I purely guessed with no real confidence.
But if I guessed right, then I’d find you here tonight! So, tonight, I came here to gamble."
Mrs. He was silent for a while, "What was the uncertain thing you guessed?"
"Your daughter-in-law, Sun Chen, and the dead Sun Zhihui... they both belong to the Sun Clan, and they are descendants of the ancient Sun Clan, aren’t they?"
Mrs. He retorted, "What if they are?"
"You’re admitting it?" Chen Yan stared at Mrs. He.