The morning air was still remarkably fresh. Dongzi at Fushoutang hadn't slept a wink all night, perhaps for the first time he had willingly stayed awake. Without Zhou Huan, his crutch, he felt a distinct unease.

A roar of an engine suddenly reached the door of Fushoutang, followed by frantic knocking: "Brother Dong, Senior Brother, open up quick!" It was Li Tianxiong’s voice. Dongzi scrambled up immediately and rushed to open the door. As it swung wide, Li Tianxiong stood there, face covered in dust, beads of sweat periodically tracing paths down his anxious features.

"Tianxiong, Master is gone!" Dongzi’s voice cracked, sounding as if he were about to weep.

Li Tianxiong stepped inside, dropped his pack, and immediately asked, "Dongzi, what exactly happened to Master?"

Dongzi poured out everything he had witnessed the previous night. Li Tianxiong fell silent, completely still, without a single word. He spotted the musical scores on Zhou Huan’s desk, picked one up, and began analyzing it intently.

"Brother Dong, it seems we need to set up a formation here. If it's truly as you described, searching within Fushoutang will yield twice the result with half the effort. Oh, by the way, do you still have that little coffin?" Li Tianxiong proposed his idea.

Hearing the mention of the small coffin, Dongzi instantly began rummaging through Zhou Huan’s luggage. Finally, to his relief, Dongzi managed to find the small coffin, bound tightly by three sheaves of protective talismans.

"It’s these three bundles of talismans that are truly effective this time. The little coffin didn't escape," Dongzi muttered, clutching the small coffin in his hand.

Li Tianxiong took the coffin, his expression radiating confidence. "With this thing here, I refuse to believe that female ghost won't show herself. Brother Dong, help me prepare the formation. Once the sky starts to darken, we begin. We'll eat first, then sleep afterward, build up our energy, and fight fresh. If it’s as you say, Master isn’t in any real danger."

Dongzi readily agreed when he heard Tianxiong speak so assuredly. "Of course. That woman named Ruan Xiangning is from Master's past life; their connection is extraordinary."

Fate, however, has a strange sense of timing. Dongzi spoke loudly, and precisely as his words left his mouth, a familiar face materialized directly behind him, eyes blazing with furious hatred: "Dongzi, what did you just say about your Brother Huan and who?"

Dongzi froze, his entire body turning rigid, a fine sheen of sweat breaking out on his forehead. Li Tianxiong, facing Dongzi, stared blankly at the person looming behind him and couldn't help but ask Dongzi, "Who is this...?"

Dongzi’s neck stiffened as he slowly turned, baring his teeth in a strained grin. "Li... Sister He! You’re back?"

Standing behind Dongzi was Wang Xiaohe. After her recent rigorous training, her skin was deeply tanned. She was supposed to return in a few more days, planning to surprise Zhou Huan, but she never imagined walking into Fushoutang only to overhear such news. Anyone would be furious in her place.

"Sister Xiaohe, don't be angry. You don't know the whole story. My brother encountered a woman named Ruan Xiangning; she is... his woman," Dongzi tried to explain, but he was instantly silenced by Xiaohe's expression.

"Brother Dong, Senior Brother, is this Master’s..." Li Tianxiong stepped closer to Dongzi.

Dongzi glanced at Li Tianxiong and replied, "This is Master’s wife!"

Hearing this, Li Tianxiong immediately bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Madam. Brother Dong wasn't clear just now. Master was actually captured by a female ghost. We—we planned to set up the formation later tonight to find him. And right at this critical juncture, you return."

"How is that possible? Everyone knows Master's level; how could he be taken by a mere ghost?" Xiaohe utterly refused to believe Dongzi and Li Tianxiong. She knew Zhou Huan was a master; how could he be taken so easily by a female spirit? There must be a deeper reason.

Dongzi and Li Tianxiong exchanged a glance, then looked earnestly at Xiaohe, nodding. "Madam, Master truly was taken. If you don’t believe us, come with us tonight to search for Master. I will set up the array and perform the rites tonight, and I guarantee the female ghost will appear. Then you’ll know what happened. Master is absolutely not a faithless man."

Li Tianxiong's words managed to temper Xiaohe's rising anger. Perhaps it was because Xiaohe had never met Li Tianxiong before; this was the first time hearing him speak, and his earnest tone was reassuring. She finally sank onto a chair, setting down her pack.

At this moment, Dongzi proved surprisingly considerate. He stepped forward, took Xiaohe’s pack, and carried it toward Zhou Huan’s room.

Xiaohe followed Dongzi inside and gasped. Zhou Huan had tidied Fushoutang up even more beautifully. This room was perfectly sized for the two of them to sleep in, with a large wardrobe against the wall—exactly what Xiaohe favored.

She opened her pack and began carefully placing her clothes into the wardrobe. Just as she wanted to wash her face, she found Dongzi lingering, holding the washbasin and towel, while Li Tianxiong entered the inner room carrying breakfast.

"Sister Xiaohe, you must be tired from the journey. Please wash your face first. Dongzi has also prepared a delicious breakfast for you. Eat, then rest a while." Dongzi had handled everything so thoroughly that it was beyond Xiaohe's expectations. Dongzi seemed like a completely different person.

Xiaohe looked at Dongzi and said sheepishly, "Dongzi, just set the things down. I’ll put them away myself in a moment."

After Dongzi and Li Tianxiong set down what they were carrying, they turned and left.

Xiaohe washed her face, ate, and then, after putting her belongings away, took out the cup Zhou Huan had given her from her luggage. She held it, gazing at it continuously—it was a manifestation of her yearning for Zhou Huan, truly an instance of cherishing the object to recall the person.

Li Tianxiong knocked and entered the room. "Madam, we are setting up the formation tonight. Do you plan to join us?"

"Join? Of course, I must join! How could I not?" Xiaohe replied forthrightly. "I want to see what kind of female ghost could possibly enchant your Master!"

"Uh..." Li Tianxiong paused. "Madam, it’s not exactly what you imagine. Master wasn't seduced; he was captured while trying to save someone—he was taken by his woman from a past life."

"I don't care what you say. When I see them tonight, I will make them pay!" Xiaohe insisted, gesturing for Li Tianxiong to leave.

Outside, the wind intertwined with the rustling leaves; Xiaohe’s temper was similarly tangled. Deep down, she trusted Zhou Huan implicitly, but she needed confirmation—she had to see the truth with her own eyes.

Throughout the day, quite a few customers visited Fushoutang, mostly buying burial clothes, urns, joss paper, and silver ingots. However, some had appointments with Zhou Huan to visit ancestral tombs. Many customers were frightened away by Xiaohe’s furious expression. Although her beautiful face was captivating, the current sun-darkened hue made people uneasy.

When evening came, before Dongzi and Li Tianxiong could even start preparing dinner, Xiaohe returned with takeout from a nearby vendor, slamming the bags onto the table in the main hall. "Eat quickly! We need to set up the formation right after."

Dongzi and Li Tianxiong froze. Li Tianxiong felt frustrated but struggled to speak. "Madam, the formation... it needs to be set up exactly at the Midnight Hour (Zishi). Otherwise, even if the array is laid, it might not be effective and could even attract trouble. If we summon other wandering ghosts, won't that just compound the chaos?"

"I don’t care, just eat! I’m the one in a hurry. If you two aren't worried, that’s your problem. Eat!"

Dongzi and Li Tianxiong continued to stare blankly at each other, neither daring to pick up their chopsticks. They knew perfectly well that if they ate now, they would be starving by midnight, and being weak from hunger would jeopardize the main task, making the meal pointless.

Seeing the two staring at each other, Wang Xiaohe shot between them in a quick dash—a testament to her training. She leaned in slightly, her face set in a brittle smile. "Are you two waiting for me to feed you?"

But Dongzi and Li Tianxiong dared not smile back without concern. "Sister Xiaohe, our dearest sister, if we eat now, what happens when we get hungry later?"

"Oh, that’s true! Fine, I'll set a deadline: you must finish eating before ten o’clock!" Xiaohe twisted her body and walked away, her mind currently rigid.

The night wind carried a definite chill that made the hairs on one's arms stand up. Xiaohe, still standing at the main gate of Fushoutang, remained motionless like a statue. She frequently checked her watch, then looked up at the moon, which she found particularly vexing.

"This is hopeless. Look at that huge moon, completely covered by a shabby ring. All its usual power has been drained," Xiaohe grumbled at the gate.

Li Tianxiong understood the implication of the lunar halo. Some said it predicted rain the next day, but to him, the halo was an omen. If the moon later showed a gap, the negative energy of the night would approach from that direction; if it didn't recede, the yin energy throughout the night would be balanced.

"Brother Dong, let’s start setting up the formation. It should be just the right time to lure Ruan Xiangning when we hit midnight!" Li Tianxiong no longer used the senior/junior brother address; perhaps it was because Xiaohe was nearby.

Dongzi brought out the small coffin secured by several large talisman bundles, then carried a large pile of materials to the back courtyard.

Li Tianxiong approached Xiaohe and spoke softly. "Madam, you should come to the back courtyard with us. We’ll lock the front door. Otherwise, I’m afraid it will get too lively later. Here!" He handed Xiaohe a pre-written talisman. "Madam, I don't know the full power of this talisman, but I guarantee that ordinary wandering spirits won't bother you while we are conducting the ritual."

Xiaohe took the talisman and tucked it into her pocket. Then, she helped Li Tianxiong lock the door and followed him toward the back courtyard.

Upon reaching the courtyard, Dongzi had already erected the platform for the formation. Various kinds of talismans were placed around the perimeter—he had used every design he knew. Li Tianxiong surveyed the setup and felt confident there were no omissions. He found a chair and motioned for Xiaohe to sit.