Upon hearing this news, Chen Xiao’s heart was too shocked to stay calm.

Chen Xianzu had gone mad.

Mad enough to use his own blood to sacrifice to those bone artifacts!

As for the so-called material, what kind of bone was it really, Chen Xiao immediately thought of a possibility!

Though it seemed absurd.

But after Chen Xianzu had been frightened repeatedly, could he have thought that nowhere was safer than carrying them with him?

Yes, very much so!

And although transportation wasn’t convenient at that time, it also meant regulation wasn’t that strict.

What if he took a black car, or a long-distance bus from Jiang Province to Xiangdu?

Chen Xiao vaguely remembered that it seemed to be in early 1992, the first long-distance bus from Jiang Province had its terminal in the Xiangdu area!

And if you stopped a car halfway, you didn’t need documents; just paying for a ticket was sufficient, not to mention checking luggage!

Thinking of that, Chen Xiao couldn’t help but ask again seriously.

“Ms. Lu, do you know where that artifact box is now?”

Lu Yuling shook her head: “I’m not sure either. He was always very protective of that artifact box. After we broke up, he gave me the house we originally lived in, but he took all his things with him, including that artifact box. However, I heard that ever since he married Zong Mei, he has been staying in Zong Village and hasn’t left at all. I think he must have taken the artifact box to Zong Village.”

Chen Xiao frowned and looked at Xiaoji: “How much do you know about Zong Village?”

“They are very united.”

Chen Xiao’s brows remained furrowed, deep in thought.

After a while, seeing Lu Yuling had nothing more to say, he turned to the Knife Man and said, “You take Ms. Lu home, but remember to stay with her during this period, and don’t let her out of your sight.”

Lu Yuling was displeased: “What does Mr. Chen mean by this? I’ve been very sincere. Moreover, I don’t want much, just to find out what Xu Zaisen has been up to and make him regret betraying me!”

“You’ve misunderstood me, Ms. Lu. I’m thinking of your safety. You know so much about him, and it’s a miracle you’re still alive!”

Chen Xiao’s words were not exaggerated at all.

For someone as vigilant as Chen Xianzu, letting Lu Yuling live well was quite surprising.

Did Chen Xianzu feel that Lu Yuling posed no threat?

Clearly not.

Perhaps the answer to this question lay in the relationship between Chen Xianzu and Lu Yuling.

Chen Xiao didn’t delve into these matters further, and after understanding, Lu Yuling left with the Knife Man.

After Xiaoji closed the door, Chen Xiao asked, “What do you think the artifacts in that box are made of?”

Xiaoji blurted out: “Didn’t we say they were made of bone?”

“I mean, what kind of bone!”

Xiaoji’s face changed dramatically: “No way! Could he have brought human remains to Xiangdu? He can’t possibly board a train with that!”

“Do you think security was as tight back then as it is now? And who can be sure he took the train? As long as you could afford it, back then you could ride any vehicle, except the ones that required an ID card!”

Xiaoji suddenly understood, but still said: “Then what about the flesh? Did he completely get rid of it?”

“Have you forgotten Xi Yian’s knife? Besides, by then, it would’ve been skeletal remains, there wouldn’t be any flesh left!”

Xiaoji couldn’t help but smack his forehead: “Damn, how strong of a psychological endurance one must have to do something so terrifying, and the fact that he turned them into artifacts is even more insane than Xi Yian.”

“Let’s not worry about that for now, let’s think about whether we need to take a trip to Zong Village.”

Xiaoji’s expression changed: “Brother, you’re not saying we should go there to steal the artifact box, right? I heard they caught a thief in Zong Village before, and stripped him down at the village entrance, whipping him!”

“Don’t worry, they won’t catch us, I’ll do it myself when the time comes.”

Chen Xiao replied nonchalantly.

After all, he had acquired the ability of ‘theft.’ If he couldn’t even take something from Zong Village, what would the point of having this ability be?

Just as he started to head out, Xiaoji gritted his teeth and pulled him back again:

“Brother, I’m not scared, but I’ve been studying law books recently. There’s a rule I remember clearly that if evidence is obtained by unauthorized personnel in an illegal manner, it’s useless in court!”

Chen Xiao’s eyes lit up, and he smiled: “Not bad, you’re indeed more serious now!”

Xiaoji gave a wry smile: “Whether I’m serious or not doesn’t matter, what matters is we can’t do this, it can only be done by the police, and they need a search warrant to legalize the evidence.”

Chen Xiao gave a thumbs up: “You thought it through, but you missed something.”

“What?”

“Ms. Lu’s words earlier.”

“Blood feeding!” Xiaoji finally caught on.

Chen Xiao nodded: “Exactly, if he fed them blood, that’s solid evidence. But you’re rational and calm, indeed theft isn’t advisable, we can accompany the Xiangdu Police to search together.”

Chen Xiao was genuinely pleased with Xiaoji’s progress.

But Xiaoji thought for a moment and said: “What if he destroys it?”

“Still, as Ms. Lu said, he took the artifact box with him after breaking up with her. And he fed it with blood, what does that mean? It means those artifacts have become his precious treasure! Unless his life is threatened at the last moment, I believe he won’t easily give them up!”

Xiaoji thought for a moment, then declared: “Then we must act quickly. Luckily, Elder Guo found a way to send Xu Zaisen’s father-in-law away. If we team up with the police and go to Zong Village, we won’t face many obstacles. The only difficulty will be finding that box!”

Chen Xiao nodded.

Zong Yuanmao left, and Xu Zaisen lost his greatest support.

Moreover, Lu Yuling mentioned that Xu Zaisen has been staying in Zong Village and hasn’t left at all recently.

So, he must see that place as his last barrier to struggle!

Just as Chen Xiao was stepping out, he inadvertently glanced at the two newspapers on the table meant for Lu Yuling.

At the moment he saw the newspapers, Chen Xiao’s steps suddenly paused.

Seeing that Chen Xiao hadn’t followed, Xiaoji hurriedly asked at the door, “Brother, what’s going on? We need to hurry. If he realizes that we’re really coming, that will be the moment threatening his life, and he’s sure to destroy the evidence!”

“Why would he know we are coming?” Chen Xiao countered.

Xiaoji was stunned, but Chen Xiao didn’t give him time to answer and asked another question:

“Why wasn’t Lu Yuling silenced? She even witnessed Xu Zaisen feeding the Blood Bone Card. Can Xu Zaisen let her live?”

“Perhaps he couldn’t bring himself to do it in the end, maybe he cherished the companionship of over a decade with Lu Yuling,” Xiaoji gave a reason.

This reason Chen Xiao had considered before, but now he flatly denied it:

“Impossible. In the millennium, Chen Ding’s career suffered a severe setback, while Xu Zaisen was already thriving. Even at the life and death moment of his biological brother, he watched coldly. What does this signify? It signifies that he has long lost any sentiment!”

“He couldn’t possibly leave trouble for himself because of emotions. The reason Lu Yuling is still alive should be for two reasons.”

Xiaoji was bewildered, while Chen Xiao spoke solemnly after a brief silence:

“Reason one, he doesn’t have absolute confidence to safely withdraw after silencing Lu Yuling. It’s not like the old days. He could escape after murder back then, but now? If he gets caught, the Skull Case might very likely be dug up by the police!”

“The second and most important reason, Lu Yuling holds a significant purpose. She can convey information about whether anyone comes to Xiangdu to investigate him! As soon as someone investigates the Skull Case, they might find the two hundred thousand. Finding the two hundred thousand inevitably leads to Lu Yuling, and once they find Lu Yuling, it might attract strangers.”

“Strangers approaching Lu Yuling can only be investigations about Xu Zaisen. Even Lu Yuling could guess we have an agenda, so why not Xu Zaisen? Therefore, when he faces danger, no matter how much he treasures and pampers the bone projects fed with blood, he will abandon them!”

At this point, Chen Xiao’s face turned steel-gray: “It’s too late, we came too late!”

Acknowledging this, Xiaoji felt guilty: “Sorry, Brother Chen, it was me and Xiaodao who messed things up.”

Chen Xiao shook his head: “Can’t blame it on you guys, because no matter what method you use, eventually you’d have to contact Lu Yuling. And Xu Zaisen only needs to identify whether you’re someone Lu Yuling once knew. Once you’re not, he knows what happened.”

“That’s why his union with Zong Yuanmao’s daughter serves two purposes: seeking a pillar of support and his crisis instinct telling him that Lu Yuling must be pushed forward as bait. No matter if we or the police bite in the end, the result remains the same!”

“Without physical evidence, what use is just Lu Yuling as a witness? He can boldly claim that Lu Yuling’s accusations stem from a desire for revenge after being abandoned by him.”

“The one point he cannot argue is being Chen Xianzu. Yet being Chen Xianzu doesn’t decisively influence this; suspicions and doubts don’t stand firm in court. Besides, can he not assemble a formidable legal team now? Once assembled, those lawyers could indefinitely prolong the trial of this case!”

Upon saying this, Chen Xiao couldn’t help but exclaim: “Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! Truly worthy of being the repeating king in the Chen Family, the scholarly monster of later years!”

Xiaoji listened with not a trace of enthusiasm left.

He expressed his frustration: “Brother Chen, does this mean aside from sickening him by having the police detain him, we can’t find evidence to convict him?”

Chen Xiao said nothing, deep in thought.

His mind stirred like a storm!

Continuously reminding himself, there’s no way a murder case is just let go!

There must be hope still!

As Chen Xiao ruminated, he muttered: “Human bones aren’t that easy to handle unless crushed into powder scattered across the sea, or through cremation, especially cremation, that’s really… “

As Chen Xiao mumbled, Xiaoji suddenly tugged him.

“What’s wrong?” Chen Xiao frowned.

Xiaoji was filled with despair: “Brother Chen, cremation! Cremation!”

Chen Xiao’s mind suddenly jolted with a “buzz!”

Yes, cremation!

Yesterday, a senior of Zong Yuanmao was just cremated and buried!

Xiaoji and the Xiaoji Knife Man arrived the night before last. If Xu Zaisen had the thought, could he accomplish it?

He’s long perfected using the dead as a trick!

It’s impossible for him not to manage it!

Those are merely prepared pieces of the bone card, no longer skeletal human bones!

Instinctively, Chen Xiao glanced out at the sky.

He thought, what kind of person is Chen Xianzu after all?

Even the heavens seem to pursue him, granting him opportunity after opportunity to start anew.

There was a sense of unwillingness in Chen Xiao.

He wanted Old Chen to have no worries anymore.

He also wanted to provide his uncle, who viewed his father as a brother, and himself as a nephew, with the truth.

But currently, he seemed at a loss for means.

Gradually, Chen Xiao quieted down.

“Knock, knock, knock… “

Suddenly, there were knocks at the door.

Chen Xiao instinctively looked towards the door; he heard a voice shout from outside: “Hello, is Chen Xiao present? I am… Xu Zaisen!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep