Feng Tian was lost in thought for a good half hour until Kuang Feifan, unable to stand it any longer, waved a hand in front of his face and snapped his fingers a couple of times to drag his thoughts back to reality. “What’s occupying your mind?” Kuang Feifan asked him, puzzled.

Feng Tian managed a weak smile and said, with a deliberate, cool tone, “Nothing much.” As he spoke, he glanced at Old Hou, whose face still betrayed a trace of alarm, and deliberately softened his voice, attempting an air of nonchalance as he reassured him, “Don’t worry, with the Old Daoist Master’s talisman protecting you, you shouldn’t have any lingering effects. But from now on, you should quit your job at the hospital.

You’re getting on in years, your yang energy is waning, and that kind of work, heavy with yin energy, isn't suitable anymore.” Old Hou nodded. Just then, the hospital room door was pushed open, and Old Hou’s wife entered, carrying a lunchbox.

Feng Tian and Kuang Feifan exchanged a look, rose, and took their leave. The moment they stepped out of the room, Kuang Feifan reached out and pulled Feng Tian aside, lowering his voice.

“Look, there shouldn’t be anything more for the two of us to do in this, right? Even if a corpse were to reanimate, the body would be nothing but a skeleton by now, incapable of causing any trouble.

I’m right, aren’t I?” Feng Tian gave him a sidelong glance, pursed his lips, and retorted, “Look at you, acting like you’re afraid I’ll drag you back there. What’s the point?

I promised the Old Daoist Master I’d help look into it, so I definitely will. But the issue now is, the Old Daoist Master asked me for help, so there’s no way I’m not getting involved.

Furthermore, what I find strange is why that woman suddenly reanimated. You remember what Old Hou said?

The female corpse reportedly uttered words, something about injustice, perhaps?” Kuang Feifan didn’t quite grasp it. “What’s so strange about that?

It’s just a corpse transformation, I’ve seen it before. At most, maybe this woman turned into a jiangshi because her resentment was so strong?” Feng Tian shook his head.

“It is true that a person can rise up within twenty-four hours of death under certain circumstances, but I’ve never heard of a reanimated corpse pleading innocence afterward. A spirit rising due to grievance usually only happens around the seventh day after death, the touqi.

You heard him say she died in a traffic accident.” Kuang Feifan remained completely bewildered. “Does that mean someone who dies in a car crash can’t reanimate?” Feng Tian couldn't help but frown, raising a hand to scratch his scalp in consternation.

“How do I explain this to you? The probability of a person turning into a ghost after death is actually higher than the chance of corpse reanimation.

And all it takes for a ghost to manifest is one reason—whether it’s reluctance to leave the mortal world or resentment over an unjust death; those are personal issues for the deceased.” He paused, glancing around. Luckily, no one was passing by, so no one noticed their conversation.

He continued, “The vast majority of cases of corpse reanimation after death have nothing to do with the deceased themselves, but are caused by external factors. For example, weather like a thunderstorm, or being buried in a place of extreme yin.

Or you’ve heard the rumor about corpses being touched by black cats causing reanimation, right? That’s what I mean by external factors.” Kuang Feifan nodded.

“Or like in those bio-horror scenarios, where some virus pops out and turns everyone into zombies.” Feng Tian rolled his eyes but didn't argue; instead, he nodded slightly. “You’re correct about the zombie part, because both lack consciousness.

That is, after reanimation, the corpse itself has no ability to think.” Kuang Feifan finally had a moment of realization, but as soon as he thought of it, he asked with renewed curiosity, “Are there no zombies capable of thought?” “Uh…” Feng Tian had been about to dismiss Kuang Feifan as a simpleton, but upon deeper reflection, he suddenly looked at Kuang Feifan with profound meaning, making the latter feel a chill run down his spine. “Now that you mention it, it’s not entirely impossible…” Feng Tian mused thoughtfully.

“Since the corpse spoke after reanimating, it definitely implies a special, and very rare, circumstance is at play here.” Hearing his hypothesis, Kuang Feifan’s curiosity was instantly piqued. “Could it be related to the car accident that caused the woman’s death?” Kuang Feifan guessed.

Feng Tian shrugged noncommittally. “Possibly, but I can’t figure out why.” Since Feng Tian didn’t understand, Kuang Feifan was even less likely to know the reason.

“Let’s go. Don’t you need to report back to the Old Daoist Master?” Kuang Feifan suggested.

Feng Tian thought about it and realized that was the only way forward. As the two were about to leave, they saw two police officers walking down the distant hospital corridor, heading straight for Old Hou’s room.

Concerned, Feng Tian followed them in and pushed the door open. Kuang Feifan entered behind him, realizing the two officers were from traffic control.

Seeing them enter, the officers merely glanced at them before continuing to explain their purpose to Old Hou. It turned out the two men were there to question Old Hou about the female corpse that died in the traffic accident.

Apparently, they knew something was wrong with the body, though they likely didn't know the specifics. Even though Old Hou had recounted everything from the previous night to Feng Tian, when facing the police, he simply played dumb, claiming he had suddenly felt dizzy and passed out.

It seemed someone—most likely the hospital administration—had already briefed him on how to respond. Seeing that there was nothing for them to do inside, Feng Tian pulled Kuang Feifan out and asked him in a low voice, “Do you have any way to build rapport with the traffic police?” Kuang Feifan was taken aback, knitted his brows, and looked at him.

“What are you planning?” “To inquire if they’ve found the driver who caused the accident, or just ask exactly how that woman died,” Feng Tian said with a slight smile. Kuang Feifan managed a wry smile.

“How could I possibly have that kind of influence? I can’t just connect with any police officer.” Feng Tian sighed and was about to leave when the hospital room door opened, and the two officers emerged, having gotten nothing useful from Old Hou.

They were about to depart. Feng Tian hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and greeted the two officers.

Seeing that the officers hadn't left yet, they exchanged a look, their eyes clearly showing confusion. One of them asked, “What are you two here for?” Just as Feng Tian was about to speak, Kuang Feifan walked over, tugged him aside, and smiled.

“We are friends of Old Hou. We heard he was unwell and came to check on him.” With that, he subtly maneuvered Feng Tian to the side.

The other officer thought for a moment and then asked, “Do you know what happened to Mr. Hou last night?” Kuang Feifan smiled smoothly.

“The doctors couldn't find anything medically wrong with him. By the way, what were you looking to ask him about?” As he spoke, his gaze fell upon the first officer, as if seeking confirmation.

The first officer casually replied, “We wanted to ask him about the situation regarding a female corpse stored there yesterday…” Before he could finish, the officer next to him nudged him and interrupted, turning back to question Kuang Feifan, “Why are you asking about that?” Kuang Feifan smiled faintly. “We were also curious about what exactly happened to him while he was on duty last night.” The suspicious officer didn't want to waste any more time talking to them.

He tugged his colleague and they left the hospital. Only then did Feng Tian turn to Kuang Feifan, expressing his displeasure at being pushed aside.

“See? If you had suddenly gone up and asked about the female corpse, wouldn’t those two officers become suspicious?

If they decided to question us further, even if nothing serious came of it, we’d waste valuable time. It wouldn't be worth it,” Kuang Feifan shrugged, spreading his hands toward Feng Tian.

Feng Tian let out a frustrated sigh. “Let’s go tell the Daoist Master first.” “Wait a minute.” Having decided to involve themselves, Kuang Feifan called out to Feng Tian, who was about to leave.

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