Chapter 227 - 226: Beginning to Doubt
"What?"
Lin Batian was shocked. If it was indeed as his father-in-law said, then this matter was incredibly bizarre. The glass coffin storing his wife indeed contained thousand-year-old ice.
Such ice is extremely hard, even a large iron hammer might not break it. So, how did that person take her away?
Chen Tianlong, standing nearby, also furrowed his brows. He had never experienced such things, but for these supernatural events, he really couldn’t believe it and felt there must be something suspicious.
"Mr. Lin, Grandmaster Sima, I want to go to the Ice Cave to take a look."
Chen Tianlong seemed to have thought of something, but he wasn’t certain and dared not jump to conclusions.
Sima Dong was startled, looked at Chen Tianlong, and asked, "Who is this...?"
"Oh, father-in-law, this is my bodyguard, Chen Tianlong. He is also a classmate of Wushuang; he has exceptional talents, and I will explain to you slowly later." Lin Batian hurriedly explained.
"Oh? A bodyguard?"
Sima Dong carefully examined Chen Tianlong. His gaze met Chen Tianlong’s, and at that moment, instead of being intimidated, Chen Tianlong boldly stared back into Sima Dong’s eyes.
In an instant.
The two seemed to enter a dream world. In the dream, Chen Tianlong still faced Sima Dong without any change of expression, calm and composed. At that moment, a mysterious shadow emerged from Chen Tianlong’s body, startling Sima Dong back to awareness.
He was using the Zhang family’s exclusive Heart Method, the Enchantment Array.
This Enchantment Array could guide the opponent into his own dreamscape, revealing all the opponent’s secrets, like a movie playing unwittingly in front of him.
However, in those few seconds, everything Sima Dong saw shocked him. Who exactly was this Chen Tianlong? How could he have such an unfathomable background? What did the phantom emerging from his body represent?
"Father-in-law, what’s wrong? Chen Tianlong’s skills are good, so I brought him under my wing, and he can be trusted." Lin Batian found Sima Dong’s dazed expression odd.
"Huh? Oh, I see."
Sima Dong finally regained his composure, took a deep breath, and decided not to think about the youth’s identity for now. Since Lin Batian trusted him, he had no objections, saying, "Alright, let’s go see the Ice Cave, anyway the body is gone."
Lin Batian nodded, and the three did not waste time, heading directly into the secret passage of Tianshu Manor. After traversing approximately fifty meters of the passage, they entered a main chamber, which was a massive Ice Cave.
At the entrance, there were five sets of clean sheepskin coats for those entering the Ice Cave. It was summer, and everyone was wearing short sleeves, so a coat was necessary upon entering.
The three of them donned their coats and quickly entered the Ice Cave.
Indeed, a piercing cold swept over them, making Chen Tianlong, who had been in the south, sneeze a few times. Lin Batian and Sima Dong gave wry smiles, but Sima Dong rarely smiled, even if only wryly.
Since Sima Dong had seen Chen Tianlong’s True Essence, he was extremely surprised, thus forming a favorable impression of his mystery, with a sense of curiosity about his extraordinary nature.
"This is the Ice Cave, and that glass coffin was where my daughter, Sima Mei, rested before... alas!"
Upon speaking, Sima Dong became sorrowful again and, at the same time, very angry. What kind of person dared to steal a body from his Tianshu Manor, not knowing the serious consequences if caught?
Chen Tianlong walked in the direction Sima Dong indicated, scrutinizing the surroundings as he approached the glass coffin. Lin Batian and Sima Dong followed along.
After observing for a while, Chen Tianlong didn’t notice anything unusual, so he tapped the glass coffin with the back of his hand. His gaze suddenly fell on a corner at the top of the coffin.
Through the reflective surface, Chen Tianlong vaguely noticed some unevenness.
He then began to look carefully. With specialized training in Lotus Village, his eyesight was extraordinary, allowing him to see very fine details clearly.
Also, Chen Tianlong had suffered from an eye disease, giving him a brief period of insomnia that scared him tremendously. Later, it unexpectedly improved.
Since then, he felt his vision was exceptional, particularly when closing his eyes, he could sense everything around him clearly, as if he didn’t need his eyes to perceive.
After Chen Tianlong’s careful observation, an incredible string of data appeared before his eyes, displaying a production date of July 18, 2015.
It was laser printed, and the characters were very small, matching the translucent white of the glass, making it hard to notice unless you were extremely attentive.
Perhaps even the person who bought the coffin didn’t notice.
"Grandmaster Sima, has this coffin ever been changed?"
Chen Tianlong dared not jump to conclusions, so he asked calmly.
"Oh? What do you mean? This coffin has been here holding my daughter Sima Mei since her death; who would whimsically change a coffin?" Sima Dong was puzzled, not understanding what Chen Tianlong was getting at.
"Are you sure?"
Chen Tianlong furrowed his brows and asked again.
"Chen Tianlong, do not doubt!"
Lin Batian was startled, fearing Sima Dong’s anger, and hastily reminded him.
Sure enough, Sima Dong, who was initially a bit angry, now felt annoyed by Chen Tianlong’s repeated questioning. But just then, Chen Tianlong’s words left both of them dumbfounded on the spot.
"The coffin has a production date, it says July 18, 2015."
Chen Tianlong finished speaking, went to the far corner of the coffin, and pointed to an area, saying, "It’s right here, though, you might need a magnifying glass to see it clearly."
Lin Batian thought for a moment, took out his smartphone, opened the camera, and began zooming in. Indeed, at a corner’s edge, they found a string of numbers in transparent glass color, exactly as Chen Tianlong mentioned.
"Hiss...does this mean the coffin has been replaced?"
Sima Dong was the first to react, instantly understanding Chen Tianlong’s implication.
"Wrong, technically speaking, not only has the coffin been replaced, but the entire setup, including the thousand-year-old ice, has been swapped. This explains why the ice was unharmed and why Sima Mei was taken away." Chen Tianlong calmly explained.
"Phew..."
Lin Batian took a deep breath, admitting that Chen Tianlong’s explanation made sense. He then turned to Sima Dong beside him, saying, "Father-in-law, what do you think?"
Sima Dong furrowed his brow deeply. If the entire thing was swapped out, it’s impossible not to notice. Even if all the secret room’s cameras were broken, the manor has cameras in many corners. How did they move the coffin?
Suddenly, Sima Dong thought of a question. If someone could move such a large item secretly, with no one noticing, they must be very familiar with the layout of the manor.
They would even know where the cameras are, and where the blind spots are.
"Father-in-law, could it be someone from your manor?"
Lin Batian speculated, his eyes turning suspiciously.
"Sigh...I thought the same. I can’t believe an outsider could know the manor’s layout so well and evade so many cameras."
Sima Dong knew he had personally reviewed all the footage within a month after his daughter’s body was stolen, not missing a second.