Hedonist Prodigy

Chapter 81: The Strange Happenings in Xiahe Village

It had already been a night since the incident. Although Qin Shiming’s death had not yet been made public, the Jiang Family had already received the news internally. Early in the morning, the commotion was loud and chaotic, even stirring the usually reclusive Old Master Qin. 

“Can someone tell me what exactly happened? How did Shiming die out of the blue?” At the main seat, Old Master Qin scanned the faces around him, his voice deep and serious as he asked. 

Although Qin Shiming was not highly regarded in the Qin Family, he was still a third-generation direct descendant. Now that he had died for no apparent reason, Old Master Qin naturally demanded an explanation. 

The members of the Qin Family, including Qin Junlin, Qin Wentian, Qin Guanye, and Qin Guofu, had all gathered after receiving the news. Qin Guofu was Qin Shiming’s father, and upon hearing Old Master Qin’s question, his eyes darkened slightly as he cast a fleeting glance at Qin Junlin but remained silent. 

After a brief pause, Qin Guanye spoke up, “Dad, I’ve sent someone to investigate. Shiming was killed by Jiang Feng.” 

Old Master Qin sneered, “I already know that; I know even more than you do. What I want to know is why he went to provoke that Jiang Feng?” 

Old Master Qin did not know Jiang Feng personally, but during his birthday banquet that night, due to Ye Qingxuan, Jiang Feng’s name had shone brightly, hinting at a rising fame in Yanjing. Naturally, he had paid a bit of attention. However, he had only paid a little attention; he certainly wouldn’t regard such a junior as a threat. But he never expected that the second time he heard Jiang Feng’s name, it would be related to Qin Shiming, and that Qin Shiming had been killed by Jiang Feng. 

Old Master Qin was wise and experienced; he understood that this incident must be connected to the events at the birthday banquet. Thus, he convened a family meeting to sort things out—those responsible would be held accountable, and those seeking revenge would be given the go-ahead. 

As Old Master Qin spoke, all eyes turned to Qin Junlin. 

Qin Junlin had always been a transcendent figure in the Qin Family. He could speak directly with Old Master Qin, engage with his elders on equal footing, and, as the third-generation heir, he commanded respect from all the younger generation of the Jiang Family. 

He was almost an authority figure; whether in speech or action, he attracted countless gazes. This time, he was still the center of attention, but such scrutiny made Qin Junlin feel a wave of unease wash over him, a nagging sense that something was off. 

Despite having harbored a deep-seated hatred for Jiang Feng after the birthday banquet, wishing he could kill Jiang Feng on the spot for ruining his plans, he understood one thing clearly: both he and Jiang Feng held significant status. Although the Jiang Family was not ranked high among the seven great families of Yanjing, they were not someone he could just move against at will. 

Thus, without absolute certainty of being able to eliminate Jiang Feng without anyone noticing, he had refrained from acting hastily. He was waiting for the right opportunity, a chance to strike with certainty. 

However, he never expected that while he was secretly plotting and preparing to strike, Qin Shiming had already sought out Jiang Feng and had been killed by him. 

When the news first reached him, Qin Junlin smashed a wine cup in shock. He had not anticipated that Qin Shiming would go looking for Jiang Feng, nor could he have imagined that Qin Shiming would die. Regardless of the reason for Qin Shiming’s visit to Jiang Feng, this matter was inextricably linked to him, as Qin Shiming had always been close to him and had followed his orders without question.

At that moment, Qin Junlin’s first thought was that he had been set up. How could he not be furious? His anger stemmed from two sources: first, the betrayal by Qin Shiming, and second, the realization that someone within the Qin Family was secretly trying to trip him up. He understood that this situation had deviated from his plans, and he was now in a passive position. Of course, he had no concern or sympathy for Qin Shiming’s death; since Qin Shiming dared to betray him, even if he hadn’t been killed by Jiang Feng, he would have made sure that Qin Shiming would wish for death if he ever fell into his hands. 

However, Qin Junlin now realized that he had to speak up; otherwise, when he became the target of everyone’s ire, he would have no chance to voice his side of the story. “Grandfather, Shiming likely went to find Jiang Feng because of my situation,” he said slowly after clearing his throat.

“What do you mean?” Old Master Qin shot him a glance.

Qin Junlin helplessly replied, “Everyone knows what happened at grandfather’s birthday banquet that night. I have been infatuated with Ye Qingxuan, but she rejected me because of Jiang Feng. Shiming probably wanted to help me regain my dignity by causing trouble for Jiang Feng. But I had no prior knowledge of this, nor did I know that Shiming would be killed by Jiang Feng.”

“Good excuse for being unaware. Are you trying to push all the responsibility away like this?” Qin Guofu, who had been silent until now, snorted coldly and said with a grim face. Qin Shiming was his son; although he had always been disappointing, as his only son, he still had high hopes for him. He had been thinking that once Qin Shiming matured a bit more after a few years of playing around, he would gradually hand over the family’s business to him. 

Now that Qin Shiming was dead, and it was because of Qin Junlin, hearing him say such things inevitably chilled Qin Guofu’s heart, and he could no longer suppress his anger. Qin Guanye also spoke up, “Junlin, Shiming has always obeyed you. If you hadn’t said something to him, how could he have gone to cause trouble for Jiang Feng?”

Qin Guanye’s words were polite and seemingly impartial, but Qin Junlin could tell that he was also dissatisfied with him. He felt a sense of foreboding and instinctively glanced at his father, Qin Wentian. 

Qin Wentian narrowed his eyes slightly, his slightly plump face showing no expression. Noticing that Qin Junlin was looking at him, he said lightly, “Junlin, what’s done is done. There’s no point in discussing it now. You should think carefully about how to resolve this.”

“Yes!” Qin Junlin immediately responded.

“How to resolve it? Are you suggesting we go kill that Jiang Feng?” Qin Guofu said discontentedly.

Qin Wentian smiled faintly and replied, “Whether to kill him or not is not up to me or you; there are laws that will take care of him.”

Qin Guofu’s face darkened. How could he not understand that Qin Wentian was trying to confuse the issue? Although he felt extremely irritated, he still refrained from retorting in public. 

Seizing the opportunity, Qin Junlin said, “Third Uncle, I will definitely give you a satisfactory explanation for this matter. It is my responsibility, and I will not shirk it in any way.”

“Explanation? That’s easy to say. Then tell me, how are you going to explain this to me? Do you think that if you give me an explanation, Shiming will come back to life?” Qin Guofu said bluntly. He was intimidated by Qin Wentian, but he would not hold back against this younger generation.

Qin Junlin replied, “Third Uncle, I am also deeply saddened by Shiming’s death. To be honest, I never expected such an accident to happen. Please accept my condolences.”

Qin Guofu merely snorted coldly and fell silent. At this moment, Old Master Qin spoke up, “Junlin, you just said that you were unaware of Shiming going to find Jiang Feng. Then you should investigate this matter thoroughly to see if there is something fishy going on.”

“Yes!”

“Furthermore, no matter what, the Jiang Family must give our Qin Family an explanation for this matter!” By the end of this sentence, Old Master Qin’s eyes twitched slightly, clearly furious to the extreme. 

“Yes!” After the family meeting concluded, Qin Junlin immediately left the living room. He understood that no matter what he explained now, no one would believe him. The only thing he could do was to find Jiang Feng and first quell the internal anger within the family. As for why Qin Shiming had betrayed him, he would definitely investigate it thoroughly. Once he found out the truth, no matter who it was, he would make them pay the price!

*****

Jiang Feng was unaware that Qin Shiming’s death had caused a huge uproar within the Qin Family. At that moment, he was sitting on a bus, casually holding a newspaper and reading it. The reason he bought the newspaper was that a particular news story caught his attention. 

The news reported that about a week ago, a piece of barren mountain located north of Xiahe Village suddenly collapsed in the middle of the night. That barren mountain had once been a graveyard many years ago, where countless ancestors’ remains were buried. In recent years, due to strict regulations and the prevalence of cremation, the deceased were no longer allowed to be buried in the ground but were taken to the funeral home for cremation, leading to the gradual abandonment of that graveyard. 

However, every Qingming Festival, many people would still visit to pay their respects. The Chinese tradition of returning to one’s roots has been passed down for thousands of years, and there is an instinctive reverence and respect for the deceased ancestors. Thus, the collapse of the graveyard startled the entire village. 

After the incident that night, some young and strong villagers ventured to the graveyard under the cover of darkness to investigate but found nothing. However, for some unknown reason, those who had approached the graveyard returned home feeling weak and lethargic, drenched in cold sweat, as if they had inexplicably lost their vitality. 

When those people went to the hospital for check-ups, no ailments could be detected. They even contacted experts from the capital to investigate, but the results were the same. Over time, no one was willing to go near that graveyard anymore. Strangely, as the news spread, it became more and more exaggerated, eventually leading to rumors of hauntings.

Jiang Feng silently finished reading the news, feeling a slight stir in his heart. News of hauntings and the like is undoubtedly a fairy tale for those educated in modern science, but he had encountered ghost cultivators in the Tianyuan Continent and knew that just because something hasn’t been seen doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. 

Although he was still uncertain about what exactly had happened in Xiahe Village, this news had piqued his interest greatly, and he decided to check it out. Moreover, he had plans to head north, and Xiahe Village was located just north of Yanjing, near Tang City, making it a convenient stop. 

Having made up his mind, Jiang Feng immediately got off the bus and transferred to another one heading toward Xiahe Village.