"Hahahaha, I'm doing wonderfully now. I get to see my son every day, and I can even make him steamed buns, which many people love. I'm very happy, and I don't think I need your help!" Yu Qiu's words sounded strained, but the scars covering her face made it difficult to discern her discomfort.

Hearing the laughter, Zhou Huan also chuckled and cautiously asked Yu Qiu, "Then tell me, how can we strike this deal?"

"Under no circumstances. Stop wasting my time here; I need to make some buns!" As she spoke, Yu Qiu drifted lightly from the banister, floating into the room that had made Ling Dongzi's heart pound. Moments later, she emerged, holding the moldy wrappers of the steamed buns.

Zhou Huan slowly approached the small room. Yu Qiu acted as if Zhou Huan didn't exist. She unfolded a piece of the bun wrapper she held, then drew the meat cleaver from behind her back. Her vicious gaze snapped to Zhou Huan. She brandished the cleaver slightly: "Don't stop me, or I'll cut you too."

"What did they do to offend you that you have to do this?" Zhou Huan tried his best to distract Yu Qiu.

At that moment, the bound Li Zhi and Li Tianxiong mumbled, "We want buns! We're hungry!"

Hearing this, Zhou Huan took another close look at the two men and realized they had already been captivated by Yu Qiu’s buns and spectral aura. Zhou Huan had no better way to persuade the stubborn Yu Qiu, but just then, something happened that made Zhou Huan inwardly rejoice: "Heaven truly favors me!"

"Brother, I found the little beggar, but he's unconscious!" Dongzi, covered head-to-toe in sewage grime, with two mud-caked plastic bags still tangled around his legs, ran up to Zhou Huan, clutching the little beggar tightly.

"How did you think to come looking for me here?"

Dongzi scratched his head. "Hehe, today I really put my wits to good use. I went into the sewers and found where the little beggar was hiding, then carried him out. At that time, all I could think about was coming here to check on Brother Huan's situation!"

"You wanted to see Yu Qiu, didn't you? Look, there’s the prototype of the beauty in your heart!" Zhou Huan desperately needed a diversion, something to break Yu Qiu's focus so he could figure out how to save the two living people and several corpses hanging on the second floor. Dongzi was perfectly suited for this role.

Dongzi, still holding the little beggar, stared at Yu Qiu. Yu Qiu suddenly whipped her head toward him. Dongzi took two steps back. "What—my God, what happened to you? I remember you were very..."

"Beautiful, is that it?" Yu Qiu looked at Dongzi, then furiously pointed the cleaver at him. "Put my son down, or you’ll regret it!"

"Alright, Yu Qiu, now let me show you your son. His body is already enveloped by your ghostly energy. Look at the corners of his mouth and his calves." Zhou Huan turned, descended the stairs, and stood beside Dongzi. He pried open the little beggar's mouth, revealing flesh rotted away and numerous small insects crawling inside. Zhou Huan then tore open the little beggar's trousers. "Look closely at what has happened to your son's leg. When he was hungry, he gnawed on his own leg. This is all caused by your buns! Don't you know that?"

Yu Qiu glared ferociously at Zhou Huan and shouted, "Put my son down, or I will kill these two bastards!"

Zhou Huan remained unhurried, letting out a long sigh. "Alas! How can they just be called bastards? They are utter scoundrels. I don't care about their lives, but your son—such a small child—it would be too much of a waste if he died. Think again about my terms for the transaction!"

Hearing Zhou Huan speak this way, Yu Qiu felt some degree of relaxation. At least Zhou Huan wasn't trying to harm her son; at least her son was safe. She pondered for a long moment, her vacant eyes flicking between Zhou Huan and Dongzi. "Fine, we can exchange conditions for what you propose, but I have stipulations."

"Tell me whatever conditions you have!" Zhou Huan pressed, sensing a turning point.

"Don't worry about the conditions yet; we can talk once they are met," Yu Qiu said, before turning and stepping back into the room.

Seeing Yu Qiu disappear inside, Zhou Huan shouted, "Whatever conditions you have, just say them! What are you...?" Zhou Huan was confused, unsure what she intended to do.

A short while later, Yu Qiu drifted back out of the room. Dongzi couldn't fathom why she did that, but he had noticed something amiss when she went inside. He stared intently at Li Zhi, who was hanging on the second floor, feeling that his features bore a striking resemblance to Yu Qiu's. This realization left him utterly bewildered.

Zhou Huan had already noticed Dongzi’s expression. "Dongzi, stop looking for now. There are hidden factors behind all this; you will understand slowly."

"You two!" Yu Qiu called out before even fully emerging from the room. "The very first thing you must do for me is go tell my mom and dad that I am doing well and I will come see them when I have time!"

"Agreed, I can go right now. But you must promise me one thing: do not harm these two living people!" Zhou Huan replied decisively.

Yu Qiu slowly descended the stairs, clutching a jade pendant in her hand. "Take this jade pendant. Find my mother and give this to her; then she will believe you!"

"Understood. Anything else?"

"Also, you must burn some spirit money for my parents!" Yu Qiu’s demands were trivial to Zhou Huan, so he agreed with ease.

Dongzi whispered into Zhou Huan's ear, "Brother, why did you agree to her terms so easily today? Are you afraid of her because she's a ghost?"

"Even if you were scared to death, I wouldn't fear her. But arranging and executing this matter this way will lead to a perfect conclusion. Even any flaws will become a form of art, a beauty!" Zhou Huan’s words sounded somewhat profound, yet Dongzi listened raptly. Though he didn't fully grasp it, in this environment, he pretended to understand, nodding repeatedly.

Then Zhou Huan looked up and called out to Yu Qiu, "Miss Yu, rest assured, these small tasks are easily accomplished. Please ensure the safety of these two people."

"Hmph. These adulterous pair just cause trouble. Even if they wanted to die, I wouldn't let them. I will keep them alive; I haven't tormented them enough yet."

Zhou Huan offered a conciliatory smile. "Then please, Miss Yu Qiu, take good care of them."

"That's enough! We need to leave. You should return soon; staying outside during the day is very damaging to ghostly energy." Zhou Huan’s concern softened Yu Qiu’s demeanor. This time, she didn't speak; at least she didn't flare up or shout loudly. She simply turned, walked back into the house silently, and with a heavy thud, Yu Qiu closed the second-floor door and drew a white curtain across the window.

Dongzi looked at Zhou Huan and suggested, "Brother, while she's not paying attention, let's rescue them!"

Zhou Huan spoke sternly. "Dongzi, remember this: one must keep their word, not just with other people, but absolutely with specters too. Otherwise, people in our profession will have no credibility among the spectral world. How can they help you with anything in the future?"

"En, yes, what Brother says makes perfect sense. I’ve noted it," Dongzi replied, seemingly enlightened but unable to articulate or apply the understanding.

Dongzi genuinely appeared to have matured somewhat. The power of love is immense; even unrequited affection can cause a person to mature rapidly.

Zhou Huan and Dongzi took transportation to a grave site that astonished them. There was only a single tombstone inscribed: "Tomb of Fang Jue and his wife, the Lady Fang Yu." He first pulled out a large plastic bag of joss paper, then lit it before the headstone, murmuring, "Lady Yu, please accept this offering. Your daughter, Yu Qiu, sent me to burn this for you. She says she will come visit you soon, but she has some difficult matters at hand that she needs to resolve first."

Dongzi squatted by the tombstone, using a stick to stir the ashes. As Zhou Huan spoke, the ashes in the fire suddenly swirled up into a small gust of wind. "Brother, what is happening?"

"That’s normal. When the wind rises, it’s proof that the people beneath the grave have received the message and the benefits we brought them."

Dongzi frowned, scratching his head, and asked Zhou Huan, "Can they conjure wind and rain?"

"No. The wind they stir up is used to send messages. They use their inherent ghostly power to accelerate the circulation of a small portion of air. By the time we perceive it, it becomes wind. That’s why you feel gusts of eerie wind—that's the reason," Zhou Huan explained to Dongzi, who could only nod repeatedly.

After burning the spirit money, Zhou Huan placed the jade pendant Yu Qiu had given him on the tombstone. "Elders, rest assured, what I, Zhou Huan, promise, I will certainly do."

Next, Zhou Huan pulled Dongzi along to bow to the grave. As they turned to leave, a voice called from behind them, "Master Zhou, thank you so much! You have given us so much; we truly don't know how to repay you. Please, do us one more favor: tell our daughter to live well and not rush to see us. She should return after her important business is finished."

The tone of the voice was unmistakably that of the elderly Lady Yu, and the echo was particularly loud. As the two walked away, the voice resonated in Zhou Huan and Dongzi's ears. Dongzi noticed a string of what looked like cucumbers hanging around his neck—this must have been the token Lady Yu wanted them to give to Yu Qiu.

Not long after, Zhou Huan and Dongzi returned to the North District shantytown. When they arrived, they found Yu Qiu sitting on the second-floor veranda, lost in thought. She stared blankly at the figures hanging above on the second floor, rhythmically moving the cleaver in her hand, seemingly contemplating how to dismember their bodies. Upon seeing Zhou Huan and Dongzi return, she abruptly stood up.