Actually, what Zhou Huan had said was mostly nonsense; the thing that was truly effective was the talisman he held. This talisman could anchor the soul of the deceased. If the soul could not be found, it meant the deceased certainly harbored resentment. If even a fraction of the soul could be retrieved, it proved they held no resentment and did not wish to die, but were dragged to their death by someone else—and that person dragging them must possess immense resentment.

Zhou Huan’s methods were truly peculiar. Sure enough, only one fragment of Xiao San’s soul manifested. Before the man could even fully open his mouth, it vanished instantly. “It seems he is possessed by something; there's no way to retrieve his complete soul. We’ll just have to let fate decide.” As he spoke, Zhou Huan turned and left the morgue. Old Mr. Wang reached out, helping to pull the white sheet over the deceased man's head.

This Wang Kuaidao was indeed fast; the autopsy was also completed quickly. Before long, he emerged with the report. Seeing Zhou Huan and Old Mr. Wang waiting outside the morgue, he glanced around to ensure they were alone, then drew close to the two men and whispered, “Master Zhou, it’s strange. This man wasn't poisoned to death; the poison in his system wasn’t lethal. However, my findings show he died of cardiac arrest. Generally, a heart stops like this only when subjected to extreme fright or some other critical emergency.”

Hearing Dr. Wang’s assessment, Old Mr. Wang immediately understood. Dr. Wang’s conclusion matched Zhou Huan’s assertion; only the methodology differed.

“Then…” Old Mr. Wang paused in thought. “How about this: make this report detailed. Prepare two copies. I need to send these reports separately to the family and the leadership of the archaeological team. They likely have their own ways of dealing with this. I will personally extend my courtesy as a local host and ensure the deceased’s family receives appropriate compensation.”

Zhou Huan gave Old Mr. Wang a thumbs-up, then added, “Dr. Wang, I’ll have to trouble you with this. I wonder if you will still be participating in the research on the female mummy these next few days?”

“Of course. I’m rarely left out of such matters. Let’s officially classify this as a paranormal event. Later, Master Zhou, you’ll need to help me manage the scene. Why don’t you join me tomorrow? What do you say?” Wang Kuaidao’s words weren't quite a plea; perhaps they were a subtle challenge to Zhou Huan.

Zhou Huan wasn't bothered. He actually wanted to meet Xiao San’s family to learn more about him. After all, the clues and the situation had reached this point; he had to follow the thread until it broke.

Seeing Zhou Huan preparing to leave, Old Mr. Wang thought it over again and decided to follow him to Wang Kuaidao’s lab. Wang Kuaidao proved his speed; he pulled up the recently finished report on his computer and printed three or four copies in quick succession. Then, he followed Zhou Huan’s car toward the archaeology team’s site. “Dr. Wang, after the team is done, where are we heading?” Zhou Huan asked casually, but the doctor’s reply made Zhou Huan’s mind race.

“Oh, Master Zhou, Xiao San’s relatives are already at the archaeology site. He had no parents, only a younger brother. Both brothers make a living working with the archaeology team, so we’ll find his family once we get there.”

Zhou Huan fell silent, nodding slowly. He said nothing else on the drive, sitting alone in the car. “That’s fine. I’ll head up in a moment; you two go ahead.”

Wang Kuaidao and Old Mr. Wang went up to the archaeology team’s dormitory building first. Zhou Huan pulled out his compass in the car, turning it over and over in his hand. He then used two consecutive Soul-Summoning Talismans, but neither produced any result. He wanted to retrieve Xiao San’s soul to bring him upstairs to confront Xiao Si and discuss what Zhou Huan had witnessed in his vision. In truth, he hoped both men could recall something, because Zhou Huan firmly believed everything he saw in his vision was factual.

Seeing that several attempts yielded nothing, Zhou Huan gave up. He locked the car and hurried upstairs. Upon arriving at the landing, he saw Wang Kuaidao talking with Xiao Si about Xiao San. Upon learning his older brother was dead, Xiao Si wailed, “This is unbearable! My brother is gone, and I have no family left beside me. What am I to do?”

“Stop crying. What’s a grown man crying for? Did your brother die so you have to follow him?” Wang Kuaidao’s rough voice sounded almost like a threat. Then, Wang Kuaidao raised his hand and delivered two sharp slaps across Xiao Si’s face, roaring, “Snap out of it! What’s all this crying? Pull yourself together! Take this report and go talk to your supervisors. Besides, Old Mr. Wang is waiting in your leader’s office. You’re not going to die!”

Zhou Huan watched Wang Kuaidao berating Xiao Si, while his own mind kept cycling back to the events in his vision—it was identical, not differing by a single detail.

Turning around, both Wang Kuaidao and Xiao Si noticed Zhou Huan. Xiao Si walked up to Zhou Huan, sniffling, and asked, “Master Zhou, say the word, was my brother a victim of the supernatural? Tell me, and I’ll believe it!”

Zhou Huan hadn't expected his words to carry such weight. He nodded. “It was a death by spiritual means. He died in terror; there was no sign of peace in his eyes, only sheer fright. This line of work you’re in—there was truly nothing anyone could do.”

Indeed, it was strange; Zhou Huan’s words had an immediate effect, stopping Xiao Si’s weeping instantly.

“Master Zhou, let him go upstairs to talk to the leadership himself. I’d like a private word with you,” Wang Kuaidao stated frankly, managing to detain Zhou Huan. Xiao Si wiped his eyes, let out a long sigh, and slowly walked upstairs.

“Dr. Wang, please speak freely about what is on your mind.”

“Master Zhou, I want to clarify one thing. I want to know the difference between what you Shoushi do and our medical methods for determining the cause of death from a corpse.”

Zhou Huan chuckled upon hearing this. “We Shoushi first examine the deceased’s eyes to determine if the death was spiritual. Next, we attempt soul summoning. Based on the success of the summoning, we judge whether the death was supernatural. This requires a certain degree of experience and skill, so if you truly wish to understand, you must experience it firsthand—you need practical operation.”

“That’s manageable. I know the archaeology team just uncovered a skeleton, said to be from within the last century. I was hoping Master Zhou might accompany me to examine it. What do you think?” Wang Kuaidao was extending an invitation. Zhou Huan didn’t refuse, as he was now convinced this Wang Kuaidao was the scarred man from his vision. There must be clues on this person, and whether this skeleton was a clue useful to Zhou Huan was something he had to see.

Wang Kuaidao’s face broke out in a series of joyous smiles. “It seems Master Zhou is a straightforward man as well. Then let’s set off. Let Old Mr. Wang wait here for now.”

Before he finished speaking, someone could be heard descending the stairs from above. “Who said I should wait here? How can there be such an event and you don't take me along to see?” The person descending was Old Mr. Wang, followed by Xiao Si.

Xiao Si chimed in, “Take me too. I want to come see. If I stay alone in the dorm, I’ll just keep thinking about my brother, and that’s not good, right?”

The plan was settled. They had expected fewer people, but unexpectedly, the group grew by one.

Zhou Huan drove slowly toward the excavation site. The newly unearthed skeleton had been placed in a container. Upon arrival, Wang Kuaidao rushed straight to the bones, picked up a piece, and weighed it in his hand. He rummaged through his red cross box, pulling out a collection of tools Zhou Huan had never seen before—these were the tools Old Mr. Wang had given him money to purchase. And indeed, you got what you paid for; his tools were gleaming, showcasing a high-tech appearance.

Wang Kuaidao took a bone scraping knife and made two passes across the bone, chipping off a trail of bone dust. He then lightly scored the bone a couple of times, after which he declared his findings: “The deceased was in their sixties, had a slight limp, likely due to old trauma. Blood type unknown. Furthermore, this person must have been squeezed into a narrow space before death; even his spine is deformed into an arc.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Huan’s first thought was that this must be the skeleton of Huang Quezi. It seemed this matter was close to resolution. If he could find Huang Quezi’s remains, locating that ring would become significantly easier.