"Can we find him?" Dongzi knew about compasses that could find ghosts, but he'd never heard of one that could locate a person.

"Why not? I just developed this person-finding compass today and haven't had a chance to use it. Let's give it a try," Zhou Huan said, letting out a little laugh himself.

Dongzi and the others settled down, waiting for nightfall.

When Dongzi bought the duck earlier, that fellow hadn't seemed to properly touch the 'hell money,' but where had this 'Black Death Qi' come from? The manager was still the prime suspect. While the manager's face mask looked genuine, Dongzi couldn't shake the feeling that the man was somehow strange.

"Brother, do you think that driver will be alright tonight?"

"He should be. Two people are already dead; even the dumbest ghost would know to stop for a moment. What I fear is that the greedy driver won't know when to quit—that would be trouble." Zhou Huan's greatest concern was this very thing: people fear the insatiably greedy, and ghosts are even more so. If you take what isn't yours, and the ghost thinks you're greedier than it is, then that ghost is determined to win.

The night gradually descended; the sky outside grew darker and darker. There were no stars, nor was there a moon, leaving only the roadside streetlights steadfastly casting a faint glimmer for us humans. Some streetlights were already broken, leaving long stretches of road completely obscured.

"Tianxiong, get the gear ready. Time to move," Zhou Huan called out to Tianxiong.

Tianxiong returned to the storeroom to fetch items. In a short while, he had packed a large bundle onto his shoulder and then asked Zhou Huan, "Master, should we bring more paper offerings to burn?"

"Bring them. At least bring an extra paper horse. If we run into the driver and he’s dead, we’ll burn it for him. If he’s alive, this horse is a gift for him to burn for Tingting later." Zhou Huan was quite thoughtful, but fitting a paper horse into his Mercedes was impossible. Hong Kun’s van could barely manage it, even though it wasn't the largest paper effigy set.

Zhou Huan took Hong Kun's keys, and he and Tianxiong got into the vehicle. Tianxiong started working the compass while Zhou Huan drove.

The two followed the direction indicated by the compass, driving until they left the city limits. The lights along the roadside grew dimmer until they reached an area completely devoid of street lamps. Their only illumination came from the headlights, and since it wasn't the deep hours of the night, a few cars still passed by occasionally.

"Master, it’s too dark. The compass seems to be pointing toward the village down the slope. Is it appropriate for us to enter the village at this hour?" Tianxiong checked the compass; the needle pointed straight toward a village nestled below the highway. Faint lights could be vaguely discerned within the settlement. A dirt path branched off from the roadside, which should lead right there.

Zhou Huan pressed the window switch, pulled the car over, and activated the hazard lights, peering intently into the village.

"Mmm, this is likely the place. This village is called Mojia Gou, infamous as a gamblers' village. Many people from the city come here to gamble. Old Mr. Wang once came here to gamble, too, but the villagers generally respected him, as he funded the construction of quite a bit of the local farmland infrastructure."

"Shall we drive down?" Tianxiong had an idea forming, likely preferring to walk into the village stealthily, find the driver, and figure out what was going on with him.

Zhou Huan chuckled. "That’s my Tianxiong; I knew you’d think of something like that. I’ll turn off the headlights in a moment. You use the flashlight to illuminate the path ahead for me—we don’t want the car lights startling them, only to fail the mission and have the man escape. If another person dies, we’ll be too overwhelmed to handle everything."

Tianxiong followed Zhou Huan's instructions, setting his flashlight to a low beam to light the way ahead of Zhou Huan. Zhou Huan extinguished the headlights, and they slowly approached the village along the dirt road. Gradually, Zhou Huan’s eyes adapted to the nocturnal light. Seeing the path clearly, he instructed Tianxiong to prepare their things, telling him to put away the flashlight, as they had parked the car about a mile away from the village.

"Master, the flashlight?"

"Keep the flashlight; we might need it later. Get the rest of the things ready, let’s go." Zhou Huan locked the paper horse inside the car, and then the two men quietly slipped into the village.

The village seemed to have only about seven or eight lanes of houses, suggesting perhaps thirty households. The lights in the first couple of lanes were already out, but two houses glowed brightly. One house was a poker venue, slightly smaller, able to accommodate five or six tables for entertainment. The other house was quite large, big enough for at least ten mahjong tables.

These two rooms appeared specifically built for gambling. Cars were parked outside them, suggesting some wealthy patrons were visiting tonight.

Zhou Huan led Tianxiong, sticking to the shadows. As the two neared the illuminated houses, the compass in Tianxiong's hand began to struggle—a sure sign that the driver they sought was close by.

"Put the compass away. Let’s sneak around to the back of the houses and see if the driver Dongzi mentioned is inside."

"Master, do you know what the driver looks like?"

"No, that’s easy. We’ll just ask who works at Dongzi’s company!" Zhou Huan and Tianxiong conferred in low voices. Then Tianxiong realized something was off; if they were being stealthy, why would they ask questions?

"Master, aren't we supposed to sneak in? How can we just ask?"

Zhou Huan smiled. "That’s easy enough to manage. In a moment, we’ll trigger the alarm on the car parked outside. That should bring someone out to check. Then, we can track that person back to his table. Didn't Dongzi say the driver intended to win big tonight? He wouldn't need a ghost's help for small stakes, would he?"

"Oh, then we can see who is sitting at the same table as the driver once he gets back inside!" Tianxiong finally understood Zhou Huan’s plan. He followed Zhou Huan, creeping up behind the parked car. Zhou Huan gave the car a hefty kick, and then he and Tianxiong hid behind a large pine tree.

Sure enough, within moments, a man emerged from the poker house, circled the car several times finding nothing, and then slowly walked back inside. Zhou Huan and Tianxiong followed close behind.

The two men quietly peered through the window again. The man who had checked the car spoke briefly to someone who was handling cards, then sat down to the side.

Zhou Huan now concluded that the man who spoke was the car owner, and the person sitting opposite him must be the driver. They were playing 'Dou Ji' (Cockfighting game), and the driver had a large pile of money in front of him—it seemed he had won. Looking closer inside the room, it was thick with smoke, making the whole room look as if it were on fire.

"Master, what do we do now?" Tianxiong nudged Zhou Huan and asked.

Zhou Huan whispered, "Memorize that man's face. We’ll go wait back here. As soon as someone comes out of the house, we’ll find him."

The master and apprentice waited there, from their arrival until past three in the morning, nearing dawn. Tianxiong was getting anxious.

"Why aren't they coming out? Shall we just go in and look for him directly?"

"No, wait a little longer!" Just as Zhou Huan finished speaking, the man Zhou Huan had assumed owned the car stormed out, looking furious, accompanied by a younger follower. They got into their vehicle and drove off. A short while later, the driver staggered out of the house, carrying a box. In the light spilling from the doorway, his face was clearly visible—it radiated pure joy.

Zhou Huan tapped Tianxiong's shoulder. "Go. Grab him—man and money—and bring him back to our car."

"Don't worry!" As he spoke, Tianxiong circled through the vegetable patch and positioned himself behind the driver. With one arm, he clamped around the driver’s neck, and with the other hand, he lightly struck the driver's wrist. The box of money tumbled to the ground. Tianxiong immediately snatched up the box, covered the driver’s mouth with his other hand, and headed toward Zhou Huan.

The driver tried to resist, but Tianxiong’s grip was far from gentle. He held the driver so tightly he couldn't move an inch.

Zhou Huan and Tianxiong wrestled the driver into their van, then Zhou Huan warned him, "Listen to me carefully. We came here today to save your life. If you dare make a sound later, watch out, or you might lose that life."