Chapter 143: Disappeared

“Mr. Yuan, what exactly happened on the night of your wedding?”

After listening to Yuan Jing's account, the only thing everyone cared about was the circumstances of that time.

Ma Chulong, in particular, paid close attention to all of Yuan Jing's expressions and subtle movements.

Yuan Jing paused for a full ten seconds before speaking with extreme gravity, "I don't know either."

Such an answer clearly fell outside everyone's expectations.

"Could it be that you drank too much, Mr. Yuan, and that's why you didn't see anything?" Li Zhou immediately blurted out.

But how could that be possible?

After all, it had happened three times.

Yuan Jing shook his head. "I did indeed drink alcohol during the first wedding and stumbled into the bridal chamber in a daze. But during the second and third times, I didn't touch a single drop of alcohol, yet I fell into a coma for no reason. By the time I woke up, they had already become like this."

A trace of irrepressible sorrow and unease lingered between his brows.

If an ordinary person had experienced such terrifying events three times, their mental state would likely have collapsed long ago.

The fact that he could still maintain a normal life and manage his business affairs meant the pressure he endured was unimaginable.

"I have invited you all here today because regardless of who can investigate the cause of death of my three wives, I am willing to reward you with ten thousand pieces of gold," Yuan Jing said, emphasizing his words.

He could go his whole life without marrying, but he could not tolerate a blade hanging over his head forever.

Aside from the Ma siblings, everyone present looked excited.

Yuan Jing wasn't talking about ten thousand yuan, but ten thousand pieces of gold.

Calculated at current gold prices, that was an astronomical figure.

Whether they were exorcists or fortune tellers, they all had to eat; as long as they could obtain this sum, they could retire for the rest of their lives and enjoy wealth and glory.

"Rest assured, Mr. Yuan, we will do our utmost!"

Solemn promises were made almost in unison.

"Then I leave it to you all. I have already instructed my subordinates to prepare guest rooms for you; you may settle in comfortably." After a few more brief pleasantries, Yuan Jing walked out.

The moment he left, the room erupted into a frenzy.

The nine people present, including the Ma siblings, all turned their gaze back to the three corpses once again. Even though their deaths were gruesome, they hoped to find a clue from them first.

"Mr. Yuan is truly a man of deep sentiment and loyalty. Even though the previous two wives passed away so long ago, he actually kept their remains."

Li Zhou, who had been exhausted to the point of collapse, didn't know if he was stimulated by the mention of the ten thousand gold pieces, but his physical strength had actually recovered quite a bit, making him the most active among the nine. However, this casual remark was noted by Ma Chulong.

***

As night fell, the Yuan residence remained brightly lit.

Yuan Jing had issued an order that the invited guests could freely enter and exit most of the public rooms and corners of the Yuan estate to facilitate finding clues as quickly as possible.

Led by Cao Meng, several people were unwilling to waste even a second, each displaying their unique skills.

"Brother, aren't we going out to take a look?"

Ma Chulong and Ma Chulan stood at the door of the guest room. Watching these people incessantly probing the grand mansion, Ma Chulan was becoming restless.

Although she didn't care much about the gold, she didn't want to tarnish the Ma family's reputation either.

"There's no need." Ma Chulong withdrew his gaze and motioned for his younger sister to enter the room before continuing, "We aren't the first group of people Mr. Yuan sought out. If there truly were something in this mansion, it wouldn't have lasted until now."

"What if the people who came before us simply lacked the ability?" Ma Chulan's words fully expressed the pride of being a member of the Ma family.

Ma Chulong gave a helpless smile. If it were before, he might have shared such thoughts, but ever since meeting Su Yan, he had completely abandoned such arrogant ideas.

There is always someone better.

No matter how powerful the Ma family was, they were not invincible.

"You've traveled all day, so get some rest early. If they really find a clue or solve the problem directly, I'll take you into the city to have some fun tomorrow."

Ma Chulan was, after all, still an inexperienced young girl; hearing that she could relax and play, she immediately lost her impatience.

***

The next day.

The siblings were awakened by the noise outside.

By the time the two of them were dressed and emerged from their room, everyone except Li Zhou had already gathered.

"Li Zhou is missing."

Cao Meng's words instantly wiped away the siblings' sleepiness.

"What do you mean, 'missing'?"

Li Zhou had been the most proactive last night.

Cao Meng looked toward Wang Hui, who had shared a room with Li Zhou. "You tell them."

Wang Hui did not dare to hesitate for even a moment. "Last night, Li Zhou and I were in the mansion and didn't return to the room to rest until the latter half of the night. In a daze, I saw Li Zhou go out again. I thought he was going to the latrine, but I didn't expect him not to return even after dawn."

"Could he have gone to look for clues?" Someone immediately thought of this possibility.

Wang Hui denied it. "I've already searched, and I specifically asked the Yuan family staff, but no one has seen Li Zhou."

"Could it be that Li Zhou felt he couldn't find clues or solve Mr. Yuan's problem, so he just left?"

"No, his luggage is still in the room."

Everyone chimed in with their own theories, yet they still couldn't make sense of it.

After all, a perfectly healthy living person would never disappear without reason.

At that moment, a member of the Yuan family rushed in.

"Everyone, something has happened!"

***

"Ha~"

Sun Mang stretched as he walked out of his room.

Hotel beds were so comfortable to sleep in; he had slept straight through until broad daylight.

"Su Yan, are you awake?"

They had all agreed last night that they would go to the park to play today.

*Knock, knock, knock.*

"Su Yan?"

After calling twice without receiving any response, he pressed his whole body against the door, attempting to hear any movement inside.

As a result, when Su Yan's voice rang out from behind him, he was startled half to death.

"What are you doing?"

Seeing him clinging to the door like an octopus, Su Yan raised an eyebrow.

Sun Mang hurriedly turned around, clutching his thumping heart. "Su Yan, how can you walk without making a single sound? Where did you go by yourself so early?"

"Out for a walk." As Su Yan spoke, she walked to the door and gave it a light push; the door opened.

Sun Mang stared blankly at this scene, suddenly doubting the strength he had used while knocking for so long.

"Su Yan, I've already made arrangements. Let's go out for breakfast first, and then go to that park the waiter mentioned."

"I'm staying here this morning. I have things to do, or you can go by yourself," Su Yan said absentmindedly.

Sun Mang's excitement vanished instantly. "Why? Didn't we agree on this yesterday? It's a rare trip to the provincial capital; it would be so boring to stay cooped up in a room. If you don't like the park, we can go somewhere else."

He truly couldn't think of anything Su Yan would need to do, especially since there had been no news from the Qiao family's business.

Perhaps the Ma siblings had already solved the problem.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're very noisy?" Su Yan felt a headache coming on from his chatter.

Sun Mang's face fell. "Someone just did."

"How about this: go out and buy some high-quality yellow paper and some cinnabar, and bring them back. I will make some talismans."

(End of Chapter)