371 The Disappearing Corpse

Time passed, bit by bit. Qiao Muchen remained hidden in the shadows, observing the surrounding movements.

Just then, faint voices drifted from not far away.

"It's true, I'm not lying; it's really haunted! I swear I'm not lying to you!"

"Nonsense! Be careful, or the Young Master will have your tongue! I think you're just trying to skive off guarding the mourning hall."

"Heaven and earth bear witness, I'm not lying! I really heard the Old Master sighing and crying injustice. It was definitely his voice! I suspect he truly was wronged in his death!"

"Hush! Do you have a death wish? The more you talk, the more ridiculous it gets! The Young Master gave strict orders, yet you still dare to spout such nonsense. Come on, I'll go with you. I refuse to believe it; someone must be playing tricks!"

...

As the voices drew nearer, two figures appeared in the nearby corridor—presumably the servants who had fled earlier and now returned with reinforcements.

Qiao Muchen glanced towards the coffin, where Zhao Zhitong was still busy. Then, with light steps, he moved along the wall, approaching the two Liu Mansion servants heading his way.

The two servants were talking as they walked towards the Mourning Hall. Just as they reached the outer wall of the Mourning Hall's courtyard, a muffled sigh suddenly sounded from above.

In the quiet night, the sound reached their ears, clear and distinct.

Both froze, instantly terrified and rooted to the spot. The braver of the two gripped his knife, stuck his neck out, and roared, "Who's there? Stop playing tricks! Show yourself if you dare!"

As his words fell, another gloomy, mournful sigh sounded.

Immediately afterward, a white figure WHOOSHED past them.

Already terrified, the sight of the white figure flashing past made their legs go weak.

"Ghost... ghost..."

Just as the terrified scream left their throats, it was abruptly cut short.

With two dull THUDS, both servants collapsed to the ground.

Having dealt with the immediate trouble, Qiao Muchen started back to the Mourning Hall. However, he suddenly noticed a bright light coming from its direction – clearly the flicker of flames!

Qiao Muchen's heart pounded. He raced toward the Mourning Hall.

Upon reaching it, he saw that the Mourning Hall had indeed been set on fire from the outside by someone!

My heart feels like it's stopped beating. "Tongtong!" Qiao Muchen cried, plunging into the inferno.

At this moment, the Liu Mansion's servants also discovered the fire.

"Fire! Help! The Mourning Hall is on fire!"

...

Suddenly, the entire Liu Mansion descended into chaos.

When Liu Baixue heard the commotion, she panicked. Zhao Zhitong is definitely still in the Mourning Hall!

In her haste, she tried to get out of bed.

Liu Yian was equally anxious. He pressed Liu Baixue back onto the bed. "You're weak, don't get out of bed. I'll go check. Father's corpse will be fine."

After saying this, he rushed outside.

How could Liu Baixue possibly stay in bed? The moment Liu Yian left, she got up and followed him to the Mourning Hall.

By the time Liu Yian and Liu Baixue arrived at the Mourning Hall, one after the other, the fire was already raging. Servants were battling the blaze. Just then, they saw Qiao Muchen rush out of the inferno, carrying an unconscious Zhao Zhitong.

"Mr. Qiao?"

When Liu Yian saw Qiao Muchen emerge from the flames with Zhao Zhitong, his brow furrowed involuntarily. He instantly guessed their purpose and became quite displeased.

However, this wasn't the time for accusations. He quickly directed his subordinates to extinguish the fire.

Liu Baixue also hurried over. Worried about Zhao Zhitong in Qiao Muchen's arms, she asked, "Tongtong, how is she?"

Qiao Muchen shook his head. "She inhaled some knockout smoke, but it's nothing serious."

Hearing about the knockout smoke, Liu Baixue immediately suspected a conspiracy and asked about her father's corpse.

Qiao Muchen shook his head. "When I rushed in to save her, Master Liu's coffin was empty."

"Empty?" Liu Baixue's brow furrowed instantly. Someone is indeed trying to stop me from investigating Father's death!

Meanwhile, Liu Yian and his subordinates had extinguished the blaze. When he rushed in to find Master Liu's corpse, he discovered it was gone!

When he first heard about the fire, his initial reaction had been to hope his father's body would be burned beyond recognition. That was why he hadn't immediately ordered his men to rush in and save the corpse.

But now, the inexplicable disappearance of his father's body made him worry that the true cause of his father's death would be exposed!

His very next thought was of Qiao Muchen and Zhao Zhitong, who had appeared so suddenly in their manor.

He stormed out and demanded, "Mr. Qiao! Why are you and Miss Zhao at our villa in the dead of night?"

Liu Baixue quickly interjected, "Brother, I asked Tongtong to come. The fire and Father's missing corpse have nothing to do with them."

"Besides, Brother, think about it. Why would the Mourning Hall catch fire and Father's corpse be stolen the moment I suggested Tongtong perform an autopsy? Isn't that suspicious?"

Liu Yian naturally knew this was anything but normal.

However, he knew his father had contracted a shameful disease. Under no circumstances can outsiders find out about this!

He would rather his father die wronged than let his reputation be tarnished!

Thus, at this moment, he was deeply displeased with Qiao Muchen and Zhao Zhitong's meddling. If they hadn't come to perform an autopsy, Father could have been buried peacefully. The corpse wouldn't have vanished, and the true cause of his death could have remained buried forever!

Thinking these thoughts, his attitude toward Qiao Muchen soured. "Hmph! I don't care about anything else. All I know is that you brazenly trespassed into my father's Mourning Hall, disturbed my father, and lost his corpse! Considering your relationship with Xiaoxue, I won't hold it against you this time. Leave! From now on, do not enter our Liu Clan again. Our Liu Clan does not welcome you!"

With that, he waved his hand dismissively. "Show them out!"

Liu Baixue felt a pang of disappointment towards her brother. But seeing Zhao Zhitong was injured from the fire, she said apologetically to Qiao Muchen, "I'm sorry. You should go first. I'll explain to my brother."

Qiao Muchen nodded without further words, carrying Zhao Zhitong as he walked out.

Zhao Zhitong never found out what else transpired at the Liu Clan that night. However, from that day forward, significant changes occurred within the Liu Clan. The Young Master, who should have inherited his father's position, failed to do so smoothly.

Meanwhile, Miss Liu Baixue received the support of the Liu Clan's members, as well as her Uncle's, taking control of the Liu Clan's power and temporarily becoming the acting Villa Master.

Zhao Zhitong had always known Liu Baixue was capable, so when she awoke and heard Liu Baixue had become the acting Villa Master, she wasn't surprised.

However, Master Liu's death was indeed suspicious.

Although she was overcome by knockout smoke before she could conduct a thorough autopsy, she had managed to observe one thing: Master Liu's body had ulcers! The symptoms resembled those of the flower disease, but they could also have been caused by some kind of poison. She had been about to investigate further when the knockout smoke took effect.