With a slackening of Kuang Feifan’s hand, the ghostly form, its hand transformed into a blade, was suddenly free from the restraint of the red thread rope tied to his grip. Although loops of the rope still circled its arm, and its movements were slow and stiff, it seemed to be regaining freedom of action, clearly preparing to struggle out of the bindings on its other arm.

Feng Tian was momentarily stunned; now was clearly not the time to let the specter break free from the restraints. Just as he was considering how to intervene, Kuang Feifan had already moved.

He darted to Feng Tian’s side, snatched the spray can, and sprayed directly at the ghost that was raising its blade. The mist of water droplets hit the specter, instantly causing it to writhe in pain.

But Kuang Feifan did not stop there. He sidestepped to the side and, aiming behind the ghost, pressed the button on the spray nozzle. Water droplets immediately jetted out continuously; he waved it gently up and down, keeping the mist spraying behind the ghost.

As the specter recoiled in agony, the pain from behind drove it into a frenzy. Suddenly, its body began to shake violently, gradually contorting, then turning transparent.

A flicker of pleasant surprise crossed Feng Tian’s face. Before he could even prepare to sever the red thread on his own hand, Kuang Feifan struck again, *instantly slicing the red thread rope.

Finally, the knife-wielding ghoul dissolved like smoke into an earthen doll. The red thread ropes around its neck and arms turned to ash and drifted away into the air after it vanished.

Looking at the substitute doll lying on the ground where the knife-wielding ghost had been, Feng Tian and Kuang Feifan both let out a long, collective sigh of relief, exchanging glances.

Feng Tian was still deeply impressed by Kuang Feifan’s adaptability, but when Kuang Feifan handed the spray can back to him, Feng Tian nearly choked upon feeling its lightness in his hand.

“It’s… empty?” The muscles in Feng Tian’s face twitched slightly.

“Uh…” Kuang Feifan immediately sensed his displeasure and wisely chose not to continue the conversation.

“Do you know how troublesome it is to gather the ingredients for this spray? Do you know that my current supply is already low? Do you know…” Feng Tian barraged Kuang Feifan with questions, gritting his teeth as if Kuang Feifan were his sworn enemy.

“Relax, relax, I’ll compensate you, I’ll help you get more, OK?” Kuang Feifan made gestures intended to soothe him, speaking with great resignation.

“You’ll compensate me? Do you even know how to compensate me?” Feng Tian exclaimed, clutching his forehead in exasperation.

Kuang Feifan frowned, his eyes darted around, and his expression immediately darkened. He raised his voice, “Enough.”

Feng Tian paused, surprised that Kuang Feifan’s voice was louder than his own, and stared at Kuang Feifan with wide eyes.

“I’m asking you, is the substance in this bottle meant to deal with ghosts?” Kuang Feifan countered, his voice deep.

Feng Tian involuntarily nodded.

“And is the ghost dealt with now?” Kuang Feifan pressed on.

Feng Tian nodded again.

“The reason you concocted this spray was precisely so you could handle ghosts, wasn't it? Now that the ghost is handled, shouldn't you be happy?” Kuang Feifan shrugged, spreading his hands wide, his expression suddenly turning amiable.

“I… damn it…” Feng Tian was left speechless.

Without waiting for Feng Tian to recover, Kuang Feifan immediately shifted the topic, pointing at the dolls on the floor and asking, “What now? How do we dispose of this stuff?”

Mentioning this, Feng Tian momentarily set aside his frustration over the “ghost-repellent” spray and turned to examine the three prone dolls on the floor with a serious, focused gaze.

Ignoring Kuang Feifan, he pulled out the coil of red thread again, tearing off strand after strand. He wrapped the three dolls repeatedly with the red thread, binding them tightly until they were thoroughly secured. Then, taking his satchel from the corner of the balcony, he retrieved three jars, placing one doll perfectly into each jar and sealing the lid. Only then did he clap his hands and declare, “Completely done.”

The two men paced around the room a few times. Apart from the floor covered in footprints and the long sofa slashed to shreds, everything else seemed relatively normal.

Kuang Feifan asked, “Do we need to tidy up the room?”

Feng Tian rolled his eyes at him, pouted, and retorted, “Do you have to be so literal?”

However, looking at the state of the mess, Kuang Feifan felt a lingering sense of guilt. But Feng Tian seemed entirely accustomed to it and didn’t care in the slightest. He found a relatively clean single sofa, curled up into it, closed his eyes, and assumed a posture ready for sleep.

“What are you… doing?” Kuang Feifan was uncertain what his intent was.

“Sleeping. I’ll notify He Xufu when dawn breaks; the room is handled, we collect the payment, and we leave,” Feng Tian murmured with his eyes closed.

“Still… collecting payment?” Kuang Feifan recalled that Bai Ru and Gu Yi had never mentioned charging a fee.

Feng Tian opened his eyes, glanced at Kuang Feifan, closed them again, and curled his lip. “If I don’t charge, how do I eat?”

To monetize ghost-catching? Kuang Feifan couldn't help but shake his head.

Though he didn't voice it, Feng Tian seemed to sense his thoughts and continued, still with his eyes closed, “I don’t just catch ghosts. I also do things like check Feng Shui, give names, or find suitable graves for the deceased. The rates aren't fixed; I charge more if they have money, less if they don't, but I must charge.”

Kuang Feifan was slightly taken aback.

“That’s my profession,” Feng Tian added. “It’s pointless explaining; you wouldn’t understand anyway.”

Kuang Feifan snorted through his nose. “If I hadn't witnessed your actual skills today, just listening to you, I’d say your profession is that of a charlatan, or to put it bluntly, a street swindler.”

Feng Tian opened his eyes, delivered a sharp glare, and said with marked disdain, “Can I really be lumped in with those low-grade types?”

Kuang Feifan shrugged, deciding not to pursue the topic further. He found a sofa, sat down, and closed his eyes to rest.

Just as the sky began to lighten, the front door was pounded upon with earth-shaking force.

Kuang Feifan snapped his eyes open and sprang up from the sofa. He glanced at Feng Tian, who also opened his eyes sleepily. Seeing Kuang Feifan rise, he promptly closed his eyes again, muttering, “Go see who it is. If it’s He Xufu, tell him to wait a moment; I need more sleep. I’m exhausted…”

Shaking his head resignedly, Kuang Feifan walked over and pulled the door open. Standing outside was indeed He Xufu, his expression peculiar. As the door opened, a mixture of shock and joy spread across his face.

“You… are alright?” he managed to squeeze out the words.

Kuang Feifan could even see the door to Unit 302 opposite cracked open; it seemed the neighbors were equally “concerned.”

Smiling, Kuang Feifan moved aside. “Come in.”

Upon entering, He Xufu froze involuntarily, clearly unprepared for the chaotic state of the interior.

Kuang Feifan understood immediately. He patted He Xufu sympathetically on the arm, offering his condolences.

It wasn't until the sun was high overhead that Feng Tian finally woke up.

“It should be fine now. If I take charge, you can rest assured. We barely slept all night to get it done.”

Feng Tian threw his arm around He Xufu’s shoulder and led him around the apartment, constantly boasting about his diligent efforts the previous night. He Xufu nodded repeatedly.

Truthfully, even Kuang Feifan could feel that the entire apartment was different now; the intangible sense of unease that had been present earlier was gone.

He watched as He Xufu pulled an envelope from his chest and handed it to Feng Tian.

Feng Tian took it, opened it, and frowned. “The amount seems a bit off…” He was clearly displeased.

He Xufu quickly offered an apologetic smile. “Well, I know you are very busy, but I was hoping you could do me another favor—stay the night in this apartment with me, at least tonight.”

“Ahem…” Feng Tian nearly choked on his saliva.

Kuang Feifan almost burst out laughing. This was like a customer demanding after-sales service from a vendor.

Feng Tian shot a sidelong glance at Kuang Feifan, who was trying hard not to laugh, then gritted his teeth as he considered. “It’s not impossible. I’ll call you later.”

Saying that, he bid He Xufu farewell.

Watching him go, Kuang Feifan had no choice but to follow.

It wasn't until they were outside the community gate that Feng Tian let out a long breath. Looking at Kuang Feifan, whose lips were curved into a smile, he said with a hint of dissatisfaction, “What are you laughing at? What’s so funny? Don’t forget, the more time I’m delayed here, the less able I’ll be to go with you.”

His remark immediately wiped the smile from Kuang Feifan’s face.

Seemingly determined to deflate Kuang Feifan completely, Feng Tian pulled out a small black notebook from his coat, flipped it open, and said, “My schedule is packed lately. If this gets delayed again, I don’t know when I’ll be able to go with you to check things out.”

“Uh…” Kuang Feifan was now completely speechless. He stared intently at Feng Tian, secretly pondering whether he should just kidnap him and drag him away.

Noticing the fierce look in Kuang Feifan’s eyes, Feng Tian coughed dryly. Then he said, “Stop glaring at me. You stay here for a couple of days, and I’ll hustle to finish up my current business. I will definitely go with you afterward.”

Kuang Feifan took a deep breath and forced a strained smile.

Feng Tian grinned mischievously, pointed toward the snack street not far away, and said, “Let’s grab breakfast first, then I need to take care of some errands. You can use that time to find a place to stay temporarily. We’ll meet up for lunch.”

After a lavish breakfast, Feng Tian hailed a taxi and left first, leaving Kuang Feifan standing alone on the street corner.

He finally understood the other side of Feng Tian: he was utterly shameless. He’d actually let Kuang Feifan pay for breakfast, even though he had just received money from the client. Such was the helplessness of needing a favor from someone. Kuang Feifan could only sigh, pull out his phone, and contact Bai Ru, giving her a brief rundown of the situation here.

Bai Ru sounded equally resigned, but at this point, all they could do was wait.

After a few more private words, Kuang Feifan reluctantly hung up the phone. He looked around, intending to find a hotel or some lodging, realizing that Feng Tian clearly had no intention of letting him stay at his place.

Estimating his options, and adhering to the principle of saving where possible, he decided finding a cheaper small hotel would be best; proper hotels were too expensive, and this personal matter couldn’t be reimbursed anyway. Thinking about money, he suddenly remembered his cash supply was running low. Naturally, he headed toward a bank located at the nearby street corner.