He looked at Feng Tian. Unless there was concrete evidence, basing things on rumors and speculation was just making things up. In past cases, fabricated scenarios often led investigations astray, so as a forensic expert, he absolutely could not grasp at straws based on hearsay.

Likewise, he was highly skeptical of what Feng Tian was saying now; he didn't put much stock in coincidence.

Feng Tian noticed his distrust and glanced thoughtfully at the old Daoist master.

After a moment of silence, the old Daoist master suddenly spoke. "Much of what happened back then cannot be told to outsiders, but I believe Xiao Feng's speculation is highly possible. For no other reason than this: I once saw Master receive a strange woman late one night, and what left the deepest impression on me was the bundle she held in her arms. Later, I recalled that woman looked very much like a servant from the Luo family—perhaps she had seen Master when he visited their home. I overheard some things Master discussed with her, and though I paid no mind at the time, thinking back after the Luo family members started meeting their unfortunate ends, I suddenly understood. The eldest daughter, who had an illicit relationship, had given birth to a child. When the servant girl brought the child to Master, it was precisely when the Luo family's retribution began. The servant begged Master to save the child in her arms, strongly implying a connection to the eldest daughter. It's highly likely that the daughter handed the child over to this maid for rearing after giving birth."

Kuang Feifan couldn't help but marvel inwardly at the soap-opera nature of the story, though the apparent outcome seemed rather unsatisfactory.

He looked at the old Daoist master and couldn't resist asking, "So, in the end, the Luo family still couldn't escape their destined vengeance? And can we be certain that Luo Jingjing is truly a descendant of the Luo family?"

At this point, Feng Tian interjected with a counter-question. "Do you still remember the mark on your body?"

Kuang Feifan paused, looking at Feng Tian with confusion.

And when Feng Tian mentioned the mark, even the old Daoist master’s expression flickered with astonishment; he involuntarily widened his eyes, glancing first at Feng Tian, then at Kuang Feifan.

Feng Tian nodded to the old Daoist master. "That's right. Kuang Feifan also bears the 'Soul-Locking Imprint,' the same type that appeared on the Luo family members back then."

The old Daoist master frowned slightly and asked Kuang Feifan, "Would it be convenient for me to take a look?"

By now, Kuang Feifan understood. Evidently, the Luo family members also bore the 'Soul-Locking Imprint' when they were targeted for vengeance. This explained why even fleeing their home couldn't save them; without a doubt, their imprints were placed by the vengeful spirit.

But would Luo Jingjing also bear the 'Soul-Locking Imprint'? Given her age, she absolutely couldn't have been the child from back then. It could only mean that if that child hadn't died, Luo Jingjing might be his descendant. Could the 'Soul-Locking Imprint' actually pass down to the next generation?

The moment this thought arose, Kuang Feifan's heart sank. Didn't this imply that if he sought to have descendants, he might be bringing danger to the next generation?

The old Daoist master, unaware of how far Kuang Feifan’s thoughts had raced regarding his future offspring, mistook his fluctuating expression as reluctance to show the 'Soul-Locking Imprint' and glanced toward Feng Tian.

Feng Tian also hadn't grasped Kuang Feifan's internal turmoil, but he had intended to inform him that the 'Soul-Locking Imprint' had appeared on the Luo family as well. However, bringing it up so suddenly made him genuinely worried that Kuang Feifan might overthink things.

After half an hour of wild speculation, Kuang Feifan suddenly noticed the silence in the room. The sudden quiet dragged him back to reality, and he realized both the old Daoist master and Feng Tian were looking at him.

He shrugged inexplicably, pulling up his shirt as he asked, "But there's no way to know if Luo Jingjing had the mark now. I wonder if the hospital morgue has an autopsy record."

The old Daoist master frowned upon seeing the handprint on Kuang Feifan's back. Clearly, his mark was more severe than those the Luo family bore. He marveled that Kuang Feifan, having suffered the 'Soul-Locking Imprint,' had managed to survive until now seemingly unharmed.

Hearing his question, Feng Tian, realizing Kuang Feifan was physically alright, pursed his lips. "Are you kidding? Do we need that old thing? While you were sleeping yesterday, I browsed the internet extensively looking for articles written by Luo Jingjing. I finally found one about birthmarks and tattoos, in which she mentioned having a birthmark shaped like a cluster of flames. I believe that is the 'Soul-Locking Imprint.'"

Kuang Feifan noticed the old Daoist master had finished his 'appreciation' of the handprint on his back. He straightened his clothes and sat back down. He could tell the old Daoist master had questions for him, but now wasn't the time to discuss them; he still had a belly full of questions for Feng Tian about Luo Jingjing.

As for how she died, that remained a major point of contention.

Feng Tian’s explanation was that Luo Jingjing died from a vehicular accident hallucination. In her eyes, she believed she was struck head-on by a speeding car, which accounted for the scene seen in the video recording.

Similarly, the incident witnessed at the gas station occurred because Luo Jingjing kept wishing for the ghost car to appear, leading to the paper effigy car manifesting there. In reality, everything was conjured according to Luo Jingjing's imagined scenario, much like a scene acted out according to a script.

Yet, the entire sequence of events led Luo Jingjing down the path of death step-by-step, following someone else's script: first, being influenced to believe in a phantom car, then having the incident at the gas station—which piqued her interest—and finally, becoming the victim of an unseen car crash after chasing after it. Because of this, her unyielding spirit caused the phenomenon of her rising in the morgue.

And all of this pointed back to the vengeful spirit that had been suppressed so long ago.

Although the mastermind behind the years of trouble was now identified, the fact that it remained unresolved for so long made even the dullest person realize how deeply entrenched the problem was.

Kuang Feifan frowned. "Now that Luo Jingjing is gone, does that mean the Luo family has no more descendants? Will the spirit not be appeased even then?"

The old Daoist master shook his head and sighed lightly. "It's not that simple. Master and I have worked tirelessly for years, but what we sense is still overwhelming resentment. Clearly, I have failed."

Seeing the old Daoist master's dejected expression, Feng Tian couldn't help but console him. "Actually, the town has been safe all these years; that is surely partly your accomplishment."

Such comforting words did little for the old Daoist master. He could only manage a bitter smile. In truth, discussing this now was pointless; since things had reached this juncture, the only path left was to find a solution.

"What do we do now?" Kuang Feifan asked directly. "Is there a way to resolve the vengeful spirit?"

The old Daoist master remained silent.

Feng Tian rose and walked over to the old Daoist master’s side. "Back then, your Master and you couldn't resolve it, but whatever the reason, there's no need to dwell on it. Now, you, me, and Kuang Feifan—the three of us will settle this matter together."