"Brother, this little one is actually a little beggar!" Dongzi said with a grin, looking at the small beggar in the basin, a sign of his fondness for children.

Zhou Huan gathered the remaining completed talismans and handed them to Dongzi: "Go light three sticks of incense, then burn these talismans together with the incense. After that, bring the ashes back and pour them into the large basin."

"Oh, okay, hehe, this little guy!" Dongzi's chatter resumed as he took the talismans to the offering table and lit them in the ash burner as instructed by Zhou Huan.

A short while later, Dongzi returned with the ashes and poured them into the large basin: "Brother, when will this little girl wake up?" Dongzi asked, peering down at the small beggar in the basin.

Zhou Huan used his hand to stir the ashes into the Yunnan Baiyao water, then he slowly poured the medicinal solution over the little beggar's body. Following this, Zhou Huan pressed his ten fingers onto the beggar's Yintang acupoint.

With a sharp "Hiss!", the little beggar regained consciousness, murmuring, "It hurts! I want to eat steamed buns!"

Zhou Huan retrieved the steamed buns that had been soaking in the medicinal broth and handed them to the little beggar: "Here, eat. You won't hurt after eating these buns!"

The little beggar, still sitting in the large basin, held out both hands to take the buns and began to eat ravenously. In a short time, all the buns Dongzi had bought were consumed. Immediately afterward, the child cried out loudly, "It hurts! Save me! It hurts terribly!"

"Zhou Huan, stand by the little beggar, keep your eyes on her reaction." Zhou Huan nodded, a faint smile of triumph touching his lips.

Dongzi saw Zhou Huan smiling, but seeing how much pain the little beggar was in, he asked Zhou Huan, "Brother, she’s hurting so badly. Can’t even the Yunnan Baiyao help her injuries?"

"That cannot mend the trauma to her spirit—the pain of losing her parents, the agony of being uncared for!" As Zhou Huan spoke, he scooped up some water from the basin and began gently wiping the little beggar’s body. While cleaning, he murmured, "Hurt, so sleep. When you wake again, you won't hurt anymore." Then Zhou Huan lifted the little beggar's legs and arms; areas that had been putrid were already starting to heal, and the rate of recovery was astonishingly fast.

Gradually, the little beggar drifted off to sleep. Zhou Huan instructed Dongzi to prepare clean clothes for wrapping the child once she awoke, and Zhou Huan himself prepared a clean bed, blankets, and a fresh towel.

He glanced at the clock; exactly one hour had passed. He called out to Dongzi, "Dongzi, you watch him here. Just make sure his head doesn't go underwater. I'm heading to the supermarket and the police station. I'll pick him up when I get back."

Dongzi, holding a cucumber and taking a bite, replied, "Brother, don't worry. I'll take excellent care of him. If he sleeps, I’ll sleep too. You’ll have to wake me up when you return anyway!"

Zhou Huan had no recourse against Dongzi’s carefree nature. He could only set his face sternly and leave Fushou Hall alone.

Leaving Fushou Hall, Zhou Huan first went to the supermarket. This supermarket still operated twenty-four hours, but ever since the steamed bun incident a few days prior, business seemed noticeably quieter. As Zhou Huan entered, Xiao Mo sat alone near the entrance, fiddling with her phone. Upon seeing Zhou Huan, she froze for a moment, then managed a strained smile: "Master Zhou, what can I get for you today? Please, come inside and look around!"

"Oh, I’m here to ask about the incident from the other day. I wonder if you still recall anything about it!"

Hearing Zhou Huan bring up the episode of eating the buns again, Xiao Mo’s expression turned tense, and her voice lost its firmness: "Oh, Master Zhou, about that day... perhaps it’s better not to mention it! It was truly terrifying."

Zhou Huan observed her expression, then glanced at the other clerks in the store, all of whom were watching the conversation between him and Xiao Mo. His mind spun, and he asked Xiao Mo, "How are your injuries now?"

"Oh, thank you for asking, Master Zhou. Our injuries aren't serious; they've healed quite a bit!" Xiao Mo replied, but her demeanor was clearly somewhat flustered. She didn't dare look Zhou Huan in the eye, likely still troubled by the previous day’s events—that meat-filled bun probably felt like it was still lodged in her throat.

Zhou Huan paced back and forth near Xiao Mo, thinking deeply, then announced, "You haven't removed the talismans I gave you, right? Keep them for now. Actually, the reason I came today was to check on your recovery, and also to find out more about what happened that day. I think this supernatural event will be resolved soon, and you won't have to be afraid anymore."

"Oh!" Xiao Mo pondered. While she was thinking, the cashier from the supermarket approached: "Xiao Mo, you should just tell Master Zhou. I believe he can help us. Besides, this matter won't resolve itself if we keep silent; aren't we living in constant fear?"

Persuaded by this, Xiao Mo put away the phone in her hand. After a brief pause, she softly said, "Actually, Yu Qiu used to work as a clerk here in our supermarket. But a few years ago, she suddenly disappeared one day. That really infuriated our boss. She didn't show up for work, and our boss waited for over a month. But then, we heard from one of her neighbors that she and her husband had opened a steamed bun shop in the northern shantytown area, and business was quite good. Later, we heard she died in a car accident."

Zhou Huan immediately pressed further, asking Xiao Mo, "When the incident happened, did you all see Yu Qiu?"

"Yes, we saw her. If it were someone else, we wouldn't have eaten the buns! When she came that day, our boss even had a debate with her. But our past relationship was very good, so we weren't on guard against her." As Xiao Mo spoke, she became more animated, using gestures to illustrate her points. At the same time, the other involved parties from the supermarket gathered around, chiming in with Xiao Mo.

Zhou Huan continued, "Did you notice any unusual smells or anything else strange at the time?"

"A cucumber scent. The smell was very strong, just like Yu Qiu from a few years ago. Back then, she loved using a cucumber-scented facial cleanser, so she always carried that scent with her wherever she went. As for any other peculiar things..." Xiao Mo stretched out the sound, thinking hard about what else felt unusual.

Just then, the supermarket proprietress walked over and said, "I didn't notice anything special, but I did notice she seemed richer than before, with a different air about her. The old Yu Qiu was always quite talkative, but this time she seemed a bit arrogant—she didn't even greet me when she saw me."

"No greeting?" Hearing this, Zhou Huan’s thoughts stirred. "She didn't recognize you?" Zhou Huan was skeptical but still asked the proprietress.

"How could that be? She used to be so eager to talk to me, always greeting me warmly, sometimes even making up reasons just to chat."

"Hmm, then I know!" Zhou Huan suddenly recalled something—he thought of Li Zhi, because Li Zhi’s appearance was almost identical to Yu Qiu's. The only differences were in their demeanor, and Li Zhi had a very noticeable mole under his jaw, which Zhou Huan had observed clearly. He came to the supermarket this time precisely to confirm his suspicion and find a witness who could lend more weight to his future confrontation with Li Zhi and Yu Qiu.

Having obtained the information he needed, Zhou Huan bid farewell to the concerned parties, finalized his next steps, and left the supermarket for the police station.

"Master Zhou, we’ve been waiting for you. Come, let me introduce you to someone; he’s a living map of the underground sewer network." As soon as he arrived at the station, Xiao Li pulled Zhou Huan into a conference room where a middle-aged man was already waiting. Judging by his attire, he was a very ordinary worker, wearing overalls and cloth shoes, with a canvas tool bag set beside him.

Xiao Li introduced them, and Zhou Huan shook the worker's hand: "Hello, my name is Zhou Huan."

"Hello, Master Zhou. I've heard your name for a long time. My surname is Zhang; you can just call me Old Zhang." The honest worker’s words were as straightforward as his appearance.

After the introduction, Xiao Li arranged for the two men to sit down: "Brother Huan, explain to Old Zhang what you saw in the sewer so he can help you find what you're looking for."

"I'm a direct person; I prefer to get straight to the point."

"No problem at all. Tell us whatever you need; after all, you’re doing something good to help others."

Zhou Huan smiled faintly: "We aren't helping others; we are helping a ghost who cannot reincarnate."

"This..." Old Zhang looked slightly surprised. "Are there really ghosts in this world?"

"Yes, and the number of ghosts needing our help is not small."

"Very well then, what can I do for you?" Old Zhang pulled a cigarette from his breast pocket, lit it, and began puffing, then offered one to Xiao Li and Zhou Huan.

Zhou Huan didn't smoke and declined Old Zhang's offer: "The other day I went into the sewer network at Jiudaogou. I walked for a long time inside, and I’m not entirely sure where I ended up. But I encountered a large wire mesh fence. I was looking for a skeleton, but I didn't find it. This made me question the initial analysis of this supernatural event. However, I did encounter that ghost, which confirms that my initial guess was correct: the remains we need to help that ghost should still be in the sewer system."

"Master Zhou, it’s not that I don’t want to help you, but investigating the area you mentioned is very complicated. There are thousands of wire mesh fences like the one you described within our city limits. Even starting from the location you mentioned, there would still be hundreds of fences. Moreover, the positions of the filter nets from three years ago are vastly different from today’s layout. So, this problem requires me to go back to the archives to check the construction data from that time and then devise a plan for locating the remains." Old Zhang found Zhou Huan's request troublesome because the municipal government conducts sewer network renovations every year, meaning even an experienced worker like Old Zhang needed to check the current maps and records.