The dead should be respected, and the deceased should rest in peace.
With the identity of the corpse in the coffin yet to be determined, Xie Yuchen's sudden statement was undoubtedly rebellious. If a few old fogies were to hear it, they would likely be infuriated to the point of fainting.
However, everyone present was capable of digging up corpses from forbidden land coffins for a chat. Not to mention anyone else, Hei Yanjing, who had been feeling somewhat bored on the sidelines, immediately became excited, enthusiastically offering to be the boss's capable assistant.
"...If this is your decision, Xiao Hua," Wu Tianzhen's principles were still somewhat akin to a good boy's, and he couldn't help but hesitate, but he quickly firmed his expression, "The liquid in this coffin is unclear. I think, for safety, we should just split the coffin open!"
"It might be safer to let the liquid in the coffin flow out before examining the remains."
As Wu Tianzhen spoke, he noticed that the gazes of those around him were all focused on him, and his voice of suggestion gradually grew smaller.
"Wh-what's wrong? Is there a problem..."
At this moment, the highly action-oriented Zhang Qiling had already raised his Black Gold Ancient Saber the instant Wu Tianzhen spoke. Under the flashlight, the gleaming saber light reflected on the pale head of the corpse in the coffin, presenting a fierce and menacing appearance.
The old fellow's remains at this moment exuded a sense of weakness, pitifulness, and helplessness, as if surrounded by desperate outlaws.
Fatty, who still possessed some emotional intelligence, glanced at the innocent and cheerful child, then at the great demon king Xiao Zhang, who was sharpening his knife towards the coffin. He couldn't help but cover his face.
"...Damn it, you two, if you get beaten up one day, I won't be surprised." He blurted out this sentence, then suddenly remembered Mr. Zhang's terrifying combat power, and with a sharp turn, he changed his tune:
"No, with Xiao Ge here, you'll probably blow up the whole place."
To be honest, as the only person present who had been registered with Song Shuning before, Fatty inexplicably began to worry that he would be forced to claim Xiao Wu and Xiao Zhang from the police station later.
And it was only at this point that Wu Tianzhen finally seemed to realize something was wrong. He gave a sheepish laugh: "...Okay, it does seem a bit disrespectful."
"I'm sorry, Xiao Hua, it was my oversight!"
He clasped his hands together and bowed deeply to express his apology, but Xie Yuchen's reaction was very calm.
"Since I'm already planning to grind his ashes, I have no intention of showing respect," he sneered, his tone laced with a hint of anger, "Even if this is truly Xie Lianhuan, my Xie family wouldn't be so lacking as to not have a coffin for him."
Faced with such a Xiao Hua, for a moment, none of them knew how to respond, until a clear and cold voice broke the silence.
Zhang Qiling's Black Gold Ancient Saber was still diligently threatening the coffin's life. He had maintained this posture for a long time, causing a look of confusion on his face.
But what he said was exceptionally direct:
"Step back."
The emotionless cool guy's opening was just two words without any inflection. Fatty almost choked to death on the side, making faces and glancing towards Xie Yuchen, signaling Xiao Zhang to be more tactful.
Zhang Qiling received his efforts, but his understanding of the meaning was slightly off.
...Because Hei Yanjing was still standing next to Xie Yuchen.
Zhang Qiling was somewhat puzzled. It was somewhat difficult for him to decipher the chaotic expressions on Fatty's face. He glanced at Hei Yanjing's obnoxious expression and stance, then at Fatty, and gradually revealed an "I understand" look.
Fatty: ...I'm glad you understand... but what do you understand?
Perhaps he wanted to stop it, but things developed too quickly. Before Fatty could express his true intentions, Zhang Qiling had already retracted his charged posture.
He held the saber and walked straight towards Hei Yanjing and Xie Yuchen, and under Hei Yanjing's rare look of confusion, he handed over the saber:
"You do it."
Hei Yanjing: ...
...So in your eyes, I'm the only one suitable for doing dirty and tiring work?
Regardless of Hei Yanjing's thoughts, he was the only one present who was being paid. Thus, under Xie Yuchen's offer of more money, he "grievedly" accepted the saber.
Wu Tianzhen watched the entire exchange from a VIP seat. He completely saw what was meant by contradictory understanding. Just as he was about to mock the dejected-looking Fatty, he suddenly remembered Xiao Zhang, who had inexplicably become Xiao Hua's bodyguard.
Wu Tianzhen's laughter suddenly got stuck in his throat.
...Perhaps after we go back, I should find a few copies of "The Art of Language" for Xiao Ge to read.
Hei Yanjing's work efficiency was as high as ever. To be honest, Xie Yuchen was considering hiring him long-term.
To prevent the liquid inside from splashing too much under the saber's energy, Hei Yanjing only managed to sever a piece from the black edge.
That piece of stone instantly fell into the remains of the two-headed snake, and sank with a gurgling sound of water.
Wu Tianzhen had been holding the flashlight, carefully observing the entire process, but unexpectedly, after the dark liquid entered the abdominal cavity of the two-headed snake, it did not cause any corrosion to the flesh and blood.
...Was it due to insufficient time?
Just as his doubt arose, he heard Xie Yuchen's voice, as calm as water.
"So clean." Xie Yuchen lowered his gaze to the coffin. Now that the liquid had drained, the bones wrapped in clothes within appeared eerily clean, looking nothing like they had once encased flesh and blood.
"Probably just a male skeleton was brought here," he snorted coldly, now completely certain that this was not Xie Lianhuan, "Xie Lianhuan truly made no effort to conceal anything."
"Huh? This isn't Xie Lianhuan in here!?" Fatty was carefully taking out the skull with gloves. The coffin was deeply embedded in the snake bones, and he was hunched over, making it quite difficult. Hearing this, his hand trembled, and he lost his grip, dropping the skull back into the coffin.
The poor skull hit the bottom of the coffin with a bang and cracked on the spot.
Fatty: !!!
"Th-that's, uh," Fatty stammered a few times. His sharp eyes spotted the white powder exposed from the crack in the skull, and he felt as if he had been granted a great pardon, "Perfect, perfect, hahaha, Master Hua, please confirm, this has just smashed out the ashes, hahaha!"
The scene was somewhat speechless. Xie Yuchen sighed, a helpless smile appearing on his face. He still stepped forward and placed the human-faced bean.
The roots of the human-faced bean probed shallowly into the bone powder. The facial skin, which originally belonged to Xie Lianhuan, trembled for a moment and instantly transformed into an unfamiliar, rugged face.
The moment he saw this face, Wu Tianzhen genuinely breathed a sigh of relief.
...If this was truly Xie Lianhuan, then the operations they had performed all along were extremely disrespectful.
"...Perhaps Xie Lianhuan had only infused his blood into the liquid at that time, causing the human-faced bean to misidentify him at the beginning."
Wu Tianzhen subconsciously began to analyze, but as he spoke, he felt a sense of doubt.
...If that were the case, then Xie Lianhuan's actions were entirely aimed at creating a false impression of his own death. Although his methods were extremely perfunctory, his intention to fake his death and leave was conveyed.
...He couldn't possibly not know that Xie Yuchen would come looking for him. His actions clearly told Xie Yuchen: Stop looking for me, just assume I'm dead.
Regardless of his motives, this action was too cruel for Xie Yuchen, who had worked so hard to persevere.
Xie Yuchen must have also understood Xie Lianhuan's meaning. He quietly looked at the skeleton, his face appearing pale under the beam of light.
After standing silently for a long time, he suddenly used his dragon-patterned staff to completely pry open the skeleton.
As the liquid slowly flowed down from the bottom of the coffin, previously obscured by the skeleton, a line of Xie Lianhuan's message was revealed—
Xie Yuchen, guard the Xie family well.