This Damned Thirst for Survival

Chapter 29

Ke Wangwei wiped the sweat from his brow and said, "The person in the painting is my childhood friend, Li Er, whom I've played with since we were kids."

"Before I made my fortune, I used to hang out with him all the time," Ke Wangwei continued. "He was like a brother to me. We shared everything, whether it was wealth or troubles. When we were around seventeen or eighteen, we happened to meet a friend involved in tomb raiding, and we started doing that line of work..."

They would dig up graves to find valuables and then sell them.

"But one time, something went wrong when we were tomb raiding, and he didn't make it back," Ke Wangwei said as he wiped away tears. "I was the only one who returned. After that incident, I never went tomb raiding again and started a business with the savings I had... In the blink of an eye, almost twenty years have passed."

So much time had elapsed that he had forgotten those past events, even the figure in the painting.

Feng Li frowned and asked, "Is that all?"

Ke Wangwei nodded.

Feng Li inquired, "Have you done something to wrong him?"

After a moment's hesitation, Ke Wangwei clenched his teeth and said, "The money we made from selling the items we took from the tomb, I kept it all for myself and didn't leave any for his family."

Ke Hetang couldn't believe it and exclaimed, "Dad, how could you..."

"Shut up!" Ke Wangwei shouted sternly. "Without that money, how could you have the life you have now!"

After saying this, his expression changed, and he asked with a forced smile, "Mr. Feng, you said I would die in half a month. What's that about?"

Feng Li said indifferently, "This human skin painting is imbued with the aura of a vengeful spirit seeking revenge against you. The painting has already affected you, turning you into something neither fully human nor ghost. In the end, you will die just as he did."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Luo glanced at the scratch marks on Ke Wangwei's arms.

According to his wife and son, Ke Wangwei had been scratching his skin severely. Could it be that he would end up peeling off his own skin, just like the human skin used for the painting?

Ke Wangwei had definitely lied in his story.

A flicker of fear crossed Ke Wangwei's face. "Mr. Feng, what should I do?"

"Every grievance has its source, and every debt its debtor. He has become a vengeful spirit, and the only way to appease him is through a ritual to guide his spirit to peace," Feng Li said. "But before that, you must apologize to him and compensate for what he is owed. Since you have built your current wealth with his money, you should give half of your property to his family, and then find a feng shui treasure land for his remains as his final resting place."

Half?!

A look of pain crossed Ke Wangwei's face. "Mr. Feng, this..."

"Do you value your life or your money more?" Feng Li asked.

Ke Wangwei took a deep breath. "Okay, I'll give half of my wealth to his family."

Ke Wangwei immediately called his lawyer and assistant, fearing that if he delayed, Feng Li would no longer care about the matter.

Soon after, Ke Wangwei signed the contract, his face twitching in discomfort. He approached Feng Li and said, "Mr. Feng, the matter of the property is settled. Is this satisfactory?"

Feng Li nodded slightly. "I will perform the ritual to guide his spirit to peace. When you apologize, you must kowtow three times to seek his forgiveness."