As Li Tianxiong spoke, he was the first to leap from the car, striking a Mahayana hand seal with one hand while plastering talismans with the other. Strangely, these apparitions feared no charms; in fact, upon contact, they lunged with even greater ferocity.

Zhou Huan followed, exiting the vehicle and attempting to subdue the ghosts with his own collection of talismans. He met the exact same result as Li Tianxiong. These spectral hordes paid no heed to the charms’ power. Even as smoke billowed from their forms, causing their bodies to rot and mold under the talisman’s influence, the creatures charged forward undeterred.

Dongzi, hiding in the car, took one look at the scene outside and decided he wouldn't be getting out. If Zhou Huan couldn't manage the situation, Dongzi knew his own efforts would be utterly futile.

“These things are too tough. Where did they all come from? I’ve used every charm, and not a single one works. Hmph. With just my meager skills, I’d be throwing my life away. Better to hide for now and try a surprise attack later.” With that thought, Dongzi slowly crouched down, preparing to burrow beneath the seat. But as he slid down, he spotted something long and sickly black. Following its length, he realized a ghoul was crouched beneath the seat, its two malevolent eyes fixed directly on him, its hands slowly reaching out.

“Get away from me, you fiend! When did you get in here!” The sudden confrontation startled Dongzi. He moved quickly, yanking his head out from under the seat with a swish, but at that moment, his leg was seized tightly by the ghoul, which was already preparing to wrap its long tongue around his limb.

Dongzi was now out of tricks. He fumbled in his pockets, pulling out every talisman he had, grabbing one at random and slapping it onto the ghoul’s head. As he did, his thoughts drifted to Zhou Huan, to his older brother.

Meanwhile, outside the car, Zhou Huan was desperately fending off the onslaught. While struggling, he shouted back toward the vehicle, “Dongzi! Burn the paper ingots and all those cutouts I made for them!” No matter how loud Zhou Huan yelled, Dongzi remained silent.

Suddenly, Dongzi shrieked in horror, “Help me! Brother, save me! My leg!”

Zhou Huan broke from the melee, spotted the ghost inside the car, and flung two talismans. The apparition immediately began to ooze water, its previously dark complexion turning utterly ashen. Immediately afterward, Zhou Huan roared, “Dongzi, what are you waiting for? Burn the joss paper! These things won't let go unless they receive payment!”

“Oh, oh, oh!” Dongzi scrambled in panic. Throwing caution aside, he grabbed a handful of paper money and ingots, lit them, and hurled them out the car window. By sheer coincidence, everything he threw landed right around Li Tianxiong, some even falling at his feet. Instantly, the dozen or so ghosts shifted their focus to Tianxiong, surrounding him tightly as they scrambled for the paper offerings on the ground. After snatching the ingots and paper, they resumed their attack.

Only then did Zhou Huan manage to gain some distance. He snatched the red horses and golden servants from inside the car, set them alight, and roared with force, “Listen up, you ghosts! The carriages, servants, and paper money have been provided! Why haven't you left with your goods yet? Dawn is breaking, and you’ll have wasted your night’s work! Those who wish to have their charms removed, come to me!”

As Zhou Huan’s roar concluded, the dozen ghosts froze instantly. In a flash, a dozen carriages pulled by red horses materialized before Zhou Huan’s vehicle, each attended by golden boys and jade girls. Seeing this, the ghosts ignored everything else, rushing to board their respective carriages, taking their ingots, and driving away. Not a single one approached Zhou Huan for talisman removal.

This whole episode had left the master and his two disciples utterly exhausted. Even after Zhou Huan got back into the car, Dongzi hadn't recovered, still clutching his leg and groaning, “It’s over, it’s over! My leg is ruined!”

Zhou Huan seized Dongzi’s leg and slapped it hard. Sweat immediately broke out on the limb, and color swiftly returned to the skin.

“Master, where did these ghosts blocking our path come from? Why such intense resentment?” Tianxiong asked Zhou Huan.

Zhou Huan caught his breath slightly. “Last night, when I was setting up the spirit-summoning formation to block Xiang Jiao and the others, these must have arrived afterward. They didn't receive their due payment, so they won't leave until they’ve been compensated.”

“But you burned so much paper; how could they not receive it?”

“You wouldn’t know about this. There are many types of hanged ghosts. One kind can’t walk, so when they wander, they must petition the King of Hell for a carriage. The whole group pools resources to find the conveyance—they are that kind of ghost. But when they arrived, the ground was already clear of money, or perhaps…” As he spoke, Zhou Huan seemed to recall something. He remembered Li Guang once telling him that he might also dabble in funerary arts. Could Li Guang have tampered with the paper-burning circle? But if he did tamper with it, the spirits shouldn't be able to return either?

Zhou Huan wrestled with the contradiction, but Li Tianxiong was still looking at him, waiting for an answer. Zhou Huan could only offer a vague reply, “Or perhaps they couldn’t fight others for the share. Let’s hurry to the villa. Once we arrive, we can assess the situation.”

“Yes, I’m eager to get there. I need to see exactly what those two profligate men are doing all day. I estimate they spend hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions, monthly just on bodyguards. Where does their money come from? How do they make it so fast? Unless…” Li Tianxiong trailed off.

Hearing this, Zhou Huan seemed to anticipate his disciple’s thought, realizing they were likely thinking the same thing: “Unless they’re breaking the law!”

“Breaking the law?” Dongzi shot up suddenly, his head slamming against the roof of the car with a loud thud. He barely felt the pain, only raising a hand to cover the lump while rambling, “Brother is right! They must be breaking the law! Otherwise, why hide? What secret do they have to keep concealed?” Dongzi seemed to have grasped something, and a spark of excitement lit his heart.

Zhou Huan glanced at Dongzi and smiled wryly, having long ago decided the young man was a single-celled organism.

“Master, I can’t wait to figure this out. Let’s go!” Li Tianxiong was actually urging Zhou Huan now.

Zhou Huan calmly lit a cigarette. “Since we’ve already wasted so much time, let’s rest here instead. Everyone catch a nap, and we’ll leave when it’s light. I estimate their nighttime security is like a prison—enter and never return. But if we go during the day, we can use certain credentials to enter, allowing us to wander around boldly.”

“Oh, I see. Then I’ll grab a quick snooze,” Tianxiong said before pulling his jacket over his head and falling immediately into a deep snore.

Dongzi was already asleep, his snoring even louder. Zhou Huan watched him, his mind replaying the entire bizarre sequence of events: Elder Sun’s death, the subsequent two corpses, Sun Zhi’s severed hand, and the activities of Li Guang and Xiang Jiao. It seemed every move Zhou Huan made was within someone else’s control. These incidents felt connected, yet distinct and unrelated. Where was the crucial link? This knot of complexity required all of Zhou Huan’s focus to untangle so he could quickly resolve this taxing affair.

The summer sun rose early, a single beam piercing through the window of Zhou Huan’s car. Other vehicles were already passing on the highway. Li Tianxiong opened his eyes first and saw Zhou Huan still resting his chin in thought.

“Master, you should rest. Judging by your look, you haven't slept all night. We’re not in a rush. Let’s leave when you wake up!” Li Tianxiong showed concern for Zhou Huan.

Zhou Huan smiled faintly. “It’s fine, I can manage. Let’s go. I’ve figured out a way to scout Sun Manor. Whether it works depends on whether those two fall for the trap.”

“What’s the plan, Master?”

“You’ll know when the time comes. But how successful it is will depend on our performance. We must act the part perfectly to gain anything today. Otherwise, Shi Bingyuan and Hong Kun’s efforts will be wasted too. Go, clear the road!” Zhou Huan checked the traffic ahead and behind, slammed the accelerator, and Dongzi tumbled gracelessly under the seat, continuing his loud snoring.

Zhou Huan and Li Tianxiong were both exasperated. Dongzi was simply unbearable, an almost superhumanly carefree optimist. Zhou Huan eased off the gas, driving slowly toward the Sun residence.

At the police station, Xiao He was sorting through the accumulated files concerning the Sun family, Xiang Jiao, Li Guang, and Sun Zhi. She was deeply perplexed. She only knew that Li Guang had been a hoodlum years ago who suddenly vanished for a period; his whereabouts during that time were completely untraceable. She turned her attention back to Sun Zhi, but he insisted he acted purely for revenge. The entire line of inquiry seemed to break with Sun Zhi, as he had no prior connection to the Sun family, and he knew nothing about Li Guang. Therefore, Xiao He decided to redirect the main focus onto Li Guang and the Sun family’s older business dealings.

“Sister Xiao He!” Xiao Li entered the office, handing Xiao He a file. “Here are the reports for the first two deceased. We cross-referenced them with missing persons reports; two individuals fit their profiles perfectly. Take a look!”

Xiao He scrutinized the material instantly and immediately gave orders. “Have Sun Zhi brought in immediately. He might know the cause of death for these two. This could unlock the entire mystery!”

“Yes, I thought so too. Why don’t you handle the interrogation? I’ll take the notes!”

As she spoke, Xiao He was already rising, leading Xiao Li toward the detention center to question Sun Zhi. This was Sun Zhi’s third day in custody; technically, he was supposed to be released tonight, as his detention period was expiring.

Meanwhile, Zhou Huan drove slowly, entering the perimeter of the Sun family villa. When he reached the small grove of trees, he stopped the car. The villa was still several hundred meters away.

“Tianxiong, we’ll walk the rest of the way. I need to check on the spirit-summoning circle I drew the night before last,” Zhou Huan said before roughly hauling the sleeping Dongzi upright. “Come on, we’re going fighting!”