At the main gate of Building Three, He Xufu stood waiting, anxiously scanning the entrance to the complex. Seeing Feng Ping and Kuang Feifan approaching, he hurried to meet them.

Feng Ping took a bulging satchel from He Xufu's hand, unsure what exactly was packed inside.

Kuang Feifan didn't ask many questions. After Feng Ping accepted the keys from He Xufu, he followed him into the third entrance of Building Three.

Opening the heavy door, a wave of cold air washed over them. Following Feng Ping's preference, the two bypassed the elevator and climbed the stairs directly to the third floor.

Pushing open the spring-loaded door to the stairwell, the hallway was dark and gloomy due to poor lighting, and the motion-sensor lights were also broken. Kuang Feifan stomped his feet several times to no avail, unable to trigger the illumination.

Feng Ping walked unhurriedly to the door of apartment 301, unlocked it with a key, and stepped inside.

Kuang Feifan followed closely. The moment he crossed the threshold, a chilling sensation swept over him—the haunted residence was indeed as sinister as rumored.

In reality, the outside world was only just darkening, and the ambient light filtering through the windows prevented the interior from seeming truly dim. Kuang Feifan habitually reached out to flip the light switch located next to the door.

The ceiling light flickered several times before finally coming on, but the stark white illumination paradoxically lent the room an eerie, sepulchral quality.

Feng Ping casually placed the satchel he carried onto a round table and began unpacking its contents one item at a time. Kuang Feifan's eyes widened as Feng Ping revealed a truly peculiar artifact: a compass.

Although this was his first time seeing a luopan, Kuang Feifan had heard of them; he knew geomancy relied entirely on such instruments. Of course, he had no idea how to use one, just as Bai Ru and Gu Yi never had.

Feng Ping didn't just produce a compass; he also pulled out a thin coil of rope, interwoven with streaks of gold amidst the dominant red. That wasn't the strangest part, though. Feng Ping then produced a collection of small jars and bottles. Kuang Feifan could discern that some bottles contained liquid, and others held powders, but he couldn't identify the exact substances. As for what was inside the jars, their lids were sealed, making their contents entirely unknown.

Driven by curiosity, Kuang Feifan couldn't resist asking, "What are all these things?"

Feng Ping rubbed his nose and smiled slightly. "These are just the tools I usually use. I can't possibly explain exactly what each one is in a short time."

Kuang Feifan shrugged and asked casually, "Do you normally use a compass? For Feng Shui readings?"

Feng Ping patiently explained, "Actually, the compass has many uses; surveying Feng Shui is only one of them. I use it for that purpose rarely. Mostly, I use it to determine direction."

Before Kuang Feifan could press further, Feng Ping was already traversing the apartment, holding the compass aloft. Seeing Feng Ping's intensely focused expression while consulting the instrument, Kuang Feifan decided not to interrupt. He trailed behind, following his movements and taking the opportunity to inspect every room.

Three bedrooms, two living areas, and two balconies—Kuang Feifan found these spaces entirely ordinary until he reached the large bathroom. Looking at the bathtub positioned against the wall, he was immediately reminded of Feng Ping’s story where two figures, one large and one small, had both met their end within that very fixture.

Though the tub before him was still gleaming white and smooth, as if brand new, observing it still caused an involuntary tightening in his gut.

Inadvertently, Kuang Feifan noticed Feng Ping’s gaze fall upon the bathtub; his expression tightened momentarily as well. After a silent, brief survey, Feng Ping turned away, his thoughts unreadable.

After completing the circuit, Feng Ping carefully placed the compass back into the satchel. He then picked up the coil of red rope, untied it, and pulled out two long, slender lengths. Raising his hand, he signaled Kuang Feifan to assist. Together, they began laying the ropes along the corners of the rooms, quickly encircling the entire apartment. However, they left intentional gaps where the ends of the two ropes met the main entrance and the northern balcony.

"What is this for…?" Kuang Feifan felt compelled to ask again.

"These ropes are woven from red silk and gold thread. They are meant to guide any spirits lingering inside toward an exit path," Feng Ping explained, simultaneously picking up a bottle containing powder.

Before Feng Ping could ask, Kuang Feifan preempted him, "Is this incense ash?"

Saying so, Feng Ping sprinkled a little in every corner of the room, then added, "This will effectively prevent spirits from hiding away."

Kuang Feifan couldn't help but let out a short laugh.

Feng Ping rolled his eyes at him. "What's so funny?"

Kuang Feifan shook his head. "Nothing, I just think your methods, compared to…"

At this point, he abruptly cut himself off, realizing that comparing Feng Ping to Bai Ru and Gu Yi might have been presumptuous.

Though unspoken, Feng Ping immediately understood his implication. He let out a soft "Hmph," responding, "I am different from them. They practice formal sorcery, whereas I only know some 'minor tricks.'"

Kuang Feifan offered a strained chuckle, daring not to say anything further.

However, Feng Ping seemed unwilling to let the matter drop. "Actually, although we use different methods in this field, our goal is the same: unless absolutely necessary, none of us directly scatter a spirit. And I'll say this here: Gu Yi’s skills aren't actually that formidable…"

Kuang Feifan frowned, asking with clear dissatisfaction, "Then what do you think of Bai Ru's abilities?"

Feng Ping’s mouth twitched noticeably. He detected the subtle displeasure in Kuang Feifan’s tone and suspected an unusual connection between him and Bai Ru. After a moment’s thought, he scratched his head. "Well, to be honest, Bai Ru and I don't know each other at all, so I can't truly gauge the extent of her power. Generally speaking, the notion that women are unsuited for ghost hunting is based on a very real, objective reason: females belong to Yin, meaning they carry heavier Yin energy."

Kuang Feifan couldn't help but roll his eyes. He believed there was sense in what Feng Ping said, but certainly not as an absolute rule.

Due to this topic, a brief, awkward silence settled over the room.

After sprinkling the incense ash, Feng Ping carefully retrieved a substantial cloth pouch from his satchel and placed it on the table, slowly unzipping the top.

This action certainly caught Kuang Feifan’s attention once more.

"Help me tie these onto the locks of the balconies and all the windows," Feng Ping instructed, pulling out small bells, each about the size of a thumb, from the cloth bag.

"You really carry a lot of gear," Kuang Feifan remarked, taking a bell himself. He then noticed the pouch contained many more, and critically, each small bell had a piece of cotton stuffed inside its mouth.

The bells appeared to be made of bronze. Kuang Feifan mimicked Feng Ping’s movements, tying a bell onto the railing of the balcony, and then removing the cotton from its opening.

Once all these small implements were in place, Feng Ping let out a breath of relief. With a serious expression, he addressed Kuang Feifan, "Now there are three crucial areas remaining where we need to place some specific items."

Kuang Feifan gave Feng Ping a questioning look.

"The sofa in the living room, the bed in the bedroom, and that bathtub," Feng Ping clarified.

In fact, the second homeowner had replaced both the bed and the sofa with new ones, but their positions remained unchanged; thus, even new furniture was not immune to intense negative energy. Furthermore, since the bathtub was a luxury model and quite expensive, the owner hadn't been willing to replace it. After his death, his father hadn't considered the matter either, meaning the bathtub was likely the most inherently malevolent object in the entire residence.

This time, Feng Ping picked up a jar, opened the lid, and carefully sprinkled a layer of powder above the sofa, the bed, and inside the bathtub.

"More incense ash?"

Feng Ping shook his head. "Not entirely. This is soil from a century-old grave."

"Cough, cough…" Kuang Feifan nearly choked on his own saliva, coughing violently until he recovered.

Feng Ping glanced sideways at him, seemingly finding his reaction a bit melodramatic.

"This stuff will alert us if a spirit appears," he stated after finishing the task.

Looking at the arrangements throughout the apartment, Kuang Feifan suddenly asked with a puzzled tone, "You've prepared so many tools. I have to ask, what exactly do you need me to do?"

Feng Ping reached back into the satchel and pulled out a small packet tightly wrapped in yellow paper. He then collected everything else from the table and returned it to the bag before turning back to Kuang Feifan. "It's simple. All this effort we’ve spent setting up—what if the spirits decide not to come out tonight because they're displeased? That would be a complete waste of time, wouldn't it?"

Kuang Feifan froze, a sudden sense of dread creeping into his heart. "So…"

Feng Ping grinned playfully. "So, I need a medium to lure them out."

Instantly, Kuang Feifan felt his skin crawl under Feng Ping's fixed gaze.

"Don't tell me… I am the… medium?"