Zhou Huan saw clearly that this ghost was obviously lacking something—not doting affection, but rather the stern, fatherly love of instruction. Zhou Huan put on a serious expression and stated, "Huang Yunfeng, listen to me now. You must help me drive those Japanese away. Afterward, you need to return to China with me. First, we will find your remains, and I will help you undergo proper transcendence. Furthermore, you share a tomb chamber with a female ghost named Xiao Shan from the late Tang Dynasty. That's thanks to Old Man Huang the Cripple; he helped you secure that chamber, which is absolutely not a place ordinary people can enter. That place proves your identity and status."

"Really? Then... should I thank Old Man Huang the Cripple, or should I fight him to the very end, or perhaps..." The ghost hesitated again. Zhou Huan patted his shoulder.

"You won't go wrong by coming with me!" Immediately after, Zhou Huan turned to look at Mr. Old Wang. Mr. Old Wang smiled and said, "You, Zhou Huan, are truly highly esteemed; any kind of spirit will submit to you. Look at how Dongzi and Billy are faring?"

Just then, Dongzi’s hand grabbed Mr. Old Wang’s trousers: "It hurts! Who is it? Who attacked me?" He got up from the ground, grumbling indignantly, rubbing his head where a large bump seemed to have formed. He leaned close to Zhou Huan and whispered, "Brother, what in the world is this? Who attacked us?"

"It’s nothing. The ones who ambushed you have fled. This one remaining, who hasn't made a move yet, is our friend, Huang Yunfeng," Zhou Huan formally introduced them.

Dongzi scratched his head. "This guy... what's going on? When did he become our friend? I heard your conversation just now, but I couldn't get up."

"Oh!" Zhou Huan nodded and smiled. Then, Zhou Huan slapped Billy awake again: "Get up. Stop pretending to sleep. We all know you don't like interacting with spirits. Don't worry, this ghost is now our very best friend; just trust him."

Believe it or not, as soon as Zhou Huan said this, the ghost immediately surged with energy, throwing his arms wide: "Wait for me! Watch me crush those two Japanese devils!" Before the words even finished falling, the ghost shot away as if rockets had been attached to his feet.

Zhou Huan watched the ghost’s speed—it was the Flying Leg of the spirit world. He turned to Dongzi and Billy and said, "Let's go, follow that ghost." But as soon as Zhou Huan finished speaking, he saw Billy, Dongzi, and even Mr. Old Wang staring blankly behind him, all with wide, foolish eyes. The look of shock caused Zhou Huan to instantly have boundless conjecture. Had his persuasive method failed? Had the ghost come back to cause trouble?

Zhou Huan cautiously tried to turn back; after all, he didn't want to resort to force again, having exerted so much effort to persuade the stubborn ghost.

"Master Zhou, look, are these the two scoundrels?" Huang Yunfeng's crisp voice came from behind Zhou Huan.

Zhou Huan swiftly spun around. He saw Huang Yunfeng standing before him, holding the soul of one Japanese person in each hand, looking quite accomplished.

"Oh, it's... it's these two," Zhou Huan replied weakly. He had never seen such a fast ghost. This fellow really acted without thinking, actually dragging out the souls of the two Japanese men! Wasn't this using the Soul-Forced-Departure technique? Zhou Huan then added, "Good, very well done. Here’s what we’ll do: first, set these two down. They still have physical bodies, after all. Dragging out their souls while you were alive must have been excruciating for them. You stand by and listen; we'll perform a soul-calming ritual for them, and you can observe too."

Hearing this, Dongzi immediately began preparing things. It must be said that Dongzi had matured significantly; he was becoming quite the professional for these kinds of matters. Without Zhou Huan or the others, he could entirely manage a situation on his own.

"Brother Huan, how about we just do a simplified version?" Dongzi offered his idea. "We have so much more to do ahead of us. Look, he only brought back two souls, but he didn't find the ring we were looking for. Time is tight."

Zhou Huan tacitly agreed. He brought Dongzi out this time precisely to gauge his current skill level and to see if Dongzi could truly handle things independently. Dongzi certainly did not disappoint Zhou Huan, so Zhou Huan decided to let Dongzi handle the entire soul-calming rite independently, allowing the two Japanese souls to pass on more peacefully.

"Dongzi, you run the whole process; I'll watch from the side!" Zhou Huan then settled into a cross-legged position, signaling Huang Yunfeng to drop the two souls, letting Dongzi handle everything else.

Dongzi pulled out a large pile of joss paper, talismans, two candles, and two wooden sticks from his bag. After lighting them, he sat down cross-legged, chanting the Soul-Guiding Incantation, sprinkling a handful of rice and money, and then burning a handful of talismans. Afterward, Dongzi bit his index finger and drew a Guidance Talisman on a piece of paper. He extended his hands horizontally, and the talisman flew out. The two souls followed the talisman and flew away.

"Heavens, that’s incredible! This young master also possesses such great power. Those two souls are quite fast too—I’m famous for speed, but he’s faster than me?" Huang Yunfeng muttered, full of ghostly awe.

Zhou Huan waved his hand grandly: "Alright, enough talk. Let's move; we still need to find the ring. The mission is critical." He pointed at Huang Yunfeng: "Are you coming with us? Or..."

The ghost pondered for a long time, thinking it over: "If you say I don't go with you, where else can I go? I must find my remains before I can enter the underworld and receive a reincarnation token from Yama."

"That's best. I don't have anything right now that can contain you, but wandering outside like this constantly isn't good either. How about you enter my talisman for now? I can release you later, it’s no big deal," Zhou Huan bargained with the ghost.

The ghost acted like a docile kitten and cheerfully slipped into Zhou Huan’s talisman.

Zhou Huan led the group, running swiftly. After crossing this dark forest, the red moon in the sky had not yet vanished. Zhou Huan estimated that catching up to the Japanese ninjas wouldn't be a problem for Xiao Shan, nor would defeating them be difficult. But determining their exact location now was harder for him, especially since his compass had broken when he first discovered Huang Yunfeng.

"Here's what we'll do: Dongzi and Mr. Old Wang, you form one team, head left. I'll take Huang Yunfeng and head right. Whoever finds them must signal immediately." After walking for a long time, they reached a fork in the path, so Zhou Huan had to make this arrangement. After all, Elder Wang knew no Shou Shi Shu (life-preserving techniques); if they encountered spirits, Dongzi could at least hold out until Zhou Huan arrived.

The two groups separated. Zhou Huan and Huang Yunfeng headed right. Strangely, they tracked for nearly ten li without finding any trace of people or ghosts.

"Huh? What's going on? Where did these guys go? Did they really run toward Dongzi's side?" Thinking this, Zhou Huan felt something was wrong. No, he had to hurry back and check on Dongzi's situation.

Just as Zhou Huan was about to move, he felt an annoying stirring beneath the ground. This time, Zhou Huan was thoroughly enraged. He began to curse loudly: "You group of Japanese ninjas, you are too damn inconsiderate! When Grandpa showed up just now, you didn't even react, and you aren't even guarding the cardinal directions?"

"Swish! Rustle!" The sounds of several ninjas beneath the earth grew closer and closer to Zhou Huan, until they were right under his feet. At that moment, Zhou Huan leaped high into the air and stomped down fiercely with both legs. A scream echoed from underground, a spurt of blood shot up from beneath Zhou Huan's feet, one hand emerged, and then a head followed.

Seeing the posture indicated a surrender, Zhou Huan stopped his attack. He roared, "Where is the ring?" As he spoke, Zhou Huan, mimicking Huang Yunfeng, grabbed the neck of this ninja with one hand: "Tell me, where is the ring?"

Zhou Huan pressed the questions, kicking out one of the ninja's teeth. With an open mouth, the ground was littered with teeth, making a crunching sound—all mixed with blood. The ninja, enduring unbearable pain, could not speak. Even if he could, Zhou Huan and the others likely wouldn't understand. He merely pointed in the direction Dongzi had gone, nodding his head, his eyes pleading with Zhou Huan.

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