"Master Zhou, we are about to clear the site. Is there anything else you need to attend to?" a member of the archaeology team approached Zhou Huan and asked.

Zhou Huan calmly set down what he was holding and walked slowly out of the excavation site alone, heading toward the periphery. He turned back and said, "Be extremely careful. It’s best not to disturb these skeletal remains. Give me some time; I will sort this out completely before we discuss anything else."

"Well... Master Zhou, can you possibly think of a solution? Our superiors are eager for the newly unearthed items, and we are worried about something going wrong. We..." Several scholarly archaeologists hesitated, thinking it over before reaching into their pockets and pulling out a few hundred yuan. "We all know that in your line of work, money changes hands. It’s only fair to everyone. Look, Master Zhou, please don't think it’s too little. Two people died yesterday, and we are already terrified!"

Zhou Huan turned back when he saw the cash clutched in the hands of the two archaeologists and chuckled. "You two are quite something. Fine, I can help you. But no one is to touch the bones or the artifacts; leave everything right where it is. Find someone to watch over them. Later, I’ll speak to your leader. Also, since you’ve taken the money out, don't put it back. I am not short of money, nor do I wish to take yours. You should give this money to those who have nothing to eat or drink."

As soon as the words fell, Zhou Huan’s figure moved like a gentle breeze settling on the ground, leaving the site with the speed of the wind. He settled into his car, lit a cigarette, and his mind began to race with thoughts.

From a distance, a police car approached Zhou Huan’s vehicle. As soon as they got out, Wang Xiaohe and Dongzi stood before Zhou Huan’s car, carrying some fruit, inviting Zhou Huan out to eat.

This time, things moved oddly. Before Zhou Huan could even step out to accept the fruit, Wang Kuai Dao, who had been quicker, had already followed Zhou Huan out of the excavation site. Seeing the large Asian pears among the fruit, he grabbed one immediately and began crunching into it loudly.

"Hey! You reckless brat, I got this pear for my brother. What are you interfering for?" Dongzi felt unwilling and prepared to step forward and snatch it back.

By this time, Zhou Huan had already emerged from the car and stepped in to stop Dongzi. "Dongzi, stand down. If he wants to eat, let him. It’s fine. Everything is for the sake of ending this task as quickly as possible. Our goal is no more deaths; sending the aggrieved spirits on their way means the mission is complete. As for everything else, that must be left to others."

Wang Xiaohe opened the plastic bag, inviting Zhou Huan to take whatever fruit he wanted. Zhou Huan didn't immediately reach for the food. Instead, he ignited a talisman, put the resulting ashes into a bottle of mineral water, mixed it with yellow wine, and wiped his hands. Then, he took out another piece of paper to dry his hands before finally reaching into the bag and taking a piece of fruit.

As he ate, he said, "Dongzi, Xiaohe, you eat too. I can't possibly finish all this you brought." While speaking, he popped an apple into Xiaohe's mouth and handed a banana to Dongzi.

Wang Kuai Dao seemed genuinely thirsty. He took off his gloves and reached for an apple, biting into it with a loud crack.

While eating, he chatted with Zhou Huan. "Master Zhou, it seems like you know everything. By the way, what did you discover from the corpses just now?"

"When I saw the skeletal remains, I immediately wondered why these people were buried together. Firstly, these individuals must belong to the same clan. Secondly, I have a strong feeling that the cause of death is incorrect. Now that we’ve excavated them, there must be a grievance. If they couldn't seek justice in life, or if no one pleaded their case, they will certainly cause trouble after death," Zhou Huan explained his theory. He then turned to Dongzi and said, "Call all our people tonight. We will summon the souls again. I must get a clear answer out of this."

Wang Kuai Dao kept eating, muttering to Zhou Huan, "Master Zhou, when I was examining the bones earlier, I noticed that many of them had fractures of varying degrees. Some seemed to have occurred post-mortem, and some while they were alive."

"We all saw that, but..." Zhou Huan paused while chewing, staring intently at Wang Kuai Dao with a sudden, very tense expression. He asked, "Doctor Wang, is this how you examined the remains just now?"

Wang Kuai Dao was startled by Zhou Huan's sudden intensity. Hearing the question, he became flustered himself, spitting out some fruit and asking Zhou Huan, "Master Zhou, what is it? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Your hands, did your hands touch the skeletal remains?" Zhou Huan asked, looking at Wang Kuai Dao's hands. As he spoke, he swiftly retrieved a talisman, mixed it with cinnabar and yellow wine, dipped his finger in the mixture, scribbled furiously on the paper, then lit and burned it before grasping the ashes in his palm.

Wang Kuai Dao nodded repeatedly as he watched Zhou Huan busy himself, then turned back to ask, "I was handling the bones with my hands just now. Is there something wrong with that?"

"Doctor Wang, don't you know to wash your hands before eating? Furthermore, you've touched remains carrying extremely strong resentment. It's likely no one can remove the curse from your hands now; if mishandled, it will turn into a true curse. Hold out your hand." Zhou Huan spat a bit of saliva onto the ashes in his hand and rubbed them vigorously.

Wang Kuai Dao’s hand trembled, his expression wooden. The apple in his hand slipped and fell to the ground. He stammered, "M-Master Zhou, what do I do now?"

"I will apply this talisman to you first. It seems you cannot escape this fate. You must be here tonight. As for whether you survive until tomorrow morning, that depends on whether the owners of these remains will let you go." Zhou Huan tossed the fruit he was holding to the ground, rubbed the ashes between his palms with both hands, chanted an incantation, and pressed firmly on Wang Kuai Dao's hands, rubbing his own talisman ashes onto Kuai Dao’s skin.

After Zhou Huan's words, Wang Kuai Dao's earlier confidence instantly evaporated into deep gloom. It was clear he did not want to die. Frankly, nobody wanted to die, especially not a physician renowned in archaeology and medicine. Such figures often feared the loss of their ability to practice their craft more than death itself.

"Alright, listen carefully. First, you cannot drink any water. Second, you cannot wander off—at least not outside the excavation area. I will stay here with you. You cannot eat anything either. Third, you need to seriously think about how to appease those aggrieved spirits tonight," Zhou Huan finished. After speaking, he cleaned his hands again using his previous method, turned around, and added, "However, you must prepare mentally. It is highly possible that we won't be able to summon those spirits tonight."

Turning back, Zhou Huan addressed Dongzi. "You must return to Fushou Hall immediately. Prepare the necessary items for the farewell ritual, the items for the soul summoning, and hurry back. Tell Hong Kun to get his vehicle ready to collect Doctor Wang's body."

As Zhou Huan finished speaking, sweat instantly streamed down Wang Kuai Dao's forehead, and he sank onto the ground.

Zhou Huan smiled at Wang Kuai Dao. "Get up, don't sit on the ground; it’s cold. At least you still have a chance to survive. Use the time you have left instead of being afraid to think about how to deal with those spirits. Get up now!" Zhou Huan commanded sternly. Strangely, Zhou Huan’s words had a profound effect. Wang Kuai Dao sprang up from the ground as if yanked, his legs moving stiffly as if dragging several dozen pounds of weight, walking toward the resting area within the excavation site.

Dongzi turned and left in Xiaohe's car. Xiao Si, who had overheard the conversation between Zhou Huan and Wang Kuai Dao, ran to Zhou Huan, drenched in sweat, panting heavily. "Master Zhou, I heard everything you said. I was also moving the skeletal remains earlier, and I even ate a biscuit. Are the things you said true?"

Zhou Huan’s eyes nearly stood on end. "What are you people? You don't even know something this important? Don't you know what you are doing? Even if the remains carry no resentment, they might carry corporeal toxins or something. Can’t you people even remember to wash your hands?"

"Master Zhou, save me! You must save me! My brother is dead; I need to continue the lineage for our Gu family!" As he spoke, Xiao Si’s knees buckled, and he dropped heavily to the ground.

Zhou Huan let out a long sigh and lit another talisman.