“Alright, this is the family. You can take this document, have the two forensic doctors sign it, and then go find your precinct chief. This matter is now classified under our jurisdiction. The body cannot be cremated yet; it must be kept. I, Zhou Huan, still have things to do with the corpse, so if you burn him, this matter might not be resolved.”

“Rest assured, Master Zhou. Since I could handle getting involved in this matter, I can certainly help you settle it. I have full confidence.” After speaking, Zhou Shun took the preliminary findings himself. After the two forensic doctors signed, Zhou Shun organized people to place the body temporarily in the morgue so Zhou Huan could examine it whenever he needed.

It was at that exact moment that Zhou Huan suddenly felt a burst of green light passing through the building upstairs. Immediately, that chilling sensation vanished, and Zhou Huan no longer felt it either. He muttered to himself, “This fellow certainly ran fast enough; he was gone in the blink of an eye. I truly give up. Ghosts must move at this speed.”

Zhou Huan looked at the compass that Bing Yuan had repaired for him. The compass suddenly felt much colder, showing absolutely no reaction.

“Master Zhou, let’s pull out!” Zhou Shun organized the men, cleaned up the scene, and the forensic doctors helped load the deceased into the body bag. The vehicle drove away, but the final conclusion of the medical examiners remained that the deceased was likely frightened to death, with no external injuries inflicted by others. All physical trauma on the body was self-inflicted, except for the kick from Dongzi, regarding which they specifically noted that this injury was insufficient to be fatal.

Thus, Dongzi was finally cleared of suspicion and finally free.

Zhou Huan returned to Fushou Hall. Upon entering, he was nearly frightened to death. The woman inside was wearing a nightgown that looked like Xiao He’s, and she had a headscarf wrapped around her head, which seemed to belong to Xiao Ling. She had bathed and tidied herself up slightly. Truthfully, she looked much more pleasing than the weeping woman from earlier and appeared to possess some measure of allure.

Even so, Zhou Huan could not accept this woman. Frankly, he only intended to question her about her husband’s affairs and then leave. But who told her to take a bath? Still, Zhou Huan did not wish to dwell on such matters.

Wang Xiaohe came downstairs and, seeing Zhou Huan return, said with a smile, “Brother Huan, this must be the deceased’s family member, right? I thought she shouldn’t look so disheveled; it’s unsightly, so I asked her to take a bath and found some clothes for her to take away. Since she is now alone at home with a young child, her future tasks will be demanding. That’s why I felt she should be helped.”

“Fine, you decide. Get her dressed first; I’ll question her shortly. Afterward, we’ll send her and the child home after dinner.” After speaking, Zhou Huan went upstairs to wash up.

Dongzi sat in his room, legs crossed, gazing up at the sky through his skylight. In his mind, he kept wondering why that fellow had such bad luck with just a twitch of the eye, dying for no apparent reason.

“Dongzi, come out! Master has something to say; we all need to be present.” Hong Kun called out to Dongzi. This time, everyone was present in Fushou Hall except for Yang Xiaoling, who conducted business at the shop.

Seeing so many people in Fushou Hall, the woman suddenly felt a sense of liveliness, yet she remained somewhat flustered. After all, this felt like an interrogation, and she had no idea what to say.

Zhou Huan descended from the second floor, holding a stack of notebooks, and sat down in the main hall. Everyone else took their seats, and the atmosphere in the room instantly grew much quieter. No one spoke. Zhou Huan’s stern face and confident tone radiated masculinity.

“I’m asking you: when you saw your husband that night, what state was he in?” Zhou Huan asked, steadying his voice.

Seeing the setup, the woman felt as if she were watching an ancient court case on television. Her vision seemed to blur, and she perceived Zhou Huan as Judge Bao. Coupled with her panic and inexperience with such formality, her words tumbled out without thought: “Lord Bao, this humble woman’s husband is…” At this point, the woman realized something was wrong and felt she had gotten too carried away with the role.

Zhou Huan let out a chuckle but understood why the woman reacted that way; his staging was probably a bit too dramatic for her to handle at the moment.

“Don’t panic. This isn’t a performance. I just want to know about your husband’s condition after he returned home—did any unusual phenomena occur? Then I can help resolve the matter of your husband’s final resting place.”

The woman paused, feeling her cheeks flush from her previous outburst. She replied, “Master Zhou, I apologize; I was a bit flustered. When my husband got home, it was like any other day. He went to the restroom and wiped away the footprint near him. When I asked if he had been fighting with someone outside, he said no; he claimed his right eyelid had been twitching, indicating bad luck for the day.”

“Did he say who kicked him?” Zhou Huan followed up.

“He didn’t say. But later I found out when the police investigated—his colleagues said it was someone named Dongzi who kicked him. So, initially, I believed that one kick of his caused my husband’s death. But then you came, Master, and said it wasn’t, so I let it go.”

“Very well. I will summon your husband out now. Your ghost-sight hasn’t faded, so you can still see him this time. I’ll call him out to clarify things with you. But there is one condition you must heed: once he appears, you are not allowed to touch him, nor are you allowed to say anything inappropriate to him. You can only watch, make no demands, only listen to what he says, and agree to it.” Zhou Huan laid out a series of strict instructions, leaving the woman somewhat dazed.

The lid of the Purple Jade Gourd was custom-made by Zhou Huan himself, featuring a gold band wrapped around the jade cap to reinforce the friction seal.

As Zhou Huan slowly released his grip, the lid of the Purple Jade Gourd began to fall. There seemed to be a sound coming from inside the gourd, but Zhou Huan did not see the foreman emerge. Zhou Huan supported the bottom rear of the gourd with one hand, and the foreman tumbled out in a mumble, exclaiming upon seeing the woman, “Why are you here too? Is this a place you should be? Didn’t I tell you this has nothing to do with Dongzi? I’m already dead; why should I argue with them about anything?”

“Foreman, I am here to ask you: tell me what you saw at that time?” Zhou Huan inquired.

“At that time…” After just two words, sweat began pouring down the foreman’s head, and the pupils of his eyes started to constrict again.

Zhou Huan immediately roared, “What are you afraid of? Why fear me when I am here?”

The foreman quickly regained his composure, shook his head, and said, “Master Zhou, when I got home, just after eating, I was planning to go downstairs for a stroll. I hadn't even finished dressing when I felt the world spin and a chill sweep over me. I thought about getting some clothes for warmth, and when I looked up, a monstrous figure stood opposite me—something indescribable, not quite human, not quite ghostly.”

“What did that thing look like? Did it say anything, or did it have any distinguishing features?”

“That thing was shaped like an S, its body severely twisted. At first, it stood with its back to me, its messy hair like a bird’s nest, and bugs were constantly dropping from it. I could tolerate it initially, but when it turned around, I instantly went mad. When the person turned, its face was covered in bugs, the bugs actively eating its flesh. Upon closer inspection, that person was me! I looked down at my own body—my flesh was starting to rot, covered entirely in insects. I frantically tried to scrape the bugs off, and when I touched my own face, it felt completely rotted away. I grabbed a handful of rotten flesh. I was terrified. Then, the monster opposite me rushed toward me rapidly, and suddenly, I felt my soul separate from my body.”

Listening to the foreman’s description, Zhou Huan immediately felt a surge of doubt. This new incident presented a fresh puzzle. It proved that this malevolent spirit could mimic human form, suggesting that frightening people wasn't its primary goal. Furthermore, if this was the result of malignant resentment causing harm, it didn't make sense either; such intense resentment shouldn't only manifest in frightening others. So, what was its true objective?

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