A single divination predicts life and death; the entire internet begs me to start a live stream.

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One by one, the protective beads on Yan Shouyi's wrist cracked.

Black pearl powder fell to the ground, like burnt incense ash.

Everyone in the hall fell silent.

Yan Shouyi, who had been calm and composed just moments before, was now deathly pale.

He stared intently at the beads on his wrist, a look of panic flashing in his eyes for the first time.

"impossible……"

"That's impossible!"

"I've been refining this string of protective beads for over ten years, how could it possibly crack?"

Chen Bufan stood in the hall, his face calm.

"Things borrowed through evil magic will naturally crack."

Yan Shouyi suddenly looked up and glared angrily at Chen Bufan.

"It's you!"

"You're the one who secretly sabotaged it!"

He pointed at Chen Bufan, his voice shrill.

"Fellow practitioners, you have all seen it!"

"He kept provoking me with his words; he must have taken the opportunity to sabotage my magical artifact!"

"Chen Bufan, you keep saying you're here to settle accounts, but you end up using such despicable means to ruin my magic artifact."

"Is this the rule of the Chen family's fortune tellers?"

As soon as Yan Shouyi uttered these words, many people in the hall immediately echoed his sentiments.

"Master Yan's protective beads have been used for many years, so it's impossible for them to crack for no reason."

"Chen Bufan did stare at that string of beads for a long time just now."

"Young people are too ruthless."

"Discussing the Dao is fine, but secretly destroying someone's magical artifact is truly unbecoming."

"Even if the Chen family is a legitimate lineage of fortune tellers, they can't bully people like this."

Bai Yunhe sat behind the long table, his face gloomy, but he did not speak immediately.

He's watching.

Let's see how Chen Bufan responds.

Lin Wanqing stood to the side, her hand already on the body camera.

She glanced at everyone in the hall.

These people were just talking about the orthodox path of Taoism and the rules of the industry.

Now that Yan Shouyi's protective bead has cracked, their first reaction is not to investigate the truth, but to throw dirty water on Chen Bufan.

Chen Bufan had no interest in explaining.

He looked at Yan Shouyi and asked:

Are you sure you want me to say it?

Yan Shou gritted his teeth and remained steadfast.

"explain!"

"Explain yourself clearly in front of all of you!"

"I have been practicing Taoism for thirty years, looking after graves, changing people's fortunes, and averting disasters. I rely on my true skills."

"What right do you have to slander me?"

Chen Bufan nodded.

"it is good."

He raised his hand and pointed to the bead with the deepest crack on Yan Shouyi's wrist.

"The soul of a child is sealed within this string of beads."

boom.

The entire Wenxuan Hall exploded instantly.

"The soul of the fetus?"

"child?"

"A protective bead that seals the fetal soul?"

"How is this possible?"

"Isn't Master Yan a disciple of the Chishongguan lineage?"

Yan Shouyi's face turned extremely ugly.

It's not anger.

It is fear.

He almost instinctively pulled his wrists into his sleeves.

Everyone saw this action.

Bai Yunhe's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

Chen Bufan pressed for an answer.

"Why can't people watch it yet?"

Yan Shouyi's voice trembled, but he still forced himself to continue:

"Nonsense!"

"That's a protective spirit pearl!"

"It's sealed inside with incense and prayers!"

"What kind of fetal soul is this? It's utterly absurd!"

Chen Bufan took a step forward.

"The power of incense offerings and prayers?"

"Then why is it crying?"

The voice just fell.

A very soft sob suddenly came from the cracked bead on Yan Shouyi's wrist.

"Waaah..."

The sound was very soft.

very weak.

Like a newborn baby crying.

It's like being separated by a vast expanse of water.

The expressions on everyone's faces in the hall changed.

The person who had just spoken up for Yan Shouyi immediately shut up.

Lin Wanqing said into her headset:

"Record."

Using a law enforcement recorder, police technicians focused on the beads on Yan Shouyi's wrist.

Yan Shouyi suddenly retreated.

"No filming!"

Lin Wanqing said coldly:

"Yan Shouyi, you are now suspected of involvement in a major criminal case."

"Cooperate with the investigation."

Yan Shouyi angrily said:

"This is the Xuanmen Association!"

"This isn't your police station!"

Lin Wanqing stepped forward.

"Anywhere involving taking a life falls under my jurisdiction."

Chen Bufan did not look at Lin Wanqing.

His gaze remained fixed on Yan Shouyi.

"Strictly adhere to the principle of 'one's principles'."

"A successor of the Chishong Temple's talismanic arts."

"They claim to be able to examine gravesites, improve one's fortune, and ward off unexpected disasters."

"Over the years, what you've really made the most money from isn't the burial plots."

"It's not about changing one's fortune."

"It's a ritual for praying for a child."

Yan Shouyi's facial muscles twitched.

People inside the hall were whispering among themselves.

"A ritual for praying for a child?"

"I've heard that Master Yan is indeed very skilled at granting children."

"Many wealthy wives have sought him out."

"It's said to be very effective."

Chen Bufan turned to look at the people who were speaking.

"spirit?"

"Of course it works."

"Seal the fetal soul of someone else's unborn child into a bead."

"Then feed it with the blood, incense, and offerings of the rich woman."

"Once the fetal soul has been refined into obedience, then those seeking children should wear it day and night."

"They hear their children calling for their mother in their dreams."

"Your stomach will move."

"Menstrual cycles will be irregular."

"You may experience false pregnancy symptoms."

Master Yan then told them that the fertility ritual had been successfully performed.

The hall was completely silent.

Even among masters, many felt a chill run down their spines upon hearing this.

Chen Bufan continued:

"But that's not a real baby gift."

"It's about using the spirit of a fetus to make money."

"The fetal soul should enter the cycle of reincarnation."

"But you sealed it inside a bead and used it to perform so-called fertility rituals for rich women."

"One request, and you get hundreds of thousands."

"You can earn millions just by raising one."

"If it's a wealthy family seeking a male heir, you can ask for another ten million."

He looked at Yan Shouyi and continued.

"You said you've been practicing Taoism for thirty years, relying on genuine skills."

"Is this all you've got?"

Yan Shouyi's face alternated between pale and flushed.

"You...you're spouting nonsense!"

"Rituals for praying for children have existed since ancient times!"

"The Guanyin bestowing a child, the Qilin bestowing a child, the addition of sons and the prosperity of offspring—aren't these all Taoist folk customs?"

Chen Bufan looked disdainful.

"Folk customs are about praying for blessings."

"You're trying to capture a soul."

Yan Shou glanced away.

"I don't!"

Chen Bufan looked at his wrist.

"Then do you dare to crack open the third bead?"

Yan Shouyi froze.

Chen Bufan said:

"There is an unformed fetal soul inside."

"My birth mother's surname is Zhao."

"Twenty-nine years old."

I had a miscarriage three years ago.

"That child originally had a chance to be reincarnated."

"You lured it away with the fertility charm and sealed it inside the bead."

Yan Shouyi's lips began to tremble.

Chen Bufan continued:

"The sixth bead."

"Her birth mother's surname was He."

"The baby stopped developing at five months."

"Tell her that the child was born with a short life and that a ritual needs to be performed to help him pass on to the afterlife."

"She gave you 880,000."

"You didn't perform the ritual of deliverance."

"You have taken the fetal soul."

"The ninth bead."

"It's a surrogate mother's child."

"She was deliberately aborted before she was even born."

"You take the money to keep the buyer quiet, and then conveniently take their life."

"Strictly adhere to the principle of 'one's principles'."

"Which bead on your string of beads is clean?"

Yan Shouyi finally lost his balance.

He took two steps back and bumped into a chair.

The chair made a screeching sound.

The Xuanmen masters in the main hall had different expressions.

Some people were shocked.

Some people dislike it.

Some people feel guilty.

Some people lowered their heads and remained silent.

Bai Yunhe finally spoke:

"Chen Bufan".

"Do you have any evidence to support your claims?"

Lin Wanqing looked straight at him.

"Vice President Bai, the police will investigate these issues."

"We strictly verify all accounts, so-called clients seeking children, past religious records, affiliated medical institutions, and information about women who have miscarried."

"If Chen Bufan is lying, then he will naturally be exonerated."

"If it's true..."

She looked at Yan Shouyi.

"Then it's not an internal dispute within the Xuanmen (Taoist sect)."

"It's a criminal case."

Bai Yunhe's face darkened.

The atmosphere inside the hall became tense once again.

Yan Shouyi suddenly burst into laughter.

"A criminal case?"

"What do you know?"

"Those women are desperate for children!"

"They came to me themselves!"

"They threw money at me!"

"They said they'd spend any amount of money to get pregnant!"

"I was just giving them hope!"

"So you admit it?"

Yan Shouyi's expression changed.

He realized he had let something slip.

The next second, he suddenly flicked his sleeve.

A handful of black talismanic ash exploded from his sleeve.

A chilling wind suddenly swept through the main hall.

Several bronze lamps went out at the same time.

"not good!"

Lin Wanqing drew her gun.

Yan Shouyi turned around and rushed towards the side door of the main hall.

He is very fast.

He was completely unlike the mature and composed master he had just appeared to be.

Several association disciples instinctively tried to stop him, but as if they had a tacit understanding with him, they were a beat too slow.

Chen Bufan stood still.

He simply raised his hand.

An old copper coin flew from between his fingers.

clang!

The copper coin was nailed to the side door frame.

Yan Shouyi had just rushed to the door when he felt as if he had run into an invisible wall.

boom!

His knees buckled, and he collapsed to his knees on the spot.

Everyone saw that no one had touched him.

But he still knelt down.

His knees slammed heavily onto the bluestone ground.

Yan Shouyi's face contorted as he tried to get up.

It was as if he was being held down by an invisible chain of fate, unable to get up no matter what he did.

Chen Bufan slowly walked towards him.

"Master Yan."

"Don't you think that speaking too confidently will shorten your lifespan?"

"How are you feeling now?"

Yan Shouyi suddenly looked up, his eyes already red.

"Extraordinary!"

"I have no grudge against you!"

Why must you be so ruthless?

Chen Bufan looked down at him.

"Do those fetal spirits have a grudge against you?"

Yan Shouyi's lips trembled slightly.

Chen Bufan continued:

"When you sealed them off, did you consider exterminating them completely?"

Yan Shouyi wanted to say something more.

But at that moment, the protective beads on his wrist shattered completely.

Black pearl powder was scattered all over the ground.

Faint cries emanated from the shattered beads.

"Waaah..."

"Waaah..."

"mother……"

"pain……"

Many people in the hall turned pale instantly.

Yan Shouyi suddenly opened his mouth wide.

Surprisingly, the sound of a baby crying could be heard coming from his throat.

Not one.

There are many.

Sharp and thin.

Tragic.

Layer upon layer.

Like the fetal souls he had sealed inside the beads, they finally cried out from his body.

"Wow--"

Yan Shouyi knelt at the door, his hands tightly gripping his own neck.

Eyes bulging out.

Mouth wide open.

The baby's cries came out one after another from his mouth.

Inside the Hall of Inquiry, there was a deathly silence.

Chen Bufan stood in front of him, as if reading a verdict.

"The first account."

"Let's start with you."