The house was square and well-proportioned, with the surroundings meticulously cleaned, showing no unusual signs.
Even the paths were neatly arranged, offering no clues.
"How is it? Did you find anything?"
Seeing Ye Fan's consistently stern expression and furrowed brow, Shen Tianyin lowered her voice and asked softly.
Ye Fan shook his head, "Whether it's the Qi, the concealment, or the layout, I can't see any problems. Could I have been mistaken?"
His brow furrowed, and his face was tinged with solemnity. His serious and focused expression lent him a touch of fortitude, greatly enhancing his masculine presence.
"I believe in you."
Unexpectedly, Shen Tianyin said gently, her gaze towards Ye Fan filled with a flowing tenderness.
"No matter what your guesses are, I will believe you. If there's anyone in this world who can unravel the secret of Qianfo Mountain, it must be you."
Her voice was soft but filled with conviction.
Her tender eyes flickered, shimmering with crystal clarity and radiance.
Her trust in him was unhesitating, an instinct born from the depths of her heart.
"This time, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you."
Ye Fan sighed.
Shen Tianyin's unreserved trust moved him, but the facts were laid bare before them; understanding the secret of Qianfo Mountain was proving to be too difficult.
Perhaps, relying solely on his own strength, he might never be able to figure it out in his lifetime.
But if he wanted to find someone to help, whom could he turn to?
Just as Ye Fan was frowning, deeply troubled, Ji Nanshan came rushing over.
"Ye, Brother Ye, big, big trouble."
He was out of breath, panting heavily.
"Elder Ji, what happened?"
Shen Tianyin quickly stepped forward, gently patting his back and helping him catch his breath.
After a good few minutes, Elder Ji finally felt a bit more at ease and quickly said, "Xue Tao is dead. He's beneath the hanging corpse at the entrance. Brother Ye, you should go and take a look."
Elder Ji's face displayed a look of sheer terror.
This made Ye Fan even more perplexed. With Elder Ji's experience, why would he show such an expression? Was there something unusual about Xue Tao's death?
Without time to think further, he grabbed Shen Tianyin and they hurried towards the village entrance.
By then, more than a dozen people had gathered at the village entrance, including Elder Lei's group and Xu Sanhu's party.
All of them wore expressions of grief.
"What's going on?"
Ye Fan walked over quickly and was stunned when he saw Xue Tao's body.
Shen Tianyin, however, let out a scream, turned her head away, her face instantly turning pale.
Xue Tao was lying directly below the hanging corpse. His clothes were intact, showing no damage, but his face was covered in scars, appearing to be knife wounds, at least twenty to thirty of them.
Even more horrifying was that his eyes were wide open, and although the pupils had lost their focus, they could not be closed.
"Died of extreme fright. It seems Xue Tao definitely encountered something."
Ye Fan squatted down to examine the body closely and said in a deep voice.
"Apart from his face, there are no other wounds on his body. His pupils are wide open, there's blood in his nostrils, and he has bruises behind his ears. These are typical symptoms of extreme fright. Furthermore, there are no signs of struggle in the vicinity, meaning this is not the primary death scene. Xue Tao was likely scared to death elsewhere and then his body was moved here."
"How could this have happened? This young man was fine when he came in, how did he suddenly meet such a misfortune?"
The grief on Xu Sanhu's face was clearly visible, and even a few tears flickered in his eyes.
Ye Fan narrowed his eyes, scanning everyone's faces, but saw nothing out of the ordinary.
It seemed that discerning the culprit through observation would be difficult.
"Who discovered Xue Tao's body?"
Ye Fan asked coldly.
The icy chill emanating from his eyes carried considerable authority.
"I discovered it."
A young man stepped forward slowly. "I was sent out of the village by the village chief to make purchases, and as soon as I arrived here, I saw this brother lying on the ground, no longer breathing. I quickly called for people. No one has touched anything here; it's exactly as I saw it."
This young man was named Hu Liu. He was clever and capable, which was why Xu Sanhu liked him very much.
Ye Fan's brow furrowed. "Village Chief Xu, is there no one guarding the entrance to the village?"
The village entrance was like the gate to a residence; it was a crucial point for the safety of the entire village and absolutely impossible to leave unguarded.
Xu Sanhu quickly stepped forward. "Brother Ye, the village entrance is guarded twenty-four hours a day, with people taking shifts. These two are the brothers responsible for guarding today."
Two young men came forward, holding long spears and wearing armor, looking like ancient soldiers.
Looking at these two, Ye Fan asked in a deep voice, "Did you see Xue Tao come by?"
The two young men shook their heads. "We've been guarding the sides of the entrance and never saw anyone come out, nor did we hear any screams or sounds of struggle. We can guarantee that."
"The guards didn't see him, which proves that Xue Tao didn't come out after entering the village. But why is his body here? And how exactly did he die? Why would the killer want to kill him?"
Shen Tianyin knitted her brows, her beautiful face tinged with deep suspicion.
Ye Fan silently shook his head. This matter was too bizarre, and he couldn't sort out the clues for the time being. To investigate, he would need to conduct a thorough inquiry.
At this moment, Hu Liu suddenly exclaimed, "Village Chief, could it be that thing acting up? Three years ago, a similar death occurred in our village. I suddenly remembered, it's very similar to this Brother Xue."
Xu Sanhu frowned and remained silent for a moment before saying coldly, "Could it be that thing has returned?"
"What are you talking about? What thing?"
Elder Lei asked urgently.
Elder Lei's eyes were bloodshot at this moment. After all, the deceased was his disciple, and after years of師生情 (teacher-student bond), how could he not be heartbroken?
"Let's talk about it after we go back. This matter cannot be explained in a few words."
Xu Sanhu's expression turned grim, his face deeply solemn.
It was evident that this matter was of great importance and highly significant within Dong Village, and Xu Sanhu was unwilling to bring it up lightly.
Ye Fan and the others nodded, then followed Xu Sanhu and the others back to his home.
As for Xue Tao's body, it was taken to the mortuary for temporary preservation, and further arrangements would be made after the matter was thoroughly investigated.
...
Returning to Xu Sanhu's home, the sound of chopping knives could be heard again.
"What? Hasn't your wife's illness been looked at by a doctor? Constantly acting this way is not a solution."
Shen Tianyin's face showed sympathy, her eyes filled with pity.
For a woman to suffer from madness, one could imagine how painful it must be.
And Shen Tianyin, with her naturally soft heart, could not bear to see others suffer.