Shi Bingyuan and Hong Kun clearly saw Zhou Huan's state; he was completely possessed. Talking about chatting with someone else was laughable, but as Zhou Huan's disciples, they couldn't be disrespectful in front of their master.

"Master, actually, we didn't see anything earlier; we were just teasing you!" Shi Bingyuan was clearly an old hand, cunning enough to instantly mask the shock he felt.

Hong Kun glanced at Shi Bingyuan, then at Zhou Huan, and suddenly realized something was off about his master. "Hey, Master, don't move; I feel like something is not right with you." He then pulled Shi Bingyuan over to look at Zhou Huan. "Senior Brother, look, doesn't Master seem different from usual?"

"How is he different? He looks the same!" Shi Bingyuan couldn't tell.

Hong Kun pointed at Zhou Huan's head. "Look at Master's head—it seems swollen on the left side, and his cheekbone is raised so much... what is this?" As he spoke, Hong Kun reached out to touch Zhou Huan's face.

Zhou Huan didn't dodge Hong Kun. When Hong Kun's hand made contact with his face, Zhou Huan suddenly cried out, "Ah! Why does it hurt so much?"

"Master, don't move, I'll pull it out and see what it is!" Hong Kun saw a very, very thin acupuncture needle near the temple, just below the swollen cheekbone on Zhou Huan's face. The butt of the needle was already broken off, leaving only a tiny segment exposed. Hong Kun carefully gripped this broken needle with his fingernails and slowly pulled outward. As he drew the broken needle completely out, blood sprayed from Zhou Huan's face, and a foul, fishy smell instantly filled the air.

"Junior Brother, quickly help Master suck out the blood!" Shi Bingyuan immediately urged Hong Kun upon seeing this.

Hong Kun opened his nimble mouth and vigorously sucked the sudden gush of black blood from Zhou Huan. Finally, Hong Kun spat out a large mouthful of the black fluid. "Oof, that tired me out. Master, there was so much blood on your face?"

"Ah!" Zhou Huan groaned continuously. "Where did this needle come from? Who did this?"

Shi Bingyuan stepped forward and closely examined the bloodstains on Zhou Huan's wound again. "En, it seems better now that the fresh blood is out."

At this moment, Zhou Huan felt a sudden heaviness in his head, swaying unsteadily. The light before his eyes seemed much brighter than before. "Hoo!" He let out a long breath. "What happened to me?"

"Master, you seem to have been poisoned!" Shi Bingyuan conveyed his assessment to Zhou Huan.

Zhou Huan touched his face, recalling everything since arriving at the Wild Grass Hall. No one here was someone he suspected. Could it be Li Guang? But Li Guang wouldn't have had the chance. Xiang Jiao—that was all an illusion; Shi Bingyuan and Hong Kun were right there watching. What was going on? Zhou Huan couldn't figure it out. Could someone be deliberately causing trouble? But when was the needle inserted? He hadn't noticed anything at all. What kind of master could do that?

These questions churned violently in Zhou Huan's mind, and Shi Bingyuan and Hong Kun couldn't offer any explanation.

Just then, the lights in the Sun family villa suddenly blazed to life, illuminating every corner inside and out, so bright that even a fly could be seen clearly. A group of bodyguards suddenly rushed out from the villa, scattering to different locations, followed by a man emerging from the building—it was Li Guang.

Behind Li Guang, four men carried a palanquin, red like those used for wedding processions. Then, near the doorway, someone led a horse up for Li Guang; the steed looked like a descendant of the pure Red Hare, adorned with a large red flower on its head.

"Young Master, this is your horse!"

"En, today I am leaving early to pick up my bride. You all must guard the house well, or I will hold you accountable when I return," Li Guang actually uttered such words.

Zhou Huan felt himself growing increasingly confused. What on earth was happening?

Shi Bingyuan whispered to Zhou Huan, "Master, we noticed something was off with them a few nights ago."

"En? What is wrong with them?" Zhou Huan couldn't help but ask.

Hong Kun stepped forward to take over from Shi Bingyuan. "In the evening, we saw Li Guang taking Xiang Jiao out for a walk. But soon after, a group of bodyguards appeared and completely blocked Li Guang and Xiang Jiao from view. When the bodyguards dispersed, both Li Guang and Xiang Jiao had vanished. We thought it was strange at first, but later, we overheard a couple of bodyguards chatting that Xiang Jiao had fainted and Li Guang had taken her back inside."

"Did you see them take Xiang Jiao back inside?" Zhou Huan pressed urgently.

Shi Bingyuan continued, "No, we didn't. Do you suspect something, Master?"

"I understand. This isn't some ghostly haunting; there's a definite reason behind this. I suspect only Miss Xiang Jiao and her considerate, doting husband know the truth," Zhou Huan thought, then dashed toward his car. As he ran, he called back to Shi Bingyuan, "You two don't need to stand guard anymore. Later, Hong Kun, go thoroughly search Xiang Jiao's room for a diary or any other unusual item. I believe people are behind this mischief."

Shi Bingyuan got into the car with Zhou Huan, while Hong Kun remained hidden in the shadows. Zhou Huan drove the car boldly, crashing through the gate into the Sun family villa courtyard. He parked the vehicle precisely in front of Li Guang's residence. When the horn blared, Zhou Huan leaned out: "Li Guang, what are you doing? Come on, I'll drive you both!"

Li Guang seemed not to hear Zhou Huan’s words. He mounted the horse, tugged the reins, and was about to ride off.

Zhou Huan quickly opened the car door, jumped out, grabbed Li Guang's hand, and snarled, "How long do you plan to keep up this act? Don't think I don't know about your little schemes. I'm telling you clearly today: if you want to keep playing, I'll play along with you thoroughly."

Li Guang instinctively yanked his hand hard. His gaze, blank and distant, flickered toward Zhou Huan, then toward Shi Bingyuan. He loosened his grip on the reins and pulled his hand free from Zhou Huan's grasp.

Li Guang then rode off. Soon after, Xiang Jiao's palanquin slowly approached and stopped beside Zhou Huan. "Master Zhou, today is our joyous day; please don't stop us. Or, you can come along and be my little brother!" As she spoke, Xiang Jiao lightly stroked Zhou Huan's head, saying sweetly, "Look how handsome my little brother is. In the future, I will definitely have a son even better looking than you." This was followed by a burst of triumphant laughter from both Li Guang and Xiang Jiao.

After letting Li Guang escape, Zhou Huan stood frozen on the spot, allowing Xiang Jiao to touch his head. Meanwhile, Shi Bingyuan had already fallen asleep in the car.

Zhou Huan watched the wedding procession leave the villa. He staggered back to the car, closed the door, and then sealed all the windows shut.

"Disciple, disciple!" Zhou Huan frantically shook Shi Bingyuan's head. Then, he pulled a fine acupuncture needle—identical to the one he'd removed from his own cheek—from Shi Bingyuan's cheekbone. Zhou Huan then sucked the blood for Shi Bingyuan, finally managing to wake him up.

"Master, this guy's technique is sharp. I almost dodged, but I wasn't quick enough. Are you alright, Master?" Shi Bingyuan asked with concern once he had recovered slightly.

Zhou Huan clutched the two needles in his hand and smiled faintly. "See? This fellow is quite venomous; he wanted to take us both out in one go."

"Heh heh. It seems this couple truly has a big problem on their hands."

Zhou Huan started the car, drove out of the villa, bypassed the bodyguards, and parked beneath a large tree. He peered out of the car and said, "Bingyuan, go find Hong Kun. You two sneak back into the villa; remember, don't let the bodyguards spot you. I will lure some lonely spirits outside to block Li Guang and the others from returning. Once you're done, head straight back to Fushou Hall; I'll keep watch here."

"Understood!" Shi Bingyuan jumped out of the car, grabbed his bag, and trotted away.

Zhou Huan then also jumped out, locked the car door, opened his bag, and took out a large packet of realgar and cinnabar. Following the eight cardinal directions—North, South, East, West—and the four intermediate points—Southeast, Northeast, Southwest, Northwest—he laid out the mixtures. Next, Zhou Huan drew a large circle, opening a Ghost Gate facing directly toward the villa's main entrance, and creating another exit in the direction Li Guang had departed.

Holding his copper-coin sword, Zhou Huan pricked his finger to draw blood, ignited a ghost-summoning talisman, and chanted, "Spirits within an eight-hundred-mile radius, come and meet me! Accept the benefits and guard the Sun family villa for me; allow no one to leave and no one to return! Burn this talisman to establish authority!"

Instantly, dark clouds covered the moon, the cold wind howled, and miasma rose around the villa. From the circle Zhou Huan had drawn, all manner of lonely ghosts surged up from the ground, standing in disciplined ranks and moving toward the villa.

Zhou Huan took a sack of Joss paper ingots from the car and poured the entire bag into the circle. He then lit another talisman, and the assembled spirits manifested.

"Whoosh!" A massive pile of paper money instantly ignited, illuminating the night sky. In the firelight, one could not help but see some malevolent spirits with distorted faces or covered in horrific sores.

"Go!" Zhou Huan sat cross-legged on the spot, forming a lotus hand sign. The endless stream of spirits, like seawater, poured out from the earth, lining up very neatly before moving toward the villa.

In less time than it takes to smoke a cigarette, the entire villa was completely encircled.

Then Zhou Huan rose into the air, thrusting both hands forward, and used his divine-ghost voice transmission to command, "You spirits, do not harm anyone; merely block them. You must return here by dawn. Remember this well, or if your souls are scattered, do not blame Zhou Huan for not saving you."

"Roar!" A resonance of ghosts and monsters echoed in Zhou Huan's heart.

Afterward, Zhou Huan drove away in his car. Shi Bingyuan and Hong Kun successfully evaded the bodyguards' sight and entered the villa. Less than half an hour later, the two emerged. The spirits blocked their path, but after each distributed some benefits and recited the Dao De Jing, the ghosts made way. The two rushed back toward Fushou Hall.