Summer Mu led Evan Lin upstairs, his face looking a bit tired.
When they reached the second floor and stopped in front of a bedroom, Summer Mu gripped the doorknob, hesitating as he looked at Evan Lin. "My dad might look a little scary right now. Just be prepared."
Evan Lin nodded. Summer Mu pushed open the door.
Inside was a tastefully decorated room. Through the huge floor-to-ceiling window, the pitch-black night sky was visible. The window was half open, letting in a breeze from outside.
At the very center of the room was a large bed. On it lay a middle-aged man in a white bathrobe, so thin his bones jutted out. The skin on his face looked as if it had lost all moisture, making him appear somewhat ghastly and frightening.
He seemed to hear the door open and barely managed to open his eyes, trying to look in their direction. But his gaze was dim, his body extremely weak, and even this simple movement was almost too much for him.
"Dad, this is the friend I mentioned to you. Maybe he can help." Summer Mu stepped forward, looking at his father lying on the bed, his voice very gentle.
Here, Summer Mu had none of the arrogance of the Summer family's eldest young master—only quiet calm and a trace of worry in his eyes.
"Let me take a look." Evan Lin stepped forward, reached out, and placed his hand on the man's arm.
"Chaotic pulse, depleted qi and blood... honestly, this looks almost like a lost soul."
Evan Lin narrowed his eyes, surveying the entire room.
"How is it?" Summer Mu asked nervously, looking at Evan Lin.
"When did these symptoms start?" Evan Lin stood up and asked.
"It started about a month ago." Summer Mu sighed. "A few days back, my dad's condition wasn't this bad, but this past week, it’s gotten much worse. He... he’s only forty-five this year."
Right now, Summer Mu’s father looked exactly like a seventy- or eighty-year-old man—nothing like someone in his forties.
"A month ago, did he eat anything unusual, or get anything new?" Evan Lin’s gaze landed on the bed, clearly sensing the chilling yin energy coming from the man’s body.
That aura was icy cold, thin and wispy.
"As for eating, I don't think he had anything special. Getting something new..." Summer Mu frowned, trying hard to recall, but in the end he shook his head. "I’m not sure. I was studying in Brightsea at the time and rarely came home."
Evan Lin’s gaze never stopped, sweeping across the whole room. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes slightly, then reached out his right hand into the air, quickly forming a series of hand seals, tracing arcs through the empty space.
Immediately, rings of white mist formed in midair, spreading out in a faint halo all around.
Seeing this, Summer Mu’s eyes filled with shock and doubt, but he didn’t dare ask.
The halo spun gently in midair, then spread outward, quickly filling the whole room. After that, it seeped into the walls, expanding further outside.
Evan Lin slowly opened his closed eyes, turned, and walked out of the room.
Summer Mu hurried to catch up.
They went all the way up to the third floor. Evan Lin stopped at a door at the end of the corridor—a door different from the others, faced with aluminum alloy.
“What’s this room?” Evan Lin asked.
“This is my dad’s collection room. He’s always loved collecting calligraphy and paintings. Why?” Summer Mu didn’t understand why Evan Lin had suddenly come here.
“Open the door. The problem should be inside.”
Just now, Evan Lin had used a tracking art and sensed the chilling aura behind this door. Standing outside, he frowned slightly.
Summer Mu didn’t hesitate and opened the door.
He pushed the door open and walked in.
Inside, the walls were covered with numerous calligraphy and paintings—at a glance, there were dozens.
Evan Lin scanned the room, his gaze locking onto one particular beauty painting.
The painting depicted three women: one lay drunk by the riverside, still holding a wine cup; another carried a basket of clothes, her face full of flirtatious smiles, watery eyes glancing around; the third wore a frosty expression, her eyes shining with a strange glassy light.
“How did this painting get here?” Evan Lin reached out, pointing at the beauty scroll on the wall.
Summer Mu glanced over and thought for a moment. “It was probably my cousin who gave it to my dad. He knows my dad likes collecting these old paintings, so he picked one up at the market.”
“The problem is with this painting. The killing aura on it is way too strong, and…” As he spoke, Evan Lin stepped forward and gently ran his fingers over the surface.
Summer Mu got nervous when Evan Lin stopped halfway through his explanation. “What is it? And what else?”
“This painting’s surface is made of human skin. There’s something filthy sealed inside—that’s the real cause of your father’s illness.” As he said this, Evan Lin’s eyes snapped open. He turned toward the doorway and spoke calmly, “They’re here.”
Before Summer Mu could ask anything, the sound of footsteps came from the corridor.
Summer Mu’s expression changed. The next moment, someone pushed the door open from outside.
“It’s you!”
Summer Mu looked at Summer Jay standing at the door, his face darkening. “Cousin, it’s pretty late—what brings you to my house?”
Outside the door, besides Summer Jay, there was also an old man.
The old man was a bit thin, his whole demeanor radiating a kind of cold indifference.
Summer Jay glanced at Evan Lin, then looked at Summer Mu, forcing a smile. “Summer Mu, your dad is my uncle. Since he’s sick, as his nephew, of course I have to come visit.”
“And you, bringing a stranger home this late—what are you trying to do? Planning to force your dad to make a will, so you can get more of the inheritance?” Summer Jay grinned.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Summer Mu clenched his fist.
Summer Jay shook his head. “What could I mean? I’m just telling the truth. This guy’s background is shady—he just fought with Drake Huang. How can I let someone so dangerous near Uncle?”
“He’s my friend. My family doesn’t welcome you right now—get out!”
Summer Mu could already sense trouble. If it were just Summer Jay, he wouldn’t worry, but when he looked at the silent old man beside Jay, he started to feel uneasy.
“This painting was your gift, wasn’t it?” Evan Lin didn’t even look at Summer Jay, but turned to the old man beside him. “You sealed a resentful spirit in the scroll, planning to kill someone quietly? Not bad.”
“So what if you know?” The old man looked at Evan Lin, his gaze cold. “Originally, I was worried the divine medicine would end up with Medicine King Valley, which would make it hard to get back. But I didn’t expect it to be in your hands now.”
The old man sniffed, showing a look of intoxication. “The fragrance of the divine medicine really is mesmerizing.”