"Sister He, we have new intelligence. We discovered traces of blood up in the mountains outside the city. Following the trail led us to a village. After we went in and gathered information, we heard something very important: on the very night of the incident, a person covered in blood was rescued. Once this person was nursed back to health, they left without leaving any message. However, according to local descriptions, the person's appearance has been largely confirmed. I'll fax you a sketch shortly!" The news over the phone was exhilarating; those who had been walking in darkness finally saw a glimmer of dawn.

Just as Xiao He was about to share the news with Zhou Huan, she saw him hanging up the phone, his brow deeply furrowed. "Brother Huan, what's wrong?"

Zhou Huan managed to flatten his expression, then spoke to Xiao He in a calm tone. "Shi Bingyuan just called. He said the Sun family hasn't been quiet these past couple of days. Apparently, Xiang Jiao has fallen seriously ill. Li Guang has been taking care of her, but every night, they hear Xiang Jiao cursing Li Guang in her room, yet Li Guang doesn't talk back, just accepts it meekly. This situation has been ongoing for the second night."

"What news do you have from Tian Xiong?" Xiao He asked Zhou Huan next.

Zhou Huan replied, "I checked on Tian Xiong yesterday too. They said half of the bodyguards stationed at the cemetery have been withdrawn. Tian Xiong is still standing guard there, controlling the harassment from those solitary, wandering spirits."

At that moment, Xiao He’s fax machine made the sound of receiving a signal, and a hand-drawn portrait was transmitted to her.

Zhou Huan leaned closer to look at the image. "What? Sun Zhi? Xiao He, you don't recognize him?"

"Sun Zhi? How could it be him? Didn't he leave that very day? How could he have been at the cemetery that night, and how did he lose his hand?" Thinking this, Xiao He was already dialing a number. "Get to my office immediately, there’s a mission!"

Shortly after, Xiao Li knocked and entered. "Sister Wang, you have a task?"

"Yes. Go find that antique dealer we brought back a few days ago—Sun Zhi. Wherever he is, you must bring him in. Remember, he should be missing one hand now!" Xiao He issued the command.

Xiao Li dared not delay and immediately replied, "Yes, I'll go right away!"

"If this is Sun Zhi, then this matter is much more complicated. It's highly likely he is connected to those five missing golden basins!" Zhou Huan said, then suddenly thought, "Right, Xiao He, you investigate Sun Zhi here. I'll go to Old Master Sun's house to check on Xiang Jiao’s condition. Hopefully, we can glean something from it. This group of anomalies is far from simple!"

Without paying any mind to Dong Zi, who was still sleeping, Zhou Huan went downstairs, started his car, and headed straight for the Sun family villa. Before leaving, he specifically asked Old Mr. Wang to accompany him.

Upon arriving at the Sun villa, Zhou Huan first met up with Old Mr. Wang, explained the situation, and then Old Mr. Wang accompanied Zhou Huan into the residence. However, what the two men absolutely did not expect was that the entrance to the villa was surrounded by a cordon of bodyguards, each one gripping an electric baton.

"Old Mr. Wang, Master Zhou, what an unfortunate coincidence today. You cannot go in to visit the young lady," said a bodyguard who appeared to be the leader, stepping forward.

Zhou Huan smiled affably and said, "We've traveled a long way just to inquire about the young lady's illness. If she refuses to see us, is that your decision or hers?"

"Well..." The bodyguard was unsure how to respond. Then, another figure emerged from behind him—someone Zhou Huan and Old Mr. Wang didn't seem to recognize. This newcomer immediately said, "Why don't you listen to reason? I already told you, you cannot see her."

Just then, the villa door slowly opened, and Li Guang emerged. He leaned in and whispered a few words into the ear of the bodyguard who had just spoken, then closed the door and returned inside the villa.

It turned out his quiet word was remarkably effective. The arrogant bodyguard's expression suddenly shifted, and he stepped forward with a fawning smile. "I was blind and did not recognize Master Zhou and Old Mr. Wang. Please, have a seat in the rear courtyard pavilion. The young lady will be down shortly to see you."

Under the escort of the bodyguard, Zhou Huan and Old Mr. Wang proceeded to the rear courtyard pavilion. They sat there for nearly half an hour when they finally saw a group of people emerging from the villa’s back door. Li Guang was supporting Xiang Jiao, who was walking ahead, though this time Xiang Jiao was wearing a hat, and beneath it, a thin veil covered half her face.

Zhou Huan and Old Mr. Wang immediately stood up to greet them. "Miss Xiang Jiao, what is the meaning of this..."

"Oh, she caught a chill the night before last when she went to the cemetery, and some large welts have appeared on her face. She is merely concealing it so as not to embarrass you," Li Guang said, speaking more than he had in a long time, suggesting Xiang Jiao was truly unable to speak.

It was strange, though. If it was just a rash of welts, why couldn't she speak? Zhou Huan was greatly perplexed; this was clearly no simple rash, but surely some extremely serious ailment.

Zhou Huan paused, then continued with a smile full of concern, "This humble one has a slight understanding of medicine, specifically traditional Chinese methods. Would it be possible for me to examine Miss Xiang Jiao?"

"This..." Li Guang hesitated, but found it difficult to refuse Zhou Huan’s good intentions. So he agreed. "Very well, then please take a look!" He helped Xiang Jiao sit on a chair in the pavilion and slowly lifted the veil from her face.

When Zhou Huan saw Xiang Jiao's face, he was utterly stunned. The growths on her face were as thick as a thumb, and some were already oozing yellowish pus. Her complexion was ashen, and she seemed utterly devoid of vitality.

"Mr. Li Guang, Miss Xiang Jiao's root illness is not on her face. May I take her pulse?" Zhou Huan asked smoothly.

Li Guang said nothing, merely presenting Xiang Jiao's wrist to Zhou Huan. Zhou Huan aligned three fingers, hovering them over the artery at her wrist, and immediately passed judgment: "Miss Xiang Jiao did not catch a chill; she has been afflicted by Curse Corpse Poison!"

This diagnosis was heard clearly by everyone present, including Shi Bingyuan and Hong Kun, who were hidden outside the wall, yet everyone was profoundly confused. Logically, Corpse Poison is contracted only through frequent contact with dead bodies, but Xiang Jiao had never touched a corpse. How could she have contracted Corpse Poison?

Li Guang’s voice dragged out heavily. "Master Zhou, I personally oversee all of Xiang Jiao's daily meals, especially the water she drinks—it's our local hot spring water, untouched by anyone. How could she be infected with Corpse Poison?"

"Corpse Poison is ubiquitous, but what she has is definitely the poison of a human dead body, absolutely not the poison of cats or dogs," Zhou Huan mused. "Here is what we'll do: first, help Miss Xiang Jiao back to her room. Bathe her with water boiled with glutinous rice, then rub her body with cinnabar, and have her ingest a medicinal decoction made from realgar and agate dissolved in yellow wine. I need to check the kitchen."

Li Guang had a good memory but few words. He instructed someone to take Xiang Jiao back inside, and then he led Zhou Huan toward the kitchen. "Master Zhou, can the methods you prescribed cure my wife's illness?"

"It can cure the symptoms, but if we don't find the source, the illness will surely recur, and then death will not be far off," Zhou Huan said, walking ahead with his hands clasped behind his back. Old Mr. Wang followed behind Zhou Huan silently.

Entering the kitchen, Zhou Huan spent over ten minutes practically turning the room upside down but failed to find any corpse material as he had specified. This caused a fool like Li Guang to harbor some doubt about Zhou Huan's abilities.

"There is nothing left in the kitchen. Tell everyone to take every single utensil from here and bathe with Xiang Jiao," Zhou Huan announced, walking toward the door with his hands behind his back. "Mr. Li Guang, take me to the water source!"

When Zhou Huan reached the water source, without even smelling it, he immediately saw that the water at the outlet showed no abnormality. Zhou Huan could wait no longer; he borrowed a shovel and began digging down from the outlet. "Brother, assign men to thoroughly inspect the entire incoming water channel."

"Master Zhou, why are you so certain the water is problematic?" Old Mr. Wang asked Zhou Huan quietly.

Zhou Huan replied, "If you couldn't see a ghostly blue film on the water, and if you threw a stone in, it would splash up something akin to a strong acid." As he spoke, Zhou Huan picked up a stone and gently tossed it into the water. The droplets splashed onto the wooden axle of the water pump, and the wooden wheel immediately turned to rotten wood.

"Ah?" This sight caused even greater astonishment among those present.

A moment later, a bodyguard ran over from the base of the villa wall. "Master Zhou, hurry over and see! We've dug up a skeleton."

Zhou Huan and Old Mr. Wang rushed over to see what was happening. Based on his experience, Zhou Huan estimated the skeleton had been dead for at least twenty years. This time, Zhou Huan felt his head spin. He hadn't figured out the previous problems, and now a skeleton had appeared. He considered summoning the soul to ask about its past life, but regrettably, this skeleton was not like Old Master Sun’s—the owner of this skeleton had long since reincarnated. Even if they could recall one soul fragment, they would have no knowledge of the former life.

Without further hesitation, Zhou Huan pulled on a pair of deerskin gloves, carefully lifted the entire skeleton, had someone bring cardboard and foam padding, wrapped the remains securely in the center, and arranged for a guard to transport the skeleton to the funeral home.

"Mr. Li Guang, order your people immediately to clean everything from the location of the body to the water outlet. Change all the water. Your tap water is also compromised, so for the next three days, you can only drink mineral water," Zhou Huan stated. Li Guang and the others froze upon hearing this.

"Master Zhou, how can you be so sure this skeleton is the cause? What if it was something else?" Li Guang asked, clearly uneasy.

Zhou Huan smiled faintly. "Having one like this is enough to keep you busy. If there were another, Xiang Jiao would likely be dead already."

Old Mr. Wang checked his watch, then said to Li Guang, "Take good care of Miss Xiang Jiao, or if she dies, you won't get a single thing."

For the first time, Li Guang looked around with focus. "Please rest assured about that. I will not abandon Xiao Jiao."