Kuang Feifan realized the severed head was blocking the space between him and the bedroom door, and a bitter taste flooded his mouth. He involuntarily glanced back, only to see the corpse shambling out of the bathroom, black liquid constantly dripping from it onto the carpet.

On the other side, directly behind him, the headless female corpse drifted toward him with outstretched hands, seemingly having located Kuang Feifan by means of the head on the floor, preparing to lunge.

What made the situation particularly tense was that despite the corpse’s unsteady gait, its speed of approach was alarming, steadily closing the distance to Kuang Feifan.

Kuang Feifan quickly scanned the area beside him, pushed off the ground with both hands, scrambled up, and darted toward the wall. He could easily estimate that relying solely on his crawling speed, the chances of reaching the bedroom door before being overtaken by both spirits were slim. Fortunately, he hadn't forgotten the crimson cords he’d placed along the base of the wall earlier.

The crimson cord, interwoven with golden thread and refined by Feng Tian, combined with the ash scattered in the corners, possessed the ability to repel malevolent spirits. Therefore, moving toward the wall was Kuang Feifan's safest maneuver.

As expected, the moment Kuang Feifan pressed his back against the wall, the headless female corpse lunged at him. Yet, still some distance away, her floating form abruptly froze mid-air, as if encountering something terrifying ahead.

It seemed the crimson cord had effectively prevented the headless female from phasing through the wall to hide, as other spirits had done previously.

The corpse behaved similarly. As Kuang Feifan leaned against the wall, it prepared to advance but halted just short of touching the surface.

Kuang Feifan watched the headless female corpse facing him, poised to strike but hesitant. Suddenly, she began spinning wildly around the room like a madwoman, causing the bronze bells tied to the windows to jingle loudly in response to her frenzied movements.

The headless female ghost flitted about the room, never touching the floor, stopping short every time she neared the wall. Finally, she drifted to her severed head, grasping the long hair attached to it and lifting the head up.

In contrast, the walking corpse was far more restrained, merely pacing back and forth but never daring to approach the wall either.

The room instantly settled into a strange, tense stalemate.

Of course, the crimson cord and the ash only served to temporarily prevent the spirits from getting close. Kuang Feifan, standing foolishly against the wall, knew that simply staring down the evil spirits was not a viable strategy; his main objective was to lure them outside.

He took a deep breath, appreciating the efficacy of the tools Feng Tian had provided. Carefully, keeping his back pressed tightly against the wall, he began inching toward the bedroom door.

However, as he moved toward the door, the two spirits seemed to sense his intention. They stopped moving and turned, slowly tracking his progress along the wall.

It was then that Kuang Feifan finally understood what Feng Tian meant by "medium." He was nothing more than a meatball, enticing two "vicious dogs" toward their destination.

He finally reached the door, extended a hand, grasped the doorknob, and turned it down. The door slid open with a slight gap.

Kuang Feifan let out a long sigh of relief; he had genuinely worried the door might be stuck.

But he had clearly underestimated the momentum of events. As soon as the bedroom door cracked open, he heard a wailing sound like wind roaring from the hallway outside, followed by gusts of faint, chilling wind blowing through the gap.

The living room outside was as dark as the bedroom, allowing only vague shapes to be discerned by the light filtering in from beyond. Even so, pressed against the wall beside the door, he peered out and witnessed a scene that would be forever etched in his memory.

Feng Tian stood in the center of the living room, by the balcony side of the long sofa, holding a tree branch in one hand and a loop woven from red cord in the other, staring intensely ahead in a stance of absolute readiness.

Directly opposite him, on the other side of the sofa, stood a silhouette. It was only a shape, impossible to discern clearly, as the entire figure was coated in a layer of dirt.

What startled him was that this mud-covered figure held a small knife that glinted menacingly—a knife that looked entirely real.

And between Feng Ping and this figure, the long sofa was riddled with crisscrossing cuts, appearing as if slashed repeatedly by a blade.

Kuang Feifan recoiled from the sight in the hall, unsure of what chaos had erupted outside.

But upon seeing the knife-wielding figure, a thought struck him. He recalled the case that had occurred in this very house: the husband had died on the sofa, clutching a knife.

When Kuang Feifan first heard Feng Tian recount the past incident, he had pondered whether the husband was the true culprit. Excluding the possibility of malevolent spirits, he found it impossible to believe that an ordinary man could decapitate his wife with a fruit knife, drown his son, and then nearly sever his own head.

What level of hatred could drive someone to commit acts so unimaginable to the average person?

But solving the case required the police, and so much time had passed; he couldn't solve it based on mere speculation alone.

Now, seeing that knife-wielding figure, and the grave seriousness on Feng Tian’s face as he confronted it, Kuang Feifan began to suspect that regardless of the husband’s past actions, he seemed terrifyingly powerful now that he was a ghost.

However, Kuang Feifan couldn't afford to watch any longer. The headless female and the dripping corpse inside the bedroom were already nearing the door.

Even if the two couldn't approach the wall, they would inevitably cross paths with Kuang Feifan once they reached the doorway.

Not daring to linger, Kuang Feifan slipped out of the bedroom and moved along the wall toward the balcony.

As anticipated, moments after he emerged, the headless female ghost floated out first, carrying her head. Soon after, the corpse, still dripping black liquid, shambled hesitantly out of the bedroom.

Feng Tian noticed the activity from the bedroom out of the corner of his eye. His eyes widened instantly. He hadn't expected Kuang Feifan to be so "capable" as to lure out two violently deceased spirits at once.

His face twitched subtly, and he gave a wry internal chuckle, realizing he had misjudged Kuang Feifan's current physical state, or perhaps, the "mark" upon him was too potent, making him the primary target for the vengeful spirits.

Feng Tian watched the knife-wielding figure across the sofa with growing concern. Just as he feared, that figure seemed to have sensed the presence of another person inside, one who was a "target," and a "target" with superior priority.

The knife-wielding figure moved, stepping toward Kuang Feifan, leaving distinct muddy footprints on the floor. In an instant, Kuang Feifan became the "target" for all three evil spirits in the room.