Volume One, Chapter 62: The Whereabouts of the Original Family of Three

In her mind, Chi Xingwan indeed possessed countless recipes and secret formulas. After all, having lived as an old ghost for three thousand years, it would be shameful not to have a few tricks up her sleeve.

When she left the Qiao family and returned to the dormitory, she found it empty. Chi Xingwan began searching through her mental archive of recipes and secret techniques, selecting a few to write down, intending to hand them to Qiao Yang on her next visit.

Afterward, estimating that Xu Mingyue and the others wouldn't return soon, she raised her hand and formed a seal. A chill from the underworld emanated from her, and the King of Hell appeared grudgingly.

“What is it, Ancestor? Are you finding the mortal world less appealing than the underworld and want to come back to work for me?”

Chi Xingwan's face was cold. “Time is short. Let's not waste words. I have something to ask you.”

“Ask away, ask away. Once you're done, I can go back to sleep.”

Chi Xingwan asked, “When and where did you find the original owner's body?”

“Under a cliff. Her body was shattered, and it took me a great deal of effort to piece her together. To help her body continue growing, I gave her a protective aura, making her appear alive.”

“And after that? Where did you take her?”

“I didn't take her anywhere,” the King of Hell replied hurriedly. “Right after I finished, people came searching at the bottom of the cliff. They took her away. She lived in that small mountain village afterward. She wasn't in any danger, so I didn't bother with her.”

Chi Xingwan pressed on, “So, where are the three of them now?”

The King of Hell’s expression turned grave. “Actually, even if you hadn’t come to me, I would have sought you out in the next few days. I searched through all the records in the underworld and found that Chi Zhengmao, Xue Miao, and the girl with your name—none of them reported to the underworld.”

Chi Xingwan frowned. Having worked for the King of Hell before, she understood what this meant.

Ghosts that linger too long in the human realm gradually lose their sanity and sense of self, eventually turning into vengeful spirits that wreak havoc.

Especially those like the Chi family, who had been wronged—the process would be even faster.

And once this happens, the underworld would never allow it; the King of Hell would send soul catchers to take them away.

But to this day, there was no sign of the Chi family trio. That meant not only had they not reported to the underworld, but they also had not become vengeful spirits.

There was only one possibility left: their souls were deliberately kept in the human world.

Only one type of person would do this: a dark cultivator.

Rage surged from Chi Xingwan's chest to her head, making her appear even more terrifying than a vengeful spirit.

The King of Hell, too, felt uneasy. He forced a laugh. “Well, if there’s nothing else, I’ll go now. We’ll be in touch.” With that, he disappeared in a flash.

Chi Xingwan sat alone, lost in thought. Sensing her mood, the little spirit that always accompanied her settled quietly on the desk, refraining from making noise.

Not until Xu Mingyue and the others returned did Chi Xingwan compose herself and return to her usual demeanor.

After her conversation with the King of Hell, Chi Xingwan felt an urgency. The next day, taking advantage of a break from classes, she went to the Qiao family again and handed Qiao Yang the recipes and secret formulas she’d written down.

“Uncle Qiao, these are what I remembered last night. This isn’t all of them. If it’s not enough, I can recall more.”

Qiao Yang accepted the dozen sheets covered with recipes and secret techniques, his expression utterly astonished.

Yipin Pavilion had risen to prominence all thanks to a single secret sauce recipe from Xue Miao. That one formula had secured its status. Now, he held over a dozen recipes in his hands, and Chi Xingwan said this was only a fraction.

“Xingwan, your foster parents must be remarkable.”

Chi Xingwan replied vaguely, “Yes, there are hidden masters among ordinary people.”

Qiao Yang didn’t dwell on it. He put the papers away. “I’ll handle the restaurant preparations. After thinking it over last night, I believe you shouldn’t openly break with Chi Zhenghua’s family for now. So after the restaurant opens, I plan to keep your involvement secret. What do you think?”

“That’s exactly what I intended, Uncle Qiao,” Chi Xingwan replied.

Simply opening a restaurant and competing for business wasn’t enough; for Yipin Pavilion to collapse swiftly, their internal structure had to crack.

After leaving the Qiao family home, Chi Xingwan asked the driver to take her to a hotel. She didn’t enter; instead, she went to the café across the street and sat by the window, where she could observe everyone coming and going from the hotel.

She waited for over an hour before finally spotting her target.

Yang Hui, Yang Jing’s younger brother, was now the manager of Yipin Pavilion’s sauce factory and the only person who knew the secret sauce recipe.

In broad daylight, Yang Hui swaggered out of the hotel with a woman on his arm, his face twisted in a lecherous grin.

Yang Hui was notorious for indulging in every vice; Chi Xingwan planned to exploit this weakness.

He took the woman to a jewelry store and, without hesitation, bought her a diamond necklace.

Chi Xingwan followed and raised an eyebrow at the sight.

Though Yang Hui was Yang Jing’s brother, as far as she knew, Chi Zhenghua didn’t pay him much above market salary, nor did he give him any shares in the sauce factory.

As a high-level employee, Yang Hui’s salary was certainly good, but not nearly enough for him to buy expensive diamond necklaces for his mistress without batting an eye.

There was definitely something fishy here.

Now with a lead, Chi Xingwan stopped following him and returned to investigate.

After days of early mornings and late nights, she finally found Yang Hui’s fatal flaw.

Since becoming the factory manager, Yang Hui had embezzled public funds every single year.

Given what she knew of Chi Zhenghua—a man who appeared generous but was actually extremely stingy—he likely had no idea that his brother-in-law was skimming so much off the top right under his nose.

But once he found out, he would never let it go.

A cold smile curled on Chi Xingwan’s lips. She compiled Yang Hui’s crimes and, with a gentle tap of her finger, sent the evidence to Chi Zhenghua.

Now, it was time to sit back and enjoy the show.

Chi Zhenghua had been busy lately. Ever since Chi Xingwan’s engagement to Xiao Yue, he’d been running around, eager to climb higher, but the Xiao family paid him no mind.

Still, people kept approaching him because of the connection, so for the past half year, he’d been socializing almost daily. Though exhausted, he relished it.

Returning home reeking of alcohol, Chi Zhenghua habitually opened his personal email—a box known to few, so he rarely received messages.

But today, unusually, there was an unread email from an unknown sender.

He clicked it open absentmindedly, and as he read, his anger mounted. By the time he reached the total sum at the end, he slammed the table furiously, sweeping everything onto the floor.

“Bastard!”

Hearing the commotion, Yang Jing entered the study and asked gently, “Zhenghua, what has you so worked up?”

Chi Zhenghua glared at her with venom and rage, pointing at the computer and shouting, “See for yourself what your precious brother has done!”