The Master and His Wealthy Fiancée

Chen Dong immediately said, "Get someone to burn those bodies at once. We can't let it wait past tonight, or they'll reanimate!"

Tang Dan's face filled with terror. He believed Chen Dong without question and immediately said, "Shan Bao, I'm putting you in charge of this. Make sure those workers' bodies are cremated before the day is out!"

The two site managers were Tang Yongjun, a man in his fifties, and the younger Xu Shanbao, who was in his thirties.

Just then, Xu Shanbao frowned and said, "President Tang, surely there's no need to overreact like this. What year do you think this is, with talk of reanimation? Besides, the investigators still need to collect evidence from the bodies, and the families won't agree to such a hasty disposal. It'll easily cause a dispute between us and the other workers!"

Tang Dan pinched the bridge of his nose, his voice strained with a headache. "Offer more compensation. Pay them triple the standard amount for a death on the job. If they really do reanimate, Shengxuan Real Estate is going to be in deep trouble!"

"President Tang, this... this might not be an issue money can solve. Some families with particular customs are very difficult to handle!" Xu Shanbao said, looking troubled.

"If triple isn't enough, then make it five times. You must get this done!" Tang Dan said coldly.

Seeing he had no choice, Xu Shanbao braced himself and went to handle it.

Just as Xu Shanbao left to make the call, a flash of lightning sparked in Chen Dong's hand. His True Qi ignited, and a ball of flame landed on the pile of crow carcasses. As if doused in oil, the pile went up with a WHOOSH!, instantly engulfed in a fierce blaze.

A foul stench billowed from the flames.

Chen Dong said coldly, "Cover your mouths and noses. Don't breathe in this smoke, or you'll be getting off easy if all you get is a severe illness."

The two men hastily complied.

In less than two minutes, the small mountain of crow carcasses had been burned to ashes.

Chen Dong asked, "Are there any other carcasses that haven't been dealt with?"

Tang Dan looked to Tang Yongjun, who shook his head. "All the crow carcasses we could find were collected here. Because of what happened, we sent all the workers back to Tianjiang to rest, except for three who stayed behind to watch the site."

Chen Dong glanced at the sky. There were still about three hours until sunset. "Let's go," he said. "We'll head into Yan Village and take a look."

Tang Yongjun spoke up. "The investigators already searched the place, even the surrounding woods. They didn't find any crow's nests." He assumed Chen Dong was looking for nests.

Chen Dong shook his head without a word and led the way forward.

A small concrete path led into the village, which was surrounded by collapsed, dilapidated single-story, tile-roofed houses. There wasn't a single two-story building to be seen.

Just as Tang Yongjun had said, there were no crow's nests anywhere. In fact, there weren't any birds at all. Not even an insect could be seen. The silence was unsettling, as if the village was devoid of all life.

The only sound was the crunch of their footsteps. They were already halfway through the small village when Chen Dong's heart suddenly leaped. 'The danger lurking here is immense.' He turned to Tang Dan and the other two. "Go back immediately. Take the men guarding the site with you. I'll handle this."

Tang Dan thought for a moment. "Mr. Chen, why don't we all leave together? We can find professionals to handle this!"

Chen Dong chuckled softly. "I am the professional. Don't worry!"

Tang Dan could only nod and lead Tang Yongjun and Xu Shanbao back toward the construction site.

Chen Dong, meanwhile, picked up his pace, speeding through the rest of the village until he reached a small hill. The slope was pockmarked with pits and hollows, dozens of feet across, with only patches of scraggly grass growing between them.

Chen Dong could tell at a glance that this had once been a graveyard; the pits were left over from relocated graves. And the source of all the resentful energy was deep beneath this very hill.

He paced back and forth along the slope a few times until he found a spot where the ground was soft and the resentful energy was thickest. Circulating his True Qi, he chopped down with his palm. With a muffled THUD, dirt and rock flew aside, revealing a dark hole tall enough for a man to stand in.

Confident in his profound skills, Chen Dong casually strolled into the dark hole.

Meanwhile, Tang Dan and the other two returned to the construction site and called for the men who had been left on guard. After waiting for a long time, only two of them showed up. The third wasn't answering his phone, and a lengthy search of the area revealed no sign of him.

Xu Shanbao asked Tang Dan, "President Tang, what do we do?"

"We only brought one car. What else can we do but wait!"

They ended up waiting for two more hours before the worker finally returned to the site, riding a battered electric scooter.

Under Tang Dan's cold questioning, the man stammered, "I just went out for a walk... Weren't the other two guys here on guard? Don't worry, Boss, nothing's gone missing."

Tang Dan was furious, but he knew losing his temper was pointless. "Yongjun, go start the car," he said immediately. "We're returning to Tianjiang right now."

Tang Yongjun hurried off to do as commanded, while Tang Dan led the others toward the Hummer SUV they had arrived in.

Tang Yongjun, who was in the driver's seat, opened the door, jumped out, and said frantically, "President Tang, the car won't start!"

Tang Dan frowned, climbed into the driver's seat himself, and tried to start the engine. But after several turns of the key, the vehicle remained dead.

They popped the hood and stared at the engine for a while, but none of them understood what they were seeing. Their knowledge of car repair was superficial at best; they couldn't make heads or tails of the problem.

Annoyed, Tang Dan pulled out his phone, preparing to call for a ride and a mechanic.

Just as he was making the call, a pair of blood-red eyes hiding beneath a piece of construction equipment stared intently at him.