But Old Master Sun, for some inexplicable reason, his eyes fixed on the bone staff, a temper flared within him: "Master Zhou, why didn't you tell me before you took the bones? You've exposed my ancestor like this; at the very least, you've forgotten the basic courtesy a junior owes an elder."

Zhou Huan's tone was indeed quite sharp: "Elder, never mind what I, Zhou Huan, have to say about you. Your time is limited, why get so agitated? Didn't I explain it clearly to you just now? It was precisely because the tomb was about to explode that I made an exception to retrieve your ancestor's remains."

Old Master Sun watched Zhou Huan intently, then turned back, fixing his gaze fiercely on Shi Bingyuan: "It's all your fault for damaging our family's tomb! I really want to give you a good beating, otherwise, I won't be able to swallow this anger." As he spoke, Old Master Sun gestured, and one of his two bodyguards rushed over to Shi Bingyuan, reaching out as if to grab him.

But suddenly, another hand firmly seized the bodyguard's wrist.

"Old Master Sun, you are highly respected; there's no need to stoop to the level of us petty folk. Besides, it was you who asked us to tamper with the tomb; we only dared to act on your orders. You can't go back on your word, can you?" Zhou Huan's hands had clamped down on both bodyguards' wrists, rendering them immobile. They strained with all their might but could not wrench their hands free from Zhou Huan's grip.

Shi Bingyuan backed away, secretly bracing his own body.

"It seems you truly don't wish to operate in this city anymore. That's good!" Old Master Sun's eyes were filled with malice. This time, no one knew what possessed him—Mr. Old Wang was nowhere in sight—but they only heard Old Master Sun stammering to his two bodyguards: "Do it. Send them to Apartment Number One."

Apartment Number One was a place Old Master Sun had specifically designated for settling matters of the underworld. Whenever he wanted someone to disappear, he would send them there. This building was a seven-story old structure, entirely enclosed by a perimeter wall, with patrols and security stationed in the courtyard.

At Old Master Sun's command, the free hands of the two bodyguards reached toward their pockets. Just then, Zhou Huan's reaction was lightning-fast. He instantly released his grip on their wrists, twisting both hands sharply outwards, eliciting agonizing yelps from the two bodyguards. Immediately following this, Zhou Huan raised his foot, striking left, then right, sending both bodyguards crashing to the ground, unable to rise.

These two swift moves by Zhou Huan utterly stunned Shi Bingyuan. He realized that when they had sparred earlier, Zhou Huan had been holding back. Now, Shi Bingyuan was completely and wholeheartedly willing to follow Zhou Huan.

But Old Master Sun, at this moment, pulled a pistol from his own pocket: "You people truly don't know the immensity of heaven and earth."

"Bang! Bang!" Two shots rang out.

Zhou Huan tried to dodge, but he found himself rooted to the spot, his ankle pinned down by a heavy body.

"Master, I blocked those two shots for you!" Shi Bingyuan lay on the ground, clutching his upper shoulder, breathing in ragged gasps.

Zhou Huan lifted his head, staring fixedly at Old Master Sun. The old man, however, stopped firing after two shots and plopped down onto the ground himself, gasping for air, muttering incessantly: "You two sons of bitches, bullying an old man like me, is it? Just wait, I'm calling my men."

Old Master Sun grabbed his phone, while Zhou Huan produced the stone he had used to bind Ruan Xiangning: "Old Sir, if you dare to call anyone, I dare to summon ghosts. Let's see if your men fear ghosts more, or if my ghosts fear people."

"Where the hell are you all? Get over here, your old man is being bullied!" He recited the address. It was ironic: the man who usually bullied others was now claiming Zhou Huan and his company were harassing an elder.

Zhou Huan scooped up Shi Bingyuan in his arms and carried him to the car. He then instructed Hong Kun to secure the remains of Old Master Sun's ancestor and rush Shi Bingyuan to the hospital for emergency treatment.

Initially, Hong Kun hesitated, contemplating leaving Zhou Huan alone, but Zhou Huan insisted repeatedly, telling him: "Don't worry about this place. I, Zhou Huan, won't die that easily, or else your ancestor wouldn't have allowed it."

Having successfully dispatched Hong Kun, Zhou Huan hurried a few steps and knelt before Old Master Sun. He saw the old man’s hand shaking too violently to even lift the pistol again. Zhou Huan smiled: "Mr. Old Master Sun, it's not that I, Zhou Huan, am being rude, but you are being unreasonable. I truly had no other option. Now that you've injured my apprentice, we will settle that score later. You just sit here; in a moment, I'll show you a good show—you'll see what kind of useless sacks of meat your subordinates really are."

"Zhou Huan, don't you dare act so arrogant with me! I was willing to settle this privately today out of respect for Old Wang, otherwise, it wouldn't just be the people behind you coming after you!" The men Old Master Sun had called had already arrived, their guns pressed against Zhou Huan's head.

Zhou Huan knew they were there, yet he wasn't anxious at all. He gently rubbed the stone in his hand: "Old fellow, watch closely. Xiangning, call your brothers over. I need to rest here for a while with Old Master Sun."

Unruffled, Zhou Huan casually pushed aside the bodyguard who had dared to approach and calmly sat down beside Old Master Sun.

However, by this point, nearly a hundred men had surrounded Zhou Huan and Old Master Sun. Several of them, brandishing machetes, charged toward Zhou Huan. When they were only a few meters away, a series of flute-like sounds emanated from Zhou Huan's stone. Immediately, hundreds of wretched spirits materialized around Zhou Huan—some with green faces and protruding fangs, others with disheveled hair—a legion of lonely ghosts.

Zhou Huan called out easily: "You pack of wandering souls, if I'm not mistaken, some of you died in the Tang Dynasty and haven't been reincarnated yet. Remember this: if you take care of these fellows today, Zhou Huan will personally arrange everything else for you."

Zhou Huan's words completely baffled the men called by Old Master Sun. What kind of person was this? Where did someone who could summon ghosts to terrify people appear from?

Most of these desperadoes didn't believe in ghosts or deities. They swung their blades, hacking at the specters. The blades passed through the ghosts harmlessly, but the bodyguards froze in terror.

"Wandering souls, you can hit them, but don't kill them! Just beat them until they beg for mercy," Zhou Huan commanded. It was the first time he had been so dashing—others used men, underlings; he used ghosts, specifically, lonely, restless spirits.

This battle between men and ghosts didn't last ten minutes. Only half of the men Old Master Sun had summoned remained standing. Even so, judging by their gasping state, they were essentially incapacitated, possessing no real fighting ability left.

Old Master Sun sat on the ground, dumbfounded. Despite his great prestige in Andong City, he had been brought down by a man who played with the dead. He refused to concede: "Fine, Zhou Huan, you wait! I'm calling more people!" As Old Master Sun made another call, Zhou Huan, cigarette dangling from his lips, exhaled thick rings of smoke.

"Old Master Sun, don't bother. I see you won't listen to anyone now. Don't blame me, Zhou Huan, for embarrassing you in front of your own associates." Zhou Huan took a deep drag of his cigarette, then pulled a talisman from his pocket. He swiftly wrote "Soul-Summoning Talisman" on the paper and affixed it, using his own saliva, onto the bone staff of Old Master Sun's ancestor.

As Zhou Huan finished, the bone staff vanished from his grasp, and a figure emerged—a man physically imposing, yet appearing even older than Old Master Sun.

Several of the men Old Master Sun had called had grown up alongside him. They only brought their subordinates for muscle; they never involved themselves in actual fighting or killing. It was these very men whose cigarettes fell from their mouths, all exclaiming in utter dread: "Old Ancestor! Isn't he dead? This..."

They couldn't believe their eyes. Old Master Sun was still on the phone summoning reinforcements, yet the Old Ancestor who had just emerged spoke: "All of you stop what you're doing! You little bastard, put the phone down for your grandfather."

Old Master Sun recognized the voice instantly. It carried a profound weight of authority that was both constraining and utterly imposing upon him.

"You little whelp, did you think you could become a tyrant just because your grandfather died? Before I passed, did I not tell you not to bully people? This Master Zhou only intended to relocate my grave, but look at you people! You’re complaining because he dug up my bones. Just how valuable are my bones?" The Old Ancestor truly possessed an air of command, rendering Old Master Sun speechless.

Zhou Huan stepped forward and bowed deeply: "Old Ancestor, look, must I leave here today? Perhaps you should settle your family's private matters yourselves. Afterwards, I will still help you move the grave."

Upon hearing this, the Old Ancestor became anxious. Seeing Zhou Huan's expression immediately turn exceedingly polite, even excessively deferential, he said: "Ah, Master Zhou, you are magnanimous. A great man doesn't fuss over the pettiness of small people. Let it be this way. I will handle this little rascal's mess today. The crucial thing is to properly inter my bones."

At this moment, Zhou Huan remembered Ruan Xiangning. He then asked the Old Ancestor: "Your family's eldest grandson has died. Today I've brought the culprit. Would you, perhaps out of respect for me, Zhou Huan, grant her a path to life? If you agree to forgive her, she can smoothly proceed to reincarnation."

"Ah, that's no problem at all. I see our eldest grandson down there is living quite comfortably, much better than being constantly pampered up here. I forgive them," the Old Ancestor said, beaming courteously as he spoke intimately with Zhou Huan.

This time, Zhou Huan brought forth Ruan Xiangning's true face: "It's settled then, Ruan Xiangning, kneel and apologize to the Old Ancestor." Ruan Xiangning was incredibly swift; she emerged already kneeling, dropping instantly to the ground with a thud, offering three kowtows to the Old Ancestor.

Seeing his own grandfather emerge, Old Master Sun suffered a truly humiliating experience. To have this happen in front of so many people—it was clear Zhou Huan intended to deliberately make Old Master Sun look foolish.

"Grandfather, let my affairs stand as they are. You are so old now; you should go back and rest," Old Master Sun said, feigning concern, but the Old Ancestor paid him no heed whatsoever.