A single soul, a single person, laughing heartily—this was truly a reunion after ages apart, an era spanning several centuries.

“To think Zhou Huan could still reincarnate as a proper Shoushi (Longevity Master), and look how prosperous your Shoushi lineage has become. Then look at our Jiangshi (Vampire/Zombie) sect; it has long since fallen into ruin,” the spirit murmured.

Zhou Huan chuckled, “My old friend, you are mistaken. Look closely at your descendant; this is a true successor of the Jiangshi school.” Having spoken, Zhou Huan pulled Lingzi forward. “Tian Lang, take a good look at your descendant. He is currently wearing the thumb ring you left behind. Your spirit tablet, along with your thumb ring, are enshrined in the memorial hall of our Shoushi sect. What do you think?”

Indeed, the troublesome Jiangshi was an old acquaintance of Zhou Huan—the sect founder of the Jiangshi school, Tian Lang. At this juncture, the members of the two sects, one righteous and one evil, one light and one shadow, vividly displayed two forms of life’s journey. As for why Tian Lang had caused trouble in the first place, that remained a complete mystery.

Zhou Huan sat down on the mat, extending a hand to beckon Tian Lang. The feeling of a long-awaited reunion was indeed somewhat bittersweet; perhaps for those who had both experienced reincarnation, the flavor might even be sweet.

“Zhou Huan, oh Zhou Huan, you placed me on the offering table of your Shoushi sect—what am I supposed to be then?” Tian Lang began speaking with a surprising civility.

Zhou Huan smiled, “You’re being too formal. I intend to revitalize your Jiangshi school. I found that many things in your Jiangshi school are missing in ours. If our two sects were to merge, wouldn't that be a union of giants?”

“Saving your skin, and you think of such good things? Isn't this clearly taking advantage of our Jiangshi school? Absolutely not. The Jiangshi school is the Jiangshi school, and your Shoushi school is the Shoushi school. Stop with all that messy nonsense. This time, we helped you out, so you, Zhou Huan, truly owe us a favor.” As Tian Lang spoke, he too knelt down. The spirit’s shadow was ethereal; even seated, his silhouette had just been contained by the old monk, making it impossibly faint. Thus, his entire shadow writhed as he spoke.

“Oh dear, when did my brother Tian Lang become so petty? Besides, I was dealing with you personally, not anyone else. In the end, it was the old monk De Hong who subdued you—what does that have to do with you?” As Zhou Huan spoke, his temper began to rise, and he followed up with, “I haven't even asked you yet, why did you choose to play as a Jiangshi? Look how many people you harmed!”

“Don't you dare say that. If I hadn't harmed these people, they wouldn't have lived another day. I merely played the role of the current that flows downstream—where is the fault in that?” Tian Lang argued with righteous indignation. He then reached into his shadowy form and yanked out two other shadows. “Look, both of these wretches deserved to die. So, I will send them back to our era. These two dames shouldn’t have died; we still have many threads of karma left unfinished. I won't chat with you anymore; I must leave.”

With that, Tian Lang prepared to depart, shoving the two souls carelessly as he went. One soul was the female spirit Zhou Huan had once seen riding a horse, and the other was Hu Tingting’s soul. Before Zhou Huan could fully react, both souls were violently propelled back to the Qing Dynasty.

Zhou Huan erupted, “You wretched fellow! Even as a ghost, you haven't shed your terrible habits—being stubborn for stubbornness’s sake, what good does it do? You’ve messed up two more souls in this short time!”

When everyone looked at Tian Lang again, he was gasping weakly, collapsed on the ground. His shadowy form grew fainter and fainter until its outline vanished, leaving only a face.

The old monk De Hong shook his head. “My benefactor, why put yourself through this?” The old monk shook his head, then turned back to Zhou Huan. “Master Zhou, I am helpless this time. This might just be his karma. I must take my leave now.” After speaking, the old monk De Hong led his two young novice monks out of the Fushou Hall.

Zhou Huan thanked the old monk and escorted him to the door before turning back to deal with Tian Lang’s soul. Upon a quick inspection, Tian Lang’s soul seemed reduced to only one essence remaining. Zhou Huan instructed Tian Xiong to capture it using the Purple Jade Gourd, saying, “The Purple Jade Gourd cannot be opened for a year. After a year, when it is opened again, his soul should have recovered. Then, we will send him back to the Underworld for reincarnation.”

“Understood, Master. Then… what about those two souls?” Tian Xiong then asked Zhou Huan.

Zhou Huan shook his head, “I have no good solution either. The only way is to give them time. Once they have completely returned to the Qing Dynasty, I will think of something. What we must do now is immediately return to the mental hospital to check on the situation there. Assuming there are no major issues, tomorrow we will file a supernatural case closure report.”

“Master, is this matter concluded?” Hong Kun was still confused. In his mind, the matter was far from over, but if it truly was, he eagerly anticipated it. He looked forward to marrying Lingzi soon; the period they had spent together had not been short, and their relationship was very harmonious. Moreover, everyone else in the Fushou Hall already had partners; they couldn't continue living together without status indefinitely—it didn't seem reasonable, after all.

Zhou Huan nodded at Hong Kun’s words. Dongzi, Xiao He, and Xiaoling all gathered around. “Brother Huan, when will our big celebrations happen?”

“This…” Zhou Huan hesitated slightly, but after careful consideration, since things had been arranged previously, it was time to proceed. Zhou Huan then let out a long sigh, as if finally liberated. He announced loudly, “Since everyone is eager, we will choose a date and proceed. This matter must be handled, and handled grandly! I will find Old Mr. Wang tomorrow to borrow a larger venue. You all go get your marriage certificates the day after tomorrow, and then we’ll start preparations when we return.”

As soon as Zhou Huan finished speaking, Dongzi leaned in close to his ear. “Brother, there’s something I have to tell you. I was afraid you’d be angry, so I haven’t mentioned it. Honestly, right now, I don’t even know if I should say it or not.”

“Tell me. What is there between us that we can’t discuss?”

“Then you have to promise not to be angry that I didn’t listen to you.” Dongzi had learned his lesson this time, stating his condition first.

Zhou Huan smiled, “Go ahead, I promise I won't be angry.” In his heart, Zhou Huan was calculating that Dongzi had likely gotten into some sort of trouble again, or else he wouldn't be this nervous. After all, he was used to it—if trouble arose, he would help clean it up.

“Brother, Da Luobo and I got our marriage license this morning. I didn’t listen to you and wait a couple more days; the truth is, we were both impatient.” Dongzi said this, noticing Zhou Huan’s face suddenly twist into a conflicted expression, as if his anger was rising. He immediately added, “Brother, didn't you say you wouldn't be angry?”

“Hahahaha! I’m not angry; I’m just thinking how secretive my Dongzi has been. If you were eager, you should have gone to handle it sooner! Besides, you got your certificate today—why didn't you tell us earlier so we could celebrate properly tonight?” Zhou Huan’s expression shifted like sudden weather, instantly turning from cloudy to clear. The spring breeze filling his face made Dongzi and everyone else incredibly happy.

The next day, Hong Kun and Lingzi also went to get their marriage certificate. That same day, Yang Xiaoling hosted a banquet at her hotel—one part to celebrate the newlyweds, Hong Kun and Lingzi, and another part for Zhou Huan's successful handover of the case file to the Public Security Bureau. This conspicuous affair was finally over. The deceased, Shi Bingyuan and Tian Xiong, had finished sending off the relatives house by house during the day, and by evening, they gathered together for hearty drinking.

“Master, you’re getting married to Xiao He and Sister Xiaoling, you should at least get a certificate with one of them!” Dongzi said this to Zhou Huan, his face flushed red from drinking, panting slightly.

Zhou Huan patted Dongzi’s shoulder. “Dongzi, remember this: since two women can disregard the existence of the other and are willing to stay with me, I must treat them fairly. At the very least, I must make them feel a sense of equality between each other. If I were to get a marriage certificate with only one of them, it would be extremely unfair to the other. Therefore, I couldn’t bear to hurt either one, so it has to be this way.”

“You just talk. Can’t you stop your mouth even while eating? Neither of us has ever blamed you for not getting a certificate with us; aren’t we both happily following you?” Xiao He remarked, then glanced at Xiaoling, who nodded in agreement.

Of those present, only Tian Xiong was missing. Tian Xiong had taken a phone call earlier and rushed out for work, expected to return shortly. Everyone had nearly finished eating, but Tian Xiong was nowhere in sight. Only when the dishes on the table were almost gone did Tian Xiong come running back in, panting heavily from the doorway, his face panicked, drenched in sweat.

He wiped the sweat from his brow and then exclaimed, “Master, this is terrible! My eyelid was twitching this morning, and I just took a job—sure enough, the deceased has undergone corpse transformation and turned into a Jiangshi! And somehow, he has suddenly vanished from wherever he was!”