The hustle and bustle of Jiayuan City remained as usual, but beneath this prosperity, uneasy undercurrents were surging.

Shocking Changes at the Mo Estate

Wen Buhuo led his horse to a halt in front of the former Mo Estate, his gaze pausing slightly at the door beam. The once familiar black plaque was nowhere to be seen, replaced by a gilded plaque with the large characters "Chen Estate," which looked particularly dazzling—and piercing—in the sunlight.

He frowned slightly, turned, and walked into the tavern diagonally opposite, finding a seat by the window. The waiter hurried over, bowing and scraping as he wiped the table. "Guest, what can I get for you?"

"A pot of tea, and I’d like to ask about something." Wen Buhuo lowered his voice, pointing at the mansion across the street. "That Mo Estate... how did it change its name overnight?"

The waiter's expression shifted slightly. He looked around cautiously before leaning in and sighing. "Ah, guest, you must be back from out of town, right? Half a month ago, on that night, the Chen family brought a large group of fierce-looking men and charged straight in. Those screams... old me will never forget them as long as I live. Almost everyone in the Mo Estate was slaughtered; there wasn't even anyone left to collect the bodies. The neighbors around here remembered the Mo family's kindness in the past, so we all secretly chipped in to bury them."

Wen Buhuo's fingertips tightened, and his heart skipped a beat: Where did Li Zhuang go? The Mo family had been kind to commoners; for the Chen family to be so brutal, there must be something fishy behind it. He flipped a piece of silver to the waiter, stood up, and vanished into the crowd.

Reunion with an Old Friend

For two consecutive days, Wen Buhuo stayed behind closed doors, but his spiritual sense swept through more than half of Jiayuan City like a tidal wave. Finally, in a remote and dilapidated small wooden hut on the outskirts of the city, he captured a faint but familiar aura.

It was Mo Caihuan. She wore a thick veil to avoid detection, her expression haggard. When Wen Buhuo appeared behind her like a ghost, she was so startled she nearly collapsed.

"Caihuan, what on earth happened?"

Seeing Wen Buhuo, Mo Caihuan's long-suppressed tears finally burst forth. "Brother Buhuo... Brother Zhuang is in trouble! That night, he suddenly went mad; his eyes turned red, and he was completely out of control. I tried desperately to shake the bell to wake him up, but it was useless. He possessed Herculean strength, broke his chains, and ran toward the back mountain. I couldn't keep up. Then the Chen family attacked... Mother was killed by them while protecting me so I could escape..."

At this point, she choked with sobs, but her clenched fists and the resolve in her eyes showed the intense hatred in her heart. Wen Buhuo patted her shoulder and said deeply, "Hide well for now. I will definitely get to the bottom of this and find Li Zhuang."

The Visit to the Wang Estate and the "Sly Old Codger"

To investigate the truth, Wen Buhuo followed the clues to the Wang family, which had always been close to the Mo family.

In the early morning, at the gate of the Wang Estate, the gatekeeper squinted at Wen Buhuo—who was dressed in simple yellow robes with an ordinary face—and sneered disdainfully. "Where did this poor kid come from? Is our Master someone you can see just because you want to? Beat it! Don't come here trying to swindle people!"

Wen Buhuo remained calm. He slowly took out a letter with a special lacquer seal from his robe. The gatekeeper took a look and was instantly frightened out of his wits. His legs went weak, and he knelt on the ground. "Small one has eyes but failed to recognize Mt. Tai! Immortal Master, spare my life! I’ll go report this immediately!"

Inside the courtyard, Master Wang came running out, almost tripping over himself, and bowed low. "An Immortal Master has descended to save my Wang Estate from the fire and water. Such great kindness can never be repaid!"

"Rise." Wen Buhuo waved his hand, and an invisible force lifted Master Wang. "No need for such fanfare. Just tell the outsiders I am a distant relative. I don't want to be disturbed during my stay."

Master Wang arranged an extremely luxurious suite. Leading the way was an old servant named Wang Xiao'er, a slick-tongued "sly old codger" type who kept slapping his own face in apology along the way.

Wen Buhuo ignored his sycophancy, pushed open the door, and asked casually, "Wang Xiao'er, tell me, has anything strange happened in Jiayuan City lately?"

Wang Xiao'er leaned in, mysteriously lowering his voice. "Young Master, whatever you do, don't wander around at night. It's been very eerie in the city lately. Many people have disappeared in the middle of the night—no one seen alive, no bodies found dead. The authorities searched for ages and didn't find a single hair. Some say... there are demons and ghosts eating human flesh!"

Wen Buhuo sat in his chair, his gaze deep. Disappearances, massacres, the Chen Estate...