The two exchanged glances, their expressions heavy.
Huang Mingyi in the coffin, his spiritual sense, that is, his soul, was completely gone! This was really strange.
Chen Yan said slowly, "Generally speaking, when a person dies, the spiritual sense dissipates and the soul disperses; it takes some time. Huang Mingyi’s seventh day memorial is the day after tomorrow, which means today is only the fifth day since he died.
Huang Mingyi had a good level of cultivation. With a lifetime of Tao Practice, his spiritual sense should naturally be more substantial than ordinary people’s.
In just five days, his soul has completely dispersed—when I looked at the spirit hall, the lifeforce had been completely cleared, not a trace left. This rate of dispersion is very unusual!
Based on Huang Mingyi’s level of cultivation, his spiritual sense disappearing after death should last at least seven days, right? There’s no way it could have dispersed completely by the fifth day."
Chu Keqing’s gaze moved slightly, "So what you’re saying is, my third senior brother’s soul was already devoured when he was killed?"
Chen Yan remained silent.
Chu Keqing suddenly remembered what Huang Mingyi’s two apprentices had just said, then said, "That missing first disciple was the one who cleaned up my third senior brother’s belongings alone! Could it be that he found some clues in the belongings and went out to investigate... maybe the crucial items are in my third senior brother’s belongings?"
Chen Yan smiled, "Do you want to go and look for it? I advise you not to get your hopes up. Even if it exists, the first disciple should have taken it.
Even if he didn’t, after his disappearance, those second and third disciples at the house must have gone through Huang Mingyi’s things several times. Even if you go now, you might not find anything."
Chu Keqing took a deep breath and said solemnly, "I’ll give it a try, just in case something is discovered."
Chen Yan pondered for a moment, "I have a better and easier way."
Chu Keqing’s eyes lit up.
Chen Yan said slowly, "Although I don’t know what devoured Huang Mingyi’s soul...
But this is Port City!
In a modern international metropolis, the probability of any wild Spirit Monster that can devour human souls is very small.
His killer is clearly a hidden opposing cultivator, so it must be a cultivator.
Cultivators using techniques to devour human souls have some particular methods.
Spirit Monsters devour human souls to nourish their Inner Core; they devour and then go back to digest, leaving no trace.
But cultivators cannot completely digest and devour human souls.
Spells to seize human souls involve taking the primordial spirit, and they return to use the soul’s primordial spirit to refine some evil spells or magical artifacts, like the Hundred Ghosts Banner or using the ghost qi of the soul to nurture little ghosts... all of these have purposes."
Chu Keqing was a smart person, and she immediately understood Chen Yan’s meaning, "You mean... my third senior brother’s soul was taken! But since cultivators have a use for the souls they take, if the soul has a use, they will definitely keep it rather than letting it disappear immediately?"
"I can’t say for sure, but it’s very likely, and worth a try."
Chu Keqing frowned, "How do you plan to try?"
Chen Yan smiled, "Come closer."
At twelve o’clock in the night, Chu Keqing and Chen Yan returned to the spirit hall.
At midnight, the doors of the Daoist temple were already closed, and many disciples had returned to rest. Only the two direct disciples of Huang Mingyi were left in the spirit hall guarding the spirit.
However, the two probably didn’t have much filial piety. When Chen Yan and Chu Keqing returned to the spirit hall, they saw the third disciple in a black suit standing in the courtyard, smoking and holding a phone, not sure what he was looking at.
Meanwhile, the second disciple was sleeping soundly in a chair in the corner of the hall.
Chu Keqing’s sudden arrival made the black-suited disciple stunned for a moment. But seeing the second disciple sleeping, a hint of joy appeared on his face. He immediately came over and, without waking the second disciple, greeted Chu Keqing, "Shigu (Martial Aunt), why are you not resting so late?"
Chu Keqing feigned a melancholic expression, shaking her head, "Thinking of your master... remembering how we trained together as fellow disciples in our childhood, and now he lies here..."
She sighed softly, glancing at the black suit, "Your senior brother is no longer here, and in the future, this Daoist temple your master left behind will depend on you two disciples to support each other."
The black suit immediately nodded, "I was thinking of Master at night, feeling so upset that I couldn’t calm down, so I came out to the courtyard to smoke."
He deliberately looked at the second disciple sleeping in the chair, and whispered, "Shigu, don’t blame the second disciple. He was also worried about Master’s affairs, argued with people several times during the day, probably exhausted, so he fell asleep."
His words hid daggers beneath the silk, seemingly excusing the second disciple while actually implying that the second disciple was impulsive and didn’t handle relationships well.
Thinking deeper, someone impulsive and prone to arguments, who doesn’t understand interpersonal relationships, how can they be a good leader for the Daoist temple?
Chu Keqing was intelligent and naturally heard the hints in the black-suited disciple’s words. She just smiled without saying anything.