Neither Xu Hui's nor Bai Ru's phone lines were reachable. Kuang Feifan, unwilling to give up, dialed several more times, but the result was the same. Finally, he even tried the landline at Xu Hui's villa; the phone did connect, but after ringing for several minutes, there was no answer.

A sense of tension began to grip Kuang Feifan. He struggled to pull himself up from the ** bed, attempting to get to the floor. Feng Tian kindly tried to dissuade him, advising him not to worry, noting that Wang Hai and the Old Daoist Master were not familiar with Kuang Feifan's friends and weren't sure what words of comfort would even be appropriate.

“No, I have to find a way to contact them,” the more he was advised against it, the more anxious Kuang Feifan became.

Feng Tian knew his primary concern was for Bai Ru. Having no immediate solutions himself, he could only ask, “Have you called Gu Yi?”

Kuang Feifan slapped his forehead. “How stupid of me.”

He quickly located Gu Yi’s number and urgently dialed. To his surprise and relief, someone answered the phone shortly after it connected.

“Hello, is that Gu Yi…” Kuang Feifan hastily asked.

“Hello, I’m Jiang Tao. Are you Brother Fan?” To Kuang Feifan’s surprise, it was Jiang Tao on the line, clearly recognizing the caller ID.

“Jiang Tao? Where’s Gu Yi? Where is everyone else?” Kuang Feifan peppered him with rapid, breathless questions.

“Uh…” Jiang Tao was momentarily thrown by the barrage of inquiries. After a brief pause, he managed to organize his thoughts and explained, “Big Brother Gu’s phone is with me. He and Sister Ru went to investigate something, while Officer Xu is looking into Brother He’s whereabouts.”

After hearing Jiang Tao’s explanation, Kuang Feifan began to grasp the general situation regarding Bai Ru. According to Jiang Tao, things had been relatively normal until very recently. This was why Gu Yi hadn't insisted that Jiang Tao stay right by his side; since Gu Yi wouldn't need the car for a while, he had allowed Jiang Tao to continue his taxi work.

But one day, Gu Yi suddenly sought out Jiang Tao, handed him his mobile phone, and explained that a problem had arisen at Xu Hui’s villa: He Shaoqing, who had been guarding the place, had disappeared again. What was worse, investigations suggested he hadn't returned to that haunted building this time, meaning He Shaoqing's location was unknown once more. However, they had obtained some leads regarding the haunted building and felt compelled to follow them up. As for He Shaoqing’s disappearance, Xu Hui would take the lead in the investigation.

Regrettably, Jiang Tao knew nothing about the clues they had uncovered concerning the haunted building—he was completely in the dark. The reason Xu Hui couldn't be reached was simpler: Xu Hui had changed his number.

Kuang Feifan confirmed Xu Hui’s new number and immediately ended the call, dialing Xu Hui right back.

As the call connected, Kuang Feifan felt his anxious heart relax by more than half. In their conversation, Xu Hui apologized for He Shaoqing’s disappearance. Kuang Feifan inquired about the time of the disappearance; coincidentally, it had happened just the day before—meaning it was a very recent event. Xu Hui mentioned that Bai Ru had tried to call Kuang Feifan after the incident, but his phone remained unanswered, suggesting Bai Ru had called precisely when Kuang Feifan’s phone was unreachable.

Kuang Feifan then pressed for details about the haunted building leads, only to be told that even Xu Hui wasn't fully clear on them. The one thing he knew was that the leads involved the history of the haunted building. Given the urgency, Gu Yi and Bai Ru had gone to investigate personally.

At this, Kuang Feifan’s mood soured into a mixture of frustration and helplessness. He didn't share all his recent experiences with Xu Hui, merely stating that he was in a bit of trouble and hoping Xu Hui could arrange a meeting for him with Ji Ping, who was currently detained by the police.

Xu Hui assured him he would try to make arrangements, telling Kuang Feifan to trust him, and asked when he might be able to return. He explained that He Shaoqing’s vanishing was baffling; for now, all he could do was arrange for police surveillance around the perimeter of the haunted building to prevent He Shaoqing from returning and issue widespread alerts. He Shaoqing was essentially now a top wanted person.

Kuang Feifan didn't need Xu Hui to spell it out; he knew searching for someone in the vast world was never easy, especially if that person intended to hide their tracks.

Since the phone was on speakerphone, the others in the room heard everything Kuang Feifan learned from Xu Hui clearly. Only Feng Tian and the Old Daoist Master had any context for the situation. Wang Hai was completely lost, but he was a simple man; realizing this was Kuang Feifan’s affair and didn't involve him directly, he decided not to delve deeper.

Hanging up temporarily, Kuang Feifan looked at Feng Tian with rare uncertainty. Feng Tian understood he was caught in the trap of being too emotionally involved to see clearly, so he offered encouragement: “Don’t worry too much. Gu Yi and Bai Ru aren’t helpless. Together, they can at least ensure they aren't harmed by any spectral entities. Trust that they have their reasons. As for He Shaoqing, I doubt it would be easy for any outside spirit to truly possess his body. Even if he is haunted, the possessing entity won’t be able to completely devour the original soul. As long as he’s alive, we’ll find a way to handle it.”

“Then… what should we do now?” Kuang Feifan genuinely had no good ideas at the moment.

Feng Tian pondered for a moment. “We should resolve our current matters as quickly as possible, then head back first to search for He Shaoqing. As for your girlfriend, I think we can only wait.”

After a long hesitation, Kuang Feifan, frowning deeply, brought up a secret thought: “I’ve always had a suspicion—in that bizarre dream I had, it seemed like Bai Ru was the one who saved me.”

Feng Tian froze upon hearing this.

Kuang Feifan clarified, “I mean the one you mentioned where I was afflicted by some kind of ‘Dream Killing Art.’”

Feng Tian waved a hand, signaling he understood.

Kuang Feifan continued, “Although I couldn't clearly see who saved me, in a haze, I remember smelling a faint fragrance. The more I think about it now, the more I’m sure it was Bai Ru.”

The others hadn't dared to interrupt their conversation, but when Kuang Feifan mentioned the ‘Dream Killing Art,’ the Old Daoist Master, who had been quiet, suddenly couldn’t help but interject, “Did you say ‘Dream Killing Art’?”

Feng Tian briefly recounted Kuang Feifan’s experience while he was unconscious to the Old Daoist Master, then turned back to comfort Kuang Feifan: “Even if Bai Ru saved you, it’s not a big deal. Doesn't she already have clues? Or perhaps she learned something from it, or maybe she knew someone was trying to harm you, which is why she appeared. This actually gives me an idea: the person intending to harm you, the one using dark arts, is very likely connected to the haunted building. It seems the haunted building is far more complex than just a place where ghosts roam.”

At this point, Kuang Feifan didn't know what thoughts to express other than a long sigh. His mind felt more muddled than ever, a chaotic mess. He sat down heavily on the edge of the bed, forced to wait for Xu Hui’s callback.

A profound silence settled over the room, making the atmosphere immediately tense.

After a while, Wang Hai’s mobile phone rang abruptly, which, in a way, eased the growing awkwardness in the room.

Wang Hai unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief, but the Old Daoist Master maintained a thoughtful expression, seemingly having been contemplating something since learning about Kuang Feifan’s ordeal.

The phone rang only once before Kuang Feifan snatched the mobile he had been holding and blurted out, “Hello…”

Xu Hui informed him that he had managed to contact the local police precinct chief. Of course, he hadn't revealed the full truth; he merely stated that Kuang Feifan knew Ji Ping and would meet Ji Ping under the guise of a police liaison to assist in uncovering the truth behind the death of the gas station manager surnamed Lu, leveraging Kuang Feifan’s forensic background.

After offering his thanks, Kuang Feifan still couldn't resist mentioning to Xu Hui the possibility of mysterious figures being entangled in the haunted building incident. After a moment of silence, Xu Hui gave a wry chuckle. “This place is getting really complicated.”

In truth, beyond complex, they truly had no adequate word for the current situation. Many aspects remained unclear, and the involvement of someone using dark arts was still mere speculation.

Xu Hui considered for a moment. “All I can do is try to keep an eye out for any suspicious individuals near the haunted building. Everything else will likely rely on your friends’ efforts.”

Kuang Feifan simply managed an “Mmm.”

Realizing Kuang Feifan must be worried about Bai Ru, Xu Hui reassured him, saying there was nothing unusual when Bai Ru and Gu Yi left, so there was no need for excessive worry. He promised to notify Kuang Feifan immediately upon hearing any news about them.

Kuang Feifan knew this was the best they could do under the circumstances. He hung up the phone and looked at Feng Tian, asking, “Now what? Should we go to the hospital?”

Feng Tian nodded.

Seeing that everyone else seemed fine, Wang Hai finally spoke up. “I’ll drive you there.”

Feng Tian turned to inform the Old Daoist Master but found him seemingly lost in a trance. Startled, Feng Tian quickly moved closer. “Old Daoist Master, are you alright?”