Chapter 167: Not a Bad Story, Don’t Tell It Next Time
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Inside Qian Qiangyu’s villa, Wei Wenqiang and Li Yidao sat back down on the sofa.
Qian Qiangyu, on the other hand, got up and went to a nearby liquor cabinet. He took out a bottle of red wine and a glass. He poured himself a glass of wine and sat back down.
“In fact, neither my father nor I knew what that inkstone, you mentioned, really is.”
“But…” At this point, Qian Qiangyu’s eyes showed a hint of fearful expression.
“In truth, if you were to ask my father about it, he probably knows even less than I do.”
The tone of the story took a turn, and Qian Qiangyu forced a bitter smile.
“Five years ago, the reason we bought the house was the same as Mr. Wei’s—because of the collectibles in the room.
“However, back then, the original homeowner was selling because they were planning to go abroad.”
“My father also had a great fondness for these things, which is why he decided to purchase the house.”
“At the time, my father mentioned that he wanted to maintain the original room’s style and some of its historical traces, so we didn’t renovate the house extensively. We only made some simple repairs.”
“For three or four years, everything was fine, until…” At this point, he recalled the past, and Qian Qiangyu took another sip of red wine and let out a deep breath.
“A year ago…”
“One day, I had a bit too much to drink and somehow ended up in the second-floor study. Usually, my father didn’t spend much time in that room.”
“He wasn’t particularly interested in calligraphy, but he felt that having a room with such a refined atmosphere added some style to the house.”
“I don’t remember what happened that night, but I do recall that I was awakened the next day. I had spent the night on the floor in the study, surrounded by rice paper, covered with a painting of an ancient woman, and under my head was that inkstone!”
Speaking to this point, Qian Qiangyu’s eyes had fallen into an expression of fear.
When someone truly began to reveal their innermost secrets, that was when they were most vulnerable and genuine.
Li Yidao and Wei Wenqiang both watched him, staying silent and waiting for him to continue.
“Since then, I have had the same dream every night.”
“In the dream, there is a woman, very beautiful… Beautiful to the point that one would fall in love with her at first sight.”
“In the dream, I’m living a happy life with her.”
“But… the beautiful dream turns into a nightmare at the end.”
“Every time, in my dream, she kills me! And the way of death is horrifying!”
“And so, this continued for several months. During this time, I sought help from many people, but no one could solve this problem for me.”
“Even two so-called Yin Yang masters who performed rituals for me encountered accidents…”
“I was terrified, truly terrified. And… I don’t know when, but I realized that my father started spending all his time in the study!”
“He had developed a love for calligraphy and ink paintings.”
“Not only that! I heard from the servants that he would often talk to himself when he was alone in the study.”
“Until three months ago, one day, when I returned home, I happened to see my father inside the study.”
“I saw… he was… he was talking to the inkstone!”
“Mmm!”
At this point, Wei Wenqiang listened to Qian Qiangyu’s narrative and involuntarily swallowed his saliva.
This situation was so eerie…
It would make anyone’s hair stand on end, right?
It was only Li Yidao who remained calm, probably because he had anticipated this scenario.
“To be honest, I was utterly scared at the time,” Qian Qiangyu self-mockingly chuckled.
“In the remaining time, I secretly installed a camera in the study on the second floor.”
“I found that when my father entered the study, it was as if he became a different person… And when he faced that inkstone, it was as if… as if he were facing my deceased mother!”
“That kind of genuine affection was completely unmasked in his gaze.” “And so, this situation continued until a month ago…”
“One day, a man suddenly approached me and directly told me about my family’s situation.”
“Then he told me… to sell the entire house and just leave the inkstone…”
“At the same time, he gave me a special talisman for my father to carry, which helped my father regain some clarity.”
“As for the rest, you already know. Mr. Wei was interested in the collectibles in the house, so I sold it to him at a low price.”
Qian Qiangyu’s eyes displayed a hint of guilt when he reached this point.
Whether it was genuine or hypocritical, this sense of guilt temporarily suppressed the anger Wei Wenqiang had been feeling.
Of course, this didn’t mean he didn’t care about the situation, or that he would easily accept someone’s apology just because they showed a bit of remorse.
It was more because of the way Qian Qiangyu presented the story, which reminded him of their current circumstances and momentarily controlled his emotions.
He was waiting for Li Yidao to judge the authenticity of this story!
Li Yidao remained silent, watching Qian Qiangyu closely.
The story was quite fascinating, but…
Did you think others were fools?
He believed that there was some truth in what Qian Qiangyu said, but definitely not the whole story!
Especially the sudden appearance of that man. There was undoubtedly some hidden story between them!
In any case, this matter was far from as simple as he described.
And Qian Qiangyu inadvertently revealed something else: when he had passed out drunk in the study and was found the next day, he was covered with a painting.
A painting of an ancient woman!
Who was the woman in that painting?
Li Yidao suspected it might be the same woman he saw within the Soul Gathering on the inkstone.
It would be odd if there was no problem!
At this moment, Qian Qiangyu raised his head and happened to see Li Yidao looking at him with a mocking expression.
In an instant, his entire demeanor changed.
It was as if he had been caught red-handed doing something wrong!
“Is there more?” Li Yidao asked calmly.
His expression shifted once more.
Silent, he appeared to be contemplating the flaws in his story or thinking about how to continue fabricating the next part.
Seeing Qian Qiangyu remain quiet and not speaking, Li Yidao continued in a calm tone, “If you have nothing else to say, then we’ll leave.”
“What you’ve said, you should know it’s of no use to us. I won’t take any action either.”
This time, Li Yidao voluntarily suggested leaving.
On the surface, Qian Qiangyu had just told a lot and recounted a bizarre yet seemingly sincere story. But in reality, it was all nonsense!
The story sounded great, but that’s all it was—a story.
Qian Qiangyu hadn’t provided any of the information Li Yidao and his companions needed.
Most importantly, they still had no idea what the situation was with the inkstone, who the woman in the wedding dress inside it was, or what was really going on.
Qian Qiangyu hadn’t mentioned a single word about any of these crucial details.
However, judging from his behavior, it was clear that he knew something. And now…
He was clearly just trying to buy time and potentially avoid any confrontation by telling a useless story. Did he think they were fools?
What a joke!
Qian Qiangyu seemed to be attempting one final struggle.
Wearing an expression of helplessness, he forced a bitter smile and said, “I really only know these things, and I’ve told you everything.”
“If you want to know about the inkstone, you might have to find the previous owner of this house.
“But I’ve searched for a long time and haven’t found them.”
Heh heh.
A very good excuse.
He was trying to shift the blame now.
“Find the previous owner of the house? Who knows if the previous owner of this house is even alive or does this house even have a previous owner?” Li Yidao thought.
In the face of Qian Qiangyu’s attitude, Wei Wenqiang also felt the loopholes in his words.
But he remained silent, not saying a word.
In fact, he was currently keeping his head down and waiting for Li Yidao to speak!
It had to be said that at this moment, Wei Wenqiang had indeed placed all his trust in Li Yidao.
Or rather, he had placed his trust in the old man!
The air was filled with an eerie silence.
Li Yidao took a sip of water with his cup, then…
He asked a question that instantly filled Qian Qiangyu’s eyes with terror!
Li Yidao’s question hit Qian Qiangyu at the core of his soul!
“The portrait of that woman in the wedding dress, where did you put it?”
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