Zhou Huan's fists were as hard as stone; he wanted to land a heavy blow on Li Guang, believing Li Guang was the mastermind behind the entire affair. But Li Guang suddenly loosened his grip, yanked his hand back, and gave Zhou Huan a cursory wave: "Buddy, I'm taking off!" With that, Li Guang darted away in a few steps, hopped into his car, and sped off.

"Bastard. The first time I saw you, I knew you weren't good news. Don't let me catch you slipping," Zhou Huan muttered, driving toward Fushou Hall. Not long after setting off, he spotted a woman weeping by the roadside. Zhou Huan slammed on the brakes, quickly pulled over, and slowly stepped out of the car. The figure weeping was facing away from him.

It was late, and one shouldn't meddle in strange incidents by the roadside, but Zhou Huan was different; he specialized in dealing with spirits. As the saying goes, great skill breeds great courage.

The woman facing away from Zhou Huan was large in stature, her hair unbound and flowing, and her weeping possessed a melodious cadence, rising and falling as if she were singing.

Zhou Huan tiptoed closer: "Madam, may I ask why you weep so late at night?"

The woman offered no reply, continuing to cry, endlessly wiping her cheeks with a handkerchief. With every gust of the night wind, her hair billowed further around her.

Zhou Huan advanced another step, his voice slightly louder: "Madam, it’s late; stop crying and head home soon."

"Oh my heavens, waaaaah..." The woman's wail finally shifted pitch. She let the handkerchief drop and sank to the ground, hugging her head, weeping with such intensity that if one could feel the sorrow, the very stars might tremble and the clouds be torn to shreds by her grief.

Seeing this, Zhou Huan formed a single-palm seal and brought it down sharply on the woman's shoulder: "Enough, stop crying!" Yet, at that moment, Zhou Huan couldn't feel the impact of his palm strike against the woman. Was she not a ghost? No, she definitely was...

"I'm not crying anymore. Then take me home!" The woman dried her tears and slowly turned her head.

Zhou Huan retracted his hand-seal and stepped back, scrutinizing the face hidden within the cascade of hair. When he finally saw it clearly, he was utterly dumbfounded, unable to discern if what he was seeing was real or imagined. What on earth had happened? Could he no longer tell the difference between a spirit and a human?

"Master Zhou, I knew it was you. I recognized your movements right away. Take me home!" As she spoke, the woman rushed toward Zhou Huan with a sound that made the very earth shake—she was immensely fat.

It wasn't until Zhou Huan felt the ground tremble beneath him that he realized he had been standing rooted to the spot. Seeing the woman hurtling toward his chest, Zhou Huan recoiled repeatedly, waving his hands frantically: "Sister Xiangjiao, stop!"

But Xiangjiao paid him no mind. Seeing she was close enough, she launched herself forward in a desperate leap!

"KABOOM!"

In the misty moonlight, one could still clearly behold the spectacle of dust rising high into the air—a scene for the ages. But the sheer amount of choking dust forced Zhou Huan to rub his nose in exasperation: "Sister Xiangjiao, why must you do this?"

Xiangjiao, having missed her target, lay sprawled on the ground. She strained to lift her heavy bulk, her massive arms planted on her substantial tires as she roared: "Zhou Huan, so late, and you just leave a delicate, charming woman like me unattended? Are you even worthy of the title Grandmaster? Let me tell you, I'm leaking this tomorrow. I'll send my subordinates door to door. See how you manage that!"

Xiangjiao's threat left Zhou Huan utterly flustered. His previous confusion hadn't cleared, and now this confrontation. This forced Zhou Huan into a reluctant compliance, like a skinny donkey pulling a heavy load; he gruffly took Xiangjiao's hand and helped her into the car.

"Miss, please fasten your seatbelt. I drive fast; I'll have you home in no time."

Xiangjiao pouted her formidable lips—nearly five feet three inches thick—and began to act spoiled: "I won't! I want to go to your place!"

Damn it, this was torture, a torment more agonizing than death. In all his years, Zhou Huan had never encountered anything more difficult to handle than a ghost.

"Sister Xiangjiao, why are you out here crying so late?" Zhou Huan tried to change the subject, primarily hoping to relieve the assault on his senses.

Xiangjiao shifted slightly in the passenger seat, and Zhou Huan instantly felt the front of the car wobble. He quickly steadied the steering wheel.

"That bastard Li Guang. I only slept for a little while, and he wouldn't even keep me company. Wait until I get back to deal with him, hmph!" Xiangjiao grumbled, then suddenly her eyes brightened: "Oh, right, Master Zhou, I heard your fiancée is a police officer? That’s so impressive!"

"Uh, yes... yes!" Answering Xiangjiao required genuine effort from Zhou Huan. He hadn't wanted to discuss these matters; they were none of anyone else's business. But mainly, he just couldn't stand another moment speaking with this creature from the dinosaur age.

Zhou Huan remained vigilant, fearing if this woman grabbed or touched him again, his reputation would be ruined. He stomped the accelerator to the floor, pressing the pedal all the way down.

In the blink of an eye, Zhou Huan's car was parked outside the gates of the Sun family villa. Several bodyguards ambled over from the entrance.

"Miss Xiangjiao has arrived. Get out of the car!" Zhou Huan didn't dare look at Xiangjiao, only speaking the words.

"Huuuuh!" A deep, resonant snore erupted next to Zhou Huan's ear—it was deafening, shaking the heavens.

"Seriously? Don't play games with me! I, Zhou Huan, got you home, didn't I?" Zhou Huan complained while shoving Xiangjiao: "Wake up, Dinosaur Sister, wake up!"

But no matter how much he pushed, Xiangjiao remained unresponsive. It was truly bizarre. Zhou Huan finally climbed out of the car and walked toward the bodyguards.

"Who goes there? What is it?" the bodyguards demanded as they approached.

Zhou Huan glanced up at the moon, casually lit a cigarette, and said, "I am Zhou Huan. I come on behalf of the moon to deliver an assignment."

"Oh, Master Zhou, Master Zhou." The bodyguards, who had initially stood with an air of authority, now scurried forward eagerly: "Master Zhou, what is the matter?"

"Your Miss Xiangjiao is in the car. She's sleeping too soundly and won't wake up. Could you help carry her back to bed?"

The bodyguards exchanged glances. The leader directed two men to assist while he remained, flattering Zhou Huan: "Master Zhou, how could you be with our young lady? Could it be..."

"What are you trying to imply? I, Master Zhou, have a fiancée! Would I really ruin my image like that?" Zhou Huan felt a surge of annoyance.

"Master Zhou, you misunderstand. That's not what I meant. I know our young lady's appearance is a bit... unconventional. Anyone who takes her on is inviting disaster. I only wanted to ask if our young lady had some kind of accident?"

Zhou Huan suppressed his anger, narrowed his eyes, and pressed: "When did your young master-in-law last return?"

"The master-in-law? We never saw him leave!"

"Does your household have another gate for vehicles to exit?"

"No, this is the only gate for cars. What exactly is wrong, Master Zhou?" The bodyguard seemed confused, noting that every question Zhou Huan asked was unexpectedly probing.

Just then, the two men sent to retrieve Xiangjiao returned. "Captain, there's no one in the car! What was Master Zhou asking us to find?"

"What?" Zhou Huan's eyes widened instantly, round as the full moon. He refused to believe the bodyguards. He sprinted back to the car and threw the door open. He froze, staring. Everything inside the car was perfectly undisturbed. The seatbelt that Xiangjiao supposedly fastened seemed untouched, and there were no signs that the passenger seat had been occupied.

"Master Zhou, what's going on? Did Master Zhou encounter a ghost?" As the bodyguard spoke, he began to tremble with smug satisfaction, displaying a strange grin.

Zhou Huan sensed danger immediately. He raised his hand to strike, but his punch missed. In an instant, the bodyguards vanished without a trace. The Sun family villa, which had been lit moments before, was now eerily dim. Silence reigned inside. Following the path of the moonlight, Zhou Huan saw only a few bats hanging upside down from the eaves.

What had just happened? Was it all an illusion? If it had been a genuine spirit, Zhou Huan's abilities should have detected it. But these people seemed to wield some kind of sorcery; he hadn't sensed anything at all. Moreover, all of them, including Xiangjiao, had vanished instantly. This...

A thousand turbulent waves crashed through Zhou Huan's mind, a torrent of disquieting thoughts.

"Master, Master!" At the base of the Sun villa wall, someone was calling Zhou Huan’s name. The person was obscured by the deep shadow, making it impossible to see who it was, but Zhou Huan clearly recognized Hong Kun’s voice.

Zhou Huan was now highly cautious. If the bodyguard and Xiangjiao could create an illusion, was this Hong Kun any less suspect? Zhou Huan approached with extreme care, squatting down. Without a word, he reached out and pinched Hong Kun's cheek, shaking him back and forth.

"Ow, Master, that hurts! Stop pinching!" Hong Kun grimaced in pain.

A moment later, Shi Bingyuan appeared from behind Hong Kun. He looked at Zhou Huan with a slight surprise before lowering his voice: "Master, something very strange happened here today. Also, why did your car drive so brazenly right up to the front gate?"

"Oh, that..." Zhou Huan wanted to tell the truth, but after some thought, he decided against embarrassing himself in front of his disciple. He fabricated a story: "Well, I intended to inspect the villa environment tonight, and also see if Elder Sun's po [spirit] was lingering here."

"Oh, did you find anything, Master?"

Zhou Huan shook his head, explaining he had only just arrived and was observing from the gate. Shi Bingyuan and Hong Kun’s expressions shifted abruptly to utter astonishment, because they had clearly seen Zhou Huan standing in front of the car, talking to himself, completely unaffected.

"That's not right, Master. Weren't you just standing there talking a moment ago?" Hong Kun asked.

Zhou Huan knew he was caught. However, to save face, he lied again: "I wasn't really talking just now. I was just chatting with some of the bodyguards!"

Shi Bingyuan and Hong Kun’s expressions turned from surprise to an immense, profound panic.