"Master, he choked himself to death. Look how he was clutching his own clothes; that's why they're in such a mess, torn all over the place," Tian Xiong analyzed, recounting what he had observed.

Zhou Huan finally lowered his head, putting on gloves. He reached out to touch the corpse's skin. It felt like a very hard, unyielding stone—no elasticity, yet not slack either. Zhou Huan then examined the deceased's eyes; the pupils were tightly constricted. His nostrils and mouth were sealed shut, and his face was a mottled blue-purple. A patch of hair seemed missing from the back of his head, likely rubbed off when he struggled painfully on the ground.

"Master Zhou, what have you found?" Zhou Shun, clearly new and needing to learn everything thoroughly, couldn't resist asking. However, his entire demeanor was one that few people liked—too boastful, too eager for quick success.

The woman looked at her husband's form and started weeping again, the tears now flowing more profusely. Her snot was long enough to reach her feet, though she probably wouldn't have cared if her shoes got wet.

Zhou Huan found the woman's crying irritating, but he couldn't simply make her leave with so many people watching. He glanced around at the onlookers and then back at the woman, before stating, "This man died due to a spiritual affliction. His glabella is dark blue, his cheeks are cyanotic, and his eyes are wide with terror. This is undoubtedly a spiritual cause of death."

After his pronouncement, Zhou Huan removed his gloves and turned to exit the room. The woman chased after him, shouting, "On what grounds do you say my husband was killed by spirits? Give me proof! You people are all just illusionists. Are you, Zhou Huan, trying to frame our family in another massive injustice? Let me tell you, if you're talking nonsense, I'll report you all the way to Beijing, even to the United Nations!"

This statement actually made Zhou Huan stifle a laugh. He instantly suppressed the smile, his expression turning stern as he snapped, "You can report to the United Nations, or you can report to Mars—I don't care. Let me be clear: I am simply doing what a Mortician should do. Don't tell me whether you believe it or not. Any tricks we perform, we perform for the ghosts. If you continue to cause trouble and spout nonsense, I genuinely will wash my hands of this matter. Let the police investigate thoroughly. If they can determine the cause of death, I will quit being a Mortician starting tomorrow."

"Hoo-chah, hoo-chah!" The woman sobbed, her nose running. The tears had stopped flowing. She stared blankly at Zhou Huan, silenced by his words.

"Master, the record is complete. Shall we..." Tian Xiong finished taking notes just as Shi Bingyuan produced the purple jade gourd.

Zhou Huan surveyed the area, then turned and pointed at the woman. "I will apply a talisman to your eyes. I will let you see if I am deceiving you."

After burning a talisman, Shi Bingyuan carefully wiped the ash onto the woman's eyes, then instructed, "Watch carefully in a moment. If you see anything you can't accept, don't scream and shout, lest you accuse us of stage magic again."

Though reluctant, the woman allowed her 'ghost eyes' to be opened. Zhou Huan then handed the purple jade gourd to Tian Xiong. "Summon the soul. Summon as much as you can contain. We can question him thoroughly back at the hall, lest we have more disturbances here."

"Understood, Master!" This time, Tian Xiong and Shi Bingyuan worked in perfect unison. They had refined a new method for soul summoning, completely eliminating the need for setting up an altar. Now, all they needed was to hold a small hoe in their hands, crouch down, and strike the ground three times in perfect rhythm to call forth a newly departed spirit.

As for the purple jade gourd, after the incident involving Xiao Shan, it had been left with Zhou Huan. He had spent considerable time studying it and finally grasped its underlying principles. Now, he could use the gourd with ease, and all his apprentices had mastered this ability as well.

After the two men had been hoeing the ground for a while, a soul slowly drifted out of the foreman's body. However, the soul's coloration was not vibrant, nor was it entirely clear. Yet, upon seeing it, the woman instantly recognized her husband. Suddenly, she perceived her husband as being alive, with another body lying motionless on the ground—this soul was emerging from that corpse. This time, the woman was completely stunned, watching as the spectral image of her husband became clearer and clearer.

"Old man, why did you leave without a word?" The woman wiped her tears as she moved toward the soul.

The soul immediately raised a hand to stop her. "Don't come near me, Wife. We are separated by the boundary between the living and the dead; you cannot touch me. If Master Zhou hadn't wiped that talisman powder onto your eyes, you wouldn't even be able to see me."

"Ah, is that so? Could it truly be them?" The woman hesitated now, her perception of Zhou Huan and his group executing a full 180-degree turn. But out of pride, she couldn't immediately rush over to apologize.

At this moment, the soul spoke again. "Wife, only Master Zhou can likely resolve my affairs. This has nothing to do with his apprentice, Dongzi." As soon as these words were spoken, the soul voluntarily flew straight into Zhou Huan's purple jade gourd.

Seeing the situation had reached this point, the woman felt it would be inappropriate not to say something. After all, Zhou Huan had rushed over, worked diligently, and hadn't shown any specific attitude—good or bad—toward her. So, the woman stepped forward to Zhou Huan. "Master Zhou, I sincerely apologize for my previous conduct. I was overcome by grief. Please do not take offense."

"I don't mind, but there is one condition you must agree to," Zhou Huan said, looking at the woman again. Honestly, Zhou Huan found her appearance difficult to look at; she was simply too soiled.

The woman felt strange under Zhou Huan's repeated scrutiny. Coupled with his demanding tone, she naturally drew her own conclusions.

"Master Zhou, we are respectable people. Besides, my husband has only just died; you can't possibly act improperly at a time like this!"

Zhou Huan was nearly terrified by her words, stepping back two paces instinctively and holding up his hands to indicate he hadn't meant anything of the sort. "Madam, what are you thinking? You've misunderstood completely! What I meant was, I need you to come back with me..."

Zhou Huan realized the moment he said it that he'd phrased it terribly, but it was too late. The woman was convinced Zhou Huan was making an improper advance. Tears streamed down her face once more as she looked at her husband's corpse. "Old man, to ensure your matter is fully resolved, I will agree to Master Zhou's request. I will go to his home immediately. I promise you, if he doesn't settle this for you, I will annoy him at his house every single day! Old man, from today onward, I belong to Master Zhou. Take care of yourself down there!"

"Madam, stop! You misheard me!" Zhou Huan was sweating profusely, utterly distressed. Shi Bingyuan and Tian Xiong nearly collapsed from trying not to laugh.

Zhou Huan caught his breath. "Madam, you've misunderstood. That's not what I meant at all! I meant for you to come to my place so you can explain what happened to your husband before he died—that's all!"

"Hmph. You men—who believes you? If I go to your house, it will still be up to you. Anyway, my husband is dead, and my children and I have no means of support. Food is a problem. It might as well be following you; at least I won't starve." The woman seemed utterly set on Zhou Huan.

At this moment, Zhou Huan felt as if he were witnessing a collision between two Halley's Comets—he was completely broken. He had never imagined getting this woman to do anything for him; he had actually hoped to resolve the matter quickly just to get rid of her.

"Bingyuan, you two escort her back home via taxi. I'll stay here for a while. It feels like there is something else causing trouble here. I want to see what it's up to today," Zhou Huan said. He had felt something was wrong from the beginning because he sensed a persistent, chilling aura throughout the building—a spectral energy. It was a wandering spirit, not necessarily attached to one spot. If it settled correctly, there would be no issue, but if it settled incorrectly, who knew? It could injure or kill people without warning.

"Master Zhou, the initial findings from the forensic team are in," Zhou Shun said, handing Zhou Huan the preliminary report.