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"I implore you to find my mother and sister, whether they are alive or not."

The festive atmosphere on Temple Street immediately turned solemn.

After all, the Little Heavenly King came from an illustrious family; he was only accustomed to receiving compliments, when had he ever needed to bow and plead personally?

Qi Tianrui was lost in recollection, with a hint of pain etched between his brows.

"My mother left a year ago. On that day, we had just had a fierce argument. She told me to quit the entertainment industry and focus on taking over the family business. But I refused."

Recalling that scene again, Qi Tianrui pressed his head, his eyes reddened. "We fought bitterly, and I watched her cry bitterly in her room without comforting her. Frustrated, I went out to hang out with friends. When I returned, she was gone."

"Father said she couldn't get over our fight, so she went abroad for a vacation."

"At first, I didn't take it too seriously. Mother had traveled overseas before, and usually, we would only call each other once a month. But after half a year, I still hadn't received any calls from her."

A neighbor at the door asked, "Could it be that Mrs. Qi went somewhere far away, making it difficult to contact her?"

Qi Tianrui shook his head. "No matter how far away, Mother wouldn't have gone more than three months without contact. I was very confused, but Father reassured me not to overthink it, saying that Mother was safe and simply didn't want to get in touch for the time being."

"Until... my sister also went missing."

With two close relatives disappearing without a word, Qi Tianrui was genuinely panicked.

"I made up my mind to find them, no matter what Father said. When he realized he couldn't hide the truth any longer, he confessed."

Closing his eyes in disappointment, Qi Tianrui continued, "He said that Mother had run away with someone else, and my sister went with her."

Chu Yuening asked, "Do you believe him?"

Qi Tianrui immediately shook his head. "I don't. Mother truly loved Father. From childhood to adulthood, she never had an argument with him. Even though our family was more affluent, she never looked down on Father or spoke a single derogatory word about him."

Having witnessed countless examples of his mother's love for his father,

he found it impossible to accept that she would be unfaithful.

"Master," Qi Tianrui lifted his gaze, a bitter smile tugging at his lips as he asked, "Can you help me locate where Mother and my sister might be?"

He consulted numerous experts in divination.

None could provide him with an answer.

"As soon as Chu Yuening finishes her sentence, Qi Tianrui promptly slides a piece of paper across to her.

Two rows of birth dates are written on it.

With just a glance, Chu Yuening shakes her head. "They're all lifeless zodiacs."

"What's a 'dead eight characters'? I don't quite understand," Qi Tianrui said, confused.

Chu Yuening hesitated but still explained, "Dead eight characters refer to a birth chart without vitality – one that cannot predict the future. It means... "

"A deceased person."

Qi Tianrui's heart plummeted, his complexion turning ashen, despite having mentally prepared himself. It still hit him hard.

He forced a smile, "M-Master, could it be a misjudgment? I had a Taoist priest from the Yellow Great Immortal Temple examine it, and he couldn't see anything. He said that yin and yang govern the creation of the world, and it's difficult even for the heavens to discern life and death through one's birth chart. It's not that simple to determine life and death from eight characters alone."

There was something more Qi Tianrui didn't utter.

From the eight characters of one's birth, only those with immense virtue could foretell life and death.

Chu Yuening remained silent, allowing him to explain without interruption.

At last, Qi Tianrui came to a halt. He opened his mouth, and a sob escaped his throat.

"Alive or dead, I must find them. Where are they... where are they both?"

In his speculation, he had long anticipated that his mother and sister might have fallen victim to their enemies.

Their family had no shortage of adversaries; any two could pose a fatal threat.

Qi Tianrui's mind was in turmoil, imagining countless possibilities. Perhaps they were at the Li residence, or the Sun family's, or lost at sea, or stranded in some desolate mountain.

It wasn't until Chu Yuening's voice, tinged with chill, interrupted his thoughts.

"Them... they were in your wine cellar."

Chapter 135

As the words rang out, the entire room fell silent, so quiet that a pin dropping could be heard.

Startled, Qi Tianrui's eyes widened abruptly. After a moment, he slowly lowered his gaze, shaking his head in a daze. "The cellar? No... It's impossible. How could they be in the cellar..."

"The cellar is for storing wine. I visit it every day, and I've never found any signs of a corpse..."

His beloved family members, whom he had searched for tirelessly over a year, almost turning Hong Kong upside down.

Turned out...

They had been right by his side all along.

Gradually, Qi Tianrui's reason returned, and he asked, "Master, why would the murderer hide Mother and my sister's bodies in the cellar after killing them?"

Neighborhood residents, still reeling from the shock, also felt a pang of sorrow for Qi Tianrui. Originally, he had been searching for his missing mother and sister.

Yet, in the end, their bodies were found right within his own home.

"It's often said that the most dangerous place can also be the safest. Perhaps the murderer, after committing the crime, feared discovery by disposing the bodies elsewhere?"

"That does seem highly plausible."

"I'd do the same if I were the killer. After all, the Qi family's influence is substantial. If the bodies were found, the police would undoubtedly hasten to solve the case."

"I must say, this perpetrator is rather cunning."

"Tsk, impossible," Qi Tianrui dismissed the speculations without a second thought. He had immense faith in his home's security measures. "My residence is heavily guarded; not even a sparrow can fly in unchecked. Let alone a murderer sneaking in to hide the corpse in the cellar."

Unless...

He frowned. "The killer could be someone from my own family."

This thought crossed his mind.