Though I loathed such a clandestine meeting, what choice did I have? The guy held half a talisman. To get the information on that talisman, I had to make the trip.

Following the caretaker's instructions, at exactly eleven PM, I boarded the Route 29 last bus at a stop on the city's edge, rode it to the end, and then called a number.

Next thing I knew, someone in a hearse from the funeral home picked me up and drove me into the mountains.

"Just curious, do you always use this kind of vehicle?" Even though I was in the funeral business myself, I hadn't really ridden in a hearse before. I felt uncomfortable inside.

"We use this to transport corpses, or when we might need to," the driver said.

"So, which is it today? Is there a body in the back right now?" Shouldn't be, I didn't sense any corpse aura.

"Prepared for you. If you do anything inappropriate, we can just off you, then take you to the base to be refined into a corpse," the driver said expressionlessly as he drove.

I rolled my eyes in annoyance, glanced at the pitch-black night outside, and didn't bother saying anything more. I simply leaned back and dozed off, waking up when we arrived.

How to describe this place? It was obviously in the mountains, but not the rocky kind, just a large dirt mound covered with graves.

I blinked and got out of the car, circling around. "Your Corpse Control Sect has its headquarters on a graveyard? Seriously? I know refining and controlling corpses isn't exactly a legitimate business, but you guys make good money, right? With money, why not enjoy life? What kind of living experience is this place?"

"Don't you think you talk too much?" the driver said coldly.

"Oh, just curious. I haven't met anyone from the Corpse Control Sect before, so it's all new to me." As I spoke, I put on an expression of wanting to explore, running up a small hill.

"Stop!" The driver's face changed, and he quickly shouted at me, "Have you lived enough? Do you know where this is? It's not a place for you to wander around!"

"I don't know where this is. You know, but you won't tell me. Don't you think you're being unreasonable?"

The driver was so angry he didn't want to talk to me anymore. "Listen carefully, this is where the Corpse Control Sect stores corpses and imprisons criminals. It's full of traps. If you're not afraid of triggering one and becoming a corpse yourself, then go ahead and run around.

"Don't think that just because you were brought here by the little princess, I have to be polite to you. It's not certain whether Shi Tu can even survive this. If Shi Tu is buried in seven days, that bell of hers will be useless! Forget about whether you live or die, I could kill her directly, and no one would care."

"Oh." I smiled nonchalantly. "Right, right, you're right. So, would you be so kind as to take me to see the suspect who might have killed the young master? Anyone can be killed, but the young master can't be, right?"

The driver snorted, turned, and walked away without even bothering to say, "Follow me."

I followed the driver, winding through the graveyard. Finally, a door appeared behind a large tree. The driver knocked on the door a few times, and it opened just enough for one person to squeeze through.

"Go in," the driver said, pointing to the crack in the door, but he didn't seem inclined to enter himself.

I looked at the thick stone door. "Is this a prison cell or a reception room?"

"Nonsense, you're here to see a prisoner, of course you have to go into a prison cell. Did you think we'd find you a five-star luxury hotel, set up a table, and let you sit down to eat and chat?"

I immediately nodded. "That's a great idea! It would really showcase the Corpse Control Sect's humane side. You should definitely improve in that direction next time. But, there's no need to go to so much trouble today. Just find me a decent room to see Shi Tu. It's late, so don't bother booking a hotel."

"Do you know what I want to do right now?" The driver was already clenching his fist.

I calmly said, "Yes, I can tell from your expression that you want to punch me, and you plan to use your left hand, aiming for the right side of my nose. Then you're going to follow up with a kick, targeting a very sensitive area."

The driver was stunned, staring at me in surprise. From his expression, I knew I was absolutely right. That was exactly what he had planned.

"How… how did you know? Can you read minds?"

I smiled and patted him. "Of course I can't read minds. But, you were clenching your left fist tightly, your eyes were fixed on the right side of my nose, and your stance was unsteady. Your body has already revealed everything you were planning. No need for mind-reading to understand."

"Just who are you?" After a long pause, the driver finally asked.

"I'm Wan Qian, and Shi Wanling hired me to investigate the true cause of Shi Hui's death," I replied honestly.

"I didn't expect that idiot woman to hire an expert. I really underestimated her."

"So, are you planning to take me to the real place where the suspect is being held to see Shi Tu?" I asked calmly.

"What are you talking about? I don't understand."

The driver was still trying to play dumb, so I had to spell it out myself.

"Alright, we've already gone to all this trouble in the mountains. You've had your fun, I'm tired of watching, it's time to get down to business. This graveyard is indeed the Corpse Control Sect's territory, but it's not where you're holding the suspect. Shi Tu isn't even in this place.

"You think the bell is just a useless young miss, and anyone she hires will probably be a good-for-nothing, so you were planning to just find some random place and trick me. You lock me in a cave, spray some poison gas, surround me with corpses, and I'm a sitting duck. Not only will I have to say whatever you want me to say, but you might even be able to squeeze some money out of me.

"Right?

"But, you miscalculated one thing, and that's that I'm not as weak as you think. If you want to fool me, you're not qualified."

As I finished speaking, my gaze drifted towards the stone door from before. With a crack, a fissure suddenly appeared in the heavy stone door. Then, the crack spread rapidly, and soon, a perfectly good stone door shattered into rubble. There seemed to be a scream as something inside was hit by the falling stones.

The driver's face changed several times before he finally said, "If you really want to see Shi Tu, I'll have to ask for instructions. Shi Tu's status is high, and now that she's a suspect in the murder of the young master, not just anyone can see her."

"Alright, go ask for instructions."