Shi Bingyuan and Hong Kun returned from outside the door, bursting in loudly. Dongzi, an apple dangling from his mouth, rushed out, raising his index finger: "Shhh, keep it down. Master and Sister Xiao He just went upstairs!"

"Gone to sleep?" Hong Kun boomed heartily.

"Stop shouting. Maybe they have something incredibly important to discuss, or perhaps they're engaged in some great human endeavor," Dongzi quipped, showing unusual eloquence.

Shi Bingyuan understood Dongzi's meaning and grinned, "Ah, I'm just old. Otherwise, I wouldn't be far behind Master; I'd be having a grand time too!"

Hong Kun hushed, grabbed Dongzi and Shi Bingyuan, locked the main door, and led them back to Dongzi's bedroom.

"Dongzi, see this? Do you recognize it?" Shi Bingyuan pulled out an alchemy vessel and a small bag of powder from his pocket.

Dongzi’s eyes widened, his pupils darting around as he stared at the two items, unable to utter a word.

"You've been with Master so long and you don't know what this is?" Hong Kun asked with a hint of sarcasm.

Dongzi twisted his brow, "You've also been with Master quite a while. If you're so smart, you tell us what it is, then."

"Alright, stop arguing. This thing looks a lot like what they use for refining poison in Yunnan, but exactly what poison is being refined, I can’t say for sure," Shi Bingyuan explained. Dongzi immediately opened the bag containing the powder, the audacious fellow about to dip a finger in to taste it.

Shi Bingyuan slapped Dongzi's hand away: "Are you tired of living? How can you taste something when you don't even know what it is!"

"Nonsense. If I don't taste it, how will I know what it does? You see, this is called the spirit of dedication." Dongzi looked at Shi Bingyuan, knowing he couldn't win a physical fight but unwilling to look weak in front of them: "Hmph. Then you tell us the specifics—the one, two, three—or I won't be convinced!"

As the group was clamoring, the door to the room opened. Zhou Huan entered, neat in his clothes and rosy-cheeked: "You fellows, what's going on? Why all the racket?"

"Master, come look at this. We retrieved it from the villa. It seems the Sun family is truly not simple; they even know how to refine poison," Shi Bingyuan handed the powder and the alchemy vessel to Zhou Huan.

Zhou Huan took the two items, examining them closely. Then, Zhou Huan pulled out a sheet of paper, scooped a bit of powder onto it, shook it gently, and fanned it lightly toward his nose, sniffing deeply.

"I see," Zhou Huan seemed to grasp something. Seeing the confused yet eager looks of his apprentices, he explained: "This should be Phantom Powder. That needle they used was soaked in this powder; therefore, the attack we suffered earlier originated from this substance."

"Master, so this powder must have been made by that Li Guang," Shi Bingyuan immediately followed up.

Zhou Huan pondered for a long time, and silence fell over the room. He lit a cigarette, and suddenly, his eyes lit up as if a realization had struck him: "Bingyuan, you and Hong Kun sleep. Return to the villa tonight, but don't go inside. Don't perform any rituals this time. Just observe from a distance with binoculars, preferably from above. There are still issues within their ancestral compound; it's not that simple."

"Got it. Oh, Master, what is this?" Shi Bingyuan pulled another piece of paper from his pocket. On it was drawn an irregular shape. The paper looked crumpled, as if it had been discarded, and there were small characters reading, "Heart Shape Figure Thirty Percent."

Zhou Huan couldn't make sense of it at first glance. He felt the drawing lacked any discernible basis, like someone doodling aimlessly.

Dongzi watched the drawing from the back. Since he didn't know many characters, he could only look at the image, trying to interpret its meaning through his visual thinking. As he stared, he blurted out suddenly: "What kind of trash drawing is this? It looks like a bird's nest, with lines and crosses everywhere."

Dongzi's remark ignited Zhou Huan's imagination: "That's right. Their dead bodies were found near the underground water source. How large would a space have to be for a person to pass through the water source? Look at this diagram—the more I look, the more it resembles a building, or perhaps a schematic of a location. Every cross, dot, and circle could represent something."

Shi Bingyuan followed Zhou Huan’s finger as he pointed to the markings on the drawing: "Ah, yes. When Hong Kun and I were staking out that area, we sometimes heard strange noises, as if they were coming from underground. Could it be..."

"There’s a basement. It's possible these two have another subplot going on. Old Man Sun might have died unjustly," Zhou Huan said this with an air of premonition, sensing that the matters ahead would become more troublesome and difficult to handle.

Just then, Xiao He entered from the doorway again: "Brother Huan, go get some rest. We need to set off in two hours."

"Xiao He, we have a new development. You need to go back and arrange for people to investigate the backgrounds of this Li Guang and that Sun Xiangjiao. Investigate whatever you can uncover."

"That's easy enough. We'll interrogate Sun Zhi during the day, and then dispatch people for the investigation."

Shi Bingyuan stood up immediately, "Master, if that's the plan, we'll go sleep first. Everything will proceed according to your arrangements."

"Remember, you absolutely must locate that basement, but be extremely careful. I suspect they already know we are watching them," Zhou Huan instructed. Shi Bingyuan and Hong Kun then returned to their room to sleep.

Dongzi was still staring intently at the drawing. Zhou Huan turned back and deliberately shouted loudly: "Dongzi!"

When Dongzi saw Zhou Huan's face, Zhou Huan’s features were set in a scowl, his brows tightly furrowed: "Brother, wha—what is it?"

"You've earned merit today! Hahaha! During the day, go call Tianxiong back and tell him to rest well. We'll all go to the graveyard tonight." Zhou Huan's expression instantly cleared, and he turned, taking Xiao He back to their cozy private space.

Dongzi stood dazed, thoroughly shaken by Zhou Huan's sudden shift from coldness to warmth. He then dressed and hurried downstairs alone to run towards the graveyard as the sun rose.

After Zhou Huan and Xiao He returned to their room, the lingering heat from their earlier intimacy hadn't quite dissipated. In fact, when Shi Bingyuan returned earlier, they had abruptly halted their activities. Zhou Huan, concerned about potential issues, had quickly dressed, tidied up, and gone to Dongzi's room.

Now, the two finally had some time. After being busy for so long, they could finally enjoy their privacy—pierce the Water Curtain Cave, wrap the silkworm in lotus leaves.

The Fushou Hall was utterly quiet. This was because Zhou Huan had intentionally thickened the soundproofing layers when they did the renovations. Thus, once the door was shut, nothing outside could be heard with the ears. Usually, there were people downstairs in the Fushou Hall, but not this time; everyone was utterly exhausted. Aside from those sleeping, no one else was engaged in any activity within the hall.

Outside the Fushou Hall, the traffic flowed ceaselessly. The midday sun was already high in the sky, and many households were beginning to prepare lunch.

"Xiao He, wake up, we need to head to the station!" Zhou Huan shook the jade-smooth, dewy Xiao He incessantly with both hands. Xiao He turned coyly, her eyes hazy, and reached up to wrap her arms around Zhou Huan’s neck in a playful manner.

"Pull me up!"

Zhou Huan smiled knowingly, using his strength to draw Xiao He tightly into his embrace: "Little lazybones, you're covered this time!"

"Darling, fetch my clothes for me, please."

Holding Xiao He, Zhou Huan gently placed her by the bedside, then he went to retrieve her clothing.

"Slap!" Something fell out of Xiao He's pocket. Zhou Huan bent down to pick it up and, upon opening it, discovered it was her household registration booklet.

"This...?" Zhou Huan asked Xiao He, slightly confused.

Xiao He was no longer in a hurry to dress. Stark naked, she ran to Zhou Huan’s side and clung to him tightly: "Let's go register today. It'll be quick anyway. After we register, we can deal with Sun Zhi's issue."

Zhou Huan had long wanted to register his marriage with Xiao He, but he always preferred a step-by-step approach to his affairs: finishing the immediate task, freeing up time, and then handling the registration leisurely.

"Xiao He, didn't we agree? We have to settle the Sun Jian matter first before registering. Otherwise, see? Even our wedding won't be proper," Zhou Huan explained gently.

Xiao He understood Zhou Huan's intentions and empathized: "Mm, alright then, I'll listen to Brother Huan. Let's hurry and set off. After this matter is resolved, we need to get married as soon as possible."

The two packed their belongings. Zhou Huan drove them to the station. Xiao He arranged for personnel to investigate Li Guang and Sun Xiangjiao, then she went alone to the holding cell to retrieve Sun Zhi: "Sun Zhi, come with me!"

Poor Sun Zhi, his severed hand was still at the funeral home. The remaining half of his arm hadn't healed properly in many places and emitted a foul odor from the decay. Fortunately, a doctor disinfected it and applied medicine daily.

"Officer, my hand is especially painful today. Can you find a way to help me? I really can't bear it anymore." Sun Zhi's complexion turned pale and ashen as he desperately pleaded with Xiao He.

Xiao He examined Sun Zhi closely, then said, "Don't worry yet. I’ll have someone give you a painkiller shot first. You need to cooperate with us on something, otherwise, the severing of your hand will have been entirely in vain."

Xiao He's words seemed to strike a chord with Sun Zhi. He nodded sincerely, then, leaning on one hand against the wall, he painstakingly exited the holding cell. Two young police officers helped support Sun Zhi as they headed toward the interrogation room.

Zhou Huan was already waiting in the interrogation room. He followed his usual routine: pouring three cups of water—one for the prisoner, one for Xiao He, and one for himself. He also placed a pack of cheap cigarettes on the prisoner's side. The only difference this time was that Zhou Huan was smoking himself, and he had brought his own satchel.

Soon after, Xiao He brought Sun Zhi into the interrogation room. Two officers stood behind Sun Zhi, one on each side. Shortly after, the doctor entered and administered a painkiller injection to Sun Zhi. In a moment, Sun Zhi's complexion returned to normal.