Chapter 44: Homicide

Chen Fan did not know what to say.

The young Boss Fu must have experienced quite a shock upon learning of that matter.

However... judging by Old Fu’s physiognomy, his romantic fate was cut short, destined for only one wife throughout his entire life.

He had never crossed any boundaries.

Could there be some kind of misunderstanding here?

Chen Fan initially wanted to send Old Fu a message to ask, but such a topic...

It was better to discuss it in person.

Fu Xueyue adjusted her mindset quickly and immediately asked, "Master Chen, isn't it a bit unfair to only talk about me?"

"What did Master Chen do when he was a child?"

As she spoke, Fu Xueyue took a bottle of iced cola from the small refrigerator under the desk and handed it to Chen Fan.

Chen Fan took it, slightly surprised. "How did you know I like to drink this? I don't think I ever told you."

"I asked Master Zhang," Fu Xueyue said with a light chuckle.

Boss Fu really is attentive... Chen Fan sighed inwardly.

He unscrewed the cap, took a sip of the iced cola, and said calmly, "When I was a child..."

"Most of my time was spent catching ghosts."

Chen Fan flashed through his memories.

Traveling everywhere to slay evil cultivators and then refining their souls—could that also be called catching ghosts?

Just as Fu Xueyue was about to curiously ask more, she received a phone call.

She chatted for a few moments and hung up.

"One piece of good news and one piece of bad news. Which one would Master Chen like to hear first?" Fu Xueyue asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm a rather optimistic person. Let's hear the good news first," Chen Fan replied calmly.

Fu Xueyue nodded. "The good news is that Wang Hao, the foreman of the construction crew back then, is currently in charge of the logistics department at the Fu Corporation Tower."

"That is indeed good news."

Chen Fan sighed with emotion and then asked, "And the bad news?"

"Wang Hao didn't come to work last week, didn't answer his phone, and didn't submit a resignation letter."

Good news: the person who knew the truth had been found.

Bad news: the person seemed to be gone.

"Do you have an address? I'll go take a look," Chen Fan raised an eyebrow and said.

"I do."

Fu Xueyue nodded and said with confidence, "But this time, you have to take me with you."

Chen Fan didn't answer right away. Instead, he took a look at Fu Xueyue's physiognomy before speaking.

"Okay."

...

In an old residential community in Qingcheng, the people living inside were all local residents.

Finding someone was simple.

Fu Xueyue frowned slightly. "A logistics specialist at the Fu Corporation earns a monthly salary of over thirty thousand."

"Wang Hao is already a veteran employee, not to mention he used to be a foreman."

"His net worth might not make him super-rich, but it's at least at a comfortable middle-class level."

"He could have improved his quality of life, yet he still stays in this old community..."

Fu Xueyue furrowed her brows. Some clues didn't even require the help of Feng Shui to reveal themselves.

Chen Fan nodded slightly, responding as he searched for the address.

"Indeed. Nowadays, in a world driven by material desires and restless minds, the first thing anyone wants to do after getting rich is to improve their quality of life."

"This Wang Hao is either extremely patient, or he's nostalgic."

Chen Fan paused, raising an eyebrow. "Or perhaps, he has a guilty conscience."

"Found it..."

Looking at the house number, Chen Fan knocked on the door.

Before the door even opened, Chen Fan frowned.

A foul stench—though very faint—drifted out, and Chen Fan was extremely sensitive to this particular scent.

Corpse stench!

Chen Fan glanced at Fu Xueyue and asked in a deep voice, "Boss Fu, is your psychological endurance strong?"

"Pretty good," Fu Xueyue nodded earnestly.

Chen Fan formed a hand seal and muttered under his breath,

"All techniques lead to the same destination, all techniques are permitted."

"Nothing in this world can block my path."

He placed his hand on the doorknob, and the next second, the door emitted a click and slowly opened before them.

Fu Xueyue looked startled. "That's... amazing."

"Just a minor Taoist technique," Chen Fan said calmly. "It used to be the unique skill of cat burglars, but its advantage is convenience, and many Feng Shui masters master it as well."

Fu Xueyue wanted to use the topic to chat a bit more, but a pungent, foul stench had already seeped out through the crack in the door.

"What... what is that smell!" Fu Xueyue almost couldn't hold it back.

Chen Fan pushed the door open completely, and the intense stench instantly vanished.

In its place was an intoxicating, head-spinning fragrance.

"Wang Hao! Are you there?"

Chen Fan walked in and called out, signaling Fu Xueyue to come inside and close the door behind her.

"This smell is so fragrant—it's neither floral nor artificial perfume," Fu Xueyue frowned slightly.

Chen Fan glanced at the empty living room. It was very tidy, and there were no photos hanging on the walls.

"Wang Hao is already over fifty, right? Never married?" Chen Fan asked out of curiosity.

"I don't know," Fu Xueyue shook her head slightly.

"Seems like he lived a single life then," Chen Fan raised an eyebrow.

His gaze shifted toward the ajar bedroom door.

He walked forward and pushed the bedroom door open.

The next second, Chen Fan's expression changed slightly.

"No need to check the other rooms. Wang Hao is in here."

Chen Fan said, "If you're scared, you don't have to look."

Standing in the living room, Fu Xueyue hesitated for two seconds before walking over to Chen Fan and peering into the bedroom.

Upon seeing the situation inside the bedroom, Fu Xueyue's face turned pale.

The bald Wang Hao was sitting cross-legged on the bed, already dead.

He looked like an amber specimen, his flesh covered by a strange, transparent gelatinous substance.

That exotic fragrance reached its peak right at the bedroom doorway.

Clearly... the scent was emanating from Wang Hao's body.

More precisely, from the transparent gelatinous substance coating him.

"Did he... commit suicide?" Fu Xueyue asked hesitantly.

Wang Hao's expression carried a sense of serenity, which somewhat lessened the fear of death.

Chen Fan stepped forward and touched the gelatinous substance with his hand.

"He is... refining a golden body."

"No... someone else is refining a flesh-and-blood Buddha, trying to turn him into a golden body."

"Wang Hao didn't commit suicide; he was murdered."

Frowning, Chen Fan turned to Fu Xueyue and asked, "When did you say he stopped coming to the company?"

"Seven days ago."

Although terrified, Fu Xueyue's mind was racing.

"Seven days ago... right before I broke the dragon-biting-its-tail Feng Shui..."