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

Inside the sealed room, the old photograph from a century ago was placed in an evidence bag.

On the back of the photo, eight characters pierced everyone's eyes like knives.

[Immortality does not belong to humans; life and body are separated.]

Lin Wanqing stared at those eight characters, somewhat lost in thought.

What she was seeing had gone beyond the criminal logic she was familiar with.

Or rather, since meeting Chen Bufan, everything that has happened seems to have transcended the normal world.

The donors on the third basement floor of the Changsheng Health and Wellness Hospital are real.

The Life-Turning Array is real.

Gu Huai'an personally admitted that a portion of all the lifespan transfers would eventually be drawn away and transferred to Lu Changsheng.

Now, another old photograph from the Republican era has surfaced.

The Lu Changsheng in the photo looks exactly like the Lu Changsheng of today.

Lin Wanqing rubbed her temples with the back of her hand and asked:

"What exactly does it mean to separate life and body?"

Chen Bufan did not answer immediately.

He looked at the words on the back of the photo again.

The words were written very carefully.

The person writing the words seemed to be in a hurry and afraid of being discovered.

But every stroke was very steady.

The word "inhuman" in particular carries a strong weight.

When that person left those words, they had already determined that Lu Changsheng was not an ordinary living person.

Chen Bufan flipped open the few yellowed sheets of paper next to him.

A few lines were scribbled on the paper:

[As a boat, one's fate is paramount.]

The boat may decay and be replaced, but the master's will will never perish.

[To change one's fate, one must lay the foundation of a long life.]

[The newly formed body requires three years to recover.]

[If one's fate and physical condition are unstable, it is best to avoid seeing a traditional fortune teller.]

Upon seeing the last sentence, Chen Bufan suddenly remembered something.

Lin Wanqing noticed his expression.

Is there a problem with this sentence?

Chen Bufan pointed to the last line.

"If one's fate is unstable, it is best to avoid seeing a traditional fortune teller."

Lin Wanqing frowned.

"What do you mean?"

Chen Bufan said:

"For ordinary people, life and body are intertwined."

"When a person is born, destiny is placed upon them."

"As the body grows, the lifeline follows."

"When the body dies, life dissipates, the soul returns, and karma is tied."

"This is called the unity of body and life."

Lin Wanqing nodded.

"A normal person."

"right."

Chen Bufan continued:

"But separating life and body means taking a person's destiny and separating it from their original physical body."

The physical body can age.

"It's okay to get sick."

"You can die."

"But the destiny was preserved."

"When the old body can't hold on any longer, we'll find a new one."

"To grind away the original owner's life."

"Plant the old destiny into it again."

The police officers in the locked room turned pale upon hearing this.

The young technician couldn't help but ask:

"What happened to the original person who took the new body?"

Chen Bufan glanced at him.

"He's dead."

The technician's throat tightened.

"Is he still alive?"

"The physical body is still alive."

Chen Bufan continued:

"But the person inside is no longer the same person."

Lin Wanqing understood.

She looked at the photo.

"So you mean that Lu Changsheng may not have lived for over a hundred years in this body."

"Is it the destiny of 'Lu Changsheng' that has shifted from the Republic of China era to the present?"

Chen Bufan nodded.

"That's the more likely answer."

He picked up the photo of the modern-day Lu Changsheng and placed it side by side with the old photo on the table.

Two Lu Changshengs.

A long gown from the Republican era.

A modern suit.

They look almost identical.

Their temperaments are almost identical.

However, according to the logic of "life and body being separate", they are not necessarily the same body.

Instead, it is the same destiny that is put into new bodies generation after generation.

Lin Wanqing whispered:

"This is even more sinister than simply living for over a hundred years."

Chen Bufan said:

"To prolong life is to add fuel to a lamp that is about to go out."

"If the body and life are separated, it means the lamp is broken; simply move the fire to another lamp."

"But fire should not exist if it is separated from the wick."

"Therefore, each time one's fate changes, a large lifespan is needed as a foundation."

Lin Wanqing immediately understood.

"That matches! The one who provides the longevity offering."

"right."

Chen Bufan opened an old booklet from Jiren Nursing Home.

The names of the orphans, disaster victims, and the sick and weak inside seemed even more jarring at that moment.

"A hundred years ago, the Jiren Nursing Home was one of the first life-sustaining pools."

"It takes in orphans, patients, and disaster victims."

"They appear to be doing charity work, but behind the scenes they're selecting people based on their fate."

"Now, Changsheng Health and Wellness Hospital is doing the same thing."

"It's just a change of name, a change of methods, and a change of era."

"It used to be called a nursing home."

"It's now called a health and wellness hospital."

"Essentially, it's all about nourishing Lu Changsheng's life."

Chen Bufan nodded.

"Each time his fate changes, Lu Changsheng needs a large number of ordinary lifespans to stabilize his destiny."

"Otherwise, the old destiny will be rejected when entering a new body."

"At best, it could threaten one's life."

"In severe cases, it can lead to the collapse of one's destiny."

The technician frowned and said:

"This sounds like organ transplant rejection."

Chen Bufan glanced at him.

"almost."

"It's just that he didn't transplant an organ."

"It's fate."

After those words were spoken, the secret room fell silent once more.

Lin Wanqing picked up the yellow paper.

"It is written here, 'The newly formed body needs three years to nourish itself.'"

"Does that mean he needs a three-year stabilization period after each body transplant?"

Chen Bufan said:

"Very likely."

Lin Wanqing asked again:

"Is there any way for us to determine whether this Lu Changsheng has recently been in a different body?"

Chen Bufan remained silent for a moment.

"There's a clue."

"What?"

"His destiny is blank."

Lin Wanqing was puzzled.

Chen Bufan said:

"When I first met him, I couldn't see his lifeline."

"The ordinary life-concealing technique is to cover up the life line."

"But he didn't cover it up."

"It's a mismatch between fate and body."

"This shows that his current body is not a body that naturally belongs to him."

"If the life-swapping takes a long time and the life and body are completely integrated, I might not be able to see it."

Lin Wanqing immediately realized what was happening.

"So, he might still be in the integration phase?"

Chen Bufan nodded.

"It's not completely stable, at least not."

Lin Wanqing seemed to be deep in thought.

"Therefore, he urgently needs to live longer."

Chen Bufan said:

"This also explains why there have been so many cases lately."

"Qin Family's Money-Borrowing Jar"

"The Song Family's Ghost Marriage Chain".

"Chang Sheng Kang Yang Hospital".

"These all appear to serve different clients."

"But in the end, a portion of their destiny flows into the longevity system."

"Lu Changsheng needs longevity."

"And a lot is needed."

Lin Wanqing looked at the documents on the table, quickly organizing them in her mind.

If Lu Changsheng is just the head of a criminal organization, then arrest him, interrogate him, and prosecute him.

Now, Lu Changsheng is more like a monster of destiny arts spanning a century.

His shell is the Longevity Foundation.

His entry points are charity, medical care, wellness, metaphysical consultation, and services for the wealthy.

His food is for those who are most easily overlooked.

orphan.

elder.

patient.

A wanderer.

child.

Even those wealthy people who think they're buying their lives with money are nothing more than slightly better firewood in their stove.

Lin Wanqing discovered a new approach:

"It suddenly occurred to me."

"If his life is currently unstable, and you have destroyed the longevity furnace of the nursing home."

"Will he soon need a new lifespan?"

Chen Bufan has not yet answered.

The "Record of Destiny" in the cloth bag suddenly moved.

Chen Bufan took it out and placed it on the table.

Everyone saw that the yellow booklet had moved again.

It wasn't the wind.

The book itself trembled.

Snapped.

The cover was gently popped open.

The pages of the book moved on their own even without wind.

Splash!

One page.

Two pages.

Three pages.

Finally, it stops on a blank page.

Everyone in the secret room looked at the book.

This wasn't the first time Lin Wanqing had seen the words "Heaven's Mandate" appear on her own.

But every time she saw it, she still felt a chill run down her spine.

On the paper, a little black ink seeped out first.

Then, the black ink turned dark red.

Like blood slowly spreading on paper.

A line of text slowly appeared.

[Three days later]

[Eternal Life Sees Blood]

Lin Wanqing read it aloud in a low voice:

"Three days later, Changsheng will see blood."

The room was deathly silent.

The technician swallowed hard.

"What does this mean?"

Chen Bufan stared at the pages of the book, his right hand supporting his chin:

"Lu Changsheng is about to make his move."

Lin Wanqing asked.

"Who should we target?"

Chen Bufan stared at the eight blood-red characters.

The words from "The Record of Destiny" did not reappear.

However, the edges of the pages have turned slightly black.

It's like being burned by some kind of karmic debt.

Chen Bufan closed the book.

"I don't know yet."

Lin Wanqing immediately said:

"Three days later."

"The specific date is..."

She quickly did the calculation.

May 24th.

"Eternal life is achieved through bloodshed."

"It might be the Changsheng Foundation."

"It could be Lu Changsheng himself."

"It could also be a location within the longevity system."

Chen Bufan nodded.

"Anything is possible."

Lin Wanqing immediately turned around and gave the order:

"Compile a list of all public events held by the Chang Sheng Foundation within the next three days."

"Investigate Lu Changsheng's itinerary for the past three days."

"Block all information about Changsheng Health and Wellness Hospital."

"Retrieve information on the Chang Sheng Foundation's recent meetings, fund transfers, and personnel movements."

"Pay close attention to May 24th."

The crowd immediately responded:

"yes!"

Chen Bufan stared at the "Record of Destiny" without moving.

Lin Wanqing looked at him.

"What are you thinking about?"

Chen Bufan said:

"It's not necessarily him who will kill someone three days later."

Lin Wanqing frowned.

"What is that?"

Chen Bufan closed the "Record of Destiny" and put it back in his bag.

"It's also possible that he's changing bodies."