Zhou Huan handed the food over to Yang Xiaoling, leaning close to her ear to whisper, "Get a cab back to the inn, lock the door when you get there, and don't come out. I'll figure out a way to handle things here."

"I'm not going back. I'm staying with you. Don't think I can't fight; I practiced Judo for two years!" As Yang Xiaoling spoke, Zhou Huan shot her a look of mild disdain. A shared smile passed between them, and setting the food aside, they both charged toward the edge of the crowd.

As soon as Zhou Huan reached the front, he pointed at the group and demanded, "Hey, what are you people doing? Running a gang here?"

In an instant, dozens of heads and eyes snapped toward the arriving Zhou Huan. One short man, clearly the leader, swaggered out of the crowd, waving a cleaver and pointing it at Zhou Huan: "What the hell do you think you're doing, interfering with our Song faction's business? You must be tired of living."

"I think you're tired of living. Haven't you ever experienced the pain of getting beaten up, huh?" Zhou Huan's question was truly provocative. Most people would have been choked up by those words, let alone enraged. It was likely these punks would be pulling blades in a moment, capable of turning Zhou Huan into dumpling filling—the main issue was the sheer number of them.

"Brother Huan, there are too many of them. Do we have a chance?"

"Didn't I just say it? The more you fear them, the bolder they get. What difference is there between these guys and those ghosts? If we beat them dead today, won't they go meet your grandfather?" The moment Zhou Huan finished speaking, the sound of a blade being drawn rang out.

"These two don't want to live. Send two men over to teach him how to speak properly; cut out the tongue of the one talking, and keep the woman." This short fellow was truly ruthless. He pulled his own knife and immediately handed it to the brother beside him: "Go!"

Two men charged at Zhou Huan, while several others rushed toward the farmhouse building. Dongzi and Hong Kun guarded the entrance tightly. Since the windows and doors were small, only two or three thugs could squeeze through at a time, and Hong Kun was more than capable of handling them.

The two men rushing Zhou Huan, waving their blades and shouting as they ran, didn't even make it close before two painful cries echoed: "Ouch! Ouch!"

Yang Xiaoling hooked the back of both men's knees simultaneously, pulling one down, while kicking the other to the ground and kneeling right on top of him. For a moment, neither man could move.

Zhou Huan stood to the side, stunned. What was this Yang Xiaoling's background? Her movements were too swift. He had assumed she was some gentle woman, but that clearly wasn't the case now.

"Xiaoling, watch out!" Zhou Huan saw someone attempting a sneak attack from behind Yang Xiaoling—the scoundrel was basely trying to strike her off guard using underhanded tactics. The instant Zhou Huan finished shouting, he launched himself forward with a kick, sending the attacker flying.

"Brother Huan, you're still the quick one!" Yang Xiaoling looked at Zhou Huan and smiled. "Don't be surprised. If I'm going to be your woman, how can I not have some skills when things get rough!"

Zhou Huan laughed heartily, "That's the spirit. Next, let's see what you and I can perform. Attack!" With that, Zhou Huan and Yang Xiaoling engaged outside, while Dongzi and Hong Kun held the line inside the house. Eventually, Dongzi chased the last stragglers out the door, and Hong Kun stayed inside, keeping watch over the two key figures of the Song faction.

The night clouds on the horizon faintly reflected the moonlight, with a few twinkling stars hiding half their faces behind the cloud edges. The flurry of flashing blades and shadows in front of Third Uncle's farm suddenly subsided into silence. Only four figures remained on the clearing before the gate. Two stood guarding one man who was pinned down with another's foot on his neck: "Remember this, I, Zhou Huan, never fight for righteousness. There is only a single thought separating righteousness from evil. Today, you have seen the fate of your Song faction; this is the consequence of the wickedness you once committed. I firmly believe that without evil causes, there would be no evil effects today. Go back and dismiss your so-called gang members, and find an honest living."

"Got it, got it!" The one pressed flat against the ground under Zhou Huan's foot was the short leader, his face so close to the dirt that his tears and sweat were indistinguishable.

Zhou Huan's clothes were already soaked through, sweat dripping steadily from his forehead. Yang Xiaoling sat on the ground, panting heavily. Dongzi was even more dramatic, plopping down squarely on top of the short man and rocking back and forth: "Buddy, if I gave you two hands and one foot, you still wouldn't be a match. What are you pretending to be a big boss for? Your two leaders have been taken down by us. So, what, are you going to play the hero and save them?"

"I didn't know you guys were heroes. If I had known, I wouldn't have come looking for trouble even if you killed me!"

"Now you know, so scram!" Zhou Huan cursed the short man angrily, then lifted his foot. He added, "Don't bother picking up those crappy knives and clubs on the ground; we'll help you sell them and donate the money to the poor—consider it your good deed for the day!"

"Good, good, I'll call a scrap collector for you right now." The short guy was quite savvy and pulled out his phone to dial immediately. At that moment, Zhou Huan snatched the phone away.

Zhou Huan firmly held the phone, "Who are you calling in the middle of the night? Go home honestly and sleep. If I ever find out you're still messing around, watch out, or I, Zhou Huan, will throw a tantrum and give you a proper education!"

"We know, we know, absolutely!" The short man spoke, then stumbled away.

Zhou Huan wiped his sweat. "Damn it, too many people, and it was hard to call on the lone ghosts and spirits for help. Really tiring. Let's go. We need to go inside and ask those two bastards why they were being chased and killed by the Old Ghost. They won't get off easy."

"Brother Huan, we absolutely have to find out, or the matter concerning Grandpa will never be resolved," Yang Xiaoling said, standing up and wiping her sweat.

"I know. Don't worry. I don't believe these two won't tell the truth when their heads are practically on the chopping block. They'll have no choice but to confess." As he spoke, the three of them had already entered the front room of the farm.

Dongzi poured a cup of water for each of the four people. Hong Kun woke the two big shots from the Song faction with two sharp slaps: "Wake up and talk. Stop sleeping; you've been asleep all night."

"We're exhausted! You guys better watch out, or we'll get you back, heh..." That guy, Suixie, was truly insane. Zhou Huan had already crippled his Daoist cultivation, yet he still tried to struggle with all his might. However, the effort was futile. His eyes suddenly widened in shock as he looked at Zhou Huan: "What did you do to us? How come I..."

"You've lost your Daoist power. I think this is for your own good. I don't want you using Daoist arts for evil in the future. A person should strive to be good." Zhou Huan began his lecture to Suixie: "With your level, you could easily do good things for people and for ghosts, but you insisted on causing trouble for us. I had no choice but to strip you of your Daoist power as a last resort. I hope you become a good, moral person from now on."

"Pah, cut the crap. Just say you were scared of me, scared of me, and stop spewing that useless nonsense. Tell me, what do you want to know from my mouth? Or do you want to kill me, or just keep us tied up like this?" Suixie's temper was still tough; after all, he carried the title of a police officer. Zhou Huan and the others had broken the law—this was akin to holding an unauthorized public trial, and the one being interrogated was a police officer.

"Alright, stop arguing with them. Didn't we enter the secular world to cultivate for fame and fortune? Now that you're in their hands, just let them do what they want. At worst, we'll get beaten up; what's that to a real man?" Third Uncle's dentures clacked as he spoke with surprising confidence, but the hair on his head had suddenly turned completely white with frost.

Zhou Huan smiled, "Look at your meager ambition. Later, I'll go sell all those broken blades your little brothers brought. It should fill up at least one truck bed. I've decided, you stay here for now. Not only will I not use you, but we will investigate on our own. We will take care of your meals and lodging three times a day. Once everything in this county is settled, we'll release you. Your next destination will probably be the detention center, so cherish these few days."

Yang Xiaoling pulled out her camera and snapped a picture with a decisive click, capturing the embarrassed expressions of the two. Dongzi raised his hand to strike, but Zhou Huan stopped him. Then, Zhou Huan suddenly asked Third Uncle: "I want to know the background of that old man. Zhou Huan doesn't quite understand. Can Third Uncle tell Zhou Huan who that person really is? Why was his killing intent so heavy? Could it be that he discovered some major secret of yours?"

After Zhou Huan asked this question, Third Uncle lowered his head and had already fallen asleep next to Suixie.

Dongzi truly couldn't hold it in any longer. He raised his hand and delivered a slap that almost sent Suixie flying backward.