"Brother?" Fen Lei was silent for a moment. "That Yan Shiren is your brother?"The lady crossed her arms. "It is not surprising that you are unaware of my existence. I am Yan Shiha, but most people know me as Heng Beiyu. I am a traveling doctor and the elder sister of that grumpy bastard who rejected you."Yan Shiha was a well-known doctor in the nation for her exceptional medical knowledge and healing ability. She was also a skilled mejinsu with unrivaled combat skills. However, even though she had built a reputation for herself as Heng Beiyu, only a few were aware of her origin and that she was the elder sister of the Hashiya Chief Commissioner, Yan Shiren."Did you really have to emphasize the word 'rejected'?" Fen Lei replied, feeling a little sorry for Li Yuan's unfortunate love confession.Yan Shiha giggled, amused by Fen Lei's reaction. "So, what did you like about my brother? Or perhaps I should ask, 'Did you hit your head somewhere?' My brother is good-looking, I agree, but I do not see any other reasons for you to like him unless you are a complete idiot.""Are you not roasting two people at once? Not to mention the other one is your brother.""Haha!" Yan Shiha laughed as she draped her arm around Fen Lei's shoulders. Li Yuan was tall, but Yan Shiha was surprisingly taller. "I am simply stating facts. You should forget about my brother and find another man. Oh, I should be able to assist you in your search. I know a lot of attractive men. What type of man do you prefer anyway? What about a dominant one? By the looks of you, I am confident they will suit you best.""Is that your way of saying I am a bottom?" Fen Lei was slightly offended.Yan Shiha paused in her laughter and gave Fen Lei a solemn yet mocking gaze. "Are you not?""I am not! And I am straight!" Fen Lei exclaimed, making Yan Shiha burst out laughing."Whatever. I have other things to do, so I must depart now. And please keep in mind that I like women. Women," he repeated and emphasized the word firmly."Are you not here to investigate the disappearance of the villagers?" Yan Shiha asked, causing Fen Lei to stop in his tracks. Seeing this, she flashed a smirk. "It appears that I am not wrong. Follow me."Fen Lei did not want to stay with Yan Shiha any longer, but with the few hints and information he had about the situation, he had no choice but to follow her and await whatever she had in store for him.After a short walk, Yan Shiha opened a portal and entered it. Fen Lei wondered where they were going this time but decided not to ask and silently entered the portal Yan Shiha had opened. The surroundings changed the instant they passed through the portal, and Fen Lei knew this was somewhere outside Kelna.He had wanted to ask where they were, but after having observed the area, he immediately figured out what place it was. As they entered the facility, there were a number of cubicles, each with a person lying on a bed. Some were unconscious, some were coughing, some were injured, and some were being treated.Some cubicles were also covered by spiritual barriers, if not soundproof, at least not transparent."So this is how a hospital looks like in this world," he thought as he looked around, utterly amazed.They reached the last cubicle not long after. A transparent barrier shielded it. Yan Shiha entered the cubicle after casting a spell that dismantled the barrier. Fen Lei, on the other hand, entered after briefly staring at the unconscious young man on the bed."This is the grandson of Grandma Lin. Some of the villagers found him unconscious in the woods yesterday." Yan Shiha leaned against the wall, her gaze fixed on the young man."Something is not right. Is this young man still alive or dead?" asked Fen Lei, his brows furrowing."That is a good question. At first glance, you could say he was dead. But take a closer look," Yan Shiha answered.Fen Lei moved closer to examine the young man for a minute. "He is still alive, but his breathing is too light to notice, as if it is close to stopping soon. Is it okay if I check his pulse?"Yan Shiha nodded, and Fen Lei felt the young man's pulse; it was low, and he could hardly feel it. His skin was oddly pale, and his body temperature was dropping, quite unusual for a living human.Fen Lei looked at Yan Shiha. "How did you know that this young man was related to the disappearances of the other villagers?""There are traces of dark energy in the village, similar to the energy this young man's body has, albeit faint," she replied solemnly, crossing her arms. "He was fortunate to have been miraculously separated from the other victims who disappeared. However, his soul is missing.""His soul is what? Missing?" Fen Lei was surprised and confused. "If that is the case, how is he still alive?"That one was a genuine question. However, Yan Shiha looked at him in disbelief. "Why do you sound as though this is an uncommon and rare occurrence here? Is this your first time witnessing such an incident?"Fen Lei was taken aback. He then scratched his head. "Ah, hehe, it is not like that." Someone from another universe where such things did not exist would naturally react in this manner. Not wanting to appear suspicious, he quickly changed the subject. "When did you arrive in Kelna, by the way? Have you uncovered anything? What about, say, clues?"Fortunately, Yan Shiha seemed unsuspicious of how Fen Lei had reacted. "I actually just got there this morning. Unfortunately, I have not come across anything that could help us solve this matter aside from what I have just told you. Why not head to the woods where this young man was found? A high-ranking Hashiya official is investigating the area at the moment.""A high-ranking Hashiya official, you say? If this official is your brother, then there is no way I am going." Fen Lei felt his irritation surging, simply thinking he would cross paths with Yan Shiren again."I would not suggest it either if I knew it was my brother," Yan Shiha replied."Then who?"Yan Shiha shrugged. "There are a lot of high-ranking Hashiya officials, so I have no idea which official they have sent this time. But rest assured, it is not my brother."The two of them went back to Kelna soon after. Fen Lei had wished to leave the facility first, but given his inability to open a portal that could transport him to his intended location, he had no choice but to wait until Yan Shiha had decided to return to the village. He thanked the doctress and headed straight to the woods.As he walked, he cast a communication spell to connect with He Jin."He Jin, are you there?" he telepathized, but there was no response from He Jin."Huh? I am certain that I am doing the correct method for this spell. Why is that there is no response from that brat?" he mumbled as he tried to redo the communication spell, but there was no response yet again."He Jin?""He Jin.""Hey brat."He kept casting the communication spell till his patience ran out. "Why the hell are you not responding, you 'gay disciple who is madly in love with his master'!"Thank goodness it was through the communication spell; otherwise, he would have yelled at the top of his lungs in the midst of the forest."Who are you calling 'gay' and 'madly in love', you disgusting goat-faced idiot!" He Jin finally responded, and it was twice as loud and aggressive as Fen Lei's call.Fen Lei was irritated; his brows furrowed as he walked. "So you are really listening but just refuse to respond. How dare you!""Do not dare waste my master's nenha! What do you need? Say it! Just make sure it is not something nonsensical. Otherwise, I will kill you!" He Jin responded, and if they were facing each other right now, they might have already destroyed each other's eardrums."I am already dead, you stupid booger!""Just say it, stupid poop!""What the— who are you calling a poop!""What the hell do you need! Say it now! I am busy!"After a few moments, the two of them calmed down and Fen Lei was finally able to tell He Jin all the details he had learned so far."So that is how things are. I see," He Jin remarked after hearing the details."So? Have you figured something out?" asked Fen Lei."There are still inadequate clues, so it is difficult to draw any conclusions. But there is a possibility that the one behind this might be storing the victims' souls elsewhere and causing no harm to them for the time being."Fen Lei nodded as he walked, agreeing. "But how did the young man survive despite the fact that his soul was missing? That does not make sense to me.""A mortal's body and soul are interconnected. Only after the breathing and pulse stopped would a person be considered dead, or if the soul was harmed, such as being devoured, destroyed, or sacrificed. However, a mortal's body cannot survive long without their soul. Hence, that young man's soul must be returned to his body as soon as possible; otherwise, he will die," He Jin explained.Fen Lei was about to say something when the communication spell was abruptly shut off by He Jin. He could not help feeling furious. "What the hell?"The forest was dense, and the surroundings seemed unnaturaly silent. Normally, one might hear insects, birds, or the sound of trees swinging in the wind, but today was unusually quiet. Only the sounds of his feet treading on the dried leaves on the ground could be heard.He slowed in his stride as he spotted someone in the distance. He immediately crouched behind a tree, remaining vigilant, and peeked to observe the figure."Again? What the hell?" His eyes grew wide. He could not see the face, but based on the hair, there was no doubt it was Shin Lu. "Are we meant to be?"As usual, Shin Lu wore all white. He walked gracefully through the woods like a heavenly spirit, his long, silvery hair flowing behind him and gleaming like silk threads. He did not seem to sense Fen Lei's presence at all.After a few moments, Shin Lu paused in his stride, putting his head down, and a frown began to form on his face as he seemed deep in thought of something. His gaze was fixed on the ground, scrutinizing something. It was clear he did not have a pleasant expression on his face, as if he was frustrated.Shin Lu remained motionless for a long moment like a statue, and for a moment Fen Lei was about to get up to leave, Shin Lu appeared to have found something on the ground. He bent over to examine it.Seeing this, Fen Lei decided to approach the snow white mejinsu instead of leaving, smirking as if he had something crazy on his mind. Nothing extraordinary, really, except to irritate this white-clad dude."Hehe, we meet again, Snow whi— I mean, Elder Shin."Shin Lu did not even look at him; it was as if he did not exist at all. This was the thing Fen Lei found the most annoying. So many people in the Hashiya Commission were like this, not interested in interacting with him at all. Or worse, casually criticizing him for being homosexual or accusing him of being a perverted homo.Although Li Yuan had not offended them, he had not been on good terms with the majority of them, and he had no idea why.Anyway, despite being ignored by the snow white mejinsu, Fen Lei kept talking, his smirk becoming more mischievous. He knew Shin Lu loathed talks, so what he was doing was right, just right to annoy the white-clad man. "I see. So Elder Shin is also investigating about the disappearance of the Kelna villagers. How is it going? Did Elder Shin discover anything?""..."Fen Lei stood across from him, watching his actions. "I am also interested in this case, that is why I went here to take a look.""...""By the way, I met Heng Beiyu earlier. She told me what she had learned about this case. Would Elder Shin like to know?""..."Fen Lei could not help rolling his eyes, seeing how obstinate Shin Lu was about ignoring him. But that did not stop him from speaking. "So there is this young man who was discovered unconscious around here yesterday by the villagers."He kept talking and talking even though Shin Lu was not responding. "Did Elder Shin know I am a private detective?""...""A handsome, private detective." He winked smugly at Shin Lu. Of course, his being a detective was only to mess with the snow white."...""Since I am a handsome, private detective, does Elder Shin want to hear about my analysis?"Shin Lu continued to be silent, completely ignoring Fen Lei's babbling. His heart was like a stone mountain, impenetrable and without emotion. He wanted him to shut the hell up and get lost, go away, and forget his presence. How impudent of him to keep talking when he was not asking him anything in the first place. The only thing Fen Lei had managed to accomplish was to make him irritated even more and more. Fen Lei was definitely winning.