Zhou Huan was startled to hear this: "What, your granddaughter? Your surname is Yang, could it be... is Xiaoling your granddaughter?" Zhou Huan knew he couldn't back out of the debt now, but this matter required settling regardless of this relationship, so what exactly did this old man want?

"Master Zhou, I don't seek anything from you; I only need you to genuinely help me. I can only be out for this short while today. If I wish to manifest again, I likely won't have another chance to beg for rebirth in the halls of the Underworld." Old Man Yang's words were profoundly sincere, and Zhou Huan truly felt a stir of emotion. However, he couldn't simply agree to anything a spirit asked, or he would feel he was failing his title as a Grandmaster of Mortuary Arts.

"Elder, whether I can call you Grandpa is something we can discuss after I verify things. Tell me, how can I assist you?" Zhou Huan had, nonetheless, implicitly agreed to the old man's request.

The old man looked overjoyed, as if he had been granted a new lease on life. He wanted to laugh heartily, but Zhou Huan immediately restrained him: "Don't laugh. Who knows what might spew out if you do."

"Master, the moon is full. Are we still not lighting the fire?" Hong Kun shouted from outside where he was tending the fire.

Zhou Huan called back: "Light it! If you run out of paper, burn grass. If the grass is gone, burn wood." Turning back, Zhou Huan looked at Old Man Yang, and this time the scars were even more pronounced. Because Zhou Huan was closer to the old man, he hadn't expected to be able to force him out so easily. Perhaps this was what his old friend meant by a destiny that needed resolution—it seemed this was it.

Old Man Yang’s spirit sat cross-legged on the ground and said, "I must depart. Master Zhou, I was perhaps not entirely polite when speaking to you last time; I offer my apologies now."

Before Zhou Huan could reply, Old Man Yang’s spirit vanished into the earth. He knelt down, pulled out a notebook, shone his flashlight on the bones, and meticulously recorded every characteristic on the skeleton. Then, he took numerous photographs. When Zhou Huan saw the camera flash, he was instantly reminded of the sudden burst of random flashes when they first arrived at this place; it turned out the root cause was here.

"Apprentice, come in and help bury the remains in the open ground near the entrance of the pit. I need to retrieve this letter of testament; it can serve as evidence later." The master and apprentice busied themselves, and gradually, the sky began to lighten. It seemed destined to be a fine day; the rising sun was brilliantly red, piercing the heart. After working all night, they could finally see the dawn.

"Master, let's go!" Hong Kun finished burying the bones, offered respects using conventional rites, and left three sticks of incense burning steadily.

Zhou Huan glanced at the sky, then surveyed the surroundings, noticing how concealed the vertical shaft truly was. He decided to check the top. So, taking tools, he and Hong Kun began climbing the stone walls of the shaft, which widened as they ascended. When they finally reached the top, they discovered that the Turtle Stone was directly opposite them, separated by a sheer drop. Only a few rusted iron chains spanned the chasm; the wooden planks on the chains were reduced to splinters and dust, and behind them was the shaft they had just climbed out of.

"Master, this is..." Hong Kun seemed at a loss.

Zhou Huan shook his head. "No choice. It seems our master-apprentice pair will have to leave this way. Come on, we'll cross using those chains and then head down the mountain."

Hong Kun and Zhou Huan cautiously and fearfully crossed the chain bridge. Upon reaching the other side, they were surprised to find that the large Turtle Stone was missing one of its 'claws.'

The two reached the mouth of the cave and found the entrance littered with disorderly footprints. When they looked down toward the base of the mountain, they saw several off-road jeeps parked below.

Zhou Huan and Hong Kun swiftly crouched down. Zhou Huan lowered his voice: "Someone has arrived. We need to be careful. They probably entered the cave just now. Let's move quickly and get clear."

"Master, there's only one way up and down this mountain, and their vehicles are at the bottom. How do we descend?"

"Follow me. When I came up yesterday, I saw the back of the mountain was all scree slopes. We'll descend that way."

Seeing no one around, the two quickly headed toward the stone scree slope on the north side of the mountain, picking their way down the treacherous slope where stones could loosen at any moment.

"Damn it, after working all night, we still have to sneak past those clinging ghosts. What a pain!" Hong Kun couldn't help but grumble.

Zhou Huan, walking ahead, smirked slightly: "Let them go in and search. We're leaving first. Those guys won't be gloating for long."

"Master, are you that confident?"

"Yes, of course. All the evidence now points to the person in that last photograph." As he spoke, Zhou Huan pulled out the large photograph he was carrying and showed it to Hong Kun. Then, finding a solid place to sit, he lit a cigarette. "You look at this first. We'll rest here for a moment."

"Right!" Hong Kun took the photo and sat on a rock. The moment he looked at the picture, he froze: "Master, this..."

"What is it? If those guys can appear in a single photograph, it proves they must share some unspeakable secret among themselves," Zhou Huan explained.

But Hong Kun handed the photo back to Zhou Huan: "Why is there no one in this photograph now?"

"What?" Zhou Huan was shocked. "Not good! Those kids are in danger. We have to get down the mountain fast! We can't let them die. If they truly die, Old Man Yang will never be able to reincarnate. Hurry!" Zhou Huan tucked the photo away and took the lead, moving steadily downward.

Suddenly, they heard someone shouting near the Turtle Stone: "Sect Leader, there are people on this slope below!"

"What? Go look quickly!" The person who spoke looked down and suddenly shouted, "Pursue them! That's Zhou Huan!"

Zhou Huan recognized the voice as Sui Xi from the Song Sect. He glanced back; many people were already rushing down the path they had used, while several others were chasing them down the scree slope they were using, moving faster than Zhou Huan and his apprentice.

"Apprentice, hurry! Master is going to jump!" As he spoke, they reached a gentler slope—a place well-known to regular mountain climbers where someone with good leg strength could jump down the slope without issue, saving at least a third of the time.

"Chase them quickly, don't let them escape! If they get away, no one will benefit." Hearing Sui Xi's commotion, a killing intent stirred faintly in Zhou Huan's heart. This guy was too annoying, but for now, he couldn't make a move. He would wait until they returned and organized all the evidence, then deal with him using legal means, as he was, after all, still a human.

Hong Kun frowned deeply, shouting to Zhou Huan as he ran: "I see only a dozen or so of them. Can't the two of us handle them?"

"We're not handling them. Hurry up! We need to go back, organize the evidence, and find Xiao He immediately. Have Xiao He call the Public Security Bureau to issue an order. It won't be too late for us to act then."

"Okay, Master, then I'll give them something fun!" Hong Kun had somehow acquired caltrops used by Japanese ninjas. As he ran, he scattered them in a line: "Let them run. This time, I'll make sure they can't even drive their cars."

The two reached the bottom of the mountain, where the main path was. Hong Kun scattered the last dozen caltrops on the ground: "Hmph, I'll make sure none of your vehicles can move."

Zhou Huan led Hong Kun, running for nearly two li until both were breathless.

"Master, I wonder if they found anything?"

"Hmph, they probably won't find anything under the Turtle Stone. Everything worth keeping is captured in our camera!"

The disciples of the Song Sect who gave chase ended up with their soles pricked, car tires punctured—total chaos. Even the widely hated Sui Xi stepped on two caltrops.

"Zhou Huan, if I don't destroy you, I'm not Sui Xi! My Song Sect will disappear from now on!" Sui Xi’s grand oath was likely only audible to his own disciples.

Zhou Huan and his apprentice successfully left the Song Sect members behind. They entered the suburban bus station. This time, instead of taking a taxi, they took the public bus, transferring three times before finally reaching the inn where they were staying.

As soon as they entered the inn, Dongzi rushed out toward Zhou Huan: "Brother, why didn't you call me last night? I figured out how we can take care of those Song Sect guys."

Zhou Huan smiled helplessly, looking at an object clenched tightly in Dongzi's hand. "What are you holding? Tell me how you're so sure you can deal with them?"