Dong Zi's nerves were drawn taut, stretched to their absolute limit, like a rubber band that, with one more pull, would surely snap. Supporting himself with both hands on the wall, he slowly followed Yu Qiu toward a room at the far end of the second floor.

Yu Qiu gently pushed the door open. The room was pitch black, devoid of any light. She pulled out a lighter and ignited a thin candle.

“Come in, sit down first. The place is a mess, don’t wander around, alright? I’m going to get the cutting board to slice the meat and make you some dumplings!” Yu Qiu tossed down the bag in her hand and located a large cabinet in the northeast corner of the room. She opened it, retrieving a chopping block and a large knife.

Dong Zi began to tremble involuntarily, asking in a hushed tone, “Isn’t there a brighter light? Why are you only using a candle in your house?”

“Oh, then I’ll light things up a bit more. I was worried you might be scared!”

Yu Qiu’s remark sent Dong Zi’s heart leaping into his throat; the tension was becoming almost excessive.

Snap! A crisp sound followed as the light switch was flipped. The fluorescent tube on the ceiling flickered a few times, and the room sprang into light. Dong Zi saw a scene of utter, dead stillness before him. Yu Qiu held a bone-cleaving knife, and a willow wood cutting board rested on a dilapidated table smeared with spiderwebs and fresh bloodstains. In her hand, Yu Qiu clutched a leg—a human leg. She hacked down with the knife again and again; shreds of necrotic flesh flew everywhere from the limb. At this moment, Yu Qiu’s expression had transformed into one of profound excitement.

Dong Zi instinctively curled further into the bed. As his hand pressed against the mattress, he felt an icy coldness. He lifted his hand to look, only to find it covered in corpse worms and sticky, viscous blood plasma. Dong Zi’s hands were coated.

His nerves could hold no longer. The things he saw began to blur, and suddenly, as his vision went black, with a thud, he pitched forward onto the floor…

Creak! The door to Yu Qiu’s room was pushed open, and a person entered—it was Zhou Huan. Zhou Huan’s eyes were fixed intensely on Yu Qiu. “Who told you to do this?”

Yu Qiu remained vacant-eyed, turning her head slowly with an eerie, ghost-like movement, emitting a sound like a zombie’s echo: “What are you saying? Who told me to do this?”

Hearing her reply, Zhou Huan dashed forward in two steps, seizing her wrist with his right hand, his index and middle fingers pressing firmly against her pulse point. “Tricks like these might fool the common person, but they won’t fool me, Zhou Huan. Speak. Who put you up to this?”

Yu Qiu began to rage, baring her teeth. She tried to wrench her hand free from Zhou Huan’s grip, but his strength was far beyond that of an ordinary man. She raised the bone-cleaving knife with her right hand, intending to slash at Zhou Huan, but Zhou Huan extended his left hand, pushing firmly against the base of her palm, sending the knife flying away.

“You little brat, tell me quickly who ordered you to do this, or I’ll make sure you all pay dearly. I’ll drag every last one of you down to the precinct!” Zhou Huan’s words were deadly serious, carrying undeniable gravity.

At this point, Yu Qiu’s eyes became lively again, losing their previous blankness and deathly stillness. She tested him once more: “Are you truly not afraid of ghosts? Aren’t you afraid one will eat you?”

“Hahahaha! If being a ghost means being like you, I’d have been scattered to oblivion countless times over. Let me tell you, don’t think for a second I don’t see you faking this whole spectral display. Did someone pay you to do this? What exactly is your scheme?” Zhou Huan’s tone was severe and thoroughly intimidating.

“No!” Yu Qiu maintained her ghostly affectation. Zhou Huan paid her spectral act no mind and raised his hand, delivering a sharp slap precisely to the back of Dong Zi’s neck. “Wake up! You can’t even see through something this simple!”

Next, Zhou Huan reached out and tilted Yu Qiu’s chin up. “Little girl, scaring people can sometimes scare people to death. Be careful, or you might invite something real upon yourself. I am a Shoushi (Master of Longevity Arts); I understand these matters best. Even now, you refuse to tell the truth? I’m telling you, you have a pulse, you have a shadow, you have color in your cheeks. No matter how good your makeup is, or how well you act, it’s useless. If you don't want to talk, I won't force you, but if anything untoward happens later, don't come looking for me, Zhou Huan!”

Zhou Huan turned and hauled Dong Zi to his feet. “Let’s go. That’s enough for today. You actually like a woman like this? I really don’t know what you’re thinking. We’re going back to the supermarket. A good scare for those clerks ought to bring out the truth.”

Zhou Huan pulled Dong Zi directly toward the supermarket. Yu Qiu remained standing foolishly on the second floor, watching the retreating figures of Zhou Huan and Dong Zi. She shook her head and let out a long sigh. “Ah, truly a Master of the first rank; nothing escapes his notice. I thought I could scare this foolish boy, but it seems Senior Brother is going to lose this round!”

Dong Zi, seeing stars from Zhou Huan’s slap, merely trailed along slowly. In no time, they reached the supermarket entrance. The people inside gasped and covered their mouths, laughing when they saw Dong Zi.

“What’s so funny? Xiao Mo, come over here and tell me what’s going on,” Zhou Huan demanded, stepping into the supermarket and pointing at Xiao Mo.

Xiao Mo was just a kid, terribly mischievous, and entirely unconcerned with serious matters. Seeing Zhou Huan’s anxious and annoyed expression only made him laugh harder.

The sky was gradually approaching midnight. This supermarket operated twenty-four hours a day, so most of the employees were nocturnal. They never had the habit of sleeping at night, resulting in faces that were uniformly ashen and grey; whenever their expressions grew heavy, they became terrifyingly unsettling.

Zhou Huan pondered, realizing these girls wouldn't speak the truth. He ceased pressing them, but as he left, he uttered a final warning: “Girls, remember this: tell the person who orchestrated this that from now on, they need to be cautious. If you find yourselves unable to handle things, come to Fushou Tang (Hall of Fortune and Longevity) to find me. Don’t use your humble origins as a shield, thinking you’re invincible.”

With that, Zhou Huan dragged the thoroughly unnerved Dong Zi, who was walking as if his soul had left his body, back to Fushou Tang. Upon entering, Zhou Huan immediately went to the Ancestor Hall. He began flipping through the genealogy charts of the Shoushi lineage. After scanning them repeatedly, he let out a long sigh. He thought to himself: This Li Tianxiong really keeps one worried; he’s constantly creating trouble for himself.

Just as this thought crossed his mind, Dong Zi pushed open the door. “Brother, I still feel so fuzzy inside?”

“En, then you’re tired. Go to sleep. You’ll feel clearer once you wake up. Look how scared you were just now; how will you ever learn my trade in the future?” Zhou Huan spoke sternly, for the legacy of the Shoushi lineage eventually required an heir.

Dong Zi mumbled something indistinct, didn't utter a word, turned, entered his room, and collapsed into sleep.

Zhou Huan wrote a talisman, burned it to ash, mixed the residue into yellow wine, and poured it down Dong Zi’s throat while he slept soundly.

This talisman was actually for recalling the soul. The scene earlier had tormented Dong Zi severely, causing him to lose his spirit. Zhou Huan recognized this and thus prepared the soul-summoning charm for him.

Zhou Huan could not sleep. He had already seen through the service girls' antics; he had intended this opportunity to properly train Dong Zi so he wouldn't flee at the sight of ghosts or spirits. But unexpectedly, he had terrified the boy instead. Furthermore, there was something else troubling Zhou Huan even more: that rogue, Li Tianxiong. It was highly probable that Li Tianxiong had directed the service girls’ prank. If this stirred up genuine supernatural trouble, that would be a disaster.

While deep in thought, Zhou Huan noticed meteors raining down from the sky like raindrops. People were already emerging onto the streets to watch. Soon, crowds lined both sides of the road.

Zhou Huan looked up, watching intently: one, two, three… As he counted, a question mark formed in his mind. “Hmm? Why forty-four? The direction is northeast, exactly toward the supermarket. Could it be?”

Sensing something was terribly wrong, Zhou Huan bolted, running toward the supermarket. When he arrived, he found the lights inside the store were off. How could this twenty-four-hour supermarket suddenly be dark?

Zhou Huan pressed against the window, peering inside. It was a complete void. The only things visible were scattered crumbs on the floor, seemingly remnants of something eaten. Something had definitely happened at this supermarket; they wouldn't close up shop, leaving the place uncleaned overnight.

“Is anyone there?” Bang bang bang! Zhou Huan pounded and shouted continuously. He hammered on the door for a long time, but received no answer. Passersby on the street stared at him. Suddenly, from a dark corner, a figure staggered out—reeking heavily of alcohol, with a face flushed a deep crimson, clearly intoxicated. The person was holding a round object in his hand.

Zhou Huan focused his gaze on the object the person held—it was a bun!

“Brother, don’t go smashing doors in the middle of the night,” the drunkard said, taking a bite of the bun in his hand, muttering continuously, “Smashing doors at midnight, definitely not for good reasons. Ran out of condoms at home?”

The drunkard’s comment left Zhou Huan feeling hazy, as if affected by the alcohol fumes. This question only added to Zhou Huan’s exasperation. “My good man, are you drunk? That bun in your hand…”

“Are you hungry? Have some! I’ve got plenty of wine!” The drunkard offered the bun to Zhou Huan.

Zhou Huan accepted the bun. Where the drunkard had bitten it, a section of meat filling was exposed. Something was wriggling inside the filling—Corpse worms! Zhou Huan’s tension spiked. He looked up at the drunkard, who was still chewing away contentedly. Zhou Huan raised his hand and slapped the man across the face.

“Ouch! You ungrateful wretch, hitting me after eating my bun?” The drunkard became indignant after the blow.

Zhou Huan immediately clamped his hand around the drunkard’s throat and said gravely, “You drunkard, tell me where you got this bun?”

The drunkard kept spitting out chewed pieces of the bun, pushing Zhou Huan away frantically with both hands. After a fit of coughing, he let out a loud burp of wine, then clutched his side in annoyance, pointing a finger at Zhou Huan and shouting loudly, “You bastard! Is it too much to ask to just let me have a little drink? You made me spit it all out!”

“Take a good look at what you’re eating!” Zhou Huan said, gesturing toward the pile of ejected matter on the ground.