CHAPTER 896: CHAPTER 456

"Young Master, you’re back."

The butler, Li Tiansheng, immediately approached respectfully to greet him.

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw a young man in a well-fitted custom suit, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, stride in from outside.

His demeanor was elegant, his steps steady, exuding a calm demeanor that only someone accustomed to being in a high position could have.

He was the second young master of the Chen Family, Chen Xu’an.

After handing his briefcase to the butler, Chen Xu’an walked over to Mrs. Chen Li, bent down, and gently held his grandmother’s arm, softly comforting her:

"Grandmother, the doctor said you need to rest more and not worry about these things."

Although his words were considerate, his actions seemed somewhat stiff.

The gesture felt more like a routine duty of a junior to their elder, rather than an expression of genuine affection.

Lin Chuqiao observed the scene, discreetly stood up, withdrew, and returned to Fang Cheng’s side.

Fang Cheng met her gaze, and both read the same judgment in each other’s eyes.

This family’s internal dynamics were far more complex than they appeared on the surface.

"I’m feeling a bit tired."

Mrs. Chen Li waved her hand, her face showing even more fatigue: "Xu’an, since you’re back, I’ll leave the task of entertaining the guests to you."

"Alright, Grandmother, don’t worry."

Chen Xu’an nodded, watching as Li Tiansheng helped the elderly lady slowly walk into the inner chamber.

It was only after his grandmother’s figure completely disappeared behind the door that he turned around, his face showing a blend of apology and politeness, as he extended his hand to Fang Cheng and the others.

"I apologize to the three of you; something came up at the company that delayed me."

"I’m Chen Xu’an. For now, I’m in charge of family matters. If there’s anything you need, please don’t hesitate to ask."

His every word and action were impeccable, perfectly embodying the grace and demeanor expected of a noble family’s offspring.

"It’s alright, Mr. Chen."

Fang Cheng extended his hand for a brief handshake,

"We’ve just arrived at your esteemed residence and were hoping to learn from the matriarch some of the circumstances. I’m Xiao Bai, and these are my companions, Xiao Chu and Bai Ling."

This was the code name he casually filled in when taking the task at Naihe Bridge.

The group sat back down on the sofa.

Chen Xu’an’s gaze briefly swept over the elegant Lin Chuqiao and the lively Bai Ling, finally settling on Fang Cheng, whose steady aura clearly marked him as the one in charge.

"Mr. Bai, Miss Chu, Miss Bai Ling."

Chen Xu’an began, his tone sincere as he apologized once again:

"I beg your pardon for my grandmother’s cold demeanor earlier; I hope the three of you can understand."

"Our family has suffered a series of calamities, and we are already exhausted. Moreover, before you, we had already invited several groups of specialists, but to no avail..."

He sighed softly, shaking his head in helplessness:

"So it’s understandable that the elderly grow somewhat disheartened and less patient with others."

"We understand."

Fang Cheng inclined his head slightly in response, seamlessly picking up the conversation:

"May I ask, how many groups have you invited before us?"

"You are the fourth group."

Chen Xu’an sighed once more, leaning back into the sofa, his brows slightly furrowed as he spoke:

"In fact, before we issued the commission task, we suspected that family members were under a spell of Black Magic, and had even utilized family connections to specially invite a renowned White-clothed Ah Zhan from Siam."

"But that master stayed here for only one night, then seemed to vanish without a trace the next day."

"We realized then that the situation was far more severe than anticipated, forcing us to rely on the strength of Naihe Bridge."

"Later on, Naihe Bridge also sent two more batches of people, only..."

At this point, he paused, lifting his teacup for a sip, seemingly trying to suppress some unpleasant memories with the warmth of the tea.

"Mr. Chen, could you tell us in detail about what happened at that time?"

Lin Chuqiao looked at him with warm eyes, her gaze carrying the characteristic guiding intent of a psychology lecturer.

Chen Xu’an set down the teacup, the sound of the cup bottom tapping against the table notably clear in the quiet living room.

He gave a bitter smile:

"The second batch that came was a mercenary team self-styled as ’Fox Hunter,’ a group of three, who claimed to have dealt with many similar supernatural events in the Southern Ocean, with a wealth of experience."

"They stayed with us for three days and nights, conducting inspections by day and setting up ambushes by night. They appeared to be quite professional."

Chen Xu’an paused, recalling the scenes of that time, a slight chill involuntarily surfacing in his eyes:

"It was during the fourth night’s dinner, one of the strong men in the team took a sip of the meat soup made by our servant."

"Barely a few seconds after swallowing, he suddenly clutched his throat, collapsed to the ground, and his entire skin turned a bright red, as if he were a prawn being scalded in boiling water."

"Before our very eyes, he emitted white steam from his body, convulsing violently on the floor, and within less than a minute, he was gone."

"The coroner later determined that all his internal organs had been cooked at high temperatures in an incredibly short time..."

Bai Ling’s face turned slightly pale upon hearing this, clearly disturbed by the gruesome description, as she subconsciously hugged her own arms

"Another person died in a more terrible way."

Chen Xu’an’s voice lowered further, carrying a slight tremor:

"He hadn’t drunk the soup, but soon after his companion died, his body suddenly broke out in large red welts, which rapidly turned into abscesses."

"He kept complaining about the intense itch, constantly scratching himself. We tried to stop him, but he was incredibly strong, like a madman, tearing off his own skin."

"In the end, he even... gouged out his own eyeballs, muttering about ’so many bugs’..."