As soon as Sui Xi entered the main gate, without a word, he threw out talismans that burst into flames mid-air, subsequently descending from above in the shape of a giant, fiery character: "Prohibit."

Zhou Huan’s eyebrows furrowed, a flicker of surprise crossing his face. Xiao He was momentarily stunned by Sui Xi’s opening move. After watching intently for a long while, she leaned close to Zhou Huan and whispered, "Brother Huan, what exactly is that thing he's doing?"

Zhou Huan’s lips parted slightly. Unconcerned by Sui Xi's presence, he replied in a relatively loud voice to Xiao He, "That's a classic opening talisman of the Song School. The mid-air ignition happens the moment the talisman paper leaves his hand and is lit. That fiery character is called a 'Blast Talisman,' a specialty of the Song School, known as 'Lighting the Scene'!"

"Clap, clap, clap!" As the two were speaking, Sui Xi moved his hands up and down, and the great fiery character landed squarely on the ground, emitting faint halos of light.

"Good!" Zhou Huan couldn't help but applaud the maneuvers. "A brilliant manifestation of fire talisman transformation!"

Sui Xi’s mouth twitched slightly. "Hmph, hmph, Master Zhou indeed has broad knowledge; you truly are a Grand Master!"

Any ordinary person could recognize Sui Xi’s words as mere polite formalism. In truth, his expression clearly showed he held Zhou Huan in low regard; his face was a mask of arrogant ignorance regarding his own limits.

The profession of Shoushi (Mourning Master) in the Song School is a historical remnant with Taoist overtones. In ancient China, funeral rites were often handled according to Taoist methods. It wasn't until Zhou Huan's previous incarnation re-established and renamed this trade that the "Bai Shi Xian Sheng" (White Affairs Master) gained a standardized, professional title.

"Master Sui Xi, are you truly the head of the Song School?" Zhou Huan asked politely, yielding the floor.

Sui Xi bowed slightly toward Zhou Huan with affected grace. It looked more like a perfunctory gesture than a proper bow, which, in ancient customs, signified disrespect or a mocking posture toward another.

"Master Zhou, you are older than I, so by rights I should call you Elder Brother. However, in the trade of Bai Shi, everyone is an expert, so we naturally differentiate by seniority," Sui Xi declared, finally revealing his true intentions.

Zhou Huan calculated inwardly. He certainly didn't look older than this fellow, yet Sui Xi was insisting on calling him Elder Brother—a clear attempt to step all over him. It seemed he would have to display some skill, or this man would have no sense of propriety at all.

"Master Sui Xi, no need for such formalities. Let’s attend to the main business first. I’d like to see the deceased," Zhou Huan responded, seemingly changing the subject, but actually trying to keep the arrogant man relaxed and off his guard.

Sui Xi led Zhou Huan to a body draped in a white cloth. He casually reached out to pull the cloth away, but Zhou Huan grabbed his arm.

"Wait a moment, Master Sui. How long has this body been here?"

Sui Xi didn't look directly at Zhou Huan, still reaching for the shroud. "Quite some time. It’s only here because it's been kept here; anywhere else and it would have decomposed already. Oh, and his death posture is quite gruesome. Make sure you two don't..." Sui Xi hadn't finished speaking when he tugged at the cloth, but no matter how hard he pulled, the white sheet wouldn't move. When he turned around, he was met by Zhou Huan’s smiling face and the imprint of Zhou Huan’s hand.

"Object Fixation?" Sui Xi was indeed a true expert. Only after reaching the Master level in the hand seals of Shoushi could one possibly transfer the soul-anchoring seal onto an inanimate object. Object Fixation was a special ability where the practitioner used a hand seal, internal energy, and focused intent to freeze a physical object in place, making it utterly immovable by ordinary means.

"Brother Huan, what move is that? I’ve never seen you use it!" Xiao He was curious again. This time, she truly saw something eye-opening. After following Zhou Huan for so long, this was the first time she witnessed such a bizarre technique. He usually dealt with ghosts, but now he was confronting a physical object.

Zhou Huan took a deep breath, withdrew his hand seal, and offered Sui Xi a placating smile. "Master Sui Xi, it’s all right now. We have a lady present, and it’s perhaps not good for her to see such an unpleasant corpse. It’s fine now; you can lift the cloth."

Sui Xi, who moments before had been immensely pleased and felt superior, was now somewhat thrown off balance, stammering slightly. He was acutely aware that if a Shoushi could achieve Object Fixation, fixing a person would be even easier, proving that such a person could effortlessly handle ordinary ghosts and deal with the living just as easily.

"Master Zhou, excellent technique. Today, Sui Xi has truly seen the light. Let’s attend to the main business first!" It was now he who proactively suggested moving on to official matters; the challenging spirit from before had vanished without a trace.

Zhou Huan smiled amiably. "Don't mention it. Come on!"

Sui Xi slowly lifted the white cloth from the body, revealing a stiff, blackened, and icy corpse before Zhou Huan and Xiao He.

Xiao He leaned in for a look. "This body was murdered; it was definitely not suicide, and it falls squarely into the category of paranormal activity."

Zhou Huan examined every aspect of the corpse meticulously, while Sui Xi, after uncovering the body, froze like a utility pole, too shocked to utter another word.

The deceased’s complexion was frozen blue-white, both eyes sealed shut with adhesive tape, suggesting he died while wide awake. One ear was missing. A dark fluid, typical of freezing decomposition, oozed from the corner of the mouth. There was a deep indentation and a deep gash on the neck, where bloodstains, not wiped away, were still clearly visible. The corpse’s hands were tightly curled inward, the veins bulging and turned a dead, black color. Looking closer at the fingernails, there were fragments of skin lodged underneath.

"Master Sui Xi, was this body subjected to forensic examination after it arrived?" Xiao He asked, maintaining her police demeanor.

Sui Xi nodded. "It was examined, but all the physical evidence found on the body pointed back to him—the DNA report stated the skin fragments under the nails were his own. However, we found no scratches on his body that matched fingernail injuries."

Xiao He then turned her gaze to Zhou Huan, who was observing the body silently. "Brother Huan, what do you see..."

"Wait a moment, I want to ask Master Sui Xi how you analyzed this," Zhou Huan prioritized protocol, asking Sui Xi for his assessment before offering his own opinion.

At this point, the (smugness) that had been on Sui Xi’s face was entirely gone. To outsiders, it seemed he finally viewed Zhou Huan as a worthy opponent and was taking him seriously. "Master Zhou, I analyzed that all evidence pointed to the victim himself. But he died in his own home, shortly after returning from a trip. We found no useful evidence there. The only useful lead was his habit of keeping a diary. We reviewed his past life events, but nothing indicated a cause for his death. Furthermore, this man had no enemies, nothing valuable was missing from the house, and he had no known romantic entanglements—he was essentially a cheerful person. This ruled out suicide. So, we focused our investigation on the period between his trip and his death."

"If that's the case, the deceased died after returning happily from his travels. Did you verify everything that happened during his trip, one by one?" Xiao He analyzed the situation while asking Sui Xi.

"Yes, all the investigation reports are in the archives. But what’s strange is that any documentation regarding this case turns into blank paper within three days. That's why it was classified as a paranormal event," Sui Xi explained. He then pulled out a special talisman paper of the Song School, drew several rare symbols, lit it, and began chanting, "Deceased, speak forth, may Heaven and Earth guarantee your passage." Yet, after over ten minutes of attempting soul summoning, he had only managed to bring forth a single soul fragment.

"Strange. Why is this corpse’s soul so scattered? Such a large talisman only managed to summon one soul and one spirit portion," Zhou Huan commented, finding the retrieved spiritual fragment extremely peculiar.

After summoning the fragment, Sui Xi casually demanded, "How did you die? Speak quickly!"

"Hoo-hoo, I was wronged, I was wronged in my death!" The extremely weak soul suddenly dispersed into tiny glittering specks of light and vanished.

Zhou Huan’s eyes widened. "Master Sui Xi, this is problematic. If we can't retrieve the deceased's complete soul, it will take us much more effort. It took so much trouble for just one soul and one spirit portion; it seems the resentment is profound. This could cause trouble later."

"Ah, Master Zhou, I won't lie to you. Every time I summon him, he only utters those two phrases and then disappears. My Song School's soul-summoning art is so exquisite, yet I only managed this much—one soul, one spirit portion. Others would be lucky to summon even one portion," Sui Xi couldn't resist showing off, even at this moment.

Seeing this, Zhou Huan offered no reply. A soul is a form of energy, and if it appears once, it cannot be summoned again consecutively on the same day after dissipating. This was likely Sui Xi’s initial intention for attempting the summoning—either to show off or to give Zhou Huan a chance to observe.

Xiao He grew anxious watching from the side. She knew Zhou Huan could also summon souls but was holding back. Unaware that a soul couldn't be summoned repeatedly, she urged him anxiously, "Brother Huan, why don't you summon the deceased too, to save Master Sui Xi from exhausting himself."

"Heh heh, everyone in this line of work knows that a single soul cannot manifest continuously, especially a soul wrongfully killed; it takes even more effort. We probably won't be able to summon him again for another three days," Zhou Huan said, then shot a glance at Sui Xi with a smile. "Master Sui Xi, am I correct?"

Sui Xi looked extremely uncomfortable. He had not anticipated Zhou Huan possessing such depth, nor had he expected Zhou Huan to be so patient and composed.

"Beep beep!" Xiao He's phone rang.

"Urgent development at the new site! Return to the Public Security Bureau immediately, there's a new death!"