Zhou Huan returned to Fushou Hall and went straight upstairs, retrieving his Shoushi Notes from his room. This was the first time he had ever shown the Shoushi Notes to his apprentices. He brought them out now for two reasons: one, to finally tell them about his own background, and two, he wanted everyone to understand that every spirit harbors a seed of goodwill, and that all things arise from and perish through karmic conditions.

"Apprentices, the reason I’ve brought out the Shoushi Notes is partly to find similar cases to this ghost we just encountered. After all, I’ve traversed from a past life into this current one; so much time has passed, I’ve drunk the Meng Po soup and crossed the Naihe Bridge. Some memories aren't perfectly clear, only surfacing occasionally. However, the records in this Shoushi Notes are the most complete. Tianxiong, I want you to take this book tomorrow and make basic printed copies for everyone here at Fushou Hall—one for each person."

"Master, your apprentice understands!"

Zhou Huan flipped the Shoushi Notes toward the back pages and read aloud the text on one particular sheet: "Dawn, mist, a beam of white light pierces through, scattering everywhere. I was about to seize it, measuring its potential for transformation, and set up an array to capture it. Little did I expect its heart to be so benevolent, merely having perished unjustly, wandering in the intermediate state (Zhong Yin)."

"Master, what does all this mean? We really struggle with ancient Chinese." Shi Bingyuan, despite his age, admitted that many ancient phrases remained opaque to him.

Zhou Huan then explained, "This means: it was early morning, thick with mist, and a beam of white light was darting around everywhere, just like what Bingyuan and I saw today. I intended to take it in, but I knew it had the capacity to change, so I laid down an array. However, I didn't anticipate that the soul’s heart was exceptionally kind; it was only an unjust death, its condition akin to a spirit in the Zhong Yin state—just like Hu Tingting now, there was truly nothing that could be done."

"Master, what should we do then?" Tianxiong asked Zhou Huan.

Zhou Huan pondered for a moment. "I’ve thought about this extensively since returning. Both of the deceased were from Dongzi’s former workplace. It seems this matter is still tied to that company. The first one who died was the worst. The second, Hu Tingting, was seductive; no matter where such a person goes, she will be seen as stealing someone's husband. Therefore, people of this sort are forever branded as fundamentally bad—it’s unavoidable, a matter of Yinyuan (karma)!"

"Master, according to your deduction, who will be next?"

"The next one should be one of their leaders—perhaps the one in charge of the money. It might not be their boss, but maybe the accountant or their manager."

Dongzi became instantly animated upon hearing this. "Master! Then we must protect them immediately! That manager was actually quite good to me."

Zhou Huan smiled. He knew his younger brother possessed the virtue of repaying kindness, a commendable trait. So, Zhou Huan told Dongzi, "That’s excellent of you. How about this: you go back to work, do what you were doing before, interact with your manager often, and try your best to protect her!"

"This..." Dongzi hesitated, glancing repeatedly toward his own room. Seeing Da Luobo bustling around in the kitchen preparing food, Dongzi immediately turned back, lowered his voice, and whispered, "Brother, that manager is also a woman. If I get too close to her again, I’m afraid my Da Luobo will get jealous and sulk all the time. I really can't stand that nagging."

"What’s there to fear? A righteous person casts no crooked shadow. Just go!" Zhou Huan gave the definitive order.

Dongzi secretly longed to return to that place for a bit of fun; constantly fiddling with Shoushi paraphernalia was starting to bore him.

"Ouch!" Hong Kun suddenly exclaimed that something felt odd.

Zhou Huan immediately parted Hong Kun’s eyelids. "What is it? Are your eyes twitching too?"

"Master, my eyes just jumped, both of them together just now. What does that mean?" As Hong Kun spoke, his eyes jumped a few more times. "Master, didn't you see it? They jumped again."

Zhou Huan brought his hand down with a slap. "What were you watching on TV last night? Watching videos online instead of sleeping—if your eyes didn't jump, whose would?"

Hong Kun gave a sheepish, embarrassed smile. "So, Master is only scolding me for these bad habits. Actually, I thought of it too. When my eyelid twitches like this, it’s usually just fatigue. I promise to get a good night’s sleep tonight."

"Sleep my foot! None of you will be sleeping well lately. This matter is either huge or minor; the key is whether we can control the situation at the critical moment. As for whether this incident can be concluded, that will depend on fate," Zhou Huan stated, then laid out the evening's itinerary. Dongzi’s assigned task was simple: sleep well and gather energy to return to work the next day.

Meanwhile, Zhou Huan took Tianxiong directly to the foreman's house. Shi Bingyuan and Hong Kun went to the apartment Hu Tingting had rented in Andong City. They wanted to gain a deeper understanding of the deceased's former life, gathering more details that might yield clues and allow them to resolve the current problem faster.

When Zhou Huan arrived at the foreman's house and opened the door, everything was exactly as it was the day they left. Since the death involved supernatural forces, most people dared not sneak in; even if the door was unlocked, no one would voluntarily go inside to check. Zhou Huan pushed the door open. A faint scent of decay lingered in the room. The insects they had seen on the floor were gone now, but the house was still a complete mess.

Zhou Huan first drew a faint white circle on the floor where the foreman had died. He analyzed the spot for a long time, finally pinpointing the exact location of the foreman’s death. From that spot, Zhou Huan meticulously retraced every step, reconstructing the entire event. Once assembled, Zhou Huan followed the trajectory to trace the path of the white light; he needed to know precisely where that beam of light originated.

In the room, Tianxiong began chanting auspicious Buddhist mantras, hoping the space wouldn't become frigid due to the four supernatural occurrences. After all, the mother and daughter were still expected to return here. Tianxiong had already sensed the heavy Yin energy upon entering; if it wasn't purged, living there would certainly lead to various ailments, if not fatal ones, then certainly injuries.

Zhou Huan found a length of white string to simulate the path the white light had taken. After setting up the entire trajectory, Zhou Huan finally focused his eyes upward toward the upper floors. Older buildings often had many chimneys on the balconies, and chimneys were excellent hiding places for ghosts. Even controlled by Buddhist power or Taoist talismans, any ghost could slip down a chimney, providing an unimpeded surprise attack.

"Master, look at this!" Tianxiong was sweeping the entire room with his compass. Strangely, the compass registered a spectral body.

Zhou Huan’s brow tightened slightly. "I fear this isn't a true soul body; it must be a temporary vessel the white light intended to leave behind. Let’s search; perhaps we’ll find something shortly."

"Master, look, right here." Tianxiong stopped moving and pointed at his compass. "Master, it’s right to your right side. Please look."

Zhou Huan immediately lit a large talisman. Where the spot was indicated, a sudden burst of flickering firelight flared up. Instantly, a distorted, sinister soul form flickered once and then vanished. Even Tianxiong’s compass stopped moving.

"See? That is a true ghost shadow. If we are to fight this ghost, we absolutely must discern the pattern of its movements and its reasons for acting. Although very few practice this kind of work in the Zhong Yin realm, it’s better than just wandering around aimlessly," Zhou Huan muttered. "Let’s go. We need to check on Bingyuan; whatever just happened over there, we need to see it. Perhaps a new location will yield new findings?"

The two gathered their things and turned to leave the house. A gust of cold wind followed Zhou Huan and Tianxiong out.

The pair got into the car, and Zhou Huan drove away quickly. Back at the foreman’s house, a swirling eddy of cold wind howled out through the window.

As for Hong Kun and Shi Bingyuan, Hong Kun had brought his own car this time. The moment Shi Bingyuan and he entered Hu Tingting’s home, it felt like entering an exhibition hall. There were all sorts of toys, and since the fellow wasn't married, the walls were covered entirely with his own photographs.