A completely subversive outlook on life

Xiang Que used copper coins to perform divination for the female ghost. The hexagram showed Yin, associated with water, indicating that the ghost's remains were likely hidden in a watery place. The compass pointed southeast, suggesting that there was water to the southeast of the hotel. Arriving at the side of an inner-city river, the compass needle began to spin wildly. Xiang Que followed the direction indicated by the needle, walking along the riverbank for about two kilometers until the needle finally stopped.

"The water flow in this river isn't rapid, and it's not very deep, around one and a half meters. If there are remains underwater, they should be easy to retrieve and won't be washed away by the current. People often fish by the river, so if you want to retrieve something, spend some money, and they'll be willing to dive in," Chen Xia expressed her trust in Xiang Que's judgment, acknowledging the results.

Xiang Que nodded, and Chen Dong excitedly ran to a group of fishermen nearby, throwing a stack of banknotes, saying, "Come on, dive in and retrieve something for me."

The fishermen rolled their eyes, expressing concerns about the cold water temperature. Chen Dong insisted, promising money for anyone who could retrieve his "worldview." After negotiations, the fishermen agreed, asking for 5,000 per person, totaling 20,000 for the group.

Chen Dong, sitting by the river, anxiously watched as the four men undressed and dived into the water.

Turning to Xiang Que, Chen Dong mocked, "Stop fidgeting. Your restless feet have already betrayed your soon-to-be-exposed lies. Are you feeling uncertain and lost inside? Let me tell you, I'm pretty good at reading people. I can tell your inner turmoil just by looking at you."

Xiang Que chuckled, "You're quite perceptive."

"It's legendary," Chen Dong retorted.

Xiang Que patted his shoulder, saying, "I like the way you tell lies so seriously. It's impressive."

Splash! Someone emerged from the water, holding a pair of worn-out shoes, asking, "Is this the thing?"

Chen Dong, with a black line on his forehead, cursed, "Damn, are you idiots? Did I spend 20,000 bucks for you to retrieve shoes? Am I stupid, or are you guys too clever? Stop joking around, okay? My heart has been racing all this time, waiting for you to retrieve my worldview. Find the right direction and get out of there, or continue being turtles in the river."

Frustrated, Chen Dong sighed, "Ah, I'm so irritated. In a world full of fools, only I, Young Master Chen, am left to be in disarray." As Chen Young Master was still in turmoil, two more people emerged from the river, one of them saying, "Found a snake-skin bag, quite heavy. We need a rope to pull it out."

Squinting, Xiang Que said, "That's it. Retrieve it."

"What?" Chen Dong jumped up, looking bewildered. "Found it? That's unscientific!"

The two people from the river climbed ashore, found a rope, tossed it back into the water, and the other two, carrying the rope, dived down again. After resurfacing, they, along with the two on the bank, began pulling the rope.

A damaged snake-skin bag was pulled ashore, and Chen Xia and Chen Dong quickly approached, their eyes filled with complex emotions. Xiang Que had no doubt that the bag contained a pile of bones.

"Hurry, open it and take a look," Chen Dong urged.

The snake-skin bag, soaked by water, wasn't sturdy. Though it hadn't torn, a simple tug opened it, revealing a pile of stones. Among the stones were several pieces of grim white bones, some still attached to decomposed flesh. The ghost's body had been dismembered into over a dozen pieces before being thrown into the river. The facial features and body characteristics of the remains were unclear, but anyone could see that they were human.

"Ugh..." Chen Xia turned and vomited.

Chen Dong, dumbfounded, said, "So, the truth is really the only one."

The four men who had dived into the river were already frightened, sitting on the ground and stammering, "Wh-what... is this, a dismemberment case? This 20,000 bucks is really a hot potato. Big brother, why didn't you tell us we were retrieving this stuff? It's really unlucky."

Chen Dong pulled out two more stacks of banknotes from his pocket and handed them over, saying, "Console your wounded souls, quickly calm yourselves."

This time, the four men didn't take the money. It wasn't because it was hot; it was troublesome. A murder case couldn't be solved with money.

"Take the money and then report to the police. Just say that when you were fishing, the hook caught a bag. When you pulled it up, you found dismembered remains," Xiang Que instructed. "It has nothing to do with you, and it has nothing to do with us. Just make a call."

"But, you guys can't leave; you have to stay here to prove it for us," one of the men insisted.

"Don't worry, we won't leave."

About fifteen minutes later, two police cars arrived. Several policemen, upon seeing the bag on the shore, were taken aback. The case had a severe nature — dismembered remains in the river, a major case for Tangshan.

The police questioned everyone thoroughly. Xiang Que instructed Chen Dong and Chen Xia not to reveal their identities, treating it as a coincidental discovery. After following the police to the station and giving statements, it was already dark.

Chen Dong spoke cautiously at this point, and his eyes were somewhat adrift when he looked at Xiang Que. "Mystic... no, well, Que Ge, can you explain this to me? You've completely overturned my worldview. But you have to make me understand a bit more, okay? What's really going on?"

Chen Xia, although still finding it hard to accept, had some understanding in her heart.

"Get in the car, let's go back to the hotel," in the car, Xiang Que said calmly, "Your Chen family has a deep connection with me. Several decades ago, your Chen family's ancestors were acquainted with my ancestor. To put it simply, the rise of your Chen family is closely related to us. We set up a Feng Shui formation for your family, allowing the Chen family to rise to prominence. This time, when your family faced trouble, Chen Sanjin invited me to Tangshan to handle the problem."

Xiang Que didn't hide anything from the two. He straightforwardly explained the matter, making Chen Xia and Chen Dong fully understand that their worldview being overturned was not mysterious at all.