He pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "If someone plots against the He Family with ill intentions, they would feel guilty and naturally wouldn’t dare to attend the old lady’s funeral."
Chu Keqing thought for a moment and frowned, saying, "I generally understand what you mean, Elder. Are you saying that the three people who died were the ones who disrupted the old lady’s grave?
But... in my judgment, these three had nothing to do with each other and were just unscrupulous petty thieves. They had no enmity with the He Family, so it doesn’t make sense for them to do such a thing.
Unless, they were just hired hands and someone paid them to do it. The person behind this..."
Chen Yan smiled, "The mahjong game I played today was not for nothing."
Then, Chen Yan recounted the matter involving Sun Chen’s cousin.
Chu Keqing nodded upon hearing this and said, "Mrs. He’s cousin... even came to make trouble. There’s the grudge.
Back then, when that cousin committed a crime, his family sought help from the He Family. It was the old lady who refused to help and cut off contact. So, that family resented her, and the one they hated the most was definitely the old lady.
The He Family is wealthy and influential. That family had neither the ability nor the courage to seek revenge normally. So, they came up with such a nefarious plan to dig up the old lady’s grave after her death?"
Chen Yan nodded, "It’s possible, but we need to investigate further to verify the details."
Chu Keqing immediately instructed her female assistant to head to the town at once to inquire about Mrs. He’s family and especially the situation of her cousin’s family, to investigate and verify some basic details.
"Go now. Stay in the town tonight, and once you have all the information tomorrow, let me know immediately!"
The female assistant hesitated for a moment at Chu Keqing’s command, "Elder Zi, if I leave..."
Chu Keqing frowned, "I’m in the He Family Mansion, and Boss He is here with security around. What are you worried about?"
"No, what I mean is, someone should always be with you..."
"How many times have I told you that for those of us who cultivate, there’s no such thing as too many concerns and luxuries." Chu Keqing’s face darkened.
The female assistant quickly bid farewell and left.
Chu Keqing sighed and turned to Chen Yan, "I’m sorry for embarrassing you, Elder. People around me have been with me for so long that they’ve picked up some mundane habits."
"Being mundane isn’t necessarily bad." Chen Yan was unconcerned, "I think your assistant cares a lot about you. We’re cultivators, not monks. Who says we can’t enjoy the world’s pleasures?
Does one have to eat bran and drink gruel, live ascetically, to be considered a sincere cultivator?"
Chu Keqing shook her head, "In the Cloud Sect Technique, if one gets overly involved in the mundane world, their mind becomes clouded, and their Qi Observation Skill becomes inaccurate."
Chen Yan heard this and thought,
That just means your Cloud Sect Technique is just too lousy.
I’ve seen plenty of distractions, yet it doesn’t affect my Qi Observation Skill.
Once the female assistant left, only Chen Yan and Chu Keqing were left in the dining room.
Chen Yan thought for a moment and then asked Chu Keqing, "Earlier, I saw the Jade Token Sun Chen was wearing—have you seen that token before?"
"Yes, I’ve seen Mrs. He wearing it before, and I’ve seen the one Boss He wears several times as well. He said it was given to him by the old lady when he was a child."
Chen Yan shook his head, "That’s not what I meant. I asked if you had ever examined it carefully."
"...No," Chu Keqing shook her head, thinking: Not everyone is as abrupt as you, Elder. It’s only because Mrs. He has a good temper; anyone else would have ignored you.
But she’s smart and immediately realized, "Is there something wrong with that Jade Token?"
Chen Yan dropped his smile and said solemnly, "Those are a pair of Magical Artifacts!"
Chu Keqing was taken aback.
"Magical Artifacts?" The Cloud Sect Leader was startled, her eyes showing eagerness, "Elder, you must not be mistaken?"
Chen Yan glanced at the woman, and Chu Keqing immediately corrected herself, whispering, "I’m not doubting your judgement, Elder. It’s just... Magical Artifacts are so rare!"
Chen Yan shook his head, "Although I haven’t examined Boss He’s Jade Token closely, I’ve checked Mrs. He’s Jade Token, and it has a Primordial Qi fluctuation.
Moreover, the Primordial Qi flows continuously... If it were ordinary jade artifacts, they could be infused with Primordial Qi. But once the Primordial Qi is infused, the object is lifeless, and the Qi would gradually dissipate over time.
But Magical Artifacts are different. They come with an Array that can gather and retain the Primordial Qi and even absorb the surrounding Primordial Qi as a supplement.
Mrs. He has worn that Jade Token for many years, and the Primordial Qi remains concentrated, so it must be a Magical Artifact without a doubt."
Chu Keqing’s eyes gleamed, "Since it’s a Magical Artifact... what is it used for?"
Chen Yan said slowly, "Qi Extinguishing!"
Chu Keqing frowned, "Qi Extinguishing?"
"Yes, Qi Extinguishing. It can expel the Qi of Yin Sha, Evil Qi, and Evil Qi... In this world, there are always some Qi that ordinary people can’t handle. For example, tombs have the Qi of Yin Sha. If ordinary people stay around tombs too long, they would get tainted by this Qi. In the short term, it’s okay, but over time, it could affect a person’s health and even their fate and fortunes.
With this Jade Pendant, under the effect of the Magical Artifact, one can dispel these Qi and not be interfered with."
Chu Keqing nodded, "So, it’s a kind of Protective Talisman?"
She thought for a moment and said, "The He Family is a prominent family here with a history of hundreds of years. It’s not too surprising that they have some ancient treasures that could produce something .
However... the unreasonable part is that this Magical Artifact was given to Boss He many years ago.
Back then, the old lady was just a widow with modest wealth, and Boss He was just a young child. Even if the family had such a collection, it wouldn’t have been given to Boss He.
Besides, even if it wasn’t a Magical Artifact, the precious emerald itself would be very valuable, so it would be unlikely to be given to a young child lightly."
After hearing Chu Keqing’s doubt, Chen Yan’s eyes sparkled, but he said nothing.
[Important Notice]About the updates after publication: starting tomorrow, the daily updates will be moved from eight in the morning to midnight, which is twelve o’clock.
So the next update will be tomorrow night at twelve o’clock.
There will be daily updates, guaranteed over 6000 words. If I ever fall short, I will make it up later.
Don’t complain that 6000 words are too little. This is already more than what many authors write in two Chapters.)