Wang Xiaohe and Dongzi seemed not to have heard the Boss, but Zhou Huan heard every word clearly. He immediately dropped his chopsticks, fixing his eyes intently on the fat man's retreating back. The anger that was about to erupt was suppressed by his own rationality; he knew that even for Wang Xiaohe's sake, he could not argue about anything with the Boss. At this moment, Zhou Huan reaffirmed his conviction: the trade of Shou Shi must be respected, and he himself must become a first-rate Shou Shi.

“Zhou Huan, how did you two meet?” Wang Xiaohe saw Zhou Huan drop his utensils and stare at the fat man, knowing Zhou Huan was preoccupied, so she deliberately interrupted his train of thought.

Dongzi, still chewing, piped up, “We met begging for food together. One day I hadn't earned a single cent, and my brother treated me to a meal. I’ve followed him ever since.”

“Well, I’m treating you to a meal today, so shouldn’t you call me older sister too?” Wang Xiaohe found Dongzi quite amusing and teased him.

Zhou Huan’s expression shifted, his gaze becoming very amiable: “How old is Xiaohe this year? Let’s see if we should call you older sister or younger sister?”

“I’m twenty-seven. And you?”

“I’m thirty, and Dongzi is twenty-six. It looks like I have to call you little sister.”

While they were talking, Dongzi swept up the remaining food on the table, patted his stomach with his right hand, and mumbled through his mouthful, “Then I’m the youngest! I’ll still call you Police Sister!”

Wang Xiaohe burst out laughing at Dongzi’s appearance, “Great, great! I’ve gained an older brother and a younger brother today—a double gain! This meal was worth treating you to! By the way, Brother Zhou Huan rarely laughs. Is something weighing on your mind?”

“My brother never used to laugh. I’ve been with him so long, I haven’t seen him smile more than a few times. But he gets excited when he sees a dead person and might smile then. Otherwise, he’s always a bit dazed about everything,” Dongzi interjected—his skill at taking over conversation was first-rate; he spoke for Zhou Huan.

At this time, the people in the restaurant continued to chat and laugh, eating and drinking heartily.

Suddenly, a woman’s loud scream, sounding like a cry, echoed from upstairs in the restaurant, immediately followed by a rough man’s voice: “You damn thing, you won't even buy me a drink? You trying to rebel? I’ll beat you to death!”

These two voices instantly silenced the restaurant, as if everyone were listening to what was happening. However, soon after, the chatter resumed, with people returning to their own topics.

Wang Xiaohe stood up angrily at this point and called over the fat man: “Do these people fight often?”

“Ah, you don't know. The ones fighting are Yu Lao Si’s family. Yu Lao Si is a drunkard, always staggering around drunk. When he runs out of liquor, he makes his wife go buy more; if she doesn't, he beats her.”

“Don't they have children?”

“The child was sent to his mother-in-law’s house long ago. With the way he drinks, wouldn't he beat the child to death!” The fat man shook his head. “Alas, no one can talk sense into him. The neighborhood tried many methods for this issue, but none worked.”

Hearing the fat man say this, Wang Xiaohe’s expression changed, her face full of rage: “Hmph, is there no law anymore? I can arrest him for domestic violence. Let’s go!” Wang Xiaohe paid the bill and then asked, “By the way, Brother Pang, which floor is his place on?”

“Unit One, third floor, middle door!”

Wang Xiaohe then left the restaurant and stood on the sidewalk, gazing up at the third floor.

Zhou Huan and Dongzi followed Wang Xiaohe out of the restaurant, also looking up at the third floor. Just then, Zhou Huan seemed to see a phantom image, also looking toward the third floor, beside his left hand. He looked closely, but the phantom vanished.

“You damn well go buy me a drink, didn’t you hear? Otherwise, I’ll throw you off the building.” The quarrel upstairs grew louder.

Wang Xiaohe located the window and sprinted toward the entrance of Unit One.

The phantom image Zhou Huan had seen reappeared, this time very clearly. A streak of ghostly light shot toward the quarreling window. The shadow of a large coat obscured the window, and then the coat slipped through the window. Before long, the noise from inside the window subsided.

Zhou Huan was instantly startled upon seeing this: “Not good, Red Clothes and Green Sleeves!” He quickly followed Wang Xiaohe rushing upstairs.

Dongzi was still downstairs, pretending to ponder, though he truly hadn't seen anything. He was only surprised by the sudden cessation of the noise. When he turned to say to Zhou Huan, “Brother, they stopped fighting…” he found Zhou Huan had already followed Wang Xiaohe into Unit One. At this, Dongzi inexplicably ran after Zhou Huan.

This building was an old-style eight-story structure. Wang Xiaohe and Zhou Huan soon reached the third floor. Following the fat man’s directions, they knocked on the middle door on the third floor.

“Open up, Police!” Wang Xiaohe shouted urgently.

Zhou Huan pulled Wang Xiaohe back: “I’ll shout. You go to the back; there’s something supernatural here!”

There were several violent knocks on the door, but still no response.

“Brother Huan, there’s no sound from inside anymore. We can’t just wait; we have to break in!” Just as Wang Xiaohe finished speaking, urgent footsteps sounded on the stairs behind them, and Dongzi ran up, panting heavily.

“Break the door, alright!” Dongzi heard Wang Xiaohe and, without waiting to see what she and Zhou Huan planned, took two steps back and charged forward, slamming his shoulder hard against the door.

“Bang!” The door was violently smashed open, immediately followed by a woman’s sharp shriek, “Ah!”

Zhou Huan looked into the room with some astonishment. A red coat was hanging at the doorway, its two ghostly green sleeves tied in a tight knot around a man’s neck. The man appeared breathless, emanating a thick smell of alcohol, his large eyes bulging outwards.

Inside the room, near the window, was an old-fashioned desk from the nineties, with a few snacks for drinking placed on it. A small amount of unfinished white liquor remained in an old-style No. 2 bowl, and the liquor bottle on the table had tipped over. A double bed was situated at a ninety-degree angle to the desk; the soiled bedding and pillows looked as if they hadn't been washed in a long time, piled in a messy heap. Scattered at the foot of the bed were peanut shells and scraps of paper.

A middle-aged woman sat on the garbage spilled onto the floor. Her hair was disheveled, her deathly pale face showed faint traces of green mixed with red palm prints, and her shocked, frightened eyes stared blankly at the man hanging in the doorway. Her mouth trembled, her upper and lower teeth clicking against each other incessantly. That scream just now must have been her cry of extreme panic.

“Brother Huan, this must be Yu Lao Si’s wife, and the dead man must be Yu Lao Si!” Wang Xiaohe had rushed up and spoke a bit breathlessly.

Zhou Huan took a breath and carefully observed the surroundings of the room. He sniffed lightly: “It’s the bitter fragrance of Ya, it’s been here!”

“That blood-dissolving female corpse?”

Seeing the dead man, coupled with Zhou Huan’s words, Dongzi secretly hid outside the door, refusing to look inside, eyes shut, body trembling, mumbling in a low voice, “Ghost Sister, I haven't provoked you, please be merciful and don't come after me…”

Zhou Huan walked up to the man, first whispering softly to Wang Xiaohe, “Xiaohe, go comfort that lady and ask her what happened!” Then he shouted loudly toward the door, “Dongzi, come help lower him!”

Upon hearing Zhou Huan’s voice, Dongzi was both scared and unable to disobey. He slowly crept into the room, squinting, his head deliberately angled away from the dead man, looking forward through the slits of his eyes, hands reaching out blindly.

“What are you afraid of? If a female ghost is going to kill, she’ll kill me first. A person like you, she wouldn’t even spare a glance for!” Zhou Huan, seeing Dongzi so frightened, had to find a way to make him exert himself.

Zhou Huan’s words seemed to have some effect. Dongzi looked slightly more relaxed than before; at least now he could open his eyes and extend his hands to help Zhou Huan lift the male corpse slightly and gently lower it. Then Zhou Huan placed his hand near the man’s nostrils. He shook his head gently: “Red Clothes and Green Sleeves! This is unexpected. Even if you have immense grievances, there should be a reasonable explanation. Why kill so many people?”

Wang Xiaohe was currently trying hard to persuade the woman: “Sister, don’t be afraid. No matter what happened, you must tell us. I am a police officer; trust us, we will definitely help you!”

But no matter how Wang Xiaohe persuaded her, the woman would not utter a single word, remaining curled up near the foot of the bed. Helpless, Wang Xiaohe dialed the police station, arranging for personnel to come over.

Suddenly, the window in the room burst open with a loud clank, the sashes swinging back and forth a few times. A gust of cold wind blew into the room, the wind still carrying the bitter fragrance of Ya. A somber female voice echoed from mid-air: “Zhou Huan, don’t think just because you are the reincarnation of a generation’s Shou Shi that you can resolve my grievances! I won’t stop until I kill everyone who deserves to die. You all just wait to collect their bodies!”

Hearing this, Zhou Huan grew instantly anxious. He could finally converse with the female ghost: “What is your grievance? Why don’t you tell us? Perhaps we can help you!”

“No need for you people. You are all good-for-nothings, talking about Shou Shi—nonsense! Go ahead and collect your corpses, hahaha!” The voice faded away, and the bitter fragrance of Ya also vanished into the air. While Zhou Huan was talking to the female ghost, the woman sitting at the foot of the bed suddenly began foaming at the mouth, unconscious.

The sirens sounded downstairs; the police officers and forensic personnel Wang Xiaohe arranged had arrived at the scene. Many patrons from Boss Pang’s seafood restaurant came out to watch the commotion, and numerous passersby gathered as well. There were discussions about ghosts, arguments that Yu Lao Si deserved to die, and general clamor.

“Sister Wang, it’s Red Clothes and Green Sleeves again. This…” The forensic doctor approached Wang Xiaohe, looking somewhat helpless and terrified.

Wang Xiaohe rested her chin on one hand, her mind a complete mess. Three people had died inexplicably in a short period. What was she to do? She kept looking at Zhou Huan; in her eyes now was a trace of helplessness and longing. She longed for Zhou Huan to use his specialized skills and resolve the female ghost issue quickly; her helplessness stemmed from the immense pressure she was under.

A popular music ringtone suddenly sounded. Wang Xiaohe answered the call. The voice on the other end was very loud and seemed irritated: “Wang Xiaohe, it’s not that the Chief isn’t helping you, but three consecutive deaths, and the manner of death is virtually identical; the pressure from the branch bureau is considerable. I’m telling you, I can’t hold out. Reporters from the precinct are swarming the place. If you can’t give a satisfactory account to our superiors within three days, you’re coming home with me!”

“Yes, Chief. If I don’t solve this case within three days, I will resign voluntarily!” Wang Xiaohe accepted the life-or-death agreement.

Zhou Huan heard everything clearly. He also knew that Old Song was still lying in the hospital, and now Wang Xiaohe was facing the threat of unemployment again. Three days—for them, this meant not eating or sleeping, racking their brains to figure out how to deal with this female ghost.

“What is wrong with these bodies? All three corpses are the same, this…” The forensic doctor was muttering nearby while running out, leaning against the window in the corridor, dry-heaving incessantly!