"Brother Ye, what in the world is going on?"
Xu Sanhu's face was filled with terror, his eyes wide with panic as he looked at Ye Fan.
Ye Fan smiled, "Village Chief Xu, it seems we are getting closer to finding the murderer. If my predictions are correct, the culprit will be apprehended in the next few days."
A confident smile played on Ye Fan's lips, but his gaze was fixed on Xu Sanhu's face.
A fleeting hint of panic flashed in Xu Sanhu's eyes.
He then forced a smile, "Is that so? That would be excellent. Once this murderer is caught, be sure to torture him in the most brutal ways."
Xu Sanhu said with feigned indignation, his demeanor appearing quite sincere.
Observing Xu Sanhu's earnest expression, Ye Fan chuckled, "When the time comes, I will have to ask for Village Chief Xu's assistance."
...
Returning to the ancestral hall, Ye Fan's expression remained somber.
"Ye Fan, can you really find the killer?"
Shen Tianyin hurried forward and asked in a low voice by his ear.
Ye Fan narrowed his eyes, "The murderer is someone from the village. It might be dangerous to find them."
Turning to Shen Tianyin, Ye Fan's expression grew more serious.
Undoubtedly, at this moment, they were both taking a huge risk.
"I'm not afraid."
To Ye Fan's surprise, Shen Tianyin showed no fear at all. Instead, her gaze was unusually resolute!
The next morning, as soon as Ye Fan woke up, he heard Xu Sanhu's angry roar from outside the door.
"Search, search quickly! That is our village's ancestral sacred artifact. It must not be lost, or we will face divine retribution."
The voice was so loud that even Ye Fan found it somewhat deafening.
He quickly got up and went outside, only to see everyone from the East Village rushing back and forth in a hurry.
"Village Chief Xu, what valuable item has been lost?"
Looking at Xu Sanhu, Ye Fan asked calmly.
Xu Sanhu, however, with a grim expression, looked at Ye Fan with a hint of coldness in his eyes.
"Hmph, our East Village's ancestral treasure has been stolen by some petty thief."
At this moment, Elder Lei, Elder Ji, and Shen Tianyin also emerged.
"Ancestral treasure? What is it?"
Shen Tianyin asked, puzzled. What could it be that made Xu Sanhu so enraged?
In response to Shen Tianyin's inquiry, Xu Sanhu simply snorted again.
"Hmph, you will know when it is found."
From a distance, Hu Liu ran over hurriedly, "Village Chief, it's found."
"Where?"
Xu Sanhu asked anxiously, his hands reaching out to firmly grasp Hu Liu's shoulder.
Hu Liu's mouth twitched in pain, but he managed to say, "It's in the mortuary, under Xue Zhonglong's body."
"What?"
Elder Lei was immediately stunned. Under Xue Zhonglong's body? What was going on?
Xu Sanhu turned to look at Ye Fan and the others, his gaze filled with even more coldness. "You all, come with me to see."
Saying that, he gave Hu Liu a meaningful look.
Hu Liu immediately understood, "You all, let's go."
Ye Fan looked coldly at Hu Liu, "What? Are you treating us like thieves?"
Hu Liu sneered, "How would I dare? It's just that the Village Chief's words are our command. You should all go, lest something unpleasant happens."
It was a blatant threat.
Elder Lei and Elder Ji were immediately furious. Both were upright individuals with immense reputation and prestige. How could they tolerate being treated as thieves?
Seeing that they were about to explode, Ye Fan raised his hand to stop them. "Let's go. I also want to see what it is that they value so highly."
Hearing Ye Fan's words, Elder Lei and the others' expressions calmed down slightly, but their gazes towards Hu Liu still held anger.
With a cold snort, they followed Ye Fan to the mortuary.
The mortuary was the same as when they had visited yesterday, showing no change.
At this moment, Xu Sanhu and dozens of villagers were gathered here, surrounding Xue Zhonglong's corpse.
Since Ye Fan had handled the body yesterday, its face was now swollen, and the skin had begun to show signs of decay.
"Where is it? Bring it out."
Seeing that Ye Fan and the others had arrived, Xu Sanhu said angrily.
Hu Liu quickly stepped forward and moved Xue Zhonglong's corpse. A large seal was found pressed beneath him.
The seal was crystal clear and emerald green in color. The upper part was carved with a lifelike dragon, its eyes shining in the sunlight.
The lower part was square and angular.
"A top-grade jade. Jade of this quality starts at at least a million."
As expected of Elder Lei, with just one glance, he had already determined the quality of the seal.
"Brother Ye, do you recognize this seal?"
Xu Sanhu took the seal, walked slowly to Ye Fan, and asked coldly.
Ye Fan sneered, "Is Village Chief Xu testing me?"
Although he knew what Xu Sanhu was trying to do, Ye Fan's expression remained calm and composed.
He took the seal and slowly turned it over to examine the bottom.
In an instant, Ye Fan froze.
"This, how is this possible?"
Ye Fan's face paled with shock, and he stood there stunned.
Seeing Ye Fan's reaction, Elder Lei and Ji Nanshan both frowned.
Having spent so much time with Ye Fan, they naturally understood his personality. What kind of mystery could this seal hold to make him so flustered?
They hurried forward, their gazes falling upon the bottom of the seal.
The next moment, they too were stunned. "Impossible, this is absolutely impossible."
They both exclaimed in unison.
On the bottom of the seal, eight characters were carved: "Mandated by Heaven, may you live long and prosper."
The calligraphy was in the Great Seal script, flowing and majestic.
"The Imperial Seal of the Realm, how could it appear in this Qianfo Mountain?"
Elder Lei was the first to react, his pupils wide, his face filled with disbelief.
"The Imperial Seal of the Realm has been lost since the Eastern Han Dynasty. Subsequent rulers used imitation seals. There are rumors that the Imperial Seal of the Realm was taken into a tomb by a certain emperor. Could that tomb be in Qianfo Mountain?"
Ji Nanshan also gasped for breath, his eyes filled with disbelief.
The Imperial Seal of the Realm originally belonged to Bian He of Zhao during the Warring States period. It was later plundered by the King of Qin. After the First Emperor unified the six states and established the Qin Dynasty, he ordered skilled craftsmen to carve the entire piece of Heshi Bi into the Imperial Seal of the Realm.
The eight characters below were the best proof.
"No, this is definitely not real."
Ye Fan said coldly, his eyes flashing with a sharp glint.
At this moment, Xu Sanhu quickly stepped forward and snatched the seal from Ye Fan's hand.
"This seal is our East Village's ancestral sacred artifact. No one in the village would steal it. Brother Ye, you have only been here for two days, and such a thing has happened. Don't you owe us an explanation?"
Xu Sanhu spoke righteously, his gaze towards Ye Fan carrying obvious hostility.
"An explanation? Village Chief Xu, are you suspecting us of stealing your treasure?"
Shen Tianyin questioned angrily, a layer of icy frost covering her delicate face.