"Don't worry, old woman," Zhou Huan said with a sincere smile. "From now on, you don't have to worry about the whereabouts of your master. I imagine he is already on his way to the underworld and will likely be reincarnated in a few days."

"Alas! That would be a relief, but how can I be sure he's not in hell right now?" the old lady still fretted.

Zhou Huan continued to comfort her. "The person last time was right; your master was indeed in hell, but he should be out now. He will send you a dream in the next few days, so please rest assured, old lady. Now, let's calm ourselves and help you find your daughter."

"Good, Master Zhou. Look at these." Old Mrs. Yu took out several photographs from a drawer beneath the offering table and handed them to Zhou Huan. "These are pictures of my daughter and grandson. Can you find them?"

Zhou Huan took the photos and immediately recognized the people in them as Yu Qiu and the child they had seen earlier. His eyes suddenly lit up—it was that little beggar boy.

"Auntie, what does your daughter like to eat?" Zhou Huan asked the old woman cautiously.

"Meat buns!" she replied promptly. "Especially ones made with freshly slaughtered pork. She loves to slice the meat herself and mix the filling. And my little grandson, he adored the meat buns my daughter made, too."

The old lady's words gave Zhou Huan the confirmation he needed. This series of troubles, and everything that happened in the small second-story building in the northern shantytown district, now had a crucial breakthrough point.

"Auntie, please get a good rest tonight. I'll take these photos and help you look for your daughter. Give me a few days; I will bring her back to you!" Zhou Huan already had a clear idea of how to start and how to proceed with the investigation.

The old lady thanked Zhou Huan repeatedly. Zhou Huan packed his things, bowed respectfully to the two deceased, then turned and left, pulling Dongzi along.

The sky was just beginning to brighten. The old lady walked them nearly ten meters from the main gate. Zhou Huan turned back to wave goodbye, while Dongzi kept his head down, lost in thought about Yu Qiu. Zhou Huan spoke sternly to him, "Go back and say goodbye to the old lady. Don't you have any manners?"

Hearing Zhou Huan, Dongzi turned to wave farewell to the old woman. But as he turned back, every hair on Dongzi’s body stood on end. Cold sweat streamed down his forehead, his wide eyes bulged even further, and his already small pupils contracted another ring. He slowly lowered his trembling hand and patted Zhou Huan’s arm. "Brother, look... look at that house. What is that?" He trailed off, swallowing hard—a clear sign of his tension.

Zhou Huan did not turn around; he wrapped an arm around Dongzi’s neck. "Let's go. Isn't it just a mound? In our line of work, we shouldn't fear them. In fact, they can be friends, but there's one rule: you must keep any promise you make to them. I promise you, brother, as long as you study the Funeral Master arts properly under me, I guarantee you'll be able to make an electrical connection with the one you like."

Dongzi straightened up, turned around, and followed Zhou Huan down the hill. They hailed a taxi back to Fushou Hall and slept until the next afternoon. Zhou Huan picked up his phone and dialed Xiao He. "Darling, still training?"

"Mhm. What have you been busy with? I'll be advancing my studies in the Faculty of Law in a few days, so I might not be able to return on the original schedule." Xiao He sounded incredibly gentle when speaking to Zhou Huan on the phone.

Zhou Huan replied, "It's fine. I’ll come see you after I wrap up what I’m working on now. The reason I called is to ask you to put in a good word with the police station for me; I need them to help investigate some matters concerning several people's names."

"That's no problem at all. I'll call the Chief right away to explain. Brother Huan, how is your health lately?"

"Very good. You need to take care of yourself too. Be careful during training; don't get hurt or sick." Zhou Huan sounded genuinely concerned.

Xiao He’s tone became slightly playful. "Nothing's wrong with me, except I've gotten a bit tanned!"

"Beep!" A whistle sounded on the other end of the line, followed by Xiao He saying, "Darling, we have to resume training now. You should head to the police station right away; I’ll contact them for you immediately."

"Okay, take care!" Zhou Huan’s brief call with Xiao He ended. He then took Yu Qiu’s photo and set off for the police station.

When he arrived, he was greeted by Xiao Li again. "Brother Huan, Sister Xiao He just called and said you needed our help with an investigation. Is this about that incident in the northern shantytown district last time?"

"That's right. The reason behind it is still not entirely clear, but at least I've found a lead, which will make our next steps easier." Zhou Huan spoke with absolute confidence and handed the photo of Yu Qiu to Xiao Li. "Run a check on this. I need the files on everyone in this picture!"

Xiao Li led Zhou Huan to the reception room. Zhou Huan picked up a chair and sat down. Someone poured him water, and he drank it while waiting for Xiao Li to bring the files.

The hour hand ticked slowly by. By evening, Xiao Li entered the reception room carrying a large stack of documents. "Here you go, Brother Huan. All the materials you requested are here."

Zhou Huan took the files and began flipping through them, while Xiao Li briefed him. "This man's surname is Fang, his name is Fang Jue. Three years ago, he was in a car accident on Qinglong Mountain in Jiudaogou. Including the driver, there were four people in the car, and none survived."

"Were all the bodies recovered?" Zhou Huan pressed, his hands rapidly turning pages.

"The bodies of the driver and Fang Jue were found. They were cremated by their families and buried in the public cemetery. However, the woman named Yu Qiu and her son vanished. Based on the traces left at the scene, it was deduced that Yu Qiu, sitting in the back seat, did not die inside the car but succumbed to her injuries after crawling some distance. But the records state that the bodies of the two were never found, though the environment at the scene led to the conclusion that Yu Qiu and her son were deceased, so the case was closed." Xiao Li highlighted the key parts from the file for Zhou Huan.

After reviewing the massive pile of documents, Zhou Huan’s gaze locked onto the photographs of the accident scene. He then stood up and said to Xiao Li, "Leave the files here for now; I'll come back for them if I need them again. I think this is enough."

"Alright. If you need manpower, just give me a call. Since this matter now threatens some people's lives, the police will certainly cooperate fully!" Xiao Li stood up and shook hands with Zhou Huan. Zhou Huan then strode out and returned to Fushou Hall.

As soon as he entered the room, Dongzi rushed to meet him. "Brother, someone called just now. It was Li Tianxiong’s senior apprentice brother, looking for his junior."

"What? Why would Li Tianxiong's senior find me?" Zhou Huan was quite surprised.

"He said he was already in Andong, at Li Tianxiong's residence. He found our number there and called over."

"What did you tell him?"

Dongzi puffed out his chest proudly again. "Hmph, I told him the truth! I thoroughly cursed that boy Li Tianxiong on the phone, haha! In the end, the guy even apologized to me. Well, he’s a reasonable person after all. I finally calmed down."

Zhou Huan frowned deeply. "Dongzi, when will you learn some manners? Say what needs to be said, and learn to hold back what shouldn't be said."

"Brother, what did I do wrong? I was just choked up inside; I can’t stand that kid. Never mind finding him, even if I found him, I’d still curse him!" Dongzi seemed quite pleased with himself after speaking.

Zhou Huan sighed heavily. "Fine, come with me. We have work to do tonight."

"What are we doing?" Dongzi asked Zhou Huan curiously.

"We're going to find people. These few individuals hold the key to the entire incident that just happened." Saying this, Zhou Huan grabbed a flashlight, a compass, joss paper, and a bundle of incense sticks, leading Dongzi out the door.

Dongzi followed closely behind Zhou Huan. The two ambled along and boarded a public bus. Since it was just getting dark, Zhou Huan wasn't in a hurry and chose the bus.

They got off at the Jiudao stop and headed toward the accident site Zhou Huan had seen in the files. The location of the accident was a rock garden, under which was a flower bed enclosed by a decorative wall. The corner of the wall nearest the edge was missing a piece, looking as if it had been hit by a vehicle a long time ago. Zhou Huan was now certain this was the scene from the documents.

Zhou Huan squatted down and picked up a stone, using it to recreate the scene on the ground exactly as described in the file. Vehicles flowed past him incessantly, one after another.

"Brother, what are you drawing?" Dongzi’s curiosity was piqued. He picked up a stone too. "Brother, tell me how to draw it, and I'll draw it for you." Truthfully, Dongzi had a new plan forming: he wanted to get a good look at Yu Qiu after Zhou Huan found her to see if she was truly a ghost.

"Good, good. Draw a cross here, and a circle over there..." Zhou Huan directed Dongzi, who drew with great enthusiasm. Before long, Dongzi had restored the scene of the accident to its original layout according to Zhou Huan’s instructions.

Suddenly, Zhou Huan understood. Flashes of a scenario sparked in his mind. Though it was a scenario he had constructed himself, it appeared highly logical.

"Brother, what do these things we drew represent?" Dongzi looked at what he had drawn, finding it very strange, and had no idea what it was for.

Zhou Huan smiled faintly. "Very well. It's rare for you, Dongzi, to ask questions actively. I'll tell you about it!" He then carefully organized the fragments in his mind and picked up a relatively large stone. "Remember, this stone represents a car. There were four people in this car, including the driver. Among these four were Yu Qiu, Yu Qiu’s son, Fang Jue—who was Yu Qiu's husband—and the driver."