Kuang Feifan’s sudden question caused Ji Ping to involuntarily widen his eyes, staring at Kuang Feifan in disbelief. But quickly, he lowered his gaze and casually asked, “It’s nothing important, I don’t know.”

Kuang Feifan chuckled. “If you didn’t know, you would have told me you didn't know first, instead of saying it was nothing important.”

After a pause, he continued, “He’s related by blood to your servant grandfather, isn’t he?”

Ji Ping’s mouth fell open in shock. “You… you knew?”

Kuang Feifan felt a surge of joy; he had clearly guessed correctly. However, on the surface, he casually spread his hands. “What’s so hard about that?”

Indeed, he had only made the most probable guess, truly a case of ‘a blind cat running into a dead mouse.’

But there were still surprises. At least when Kuang Feifan and Feng Tian emerged from the hospital room, both of them couldn't help but show expressions of utter disbelief.

Ji Ping’s grandfather was actually the illegitimate son of the Old Daoist Master’s master.

And the servant’s preparation for rebirth had been planned ever since he got involved with the Luo family young mistress. He knew that the truth couldn't be hidden forever; it was only a matter of time before the Luo family discovered his relationship with the young mistress. As for the abilities he possessed, they were learned directly from the Old Daoist Master’s master.

“The Old Daoist Master was involved…” Kuang Feifan asked Feng Tian, full of doubt.

Feng Tian grit his teeth and thought for a moment. “He probably didn’t know. Otherwise, why would he have desperately saved Wang Hai and the others last night?”

Kuang Feifan nodded. “That means he was unaware of all this from start to finish.”

Feng Tian agreed. “The Old Daoist Master’s master deceived him through the formation array. I suspect he was unintentionally designated as a sacrifice for the array back then, and someone needed to guard it. In a sense, perhaps there’s no one safer to guard the array than his own unsuspecting disciple.”

Kuang Feifan didn't speak. The two left the hospital in a somber mood.

Ji Ping had to stay in the hospital, a decision he accepted, in fact, he was forced to accept it. A Soul-Locking Seal had been placed on him—the most direct kind. Before leaving, he had shown it to Kuang Feifan and Feng Tian. On his back was an imprint shaped like a human face. According to him, having failed the mission yesterday, he was destined to die. The charms Feng Tian had laid down might temporarily save him from death inside the hospital room, though this was largely thanks to Kuang Feifan sacrificing his string of prayer beads to severely injure the servant’s soul. Otherwise, the servant might still be hunting Ji Ping down to the room. For Ji Ping to survive, Kuang Feifan and the others needed to completely destroy the soul being ‘suppressed’ in the Daoist temple.

As for the condition of exchange, Ji Ping agreed to confess to the police that he was the murderer in the gas station homicide case. This was almost an act of desperation. Although Luo Jingjing, Old Hou, and Hong Cheng’s deaths were indirectly his fault, there was no substantial evidence. Even the police could only attribute those deaths to accidents.

But Feng Tian was unwilling to let it go; he was working hard to find a way to bring justice for those people.

Kuang Feifan hadn't delved deeply into that aspect. His entire focus was on how to deal with what was in the strange house.

According to Feng Tian, resolving it was simple: find the remains, destroy the remains, and the soul, having lost its physical anchor, would dissipate.

This was thanks to the answers Kuang Feifan extracted from Ji Ping. The Nine Revolutions Soul-Returning Array and the Nine Revolutions Soul-Suppressing Array sounded similar, but their solutions were entirely different. If they had proceeded without knowing the truth, they could have easily made things worse. Now, solving it wasn’t a major problem.

“The matter of the Old Daoist Master’s master—do we tell him or not?” Kuang Feifan asked Feng Tian, since Feng Tian was quite familiar with the Old Daoist Master.

Feng Tian considered it, then shook his head. “This matter… let’s keep it hidden. After all, he’s… old now…”

Kuang Feifan nodded in agreement.

In summary, the current situation was that within the strange house, there was only a well and an array—an array whether called Nine Revolutions Soul-Suppressing or Nine Revolutions Soul-Returning. However, one thing puzzled Kuang Feifan: the Old Daoist Master said the Nine Revolutions Soul-Suppressing Array was also an evil art for soul transference, so what exactly was the difference from the Soul-Returning array?

Feng Tian wasn’t clear on this either, but based purely on the characters, ‘Suppress’ implied an inhibitory effect, whereas ‘Returning Soul’ was clearly about the actual return of the soul.

There were questions Ji Ping couldn't answer, and there were questions Kuang Feifan deliberately chose not to ask Ji Ping, such as whether the current Old Daoist Master was involved in the original setting up of the array.

It now seemed that Zhang Xiaohui was the final target designated by the array, probably intended to receive the Luo family young mistress’s soul. After all, among the remaining people, only she was female. But who Ji Ping’s grandfather intended to target was still unclear.

Feng Tian tried to appear relaxed and shrugged. “Don't ask. It’s definitely going to be me.”

Kuang Feifan was stunned. “Why?”

Feng Tian pointed to his own nose. “Among these people, I’m probably the best looking.”

As he said this, they had already returned to the side room of the Daoist temple. Everyone, including Wang Hai and Zhang Xiaohui, had gathered in the room. Kuang Feifan figured he said this to alleviate the oppressive atmosphere that had been hanging over everyone.

He laughed and coughed lightly. “Stop being narcissistic. Don’t you think I’m much better looking than you?”

Wang Hai chuckled, shaking his shoulders carelessly. “I’m much stronger than both of you.”

Zhang Xiaohui lightly tapped him. Such things weren't comparable. There were many people in the room, especially the Old Daoist Master and Feng Tian, who were capable individuals. As for Kuang Feifan, he was certainly a life-saver. Therefore, although she was still in a state of shock, she could manage to keep her emotions stable.

After concealing everything about the Old Daoist Master’s master, Kuang Feifan and Feng Tian roughly recounted what they learned from Ji Ping to the Old Daoist Master and the others. The Old Daoist Master also looked utterly incredulous. Whether or not he suspected his own master, Kuang Feifan and the others didn't know.

At this point, they didn't care what the Old Daoist Master was thinking; the only remaining task was how to break that array.

The Old Daoist Master had some experience in this regard. First, extinguishing the unseen flames required three types of blood: black dog, white rooster, and human blood. All three had to be pure, especially the human blood, which needed to come from a pure Yang body.

Naturally, Feng Tian was the first choice.

Secondly, time. Noon wasn't the best time; this required divination by the Old Daoist Master, something Kuang Feifan and the others didn't need to worry about.

Finally, the Old Daoist Master would perform rituals to assist.

Only then did Kuang Feifan realize that it wasn't the Old Daoist Master fighting the entity in the strange house, but that he and Feng Tian needed to enter the doorless, windowless room themselves, and even descend into that well.

“But the well has been filled in,” Kuang Feifan pouted.

Feng Tian didn't answer the question, but secretly glanced at the Old Daoist Master. Since returning, although the Old Daoist Master had been listening to their analysis and occasionally nodding or speaking, he seemed distracted, clearly preoccupied.

“Old Daoist Master, what do you think?” Feng Tian asked tentatively.

“Oh… it’s possible…” The Old Daoist Master hadn't heard Kuang Feifan’s question at all.

Feng Tian turned to look at Kuang Feifan, offering a wry, bitter smile and a shrug.

Kuang Feifan sighed inwardly. He looked at Wang Hai and suddenly asked, “Old Wang, are you hungry?”

Wang Hai blinked, unsure why he asked such a random question, but he replied, “I’m okay…”

Before he could finish, Zhang Xiaohui, sitting next to him, gently nudged him. “I’m hungry. Take me out for something to eat.”

Saying that, she pulled him up and bid farewell to the others, leaving the side room.

Wang Hai didn't understand, but Zhang Xiaohui was sharp. She sensed that the Old Daoist Master and the others needed to discuss something sensitive. While she and Wang Hai were involved in this incident, they weren't truly helpful and actually needed protection. All the crucial decisions needed to be made by the three of them. Since they couldn't offer suggestions, it was better to leave. Moreover, she could tell there were things being discussed that she and Wang Hai were perhaps not meant to hear.

After the two left the side room, Kuang Feifan stood up and closed the door. Only then did Feng Tian ask the Old Daoist Master, “Is something troubling you?”

After a long moment, the Old Daoist Master took a deep breath, looked at Feng Tian, then at Kuang Feifan, and asked word by word, “What exactly are you hiding from me?”

“Uh…”

Feng Tian shook his head with a bitter smile; it seemed some things couldn't be kept hidden.

Kuang Feifan also felt helpless. He understood that what he could guess, the Old Daoist Master couldn’t possibly fail to guess as well.

“I’m sorry…” Feng Tian said sincerely to the Old Daoist Master.