ã€ŠAfter Marrying the Lord of the Underworldã€‹


 CH 1

    ¡°Lu Yingjiu, to break your inherent misfortune, there is only one way, that is¨Cghost marriage. It is the so-called ¡®fight poison with poison¡¯, I¡¯ll definitely find you a beautiful and fierce female ghost.¡± The master with a goatee simply sworn.

    The master never spoke seriously. The young Lu Yingjiu automatically ignored the ¡®beautiful and fierce female ghost¡¯ and asked, ¡°Will it really work?¡±

    ¡°Really, since when did this master lie to you, you will be able to sleep well in the future.¡±

    ¡ª¡ªThat¡¯s how the ghost marriage came to be.

    It took half a year to prepare for the ceremony, and the master had been making arrangements for a long time, until the anticipated day, which was the day of the Ghost Festival.

    That day, Lu Yingjiu stood in front of a closed window. He was still young yet could only gaze and look out from the window. Rain slid down from the glass, the sky was dim, and the yard was full of people, which looked like a group of silent crows. Soon, small voices were heard through the gap of the window.

    ¡°Have you heard? This child is miserable. He has been haunted by all kinds of ghosts since he was a child.¡±

    ¡°In my opinion, he won¡¯t survive next year. It¡¯s a pity, he¡¯s such a beautiful child.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the use of this ghost marriage? No matter how evil the ghost is, they can¡¯t suppress his inherent misfortune.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The master specifically instructed that the parents should not come together with him. When saying goodbye, his mother held his hand, and there seemed to be tears in her eyes, but she turned her face away immediately, wiped it with the back of her hand, and finally smiled.

    ¡°Come back soon.¡±

    ****

    Lu Yingjiu changed into a bright red and gold silk robe, and headed towards the place surrounded by a crowd in the distance.

    Clothes and jewelry made of paper, a long line of escorts, and heavy rain from the sky. Obviously there were people around him, but he felt a sense of desolation in his heart, as if he was not going to the ancient house, but to the Yellow Spring.

    He had no idea how long they¡¯d walked along the mountain road, until he finally saw the mansion from a distance.

    The mansion had been abandoned for many years, and it was dead silent. The red lanterns at the door were drifting through the southern curtains, looking like blood amidst the fog.

    The Master of Ceremonies pushed open the door, and the door let out a harsh squeak.

    Going forward from the long winding corridor, until the end, a door was left open¡ªthe inside of the house was bright and red.

    The big ¡°‡Ö¡± character was in the middle, and lanterns were hung high. There were eight heaven and earth tables in the center, covered with red tablecloths, and the red candles on each table were already weeping. At the end, on the table intended for his parents, two paper figures sat. The surrounding spectators were all wearing ghost masks and were either tall or short. They looked at Lu Yingjiu and laughed sharply and applauded.

    What nobody thought was that the master was really unreliable. What he found was a wandering ghost whom he didn¡¯t even know the origin of. There was no photo or even a tablet. No matter how the Goddess and the Master of Ceremonies shouted, it never showed up.

    Lu Yingjiu just stood there, somewhat at a loss.

    The ceremony was ready, and the birthday characters had been aligned, the ghost should have made some noise after, whether they like it or not, not like what was happening now.

    ¨CIt neither showed itself, holding him with a cold hand to show that the contract was established, nor did it go mad with dissatisfaction and kill everyone at the wedding.

    But just standing like this was not the way. Lu Yingjiu was still facing the empty opposite side, and bowed deeply. Worship heaven and earth, the parents, and to each other.

    Red candles flickered, lanterns still hung high, with the word ¡°‡Ö¡± above their heads. When Lu Yingjiu looked up again, the Goddess closed her mouth shut, the Master of Ceremonies stepped back a few steps, looking pale as if he would faint in the next second. The Master knelt down and kowtowed again and again in fright. Looking at the crowd of guests, although he could not see their faces, the dead silence overwhelmed him.

    Fear.

    It was a fear that cannot be described in words.

    What happened? Lu Yingjiu was a little puzzled, and when lowered his head, a longevity lock appeared out of thin air on his neck.

    Cold, small and exquisite, lifeless, and carved with mountains and seas.

    Until he left the mansion, the ghost did not appear.

    On the way back, the Master of Ceremonies and the Goddess were talking nonsense and chattering nonstop. No matter how Lu Yingjiu asked, there was no result.

    After finally returning home, his mother hugged him and cried happily, eventually gritted her teeth and said, ¡°There are so many ways, what about bad luck, it¡¯s not that you can¡¯t live anymore.¡±

    She was a smart and capable person. She soon picked herself up and began to figure out a new way.

    When Lu Yingjiu¡¯s dimple appeared in the corner of his cheek, the boy¡¯s hand tightly grasped the longevity lock while biting his lip. He was not afraid, just a little sad.

    It seems that I¡¯ve been rejected¡­¡­

    But it was strange to say that after that, every dream of his was peaceful.

    ******

    Thirteen years later.

    Lu Yingjiu carried a shoulder bag and looked up. The summer sun fell on his eyes, which was a kind of a soft light.

    More than ten years had passed, the beautiful child being praised back then, had now grown taller, with a straight back, a youthful look and very handsome. Even the camera couldn¡¯t capture any pores on his face. He was like someone who walked out from a cover of a magazine. Yes, anyone who saw couldn¡¯t help but take a few more glances.

    If no one mentioned, no one would have imagined that he was dealing with ghosts and monsters every day.

    No one could have expected that the child who was almost killed by a ghost eventually became a top exorcist.

    The Dongyang Community not far away was very old, and the walls of the buildings were peeling off.

    He received a request that the third floor of Building 5 was haunted.

    After entering the community, and going up the stairs, an aunt in colorful clothes came to pick him up.

    ¡°It¡¯s here,¡± the aunt stood tremblingly at the end of the corridor, refusing to take  any further steps, ¡°this public telephone rings by itself every midnight.¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be looking for property management?¡± Lu Yingjiu asked.

    ¡°However, the wire broke several years ago and was about to be removed, no one uses public telephone nowadays.¡±

    Sounds like something. Lu Yingjiu immediately decided to stay here for the night.

    This floor¡¯s room 302 was not occupied. The old auntie spent a long time picking out a bunch of keys until her hands smelled of copper, then only did she take out the 302 room key.

    When she handed the key to Lu Yingjiu, she suddenly said to him, ¡°Lu Yingjiu, your time has come.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu was stunned. ¡°Huh? What did you say?¡±

    Yet, as a result, the aunt was more confused than him and rubbed her hands. ¡°Did I speak just now?¡±

    After the aunt left, Lu Yingjiu opened the door of room 302. Inside were two bedrooms and living room, some furniture that had not yet been disposed of, and were full of dust. The sound insulation here was not good, and all kinds of sounds came from the narrow cracks of the door¨Cthe quarrels of husband and wife, the sound of cartoons, the sound of cooking and the washing dishes¡ª basically a kind of crowded bustle. He opened the door again and looked out the hallway, where the haunted phone was lying quietly. The anti-theft net in the corridor was rusted, the sun was shining outside, a few flowers and plants were swaying in the wind, and the children running in the kindergarten could be seen in the distance.

    Lu Yingjiu casted a spell, and the wind picked up automatically, sweeping away the dust in the house. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. The TV could still be used after a hard smack. Lu Yingjiu made a dent on the sofa as sat, eating and watching while holding a bag of potato chips in his hands.

    Looking at it, he subconsciously touched the longevity lock on his chest. Thirteen years had already passed, and yet the longevity lock was still cold. It was the only evidence left behind by the ghost marriage. Without it, Lu Yingjiu almost thought that the wedding was completely just his imagination.

    He waited until midnight.

    It was quiet outside, only the sound of the ticking of the clock could be heard inside the room.

    The clock displayed that it was already half past one, and the crows outside were cawing, which was particularly bleak. Lu Yingjiu looked out at the cat¡¯s eyes. A black cat crossed the guardrail of the corridor with its tail raised. It turned its head and grinned at him, showing its white teeth.

    At exactly two o¡¯clock. Lu Yingjiu got up and stood silently against the door.

    The black cat outside the door sensed something, and it raised its fur in the doors direction. After a few seconds of feeling intimidated, it ran away. The moon was dark and the wind was blowing strong outside the window. The shadows of the branches were reflected on the curtains like ghosts¨Cand the phone rang sharply!

    Lu Yingjiu rushed out and picked up the phone.

    A hoarse voice came from the other end. ¡°¡­Lu Yingjiu, your time has come.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°Your time has come.¡±

    He immediately slapped a talisman on the phone. The talisman ignited flames, forcing out a black fog which made an extremely sharp and terrifying cry!

    Before it could escape, he smacked it away.

    Lu Yingjiu checked the phone again to make sure that there was no residual Yin left. A very simple task, as usual, was easily solved by him.

    The next day he got up early, packed his things and was ready to go home.

    The aunt followed behind him and shouted, ¡°Mr. Lu, Lu Great God! Are you sure that fellow won¡¯t come back!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure.¡± Lu Yingjiu waved his hand lazily.

    ***

    The place where Lu Yingjiu lived was a bit remote, and it took more than 40 minutes by car from the City Center. His family lived in an old building. The exterior walls were gray and had never been painted. The only color other than gray were the clothes hanging on the balcony.

    Many people¡¯s impression of Lu Yingjiu was that he must be rich. After all, he was a top exorcist in the ghost exorcism world, and how many people were asking him to do things.

    But in fact, his life was very simple, very plain. Living alone in an old building with simple decoration and few furniture. The clothes were either white shirts or sweaters and had nothing to eat. Sometimes, staying up late for a long time and drinking a few sips of health tea like an old veteran. The places he often visited were only the convenience store downstairs and the bookstore 500 meters away.

    The bookstore owner saw him all the time and remembered that this young man would always be reading unpopular books, most of which were related to horror, supernatural or crime. Sometimes when he was tired from reading, he would lie on the table and take a nap, with his front hair hanging over his forehead. His back collar of the shirt would reveal a slender neck, the skin which was as white as snow in the sunlight.

    One time, he hesitated a few times and asked Lu Yingjiu. ¡°What do you do? Don¡¯t you have a fixed working time?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu, who fell asleep after drinking, answered in a daze. ¡°It¡¯s a dangerous job.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± The boss said, ¡°So you are a loan shark.¡± After speaking, he put away the wallet on the table nervously.

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­..¡±

    As soon as Lu Yingjiu returned home, Milk greeted him with her tail upright. Milk was a cow cat. It squatted and rubbed at Lu Yingjiu¡¯s feet enthusiastically.

    ¡°Meow¨C¡±

    Only then did Lu Yingjiu remember that there seemed to be not enough cat food at home. He scratched the cat¡¯s chin and went out to the convenience store downstairs.

    The convenience store¡¯s light was still on, and several students inside were eating beef balls. Lu Yingjiu picked out cat food, several packs of quick-frozen food, and various daily necessities, and put them all at the cash register.

    The sales clerk in the convenience store was a little girl named Tang Xiaoqian, and her eyes lit up when she saw him.

    She had a ponytail, and a bow tie seemed to protrude behind her tied hair. She scanned the barcode and said, ¡°Are you¡­ have you been free recently?¡±

    Her eyes flickered, and she didn¡¯t dare raise her eyes, ¡°I remember that a new action movie is about to be released, and the reviews from abroad are particularly good. ¡°

    Lu Yingjiu smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t have time for now, I¡¯m a little busy with work.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­¡±

    Tang Xiaoqing was a little disappointed, and brushed her hair from her ear, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, work is indeed more important, and you should also pay attention to your body. By the way, do you want to pack this fish ball?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Tang Xiaoqing handed over the hot fish balls and looked at his bright eyes, but in the end, she simply said, ¡°Be careful, it¡¯s still hot. ¡°

    Lu Yingjiu said goodbye to her, carrying two big bags.

    When the automatic door of the convenience store opened, the scorching hot wind of July came in, and its heat wave outside was mixed with human voices pouring in. Until he heard Tang Xiaoqing¡¯s voice, ¡°Mr. Lu, your time has come.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu turned back suddenly.

    However, Tang Xiaoqing buried her head immersed in cleaning the cash register.

    When he got home, Milk sat at the door waiting for him, meowing. Lu Yingjiu touched its head and mixed old and new cat food to feed it. The cow cat ate happily and purred at him.

    He slept late two days ago, in fact, Lu Yingjiu had not been feeling sleepy when night came. He warmed up a glass of milk and drank it while reading something. The more he read, the more awake he felt.

    His sleep quality was consistently poor, which was only a very light sleep and a short amount of sleep. He only slept for four or five hours last night, and now he was planning on catching up on his sleep. But actually, it was no worse than when he was a child. Before the ghost marriage, he could hardly sleep at all.

    After some time, he finally fell into a deep sleep. However, when he opened his eyes again, it was pitch black and the air was extremely cold.

    Lu Yingjiu¡¯s head was muddled, and just as he was about to reach out to turn on the light, the back of his right hand suddenly hit something. It was a hard and cold object, like a wall.

    He was stunned for a few seconds, stretched out his hands and groped. The surrounding ¡°walls¡± stopped his movements. He tried to bend his knees, but it was also stopped. This cage that imprisoned him, only enabled him to lie flat, and a hard knock would only make a dull sound, like knocking on wood. After a few seconds, he heard the sound of gongs and drums.

    He groped around carefully again, and suddenly understood something in his heart.

    This texture, this is the texture of a coffin!

    And he was locked in, inside this dark and oppressing coffin.

    He only heard gongs and drums beating outside becoming more and more lively. He heard suona instruments being played, the crying and laughing of people and then suddenly, a sharp, piercing voice appeared.

    A goblin raised his voice and shouted loudly. ¡°The time has come¡ª!¡±

    At this moment, the longevity lock on his chest showed some changes for the first time in many years¨C it became extremely hot, almost to a blistering hot.

 CH 2

    The coffin trembled. It was lifted up and wobbled forward. The talisman could not be used for some reason. As Lu Yingjiu slammed the coffin wall hard, only a dull lingering sound came.

    Useless.

    It was no use at all.

    The surrounding Yin energy was strong. He quickly judged that he wouldn¡¯t be able to open the coffin in the current situation.

    Lu Yingjiu took a deep breath, calmed down, conserved his strength, and quietly listened to the movement outside.

    It was still the clamor of gongs and drums, other than that, there was no voice. The coffin swayed forward, as if it had crossed through a small river, went up the mountain then down again, and after an unknown amount of time, it finally stopped.

    The coffin was placed on the ground, and there was a flurry of pounding noise outside. Lu Yingjiu tensed up, waiting for the moment when the coffin lid would be opened.  After only a few seconds, the lid on top of his head loosened and it was opened silently.

    When the light came, Lu Yingjiu was about to jump out, but found that his whole body was frozen. He was unable to move.

    His eyes squinted at the light. In front of him was a masked goblin, wearing a pure black long gown, and holding a ghost mask in its hand. Before Lu Yingjiu could see clearly, the mask was suddenly put on him.

    Then what happened next was like a dream.

    Surrounding him were flowing colors, like mountains and rivers, and only the black mansion in front was vivid, with big red lanterns hanging on the eaves. His body was completely out of his control. It stood up and walked out of the coffin. With the sound of the gong, he wore the golden-red top scholar uniform, then walked forward surrounded by many little ghosts.

    The mansion looked very familiar.

    ¡ªUpon entering the house, there were red lanterns, red candles, heaven and earth tables, and guests with ghost masks¨C

    It was completely modeled on the scene of the previous ghost marriage.

    In the middle of the room, a man stood silently.

    The groom should also be fake.

    The man was also dressed in the golden-red top scholar uniform, but the floating clouds and dragons on his dress looked lifelike. The face that was covered in a mask, had its head bowed slightly, making it impossible to see his face or emotions.

    Lu Yingjiu came to him, stood still, and took a quick look.

    The other was about the same size as him. As long as he could move, whether if he was a human or a ghost, he should be able to fight him.

    However, contrary to his wishes, amidst the applause and cheers, as soon as the ghost master of ceremonies next to him shouted in a sharp voice, ¡°Worship the heaven and earth¨C¡±

    A cold great force pressed down on him. Lu Yingjiu almost used all his strength to resist, but his waist still bent slowly facing the heaven and earth table.

    ¡°Second, worship one¡¯s parents.¡± They bowed deeply towards the paper figures.

    Lu Yingjiu had a very bad feeling in his heart.

    Next, next, ¡ªhe absolutely shouldn¡¯t bow again!

    However, at the moment, he had no room for resistance at all!

    ¡°Third, worship the husband and wife facing each other¡ª¡±

    Unexpectedly, Lu Yingjiu suddenly felt a slight heat in his chest, and noticed that he somehow gained some strength.

    There¡¯s still a chance!

    That invisible great force again was on his back, trying to force him to bend over. However, Lu Yingjiu gritted his teeth and held on.

    The force increased minute by minute. As time moved forward second by second, he was already covered in sweat, and his vision darkened. He could feel the soreness of his spine and the tightness of his muscles. His body was like a taut bow, and sweat slowly rolled down on the side of his face.

    He didn¡¯t know how long it took, but Lu Yingjiu felt that his bones were crushed, and that he couldn¡¯t see anything clearly in front of him, yet he still held on.

    A moment later, the longevity lock on his chest suddenly became very hot to the point of scorching, a scorching hot that would almost burn through the chest!

    The goblins surrounding him suddenly exploded into a blood mist in an instant, leaving no residue. But the splashes of blood didn¡¯t even stain Lu Yingjiu¡¯s body. Instead, he was thrown backwards by a huge force, and everything around him was dissipating rapidly. The candles, the wedding hall, and the mansion were all shrinking at a fast pace in his eyes.

    Afterwards, he was hugged from behind and a man whispered in his ear.

    ¡°I¡¯m back.¡±

    ¡°Again¡­.give me a little more time.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu sat up instantly, gasping for breath.

    Looking around, he was still at home, the bookcase was there, the wall clock, and the bedside calendar. Everything was as usual and outside the curtains was the morning sun.

    His head was dizzy, as if he had been beaten by 800 monkeys. Lu Yingjiu got up, brushed his teeth and washed his face.

    The icy water that flowed down felt refreshing.

    When he looked up, he saw a young man with a pair of beautiful peach blossom eyes being reflected in the mirror. The eyes were long and slightly raised, but it didn¡¯t make his face too neutral. When placed together with a straight nose and neat jawline, it¡¯s just the right amount of sophistication.

    Lu Yingjiu carefully confirmed that there was no Yin energy left on his body. It looked like it was just a horrible nightmare.

    He subconsciously touched the longevity lock on his chest¡ªit was still very cold. Could it be that the scorching heat last night was just his illusion?

    He simply cleaned up and went downstairs. Upon going down, he saw a beige Honda, he simply opened the door and got in the passenger seat.

    Sitting in the driver¡¯s seat was a young man with a buzz cut. He was a very energetic person, and when he saw him, he became shocked. ¡°Ah, why are you looking like that? Didn¡¯t sleep well last night?¡±

    ¡°Hm.¡± Lu Yingjiu answered. This person¡¯s name was Ye Feng, an old friend of his.

    Ye Feng said, ¡°Not that I hadn¡¯t mentioned it before, but since the time I knew you, your sleep quality is very worrying. Are you not afraid of sudden death every day? I told you that you have to see a psychiatrist. If there¡¯s a trace of Yin, we will relieve it, and if there¡¯s a need, let¡¯s release it. Ah, where¡¯s your female ghost, hurry up and reconnect with her!¡±

    ¡°What kind of relief, it can¡¯t be cured.¡± Lu Yingjiu rubbed his brows, ¡°It¡¯s just an old problem. It¡¯s not that you don¡¯t know, it¡¯s much better than when I was a child.¡±

    ¡°Okay okay, then you hurry up and catch up on your sleep.¡±

    Ye Feng stepped on the accelerator and muttered, ¡°I really envy your physique. Even if you don¡¯t get enough sleep, you won¡¯t have dark circles under your eyes. If I don¡¯t sleep well enough, I can be a panda in a zoo the next day. It¡¯s true that it¡¯s a national treasure disease but it shouldn¡¯t be treated as something normal in our daily life.¡±

    The weather was fine today. The sky was so blue it looked like it had been washed with water. Ye Feng just got his driver¡¯s license and drove slowly all the way, as there were only a few cars and no one was urging him to do otherwise. Lu Yingjiu leaned against the car window to somehow make up for his sleep.

    In the City Center, there were several parking spaces on the roadside. Ye Feng wanted to parked in, but still adjusted back and forth three or four times.

    Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°You parked your car so badly, how did you get your driver¡¯s license?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk when you¡¯re eating my buns.¡± Ye Feng shouted and moved again.

    ¡°You bought your driver¡¯s license. ¡°

    ¡°Shut up!¡±

    Lu Yingjiu rolled his eyes and smiled.

    Waiting for Ye Feng to finally park the car, he almost fell asleep again.

    The two got out of the car and walked into a small alley. When ordinary people come into this alley, they would only see a dead end. At the end, as they walked through, thick walls disappeared into thin air, and were replaced by tall office buildings, with glass windows glittering under the sunlight.

    The members of the ¡°Green Lantern Association¡± were all ghost exorcists. They were well-known and could be said to be a top ghost exorcist organization. There was none like them. Even the craziest people, when encountering a Green Lantern Association member, would have to give even a little face.

    The inner structure of the building was the same as that of an ordinary office building.

    It was very quiet at first glance even though it was obviously a working day. There was no one in the huge hall, and it was terribly deserted. But as soon as they walked in, it was as if countless lines fell on their sight.

    Lu Yingjiu walked to the front desk and said, ¡°I¡¯m looking for President Chen.¡±

    The little girl at the front desk looked up at him. ¡°Is there an appointment¡­¡± When she looked up, she instantly recognized Lu Yingjiu. She was surprised for a moment, and then said, ¡°You can go straight up, he is on the top floor.¡±

    When taking the elevator, Lu Yingjiu slowly pinned a collar stud with a green cloud emblem on it. He wore a white shirt today, which made the green collar stud stand out like a green cat¡¯s eyes. This was the token of a Chief of the Green Lantern Association. If the collar stud was fastened, he would represent the Green Lantern Association.

    He was also the youngest Chief ever.

    To be haunted by bad luck was a curse, while having ¡°stunning talent¡± was an apology for his fate.

    Out of the elevator, there was only one office on the top floor.

    Chen Zheng was sitting on the sofa, taking hot water to make tea.

    He was nearly fifty years old, with gray hair and a plump figure. He even thought the plump man had gained weight for the past few years.

    The tea leaves were swirling in the cup. He smiled and said, ¡°Come and see if my tea-making skills have improved.¡±

    The two took their seats and each took a cup of tea.

    The pot was a purple clay pot, and the tea was a Darjeeling black tea. After the 90-degree water was poured inside the pot, sealed it with its cover, and poured into a tea cup; as they sipped it gently, the soft tea glided over the tip of the tongue, with a delicate fragrant aroma.

    Lu Yingjiu had drunk tea made by Chen Zheng many times.

    When he first joined the association, Chen Zheng valued him very much. He took him to have a chat every now and then, and made tea for him, especially his favorite scented tea. If one wanted to please Chen Zheng, the tea leaves one should send were of course should be the best. Xinyang Maojian, Tieguanyin, Dahongpao¡­ black tea, green tea, dark tea, white tea, he had at least tried them once. Even if the craftsmanship was not good, the tea leaves were excellent and were naturally fragrant when sipped.

    After they finished drinking, Chen Zheng added some more and said, ¡°Xiao Lu, let¡¯s talk about your transfer.¡±

    Ye Feng¡¯s expression changed while Lu Jiu only said, ¡°Please.¡±

    Chen Zheng: ¡°The Green Lantern Society has decided to temporarily dismiss you as chief until the investigation is over.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°As you know, the South Central South Branch has just been established, and most of the people there have little experience.¡±

    ¡°Hm.¡±

    ¡°Although a lot of veterans have been transferred, in a short time, the pressure of the branch is still very high, and it is good to have someone take the lead.¡±

    ¡°Hm.¡±

    Chen Zheng took a deep breath. ¡°Xiao Lu, there¡¯s always been nothing to do recently. You can take someone over there and teach them more things.¡±

    Ye Feng frowned.

    Before he knew it, he had already clenched his fists. He knew that there were several new injuries under Lu Yingjiu¡¯s clothes.

    His scars were not deep, but they were also extremely unpleasant to look at¡ªtwo years ago, during the Hundred Ghosts Night Parade, it was Lu Yingjiu who tried his best to disperse the rioting ones. One of the most horrendous wounds was on the shoulder blade. With Yin energy, his skin was battered badly, and it took almost half a year to cure. During that time, Ye Feng helped him change his dressing every day.

    Apart from these, there were also many old wounds. People¡¯s eyes are sharp. What Lu Yingjiu had done and how much he had paid could be seen in their eyes, that¡¯s why they naturally admire him immensely. It was for this reason that no one dared to disobey him as the Chief.

    Now Ye Feng only felt that there was a raging fire burning in his chest. How could Chen Zheng have the face to say this?! How could he have the face?!!

    His fingernails were about to break the skin of the palm of his hand, and just as he was about to speak, Lu Yingjiu raised his hand slightly and stopped him.

    Lu YingJiu¡¯s tone was still normal as he asked, ¡°For how long?¡±

    Chen Zheng was stunned, obviously did not expect him to agree so readily, ¡°It depends on the situation, let¡¯s start with half a year.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu raised his eyebrows¡ªwhen he did so, the tips exuded a cold sneer. Nice looking, but sharp.

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°It was said that I was being investigated, but in fact, I already knew the result. I did not violate any rules. The reason for my dismissal was that I had offended too many people above, and my background was not to their liking. I was supposed to exorcise ghosts. As the Hundred Ghosts Night Parade had just ended, and it won¡¯t happen again for decades, there naturally was no need to keep me. If I say that I don¡¯t want to go to the Central South Branch, what would you do?¡±

    Chen Zheng¡¯s expression changed. ¡°The investigation has not yet¡­..¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Lu Yingjiu drank all the tea, ¡°That¡¯s why I would immediately resign.¡± He stood up. ¡°President Chen, your tea skills have indeed improved.¡±

    Chen Zheng watched Lu Yingjiu walk towards the door with a straight back.

    Arriving at the door, Lu Yingjiu turned around.

    Chen Zheng had known him for so many years. He watched this young man¡¯s face grow little by little, from being a young juvenile to now. His looks had always been very good-looking, like a bright moonlight.

    For some reason, a sense of guilt suddenly flooded Chen Zheng¡¯s heart at this moment.

    Then he heard Lu Yingjiu saying, ¡°Thank you for taking care of me for so many years¨C although I really want to say this, but Chen Zheng, you are a fool.¡±

    Chen Zheng:???

    Lu Yingjiu hooked the corner of his mouth, pulled the green collar pin off, and threw it away.

    ¡°Go yourself.¡± The collar pin rolled on the ground a few times as he left without looking back.

    ****

    Ten days later.

    The afternoon sun was fierce as it shone through the swaying golden leaves.

    The moving truck moved forward. Ye Feng sat in the back seat and looked at Lu Yingjiu beside him. He had just gone to the Green Lantern Society again to sign the contract resignation. When he signed his signature, the handwriting was beautiful, his fingers were slender, and with a visible light scar on the back of his hand. This scar was from the time Lu Yingjiu saved Chen Zeng before.

    Chen Zheng didn¡¯t dare to come to see Lu Yingjiu, and only asked his assistant to sign it for him along with a pot of scented tea on the table.

    The assistant said, ¡°That¡­ President Chen said to let you finish this cup of tea before leaving and that this is a good tea this year.¡±

    ¡°No need.¡± Lu Yingjiu replied.

    If he drinks more tea from that fool, he is afraid that his IQ will be infected.

    When they finally got to the place, the truck stopped.

    Ye Feng and the workers moved a few boxes from the truck together. He said, ¡°You, you moved too suddenly.¡±

    ¡°The place I bought is on the second floor.¡± Lu Yingjiu pointed, ¡°Right there. Above the foot spa.¡±

    ¡°How could you buy a house here, it¡¯s so remote.¡± Ye Feng wiped the sweat on the back of his hand.

    ¡°Move quickly, move quickly, it¡¯s getting dark.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Along the way, Lu Yingjiu¡¯s performance was very ordinary. But Ye Feng felt that Lu Yingjiu was a little depressed.

    Who wouldn¡¯t be? What¡¯s more, Lu Yingjiu was naturally proud and arrogant. It¡¯s a good thing that he moved to another place, but news would spread quickly, and it wouldn¡¯t take long for everyone else to know about it. Rumors were inevitable. He was afraid that Lu Yingjiu would fall into disrepair, therefore he persuaded him openly and secretly for a long time along the way, telling him not to care about those people.

    Lu Yingjiu¡¯s tone was light, and he didn¡¯t know if he heard it.

    Ye Feng persuaded again, however Lu Yingjiu simply said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, I really don¡¯t care, anyway, they can¡¯t keep up with my level even after eight lifetimes of hard work.¡±

    He patted Ye Feng on the shoulder, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s not against you.¡±

    Ye Feng  snorted and punched Lu Yingjiu in the chest, and then smiled unconsciously.

    When they got there, Ye Feng and a few workers were carrying things, and Lu Yingjiu took the key and opened the door on the second floor. The first batch of things brought up was relatively few, with only one table and chair, most of which were Lu Yingjiu¡¯s notes and various ghost-exorcism utensils. Ye Feng saw that there were several notebooks on the ground,  also with several small decorative paintings on the wall, which depict the sunset, autumn leaves and the deep sea.

    Ye Feng asked, ¡°When did you buy this place?¡±

    ¡°Three years ago.¡±

    ¡°Three years ago?¡± Ye Feng looked around, ¡°Is it always this empty?¡±

    ¡°I would come over sometimes.¡±

    It did seem like the place was often cleaned. The lighting was good, the floor-to-ceiling windows allowed enough brightness, and just looking at it gives people a refreshing and open feeling. After moving things, they simply cleaned up. Ye Feng mopped the floor, Lu Yingjiu leaned out to clean the window, as the blowing wind puffed up his clothes.

    By the time everything was done, it was already dusk. Ye Feng was sitting on a chair, while Lu Yingjiu sat on the window sill.

    Ye Feng: ¡°This house has a unique layout, what about the kitchen? Where is the master bedroom? Don¡¯t tell me they¡¯re all in one room?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu drank iced lemon tea and replied, ¡°I didn¡¯t seem to have said that this is my new home.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Ye Feng was dumbfounded, ¡°It¡¯s not your new home, then why are you moving things?¡±

    ¡°To do business. ¡°

    ¡°To do business? You want to learn foot spa from downstairs, are you a beauty technician?

    ¡°If gender isn¡¯t so strict, it¡¯s not impossible.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°But this is a ghost exorcism office. ¡°

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    Ye Feng¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°How, how are you going to open this? The Green Lantern Association is a big family, moreover they¡¯re not that very happy with you. If they deliberately suppress you, you will not be able to develop anymore. Will you be able to do it alone? Won¡¯t you find another exorcist, what about other employees? How would you deal with the salary?¡±

    ¡°I know how strong the foundation of the Green Lantern Association is. But everyone is doing it step by step,¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°They are indeed rich in resources, and the ghost exorcists are also very good, but without me,  they wouldn¡¯t be where they are today. I don¡¯t have a shortage of contacts, and there are more people looking for me.¡±

    ¡°How about looking for another office to stay in?¡±

    ¡°Not interested.¡±

    Ye Feng hesitated. ¡°You really¡­haven¡¯t you been hit already? I don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary to start from scratch¡­ After all, you have a lot of other options, so why choose the most difficult one?  Even if you go back to the Green Lantern Association after the investigation is over, wouldn¡¯t it still be good?¡±

    As soon as he finished speaking, he himself was stunned.

    He knew that the current Green Lantern Association was different from before. Chen Zheng was not the Chen Zheng before who used to be a righteous man, nor was he his friend who shared life and death together before. This time, Lu Yingjiu was under investigation , unexpectedly resigned and yet no one tried to persuade him to not leave. It¡¯s as if those years spent together never existed.

    Sure enough, Lu Yingjiu shook the lemon tea in his hand and lowered his eyes slightly. This was the first time in the past few days that Ye Feng had seen him in a similar low mood. His heart was moved, he opened his mouth and said, ¡°Hey, just pretend I didn¡¯t say¡­..¡±

    Before the words were finished, the wind blew up the curtains and brightened the room.

    It was so empty a few hours ago, but now there were many things, which made it lively.

    Lu Yingjiu looked up at him and smiled. ¡°I just want to start over.¡±

    Sure enough, Lu Yingjiu was still Lu Yingjiu. Ye Feng thought to himself¨Cwhere do I need to worry about this person?

    When they heard a cell phone chimed, Ye Feng immediately looked down and suddenly became happy.

    ¡°Hey! What a coincidence! Do you know what happened?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Lu Yingjiu asked.

    ¡°The people in the association said that Chen Zheng, that bastard¡¯s tea cabinet was on fire.¡± Ye Feng laughed out loud, ¡°His several stacks of hundreds of thousands of tea leaves were hidden there for a long time, and now they were all gone. When he ran to save them, he fell down and broke a bone. Hehehe I¡¯ll show you the video. It made me laugh to death. A wicked person will definitely get what¡¯s coming for him!¡±

    Lu Yingjiu clicked on the video, and it was as Ye Feng said. He didn¡¯t know who was brave enough to shoot it, but in the end, President Chen was sweating on the ground in pain, and even shouted, ¡°Where are people! Where! Are the people here dead?!¡±

    ¡°Say, isn¡¯t  it a coincidence!¡± Ye Feng was still happy.

    ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± Lu Yingjiu didn¡¯t know how, and subconsciously touched the longevity lock on his chest, ¡°It¡¯s quite a coincidence.¡±

 CH 3

    In the following week, Ye Feng didn¡¯t take any ghost hunting requests and helped Lu Yingjiu set up the office.

    In this era, ¡°exorcism¡± was not a secret. A considerable number of people know about the existence of ghost exorcists, but only a few have actually come into contact with them. The probability of bumping into a ghost was even really low, and it basically only existed in the story from a neighboring aunt.

    Very few supernatural offices would start business in an open and upright manner¨Cit¡¯s not out of the question, but it was really inconvenient.

    For these kinds of obscure and mysterious things, people¡¯s views wouldn¡¯t particularly adapt so quickly. Moreover, most people wouldn¡¯t want this kind of thing next to their home. They¡¯re afraid because they don¡¯t understand. It¡¯s just human nature. Therefore, they would need a cover. Some were disguised as convenience stores, some were disguised as bookstores, all kinds of strange things. They had offices, but the source for customers was unstable. Lu Yingjiu had a friend who found that a fake convenience store could make more money than direct ghost hunting, therefore he changed his career immediately.

    A signboard was hung outside: ¡°Lu Ying Pub¡±  with the logo of a white and black cat sticking its head out of a beer mug. The interior of the house was fairly simple, with bar counters, wine cabinets, tables and chairs and decorations. A talisman paper was pasted on the door of the back room, and all kinds of exorcism utensils and notes were also found inside.

    Ye Feng said: ¡°Why did you think of opening a pub?¡±

    ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t want to, I have no interest in wine at all.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°But I want to relax and unwind a little bit, also don¡¯t you think Lu Ying Bar is a great name?¡±

    Ye Feng: ¡°¡­..¡±

    Ye Feng added, ¡°You don¡¯t even have a bottle of wine, let alone a bartender. What if there are really guests?¡±

    ¡°There won¡¯t be any customers.¡± Lu Yingjiu said casually, ¡°Look at this shabby place, there are no people passing by, therefore, there is no publicity, besides, the store itself looked crude.Think about it from a different person¡¯s perspective, will you really come to this crude store? Anyway, I won¡¯t, and the store almost looks like a money laundering place.¡±

    Ye Feng: ¡°¡­..it¡¯s always necessary to have a disguise.¡± He stood up and said, ¡°Go around and buy some bottles. You can put them on the shelf at most. Besides, I want to drink too.¡±

    Ye Feng drove, and Lu Yingjiu sat in the co-pilot. Ye Feng drove slowly, and Lu Yingjiu was also slowly making his way to dreamland. In summer, the temperature was high, and the air conditioner in the car was whistling only to barely suppress the heat. If one touched the glass window, one could still feel the heat from the outside. While waiting for the red light, Lu Yingjiu subconsciously rubbed the pendant of the longevity lock.

    It was still so cold, and the mountains and seas carved were still magnificent. Lu Yingjiu stroked the lines with his fingertips. He remembered every details and curves clearly, and he probably would never forget it in his life.

    When they got there, they went to a convenience store and nearby supermarket to buy a few bottles of cheap wine. After buying, they took the bags and found a Japanese ramen shop nearby.

    The store was not big, the lights were warm and yellow, and a few office workers were holed up in the corner looking fatigued. Ye Feng ordered tonkotsu ramen. The thickly sliced ??pork had the aroma of the soup, and the bamboo shoots were very crisp. Lu Yingjiu ordered pork omelette rice, which was a golden brown color.

    When eating, Ye Feng was devouring his, while Lu Yingjiu took his slowly¨Che was actually not that interested in the food, and was only eating enough to fill his stomach.

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°I seem to have forgotten to buy eggs and milk.¡±

    ¡°Would you like to go back to the supermarket?¡±

    ¡°Forget it, I can just buy it tomorrow. ¡°

    ¡°Okay.¡± Ye Feng said, then hesitated for a few seconds, ¡°The day after tomorrow, I¡¯ll probably have to go back to accept some requests.¡±

    When he said this, he was a little guilty. Lu Yingjiu¡¯s office was short of people¡­¡­to be precise, there was no one, only Lu Yingjiu, a bare commander, although this commander was equivalent to ten exorcists. However, with their friendship, he should have just joined Lu Yingjiu already.

    But the Green Lantern Association was the number one in the supernatural world, with a wide network of contacts, a lot of good commissions, and extremely handsome rewards. An ordinary ghost exorcist like him was, in a sense, also a member of the social beings, and he had to pay off the mortgage while losing his hair. He despised the current Green Lantern Association today, but he did not have the freedom of Lu Yingjiu to leave freely.

    For the past few days, he had been thinking about how he should answer if Lu Yingjiu asks him if he wanted to stay in the office.

    Lu Yingjiu picked up a piece of pork and said, ¡°Hm. You can just go tomorrow. There¡¯s nothing that I need help with.¡± He smiled, ¡°Thanks for these days.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still talking like that between the two of us?¡±

    Ye Feng also smiled. He didn¡¯t know if he was relieved or a little disappointed.

    After eating the crispy takoyaki, Ye Feng said, ¡°Let me treat you to this meal.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu looked at him and Ye Feng raised his beer mug, ¡°To wish you good luck in opening the business.¡±

    ***

    On the way back, when Lu Yingjiu opened the car window, the night wind instantly poured in. The foot bath hall below the pub was open, with bright lights, and a circle of flickering lights next to the price list. Lu Yingjiu and Ye Feng carried the wine to the second floor, and all were placed on the wine cabinet in a neat row.

    Ye Feng spared himself, opened a can and drank it. Lu Yingjiu sat next to him and focused on an APP on his mobile phone.

    The app was called ¡°Two Faced Buddha¡±, and the icon was a half-crying, half-smiling mask. Clicking on it, it would bring you to an ordinary forum page, all of which were related to supernatural beings.

    [I¡¯ll tell you about my horror night at the police academy back then.]

    [Asking everyone! Did I bump into a ghost!]

    [Can a peach wooden sword ward off evil? I just hit the grade director with it, and I need an explanation urgently.]

    On the surface ,¡±Two Faced Buddha¡± was a very popular supernatural forum, and countless people have posted their own bizarre experiences in it. But this APP was created for ghost exorcists. People with a keen sense could naturally judge whether there were really ghosts and ghosts when they saw these supernatural posts. In addition to this, countless exorcists were also exchanging information and accepting requests using this.

    ¡°What have you been watching at the moment?¡± Ye Feng took a sip of beer, ¡°Is there a request you want to take?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not looking at any requests.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°The APP launched its live broadcast function three months ago. It¡¯s a separate panel from the forum.¡±

    Ye Feng felt that it was rare. ¡°So you can watch this kind of thing too.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°I¡¯m thinking of doing a live broadcast as well.¡±

    ¡°What live broadcast? You want to film your cat while it¡¯s eating? Oh, don¡¯t say it, it must be very promising to engage in eating live, and a lot of people will come to see your face.¡±

    Ye Feng touched his chin, ¡°So, you¡¯re really not thinking about debuting.¡±

    ¡°Setting that aside, I can¡¯t even sing and dance, if they dare to let me on a stage, I would only tell them ghost stories one by one.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°What I¡¯m considering is a supernatural live broadcast.¡±

    Ye Feng: ¡°?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu opened a live broadcast room and said ¡°I¡¯ve been watching different supernatural live broadcasts these days, some are just making money, and some are even our peers.¡±

    On the screen, the anchor was exploring an old house. The curtains automatically moved without wind, and the wooden door also made a loud creaking sound, while the barrage on the screen kept floating past. Ye Feng saw that at the end of the stairs in the attic stood a ghost in white.

    [Brothers, put ¡°fear¡± on the public screen!]

    [Ah, ah, anchor, say a few more words quickly.]

    [This ghost is much more fierce than I have ever seen!]

    [Brothers, put ¡°fear¡± on the public screen!]

    (t/n Brothers, put ¡°fear¡± on the public screen!- literally everyone typing ¡°fear¡± in the comments to block the screen of a live broadcast)

    ¡°Supernatural live broadcasting has just emerged, but now it¡¯s attracting traffic and is on a period of explosive growth. It was very wise for ¡°Two Faced Buddha¡± to expand its business in this way.¡± Lu Yingjiu continued, ¡°I don¡¯t really want to go live, but on many occasions, I pondered, what if I just be a ¡°Supernatural Explorer Anchor¡±, which is much more convenient than a ¡°Ghost Exorcist¡±. ¡°

    All he wanted was an identity and it doesn¡¯t matter whether it¡¯s live or not.

    If one said that he could exorcise ghosts, he would be directly driven away by people as a liar. But an anchor was different. It was normal to inquire about and investigate supernatural events for traffic, and it was easier to pry open others¡¯ mouths. A small office like his had no reputation and needed such an identity even more.

    Ye Feng thought about it for a while and said, ¡°I think it¡¯s reasonable, you can try it. In case you do it on a whim, you can actually do a live broadcast once or twice, just so you can promote your office. But applying for a live broadcast room is a problem, after all, you and the ¡°Two-faced Buddha¡­.Many people are from the association, and I don¡¯t know if a normal application will work¡­ Hey, wait! It¡¯s Tang Baishan who is in charge of this.¡± His eyes light up, ¡°Doesn¡¯t he owe you a favor? It can definitely be done.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°Not necessarily.¡±

    ¡°Why not. If it weren¡¯t for you, how could he live up to this day? If you really want to do it, we can make an appointment with him.¡± Ye Feng became more and more excited, ¡°Listen to me, I¡¯ll go with you tomorrow.¡±

    Whatever he said, he didn¡¯t let Lu Yingjiu refuse.

    ****

    Afterwards. they cleaned up the garbage.

    Ye Feng put on his shoes and was ready to go home.

    ¡°Give me all the trash, and I¡¯ll put them downstairs along the way.¡± Lu Yingjiu handed him two bags of trash. Ye Feng opened the door and suddenly exclaimed.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lu Yingjiu asked.

    Ye Feng: ¡°Did you just buy egg and milk? They have been delivered.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°There are eggs and two cartons of milk at the door. Let me see¡­.whole fat and skimmed milk, both are good brands. Did you buy it and forgot? Oh wait, there is still a box!¡± Ye Feng bent down and looked, ¡°It seems to be a thermos. It¡¯s not a coincidence, isn¡¯t your thermos broken?¡±

    ¡°Maybe a neighbor bought it and was delivered to the wrong house.¡± Lu Yingjiu walked to the door and glanced at the package.

    Ye Feng muttered loudly, ¡°How can there be such a coincidence? You mentioned it while we were having dinner, and then this was delivered, along with the thermos you wanted to buy. You must have forgotten it yourself. I will bring it in for you first.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu frowned slightly. ¡°I really didn¡¯t buy it.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care, I have to catch the last bus.¡± Ye Feng put the things inside, ¡°If you are worried, keep it and ask your neighbors tomorrow.¡±

    Ye Feng took the garbage and left.

    Lu Yingjiu looked out the window and saw him getting on a bus.

    He put the eggs and milk in the refrigerator, put the box in the corner, and thought of going out and asking the neighbors tomorrow. But this was indeed such a coincidence, the things he lacked were suddenly sent to his doorstep.

    ****

    Tang Baishan used to be the operator of the ¡°Red Fox Live¡±, but now he transferred to work at the ¡°Two-faced Buddha¡± and was in charge of the live broadcast section.

    He ran into a ghost before and it was so vicious that he couldn¡¯t sleep at night and almost lost his life, however, the Green Lantern Association helped him solve it.

    The task was very arduous, and it was Lu Yingjiu who came forward at that time¡ªfortunately it was him. He was bold and careful, and he was not afraid of death. He captured the ghost and exorcise it until nothing was left in his home, otherwise Tang Baishan would have to lose half of his life even if he didn¡¯t die.

    Tang Baishan once said that Lu Yingjiu was his great benefactor. Therefore Ye Feng felt that he would definitely help Lu Yingjiu. At least, before today.

    ****

    In the office, Tang Baishan took a sip from the coffee cup, pondering something, ¡°I¡¯m really in charge of the live broadcast¡­¡±

    Ye Feng asked: ¡°Are there any other problems?¡±

    Tang Baishan put down the cup and leaned forward. ¡°In fact, the live broadcast has only been launched for less than three months. ¡°Two-faced Buddha¡± has no relevant grounding before, and many mechanisms are in the trial operation stage and need to be adjusted. If Mr. Lu is here on behalf of the Green Lantern Association, then of course there is no problem. But you see now, your office has just been established, and you haven¡¯t even accepted any tasks¡­¡±

    Ye Feng said: ¡°It just opened, but don¡¯t you also need more anchors?¡±

    Tang Baishan smiled and said: ¡°It¡¯s not like that. After all, our platform is of a special nature, and the quality must be strictly controlled, otherwise I will also be held accountable. In this way, Mr. Lu should apply first, and I will try my best to review it for you as soon as possible, but there¡¯s really no guarantee of success.¡±

    This attitude made it clear that he did not want to help.

    Ye Feng wanted to speak but Lu Yingjiu interrupted him and smiled. ¡°Okay.¡± He stood up, ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the office first.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay, okay.¡±

    Tang Baishan also stood up and sent them to the door, ¡°Mr. Lu, I¡¯m really sorry.¡±

    Outside the office, the sun shone brightly.

    Ye Feng muttered, ¡°This person is unreliable. He said it so firmly at the time, and now he is unwilling to help with this trivial matter.¡±

    ¡°Leave it be.¡± Lu Yingjiu added, ¡°We can¡¯t force him.¡± However, Ye Feng was still very angry.

    When the taxi came, Ye Feng said, ¡°Then I¡¯d better go to the meeting first.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    When Lu Yingjiu arrived downstairs of the office, and when he entered the room, he remembered yesterday¡¯s milk and eggs.

    There were not many people who could be called ¡°neighbors¡± in this neighborhood. There were only these three businesses next to his, the foot spa, real estate developers and a dental clinic, all of which were open now. Lu Yingjiu went to ask them one by one.

    The beautiful receptionist of the foot spa: ¡°We specify that express deliveries cannot be delivered to the store. Compared with this, can I add this handsome young man on WeChat?¡±

    The bald uncle of the real estate developers: ¡°How could I buy this kind of thing?¡±

    The young man in the clinic: ¡°It¡¯s not me, Sir, but do you want to apply for a card?¡±

    In short, nobody claimed that it was theirs.

    Lu Yingjiu went back, opened the refrigerator and looked again.

    The production dates of the eggs and milk were not that long ago, and the quality was fresh, but there was no receipt, even if it was sealed, he was not assured. He also didn¡¯t unpack the thermos, but left it in the corner.

    He thought: Otherwise, let¡¯s let it stay for a few more days, and maybe I can find the buyer.

    ****

    In the office, Tang Baishan was talking on the phone with a smile on his face.

    ¡°Yes, yes, he¡¯s gone now. I¡¯ll follow up on his application later, I won¡¯t let him pass.¡±

    ¡°What kind of malicious suppression? If I offended you, I would have already stopped. I have already explained this to the staff. With me here, he definitely won¡¯t get to live stream here.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, rest assured, his office won¡¯t be able to operate.¡±

    Hanging up the phone, Tang Baishan let out a long sigh.

    It was getting late, and the surrounding staff had already left. He tidied up the office, locked the door with the lights still on, and noticed that the elevator was broken when he reached the corridor.

    This is the 19th floor, how annoying. He cursed in a low voice and walked towards the end to the stairs.

    The lights in the corridor were also broken, it was pitch black, and nothing could be seen clearly. He illuminated it with his mobile phone and walked down slowly, inexplicably feeling that the stairs were deep and terrifying, as if they would never end.

    One minute, two minutes, five minutes¡­..

    The sounds of his empty footsteps echoed. Because he lacked exercise, his breathing gradually became heavier, and he tugged at his tie irritably.

    Why hasn¡¯t he arrived yet? Is this staircase that long?

    After turning to another floor, Tang Baishan stood still, panting and shining the light of his mobile phone upwards. ¡°19th Floor¡± was still written on the top of the emergency door.

 CH 4

    Tang Baishan panicked. He went down so many steps, how could he still be in the same place! His heart was beating so fast, he almost ran downstairs in terror.

    Step after step, his breathing became heavier and heavier, and sometimes he would stumble forward as he ran in a hurry, and fell in an embarrassing manner, rubbing the skin on his hands.

    The light of the mobile phone flashed across, and the sign of ¡°19th floor¡± looked haunting, and no matter how hard he tried, the door out of the stairway could not be opened.

    19th floor, 19th floor, 19th floor, why is it still the 19th floor?!

    He stumbled down after another step, his lungs were about to burst, and the smell of blood rolled in his throat. He barely stopped and took a deep breath.

    Tang Baishan calmed down a little, turned on his mobile phone with his back against the wall, and made a call with a trembling hand.

    Must, must connect!

    Cheerful music rang in my ears, and after a few seconds, a familiar female voice came.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Sister Li!¡±

    Tang Baishan almost cried out, ¡°Where are you! I ran into a ghost in the company!¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t gone home yet, where are you?¡± The other party¡¯s tone immediately became serious.

    ¡°The 19th floor! I¡¯m trapped in the stairs on the 19th floor! I¡¯ve been going around in circles!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll come over immediately, you stay where you are.¡± Then sounds of high heels thumping came through the phone, ¡°Don¡¯t hang up.¡±

    Tang Baishan leaned against the wall and swallowed his saliva. His hands were shaking so badly and his phone was covered in sweat. The light swayed in the narrow space like a ghost, and his heartbeat sounded like a drum in his ears.

    His hands were firmly on the wall, and the cracks between his fingernails were full of wall dust.

    He didn¡¯t know how long it took, maybe two minutes, maybe twenty minutes, when the crisp sound of high heels came from outside the stairs.

    Tang Baishan immediately shouted loudly. ¡°I am here! I am here!!¡±

    The high heels stopped at the top of the stairway.

    Two seconds later, the door was slammed open, and light poured in. The young woman with a high ponytail walked in quickly with several pieces of talisman paper, her high heels clattering. She held Tang Baishan up and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go quickly.¡±

    Tang Baishan¡¯s legs softened, barely following her pace.

    They walked all the way to the elevator, which turned out to be in normal operation. As soon as the door opened, Tang Boshan rushed in, pressing the first floor button desperately.

    The elevator door slowly closed. Sister Li said, ¡°How long have you been there?¡±

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know.¡± Tang Baishan answered, still in shock.

    ¡°It¡¯s very strange.¡± The woman curled her hair. ¡°We have set up many layers of barriers here. It¡¯s hard to imagine that there are still ghosts that could come in. We will investigate it later.¡±

    Tang Baishan just shook his head and pulled off his tie, gasping for breath. He inadvertently raised his eyes, then stopped abruptly.

    Sister Li was dressed up beautifully today, sprayed some perfume, styled her hair, the crane earrings were sparkling in her ears, and her fingernails were painted green.

    But above her head, the number 19 was still lit.

    The elevator didn¡¯t go down at all.

    ¡°Li..Sister Li, Sister Li.¡± His voice trembled violently, ¡°The elevator didn¡¯t move.¡±

    ¡°Did it not.¡± Sister Li looked up, ¡°Dear me! Maybe that ghost is still there.¡±

    ¡°Where, where is it?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, think of a way to get it out.¡±

    ¡°Then do it!¡±

    ¡°But wouldn¡¯t it be nice if the two of us stayed on the 19th floor forever?¡±

    ¡°¡­Huh?¡±

    The woman¡¯s body did not change, but her head turned 180 degrees, her eyes became all white. Then she smiled, ¡°I quite like this number.¡±

    ****

    Lu Yingjiu brought with him the black and white cat to the office. When Milk arrived in the new environment, it laid lazily on the windowsill, however, it suddenly raised its head and meowed facing outside.

    Lu Yingjiu looked over and saw Ye Feng¡¯s little Honda. He was trying to park the car, adjusting it several times before entering, almost rubbing its chassis.

    Ye Feng got out of the car and disappeared at the entrance of the stairs.

    A few seconds later, there was a knock on the door.

    Lu Yingjiu went over to open the door and said, ¡°Ye Feng, you really did buy your driver¡¯s license.¡±

    ¡°Shit!¡± Ye Feng scolded, ¡°You won¡¯t just let it go, will you? Let me in, I have something to tell you.¡±

    Ye Feng entered the room, sat on the sofa and poured a large glass of water before continuing. ¡°Something happened to Tang Baishan.¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°He ran into a ghost.¡± Ye Feng pointed to his shoulder, ¡°Here, a small piece of flesh was bitten off by the ghost on his shoulder, and it looked painful. After that, he kept having nightmares, and then several people from the Green Lantern Association went but still couldn¡¯t solve the problem.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu also took a glass of ice water, raised his head and took a sip.

    The ice cubes floated up and down, and there were small water droplets condensed on the glass. He gently stroked a few of them with his slender fingers, and the coolness soaked through his fingertips.

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°There are a lot of barriers in that building, ordinary ghosts can¡¯t get in and Tang Baishan being slightly injured¡­. a ghost with that kind of power, it would be easy for them to kill someone directly. ¡°

    Ye Feng hesitated for a few seconds and said ¡°Are you going to help him? To be honest, I think he¡¯s quite an asshole, but we can also raise the conditions for a live broadcast if we help him this time. At worst, if he still won¡¯t help us, we¡¯ll just never contact him ever again.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu didn¡¯t answer him directly, swiped a few times on the phone, opened up a page, and said, ¡°This is my application for the live broadcast. It was rejected within two hours of submission.¡±

    ¡°So fast,¡± Ye Feng frowned, ¡°It was Tang Baishan who did it. Damn, he really is a piece of shit.¡±

    ¡°Therefore, we should just wait for the dog to find us himself.¡± Lu Yingjiu folded his hands and showed a smile, ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m very interested in that ghost, but it¡¯s not that urgent. If Tang Baishan can¡¯t sleep every day, he won¡¯t be able to survive in a few days. Then we can talk to him about terms after.¡±

    Ye Feng said with awe, ¡°You are still ruthless.¡±

    As the matter was settled, he wiped the sweat from his face and wanted to find a bottle of drink. As soon as he opened the refrigerator door, he saw the milk and eggs, and asked, ¡°Ah? You haven¡¯t found the owner of these yet?¡±

    ¡°No. ¡°

    Ye Feng muttered, ¡°This person must have a big heart, that he can just fill the address incorrectly. I think you can eat it, better not to waste it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll just wait a bit longer,¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°after all, it¡¯s something of unknown origin. ¡°

    Ye Feng: ¡°What if someone who has a crush on you sent it, and if you rejected it, how sad would that person be.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu smiled: ¡°How can there be such a person?¡±

    Ye Fengxin: ¡°You haven¡¯t seen the group of people in the meeting who have a secret crush on you. They keep talking about how beautiful Chief Lu looked every day.¡±

    ****

    After two days, Lu Yingjiu was still not in a hurry, and only played with his cat every day and organized the office once a day.

    At noon on the third day, he turned on his mobile phone and saw a WeChat message from Tang Baishan.

    [Mr. Lu, I really have no choice, but to contact you..]

    Lu Yingjiu replied, saying that he had a request recently and it was inconvenient to come.

    After that, Tang Baishan sent several text messages, made phone calls, and asked acquaintances to deliver his message for him. Lu Yingjiu had been at leisure. Anyways, it was none of his business. After ignoring Tang Baishan for several days, he made his way to Ye Feng at a slow pace then nodded.

    Driving all the way, one could already see the newly built office building of ¡°Two Faced Buddha¡± from a distance, which was dedicated to live broadcasting, and the half-crying half-laughing mask icon was on the top most part of the building.

    On the surface, the ¡°Two-Faced Buddha¡± was a group with strong financial resources, secretly uniting and coordinating different exorcists, so that they were no longer scattered. In a sense, it was more like an informal ghost exorcist alliance, and the Green Lantern Association was the main force.

    Lu Yingjiu looked out from the car window. Half of the glass of the building reflected the sunny sky making it shone brightly.

    Lu Yingjiu blocked the light with his hands.

    The car was parked in the parking lot. He and Ye Feng got out of the car and found Tang Baishan.

    Tang Baishan was still barely working these days. That is, his office had been moved to the first floor of the adjacent building.

    He never dared to touch stairs and elevators again.

    When Lu Yingjiu came, two ghost exorcists were beside him.

    Tang Baishan was covered in sweat and his eyes were as black as that of a panda.

    He was arguing with them. ¡°It¡¯s useless! I will never go back to the 19th floor!¡±

    One ghost exorcist said, ¡°Let¡¯s go back again and find out why you are being targeted by ghosts.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been there twice!¡±

    The other ghost exorcist then said, ¡°This time the ghost was very strange, and the time it took was really beyond one¡¯s imagination. After all, this was a newly built building and the barrier had been strengthened.¡±

    ¡°You have no clue at all!¡± Tang Baishan was so agitated, then suddenly he hissed again, subconsciously realizing his injured shoulder.

    During their argument, Tang Baishan saw Lu Yingjiu, and immediately his eyes lit up.

    ¡°Mr. Lu!¡± His face was full of relief.

    The men¡¯s expressions changed, and they became quite embarrassed. Lu Yingjiu glanced at them. He had a little impression of their faces, but he couldn¡¯t remember their names.

    However, he was rather puzzled for a few seconds.

    Behind Tang Baishan was a hideous looking kid with fangs, but the two of them didn¡¯t seem to see it at all¡­¡­it was as if the kid deliberately did not want to avoid Lu Yingjiu at all.

    It poked its head from behind and looked at Lu Yingjiu, a strange expression appeared on its ugly face.

    It seemed a trembling a little. But not of fear.

    Lu Yingjiu looked at it, it moved a bit uneasy, and its sharp claws carefully took out something, trying hard to hand it to Lu Yingjiu.

    A bright red small flower from the underworld floated in the air.

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­?¡±

    He didn¡¯t understand why this kid wanted to show some affection, but he didn¡¯t pick it up, and only said calmly, ¡°What¡¯s the situation now?¡±

    One person answered angrily: ¡°Mr. Tang said that he can¡¯t remember who he has offended. According to the preliminary judgment, it may be a ghost of a person who jumped off the building, or someone who accidentally died in the elevator, and that had nowhere to vent its grievances.¡±

    ¡°There have been no murders during the construction of this building.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°Not even disputes.¡±

    ¡°This used to be an urban village, so it may have happened in the past.¡±

    ¡°No. Before the foundation was built, a spell was casted to clear all the resentments.¡±

    Another person said: ¡°Why are you so sure? Maybe there was an omission at the time.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu said: ¡°It¡¯s impossible, I was the one in charge at that time.¡±

    Two ghost exorcists: ¡°¡­..¡±

    What Lu Yingjiu did, they really didn¡¯t dare to question.

    Thus no one dared to say anything, Lu Yingjiu sat on the sofa and listened to Tang Baishan describing his nightmare.

    The plot was simple: the not-moving elevator, the inescapable 19th floor, and the sound of women¡¯s high heels echoing in the empty corridor.

    Tang Baishan was trapped in this dream for seven days, and was about almost ready to collapse. He was so frightened that he deleted the contact information of Sister Li. Aside from high heeled shoes, he was even afraid of seeing stilts on TV.

    Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°I¡¯ll go to the 19th floor first.¡±

    He glanced at Tang Baishan, ¡°Just stay here.¡±

    He didn¡¯t believe that just such a small ghost kid could break into the barrier. There must be a messenger behind it.

    Therefore, he still had to go and see for himself.

    Tang Baishan nodded again and again, Ye Feng stayed there and continued to ask for more details.

    Lu Yingjiu went to the corridor and pressed the elevator.

    Just as the elevator door was about to close, an exorcist hurried in, prevented the door from closing, and came in as well. His face was extraordinarily immature, he looked less than 20 years old.

    ¡°Brother Lu, I, I will go up and have a look together with you. We have met before, you can just call me Xiao Li.¡± He paused, ¡± I was there when you came to talk about the live broadcast that day.¡±

    When they got to the 19th floor, the surroundings were empty. It was said that disinsectization was done on this floor. This was the usual trick of exorcists.

    Every year during the Ghost Festival, ghosts were rampant, and many places in the City would start ¡°exterminating¡± or do a ¡°thorough cleaning¡± for no reason.

    The scene on this floor was really as what was said. There were big bags of cockroach medicine and insect medicine piled up in the corners, and there were all kinds of pest control equipment. Xiao Li passed by and coughed as soon as he smelled the spray.

    Lu Yingjiu started from Tang Baishan¡¯s office and went all the way to the corridor and emergency stairs.

    After Xiao Li coughed, he followed behind him and asked carefully, ¡°Did you find anything?¡± He was so nervous that his voice trembled a little, and added, ¡°We have checked here many times, and there is no resentment.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu didn¡¯t say a few words along the way, and even smiled at him a few times, his eyebrows were really gentle and handsome. However, he was really inexplicably afraid of Lu Yingjiu, perhaps because Lu Yingjiu used to be the Chief, or because Lu Yingjiu had an inexplicable sense of alienation, making it impossible for people to approach.

    Lu Yingjiu shook his head. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the elevator and have a look.¡± The elevator door was closed, and it stayed in place because it didn¡¯t leave the floor. Lu Yingjiu stood silently, facing it.

    Xiao Li didn¡¯t see it, but his eyes glowed with red light.

    Many ghost exorcists from aristocratic families have formed bonds with supernatural beings. Divine beasts, ominous beasts, or priests of the underworld. For example, the Ye family made a pact with the Li Serpent and protected them for generations. The Chu family also made a contract with the Divine Peacock, and from then on, the wind and the water sailed smoothly.

    For so many years in the Lu family, Lu Yingjiu was the first ever to become a ghost exorcist.

    Therefore, he started empty-handed, and the objects of the contract were all picked up from trash bins by the roadside.

    Now, Lu Yingjiu was summoning his contracted supernatural creature. At the top of the elevator, a small furry black beast appeared out of thin air. It had four short horns on its first head and was very small, but it made the elevator sink down. Looking up, the dark and empty elevator shaft was reflected in its silver-gray pupils.

    Xiao Li swallowed. ¡°Mr. Lu, did you do something? Why do I think the elevator seems to be sinking a little?¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Lu Yingjiu said casually, ¡°Maybe there is someone above the elevator.¡±

    At his will, the black furball quickly searched the surroundings.

    No abnormality was found. Not even the slightest resentment.

    This was a very special case.

    Lu Yingjiu lowered his eyes slightly. When he turned around, he found that Xiao Li was restless and kept looking up at the elevator. He pressed the button corresponding to the first floor and the elevator began to descend, as Xiao Li became startled.

    ¡°Mr. Lu ,Lu¡­ Mr. Lu,¡± His voice was tight, ¡°If it¡¯s a ghost and we can¡¯t even feel its presence at the moment, does it mean it¡¯s very powerful?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. ¡°

    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you have any reaction¡­¡±

    Lu Yingjiu rubbed his chin and said, ¡°Xiao Li, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a little strange.¡±

    ¡°What, what?¡±

    ¡°Tang Baishan said he had never offended anyone, but according to experience, this kind of ghost usually comes to seek revenge.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°He started having nightmares seven days ago. Do you remember what happened that day?¡±

    ¡°That day¡­.nothing special happened that day.¡± Xiao Li tried hard to recall. ¡°Didn¡¯t you and Mr. Ye came here that day?¡±

    ¡°Then my live broadcast application was rejected, and Tang Baishan refused to help me.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ah?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu turned back and smiled, his peach blossom eyes bent. ¡°Now, do you still think that he hadn¡¯t offended anyone?¡±

    The elevator descends slowly. Xiao Li looked at him in astonishment.

    The elevator sank slightly again¡ªthen several more times, as if someone was stomping above the elevator! He looked carefully at Lu Yingjiu again, his skin was impeccably good-looking, the corners of his mouth were hooked, and there was a faint red light in his eyes!

    The elevator slowly descended, and the floor numbers jumped down one by one. Xiao Li didn¡¯t dare to breathe, and subconsciously took a half step back and pressed his back against the wall.

    ¡°You, you, you¡­what do you want to do!¡± he stammered, ¡°I have talisman paper in my hand! A lot of talisman paper!!¡±

    He threw the talisman papers in the air and they flew like flying snowflakes.

    Lu Yingjiu was unmoved.

    Xiao Li became even more frightened.

    They had already arrived on the first floor.

    The Yin soldier disappeared out of thin air, and the elevator door opened. Outside stood a man, about the same age as him, wearing a clean white shirt. Looking carefully, from his watch to his leather shoes, they were all big brands. He looked like a young master who had a mine at home.

    Behind him were two or three ghost exorcists, and at a glance he immediately saw Lu Yingjiu, and Xiao Li, who was huddled in the corner of the elevator, trembling. He frowned. ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you?¡±

    When Xiao Li saw the person, he almost shed tears. ¡°Master! I tried my best! Take it, it¡¯s up to you now!¡± With the courage of a master, he suddenly emboldened himself and ran out of the elevator without a shadow left.

    After playing with Xiao Li, Lu Yingjiu was in a good mood and stepped out of the elevator to look at Chu Banyang. The auspicious cloud collar button was pinned to his snow-white neckline. Which he himself had just taken off, that logo of the Chief of the Green Lantern Association, not long ago.

    Chu Banyang came from an aristocratic family of exorcists. It was said that people from aristocratic families have their own deterrentament, and he was one of the best among them. Going from that, he had a natural model face, young and handsome look, sword eyebrows and star eyes, and a cold air that seemed to make people back off by three points.

    It¡¯s a pity that he and Lu Yingjiu had always been at odds with each other. After all, Lu Yingjiu overwhelmed him at everything. If he hadn¡¯t been there from the beginning, Chu Banyang would have been the chief.

    Chu Banyang asked, ¡°What did you tell him?¡±

    ¡°Scared him a bit.¡± Lu Yingjiu leisurely said, ¡°Your apprentice is so cute, I believe so.¡±

    Chu Banyang frowned, ¡°Lu Yingjiu, you are still as naive as before.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu only smiled at him and walked towards Tang Baishan.

    Chu Banyang was half a position behind him, which he felt wasn¡¯t right.

    ¡ª¡ªIn the past few years, Lu Yingjiu had been ahead of him, but now his identity had drastically changed. Lu Yingjiu was now under serious investigation, had no position, and opened a firm that could close down at any time. However, he himself was now the Chief of the Green Lantern Association. It stands to reason that Lu Yingjiu should be following him around and asking for some good commissions.

    But in the end, it was still this same scene!

    Chu Banyang almost gnashed his teeth. ¡°Your office has just opened and you need to accept some requests, right? Shall I introduce¡­¡±

    ¡°No need.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°Thank you, second place.¡±

    Chu Banyang almost didn¡¯t catch his breath.

    Xiao Li, who had just run away, sneaked back by himself, and followed behind Chu Banyang.

    He knew that his master was not in harmony with the Chief Lu. Now Xiao Li was very careful, for fear that if he was not careful, he would die under the gunfire of the two bosses¨C and he estimated that there would be no ashes left.

    However, people should not run away! Especially as he was an excellent ghost exorcist!

    Xiao Li, with the mentality of ¡°sacrificing one¡¯s self for others¡±, was very careful, and observed his words and expressions.

    Sure enough, Chu Banyang¡¯s face was as gloomy as a dark cloud, while staring at Lu Yingjiu. After so many years, all he could see was Lu Yingjiu¡¯s back.

    But staring at him, his frowning brows slowly calmed down, as if they were slowly smoothed out by a pair of hands.

    Perhaps even Chu Banyang didn¡¯t realize that the corner of his mouth evoked a very shallow smile. A smile that would have come from the heart, like seeing something that he had been pursuing and fascinated by his whole life. It was almost even a¡­..gentle smile??

    Xiao Li¡¯s eyes widened, and felt that the world had collapsed. As a result, Chu Banyang turned around and said, ¡°What are you looking at?¡±

    ¡°Nothing, nothing, nothing,¡± Xiao Li stammered, ¡°I was just thinking¡­.what were you smiling at, Master?¡±

    ¡°Was I smiling?¡± Chu Banyang frowned, ¡°What¡¯s so funny here, is it possible that I smiled at that guy Lu Yingjiu? What nonsense are you talking about, go back and copy a book for me immediately.¡±

    Xiao Li: ¡±???¡±

 CH 5

    Back at the office, the other ghost exorcists from the Green Lantern Association were also gone.

    Tang Baishan rushed forward and couldn¡¯t wait to ask.

    ¡°How is it!¡±

    ¡°No trace was found.¡± Lu Yingjiu answered and Tang Baishan froze immediately.

    ¡°Then, what do you think we should do now¡­¡±

    Lu Yingjiu directly changed the topic. ¡°However, I have a solution to your nightmare.¡±

    That ugly kid was still leaning on Tang Baishan¡¯s back.

    Solve the ghost problem, of course. Then the nightmares will also stop.

    He stared at the kid.

    The little ghost trembled, and stretched out its sharp claws again. In its grasp was still the little flower of the underworld. It grabbed Tang Baishan¡¯s back, trying hard to hand the flower to Lu Yingjiu.

    Lu Yingjiu still refused to accept it.

    As a result, disappointment clearly appeared on its unfriendly face.

    Tang Baishan hurriedly asked, ¡°What way?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu sat on the sofa with both fingers intertwined. The minaret gesture was a sign of extreme confidence in psychology. He did not look ostentatious when he did it, but the aura of years of fighting the supernatural comes out all at once.

    He said, ¡°Let¡¯s talk about the conditions, after all, this is a delegation.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay, money matters are negotiable.¡± Tang Baishan promised.

    ¡°It¡¯s not about money,¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°I want to talk about the live broadcast.¡±

    ¡°Live broadcast¡­¡± Tang Baishan froze for half a second, ¡°This, this, after all, I still have to follow the rules¡­¡±

    What he said was pure nonsense.

    If he really followed the rules, it would be impossible for Lu Yingjiu¡¯s live broadcast application to be rejected. He had rich experience, complete materials, and every item fully meets the standards.

    This person was really forgetful. When he finally invited Lu Yingjiu over, and when the matter was settled, he began to play dumb again.

    Tang Baishan smiled again and said, ¡°Mr. Lu, you shouldn¡¯t be the kind of person who would make things difficult for others¡­¡±

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°The so-called delegation, it should be recognized by both parties. This is my condition.¡±

    Tang Baishan¡¯s complexion changed several times, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He glanced at Chu Banyang next to him several times, wanting to see his reaction, however Chu Banyang remained unmoved.

    At this moment, Lu Yingjiu was also surprised.

    With Chu Banyang¡¯s strength, he should¡¯ve not failed to notice the kid.

    Lu Yingjiu originally thought that Chu Banyang would solve the problem impatiently and save face for the Green Lantern Association. But what does he mean by not saying a word? Or is it just simply being partial to the other person.

    He glanced at Chu Banyang.

    Chu Banyang turned his face away, as if deliberately not meeting his gaze.

    Lu Yingjiu chuckled secretly, thinking it was quite interesting.

    Ye Feng next to him interjected, ¡°Hey, didn¡¯t you say you still have an appointment this afternoon?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu looked at his watch and said, ¡°I almost forgot, why don¡¯t we talk about it tomorrow? Anyway, it¡¯s just for one day, it¡¯s not like you¡¯ll be in a much more dangerous situation.¡± He stood up and counted the seconds silently.

    One second, two seconds, three seconds¡­

    ¡°Wait a minute! Mr. Lu, stop, I will finish this matter, as long as you get rid of that ghost.¡± Tang Baishan wiped his sweat with the back of his hand and the flesh on his face trembled. ¡°I can sign your live broadcast application directly for you, but I just need to call and ask for instructions. You two should have some tea first.¡±

    When Tang Baishan was on the phone, Lu Yingjiu was sitting on the sofa, drinking a cup of high-quality Chrysanthemum Pu¡¯er tea.

    The little ghost on Tang Baishan¡¯s back looked at him, and held up the little flower persistently.

    Lu Yingjiu found it fascinating.

    It was the first time he had seen this kind of situation¡ªit was obviously just a weak ghost kid, but he somehow got into the barrier and now, it was trying to give a flower to a ghost exorcist. The first thought that popped into his mind was that the little ghost surely had bad motives and ulterior intentions¡­..This kind of little ghost, he could make it disappear with only a snap of his fingers.

    While Tang Baishan was on the phone with his back turned to them, Lu Yingjiu tentatively hooked his finger to the kid.

    The kid was stunned.

    Lu Yingjiu mouthed: ¡°Come down.¡±

    Sure enough, the little ghost was obedient and jumped down while still holding the flower.

    Tang Baishan suddenly felt as light as a swallow, froze for a moment, and then continued talking on the phone.

    The little ghost didn¡¯t have too much resentment on him. He was just an ordinary wandering ghost, and he might also have a few unfulfilled wishes. But Lu Yingjiu doesn¡¯t really care. As long as it stopped hurting people, he¡¯d just let it go.

    The kid jumped to his side and the flower dangled in front of Lu Yingjiu.

    Lu Yingjiu paused and took it. The moment his hand touched the flower, Yin energy suddenly fluctuated.

    The flower manifests itself.

    Its red color was gorgeous, and its petals unfold silently, layered and very brilliant.

    Ye Feng next to him was stunned, and asked in a low voice, ¡°Why do you suddenly have a flower on your hand?¡±

    ¡°It was given by that nightmare ghost.¡± Lu Yingjiu replied in a low voice.

    Ye Feng became startled, ¡°It¡¯s here? Why didn¡¯t I see it, don¡¯t pick up its things.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Lu Yingjiu showed him the palm of his hand.

    He didn¡¯t touch the flower directly, as a small talisman paper was attached to his palm. The talisman did not ignite spontaneously, which proved that the flower was not cursed.

    He looked at the kid again and asked, ¡°Who sent you here?¡±

    The little ghost shook his head desperately, and ran away in a hurry. Its face looked relieved, as if he had finally completed a great task.

    After Tang Baishan made the call, he asked someone to bring all the materials. Lu Yingjiu submitted an application on the spot, and he approved it on the spot.

    After the contract was signed, Tang Baishan said cautiously, ¡°Mr. Lu, the ghost thing¡­¡±

    ¡°It has been resolved.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, standing up, ¡°But there are still some questionable points. Don¡¯t go back to the 19th floor, and come to me anytime if there is any new situation.¡±

    Several exorcists looked at each other.

    Since Lu Yingjiu said that the matter was settled, they all got up and prepared to leave.

    When they got outside, the sky was blue and the sun was bright but not too hot. Today¡¯s weather was really good, there was no need to do anything and just staring at the distance while feeling the wind blew could make one feel good.

    Lu Yingjiu held the little flower in his hand and the red petals trembled in the wind.

    Before leaving, Chu Banyang looked at him without speaking.

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°What do you want to say?¡±

    Judging by his posture, he wanted to bring up the matter of that little ghost.

    Sure enough, Chu Banyang said, ¡°Is there nothing you want to ask me?¡± It was written all over his face, ¡°Quickly ask me why I didn¡¯t expose you!!¡±

    ¡°No thanks.¡± Lu Yingjiu then waved his hand, ¡°Goodbye.¡±

    Chu Banyang:¡±¡­..¡±

    Although it was a ¡°goodbye¡±, in fact, Lu Yingjiu saw Chu Banyang again that evening.

    However, in the afternoon before that, Lu Yingjiu was tossing vases. In order to raise that¡­¡­.. little flower from the underworld.

    One was because this flower was a clue, and the other was that it was just really so beautiful. The petals were spread out layer by layer, and one could easily tell at a glance that it was carefully selected. Only this one but it was already more beautiful than a large bouquet of roses. It would be a pity if it withered so quickly.

    The flower was put into a bottle, with a few dewdrops, it really looked so delicate and charming. It may have appeared to be the color of blood, but it was not terrifying.

    As soon as he stretched out his hand, he took away the little black beast that wanted to pick the petals.

    Little black beast: ¡°Awu!¡±

    It wrestled back and forth in Lu Yingjiu¡¯s arms, jumped to the ground with its last struggle, and ran over to grab the cat food with the black and white cat. Perhaps because it was born in a trash bin, it had an unparalleled enthusiasm for food, and wanted to taste everything. The cow cat dared to be angry but did not speak, and only frantically swatted its head with its paws. With its set of obviously ineffective meow meow punches, the little black beast¡¯s HP was 0.

    After Lu Yingjiu finished tidying up, he went to bed and took a nap as usual and the flower on the windowsill, at the same time, became more and more vibrant in color.

    He dreamed of the day of his dark wedding.

    Different from the fake wedding he dreamed of last time, this time it was a real one¡ªthe master of ceremonies and the sorceress in the mansion were talking nonsense and kowtowing, as if they had seen the most terrifying thing in the world.

    For many years, before the red candle in the dream, Lu Yingjiu listened to the sound of the majestic rain, and bowed down to the empty place yet again.

    But now, it was different from what he remembered.

    He was slightly taken aback¡ª

    A man dressed in a black top scholar uniform stood in front of him, and his face was unclear, as if covered by mists.

    Lu Yingjiu looked up at him. For a moment, he felt the surrounding wind blowing, heard the thousands of fierce ghosts wailing, and felt the chill that pierced through his bones. He saw Yin soldiers coming in line, with flying banners, escorting countless living souls, surrounded by little ghosts, with sharp teeth.

    Even the Hundred Ghost Night Parade back then was not as powerful as this one. It was as if the entire underworld had been miniaturized on the person in front of him and looking directly at the person was like staring into an abyss.

    Lu Yingjiu¡¯s first reaction was¨Cthat master was really unreliable.

    Why is it a man on the other side?!

    When he came back to his senses, his hand was already caught.

    The man¡¯s hands were cold, as he put a longevity lock into his palm.

    Today¡¯s Lu Yingjiu had already been expelling ghosts for many years. Feeling threatened by the other person, he instinctively threw out the longevity lock. As soon as his right hand turned over, he took out a piece of paper, bit his finger and wanted to draw a spell!

    But before he could do it, his movement was stopped.

    The man grabbed his wrist again. He exerted force, but he couldn¡¯t break free. Blood trickled down from his fingertips and dripped onto the ground.

    A few seconds of stalemate ensued.

    Lu Yingjiu¡¯s whole body was tense.

    The man stroked his bleeding fingertip, and after a while, the bleeding stopped. Stained with his blood, he wrote two words on Lu Yingjiu¡¯s blank spell paper.

    ¡°Jing Xian¡±

    The font was in bold characters, and the endings and turns were like sharp knives, which was a bit chilling.

    Lu Yingjiu hesitated and said, ¡°Is this¡­your name?¡±

    When the control of his body came back, he suddenly withdrew his hand and took half a step back.

    The man didn¡¯t say a word, looked at his hands, and then at the longevity lock on the ground, as if he was thinking about something seriously.

    It seemed that the other party was irritated by his actions. However, Lu Yingjiu¡¯s thoughts were surging, thinking about thousands of strategies.

    After a few breaths, the man really moved. He slowly took out a¡­..diamond ring box! A velvet one even!

    Lu Yingjiu was shocked.

    When he opened it, he saw that it was really a huge diamond ring and it was shining brightly, and then the other person tried so hard to reach for his hand. This scene was even more outrageous than the little ghost giving him a flower from the underworld.

    Lu Yingjiu couldn¡¯t hold back and exclaimed, ¡°Fuck! Don¡¯t change the nature of the wedding casually!¡±

    ¡°¡­.¡±

    The dream seemed to be interrupted by something, and Lu Yingjiu suddenly woke up.

    He sat up, a little dazed.

    He felt like he had another strange dream. As before, he doesn¡¯t remember anything. But he¡¯s pretty sure¡­he really dreamed something weird this time.

    His thoughts were not clear, but his head was full of confusion. He looked back and saw that the little flower from the underworld on the window sill was now only a solitary pole swaying in the air. Its flower had disappeared.

    His eyes fell to the side.

    The little black beast: ¡°Hoo!¡± It opened its mouth to breathe, and smiled at him, looking in a good mood, and a leftover petal was clearly seen in its mouth.

    Lu Yingjiu supported his forehead, his eyes fell back to the bed. Suddenly, he found that there seemed to be a black thing protruding from under his pillow.

    When he picked up the pillow, he froze¡ªthere was a black box underneath. He picked up the box, opened it, and saw that it was a huge diamond ring, the kind that sparkled enough to blind a dog¡¯s eyes.

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­?¡±

    He was very confused.

    Bzzzttt¡­

    Then his phone vibrated. He answered the phone and heard Ye Feng say, ¡°I just finished a commission, let¡¯s come out for dinner? Let¡¯s celebrate you solving the Tang Baishan matter hahaha.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu rubbed his browbones, temporarily suppressing the doubts in his heart. ¡°Where do you want to go? The ramen shop you introduced last time had a turnover, will we be able to eat out?¡±

    ¡°Of course we can. How can a man say no. Let me tell you, a particular Japanese store was recently rated with a high score, and I even got to grab a 10% discount coupon. It¡¯s not for nothing. Anyway, it¡¯s not far from your home. Come quick, come quick.¡±

    Ye Feng sent a location.

    Lu Yingjiu checked it, and the subway Line 3 could send him there directly. He changed his clothes, thought about it, put the diamond ring box in his arms, went downstairs, and walked all the way to the subway station. It was off-duty time, and the subway station was crowded with people, and he finally arrived after taking two stops. When he stepped out of the subway, he suddenly felt like he¡¯d stepped into another place.

    The Japanese grocery store was called ¡°Kumano Izakaya¡±, it was not big or small, and was nestled in the corner of the street. The interior was very delicately furnished, with warm lighting, wooden tables and chairs, and bottles of sake on the bar counter, which was reflected with clear light. A few people sat in front of the bar, drinking some wine, eating some sashimi, appearing very comfortable.

    There were a lot of guests, but fortunately there was no need to wait. The two of them were at the booth in the corner. As soon as Lu Yingjiu opened the menu, Ye Feng patted him violently.

    Lu Yingjiu raised his eyes, and happened to meet Chu Banyang¡¯s gaze. Chu Banyang just walked in, followed by Xiao Li.

    Chu Banyang was also startled. Lu Yingjiu simply smiled and said, ¡°What a coincidence¡ªwaiter, please change us to a bigger table.¡±

    The store was busy and there were no booths for four people.

    Five minutes later, they sat at the bar.

    The atmosphere was a bit subtle.

    It was mainly because of Lu Yingjiu and Chu Banyang.

    Again, Chu Banyang was born at the wrong time. Since joining the club, Lu Yingjiu had overwhelmed him every time, and he would always be only in second place. Eldest Young Master Chu was also pretentious. He thinks that he and Lu Yingjiu were Ji Shengyu, He Shengliang? It¡¯s all simply a knot in his heart.

    (t/n Ji Shengyu, He Shengliang-It is a metaphor for two people of similar ability or strength to compete with each other, and jealousy will arise . Contains the meaning of lamenting that the Creator is playing tricks on people.)

    From outsiders¡¯ point of view, the relationship between the two of them was extremely rigid, Lu Yingjiu didn¡¯t bother to care about it, and it didn¡¯t matter whether Chu Banyang hated him or not.

    Lu Yingjiu added matcha powder into the cup, added boiling water, then the green immediately swirled inside the cup.

    He said, ¡°How do you have the time to come here?¡±

    Xiao Li was just frightened by Lu Yingjiu this morning, and now talking to him, his voice became a little weak, ¡°I saw that this restaurant had high ratings and delicious sashimi, therefore I recommended it to Master.¡±

    Chu Banyang looked at the menu sullenly, without speaking.

    He frowned slightly.

    Lu Yingjiu thought he was in such a bad mood, but he heard Chu Banyang ask the waiter as he raised his head, ¡°You don¡¯t have any king crabs here?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± The waiter replied.

    Chu Banyang nodded, then pointed to the sashimi. ¡°We¡¯ll have one of each.¡±

    Xiao Li hurriedly said, ¡°Master, don¡¯t order so many for me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, just try everything.¡± Chu Banyang glanced at Lu Yingjiu and Ye Feng, ¡°I can finish it.¡±

    In this way, it was obvious that it was a treat.

    The Chu family¡¯s technique of exorcising ghosts had been passed down from generation to generation. After being blessed by the Divine Peacock, they began to do business. They chose auspicious days, observed Feng Shui, and explored the undulating mountains¡ªtheir journey was smooth sailing. Now, in this Lujiang City, everyone in the Chu Family Group was well known. Chu Banyang was the Young Master who was born with a golden spoon in his mouth. He was so wealthy that it was outrageous, and Young Master Chu seemed to have always acquiesced, that with him around, he would be responsible for paying the bill. Today was no exception.

    After a while, all the dishes came up, and the table was full.

    Ye Feng chatted with Xiao Li, talking about a recent corpse dismemberment case. The two were discussing where the head of the corpse went.

    Ye Feng suddenly inserted a piece of tuna sashimi, held it up to Xiao Li, and said loudly, ¡°The minced meat on her arm was this color at that time! This is the most beautiful meat I have ever seen!¡±

    The customers nearby: ¡°???¡±

    Ye Feng ate the sashimi in one gulp, and said, ¡°So, where do you think the head is¡­¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Xiao Li said, ¡°It must have been chopped up too.¡±

    The customer next to him suddenly raised his hand, ¡°Waiter, we¡¯ll pay the bill!!¡±

    Ye Feng and Xiao Li were still chatting enthusiastically, and they didn¡¯t notice anything unusual.

    The conversation topics at a dinner table full of exorcists were always wild.

    Since Lu Yingjiu had been used to drinking wine, he opened a can of beer and drank it.

    Chu Banyang also asked for a can, and finally asked, ¡°What happened to that little kid today?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°There is nothing wrong with the flower it gave me. I also checked the entire 19th floor and found that the enchantment was not broken. The only possibility I can think of is that a priest might have done it. ¡°

    But priests generally do not interfere with the world of the living.

    Next, the Green Lantern Association would continue to investigate, however, it had nothing to do with Lu Yingjiu anymore.

    Lu Yingjiu took a sip of beer.

    Chu Banyang also took a sip.

    He ate some sushi and took another sip, then Chu Banyang also did the same.

    After several times like this¡ª

    Lu Yingjiu:¡±..?¡±

    He glanced sideways at Chu Banyang, who stared straight ahead with no expression on his face.

    The two of them drank like this. Finally, Chu Banyang finished the beer one step ahead of Lu Yingjiu.

    The moment he put down the empty can, his tight expression loosened, obviously in a state of physical and mental pleasure.

    Lu Yingjiu thought: It¡¯s over. This kid has been driven crazy by him, must have been because he really wants to be first place.

    Fortunately, what he ordered was not soup, otherwise, Master Chu would drink it with a stiff neck, and his mouth would be full of blisters. He might also be proud after scalding, and thought that he had more blisters than others.

    He took another sip of beer, and said tactfully, ¡°Are you¡­ a little perfectionist?¡±

    Chu Banyang: ¡°No.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu saw that his face was flushed, and asked, ¡°Are you a lightweight?¡±

    Chu Banyang: ¡°No, I can drink very well, and I always rank first.¡±

    Lu Yinhjiu: ¡°¡­..¡±

    He held his forehead. Chu Banyang was really hopeless.

    Chu Banyang felt hot afterwards that he rolled up his shirt sleeves, and exposed several scars on his arms¡ªthe two of them were the same in this regard, experienced exorcists always have special medals on their body.

    He was already drunk with just a small can of beer.

    His drinking capacity was really bad.

    Lu Yingjiu touched the thing inside his pocket, and then thought of actually bringing out the diamond ring to show Ye Feng, and wanted to ask him if he could see anything¡­But now that Chu Banyang happened to be here, it seemed better to ask him about it.

    He put the diamond ring box on the table, opened it, and asked, ¡°You¡­¡±

    Unexpectedly, Chu Banyang¡¯s eyes fell directly on it.

    It seems that he has already seen the problem.

    Lu Yingjiu stopped talking, looked at Chu Banyang staring at the diamond ring. His face and ears¡­he didn¡¯t know if it was because of the beer, but they became more and more red, almost as if they were dripping blood.

    Then he looked up at Lu Yingjiu, with drunkenness in his eyes, he hesitated to speak. ¡°I¡­¡±

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°Hm, tell me.¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°Say it.¡±

    Chu Banyang¡¯s eyes wandered for a long time, until Ye Feng, who had almost finished eating a large plate of sashimi, fell his eyes back and landed on the diamond ring.

    ¡°This, this is not good. Although you had already resigned, but this, this is also considered an office romance¡­¡­..If it is exposed, he is the heir of the Chu family, and there will certainly be gossip exploding. Although I can spend money to remove it from the hot search, I can also buy a water army¡­¡­Which one do you think is better? How about foreign powder fans? The Chu family has their own powder fan base abroad, therefore you can rest assured that they can produce their own fan base.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    Although he didn¡¯t understand at once, Chu Banyang appeared to have heard something very terrible.

    The people here are really drunk.

    Bzzztt..

    Suddenly, Chu Banyang¡¯s cell phone vibrated violently on the table.

    He muttered, ¡°Foreign is better.¡± Then he answered the phone, ¡°Hello, what is it?¡±

 CH 6

    16 hours ago, Meihua Community.

    There was a new hot pot restaurant in the community, and it was open 24 hours. Its taste was good, the price was low, and one only had to wait for an hour or two to get a table.

    Zhao Hu sat outside with a few brothers, drank some wine, cooked some beef, mutton, or duck intestines and brain, and before he knew it, it was already early morning.

    The brothers were all slightly drunk, their faces and necks were flushed.

    Because Zhao Hu didn¡¯t feel satiated enough, he beckoned and called the waiter again. ¡°Alas, the brain was very good, hiccup, serve me another plate.¡± The waiter responded, turned and went back to the shop.

    Just as Zhao Hu was about to light a cigarette, the brother next to him suddenly said with his tongue almost lolling out, ¡°Hu, Brother Hu, your drinking capacity today ¡ªis really not good enough.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re one to talk.¡± Zhao Hu slapped him with a smile, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s fill it up again! Whoever doesn¡¯t finish the drink will be the grandson!¡±

    After another round of drinking, he became even more drunk, leaning against the back of the chair and saying strange things. Zhao Hu¡¯s drinking capacity was good, but even when he was drunk, he still remembered that the dish of brain hadn¡¯t been served yet.

    ¡ª¡ªThe waiter forgot.

    He cursed in a low voice, and waved vigorously. When he caught a person, he immediately scolded. ¡°Where¡¯s the food?! Why haven¡¯t my brains been served yet!¡±

    The passer-by was puzzled. ¡°I¡¯m not a waiter.¡±

    Zhao Hu became even more angry. ¡°Then why don¡¯t you hurry up and become a waiter! If you don¡¯t become a waiter and serve me, will brains simply fall from the sky?!¡±

    Boom!!

    Suddenly there was a loud noise.

    Before Zhao Hu could react, he heard the screams of the people next to him!!

    He had never heard such a terrible scream, and his drunken self immediately sobered up halfway. When he turned his head, the table collapsed, the hot pot was overturned, and a body was lying straight in the middle. The red and white pieces were spread out, as blood and brain were smeared on the table.

    Zhao Hu:¡±¡­.¡±

    ****

    Chu Banyang put down the phone, propped his head up, and said, while holding back his drunkenness. ¡°Something happened in the Meihua Community, I¡¯ll be going there. Take your time.¡±

    His gaze was still drifting on the diamond ring on the table.

    Just as Lu Yingjiu was about to speak, Xiao Li skillfully took out a piece of talisman and slapped his master with it on the head.

    The effect was immediate.

    The blush on Chu Banyang¡¯s face went down immediately, and he sobered up. The daze in his eyes receded, he paused for a few seconds, as if his brain was restarting. However, his ears were still red.

    ¡ª¡ªThat was obviously not the effect of alcohol.

    ¡°Meihua Community¡­¡± Xiao Li murmured, ¡°I remember that there were several cases of homeless people disappearing nearby, and it was even on the news. Why are there all kinds of bad things there? How bad is the feng shui there?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu stopped Chu Banyang and said: ¡°Let¡¯s go there together. This case must not be easy, since they even have to specifically notify Chu Banyang of such an incident.¡±

    Chu Banyang looked at Lu Yingjiu, and said calmly, ¡°Why do you want to go with me? I don¡¯t need your help.¡±

    Well, the usual Chu Banyang is back.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°Then I won¡¯t go.¡±

    Hearing this, on Chu Banyang¡¯s face suddenly appeared three points hesitation to speak, three points awkwardness, three points pretentious arrogance and a three points unbearable curiosity¡ªthese full twelve points of emotion made that handsome sculpture-like face look somewhat¡­¡­somewhat tangled.

    After a few seconds, he said arrogantly. ¡°If you really want to go, I won¡¯t stop you.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu:¡±¡­..¡±

    He ignored Chu Banyang¡¯s awkwardness, and asked again. ¡°You didn¡¯t notice something wrong with the diamond ring just now?¡±

    Chu Banyang asked strangely. ¡°What diamond ring?¡±

    From the way he looked, he probably didn¡¯t remember what nonsense he said just now.

    It may not be a bad idea.

    Otherwise, with his thin skin, it was estimated that he would remember it for a lifetime. The kind that would be automatically played back every night late at night.

    Lu Yingjiu showed him the diamond ring again, and Chu Banyang looked at it for a while.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it just an ordinary diamond ring, and it has no evil spirit. Why do you still carry a diamond ring with you when you go out?¡±

    His expression was a bit complicated. ¡°¡­¡­..Are you going to propose?¡±

    ¡°No. It¡¯s hard to explain in one sentence. I¡¯ll tell you later when I have a chance.¡±

    Chu Banyang became hesitant to speak again. He reach out for the diamond ring, wanting to carefully inspect it if there was any problem, but just as he stretched out his hand¡ª¡ª

    Pa!

    A faint noise sounded, then the velvet diamond ring box was suddenly tightly closed.

    If it weren¡¯t for Chu Banyang¡¯s quick reaction, his fingers would have been pinched. Judging by the aura of the box, it appeared to be firm and angry, and it seemed that it could even snap his finger bone.

    Lu Yingjiu:¡±¡­..¡±

    Chu Banyang:¡±¡­¡­¡±

    Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°Look, that¡¯s why I said it¡¯s hard to explain in one sentence.¡±

    Ye Feng and Xiao Li next to them didn¡¯t pay attention to this at all.

    When he paid the bill and left, Xiao Li came up again and said, ¡°Master, what brand of foreign milk powder are you talking about just now? My aunt just gave birth and is planning to buy it.¡±

    ¡°¡­foreign milk powder?¡± Chu Banyang, who barely managed with great effort to stray his thoughts from the diamond ring, glanced at him inexplicably. ¡°What milk powder? How can I mention such a thing? You can listen to your Master¡¯s speech, but you dare to be inattentive. Go back and copy books for me.¡±

    Xiao Li:???

    Since Chu Banyang came by car, the said car, a black Bentley, was parked on the street.

    Five minutes later, the four people stood beside the car, looking at each other.

    Chu Banyang: ¡°I¡¯ve drank.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu:¡±Me too.¡±

    Xiao Li: ¡°I¡¯ve had two or three drinks¡­it¡¯s probably unlikely for me to drive.¡±

    Then the eyes of the three fell on Ye Feng.

    Ye Feng: ¡°Ah¡­I only had my driver¡¯s license about two days ago, and it¡¯s even difficult for me to park. Do you really want me to drive?¡±

    Chu Banyang: ¡°I won¡¯t ask you to pay me if I get there too late. This is the cheapest car in my family. I simply bought it to hit someone.¡±

    Xiao Li: ¡°Brother Ye Feng, if you have a driver¡¯s license, it means you are capable. You really don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu:¡±¡­¡­.¡±

    He had a very bad feeling.

    As they got inside the car, Ye Feng fastened his seat belt, and held the steering wheel with a guilty conscience.

    He was really scared.

    ¡ªLu Yingjiu and Chu Banyang, which was considered bosses, not to mention the whole country, they at least represented half of the ghost exorcists south of the Huaihe River¡ª

    He was really afraid that he might hit someone or let them bump their heads.

    Chu Banyang said in the back seat, ¡°On the 18th. It was yesterday, someone in the community called the police saying that they heard something falling at two o¡¯clock in the morning, and almost hit a customer at a table while eating hot pot. We need to hurry¨C¡±

    Zoom!!

    Everyone instantly leaned forward, and Xiao Li¡¯s head hit hard on the front, making him dizzy.

    Looking up again, the car had already bolted across the middle of the road.

    Half of the ghost exorcists really bumped their heads directly, and the bosses had even created some depressions.

    Lu Yingjiu:¡±¡­..¡±

    Chu Banyang:¡±¡­..¡±

    Five minutes later, Ye Feng decided to stay alone and wait for the traffic police, while the other three took a taxi.

    Chu Banyang briefly explained the case in the car, and Xiao Li nodded beside him, yet he hadn¡¯t heard Lu Yingjiu saying anything for a long time. When he turned his head, he saw Lu Yingjiu with his head tilted towards the window. He could only see his beautiful jawline and slender neck from the neckline.

    He hadn¡¯t slept well, therefore he started catching up on sleep again.

    Xiao Li also took a look, but suddenly heard Chu Banyang ask, ¡°What are you looking at?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, nothing, nothing.¡± Xiao Li stammered, ¡°Master, keep talking! I¡¯m listening carefully!¡±

    ¡°Go back and copy the books a few more times.¡± Chu Banyang said lightly.

    The taxi, which was carrying Xiao Li¡¯s wail, ran along the road, speeding all the way, and finally stopped at the entrance of the Meihua Community.

    The red and blue police lights kept flashing, several police cars blocked the gate of the community, and several policemen were in the community, evacuating the rest of the people. Thus a group of people had blocked the main entrance of the community. Summer was naturally hot, and when people got agitated, their heads would also be covered with fine beads of sweat. Old men in sweatshirts, aunts in flowered shirts, young men with angry faces¡­¡­Looking around the vast expanse of black, it made one feel hot just by looking at it, as the smell of sweat permeated the air.

    ¡°Why did you kick me out?!¡±

    ¡°What the hell is going on now! I want to complain!¡±

    ¡°Did no fucking one explain the situation?¡±

    ¡°Would I be breaking the law if I go home now?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu quickly glanced at the scene. This time the news was tightly sealed, the reporter didn¡¯t squeeze over like a fly smelling rotten meat, otherwise it would inevitably give him a headache.

    Several of them stepped forward.

    Seeing them approach, the police hurriedly said, ¡°The community is closed, and people who have nothing to do with it should not approach!¡±

    Chu Banyang took out a black leather ID and showed it to them¡ªthe Green Lantern Association already had long-term cooperation with the police. In the past two years, the police had even set up a special department to make contact with ghost exorcists. When encountering a supernatural event, just say hello, and the people in the meeting could get through unimpeded.

    When the policeman saw it, he breathed a sigh of relief.

    ¡°You are finally here.¡± He turned around and shouted, ¡°Old Liu! He is here!¡±

    He turned to the side and opened the iron gate of the community. Inside, an old policeman came up to meet them, and the back of his blue uniform was completely wet with sweat.

    He raised his hat, took a breath, wiped his sweat again, and said, ¡°Come with me, just call me Old Liu.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu followed Old Liu, looking around as he walked through the neighborhood.

    It was a very common community structure, with a small garden in the center, and thus far most people were evacuated out of the community. The police were still very cautious when encountering such a nasty supernatural event.

    Old Liu led them all the way into a small road, passed through the gaps in between the buildings, and came to the farthest corner of the community. There was a small open space, a hot pot restaurant which looked like it had just been opened, and there were a few round tables around it.

    Before approaching, Lu Yingjiu smelled a stench.

    Like rotten eggs left in the middle of summer for three days, but it was more disgusting than that. Flies buzzed about. Several policemen and forensic doctors stood at the scene, and a yellow warning tape was drawn in a big circle.

    Lu Yingjiu walked over, in the middle of the long grass, two corpses were laid shoulder to shoulder, covered with white cloth.

    Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°We¡¯ll take a look at the corpses.¡±

    Old Liu went over and uncovered the white cloth. The stench instantly rolled in the air, and it made Xiao Li retched while leaning against the wall.

    Lu Yingjiu squatted down beside the corpse.

    A man and a woman, wearing ordinary clothes.

    It was said that the man jumped from the seventh floor of the top floor. His leg was broken, and a thick white bone protruded from the broken flesh. The female corpse, on the other hand, was very intact. She didn¡¯t look like she experienced any trauma. She was lying on her back, her eyes were closed peacefully, her skin was delicate, her lips were ruddy, as if she had just fallen into a deep sleep.

    Old Liu explained, ¡°We received the alarm early in the morning, and when we arrived at the scene, there was only the male corpse. We first removed the smashed table, but before we could deal with the corpse next, in a blink of an eye, another corpse was lying next to him¡­..Looking at this situation, who would dare continue to deal with it.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°What¡¯s the case of these two people?¡±

    Lao Liu:¡±The male was Zhong Aiguo, 35 years old this year, was an employee of an insurance company and had just resigned three days ago. We contacted friends and family members, and they all said that Zhong Aiguo did not show any signs of committing suicide. The female was Ji Cai, 28 years old, a former teacher,¡± he hesitated for a few seconds, ¡°she was confirmed dead a year ago.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu glanced at the corpse and asked, ¡°What was the cause of death? Why wasn¡¯t her body cremated?¡±

    ¡°The autopsy showed no results and no cause of death was found.¡± Lao Liu said, ¡°Without conclusions, no one dared to burn her, therefore she was kept in the morgue. At that time, they also suspected that it was a supernatural case,  and invited a ghost exorcist to come over, however, there was still no result..¡± He glanced at the female corpse again and shuddered. ¡°But then she suddenly appeared here now, it¡¯s so fucking weird.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu looked at the corpse carefully.

    There was no Yin energy, and no abnormalities could be seen. Looking up again, the buildings around him were tall and were against the blue sky.

    This was an old community, the walls of the buildings were peeling off, mottled in large pieces, and the anti-theft windows were full of reddish-brown rust. But the view from the top floor should be very good. If one watches the blue sky while falling from above, they may feel like a bird for a moment.

    Lu Yingjiu looked away and asked, ¡°Which hospital¡¯s morgue is the female body in?¡±

    Lao Liu replied, ¡°The Second City Hospital.¡±

    ¡°Go and investigate all the suicide cases in the City in the last eight months, focusing on those who fell and died near the Second City Hospital.¡± Lu Yingjiu stood up, ¡°There are too many people outside the community now, tell them all to evacuate, don¡¯t leave one person behind. We¡¯ll take over community monitoring.¡±

    Several ghost exorcists from the Green Lantern Association came to the scene, and Chu Banyang arranged for them to paste runes on the scene.

    Ten minutes later, Lu Yingjiu was already sitting in the monitoring room of the community, a notebook with white pages spread out on the table.

    On the screen, the video recordings within three days were being played at 3x speed. The picture quality of the community surveillance was not good, and staring at it for a long time really hurts the eyes. As the scene changed, his brown pupils trembled slightly, without any emotion, like icy amber, or some kind of preying feline.

    A few policemen and security guards were behind him, all of them held their breaths. Old Liu was on the phone outside, making an official request for the data of suicide cases¡ªin fact, not everyone could command these people so easily.

    After all, ghost exorcists were merely just collaborators, and there would inevitably be people with ulterior motives, smuggled goods, and sinister smugglers¡­..Therefore, many confidential documents would not be leaked to them at will and would need to pass an inspection first. It¡¯s not something that could be easily obtained with just lip service.

    This time Lu Yingjiu was brought in by Chu Banyang, and they all tacitly agreed that he was also from the Green Lantern Association¡ªin fact, just a few days ago, he was indeed, and even at a level of a boss¡­..

    Moreover, even if Lu Yingjiu simply stood there casually, the sharpness between his brows couldn¡¯t be hidden, like a knife that had just been unsheathed, with a glint of snow.

    That kind of confidence was engraved in the bone.

    No one would dare question it.

    Xiao Li had just finished vomiting, and his face was frighteningly pale.

    He leaned against the wall in the corner, and said weakly, ¡°Brother Lu, has he always been this powerful¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°Hm.¡± Chu Banyang replied, ¡°Since the time I knew him, but he is still a bit worse than me.¡±

    Xiao Li:¡±¡­¡­¡±

    Mhm, mhmm, Master, what you said is correct.

    Chu Banyang gouged him out.

    Xiao Li: ¡°Master, you are right!!¡±

    ****

    The surveillance video was over.

    Lu Yingjiu wrote [9:15] in his notebook, drew a circle, and asked: ¡°Does Zhong Aiguo have obsessive-compulsive disorder? For example, he must complete a certain thing at a certain point in time.¡±

    The policeman replied, ¡°His relatives and friends have not mentioned any.¡±

    The community security also shook his head and said, ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu clicked on the pages of the book with the tip of his pen. ¡°In the past three days, Zhong Aiguo has arrived at the gate of the community at 9:15, started walking his dog at 9:45, and then appeared again at 10:10 to take out the trash. The deviation does not exceed half a minute. If we only talk about this, it may be explained as a habit, but his previous behavior, such as going to work or returning home at noon, was irregular. Look at this action..¡±

    He changed the surveillance screen to Zong Aiguo at the entrance of a Unit.

    The angle of the camera was just enough to capture the main entrance of Unit 3. It was the night of two days ago, at 9:30, Zhong Aiguo stood downstairs at home and made a phone call. Holding the phone in his left hand, he suddenly raised his right hand, trying to wipe something next to his head with his right hand, but there was nothing, then put it down again.

    He was on his phone for ten minutes, and this action was repeated three or four times.

    The policeman said, ¡°What does he want to touch?¡± He felt his hands and feet become cold, ¡°It can¡¯t be that something was lying on his shoulder, right?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Lu Yingjiu shook his head, ¡°Most ghosts will be captured by the camera. Besides, his action was more like a habit.¡±

    ¡°Habit of what?¡±

    ¡°Flipping hair.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°A long hair.¡±

    ¡°Zhong Aiguo took a new ID photo half a month ago, with short hair, and his entry photo six months ago also had short hair.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that Aiguo has long hair before, but this was not ¡®him¡¯. That kind of obsessive-compulsive disorder-like routine was not ¡®him¡¯ either.¡± Lu Yingjiu put down his pen, ¡°At that time, he was already possessed by a ghost every night. ¡°

    As soon as these words came out, the temperature seemed to drop a bit.

    Several people in the room looked at each other, feeling cold.

    Lu Yingjiu folded his fingers loosely, leaned back on the chair, and said, ¡°Has the data on the suicide case been pulled out? I want to see if there is any contact between the two victims.¡±

    ¡°Old Liu is still talking outside.¡± The policeman immediately said, ¡°I¡¯ll go out and ask.¡±

    He was about to push the door open when it slammed open, almost hitting his nose.

    Old Liu rushed in and said in a panic, ¡°They sent me a photo!¡±

    He turned his phone screen towards the crowd.

    The photo was sent by a colleague who had stayed behind in the scene, and it was a little blurry, as if it was taken in a panic.

    The two bodies were photographed.

    Ji Cai¡¯s appearance was different from before. She had her eyes opened, turned her head sideways, and stared at the camera with dark eyes.

    ¡°Fuck¡ª¡± The policeman took half a step back suddenly, his scalp was numb, ¡°This is really¡ª¡±

    Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°Give me your phone, I¡¯ll go there.¡±

    He took Old Liu¡¯s mobile phone and quickly walked out of the monitoring room, followed by the sound of Chu Banyang and Xiao Li¡¯s footsteps.

    When he went out from a dim environment, his eyes couldn¡¯t adapt to the strong light for a while, and the surrounding area looked like it was shimmering in white. Lu Yingjiu subconsciously narrowed his eyes.

    When his sight was fully restored, he had already walked into the alley.

    There were tall buildings on both sides, and the alley was extremely narrow and cramped, as if it would squashed the person in between in the next second.

    Before he knew it, the footsteps behind him disappeared.

    Or rather, everything became too quiet.

    Except for the rustling of leaves overhead, the footsteps disappeared, the bird calls disappeared, and even the noise outside the community was completely blocked. There was nothing.

    It was like in this whole world, he was left alone.

    Lu Yingjiu lowered his eyes.

    In the photo on the phone, Ji Cai¡¯s dark eyes were looking at him.

    Then she slowly raised the corners of her mouth.

    She smiled at Lu Yingjiu.

    A gust of wind blew by, and the shadows of trees danced wildly on the ground¡ªthen came a rustling sound, like the syllables squeezed out by a dying person¡ªdry, hoarse, and intermittent.

    Yin energy suddenly surged.

    There was a group of little ghosts behind him.

    Resentful spirits came earlier than he expected.

    Lu Yingjiu looked away.

    The sun¡¯s light and the shadows of the tall buildings slanted down on his body, half bright and half gloomy. The some kind of strange color flashed through his beautiful eyebrows¡ª

    It was not fear, or impatience.

    But instead a kind of veiled, heartfelt excitement.

    Some spells require blood to be used and Lu Yingjiu brought a small blade with him. At this moment, he tossed the blade, the blade danced nimbly around between his fingers. He then clenched the handle with his backhand, and with a light swipe, he slashed open the tip of his index finger.

    Bright red blood beads emerged from the wound.

    But before he could take out a talisman, his eyes suddenly flashed.

    He heard a chuckle.

    There seems to be a¡­¡­fragrance in the air?

    Extremely shallow and very light, cold fragrance.

    It was difficult to describe in words.

    It¡¯s as if when one was looking for plums, yet they suddenly bump into a crescent moon, and the misty fragrance of flowers was flowing into the moonlight.

    When he came back to his senses again, he heard the sound of footsteps again, the sound of wind, and the sound of people rushing over, and crashing into him. The world went back to running as if nothing had happened.

    The ghosts are also gone.

    Lu Yingjiu was stunned.

    Looking down, the wound on his index finger had also healed, and it was so clean that there was no trace left.

    Xiao Li, who caught up panting, said, ¡°You, why did you stop here?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°Because I encountered some¡­interesting things.¡±

    He didn¡¯t continue forward, he turned around to the way he came, and searched all the way back.

    It was calm and he didn¡¯t find any clue.

    Lu Yingjiu stood in the middle of the alley, thought for a moment, and walked again. This time he didn¡¯t pay attention to Yin energy, his eyes swept over the wall, the ground and the green vegetation in the corner¡­..

    Almost towards the end, something reflected light in the corner, and it was somewhat shining.

    Lu Yingjiu squatted down next to it, pulled out a piece of talisman paper, and flicked the talisman paper lightly, and it burned. With this light, he saw a little black-red liquid.

    This is blood.

    Lu Yingjiu narrowed his eyes.

    The ground was already broken, therefore he only kicked it lightly, kicking away a few broken bricks.

    Black-red blood gushed out from the ground, instantly staining the ground red. It was only then that Lu Yingjiu saw clearly what was underneath.

    Broken bones, severed limbs and heads.

    Squeezed and flattened together in the soil, and was completely unrecognizable.

    This was not a human being, but the ghosts who were following him.

    Lu Yingjiu remembered that he had seen a hydraulic press crushing things, and he was moved by its force at that time, but now, that scene seemed to appear before his eyes again¨C white bones were broken, skulls were crushed, and what was left was almost as thin as paper.

    The moment they wanted to rush up to him, there must have been some kind of weird and terrifying force pressing them under the ground, crushing them.

    Xiao Li suddenly exclaimed, ¡°Ah! What¡¯s that in your hand!¡±

    In Lu Yingjiu¡¯s hands, another bright red flower appeared out of thin air.

    With layered petals, still looking delicate and charming.

    Suddenly, a cool breeze blew his hair a little, and he felt a subtle touch on his forehead.

    It was almost¡ªalmost like a kiss.

 CH 7

    Chu Banyang had also followed.

    When he saw Lu Yingjiu standing in the alley and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. ¡°Lu Yingjiu shook his head, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the scene first. ¡°

    When they arrived at the scene, no one dared to stay except the ghost exorcists.

    Ji Cai was still lying quietly with her eyes closed, as if the photo just now was just an illusion. Chu Banyang squatted down beside her, stretched out his hand, and lightly scratched the skin on her arm.

    The woman¡¯s skin was delicate and soft, and the place where his fingers brushed had a silky sunken feeling. He stared at it intently, as if examining something.

    Seeing this, Lu Yingjiu didn¡¯t intend to stay, therefore he beckoned and said, ¡°Xiao Li, come upstairs with me, let¡¯s have a look at Zhong Aiguo¡¯s house.¡±

    Zhong Aiguo¡¯s house was on the 6th floor.

    He only went one floor up and jumped from the balcony of the 7th floor.

    The door of his house was also cordoned off with yellow and black barricade tape. Lu Yingjiu lifted a few and stepped into the house.

    The interior of the house was very ordinary, with white sofas, beige curtains, and a 50-inch TV screen. The morning glory on the balcony had wilted. Several of them even had already withered and had fallen on the soil of the flowerpot.

    The feeling here is very subtle.

    The breath of life inside was too strong. Everything here, from the unopened cans, the half-drunk milk in the refrigerator to the bookmarked ¡®Count of Monte Cristo¡¯, seemed to tell guests that the owner of the house would be back within a few hours. But in fact, the guests knew that he was rotting in the dirt, just like the potted flower on the balcony.

    Zhong Aiguo did not leave a suicide note.

    Lu Yingjiu walked around the house carefully, but found nothing special.

    Old Liu told him that it would take more than ten minutes to transfer the suicide files. He first sent him the archives of Ji Cai and Zhong Aiguo. The protection requirements of the supernatural case on the scene were not so high, moreover, he also didn¡¯t mind about these things. He merely sat on the sofa and watched while waiting.

    Unconsciously, he stroked the longevity lock hanging on his chest.

    This was his subconscious little action when thinking.

    Xiao Li hesitated for a long time, and then sat down on the sofa. After a while, he couldn¡¯t hold back his curiosity.

    ¡°Brother Lu, what¡¯s so special about your longevity lock? Can you invite powerful ghosts with it? ¡°

    ¡°No.¡± Lu Yingjiu shook his head.

    ¡°Oh¡­¡­¡±

    When Xiao Li simply thought¨C probably from his family¡ª he heard Lu Yingjiu continue, ¡°This is from my wife.¡±

    Xiao Li: ¡°Oh, it¡¯s really a gift from your family¡­¡­¡±

    Xiao Li:¡±?!¡±

    Xiao Li was shocked. ¡°Brother Lu, when did you get married? Why didn¡¯t I know? Does anyone in the association know?!¡±

    Lu Yingjiu glanced at him, and said strangely, ¡°Why do you react so strongly? You don¡¯t have a crush on me, do you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have a crush on you, but so many people have a crush on you!! I just promised my friend that I would deliver her love letter for her! Brother Lu, your mouth is too tight!¡±

    Xiao Li went crazy.

    Although Lu Yingjiu usually kept a low profile, he was nonetheless the Chief, and he had to deal with many people in the association, therefore he naturally encountered many female ghost exorcists.

    Moreover, his face was simply really amazing. Every inch of the line was just right, with his slender neck, a pair of peach blossom eyes that were particularly vivid and charming, even the pores on his face couldn¡¯t be seen under the lens of a camera.

    Especially when he was thinking quietly. The sunlight by the window that would happen to fall on half of his face, gilded the black hair and made his brown pupils extraordinarily bright. The white shirt that was buttoned all the way to the top as always, without any wrinkles, outlned his slender figure to the fullest, and the dark sandalwood chair that this Chief often sat on only made his skin white and radiant.

    As the saying goes, which girl wouldn¡¯t yearn for love. Everyone who had seen Lu Yingjiu would say yes, and the negative review rate over the years had always been 0%.

    Even if there was a slight sense of alienation between his brows and eyes, it did not affect people from persisting.

    The old aunts were a little more restrained, therefore they only asked him vigorously if he had a date. At that time, Lu Yingjiu only smiled slightly and said¨C¡±Maybe you have heard of Chu Banyang.¡±

    The old aunt only said¡ª¡±Oh, turns out that your partner is Chu Banyang.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu¡ª¡±How could this be possible, the Great Young Master Chu is straight as a steel pipe, and he is still single. His family owns cars and houses, he treats money as dirt, and is richer and caring than me. He told me secretly before that he was anxious to find a partner.¡±

    ¡ª¡ªOf course, the second half of the sentence was purely Lu Yingjiu¡¯s nonsense. In short, Chu Banyang still hadn¡¯t figured out why so many people were pulling him on a blind dates. He only felt that he was more charming than Lu Yingjiu, and was secretly smug about it.

    Xiao Li couldn¡¯t even imagine what kind of uproar it would cause if he said that Lu Yingjiu was married.

    Xiao Li asked cautiously again, ¡°When did this happen?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°Thirteen years ago.¡±

    Xiao Li: ¡°!!!¡±

    Xiao Li: ¡°Child bride?!¡±

    Should he call the police?

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­..can¡¯t say that it was really like that.¡±.

    He stroked the longevity lock, and the lines of the mountains and the seas passed under his fingers. He was very familiar with every inch of it.

    He explained, ¡°It was a ghost marriage.¡±

    .¡±Oh¡­¡± Xiao Li was even more confused.

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°I¡¯ve never seen him. The person who arranged the ghost marriage¡­.was very unreliable. He found me a fierce ghost with no tablet and name. That ghost never appeared to me before, and I don¡¯t think he will in the future.¡± He touched the longevity lock again.

    Suddenly, his cell phone chimed.

    It was a file sent by Old Liu.

    Stated in the file, three suicide cases occurred within a radius of 10 kilometer, centered on the Second Municipal Hospital where the female corpse was placed. This was quite a high frequency, 2 of which were due to falling and 1 was of wrist cut.

    Lu Yingjiu browsed the cases of death due to falling first and quickly scanned the basic information.

    ¡°Zhang Hong male, 43 years old, sanitation worker¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°Chen Songhai, male, 47 years old, dishwashing worker in Lvjing Tea Restaurant¡­¡±

    These were genuine suicide cases, therefore the police didn¡¯t associate them for a while¨Cafter all, according to common ideals, it was almost impossible for suicide cases to be related.

    Now, Lu Yingjiu looked at these cases with thorough attention, and soon saw the problem.

    The one who died due to cutting was a high school girl. Neighbors confirmed that she had a fierce conflict with her parents, and that night that they had a big fight was the night she cut her wrist. But Zhang Hong and Chen Songhai were different, neither of them showed any tendency to commit suicide.

    A closer look showed that they were even fellow villagers, both from Dingyang Town.

    The name looks familiar.

    Lu Yingjiu went back and looked through Ji Cai¡¯s file. There it was stated: [2018.12~2020.8, participated in the ¡°Road to Dream¡± poverty alleviation plan, volunteered as a teacher at Dingyang Primary School, Dingyang Town, XX City, XX Province, showed enthusiasm for work and positive attitude.]

    It was also written in the file that last August, Ji Cai died unexpectedly in Dingyang Town.

    Xiao Li: ¡°This can¡¯t be a coincidence, brother Lu, what do you think?¡±

    He flipped through the file again, ¡°Chen Songhai has also a criminal record for sexual assault.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°According to the general procedure. These two people should have become attracted to the volunteer teacher, but they didn¡¯t expect to kill her by mistake. They fled to the big city in fear of the crime, but Ji Cai followed¡­or it may also be that they simply just had a conflict. ¡°

    He sighed softly and got up. ¡°No matter what the story is, I¡¯m not interested anymore. The connection between them is too obvious, and the rest is enough to be left to the Green Lantern Association to deal with. There is a high probability that Zhong Aiguo is also related to her, you can find it out with a little research.¡±

    Xiao Li was stunned, and followed him. ¡°If Ji Cai is the victim, then this is¨Cvengeance, she is really pitiful¡­¡­¡± He suddenly felt a little guilty.

    Looking at the photos on the file, Ji Cai was still young and beautiful, with a braid, and her eyes were like crescent moons as she smiled.

    Hearing these words, Lu Yingjiu stood still.

    When he turned his head, Xiao Li subconsciously stepped back half a step. He was blocked and had his back against the wall.

    Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°She killed people, do you know what that means?¡±

    Xiao Li was startled for a moment by his suddenly serious expression.

    In terms of face alone, Lu Yingjiu was actually on the gentle and delicate side, but when his face became expressionless, the aura that once held a high position would overwhelm people, and his brows seemed to have sharp edges.

    Xiao Li hurriedly stammered, ¡°Must, must be dispersed by us, I, I, I know this.¡±

    ¡°But she didn¡¯t do anything wrong, did she? It¡¯s just human nature. If I was killed, I might be more fierce than Ji Cai.¡± Lu Yingjiu said.

    Xiao Li was confused by this, and didn¡¯t know what Lu Yingjiu wanted to say.

    Lu Yingjiu then said, ¡°Let me ask you, what is the difference between the human world and the ghost world?¡±

    Xiao Li was startled, and quickly replied. ¡°The human world is the land of the living, and the ghost world is the land of the dead. The human world has few resentments and is heavy on Yang energy, while the ghost world is full of vicious ghosts, and Yin energy. There are cliffs in the human world, and abysses in the ghost world. The human world uses RMB, while the ghost world uses ghost coins¡­¡­¡±

    Lu Yingjiu clicked his tongue. ¡°Why is your answer so complicated? You think you are answering questions in an examination room where you write a long paragraph just to cheat two pitiful points. Let me tell you, the difference is that we are a society ruled by law.¡±

    Xiao Li: ¡°???¡± He couldn¡¯t help leaning on him.

    Lu Yingjiu continued, ¡°Therefore when we have committed a crime, we should be handed over to the law for trial. We have sentencing standards, but ghosts don¡¯t. Ghosts that have killed people are more likely to continue to hurt innocent people. Therefore, even if it is a ghost, we should still abide by the laws of our world. If everyone messes up, wouldn¡¯t it result in chaos? The dead want revenge, sure, but it¡¯s also right that we have to dispel them.¡±

    He backed away half a step, looked at Xiao Li who was still a little confused, and bent his eyes. ¡°I said this to tell you that you can sympathize, but shouldn¡¯t feel guilty. Straighten your back, everything you¡¯ve done is right.¡±

    Downstairs, Ji Cai was already wrapped in runes like a rice dumpling.

    Chu Banyang nearby, slowly threw away a pair of gloves, and said, ¡°The runes are all arranged. It can be cremated on the spot, and guaranteed that there will be no residue left behind.¡±

    ¡°Burn!¡± Lu Yingjiu said concisely.

    Chu Banyang snapped his fingers, and flames burst out, engulfing Ji Cai.

    The fire was extremely fierce, and in just five or six minutes, the corpse had completely disappeared.

    As the flames dwindled, there seemed to be ashes flying in the air. Lu Yingjiu took out three runes and flung one out lightly.

    The paper floated in the wind¡­.

    Boom!!

    With a deafening sound, Xiao Li¡¯s ears buzzed immediately, and he was dumbfounded¡ªthe rune thrown out by Lu Yingjiu caused a small-scale explosion, sending ashes flying in the air.

    Xiao Li: ¡°What are you doing!¡±

    Lu Yingjiu merely said, ¡°Giving it a final blow, to prevent resurrection.¡± He threw out another one, there was another loud noise, and the ground was dented by the blast.

    Xiao Li: ¡°¡­. ¡°

    By the time Lu Yingjiu was finished with his final blow, the loud noise had already attracted a bunch of people.

    The police ran over in a panic. ¡°What happened?¡±

    While Chu Banyang was explaining to them, Lu Yingjiu had already bypassed the crowd and left through the small gate of the community.

    ****

    It was already late at night, and he didn¡¯t get home until it was almost 12 o¡¯clock.

    The cow cat greeted him with its tail up and rubbed against his legs. Lu Yingjiu then knelt down and scratched its chin.

    As usual, before going to bed, he warmed up a glass of milk and drank it while reading.

    The cup was warm in the hand, revealing a temperature that calmed his mind. After reading two chapters of the book, he took out the diamond ring again, and he opened the box that Chu Banyang could not open, with ease.

    The diamond ring was still sparkling, with an intoxicating brilliance.

    Combined with the eggs and milk that appeared inexplicably, the red underworld flower and the ghosts that were suddenly crushed today.

    He¡¯s almost certain that he had provoked something unclean.

    This was the first time he encountered a ghost that he was completely unaware of.

    If it were someone else, they would probably be scared to death. But Lu Yingjiu had been plagued with misfortune since he was a child, and had seen too many evil spirits. The ghosts in the well, wandering through nightmares, and the crows fluttering their wings as the hanged ghosts screamed all night long. When he was young, he covered his head with a quilt on the bed, but there would always be a pair of cold hands quietly stretched out from under the bed.

    If the ghost exorcists were moving towards the abyss, then the world he saw when he was born was the abyss.

    Therefore, no matter how terrifying and ferocious a ghost was in the eyes of others, it wouldn¡¯t compare to everything he had already met.

    He would not, and need not to be afraid of any ghosts.

    Looking back on the past, the original hellish days would have continued.

    But¡­..

    Lu Yingjiu took the longevity lock off his neck.

    It had a strange luster under the light.

    He gently grasped the longevity lock, lay down on the table, and held it up to the light, just like how he had been looking at it for countless of long nights before, thinking about what kind of person the other party was.

    Gentle and quiet?

    Or cruel and violent?

    Will you also like things like myself, or would you say that as a ghost, you have no desires and demands?

    His aura and the sharpness of his expression in front of outsiders were completely suppressed at this moment. No one had ever seen him show such a gentle look on his face.

    Holding the longevity lock, Lu Yingjiu was thinking the same question as himself thirteen years ago.

    ¡ªWhen can I see you?

    Because then I¡¯ll tell you the story of these past thirteen years.

    The short hand pointed to one o¡¯clock in the morning, and Lu Yingjiu hung the longevity lock back around his neck.

    After restraining his demeanor, Lu Yingjiu returned to his usual calm and indifferent way, hiding his emotions tightly. That even if there were mountains of swords and seas of fire, and a bloody storm in front of him, he would not even raise his eyebrows.

    He turned off the light and then went to bed.

    The night was quiet. He didn¡¯t know how long it had passed, but the longevity lock on his chest became hot. Lu Yingjiu immediately woke up.

    The short hand inside the room ticked, pointing to 2 o¡¯clock, and the moonlight that shone in through the curtains, was very white.

    There was someone at the head of the bed.

    He looked up.

    Ji Cai stood at the head of the bed, staring straight at him with resentful eyes.

    Her skin was pale, her whole body was soaked, her long hair dripped with water, and her bare feet that stepped on the floor were almost transparently white.

    Taking a closer look, the diamond ring box that was on the bedside was like a shark, clamping on her two fingers tightly and not letting go.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    Lu Yingjiu smiled. That¡¯s right, in this way, I will be a little interested in you.

    He leaned back on the bed, ¡°Go ahead, tell me what it is that you wish for.¡±

 CH 8

    Early the next morning, a phone tremendously vibrated beside the pillow. Ye Feng, who had a drowsy look, picked it up and noticed ¡°Lu Yingjiu¡± displayed on it.

    He connected and yawned. ¡°What?  I am still sleepy.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°Yesterday, as the police investigated overnight, aside from finding out that  Zhang Hong and Chen Songhai went to Lujiang City from Dingyang Town together, there was also another man named Yang Meng involved. When they went to find Yang Meng, the person was at the train station, fortunately, he was stopped.¡±

    ¡°What did Yang Meng say? Was he willing to explain anything?¡±

    ¡°He had an ulterior object in view. Knowing that Zhang Hong and Chen Songhai died mysteriously, he has long become terrified¡­Listen, I¡¯ll explain everything now¨CHe said that last year in Dingyang Town, the three of them got drunk and then saw Ji Cai who was on the night shift that time. They went up to tease her, but the quarrel quickly developed into a physical conflict. Ji Cai accidentally fell into the water while pushing and shoving, and her dead body only appeared downstream the next day.¡±

    He continued, ¡°The three people didn¡¯t dare to say anything, and were about to flee to another city, however, when they bought the train tickets, they found that tickets to Lujiang City was only thing available that day¡ªthis was of course not a coincidence, it was Ji Cai¡¯s revenge, luring them to her hometown, where her body was transferred.¡±

    Ye Feng asked, ¡°Then what happened to Zhong Aiguo? Has he also offended Ji Cai?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know yet, but I¡¯m planning to go to Lianhua Primary School.¡±

    ¡°What will you be doing there?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°Ji Cai worked as a Chinese teacher in Lianhua Primary School before he went to be a volunteer. The police checked Zhong Aiguo¡¯s whereabouts overnight and found that he had been to Lianhua Primary School three times during the day and would stay more than 3 hours every time.¡±

    Ye Feng became stunned for a moment. ¡°Why are you so interested in this case?¡±

    In his impression, Lu Yingjiu was only interested in particularly special supernatural events.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t interested at first.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°But Ji Cai came to see me yesterday. She stood by the bed and only stared at me in the middle of the night. I thought it¡¯s quite interesting, therefore I wanted to communicate with her, but as a result, she couldn¡¯t do it. Thus I burned her again with runes. The ashes were shoveled into the trash can, and I even divided them into several trash bags for disposal. However, this morning Old Liu told me that her body was back downstairs in Meihua Community.¡±

    Ye Feng: ¡°¡­To be honest, it sounds a bit scary, I mean the part about the ashes.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s so scary, I even classified it as non-recyclable garbage.¡±

    Ye Feng: ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°So, would you like to come?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll come.¡± Ye Feng rolled over and got out of bed. ¡°I¡¯ll see you there at 8:30.¡±

    ****

    40 minutes later, the two stood at the gate of Lianhua Primary School.

    Because today was Friday, the school was full of noise and clamor and children were screaming one after another, running faster than dogs, as they vent their excess energy.

    Lu Yingjiu went straight to the back gate of the school.

    Ye Feng immediately called him to stop. ¡°Hey, hey, hey..where are you going, the gate is here!¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t get in, they said they can only give us permission in the afternoon, but we can¡¯t wait that long.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°Also, we don¡¯t look like parents either.¡±

    This was true.

    Standing outside, while carrying school bags like college students, they didn¡¯t really look like people with kids.

    Therefore they went around to the back gate, where there was a wall that was neither high nor low, about the height of two people.

    Just as Ye Feng was about to say that he would lift the other up, he only saw Lu Yingjiu take five or six steps back and then speed up suddenly! He stepped on the wall with his right hand hooking the top of the wall in a few steps, and then kicked on the wall with two more steps. Within two seconds, he made it above and merely said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you come up.¡±

    This series of movements could be described as natural and smooth. Ye Feng looked up at him. ¡°Do you always climb over walls when you¡¯re still studying?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, climbing every day.¡± Lu Yingjiu smiled and stretched out his hand, ¡°Come on, good student, I¡¯ll pull you up.¡±

    Behind the wall was the playground. Far away, a group of primary school students were having Physical Education class, playing football, and rope skipping. No one seemed to have noticed the two of them.

    Lu Yingjiu said while walking, ¡°Ji Cai used to be a Chinese teacher in Class 4, Grade 6. After she passed away, her grandma came here and took away some of her things, but there was not much. Her grandma also passed away three months ago. Because she has no other relatives, those relics were cleaned up by the landlord, and are now impossible to find.¡±

    It¡¯s very easy to want to obliterate the existence of a person.

    When the relics are lost, when memory fades, nothing remains.

    The shadow of the trees danced and fell on Lu Yingjiu¡¯s body. He was thinking about something,  as he gently stroked the longevity lock.

    Ye Feng, who didn¡¯t know why he was doing such actions, somehow became sad. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, your female ghost will definitely remember you, you will have a litter of children, and everyone will remember you.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°You¡¯re still talking about this, the person was clearly reluctant to come to see me, and it¡¯s been so many years.¡±

    Ye Feng patted him on the shoulder. ¡°If she doesn¡¯t come to you, then I¡¯ll be your gorgeous female ghost and stay together with you for generations.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu felt a chill, and stepped back half a step away from Ye Feng.

    Ye Feng glanced and spoke again, ¡°Hey, I¡¯m serious, don¡¯t you ever consider finding a girlfriend? We don¡¯t know whether the female ghost is real or not, you can¡¯t just persistently hang yourself on a single tree.¡±

    ¡°Why are you like a relative who¡¯s urging me to get married?¡± Lu Yingjiu shook his head and smiled, ¡°I¡¯m not interested, besides, I go out every day, and am usually not at home for a few days or weeks, there is no core competitiveness at all. ¡°

    ¡°Not only do you not go home, you often skip meals.¡±

    ¡°Busy.¡±

    ¡°What a busy ghost, do you want to have stomach problems?¡± Ye Feng really hated iron for not becoming steel, ¡°therefore you should really just find a powerful person to take care of you.¡±

    (t/n Hated iron for not becoming steel-disatisfaction with the expected person who is not up to date and does not make progress, and eagerly hopes that he will get better.)

    Lu Yingjiu still shook his head. ¡°I will die sooner or later, and I don¡¯t want to bring disaster to others.¡±

    ¡°You talk nonsense, who won¡¯t die.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean.¡± Lu Yingjiu smiled, ¡°I like exciting and dangerous things, it¡¯s engraved in my bones and I can¡¯t stop it. I know that there is a high probability that this will be the cause of my death. How do you say that sentence? I have managed to escape the Grim Reaper many times, but it only needs to beat me once to kill me. In terms of probability, the probability that I¡¯ll die naturally is almost zero.¡±

    Ye Feng was at a loss for words for a while, and said after a long time, ¡°Why are you apathetic, don¡¯t speak of unlucky words¡­..You are the best ghost exorcist I have ever met.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu merely shrugged.

    Ye Feng looked at him, thinking that what he needed was not some glamorous female ghost, but someone who could fight side by side with him, climb over walls together with him every day, and someone that could cook.

    Although he couldn¡¯t figure out for a while where to find such a versatile person.

    Entering the teaching building, they bumped into a very young intern teacher¡ªshe was holding a pile of test papers, with smooth black hair on a beige shirt. Lu Yingjiu stepped forward and immediately said, ¡°Hi, we are the family members of Teacher Ji Cai. When she left her job, she missed something and was left behind. We were asked to help get them.¡± The intern teacher hesitated. ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t know her. Why don¡¯t you go to the office instead and ask?¡±

    It was almost two years ago that Ji Cai worked here, therefore it¡¯s normal for her not to know Ji Cai. Of course, Lu Yingjiu also didn¡¯t expect to directly receive an answer after asking.

    Lu Yingjiu smiled. ¡°They said that those things should have not been lost yet. Where do you keep the sundries?¡±

    ¡°The items of a resigned employee are all in the utility room on the first floor. The security guard keeps the keys there. You have to ask Old Teacher Ji to give him a call before he can let you in.¡± The intern teacher replied.

    The two of them went downstairs, just in between classes, and after passing a group of screaming students, they saw the utility room at the end of the corridor on the first floor.

    There was only one security guard there, sitting not far away and doing nothing. Lu Yingjiu took out a talisman and flicked it lightly, then the paper instantly burned and gave off a faint fragrance. When the security guard smelled it, he suddenly felt drowsy. He fought to keep his eyes open yet he eventually lowered his head.

    The door of the utility room was still locked, and if directly blasted open with a talisman, it would make too much noise.

    There were a bunch of keys with the security guard, yet they didn¡¯t know which one was for the utility room. Just as Ye Feng was contemplating on just trying it one by one, he saw Lu Yingjiu took out a paper clip, straightened it, and then poked it into the keyhole.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look for it, this is just an old lock, I will definitely unlock it quickly.¡±

    Ye Feng was suddenly shocked. ¡°What other skills do you know! You can easily climb over walls and then pick locks!¡±

    Lu Yingjiu merely said calmly, ¡°Everyone needs to know some life skills.¡±

    ¡°This is the life skill of a pauper! Why, are you part of a beggars¡¯ gang!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s very practical, and whoever uses it knows. Compared with this, you should go and see if Zhong Aiguo is on the visit record.¡±

    Ye Feng flipped open the registry on the security desk and saw Zhong Aiguo¡¯s name.

    The remark was ¡°Ji Cai¡¯s family¡±.

    ¡°Zhong Aiguo has been to the utility room more than once. He came to look for Ji Cai¡¯s things.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu turned his hand, and with a slight sound of ¡°click¡±, the lock opened.

    He turned the doorknob, and the metal made a sharp grinding sound that made people¡¯s teeth ache. What blew against their faces was the stale smell that accumulated for many years, which made Ye Feng cough violently.

    Cardboard boxes were stacked on shelves, labeled with everyone¡¯s name, and filled with personal belongings. The room was very dark, Lu Yingjiu flicked the switch a few times, but the lights didn¡¯t respond, therefore he turned on the flashlight of his phone and looked over them one by one

    As the light shone across the front of each box, dust danced in the beam.

    Yu Wan.

    Xu Zhonghua.

    Jiang Mengmeng.

    Ji Cai.

    ¡°There it is.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, tugging at the cardboard box.

    It¡¯s very light.

    It was so light that it seemed that there was nothing inside. He took it down and saw that there was only a dusty book inside.

    [Beyond the Mountain]

    This should be written by Ji Cai.

    Ye Feng came over to take a look. ¡°She also wrote a book?¡±

    ¡°It looks like it.¡± Lu Yingjiu blew the dust, picked up the book, and briefly glanced at the short introduction. It was a story about a volunteer teacher. While teaching and educating people, she also gained love.

    But something was wrong with this book.

    Lu Yingjiu took another look and said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t have a publication number.¡±

    A publication number was required for a book to be officially published. He flipped through the front and back pages, but couldn¡¯t find the publisher, edition, or ISBN at all.

    This was an unpublished book.

    Ye Feng checked it on the mobile phone. ¡°It¡¯s true. There is no information about it on the Internet. Could it be that she printed it out for fun?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu turned the book to the last page, became silent for a while, and then said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like it either.¡±

    He showed Ye Feng the last page.

    On its last paragraph, there said:

    [We stand together in the field, and the mountains in the distance are like Daisy. Today¡¯s weather is very good, he smiled and said to me, ¡®Yes, this story will end until we]

    There was no word after [until we].

    Ye Feng was stunned. ¡°Is this sentence unfinished?¡±

    ¡°Mn.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°She probably died before she could finish writing.¡±

    He weighed the ¡°Beyond the Mountain¡± in his hand and said, ¡°This is not a normal relic. This is an unfinished book of the deceased. It is her obsession. Ji Cai cannot be killed with paper talismans, but as long as we destroy the book, she¡¯ll disappear.¡±

    Some ghosts had ¡°objects of obsession¡±, which represented their deepest last wishes.

    If a ghost exorcist got the obsession of the ghosts, it would be equivalent to getting the trump card to win, and then, no matter how fierce Ji Cai was, she would not be able to jump out of their palms.

    Lu Yingjiu was wondering about whether to just burn the book.

    When suddenly, Yin energy fluctuated.

    He looked back, and outside the window of the utility room, Ji Cai was staring at him silently. The woman¡¯s whole body was still wet, and her eyes were still completely black, leaving only two lines of bloody tears from her eyes.

    Drip, drip.

    Blood dripped to the ground. She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she couldn¡¯t utter a word.

    When Lu Yingjiu blinked again, she was gone.

    Ye Feng didn¡¯t notice the abnormality, and asked, ¡°Do we burn it directly?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu withdrew his gaze. ¡°Let¡¯s leave it for now. Let¡¯s continue, Zhong Aiguo might come back to this primary school again, probably because¡­¡±

    He paused briefly for two seconds.

    Something is not right.

    In an instant, many thoughts flashed through his mind¡ªthe obsessions left by ghosts were clearly heavy with Yin energy. If a living person takes their obsession back, at the least, he would only experience bad luck, if it was worse, it would include the whole family. Fortunately, this was a school, full of vigor and vitality, and rich with Yang energy, therefore there were no issues. However Zhong Aiguo had been here so many times, it was impossible to not have known of this book.

    Why didn¡¯t he take the book with him?

    ¨CBecause he knew that taking it back might lead to bad luck.

    It seems that Zhong Aiguo was not completely ignorant of ¡°exorcism¡±. Ordinary people didn¡¯t even know the existence of these things.

    But it also meant that he was likely to do more.

    For example, using the object of obsession to attract ghosts.

    In other words, let the ghosts become stronger.

    He recalled the memory of that night, in that Japanese grocery store, where Xiao Li said: ¡°I remember before, there were several cases of homeless people disappearing nearby, and it was even on the news. Why are there all kinds of bad things happening there? Is it because the feng shui is bad?¡±

    A series of suicides by jumping from a building, Zhang Hong was the first to appear on January 7 this year.

    This was done by Ji Cai.

    And from this day on, she became more active.

    Ye Feng heard Lu Yingjiu muttering to himself. ¡°Ji Cai died in August, but people didn¡¯t start dying until January this year. During this period, someone strengthened her power. The medium is this book. Zhong Aiguo, who has come here repeatedly, can do it. And the best sacrifice to evil spirits are people¡­..corpses, there must be corpses, a homeless person is the best choice. We may be wrong, although Zhong Aiguo is a victim, but he was connected with Ji Cai and may even be a murderer.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu immediately called Old Liu. ¡°Help me find out whether Zhong Aiguo has been to Lianhua Primary School from August last year to January this year. There is also the case of missing people near Meihua Community, I suspect Zhong Aiguo is connected with it as well.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll ask someone to investigate right away!¡± Old Liu replied, ¡°Do you need any help over there!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Chu Banyang will bring someone over soon.¡± Lu Yingjiu squeezed the phone tightly, ¡°I might know where those homeless people are, I¡¯ll tell you later.¡±

    He hung the phone then quickly walked out.

    Ye Feng followed behind him.

    Lu Yingjiu said: ¡°Ye Feng, if you were Zong Aiguo, and you were looking for an open place in the elementary school to draw soul-calling talismans and bury the corpse, which would you choose?¡±

    Before Ye Feng could answer, Lu Yingjiu¡¯s eyes had already fallen on some place in the distance.

    On the playground, lush with green grass, a group of students were playing football and laughing constantly.

    ¡°Ah Qiang, pass the ball to me!!¡± Da Long yelled, his immature face was full of anxiety, and his blue school uniform was all wet with sweat.

    Ah Qiang was running out of breath, suddenly something pulled his left foot as he was going to kick the ball, causing him to stagger.

    Da Long scolded. ¡°You, what¡¯s wrong with you! I won¡¯t go with you after school today!¡±

    Ah Qiang defended. ¡°Someone just pulled me!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no one behind you!¡±

    ¡°Obviously there is! You are an idiot!¡±

    ¡°Rebound!¡±

    ¡°The rebound is invalid! You big fool, big fool!¡±

    The two scolded a few words, both of them were full of anger, and then went after the ball.

    The opponent was in the lead, and the score¡¯s gap between the two teams was getting bigger and bigger. Ah Qiang finally got the ball again and ran to the goal.

    His angle was good, and the little fat keeper was still carelessly wandering his mind in the clouds.

    As long as he could kick, he could score a goal!

    Ah Qiang became more and more excited, roared loudly, rushed forward with a puff, and kicked at the goal¡ª¡ª

    The football flew out, drawing a beautiful line in the air!

    ¡°Go!¡± Dalong raised his hands and cheered!

    Thud!

    Suddenly, the football flew upside down, it flew a long way, and finally rolled on the ground.

    Ah Qiang took a closer look, and saw a blue-gray hand sticking out from the ground, standing upright.

    It was what the ball had hit.

    There was dead silence all around.

    ¡°Damn¡­¡± Da Long murmured, ¡°He made a handball foul.¡±

 CH 9

    The entire playground was immediately filled with screams, as strong Yin energy dispersed.

    The little kids ran around at once. Ah Qiang ran but suddenly fell down. A blue-gray hand had unexpectedly come to his feet at some point, and grabbed his ankle tightly.

    ¡°Ahhh!¡±

    Ah Qiang screamed.

    The hand was colder than ice. His calf being grabbed by the hand became numb, and the numb feeling was quickly climbing up, reaching to his thigh, waist¡­

    Crack!

    A foot stepped on the ghost¡¯s hand, directly deforming it, causing it to hang down limply afterwards. He didn¡¯t know when a black-haired young man came to him, but he thought that his decisive move didn¡¯t match his handsome appearance.

    Ah Qiang was picked up.

    But then he was thrown out suddenly.

    Lu Yingjiu yelled. ¡°Ye Feng catch! Evacuate the students!¡±

    Ye Feng ran over quickly and was almost knocked over by A Qiang, fortunately he caught him in the end.

    A few more hands emerged from the ground, and Ye Feng held Ah Qiang in one hand and threw out two paper talismans with the other. The papers ignited quickly in flames, ceasing the hands¡¯ movements. He then put Ah Qiang down, leading him towards other students. ¡°Follow me!¡±

    Looking back, the playground was thick with fog at some point, and countless hands stretched out, like a group of sharks lurking underwater and started hunting in groups, grabbing Liu Yingjiu in waves.

    As the fog condensed, he couldn¡¯t see anything, and the Yin energy was so heavy that Ye Feng¡¯s scalp tingled.

    At this moment, Ye Feng really wanted to turn around and go back to help Lu Yingjiu. But the whole school was in chaos. The screaming students made everyone aware that something was wrong, and the teacher and students left in the classroom and poked their heads out in the hallway. A few security guards were even running towards their side with batons, in which Ye Feng hurriedly stopped and shouted, ¡°Go away quickly! Don¡¯t go near there!¡±

    A security guard shouted, ¡°Where did you come from! Get away!¡± After saying that, he wanted to push Ye Feng aside.

    Ye Feng¡¯s body obviously couldn¡¯t withstand the security guards. He stopped them several times but to no avail. Seeing that those people were about to run to the playground, he made up his mind and resolutely bit his finger.

    Bright red immediately blood flowed out and dropped on the ground, and made a strange round pattern at once.

    The pattern made was burning!

    Behind him, on the old banyan tree, a fire snake tens of meters long coiled up in an instant! Having a width of two people and flicking its tongue as large,serpentine scales of flames peel off its body and fall to the ground, forming a sea of fire.

    Because most people couldn¡¯t see ghosts, therefore they couldn¡¯t also see the ¡°Li Snake¡±. They only noticed that flames suddenly spread out in a large area, burning furiously and blocking their way. One person exclaimed, ¡°Fire! Call the police!¡±

    No one dared to approach the playground this time, and the teacher quickly organized the students to evacuate.

    In fact, the flame did not cause any damage at all. It seemed to be powerful, but actually only burned some flowers and plants. Ye Feng was just about to breathed a sigh of relief when he was suddenly grabbed by the collar¡ª

    The security guard looked fierce. ¡°It was you who set the fire! Right!¡±

    Ye Feng:¡±¡­¡­¡±

    Right, it was him.

    However, his hesitation was even more suspicious in the eyes of the security guards. This group of security guards, regardless of life and death, rushed up with their batons and wanted to knock him down. The Li Snake hissed while it flicked his tongue in the tree, and then a scorching wave suddenly hit them, blowing them crooked.

    Ye Feng, who was free, wanted to return to the playground again, when he suddenly heard a familiar voice. ¡°What happened?¡±

    As soon as he looked back, Chu Banyang and Xiao Li were at the school gate. The screeching siren almost cut across the sky. Several policemen came up and showed their certificates to the security guard.

    ¡°Let us handle the situation from here.¡±

    Before leaving, the security guard pointed to Ye Feng and shouted, ¡°That guy set the fire!¡±

    Chu Banyang hurried to him and said, ¡°Why are you here? Where is Liu Yingjiu?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s on the fucking playground, hiss¡ª¡± Ye Feng¡¯s voice somehow changed its tone, and the sound at the end of his sentence came out like that of a snake. Several red snake scales grew on his face and neck, and then another one was about to emerge, piercing his skin. Immediately, a streak of blood stained his collar red, his eyebrows jumped with pain, but he said nothing in the end.

    Chu Banyang said, ¡°You can¡¯t bear it anymore. Send the spirit you invited away quickly.¡±

    ¡°I know¡ª¡± Ye Feng gritted his teeth, ¡°Go and find Lu Yingjiu!¡±

    He raised his hand, and the flames opened up a path.

    Chu Banyang and Xiao Li rushed over and plunged into the milky white mist. A few flames from the Li Snake also followed closely behind, breaking through the dense mist, in which the surroundings couldn¡¯t be seen clearly.

    The playground was empty.

    There was no ghost hand in sight, and there was no sign of Lu Yingjiu at all.

    Crash!

    Chu Banyang looked up, and noticed that there were several terrible depressions on the outer wall of the staff dormitory in the distance, as if something¡­..had just climbed up the outer wall.

    The depression went all the way up, and stopped on the sixth floor¡ªthe window glass on the sixth floor suddenly burst open, and thousands of debris fell like rain.

    In the stairwell, several people screamed and ran past Lu Yingjiu. They only knew that there was a fire outside, and when they heard the loud noise just now, they became startled and instantly ran for their lives.

    Lu Yingjiu walked up against the flow of people.

    He took out a short knife from the back of his waist, turned the blade over, and it shone brightly as his eyes.

    Few people only knew that Lu Yingjiu carried so many controlled knives with him, from blood groove to this tactical short knife. Each of which was definitely not going to pass a security check, which also made him look like some kind of outlaw lunatic.

    Everyone who was new to exorcism would have this question: Do ghosts bleed?

    Answer: Yes.

    And it flows a lot.

    With the right runes, killing ghosts was not much different from killing people.

    The bottom end of this short knife was engraved with strange symbols, which at first glance looked like flowing clouds, and at the same time. also looked like a hideous grimace.

    Lu Yingjiu went to the sixth floor. Looking around, the corridor was in a mess, there were slippers, bed sheets, broken cups¡­..but what was particularly intriguing was that all kinds of food packaging were also scattered on the floor, chocolate wrapping papers, cupcake shells, and opened potato chips. It was almost as if a hungry ghost swept across this floor.

    Chomp chomp

    Chomp chomp

    A sound of chewing was heard in room 603.

    Noticing that the door was ajar, he neared quietly, without making any noise, just like a cat.

    A naked man with his back to him, held a trash can, and was eating leftover McDonald hamburgers, devouring it like a wolf.

    No, calling it a ¡°person¡± might be a bit of a stretch.

    It had a human shape, but the whole body was covered with blue-gray hands and feet, each facing in different directions, like a weird sea urchin. There were also distorted human faces on its back.

    If Lu Yingjiu had read the file, he would have recognized immediately that these faces were all the missing homeless men.

    When one of the faces saw Lu Yingjiu, it opened its mouth and let out a scream!

    The sea urchin monster turned back immediately, and the three pairs of eyes on its face rolled wildly.

    [Very hungry]

    [Very hungry, very hungry, very hungry]

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not here to grab your burger.¡±

    The monster opened its mouth wide at him, and its saliva dripped down like a waterfall.

    However, in the next second, its field of vision suddenly rose sharply, and spun around for a while¡ªits head was actually cut off by the short knife! As it flew up and circled in the air, only the white light of the knife and the corner of the youth¡¯s raised mouth could be seen.

    ¡°¡­..I¡¯m here to kill you.¡±

    Blood immediately spurted from the severed neck.

    A human face on its back suddenly disappeared, and quickly turned into a new head, and then threw itself on Lu Yingjiu with all hands and feet!

    Several hands and feet waved wildly, smashing through the door and the wall, causing smoke and dust to billow.

    Lu Yingjiu had already cut his finger a long time ago, and threw out blood.

    ¡ªAsking the Spirit.

    With blood as medium, a fluffy little black beast wrenched out and opened its mouth wide! It swiftly passed by the monster, and landed on the ground. When it turned around, a hand was already in its mouth, it chewed it sloppily, swallowed it, and then let out a satisfying burp.

    As the sea urchin monster¡¯s movement slowed for a moment, taking this opportunity, Lu Yingjiu raised his knife and beheaded it directly once again.

    Another head rolled to the ground, but the monster grew a new head again. It let out an angry roar, and then continued to wave its hands and feet. Its strength was terribly great, as it chased him all the way from the dormitory to the corridor. The floor had been pierced with several holes, steel bars were exposed, the cracks on the wall were like spiderwebs, and window glasses were broken into powder. Fortunately, its IQ was really not high, it only knew how to fight like a wild animal. Lu Yingjiu dodged with astonishing dexterity, cooperated with the black hair ball, and cut off three to four heads in a row.

    Eventually, on the back of the monster, there was only one human face left.

    There were also not many hands and feet left on his body, which were mostly eaten by black fluff beast.

    The two sides confronted each other again.

    Lu Yingjiu held the dagger with his backhand, and the smeared blood dripped down to the floor. He pinched a detonating talisman paper in his hand, and was about to throw it out when he heard a scream!

    It was the voice of a child, and it sounded right below them.

    This is bad!

    Lu Yingjiu¡¯s pupils narrowed instantly, as he saw the monster laughed bizarrely, and smashed down through the floor with one hand!

    Lu Yingjiu jumped down without hesitation. In the smoke and dust, he saw the little girl in a floral dress in the corner¡ªprobably a teacher¡¯s child and was too scared to go downstairs in time. The ghost hand immediately grasped into her direction, although she couldn¡¯t see it, she screamed instinctively!

    Then, in a blink of an eye, she was suddenly single-handedly picked up by Lu Yingjiu and was pushed aside. It turned out that this move was very timely, because in less than half a second, the ghost¡¯s hand hit his dagger that he had just set up for defense. This was the first time that Lu Yingjiu wrestled with it head-on, and he was directly violently pushed onto the wall. A bloody smell welled up his throat, his vision went dark, and he suspected that two of his ribs were broken. The veins on his forehead throbbed, and the blade trembled back and forth, in which he had to support with both hands so as not to be flattened into the wall.

    But this disadvantageous situation was only temporary.

    The black fluff beast dropped from the sky with a cry, opened its mouth and bit the monster¡¯s head.

    And at this very critical moment, Lu Yingjiu smelled that dark fragrance again.

    (t/n Dark fragrance-¨¤n xi¨¡n¨À, aroma/fragrance which is not strong but very persistent)

    Ice-cold as the crescent moon.

    Then, the monster before him suddenly had its body twisted.

    It exploded into a cloud of blood mist, as if crushed by an invisible hand.

    Can never be spliced again.

    And a dead that can never die any more.

    ****

    Lu Yingjiu turned on the faucet. The blood on his hands stained the water red, and disappeared into the sewer spiraling, revealing his fair skin, slender fingers, and a few shallow old scars.

    He had used too much force just now, and now his hands were still shaking.

    He wasn¡¯t actually hurt, it was all the monster¡¯s blood. Along with the rinsed blood, was also the faint spell pattern on the back of the hand. If it weren¡¯t for the power it brought, Lu Yingjiu would have been punched through by the monster in their tussle just now.

    The little girl he rescued ran to her mother and waved to him when she turned her head. The mother¡¯s child actually acted vigilantly the moment he came down to the first floor. Lu Yingjiu¡¯s clothes were still clean, yet when he came downstairs, his hands were stained with blood, holding a knife in hand and still having a bit of killing intent in his eyes, which made him appear too suspicious.

    Chu Banyang said behind him, ¡°You were like a perverted murderer just now.¡±

    ¡°Who said I wasn¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°If you hadn¡¯t drawn the spell, you would¡¯ve died.¡±

    ¡°But I wouldn¡¯t make such a low-level mistake, would I?¡± Lu Yingjiu shook the water off his hand.

    After washing off the blood and calming down his expression, he was back to his usual gentle and delicate appearance.

    Behind them, there were busy policemen and ghost exorcists.

    The four corners of the playground were pasted with talismans, and after being uncovered by Chu Banyang, the illusion disappeared.

    In order to bury the corpses, the ground had long been loosened by Zhong Aiguo, and was not anymore as compact as before, therefore it was easy digging out the corpses.

    And the monster just now was the collection of resentments of these homeless people..

    Police cordoned off the school and collected the bodies on the playground.

    Lu Yingjiu thought to himself: I hope this time the news can be blocked a little bit more tightly. If elementary school students know that they are playing football every day stepping on dead bodies, it will definitely be an unforgettable childhood memory.

    As Old Liu followed Lu Yingjiu¡¯s conjecture, he checked the surveillance in August last year, and found that Zhong Aiguo had indeed started to come here frequently, subsequently, the police and the Green Lantern Association were also doing their best to investigate his connection with the homeless victims.

    ¡°The supervisory control also sent someone to continue to watch. Moreover,¡± Lao Liu said, ¡°according to your statement, we should focus on the investigation. However, the technical team did not find any traces from the mobile phones and computers of the two. It can only be said that a supernatural power erased the records¡­..this matter is really up to you to investigate.¡±

    But even so, a person who¡¯s still alive could still speak.

    Old Liu added, ¡°However, we made a breakthrough in this direction and got confirmation from Zhong Aiguo¡¯s sister that Zhong Aiguo had a secret relationship with Ji Cai for a while.¡±

    This explained why Zhong Aiguo wanted to help Ji Cai.

    They were lovers, they were accomplices.

    But Zhong Aiguo was possessed by Ji Cai and jumped off the building to his death.

    Chu Banyang: ¡°Are you going to the hospital?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, except for the feeling that my whole body is about to fall apart.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°I¡¯d better go upstairs with you again, I¡¯m not at ease.¡±

    Chu Banyang called a few ghost exorcists, and they went upstairs together to check if there were any other little ghosts.

    Chu Banyang said as they walked along, ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to wait until the afternoon? Why did you come to the school by yourself?¡±

    ¡°Early detection, early treatment.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°Except for the fact that Ye Feng nearly burned the tree bald, everything is perfect.¡±

    Chu Banyang reminded him, ¡°There is still this building.¡±

    This building was already riddled with holes.

    Lu Yingjiu smiled. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for me, it would have collapsed. But that ghost¡¯s intuition is really accurate, seeing that I would be discovered sooner or later, might as well take the preemptive strike.¡±

    As they chatted, the ghost exorcists dispersed and began to investigate Yin energy in an orderly manner.

    The monster just now had a lot of resentment, and it did attract a few little ghosts.

    When Chu Banyang got rid of them, Lu Yingjiu merely leaned against the wall and watched. He half-closed his eyes and looked lazy. He was not really tired, but simply not interested.

    Then he overheard the exorcists chatting about the case.

    One said: ¡°This is really strange, why does Ji Cai want to kill Zhong Aiguo?¡±

    Another said: ¡°Either there is a conflict, or she has gone crazy, what else is there.¡±

    When the little ghosts were all gone, one person said: ¡°There should be none left.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s still another big one.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s still another big one.¡±

    Chu Banyang and Lu Yingjiu said in unison.

    Chu Banyang was slightly stunned, feeling strange for no reason, and glanced at Lu Yingjiu. However Lu Yingjiu didn¡¯t have any special reaction and went upstairs.

    On the top floor, he found the Yin energy in a dormitory at the end.

    A hand stretched out from the wall, but was immediately burned back by Chu Banyang¡¯s talisman.

    They then simply disperse it.

    Several ghost exorcists started to stick spells on the wall with quick hands and feet. After finding all the ghosts, they looked a lot more relaxed.

    However, Lu Yingjiu continued to scan the wall.

    The light from the dormitory shone into his eyes, making those brown eyes beautiful.

    Originally a pair of very energetic eyes, even when surrounded by hordes of ghosts, they were still eye-catching, as if a light had been suddenly reflected amidst the darkness.

    Chu Banyang was checking the talisman, and glanced over by chance.

    Unexpectedly, his heart moved.

    It was as if the strangeness in his heart when they spoke in unison just now began to take root again.

    He instantly thought of a similar scene when he met Lu Yingjiu for the first time.

    That day, he walked through the streets and alleys and stepped into the Green Lantern Association for the first time. The newcomers were all waiting to meet the President and the Chief, and they were all extremely anxious, only Chu Banyang was calm¨Che knew that he could do better than everyone here present.

    Until the door was unexpectedly knocked.

    A young man opened the door and came in, with a backpack on one shoulder, and eyes reflecting the sunlight outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking very bright.

    Very good-looking.

    Chu Banyang couldn¡¯t help but look at him a few more times.

    It was only later that he realized that this was the beginning of a fucking nightmare! With Lu Yingjiu around, he would always be number two.

    But at this moment, looking at Lu Yingjiu, Chu Banyang thought for no reason: The ghost in front of him, other people couldn¡¯t even detect it at all, but it was easy for them. As for the ghost before, if there was no Liu Yingjiu, I am afraid that a dozen ghost exorcists would not be able to deal with it.

    The incident happened only yesterday, but today Lu Yingjiu was close to unraveling the truth.

    They could be both called ¡°proud sons of heaven¡±.

    Although there were many supernatural beings in this world, as long as the two of them were there, anything could be solved.

    This idea was full of lofty sentiments. Even though Chu Banyang was naturally arrogant and prideful, he somewhat felt soft.

    ¡ªAlthough he couldn¡¯t tell for a while why he felt that way.

    ¡°By the way, I just discovered something.¡± Lu Yingjiu said.

    ¡°What?¡± Chu Banyang looked back at him¡ªLu Yingjiu turned his back to the wall and was looking at him.

    Chu Banyang was taken aback suddenly.

    It was a taboo to turn your back on your enemy. He never thought that Lu Yingjiu would make such a mistake!

    Behind Lu Yingjiu, a pair of gray hands stretched out from the wall. It had sharp nails that could dismember people in an instant and blood beads were noticed on the tip of its nails, which were about to fall on his neck.

    Chu Banyang: ¡°Behind you¡­!¡±

    Lu Yingjiu didn¡¯t seem to notice it at all, and only said with a smile, ¡°What should I do¡­¡±

    The ghost screamed, and the surrounding walls were instantly transformed into flesh and blood, and pressed down like a sea tide. Chu Banyang¡¯s pupils dilated, and he immediately pinched a talisman¡ª

    However, he only saw with his own eyes that the hands behind Lu Yingjiu began to bend from the fingertips.

    First, the nails broke and turned into dust, and then the fingers exploded. The bones in the palm made a scalp-numbing sound, and then the ulna and radius bones were fractured and exposed inch by inch. When twisted into something like a Fried Dough Twist, they were extremely eye-catching and very white. This distortion quickly spread to the wall, as the ghost continued to scream, it was eventually twisted into a large exploding blood mist.

    (t/n The forearm consists of two bones, the radius and the ulna, with the ulna located on the pinky side and the radius on the thumb side.)

    Even at this time, Lu Yingjiu was still not stained with blood.

    It seemed that an invisible barrier was protecting him.

    A cold but gentle fragrance that was like a shadow was smelled again.

    As a result, the scene was almost like a freeze-frame oil painting.

    Behind him was a hellish spout of scarlet, bone fragments pierced the floor and glass, and exploded blood like fireworks, which was thick and brilliant. Lu Yingjiu¡¯s clothes were as white as snow, and his eyes shone brightly, just like the day they first met, glistening with brilliance.

    ¡°What should I do?¡± He was still smiling, ¡°Second place, I seem to have been possessed by a fierce ghost.¡±

 CH 10

    Two days passed before all the reports came out.

    Like most people who die from evil spirits, the homeless men¡¯s deaths were also seen as an accident.

    The ghost exorcists went to the place where they had stayed, searched carefully, and found the remains of Ji Cai¡¯s Yin energy.

    Because the first victim disappeared on Lucheng Road, the incident was named the Lucheng Spiritual Serial Murder Case, and was included in the archives of the special department.

    After two days, Lu Yingjiu went to the special department of Jiufeng Mountain.

    When Xiao Li found him, he was sitting by the window of the meeting room, looking over the City Center.

    Because the weather had been fine recently, he only wore a white shirt, which had a sharp contrast between the washed blue color of the sky.

    No one uses the meeting room and was therefore open to whoever wanted to come in.

    The table was full of spread out talisman papers, with drawn runes that Xiao Li had never seen before, densely packed and was extremely complicated.

    ¡ªLiu Yingjiu was still trying to find the ghost that possessed him. Yet after two days, he still failed in catching even the slightest Yin energy.

    Xiao Li also saw that scene at that school dormitory before, and knew about it. He hesitated at the door for two seconds, then knocked lightly.

    ¡°Brother Lu, the report will have to wait for an hour or two, let¡¯s eat first and discuss it later. The takeaway can¡¯t be delivered here, thus we¡¯re going to find some instant noodles and snacks.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m not hungry.¡± Lu Yingjiu replied, ¡°You guys can eat first.¡±

    Xiao Li thought again that Ye Feng seemed to have mentioned casually that Lu Yingjiu always forgot to eat. ¡°How about this, if there are instant noodles later, I will tell you.¡±

    ¡°Okay, thank you.¡±

    Xiao Li looked at the talisman paper on the table and said, ¡°You, don¡¯t be so anxious. Although we can¡¯t help you, we can definitely find it. After Master comes back, we¡¯ll figure out a way together.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu smiled.

    Xiao Li closed the door lightly and left.

    Lu Yingjiu collected the talisman papers on the table, took them to the window, squeezed them together, and then the talisman papers burned. They burn very quickly and quietly. Even if it was such a thick stack, there was not much ash, and nothing was left after being blown by the wind.

    Both he and Chu Banyang knew that if a ghost of this level really restricted Lu Yingjiu¡¯s actions, it couldn¡¯t be stopped¡ªwith its strength, it was easy for it to go wherever it wanted and to kill whomever it wanted. Furthermore, even they themselves couldn¡¯t do anything about it, who else then could?

    The feeling of helplessness.

    Complete helplessness.

    Unless¨C

    Tomorrow is the Ghost Festival.

    The only chance is when Yin energy is at its most vigorous, to communicate with it.

    Lu Yingjiu laid his head on the table and planned to take a nap.

    ****

    When the door was knocked again, Xiao Li poked his head in.

    ¡°The bodies of Ji Cai and Zhong Aiguo have been transferred.¡±

    Then they walked to the morgue on the second floor together.

    In the elevator, Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°Xiao Li, have you ever wondered why Ji Cai killed Zhong Aiguo?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Xiao Li was taken aback for a moment, ¡°A simple falling out, is there any hidden story behind it?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°The corpses can only be buried next to the object of obsession, therefore, they were all buried in that school. When Ye Feng and I passed by, the resentment had already accumulated a lot. If Zhong Aiguo continues to bury corpses there, it will definitely cause casualties.¡± He paused for a few seconds, straightening out his thoughts, ¡°I was thinking, maybe Ji Cai didn¡¯t want to bury her body for revenge at the beginning, or maybe she didn¡¯t want to continue, and the one who couldn¡¯t let go of hatred and was wrapped up in anger was actually Zhong Aigou.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ what do you mean?¡±

    He said, ¡°Ji Cai killed Zhong Aiguo for the sake of those students. Even if she has become a ghost, the things she cares about have not changed.¡± Lu Yingjiu smiled, ¡°Of course, the character of ghosts is unpredictable, this is just my extremely idealized conjecture. The only evidence is not sufficient.¡±

    ¡°What evidence?¡±

    ¡°That she still loves Zhong Aigou¡ªI can verify this.¡±

    Downstairs, they took the elevator up to the second floor, they passed through layers of doors sealed with talisman papers, and finally arrived at the morgue. It was cold and silent inside, with a sense of stagnation that couldn¡¯t be broken and within its every compartment, a story was hidden.

    Two white cloths covered the bodies of the two corpses respectively.

    Lu Yingjiu walked a few steps forward, and Xiao Li realized that he was holding the book ¡°Beyond the Mountain¡± in his hand.

    Lu Yingjiu actually finished reading it.

    It began with [You are a bird, you should fly over the mountains, spread your wings and soar to my favorite students].

    And the ending was a dialogue between the heroine and her lover: [We stand together in the field, and the mountains in the distance are like Daisy. Today¡¯s weather is very good, he smiled and said to me, yes, this story will end until we]

    Before she finished writing, she died.

    Lu Yingjiu lifted the white cloth, revealing the faces of the two with their eyes closed.

    When they were in the Meihua Community, they both were lying downstairs side by side like this. At that time, he felt that Ji Cai¡¯s hand seemed to want to reach out to Zhong Aiguo.

    Lu Yingjiu stretched out his hand and grabbed Ji Cai¡¯s wrist. The woman¡¯s skin was delicate, yet cold. He then put her hand next to Zhong Aiguo¡¯s.

    At first their hands were only loosely clasped together, but after a few seconds, in a trance, their hands were already tightly clasped.

    Ji Cai smiled.

    The book flipped, and the last line of words floated up, like a deep fish swimming towards the surface of the river, with colorful scales, and spitting out a series of quiet bubbles.

    [We stand together in the field, and the mountains in the distance are like Daisy. ]

    [The weather is fine today, he smiled and said to me, yes, this story will end until we grasp each other¡¯s hands.]

    ****

    After the matter was settled, everyone tidied up and prepared to go down.

    Lu Yingjiu¡¯s cell phone suddenly chimed, and a text message came.

    Da Gou: Shall I go directly downstairs to your house tonight?

    Lu Yingjiu: OK.

    He was about to leave, but suddenly he heard the group of people making noise, as if they were discussing something. Then Xiao Li shouted at him, ¡°Brother Lu, do you want to eat together tonight?¡±

    Therefore, 20 minutes later, they took an online car-hailing down the mountain. It¡¯s dinner time, and there were people waiting for seats. Xiao Li found a Jiangsu & Zhejiang Jiangnan Cuisine Food with high ratings, and they rushed to the City Center against the tide of the evening rush hour.

    In the car, one person stretched his waist. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s over, I almost ran around the whole City in the past two days.¡±

    Another person said, ¡°Rest if you can. Tomorrow is the Ghost Festival, and we should be busy. If you don¡¯t receive a call in the middle of the night, then burn high-quality incense.¡±

    That¡¯s right. Lu Yingjiu thought. August 23rd, the Ghost Festival was coming soon.

    When they arrived at the place, several people rushed over noisily. After entering the restaurant, they were brewed a pot of chrysanthemum Pu¡¯er, then they ordered fish with pine nuts, river prawns and crabs. The scene was full of prosperity, and the atmosphere was lively. Somehow the conversation came to that point where Xiao Li , who had never had a drink in his life, poured himself half a cup to taste, but after just a few sips, his face turned red. He kept saying that he really had no talent, and that he would not be able to drink or smoke in the future.

    Lu Yingjiu still didn¡¯t care about the food, and didn¡¯t even want the staple food. He only  peeled some shrimps leisurely.

    When the meal was almost finished, Lu Yingjiu got up and said with a smile, ¡°You guys continue to chat, I¡¯ll go outside to get some air.¡±

    He went to the small balcony on the second floor, opened the door, and the cool evening breeze instantly blew on his face. The balcony faced a small road, and it was empty. He only spotted a stray cat licking its fur slowly on the street corner. He leaned against the railing, looking far away and thought briefly for a few seconds.

    There was another squeak from behind, Lu Yingjiu turned around and saw Xiao Li.

    Since Xiao Li had just drank half a glass of wine, his face was red. He probably also came out to get some air. He leaned against the railing, patted his hot cheeks with his hands, and let out a long breath.

    ¡°Brother Lu, you just, you just said that you are going to pick up a friend, when are you going to leave?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not urgent.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°He won¡¯t arrive until midnight.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡ªthen does your friend want to come here to play?¡±

    ¡°He said he would come to my office to have a look, and if it suits him, he will stay and work.¡±

    ¡°Wow!¡± Xiao Li was a little surprised.

    Lu Yingjiu smiled. ¡°To tell you the truth, I don¡¯t even know his name.¡±

    Xiao Li: ¡°?¡±

    He was at a loss for a moment.

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°We met when we were young. We played together for a month, but we haven¡¯t seen each other since then. He is the grandson of the husband of my former neighbor¡¯s aunt¡¯s classmate¡¯s husband¡¯s mistress.¡±

    ¡°¡­What? Brother Lu, can you say it again?¡±

    ¡°He is the brother of the teacher¡¯s son of the adoptive daughter of my grandmother and my former desk mate.¡±

    ¡°There is not a single word in your two sentences that are the same!¡±

    ¡°Anyway, I don¡¯t know his name, but I used to call him Da Gou.¡±

    ¡°Then isn¡¯t he not your friend?!¡± Xiao Li was so shocked that he exploded.

    ¡°In a word, we haven¡¯t seen each other for almost twenty years.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°You¡¯re right, he isn¡¯t a friend. I didn¡¯t have many friends when I was young.¡±

    Xiao Li was taken aback. ¡°Why?¡±

    Although he was really scared of Lu Yingjiu when he met him for the first time, after getting along with him for a few days, he felt that Lu Yingjiu had nothing to do with ¡°having no friends¡±.

    What¡¯s more, he was so powerful that there were many people begging him to do things.

    Lu Yingjiu thought for a few seconds, then suddenly asked, ¡°Have you ever played hopscotch?¡±

    ¡°Play¨Cplayed. What¡¯s about it?¡± Xiao Li thought to himself¨Cmost people should have played this kind of game, no matter how bad it is. I have also seen others play it. Could it be that Brother Lu wants to play with him?

    ¡°I¡¯ve never played it before.¡± Lu Yingjiu said.

    He had a special physique and was plagued by bad luck. When he was a child, people around him outcasted him, and of course they also wouldn¡¯t let their children have more contact with him. Lu Yingjiu hadn¡¯t played much with his peers since he was a child, and he always only looked at other children from a distance.

    Actually, it¡¯s not that he hadn¡¯t really tried hopscotch.

    When he was young, Lu Yingjiu showed an amazing talent in catching ghosts. If the children didn¡¯t want to play with him, he would go catch wild ghosts and play with himself. Eventually, he defeated all the ghosts in the streets and made them gather together. All the ghosts were terrified. He let them draw houses with blood, let them wait in line to play, as they squeezed out smiles on their fierce faces.

    The situation was good until Lu Yingjiu discovered that those ghosts could not jump, they could only float, which fundamentally eliminated the possibility of losing.

    A failed attempt.

    After that, he still could only watch other children play.

    Most of the other games and activities were like this. His childhood was really extremely boring.

    Later, he grew up safely by relying on a ghost marriage. The result was amazing. He didn¡¯t have any shadows in his heart and no one outcasted him anymore. Except that he didn¡¯t sleep well, and his personality became a bit lazy and casual, which couldn¡¯t be said to be a success in both physical and mental health. Even if he had been recognized as a ¡°Three good students¡± for several years¡­..but the missing part couldn¡¯t still be filled.

    (t/n Three good students is a kind of student honor in the People¡¯s Republic of China, which recognizes students who have ¡°good moral character, good study, and good health¡± )

    It¡¯s like a house with hidden damages that others couldn¡¯t see, but you knew that the gap was always there, and occasionally there would be leaks.

    Xiao Li didn¡¯t know how to answer for a while. He held back for a long time, and finally said, ¡°If you want to play hopscotch, I can play with you.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu laughed all of a sudden. ¡°What are you thinking, I¡¯m not a child anymore.¡± He patted Xiao Li on the shoulder, ¡°Go, let¡¯s go back. Tomorrow is the Ghost Festival, we¡¯ll be working overtime.¡±

    At the same time, a gust of wind blew, and the orange-red sunset in the distance had fallen.

    ****

    Six hours later, at exactly 23:50.

    The horizon engulfed the light of the sky, and the entire city was shrouded in darkness. The taillights of vehicles crossed the road, and there were few pedestrians. Many people have already fallen asleep, had turned off their lights, and closed the curtains, leaving only bits and pieces of light from the buildings in the distance.

    Lu Yingjiu warmed up a glass of milk, and was reading a book. The phone on the table suddenly vibrated.

    [I¡¯m almost there, just waiting for the car to stop at the intersection you mentioned]

    He got up and put on a thin coat.

    It was extremely cold that night, that even the chill could be felt through the window panes.

    He locked the door and took the elevator downstairs, and the wind immediately puffed up his clothes as soon as he went out. The streetlights on the road downstairs were broken, and it was so dark that one wouldn¡¯t even see his own fingers.

    Lu Yingjiu walked alone in the dark.

    Until the clock on the phone silently pointed to [00:00]

    The sweeping wind whistled, the Yin energy in the surroundings became restless, and the temperature dropped several degrees, making him exhale foggy breath.

    The Ghost Festival is here.

    A hundred evil spirits would run amok, and all the ghosts would rejoice with wild excitement.

    In fact, during the Ghost Festival for the past several years, he would wonder if his cheap ghost marriage partner would appear. But after so long, there was no movement at all every year, therefore he stopped bearing in mind such an occasion.

    Yet unexpectedly, he started to anticipate the ghost again this year¡ªwaiting for the ghost possessing him to show up.

    Lu Yingjiu strolled like this and walked into a small alley.

    In the darkness behind him, a companion silently appeared.

    The ghost stared at him, while grinning sinisterly.

    But this time, until the moment the ghost pounced on him, the ghost possessing him didn¡¯t respond at all.

    Lu Yingjiu lit a piece of talisman paper. The light fell in his eyes like bursting fireworks, and the ghost immediately turned into drifting ashes against its radiance.

    As the talisman extinguished, he continued on his way.

    He thought he could communicate with that ghost today, but it had already left without a sound.

    Even if it was the Ghost Festival, it didn¡¯t leave any trace of breath, and only left suddenly and completely.

    It¡¯s impossible to say he didn¡¯t care.

    He didn¡¯t know where it came from, what it was going to do, or why it had left. From beginning to end, it was all a mystery.

    From a rational point of view, it was a great hidden danger. From an emotional point of view, this would probably become an unsolved mystery in his life¡ª¡ªjust like how he couldn¡¯t imagine what a normal childhood was like. Same as today, he didn¡¯t even know if hopscotch was fun. He would forever not know.

    Perhaps, it was also very similar to the ghost marriage¡ªa momentary interest in the past, yet humans and ghosts still end up returning to their different paths.

    It was getting colder, and Lu Yingjiu zipped up his coat.

    At the intersection, two minutes later, a bright yellow light pierced the darkness.

    The black car was a little strange¨Cbut Lu Yingjiu didn¡¯t notice anything weird for a while.

    It drove all the way and stopped firmly in front of him.

    The door of the back seat opened, and someone came out. Despite not clearly seeing in the dim light, his first reaction was¨C this person is very tall.

    At least half a head taller than him.

    The faint light in the distance outlined the handsome profile of the man, with thin lips, high nose bridge, neatly cut sideburns, with a sinister and elegant temperament between the brows and eyes, looking like someone who had come out of an ink painting. Those eyes were unique and deep black, and there seemed to be thousands of words hidden within them.

    Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°Long time no see¡­.eh?¡±

    He was suddenly enveloped in a hug and he smelled that sharp fragrance at once.

    ¡°Long time no see.¡± Jing Xian whispered in his ear, ¡°I¡¯ve come to look for you.¡±

 CH 11

    The hug was neither long nor short.

    When Jing Xian withdrew his hand, Lu Yingjiu was stained with his light fragrance, which smelled very good.

    Lu Yingjiu raised his head and looked at the person in front of him.

    He said his name was Jing Xian.

    His name sounded familiar, but he couldn¡¯t quite remember where he had heard it.

    Moreover, Lu Yingjiu always felt that Da Gou wouldn¡¯t grow up looking like this¡ªDa Gou was silly. He was an impulsive person, and was obviously incomparable from the person in front of him in terms of looks and temperament.

    Jing Xian was more handsome than a model, and he could be dragged away by any scouts if he went out for a few laps, but his appearance was extremely aggressive. Even if he smiled all the time, it wouldn¡¯t be able to cover it up at all.

    He¡¯s not someone that people can get close to.

    Upon closer look, Jing Xian was wearing a white shirt with its cuffs rolled up loosely, paired with a pair of black slim-fit pants, which perfectly outlined his long legs.

    It was simple, eye-catching and decent, and he couldn¡¯t find any trace of haste on his journey.

    Lu Yingjiu thought to himself¨Che seems to be someone that is here to meet his blind date.

    ¡­But Jing Xian really did look happy, and his eyes even lit up when he smiled.

    Jing Xian noticed his gaze, tilted his head and asked, ¡°What?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu smiled, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Do you have any luggage? I¡¯ll help you carry it.¡±

    He didn¡¯t bother too much. That period of memory was too far away anyway, and no matter how he recalled it, Da Gou¡¯s face seemed to be separated by a layer of fog. Besides, after so many years, wasn¡¯t it only normal for things to have some changes?

    He was about to say something more when his eyes fell on the rearview mirror of the taxi. One gray eye was looking at him.

    It¡¯s the driver.

    The moment their gazes met each other, its eyes turned wildly!

    Two bugs came out from the whites of its eyes and danced in the air. Lu Yingjiu reacted very quickly and pinched a talisman in secret, but the driver only turned his head and smiled at him.

    He said, ¡°Lu Yingjiu, your time has come.¡±

    This sentence is very familiar¡ªLu Yingjiu was immediately shocked!

    In the last half a second of his reaction, he gave Jing Xian a hard push, pushing him away from his side. The street lamp flickered for a moment, and then a sea of darkness engulfed him, the world became dark, and a strong sense of weightlessness suddenly came over.

    Vaguely, Lu Yingjiu heard the sound of drums and gongs beating again, and the little ghost that shouted in a high-pitched voice.

    ¡°The time has come¡ª¡ª¡±

    When he stretched out his hand, he felt the inner wall of a coffin again.

    The nightmare has repeated itself.

    He had forgotten that dream, but at this moment he remembered it all!

    Same as last time, the coffin wouldn¡¯t be opened no matter what, it would be lifted up and wobbled forward. His first reaction was: Jing Xian was not dragged here with him, right?

    Then he began to think of ways on how to break free.

    Last time, he couldn¡¯t break free at all.

    Lu Yingjiu once again reached out to touch the top of the coffin, but this time, what he touched was not the cold coffin wall.

    What he felt was a warm and strong hand.

    He was jerked violently by this hand, his vision turned blurry for a moment, and only to find himself already standing on the street once again.

    Jing Xian tugged at his hand and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? I just spoke to you, but you didn¡¯t answer.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu immediately turned to look at the driver.

    But the street was surprisingly empty. Where is the taxi?

    ¡°¡­¡­.I¡¯m fine.¡± Lu Yingjiu replied.

    Saying so, but in actuality, he was a mess inside.

    When actually is the time? What happened to the ghost marriage in the dream, and who was the fake groom?

    Pile of messy things were mixed together, and¡ª

    And¡­..how come Jing Xian can pull him back to the real world?

    Is it a coincidence, good luck, or¡­

    Suspicion arose in Lu Yingjiu¡¯s heart, but Jing Xian suddenly handed something over to him.

    Lu Yingjiu caught it subconsciously, and felt its heavy weight on his hand. Looking at it with the light from the street lamp¡ªit was a thermos cup.

    Lu Yingjiu:¡±?¡±

    For a moment, he didn¡¯t understand why Jing Xian would travel with this thing and stuff it in his arms. He hesitated, ¡°Is this for me?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Jing Xian said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you not eat much tonight, and you also are not afraid of going hungry.¡± He looked forward with anticipation, ¡°This is the seafood porridge I made.¡±

    When Lu Yingjiu and Xiao Li went to eat out tonight, they really didn¡¯t eat much, and now he¡¯s a little hungry. But he had never had an appetite. His appetite for food was as small as that of a cat, and he wouldn¡¯t want to eat after a few mouthfuls.

    Holding the thermos cup, Lu Yingjiu raised his head slightly and looked at Jing Xian. ¡°How did you know that I didn¡¯t eat anything tonight?¡±

    Jing Xian:¡±¡­¡­..¡±

    Jing Xian coughed, ¡°Don¡¯t you always have a bad appetite, I guess we should get to your place first and then you can eat it while it¡¯s still hot.¡±

    Just like that, Lu Yingjiu was holding a big thermos cup, walking on the street at midnight with Jing Xian.

    As he was still curious about what happened just now, he asked,¡±Did you notice anything just now?¡±

    ¡°No, depends, you were just standing still back there.¡± Jing Xian took the opportunity to hug Lu Yingiiu¡¯s shoulders, ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up, it¡¯s really windy here.¡±

    Because Lu Yingjiu¡¯s mind was elsewhere, he didn¡¯t notice that there seemed to be a bit of hostility in Jing Xian¡¯s eyes.

    That was almost a cold killing intent.

    If one would look at it from the perspective of others, one would find that this hug was not an ordinary ¡®hooking an arm to one¡¯s shoulders¡¯, but almost a protective action, like a ferocious beast enclosing a territory or a spouse, and it would immediately bared its fangs to anyone who dared to come over.

    Jing Xian lowered his eyes slightly.

    The hostility completely disappeared within his deep pupils.

    They walked on the street at midnight like this. There was no one around, only the sound of their footsteps, and the grunting of the wheels of the towed luggage was heard. As the lights on both sides illuminated them from above, their shadows seemed to overlap each other.

    Behind them, where the light completely disappeared, something were swimming in the black mist silently around¡ª

    ¡ªThere were several ferocious ghosts.

    Different from ordinary ghosts, they have marks similar to flowers imprinted on their bodies. They were the Priests of the Ghost World, but at first glance, they all looked gloomy and violent.

    If ordinary people heard the word ¡°priest¡±, they would probably associate it with fluttering white clothes and having an immortal demeanor. But in fact, just by appearance alone, many priests were actually more terrifying than a ferocious ghost, and had a nasty temperament.

    This was why, when ghost exorcists invite a deity, a possibility of backfiring could happen, and then be devoured instead.

    Now, these countless priests turned into black mist and pressed themselves against the wall, while following Lu Yingjiu. The swords, spears and chains in their hands gleamed coldly, their tips were all stained with blood, their sharp claws and fangs were looming in the mist, and their Ghost Fires were dense and cold, more powerful than the Hundred Ghost Night Parade¡­

    The atmosphere would be even better if it weren¡¯t for their hands holding a series of items such as the little flower of the underworld, big diamond ring, perfume, mosquito repellent spray, dry and wet wipes, small snacks and other items.

    What¡¯s more, a Harley motorcycle was floating in the air directly above their shoulders. So long as Lu Yingjiu said that he wanted to go for a ride, the motorcycle would be delivered immediately.

    Lu Yingjiu asked, ¡°By the way, you also became an exorcist afterwards, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but I didn¡¯t learn from my parents, I only figured out a few tricks myself.¡± Jing Xian said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m a good, but I can only help people ward off evil spirits and look at Feng Shui. If I can stay at your office, I can only do odd jobs.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu didn¡¯t expect Da Gou to be this amazing.

    Da Gou¡¯s parents were both half-baked ghost exorcists, but they could cook well. He was not asking for too much, so long as Jing Xian was more reliable than his parents, it would be enough.

    Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°Don¡¯t you like supernatural cases? You can also follow me to the scene. As long as it¡¯s not too dangerous, with me around, nothing will happen.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Jing Xian quickly agreed.

    ¡°However¡­¡± Lu Yingjiu changed the subject, ¡°It¡¯s better to let me know about your strength, I don¡¯t want to be completely lost.¡±

    Jing Xian froze for a moment, ¡°Oh¡ªis this a test before officially being a member?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu smiled, ¡°It¡¯s not that serious, I¡¯m not your head teacher.¡±

    Coincidentally, as soon as he finished speaking, the Yin energy around him rolled over.

    At the end of this road, after turning right, they would originally be at Lu Yingjiu¡¯s place already, but now, after they turned the corner, it was still the same road.

    Ghost hitting the wall.

    (t/n The so-called ¡°ghost hitting the wall¡± means that when walking at night or in the countryside, you can¡¯t tell the direction, have a vague self-perception, and don¡¯t know where to go, so you keep turning in circles. When telling others about this kind of experience, it is difficult for others to understand, so it is called ¡°ghost hitting the wall¡±.)

    ¡°The opportunity came sooner than expected.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Jing Xian:¡±¡­¡­¡±

    His plans are ruined.

    Before he came to meet Lu Yingjiu, he caught two new eastern ghosts in the Ghost World, learned how to cook every day, and made the seafood porridge that was in Lu Yingjiu¡¯s hand at the moment. Other times, he spent it with various teachers, and finally learned modern common sense. He rehearsed repeatedly to make sure there were no major mistakes.

    He never expected that on the first night of their meeting, Lu Yingjiu would ask him to demonstrate his ability to exorcise ghosts.

    What is this nonsense, he himself is a ghost.

    Even if he has a body now, it is still a question of whether he can use it to exorcise ghosts.

    Seeing that he hadn¡¯t moved for a long time, Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°It¡¯s right above us.¡±

    Jing Xian raised his head, and there was a black shadow crouching above the street lamp¡ªit was a little ghost with an ugly face, secretly poking his head out to look at them.

    In normal times, by simply thinking in his mind, not to mention this little ghost, even tens of thousands of these little ghosts would die. But the problem was that it¡¯s impossible, as Lu Yingjiu was here.

    How do ghost exorcists usually do it?

    He tried his best to recall, and eventually made a decent decision.

    Afterwards, light bloomed at the tips of his fingers.

    Fortunately, a flame really ignited and was burning silently in front of him. The street lamp little ghost felt the scorching heat, and suddenly became tense, forcing a few low growls from his throat.

    Lu Yingjiu really thought that Jing Xian was more reliable than his parents.

    Afterwards, Jing Xian raised his hand, and the ball of flame flew out¡ª¡ªslowly moving like an old man, flickering and glistening.

    Halfway through its flight, a spurting sound was suddenly heard, and then it went out directly.

    Leaving only a wisp of blue smoke.

    Little ghost: ¡°?

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°?¡±

    Jing Xian:¡±¡­¡­..¡±

    The surrounding Priests:¡±¡­¡­¡­.¡±

    His 800-year-old reputation was destroyed in one go.

    The little ghost seized the opportunity and wanted to jump down viciously, but was burned by Lu Yingjiu with a slap of his hand.

    Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous, have a try on the next one.¡±

    Because today was the Ghost Festival, there were as many ghosts as they wanted, and without even having taken a few steps, ghosts started to appear around them again, like spawning monsters in online games, they come out one after the other.

    Thus, for the next ten minutes, as the ghosts danced wildly in the street, Lu Yingjiu sat calmly on the bench by the roadside, ready to witness Jing Xian¡¯s ability.

    After being seated, he opened the thermos cup, preparing to eat what was inside.

    But upon opening it, he froze for a moment.

    It¡¯s so luxurious.

    It¡¯s really so luxurious, that it would be a perfect dish for a couple¡¯s anniversary on a candle light dinner.

    As soon as he opened it, he saw grilled oysters, fried fish bones, and boiled white shellfish, all crowded together without leaving any gaps. After uncovering, the bottom was the seafood porridge that Jing Xian mentioned, and it was full of shrimp, snails and crabs. It was already delicious in color and fragrance, and the aroma would make any one feel itchy, even a person like him who doesn¡¯t like to eat was enamored by it.

    This set was obviously only suitable for high-end restaurants, but now they were grievously squeezed into a thermos cup. Jing Xian even paired it with disposable chopsticks.

    Lu Yingjiu then took a few mouthfuls and ate it slowly.

    After more than ten minutes passed, he watched Jing Xian light a flame, but then the fire went out again. Afterwards, he watched Jing Xian call for water, but water didn¡¯t come.

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    His face remained calm, but he quickly took a sip of porridge to suppress his shock.

    This, this is even more unreliable than his parents!

    Jing Xian looks so strong, how could he be like this!

    Lu Yingjiu had no idea how terrible it was to be professionally mismatched.

    The Ghost King driving out ghosts with exorcism?

    It¡¯s like pulling a literature student and putting him in front of a computer, saying that you will die if you don¡¯t type out your novel in binary today.

    Finally, when Jing Xian was about to pinch a detonating talisman, Lu Yingjiu couldn¡¯t stand it any longer, and said, ¡°Hey wait, wait.  This, don¡¯t try this yet.¡±

    He was afraid that Jing Xian would blow the roadside wall up.

    Jing Xian asked, ¡°Am I too good at it?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu was silent for a few seconds before trying to figure out how to put it euphemistically. ¡°I can only say that there is still a lot of room for improvement.¡±

    Jing Xian: ¡°You can speak directly if you have something to say.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­¡­..¡±

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°You are indeed good.¡±

    Jing Xian looked at the sky without words, his face was calm, but in fact his heart was like dead ashes.

    Lu Yingjiu was sitting under the light by the side of the road, the light made his shirt very white, the clothes looked good, and so did the person.

    Holding the thermos cup in both hands, he sat in a very polite manner as usual, looking inexplicably cute, and added with a smile, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether you¡¯re good or not, I don¡¯t dislike you.¡±

    He then stood up, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go home.¡±

    Jing Xian was stunned for a moment, and replied with a smile, ¡°En.¡±

    He followed behind Lu Yingjiu. While Lu Yingjiu was watching the road ahead, he was watching Lu Yingjiu.

    When they got home, Jing Xian placed the luggage in the guest room.

    Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°The spare key is next to the door, if you want it, you can take it yourself, rest early.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Jing Xian looked at him, ¡°Good night.¡±

    Jing Xian then very lightly closed the door.

    Afterwards, he slammed his head against the door panel regretfully.

    It¡¯s a shame! It¡¯s a fucking shame!

    This first impression is so bad! How could this happen?!

    Knock knock knock

    Suddenly, there was a knock on the window outside.

    Jing Xian took a deep breath. He went to open the window, only to see a bright red long tongue sticking out, flicking back and forth in the air, infinitely coquettish, and then was followed by a pale ugly face.

    Jing Xian said with disgust. ¡°Put your tongue back quickly, don¡¯t drip on the floor of his house, it¡¯s so dirty.¡±

    Ye Youshen said aggrievedly, ¡°I have never retracted my tongue. Why does Boss dislike it today? By the way, Boss, what did you call me for?¡±

    ¡°Find me some ghosts who can exorcise ghosts, I want to learn.¡±

    Ye Youshen became shocked, ¡°Boss, why do you want to learn! Do you want to commit suicide!¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Jing Xian frowned, ¡°Hurry up and do it. Have you finished picking the flowers I asked you to pick yet?¡±

    ¡°Picked up, picked up.¡± Ye Youshen nodded repeatedly, ¡°But the flowers and diamond rings you sent, aren¡¯t they confiscated, why do you still pick them? Maybe he doesn¡¯t like these, if you ask me, I say we should just pick the most beautiful head in the Ghost World and give it to him¡ª¡±

    He was then slapped by Jing Xian and scattered away, turning into a wisp of mist, and drifted through the air.

    After floating for a while, he came back suddenly and asked, ¡°Boss, why didn¡¯t you tell him who you are.¡±

    ¡°What do you know?¡± Jing Xian clicked his tongue.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Ye Youshen said with understanding, ¡°So you are playing hard to get.¡±

    He was scattered again and drifted away. As he was floating, he felt that something was wrong.

    Looking at today¡¯s performance, why does it feel like that the Boss was the one being captured!

    ****

    The next day, the sun was shining brightly.

    Lu Yingjiu woke up early as usual.

    Yesterday he slept a little better and was in good spirits. When he went out to the living room, Jing Xian was at the table. The lighting in the morning was just right, which made his face appear more valiant, yet wickedly handsome. He smiled and took out¡­..two bowls of wontons sprinkled with green onions, he then looked at Lu Yingjiu expectantly.

    Lu Yingjiu was held back by this strong contrast for a second. ¡°¡­You, you got up so early?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t sleep much. Eat it while it¡¯s hot.¡± Jing Xian put a bowl of wontons in front of him.

    Lu Yingjiu sat down.

    The box says ¡°Lao Zhang¡¯s Breakfast Shop¡±.  Lu Yingjiu had eaten there several times before, and the taste was the best around here, but it was three or four streets away, which was quite far. He had no idea how Jing Xian found it.

    He picked up one with a chopstick. The wonton skin was thin and was stuffed with many fillings. The soup was delicious as well.

    Sitting opposite him, Jing Xian asked casually, ¡°Do you have any task now? I didn¡¯t do well yesterday, but I¡¯m much better now.¡±

    He spent a whole night exorcising ghosts, constantly thinking of winning this round.

    ¡°Don¡¯t have one.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°I just solved a case.¡±

    Jing Xian then stood up, while seemingly thinking of something.

    Lu Yingjiu was eating wontons when he suddenly heard Jing Xian say, ¡°Hey, come here.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu looked up, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Jing Xian was standing by the door. He didn¡¯t know what he had seen through the peephole, as he kept waving at him.

    ¡°Come quickly.¡± His tone was quite excited.

    The doorbell didn¡¯t ring, was there someone outside? Lu Yingjiu walked over and Jing Xian made room.

    He looked out through the peephole and saw an old lady with a kind face, wearing a thin floral shirt outside. As she leaned forward, also looking into the peephole, her eyeballs bulged.

    She was just simply standing outside the door, not knowing how long she had been spying on them.

    It¡¯s downright creepy.

    Lu Yingjiu frowned slightly, and took out two talisman papers¡ª

    Unexpectedly, Jing Xian held him down. ¡°Allow me.¡±

    He brought the bowl of wontons over, and stuffed them into Lu Yingjiu¡¯s hands.

    ¡°You just continue eating.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu:¡±?¡±

    He then watched the play while holding wontons in his hands.

 CH 12

    Lu Yingjiu was looking forward to Jing Xian¡¯s performance, guessing what talisman he would use.

    Detonating talisman, wind talisman, an ¡®inviting the gods¡± talisman¡­..all possible talisman papers flashed in his mind.

    Then suddenly, Jing Xian took a deep breath and opened the door with a swish!

    Lu Yingjiu:???

    He supported his forehead. It was so simple and rough of him that he didn¡¯t want to complain anymore.

    It was empty outside. Jing Xian merely looked around as if he was on a leisurely stroll, and then regrettably said, ¡°How can it run so fast?¡±

    When he turned around, he realized that Lu Yingjiu¡¯s expression was not right, and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you scared?¡±

    ¡°¡­No.¡± Lu Yingjiu rubbed his brow bone, ¡°Maybe next time, why don¡¯t you just wait for me.¡±

    He was not afraid of people, but he was afraid of people dying. In short, he was really afraid of Jing Xian¡¯s sudden death.

    Jing Xian immediately became alert, feeling that he seemed to have done something wrong again.

    Obviously last night, the ghost teacher said this, ¡°I have been driving away ghosts for so many years relying on momentum. As long as the momentum is right, ghosts will naturally be scared away.¡±

    Jing Xian asked suspiciously, ¡°Relying on momentum to drive away ghosts? Don¡¯t you have any talisman?¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    ¡°Then how did you die?¡±

    ¡°Killed by a ghost.¡±

    Jing Xian:¡±¡­¡­.¡±

    Just as he was about to drive them away, and scolded Ye Youshen in the process, suddenly the ghost¡¯s eyes lit up, with a face that wanted to gossip.

    ¡°Besides, aren¡¯t you pursuing someone? The most important thing is to show your courage, and that, and that boyfriend power! If you meet a ghost, wouldn¡¯t it be nice for you to stand in front of your wife to scare it away and comfort him as he is teary eyed?¡±

    Jing Xian pondered for a while.

    He was actually not very good at emotions. He was best at crushing other people¡¯s heads.

    He then asked, ¡°Are you good at love?¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡± The ghost proudly puffed his chest, ¡°When I was alive, I was nicknamed the Little Prince of Love, and everyone chased after me. What prettiest girl in the class, most handsome boy in the class. You listen to me, I guarantee that strong desires of love, as conditions are met, will come naturally accompanied with great passion, as each one has their own suitable match.¡±

    As Jing Xian pondered over it, he felt very skeptical in his heart, but the last half of the sentence the other party said was so attractive, he really wanted to have that strong desire of love with Lu Yingjiu.

    That¡¯s why he didn¡¯t learn the art of exorcising ghosts, and only listened to love lectures all night. The theme was ¡°the inevitable connection between bravery and masculine charm¡±.

    But now, Lu Yingjiu, who was supposed to be ¡°embraced by him with tears in his eyes¡±, looked at him with complicated eyes.

    Lu Yingjiu said softly, ¡°Let me do it next time.¡±

    The tone of his voice was really light.

    For fear of hurting Jing Xian¡¯s self-esteem.

    Jiang Xian:¡±¡­¡­.¡±

    Now he really just wanted to kill Ye Youshen and that prince who broke his love affair. He could already imagine the image of himself in Lu Yingjiu¡¯s heart.

    Not good at doing something, reckless and stupid, nothing but looks

    Weak Ghost King.

    Useless and only for decoration Ghost King.

    Cannon fodder Ghost King.

    The combination of those three, nothing could really rival him in this world.

    Lu Yingjiu continued, ¡°However, it seems that this commission must be accepted, as it has already come all the way to our doorstep. There is not much Yin energy gathered here, thus she should have come from another place.¡±

    Although he didn¡¯t know why the ghost old lady came to his door, since she came from another place, someone else might have spotted her.

    He opened the Two-faced Buddha app, and various supernatural posts floated on the forum.

    It would have been much more convenient if he could just find it on the top.

    Sure enough, after turning almost two pages, he found someone¡¯s post.

    Jing Xian also leaned over to look, head to head with him.

    The owner said that he was working as a waiter at the Lane East Bar.

    [I rented a room next to the bar, and it will take about ten minutes for me to get to the said bar]

    [But there are some strange things recently, the door opposite mine, there is an old lady, and I always feel that she is watching me]

    [She is back now, let me take a look.]

    A few people below replied to him.

    [Owner, aren¡¯t you too suspicious?]

    [Send me some specific information, brothers can help you break it down and analyze]

    [There has never been any murder case in your building, right?]

    After a while, the owner appeared again.

    [She entered the door, to continue, my house is on the fifth floor. Several times when I went up the stairs, I found her standing on the fifth floor and staring at me, that kind of thing where you don¡¯t know how long she stood there. I even suspect that she has been waiting for me to come back]

    [What¡¯s more, I seem to have seen her a few times in the bar. You say, what will an old woman in her 60s and 70s, going to do in a bar? Could she be following me? I¡¯m really about to collapse here, I didn¡¯t go to work yesterday, and I couldn¡¯t sleep]

    [Brother, wait, take a photo of her, and upload it for us to see]

    Someone replied: [Why don¡¯t you, go to the bar for the old lady?]

    [The old lady deserves a second spring! She is shivering and cold!]

    The owner sent a photo, which was very blurry, and seemed to have been taken hastily. On it was a stooped, silver-haired old lady with a kind face, wearing a thin floral shirt.

    She looked exactly like the old lady standing at Lu Yingjiu¡¯s door.

    ¡°It¡¯s her.¡± Lu Yingjiu said.

    He sent a private message to the owner to ask about the specific details, but the other party didn¡¯t answer immediately. Looking at the records carefully, it seemed that he hadn¡¯t posted any more posts for a whole day, thus, the specific situation was unknown for now.

    However, the Lane East Bar where the owner works was only 30 minutes away by car.

    Lu Yingjiu originally planned to take a taxi there, but Jing Xian said, ¡°Let¡¯s drive there.¡±

    He originally wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to show off his luxury car in front of Lu Yingjiu, but Lu Yingjiu only nodded and then said, ¡°Okay, my car is downstairs.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu seldom uses a car. Occasionally, he would drive a second-hand Honda SUV for supernatural commissions. Anyway, it doesn¡¯t hurt much if it is scratched.

    Opening the door, the interior of the car was very tidy, devoid of any personal belongings, showing the indifferent attitude of Lu Yingjiu.

    Since Jing Xian said that he liked to drive, Lu Yingjiu sat in the co-pilot and fastened his seat belt carefully.

    As soon as he got in the car, he habitually wanted to catch up on sleep ¨C if he didn¡¯t have this good habit, with his sleep quality, he would have died suddenly. However, as a result, as soon as he sat firmly, he felt that he had suddenly sunken deeper from behind!

    Jing Xian slammed on the accelerator, and the Honda rushed out aggressively. Lu Yingjiu was used to Ye Feng¡¯s vintage car, therefore he didn¡¯t realize it all at once, he just felt as if he was pushed into the seat.

    Everything was going backwards outside the car window, the rider¡¯s yellow helmet, an old man pedaling a three-wheeler, the rearview mirrors of various cars whizzing by at a very close distance¡­..Fortunately, the red light ahead stopped Jing Xian.

    They overtook an unknown number of vehicles and came to a solid stop right at the very front.

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­we are not in such a hurry.¡±

    Jing Xian: ¡°I¡¯m not speeding¡­¡± He paused, and suddenly realized something, ¡°Are you going to catch up on sleep in the car?¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, there will always be a chance to do it.¡± Lu Yingjiu tilted his head slightly, looking at him, ¡°However, how do you know that I need to catch up on my sleep?¡±

    This habit was known only to a few old friends.

    ¡°It¡¯s because,¡± Jing Xian stumbled, ¡°because you were still yawning while eating wontons.¡±

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s true.¡± Lu Yingjiu withdrew his gaze, ¡°I haven¡¯t been able to sleep well. If you have nothing to do, you can drive as long as you don¡¯t exceed the speed limit.¡±

    That was to say, even though he was still overtaking other vehicles, the speed had slowed down.

    After 20 minutes, they finally arrived at Lane East Bar.

    This was a music bar with a very large venue. There were three floors in total, and private rooms were located on the upper floors. There was a platform in the middle of the first floor for people to play the piano and guitar, and the entire wall on the left hand side was a wine cabinet. The wine bottles were very dazzling and it shone under the dim light.

    There was no one inside as it was early in the morning. They waited for a while before a stubble-faced uncle came out.

    The smell of cigarettes and alcohol was on his body, which was not very pleasant, and his tone was sleepy, ¡°Drink, two?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu leaned against the bar counter and said, ¡°Just want to inquire, your waiter, has he asked for leave or been absent from work in the past two days?¡±

    The uncle immediately sobered up, looked at the two of them again, and his eyes stayed on Jing Xian, who was obviously more daunting, for a few more seconds.

    ¡°You are policemen.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu smiled, and sat back down. ¡°Give us something. Whatever it is you like.¡±

    The uncle raised his chin suspiciously, took a few bottles down, and shook the mixing cup in his hand. He mixed a cocktail, and put two glasses of Mojito on the bar counter. In the light-colored liquid, ice cubes floated with spearmint leaves.

    Although Lu Yingjiu had ¡°wine¡± in his name and even opened a fake bar, in fact, he didn¡¯t know much about it and had no interest in it, besides, their intention wasn¡¯t really to drink.

    He merely took a sip and said, ¡°We are not the police. The thing is like this. We read from a forum of someone who said that he was a waiter here, and that he seemed to have encountered a supernatural event, thus we came to have a look.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡ª¡± The uncle was still a little skeptical.

    Lu Yingjiu turned on the phone and showed him the interface of the Two-faced Buddha app.

    ¡°I¡¯m a Supernatural Investigator, and I came here just to find some material for a live broadcast.¡±

    Actually, he had never broadcasted live once, but after all, the interface was formal. The uncle looked at it a few times, and his expression relaxed a lot, but he still didn¡¯t relent.

    Lu Yingjiu fumbled in his pocket, it was empty,

    .He seldom smokes, and during his years at the Blue Lantern Association, he would occasionally bring a few packs of good cigarettes with him when he went out to do business. However, he accidentally forgot it today.

    He was about to say a few more words, but Jing Xian next to him took out a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes and handed it over.

    Lu Yingjiu thought to himself¨C he is quite capable.

    Tilting his head, he happened to meet Jing Xian¡¯s eyes ¨C the other party raised his eyebrows and smiled at him, with a look of wanting to be praised for his work written all over his face.

    The uncle took out a lighter, and a blue flame burst out, licking the cigarette butt into orange. He took a deep breath, raised his head and spat it out, and said leisurely, ¡°You said that you are not a policeman. Let me see, it was Xiao Yang who posted this post, he had told me about it yesterday. Is it that, that old grandma thing?¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    ¡°Then you guys are going to be disappointed, he is paranoid and prone to overthinking.¡±

    The uncle also found a chair and sat down.

    It¡¯s really different when one had cigarettes, words would immediately come out of the mouth immediately.

    ¡°What kind of supernatural grandma, it¡¯s just that the old lady at the opposite door has a little dementia, and did something strange, so why make a fuss.¡± He sighed heavily, ¡°How many times have I told that boy, he always said that one of our old customers wanted to harm him, then he was absent from work for several days in a row. It was useless trying to persuade him. In fact, I was going to fire him, but after our old customer moved away, he came back by himself.¡±

    Jing Xian said, ¡°In other words, he was always having these illusions.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± The uncle flicked the cigarette ash, ¡°I can¡¯t say anything about other personal privacy, you guys should just go back, also, treat these two glasses of wine as gifts from me. Alas, I¡¯ll go outside to smoke, you can sit wherever you want.¡±

    As he turned to leave, Lu Yingjiu asked again, ¡°By the way, what time does the bar usually get crowded at night? My house is nearby, maybe I¡¯ll come and sit down when I¡¯m free, and enjoy the liveliness.¡±

    ¡°What time?¡± The uncle with a cigarette in his mouth, said vaguely, ¡°Let¡¯s say, at seven or eight, it¡¯s different every day.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    Then the uncle went out.

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°Let¡¯s come again at night. Although this bar has no Yin energy, but ¡®Xiao Yang¡¯ has indeed bumped into a ghost.¡±

    Jing Xian smiled and said, ¡°Right. This supernatural old lady even ran dozens of kilometers just to knock on our door.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s suitable for being a debt collector.¡± Lu Yingjiu touched the glass thoughtfully, and the cold water droplets seeped over, ¡°Moreover, I always feel that the name of this bar is a bit familiar.¡±

    At some point in the past, he must have heard of this name. Who mentioned it to him? Chen Zheng? Chu Banyang?

    Jing Xian: ¡°Indeed, I checked before I came, this place is a famous gay bar.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu:¡±¡­¡­¡±

    Lu Yingjiu:¡±?¡±

    This explanation sounded a bit like a cover up that only appeared more conspicuous instead, thus he gave up.

    Jing Xian smiled at him, a somewhat flamboyant and complacent smile.

    He didn¡¯t know what he was happy about, therefore merely drank a mouthful of wine.

    Then a few more sips afterwards.

    With a movement of his hand, a piece of talisman was silently pasted on Jing Xian¡¯s back.

    The talisman was very quiet and unresponsive.

    Jing Xian suddenly turned around. ¡°Where shall we go next?¡±

    He didn¡¯t seem to notice anything.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just come to Lujiang? Is there any place you want to go?¡± Lu Yingjiu said.

    He remained calm, and with a slight movement of his hand, he took the talisman paper back.

    He squinted his eyes, and there was a trace of doubt in his brown pupils, but it was well hidden again.

 CH 13

    The two returned to the car, then Jing Xian leisurely said, ¡°I¡¯m not interested in scenic spots, why don¡¯t we find a place nearby to rest.¡±

    ¡°Okay, you decide. I also have to make a call.¡± Lu Yingjiu leaned back in the chair comfortably and took out his mobile phone.

    Instead of opening the contacts, he entered a string of numbers from memory.

    Beep¡ªbeep

    Beep¡ªbeep

    It rang for a long time before a clear female voice answered, ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°Look up a name for me, in Lane East Bar, a waiter named ¡®Xiaoyang¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Alas Xiao Lu, you really don¡¯t go to Three Treasures Hall for nothing. Every time you come to me when you only have something, makes me very sad~.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu didn¡¯t know if it¡¯s only his misconception, but Jing Xian leaned over to his side, as if he¡¯s interested in the female voice.

    Lu Yingjiu replied, ¡°Didn¡¯t I treat you to dinner last time, do you want to go out again today?¡±

    ¡°Where are you?¡±

    ¡°Baifeng District, with a friend.¡±

    ¡°Okay, send me the address later, I¡¯ll see you soon.¡± The female voice laughed, like ringing silver bells, ¡°I will send the ¡®pigeon¡¯ out to check that bar and ¡®Xiaoyang¡¯ right now.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu then hung up the phone.

    Jing Xian asked, ¡°Your friend?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Lu Yingjiu didn¡¯t explain much, and looked up at the navigation, their destination was ¡°Shen Yuan Coffee Shop¡±.

    ****

    Lu Yingjiu held up a cup of matcha latte by his hand, and read a book quietly. When he lowered his eyes, his slender eyelashes casted a small shadow.

    They had been sitting here for more than 20 minutes. The coffee shop was crowded with people, even on non-working days. Office workers and students were crowded together, yet even with this many people, Lu Yingjiu was still noticeable at a glance.

    Just like a boy every girl liked in school, his features were young, sincere and beautiful, and his freshly washed collared shirt smelled of sunshine, as he shone brightly amongst the crowd.

    But when his face was expressionless, this alienation was all the more obvious.

    This actually conflicted with his gentle and handsome appearance.

    A person¡¯s temperament was determined by many factors. Congenital personality, lonely childhood, and the subsequent high position together constitute the part of ¡°alienation¡±. Many people had a very good first impression of Lu Yingjiu, but later soon realized that he was difficult to get close to.

    A few little girls passed by, chattering, and looked at him a few more times. After clearly seeing the ¡°Illustrated Book of Corpse Changes¡± in his hand, they shrank their heads and retreated back.

    Their eyes fell on Jing Xian instead. Jing Xian was wearing a black T-shirt today, and looked very handsome. When he noticed them, he raised his eyebrows and smiled¡ªwhile also holding the ¡°Illustrated Book of Corpse Changes¡± in his hand.

    Girls:¡±¡­¡­..¡±

    Click clack click clack

    The sound of high heels came from far to near.

    A woman wearing suspenders and wide-leg trousers, with red lips like fire, walked over coquettishly, drawing the eyes of countless people along the way. She had just had her hair styled and burgundy nail polished. It was exquisite enough to be outrageous.

    At first glance, she looked like a little rich woman.

    She walked all the way to their table like this, looked at Jing Xian intently, but put her hand on Lu Yingjiu¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Xiao Lu, this sister hasn¡¯t seen you for a few days, how did you get such a handsome friend?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu didn¡¯t even raise his eyebrows, and said, ¡°Let me introduce you, this is Jing Xian, I¡¯ve known him since childhood. Jing Xian, this is Chen Xiaoling.¡±

    Chen Xiaoling sat down beside Lu Yingjiu, and said with a smile, ¡°Call me Sister Chen, Linda or Xiaoling is fine.¡±

    He didn¡¯t look surprised at all. He was about to grab Lu Yingjiu¡¯s cup of matcha latte¨CLu Yingjiu remained silent¨Cyet she quickly moved the cup away, and blocked it with her left hand.

    Chen Xiaoling did not drink it, she merely curled her lips, and met Jing Xian¡¯s eyes as soon as she raised her head.

    Jing Xian¡¯s eyes were very black, like a night that couldn¡¯t be dyed by any color. He looked like he hadn¡¯t noticed her little action just now, and only said with a smile, ¡°Nice to meet you.¡±

    Chen Xiaoling suddenly felt cold all over her body.

    Maybe a woman was really born with a certain intuition, because she felt that Jing Xian was not happy at all.

    But this cold feeling disappeared quickly. She tossed her hair to hide her discomfort, ¡°Me too¡ª¡±

    Afterwards, they ordered three western dishes.

    Chen Xiaoling said, ¡°I only found a little bit of what you asked me to check. It¡¯s still the Ghost Festival, and the ¡®pigeons¡¯ are busy.¡± She then took out her mobile phone and found a photo, ¡°Jin Xiaoyang, 27 years old, unmarried, has worked in Lane East Bar for 7 years, and lives at 5-12B, Guobao Garden, Enterprise Road. Lane East Bar was originally called Dongcheng Music Bar and changed its name 6 years ago. It is a very famous gay bar,¡± She glanced at Lu Yingjiu and teased, ¡°Aren¡¯t you interested in this part?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu ignored her teasing, ¡°Be serious.¡±

    Chen Xiaoling snorted. ¡°So cold¡­..There is an interesting rumor about why the Lane East Bar changed its name.¡± She glanced at Jing Xian then tugged at the corner of Lu Yingjiu¡¯s clothes.

    Normally, she would just directly ask the other party to avoid him, but she felt inexplicably frightened towards Jing Xian.

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°Jing Xian, why don¡¯t you rush our order.¡±

    ¡°¡­.Okay. ¡°Jing Xian got up.

    After he walked away, Chen Xiaoling said, ¡°Xiao Lu, do you know what happened to the Chen family six years ago?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu thought for a moment, ¡°You mean the extermination case?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Five members of the Chen family died in that incident. The family head, Chen Minlan, and his son¡¯s family. It was said that they were murdered by a fierce ghost.¡±

    The four most famous and oldest exorcist aristocratic families were ¡°Chu¡±, ¡°Ye¡±, ¡°Chen¡±, and ¡°Zhang¡±.

    The four major families firmly occupied the upper echelons of the ghost exorcism world, each with its own strengths, supporting each other and restraining each other, like four giant mountains that couldn¡¯t be overthrown, that everyone stared intently.

    Therefore, no matter how tightly the case of exterminating the family was covered up at that time, rumors still leaked out and it was even too weird. No matter how one said it, those five people were also at the top of the pyramid, and it was hard to imagine that they would simply die like this.

    There were many, many related rumors, such as the Chen family was not benevolent and was unrighteous, and that it was fate..¡­¡­.In short, there was no conclusion.

    Lu Yingjiu was not from an aristocratic family, thus he didn¡¯t get involved in this matter, so naturally he didn¡¯t understand it.

    Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°Why did you bring this up all of a sudden?¡±

    ¡°Because¡± Chen Xiaoling grabbed his hand, raised her head slightly, and leaned close to his ear¡ªfrom outsiders, it looked like a young couple flirting, ¡°Because, the murder scene at that time was a private room of the Lane East Bar.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu was stunned.

    Chen Xiaoling smiled again, ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m telling you that such a thing happened, yet there is no evidence, it is up to you to believe it or not. If you want to tell that Jing Xian, I don¡¯t really care.¡±

    Then sounds of footsteps came.

    Jing Xian came back and sat down. ¡°They went to the kitchen to rush our order.¡± He stared intently at Chen Xiaoling who was leaning on Lu Yingjiu.

    Chen Xiaoling held Lu Yingjiu¡¯s arm, feeling confident, and bent her eyes and smiled.  However, as she went to grab the matcha latte, she was stopped by Lu Yingjiu.

    She complained, ¡°Every time you go out, you go with half of your drink left, what a waste.¡±

    ¡°You need not to bother about it.¡± Lu Yingjiu said.

    Chen Xiaoling curled her lips and stood up, ¡°I¡¯m going to read a book.¡±

    Afterwards, she walked away in a flirtatious way.

    Lu Yingjiu lowered his eyes, and was about to continue reading ¡°The Illustrated Book of Corpse Changes¡±, when he suddenly heard Jing Xian say, ¡°You¡¯re done with your latte?¡±

    ¡°Done, if I drink more, I¡¯ll get full.¡± Lu Yingjiu shook his head.

    ¡°Can I take a sip?¡±

    Unlike Chen Xiaoling, drinking a bottle of wine or smoking a cigarette between boys was much more normal. Lu Yingjiu handed over the latte to him then said, ¡°Just take it, to be honest¡­the taste is average.¡±

    For the next minute or two, Jing Xian kept holding the cup of latte.

    He then unexpectedly stood up. ¡°I¡¯m going to find a book too.¡±

    ¡°En.¡± Lu Ying didn¡¯t even lift his head from reading, and concentrated on studying the bones of the corpse.

    Among the bookshelves, Chen Xiaoling was browsing history books.

    Long fingers skimmed across the spine of books, and she quickly picked out a large volume of a book. Just as she pulled it out, her breathing immediately paused.

    Opposite the bookshelf, Jing Xian was looking at her.

    He had handsome eyebrows and eyes, but his aggressiveness was extremely strong. He would be well suited to be on the Dark Dao and be served by those outlaws. This really frightened Chen Xiaoling enough that her scalp went slightly numb, pondering why did this person come here?

    Jing Xian smiled at her.

    Even this smile was like a smiling beast.

    He raised his hand, took a sip¡­of the matcha latte, and deliberately pointed the cup towards Chen Xiaoling, so that she could clearly see that it was of Lu Yingjiu.

    Chen Xiaoling:¡±¡­¡­..¡±

    Then, Jing Xian walked away seemingly in a good mood while taking a sip.

    Chen Xiaoling:¡±¡­¡­.¡±

    She murmured, ¡°This kid surnamed Lu, he said that he is not interested in gay bars¡­..Where did he find such person¡­¡±

 CH 14

    There were not many dishes to choose from in the coffee shop, they were all spaghetti, steak and so on, and the products were relatively average. The medium rare steak was almost fully cooked, and the price could only be said to be worthy of the bustling road where the place was located.

    Chen Xiaoling took a few photos in a row and sent them to Moments, with the caption [This shop is average, but luckily there is a handsome guy who came to chat with me~(heart)(heart)]

    After a while, she added another comment. [Don¡¯t get me wrong, we are just friends (heart)]

    Lu Yingjiu, who was cutting his steak, inexplicably felt that the atmosphere on the table was a bit weird. He glanced at Chen Xiaoling, then at Jing Xian, both of which only seemed to be concentrating on eating, and nothing more.

    Was it an illusion?

    Lu Yingjiu then took a sip of water, but before he could put down the glass in his hand, he noticed the two staring at it.

    Lu Yingjiu:?

    He suddenly felt that the thing in his hand was a ticking time bomb, he didn¡¯t know if he should continue drinking or to just put it down.

    He hesitated for half a second, and just as he decided to put it down, he saw the hands of the two people stretch out at the same time!

    Jing Xian was obviously faster than Chen Xiaoling, and snatched the glass away, ¡°I¡¯ll fill it again for you.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu:???

    Full of doubts, he merely watched Jing Xian get up, fill up the glass with lemonade like a newly victorious lion patrolling the territory, then place it in front of him with a captivating smile.

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°Thank you?¡±

    Jing Xian: ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu continued to bury his head in cutting the steak, thinking that the atmosphere was really not right.

    Is it because these two people don¡¯t know each other, that¡¯s why they felt uncomfortable? But it doesn¡¯t seem to be the case¡­

    He was not really good at handling this kind of situation, and only knew the basic principle of ¡°if you can¡¯t speak, then don¡¯t speak at all¡±, thus he kept silent, and unexpectedly got his glass refilled twice by Jing Xian during his silence. Chen Xiaoling had a false smile on her face, and her eyelashes that stood upright after wiping a mascara trembled uncontrollably.

    Their meal ended in such a weird atmosphere.

    Chen Xiaoling still had something to do in the afternoon, hence she was in a hurry to leave.

    Standing at the door of the coffee shop, she took a deep breath and said, ¡°Xiao Lu, come out to see this sister for dinner next time when you have time. Let¡¯s have a chat alone.¡±

    After that, she winked at Lu Yingjiu and blew kisses at him, which made Jing Xian glare at her, then she stepped on her high heels and stomped away.

    As soon as Chen Xiaoling left, the atmosphere suddenly became normal.

    Using the phone number given by Chen Xiaoling, Lu Yingjiu tried to call Jin Xiaoyang¡¯s cell phone, but his phone was off.

    He said, ¡°Let¡¯s go to Jin Xiaoyang¡¯s home first, at least to ensure his safety.¡±

    ¡°En.¡± Jing Xian responded.

    The two got into the car and drove towards the National Treasure Garden. Jing Xian still drove fiercely like before, and the second-hand Honda shuttled between traffic and overtook all the way without delay. Lu Yingjiu got used to it a little this time, he merely lowered his seat and began to catch up on his sleep.

    After he closed his eyes and slept for more than ten minutes, the car came to a complete stop.

    Outside was the National Treasure Garden, which was an old community, the outer walls of the buildings were visibly dilapidated.

    Taking the old elevator up, they reached the 12th floor with 5 rooms.

    Jin Xiaoyang lived in 12B, and the door he mentioned was 12A, which was the residence of the old lady.

    Jing Xian stood in front of Jin Xiaoyang¡¯s house and rang the doorbell several times, but no one came to answer the door. The waiters in the bar all have shifting schedules day and night, and they didn¡¯t know whether Jin Xioayang was catching up on sleep or was simply not at home.

    Lu Yingjiu stood in front of door 12A. He heard a slight sound from behind it, as if someone was walking, he stretched out his hand and pushed it gently¡ª¡ª

    Then the door opened slowly. It turned out that it wasn¡¯t even closed.

    Behind the door, standing in the middle of the living room was a man in his forties or fifties, with a round figure and face, wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. Everything in the house was messed up, all the drawers were pulled open, the sofa cushions were thrown on the floor, the dishes were broken by the table, the carpet was curled up in the corner, the wardrobe was open, and thin flowered shirts were visible inside¡­..It was like a burglary scene, done by a vicious gangster.

    The ¡°gangster¡± was taken aback when he saw Lu Yingjiu, and his tone sounded astonished, ¡°You?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu also felt that this face looked familiar. After thinking about it for a while, he remembered that the person in front of him was Chen Qi, the younger brother of Chen Zheng, the president of the Green Lantern Association, and he had met him two or three times before.

    Chen Qi was really not a member of the association, and he had only been taking care of the Chen family. In Lu Yingjiu¡¯s impression, he was not as shrewd and capable as Chen Zheng, but rather sincere and kind. He would greet everyone with a smile, and spoke with a unique middle-aged official accent.

    He did not expect to meet him here.

    Lu Yingjiu asked, ¡°Are you here to exorcise ghosts?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Chen Qi wiped the sweat on his face with the back of his hand, ¡°It took us a long time to catch it.¡±

    He was holding a large handful of talisman papers in his hand, and his back was covered with sweat. He must have finished catching the ghost not too long ago.

    Chen Qi added, ¡°You also came here for the ghosts? It¡¯s a pity that you came a step late, as I already chased it away first hahaha.¡± He laughed a few times, and poked his head into the corridor again, ¡°You came with your friend?¡±

    ¡°En.¡± Seeing that Jing Xian still kept knocking on the opposite door, Lu Yingjiu shouted, ¡°Jing Xian, come here first.¡±

    Jing Xian entered the room, and he introduced the two to each other briefly.

    Another ghost exorcist poked out from the inner room, and was a little confused seeing them.

    Chen Qi said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, I just ran into a friend.¡± He pointed to Lu Yingjiu, and praised, ¡°Do you know this one? He¡¯s the famous exorcist Lu Yingjiu, the only one who was appointed chief of the Green Lantern Association at the age of 19. Each of you should be half as powerful as him, are you not afraid of others gossiping outside, saying that our Chen family is declining day by day?¡±

    The ghost exorcist nodded slowly towards Lu Yingjiu, and not knowing what to say, his eyes merely wandered around. Chen Qi waved again, ¡°Okay, go get busy and paste those two sets of spells, I¡¯ll chat with my friend here.¡±

    The ghost exorcist went back to the inner room, busily stuck the talisman papers, and prepared to purify the yin energy.

    Chen Qi wiped his sweat again and sat down by the window, ¡°Let me tell you, I have never seen such an old lady who could run like a rabbit, it was as difficult as chasing a dog after letting it out. I originally brought three people with me, one guarding downstairs, while the two were following it. The result was alright. The two boys followed the old lady in the stairwell up to the 29th floor. They run around, maybe up and down, go back and forth three times, and now they are all lying on their stomachs in the car. Say, why are young men nowadays have such poor physical strength?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu smiled and said, ¡°Then it¡¯s you who have good physical strength.¡±

    ¡°No, no,¡± Chen Qi waved his hands again and again, and smiled awkwardly, the flesh on his cheek squeezed his eyes into slits, ¡°I stopped after running for two floors, and let them chase after it. I haven¡¯t made a commission for several years, and today I just thought of going out for a walk, who knew I would encounter such a troublesome thing. Ah yes¡ªdo you know what is going on with the person at the opposite door? I heard that he is still posting on the forum.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t get in touch with him.¡± Lu Yingjiu replied simply.

    ¡°This is troublesome, same with us too.¡± Chen Qi frowned, ¡°If he was frightened just now, it would be easy to attract ghosts when he goes out. He seems to work in some bar. I¡¯ll send someone to find him later and stuff him with some brocade bags to ward off evil spirits.¡±

    It seemed that this commission had ended before it even started.

    After all, it was done by one of the aristocratic families, and if someone from the Chen family came, and a veteran like Chen Qi, exorcising ghosts would definitely be no problem.

    For the next 5 minutes, Chen Qi carefully pasted the talisman papers in his hand on the four corners of all the windows, wrapped the doorknobs, table corners, and the sofa legs ¡ªhe was obviously clumsy when he squatted down, as his legs went numb, and because he was already old, he couldn¡¯t stand up for a long time, therefore Jing Xian went over and pulled him up.

    Jing Xian had great strength, Chen Qi, who weighed almost 90 kilograms, was easily lifted up by him.

    Chen Qi also praised, ¡°Young man, you don¡¯t train less on ordinary days. right? Which family¡¯s ghost exorcist are you?¡±

    Jing Xian smiled, ¡°I¡¯m from Lu Yingjiu¡¯s family.¡±

    Chen Qi was stunned for half a second, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Xiao Lu¡¯s office, right? That¡¯s good. Sure enough, outstanding young people will attract each other. I¡¯m ashamed of myself as a predecessor.¡± He wiped his sweat with the back of his hand again, looked around the room and the talismans that were almost done pasting, ¡°It¡¯s rare for us to see each other, would you like to¡­¡­find a place nearby for tea?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu wanted to refuse.

    If it was not necessary, he didn¡¯t really like to deal with unfamiliar people, not to mention that the other party was about 24 years older than him. There would be no common topics when drinking tea, and would eventually develop into awkward chats and awkward laughs.

    But Chen Qi was an old fritter after all, he seemed to have sensed his intention to refuse, thus he moved closer and whispered to him, ¡°Since we just met, I have something to tell you.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu raised an eyebrow.

    Chen Qi continued to whisper, ¡°My brother¡­President Chen, didn¡¯t he say he was investigating you?¡±

    Investigating.

    Of course Lu Yingjiu remembered this word.

    When Chen Zheng wanted him to step down as chief and be transferred to another branch, he used the excuse of ¡°investigating disciplinary violations¡±. As the person being investigated, he had never been aware of the specific situation, nor did he know where the current investigation procedure had gone.

    Lu Yingjiu joined the Green Lantern Association at the age of 16, became the chief at the age of 19, then resigned at the age of 26. He had been exorcising ghosts for 10 years already. After so long, even a saint couldn¡¯t say that he hadn¡¯t made any mistakes. Chen Zheng single-handedly promoted him, and trying to find out the mistake from the past files, was not too simple.

    Chen Qi asked, ¡°What did my brother tell you, do you know exactly which commission you were investigated for?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Lu Yingjiu shook his head, ¡°I have no right to know.¡±

    Chen Qi glanced into the inner room, making sure that the ghost exorcist couldn¡¯t hear him, and then whispered, ¡°I only heard a little bit of a secret, Xiao lu, it seems that you really got yourself a big deal this time. I have always appreciated you, therefore I want to do you a little favor. Look, how about we go and have some tea?¡±

    Putting this on someone else, he would be extremely grateful, wishing to make a pot of good tea for Chen Qi now, and chat for a long time.

    However, Lu Yingjiu merely said, ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡±

    Chen Qi was taken aback.

    Lu Yingjiu smiled, ¡°I have a clear conscience, it has been for the past ten years, and it will be the same for the future.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    Chen Qi became speechless for a moment.

    Lu Yingjiu¡¯s eyes that were as bright as a knife¡¯s light made the thousands of words stuck in his throat.

    In just this second, he realized that this was an unshakable magnanimity even if the world was turned upside down.

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°We won¡¯t bother you any more.¡± He saluted, ¡°Jing Xian, let¡¯s go first.¡±

    Jing Xian responded then followed his leaving footsteps.

    They still took the old elevator downstairs, and when they got down, the sun was still shining brightly.

    Because the light was a little dazzling, Lu Yingjiu subconsciously narrowed his eyes.

    There was another ¡°ding¡± from the elevator behind him, and it turned out that Chen Qi hurried to catch up with them.

    He gasped and said, ¡°Well, I thought about it, even if it¡¯s not convenient to drink tea, I still have something for you.¡± He pressed the car key, and not far away, an empty black Bentley gradually opened its trunk.

    Chen Qi went over and took out a heavy book from inside. The book was brand new, the packaging film was still there, and its whole body was pitch black with no title.

    Chen Qi: ¡°This is an illustrated book of ghosts that the Chen family has just revised. It hasn¡¯t been officially printed yet. I only have one or two copies on hand. You can take it and have a look. The category entries have increased by 79, and there are many pictures, which were all selected by me.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­thank you. ¡°Lu Yingjiu didn¡¯t refuse this time, and took the brick-like book.

    Jing Xian who was beside him suddenly put his arms around his shoulders and took him into his arms. This action was a bit abrupt and too intimate, just as Lu Yingjiu was about to speak¡ª¡ª

    Boom!!!

    The three turned their heads.

    Thirty meters away, a roof of a gray Jetta car was smashed flat, countless fragments of glass flew out, which reflected a sharp light coming from the sun, then rained on the sides of Jing Xian and Chen Qi¡¯s bodies, and pricked several blood marks on their hands. Because Lu Yingjiu was protected by Jing Xian, he was fine, but he had no time to pay attention to this detail.

    On that Jetta roof, was a corpse.

    Bright red blood flowed out in large swaths, gathered in the depression of the roof, and flowed down from the corpse¡¯s fingertips to the ground like water.

    I should know this person.

    Lu Yingjiu thought.

    It took two seconds for the memory to become clear: this is Jin Xiaoyang.

    Today, Chen Xiaoling showed them his photo.

    They all looked up instinctively, and saw that the windows on the 12th floor were wide open, and the beige lattice curtains were blown by the wind and fluttered outside the building.

    The sound of the police sirens pierced the sky, and their warning lights kept flashing.

    Lu Yingjiu was standing by the side of the road, his eyes were lowered, and no emotion could be seen on his face. After nightfall, the wind picked up a bit, raising his black hair and his thin white shirt.

    He subconsciously rubbed the longevity lock on his neck.

    He, Jing Xian, Chen Qi, and the exorcist in the room were all questioned.

    Afterwards, the ghost exorcists of the Chen family also searched Jin Xiaoyang¡¯s room, but found nothing unusual, and classified it as a simple suicide.

    There were no traces of ghosts, therefore the members of the Chen family didn¡¯t intend to continue the investigation.

    It was the evening rush hour, and the vehicles gathered on the road to form a sea of lights, the sound of horns kept coming and going, and all the roads on the navigation map were red. Many onlookers tried their best to look around, wanting to see what happened.

    Jing Xian was standing beside and said,¡±It¡¯s getting late, let¡¯s go eat.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°When you knocked on the door, was there really no movement in the room?¡±

    ¡°En,¡± Jing Xian replied, ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡±

    ¡°At that time, Jin Xiaoyang was at home.¡± Lu Yingjiu murmured, ¡°But why? Was it because he bumped into a ghost and got overly frightened¡­¡±

    Perhaps only Jin Xiaoyang himself could answer this question. Lu Yingjiu turned silent for two or three seconds, then suddenly asked, ¡°At that time, why did you take me into your arms?¡±

    The strength that Jing Xian showed before did not match this kind of reaction at all.

    Jing Xian said, ¡°My intuition for danger is very accurate, it can be regarded as natural.¡±

    A very standard explanation, that anyone wouldn¡¯t find any fault with it.

    Lu Yingjiu tilted his head.

    Jing Xian was half a head taller than him, he raised his gaze slightly, and met Jing Xian¡¯s eyes. Jing Xian¡¯s eyebrows were deep and handsome. At this time, street lamps and car lights danced on his face, carving out sharp and angular lines. If one took a photo casually, one could use it as a poster for any literary movie.

    The lights were dim and gentle, and at the same time it concealed the aggressiveness of his appearance¡­..Or, in other words, his expression in front of Lu Yingjiu was always extraordinarily relaxed, even soft, as if he was carefully hiding his claws and fangs.

    Their eye contact lasted only half a second, the expressions on both sides were watertight, then Lu Yingjiu smiled lightly and quickly said, ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s how it is, that¡¯s good. Thank you.¡±

    Jing Xian asked, ¡°Would you like to visit the Lane East Bar again?¡±

    ¡°I just have this intention.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°Let¡¯s go and let me drive. Are your hands okay now?¡±

    The shards of glass scratched Jing Xian and Chen Qi, but the wounds were not deep, Jing Xian simply wrapped some gauze around his forearm.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Jing Xian said, ¡°I like driving.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­I can see it.¡±

    Thus their Honda SUV went on the road again. The traffic was so congested that even Jing Xian couldn¡¯t overtake this time, so they had to wait for the traffic lights in a respectful manner. Just like this while driving then stopping, it took 40 minutes for that 15-minute drive, and they finally returned to the entrance of the Lane East Bar.

    When they went there in the morning, they saw a piano and a guitar on a podium in the middle of the bar, and thought it was a literary and artistic establishment. Unexpectedly, the whole style changed at night and deafening music came from inside. The place also seemed to be difficult to get in.

    Two burly men in black clothes stood at the entrance of the bar, with their arms crossed, stopping them, ¡°What are you here for? Are you a member?!¡±

    Lu Yingjiu:¡±¡­..¡±

    This was a gay place, right? He and Jing Xian just came here together, so how could he not know what the best excuse was? He was not the kind of person who couldn¡¯t lie at all. In all honesty, he had cheated many people, including but not limited to poor Xiao Li.

    It¡¯s just that at this moment, the former chief of the Green Lantern Association, who had seen all kinds of wind and waves, and had already experienced a lot, was in a very rare¡­.. moment of embarrassment.

    He really had never encountered a scene where he needed to pretend to be gay.

    Especially near the door, where there were two men groping each other lingeringly, with their clothes open, wishing to have a sexual encounter on the spot.

    Even so, two seconds later, under the increasingly skeptical gaze of the two big men, Lu Yingjiu packed up all his emotions. He knew that he looked too obedient and didn¡¯t fit in here, therefore he bent his peachy eyes and said, ¡°Came here¡­¡±

    Came here just to drink and have fun.

    But before he could even finish speaking, he was pulled into the arms of Jing Xian.

    Jing Xian had a handsome face that both men and gods felt indignant with, and his tone was extremely arrogant, ¡°Nonsense, of course came here to have fun with my wife, get out of the way.¡± After saying that, he rubbed Lu Yingjiu¡¯s head, looking like a cynical second-generation ancestor, raised his eyebrows and then said, ¡°Isn¡¯t my wife beautiful? Are you envious?¡±

    Two big men:¡±¡­¡­..¡±

    Lu Yingjiu:¡±¡­¡­¡­.¡±

    The two big men took two steps back, fearing that one of them would be done by Jing Xian first in the next second. Lu Yingjiu, as the ¡°target¡±, was then dragged in by Jing Xian with a blank face.

 CH 15

    Inside the bar, it was full of pleasure-seeking, men and women in pairs. Lu Yingjiu rarely saw scenes like this, and he never thought that he would see something for the first time¡­..thus he became so engrossed with it.

    Should he thank Jing Xian for his meritorious deed?

    Now the two of them were still close to each other, like glue that was stuck to each other, looking like new members of the homosexual world. As they went all the way to the bar like this, Lu Yingjiu glanced quickly, but didn¡¯t see that uncle during the day.

    However, another young bartender saw them, came over, walked around them with greasy eyes, and showed a subtle smile, ¡°Drink, but not drinking yours?¡±

    Just as Lu Yingjiu was about to answer, Jing Xian pushed him into his arms again, ¡°Drink, but not drinking yours.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­¡­..¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± The young man smiled rather girlishly, ¡°Big brother is so fierce.¡±

    Jing Xian leaned against the bar and said, ¡°Two glasses of Tequila Sunrise.¡± He looked down at Lu Yingjiu and smiled, ¡°I don¡¯t, exactly, know when I am more fierce, right?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    If it was not limited due to the circumstances, he would be already supporting his forehead.

    The young man smiled knowingly and went to mix their drinks.

    Lu Yingjiu was in his arms, he bear and forbear, but it was really impossible to associate this second-generation ancestor who owed a beating and being coquettish with the ¡°normal¡± Jing Xian before. He finally couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Was the body robbed?¡±

    ¡°Was it?¡±

    The surrounding music was very loud, and Jing Xian was almost speaking close to his ear. His voice was so low that Lu Yingjiu¡¯s eardrums became slightly numb. ¡°I thought that we came here to do what everybody else was doing and blend in with the environment.¡±

    ¡°Right¡­¡­¡± Lu Yingjiu thought to himself¡ªis the reason this, that¡¯s why you hug me so tightly around the waist.

    Jing Xian added: ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t have much experience. Why don¡¯t you teach me?¡±

    ¡°What else is there to teach? You can just directly finish your apprenticeship.¡± Lu Yingjiu calmly wanted to break Jing Xian¡¯s hand. Although he was calm, he had actually used five or six points of his force¡­¡­..but he couldn¡¯t break his hold. He thought to himself¡ªwhat did Jing Xian do growing up? It¡¯s a pity that he¡¯s only strong but doesn¡¯t learn any spells to strengthen himself.

    The young man served them drinks, pulled a chair over, and sat directly opposite them.

    Lu Yingjiu and Jing Xian eventually sat down separately, only then did he notice the young man had brushed some eyeshadows, and that the tails of his eyes shone brightly in the light. He was obviously very interested in Jing Xian, his eyes drifted straight to Jing Xian, and then quickly glanced at Lu Yingjiu with subtle hostility.

    Lu Yingjiu remained calm.

    How many people had he already met? The other party¡¯s small expressions and careful thoughts were too obvious.

    But in this case, it was better to ask respectfully.

    The ghost old lady was gone, and they couldn¡¯t find any clues about the suicide. They could only hope that Jin Xiaoyang might have said something more to his colleagues. Moreover, almost like an intuition, Lu Yingjiu felt that this matter was not simple.

    Under the bar counter, he lightly kicked Jing Xian.

    Jing Xian understood, and asked, ¡°Is there someone named Jin Xiaoyang here?¡±

    ¡°Ah yes, you know each other?¡±

    ¡°We chatted for a few days. I heard from him that he suffered from insomnia recently, so I just came over to have a look.¡±

    The young man that really fell for the trick: ¡°Did he tell you that he had also bumped into a ghost? An old lady?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Jing Xian nodded, ¡°So, is he not here?¡±

    The young man simply said with a smile, ¡°In theory, he should be here right now¡ªhe is late again. I have told him how many times, but he still oversleeps every day like a dead pig, his bonus will surely be deducted. I think in a few days, he would just pack up and leave, because of the old lady and be left with nothing to eat.¡±

    This person obviously didn¡¯t know that Jin Xiaoyang had died a few hours ago.

    Jing Xian took a sip of his cocktail and said, ¡°I¡¯m just curious, what happened to his ¡®ghost bumping¡¯.¡±

    ¡°He should have told you about the old lady staring at him and following him all day long.¡± The young man shrugged, ¡°Although I think he is just too sensitive.¡±

    Jing Xian¡¯s cell phone lighted up, he opened it, and saw that it was a message from Lu Yingjiu: [Ask him, has Jin Xiaoyang ever guessed the reason why he encountered that ghost]

    Jing Xian quickly glanced at Lu Yingjiu.

    Lu Yingjiu was pretending to be half-drunk, propped his head on his left hand as if he was drowsy, and placed his phone under the bar with his right hand, without even looking at him. Jing Xian withdrew his gaze, ¡°He didn¡¯t say why he always encountered that ghost?¡±

    The young man spread his hands together, ¡°If he knew, would he still be so worried? Well, let¡¯s stop talking about this, it¡¯s meaningless.¡± His tone became ambiguous, ¡°We can talk about other topics.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu sent another message: [Follow up]

    Jing Xian chatted with the young man again, but it seemed that the other party really didn¡¯t know anything, and his mind was not on this topic at all.

    ¡°If you really want to know,¡± The young man said, propping his head, ¡°Ah Fu knows more, I can call him to ask. So, brother, what is your phone number?¡±

    Jing Xian smiled, ¡°I don¡¯t have a mobile phone.¡±

    The young man¡¯s complexion changed, ¡°It¡¯s not good for you to play tricks like this¡­.¡±

    Then Jing Xian quietly pointed at Lu Yingjiu, and said in a low voice, ¡°He is very strict, I¡¯ll come see you tomorrow.¡±

    The young man looked at Lu Yingjiu angrily.

    Lu Yingjiu didn¡¯t even look over, but with just that fair side face, he didn¡¯t know how many celebrities he had taken down in seconds. His appearance and body shape were not neutral. His facial line, height and long legs were completely different from those of women. The hand holding the cup was also well-articulated, but it revealed a unique homosexuality everywhere, undeniably exquisite and beautiful.

    The young man looked at Lu Yingjiu, then at Jing Xian, and finally accepted the fact that he was the ¡°Empress¡± then irritably said, ¡°Then why did you bring him to the bar, you must remember to come tomorrow¡±, he turned around then walked away.

    Lu Yingjiu took another sip of wine, and looked back amidst the deafening music.

    From the moment they entered the bar, two eyes had been glued to his body.

    There was a man in the back sitting on the sofa drinking, in fact, his eyes kept wandering to him. Directly behind was a woman with heavy make-up, who was on the phone, and only turned her head from time to time to glance at Lu Yingjiu.

    After a while, the young man called a thin waiter to come over.

    This waiter was obviously much more reliable, ¡°Oh, Xiaoyang said that,¡± he frowned, ¡°Let me think about it¡­¡­.He seemed to be saying that he had seen something that he shouldn¡¯t have seen. I also said at the time¨Ccould it be possible that you went to see the old lady taking a bath, otherwise how could you offend her, this taste is too unique hahahahaha. Hey, you two couldn¡¯t be policemen, why are you asking about this?¡±

    ¡°Not policemen.¡± Jing Xian pulled out five or six bright red banknotes and stuffed them into his hand, and then showed a very standard dandy smile of a second generation, ¡°Just asking for fun, I like to ponder about supernatural events.¡±

    The waiter grabbed the banknotes in his hand, struggled between money and friendship for half a second, and then said decisively, ¡°Xiaoyang said, this happened many years ago, it seems, it seems that there was a murder in this bar, and he saw something¡± He looked at Jing Xian, and then paused with a suggestive hint.

    -Six years ago, in Dongcheng Music Bar, was the Chen family¡¯s extermination case.

    Lu Yingjiu thought of this almost immediately, and after that, the place was renamed Lane East Bar.

    Jing Xian didn¡¯t even count, and stuffed another several hundred into his hand, ¡°Tell me quickly.¡±

    ¡°In short, why is he sure that the old lady is a ghost?¡± The waiter lowered his voice, ¡°It¡¯s because he had seen her before¡ªthe old lady was one among the dead that year!¡±

    Lu Yingjiu was shocked.

    He was referring to the Master of the Chen family, Chen Minlan.

    But in an instant, Lu Yingjiu was even more suspicious: If the old lady was really Chen Minlan, how could Chen Qi and those ghost exorcists not recognize her today?

    Did Jin Xiaoyang make a mistake, is the waiter lying, or was there another secret hidden about this matter¡­ He immediately remembered that there was a photo of the old lady in Jin Xiaoyang¡¯s post, and he even took a screenshot of it that time.

    He buried his head and sent the screenshot to Chen Xiaoling: [Is this Chen Minlan?]

    After more than ten seconds, the reply came: [Yes, why do you have her photo?]

    Lu Yingjiu involuntarily squeezed the glass tightly.

    Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the two people behind who had been staring at them got up and approached him and Jing Xian through the crowd.

    At this moment, Lu Yingjiu could see that something was not right with them.

    The appearance of those two people, even their breathing and heartbeat, were no different from ordinary people. But Lu Yingjiu¡¯s experience was too rich. In the dim light of the bar, from the stiffness of their steps, from the half-second stagnation when their eyeballs turn, from such details that ordinary people couldn¡¯t notice at all, he immediately judged that they were not a living person¡ªthe look on their faces  also had that deliberate camouflage of vitality.

    The waiter was still rambling on, ¡°What I had just told you, don¡¯t talk about it casually. I, I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s true or not, but what if someone accuses me of spreading rumors¡­¡±

    ¡°Dear.¡± Lu Yingjiu suddenly interrupted his words, went up to hold Jing Xian¡¯s hand, his tone seemed to be drunk, and the moisture in his beautiful eyes glistened, ¡°It¡¯s so hot here, come with me for a walk¡ªdon¡¯t listen to ghosts, the murders in the past are not interesting.¡±

    Jing Xian understood, waved to the waiter, and the other party shut up tactfully.

    Lu Yingjiu quickly scanned the surroundings. The path leading to the door has been blocked by those people, and the fire exit was also in the far corner, the only way was to go up to the elevators on the second and third floors of the bar. Thus he took Jing Xian¡¯s arm and walked towards the elevator. When he passed by the waiter, he moved his hand lightly and stuffed an amulet into his pocket.

    He was afraid that those two people would do something to the waiter.

    The waiter didn¡¯t find anything, and only rushed to do other things. Fortunately, these ghosts didn¡¯t seem to be interested in him, and didn¡¯t even give him a look.

    Lu Yingjiu tightly grasped Jing Xian¡¯s hand, shuttled through the crowd, and whispered, ¡°There are two people following us¡­no, it should be appropriate to say that they are all ghosts. I want to bring them upstairs where there are few people to deal with them.¡±

    As soon as the words fell, a third person suddenly emerged from the crowd.

    It was a little boy.

    This bar obviously did not allow minors to come in and out, but everyone at the scene acted as if they couldn¡¯t see him. He nimbly sneaked through the crowd, and walked straight towards Lu Yingjiu. His pupils dilated and his entire eyes turned black!

    A man and a woman, plus a child¡­

    Lu Yingjiu had a vague suspicion in his mind that this family might be the Chen family who was killed here.

    After Chen Minlan, they must have also run out.

    Lu Yingjiu had always had the physique of attracting ghosts since he was a child. Several times, when others came, it was fine, but when he came, he drew out a nest of old grieving ghosts. It would not be surprising if the Chen family really came out.

    It¡¯s just that the timing was bad, as it happened to be when the bar was the most crowded.

    At the door of the elevator, Lu Yingjiu pressed the button and the elevator that was on the third floor began to descend slowly.

    The numbers on the electronic screen above change.

    3rd floor.

    The man pushed through the crowd arbitrarily, and someone scolded at the top of his voice, ¡°Hey hey hey! Why are you shoving people! Do you want to die?!¡±

    2nd Floor.

    The woman knocked over a table of drinks, and the guest subconsciously reached out and grabbed her arm, only to shiver from the cold, and the tips of his fingers turned blue when he retracted his hand.

    1st Floor.

    The boy was getting close. He suddenly opened his mouth, it opened 180 degrees, he screamed and pounced on him!

    Lu Yingjiu immediately dragged Jing Xian inside the elevator, the elevator door closed in time, and almost missed the boy¡¯s hand. There was a horrible scratching sound outside, like sharp nails scratching the elevator doors. Lu Yingjiu pressed the third floor, and the elevator slowly began to ascend.

    There were few people on the 3rd floor, which would be convenient for him to exorcise these ghosts.

    The elevator went up, and within two seconds, there were a few loud noises.

    Boom!

    Bang! Bang!

    The floor under his feet was deformed, and three palm marks protruded hideously! The elevator lights kept flickering, and Lu Yingjiu could clearly feel that its ascending speed was decreasing¡­ It was as if something heavy was hanging under the elevator!

    The capacity of this elevator was 800kg, he and Jing Xian together weighed more than 100kg, it was hard to imagine what was following them.

    After a certain moment, the lights went out.

    When it was turned on again, there were bloody handprints all over the elevator, densely packed from the floor to the top of the elevator.

    The elevator passed the 2nd floor and started to go to the 3rd floor, when suddenly the lights went out again.

    This time it didn¡¯t automatically lit up again afterwards.

    Lu Yingjiu pulled a talisman paper and lit it, the flame burned, only to find that there was an upside-down grimace in front of him.

    The woman¡¯s face was covered in blood, her face was pale, she leaned over from the ceiling, and her distance from him was no more than 5 centimeters.

    Lu Yingjiu:¡±¡­¡­..¡±

    Suddenly, he pulled the female ghost¡¯s hair and pulled her off the top of the elevator!

    Before the female ghost could react, a burning talisman was pasted on her forehead. The temperature could burn a soul, and a sizzling sound was heard, as she let out a terrible scream! Lu Yingjiu chanted a spell, and the fire engulfed her whole body. The blood groove short knife was then unsheathed, and a clear light shone from top to bottom. It pierced through her head, and nailed her to the elevator wall! Feeling disgruntled with the lack of strength, he stood up straight, and stomped down on the handle until the blade was completely submerged.

    The female ghost struggled a few times and then stopped moving.

    The whole process took no more than two seconds.

    If one hadn¡¯t seen it with their own eyes, no one would be able to associate the gentle and handsome ¡®him¡¯ with this brutal execution. When the two were combined, it became a unique temperament, which made people almost unable to take their eyes off of him.

    Ding!

    When we reached the third floor, the elevator doors opened slowly.

    Here were all the private rooms here, and the corridor outside was empty. Lu Yingjiu drew out his dagger, stepped out of the elevator quickly, and said to Jing Xian, ¡°Follow me closely.¡±

    Jing Xian didn¡¯t reply, Lu Yingjiu turned around and noticed something on his feet¡­..it was the male ghost.

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°How did he die?¡±

    Jing Xian spread his hands together, ¡°I don¡¯t know either.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s obviously caused by you.¡± Lu Yingjiu held his forehead.

    Jing Xian looked innocent, ¡°I really don¡¯t know anything, this ghost is so terrible.¡±

    He didn¡¯t have the slightest fear, he could read a person well. The tone of the male prostitute offering wine downstairs just now was a hundred times more sincere than his.

    Lu Yingjiu was too lazy to get entangled with him at this moment, and hurriedly looked around.

    The little boy should be the only one left.

    The surrounding Yin energy suddenly surged, and the piercing chill came from all directions. There were different landscape paintings hanging on the corridor, and at this time, the paintings were all stained with blood. The boy¡¯s voice was almost in their ears.

    [Hee hee, come and play with me]

    [Big brother, come and play with me]

    [As long as you die, you can be friends with me forever]

    Lu Yingjiu stood where he was.

    Most ghosts were not rational enough to communicate with people, let alone such murderous ghosts, it was even less possible to simply communicate with them. Therefore, it must be dealt with quickly.

    Now that he had made up his mind to kill it, he didn¡¯t hesitate anymore, and took out a ¡°inviting the gods¡± talisman.

    ¡°Awoooo¡ª¡ª¡± The black hair ball with four horns appeared at his feet, and it ran around him with short legs, jumping around happily.

    ¡°Go, play with him.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°Dogs are man¡¯s best friend.¡±

    ¡°Awooo!¡± Then the hair ball ran out with all his might.

    In the next two minutes, Lu Yingjiu and Jing Xian simply stood at the end of the corridor, and watched the little boy running while crying, with the hair ball chasing after him.

    Jing Xian said, ¡°It¡¯s not a dog, is it?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu said: ¡°Then it is not human either.¡±

    The little boy ran and ran but suddenly fell down. The hair ball pounced on him, it turned into a cloud of black mist in an instant, and was sucked in by the hair ball. The hair ball licked his fangs, and then disappeared with a bit of unfulfilled interest.

    Jing Xian said again: ¡°Do you know what I¡¯m thinking?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°When walking the dog, it must be on a leash.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu:¡±¡­¡­¡±

    The surroundings turned quiet again.

    The elevator was in a mess, as its door was jammed and couldn¡¯t be closed at all.

    Fortunately, no one noticed, and the bunch of people were still dancing happily downstairs.

    Jing Xian walked to the corridor and looked downstairs, and suddenly asked, ¡°You just pressed the third floor, right?¡±

    ¡°En.¡± Lu Yingjiu nodded.

    ¡°But we are on the fourth floor.¡± Jing Xian said.

    Lu Yingjiu also came over to take a look, they were indeed on the fourth floor. This place didn¡¯t seem to be open to the outside world. No wonder no one came out in the corridor even though they made such a big commotion.

    Looking around carefully, there was only a door at the end of the corridor. The painting style of that door was different from the doors of other private rooms. It was reddish brown, thick and gorgeous, with relief carvings on its panel. There was also a seal on its golden doorknob.

    Lu Yingjiu and Jing Xian looked at each other and walked over.

    On the two dark brown seals, blue clouds and strange birds were painted respectively.

    This was the seal left by the Green Lantern Association and the Chen family.

    Lu Yingjiu immediately understood. This was the private room of that extermination case back then.

    The seal had a unique power, even if ordinary people or ordinary exorcists came here, it would be impossible to open it.

    Lu Yingjiu did not have the authority to investigate. But this thing was also nothing to him¡ªtaking a step back, if he really went in, after taking some time to restore the seal, who would know?

    If he really did it, it should be watertight so that no one would be able to find out.

    So, do you want to open the door?

    That family of ghosts, for some unknown purpose, deliberately led them up to the fourth floor.

    Lu Yingjiu stood where he was, pondering for a moment.

    Jing Xian stood beside him silently, waiting for his decision.

    But after a while, Lu Yingjiu merely took half a step back and shook his head lightly, ¡°After I go back, I¡¯ll relay the situation to the association about the situation here, let¡¯s go first.¡±

    ¡°Not going in?¡± Jing Xian asked.

    ¡°Most of the time, I respect the heavy rules.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°This is also respect for the family of five who died here. Jing Xian, let¡¯s go.¡±

    The elevator was full of blood thus they couldn¡¯t use it anymore.

    The two of them walked to the far staircase. The music downstairs was still deafening, and because Lu Yingjiu drank some wine just now, his face was slightly hot, and thought that he should go out to enjoy some cool breeze.

    ¡ªBoom!

    There was suddenly a loud explosion behind them.

    They both turned their heads. The sound directly came from the private room.

    Someone was inside!

 CH 16

    ¡°¡­¡­..¡±

    Lu Yingjiu squeezed a piece of talisman paper in his hand and walked over slowly, when suddenly, he heard a hoarse voice from the inside, ¡°Help! Help!¡±

    In a blink of an eye, Lu Yingjiu quickly tore off the seal with a wave of his hand, and twisted the handle, the door knob that had not been moved for a long time, made a harsh sound. The door that was thick and heavy, was pushed open!

    A smell immediately hit his face, and the surroundings of the private room was pitch black. He threw out a few talisman papers, and the talisman papers turned into small fire balls floating in the air, illuminating the pitch black room.

    There was not a single person inside.

    There were no windows or other doors in the private room. At first glance, people could only hide under the sofa or in the vertical wooden cabinet at the end. He didn¡¯t know why, but the decoration here seemed to be completely like that of a KTV style, and a jukebox was even right next to the sofa. Lu Yingjiu frowned slightly, checked under the sofa, and as he opened the wooden cabinet, there was a smiling little paper man inside.

    ¡°Help!¡± It opened then closed its mouth, ¡°Help!¡± Afterwards, its body burst into flames, and in less than a second, nothing was left, not even ashes.

    Lu Yingjiu frowned.

    Ding!

    In that narrow space, the text message of the mobile phone was very loud. Lu Yingjiu didn¡¯t want to pay attention to it, but the phone kept buzzing, and text messages came through one after another!

    Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

    It seemed that it¡¯s pressing him to take a look.

    He took out his mobile phone, and Jing Xian happened to also come up and read the text messages with him leaning over close to his head.

    Sender: Unknown Number

    [Are you at the Lane East Bar]

    [Come out quickly]

    [The Green Lantern Association is coming]

    [Do not enter the private room on the 4th floor]

    [Leave immediately when you see this text message, don¡¯t leave any traces]

    Lu Yingjiu quickly replied: [Who are you?]

    Leaving aside why the Green Lantern Association would come here suddenly, even if they did come, he had nothing to hide. He¡¯d just admit it frankly and let the matter be over, utmost, he would simply get a warning for trespassing and be entangled with the special department for a while.

    Moreover, if he hadn¡¯t heard the call for help just now, he wouldn¡¯t have come in.

    The sender was even more anxious, it typed fast, and only sent a short message.

    [Your disciplinary investigation] He/she said.

    Lu Yingjiu raised his eyebrows.

    This was the second time he had heard this word today.

    The first time he heard it was from Chen Qi. He still didn¡¯t know which commission Chen Zheng used as an excuse to force him to step down as chief.

    The text messages continued.

    [Your disciplinary investigation]

    [The Chen family¡¯s determination case]

    [Back then, you were suspected as one of the suspects!]

    Lu Yingjiu¡¯s pupils narrowed for a moment.

    Countless thoughts flashed: Even this bar, he only knew about it today. How could he have something to do with the murder case 6 years ago!

    Anxious and doubtful, a text message freeze at the last line: [Leave quickly]

    Then the phone screen went off and no new text messages came in. They faintly heard a loud clamor coming from the downstairs of the bar. Human voices, footsteps, and the sound of breaking cups mixed together, it was very noisy.

    Someone yelled, ¡°Why the fuck is the anti-pornography here!¡±

    ¡°Who brought the police here?! Fuck you!¡±

    No, they¡¯re not anti-pornography.

    The fluctuation of the spell in the air told Lu Yingjiu that ghost exorcists were here, and that the Green Lantern Association was really coming. If, as stated in the text message, that he was really being investigated about the extermination case, then his appearance here would completely change its nature! Originally just breaking in illegally into this old case, but now a ¡°suspect that was planning for a long time¡± and afraid that the association would find out anything during the investigation, broke the seal, and returned to the old scene. It would really be impossible to explain clearly, nature was bad, and would be inevitable to be detained, interrogated, and even¡­¡­convicted from the Two-faced Buddha.

    The call for help, the empty room, the Green lantern Association that ¡°coincidentally¡± arrived.

    It was almost certain that he was framed.

    Lu Yingjiu raised his head abruptly, and saw Jing Xian¡¯s hands stroking the cabinet door, handles, sofa¡­..everything that he had touched just now. Even the fingerprints of the wine cup he took from downstairs disappeared quietly.

    Jing Xian said, ¡°I¡¯ve removed all the traces, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Unfortunately, there was no time to restore the seal on the door.

    Before Lu Yingjiu had time to ask Jing Xian why he was so skillful in this set of movements, he was hugged by Jing Xian and strode towards the outside of the private room.

    Lu Yingjiu knew that using a talisman paper at this time would definitely be noticed by others and reveal his position.

    They dare not approach the outside of the corridor, so as not to be seen by the people downstairs. The stairs were at the other end, and it took more than ten seconds to rush over. Jing Xian opened the staircase door, and heard sounds of footsteps coming from below. The two of them moved very quickly, and went down the stairs in three steps at a time. Before encountering whoever was coming from below, they opened the door leading to the second floor and got into the corridor.

    In the corridor on the 2nd floor, the doors of the private rooms were tightly closed, and if they broke in rashly, it would definitely cause a commotion.

    The sound of footsteps was behind them, Lu Yingjiu swept across the corridor, and his sharp eyes fell on the corner.

    [Utility Room]

    Just as he was about to speak, his foot suddenly lightened, and the ground in the corridor flew past his eyes.

    Lu Yingjiu was stunned for half a second before realizing that Jing Xian had lifted him up¡­¡­and he was running fast!

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°?!¡±

    He had never been treated this way since he became an adult, and the doubts in his heart were comparable to when he knew that he was a suspect.

    Jing Xian¡¯s strength was really great, as if his weight of tens of kilograms didn¡¯t exist at all. He rushed to the door of the utility room, and the door that was locked was pushed open with his palm. Lu Yingjiu vaguely saw the broken lock cylinder flying in the air.

    Lu Yingjiu:¡±???¡±

    What inhuman power is this!

    It turned out that the atrocity was very timely, because behind them came the sound of the staircase door being pushed open. Jing Xian put down Lu Yingjiu and half-covered the door of the utility room. The two of them could barely see through the narrow gap, and saw four or five people hurrying from the other end of the corridor.

    Lu Yingjiu usually kept a low profile, but the people in the Green Lantern Association would surely recognize him. Not to mention that the leader of this group¡­..seemed to be Xiao Li. The situation was not good. If Xiao Li was here, then Chu Banyang would probably be here too. It would not be easy hiding from him.

    The group of people were checking the private room in front, which caused a commotion and complaints. Unfortunately, some were guarding the corridor, and that the structure was a straight line, thus they would easily see the end at a glance. They obviously used talisman papers just now, or they wouldn¡¯t have gotten the chance to take advantage of the chaos and leave. However, six or seven seconds passed, and footsteps of the people guarding the corridor suddenly approached the utility room.

    What to do?

    Should I rush out with my face covered, or blow up the outer wall directly with talisman paper? The former is too blatant, while the latter is too reckless and risky, and it is not sure whether the Green Lantern Association has set up a peripheral enchantment. Is there any other way? Invite a spirit? Other spells?

    While Lu Yingjiu was thinking about it, he didn¡¯t notice that there was a strange look on Jing Xian¡¯s face in the darkness.

    His expression was as hard as steel.

    Killing intent flashed in his eyes.

    If Lu Yingjiu saw this, he would feel that this cold, nonchalant killing intent was very familiar¡ªit was the sight he had seen in the eyes of countless ferocious ghosts.

    The ghost exorcist outside had his heart held by an invisible ghost hand, but he was unaware of it.

    Thump thump thump

    The beating heart, the blood that flowed through the atrium and ventricle, as long as one held it tightly, bright red would burst out. The person wouldn¡¯t even get to utter a sound and would directly fall over. In the current situation, it was not necessary to kill people, not to mention that Lu Yingjiu was unlikely to kill humans at all, and the people at the Green Lantern Association were also completely innocent. However, even if he¡¯s a ghost with a body, or a priest, or no matter how well he disguised himself, his moral concept would still be completely different. People could live for many things, such as dreams or tomorrow¡¯s sunrise, but ghosts could only rely on their obsession to survive. Whoever dared to covet it would be found guilty.

    He liked the clear breeze and the bright moon, and was also associated with mountains of corpses and seas of blood. He would be willing to give everything to protect his territory, including eternal time and life.

    Now, his territory, his object of obsession was in the darkness, with a slender and graceful neck drooping, brows slightly furrowed, beautiful eyes flickering constantly, thinking about the way to escape¨C

    Obviously¡­..the method was very simple.

    What¡¯s there to worry about it?

    Jing Xian lowered his head slightly, and just when the killing intent solidified into substance and the ghost hand was about to tighten, he abruptly stopped.

    Lu Yingjiu grabbed his hand and said in a low voice, ¡°You go first, don¡¯t get involved with me here, I¡¯ll try to invite the spirit.¡±

    In just three or four seconds, Lu Yingjiu¡¯s voice turned calm again. He could always figure out a way. How could someone who dared to face the Night Parade of the Hundred Ghosts alone be troubled by this situation?

    His hands are warm.

    Jing Xian: ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    Next door, the door of another private room was knocked open, and a man scolded angrily, ¡°Are you sick?!¡± Voices of swearing were heard, the sound of broken wine bottles, and the sound of clothes rubbing, which seemed to be people from the Green Lantern Association showing their credentials. The arrogance on the other side disappeared in an instant, leaving only a few mutterings. However, the whole world was still noisy, as the bar was turned upside down. Jing Xian tightly held Lu Yingjiu¡¯s hand¨Cit was not a hand of a pampered person, but was a strong and steady, used to holding knives and guns, soaked in blood, hand. He could even feel the shallow scars interlaced on the delicate skin.

    However, it was such a hand that made the murderous intent in his eyes instantly turn into tide-like tenderness.

    He thought, if Lu Yingjiu found out that he really did something, he would definitely be hated.

    Jing Xian paused like this for a few seconds, moved closer, and smelled the refreshing breath of Lu Yingjiu. He sighed in satisfaction, as if a ferocious beast had been appeased, and slowly retracted its terrifying claws and teeth.

    The footsteps were getting closer.

    Jing Xian said, ¡°Hey, cooperate with me.¡±

    He pulled the hem of Lu Yingjiu¡¯s white shirt out of his trousers, then tugged it again, and the two buttons on the neckline burst open, revealing his collarbone and a large expanse of fair skin. Lu Yingjiu became shocked.

    Jing Xian¡¯s aura was too aggressive, he wanted to resist subconsciously, but fortunately reason quickly gained the upper hand. Halfway through his resistance, he was restrained by him instead. Eventually, his hands grasping Jing Xian¡¯s shoulders loosened, looking as if wanting to but also refusing at the same time. Jing Xian took off his T-shirt with one hand, and pushed him to the corner with the other.

    Suddenly, the door was pushed open at the same moment!

    The beam of light flooded in, and Jing Xian¡¯s shadow completely blocked Lu Yingjiu¡¯s face and body. From the angle of the trespassers, only the man¡¯s strong and powerful waistline could be seen, with the man¡¯s long legs against the corner, while the other person that was held down had its clothes disheveled, reddish ears could be faintly seen, and its shallow shoulder sockets from the flood of the sudden light. At first glance, this scene would make one¡¯s heart skip a beat.

    This is like a couple in the midst of ¡°working¡±.

    The ghost exorcist was stunned for several seconds, ¡°¡­¡­.Ah, you¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°Get lost.¡± Jing Xian¡¯s voice was slightly hoarse, ¡°This is not something you¡¯re allowed to see.¡±

    He lowered his head.

    With the light behind him, Lu Yingjiu couldn¡¯t see Jing Xian¡¯s expression very clearly, but he could feel that the other¡¯s breath was suddenly approaching. He and Jing Xian looked at each other for a full two seconds, and he saw that there seemed to be a dark tide surging in those dark eyes.

    At this moment, Lu Yingjiu really thought that Jing Xian was going to kiss him.

    But he didn¡¯t.

    Jing Xian seemed to have restrained some kind of concealed and manic desire, and just very lightly, kissed him on the forehead.

 CH 17.1

    The ghost exorcist became extremely embarrassed, originally he wanted to look at the face of the man in the corner out of professional ethics, but Jing Xian gave him a look, as if pierced by a cold sharp knife, he shivered involuntarily, and dared not speak again.

    He didn¡¯t know what he was afraid of, he just felt that the man in front of him was extremely scary. It¡¯s natural for creatures to tend to the beneficial side and avoid harmful things, and now, his intuition made him step back half a step, and stammered, ¡°I, I just¡­¡­..¡±

    He retreated in a panic, and even closed the door firmly.

    The lights in the corridor were very bright. He walked a few steps, as if returning to the world, and slowly recovered.

    ¡­¡­¡­That situation just now is wrong.

    The ghost exorcist turned his head sharply.

    There is definitely a problem with that unreasonable fear!!

    He squeezed a talisman and rushed back, kicking the door open. The metal door screamed harshly, and the light flooded into the room again, however, it was already empty. He immediately shouted, ¡°I have a situation here!¡±

    At the same time.

    Lu Yingjiu had Jing Xian¡¯s black coat wrapped around his head, and only his pair of eyes were exposed. In front of him¡­.was a group of trembling ¡°men¡±.

    This was the first private room on the second floor which had just been checked a while ago. It¡¯s estimated that the ghost exorcist wouldn¡¯t be back anytime soon and now left inside were these ¡°men¡±.

    They sneaked over just now, both of them, one with his face tightly covered, and the other who definitely didn¡¯t look like a good person¡­¡­.while the latter¡¯s coat was still on the former¡¯s head.

    How dangerous did they look? It was almost like stamping to their faces the words outlaw lunatics.

    Originally, these ¡°men¡± wanted to call for help, but they were all stupefied by Jing Xian and dared not speak out. Jing Xian also casually tore off the clothes of an unlucky guy, and put them on himself, blocking everyone¡¯s eyes.

    However, in the dead silence, one person looked at Jing Xian and murmured, ¡°So handsome.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, look at that face, that leg, that figure, the best one, tsk tsk tsk.¡±

    ¡°Care to leave contact information. ¡°

    ¡°Can this big brother do me right here? There are so many people outside, it¡¯s good stimulation.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu held up his forehead.

    This Lane East bar is really a sinister place in various senses.

    Click!

    Accompanied by this sound, the locked window of the private room was pushed open by Jing Xian. The fresh air rushed over, and below, not one exorcist was seen, however¨C

    There was a whistling wind, it blew Lu Yingjiu¡¯s hair, and a touch of emerald green slipped silently from outside the window. It¡¯s like a grotesque scene in a dream. The green was flowing like a long river, extremely gorgeous, and brighter than any gemstones. Light golden color fell into it, and it shone with thousands of brilliance.

    With a blank expression on his face, Lu Yingjiu took out two talisman papers and patted one on himself and Jing Xian respectively.

    At the same time, on that green, an eye suddenly opened!

    The eye was the size of a human head, it was golden, and it kept on turning to look inside the room. Not just that, the wind also blew stronger, and the green flowed faster, and countless eyes could be seen passing by outside the window!

    It knew that there was something abnormal in this room, but because of Lu Yingjiu¡¯s talisman, it couldn¡¯t find anything.

    As the others couldn¡¯t see this scene, they simply felt that something was weird.

    ¡°Why is the wind suddenly so strong?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s so cold¡­..¡±

    It wasn¡¯t until the last touch of that green disappeared that everything returned to normal. When Lu Yingjiu looked outside, a huge peacock was slowly hovering above the bar, its tail feathers were like a green waterfall, shining brightly and extremely gorgeous.

    It was this thing that had just flown past the window, the every eye spot on its tail feathers was turning, and the golden pupils took everything under these eyes.

    The Peacock Deity the Chu family formed a contract with, it was very suitable for large-scale searches.

    Although anyone from the Chu family could invite it, at this level, the one who did it must be Chu Banyang.

    Taking advantage of the Peacock Deity circling to the other side, Jing Xian jumped out with one hand propped on the window sill, landed firmly, turned around, and stretched out his hand towards Lu Yingjiu.

    This was obviously an action to catch him.

    This was the second floor, there was no need for others to catch Lu Yingjiu¨Ceven if it was the fifth or sixth floor, he would still have dared to jump with a piece of talisman paper.

    As they just went through the utility room and what happened back then, when he looked at Jing Xian¡¯s embrace, he felt an inexplicable subtlety in his heart.

    This subtlety only lasted less than half a second before he stepped on the window sill and jumped out.

    Jing Xian caught him firmly below.

    Two minutes later, the two of them had reached the end of the street and turned a corner. There were no cars on the road, and only a group of exorcists were spread out on the road far away, starting various searches, fortunately they walked fast.

    Their Honda was parked at the main entrance of the bar, and now they couldn¡¯t get it. The registered name of that car was not Li Yingjiu¡¯s either¡ªin a sense, he still had a bit of criminal talent.

    Lu Yingjiu was about to go further away and hail a taxi, when suddenly a heavy weight fell on his shoulder, as Jing Xian held him down.

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­..Let¡¯s go a little farther and hail a taxi.¡±

    ¡°No need.¡± Jing Xian¡¯s eyes suddenly turned bright, ¡°I asked a friend to send a car over.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu:¡±?¡±

    He said, ¡°If your friend becomes involved in this matter, it¡¯s not very good.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Jing Xian¡¯s tone was firm, ¡°It¡¯s okay with him, we¡¯ll just stay where we are and wait for him to bring the car over.¡±

    He pulled Lu Yingjiu into a corner to settle there, dialed a number, and said in a low voice, ¡°Hey, Old Hei, I heard from Old Bai that you bought a car worth almost 2 million?¡±

    After Bai Wuchang mentioned this to him, he never forgot.

    (t/n Bai Wuchang- White Impermanence. Characterized by sticking out his long red tongue all the time, with a wry smile on his face, with a hint of evil charm on his face, sometimes showing a terrifying face, wearing a white hat and white clothes.)

    On the other end of the phone, the voice was a bit dazed, as if just waking up, ¡°Oh, you, who are you?¡±

    Jing Xian: ¡°¡­¡­..¡±

    He wanted to kill ghosts for a moment, then looked back at Lu Yingjiu, ¡°I am your¡­¡­.I am your boss. ¡°

    Hei Wuchang reacted to the word ¡°boss¡± for a long time before saying, ¡°Oh!¡±

    (Hei Wuchang- Black Impermanence. Characterized by a hideous face, a black hat, black clothes, with a ferocious expression, glaring eyes, and black and blue complexion. See additional notes at the last part.)

    ¡°Hurry up and drive the car here.¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°No buts, hurry up.¡±

    The ghost world was rich in all kinds of precious ores, and it was priceless to sell a little in the mortal world, but most priests didn¡¯t care about these.

    They care more about ghost coins, lamenting how the ghost world had been inflated again this year.

    Unlike the black and white impermanence who often comes to the world and owns some real estate, Jing Xian was empty handed yet also rich, the kind of existence that would be kneeled down and be called the ¡°local tyrant¡± father when he showed you his bank deposits¡­¡­¡­That¡¯s right. It was too late to spend now. There was neither a car nor a house, and he¡¯s unable to support the scene at all.

    He really wholeheartedly wanted to avenge his shame in front of Lu Yingjiu.

    What¡¯s so good about that second-hand car!

    In the future, a 2 million car will only be a trivial matter. Drive them casually! Bump them casually! I will spoil Lu Yingjiu and buy as many cars as he likes!

    Jing Xian hung up the phone and looked back again to Lu Yingjiu.

    Lu Yingjiu was still a little worried, ¡°Your friend shouldn¡¯t be involved in this matter, the water here is too deep.¡±

    (t/n Water is too deep-Refers to the fact that the background of things or people is very complicated and unpredictable, if you get involved, you will endanger yourself if you are not careful.)

    ¡°It really doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Jing Xian said, ¡°The car at the door, we¡¯ll find a way to get it back later?¡±

    ¡°En.¡± Lu Yingjiu nodded.

    He was still wrapped in Jing Xian¡¯s black coat, his nose and mouth were covered, only a pair of eyes with upturned tails were exposed, and a few strands of black hair had stuck out. He looked inexplicably cute.

    Jing Xian felt itchy all of a sudden, wanting to mess up his head, or hug him tightly and not let go.

    They simply stood there in the corner.

    Five minutes later, under Jing Xian¡¯s expectant eyes, a car light appeared faintly at the end of the road. The sound of a large vehicle came, and the ground trembled faintly.

    Jing Xian: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    He suddenly had a bad feeling.

    He saw the lights around the corner getting brighter.

    A green bus drove slowly, with an advertisement for a plastic surgery hospital on its body. A beautiful woman smiling gracefully was pasted on it, and the electronic screen on the top read [666].

    310 horsepower engine, 6AT automatic transmission, disc brakes, imported air conditioner.

    A 12-meter low-floor bus with a market price of 1.9 million.

    Two people standing:¡±¡­¡­..¡±

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°This can¡¯t be the car, right?¡±

    Jing Xian:¡±¡­¡­..¡±

    Jing Xian: ¡°Ah, of course not, how could it be possible. Only fools would have such a car.¡±

    He lowered his head and frantically called Hei Wuchang, but it was too late. The bus slowly stopped in front of them, the door opened, and a sleepy young man in the driver¡¯s seat said loudly, ¡°Boss, your car is here!!¡±

    ****

    In the middle of the night, the building of the Green Lantern Association was brightly lit.

    A group of ghost exorcists gathered in Chen Zheng¡¯s office, no one dared to move or make a sound, the surroundings were so quiet that even breathing was heavy. Chen Zheng was sitting behind his desk, next to a cup of freshly brewed jasmine tea, he gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Trash¡­.! You have let people run away, whose responsibility is it?!¡±

    No one answered.

    After a long time, a person said tremblingly, ¡°I think, I might have been the one to let them go.¡± He swallowed, ¡°I was in charge of searching the second floor, at that time, when I opened the door of the utility room, I saw two people in the corner, uh, I don¡¯t know the tall one, and I didn¡¯t get to see the face of the other person in the corner as well.¡±

    Chen Zheng frowned, ¡°What exactly were they doing?¡±

    ¡°Uh, that¡¯s right, the kind, the kind like what couples do, where you touch and kiss each other. The pants, the pants were almost taken off¡­.¡±

    Chen Zheng slapped the table violently, ¡°Are you trying to say that Lu Yingjiu, the former chief of our dignified Green Lantern Association, was having sex with a man in a crappy gay bar at the time?! Or was the one being pressed down?! Xiao Meng, Do you have any brains, is this possible? Is this realistic? What touch and kiss, and pants that are about to take off, even novels dare not make up like this!¡±

    ¡°Ah, right, right. I¡¯ve learned a lesson from Chairman Chen.¡± The ghost exorcist nodded hurriedly, ¡°I was too unrealistic, I was too impractical. Then, is it also possible that he is not there at all?¡±

    Chen Zheng took a deep breath again, persuading himself not to see the trash in the same light. He picked up the antihypertensive medicine on the table and ate one, then took another picture on the table.

    On it were the two torn seals.

    His stubby fingers snapped at the photo, ¡°Two seals, one from ours and one from the Chen family. How long will one take to unseal it?!¡±

    ¡°Ah me?¡± The exorcist trembled, ¡°No, no, no, I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°One can¡¯t do it even for three days.¡± Chen Zheng scolded, ¡°What¡¯s the situation now, they have been torn off¨Cthe spells on them have not been destroyed, yet they have been torn off like two pieces of paper! In less than two seconds! No one else can do it except him, it was definitely that guy named Lu Yingjiu!¡±

    His vital capacity was not good, and was already short of breath, sitting on the seat, he was panting for breath.

    The room became dead silent, and suddenly the door was pushed open, and a steady voice came, ¡°Can¡¯t I even do it?¡±

    Everyone¡¯s hair stood on end.

    Chen Zheng raised his eyes with some difficulty, and saw Chu Banyang standing at the door, his face sinking like water.

    Chu Banyang was a person who paid great attention to his image. Even if he just came back from the bar scene, his hair was still combed meticulously, his shirt flat without wrinkles, and his muddy shoes were replaced with new leather shoes sent by the butler. The calfskin was incredibly soft and the sheen looked expensive.

    He had just invited the Peacock Deity, and under the high-intensity search, the burden on his body was also extremely heavy. Even he himself was affected by the spirit, and his eyes turned green and golden for a short time, like some kind of a gemstone.

    Chen Zheng frowned again.

    His attitude towards Chu Banyang was obviously much better, and he restrained his anger,¡±Xiao Chu, I didn¡¯t mean that. Of course you can do it, but you are not a suspect, and we will not suspect you, why would we? By the way, how is the situation now?¡±

    ¡°My people are still searching.¡± Chu Banyang said, ¡°Don¡¯t count on fingerprints and footprints, it¡¯s useless. There are traces of fighting with ghosts at the scene, we can only start from that.¡±

 CH 17.2

    For ghost exorcists, fingerprints, footprints and other traces were not difficult to eliminate with talisman paper, let alone Lu Yingjiu¡¯s, if he wanted to hide his traces, it was simply too easy. Only such things like ashes of talisman paper were a conclusive evidence.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Chen Zheng nodded, ¡°Urge them. I hope he didn¡¯t erase any key evidence in that private room.¡± He waved his hand, ¡°You all go, Xiao Chu, you stay.¡±

    All the ghost exorcists were relieved, and rushed out scrambling.

    In the huge office, only Chu Banyang and Chen Zheng were left.

    The evening wind blew, and the dark curtains swayed slightly.

    Chen Zheng sighed deeply, took off his glasses and wiped them, ¡°Xiao Chu, I know this matter will be a bit difficult for you, after all, you and Lu Yingjiu both joined the association at the same period, I remember that you both were members of No. 132nd batch¡­¡­Although you haven¡¯t done many commissions together, but you frequently meet each other, there must be somewhat of a mutual affection.¡±

    Chu Banyang said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but actually, Lu Yingjiu and I are not familiar with each other at all.¡±

    The corner of Chen Zheng¡¯s mouth twitched, and the smile quickly disappeared, replaced by something heavy, ¡°In short, what I mean is, if anyone in this world can catch his flaws, it must be you. This time he escaped by chance, but the fox will always show its tail. What we have to do is to not miss the next opportunity.¡±

    He sighed again, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about this privately¨CI thought at the beginning that there was something strange about the extermination case. Although our Chen family is big and has many people, blood is thicker than water. There is also an inseparable blood relationship within the family, not to mention that Chen Minlan is the head of the family and our backbone, and I have always admired her¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°You and Xiao Lu, I have watched you both walk up step by step. You both are equally important and I can¡¯t imagine giving even one of you up. Do you think it¡¯s easy for me to doubt Xiao Lu? But it¡¯s our duty to find the truth and give justice to the dead.¡±

    ¡°Thinking about it now, fortunately we still have you in the Green Lantern Association, if, if there is really something wrong with Xiao Lu, then the number one on the Tian Dao will really only be you.¡±

    [Number One]

    Everyone knew that this word had been on Chu Banyang¡¯s mind for many years.

    He nodded slightly, ¡°I know. I will definitely try my best.¡±

    ¡°Ah, then go ahead, I won¡¯t talk much any more.¡± Chen Zheng said, ¡°I just made some tea, do you want to have a cup before leaving?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Chu Banyang shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t like scented tea very much.¡±

    Chen Zheng was stunned for half a second, then remembered that it was Lu Yingjiu who actually liked scented tea.

    Lu Yingjiu has been the chief executive for 7 years, the two of them didn¡¯t have much contact in private, but they know each other well, and even drank small wine together once or twice. If he knew that Lu Yingjiu was coming, most of the time, what Chen Zheng prepared would be scented tea. Today, smelling the light fragrance of jasmine tea, he was confused for a moment.

    However, this momentary stupor was quickly covered up by him.

    Before Chu Banyang left, Chen Zheng added, ¡°Also, I suspect that someone has tipped off Xiao Lu. If you have a chance, pay more attention to it as well.¡±

    Chu Banyang responded, opened the door and went out, then gently closed it.

    At the same time, Chen Zheng murmured ¡°Don¡¯t let your father down¡± as the door closed behind him.

    ****

    The wind was very strong in the middle of the night, and Chu Banyang walked out of the building of the Two-faced Buddha.

    The golden green in his eyes slowly faded, he tidied up his clothes, and walked straight towards the main road. Beside the main road, the family driver driving a Bugatti, was silently waiting for him.

    Instead of getting into the car directly, he turned to a corner where no one could see and took out his mobile phone.

    The phone was brand new, thin and delicate, not the one he often uses.

    Unlocking the screen, there were clearly several text messages that had just been sent.

    [Are you at the Lane East Bar]

    [Come out quickly]

    [The Green Lantern Association is coming]

    [Go quickly]

    Chu Banyang remained expressionless, and deleted all the text messages one by one. Then he formatted the phone, pulled out the calling card, broke it, and threw it into the sewer without hesitation, along with the brand new phone that had just been unpacked for 3 hours.

    ****

    Early the next morning.

    Lu Yingjiu just woke up. His sleep was still not very good last night, and chaotic thoughts haunted him. In a daze, he could distinguish the aroma of fried eggs and sausages in the air.

    ¡­¡­¡­Is Jing Xian making breakfast?

    His eyelids were heavy, and he was too lazy to open them, until a few minutes later, there was a light knock on the door, and Jiang Xian¡¯s voice came, ¡°Are you awake?¡±

    ¡°Mnn.¡± Lu Yingjiu replied, still without opening his eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯ve made breakfast, and it¡¯s best eaten hot.¡±

    After Jing Xian had said that, Lu Yingjiu endured the sleepiness and washed up briefly.

    On the table in the living room, there were freshly fried eggs and sausages, as well as a few slices of bread. Jing Xian¡¯s cooking skills were really good, such simple dishes were cooked with incomparable fragrance.

    He was washing pots in the kitchen, and sprayed the sink and countertops to remove stagnant water.

    Lu Yingjiu suddenly felt sorry, after all, Jing Xian was the guest who came from afar. How could he let the guest do the cooking and washing the dishes at the same time? He walked over and said, ¡°Let me do the washing.¡±

    ¡°No need.¡± Jing Xian said, but Lu Yingjiu had already picked up a bowl.

    The two stood side by side without saying a word.

    For a moment the only sound in the room was the clatter of dishes.

    There were actually not many things to wash. After the two bowls in hand were finished, Lu Yingjiu rolled up the sleeves of his home clothes, revealing a white arm, picked up the rag and wiped the sink with Jing Xian¡ªhe rarely uses the kitchen thus it  had not been cleaned for a long time.

    After the cleaning was almost done, Jing Xian turned on the faucet and flushed the entire sink. When he did this, he was extremely serious.

    Lu Yingjiu rarely saw a man like Jing Xian who was so patient and meticulous about housework.

    Maybe because he just woke up, and his mind was not clear, the first word that came to mind was ¡°virtuous¡±.

    It¡¯s clearly not a word for a man who was half a head taller than him and didn¡¯t even gasp when carrying him up¡­¡­although that seemed to be the case.

    When everything was done, they sat down at the table and had breakfast.

    Lu Yingjiu took a mouthful of fried eggs, thought for a while, and said, ¡°Until I figure out that extermination case, I won¡¯t accept other commissions. I don¡¯t want you to get involved with this matter either.¡±

    Jing Xian suddenly raised his head: ¡°Am I being fired?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu:¡±¡­..Not really, it¡¯s just that the nature of this matter is quite special.¡±

    He didn¡¯t understand the situation himself, and he really didn¡¯t want to drag Jing Xian into the water as well.

    ¡°That won¡¯t do.¡± Jing Xian raised his eyebrows and smiled, ¡°I¡¯m most interested in this kind of situation. Besides, as you can see, I¡¯m not completely useless. If I hadn¡¯t been quick-witted last night, wouldn¡¯t the two of us be in danger?¡±

    It¡¯s good that he didn¡¯t mention what happened last night, but remembering it now, Lu Yingjiu raised his eyes.

    If other people from Green Lantern were here, they would immediately recognize his unique aggressive posture. Whenever in a meeting, Lu Yingjiu would suddenly sit up straight and look up, and everyone would then hold their breaths thinking¨Cthere must be someone whose argument was about to be attacked by him.

    Lu Yingjiu said: ¡°You do know, that I have other ways, right?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Jing Xian froze for a moment.

    ¡°Inviting spirits, concealing talisman, invisibility talisman, and other kinds of tricks.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°There are many methods that can be used, and they are better than you stripping both of us and running like terrorists to someone else¡¯s private room.¡±

    Jing Xian coughed, ¡°The situation was urgent. Are you, are you angry?¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯m not dissatisfied with your method. Judging from the results, it was quite successful. I just think that my white shirt could have been worn for a few more years.¡± Lu Yingjiu rubbed his browbones, ¡°To be honest, when my negative emotions were the worst last night, it was due to motion sickness because of your car. ¡°

    Jing Xian:¡±¡­¡­¡±

    He sliced a sausage guiltily.

    Hei Wuchang¡¯s driving was really wild, taking a turn could shake people¡¯s brains, and downhill was like a roller coaster. Lu Yingjiu couldn¡¯t hold on anymore, and finally leaned on his shoulder all the way before getting home.

    Lu Yingjiu looked at him intently, and said, ¡°What I want to say is that the strength you show is very different from your actual behavior. You can kill ghosts, and you were able to wipe out all the traces of us staying in the bar easily.¡±

    In addition, his reaction speed and strength, it had already surpassed ordinary ghost exorcists by a lot.

    He continued, ¡°Jing Xian, I really want to know, do you have any¡­unique abilities?¡±

    He said this very tactfully, and he didn¡¯t put the suspicion on the surface. Every ghost exorcist had his own hidden card, anything could happen and there was nothing strange about it, maybe there was just something special about Jing Xian.

    The two looked at each other for two seconds.

    Jing Xian showed a smile, and leaned back in the chair rather relaxedly, ¡°Of course, I have also been a ghost exorcist for a few years. If I didn¡¯t have any ability, I might have died somewhere. If there is a chance, I will tell you.¡±

    Bzztt..

    The vibrating sound of the phone interrupted the conversation. Lu Yingjiu looked away, and picked up the phone.

    ¡°¡­.Hello?¡±

    Chen Xiaoling¡¯s voice was heard, ¡°Xiao Lu, is it convenient for you to talk now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m at home, you can tell.¡± Lu Yingjiu said.

    Opposite him, Jing Xian stood up and began to tidy up the table.

    Chen Xiaoling: ¡°I can¡¯t find out why you have something to do with the extermination case. After all, I am not a technical person. ¡®Pigeon¡¯ can¡¯t inquire about the data behind the pile of encrypted programs as well. But for your other questions, there are some answers.¡±

    She continued, ¡°First, why are those 5 people in a gay bar? That¡¯s because Dongcheng Music Bar was just an ordinary bar six years ago. Because of poor management, the boss rented the place up from the second floor to a KTV operator. That day, Chen Minlan¡¯s grandson, Chen Fangzhou, was celebrating his 10th birthday, and they were clamoring to sing karaoke, so the whole family went to a private room, including the always quiet old lady Chen.¡±

    ¡°Secondly, how did the evil ghosts who wanted their lives follow? The Chen family¡¯s statement is that they accidentally provoked a very powerful ghost. The details are not clear.¡±

    ¡°Third, who are the other suspects? I can send you a list, but it¡¯s not complete.¡±

    A few seconds later, the phone vibrated slightly, and a document was sent, which listed the names of three or four people, including their past and present addresses and contact information.

    Lu Yingjiu¡¯s name was not among them.

    Lu Yingjiu frowned slightly, just as he was looking at it, a glass of fresh soy milk suddenly appeared in front of him.

    ¡°Thank you, I don¡¯t need it.¡± He raised his head and said to Jing Xian.

    Chen Xiaoling:?

    Chen Xiaoling: ¡°Who are you talking to? Is there anyone else in your family this early in the morning?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not the point, we¡¯re talking business here.¡± Lu Yingjiu said.

    Chen Xiaoling was a little suspicious, but continued, ¡°As for why the Green Lantern Association raided the bar last night, it was because they received an anonymous report call, saying that you went there. I still need to find out who made the report, but don¡¯t get your hopes up.¡±

    ¡°And the phone number that sent you a text message should be an anonymous phone card sold at newsstands, and there is no way to reach it through the real-name system. Apart from these, do you have any questions¡­¡­¡±

    She sighed softly, ¡°You also know that although my surname is Chen, I am not from the same family, and my position is too marginal, and there¡¯s  many things that I cannot touched at all. ¡°

    Lu Yingjiu pondered for a moment, ¡°I have another question¨Care you sure that all five of them are dead?¡±

    Chen Xiaoling was taken aback, ¡°Why do you ask that?¡±

    ¡°I saw a family of three at the bar, plus Chen Minlan before, only Chen Yanyan did not appear. Generally speaking, the same place, the same way of death, but also a family, the probability of them becoming ghosts together is very high.¡± Lu Yingjiu raised his head slightly, and half-closed his brown eyes, ¡°Over the years, I have personally taken over or indirectly assisted investigation of 13 cases of family extermination, among which 8 cases involved the victim turning into a ghost, without exception, the whole family turned into ghosts as well.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Chen Xiaoling replied, ¡°Then I¡¯ll check right away.¡±

    Her voice was tired.

    Her informants, known as ¡°pigeons¡±, were from all various industries, including major ghost exorcism organizations.

 CH 17.3

    But after all, this was a case of many years ago, and could potentially cause negative effects to the parties involved, including the four great families, thus it must be very difficult to find out

    Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°Take a rest, don¡¯t get yourself too tired.¡±

    ¡°Is Xiao Lu concerned about this big sister~¡± Chen Xiaoling immediately stood up, ¡°When will you invite this big sister to dinner again!¡±

    Just as Lu Yingjiu was about to answer, there was another cup of hot coffee in front of him.

    Because of lack of sleep and the need to stay awake, Lu Yingjiu often drank coffee and tea. Once he smelled the coffee, he knew that the coffee was good, and must be extremely mellow. Jing Xian added evaporated milk in it, and a few wisps of white swirled in the pitch black.

    He accepted Jing Xian¡¯s food this time, and brought over the cup, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Chen Xiaoling became alert again, ¡°Who the hell is at your house! Tell me quickly, did you raise some little goblin behind your sister¡¯s back!¡±

    (t/n Goblin-coquettish young girl)

    ¡°What goblin.¡± Lu Yingjiu didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry, ¡°You met him yesterday, Jing Xian.¡±

    ¡°Damn it,¡± Chen Xiaoling said, ¡°That big goblin!¡±

    Lu Yingjiu:¡±¡­.?¡±

    ¡°Wait, why is the big goblin at your house? It¡¯s only seven o¡¯clock in the morning.¡± The more Chen Xiaoling thought about it, the more strange it became. ¡°He didn¡¯t sleep at your house, did he?¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Chen Xiaoling took a breath of cold air, for a moment, her heart ran through thousands of dog blood scenes such as having a ¡°sugar daddy¡±, being held captive, and taken by force¡ªthat day, Jing Xian had looked at Lu Yingjiu with very strange eyes. Unexpectedly, Lu Yingjiu directly led the wolf into the house.

    She gritted her teeth and said, ¡°Xiao Lu, there is something that I don¡¯t know whether I should tell you or not. There must be something wrong with that Jing person. He looks at you as if he is looking¡­¡±

    ¡­.At his wife.

    ¡°Hiss¡ª¡± A sound suddenly came from the kitchen.

    Lu Yingjiu looked up and saw Jing Xian frowning in front of the water heater. He said to Chen Xiaoling, ¡°Wait, if there¡¯s nothing else I¡¯ll hang up first, he seems to have been scalded.¡±

    ¡°Scalded? Such a coincidence?¡± Chen Xiaoling¡¯s eyes almost popped out, ¡°Can he hear me? Why does it sound like an¡­¡±

    Lu Yingjiu hung up the phone.

    Chen Xiaoling: ¡°¡­¡­¡­..excuse. Damn it.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu went to the kitchen and saw that Jing Xian¡¯s index finger was flushed red.

    ¡°Rinse it with cold water, and I¡¯ll stick a talisman paper for you.¡±

    ¡°En.¡± Jing Xian obediently put his hand under the cold water.

    Lu Yingjiu took out a piece of blank paper cut into the size of talisman paper, took a pen, and drew a few lines with several strokes, which at first glance looked like glaciers and rivers.

    He took the talisman and went back to Jing Xian, ¡°Come here.¡±

    Jing Xian stretched out his hand, and then, he wrapped the talisman paper around Jing Xian¡¯s index finger like a Band-Aid.

    He wrapped it carefully and briskly, leaving no wrinkles at the edges.

    Jing Xian looked down, Lu Yingjiu had his head lowered, and that soft black hair seemed to be in his arms.

    A strange and soft feeling came to his heart again.

    It was like last night on the bus, with Lu Yingjiu leaning on his shoulder, while all kinds of lights passed by outside, covering that pretty face. While feeling sorry for Lu Yingjiu¡¯s motion sickness and drunkenness, and while also wanting to kill Hei Wuchang, at the same time, he felt this kind of softness in his heart.

    The talisman paper was pasted quickly, and it felt as cool as ice. Jing Xian regretted that the process was too short, and was about to withdraw his hand when suddenly Lu Yingjiu grabbed it.

    Lu Yingjiu looked up at him.

    Under the sunlight outside the window, the brown eyes were crystal clear, looking like a feline that had spotted its prey, with a little bit of imperceptible¡­..pleasure.

    He said, ¡°Jing Xian, why did the wound when you were cut by the glass disappear?¡±

    ****

    The traffic flow was moving slowly, and this north-south main road should have such traffic congestion twice a day, and each congestion would last for two hours. Now that the rush hour had finally passed, at least every car could now move.

    The traffic light turned green, and a silver Aston Martin cut off the traffic like scissors. The super-running streamlined model gleamed in the sun, occupying every inch of a gap quickly, accurately and ruthlessly. For a moment, the people behind could only see its LED tail lights.

    Just by looking at this posture, one could guess that the owner of the car was a ruthless character.

    ¡°Driving such an expensive car on the road.¡± A driver muttered in the car, ¡°Who can afford to pay if it is scratched?¡±

    The eyes of the peers had been following the car all the time, ¡°Perhaps, they don¡¯t care about the pay¡­¡­¡±

    Inside the car, Jing Xian really didn¡¯t care about such compensation. While driving, he said, ¡°Say, is our Jing family¡¯s physique really strange? That such kind of shallow wound will heal within half a day.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu sitting in the co-pilot, said ¡°Mmmm¡± perfunctory while catching up on sleep.

    ¡°Both of my parents are the same, what cut from knives and bruises from falling, it will heal quickly. Of course, people who see it for the first time find it strange, but I¡¯m just used to it. I forgot to tell you before.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu was half asleep and half awake, and continued to perfunctorily say, ¡°Hmmm¡±.

    It¡¯s clear that he didn¡¯t believe it.

    In the past few hours, Jing Xian bit the bullet and made up a lot of things that even he didn¡¯t believe. When Jin Xiaoyang jumped off the building, the broken glass from that car scratched his hand. Later, after the bar incident, he really forgot about it, and the wound healed without him knowing.

    He wanted to add a few more words, but when he turned his head, he saw that Lu Yingjiu had already fallen asleep.

    ¡­¡­¡­Whether he believes it or not, let¡¯s just forget about it at the moment. Jing Xian thought.

    What he was most grateful for was coming to the world with a body, no matter how one looked at it, he was a real living person. Otherwise, Lu Yingjiu would be more than suspicious.

    But it¡¯d be a matter of time before he was discovered.

    Before that, he needed to¡­¡­

    Jing Xian¡¯s hand holding the steering wheel tightened for a moment.

    Following the navigation, they got on the highway.

    The supercar gave its full performance at high speed, the engine roared freely, the wind and dust were run over under the wheels, and the scenery turned into long lines and passed outside the window. Soon, a green road sign appeared on the right.

    [Yuantai City, 220KM]

    Lu Yingjiu, who had taken a nap for a while, woke up again.

    He ate a piece of chocolate that Jing Xian brought, lowered his seat, continued to close his eyes, hid his strength and bide his time, as he recalled Chen Xiaoling¡¯s words two hours ago, ¡°Hey, let me tell you, your luck is really good, when I checked Chen Yanyan, there were clues. Right next door to Lujiang, Yuantai Second People¡¯s Hospital, a patient was admitted the day before yesterday. She looked exactly like Chen Yanyan when she was a child, and her blood type and allergy history also matched. It¡¯s just an ID card. However, the name, address, and date of birth on the website are completely different.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll send you her information. It¡¯s up to you to figure out whether they are the same person.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu organized his thoughts in his mind.

    Today, the Lane East Bar was completely shut down, and Jin Xiaoyang¡¯s body was also transferred to the morgue of the Two-faced Buddha. His posts were even deleted. He could no longer touch these two leads.

    They have too little information, if not for this opportunity, he may never have the chance to know the truth again.

    Six years ago, when he was 20 years old, he didn¡¯t know the Chen¡¯s family at all.

    Why on earth was he being treated as a suspect? And what prompted Chen Zheng to start overturning this old case?

    And¡­¡­

    Lu Yingjiu stroked the longevity lock.

    He also had no clue about the fake wedding that pulled him in twice in succession.

    Something as huge as a torrent was approaching his life.

    Thoughts were carried by the wind outside the window and crushed under the wheels.

    ****

    Two hours later, the Second People¡¯s Hospital of Yuantai City.

    Jing Xian parked on the side of the road, and Lu Yingjiu went to buy a box of apples to bring to the patient. As soon as they stepped inside the hospital, there was a strong smell of disinfectant. It was also a coincidence that one of Chen Xiaoling¡¯s ¡°pigeons¡± was an attending doctor here, thus a clue was quickly found.

    Lu Yingjiu found Dr. Wang Zhe in the inpatient department, according to what she said.

    Dr. Wang pulled them to a corner and said in a low voice, ¡°When the time comes, you go to the front desk to register and say that you want to see Yan Ruxin, the one on the 12th floor. She had a fracture in her left wrist and was admitted to the hospital the day before yesterday. She just had an operation yesterday and was fixed with a steel plate. She may be discharged in five or six days.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu asked, ¡°How did she fracture her bone?¡±

    ¡°She was hit by a car when riding her bicycle on the road. She was lucky. She didn¡¯t hurt anything other than her wrist.¡± Dr. Wang hesitated for a few seconds,¡±The nurse said that she was not very stable and might be easily frightened. If you ask her anything, pay attention to your tone and don¡¯t stimulate her. If she makes a fuss, you will be in trouble.¡±

    Doctor Wang was still busy, thus he left quickly. Lu Yingjiu and Jing Xian went to the first floor.

    Since all visitors must register, Lu Yingjiu handed over 2 fake ID cards, ¡°We are here for Yan Ruxin.¡±

    The fake ID cards were obtained by him from an acquaintance. Aside from that, he also had a fake student ID, a reporter ID, a Green Lantern Association ID, and even¡­..a disabled person ID, person with mental illness ID.

    After being the chief for so many years, even if he didn¡¯t deliberately develop any, the network resources were very rich: those people knew that if there was a real ghost, Lu Yingjiu would be the only one who could save their lives, and they were all vying to get involved with him. Chen Xiaoling was also one of this group of people, and every time she sold information to him, the price would be kept very low, basically as a mere token.

    The nurse took the ID¡¯s and registered them.

    When she was immersed in copying the ID number, Lu Yingjiu glanced at the visitor record sheet.

    Except for them, no one had come to see this ¡°Yan Ruxin¡±.

    The elevators in the hospital were full, not to mention that there were a bunch of patients in casts and wheelchairs, or old men and women delivering soup and meals. Lu Yingjiu didn¡¯t dare to squeeze with them, and waited for the elevator three times before going up to the 12th floor.

    Arriving at the Ward 1205, they stood still.

    Jing Xian said, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better if you don¡¯t go in?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu was a suspect. If ¡°Yan Ruxin¡± was really Chen Yanyan who changed name and surname, then it was very likely that someone probably showed her Lu Yingjiu¡¯s identity¡ªthat was to say, she would definitely recognized Lu Yingjiu¡¯s face .

    Generally speaking, few people could remember what happened 6 years ago in detail. But the tragedy that happened to one¡¯s body, no matter how small the details were, would definitely be engraved into one¡¯s soul like a branding iron.

    Lu Yingjiu pondered for a moment, ¡°I have considered it. First, we came here pretending to be exorcists from the Green Lantern Association. But you are not a member of the association, and you have never joined other ghost exorcism organizations. You are also not familiar with related organizations, you are unfamiliar with rhetoric and demeanor. Chen Yanyan is from an aristocratic family, and I have been in the business of exorcising ghosts since I was a child. I am worried that we won¡¯t be able to hide it,¡±

    ¡°Second, when the incident happened, I didn¡¯t know that I was under suspicion, I was not suspended for investigation, and no one even asked me where I was. I have a guess: Although I am a suspect, it is only a very marginal figure. The people on the fringes and some ironclad evidence made them quickly give up doubting me. That is to say, from Chen Yanyan¡¯s point of view, I have little to do with this matter.¡±

    He became silent for a few seconds, then raised his slender neck, and continued after thinking, ¡°Third, no one has come to see ¡®Yan Ruxin¡¯, not even the members of the Chen family. She paid for it herself. After she changed her name and surname, she seems to have very little contact with the Tian Dao as well. As for my investigation, the level of secrecy is very high as it is quite serious to accuse the chief of the Green Lantern Association.¡±

    ¡°That is to say, even if she knows that the investigation of the extermination case has been restarted, there is a high probability that she does not know that it was restarted because of ¡®me¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Therefore, I wanted to meet her directly.¡±

    After Lu Yingjiu finished speaking this round, he turned his head and saw Jing Xian staring at him intently.

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­¡­¡­Are you really listening?¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Jing Xian finally reacted, ¡°Yes, of course.¡±

    ¡°Repeat what I just said.¡±

    Jing Xian: ¡°..Well, you are going to see her.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry, ¡°Didn¡¯t you not listen at all? What are you doing just staring at me, I¡¯m not a little girl, what¡¯s so interesting about it. Later, when we¡¯re in front of Ruxin, don¡¯t get distracted. ¡°

    He walked to the ward and knocked lightly on the door.

    A few seconds later, a girl¡¯s clear voice came, ¡°Who is it? Come on in.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu pushed the door open and went in.

    This single ward was not spacious, the girl on the bed was with an IV drip, and the water inside the hanging bottle was falling drop by drop. She was very thin, and the patient¡¯s clothes were wide on her body, revealing the obvious collarbone.

    Oval face, almond eyes, straight nose, black and thick hair hanging on the shoulders.

    It¡¯s a little beauty.

    Counting her age, she¡¯s 21 years old this year and should still be in college.

    Before Lu Yingjiu came, he looked at Chen Yanyan¡¯s childhood photos. The two people¡¯s looks and cadre were indeed very similar, and even the location of the mole on their necks was the same.

    It could basically be concluded that they were the same person.

    Yan Ruxin was taken aback when she saw the two of them, ¡°You are¡­¡­¡±

    Her eyes did not linger on Lu Yingjiu for too long.

    Surprisingly, she didn¡¯t even acknowledge him, or simply that she didn¡¯t recognize Lu Yingjiu at all.

    This will make things a lot easier.

    Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°My name is Shao Gao, he is Shen Xinhong, and we have something to ask you.¡± He showed something to Yan Ruxin.

    Yan Ruxin flinched.

    Lu Yingjiu put the box of apples on the bedside, and comforted her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re just here for a casual chat.¡± He glanced at Jing Xian, ¡°Go and open the door.¡±

    Jing Xian went over, opened the door and held it.

    No matter what, two strange men in the ward would still make her nervous. After opening the door, the sound of footsteps in the corridor, the sound of the phone, and the sound of nurses¡¯ conversations came, while also letting outsiders see the ward at a glance. Yan Ruxin¡¯s expression seemed to be a little more relaxed.

    Yan Ruxin said, ¡°Are you still here to ask about the past?¡± Her right hand gripped the quilt tightly, until they turned blue, ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you everything and didn¡¯t I tell you that I can¡¯t remember much of what happened? You still want to ask something, even coming to the hospital just for this.¡±

    Someone had approached her and talked to her about the extermination case.

    Lu Yingjiu realized it immediately.

    In other words, the girl in front of her was really Chen Yanyan.

    Chen Yanyan¡¯s tone became sharp, and high-pitched, ¡°No matter how many times you come here, the result is the same! You just want to force me to die! It¡¯s been so many years, I finally got out of the shadows, why do you still mention it! I get it now, you guys just want to force me to admit that I¡¯m the murderer! Well let me tell you, I killed them, okay?! Take me away quickly!! If you arrest me, I can still live longer!¡±

    It took her less than 10 seconds to go from calm to hysterical. She kicked the IV stand over, it made a bang, and the needle flew out of her hand, bringing out a string of blood beads on the back of her hand!

    Lu Yingjiu and Jing Xian quickly exchanged glances, he took half a step forward and said, ¡°Calm down first¡­¡­

    ¡°How can I calm down?!¡± With tears in his eyes, Chen Yanyan looked at Lu Yingjiu¡ªthat pair of black and white eyes suddenly stared at him, like a poisonous snake, licking his cheeks inch by inch.

    A bad premonition suddenly came to Lu Yingjiu, then he heard her gnashing her teeth and said, ¡°Wait, wait, you are not from the Green Lantern Association at all. I, I have seen you¡­I remember, you are not ¡®Shao Gao¡¯ you are that, that, the former Tian Dao, first, seat!¡±

    At this instant, a certain malevolent gleam burst into her eyes.

    Then she pulled her chest violently! The hospital gown was already very loose, and a few buttons fell apart, revealing a large white and dazzling chest. She shouted, ¡°Help! Help! There are hooligans!!¡±

    (t/n According to Chinese folklore, Black and White Impermanence is one of the ten underworld commanders and the right-hand man of King Yama. Both are impermanent ghosts, but the former only brings disaster to people, while the latter brings fear and anxiety to people)

 CH 18

    Chen Yanyan¡¯s voice was clear when she was calm, but when she screamed, it almost pierced people¡¯s eardrums. The door of the ward was wide open, and people outside should hear the slightest movement inside. Yelling like this, the whole floor would be disturbed.

    However, Lu Yingjiu and Jing Xian didn¡¯t respond, they didn¡¯t try to escape, didn¡¯t try to close the door right away, and didn¡¯t try to appease her. Even the eyebrows were not raised for half a point.

    No one came in from the outside, both nurses and patients were doing their own thing. A young man with a broken leg walked past the door with a cane, slowly, and didn¡¯t even look inside the room.

    It was as if there was an invisible barrier separating the room.

    Chen Yanyan suddenly realized something, and shut her mouth firmly.

    Although she didn¡¯t touch anything relating to exorcism anymore after changing her name, the basic principle was still clear: Lu Yingjiu was in front of her at the moment, he didn¡¯t take out the talisman paper, and didn¡¯t pinch anything in his hand. In other words, this enchantment that she didn¡¯t know when started was¡­¡­

    Her eyes glanced over Lu Yingjiu¡¯s shoulder, and landed on Jing Xian.

    Jing Xian casually leaned against the door and smiled at her, that smile was evil and handsome, but there was no smile in his black eyes. Looking at such a pair of eyes, Chen Yanyan¡¯s teeth began to chatter unconsciously, and her intuition screamed.

    ¡ªDid this person want to kill me just now?

    This idea suddenly popped up in Cheng Yanyan¡¯s mind, and she forcibly suppressed it because it was too outrageous. Looking at Jing Xian again, no matter how she looked at it, she felt that there was some kind of monster lurking under that impeccable face.

    Chen Yanyan¡¯s hands and feet went cold, and a shadow suddenly fell in front of her eyes.

    It was Lu Yingjiu who picked up the coat on the bedside and put it on her body. ¡°We didn¡¯t see anything, please tidy up your clothes and don¡¯t do this in the future.¡±

    Chen Yanyan gritted her teeth, and hastily pulled her clothes, ¡°¡­¡­..What are you guys doing here? Especially you Mr. Lu Yingjiu, I have seen you and I know that you are a suspect. Are you afraid that the clues of that year will be exposed and have come here to kill me?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu pulled out a chair and sat down.

    His demeanor was completely different from that of Jing Xian¡¯s, he was too gentle and restrained, and appeared very approachable. He said, ¡°If I want to kill people, you might already be rotting in some wilderness. No one will find you, and I will not leave any traces.¡±

    His tone was relaxed.

    He was not trying to persuade Chen Yanyan: this is just a very simple statement, because it is a fact, so it doesn¡¯t matter whether others believe it or not.

    Chen Yanyan looked at the two people in front of her again, and finally realized belatedly: These two people are not normal people.

    Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°I just want to know about the situation at that time. There are still doubts about this case, so I won¡¯t go around in circles. I saw your family turned into ghosts in the bar where the crime happened. Your grandma Chen Minlan, also appeared in the community near the bar.¡±

    Chen Yanyan¡¯s eyes widened.

    Lu Yingjiu continued, ¡°Chen Minlan was pestering a waiter at the bar, maybe the waiter had some clues. After that, she even took the initiative to find me¡ªthis is also the crucial reason why I want to investigate.¡±

    Chen Yanyan became really astonished. Lu Yingjiu and Jing Xian were reflected in her clear eyes. After a long time, she finally spoke, ¡°Did they¡­¡­say anything?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Lu Yingjiu shook his head, ¡°Unfortunately, they lost their sanity and were unable to communicate.¡±

    ¡°So, what about that waiter?

    ¡°He couldn¡¯t remember.¡± Lu Yingjiu concealed the part where Jin Xiaoyang had already passed away.

    Chen Yanyan lowered her eyes.

    The delicateness of her body was heavier, almost pitiful, and the burden brought by her life experience seemed to climb up her back in an instant. A girl this young, with her good looks, would look endearing when doing it¨Ceven though she was hysterical like a madman two minutes ago.

    Jing Xian got up and went to the corridor to get a glass of water. He mixed the hot and cold water very carefully, making sure that the temperature in his palm was moderate, then returned to the room with the glass of water and walked to the bed.

    Chen Yanyan raised her head, looked up at him, and whispered, ¡°Thank¨C.¡±

    Jing Xian handed the water to Lu Yingjiu, ¡°Drink it slowly, be careful of the heat.¡±

    Chen Yanyan: ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡±

    Lu Yingjiu took a sip, put it in front of the bed, and continued to talk to Chen Yanyan, ¡°The car accident that fractured your bone wasn¡¯t really an accident, right? I can still feel that you are entwined with Yin energy. In addition, you have been running frequently in the hospital in recent months, one because of a sprained foot, and other all kinds of minor diseases. No matter how you look at it, you are haunted by ghosts.¡±

    These materials were all written in the files Chen Xiaoling gave him, and he had already read them on the way here.

    Chen Yanyan asked, ¡°Can you feel the Yin energy in my body?¡±

    She had seen several ghost exorcists before, and they didn¡¯t even notice it, unlike Lu Yingjiu, who could tell at a glance.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°And I can see that it has been with you for many years¡­ Let me see, 5 years? or 6 years? it was not strong enough before, something must have stimulated it, and if you let it be, your life could very well be in danger. This time it was your wrist, the next time, it could be your head.¡±

    Chen Yanyan¡¯s hands trembled.

    Lu Yingjiu leaned forward slightly, and continued, ¡°Although I don¡¯t know why, you didn¡¯t have any intention of asking the Chen family for help¡ªmaybe it was because you didn¡¯t want to contact them, or maybe you didn¡¯t realize the seriousness of the situation, anyhow, my proposal is as follows: I¡¯ll help you get rid of this ghost, and you tell me the details of the year. I don¡¯t have the hobby of exposing people¡¯s scars, and I will never ask more questions except for the case itself.¡±

    Chen Yanyan subconsciously said, ¡°It¡¯s the same if I find other powerful ghost exorcists, it doesn¡¯t have to be you.¡±

    ¡°You can try it.¡± Lu Yingjiu smiled, ¡°But do you dare to bet?¡±

    If you win the bet, you will keep the secret of the year. If you lose the bet, you will lose your life.

    Chen Yanyan glanced at her left hand, the effect of the painkiller had passed, and the wound was only aching slightly. When she closed her eyes again, the roaring truck that was rushing towards her seemed to be still in front of her eyes. Her bicycle was knocked out of shape, and she flew five or six meters away. When she landed heavily, a strong smell of blood rose from her throat. In her blurred vision, she could only see the wheels of the bicycle turning slowly towards the air. The surrounding noise was far away, as if someone was shouting deep underwater.

    ¡°There¡¯s an accident¡ª!¡±

    At that moment, she really thought she was dead.

    Indeed, as the doctor said, she was lucky this time.

    She had heard the name of Lu Yingjiu many times, and asking him to exorcise ghosts was an opportunity that no one else could ask for.

    She bit her lips, ¡°¡­but,¡± she glanced at Jing Xian quickly, hesitated for a long time before speaking, her voice was like a thin thread, ¡°I also, I don¡¯t know if you are the murderer¡­what if you are a bad person¡­¡­¡±

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°If I were the murderer, would I still have to spend so much time asking you for details? I should be the one who knows the case best. The first time you saw me, you didn¡¯t even recognize me. That year, I wasn¡¯t even a serious suspect at all, didn¡¯t you know this best?¡±

    There was a convincing power to his voice.

    Anyone who had inquired about him a little would know that he had an excellent reputation when he was the chief, and he was the conscience of the ghost exorcist world: if he promises to protect the client, then nothing will happen to the client; if he promises to find the ghost, then the ferocious ghost, whether big or small, will be pulled out to its roots. Coupled with the friendly appearance and calm temperament, no matter how one looks at it, it has nothing to do with ¡°bad intentions¡±.

    Chen Yanyan was silent for a long time.

    It was hard to see what kind of psychological struggle she was having, but her expression gradually softened when she looked at Lu Yingjiu.

    After a long time, she took a deep breath and said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll tell you. Actually, the ghost haunting me is the one that killed my family back then¡­..¡±

    Lu Yingjiu and Jing Xian looked at each other.

    Chen Yanyan clenched her hands, ¡°At the time, my classmates and I said we wanted to play a game of courage together, so we found an abandoned building called ¡®Four Hole Slaughterhouse¡¯ and played the four-corner game. You should know the rules.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu nodded.

    He lowered his head and searched. The Four Hole Slaughterhouse was between Lujiang City and Yuantai City. There was no village or shop behind it. He didn¡¯t know how those little kids got there.

    Chen Yanyan continued, ¡°As we were playing, we realized that something was wrong. It seemed that there was really an extra person among us. We were very scared and left immediately. Then, I took a taxi and went to the KTV to celebrate my brother¡¯s birthday. I didn¡¯t expect, I didn¡¯t expect¡­¡± She closed her eyes, ¡°The ghost came with me. You know what happened next. I was the murderer who killed them¡­¡­..and now it¡¯s finally my turn.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°It¡¯s not anyone¡¯s fault. It¡¯s your best comfort to them by clarifying doubts and finding out the truth.¡±

    Chen Yanyan nodded with her eyes closed, took a long breath, and continued, ¡°The four people that played the game with me were Fan Xin, my best friend and our boyfriends. Fan Xin¡­.Fan Xin also passed away due to an accident not long after that, it must have been caused by that same ghost. As for the two boys, I didn¡¯t contact them afterwards.¡±

    She recalled the past.

    On that afternoon 6 years ago, 2 boys and 2 girls squeezed into a car, left the sunny campus, and went to the gloomy slaughterhouse together. The old building was silent under the dark clouds, like a huge monster. They climbed over the rusty iron gate, stepped on knee-high weeds, walked in laughing and joking with each other.

    Dark clouds swirled overhead, torrential rain fell from above, lightning tore the sky, and strong winds blew the young people¡¯s clothes. No one could have imagined that this was a road of no return.

    Lu Yingjiu wrote down these three names and sent them to Chen Xiaoling.

    If Chen Yanyan was in danger, it might be the same for those two boys.

    ¡°So,¡± Chen Yanyan looked at him, ¡°Can you kill it?¡±

    Her gaze swept over Jing Xian again¨Cthe handsome man was standing behind Lu Yingjiu, unlike Lu Yingjiu who was listening carefully, his expression was nonchalant, as if he was not interested in her story, and even disdained to show false concern. He went to fill another glass of water, held it in his hand and drank it slowly, his eyes were on Lu Yingjiu from beginning to end.

    Lu Yingjiu thought for a few seconds, ¡°Because the ghost was invited by the supernatural game, it is better to return to the place at that time and then disperse it. To be on the safe side, we need to go to the Four Hole Slaughterhouse.¡±

    Chen Yanyan¡¯s face paled a little, ¡°Go back?

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Lu Yingjiu nodded, ¡°Some things are suspicious. You went to the KTV in the evening, and the time you played games was in the afternoon. It is very difficult to really attract ghosts in supernatural games. If you play during the day, the chances are even lower. What¡¯s more, this ghost is very powerful, it is simply out of proportion¡­..From my personal point of view, it is almost impossible for this to happen.¡±

    Chen Yanyan smiled bleakly, ¡°That¡¯s because we pasted up some talisman papers to invite ghosts before playing the game. I was so courageous at the time, and the ghost I wanted to invite was the scariest one. If it was him, doing those things would be easy.¡±

    ¡°Is its name taboo?¡±

    ¡°No, only the official position. If I say it, you may laugh at me.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°This is a very important clue.¡±

    Chen Yanyan¡¯s hands gripped the quilt tightly.

    She was really scared, her lips were trembling, and whispered after a long time, ¡°The one I invited was the Ghost King.¡±

    ¡°Cough, cough, cough¡ª!¡± Jing Xian choked a mouthful of water, and couldn¡¯t help but laugh directly.

    ****

    Two minutes later, Lu Yingjiu and Jing Xian stood outside the ward.

    They were kicked out by an angry Chen Yanyan.

    The two watched the people coming and going in front of them, and were speechless for a while.

    After a long time, Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°Although I know it¡¯s impossible, why did you laugh at her¡­¡­¡±

    Jing Xian: ¡°..I couldn¡¯t hold back all of a sudden.¡±

    He really felt that it was outrageous, so he laughed again¡ªthe Green Lantern Association said that Lu Yingjiu was a suspect, and Chen Yanyan said that ¡°he¡± was a fierce ghost who killed countless people. Jing Xian felt that the extermination case was the result of the crime committed by the ¡®husband¡¯ and the ¡®wife¡¯.

    That little girl really dared to say, how could there be anyone in this world who could invite him?

    He had come to this world once before.

    And it was the day of Lu Yingjiu¡¯s ghost wedding.

    Jing Xian said: ¡°I was really wrong, don¡¯t be angry.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu looked at him, that handsome face that surpassed models and was meticulously sculpted was full of sincerity¨CLu Yingjiu thought to himself: if he had been as sincere as now, towards Chen Yanyan back there, things wouldn¡¯t have developed like this.

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­¡­¡­not angry, just that, you have to respect others.¡±

    Jing Xian promised, ¡°Next time for sure!¡±

    He thought again¨Calthough Lu Yingjiu said he wasn¡¯t angry, but Black and White Wuchang told him that when dating someone, when the other said that they are not angry, they are probably angry.

    It doesn¡¯t matter, it¡¯s very likely that¡¯s the case.

    Thus when Lu Yingjiu was just trying to clear his mind, he saw Jing Xian said sincerely, ¡°Don¡¯t be angry.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­?

    Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°I really am not¡­¡±

    Jing Xian took half a step closer, cornered him against the door and hugged him tightly. The strength was still as strong as ever, Lu Yingjiu flailed a few times in his arms, like a cat being pinned down by a big dog. Although there was no water splashing, it still made a mess.

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°What are you doing again?¡±

    ¡°I was wrong!¡± Jing Xian said, and hugged him even tighter after speaking.

    An old man passing by stared at the two of them, his eyes were extremely complicated, and his face was full of words ¡°You guys are having a great time¡±, and he seemed to be watching the scene of ¡°Battle of Love¡±: a remorseful scumbag trying to recover his beautiful old love, and the beautiful old love¡­¡­¡­..That beautiful old love Lu Yingjiu raised his head and cursed silently a dirty word.

    After finally struggling out of Jing Xian¡¯s embrace, Lu Yingjiu supported his forehead and said, ¡°Your way of apologizing is too unique.¡±

    ¡°Hugging can put people in a good mood.¡± Jing Xian said with certainty, ¡°Do you want to be hugged one more time?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    He pushed Jing Xian away and his another warm hug, but couldn¡¯t find a point to refute for a moment, thinking that it was also good thing Jing Xian didn¡¯t go up and hugged Chen Yanyan just now, otherwise they wouldn¡¯t be able to wash themselves clean even if they jumped into the Yellow River today.

    He took a deep breath, turned around and knocked on the door of the ward, ¡°Can we go in?¡±

    No one inside the room answered, thus he gently opened the door. Chen Yanyan was wrapped in a quilt, and turned her back to not look at the two of them.

    Lu Yingjiu sat down in front of her again and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, he didn¡¯t have any malicious intentions.¡±

    Chen Yanyan didn¡¯t speak.

    Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°Theoretically speaking, I don¡¯t think priests will come to the world at will. Yin and Yang have their own balance. Priests will be greatly restricted when they come to the yang world, and they will not kill people easily. As for the Ghost King you mentioned, whether he exists or not is uncertain. Even if there is, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ve invited him¡­¡­..¡± He looked back and glanced at Jing Xian.

    Jing Xian smiled.

    Lu Yingjiu kicked his foot, he immediately restrained his smile and pretended to be concerned.

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°You have just finished your operation, we will go to the slaughterhouse after you are discharged from the hospital.¡±

    ¡°No, we¡¯ll go there today.¡± Chen Yanyan suddenly turned around and looked at Lu Yingjiu, ¡°I really can¡¯t bear it all day, you, you must kill it as soon as possible. Just you and me, us, the two of us will go now!¡±

    She bit ¡°the two of us¡± hard.

    Jing Xian clicked his tongue lightly.

    Lu Yingjiu knew what he was dissatisfied with and said, ¡°He wants to go with me. Besides, it¡¯s not just the three of us.¡±

    He stood up, went to the door and pulled someone.

    A man was leaning against the door to eavesdrop, unable to react, he staggered and fell inside the room.

    It¡¯s clearly Xiao Li.

    Xiao Li supported himself with his hands, so as not to let himself fall, and then raised his head in panic.

    Lu Yingjiu raised the corner of his mouth, ¡°Hello, how is Chu Banyang doing recently? Seeing that he is still thinking about sending someone to follow me, he should be quite relaxed, right?¡±

    ****

    The Aston Martin that Jing Xian bought to avenge the shame of that bus incident was really good-looking. The sun flowed smoothly from the front to the rear of the car. It was dazzling and compelling. The lines of the body all show the beauty of speed.

    At this time, on the expressway, it was advancing at a speed of¡­..50 kilometers per hour.

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°Xiao Li, you¡¯d better drive faster, the minimum speed on this section of the road is 80.¡±

    In the driver¡¯s seat, Xiao Li trembled and said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid of being hit. Brother Lu, you can¡¯t afford to sell me for this collision. Let, let, let me, let me see or we can just find a pit stop, and let Brother Jing Xian drive.¡±

    Jing Xian leaned against Lu Yingjiu, and said leisurely, ¡°I just drove a long distance and I¡¯m tired.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu also said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, if you really don¡¯t have enough money, ask Chu Banyang to pay a ransom for you.¡±

    Xiao Li wailed, ¡°Master will kill me! It¡¯s his grandma¡¯s birthday next month. Then will he just kill me for his grandma¡¯s entertainment? That¡¯s extremely cruel, bibimbap in ashes! Brother Lu, or you take the wheel?¡±

    (t/n bibimbap in ashes- kind of curse word ( don¡¯t know if it¡¯s F*ck or what, but it¡¯s a curse word))

    Before Lu Yingjiu could speak, Jing Xian said, ¡°He didn¡¯t get enough sleep, driving when tired is very dangerous, and there are also four people in the car.¡±

    Xiao Li didn¡¯t know how to refute, and merely said, ¡°Brother Lu! You two are really a husband and wife! You look like villains that collude together!¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t know how to use idioms, you don¡¯t have to.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, and Jing Xian laughed beside him.

    However, Lu Yingjiu actually didn¡¯t know why Jing Xian, who was addicted to driving, suddenly didn¡¯t want to.

    What was the situation that time?

    It seemed that, after he said something like catching up on sleep in the car, Jing Xian drove Xiao Li to drive the car, Chen Yanyan to the co-pilot, and insisted on squeezing with him in the back seat.

    He also looked at him excitedly, with ¡°I¡¯m ready, why aren¡¯t you sleeping?¡± written on his face.

    The way Lu Yingjiu looked at him was completely inexplicable, and he had no idea what Jing Xian was expecting. On the contrary, Chen Yanyan, the co-pilot, had just lowered the seat and fell asleep because she had just had an operation and was not in good spirits. Jing Xian was originally sitting at the back of the co-pilot, but when the seat was lowered, the space became narrow, and his long legs were uncomfortable, thus he moved his body closer to Lu Yingjiu.

    Lu Yingjiu lowered his eyes and pondered.

    The current situation was that the Green Lantern Association didn¡¯t know that he had found Chen Yanyan, and Chen Yanyan didn¡¯t know that the Green Lantern Association had restarted the investigation because of him. This kind of poor information allowed him and Chen Yanyan to act together.

    However, the truth will never be concealed forever, and will soon be exposed. He actually doesn¡¯t have much time, and he needs to sort out the clues before that.

    As for Xiao Li¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.

    He glanced at the trembling Xiao Li.

    Xiao Li simply listened to Chu Banyang¡¯s words and followed him, not even knowing that the girl beside him was Chen Yanyan.

    He continued to think.

    Jing Xian and him were close together, in such a narrow space, they could even feel each other¡¯s body temperature and breathing. Gradually, Lu Yingjiu¡¯s mind was no longer tense.

    They have only met for a few days, but it felt like they had already experienced a lot.

    Moreover, Lu Yingjiu felt that he could trust Jing Xian very much.

    He couldn¡¯t find the words to describe that trust, and he didn¡¯t know where it came from. Subconsciously, he always felt a sense of security staying by Jing Xian¡¯s side. If he had to say it, he could only think of a strange metaphor: it was the sense of security that would allow him to sleep peacefully in the long night where ghosts were rampant.

    What is this? Clicked right away?

    The sports car drove forward slowly, and a few impatient cars flew by, overtaking them neatly. Lu Yingjiu took a deep breath, and suddenly realized that there was a cold breath like that of a crescent moon on Jing Xian.

    It was extremely light.

    If it wasn¡¯t for this narrow environment, if it wasn¡¯t for the quiet surroundings, if it wasn¡¯t for them huddled side by side, he wouldn¡¯t have noticed it either. Lu Yingjiu was stunned for a moment.

    Then he lowered his eyes slightly, and said, ¡°Jing Xian¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Jing Xian looked sideways at him.

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    He smiled: ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I just wanted to ask you, do you know the Chen family¡¯s ¡®Weaving Cloud Art¡¯?¡±

    Jing Xian paused for a few seconds.

    Those ghost teachers only taught him common sense. He actually didn¡¯t know a lot about ghost exorcists. He shook his head, ¡°Not sure.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu glanced at the sleeping Chen Yanyan, and moved closer to Jing Xian, lowering his voice, the two of them were almost rubbing each other¡¯s ears, then explained, ¡°The so-called ¡®Weaving Cloud Art¡¯ is just another name for human masks. In the early years, the Chen family made a fortune by cutting off the skin of the dead and making masks. Later, when the law was perfected, they became concerned about moral issues, thus they no longer used human skin, but instead used animal leather, such as pigskin, sheepskin or cowhide.¡±

    He continued, ¡°I checked, and the Four Hole Slaughterhouse we are going to is the Chen family¡¯s enterprise¡ªthat¡¯s why Chen Yanyan brought his classmates here to have that courage game. In the past, the Chen family should have used the slaughterhouse to make masks.¡±

    ¡°Animal skins are definitely not comparable to human skins. They are much stiffer and flaws can be easily seen. I have seen real human masks before, and they are really vivid when worn. Even if the closest person comes, you won¡¯t find any flaws. From one of my taks, a masked man was a ghost. It pretended to be a human being, lured acquaintances to its lair, and then devoured them. Those victims did not know why their ¡®friends¡¯ wanted to kill themselves in the end.¡±

    ¡°Put on a disguise, a person who lives with you day and night, one won¡¯t even know whether he is a human or a ghost.¡±

    Jing Xian listened carefully, but Lu Yingjiu didn¡¯t continue talking.

    The silence was a little strange.

    Jing Xian turned his head to one side, Lu Yingjiu looked up at him, the sunlight shone through the glass, illuminating each of his eyelashes perfectly, and his soft black hair seemed to be coated with a layer of golden light.

    Lu Yingjiu stared at Jing Xian intently, smiled, and repeated word by word, ¡°One won¡¯t even know whether he is a human or a ghost.¡±

 CH 19

    Lu Yingjiu finally fell asleep in the car.

    And just as Jing Xian expected, he was originally leaning on the back of the chair, but soon he began to reel to his side, and leaned his head on his shoulder.

    Jing Xian¡¯s mood was not so relaxed.

    Lu Yingjiu probably sensed that he was not human, but there was no proof.

    He didn¡¯t intend to hide his identity on purpose, it¡¯s just that this matter¡­¡­was a bit awkward and hypocritical to say.

    ¡ª¡ªHe didn¡¯t want Lu Yingjiu to know that he had helped him.

    In the face of a person that had received help from someone for several years, no matter who that someone was, they would be biased to that person. What¡¯s more, Lu Yingjiu valued human feelings very much, if someone helped him, he would definitely return it twice as much.

    Jing Xian thought, in case Lu Yingjiu knew the truth, in case Lu Yingjiu really fell in love with him, then how much of that emotion wrapped in gratitude was real? Could it be that the love wouldn¡¯t be pure?

    What he wanted Lu Yingjiu to like was not the ¡°ghost marriage partner¡±, but ¡°Jing Xian¡±.

    In fact, Jing Xian had no idea whether he should spend on this kind of thought, or whether he should have such concerns. He did not think about these things on ordinary days, there was no need for careful thinking and careful speculation, and it was always only the other person who tried to figure out his portion.

    But it¡¯s different now.

    He had faced thousands of ghosts, he had also faced the abyss, but he had never met someone he liked. The ferocity and tyranny of ghosts, the capriciousness of the abyss, they all succumbed to his feet, but none of them could compare to the expression of Lu Yingjiu¡¯s eyes. He still remembered the day when they first met, how his hand trembled slightly as he held the other¡¯s hand, with tension, joy and excitement.

    In short, the Ghost King was terrified for the first time.

    Jing Xian was so pretentious and awkward, perhaps because he was a little bit confident in his masculine charm, covered his own identity and was unwilling to say the truth.

    But right now, things seemed to be going nowhere.

    Jing Xian had a bit of a headache, but on the side of his head, he saw Lu Yingjiu leaning on his shoulder¡ªhe always looked extremely relaxed when he was sleeping, his beautiful eyebrows were stretched out, and he was quiet like a painting.

    Jing Xian¡¯s mood immediately improved again.

    Forget it, the boat will be straight once it reaches the bridge, and there will always be a way.

    (TL: Comes from¨C¡±When the boat gets under the bridge and wants to pass through the bridge hole, the hull will naturally come straight¡±. It is a metaphor that when a certain time comes, the problem will naturally be solved, so there is no need to be impatient or worried now)

    After getting off the expressway, they slowly followed along a deserted path, went to multiple bends until they got to the entrance of the slaughterhouse. The car was stopped by a rusty crossbar in the parking lot, surrounded by tall walls.

    Xiao Li muttered, ¡°What should we do? How about we just park the car here and walk in?¡±

    Jing Xian said, ¡°Just break through the railing and go in.¡±

    Xiao Li laughed dryly a few times, thinking that the joke was not funny, but then saw Jing Xian¡¯s serious expression in the rearview mirror. He was stunned for a few seconds, and then had a big question in his mind: Is this guy serious?!

    Jing Xian urged again, ¡°Why not simply knock it open?¡±

    He had a full sense of oppression, and Xiao Li simply heard a simple sentence out of thin air, ¡°If you do it again, I will kill you¡±. Xiao Li looked at the brand-new dashboard in the car, swallowed, and finally struggled, ¡°Your, your car is worth millions¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to pay for it.¡± Jing Xian said, suddenly his shoulder lightened-Lu Yingjiu woke up, sat up straight, looked at the two of them in a daze, then threw out a piece of talisman paper.

    The talisman seemed to have a soul, as it rode the wind, and gently wrapped half a circle around the end of the crossbar, and twisted it tightly!

    The rusty railing made a screeching sound, and the fragile end gradually deformed, and then with a crisp sound, the crossbar snapped off.

    Lu Yingjiu raised a talisman in his hand, glanced at the two of them, and said in a sleepy voice, ¡°One of the simplest talisman¨C¡±

    Xiao Li, who was not good at learning: ¡°¡­¡­..¡±

    Jing Xian who had no knowledge and skills: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    The car drove in, turned a corner, and saw a huge gray building.

    The building was not tall, maybe one or two floors, but it was very wide. The outer wall was dead gray, perhaps knowing that there were ghosts here, it felt very cold. The corners were overgrown with weeds and vines, and the windows were either broken or so dirty that one couldn¡¯t see inside. Farther away was the low, blue and white staff dormitory, which had not been visited for many years.

    Returning to this place again, Chen Yanyan was obviously very nervous, she clenched her hands and looked out the window.

    Xiao Li stopped the car casually in an unoccupied parking lot, and the four of them got out.

    Chen Yanyan pointed to the gray building with her pale fingers, and said, ¡°That¡¯s where we played the game. Are we, are we really going in?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Lu Yingjiu nodded, ¡°The ghost on your body is very special, and you must take it seriously to ensure that it is completely eliminated. If necessary, we will even repeat the ceremony of bringing it in, that is to say, repeat the game you played.¡±

    Chen Yanyan¡¯s face turned pale again, but she still said, ¡°As long as it can be solved, I¡¯m willing to do anything.¡±

    When several people arrived in front of the building, the iron door was closed tightly, and there were words written in red paint on it. It was no longer clear what was written. At first glance, it looked a bit like dried blood.

    Xiao Li pushed the door hard a few times, but the iron door remained motionless and locked.

    There was a window next to it, and the inside of the glass should have been pasted with paper, as one couldn¡¯t see anything clearly. Lu Yingjiu tried to pull it, and the window made a scalp-numbing ¡°squeak¨C¡± sound, and every inch of the rusty parts whined before it opened.

    He glanced at Chen Yanyan and said, ¡°Wait until I go over and open the door.¡± Then he leaned on the window sill with one hand and flipped over lightly.

    The room was very dark, only a beam of light came from the window behind him, and the dust dancing in the air could be clearly seen. He quickly looked around¨Cthere were more than a dozen vertical iron cabinets, a wooden bench in the middle, a few blue overalls hanging on the wall, and shoe covers on the ground, all covered with dust a few centimeters thick.

    It¡¯s a dressing room, no wonder the glass was covered with paper.

    Lu Yingjiu was about to open the door and go to the corridor when suddenly the light dimmed.

    Behind him, Jing Xian also came in through the window.

    He said, ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s so boring to stay outside.¡± Jing Xian smiled, ¡°Let¡¯s go walk around.¡±

    He opened the door of the dressing room, and there was no light outside. He turned around and stretched out his hand to Lu Yingjiu.

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°?¡±

    Jing Xian said, ¡°I have good night vision, and I can see clearly in the dark. You won¡¯t be afraid of bumping into anything if you hold me.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    He took out his mobile phone and turned on the flashlight, the bright light instantly illuminated the dark corridor, and then he looked at Jing Xian with subtle eyes, ¡°Thank you, but there¡¯s no need, I have a mobile phone.¡± He also showed the symbol of a flashlight to Jing Xian and taught him, ¡°You just click here and it¡¯s ready to use.¡±

    Jing Xian: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    He completely forgot about this matter, coughed, he also took out his mobile phone and turned on the flashlight.

    As they went to the corridor, Lu Yingjiu was walking ahead, while Jing Xian followed behind.

    This corridor was more winding than they imagined, and neither of them knew how this was engineered. It took a long circle just to return to the main entrance.

    Lu Yingjiu looked around and illuminated the signs along the way with light. They passed the disinfection pool, toilet, quarantine room and slaughter hall. All the doors were locked, revealing cold rejection.

    Jing Xian said while walking, ¡°The Chen family¡¯s ¡®Cloud Weaving Art¡¯ you mentioned earlier, why is it called this name? Is there any meaning?¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°It is rumored that the Chen family has an ancestor named ¡®Chen Zhiyun¡¯. She is good at weaving and embroidery, but her family is poor, and she lives in a small thatched cottage next to the mass grave. From time to time, there are corpses exposed, which have not been buried properly.¡±

    ¡°One day Chen Zhiyun passed by and saw a woman with a good face thrown into the open. She saw that the woman was born beautiful, and suddenly thought: ¡®If I have such a face, how good would it be?¡¯¡±

    He continued, ¡°Therefore, Chen Zhiyun took the body home and cut off her face with a knife. With her skillful hands, she sewed and mended a circle then covered her face with the human skin. When she looked in the mirror, to her surprise, it was very beautiful.¡±

    ¡°After that, Chen Zhiyun became popular. Everyone thought she was a newcomer, and treated her like never before. However, the preservation time of human skin is very short, and soon her face rotted. Chen Zhiyun Yun turned into an ordinary Chen Zhiyun again, and no one would take a second look at her when she walked on the street.¡±

    They turned a corner, and the tool disinfection room was on their way.

    Jing Xian asked, ¡°Therefore, Chen Zhiyun wanted to bring back another good pair of skin?¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Lu Yingjiu nodded and said, ¡°After that, she went to the mass grave every day, not only picking up the corpses outside, but also digging up the corpses that had just been buried by others. She almost cut off the faces of all the female corpses she could find, and brought them back home to paint carefully.¡±

    ¡°Most of the dead had pale faces, so she used her own blood as paint to put rouge and red lips on them.¡±

    After saying this, he looked back, and it was still the empty corridor behind him.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Jing Xian asked.

    ¡°Something is following us, not a human.¡± When Lu Yingjiu  said this, his tone was very relaxed, as if he was merely saying, ¡°The weather is fine today.¡± He then glanced at Jing Xian, and said teasingly, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you didn¡¯t notice it.¡±

    Jing Xian said straightforwardly, ¡°No, I didn¡¯t notice it.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu laughed, not knowing whether to believe it or not.

    The light of the mobile phone shone down the corridor, and they walked through the tool disinfection room.

    Lu Yingjiu continued to tell the story, ¡°The thing that bothered Chen Zhiyun the most was that she couldn¡¯t keep a face for a long time. She was always changing masks and identities, but what she longed for was a stable and rich life. ¡°

    ¡°So, she tried to cut off the skin of other parts of the corpse, and painted on it by herself¡ªjust like the ¡®painted skin¡¯ in ¡°Strange Tales from the Liao Zhai Studio¡±, slowly drawing out delicate eyebrows and eyes.¡±

    ¡°She succeeded in the end, relying on a good face, she married a high official in that dynasty, and from then on, it was smooth sailing. Unlike traditional supernatural stories, no Taoist priests emerged from anywhere to expose her lies, and her skill in making human skin masks was passed down, and then was known as the ¡®Weaving Cloud Technique¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Sounds very interesting.¡± Jing Xian said, ¡°If there is a chance, I would like to see it with my own eyes.¡±

    ¡°Maybe there is a chance today.¡± Lu Yingjiu turned the light on the phone upwards.

    He saw the sign ¡°tool disinfection room¡± still hanging above their heads.

    They walked for so long and came back again.

    Ghost hitting the wall.

    (t/n Ghost hitting the wall, also known as ghost building the wall, refers to the phenomenon that people walk in a dark environment and think they are going forward, but they circle back to the original place)

    At this time, the door of the disinfection room opened silently. Lu Yingjiu didn¡¯t have any scruples and directly walked in.

    Most of the equipment had been removed, leaving only a few solitary UV tool disinfection cabinets and a few tables in the corner. The disinfection cabinet was about half the height of a person, and the Yin energy was coming from the inside. Lu Yingjiu opened the disinfection cabinet, and saw a cattle head inside.

    It was not quite accurate to say that it was a cattle¡¯s head.

    There was no hair on this head, and the texture was completely that of a human skin. Under the illumination of the flashlight, the texture of the skin and the fine hairs could be clearly seen, and its color was indeed the same as that of a human skin. Even the eyes were not that of a huge cattle¡¯s eyes, but long and narrow human eyes, with black pupils that were disintegrated¡­It¡¯s like a living person turned into a cattle!

    ¡°¡­¡­¡± Lu Yingjiu¡¯s expression froze slightly.

    He wanted to take out a talisman paper, wrap it around his hands, and touch that human skin cattle head. But as a result, Jing Xian stretched out his hand and said, ¡°Give me the talisman paper, don¡¯t touch it, it¡¯s dirty.¡±

    He took the talisman paper from Lu Yingjiu¡¯s hand, wrapped it around his hand twice, then took out the cattle¡¯s head. When he held it out, the air became a little bit colder, and they exhaled white fog from their mouths.

    Lu Yingjiu looked at the cattle¡¯s head carefully, and suddenly heard a loud ¡°bang¡± from the corridor!

    In a completely quiet situation, this sound could be comparable to a thunder, loud enough to scare people to jump. However, the two of them were quite calm, and just looked at each other. Immediately afterwards, they heard the harsh sound of a metal object rubbing against the ground.

    Zi¡ª¡ªZ¡ª¡ªZi¡ª¡ª

    It sounded extremely weird, reminding people of the kind of perverted killers dragging knives or sticks on the ground in movies. The Yin energy around was tumbling, and the visitor spoke strange tones in a breathy voice.

    ¡°n¡­¡­de¡­¡­¡­[email protected]#!¡±

    ¡°z¡­nal¡­@! ! $#¡±

    Lu Yingjiu listened for a while but couldn¡¯t understand, and said, ¡°What is this thing talking about?¡±

    Jing Xian replied, ¡°It seems to be saying, ¡®Where is your face?¡¯¡±

    ¡°Oh¡ª¡± Lu Yingjiu said in a drawn out tone, ¡°It turns out that you can even understand this kind of nonsense, you are very talented. ¡± He patted Jing Xian¡¯s shoulder meaningfully.

    Jing Xian smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve been told nonsense ever since I was a child, maybe that¡¯s how I developed my skills.¡±

    The sound was getting closer and closer, and the monster was picking up its pace. Lu Yingjiu said again, ¡°Put the cattle¡¯s head back in the cabinet first, and we will hide and observe the situation.¡±

    Jing Xian stuffed the human skin cattle head back, closed the cabinet door, and was dragged by Lu Yingjiu, and hid behind the cabinet in the corner, where the scattered disinfection cabinets and tables firmly blocked their figures.

    Lu Yingjiu gently pushed the disinfection cabinet in front of him, so that he could see the door through the gap.

    Jing Xian whispered, ¡°Why are we hiding?¡±

    It¡¯s impossible for Lu Yingjiu to beat the ghost that¡¯s coming. What¡¯s more, Jing Xian was with him.

    Lu Yingjiu replied in a breathy voice, ¡°One can always be safe if one is careful. No matter how powerful a person is, it is inevitable that he will be put in danger if is careless one day.¡±

    It¡¯s not that he was cowardly, but for exorcists, caution was the eternal trump card.

    Jing Xian didn¡¯t say any more, and stayed by Lu Yingjiu¡¯s side obediently.

    In fact, he didn¡¯t care at all who came.

    He was only worried about when Lu Yingjiu would reveal his identity¡­¡­¡­How would he make amends and apologize at that time.

    One of the two was thinking carefully, while the other was all love brain, two that were simply hiding in the dark with completely different thoughts.

    The dragging of metal stopped at the door.

    The air was extremely cold, Lu Yingjiu patted a piece of talisman on himself and Jing Xian, minimizing the presence of breathing and heartbeat. But even so, some keen ghosts could still notice it.

    One second, two seconds, three seconds¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.

    The dragging sound stopped for six or seven seconds, and just when Lu Yingjiu thought it was about to leave, he suddenly heard a ¡°squeak¡± and the door of the disinfection room was pushed open.

    Lu Yingjiu saw a tall figure through the gap. He couldn¡¯t see clearly without light, and he could only barely tell that it was more than two meters tall, which didn¡¯t seem like a normal person¡¯s height.

    He thought of Jing Xian saying that he had good night vision, so he waved to him.

    Jing Xian came over and the two squeezed together to look out.

    After a few seconds, Jing Xian grabbed his hand and wrote a word in his palm with his fingertips.

    [Sheep]

    His palm was scratched numbly and felt itchy. Lu Yingjiu didn¡¯t understand all of a sudden.

    The one that came¡­is a sheep??

    The ghosts in this slaughterhouse are really quite special.

    The ghost dragged the metal object all the way to the disinfection cabinet, opened the cabinet door, just in time to see the human skin cattle head they had touched. It put down the metal object, took out the cattle¡¯s head, grasped it in his hand and sniffed it hard, making a scuffling sound.

    After smelling it for a few seconds, it seemed to sense that someone had touched the cattle¡¯s head, and suddenly picked up a metal object and smashed it hard on the ground!

    Boom!

    It was so powerful that the ground on the whole floor shook, and it roared angrily, ¡°Baaaah!!¡±

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    It really is a sheep.

    He just wanted Jing Xian to continue watching, but when he turned his head, even through the thick darkness, he could vaguely see Jing Xian looking at him. When they looked at each other, Jing Xian even smiled at him.

    Lu Yingjiu started, turned Jing Xian¡¯s head towards the sheep ghost, and whispered, ¡°Concentrate on watching.¡±

    Jing Xian: ¡°Hmm.¡±

    In less than ten seconds, his eyes drifted back to Lu Yingjiu again.

    Lu Yingjiu pushed him straight again and said, ¡°Jing Xian, what¡¯s the matter with you.¡±

    He thought to himself that the two of them were not on the same channel.

    In horror and suspense stories, he¡¯s the one that concentrated on finding clues and working on cases, while Jing Xian seemed to have come from a bubble opera idol drama, where the sun was shining all day long, didn¡¯t care about ghosts and monsters at all, and was only relatively beautiful and sweet.

    (t/n a bubble drama is a kind of TV drama often fabricates some life plots, which look very beautiful, but in fact, such plots are like soap bubbles, which look very beautiful, but will soon disappear, broken and gone. Therefore, bubble dramas refer to those youth idol dramas that make up fictional plots and try their best to create some beautiful plots like soap bubbles.)

    It was very dangerous to have no vigilance at all.

    Lu Yingjiu said in a low voice, ¡°Do you know who dies the fastest in horror movies?¡±

    ¡°Who?¡± Jing Xian asked.

    ¡°A couple who are silly, sweet and in love.¡±

    Jing Xian was a little surprised, ¡°Are you talking about us?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    He held his forehead. Jing Xian, this person is really hopeless.

 CH 20.1

    ¡°Your head is full of love.¡± Lu Yingjiu pushed Jing Xian¡¯s head back again, ¡°Look carefully, what is it holding?¡±

    Jing Xian glanced quickly again and said, ¡°A mace. ¡°

    Oh, Lu Yingjiu thought, this sheep ghost is quite advanced and can use props. If they know how to drill wood to make fire, maybe they can roast themselves.

    Slaughterhouse, corridors, monsters, and mace being dragged on the ground were very in line with the villains of horror movies. He didn¡¯t know what kind of resentment this sheep had before it died.

    The sheep ghost grabbed the cattle¡¯s head with one hand, and smashed the ground with the mace with the other. It waved casually, and the mace hit the disinfection cabinet, directly deforming the thick cabinet! The metal dented ferociously, flew out and hit the wall, and landed heavily again. Several pieces of metal flew out and hit the cabinet where Lu Yingjiu and Jing Xian hid, immediately there were several dents on the cabinet.

    Even with the talisman paper, Lu Yingjiu subconsciously held his breath.

    The sheep ghost smashed several disinfection cabinets again, stepped on and collapsed the table. After a series of impotent rages, it finally seemed to think that the intruder had left the room.

    ¡°Baaa¡±

    It turned around abruptly, and quickly walked back to the corridor, the dragging sound gradually faded away.

    Lu Yingjiu walked to the place where the sheep ghost was standing just now.

    Unexpectedly, the human skin cattle head was still placed in the disinfection cabinet. Since the sheep ghost didn¡¯t want others to touch it, why didn¡¯t it take it away?

    Jing Xian seemed to see his doubts, and added, ¡°That ghost only has one hand¡­or one hoof, and can¡¯t take away the cattle¡¯s head while holding a mace.¡±

    ¡°How do the hoof hold the mace?¡±

    Jing Xian was silent for a while, ¡°Clamped in between.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu imagined the scene, as if he didn¡¯t look very smart. He thought for a few more seconds, ¡°Let¡¯s take the cattle¡¯s head away, it might be useful.¡± He smiled at Jing Xian, ¡°You take it.¡±

    Therefore Jing Xian held the horn of the cattle¡¯s head in one hand, and followed Lu Yingjiu back to the corridor.

    Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°That ghost has a bit of a human breath on it. It should have been in contact with someone not long ago. After we figure things out, we¡¯ll let Xiao Li and Chen Yanyan come in.¡± He turned on his phone, ready to send out a message to Xiao Li, but it turned out that there was no signal.

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­¡­This plot is too classic.¡± Then he pinched a spell.

    He was inviting a spirit.

    The figure of the little black beast gradually appeared at his feet, and the black mass blended into the background, only its two gleaming white teeth could be seen when it opened its mouth and smiled.

    ¡°Aw!¡± it cried out, and began to rub Lu Yingjiu¡¯s ankle.

    Lu Yingjiu rubbed its furry head, ¡°Go, tell Xiao Li that they can¡¯t come in yet.¡±

    With short legs, the little black beast rolled away like a ball and disappeared at the end of the corridor.

    Jing Xian asked, ¡°Shall we follow it?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Lu Yingjiu shook his head and said, ¡°This human skin cattle head reminds me of the cloud weaving technique I told you just now. The Chen family originally borrowed the slaughterhouse in the name of making masks¡ªno matter how you say it, these things are kind of evil, and I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if there was any resentment during the production. I want to go directly to the place where they make the masks.¡±

    He turned on the flashlight of his phone again, and this time, he tried to for several times, however the light didn¡¯t turn on.

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­..very classic.¡±

    He was about to pinch a piece of talisman paper, but was suddenly held down by Jing Xian, ¡°Won¡¯t the fluctuation of the talisman paper easily attract the attention of ghosts?!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what is said,¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°you have to believe in my level, it won¡¯t be exposed so easily.¡±

    ¡°But there is still this risk, isn¡¯t it?¡± Jing Xian couldn¡¯t help but say, pressing down his talisman paper with one hand, and wrapping his arms around his shoulders with the other, ¡°You have such a good tool man like me, it¡¯s really wasteful not to use it.¡±

    (t/n Tool man, a buzzword on the Internet, generally refers to someone who helps others without knowing or willingly, works hard, pays when called, and does not ask for rewards emotionally, materially and economically, always like a tool to be used or ordered.)

    ¡°You learned idioms from Xiao Li, but this word can¡¯t describe people¡­..¡± Lu Yingjiu raised his forehead.

    Jing Xian just smiled, ¡°Just understand what I mean.¡±

    What Jing Xian said was also reasonable, this was indeed the best solution.

    For some reason, Jing Xian became smarter on the issue of talisman papers ¨C Lu Yingjiu thought about it for a while, and believed it was because Jing Xian didn¡¯t pay attention at all before.

    Jing Xian held him all the way, precisely bypassing the miscellaneous things on the ground. They continued to move forward, and this time the ghost hitting the wall disappeared. They left the tool disinfection room, and walked through between the empty wholesale hall and the operation room. Then suddenly, they heard a dull sound.

    Thump!

    After a few seconds, there were a few more sounds.

    Thump¨C! Thump!

    The sound probably came from the left, Jing Xian looked at the sign in the dark, and said, ¡°The cold storage area and the head and hoof processing room are on the left, will we go and have a look?¡±

    ¡°En.¡± Lu Yingjiu nodded.

    The two walked along the corridor, and the sound of the thud was getting closer and closer, until they reached the cold storage at the end of the corridor. When they got closer, they heard clearly that it was a knock on the door coming from the depths of the cold storage!

    The temperature of the cold storage for storing meat in the slaughterhouse was between -18 degrees and -25 degrees. It was summer at present. If someone was accidentally locked in, with thin clothes, they would not survive for a long time. Generally speaking, for the sake of safety, the current cold storage door would be equipped with a switch inside the door to ensure that people who were locked in by mistake could leave.

    But this slaughterhouse was built many years ago, and it was very likely that there were no such security measures. What¡¯s more, there was a strong yin energy on this door, which firmly blocked the inside.

    The knocking on the door continued.

    Is it a human? Or a ghost?

    For a moment, Lu Yingjiu thought about many possibilities, but instinctively pulled out a talisman paper and flicked it lightly.

    The talisman ignited a fire, illuminating the heavy door of the cold storage in front.

    This was a wooden framed freezer door that was used in the early years, and it was opened manually. Lu Yingjiu slapped talisman papers on himself and Jing Xian¡ªthe little black beast was taken out and was sent away by him, thus he could not do the ¡°inviting the spirit spell¡±. Only by this could he strengthen their force.

    He threw out two pieces of talisman papers, the talisman papers flew through the air and wrapped around the doorknob precisely, then he tightly held the handle on one side, ¡°You pull the other side!¡±

    Jing Xian heard the words and pulled the other handle.

    After the talisman paper was wrapped around it, the yin energy on the door dissipated immediately. It was just an ordinary door that was stuck, and gradually began to vibrate under their strength.

    Lu Yingjiu was sweating on his forehead, because of too much force, the knuckles on his hands were obvious, and the veins were about to burst. The situation was urgent, he didn¡¯t notice that there was a notch on the iron doorknob, the sharp broken point scratched his palm, and a smear of blood slowly dripped down his white wrist in the firelight.

    The red and white were distinct.

    Jing Xian: ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    Lu Yingjiu was still working hard, when he suddenly heard a clear snapping sound, followed by an extremely terrifying noise of metal being bent.

    When he turned his head, he saw that Jing Xian exerted force, the muscles in his hands were tense, and he tore off the entire metal door!!

    Lu Yingjiu:???

    He felt that his expression at this moment must be that he was very stupefied.

    Jing Xian leaned the metal door against the wall, only to see three or four people falling out of the cold storage.

    They had probably leaned against the door of the cold storage, but now that the door was gone, they fell out and collapsed on the ground, with their fingertips turning blue and white. Fortunately, they didn¡¯t seem to lose consciousness, and their arms were still moving stiffly.

    Lu Yingjiu and Jing Xian helped the person on top, the skin they touched was not too cold, it seemed that their conditions were not that severe.

    After turning the person over, Lu Yingjiu¡¯s breathing stagnated for a moment¡ª¡ª

    This man has no face!

    The skin on his face was complete, but his eyes, mouth, nose and ears were missing, and he was also bald. Several other people were exactly the same, without facial features. No wonder they didn¡¯t hear a call for help just now, it turned out that they didn¡¯t have mouths at all.

    How did this happen?

    Lu Yingjiu was stunned for two seconds, and there was suddenly a flash of inspiration, ¡°Give me that cattle¡¯s head!¡±

    He took the human skin cattle head from Jing Xian¡¯s hand, and pulled out a blank talisman paper.

    Since he was already injured on his hand, it was just in time to directly stained it with his blood.

    With blood on his fingertips, he drew a weird rune, and flicked it lightly, then the rune paper burned.

    This time the light of the fire was very dim, thus he brought the talisman paper close to the cattle¡¯s head and searched for it bit by bit.

    ¡°Cloud weaving technique¡± was a secret that cannot be passed on, and outsiders like him would never be able to get in touch with its core. He just read relevant records from many ancient books and unofficial histories, and he worked with the Chen family¡¯s ghost exorcist, therefore he knew the general idea about it.

    He was truly gifted.

    If he spent a few more years with the members of the Chen family, he might be able to learn the secret technique directly.

    The fire illuminated the human skin under his hands.

    Generally speaking, the edge marks of the human skin mask couldn¡¯t be seen clearly.

    But with this special talisman paper, he could barely see some flaws.

    Lu Yingjiu held his breath and focused, using the light of the fire, to find the boundary of the human skin bit by bit.

    The scene was a bit scary. There were a few wriggling refrigerated faceless men lying on the ground, he was holding a human skin cattle¡¯s head in his hands, and Jing Xian, who standing beside him, who persisted on holding the burning the talisman paper for him, seemed to have red light flashing in his eyes, which was gloomy and terrifying, and the whole body showed the oppression of a coming rain.

    Jing Xian just stared at the wound on Lu Yingjiu¡¯s hand with an expressionless face¨Cthe blood was still oozing slowly.

    Lu Yingjiu slowly moved the talisman paper, and suddenly the back of his hand felt warm.

    It was Jing Xian who held his injured hand.

    He wiped the wound lightly with his fingertips, the pain disappeared after a burst of coolness, and the bleeding stopped immediately.

    Because the situation was urgent, Lu Yingjiu didn¡¯t have the time to say anything, but just nodded his head to express his gratitude, and continued to observe the cattle¡¯s head.

    Under the light of the fire, he keenly found that there was an imperceptible seam on the edge of the cattle¡¯s head.

    It was like the fine seam at the junction of a wallpaper.

    He touched it cautiously with his fingers, but there was almost no tactile sensation. He drew out the dagger from the back of his waist, aiming the tip at the gap.

    Only in the face of small objects, would one find out how much their hands were shaking, the more anxious they were, the more it would tremble, just like having Parkinson¡¯s disease. But Lu Yingjiu¡¯s hand was extremely steady, as if neither breathing nor the heartbeat could shake the blade. He lifted the knife with his hand and dropped it, and cut a very precise cut along the gap.

    He cut like this all the way, knowing that the gap was big enough, put away the short knife, and directly lifted the human skin from the gap with his hands. A few drops of blood emerged from the crack, and he peeled it off gently, and the whole human skin was torn off from the cattle¡¯s head, it dangled in his hands, wrinkled, like the skin of a newborn baby.

    The human skin was still warm, thus it should belong to one of these faceless people.

    The cattle¡¯s head was much larger than the human head, but when it was taken off, the skin seemed to automatically shrink back to its normal size.

    Just as Lu Yingjiu set his sights on the faceless men, wanting to see whose face it was, he saw that Jing Xian had already fumbled around in everyone¡¯s pockets and took out a wallet or two.

    He opened a wallet and found the ID card, then he looked at the human skin, pointed to a person and said, ¡°This looks like him¡ª¡ªYang Tianle.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu took a look and could indeed tell that it was the same face.

    Jing Xian helped up the man named Yang Tianle and leaned him against the wall. The man was obviously panicked, he didn¡¯t know who was next to him, and he grabbed the air with his frozen hands, but it was too weak to constitute a strong resistance at all.

 CH 20.2

    Lu Yingjiu squatted down in front of that person, took the human skin, and said, regardless of whether the other person could hear him or not, ¡°It will hurt a little, bear with it.¡±

    Then he gently covered him with the human skin.

    The moment the two came into contact, the human skin seemed to melt onto his face. And Yang Tianle¡¯s body suddenly jerked up!

    Even if there was no sound, even if there was no expression, others could feel his pain. Under the pain, his frozen and stiff body exploded with astonishing strength. He trembled all over, his hands scratched in the air, his feet kicked lightly, and his head kept swinging¡ªthis swinging was quickly stopped by Jing Xian, who held him down. On both sides of Yang Tianle¡¯s head, so that Lu Yingjiu could continue to stick it to his face.

    Lu Yingjiu¡¯s movements were light and fast, and within five or six seconds, he placed his entire face in.

    Eyes, nose, mouth, ears¡­ in short, there were many.

    Yang Tianle opened his eyes and opened his mouth.

    ¡°Ahhhhhh!¡±

    Lu Yingjiu held him down, ¡°Shh! Keep your voice down, there are still ghosts here!¡±

    Yang Tianle reacted for a few seconds before he understood what he said, and immediately stopped screaming, and trembled. His eyes fell on the other faceless people, he froze for a moment, and then staggered towards them.

    Lu Yingjiu said in a low voice, ¡°They are all still alive, but their faces were taken away.¡±

    ¡°I, I, I know.¡± Yang Tianle nodded repeatedly, his teeth chattering, ¡°I saw it! We saw it!¡±

    Most people did not have yin and yang eyes.

    However, if one bumped into a ghost by themselves, many people would be able to see the ghost clearly when frightened.

    ¡°Your face is stuck on this cattle¡¯s head.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°Your companion should be in the same situation as well.¡±

    Now, because the cattle¡¯s head was no longer covered in skin, the red and white meat was exposed, and looked extremely hideous. Yang Tianle took a look, he almost retched, and subconsciously touched his face again.

    Lu Yingjiu stretched out his hand, ¡°Can you stand up? You have to leave quickly, there is too much movement here, the ghost must have noticed it.¡±

    Yang Tianle quickly grabbed his hand and stood up against the wall.

    They slowly helped the others up.

    It was a terrible thing to be completely deprived of the five senses, enough to drive people crazy. Couldn¡¯t see, hear, speak, or even smell. The whole world would be dark and chaotic. They could still breathe, but in fact, they were no different from the dead.

    Yang Tianle¡¯s reaction was quite quick, and he had calmed down in such a short time.

    He took the hands of those people one by one, and lightly tapped their tiger¡¯s mouth twice. Those people were still very disturbed at first, but after being touched by him, they all calmed down.

    (t/n tiger¡¯s mouth-The part where the base of the thumb and the base of the index finger meet.)

    He swallowed his saliva and explained, ¡°This is our secret code. Once we went to the haunted house, we discussed that if the ghost pretends to be one of us and we won¡¯t be able to tell the difference, we can use ¡®tap two on the other¡¯s tiger¡¯s mouth. It¡¯s our secret code to distinguish between friend and foe.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu nodded and said, ¡°You let them hold hands, then you hold them and follow me.¡±

    Hence, a group of people who were almost frozen just held hands, like kindergarten children, or groups of penguins, and waddled along the corridor one by one.

    Except for the sound of their footsteps, the corridor was quiet.

    It seemed that the sheep ghost just didn¡¯t notice at all.

    Yang Tianle said that he probably remembered the direction of the exit, and everyone went there slowly¨Cwhen it was safe to go out, then he would consider how to get the faces of the others back.

    Lu Yingjiu asked, ¡°Why were you here?¡±

    ¡°We are anchors of Tanling.¡± Yang Tianle¡¯s voice was still trembling, ¡°You should know about that anchor of ¡®Two-faced Buddha¡¯. We heard that it seems to be haunted here, so we wanted to come and have a look, but we didn¡¯t expect, we didn¡¯t expect¡­¡±

    In fact, they have been to many supernatural places, and they also know a little about exorcising ghosts.

    Unexpectedly, the car overturned this time.

    Yang Tianle began to tremble again, ¡°Hey, say, can they get their faces back?¡±

    ¡°It depends on luck.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°Not everyone is as lucky as you.¡±

    ¡°Oh oh. ¡± Yang Tianle¡¯s head drooped.

    Jing Xian pointed to the sign in front of him, ¡°Turn a corner over there, it should be the back door exit.¡±

    As soon as the voice fell, there was a sharp friction sound!

    Zi-Zi-Zi¨C

    Zi-Zi-Zi¨C

    It was becoming faster and faster!

    It was getting closer!

    When Yang Tianle heard this sound, his scalp went numb, his legs almost went limp and he knelt down, but was supported by Lu Yingjiu and Jing Xian in a tacit understanding to stabilize him.

    Lu Yingjiu said in a low voice, ¡°Hurry up and hide.¡±

    With so many refrigerated faceless people, he would not risk other people¡¯s lives.

    As soon as he looked up, there was a sign [Slaughter Room] written next to it, and the door was locked.

    Lu Yingjiu looked at Jing Xian, ¡°Can you open it?¡±

    Jing Xian instinctively wanted to say no, but when he thought about it, he just removed the cold storage door in front of Lu Yingjiu, it seemed that there was no need to act. So he kicked the iron door open, ¡°Come in!¡±

    Yang Tianle:???

    At one point, he thought that he had slept in the cold storage like Captain America for 70 years, and humans had evolved after waking up.

    Several faceless people slowly moved into the slaughter room.

    The equipment in the slaughter room had also been cleaned up. It was very empty, only a few iron tables, stainless steel rails in the air, and the tube-type meat hooks and bloodletting chains on it were left. There was also a bloody smell.

    There was no place to hide inside the room, except for a strong iron table at the very end. Lu Yingjiu pointed there, ¡°You take them there!¡±

    Yang Tianle nodded, and led his companions over. The four of them hid behind the table obediently like little chickens.

    Lu Yingjiu took out some talisman papers.

    The talisman paper was drawn with blood, it would be powerful and an evil method, generally, this would be rarely used by usual exorcists.

    Lu Yingjiu happened to have the confidence that he could control the evil method, thus, regardless of Jing Xian, who had just stopped the bleeding, he bit his finger and let the blood bleed out, and sketched on the talisman paper¡ªsimple one or two strokes, drawing smooth lines.

    Just now, it was only him and Jing Xian, thus it was easy to avoid the ghost. But now that there were many people, ordinary people who didn¡¯t know how to control their breaths, they needed powerful runes.

    He drew six or seven sheets in a row, and gave half of them to Jing Xian, ¡°Put one on each window.¡± Then he went to the front door by himself, carefully pasted the talisman papers on the front and back of the door, and wrapped the doorknob around with it.

    In this way, a temporary barrier was formed, blocking the breath of the living.

    Zi¡ª¡ªZi¡ª¡ªZi¡ª¡ª

    Listening to the sound, the sheep ghost started to run, and its footsteps were just a few meters away!

    Lu Yingjiu didn¡¯t have time to hide with those people, so he simply sat down against the wall. At the same time, the dragging sound stopped at the door!

    The sheep ghost sniffed the scent, parted its lips, and looked around.

    It was completely confused by the talisman paper arranged by Lu Yingjiu. From its point of view, the human breath seemed to spread out and run in different directions. It smelled it, didn¡¯t understand what happened, and stood there, hesitating.

    It seems that it can be fooled.

    Lu Yingjiu held the talisman paper, not daring to relax his vigilance. Suddenly there was another person quietly beside him, it was Jing Xian who also came over.

    Lu Yingjiu just wanted to signal Jing Xian not to move around¡ª¡ª

    Crash!

    There was a strong wind above the head, and the glass exploded! The fragments fell, but just like last time, all were blocked by Jing Xian, and none of them landed on Lu Yingjiu.

    The sheep ghost persevered with the mace, and directly smashed the glass, and the hard window frame was broken by it. If a person was hit by this, his spine might just be shattered.

    It obviously noticed something, the whole sheep¡¯s head stretched into the room, and it kept smelling on top of their heads.

    Lu Yingjiu was right under it, the ghost was close, and the surroundings became so cold that it was bone-chilling.

    However, he didn¡¯t feel scared, and was just simply wondering: where was it exposed?

    In less than half a second, he understood that it was his hand that was cut by the door. It didn¡¯t matter if he bit his own finger, but other injuries could be easily detected by the ghost.

    It seems that fighting is the only way.

    He was just about to throw out a talisman paper when Jing Xian grabbed his hand.

    The strength was not very strong.

    Then Jing Xian hugged his whole body in his arms.

    This hug was different from before, it¡¯s not like an ordinary hug, it seemed to want to protect him completely under his figure, even to cover up his breath. In the darkness, Lu Yingjiu smelled the familiar cold fragrance again. Jing Xian¡¯s chin was pressed against his hair, he was completely shrouded in Jing Xian¡¯s shadow, and beside his ear were very light cloth friction sounds.

    His hand was being held, maybe it was his illusion, but he felt Jing Xian gently rubbed his wound.

    Jing Xian was in a very bad mood.

    Lu Yingjiu didn¡¯t know why he was unburdened in his mind and could think about such things at this juncture.

    He didn¡¯t know where this conclusion came from.

    But he just knew it.

    The sheep ghost rustled and sniffed above their heads.

    It became confused again: How did the breath just now disappear?

    It was extremely unwilling, and smashed two or three windows casually, yelled ¡°baa baa¡±, and then dragged its mace away.

    When the sheep ghost was completely gone, the four chicks hiding behind the table poked their heads, and Jing Xian also pulled Lu Yingjiu to stand up.

    Yang Tianle said in a low voice, ¡°Let¡¯s go quickly.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Lu Yingjiu nodded.

    They took the people and continued to advance along the original route. Sure enough, when they passed the corner ahead, it should already be the back door exit.

    The exit would have been originally a small door.

    However, it was missing.

    Yang Tianle¡¯s face turned pale, ¡°Impossible, the floor plan says the back door is here. I¡¯ve seen it so many times, it¡¯s absolutely impossible to remember it wrong.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu touched the wall, and felt the dust with one hand. ¡°There are ghosts here, and anything is possible. But no matter what, there will be a way out.¡±

    ¡°Where is the way?¡±

    ¡°Maybe we can find the ghost¡¯s obsession, fulfill its wish, and then find the exit.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°But this method is too complicated, and there are too many unpredictable factors, so I choose to just simply kill it directly.¡±

    Yang Tianle: ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡±

    He looked at the young man in front of him again, he looked good-looking and handsome, and the style of what he said was not quite right.

    Lu Yingjiu looked at him and said seriously, ¡°With you guys here, I dare not fight an unfamiliar ghost. This ghost is definitely not weak, so I need to find a place for you to hide first.¡±

    Hiding place¡­

    An idea flashed in Yang Tianle¡¯s mind, ¡°I know! We came this time to find the basement!¡±

    ¡°The basement?¡± Lu Yingjiu asked.

    ¡°Yes, it is said that they are doing something secretly in the basement. The basement should be very hidden. If we find it, we can hide there.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu pondered for a few seconds, ¡°Do you know the general direction?¡±

    ¡°I know! It¡¯s not far away!¡±

    The group moved slowly in the darkness again.

    Yang Tianle said it was not far away, and indeed it was not far away, just two corners ahead.

    When passing by that wall, Lu Yingjiu sensed something was wrong, and flung out a piece of talisman with a wave of his hand. The talisman fell lightly on the wall, the wall disappeared, and then a stair going down appeared.

    Yang Tianle was so surprised that he couldn¡¯t speak, and hurriedly led people down.

    Halfway through, he turned back again, ¡°Then you two¡­¡­¡±

    He froze for a moment.

    Although it was very dark, after his eyes adapted to the darkness, he could still roughly see some outlines.

    Lu Yingjiu was originally standing side by side with Jing Xian, but now there was only Lu Yingjiu on the stairs.

    Yang Tianle: ¡°Uh, is there someone missing? Where¡¯s your friend?¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡± Lu Yingjiu¡¯s face sank like water, and there was no expression on his face.

    Jing Xian disappeared.

    ¡°Ah! Then what to do!¡± Yang Tianle was stunned, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that ghost is very strong, he must have been captured by the ghost!¡±

    ****

    Zi¡ª¡ªZi¡ª¡ªZi¡ª¡ª

    The whole corridor was filled with this sound, hollow and terrifying. Meat hooks swayed slightly in the room, rusty knives were scattered in the corner, and there were decades of dried blood on the table. It was impossible to tell whether it was human blood or animal blood.

    The sheep ghost kept walking while dragging its mace, parted its lips, and kept catching a scent.

    Suddenly, a figure appeared at the end of the corridor.

    The handsome man stood against the wall.

    As if waiting for it to arrive.

    A living person!

    The sheep ghost became excited for a moment, it grinded its hooves on the ground, bent its knees and sped up. The strong hind feet gave it terrifying speed, it ran extremely fast, and the mace rubbed against the ground, creating a string of bright sparks!

    The spark lit up the darkness, before it could be extinguished, the sheep ghost had already rushed in front of Jing Xian.

    Jing Xian was already very tall, but compared to this 2.5 meter ghost, he was still a tad bit shorter¡ªor, in other words, everyone was so small in front of it.

    It swung the mace high!

    In the next second, its horns were lifted, and the world revolved in its eyes.

    From an angle that it couldn¡¯t see, countless ghost hands protruded out of thin air from the ground and the wall, densely covering its whole body, from the sharp horns, to the thick fur, and to the powerful hooves. Shrill laughter sounded in its ears, the horrifying ghosts cheered, and the ghost hands all exerted force, twisting its body into a blood mist!

    The body dissipated, but the head was still there, and it rolled to the ground.

    The sheep ghost watched as Jing Xian walked over. It wanted to utter some ghostly ravings, begging for forgiveness, but all sounds were blocked, leaving only eternal silence.

    At the last moment of its life, it suddenly realized who was in front of it.

    Jing Xian gave it a condescending look, and crushed its head with one foot.

 CH 21

    Lu Yingjiu told these people, ¡°You should hold the talisman paper, just stand here and wait for me, it¡¯s best not to move a step.¡±

    Yang Tianle tightly grasped the talisman paper that Lu Yingjiu gave him, and nodded repeatedly.

    Lu Yingjiu was just about to look for Jing Xian, but suddenly stopped in his tracks.

    Seeing that he was not moving, Yang Tianle asked cautiously, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Is something wrong?¡±

    ¡°The Yin energy has dissipated a lot, but it hasn¡¯t disappeared completely.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°A ghost here has died.¡±

    ¡°A ghost?¡± Yang Tianle¡¯s face turned pale, ¡°How many ghosts are there?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Anyway, I have to find Jing Xian now.¡± Lu Yingjiu said.

    In fact, he didn¡¯t feel that Jing Xian would be in danger.

    Even the ghost that died just now¡­¡­it may have been done by Jing Xian.

    But even if there was a possibility of one in ten thousand, if his inference was wrong, he¡¯d be unwilling to face the consequences.

    Lu Yingjiu took a last look at Yang Tianle, they held their talisman papers and stayed where they were. There was no problem.

    He pulled out a piece of talisman paper, and just when he walked tens of meters to the place where the yin energy had fluctuated, he saw Jing Xian just turning around from a corner.

    Lu Yingjiu stopped in his tracks, ¡°¡­Where did you go?¡±

    Jing Xian smiled at him, ¡°Accidentally went the wrong way.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu pursed his lips, looking displeased, obviously he didn¡¯t believe it: he was just about to go to Yang Tianle and the others, and took the risk to find Jing Xian, but Jing Xian came back after wandering around, just like a spring outing, that deliberately got ¡°lost¡± in first sight.

    Seeing this, Jing Xian quickly changed the topic, ¡°Have you found the basement?¡±

    ¡°Found it.¡± Lu Yingjiu replied, and he added in a low voice, ¡°Next time, don¡¯t run around.¡±

    Jing Xian promised, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll listen to you.¡±

    When the two returned to the stairs, Yang Tianle was taken aback when he saw them, ¡°This, you came back so soon? This is also good, let¡¯s hide as soon as possible, aren¡¯t there other ghosts?¡±

    The stairs were very narrow, Yang Tianle let those faceless people walk down slowly as they put their hands on each other¡¯s shoulders.

    This way of efficiency was too low. The depth of the basement was about -2 floors. They walked for nearly 5 minutes for such a distance.

    Finally, a cold door appeared in front of them.

    The door was five or six meters high and was made up of bronze.

    With a wave of Lu Yingjiu¡¯s hand, the talisman paper flew up with fire, illuminating the entire door.

    The front of the door had an engraving of hundred ghosts, which was different from the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons in traditional artworks. Every ghost on it was tearing each other¡¯s face ¨C the winner held a bloody piece of skin in its hand, and trampled on the loser¡¯s corpse with the soles of its feet, while grinning wildly.

    And between the gaps in the engraving, there were mottled liquid traces, black and red, which were easily reminiscent of bloodstains.

    This door simply made people feel like their scalp was tingling.

    Yang Tianle did not dare to approach and said, ¡°What is this?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu didn¡¯t care that it was dirty, and gently placed his hand in the middle of the door, feeling the fluctuations above.

    The yin energy was not heavy, but he felt the power of a ghost exorcism rune.

    To his surprise, the door opened silently without much effort.

    A strong stale smell hit, Yang Tianle took advantage of the firelight to look over, and saw a strangely smiling face staring at him from a high place in the darkness!

    His scalp went numb, and he didn¡¯t even cry out, and simply fell back and sat on the ground!

    Lu Yingjiu was very calm, reaching out to the face in the air¡ª¡ª

    The position of the face was extremely high, he stepped on his toes, but still didn¡¯t reach it at all.

    Just as he was about to use a talisman paper, a hand stretched out beside him.

    Jing Xian was tall enough, he easily tore off the face, and handed it to Lu Yingjiu, with ¡°praise me¡± written all over his face.

    He said, ¡°Are you still angry?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu said helplessly, ¡°Why do I feel that you have asked me this question several times. We are not in a relationship, so you don¡¯t have to be so careful with me.¡±

    Jing Xian: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    His face was full of wanting to speak but hesitated.

    Lu Yingjiu took the face.

    It was not a real face, but a picture on a paper. The color and details were too realistic. At first glance, you couldn¡¯t tell that the picture was a middle-aged man with a yellow helmet, dark skinned, and had several deep gullies between the eye tail and the nose ditch. It looked like a worker in a construction site.

    The talisman paper floated to the depths of the door again, and there appeared many different faces in the air.

    All kinds of people were vivid on the papers, like some kind of weird museum.

    Lu Yingjiu murmured, ¡°¡­Human skin mask.¡±

    Jing Xian asked, ¡°Are these blueprints for making a human skin mask?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°These papers are the objects they want to ¡®imitate¡¯ with the masks. In other words, this basement is where the Chen family used to make masks.¡±

    Yang Tianle was completely confused, ¡°What? What are you talking about? What kind of human skin mask?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu looked at him and suddenly smiled, ¡°In theory, this basement is safe, you can stay there until I find the exit. But¡­¡±

    Yang Tianle swallowed, ¡°But what?¡±

    ¡°If the Chen family really honestly uses animal skins to make masks, then this place is safe. I¡¯m afraid they actually used human skins instead.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°It¡¯s not my malicious speculation. That sheep ghost was obsessed with human faces. It possibly has something to do with the human skin mask.¡±

    Yang Tianle shuddered, ¡°Then what should we do?¡±

    ¡°We still have to go in, even if it¡¯s to take a look at the situation.¡± Lu Yingjiu took out a few more talisman papers, lit them, and let them float in the air, illuminating a large area.

    In the darkness, paintings of human faces floated out one by one.

    With the light of the fire, they could see clearly that these face paintings were actually hanging on an iron frame.

    Lu Yingjiu took the lead and walked in, Jing Xian followed closely beside him.

    The space behind the door was very large, like a huge production workshop, with an iron shelf equipped with a large workbench. There were still unfinished human skin paintings on the workbench, a few pieces of damaged leather, engraving knives, sewing needles and threads, and various dye bottles that had long been dried up. The rich color was condensed on the inner wall of the bottle, and was almost completely black.

    There were dozens of images of the same person hung on each iron shelf, some were face paintings, and some were real photos. It stood to reason that after decades, they should all be blurred, but it was unknown what method the Chen family used, as they were all as clear as ever.

    Lu Yingjiu raised his head and scanned these countless images.

    Jing Xian said, ¡°They are quite dedicated.¡±

    ¡°Because when a top-notch human skin mask is worn, even the closest people won¡¯t notice anything. With the Chen family¡¯s talisman paper, if you change your body shape a little, it will be easier to deceive the world.¡± Lu Yingjiu said , ¡°This kind of mask requires a high degree of precision in production. Before making it, the maker must spend weeks or even months to observe and imitate.¡±

    He pointed to one of the shelves.

    On this shelf was the construction worker they just saw. There were portraits of him from various angles, front face, left side face, right side face¡­..In these photos, there was one where he was pushing a small cart on the construction site, falling asleep tiredly on the subway, smiling when eating with his family, and smoking a low-quality cigarette on the balcony in the middle of the night¡ªthe last two photos were obviously taken from candid angles, and they looked quite scary.

    It¡¯s as if someone had been spying on your life, and being completely ignorant about it.

    Lu Yingjiu continued, ¡°Even the smallest expression, a wrinkle at the corner of the eye, the degree to which the mouth curves when smiling, all have to be recorded. Even if it¡¯s not to imitate others, but to draw a new face yourself, it is also necessary to refer to these real materials. Therefore, these people were often regarded as stalkers or voyeurs in the past.¡±

    He walked through the entire mask workshop carefully by the light of the fire, and browsed through all the iron shelves and workbenches, but found nothing unusual. Until he came to the southeast corner.

    He seemed to see something in the blink of an eye, but it was not very clear. Going over, there was nothing on the ground. Regardless of the dirt on the ground, he directly swept the dust with his hands¨C

    Dust flew in the air, and a faint rune mark appeared on the ground out of thin air.

    Someone came before them!

    That person had used talisman paper to clean up the traces left here.

    His technique was very high, if it was another person, it would not be obvious at all, but It¡¯s a pity that Lu Yingjiu came.

    Lu Yingjiu pinched a spell, and the rune imprint flickered a few times before it shattered.

    The moment it shattered, half a cigarette butt and several footprints appeared on the ground.

    There was a thick layer of dust all around, as well as a thin layer of ash on the footprints and the cigarette butt, which was at least a month or two ago. Lu Yingjiu estimated the size of the shoe prints. They were about size 45-46. There was only one type of shoe print, which should have been left by a man.

    This slaughterhouse has been abandoned for so many years, how could anyone come back?

    Is it also an anchor like Yang Tianle?

    If this is the case, then that person did not encounter the sheep ghost¨Creally have good luck and is blessed by the Buddha.

    Yang Tianle led a group of faceless people and squeezed over to see, ¡°Should we still stay here?¡±

    ¡°Someone has been here.¡± Lu Yingjiu pointed to the cigarette butt.

    Yang Tianle¡¯s already pale face became even paler.

    ¡°He came here a long time ago, but this place is really weird.¡± Lu Yingjiu said.

    At this moment, footsteps suddenly came from behind them!

    The footsteps were hurried, echoing in the empty space. That direction was the door of the workshop, Yang Tianle suddenly turned his head and looked at the dense darkness behind him. He was frightened to death, and subconsciously wanted to lean on Lu Yingjiu, but he didn¡¯t know why he didn¡¯t get to lean on him.

    Jing Xian squeezed between the two of them and forcibly separated them, preventing Yang Tianle from going to Lu Yingjiu.

    Lu Yingjiu waved his hand, and a talisman flew out, the flames illuminated the face of the person who came.

    It was Xiao Li¡¯s face dripping with sweat.

    At his feet, the black hairy ball sticking out its tongue, opened its mouth and smiled at Lu Yingjiu.

    That¡¯s what brought Xiao Li here.

    Lu Yingjiu frowned slightly, ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you not to come in yet?¡±

    ¡°Things, things are not good.¡± Xiao Li was panting, ¡°I didn¡¯t want to come in, but, but that girl somehow took advantage of me while I was drawing talisman papers outside, and ran in through the window by herself!

    Chen Yanyan ran in by herself?

    Xiao Li said again, ¡°I was so frightened half to death, thus I hurried in to look for her. What will I do if she bumps into a ghost? I couldn¡¯t find her no matter how hard I searched, but this,¡± he looked down. He didn¡¯t know what to call the little black beast at the feet for a moment, ¡°This little black came to me and brought me here. Brother Lu, what should we do now?¡±

    At this time, he suddenly saw Yang Tianle next to him, and the faceless people standing hand in hand in a row.

    He was a little startled for a moment, with ¡°what the fuck¡± written all over his face.

    Little Black Beast: ¡°Aww!¡±

    It rubbed against Lu Yingjiu¡¯s feet.

    Lu Yingjiu picked it up, ¡°I¡¯m going out to find her. Jing Xian, you and Xiao Li and the others stay here and wait for me to come back.¡±

    Jing Xian said, ¡°I¡¯ll still go with you¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not safe in this place,¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°If you are not here, I won¡¯t be at ease.¡±

    Jing Xian wanted to speak, but was interrupted by Lu Yingjiu. He looked at Jing Xian seriously, ¡°I won¡¯t inquire about your secrets. I don¡¯t know why, but I have believed in you from the very beginning. I¡¯m not going to question my instincts, so protect them, okay?¡±

    He is so sincere.

    Jing Xian looked at him silently. Lu Yingjiu could only see the flame falling in the man¡¯s deep black eyes, like some tiny light burning in the abyss.

    The two only looked at each other for a second or two, but Lu Yingjiu felt like it had been a long time.

    Then Jing Xian nodded and promised, ¡°I won¡¯t let them have an accident. You should also be careful.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu smiled, ¡°Okay, I¡¯m leaving.¡±

    Holding the little black beast in his arms, he walked neatly into the darkness.

    At the door of the workshop, he turned his head and looked at Jing Xian again through countless face paintings.

    Jing Xian stood leaning against the wall, tall and straight, the lines of his long legs were vividly outlined by the flames, his eyebrows and eyes were unbelievably handsome¡ªor in other words, his eyes were on Lu Yingjiu from the beginning to the end, without moving away.

    Seeing Lu Yingjiu turning around, Jing Xian smiled at him.

    Out of the workshop, the corridor was pitch black.

    Lu Yingjiu still lit a talisman paper, letting the talisman paper float by his side, as it emitted a dim light, illuminating the long way ahead.

    Most of the time, he¡¯d act alone. One was because of his personality, and the other was that he was strong enough. For so many years, he had long been used to walking among rampant ghosts alone.

    At this time, behind him, where the light disappeared, was a black mist that was floating silently.

    The priests with a hideous face followed him, with a flower-like imprint on their bodies. They obeyed the ghost king¡¯s order, turned into black mist, and followed Lu Yingjiu. In the mist, only fangs, red eyes, pale ghost hands, knives, guns, halberds, axes and hooks could be vaguely seen. All kinds of weapons shone with icy light.

    As long as any ghosts dare to approach, they would be shot and killed.

    At the intersection, Lu Yingjiu put the little black beast on the ground.

    The little black beast sniffed the ground, and finally howled, leading him to run in one direction.

    Xiao Li and Yang Tianle huddled in the corner of the workshop, and the three faceless people were still holding hands, sitting in a row like elementary school students.

    Jing Xian pulled up a chair and sat down.

    There was no expression on his face, but Xiao Li somehow felt that he was a little unhappy.

    Maybe he was worried about Brother Lu? He guessed so.

    The atmosphere was tense and awkward.

    The three of them didn¡¯t know each other, thus they really had nothing to say, and this was also not a good time to chat.

    Just as Xiao Li continued to guess who this friend named ¡°Jing Xian¡± was, Jing Xian suddenly said, ¡°Are you very familiar with Lu Yingjiu?¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± When asked suddenly, Xiao Li was a little nervous, ¡°I, I, I have always known Brother Lu, the kind of one-sided acquaintance, he didn¡¯t recognize me before.¡±

    Jing Xian nodded, and asked casually, ¡°Has he ever told you the story of his longevity lock?¡±

    ¡°Longevity Lock¡­¡± Xiao Li recalled.

    Lu Yingjiu told him about this matter. At that time in Aigu¡¯s home, Lu Yingjiu told him that it was a gift from his ghost marriage partner. Later, when Ye Feng got drunk, he also seemed to have mentioned a word or two to him, while they were chatting.

    Xiao Li said, ¡°Oh, yes, he told me.¡±

    Jing Xian: ¡°What did he specifically¡­say?¡± There was a little expectation in his tone.

    Xiao Li replied, ¡°He said it was given by his wife.¡±

    Jing Xiant: ¡°?¡±

    ¡°Wife?¡± he hesitated.

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Xiao Li recalled what Ye Feng said to him, ¡°You¡¯re his old friend, so you should know about it too. Is the girl married to Brother Lu a beautiful, and seductive female ghost? Hot body, big breasts and butt, which is called an outstanding figure, maybe also very virtuous, and will be an excellent wife and loving mother who can take care of Brother Lu¡­..Ah, why do you have such an expression?¡±

    Jing Xian¡¯s expression immediately froze.

    Words ¡°hot body¡±, ¡°big breasts and butt¡±, ¡°excellent wife and loving mother¡± were hovering in his ears. His expression was unpredictable for a moment-confusion, bewildered, hesitation and a little bit of disbelief, was vividly reflected on that handsome face.

    ¡°Female ghost?!¡± He sat up straight, ¡°He said that his ghost marriage partner was a female ghost?!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Xiao Li didn¡¯t know why he was so agitated all of a sudden, and added cautiously, ¡°It¡¯s always been, he can¡¯t marry a male ghost.¡±

    Jing Xian: ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    He was hit hard.

    He didn¡¯t have the slightest idea of ¡°Lu Yingjiu thought he was marrying a female ghost¡±¡­¡­Thinking about it carefully, the thinking of normal people was indeed to marry the opposite sex. After so many years, he never showed up, of course Lu Yingjiu would think so!

    Suddenly, there was a light sound in the distance of the workshop.

    Yang Tianle was immediately alerted, ¡°What¡¯s that sound?¡±

    Xiao Li also swallowed. Although he was very nervous and cowardly, he was still an exorcist after all, and he still had to muster up the courage to protect ordinary people. He squeezed a few talisman papers tightly, ¡°I, I¡¯ll go and have a look.¡± He looked at Jing Xian, ¡°Then you, you, stay here with them.¡±

    Jing Xian was still immersed in the blow, and didn¡¯t have any thoughts, thus he nodded slightly.

    He already knew where the noise was coming from. Neither human nor ghost, but¡­¡­

    Two minutes later, Xiao Li ran back with a pale face. It was written all over his face that he wanted to scream, but his professionalism abruptly suppressed the scream, making his expression extremely distorted.

    Yang Tianle: ¡°Is there a ghost!¡±

    ¡°No, no, no.¡± Xiao Li stammered, ¡°Right, right, it¡¯s a big cockroach! A cockroach as big as a mouse!¡±

    Affected by the yin energy here, the nest of cockroaches had obviously mutated, each one was bigger than a mouse, their shells were greasy and shiny, they huddled into a rustling ball, and spread their wings and flew towards him! Little Li Pingsheng was most afraid of insects, and he was so frightened that he crawled back.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine if it¡¯s not a ghost, it¡¯s fine if it¡¯s not a ghost.¡± Yang Tianle patted his chest, ¡°No matter how big a cockroach is, it can¡¯t eat people.¡±

    Xiao Li sat down again, gasping for breath, still in shock, and quickly brought the talisman paper left by Lu Yingjiu closer.

    Cockroaches should not dare to approach a fire source.

    He turned his head and saw that Jing Xian was still sitting on the chair, with a somewhat melancholy look on his side face in the firelight.

    ¡­.It seems that he is still struggling with the ¡°female ghost¡±.

    Sure enough, after a few minutes, after the atmosphere fell into silence again, Jing Xian asked again, ¡°Did he tell you anything else? About the ghost marriage.¡±

    Xiao Li replied, ¡°No.¡±

    Just as Jing Xian breathed a sigh of relief, he heard Xiao Li added, ¡°After all, things like ghost marriages are against the law, so he doesn¡¯t feel comfortable talking about them.¡±

    Jing Xina:???

    Jing Xian¡¯s voice was raised several times, ¡°Ghost marriage is illegal?!¡±

    How could he not know about this!

    He is such a living person¡­¡­.That dead ghost is here! Why is it illegal to marry him?!

    Xiao Li was taken aback by his reaction again, ¡°Also, also not true, that is, if you steal the corpse or the ashes to marry, it will be defined as ¡®insulting the corpse¡¯. I was wrong, I was wrong, about Brother Lu, it¡¯s definitely not illegal, it¡¯s just not recognized by law.¡±

    Jing Xian sat up straight again, ¡°That is to say, his household registration book says ¡®unmarried¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, isn¡¯t that only natural?¡±

    Unmarried.

    Unmarried unmarried unmarried.

    Unmarried unmarried unmarried unmarried unmarried.

    Jing Xian received two blows in a short period of time, no less than five thunderbolts from the sky, and his hands were shaking.

    He married Lu Yingjiu, and the ghost world recognized it, that was to say, all the ghosts knew that he had been married for many years.

    But,

    Why,

    Is Lu Yingjiu still unmarried???

    Is he¡­

    Is he being abandoned!!

    This is definitely being abandoned?!

    When Xiao Li looked at the person in front of him, his face was ashen, and his eyes were lifeless. He didn¡¯t know what happened.

    Just as he was about to ask, he heard a ¡°rustling¡± sound in the air.

    He turned his head abruptly, and saw dozens of cockroaches the size of mice crawling towards them!

    Some of them even spread their wings and took off!

    His scalp went numb for a while, ¡°Ahhh! Ahhhh! Help me!¡±

    No one responded.

    As soon as Xiao Li turned his head, the three faceless people didn¡¯t respond ¡ªof course they wouldn¡¯t respond, while Yang Tianle was more scared than him, and Jing Xian¡­¡­

    Jing Xian, like Yang Tianle, sat in a corner and shut himself up, his eyes were empty, as if he had received a fatal blow.

    Facing the cockroaches all over the sky alone, Xiao Li was extremely desperate.

    ****

    Lu Yingjiu followed the little black beast all the way to the door of the women¡¯s locker room.

    The door was ajar, he gently pushed it open, ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    In the room, Chen Yanyan turned her head abruptly, with a crying voice, ¡°I don¡¯t know either. My vision blurred, and when I realized it, I was already here. Fortunately, you came!¡±

    Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°It¡¯s fine, come with me, everyone else is together.¡±

    Chen Yanyan got up immediately, ¡°Yes.¡± She got up and tightly held Lu Yingjiu¡¯s hand, then followed him back to the corridor as if scared.

    She was very beautiful, and now in panic, she became more lovely and delicate with a moving charm.

    The two walked all the way, she bit her red lips lightly, and softly asked, ¡°What¡¯s the situation now? Is there a ghost here?¡±

    ¡°Yes, there is more than one ghost who can steal people¡¯s faces.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°The way out is also blocked, I will take you to a safe place, and then find a way to deal with the ghosts.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­¡­¡± Chen Yanyan¡¯s voice trembled, ¡°Will the ghost that haunts me show up here?¡±

    ¡°Probably.¡±

    They simply talked like this as if not paying much heed to what they¡¯re saying.

    Nearing the basement, as they turned the corner, Chen Yanyan suddenly let out a low cry, let go of Lu Yingjiu¡¯s hand, and bent down, ¡°Wait for me, my shoelace is loose!¡±

    Before Lu Yingjiu could turn around, she squatted down. She had just come out of surgery and was frail and could be blown by the wind. She was wearing a thin coat, and her shoes were a pair of fashionable short boots. At this time, with a movement of her hand, she took out the thing attached to the inside of her forearm, and quickly stuffed it into the right boot.

    Then she tore off the loose shoelaces, and with one hand, re-tie the knot with some difficulty.

    ¡°Okay.¡± She said, and went up to hold Lu Yingjiu¡¯s hand tightly again, showing a smile, ¡°Thank you for waiting for me!¡±

    ¡°En.¡± Lu Yingjiu also smiled.

    His smile was a little subtle, half a smile, and there seemed to be a sneer on his brow.

    For a moment, Chen Yanyan was terrified, thinking that Lu Yingjiu had seen through her tricks. But Lu Yingjiu didn¡¯t say anything more, and continued to walk forward.

    Chen Yanyan breathed a sigh of relief, and asked again, ¡°Are those ghosts powerful? Will we be in danger?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about any dangers. ¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°At least, you won¡¯t die before me.¡±

    He spoke naturally and frankly. Chen Yanyan was stunned for a second or two, looked up at his side face, and her ears turned slightly warm.

    When she started walking to the basement, she heard Lu Yingjiu say again, ¡°And it¡¯s not just me, there are two other people. Although Xiao Li looks timid, he is still very brave at critical moments, and he is also a qualified ghost exorcist. As for Jing Xian¡­¡± He thought about his words, ¡°He¡¯s also very powerful.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good, that¡¯s good.¡± Chen Yanyan said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s the same as having two major forces!¡±

    They walked past the workbench covered with face paintings. Chen Yanyan couldn¡¯t help but look around, and grasped Lu Yingjiu¡¯s hand even tighter.

    They kept going towards the corner just now.

    As a result, as soon as they walked over, they saw a pile of cockroach corpses on the ground, and three people that were paralyzed in the corner.

    Yang Tianle was terrified, Xiao Li¡¯s face was ashen, and Jing Xian¡¯s eyes were empty.

    All the negative emotions that human beings could have were vividly reflected in them.

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    The two major powers he just mentioned collapsed immediately, and he didn¡¯t know what made them like this.

    Especially Jing Xian, he never thought that Jing Xian would show such an expression.

    Apparently he didn¡¯t know that it was something completely different that broke the trio.

    He walked over, squatted in front of Jing Xian, and patted him on the shoulder, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±

    Jing Xian grabbed his hand, and his eyes were full of resentment, as if there were thousands of accusations concentrated in this one look.

    ¡°Scum,¡± he said.

    Lu Yingjiu:???

 CH 22

    Xiao Li tremblingly brought Lu Yingjiu to the place where the big cockroaches spewed out.

    ¡°This this this is it.¡± Xiao Li¡¯s voice was trembling, ¡°I won¡¯t come any closer, you, you, you, take your time, all those cockroaches can fly!! When I hit them just now, I was slapped in the face.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Lu Yingjiu nodded.

    Next to the workbench, a large group of huge cockroaches was surging. When the light of the talisman approached, the cockroach wobbled its tentacles uneasily, and its brown shell shone like smeared with oil, making it looked extremely terrifying.

    Lu Yingjiu¡¯s movements were a little stiff.

    ¡­¡­.It¡¯s not because of the cockroaches, but because of Jing Xian¡¯s aggrieved eyes behind him, that seemed to have substance. When he turned around, he could still see Jing Xian staring at him in a silent accusation.

    With a sudden flash of the talisman paper¡¯s brilliance, the cockroach was easily burned without leaving any ashes.

    There was nothing underneath the cockroach mass, but there was a foul smell.

    It was between the smell of rotten fish and shrimp, and a smell of rotten flesh. Not overpowering, but enough to make one sick.

    Lu Yingjiu waved his hand, and several talisman papers flew out again, illuminating the surroundings.

    There were still a few places where cockroaches gathered, but when the fire approached, they fled in all directions, and there was nothing underneath.

    But before that, there must be something in these places, which left a smell, which made the cockroaches gather here, and also because of the change of Yin energy.

    The sheep ghost must also be related to it.

    Lu Yingjiu murmured, ¡°Could it be the person who left the cigarette butt, took something with him¡­¡­¡±

    But no matter what, they couldn¡¯t prove it.

    He stood there and thought for a few seconds. ¡°I¡¯d better deal with the remaining ghosts first, and send Yang Tianle and the others out first.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Jing Xian said, ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu originally wanted Jing Xian to stay, but when he turned around and saw that there was still grievance in Jing Xian¡¯s eyes, he paused and didn¡¯t say it.

    Although he didn¡¯t feel that he had done anything wrong at all, he was inexplicably guilty.

    It seems that he really did something wrong.

    However, it¡¯s not bad to bring Jing Xian with him.

    Lu Yingjiu went back to the corner and picked out a dozen pieces of talisman papers for Xiao Li, ¡°Use these at critical moments.¡±

    Xiao Li hurriedly grabbed hold of it, and glanced at Chen Yanyan and the faceless man behind him, ¡°I will protect them, Brother Lu, you must go and come back quickly!¡±

    Lu Yingjiu responded, and carefully pasted a few talisman papers on the surrounding walls, and walked out of the corridor side by side with Jing Xian.

    It was very dark outside, Jing Xian wanted to hug him as they walked away with the pretext that ¡± talisman papers might attract ghosts¡±, but this time Lu Yingjiu insisted that his level was sufficient, therefore he flatly rejected him, and still lit a talisman paper to illuminate.

    Along the way, Liu Yingjiu was very patient, and he didn¡¯t miss any room, any corner, and even the slightest yin energy couldn¡¯t be hidden from him. At the end of the south corridor, he found a place with yin energy, led Jing Xian to follow it, and arrived at the corridor of the head and hoof processing room.

    Boom boom boom.

    Boom boom boom.

    Before approaching, they heard a knocking sound of a blunt object.

    As soon as Lu Ying raised his hand, the fire went out, and he approached quietly.

    The door was open, and through the vague silhouette, another tall goat ghost could be seen.

    With its back facing them, it struck something with the hammer in its hand, making very regular thumping noises.

    Jing Xian told Lu Yingjiu in a breathy voice, ¡°It has a human face stuck on a cattle¡¯s head, and it is now being fixed with a hammer.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu also said in a breathy voice, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t the human break?¡±

    If it was damaged, it would be a terrible scene if it was pasted back on the faces of those anchors.

    ¡°It¡¯s not broken.¡± Jing Xian said, ¡°Have you ever seen a mobile phone film?¡±

    He changed the topic too quickly, Lu Yingjiu was stunned for a moment, ¡°I¡¯ve seen it, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°When the human skin was pasted on the cattle¡¯s head, bubbles formed just like when the film was applied, and wouldn¡¯t conform.¡± Jing Xian said, ¡°This ghost must have a obsessive-compulsive disorder. If it doesn¡¯t like what it¡¯s seeing, it¡¯ll take the small hammer and slowly beat the air bubbles. I think it has been hammering for a long time, but it is useless.¡±

    Liu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    He couldn¡¯t understand this weird behavior, and he didn¡¯t quite understand Jing Xian¡¯s wonderful metaphor, thus he took out his short knife neatly.

    His hand rose and the knife fell.

    The clear light of the knife almost pierced through the darkness. The sheep ghost¡¯s hearing was sensitive, and when it sensed the slight sound of breaking through the air, it simply swung its hammer! However, Lu Yingjiu¡¯s movements were much more flexible. The sheep ghost hit nothing then let out a wail, as a large amount of blood gushed from its wound. It retreated, then pawed its hooves and charged forward again!

    It was not as tall as the previous sheep ghost, and its body was close to that of an ordinary person, but it had extremely sharp horns on its head. If scratched, it would tear one¡¯s intestines apart in minutes. Just as Lu Yingjiu turned to avoid it, he saw it flying up.

    Jing Xian grabbed its horn with one hand and swung it lightly.

    ¡ª This ¡°lightly¡± only appeared from the perspective of outsiders, even with elegance. In fact, when the sheep ghost landed on the ground, it made a terrifying bone breaking sound, and black mist burst out from its body without notice, which turned into a mass of ordinary sheep bones.

    Easier than crushing an ant.

    Jing Xian didn¡¯t even look at it, picked up the human skin cattle head from the table, and went back to Lu Yingjiu, ¡°I¡¯ll hold it?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Lu Yingjiu glanced at him, ¡°¡­If you want, you can just take everyone out immediately.¡±

    Jing Xian made a haha, ¡°How can this be possible?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°Did anyone tell you that your acting skills are not good?¡±

    ¡°Never.¡± Jing Xian replied decisively.

    First, no one could tell that he is a ¡°person¡±;

    Second, no ghost would dare to speak of him.

    Lu Yingjiu clicked his tongue lightly, and poked Jing Xian¡¯s head.

    He was expressing his dissatisfaction, but Jing Xian was unable to calm down when he poked him like this, as if he had been poked in the heart, it was numb and itchy.

    He really wanted Lu Yingjiu to poke him a few more times like flirting.

    But this request sounded too perverted, he couldn¡¯t say it, thus he could only secretly regret it.

    The two searched all the way, and found another sheep ghost in the south corridor.

    The opponent was holding a huge butcher¡¯s knife, with two human skin cattle heads pinned to one side of the waist and the other to the right. Seeing them, ecstasy burst out in its pupils. Then Jing Xian smashed his head into pieces.

    Jing Xian¡¯s movements were slow and orderly, and he didn¡¯t even get stained on his body.

    Sure enough, Lu Yingjiu reached out to poke him again.

    Jing Xian was satisfied.

    Lu Yingjiu saw his smile, stepped back half a step, and said cautiously, ¡°No no.¡±

    ¡°¡­Do you have any weird hobbies?¡±

    After the death of the sheep ghost, the yin energy suddenly disappeared, as well as the gloomy feeling. The screen of Lu Yingjiu¡¯s phone flickered on and off, a dozen or so messages flooded in, the signal was restored, and the flashlight was able to work again.

    In the end, Jing Xian returned with a full load carrying three cattle heads, and followed Lu Yingjiu back to the mask workshop, where he found everyone staying in the corner.

    Lu Yingjiu leaned against the fire, took out a short knife and carefully cut off the human skin one by one along the gap.

    Jing Xian held a faceless man down, and he gently pressed the human skin back. The facial features returned to their faces, and everyone¡¯s faces were dazed, terrified, and confused at first, but soon, Yang Tianle explained the situation to them, saying that all the ghosts had been wiped out.

    These anchors have been to many supernatural places anyway, that¡¯s why they could still be calm. They knew that Lu Yingjiu must have been a professional, and it¡¯s definitely right to listen to him. After listening to the explanation, they huddled in a corner and whispered.

    There was the last person left, Jing Xian helped that person¡¯s head steady, as Lu Yingjiu stepped forward to touch his face.

    The man struggled in pain, but Jing Xian held him firmly with great strength.

    When Lu Yingjiu withdrew his hand, Jing Xian suddenly grabbed his hand and said, ¡°Does your wound not hurt anymore?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu froze for a moment, only to realize that Jing Xian was asking about the place where he was scratched by the door handle.

    He never cared about this little injury, and said, ¡°It¡¯s not in the way.¡±

    Jing Xian responded, and was just thinking about how to treat him again, when he heard Lu Yingjiu change the subject, ¡°If you can tell me who you are, it won¡¯t hurt anymore. ¡°

    Jing Xian was taken aback for a moment, and looked up.

    In the firelight, Lu Yingjiu showed him a teasing smile.

    The warm light reflected his skin very delicately, like some exquisite artwork, he smiled so beautifully, then added another sentence, ¡°Why don¡¯t you think about it?¡±

    The last part of the tone was a little drawn out, which was his normal tone, but in this context, it was like a poke on the forehead, with an inexplicably subtle emotional tone.

    Jing Xian didn¡¯t show it on the surface, but in fact he was frantically shaken in his heart.

    He knew that under his undisturbed acting skills, his disguise was already crumbling, but he still wanted to struggle until the last moment.

    He said, ¡°Didn¡¯t we know each other when we were young, why do you still ask this question?¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°What was the last name of the old aunt next door in our yard at that time?¡±

    ¡°Jiang.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s Uncle Han¡¯s favorite food?¡±

    ¡°Pickled radish.¡±

    ¡°The one on the street corner¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°Orange cat, called Da Ju.¡± Jing Xian replied fluently, ¡°It was later adopted by the owner of the afternoon nursery school on the opposite side.¡±

    Since he decided to pretend to be that ¡°Da Gou¡±, of course he was fully prepared.

    Jing Xian smiled, ¡°Do you still want to ask?¡±

    Liu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­¡­..¡±

    He knew he couldn¡¯t find any flaws, so he stopped asking.

    Jing Xian saw him suffering in silence, with the corners of his mouth that were slightly tense, and looked inexplicably cute. He rubbed Lu Yingjiu¡¯s head with his hand, making his hair messy, Lu Yingjiu glared at him, and hurriedly started smoothing his hair again.

    After the final face was pasted, everyone left the workshop. Lu Yingjiu walked at the front, Xiao Li led the people in the middle, while Jing Xian covered the rear, and they all went back to the back door.

    This time, the back door appeared nicely.

    As soon as Xiao Li pressed the doorknob, he was stopped by Lu Yingjiu.

    Lu Yingjiu looked at Yang Tianle and the others, and said, ¡°Did you come by car?¡±

    When they were in the parking lot just now, he saw no other cars.

    One nodded and said, ¡°Yes, we have two cars. We sneaked in and parked at the corner.¡± He then looked at the door anxiously, ¡°Let¡¯s go out quickly.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu took out a few red brocade bags and handed them out to each of them one by one.

    The brocade bags were very small and exuded a reassuring fragrance.

    He said, ¡°The ghosts have all been eliminated, you have no Yin energy on your body, you can rest assured about this. But I have to say one more thing, take this brocade bag within three days, don¡¯t let it leave your side away within a 5 meters distance, or even when you sleep or take a bath. Also, on the way back, if you see someone wanting to hitch a ride, don¡¯t let him get in the car, and don¡¯t look back.¡±

    These few words made everyone shudder, and gave them cold shivers quietly.

    Only then did Lu Yingjiu let Xiao Li continue to open the door.

    Because it had not been opened for a long time, it was very rusted, and every inch of metal seemed to be glued together. It took a lot of effort for Xiao Li to pull it open. Accompanied by an ear-piercing sound of friction, the sun poured in from the outside, bright enough to dazzle the eyes.

    Yang Tianle looked at Lu Yingjiu, ¡°Then, we¡¯ll leave like this?¡±

    ¡°Go.¡± Lu Yingjiu said.

    Therefore these few people didn¡¯t bother to cover their eyes, rushed out immediately, and ran faster than a rabbit. When Xiao Li came back to his senses, they all rushed to the parking lot in a hurry, that their figures almost became afterimages, and went straight to the gate of the slaughterhouse.

    ¡°They can run faster than my rabbit!¡± Xiao Li was shocked, and looked at Lu Yingjiu again, ¡°What shall we do next?¡±

    ¡°The ghost possessing her hasn¡¯t been solved yet.¡± Lu Yingjiu pointed to Chen Yanyan, ¡°Remember, we came here to play the four corner game, imitate the game back then, and then draw out the ghost.¡±

    The so-called four-corner game required 4 people to complete.

    The 4 people would stand at the four corners of an empty room, facing the corner after turning off the lights, and were not allowed to look around.

    Start with the person in one corner, go to the other corner, and pat the person in that corner on the shoulder. Then the person being pat would walk in the same direction until he¡¯d met the next person and patted that person on the shoulder.

    By analogy, if one met a corner where there was no one, he would have to give a cough and continue walking until he met the next person.

    The reason why this was a supernatural game was that no one coughed while playing.

    There was always someone on the way, but there were already people on all 4 corners.

    Meaning, one more participant appeared out of thin air.

    At that time, Chen Yanyan and the others played like this.

    Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°There are reasons for hauntings, and the ghosts in the same place are even more inseparable. Since we don¡¯t know why there are ¡®sheep ghosts¡¯ for the time being, and we don¡¯t know what items were taken away from the mask workshop. Perhaps, it would be better to continue with another clue.¡±

    He looked at Chen Yanyan, ¡°Can you tell me about the game process again? Remember to bring out all the details.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­Okay.¡± Chen Yanyan nodded, ¡°Just like I told you before, it¡¯s me, my best friend Fan Xin, and our boyfriends who played together. As we played, we couldn¡¯t hear the coughing sound anymore. We were so scared at the time, we didn¡¯t dare to stop the game, and we didn¡¯t dare to look back. Finally, finally,¡± she trembled, ¡° In the end, Fan Xin couldn¡¯t hold back, and looked back, trying to find out who the extra person was.¡±

    She continued, ¡°The moment she turned her head, the light in the room turned on. The light was so strong that we couldn¡¯t see anything clearly for a moment. When we could see clearly, there were indeed only the four of us in the room.¡±

    ¡°We thought it was all right, so we ran out of the slaughterhouse. Unexpectedly, this kind of thing happened¡­¡±

    After that, Chen Yanyan¡¯s family died, and Fan Xin also passed away ¡°accidentally¡±.

    ¡°Which room did you play in?¡± Lu Yingjiu asked.

    ¡°A utility room near the gate, I don¡¯t remember the details.¡± She glanced at everyone, ¡°If I find it, I can recognize it.¡±

    20 minutes later.

    They stood in front of a utility room in the corner.

    After entering, it was empty inside, and the air was so turbid that it made people feel a little dizzy. The room type was a square with a side length of about 6 or 7 meters.

    They happened to be four people, and they each picked a corner to stand facing the wall.

    Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°If you¡¯re ready, I¡¯ll put out the talisman paper. Let¡¯s go clockwise, starting from me.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Chen Yanyan¡¯s voice was thin and weak, and was trembling a little.

    ¡°No problem.¡± Xiao Li¡¯s voice was also tense.

    ¡°En.¡± Jing Xian was very calm.

    Lu Yingjiu extinguished the paper talisman.

    The room was pitch black, and it was so quiet that it made people panic.

    Lu Yingjiu took the lead, walked clockwise along the wall, reached the corner, and patted Chen Yanyan on the shoulder.

    Then he stood silently in the corner, waiting to be patted.

    The room was covered with thick carpets, and there was no sound of footsteps at all. After a while, he heard Jing Xian cough¡ªhe had walked to the corner where Lu Yingjiu had just left.

    Lu Yingjiu waited for a few more seconds, and then was patted lightly on the shoulder.

    He was just about to leave, but Jing Xian grabbed him and moved closer.

    It seems that Jing Xian discovered the abnormality.

    If it was someone else, Lu Yingjiu might not think so, after all, only a few people were more perceptive than him. But Jing Xian was different after all, if it was him, he would definitely find that there was another person in the room.

    Thus Lu Yingjiu listened with bated breath.

    Jing Xian leaned into his ear and whispered, ¡°Are you really not married?¡±

    Liu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­¡­?¡±

    As if a BGM of an idol drama sounded in his ears, he couldn¡¯t help saying, ¡°Jing Xian, what have you been thinking about every day?¡±

    Jing Xian insisted, ¡°Are you not married?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu said: ¡°No.¡±

    Ghost marriage was not something that could be explained clearly at once, he didn¡¯t intend to say more.

    Before Jing Xian could speak again, he heard Xiao Li hesitantly speak in an extremely low voice, ¡°Um, that Brother Lu, is there something wrong? Why do I hear someone talking, in a very, very quiet kind of sound.¡±

    Liu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t say that Jing Xian was chatting with him, and coughed, ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay, keep playing.¡±

    He left this corner and walked towards Chen Yanyan.

    Cough cough.

    This time it was Xiao Li who was coughing.

    After a while, Jing Xian came over again.

    This time it was Lu Yingjiu who spoke first, and he said, ¡°Why are you so interested in my marital status? Did Xiao Li tell you something?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Jing Xian flatly denied.

    ¡°Then why did you look at me with such grievance before?¡±

    Jing Xian lied without blinking his eyes, ¡°My eyes are sensitive, and the grayness there is uncomfortable. You must have misunderstood.¡±

    Liu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡±

    He wanted to poke Jing Xian¡¯s head again.

    But the four-corner game stipulated that he shouldn¡¯t turn around and look back, which greatly limited his performance, therefore he could only walk to the next corner silently.

    Cough¡ª¡ª

    This time, Chen Yanyan coughed.

    Jing Xian came over again.

    Lu Yingjiu whispered to him, ¡°However, it suddenly occurred to me,¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Jing Xian asked.

    ¡°I told you about this before¡ªthat I had a ghost marriage.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°However, the person I had told about this was ¡®Da Gou¡¯.¡±

    There was a little smile in his voice, ¡°Why, you don¡¯t remember this now? What are you beating around the bush here?¡±

    Xiao Li spoke again, with a trembling voice, ¡°Brother brother Lu! I really heard someone whispering!!¡±

    Lu Yingjiu vetoed again, ¡°No, you must have heard it wrong.¡± He lowered his voice, ¡°Stop talking, I¡¯ll settle accounts with you after the matter is settled.¡± After he finished speaking, he continued to walk along the corner, unaware that Xiao Li was about to cry in his spot.

    Xiao Li really felt that he was going to die.

    He really did hear someone talking, but his brother Lu said he didn¡¯t hear it.

    What does this mean!

    This shows that this time, even Lu Yingjiu is helpless against the ghost!

    If even Lu Yingjiu couldn¡¯t find the ghost, no one else could solve it.

    Xiao Li wanted to cry without tears, and wrote countless suicide notes in his heart, preparing to bid farewell to this beautiful world.

 CH 23

    In this way, nearly a dozen rounds of repeated attempts were made, but still nothing happened.

    Four people coughed in turn, but there was not one more person inside the room.

    Continuing like this, it didn¡¯t make sense anymore.

    Lu Yingjiu lit a talisman paper, and the utility room was filled with warm light. He said, ¡°Stop for a while.¡± He looked at Chen Yanyan, ¡°Can you recall more details, we will try to restore the scene as much as possible. The higher the degree of restoration, the greater the chance of finding the ghost.¡±

    Everyone came out from the corner, Jing Xian leaned against the wall and stood behind Lu Yingjiu, while the other three sat on the floor.

    Chen Yanyan wrung her hands.

    She was quite uneasy because of the game just now, and said, ¡°What more details do you need?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s start with the standing position.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°At the very beginning of the game, which corner are the four of you standing in?¡±

    Chen Yanyan tried hard to recall, pointing to a corner, ¡°I was standing there.¡±

    She then pointed to other corners, ¡°Fan Xin is there, my boyfriend Ke Yu is there, and the farthest corner is Fan Xin¡¯s boyfriend Lu Fanghong.¡±

    ¡°And then?¡±

    Chen Yanyan: ¡°Then, after we played for more than ten rounds, suddenly no one coughed anymore. Fan Xin looked back and then the lights turned on.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu pondered for a few seconds and said, ¡°I have a question.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Chen Yanyan stared at him subconsciously.

    Lu Yingjiu raised his eyes, ¡°Was there anyone among you who cheated?¡±

    Chen Yanyan was stunned.

    Lu Yingjiu said again, ¡°This game is actually very simple to cheat. For example, in our game just now, I started first, and patted Chen Yanyan, Chen Yanyan patted Xiao Li, and Xiao Li patted Jingxian. Jing Xian walked forward and encountered the corner I left, so Jing Xian coughed.¡±

    He continued, ¡°But if, after I patted Chen Yanyan, I secretly turned around and returned to the place where I was, then Jing Xian would not encounter a deserted corner, but would directly encounter me.¡±

    ¡°At this time, I will walk forward and won¡¯t cough when encountering a deserted corner, but just skipped over to pat Chen Yanyan. Then use the same method to go back to the previous corner, so no one would ever cough.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu looked at Chen Yanyan again, ¡°I¡¯ve always been puzzled by the fact that even if there is something wrong with this slaughterhouse, a very simple supernatural game in one afternoon shouldn¡¯t attract such powerful evil spirits.¡±

    Chen Yanyan hesitated and said, ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t know¡­If someone really cheated, it¡¯s impossible to make all the lights turn on the moment Fan Xin turned around, right? The switch is outside the room, and no one can turn it on without leaving the room. If you open the door and go out, everyone will hear the door opening.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily true.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°There is another possibility: using a talisman paper.¡±

    For exorcists, it was not difficult to turn on a few lights.

    But among the four students, Chen Yanyan was the only one who had contact with exorcism.

    Chen Yanyan blinked, ¡°Mr. Lu, are you suspicious of me?¡± She bit her lip, ¡°Fan Xin and I are the biggest victims of this game. My family and my best friend died. My friend, how could I lie about this kind of thing¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just analyzing the possibility.¡± Lu Yingjiu smiled, ¡°I didn¡¯t say it must be you, did I?¡±

    Chen Yanyan stopped talking, and after a while, she sighed softly, ¡°I¡¯ll continue. After the lights came on, we panicked, so we left the room and ran towards the exit. As we ran, we got separated.¡±

    ¡°Separated?¡± Lu Yingjiu paused.

    He had never heard this detail from anyone.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Chen Yanyan said, ¡°I was with Ke Yu, and Fan Xin was with Lu Fanghong. In the end, Ke Yu and I went out first and stayed outside the slaughterhouse. About 5 minutes later, Lu Fanghong helped Fan Xin out. Fan Xin accidentally fell while running away, but luckily Lu Fanghong was there.¡±

    ¡°Afterwards, we calmed down a little bit, and joked that it was a coincidence that we¡¯ve all been separated in pairs. I also told Fan Xin that Lu Fanghong is very kind to her, and can be reliable at critical moments, and that they should marry each other.¡± Her voice became smaller and smaller, ¡°What more details do you want?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu asked a bunch of questions, such as what they did before entering the utility room, what they were wearing that day, whether there were any strange things when they escaped, etc., but none of them were very special.

    In the end, he said, ¡°Perhaps the most critical issue lies in the ¡®people¡¯.¡±

    ¡°People?¡± Xiao Li was puzzled, ¡°What people?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°The four people at present are very different from the four people back then, even the genders are mismatched.¡± (TL: talking about themselves, 3 boys and 1 girl)

    Xiao Li was dumbfounded, ¡°Then what should we do? Do we need to find an outside help sister?¡±

    ¡°It may not be successful.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°The most important thing is not who we are, but who the ghost thinks we are.¡±

    He replied, ¡°There is a better way.¡± He looked at Chen Yanyan, ¡°You were an art student before, can you draw the appearance of the other three people on paper?¡±

    2 hours later.

    The mask processing room on the -1 floor.

    Xiao Li came back panting with a lot of things, and said, ¡°Brother Lu, I brought the things over from the door, can you see if there is anything missing?¡±

    He put a plastic bag on the ground, and there were several bottles of photographic developer in it.

    It was used to develop old photos. Now this kind of thing was rarely sold, but Lu Yingjiu called Chen Xiaoling, and within 2 hours, the developer was delivered.

    Lu Yingjiu picked out a workbench, and among a pile of dusty equipment, took out a huge square iron box. The box was very shallow, so he simply cleaned it with talisman paper and filled it with the developer.

    He had three portraits of people on hand.

    The papers were all roughly cropped to the size of a human face.

    It was drawn by Chen Yanyan, who drew the faces of Fan Xin, Ke Yu and Lu Fanghong. After all, she was an art student, and her paintings of her familiar friends were very lifelike.

    Lu Yingjiu first picked up Fan Xin¡¯s portrait, and carefully put it into the developer.

    When the liquid completely submerged the paper, he sank the talisman paper he had prepared into it as well.

    Next, he did the same thing, immersing the other two paintings in the liquid, and turned on the phone to start timing.

    Jing Xian watched intently from the side.

    Lu Yingjiu glanced at him, and explained to him, ¡°I learned about the Weaving Cloud Technique because of my interest before. The process of printing the faces on the portraits on the leather is very similar to developing photos. They all use developers. But I don¡¯t know how to draw their runes, I can only find similar effects.¡±

    They waited like this until the timer hits 5 minutes.

    Lu Yingjiu took out the first piece of paper with tweezers.

    The paper that used to be white with black lines, now had become black with white lines¡ªblack and white reversed, just like those developed negatives.

    He shook the tweezers lightly to shake off the excess liquid on top, lightly placed it on a piece of dry white paper, took an extremely thin pen, and slowly drew complex lines starting from the forehead.

    Jing Xian helped and spread the other two paintings on the white paper as well.

    For the next half an hour, Lu Yingjiu patiently drew lines on the three faces.

    By this time, the paper was almost dry. He held up several counterfeit masks and said, ¡°We¡¯ve got to put it over our faces.¡±

    ¡°How?¡± Xiao Li asked.

    Lu Yingjiu pointed to his forehead, ¡°Paste it with transparent glue.¡±

    In the end, Lu Yingjiu had Fan Xin¡¯s portrait on his forehead, Jing Xian had Ke Yu, and Xiao Li had Lu Fanghong.

    Xiao Li asked, ¡°Can this really fool that ghost?¡± When he spoke, the air from his mouth blew up the paper.

    Lu Yingjiu¡¯s impromptu paper mask, let alone the color, had nothing to do with ¡°realism¡±. Even a deeply myopic eye could see something wrong from a distance of 100 meters.

    ¡°No problem.¡± Lu Yingjiu said with a smile.

    They went back to the utility room and stood in the corresponding four corners of the room according to their identities.

    Lu Yingjiu extinguished the fire.

    The game still started from him, he walked clockwise and patted Chen Yanyan on the shoulder. Then Chen Yanyan walked forward and patted Jing Xian.

    This round of coughing came from Xiao Li.

    In the second round, it was Jing Xian who coughed.

    ¡­

    This time, Lu Yingjiu was patted on the shoulder twice, but he didn¡¯t hear the coughing sound.

    In the next two or three minutes, there was no coughing sound.

    There was one more person in the room.

    This time, they finally succeeded.

    Lu Yingjiu flipped his right hand lightly, and in the darkness where he couldn¡¯t see his fingers, a talisman was tightly held in his hand.

    But in the next second, a strong sense of weightlessness came!

    Everyone felt void below their feet, and they fell into an endless darkness. Lu Yingjiu reacted extremely quickly, adjusted his figure in mid-air, and was about to land in a perfect one-handed position when suddenly his whole body fell into some kind of softness that didn¡¯t belong to the ground.

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    He murmured in Jing Xian¡¯s arms, ¡°Why do I feel that since we met, it¡¯s always been hugging each other.¡±

    Jing Xian laughed, his chest vibrated, and he released his hand holding Lu Yingjiu.

    Lu Yingjiu took off the face portrait stuck on his forehead, and at the same time pulled out a talisman paper and lit it.

    When the light came on, he saw a corridor so deep that he couldn¡¯t see the end.

    They should be somewhere in the slaughterhouse.

    Back then, Chen Yanyan and the others dispersed anxiously after finishing the game, and formed groups of two. The same is true now.

    They put on paper masks to restore the scene.

    The summoned ghost also tried to restore the scene and separated them in twos.

    Lu Yingjiu had seen similar things many times, thus he didn¡¯t find it strange.

    But.¡­

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°Jing Xian, what Chen Yanyan said at the time, when they fled in a hurry, she had been with Ke Yu, and Fan Xin and Lu Fanghong were also together.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Jing Xian nodded, ¡°They¡¯re each with their boyfriends.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°However, I am playing Fan Xin, you are Ke Yu, and Xiao Li is Lu Fanghong. Logically speaking, now I should stay with Xiao Li, and you should stay with Chen Yanyan. Why is this combination not right?¡±

    He thought: Since the evil spirits from back then have come, there shouldn¡¯t be such a deviation¡­¡­

    Lu Yingjiu paused for a few seconds, bowed his head, and sent a few messages to Chen Xiaoling.

    After sending the message, he heard Jing Xian say, ¡°There is a mirror here.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu walked over. The mirror was dusty, and there were several hideous cracks spreading like spider webs. Both faces reflected on it were also broken, and unfamiliar.

    One tall and one short.

    A man and a woman.

    In the mirror, Lu Yingjiu clearly looked like Chen Yanyan while Jing Xian was a young boy with a small inched scar on his forehead.

    Before, Lu Yingjiu asked Chen Xiaoling to check on Ke Yu and Lu Fanghong in case they, like Chen Yanyan, also met with bad luck. Therefore, he had seen the photos of those two people and recognized that the one in the mirror was indeed Ke Yu.

    He frowned.

    If he was treated as ¡°Chen Yanyan¡± by the ghost, then who would Chen Yanyan be, Fan Xin?

    Before Lu Yingjiu could clear his thoughts, the two people in the mirror suddenly smiled.

    But the smile was cut to pieces by the cracks.

    Clatter¡ª¡ª

    The mirror was shattered and two pale hands suddenly protruded from the inside of the mirror!

    At this moment, Lu Yingjiu reacted.

    He had already made a spell in his hands, and if he wanted to, he could shake the ghost¡¯s hand. But he finally put down his hand and let the ghost pull him into the mirror.

    Just before being dragged in, he clearly saw that the ghost hand that reached out to Jing Xian shrank for a moment.

    It seemed as if it didn¡¯t dare to touch him.

    Jing Xian remained silent, then he reached out his hand, grabbed the ghost hand that was about to escape, and forced it to drag him into the mirror.

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­.?¡±

    Ghost hand: ¡°¡­.!¡±

    It was pitch black in front of him, and when his vision recovered, Lu Yingjiu saw a man and a woman running in the dim corridor.

    It was Chen Yanyan and Ke Yu from the past.

    The two had extremely frightened expressions.

    The scene in front was the scene of those people running away after the Four Corners game was over.

    Chen Yanyan was originally wearing a red laced sandal, and was running fast. One of her shoes fell halfway thus she could only run barefoot. Ke Yu tightly held her hand and gasped, ¡°Hurry up! The exit is right ahead!''¡±

    Chen Yanyan replied with tears, ¡°I can¡¯t run anymore!¡±

    Ke Yu¡¯s strength was great, and he dragged her forward. Then the figures of the two disappeared at the end of the corridor.

    Lu Yingjiu tried to reach out to them, but an invisible barrier blocked his movement.

    He turned his head and met Jing Xian¡¯s gaze.

    The two of them seemed to be alone in a small space, watching images of the past.

    Lu Yingjiu couldn¡¯t hold back anymore and said, ¡°Why did you have to squeeze in when you¡¯re fine?¡±

    Jing Xian had an innocent face, ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡±

    Then Lu Yingjiu poked him lightly.

    The two got closer, and like in the car, Lu Yingjiu smelled that cold fragrance again.

    This taste is really special.

    Lu Yingjiu was silent for a while, then said, ¡°Jing Xian, when this matter is resolved, I have something to tell you.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Jing Xian looked at him, scratching his ears with a deep voice, ¡°What¡¯s the matter, can¡¯t you just say it here?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu smiled lightly, ¡°This is not the time yet.¡±

    The sight in front of him turned again, and Chen Yanyan and Ke Yu stopped at a corner.

    Chen Yanyan panted heavily, supporting her knees with both hands, while Ke Yu looked nervous and kept looking behind him.

    Chen Yanyan: ¡°We must have gone the wrong way! We should have gone to the right at the last corner!¡±

    ¡°Then where is this place?¡± Ke Yu asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Chen Yanyan shook her head, ¡°I clearly, clearly remember that there is no path here.¡±

    ¡°Then what to do?¡± Ke Yu hesitated, ¡°Otherwise, I¡¯ll just turn on the flashlight and take a look.¡±

    Chen Yanyan nodded.

    For this courage test, they brought all kinds of small equipment, such as amulets, talisman paper, flashlights, red and white candles, and compass.

    They ran all the way, because they were worried that the light would expose them, so they ran in the dark. Both collided on things hard and there must have been bruises after they finally got out.

    Ke Yu carefully took out the flashlight and turned it on.

    The light of the flashlight flickered a few times, and finally illuminated the corridor¡ª

    ¡°Ah!¡± Chen Yanyan exclaimed, her hands and feet became even colder.

    Wherever the light beam passed, there were all human faces!

    Not only were those two people terrified, Lu Yingjiu, who was watching, also frowned.

    In front of them, masks were glued to the wall one by one, line after line. Wherever Lu Yingjiu looked, he saw at least thirty or forty masks. Not to mention that the corridor was very long, there may have been hundreds of them.

    There was a subtle fishy smell in the air.

    The smell of rotten fish and rotten shrimp.

    In a place where the light could not reach, several mutated cockroaches that could make Xiao Li scream were swinging their tentacles and crawling around on the masks.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?!¡± Ke Yu¡¯s almost lost the grip on the flashlight, ¡°Why is your face also hanging here!¡±

    Chen Yanyan was also uncertain.

    Her nerves were tense, and she vaguely felt that there was something wrong with these masks, but she couldn¡¯t tell, therefore she could only say in a daze, ¡°Where is the exit? Where is the exit!¡±

    They wanted to run back, but they couldn¡¯t see the end of the corridor at all, and they couldn¡¯t find the corner.

    Both of them were sweating profusely, exhausted, and finally stopped.

    Ke Yu: ¡°Ghosts hitting the wall, we must have encountered ghosts hitting the wall.¡± The light from the flashlight shone across the wall, illuminating those masks with a ghostly look, ¡°Can you see what the problem is with these masks¡­¡­.¡±

    Chen Yanyan forced herself to concentrate.

    She had no interest in the art of exorcism. She had not learned much since she was a child, and she only knew a little bit. Like the weaving cloud technique, she only knew a rough idea about it.

    But even so, she still grew up in Chen¡¯s family and had seen many masks.

    She looked around and thought about it carefully, about something wrong that crossed her mind just now.

    Under the light of the beam, every mask had a thick shadow, they were lifelike, extremely fine and smooth, and there was nothing wrong with them¡­¡­

    Wait!

    Fine and smooth!

    Chen Yanyan opened her eyes slightly, walked quickly to a mask, and observed carefully by the light.

 CH 24

    Through her perspective, Lu Yingjiu also saw the details of those masks.

    Every inch of the texture was extremely delicate, like a real person¡¯s skin, with a sense of luster coming out of it, and a bit of fleshy red and warm orange. If one looked more closely, the capillaries in the skin and the fine hairs on the cheeks could be seen.

    It¡¯s impossible for a mask made out of animal skin to have this texture!

    Chen Yanyan was terrified for a moment, and said, ¡°These masks are made of real human skin!¡±

    ¡°Ah?!¡± Ke Yu¡¯s hands trembled again, looking around carefully, every mask seemed to be smirking!

    The two became frightened and ran forward desperately. The light of the flashlight swayed in the corridor, and the masks seemed oncoming.

    Lu Yingjiu¡¯s face was serious.

    -As early as when he saw the faces of those anchors being taken away, he wondered whether the sheep ghosts might have something to do with the Chen family¡¯s masks. But Lu Yingjiu really didn¡¯t expect that the Chen family would dare to continue doing this kind of thing.

    Chen Yanyan and Ke Yu were still running away in desperation.

    Fortunately, this time the ghost hitting the wall seemed to have disappeared, after a certain moment , the masks also disappeared, and the corridor became a normal corridor.

    They ran out of breath, and saw the entrance of a room far ahead.

    The door sign says [Slaughter Hall].

    There were no windows, and the door was ajar.

    They absolutely dared not go back to the mask, there was no other choice but this room.

    Chen Yanyan and Ke Yu stopped, panted heavily, and looked at each other. Ke Yu shone the light from the flashlight and mustered up the courage to open the door.

    Squeak¨C

    After being illuminated by the light, there were several sheep hanging on the meat hooks, which had been bled out and cut open in the middle. Their flesh was bright red, very fresh, and seemed to be still with temperature.

    But this slaughterhouse has been abandoned for so long, how can there still be freshly slaughtered sheep?

    Chen Yanyan grasped Ke Yu¡¯s hand tightly, squinting her eyes to look carefully.

    The skin on them also looked like human skin. The skin was also wriggling slightly, as if¡­slowly drawing blood.

    On the other end, Lu Yingjiu suddenly realized, ¡°I know how those sheep ghosts got here!¡±

    ¡°How?¡± Jing Xian looked at him.

    ¡°After pasting the talisman paper, if the human skin is not further processed immediately, it will quickly rot. If they are temporarily pasted on the flesh and blood, this process can be eased.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°They should have pasted the human skin on the sheep¡¯s body to preserve it. Over time, Yin Qi accumulated, leading to the sheep ghosts we saw.¡±

    Jing Xian said, ¡°In other words, this slaughterhouse is just a cover for the Chen family, and they are still producing human skin masks.¡±

    However, Lu Yingjiu shook his head lightly, ¡°I can¡¯t make this conclusion now. I have contacted many members of the Chen family, and most of them are extremely bottom-lined. It cannot be ruled out that some people from the Chen family are doing this kind of thing in private.¡±

    Jing Xian responded, however he didn¡¯t believe much. He thought to himself that those so-called exorcist families were really sanctimonious, and they were no different from that Green Lantern Association. To be precise, his overall perception of ghost exorcists was not very good.

    ¡­¡­¡­.Of course, Lu Yingjiu was obviously an exception.

    How perfect he looks!

    His wife is awesome! Can fight and is smart!

    Lu Yingjiu was thinking seriously, but when he turned around, he saw Jing Xian staring at him with piercing eyes, as if a large canine had found its long-lost cat, and be full of joy and appreciation.

    Lu Yingjiu:?

    He subconsciously took half a step back.

    Click!

    In the memory, those sheeps fell directly from the meat hook and hit the ground.

    Then they stood up slowly.

    The dissected chest seemed to be pulled together by invisible hands, and then stitched together with fine needles and threads. The skin and flesh connected and became intact and all had a human skin mask over their faces. The human face, combined with the bestial body, created something akin to the uncanny valley effect, enough to scare anyone out of their wits.

    (T/n: The term ¡°uncanny valley¡± is used to describe humans¡¯ rejection of robots that resemble them to a certain degree.)

    Amidst Chen Yanyan¡¯s screams, the sheep grew taller and gradually turned into a two-legged sheep ghost.

    The movements of the sheep ghost were very fast. Chen Yanyan only felt a chill in front of her forehead, its hooves stained with blood and water stepped down with a strong wind!

    However, the talisman hanging on Chen Yanyan¡¯s chest flickered.

    The talisman used by the Chen family was so powerful that it directly shocked the sheep ghosts back several steps.

    Taking advantage of this opportunity, Ke Yu pulled Chen Yanyan and turned around and ran wildly.

    In the desperate situation, exploded with power to desperately flee, they unexpectedly were able to rush out: The exit is ahead!

    Ke Yu slammed the door open, and the sun poured in!

    His vision became so white that Lu Yingjiu couldn¡¯t see anything clearly.

    This piece of white light lasted for a long time.

    After a few seconds, he felt a warmth in his hands.

    It was Jing Xian who took his hand with a little strength, which probably meant: I¡¯m still by your side.

    Lu Yingjiu actually knew this, but he let Jingxian pull him until his vision returned to normal.

    The two of them were back in the corridor again, standing in front of the mirror.

    It¡¯s just that it was different from before, the walls of this corridor were densely covered with human skin masks.

    It must be the same corridor Chen Yanyan and Ke Yu went through.

    Lu Yingjiu simply wrapped the talisman paper around his hands, and gently took off a mask from the wall.

    Hiss¡ª

    When the mask was peeled off, it made a subtle sound, and then it dangled lightly in his hand.

    As thin as a cicada¡¯s wings, very realistic.

    It was incredibly thin, and its wrinkles and damages did not affect its delicacy. From the rough outline, it could be seen that it was a girl¡¯s face.

    Lu Yingjiu¡¯s expression froze slightly.

    It¡¯s actually made of human skin.

    He lifted the mask up a little bit, facing the firelight, the human skin showed a warm translucent feeling, as if fresh blood was still flowing in it.

    It had to be said that the finished product made of human skin was completely different. Compared with other masks, the tactility and realism were very obvious. No wonder a human skin mask was priceless.

    Jing Xian looked towards the end of the deep corridor and asked, ¡°Go forward?¡±

    ¡°En. Wait for me.¡± Lu Yingjiu quickly took off another five or six masks. These were all powerful pieces of evidence, and if brought out, it would definitely cause an uproar.

    Whoever participated in the production of the mask would definitely be held accountable.

    After Lu Yingjiu carefully wrapped the masks with talisman papers, they walked in the corridor one after the other.

    There was dead silence, and only the sound of footsteps echoed.

    Lu Yingjiu gave Xiao Li and Chen Yanyan talismans, since he didn¡¯t feel any reaction from the talismans in the slightest, it proved that the two were safe. He didn¡¯t have to worry about it for now, as long as they meet up as soon as possible.

    As he walked, Lu Yingjiu¡¯s hair swayed slightly.

    There was a breeze.

    There was moving air, perhaps it meant that they were coming to an end.

    However, in the next second, a change occurred!

    All the masks on the wall trembled in the wind, and a few cockroaches crawled across the wall and fled in a panic.

    Hiss¡­

    Hiss¡ª

    Hiss¡­

    A piece of human skin mask peeled off the wall and flew up out of thin air!

    The facial features of the faces were distorted, and they were all laughing strangely. They were neatly arranged in the air, flying and circling around the two of them, like a flock of frantic butterflies. Lu Yingjiu raised his hand, fire exploded, the human skin was roasted until it sizzled, and the pungent smell of burning immediately permeated the air.

    After the encirclement loosened a little, they saw a sheep standing blankly at the end of the corridor. A white goat, about half the height of a man, stared at them with horizontal pupils.

    Two metal meat hooks pierced its spine, and blood was gushing out.

    ¡°Baa¡ª¡± it called.

    Then it split down in the middle.

    It appeared as if its body was cut open by some sharp blade. Its body was not filled with bright red flesh and blood, but countless pieces of human skin mask gushing out!

    Just like before, the masks flew in the air in a frenzy. This time, they stacked on top of each other, one by one upwards, and turned back into a sheep in the blink of an eye.

    It¡¯s just that this sheep had faces all over its body, and every face was smiling.

    Yin Qi surged like a landslide of tidal waves, the temperature dropped below 0 degrees, and the strong wind lifted their clothes. Judging by this intensity, it must be a vicious ghost!

    This was the one that¡¯s been possessing Chen Yanyan! The one that¡¯s haunting her for many years!

    Lu Yingjiu exhaled white fog from his mouth, and with a talisman in one hand and a dagger in the other, a little black beast rolled around at his feet, showing its fangs.

    Afterwards¡­.

    The clear knife light pierced the darkness!

    The light of the knife spanned the air, like a flying swallow cutting through the rain curtain, it was so fast that it was unbelievable.

    The hand raised the knife and fell, accompanied by the sound of leather cutting, a large scar appeared on the belly of the masked sheep. The black fur ball also rushed up and bit it hard on its left leg!

    The fur ball was small in stature, but his strength was so strong that it had pulled the entire leg of the sheep down with a sudden force.

    And then the masks on the wall peeled off, flew to the broken leg, and formed a new leg.

    But at this time, Lu Yingjiu had already stabbed the dagger into its eye.

    The short knife lighted up slightly, and the invisible shock wave oscillated. The masks on the sheep¡¯s body showed ripples, which quivered around and around, almost as if it was falling apart. However, a mouth full of blood appeared on top of Lu Yingjiu¡¯s head!

    The expression on that mask was ferocious and terrifying, the mouth was split 180 degrees, and aiming to bite Lu Yingjiu¡¯s head straight.

    Lu Yingjiu didn¡¯t even raise his head, the black fur ball jumped up high, trying to tear up the mask apart-

    Then there was a sudden gust of wind.

    All the masks were blown away, the masked sheep was blown into a cloud of blood mist in front of Lu Yingjiu and drifted away along with the wind.

    The whole corridor became clean and tidy.

    What ghosts, what masks, all disappeared in the blowing wind.

    At this moment, Lu Yingjiu thought of the rumors he had heard.

    It was rumored that in the ghost world, there was a terrible abyss, and no ghost would dare to step into it. The wind that blows there is called Gangfeng, even if only gently blowing, no matter what kind of ghosts or monsters they were, they would all turn into flying ashes.

    The current gust of wind actually had the same effect.

    Jing Xian came to his side at some point, with a subtle dislike in his tone, ¡°That mask, it almost dripped a saliva on you just now.¡± He even patted Lu Yingjiu¡¯s clothes with his hands.

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    He looked at Jing Xian and asked straightforwardly, ¡°Are you human or not?¡±

    Jing Xian looked sincere, ¡°Why won¡¯t I be? My hands are hot and my heart is beating. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can hold my hand or listen to my heartbeat¡­¡­.¡± After he finished speaking, he still wanted to pull Lu Yingjiu¡¯s hand.

    Lu Yingjiu interrupted with black lines all over his face, ¡°Thank you, no need.¡±

    Although he didn¡¯t want to admit it, he had indeed experienced all of these.

    ¡°What?¡± Jing Xian said, ¡°What are you still doubting about me?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re almost riddled with suspicions all over your body, almost like a sieve.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°Look at your face, the word ¡®suspicious¡¯ is written all over it.¡±

    Jing Xian simply laughed, ¡°Aren¡¯t I allowed to have exceptional talents? In fact, I had a high fever not long ago, and immediately after waking up I felt refreshed and suddenly learned a lot of novel moves.¡±

    ¡°All right, all right, why didn¡¯t you say that you suddenly became a master, and ascended to the immortal world after a thunder calamity.¡±

    This time, Jing Xian hesitated.

    He half-believingly said, ¡°Ah, is it really possible¡­¡­?¡±

    He only knew the ghost world, is there really a way to go up to that world?

    Seeing his expression, Lu Yingjiu suddenly smiled, ¡°I¡¯m talking nonsense, it¡¯s from a Xiuxian novel. Why would you really believe it, haven¡¯t you even read novels?¡±

    Seeing him smiling, Jing Xian also couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°I¡¯ve read some. I really like vampire novels, zombie novels are also very good.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Lu Yingjiu said, not really seeing it as Jing Xian¡¯s style.

    Jing Xian said, ¡°It is full of imported ghosts that I have never seen before, I find it novel.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    He was taken aback by this ¡°imported ghost¡± for a moment, however he didn¡¯t have a high talent for roasting someone, and he really didn¡¯t know where to start roasting.

    After the sheep ghost died, a black door appeared in front of them.

    Where the sheep ghost died, a human skin mask was left behind.

    This was its obsession.

    Lu Yingjiu wrapped the mask in talisman paper, opened the door and went out. It was the normal corridor of the slaughterhouse, dimly lit and full of dust. After the door was closed, it automatically disappeared behind them.

    With the object of obsession in hand, and the ghost possessing Chen Yanyan, could be said to have been solved.

    It¡¯s a pity that Lu Yingjiu still didn¡¯t know why he was treated as a suspect.

    Jing Xian seemed to be aware of his anxiety, and said slowly beside him, ¡°Let¡¯s go out first.¡±

    ¡°Mn.¡± Lu Yingjiu responded.

    Lu Yingjiu followed the fluctuations of the talisman to find the way, and soon found Xiao Li and Chen Yanyan on the other side of the building.

    These two people were walking cautiously in the dark against the wall, but when they saw Lu Yingjiu and Jing Xian, they breathed a sigh of relief.

    Xiao Li said anxiously, ¡°Brother Lu! We were taken to a corridor just now, and there were all human skin masks hanging in the corridor! Then, for some reason, we came back.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Lu Yingjiu nodded and showed them the mask in his hand, ¡°That ghost has been dealt with, and I got its object of obsession. ¡°

    Chen Yanyan¡¯s eyes lit up immediately, ¡°Should be enough to just destroy it?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Then you¡¯ll be safe.¡±

    ¡°Can it be destroyed now?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s better to go out and talk about it.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s get out quickly.¡± Chen Yanyan said hurriedly, wanting to go to the exit.

    But Lu Yingjiu didn¡¯t follow her.

    Chen Yanyan took a few steps, then turned around and asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you coming with me?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu held the mask and smiled, ¡°There¡¯s no need to hurry for a while.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Chen Yanyan¡¯s face changed slightly, and smiled.

    ¡°Before going out, I want to know, what are you hiding in your boots?¡± Lu Yingjiu asked.

    Chen Yanyan froze in an instant.

    She left Xiao Li at that time, and went through the window to the women¡¯s changing room by herself, just to get this thing. When Lu Yingjiu came to find her, she quietly hid that something in her short boots.

    Lu Yingjiu didn¡¯t say anything, thus she naturally thought he didn¡¯t see it.

    Could it be that Lu Yingjiu noticed it from the very beginning?!

    Chen Yanyan took half a step back, her heart was beating fast, yet a smile was still on her face.

    She already had a pretty face, and this smile looked very soft, which could easily arouse other people¡¯s desire to protect.

    She said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, let¡¯s just go out and talk about it.¡± She bit her lip, ¡°It¡¯s too dark here, and there are ghosts, I¡¯m afraid of delaying it for a second..¡­¡±

    She could only hope that Lu Yingjiu would be too embarrassed to do anything to her and take off her boots.

    Chen Yanyan turned around and walked out as if nothing had happened.

    After walking a few steps, she suddenly cried ¡°Ouch!¡±

    The weight on her right foot caused her to stagger a bit and almost fell, but fortunately she supported herself with the wall using her hand. It¡¯s just that her foot was now bare, and that her boot had been pulled off!

    Chen Yanyan was horrified in her heart, and when she looked down, he saw the black fur ball biting her boot, grinning at her. It wagged its tail and ran back to Yingjiu¡¯s side.

    ¡°Wait! Chen Yanyan shouted.

    But it was already too late, the black fur ball shook her boots, and fell out of it¡­¡­.were few folded pieces of papers?

    When these pieces of paper floated in the air, it stretched out naturally and fell to the ground, as thin as a cicada¡¯s wings.

    These were clearly several human skin masks.

    For a moment, the atmosphere solidified.

    Chen Yanyan¡¯s teeth were almost chattering, her mind went blank for a few seconds, and she said in a trembling voice, ¡°I, I don¡¯t know what those are, I thought something was wrong, so I hid them!¡±

    ¡°Oh, really?¡± Lu Yingjiu smiled, ¡°Then I have another question for you.¡±

    He said, ¡°When the ghost separated us by pairs, why did you stay with Xiao Li? According to your description, if the ghost wants to restore the scene, the one with Xiao Li should be ¡®Fan Xin¡¯, but I ¡®coincidentally¡¯ was taken as Chen Yanyan.¡±

    ¡°For you, this may be an insignificant detail. But in my opinion, this is not accidental at all, plus the human skin mask you have hidden in private¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°Ms. Chen Yanyan, can you explain to us?¡±

    ****

    At the same time.

    500 kilometers away, Jiangxiang City.

    The smell of disinfectant spread in the air, and the water in the infusion dripped little by little. On the hospital bed, a young boy had a cast on his left foot and was hung up.

    He posted on his Moments: [Too unlucky, even walking on the sidewalk, you will still be hit by a motorcycle]

    The bunch of messages below: [Have a good rest]

    He pouted, threw his phone aside, and just as he was about to go to sleep, there was a knock on the door of the ward.

    A middle-aged man came in with his head, ¡°Hello, this is Mr. Lu Fanghong, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you are¡­¡­?¡±

    The man smiled, ¡°Oh yes.¡± He came in with a briefcase and sat beside Lu Fanghong¡¯s hospital bed, ¡°How do you feel now?¡±

    ¡°Much better.¡± Lu Fanghong replied.

    The man nodded. ¡°That¡¯s good. I still want to talk to you about the past this time. Say, what do you remember?¡±

    He was a ghost exorcist, and he had been here a few times, always chatting with this Lu Fanghong, Fan Xin¡¯s ex-boyfriend, about the slaughterhouse and the extermination case.

    This time, Lu Fanghong did not answer him immediately.

    The drips fell slowly, and the silence lasted for a while.

    After an unknown amount of time, he let out a heavy breath and said, ¡°Actually, there is something about Chen Yanyan and Fan Xin that I haven¡¯t told you about.¡±

    The ghost exorcist listened in silence.

    Lu Fanghong went on to say, ¡°Fan Xin and I have known each other since we were in junior high school. She is an orphan and her family is so poor that they almost have no food and money, but she worked very hard and always ranked in the top of the class during exams.¡±

    ¡°Later, with our excellent grades, we went to a key middle school and met Chen Yanyan there.¡±

    He hesitated for a few more seconds:,¡±Chen Yanyan¡¯s grades are actually not good. She spent money to enter the school and even as an art student, she is on the verge of failing. After going back and forth, she felt that she couldn¡¯t do it, thus she found Fan Xin, a student with excellent grades, but from a poor family.¡±

    He became silent again, as if wondering whether he should speak or not.

    The exorcist said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, there¡¯s no rush, do you need me to fill you a glass of water?¡±

    Lu Fanghong nodded slightly. The ghost exorcist got up, filled him with a glass of warm water and came back.

    Lu Fanghong took the water, took a sip, and finally said again, ¡°After a certain day, I felt that Fan Xin was sometimes weird. Her personality, tone, and behavior all changed slightly. To be honest, I have liked Fan Xin for many years. I know everything about her, even if there is a slight difference, she wouldn¡¯t be able to hide it from me.¡±

    ¡°However, whenever I felt something was wrong, she quickly returned to normal, which made me think it was an illusion.¡±

    ¡°After half a year like this, Fan Xin suddenly told me one day that she wanted to tell me something.¡±

    He closed his eyes. ¡°That was the first time I heard the word ¡®human skin mask¡¯.¡±

    The exorcist¡¯s expression changed slightly, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Lu Fanghong: ¡°Fan Xin and Chen Yanyan have been exchanging identities.¡±

 CH 25

    Lu Fanghong continued, ¡°The exchange between the two of them was only during exams at first, and later, it developed into classes that Chen Yanyan didn¡¯t want to attend, parties that Chen Yanyan didn¡¯t want to attend, etc., and sometimes even social activities that Chen Yanyan didn¡¯t want to go to. They were all thrown to Fan Xin.¡±

    ¡°Their bodies are similar. Fan Xin is a very serious person as well. As long as she wants to imitate, there will be almost no flaws. She also taught Chen Yanyan quite a few. She told Chen Yanyan how to imitate mannerisms, little movements, oral habits, preferences, and after a long time, I gradually couldn¡¯t tell the two of them apart¡­.¡±

    The ghost exorcist leaned forward slightly, ¡°Why have you never mentioned this matter?¡±

    ¡°Because Chen Yanyan said that if any of us speak out, we will ¡®pay the price¡¯.¡± Lu Fanghong closed his eyes, ¡°We are just ordinary people, we don¡¯t know exorcism and those things, who knows how Chen Yanyan will retaliate. The four of us seem to be friends on the surface, but we are actually quite hypocritical.¡±

    He laughed a few times, ¡°Besides, I think the matter of swapping identities has nothing to do with the extermination case, thus I didn¡¯t mention it.¡±

    ¡°The reason why I want to talk today, it can be regarded as a settlement of my worries.¡± He took a long breath, ¡°Speaking out, I really feel much more relaxed.¡±

    Lu Fanghong finally smiled, ¡°However, Fan Xin has been dead for so many years, and talking about her, I still miss her very much.¡±

    ****

    Four Hole Slaughterhouse.

    Chen Yanyan stared fixedly at Lu Yingjiu.

    There were more than ten meters between her and the three of them, and the icy air seemed to freeze around it.

    Lu Yingjiu¡¯s expression was very calm, as if he was simply waiting for an answer, Xiao Li was at a loss, and Jing Xian right next to Lu Yingjiu¡ª¡ªHe didn¡¯t have much expression, but that kind of fear that made Chen Yanyan¡¯s scalp tingle surged back into her heart.

    Chen Yanyan suppressed her thumping heartbeat, took a deep breath, and said word by word, ¡°There are exceptions to everything, aren¡¯t there? Can you guarantee that that ghost didn¡¯t made a mistake?¡± She eased her tone again, and said lightly, ¡°Mr. Lu, let¡¯s settle things one by one, let¡¯s get rid of the ghost first. Besides, you three big men, you won¡¯t do anything to me, right?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu spread his hands, ¡°Indeed, after all, you are not a ¡®threat¡¯ to me now. But for safety purposes, please follow me to be investigated later. I know a few people from the Chen family, as long as you can prove your identity, there will be no problem.¡±

    The human skin mask must have been made by someone from the Chen family in private. Generally speaking, the atmosphere of the Chen family was very upright. If there was a problem within the family, there would be a fast speed thorough investigation and elimination. If violations of discipline were found, they would definitely be dealt with.

    The few people Lu Yingjiu knew had been friends with him for many years, and they were completely trustworthy.

    Chen Yanyan gritted her teeth tightly.

    In the next second, she turned around and ran away!

    Without a shoe, she started to run with a limp, her white feet trampling the rough ground. Before she could run a few steps, she was thrown down by the black fur ball!

    The furball looked small, but its weight was not light at all. ¡°Chen Yanyan¡± screamed crazily, scratching the ground, and the movement raised a large cloud of dust, which danced wildly in mid-air, and landed on her white clothes again.

    She screamed, ¡°B***h! Chen Yanyan is a b***h! You all are!! Go to hell! Die for me!!¡±

    ****

    15 hours later, Lujiang Central Hospital.

    Outside the ward, Lu Yingjiu saw the girl lying quietly on the hospital bed through the one-way glass. She still had a plaster cast on her right hand, while her left hand was handcuffed to the hospital bed.

    After a whole night of tossing, she fell asleep.

    The light from the window shone on her face, making her skin look slightly rough and lacking in moisture, she no longer looked radiant.

    A lot of talisman papers were pasted on the wall, and a member of the Chen family was guarding beside her to prevent her from escaping.

    Last night, they brought ¡°Chen Yanyan¡± all the way from the Four Hole Slaughterhouse to this hospital.

    The hospital had cooperated with exorcists; they had separated a floor for receiving such special patients.

    Xiao Li registered in his own name, and reported it to the Green Lantern Association, so that people in the association could contact the Chen family. Lu Yingjiu also found contacts in the Chen family, and discussed the matter with them.

    Thus, in the early morning of this day, several people from the Chen family came over and used a series of talisman papers amidst the screams of ¡°Chen Yanyan¡±.

    The talisman paper burned, and the skin on her face seemed to become too dry, slowly forming a layer of skin. Finally, one person gently lifted it and took off the entire human skin mask.

    Her small nose, her red lips, her soft black hair were all gone.

    Like a painted skin ghost, the original shape was revealed little by little, revealing its original appearance.

    The lovely ¡°Chen Yanyan¡± disappeared, replaced by a girl with yellowish complexion and chapped lips, someone that could easily blend in the crowd. There was a spiteful, terrifying light in her eyes.

    After comparison, it was basically confirmed that she was the ¡°dead¡± Fan Xin.

    But she refused to say anything.

    Lu Yingjiu stared at her silently for a while.

    There was some movement behind him, he turned his head and saw Jing Xian carrying porridge and deep-fried dough sticks in his hands.

    Jing Xian smiled at him, ¡°Have breakfast first, continue later.¡±

    The two of them went to the end of the corridor and found a place to have breakfast.

    Lu Yingjiu took a sip of the century egg and lean meat porridge, it was delicious, not too salty nor too bland. Jing Xian next to him ate a red bean paste bun and said, ¡°This is delicious, try it.¡± After speaking, he stuffed a bun into his hand.

    Lu Yingjiu accepted Jing Xian¡¯s feeding, the steamed bun was hot in his hands.

    Lu Yingjiu was about to speak, when suddenly there was a sound of footsteps at the end of the corridor, a large group of people came in noisily.

    Looking up, a man in a suit and leather shoes with well-cut hair came with a group of ghost exorcists.

    As usual, when Chu Banyang saw Lu Yingjiu, the expression on his face was very subtle, as if he wanted to laugh, but wanted to keep his face taut, as if he wanted to speak up, but was proud and awkward.

    In short, he was entangled to death.

    He looked at Lu Yingjiu, and finally said, ¡°Why are you still here?¡±

    As soon as he finished speaking, he noticed Jing Xian again.

    Jing Xian sat beside Lu Yingjiu, his profile was handsome and tough.

    He didn¡¯t know why, but at this moment, the alarm bell in Chu Banyang¡¯s heart rang loudly ¨C that kind of feeling, like a beautiful male peacock with its train spread, simply raised its head and chest, walked past, and then suddenly bumped into another male peacock.

    Chu Banyang subconsciously stood up straighter, with many thoughts that flashed in an instant.

    My hairstyle is definitely fine.

    My clothes are definitely fine.

    What else?

    My shoes are definitely fine as well.

    After this, he was sure that his appearance was impeccable, and immediately felt much more comfortable.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this the look of waiting for someone to speak out.¡± Lu Yingjiu answered him, leaning back in the chair comfortably, ¡°I don¡¯t have the slightest clue about the mask yet.¡± (TL: waiting for Chen Yanyan to speak out.)

    ¡°The members of the Chen family are coming soon.¡± Chu Banyang said, ¡°President Chen will also come tomorrow. We will let you know when the results come out.¡±

    It seemed to be tactfully chasing customers away.

    As a suspect, Lu Yingjiu found ¡°Chen Yanyan¡± by himself, the situation had already become very serious.

    Although he sent Fan Xin back to the hospital in the name of Xiao Li, and called the Chen family to uncover the mask; the exchange of identities between Fan Xin and Chen Yanyan undoubtedly brought more doubts to the case, no one dared to jump to conclusions.

    But in the final analysis, theoretically speaking, he should not have anything to do with this matter. Leaving now without being seen by more people was the best choice.

    Of course Lu Yingjiu knew this.

    But he only took a sip of soy milk and said slowly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not in a hurry. If I wait for Chen Zheng to come over, maybe I can give him some ideas. The two of us haven¡¯t had tea together for a long time, just in time to do some catching up.¡±

    He pretended not to know that he was being investigated.

    ¡ªIf he hadn¡¯t received a text message at Lane East Bar, he really wouldn¡¯t know.

    Chu Banyang was slightly stunned for two seconds.

    He was almost taken aback.

    To be honest, Young Master Chu was very confused: It was clearly stated in the text message, he told Lu Yingjiu in clarity, why is Lu Yingjiu not acting tactfully again now? Isn¡¯t this guy usually very smart and quick-witted?

    This demeanor was quickly restrained by him.

    But Lu Yingjiu had already seen it.

    Chu Banyang frowned, and continued, ¡°Look, it¡¯s not very good if you are present in this kind of investigation. Even I will try my best to avoid it, after all, it involves the secrets of the Chen family. Let me speak bluntly, you¡¯d better go home and wait for the result.¡±

    He was trying his best to drive Lu Yingjiu away, so as not to be seen by other people in the meeting.

    Chu Banyang didn¡¯t show it on his face, seeing that Lu Yingjiu didn¡¯t answer for a long time, and was even concentrating on drinking the soy milk that Jing Xian was feeding, his brows frowned even deeper, ¡°Lu Yingjiu, what on earth are you¡­¡­..¡±

    After drinking the last sip of soy milk, Lu Yingjiu stood up and smiled, ¡°Okay, I¡¯m leaving now.¡± He turned around and called, ¡°Jing Xian, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Chu Banyang didn¡¯t know why he changed his mind.

    Lu Yingjiu got up to leave, and when he passed him, he stood still and said in a low voice, ¡°There is one thing I didn¡¯t tell you. Before us, someone went to the mask processing room. He took some things, but the smell was still there and attracted a bunch of cockroaches.¡±

    Chu Banyang was stunned for half a second, ¡°Do you know what it is?¡±

    ¡°I suspect that it¡¯s a human skin mask.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°No matter the smell or the fact that it attracts cockroaches, it¡¯s consistent.¡±

    Chu Banyang nodded, his face remained calm, ¡°Okay, I understand.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu nodded slightly: ¡°Thank you for your messages.¡±

    Chu Banyang was shocked.

    His reaction: My astonishment just now exposed myself!

    Perhaps, Lu Yingjiu has already suspected that the text message was sent by him, coupled with his obviously abnormal sense of dumbfoundedness¡­¡­

    ¡°Wait!¡± Chu Banyang said.

    ¡°Hm?¡± Lu Yingjiu looked back at him.

    Chu Banyang said in a deep voice, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are talking about.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu merely smiled lightly, ¡°Then, you don¡¯t know.¡±

    He and Jing Xian left, and their figures disappeared at the end of the corridor.

    Chu Banyang stood where he was, and after a few seconds, he realized that his earlobe was terribly hot. He suddenly turned around, grabbed Xiao Li and asked, ¡°Who is that person next to Lu Yingjiu?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡ª¡± Xiao Li was taken aback, ¡°It seems that his name is Jing Xian, and he is an old friend of Brother Lu.¡±

    ¡°Old friend.¡± Chu Banyang thought about this phrase, ¡°Where is his old friend from, his childhood friend, isn¡¯t it only Ye Feng?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know either.¡± Xiao Li scratched his head, ¡°But the two of them seem to have a good relationship. However Master, how do you know that he had only one childhood friend¡­¡­you really know Brother Lu.¡±

    Chu Banyang: ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    Chu Banyang: ¡°Xiao Li, you haven¡¯t finished copying the book last time, have you?¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Xiao Li was stunned, ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    Chu Banyang patted him on the shoulder, ¡°Copy it three more times to consolidate knowledge points.¡±

    Xiao Li: ???

    Chu Banyang brought people to Fan Xin¡¯s ward.

    He turned around and said, ¡°You all, don¡¯t come in yet.¡± Then he pushed open the door alone.

    The room was quiet, the handcuffs shone with silver light under the cold light while the girl¡¯s eyes were still closed.

    Chu Banyang pulled a stool, sat down in front of her, and said, ¡°You are awake, right.¡±

    This sentence was not a question, but a statement.

    Chu Banyang continued, ¡°In fact, I only have one simple question: On the day of the extermination case, the one that went to the Lane East bar to meet the Chen family, was it Chen Yanyan or you?¡±

    Fan Xin still had her eyes closed, her expression was very relaxed, as if she was still in a deep dream.

    Then, she heard a rubbing sound.

    It seemed that something soft was gently rubbing against her, but she couldn¡¯t tell, she simply felt wind blowing on her face.

    Something lightly scratched her cheek.

    It¡¯s itchy.

    Fan Xin could hardly control her expression, the thing was also persistent that it made her skin itchy. The tingling sensation was unbearable, and when the thing passed her eyelids for the second time, Fan Xin couldn¡¯t help it, and opened her eyes.

    The thing rubbing against her was a¡­¡­..peacock?

    The peacock was about the size of a cat, blue-green all over, blinking its golden eyes, standing by the pillow and tilting its head to look at her. And on its tail feathers, every inch of the eye spot was turning, just like real eyes!

    Just now, it had scratched her face with its feathers.

    Fan Xin wanted to get up and stay away from it, she turned her head only to unexpectedly meet a pair of golden green eyes.

    Chu Banyang invited the Peacock God, and at this moment, the color of his pupils became exactly the same as the peacock.

    Fan Xin and him looked at each other, she got dizzy, as if seeing the colorful tail feathers of a peacock after spreading its tail, constantly changing like a kaleidoscope, almost dragging her into an illusion.

    Chu Banyang leaned forward and asked word by word, ¡°Who went that day, was it Chen Yanyan or you?¡±

    ****

    ¡°I think the person who went to the bar that day was Fan Xin.¡± Lu Yingjiu said.

    Jing Xian was driving.

    He wanted to try as a beginner, and by the way, also show off his financial resources in front of Lu Yingjiu, therefore he changed to a Maybach and threw the already ¡°no value¡± Aston Martin away.

    Perhaps the pursuit of speed and strength was engraved in every man¡¯s heart. Jing Xian really liked car racing: this thing is not worse than any hook snake, Zhu Long, and ghost qilin in the ghost world! This is much more handsome!

    When Lu Yingjiu saw his new car, before getting inside, he said leisurely, ¡°I think you don¡¯t need to come to my office to work.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Jing Xian was taken aback.

    ¡°If you really work under me to drive away ghosts, I can only give you 6,000 a month as a salary.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°If you work for over a thousand months, you can buy another car like this.¡± He then supported his forehead, ¡°To be honest, getting to know Chu Banyang and you cause me to have a great misunderstanding of the average income and economic level of the people, I feel like I am poverty-stricken and needed assistance.¡±

    Unexpectedly, Jing Xian suddenly became alert, ¡°That person named Chu is also very rich?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°The Chu family is the richest man in the south, he is also the only son of his father, so he must be like a local tycoon.¡±

    Jing Xian murmured, ¡°It¡¯s getting cold, let the Chu Group go bankrupt.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°Ah?¡±

    He obviously didn¡¯t get Jing Xian¡¯s brain circuit.

    Jing Xian recalled the many masterpieces of novels brought back by Bai Wuchang, and remembered the famous saying ¡°a bamboo horse can¡¯t beat an airborne¡±, he couldn¡¯t help feeling alert¡ªalthough he didn¡¯t figure out for a while whether he was the bamboo horse or the airborne. (TL: childhood friend can¡¯t beat a new comer)

    He shook his head sadly, ¡°Hurry up and get in the car.¡± After speaking, he took out a bag of snacks from the back seat and stuffed it into Lu Yingjiu¡¯s hand.

    On their way, they went back to ¡°Wednesday 50% Discount Office¡±.

    While eating a bag of sandwich biscuits, Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°I still insist on my point of view. A simple four-corner game can¡¯t summon such a strong ghost. If it were replaced, like someone deliberately taking the obsession of that fierce ghost, and taking it to the private room, it¡¯s much more reasonable.¡± (TL: LY meant the Lane East Bar private room.)

    He continued, ¡°Chen Yanyan has no motive to do this. Therefore, I can¡¯t figure it out.¡±

    ¡°However, if it was Fan Xin who went to the private room, it would make sense.¡±

    Jing Xian: ¡°In other words, it is very likely that Fan Xin cooperated with someone to complete the case of exterminating the family.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Lu Yingjiu nodded approvingly, ¡°It¡¯s obvious that such a detailed plan can¡¯t be done with just a young girl who is an amateur. Moreover, the human skin mask she wears needs to be replaced constantly.¡±

    ¡°Six years have passed since the extermination case. I have a few friends in the Chen family. They said that the human skin mask can only be kept for one and a half to two years at most. That is to say, during these years, someone is still making new masks for Fan Xin.¡±

    With a smooth arc, the Maybach overtook several cars in a row.

    Jing Xian: ¡°Just ask the Chen family to investigate.¡±

    ¡°This case is related to me, I can¡¯t let it go completely.¡± Lu Yingjiu opened a box of fruit juice, ¡°Besides, this case is quite interesting, isn¡¯t it? If I don¡¯t investigate, I will have nothing to do.¡±

    His usual entertainment activities were extremely limited.

    One was because they were not interesting, and the other was that the supernatural commissions were already taken over.

    Jing Xian hesitated for a few seconds and said, ¡°Besides the investigation, there are still many other things.¡±

    ¡°For example?¡± Lu Yingjiu looked sideways at him.

    ¡°For example, going to see the sea, going to a shooting range, climbing mountains, or riding a roller coaster.¡± Jing Xian said, ¡°I think amusement parks are good.¡±

    ¡°Amusement park.¡± Lu Yingjiu remembered something and smiled, ¡°The only time I went to an amusement park was to accompany Ye Feng and his cousin. His cousin was timid and wanted to go to the haunted house, so we accompanied her. As a result, she yelled all the way, while Ye Feng and I almost fell asleep. The roller coaster was not bad either.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s solve this problem, and go to the amusement park after.¡± Jing Xian stepped on the accelerator, ¡°Isn¡¯t there a big amusement park in Lujiang City?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Yunxiao Amusement Park.¡± Lu Yingjiu drank the grape juice in his hand, ¡°I thought you were not interested in these.¡±

    Jing Xian said with a smile, ¡°How can I not be interested? I am interested in many things and want to try them one by one.¡±

    As long as it¡¯s with you.

    He didn¡¯t say the last half of the sentence.

    Lu Yingjiu hummed and said, ¡°Go if you want. If this case is over and I¡¯m not a wanted criminal anymore, I¡¯ll accompany you.¡±

    Jing Xian thought to himself: it doesn¡¯t matter if he becomes a wanted criminal, when the time comes, he will make the whole amusement park haunted, he will put real ghosts in the haunted house, spray some blood on the fountain, with the ferris wheel moving by itself, so that no one will dare to play anymore, which will be more convenient for him and Lu Yingjiu to spend time together.

    ¡­¡­..just thinking about it, he felt a little excited.

    Lu Yingjiu glanced at him, ¡°What are you laughing about?¡± He had a bad feeling.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Jing Xian flatly denied it, and drove the car even faster. Lu Yingjiu simply smiled and lowered his seat to catch up on sleep.

 CH 26

    Back at the office, the sign of [Lu Ying Bar] was still shining upstairs.

    Although Jing Xian was a registered employee of the firm, this was the first time he had come here.

    Lu Yingjiu opened the door and walked in. The air in the room was a little dull, and a dozen bottles of wine stood quietly on the wine rack. In a fake bar like this, they probably wouldn¡¯t serve a real purpose in their lifetime.

    Lu Yingjiu pushed open the window, the wind rushed in and lifted his white shirt.

    In the back room, there were many exorcism tools. He was planning on staying here tonight, drew talisman papers, and prepared all kinds of ghost exorcism techniques, so that there¡¯s no need to do it afterwards.

    When he was preparing the talisman paper, Jing Xian wandered around the house and found the small kitchen.

    Jing Xian said, ¡°Let me cook tonight.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu responded and concentrated on drawing the talisman paper.

    Drawing talisman paper was actually a very labor-intensive task.

    He drew quickly and well, but he was very picky about the details. He paid attention to the radian of each curve, and the angle of the smallest corner must just be right: this was why his talisman paper was always the most effective.

    Lu Yingjiu changed different pens, from simple ballpoint pens, fountain pens, to wolf hair brushes, to draw complex lines on different papers.

    Some lines were simple and smooth, flowing like clouds and water.

    Some lines have sharp turns, like a knife¡¯s edge.

    There were also some drawings that vaguely resemble birds and beasts, or the faces of priests.

    The little black beast appeared by itself, lying on the table to watch his movements.

    Lu Yingjiu picked out a few packets of biscuits and green beans from the snacks that Jing Xian gave him, and opened it for it to eat. The black fur dumpling never refuses anybody, and with a strong appetite, he swallowed them all like a trash can.

    While eating, it slowly fell asleep, with its head tilted and its belly spread out on the table.

    It was unknown how long it took, but when Lu Yingjiu broke free from this tedious process, he smelled the aroma of food.

    There was a light knock on the door, then Jing Xian said, ¡°It¡¯s time to eat.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu got up and went out, and saw two dishes and one soup on the table, which happened to be enough for two people.

    Jing Xian¡¯s cooking skills were really good, the seafood porridge brought to Lu Yingjiu last time was enough to savor for a long time. Now on the table, a dish was exceptionally green and tender, the aroma of braised pork belly filled the whole room, he stir-fried it well, and the fat and thin meat appeared delicious. Pork bone lotus root soup was placed in the middle of the table, with very little oil and exuding delicate fragrance.

    Lu Yingjiu was a little surprised. ¡°Where did you buy the vegetables?¡±

    There were no places selling vegetables around here.

    He thought Jing Xian would use the eggs in the refrigerator at most to make fried rice with eggs.

    ¡°I ran out and passed by one.¡± Jing Xian coughed.

    He actually sent a few brats out to buy groceries. He originally wanted to buy some expensive ones, but when he thought about it, the explanation of expensive ingredients was really unclear, so he decided to let it go. Also, it¡¯s good to eat light at night, which was in line with Lu Yingjiu¡¯s appetite.

    The two with full rice, sat facing each other.

    Lu Yingjiu thought while eating: Jing Xian has such cooking skills, he can become popular when he goes out to open a restaurant, it¡¯s really a waste of talent to only cook for him alone.

    He picked up some green vegetables with his chopsticks, and heard Jing Xian ask, ¡°I just took a look, Yunxiao Amusement Park has been severely restricted recently, and reservations must be made more than half a month in advance.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu smiled, ¡°Are you still thinking about this? You are so courageous. Haunted houses and roller coasters are no fun. I thought you would be more interested in shooting ranges.¡±

    ¡°Just to experience the atmosphere.¡± Jing Xian said, ¡°I¡¯ve never been there.¡±

    He really has never been there.

    The playground didn¡¯t quite match his aura, but he knew it was a great place for a date.

    Roller coasters, pirate ships, haunted houses, etc. It doesn¡¯t matter at all, the point is dating!

    That¡¯s a date!

    Lu Yingjiu said ¡°Oh¡±, and then, ¡°As I said before, I don¡¯t know when this matter will end. But you can make an appointment first,¡± he smiled, ¡°Just treat it as the first team building of our firm.¡±

    Thus Jing Xian made an appointment for tickets half a month later, and made an appointment in advance for this team building with only two people.

    Lu Yingjiu finished his meal, filled a bowl of soup, and accidentally caught a glimpse of Jing Xian¡¯s mobile phone screen: There were more than a dozen pages open in the browser, and he couldn¡¯t see the content clearly. In a blink of an eye, there were names that were all related to ¡°amusement park¡±, which he should have searched for a long time.

    For some reason, a soft spot in Lu Yingjiu¡¯s heart was poked.

    It seemed that Jing Xian really wanted to go.

    During Lu Yingjiu¡¯s childhood, he also wanted to try various things, but unfortunately there was no one to accompany him.  Amusement parks were indeed on his wish list, but until the end, it was not put into action.

    Although he didn¡¯t know about Jing Xian¡¯s past.

    But looking at it like this, Jing Xian¡­¡­..went to such lengths just to find someone to go with, right?

    Thinking of this, Lu Yingjiu couldn¡¯t help softening his expression while drinking the bowl of hot soup.

    He wanted to say a few more words, then glanced at Jing Xian, but suddenly stopped.

    The latest two interfaces of the browser read¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.Dating Holy Land??

    Lu Yingjiu froze for half a second.

    Before he could figure out what was going on, Jing Xian had already put away his phone, seeing that his expression was wrong, he asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­Nothing.¡± Lu Yingjiu murmured, ¡°Probably hallucinating.¡±

    He took a sip of soup to suppress his shock.

    In the next few days, Lu Yingjiu had nothing to do, he simply waited for the Chen family to check the mask, while Chen Xiaoling continued to inform him.

    Things like cooking and cleaning at home were all taken care of by Jing Xian.

    Lu Yingjiu used to have an irregular diet and lacked interest in food but he couldn¡¯t bear the delicious dishes cooked by Jing Xian. In the past few days, he had been dragged to eat by Jing Xian, and unexpectedly he started eating three meals on time.

    After waiting like this for a few days, on the fourth night, Lu Yingjiu and Jing Xian nestled on the sofa and watched a movie together.

    In order to understand the common sense of the world, Jing Xian had watched many movies and was very interested in this kind of art.

    In the past four days, they watched several more movies, ranging from action movies to suspense movies, from romance movies to science fiction movies, good movies and bad movies were divided in half.

    It was raining outside today, and the night was so thick that it felt like it¡¯s the end of the world. The darkness of the rainy night was overwhelming, the sky and the earth were dark, and even the lights in the distance could not be seen clearly, all of them were submerged in the rain. Occasionally, a car drove by in a hurry, and disappeared in less than two seconds. The whole process was so short that it seemed to be preyed upon by some kind of monster and disappeared forever in this night.

    The wind was whimpering, the atmosphere was suitable for horror, thus Jing Xian turned off all the lights and found a ghost movie to watch.

    ¡ªIt turned out that this was a very wrong choice.

    The two of them were, quite literally, the worst ghost movie audiences in the world.

    At the beginning of the film, the protagonist¡¯s little red car started from the small town and drove towards a haunted deep mountain.

    In the fifth minute, something seemed to flash past between the shadows of the trees, with utter dreary cries and screams, people¡¯s faces could be faintly seen, and the thriller value was stretched fully.

    Lu Yingjiu yawned and started to eat the potato chips that Jing Xian gave him.

    In the seventh minute, a few ghost hands hit the rear glass of the car with a ¡°bang!¡±,and the protagonist shook his hand and started screaming. The camera gave several close-ups of the ghosts, highlighting their ferocious faces and big bloody mouths.

    Jing Xian began to frown, ¡°This kind of ghost looks like an earth-bound spirit, how could it run with the car?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu yawned again.

    In the eleventh minute, a few more ghosts wandered among the trees.

    Jing Xian frowned again, ¡°The variety is all wrong.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu was about to fall asleep, his head nodding.

    In the seventeenth minute, a corpse fell from the sky and hit the front of the protagonist¡¯s car. The protagonist was frightened crazily, and took out a bunch of protective talismans while screaming.

    Jing Xian: ¡°¡­¡­..¡±

    He was too lazy to complain.

    This time Lu Yingjiu suddenly woke up from his sleep and began to frown, ¡°What¡¯s going on, all the talisman papers are drawn wrong.¡±

    The next thing was the chase, the plasma bag was used like it costs nothing, the camera swayed, the screams continued, and the screen was full of grimaces and scarlet.

    Lu Yingjiu was completely asleep. He crossed his legs on the sofa, closed his eyes in an extremely relaxed manner, leaned back, while the protagonist screamed heart-piercingly, all were white noise.

    Jing Xian also felt bored to death, in his opinion, all the ghosts here were just talking nonsense, it¡¯s impossible.

    It¡¯s like a person looking at the animal world and discovering Teacher Zhao Zhongxiang saying seriously ¡°Ah, this is our emperor penguin. Emperor penguins are distributed in the African savannah. They live alone and like hot weather. Their main prey is the Tibetan antelope¡­.¡± Really rubbish.

    He looked sleepy as well.

    Ghosts don¡¯t need sleep, but they could fall asleep if they¡¯re really bored.

    Jing Xian turned his head and saw the light of the TV falling on Lu Yingjiu¡¯s face. His skin was fair, the shadow on his nose bridge obscured a bit of brightness, and the curvature of his eyelashes was heart-stirring.

    The sound of rain outside was intermittent, the crystal rainwater flowed down the glass, the wind bent the branches, and thousands of leaves danced together.

    At this moment, it seemed that time had slowed down by a second.

    He watched for a while in silence.

    He really wanted to hug Lu Yingjiu tightly on this cold and dark rainy night. It would be best if he could kiss him, let the other party make a few vague complaints in his sleep, then hug him back, and sleep until the night rain stopped and light burst in the sky.

    But in the end, he just quietly grabbed onto the shoulder of Lu Yingjiu, letting him lean on his shoulder and sleep more comfortably.

    He himself leaned back on the sofa, finding a comfortable position.

    This sofa was so soft that it seemed that people could sink into it and fall asleep without paying attention.

    ¡­¡­¡­.What does it feel like to fall asleep?

    There was an abyss in the ghost world, everything that fell into it would perish, only he dared to step into it. Every time he walked in the air above the abyss and his robe rustled in the strong wind, he would think that there was no difference between deep sleep and death, they were both endless darkness.

    But at this moment, listening to the majestic sound of the rain and watching such a boring ghost movie, he thought, maybe it¡¯s still different.

    That sense of peace was completely different.

    He felt that he and Lu Yingjiu could sleep on this sofa for as long as ever, sleep as long as he wanted, and still see each other when he woke up.

    Jing Xian also slowly closed his eyes.

    As the second hand ticked by, the boring ghost movie began to take a curtain call, and finally the TV screen went black. There was no other light source, and amidst the sound of wind and rain, there were only two people leaning on each other in the dark.

    After an unknown period of time, the gust of wind became stronger and knocked on the window.

    Lu Yingjiu¡¯s phone vibrated.

    He groaned and woke up.

    His mind was not so clear all of a sudden, and his thoughts seemed to be muddy. He half squinted his eyes to unlock the screen. A harsh light illuminated the living room, lengthening the shadows of all the furniture.

    It was a message from Chen Xiaoling.

    She said: [The Chen family found a clue]

    [117 Xinxi Road, Zhongli Warehouse]

    ****

    The Maybach drove through the storm, the tires rolled up muddy water, and the headlights were bright. From a distance, it looked like a monster riding the wind and rain.

    The surrounding rain was so loud that nothing couldn¡¯t be heard clearly. There was no one on the road, and the water gurgled into the sewer, making a gurgling sound. After the car made a sharp turn, Jing Xian turned off the lights, and drove the car into the dilapidated parking lot in the thick darkness.

    The wipers rubbed across the glass, but they were powerless to resist the torrential flow that fell from the sky. The warehouse appeared in front of their eyes, and the big red characters [Zhongli Warehouse] on the top floor appeared scratched and mottled by the years.

    The Chen family had sealed the scene and conducted a round of investigation. Now the entire warehouse was sealed by an invisible barrier.

    But for Lu Yingjiu, barriers have never been a difficult task.

    The rain was enough to cover up all movement.

    He and Jing Xian got out of the car, put on a black mask, pressed down their hats, and sneaked around to the edge of the barrier at the back door.

    He flicked his finger, and a few talisman papers flew out. White streams surged, opening a gap in the barrier. The two went in easily, and what appeared in front of them was an old iron door with a rusty red lock on it.

    Perhaps because they were rest assured of the barrier, the Chen family did not change the old lock on the back door.

    Lu Yingjiu used his lockpicking skills again, put on gloves, and easily pried open the door, then they slipped in quietly.

    This warehouse was for storing clothing, and there was a very obvious smell of fabrics in the air. There were stacks of large and small cardboard boxes, and piles of clothes wrapped in plastic bags, which looked like hills on the shelves.

    Lu Yingjiu made a spell to make his and Jing Xian¡¯s clothes dry.

    He walked slowly between the shelves, his footsteps making no sound.

    According to the news inquired by Chen Xiaoling, two days ago, the Chen family seemed to have traced it down: There were indeed people who were still making and selling human skin masks. The production site was Four Hole Slaughterhouse, and the place where the masks were hidden, packaged and transferred was in this Zhongli warehouse.

    Where the leather was kept in this warehouse, one or two missing human skin masks were found.

    But after searching for two full days, the Chen family did not find many clues.

    Lu Yingjiu wanted to come over and take a look for himself.

    Anyway, he was the pinnacle of the industry, and coming to the scene would definitely bring rewards.

    When he was still the Chief, the Chen family also invited him to be the consultant many times. If he hadn¡¯t been investigated this time, the Chen family would have moved him here as a rescuer.

    Along the tall shelves, they slowly searched, and finally came to the leather area.

    Pieces of clothing have been turned upside down, every package was unpacked, and the clothes have been touched from the inside out. A pile of used talisman paper was scattered on the ground, enough to show how many people had been busy.

    Several genuine leather satchels were scattered outside. Lu Yingjiu knelt down and picked up one, and looked it over carefully.

    The inside of the satchel had a faint yin energy, and when he touched it lightly, there was a sticky touch on the bottom side. Like something, once stuck to it.

    He proceeded to the ground and found an empty thin plastic bag.

    The plastic bag was just about the size of a human face, with traces of clear glue on the top where it stuck to the bottom side.

    Lu Yingjiu lifted it up, and a bolt of lightning happened to strike outside the window, a pale light descended from the window, tearing apart the darkness and illuminating his brown eyes. With the light of lightning, he saw that the plastic bag had faint lines.

    It was the kind of very common line that suppressed Yin energy.

    He whispered, ¡°The human skin masks are packed into plastic bags here, and then shipped out together with various kinds of clothes, following the circulation of physical goods, and going to various places.¡±

    Putting down the plastic bag, Lu Yingjiu walked carefully around the warehouse.

    An exception was found.

    He squatted down and swept the ground, and faint symbol marks appeared.

    Jing Xian also squatted down and looked at the mark together with him.

    This was exactly the same as the mark in the mask processing room of the slaughterhouse.

    Lu Yingjiu erased the traces, and shoe prints suddenly appeared on the ground. They were still shoes of size 45-46.

    Someone has erased traces of himself.

    And it is almost certain that it is the same person in the slaughterhouse.

    Still with the same thought in mind: the level of the visitor is very high, and the members of the Chen family are definitely not idiots. It¡¯s a pity that exorcising ghosts requires extra talent. No matter how many tricks and amount of careful thinking, in front of Lu Yingjiu, it would be like playing tricks, with nowhere to hide.

    The person only went to the slaughterhouse once, and there were very few exposed traces, so it was impossible to confirm the person¡¯s identity.

    But judging from the dense footprints in front of him, the person had been active here for a long time. Just leave the traces like this, and when the Chen family discovered them tomorrow, they would definitely be able to track them down.

    This process was much easier than Lu Yingjiu thought. He brought a lot of talismans and planned to stay here all night looking for clues. Fortunately, that person¡¯s vigilance was too low, or he underestimated Lu Yingjiu¡¯s strength.

    Lu Yingjiu took out his phone.

    To be on the safe side, he took a few photos.

    Jing Xian watched beside him, then Lu Yingjiu whispered, ¡°At the moment, there is another person here. That person is watching us.¡±

    After he finished speaking, he was about to stand up-

    When another lightning struck, a pale light illuminated the hill-like clothes.

    Thunder sounded, and an icy chill fell from the sky!

    Lu Yingjiu raised his head, and a figure leaped high from the shelf in the darkness, with a sharp knife pointing at his most vital part!

 CH 27

    Lu Yingjiu had been preparing for a long time, and as soon as he pinched his hands, the black hairy dumpling appeared at his feet with an ¡°Awooo¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡±. Its chubby body showed great agility, jumped high, and directly bumped into the chest of the comer.

    There was a muffled sound.

    The comer let out a muffled grunt, and the sharp blade in his hand missed its aim. Seeing that he completely lost his balance, and was about to fall with his face facing the ground, but in mid air, his every inch of muscles tensed up, making movements that were difficult for ordinary people to achieve: his figure twisted around in a very strange posture.

    Just like a cat quickly adjusting its posture before landing. He landed steadily, propped up with one hand, turned around, and jumped up to the shelf more than ten meters high in half a second!

    It¡¯s as nimble as a monkey.

    Lu Yingjiu clicked his tongue.

    During the brief confrontation, he did see the opponent¡¯s eyes, which lit up faintly in the darkness with yellow pupils.

    The other party must have also invited a spirit.

    And judging from the agile posture and yellow pupils, it was the Spirit Ape of the Chen family!

    He is fighting with a person from the Chen family.

    But if the Chen family was here to investigate, there was no need to be sneaky. As soon as the flashlight shone, he should have shouted at Jing Xian and Lu Yingjiu with, ¡°Who are you! Show yourself!¡± and then wrestled together, trying to capture these two thieves. (TL: JX and LY)

    Since the comer dared not speak up, there was only one possibility: He has something to do with the human skin mask!

    The other nimbly hid his figure between the shelves.

    The Spirit Ape must have given him amazing flexibility. There were so many clothes on the shelves, and the packing bags would rattle when touched, but the other didn¡¯t make a sound. Not to mention the sound of rain, thunder, and wind mixed together, even if the other had flaws, he couldn¡¯t hear it at all.

    Jing Xian didn¡¯t know what he was thinking, he reached out to touch one of the shelves¡ª¡ª and then pinned down his hands.

    Lu Yingjiu stopped his movements and said in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t take any action, let me do it. Jing Xian?¡±

    For a moment, he felt like he was being despised, and was a bit hurt in his heart. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°This is a place with evidence,¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°You are too destructive every time, I¡¯m afraid that once you take action, this warehouse will be gone.¡±

    Jing Xian assured, ¡°I can control it.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡ª¡ª¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°Isn¡¯t that just in case, you should still stay here obediently.¡±

    Jing Xian still wanted to speak, but Lu Yingjiu poked his forehead neither lightly nor harshly.

    Lu Yingjiu laughed and said, ¡°It¡¯s not like I can¡¯t handle it.¡±

    As before, this poke as always was numbing and itchy.

    Jing Xian touched his forehead subconsciously, and quickly compromised under the beauty.

    It¡¯s okay, he said in his heart, a man must know how to give up the stage at the right time.

    Lu Yingjiu walked quickly into the darkness.

    The little black beast followed closely beside him, blinking its silver-gray eyes.

    The spell of ¡°Inviting the gods¡± was rapidly taking effect on Lu Yingjiu¡¯s body.

    Gradually, the outline of the objects became clearer. The clothes on the shelves had a fluffy texture, every drop of rain could be seen clearly outside the window, and the dust in the air was flying up and down. The five senses became sharp, he could distinguish the sound of every drop of rain, he could hear the conversation of several guards outside the door, and he could hear Jing Xian¡¯s breathing through the thunder.

    In such a world, everything had nowhere to hide.

    When he walked past the third shelf, he raised his head silently, and a talisman flew out of his hand!

    The person directly above was startled and avoided flexibly. But the talisman paper seemed to have eyes, passing through every gap precisely, approaching with the whistling sound of wind.

    The other was terrified for a moment: How did this man know his position!

    Both Lu Yingjiu and Jing Xian covered their faces. The other didn¡¯t know who it was, and only thought he was an ordinary ghost exorcist, but now it seemed that the strength of the other party should not be underestimated.

    Pinching a spell, a small golden-haired monkey appeared on his back. The other¡¯s eyes lit up, and he climbed across every compartment of shelves in a strange posture, using both hands and feet, and escaped another 20 to 30 meters in the blink of an eye, jumping across three or four shelves.

    Did I finally get rid of them?

    With lingering fears in his heart, the person who was lying on the top of the shelf, was just about to poke his head to see where Lu Yingjiu was, when he suddenly heard a voice coming from directly behind.

    Lu Yingjiu¡¯s tone was teasing. ¡°Why don¡¯t you run away?¡±

    At this moment, the person turned over and stabbed out a blade in his hand. This move was full of killing intent, and was aimed at his heart.

    However, there was a sudden force on his wrist¡ª

    Lu Yingjiu seemed to be only grasping his wrist loosely, but the strength was actually unbelievable. The person only felt a sharp pain in his wrist, as if some muscle had been tightly strangled. The hand couldn¡¯t help but loosen, and the blade made a clanging sound as it fell to the ground.

    The blade was still quivering due to the fall, when the person suddenly bent his knees and kicked.

    Although the strength of the Spirit Ape is not strong, if he kicks like this, if the other is caught off guard, a few ribs will still inevitably be broken.

    However, he only kicked air.

    Lu Yingjiu¡¯s figure flashed, and he had already circled to his right side. While still grabbing the other¡¯s wrist, he exerted force in a light and effortless manner.

    ¡°Ahhh!¡± the person screamed miserably. His wrist was directly broken!

    The pain was excruciating. Originally, there was the power of the ¡°Inviting the gods¡± to suppress the other, but it was not enough for the other to not put up resistance and be willing to be captured, however their fighting spirit had already been shattered in this less than 5 seconds of confrontation.

    Being able to dodge the kick at close range, the opponent is much more flexible than him.

    The wrist was also easily broken, the opponent¡¯s strength is terrifying as well.

    He¡¯s no match at all, it¡¯s¡­ what kind of monster is he?!

    He had no fighting spirit left, he just wanted to roll off the shelf and rush out the door.

    Of course, Lu Yingjiu couldn¡¯t give him such an opportunity, so he struck the back of his neck, and the man¡¯s head immediately tilted.

    Completely passed out.

    Lu Yingjiu picked him up with one hand.

    This man weighs about 80 kilograms, which in his current opinion was completely not a problem. Like this, he held the man while jumping off the shelf five or six meters high, and landing steadily.

    Jing Xian was already standing at the bottom waiting for him. As soon as Lu Yingjiu came down from, he saw an extra bottle of water in his hand.

    Lu Yingjiu:?

    He had a feeling that he was in a school sports meeting.

    I ran 1,500 meters hard, and a girl who liked me came to deliver water as soon as I finished.

    ¡­¡­¡­Although this ¡°girl who likes me¡± is a bit wrong, and doesn¡¯t quite fit the script.

    Lu Yingjiu glanced at Jing Xian, and secretly compared the heights of the two for who knew how many times.

    He¡¯s still a head shorter.

    He said, ¡°Where did you get the water?¡±

    Jing Xian coughed, ¡°Incidentally.¡±

    In fact, he asked a few brats to get it from the car.

    After Jing Xian handed him the water, he saw him casually throwing the man beside the shelf, and stepped forward to take a look. ¡°We have seen this man before.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, I didn¡¯t expect it either.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°This is a surprise.¡±

    This person happened to bump into them, if it was someone else that came, it might be impossible to discover their identity.

    At the very beginning of this case, he and Jing Xian tried to find Jin Xiaoyang¡ªthat was, the one who first posted that he had met a supernatural old lady.

    In the end, when they went to the building where Jin Xiaoyang lived, he couldn¡¯t find anyone, but instead met Chen Zheng¡¯s younger brother, Chen Qi. Chen Qi chatted with them all the way, and gave Lu Yingjiu a book before leaving. When they went downstairs, Jin Xiaoyang jumped off the building, killing himself.

    The exorcist who was with Chen Qi at that time, was the one in front of them.

    Lu Yingjiu said: ¡°When the Chen family sees him, they will definitely be pleasantly surprised.¡±

    He took out a piece of talisman paper.

    His eyes had completely turned silver gray. The physical and mental burden brought by ¡°Inviting the gods¡± was very heavy, and must be lifted in time, otherwise it would be counterproductive.

    He pinched the talisman paper to release it, and the little black beast reluctantly rubbed against his feet and disappeared.

    Lu Yingjiu said wearily, ¡°Jing Xian, will you tie the person up?¡±

    ¡°Tie him up?¡± Jing Xian said, ¡°I can only say that I have seen a few police and robbers films¡­¡­¡±

    For the next 10 minutes, Lu Yingjiu sat beside him, drinking water slowly. Jing Xian found a long rope from the warehouse and tied the man up in various ways. After tying him up, Lu Yingjiu pasted a talisman on the man¡¯s head.

    ¡ª¡ªThis time even supernatural beings wouldn¡¯t be able to escape.

    After finishing these, he clapped his hands with satisfaction. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    He and Jing Xian went back the same way and went out quietly through the back door.

    Before getting into the car, Lu Yingjiu flick out another talisman paper.

    The talisman floated through the rain curtain and landed next to the warehouse. A few seconds later, there was a loud noise.

    The loud noise was earth-shattering, and it immediately attracted the attention of the guards. There were voices, and a bunch of people rushed into the warehouse.

    Lu Yingjiu didn¡¯t have to worry about the next thing.

    The Maybach started silently, left the dilapidated parking lot, and drove towards the end of the rainy night.

    In the car, Lu Yingjiu saw his silver-gray eyes in the reflection of the car window.

    ¡®Inviting the gods¡± traces had not yet dissipated.

    When every ghost exorcist invited the gods, his appearance would be affected. If he abused the power of ghosts and gods, it would backfire, and even make him lose his sanity.

    Lu Yingjiu didn¡¯t often use ¡°Inviting the gods¡±.

    He was born with bad luck, and since he was a child, he had seen too many things that ordinary people couldn¡¯t see, almost never surviving his childhood.

    This weird physique was reflected in all aspects, for example, ¡°Inviting the gods¡± had a much greater influence on him than ordinary people. The duration of using it should not be too long to avoid backlash, as it would also take a long time for him to get rid of the traces of the ghosts and gods.

    In other words, he was closer to being a ¡°ghost¡± than anyone else.

    A few drops of rain flowed down the glass, condensing the lights in the car.

    As before, Lu Yingjiu subconsciously rubbed the longevity lock on his chest.

    After a long time, he remembered the master¡¯s words again.

    Although judging from various results, the master was just a scammer. But at least, the ghost marriage did solve his bad luck. Lu Yingjiu was skeptical of that master.

    In addition to arranging the ghost marriage, the master also told his fortune¡ªsaying that he would die at 27.

    At that time, the master finished his fortune-telling, tears were streaming down his face, and shouted, ¡°This is really heaven¡¯s jealousy of talents, the way of heaven is impermanent!¡± He wiped away his tears, and tightly grasped little Lu Yingjiu¡¯s hand, ¡°I am so sad for you, so the 200 yuan for fortune-telling, can you give it now?¡±

    (t/n God is jealous of a person¡¯s talent and makes his fate rough; or it describes a person¡¯s underappreciated talent . Generally refers to a very talented and outstanding person who died at a very young age!)

    (t/n way of heaven is impermanent- It means that the operation of nature is irregular and unpredictable.)

    Little Lu Yingjiu disdained him as his tears dripped down in his hands, and struggled to get away from him, but in the end he didn¡¯t give him a penny, and was nagged by the master for several days.

    At present, Lu Yingjiu was 26 years old. Thinking about it, he only had half a year before turning 27.

    A thunderbolt rolled past, and there was a loud bang between the sky and the earth.

    ¡°¡­¡­What are you thinking about?¡± Jing Xian asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Lu Yingjiu came back to his senses, shook his head, and said with a smile, ¡°I was just thinking that this world is a wonderful place, and tonight is just a coincidence, if we were 5 minutes late, maybe we wouldn¡¯t have bumped into that person. You and I as well, after so many years, I didn¡¯t expect to meet you again.¡±

    This time, Jing Xian was silent for a few seconds.

    He said, ¡°Some people appear by chance, while some are destined by fate.¡± He also smiled, ¡°Like me, there is a reason for my appearance.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu let out a ¡°hmm¡± and asked, ¡°You, what is the reason then?¡±

    Jing Xian said: ¡°For me, it¡¯s everything.¡±

    ****

    The next day.

    Early morning inside the office, Chen Zheng was furious. ¡°How do you all do things! How did he slip into the warehouse!!¡± In front of him was a photo of the man who was beaten up by Lu Yingjiu last night.

    The man¡¯s name was Chen Lin, and he used to be a staff member of Four Hole Slaughterhouse.

    ¡°No, no, I don¡¯t know!¡± A younger generation member of Chen family in front of him trembled, ¡°Maybe he used something, a very powerful talisman.¡±

    ¡°But you don¡¯t even know who knocked him out.¡±

    The man stopped talking, and asked Chu Banyang next to him for help with his eyes.

    Chu Banyang sat upright, well dressed as usual, and his hair was specially styled.

    He said unhurriedly, ¡°Chairman Chen, let¡¯s talk about Fan Xin first.¡±

    As expected, Chen Zheng¡¯s attention was diverted, and he asked, ¡°The girl is willing to speak?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Chu Banyang nodded.

    If the Peacock God of the Chu family used its abilities deliberately, it would have a certain hypnotic effect on people¡¯s minds.

    Although the effect of hypnosis was not strong, it¡¯d even be more difficult for people who were wary.

    From the very beginning when he chatted and questioned Fan Xin, he used the ability of the Peacock God. He noticed that Fan Xin was not only wary, but also full of fear.

    This fear answered all the questions he asked.

    Therefore, after six or seven days of intensive questioning, coupled with the new evidence constantly discovered by the Chen family, it finally shook the defense line in the girl¡¯s heart.

    Just this morning, sunlight came in through the glass of the ward, and the recording pen in front of the bed was working.

    In the bright morning light, Fan Xin with trembling lips, said: ¡°¡­Yes, on the day of the extermination case, I went to the bar pretending to be Chen Yanyan.¡±

    Chu Banyang asked: ¡°How did the real Chen Yanyan die?¡±

    Fan Xin showed a strange smile: ¡°The ghost killed her. Who told her to play some supernatural game.¡±

    Chu Banyang asked again: ¡°Over the years, who provided your human skin mask?¡±

    Fan Xin tightly shut her mouth and refused to speak again.

    Back in Chen Zheng¡¯s office, Chu Banyang said, ¡°The extermination case is a murder.¡±

    Chen Zheng couldn¡¯t help sighing.

    Chu Banyang continued, ¡°Now there¡¯s a turning point in the case, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary to continue investigating Lu Yingjiu.¡± He paused for a few seconds. ¡°Not only that, he had sufficient alibi evidence when the extermination case occurred. In fact, Lu Yingjiu and I were both handling commissions in Z City two months before and after the case occurred.¡±

    City Z and Lujiang City were in the south and the north, and they were thousands of kilometers away from each other.

    That was the only time Lu Yingjiu did a commission with Chu Banyang. The two of them and several other ghost exorcists met every day, and they were so busy that they had no free time at all. Sometimes they all fell asleep on the table when they were tired, and every phone call was a race against time.

    Back then, Lu Yingjiu was indeed listed as a suspect. But this powerful evidence directly let him get rid of the suspicion.

    Chu Banyang was one of the witnesses. It could be said that he was the person who knew that Lu Yingjiu was innocent at best.

    Chen Zheng sighed heavily, his fat body slumped back on the chair. ¡°In the past few days, I have withdrawn the investigation personnel and focused on studying the issue of human skin masks.¡±

    Chu Banyang sat up slightly, ¡°That is to say?¡±

    ¡°That is to say,¡± Chen Zheng rubbed his eyebrows, ¡°Xiao Lu really has nothing to do with this matter. Once we finish dealing with the matter at hand and find out the truth, we don¡¯t need to continue investigating him.¡±

    In this way, everyone was kept busy.

    Until the night fell and it was getting late, Chen Zheng and Chu Banyang left the building.

    The driver was waiting for Chu Banyang on the side of the road. It was very late at night, and there were no other cars on the street.

    Chu Banyang said to Chen Zheng, ¡°Chairman Chen, didn¡¯t you drive here, do you need me to send you back?¡±

    ¡°No need, no need.¡± Chen Zheng waved his hands again and again, ¡°My house is near, and I have been exercising recently.¡±

    Chu Banyang got into the car. The car started slowly, and he saw Chen Zheng riding a small shared bicycle on the street and leaving in a hurry. (TL: refers to the bicycle sharing service, and is a time-sharing rental model.)

    He rode pretty fast.

    Chu Banyang: ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡±

    Half an hour later.

    Chen Zheng had just finished taking a shower, and while drinking tea, he flipped through the documents on the table.

    As a prominent figure in the Chen family, he had actually been supervising the ¡°human skin mask¡± matter.

    The last person who cared so much about masks was Chen Minlan.

    The old lady was an upright person and did not tolerate any stains in the family. Chen Zheng had learned the Cloud Weaving Art from her, and had inherited many of her concepts, along with a deep hatred for human skin masks.

    Later, Chen Minlan¡¯s family unfortunately died, other people were also not interested in supervising the mask. If Chen Zheng hadn¡¯t been taking the lead, no one would have cared about it.

    But his persistence paid off.

    Once the matter of the Four-Hole Slaughterhouse came out, all the bright and dark lines he had found in the past could be slowly connected. If he¡¯s lucky, he could follow the vines and easily trace everyone.

    Chen Zheng took a deep breath, took a sip of the scented tea, put on his glasses and continued to read the materials.

    If human skin had been used in the slaughterhouse for a long time, then that person must know the structure of the slaughterhouse very well, and may also be one of the persons in charge. And over the years, that person had been continuously providing Fan Xin with human skin masks, which proved that the production line had not yet been cut off.

    Human skin masks were still being sold to this day.

    That person¡¯s abilities are so great, he must have a high status in the Chen family, that he can receive a lot of information in the first place.

    ¡­¡­¡­ No, not just the information obtained from the Chen family.

    Back then, the investigation of the Green Lantern Association was so rigorous, that person must have understood the entire set of procedures and methods used by the Green Lantern Association to investigate exorcists that he¡¯d avoid it perfectly.

    Chen Zheng frowned.

    What a hell of a day, why does the more he looks at it, the more he feels that the mole is himself?!

    He turned to the record of the scene again.

    The extinguished cigarette butts in the slaughterhouse, and the 45 size of footprints left behind.

    Understood the layout of the slaughterhouse, have a high status in the Chen family, have an inseparable relationship with the Green Lantern Association¡­¡­

    Smoking, size 45 shoes.

    Chen Zheng faintly felt that he thought of someone.

    But the thought flashed so fast that he couldn¡¯t distinguish it. His brain was aching, and he was just about to think about it when the doorbell rang twice.

    Only then did Chen Zheng remember that Chen Qi said that he would come over tonight.

    Chen Qi was also a very busy person, often turning day and night upside down, Chen Zheng had long been used to it.

    He opened the door.

    Chen Qi really stood outside the door and called out ¡°Elder brother¡±.

    He wore a full black suit today. The current temperature was humid, and even in the middle of the night, his attire was out of place.

    Chen Zheng sighed and said, ¡°It¡¯s really not the right time for you to come, you¡¯ve messed up my train of thought.¡±

    Chen Qi smiled, the flesh on his face squeezed together. ¡°You told me you¡¯d make me a cup of tea, don¡¯t you remember it?¡±

    ¡°What kind of tea do you want to drink?¡± Chen Zheng asked, ¡°Is Pu¡¯er tea okay? I¡¯m not in the mood to do it right now, so just make do with it.¡±

    He turned around and walked a few steps, but he didn¡¯t hear the footsteps of Chen Qi following behind.

    Chen Zheng looked back, Chen Qi was still standing at the door of his house.

    Chen Qi said with a smile, ¡°Elder brother, do you want to smoke a cigarette?¡±

 CH 28

    Early in the morning, Jing Xian was frying eggs in the kitchen.

    After Lu Yingjiu woke up, breakfast was set on the table. He didn¡¯t sleep well last night. He was half asleep and half awake the whole night, and only started to doze off in the morning. If he wasn¡¯t tempted by the smell of food, he would probably still be sleeping soundly in bed.

    It¡¯s still raining outside.

    It¡¯s just that it was only a drizzle, and was very quiet, without the violent feeling of the previous two days. He took a bite of the fried egg, and Jing Xian handed him a glass of water in a timely manner.

    The phone rang, it was Ye Feng calling.

    When he picked up the phone, Ye Feng said, ¡°Hey, something happened, Chen Zheng was stabbed last night.¡±

    Lu Ying slowed down his drinking of the porridge for a moment, and asked, ¡°What do you mean stabbed?¡±

    ¡°In a literal sense, he was stabbed several times, and now he is lying in the ICU for rescue, his life¡¯s not out of danger yet.¡± Ye Feng said, ¡°The other party is very ruthless, if it wasn¡¯t because he put a piece of talisman paper in his pocket everywhere and extended his life, he wouldn¡¯t have held on until Chu Banyang found him. It was also a coincidence, Young Master Chu had already gone half way when he found that he missed submitting the documents and went to Chen Zheng¡¯s house.¡±

    He forced a laugh, ¡°This old fox is really lucky.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu put down the spoon in his hand and narrowed his eyes, ¡°What is the situation at the scene?¡±

    ¡°Chu Banyang is investigating. A large group of people went over to the Chen family.¡± Ye Feng said, ¡°There are two more pieces of bad news. The first is that the key kept by Chen Zheng is missing. Afterwards, in the inventory evidence room, it was found that all the evidence was gone, including the human skin mask that was found.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu frowned, and asked again, ¡°What¡¯s the second bad news?¡±

    ¡°Fan Xin is gone too.¡± Ye Feng said, ¡°The nurse went to check the room in the morning and found that the room was already empty. Her whereabouts are still unknown.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­¡­..¡±

    He took a deep breath and rubbed his eyebrows, restraining his urge to curse.

    Then he stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to get the person back.¡±

    Ye Feng was taken aback. ¡°How will you find her?¡±

    ¡°I always have a way, don¡¯t I? And I have a very bad feeling that Fan Xin is in danger.¡± Lu Yingjiu hung up the phone.

    Fan Xin was haunted by ghosts, no matter how he thought about it, she should not ask him for help, but should go to the accomplice who provided her with the mask. But she didn¡¯t do this, there¡¯s a high probability that something went wrong between them.

    When Fan Xin was brought to the hospital, Lu Yingjiu, who was still wary of her, left a little paper doll on her body.

    His level was high, and if he really wanted to hide it, other ghost exorcists would not be able to find the paper figurine.

    But Fan Xin couldn¡¯t escape from the ward alone.

    She must have been taken away. In the positive direction, it would be the accomplice trying to rescue her; in the worst possible guess, it¡¯s to kill her and silence her.

    There was a backpack at the door, which contained all the items that Lu Yingjiu needed to go out. He carried his backpack and took two thick raincoats.

    He and Jing Xian got into the car.

    Jing Xian asked, ¡°Where to go?¡±

    ¡°East.¡± Lu Yingjiu put on his seat belt, ¡°Drive all the way to the seaside.¡±

    ****

    There was a burst of sound from the waves.

    The abandoned dock warehouse was full of the fishy smell of sea water. Looking out from the cramped windows, one could only see the iron-blue sky. The clouds were thick, and a fine drizzle fell.

    The girl in a hospital gown was nestled in a corner, her hair was scattered, her hands were tied behind her back, and there were several dragging wounds on her back and legs, which were mixed with sand, it was bright red and hideous. She was forcibly dragged out of the hospital and brought here all the way. The ropes on her legs had been loosened long ago, and she could have escaped, but¡­¡­.

    In front of her, a golden monkey was squatting.

    Seeing her move, it immediately bared its teeth, revealing a mouthful of fangs that could bite through a steel plate.

    Fan Xin knew how powerful the gods invited by an exorcist were.

    It¡¯s certainly not something she could match.

    At the end of the warehouse, there was a rustling sound. The man was looking for something, and seemed to have sensed the restlessness of the spirit ape, and then said, ¡°I advise you to behaved, this guy has eaten human flesh before.¡±

    Fan Xin trembled.

    She looked at Chen Qi¡¯s back.

    From the beginning of planning the murder, she knew that the other party was a cold-blooded person¡ª¡ªat that time, she was not afraid, but felt joy because cold-blooded was what she needed the most.

    But she didn¡¯t expect that six years later, when this coldness was directed at herself, how terrible it would be.

    After Chen Qi finished sorting out his things, he found more than a dozen passports and fake passports hidden in this warehouse, as well as large sums of cash. These banknotes were carefully placed inside a box, and once opened, it was an eyeful of pink, which was very exciting.

    These things had been here for an unknown number of years, and they finally came in handy today, enough to make him fly away.

    He carried these things, with a chubby body, walked back with some difficulty, and sat on the wooden box opposite Fan Xin.

    The crate groaned under his weight.

    Chen Qi brought a human skin mask along the way, but when he was looking for something, he was accidentally scratched by a piece of scrap iron. The mask was inherently fragile, the incision was flipped outward, which looked particularly eerie.

    He touched his face, realized this, clicked his tongue, then took off the whole mask, and put it beside him.

    Now, in front of Fan Xin, it was that familiar face again.

    The get-away speedboat hadn¡¯t arrived yet, the sea breeze was blowing outside, like wailing ghosts and howling wolves, and the black waves hit the pier, blooming snow-white.

    Chen Qi stroked back his sweaty black hair, looked at the trembling girl in front of him, and suddenly had the urge to reminisce about the past.

    He said, ¡°When I first met you, you were only 16 years old, now, you are so big.¡±

    Fan Xin didn¡¯t speak.

    Chen Qi shook his head and said, ¡°You were still so smart back then, why did you live longer and come back? When you said you wanted to take revenge on Chen Yanyan, you were very straightforward.¡±

    After a long time, Fan Xin said with a trembling voice, ¡°You, you let me go, I won¡¯t say anything. These days, I haven¡¯t mentioned your name at all.¡±

    ¡°Let you go?¡± Chen Qi laughed, ¡°You made a mistake from the very beginning, you shouldn¡¯t have asked Lu Yingjiu for help, and even took him to the slaughterhouse. If it weren¡¯t for him, I could have delayed it for another year or two.¡±

    Mentioning Lu Yingjiu¡¯s name, anger flashed between his brows, and he said in a low voice, ¡°Anyway, his about to die¡­¡­.it¡¯s only half a year away¡­¡­¡­.¡±

    His voice was too low for Fan Xin to hear this sentence.

    Chen Qi patted the suitcase behind him again, and said with a smile, ¡°Within two days, they will definitely find me. That guy Chen Ming is a waste, simply going to the warehouse to destroy evidence and he was caught. His mouth is not tight, what should be said and what should not be said, he will definitely explain. Originally, they should have found out today, but my brother¡¯s death is enough to cause them chaos for a few days.¡±

    Fan Xin looked at him in disbelief.

    ¡°What? You think I won¡¯t attack my brother?¡± Chen Qi clicked his tongue, ¡°He¡¯s so stupid, and he¡¯s very hard-headed on some issues. I don¡¯t know how much effort I have spent all these years to guard against him. Anyhow, you¡¯re not important anymore, but you¡¯re the only one who knows the whole thing. Until now, if you¡¯re not dead, I always feel like I can¡¯t sleep well.¡±

    Six years ago, Chen Qi had been planning how to get rid of Chen Minlan¡¯s family.

    He had been producing human skin masks in the Four Hole Slaughterhouse, and through logistics, he sold the masks without anyone noticing. Many years had passed like this, but one day, Chen Minlan suddenly discovered something.

    As the head of the Chen family, Chen Minlan was an upright person, and she absolutely couldn¡¯t allow this kind of behavior, therefore she mobilized a lot of people to investigate. Chen Qi had always been cautious, but after all, fire couldn¡¯t be contained in paper, seeing that it was a matter of time before he was discovered, he suddenly became murderous.

    He had not found a suitable breakthrough yet.

    Murder was one thing, how to cover it up was another. After all, Chen Minlan¡¯s family were all ghost exorcists. How would they be so careless and attract ghosts without any reason?

    He wanted to attack Chen Yanyan, who knew the least about exorcising ghosts, but time was running out and he didn¡¯t have many opportunities.

    At this time, Fan Xin came into his sight.

    When Chen Qi secretly observed Chen Yanyan, he could see that they sometimes put on masks to exchange identities ¨C he knew too much about the Cloud Weaving Technique, and since Chen Yanyan used masks made of animal skin, he could see the flaws at a glance.

    He took a little more effort to inquire.

    The thoughts of the two female high school students were not a secret to him at all, and he quickly figured out the situation.

    Chen Yanyan forced Fan Xin to switch identities with her. And she usually gets along with her classmates, relying on her understanding of some simple little spells. She was also beautiful, arrogant, and not very likable.

    But usually she also liked to play with Fan Xin, uttering ¡°good friend¡± each mouthful.

    Fan Xin¡¯s appearance was mediocre, because her family was poor since she was a child, she wore rustic clothes. Standing with Chen Yanyan, it¡¯s like an ugly duckling and a white swan. Fan Xin¡¯s boyfriend was Lu Fanghong, it was unknown whether it was intentional or not, but when they were playing together, Chen Yanyan would always try to hold Lu Fanghong back, or pat him on the head, making unnecessary physical contact.

    Lu Fanghong didn¡¯t know whether it was because of his weak personality that he didn¡¯t dare to refuse, or because he really had no bottom line and let Chen Yanyan do what he did.

    Chen Yanyan enjoyed the contrast, but didn¡¯t notice the jealousy and resentment towards her in Fan Xin¡¯s eyes.

    Chen Qi noticed.

    One afternoon after school, he wore a human skin mask, carefully disguised himself as a high school student, and found Fan Xin alone.

    ¡°I know you are exchanging identities.¡± He said bluntly, ¡°I am also from the Chen family, and I need you to do me a favor.¡± Fan Xin stepped back half a step vigilantly.

    Chen Qi said: ¡°I specialize in masks. Do you want to become as beautiful as Chen Yanyan? I can help you do it.¡±

    Fan Xin¡¯s eyes moved.

    Chen Qi continued: ¡°What you have to do is very simple. You go and tell Chen Yanyan that you want to do a courage test and play a supernatural game.¡±

    Fan Xin finally spoke: ¡°Why? What exactly do you want to do?¡±

    Chen Qi spread his hands, ¡°It¡¯s a private matter between me and her. I just want to scare her and make her think that she has been possessed by a ghost. How about it? Think about it.¡± He smiled, ¡°The masks I made are very realistic.¡±

    Fan Xin looked up at him: ¡°¡­Will you hurt her?¡±

    Chen Qi thought she couldn¡¯t bear it in her heart, and hypocritically assured: ¡°It¡¯s just to scare her.¡±

    Unexpectedly, Fan Xin shook her head and said: ¡°I thought you could do it a little harder.¡±

    Chen Qi was stunned for a moment, and then smiled: ¡°You will know later. In this way, I will tell you which day to choose, Chen Yanyan¡¯s younger brother¡¯s birthday is coming soon¡­¡±

    Later, Fan Xin found an excuse and said that she wanted to play a supernatural game.

    Chen Yanyan was originally not interested, but she didn¡¯t want to appear timid, so she said ¡±Otherwise, let¡¯s go to the slaughterhouse, I¡¯m familiar with that place¡±.

    Chen Qi gave Fan Xin the ghosts¡¯ obsession in advance.

    From the very beginning, he planned to kill Chen Yanyan: If he wanted Fan Xin to pretend to be her and get in touch with Chen Minlan, then Chen Yanyan must die.

    But what they didn¡¯t expect was for Chen Yanyan and Ke Yu to stumble upon each other by mistake, run into a sheep ghost and saw human skin masks while escaping.

    Fortunately, this change did not affect the plan: Ke Yu is a complete outsider, and easy to fool. Chen Yanyan, also known as ¡°Fan Xin¡±, was unknowingly killed by him and thrown into the sea.

    The real Fan Xin took the ghost and went to the KTV.

    She had been imitating Chen Yanyan for a long time, even in front of her family, she could procrastinate for a long time.

    That day, Chen Yanyan¡¯s younger brother ran around screaming and singing out-of-key songs, and the unpacked gift boxes were scattered all over the floor, which was very colorful. There was also a cake in the private room to celebrate his 6th birthday, and after being cut open, it was a delicious cream and strawberries.

    The joy was overflowing.

    Until Fan Xin released the ghost when they were most relaxed.

    Back to the present, in the seaside warehouse, Fan Xin closed her eyes, as if she could still recall the large expanse of scarlet that bloomed in front of her eyes, and the blood splashed on the unfinished cake and birthday present. She was so frightened that she collapsed to the ground, and saw the woman holding the child tightly, the talisman paper in the man¡¯s hand was slowly soaked in red, and the old lady¡¯s bloodstained hands were tightly clutching the phone.

    The phone displayed a sent text message.

    ¡­Do you want to ask for help?

    Fan Xin couldn¡¯t think anymore, nor did she have the courage to step forward to check.

    As she sat there in the gore, she let out a small, whimpering scream.

    Time travel back to this abandoned seaside warehouse.

    Chen Qi said casually, ¡°Do you know what I regret the most? It was when I gave you a talisman and didn¡¯t let you be killed by that ghost together.¡±

    Fan Xin opened her mouth.

    She knew that she was definitely going to die, but anger grew in her chest. She bit her lip and said, ¡°But you didn¡¯t tell me that the ghost stayed on me after killing their whole family.¡±

    ¡°You should feel lucky. It was injured by Chen Minlan, and fell asleep for 6 years. It didn¡¯t wake up until Chen Minlan, that old immortal, lingering ghost, ran out recently.¡± Chen Qi smiled, ¡°You were supposed to die a long time ago.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I had no choice but to find Lu Yingjiu.¡± Fan Xin looked at him, ¡°And exposed you.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Chen Qi sighed, ¡°That¡¯s why I said that what I regret the most is that I didn¡¯t kill you together. From that next few years, seeing that you were younger and was soft-hearted again, I really shouldn¡¯t have. But it doesn¡¯t matter, today we can still make up for the shortcomings.¡±

    He looked at the time. ¡°It¡¯s almost time, let¡¯s go.¡±

    The spirit ape bared his fangs at Fan Xin, seeing that she was slow to get up, he swung his claws, leaving a bloodstain on her clean calf.

    Fan Xin groaned, under the threat of it, she had to stumble and follow Chen Qi to the back door of the warehouse.

    There was a car covered by a black dust cloth, the rain hit the cloth, making a rattling sound. Chen Qi lifted up the black cloth, underneath was a Land Rover.

    He opened the back door and said to Fan Xin, ¡°Get in.¡±

    The spirit ape roared behind her at the right time, and jumped onto her shoulder again, grabbing her hair. Fan Xin felt her toes curl up, but she still had to get in the car.

    Chen Qi started the Land Rover and drove all the way along the seashore towards the distant pier.

    He opened his mouth and said, ¡°Which sea do you like? Seeing that we have known each other for a few years, I will leave you in a place you like.¡± He smiled again, ¡°But there are not many choices. At most, choose the north-south orientation.¡±

    Fan Xin gritted her teeth and did not speak.

    The car obviously drove smoothly, but her stomach was clenched tightly, it¡¯s as if a heavy stone was in her body, and falling crazily down. She was so uncomfortable that she wanted to vomit, she looked at the iron-blue sky in the distance, closed her eyes, and remembered the scene 6 years ago.

    ¡­It¡¯s probably a case of evil being rewarded with evil, she thought.

    It¡¯s just that the death of Chen¡¯s family came quickly. And her death was slow, 6 years ago was like a bit of cutting meat with a blunt knife.

    She looked at her face again from the rearview mirror of the car.

    The skin was yellowish and the lips were chapped. The hair was messy, the eyes that were not big, were bloodshot, and the bridge of the nose was not straight, no matter how one looked at it, it didn¡¯t seem to have anything to do with a beautiful woman.

    She hadn¡¯t seen herself this way for many years.

    Chen Qi did not tell her that Chen Yanyan would die as ¡°Fan Xin¡±.

    By the time she realized this, she was already at the end of her rope.

    She had no way to take off this mask called ¡°Chen Yanyan¡±, otherwise, the truth would be revealed¡­

    Everyone would know that she was the murderer of that family.

    She played Chen Yanyan like this for so long. Sometimes she¡¯d get confused and didn¡¯t know who she was.

    Finally, until today, I no longer have to act anymore.

    Fan Xin closed her eyes, her hands hurting from being strangled by the rope.

    When she opened her eyes again, she saw a black car following them from the rearview mirror.

    In this thin rain, it was a black Maybach.

    Her thinking froze for a few seconds: Here, how could there be other cars? Could it be that someone accidentally got lost?

    Chen Qi also noticed it, cursed in a low voice, and stepped on the accelerator to speed up.

    He wasn¡¯t sure who it was, he was afraid that he would overreact and expose the anomaly instead.

    The monkey had been lying on Fan Xin¡¯s shoulder, and at this moment it made a few chirping noises, and suddenly, seemingly found something, it stretched out its hand to grab it. The sharp claws scratched the back of Fan Xin¡¯s neck, and goosebumps broke all over her body.

    Screech¡ª

    Then she lightly shouldered, and the monkey screamed and jumped to the front seat, the outstretched paw emitting green smoke!

    It was scalded severely, its fur was black, and the scent of the meat being burnt could still be smelt.

    And behind Fan Xin¡¯s neck, a small white paper man stood up.

    It thrust its waist vividly and seemed to be provoking the monkey.

    Chen Qi¡¯s pupils suddenly shrank.

    The talisman on the paper man¡¯s body flickered slightly, it was clearly a talisman for tracking location!

    How is it possible! When he took Fan Xin out of the hospital, he clearly checked it carefully!

    After all, he is from the Chen family, and his level is still very good. How could he not even find this obvious paper figurine.

    Unless¡­¡­

    Chen Qi¡¯s scalp tingled for a while.

    If it was other ghost exorcists who came, he was sure he could handle it, but he was afraid that the one who came was¡­¡­

    He slammed on the gas pedal, and the car roared and ran towards the sea.

    The Maybach in the rear view mirror was chasing after him, and its speed also gradually increased. It accelerated very violently, crashing straight through the rain curtain. No matter how Chen Qi¡¯s instrument panel pointer rose, the distance was getting narrower little by little.

    The speed was still increasing.

    80, 90, 100¡­130..150¡­180.

    Chen Qi was so nervous that his palms were sweating, the scenery outside the window became a straight line, the rain was crackling on the window, the lightning was pale, and the thunder rolled down from the sky and exploded in his ears.

    The distance was drawn closer.

    The Maybach was almost clinging to the back of the Land Rover. Chen Qi glanced back quickly and saw a completely strange man in the driver¡¯s seat. He froze for a moment.

    There was no one else in the co-pilot, so the person who came was not Lu Yingjiu?

    But Jing Xian raised the corners of his mouth at him and smiled, with a strong sense of mockery.

    The front of the Land Rover suddenly weighed heavily.

    Chen Qi suddenly looked away, only to see that there was clearly an extra person on the front cover of the car.

    But this car is speeding 200 kilometers per hour, how did this person get on!

    Against the headlights, he couldn¡¯t see the other person¡¯s face clearly, and only saw a pair of bright, silver-gray eyes.

    In the next second, a hand pierced through the glass, grabbing his throat among the thousands of shards of glass!

    Chen Qi had originally covered the car with talisman papers, but at this time the talisman papers were blazing, then his fierce aura rushed towards the newcomer. However, the airflow that should cut iron like mud once fell on the opponent¡¯s body, didn¡¯t even cut his clothes, and only scattered. Chen Qi¡¯s scalp went numb, and he slammed the steering wheel. The high-speed car turned sharply and rushed towards the beach at a dangerous angle.

    The inertia was too great, Fan Xin was thrown violently, her head hit the glass, and her sight became pitch black.

    Before she could react, a sense of suspension came.

    Her eyes widened: This Land Rover is in mid air!

    Boom!

    After a brief sense of weightlessness, the Land Rover fell into the sea, splashing huge water. Sea water rushed in through the broken glass, Fan Xin was hit in the face by the sea water, even drank a few sips of water, as her hands were still tied tightly. She wriggled vigorously, but it was of no avail. She wanted to open her eyes to see the situation clearly, but the bitterness of the sea water made her almost unable to open her eyes.

    In the next second, her neckline became heavy.

    She tried her best to look up, and with the faint light of the headlights, she saw Lu Yingjiu¡¯s half-dark face, and his hair that was lightly curled by the sea water.

    As soon as he stretched out his hand, he dragged her out of the car.

    But Fan Xin¡¯s leg was in severe pain again. When she looked back, it turned out that the spirit ape was grabbing her right ankle inside the car!

    The sharp claws scratched the skin, and the blood floated in the sea water. The hair of the golden-haired monkey was like a burning flame, and the sea water around him was boiling. It showed its fierce face, opened its mouth, and was about to bite her with its fangs!

    If this bite succeeds, bones can be directly exposed.

    But it did not succeed.

    Fan Xin watched helplessly, a terrifying black giant hand appeared from the deep seabed and under the body of the Land Rover.

    That ghost hand had sharp nails, and the palm alone was five or six circles bigger than the Land Rover. It looked like some kind of monster floating up from the deep sea. The shadow covered the whole body, and with a light grip¡ª¡ª

    The metal was crumpled like a piece of paper, with the body of the spirit ape still in the car, a large cloud of blood mist suddenly dispersed, and it was crushed to death without even screaming.

    The ghosts and gods invited by a ghost exorcist couldn¡¯t really ¡°die¡± if their bodies were not in the mortal world.

    But the power of this grip was still too terrifying. Lu Yingjiu had never seen a ghost die so cruelly.

    In the icy sea water, Lu Yingjiu only felt warmth on his back.

    Jing Xian drove the Maybach that was nearly ten million yuan, and followed them into the sea without letting go of the accelerator. At this time, he hugged Lu Yingjiu tightly from behind, trying to bring him to the surface of the sea.

    Lu Yingjiu grabbed him backhanded.

    In the dark and icy water, they looked at each other.

    A very brief and also a long stare.

    It only took half a second for Jing Xian to understand: Lu Yingjiu knows.

    Know that he is a ghost, and not a person.

 CH 29

    Lu Yingjiu dragged Fan Xin to the shore.

    On the other end, Jing Xian threw Chen Qi aside like trash. Chen Qi was passed out and laid motionless.

    This guy Chen Qi invited a god, with the unique agility of the spirit ape, he loosened his seat belt in just a few seconds when he fell into the water, and got out through the front window, without being caught with the car.

    But after the monkey was squeezed to death by Jing Xian, he lost his ability and sank to the bottom of the sea like a stone.

    In the water, Lu Yingjiu held Fan Xin in his arms, while giving Jing Xian a meaningful lance, only then was Jing Xian¡¯s murderous intent reluctantly appeased, and went to save Chen Qi in disgust.

    Fan Xin leaned against the shore and coughed hard, like tearing the lungs and heart, as if she wanted to cough up her lungs. Her lower leg caught by the monkey was scalded, a large piece of flesh was red and swollen, and it hurt just by looking at it.

    Under the blue sky in the distance, the gust of wind whistled, and more than a dozen cars were approaching, accompanied by the sound of loud sirens.

    On the way here, Lu Yingjiu notified the Green Lantern Association and the Chen family, now that group of people had finally arrived.

    Lu Yingjiu and Jing Xian were wet all over, the sky was still lightly raining, and the sea breeze was icy cold.

    Lu Yingjiu pinched a piece of talisman paper, dried their bodies, and then looked at Jing Xian.

    The rain quickly wet them again, deep and shallow raindrops stained their clothes.

    A few drops of water slid down Lu Yingjiu¡¯s fair cheeks and dripped on his chin.

    He had just finished inviting the god, and the characteristics of the spirit had not yet dissipated on his body. His pupils were still a strange color, there were even short ghost horns growing on his forehead, which was exactly the same as the one on the head of the little black beast¡ªif it was not for the wrong atmosphere, Jing Xian would really want to poke it.

    The two looked at each other.

    Jing Xian thought that Lu Yingjiu was going to bring up what happened just now.

    That moment, he acted on impulse when he saw that the seawater around the spirit ape was boiling, and that it was about to spread towards Lu Yingjiu. That ghost hand he summoned was really sinister. Lu Yingjiu happened to have invited the god again, and was at the most sensitive stage, how could he not notice it?

    No matter how outrageous the things he did before, they were all without yin energy.

    It¡¯s completely different from this time.

    He was a little uneasy.

    Lu Yingjiu, no matter the case, was still an exorcist. What would he think of a ghost who disguised his identity and stayed by his side?

    What should he do, should he just confess, or¡­

    Lu Yingjiu opened his mouth, and he raised his chin into the sea, ¡°Your car is a few million dollars, it¡¯s soaked in water.¡± He¡¯s referring to Jing Xian¡¯s Maybach.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Jing Xian said, thinking that he was the one who was going to have a big accident.

    The sea breeze blew their clothes.

    Lu Yingjiu wiped the water from his face with the back of his hand, and smiled at him.

    The meaning of this smile was unclear.

    ¡°It¡¯s finally over,¡± he said.

    ****

    To Jing Xian¡¯s surprise, Lu Yingjiu did not mention this matter for a long time.

    Taking notes, looking for traces, interrogating prisoners, cooperating with investigations¡­ Lu Yingjiu was so busy in those few days that he returned to the days when he was still the chief in a trance. As soon as he got busy, his work and rest were extremely chaotic, and his three meals a day were all maintained by Jing Xian.

    Jing Xian made full use of the teaching achievements of the new oriental teacher ghost, and changed his pattern every day. No matter where Lu Yingjiu was, he could deliver meals in time. While the other ghost exorcists suffer from (hahaha) holding instant noodles, Lu Yingjiu was holding a bento box with love, eating the ingredients that were piled up with pure money without any pretense. A burst of fragrance wafted out, causing others to look red-eyed. There was also Jing Xian sitting next to him, holding a drink and asking him which one he would like to drink, whether it was hot or cold, and if he wanted anything else, and to only just tell him.

    After finishing the meal and being busy all afternoon, Lu Yingjiu left again in a luxury car¡ªalthough he was too lazy to research, what brand did Jing Xian change today?

    Ye Feng was also shocked by this, and secretly pulled Lu Yingjiu and said, ¡°That person named Jing Xian is really an intern in your office?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Lu Yingjiu was drinking the grape juice that Jing Xian bought for him.

    ¡°You pay him a salary?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°How much is a month?¡±

    ¡°Six thousand.¡±

    ¡°Six thousand?!¡± Ye Feng¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°What is he doing with this kind of salary of six thousand, What¡¯s the purpose? It¡¯s not for the purpose of becoming wealthy, he¡¯ll only exhaust himself.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu bit his straw and said casually, ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s a young master who wants to experience mortal life and condescends to come to me.¡±

    Ye Feng looked at the blue Pagani parked outside the door, hesitated again and again, and said, ¡°Are you sure, you were not being raised by him?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu almost choked, with a complicated look on his face, ¡°No matter how poor I am, I won¡¯t want to be raised by others. Besides, no one who has eyes will like me.¡±

    Ye Feng glanced at him, and thought to himself: How could anyone not like you, there are as many as you want¡­¡­ And no matter how you look at Jing Xian, something is wrong!

    Ye Feng said, ¡°When I look at you now, it¡¯s like looking at a juicy Chinese cabbage.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu:?

    After more than ten days of busy contacting in this way, everything that should be checked was finally found out.

    Jin Xiaoyang¡¯s death was caused by Chen Qi¡¯s close associates that day ¨C they were worried that Jin Xiaoyang had been in contact with Chen Minlan and knew the information of the year, so under Chen Qi¡¯s instructions, they acted harshly.

    Lu Yingjiu merely heard fake cries for help in the Lane East Bar, and was tricked into that private room, which was also Chen Qi¡¯s scheme. Since the day they met, Chen Qi saw that he had the intention of pursuing the case, therefore he had the idea of framing the trouble.

    From the Four Hole Slaughterhouse to Zhongli Warehouse, they uncovered a whole human skin mask production line. Most of the people involved were Chen Qi¡¯s cronies, including local gangsters. Although there were inevitably many fish that slipped through the net, as long as one followed the clues and searched slowly, one could catch all the participants.

    Regarding the extermination case, Fan Xin had said everything that should be said.

    She explained in detail the story of her swapping identities with Chen Yanyan, how she met Chen Qi, and how she put on a human skin mask and brought the ghost to the Lane East bar.

    Finally, the girl leaned on the back of the chair and showed a complicated smile, ¡°This is the whole story. At the beginning I didn¡¯t expect that things would develop like this. I just want to take revenge on Chen Yanyan, to disfigure her, and to experience the feeling of threatening her by her own family¡ª¡ªshe used to say to me most often, ¡°Fan Xin, if you dare to be caught by others, tell your family members to be careful, I am from the Chen family¡¯.¡±

    She took a deep breath. ¡°However, if you think about it carefully, Chen Qi told me that he would give me a mask to make me look good, and that¡¯s also an important reason why I agreed. I really envy Chen Yanyan, who is beautiful and rich. I worked so hard to get into a good school, while she simply gave some money and got in. Why do all the good things happen to her?¡±

    ¡°But I really didn¡¯t expect, I played her role for so long.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°Do you still think Chen Yanyan is pretty?¡±

    This time, Fan Xin remained silent for a long time.

    For a long time, Lu Yingjiu thought she wouldn¡¯t speak up anymore.

    Then she said slowly, ¡°Well, I still think she is very beautiful, and I still want to have her face.¡±

    ¡°I want to have her life.¡±

    She smiled at Lu Yingjiu, ¡°Am I hopeless?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu also laughed, ¡°In fact, everyone has a bit of a hopeless part. The only difference is where the bottom line is.¡±

    The conversation ended here.

    Before leaving, Lu Yingjiu took one last look at Fan Xin.

    The young girl had a pointed chin, a full forehead, and a few pimples on her skin, but no matter how one looked at it, she looked youthful.

    ¡°You know,¡± Lu Yingjiu said suddenly, ¡°I think you¡¯re pretty good-looking too.¡±

    Fan Xin froze for a moment, pulled the corners of her mouth, and showed a smile that was unknown whether it was true or not.

    The truth came to light, and the suspicion on Lu Yingjiu was cleared away.

    On the day the case was closed, Lu Yingjiu went to the hospital to see Chen Zheng.

    He brought a bouquet of orchids and placed them by his bedside. There were large bouquets of flowers and several baskets of fresh fruits sent by others beside the bed. The apples had a bright red appearance and were juicy and delicious.

    The liquid in the infusion bottle was clear, and the data of various instruments was beating. After several major surgeries, Chen Zheng was lying on the hospital bed without energy. When he saw him coming, he could only barely support himself.

    The two hadn¡¯t seen each other for many days, the last time they met was not very good, Chen Zheng was forcing Lu Yingjiu to leave between the lines, and Lu Yingjiu directly called him an idiot¡­¡­ After going through so much, including the incident at the bar, it was really embarrassing.

    If this time Lu Yingjiu had the intent to unplug Chen Zheng¡¯s ventilator, it would probably be reasonable.

    Lu Yingjiu didn¡¯t say much, just greeted him a few words, told him to take a good rest, and got up to leave.

    Originally, he came this time purely because of the friendship between the two for many years. Speaking of this, it was already benevolent enough.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Chen Zeng barely straightened up again as he saw that he was about to leave. ¡°The thing about the investigation¡­¡­¡± Lu Yingjiu looked back at him.

    Chen Zheng took a deep breath, ¡°The investigation is not groundless, and I never fabricated any evidence. I really thought you were related to the extermination case.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu raised his eyebrows, ¡°So what is that evidence?¡±

    Chen Zeng appeared reluctant.

    According to the regulations, he absolutely could not tell Lu Yingjiu.

    Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°Forget it, it doesn¡¯t matter, I will figure it out myself sooner or later.¡±

    When he opened the door, he heard Chen Zheng say again, ¡°Do you have time the night after tomorrow? I¡¯ll have someone contact you.¡±

    ****

    Two days later.

    Lu Yingjiu and Jing Xian stood in front of the building of the Green Lantern Association under the night sky.

    At the back door, a ghost exorcist poked his head furtively, looked around, pointed to himself and said, ¡°I¡¯m Xiao Ning, President Chen asked me to come here.¡±

    He handed something to Lu Yingjiu.

    Lu Yingjiu took a look and saw that they were two work cards with a black background.

    The work card with a black background had the highest authority. With it, one could go to almost all places in the Green Lantern Association.

    The ghost exorcist took them to the elevator and all the way to the rooftop.

    He whispered, ¡°You guys wait here first, there are still people in the evidence room, which is inconvenient. In ten minutes or so, they should be off work, and then I¡¯ll come up to find you again.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu nodded, and the exorcist went downstairs.

    Therefore on the rooftop, there were only him and Jing Xian.

    From here, the city at night was full of bright lights. Looking down from such a high place, pedestrians were as small as ants, and they could only see the constant flow of traffic, like countless luminous rivers.

    Lu Yingjiu stood in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, overlooking the entire Lujiang City.

    As usual, Jing Xian stood by his side.

    Lu Yingjiu was thinking about something, rubbing the longevity lock on his chest.

    After a long time, he said, ¡°Jing Xian, you know that ghosts should not stay in the human world, right? The term ¡®people and ghosts have different paths¡¯ did not just come out of thin air.¡±

    Jing Xian¡¯s heart tightened.

    Lu Yingjiu was finally settling accounts with him.

    Lu Yingjiu continued, ¡°I don¡¯t know why you know me well, that you can even find the most suitable candidate ¡®Da Guo¡¯ from my social circle¡ªI have known him since we were young, and we haven¡¯t contacted or seen each other for a very long time.  Even if we meet, we have no other mutual friends. Even if I suspect you, I can¡¯t find anyone to corroborate it.¡±

    ¡°Besides,¡± he took a deep breath, ¡°from the very beginning when you contacted me, you have completely occupied all the contact information of ¡®Da Guo¡¯. I can¡¯t even get in touch with the real Da Guo.¡±

    Jing Xian listened silently.

    He had nothing to refute. Indeed, he borrowed this false identity.

    Seeing that he was silent, Lu Yingjiu sighed inwardly, turned around and said, ¡°To be honest, I¡­¡­¡±

    Before he finished speaking, Jing Xian grabbed his wrist. Jing Xian took half a step forward, almost pushing him against the French window. Lu Yingjiu retreated subconsciously, but was stopped by the glass, and was forced to raise his chin to look at Jing Xian.

    He saw those deep eyes lit up by thousands of lights outside the glass.

    Just like the day they first met, when Jing Xian looked at him, there was a bright light in his eyes, as if thousands of words were hidden in them.

    Jing Xian got too close, their breaths blended together.

    Jing Xian said in a low voice, ¡°Then, great ghost exorcist, are you going to get rid of me?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu was stunned for half a second, then smiled and said, ¡°If I really do something, are you willing to submit obediently?¡±

    His remark was originally a joke, but he saw that Jing Xian was also smiling

    It was a smile that lost its usual cover-up, it was full of evil energy and was extremely arrogant. It wasn¡¯t until this moment that Jing Xian seemed to fully show the evil nature of a ghost, his eyebrows and eyes were extremely aggressive, his gaze slid across Lu Yingjiu¡¯s face, from his eyes to his temples.

    He placed Lu Yingjiu¡¯s hand on his heart, and said word by word, ¡°As long as you want to kill me, no matter how many times, I am willing.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu could feel the beating of his heart.

    After a few seconds, he lowered his eyes, ¡°Don¡¯t make me sound like a pervert.¡±

    He withdrew his hand, trying to gently push Jing Xian back to the normal social distance, but he couldn¡¯t.

    Jing Xian didn¡¯t budge an inch, maintained the posture of imprisoning him by the floor-to-ceiling window, and whispered in his ear, ¡°I thought you would get rid of all the ghosts you see.¡±

    This was also the attitude of most exorcists.

    They believed that ¡°humans and ghosts have different paths¡±.

    What¡¯s more, Jing Xian came here pretending to be his old friend, no matter how one looked at it, it seemed that he had bad intentions.

    ¡°Why,¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°do you really think that I will attack you as soon as I find out that you are a ghost? Or that maybe I will be prejudiced against you?¡± Jing Xian looked at him silently, almost acquiescing.

    For some reason, Lu Yingjiu suddenly smiled, ¡°Then let me tell you a secret.¡±

    He took out his mobile phone and looked through the chat records between himself and Ye Feng.

    Lu Yingjiu: [Give this a call, 138xxxxxx68]

    Ye Feng: [Who? What do I say after I call?]

    Lu Yingjiu: [Just say that you forgot to note this number, and want to see who it is.]

    Jing Xian frowned slightly.

    This was indeed the phone number for Da Guo. He had resorted to tricks. Anyone around Lu Yingjiu who called or sent text messages to this number would go to him ¨C of course Ye Feng was no exception.

    But he didn¡¯t remember Ye Feng making this phone call.

    Lu Yingjiu scrolled down the chat history again.

    Lu Yingjiu: [Wait]

    Lu Yingjiu: [Forget it, don¡¯t do it anymore¡¿

    Ye Feng: [? Why so suddenly, who the hell is this?]

    Lu Yingjiu: [Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve changed my mind]

    He also looked for Chen Xiaoling, but in the end he didn¡¯t let her investigate. He considered that if Jing Xian was really a fake, people around him, like Chen Xiaoling or Ye Feng, would definitely be heavily guarded.

    Lu Yingjiu opened another chat window, which was between him and Xiao Li.

    Lu Yingjiu: [Xiao Li, you used to study out of town?]

    Xiao Li: [Yes]

    Lu Yingjiu: [Can you help me find a friend from out of town? It has nothing to do with exorcising ghosts]

    Xiao Li: [Yes¡­ Brother Lu, what¡¯s up with you? ]

    Lu Yingjiu: [I¡¯ll send you a phone number, and ask that friend through a text message]

    Xiao Li: [Hmm, what is the content of the message?]

    Lu Yingjiu actually hesitated at this meeting.

    He didn¡¯t want that person to have anything to do with him, otherwise it would be meaningless, thus he couldn¡¯t directly report the name ¡°Lu Yingjiu¡±.

    He said: [Is there any way for you to ask where this person is]

    Xiao Li: [Let me think about it¡­]

    Xiao Li: [Brother Lu, I have a friend who happens to be engaged in telecom fraud, do you think it¡¯s okay?]

    Lu Yingjiu: [¡­¡­]

    Lu Yingjiu:[OK]

    Thus Xiao Li went up with his wonderful friend.

    Lu Yingjiu flipped the chat history to the next page.

    Jing Xian widened his eyes slightly.

    Xiao Li: [He got the message, the owner of this phone number is now in his hometown, Pinghua County]

    Xiao Li: [His surname is not Jing either, his surname is Yao]

    Xiao Li: [Hehehe I found that I¡¯m still very talented in deception, Brother Lu, is this enough?]

    After a long time, Lu Yingjiu replied: [Enough]

    Back in the present time, in front of the huge French windows, Lu Yingjiu turned off the screen of his phone.

    On the pitch-black screen, Jing Xian¡¯s face was reflected.

    Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°So, you are not the only one who can act.¡±

    Jing Xian was silent for a long time, and after a while he said, ¡°When did you know?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu found out the date of the chat.

    August 24.

    He laughed and said, ¡°The first day you came.¡±

    ¡°So,¡± he looked up at Jing Xian with a bright light in his eyes, ¡°How could I possibly kill you.¡±

 CH 30

    For a moment, Jing Xian¡¯s heart was deeply shaken.

    Then the pounding heart became too soft again.

    He had almost pressed Lu Yingjiu on the floor-to-ceiling window, and as long as he lowered his head lightly, he could kiss him. He had never, ever wanted to do it so urgently before.

    Lu Yingjiu spoke again in his arms.

    His voice was low, hoarse, and sounded inexplicably gentle, ¡°However, Jing Xian, you have to go. I won¡¯t let you stay by my side.¡±

    Jing Xian¡¯s movements froze.

    The ¡®full of joy and tenderness¡¯ seemed to freeze in an instant.

    Knock knock

    There was a light knock on the door.

    Xiao Ning poked his head in a very untimely manner and spoke with a lowered voice, ¡°They are gone, come with me.¡±

    Seeing the intimate position of the two, he was taken aback for a moment, but he didn¡¯t think about it too much.

    Lu Yingjiu sighed silently, and said to Jing Xian, ¡°Go ahead first.¡± He wanted to move forward, but Jing Xian didn¡¯t give way, and was still blocking him. Lu Yingjiu raised his head and said helplessly, ¡°I will explain it clearly to you.¡±

    Jing Xian paused for half a second before stepping aside.

    Following Xiao Ning, they walked forward along the dark corridor.

    The evidence room was just ahead. After the three of them swiped their work cards, the light at the door turned green, and the security door opened automatically. However there was still another door, which was covered with talisman papers, and various symbols were painted on it.

    Xiao Ning took out a lot of talisman papers from his body, pasted them here and there, and finally conjured a spell.

    Their clothes didn¡¯t automatically flutter.

    A few seconds later, the newly pasted talisman paper began to burn and turned into flying ashes.

    And the door opened.

    Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°Why is it so complicated now?¡±

    ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t this for the sake of safety?¡± Xiao Ning said as he walked, ¡°We are also very annoyed, we have to bring so many talisman papers when we come here.¡± He then turned on the light with a flick.

    What appeared in front of their eyes was densely packed physical evidence storage cabinets. Except for the combination locks, every cabinet was covered with talisman papers.

    Xiao Ning took them and asked them to wait on the periphery. He walked all the way to the depths of the fifth row of the cabinets, entered the password, and made a series of complicated gestures, then the talisman paper slowly flew up and landed obediently beside it.

    He said, ¡°You guys, come over.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu and Jing Xian went over, Xiao Ning took out a box and opened it.

    Inside the box were various pieces of physical evidence, including fingerprints, hair, the victim¡¯s mobile phone, and several pieces of blood-stained talisman paper.

    Xiao Ning said, ¡°Chairman Chen has already explained the situation to me clearly, you don¡¯t need to look at other physical evidence, just this is enough.¡±

    He took out a mobile phone wrapped in a small bag.

    This was an old-fashioned flip phone, even if it was placed 6 years ago,  it would still be an outdated style. The screen was very small, and only half of it was not damaged. The characters on the keyboard of the mobile phone had almost faded out, indicating that it had been used for many years.

    It looked like someone stepped on it severely, or that it fell from a high place. The cable of the mobile phone was broken, the screen shouldn¡¯t be able to turn on, the memory card was also broken, and all data couldn¡¯t be retrieved, parts of all sizes were scattered in fragments.

    Xiao Ning explained, ¡°This is Chen Minlan¡¯s mobile phone. When I found it, it was in Chen Minlan¡¯s hands. But perhaps because Chen Yanyan¡­¡­..Uh, I mean Fan Xin, was too flustered at the time, thinking that Chen Minlan was going to call the police, she kicked it, and the phone hit the wall and broke like this.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°How strong is it, to be able to kick it into this.¡±

    In his impression, Fan Xin didn¡¯t have much strength, she was soft and weak.

    Xiao Ning said, ¡°Well, one is that this mobile phone is very old, and it is not very resistant to falling; the other is that Mrs. Chen has a habit of smashing walnuts with her mobile phone, and she smashes a dozen of them a day¡­¡­ For a long time, the phone is already on the edge of being damaged. Look at the dents on the side, they are all made by smashing walnuts.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    Xiao Ning laughed a few times, and continued, ¡°It was already damaged like this when it came back from the scene for evidence collection. My senior sister was in charge of the evidence collection, and she said that it was impossible to recover the data.¡±

    ¡°At that time, no one had any hope. They just put away the damaged mobile phone and put it in the physical evidence room. A few days later, when the senior sister came to the physical evidence room, she heard the ringing of the mobile phone. The sound of ¡°ding dong¡± was very short. It¡¯s the notification tone for a text message.¡±

    ¡°According to logic, several mobile phones were turned off after the forensics was completed. This kind of thing should not happen.¡±

    ¡°Senior sister followed the sound and found that it was the evidence cabinet of the extermination case. She thought that some mobile phone was still on, but when she opened it, it turned out that it was the damaged phone¡¯s screen that was lit on.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu looked at the phone again.

    It¡¯s so damaged that it¡¯s impossible to turn it on, let alone receive text messages.

    When this matter was mentioned, Xiao Ning also felt chills on his back, and swallowed, ¡°Senior sister was also very scared at the time and wanted to call someone over, but she only needed to lightly press it to see the content of the text message.¡±

    ¡°They speculated that the old lady must have left clues about the murderer at the last moment of her life. This is simply too important to the case. Therefore, the senior sister clicked on the text message because she was afraid of missing the opportunity.¡±

    He stopped here.

    Lu Yingjiu asked, ¡°What is the content of the text message?¡±

    Xiao Ning hesitated and said, ¡°¡­.Why don¡¯t you see it yourself.¡±

    He pressed the power button of the phone, and the phone, which was so damaged that it was almost a pile of parts, actually turned on.

    He handed the phone to Lu Yingjiu.

    The boot process lasted more than thirty seconds.

    After a white light, the text message finally appeared.

    The screen was broken, with grotesque colors and distorted fonts on it, split by several cracks:

    [Your time has come]

    ¡°¡­..¡± Lu Yingjiu¡¯s pupils narrowed for a moment, and instinctively looked above the text message.

    Recipient mobile phone number: 186xxxxxxx029

    Lu Yingjiu saw that this number was very familiar, thought for a few seconds, and then remembered: it was his old mobile phone number.

    This is a text message sent to him.

    Lu Yingjiu¡¯s head was in a mess.

    Countless questions flashed through his mind: What is the content of the text message? Does Chen Minlan know herself? Could she have something to do with the ghost marriage? Why didn¡¯t he receive such a text message back then?

    Six years ago, Chen Minlan tried to contact him.

    And 6 years later, her ghost also took the initiative to find him, as if she wanted to tell Lu Yingjiu the unfinished message.

    He was in a state of confusion, then his left hand was suddenly held by Jing Xian.

    This grip was light but reassuring.

    It was the same as when they were under the sea, Jing Xian hugged him tightly from behind, and the warm body temperature overwhelmed the cold and dark sea water.

    At this moment, the tide that was about to submerge Lu Yingjiu seemed to have disappeared.

    Lu Yingjiu took a deep breath and shook his head.

    After calming down, he was able to think carefully again.

    He looked at the date of the text message, it was [2015.12.10]

    Looking back, his phone number was changed together with his phone. He should¡­¡­..He should have changed it in the second half of 2015, around November. If he goes home and looks for it, he can get back the electronic receipt.

    Although he couldn¡¯t remember the exact date, he remembered that it must have been before December.

    In other words, Chen Minlan sent a message to his old mobile phone number that time.

    But Lu Yingjiu couldn¡¯t have received it.

    Xiao Ning looked at his face and asked cautiously, ¡°Mr. Lu, are you okay?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    He let out a long breath and rubbed his eyebrows, ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡±

    Xiao Ning said, ¡°They listed you as a suspect back then because of this text message, especially the weird content of the text message, which could even be interpreted as¡­..some kind of threat, a threat to the perpetrators. But the evidence is not sufficient, you stayed in Z City for another 2 months before the investigation began, thus they let go of their suspicion of you.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu asked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you show me this text message?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a bit embarrassing to say,¡± Xiao Ning scratched his head, ¡°Only the senior sister saw the text message, and after that she couldn¡¯t access the phone again. She has a good memory and has a photographic memory. She wrote down your phone number at a glance. It¡¯s a pity that she didn¡¯t have time to take pictures, thus she can only dictate to others-this greatly reduces the credibility. If it weren¡¯t for her high position, it would probably be regarded as nonsense.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu glanced at the lit phone in his hand, ¡°Then how can it work now?¡±

    ¡°It was only recently that it turned on again.¡± Xiao Ning said, ¡°It was about two months ago. Chairman Chen also advocated a new investigation of you because he saw this text message.¡±

    As far as Lu Yingjiu knew, the investigation on him really started two months ago.

    The time fits.

    In actuality, Chen Zheng did have the right to investigate this clue. Chen Minlan was Chen Zheng¡¯s elder and mentor, and he had always been harboring doubts about the extermination case.

    Personally speaking, he didn¡¯t want Lu Yingjiu to stay any longer, and this was an excellent opportunity.

    As for whether Chen Zheng believed that Lu Yingjiu was the murderer in his heart, perhaps he only knew it himself.

    Lu Yingjiu held the phone and remained silent for a long time.

    He seemed to want to imprint every word and every detail of the text message into his soul.

    Then Lu Yingjiu gently handed the phone back, ¡°Take it back, I¡¯ve finished reading it.¡±

    Xiao Ning took the phone, put it back in the box and put it away.

    The process of going out of the evidence room was as cumbersome as that of coming in.

    After finally getting out of the layers of talisman paper seals, Lu Yingjiu and Jing Xian took the elevator downstairs and left the building through the back door.

    The evening breeze was cool, and they walked forward side by side.

    There was a small alley from the back door, without a street light, and a stray cat in the corner. It was dirty, it was licking its fur at first, but then looked up with great vigilance.

    It glanced at them both, turned around and ran away.

    Other than that, there were no other living creatures, and the road ahead was pitch black, as if there was no end in sight.

    Jing Xian wanted to say something, but was interrupted softly by Lu Yingjiu, ¡°Jing Xian, please be quiet for a while.¡±

    Thus Jing Xian remained silent and remained quietly by his side as usual.

    Back in front of the car, Lu Yingjiu opened the door and got on the co-pilot, fastening the seat belt. Jing Xian started the car, the headlights turned on, and the bright yellow beams stretched to the distance, illuminating the floating dust in the air.

    Lu Yingjiu suddenly said, ¡°Do you want to go to a bar?¡±

    Jing Xian was stunned for a moment, ¡°I have no problem with it.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°I want to have a drink.¡±

    After 15 minutes, the car stopped at a remote street corner.

    There was a very small bar here, wooden tables and chairs were placed outside, and the signboard was made of wood as well. Illuminated by yellow-brown lights, and surrounded by a circle of beautiful flowers, it looked like it had been carefully taken care of.

    They found a table outside, facing the deserted street.

    At night, this southern city finally cooled down, taking a deep breath, the slightly cool air moistened the lungs.

    Lu Yingjiu was not interested in the variety of wine, therefore he ordered the most common cold beer, and placed a large glass in front of him.

    Jing Xian originally wanted to order whiskey, but Lu Yingjiu glanced at him lazily and said, ¡°You don¡¯t want your driver¡¯s license anymore, do you want to be deducted 12 points? Give me the list, and I¡¯ll help you order something else. Drunk ghost, it¡¯s not rarely seen.¡±

    Just after getting the drink list, Lu Yingjiu changed his mind again and said, ¡°Forget it, just drink, it¡¯s not a big deal to call a substitute driver.¡±

    This time it was Jing Xian who didn¡¯t want to.

    He said, ¡°You should help me out.¡±

    His tone carried anticipation.

    So two minutes later, a large glass of strawberry milk was placed in front of Jing Xian.

    The pink was tender, cute and lovely.

    Jing Xian: ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    The drink ordered by the wife, even if it is magma, he must drink it. He just took this pink glass and watched Lu Yingjiu take a few sips of his alcohol.

    Then, Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°I attracted ghosts when I was born, and I can see many things that others cannot see.¡±

    ¡°Like on the road at the gate of the primary school. All the students were walking happily and only I can see that the road is full of ghosts, under street lights, in the lake or on the wall. Most of them have maintained a miserable state of death. Some have no heads, some have no limbs, and they wander between the heavens and the earth only by their obsession.¡±

    ¡°Every ghost wants to find me.¡±

    ¡°Or they want to talk to me, or beg me to settle their grievances, or want to kill me.¡±

    He took another sip of the beer, ¡°At first I was very scared, and I couldn¡¯t figure out, why can others live a simple life yet it was so difficult for me? There are so many people in the world, yet why do ghosts come to me?¡±

    ¡°My family invited many ghost exorcists, but they couldn¡¯t do anything about it and could only give me some talisman papers that were of little use to drive away the lowest level ghosts.¡±

    ¡°But the ghosts I met, if they saw them, they would probably be scared to death. What use can those talisman papers have?¡±

    The water droplets on the wine glass slowly slid down, and wet Lu Yingjiu¡¯s slender fingers.

    He looked at Jing Xian, only to see that Jing Xian was sitting in a well-behaved manner, listening to him attentively, and still holding the glass of strawberry milk¡ªone-third of which had already been consumed.

    Lu Yingjiu smiled unconsciously.

    It was a smile that he didn¡¯t even realize.

    He went on to say, ¡°It costs a lot of money to hire a ghost exorcist for a long time. My family is not well-off, thus we can¡¯t afford it at all. I thought, since the talisman paper is useless, I might as well imitate them and draw them myself. So, every day I wake up at four or five o¡¯clock, imitate the talismans, and bring them with me when I go out.¡±

    ¡°At the beginning, the talisman paper was useless, like a piece of waste paper. But the more I drew, the better I got, and soon I was better than those ghost exorcists.¡±

    He shook the beer glass in his hand, and saw the clear liquid swaying in it with a yellow-brown light.

    ¡°I always thought that everyone could do this. Until one day when I was using a talisman paper, I met a fortune-telling master on the street.¡±

    ¡°When the master saw the talisman paper, he was so excited that he grabbed me and asked me who drew it. I replied, ¡®I drew it myself¡¯.¡±

    ¡°In the end, do you know what he said?¡± Lu Yingjiu smiled, ¡°He said that I am already capable of lying to people at a young age¡ª¡ªobviously he himself is the biggest liar.¡±

    ¡°I showed him the drawing on the spot, which proved that I did not lie. The master was so excited that he took my hand and said that I am a peerless genius. Asked me if I want to join the glorious road of exorcising ghosts today and fight against the evil forces in the world side by side with him, that this world can be saved by the two of us.¡±

    Jing Xian took a sip of strawberry milk, the slightly sweetness exploded on the tip of his tongue, but it was not annoying.

    He asked, ¡°Did you agree?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu shook his head and said, ¡°No, because I think he is trying to cheat me out of money.¡±

    Jing Xian said: ¡°Then what is it actually?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°He insisted on pulling me for a fortune telling, and really cheated me of 20 yuan.¡±

    Jing Xian: ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    Lu Yingjiu added, ¡°The 20 yuan was the money I used to buy tutoring books. When I went home and told my mother that I lost the money, she believed that I used it to buy snacks. But fortunately there is no need to do the questions anymore. I was actually quite happy.¡±

    Jing Xian: ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu raised his glass and drank.

    He continued, ¡°The master later came to my house and said that there is a way to solve my natural bad luck. After that, there¡¯s the matter of the ghost marriage, I¡¯ll just skip it there.¡±

    ¡°The master made a calculation for me, saying that I will definitely not live to be 27 years old, and that it was an unavoidable death.¡±

    Jing Xian¡¯s hand retracted imperceptibly.

    He said, ¡°You¡¯ll be fine, I¡¯m by your side.¡± In fact, his appearance was just for this moment.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­Although the master is very unreliable,¡± Lu Yingjiu smiled, obviously not believing him, ¡°but a certain intuition makes me think that what he said was right.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m more unlucky than others. After all, my talent is beyond their lifetime. However, sometimes I wonder if I really have less luck.¡±

    ¡°Look, I¡¯m already at the pinnacle of the ghost exorcism world. But there are still things that I have no clue about and can¡¯t control.¡±

    Jing Xian was silent for a few seconds, and said, ¡°Is it the ¡®time has come¡¯ thing?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Lu Yingjiu nodded, ¡°At first I thought it was just an ordinary ghost encounter, but time and time again, the situation was completely wrong. Today, when I saw Chen Minlan¡¯s text message, I was certain that this incident spanned several years ¨C or perhaps even earlier.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the only thing in my life, about ghosts, that¡¯s completely out of my control.¡±

    ¡°I believe it is my death.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu let out a long breath, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ve finished what I wanted to say, I feel comfortable.¡±

    Jing Xian wanted to say something, but was interrupted by Lu Yingjiu, ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, we¡¯ll talk about it later.¡± He smiled at Jing Xian.

    He drank the last drop of beer, his fair face was slightly flushed, his eyes gleamed with water, and he looked at Jing Xian under the light.

    At this glance, it was like a little deer hoofing for fun, it plunged into Jing Xian¡¯s heart, bumping around. He pretended to bow his head inadvertently, The strawberry milk was already gone, yet he could still taste the sweetness on the tip of his tongue.

    But suddenly, he remembered Lu Yingjiu¡¯s words today.

    The deer slammed and crashed to death on an iceberg.

    Back in the car, Lu Yingjiu lowered the seat and prepared to take a nap.

    The car drove across the street silently, the high and low buildings passed by the windows, the night wind rolled out the curtains of several houses, and were fluttering in the wind.

    After Lu Yingjiu drank, he was a little dazed, and his tone was a little vague, he then suddenly said, ¡°By the way, about the 20 yuan¨C¡±

    Jing Xian: ¡°Hm?¡±

    ¡°Although my mother firmly believed that I used the money to buy snacks, she didn¡¯t scold me or beat me up. She just took out another 20 and put it in my hand, saying that next time I want to eat snacks, I can just directly tell her. Although she doesn¡¯t have much money, and she spent an extra yuan to buy groceries, I can miss it for several weeks, but it still made me happy.¡±

    Jingxian asked: ¡°Then you went to buy some snacks?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Lu Yingjiu closed his eyes, ¡°I went to buy the tutoring book, those questions are really disgusting.¡±

    The two of them laughed together.

    After laughing, Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°Although I am not yet very old, I have really met many, many people. Some people hate me and hope that I will die today, while others love me and hope that my future will always be bright.¡±

    ¡°Of course, extreme love and hate are a minority, and most people are in the middle.¡± He continued, ¡°So, Jing Xian, which one are you?¡±

    This sounds like a send sub-question. (TL: refers to common routines in the world, or some old stalks that have been used to test others¡¯ hearts.)

    Jing Xian was about to answer when he heard Lu Yingjiu laughing again, ¡°No need to answer, I know the answer already.¡±

    Jing Xian: ¡°¡­En.¡±

    Although he wasn¡¯t able to grab the sub-question, his ears were slightly hot.

    Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°That¡¯s why I feel that you should no longer stay by my side. You know the price of priests coming to the world using mortal bodies, right?¡±

 CH 31

    The signal light ahead turned red and the car stopped slowly.

    On both sides were bright street lights, falling on half of their side faces.

    Lu Yingjiu said word by word, ¡°Which priest are you?¡±

    Jing Xian said, ¡°I¡¯m not¡­¡±

    ¡°There is no need to make excuses anymore.¡± Lu Yingjiu said bluntly, ¡°With your strength, you are at least a well-known priest. No matter how one looks at it, you are like a living person, and can even stay in the human world for a long time. I can only think of one possibility: you came to the world with a human body.¡±

    Jing Xian didn¡¯t answer, but just stared at Lu Yingjiu intently.

    ¡°You should know that priests are completely different from ordinary ghosts.¡± Lu Yingjiu looked at him, ¡°The price for priests coming to the world with a human body¨Con one hand, their strength is limited, and it may not even be ten to twenty percent. On the other hand, it is gambling your endless life. If you die here, you¡¯ll really die, and your soul will fly and disperse. So to speak, only a lunatic would do this.¡±

    ¡°Honestly,¡± he said, ¡°I can¡¯t think of any reason why any priest would do this.¡±

    ¡°Jing Xian, why did you come to the human world? Do you have unfulfilled wishes, a request for me?¡±

    The two stared at each other for a long time.

    The street lamp fell into Lu Yingjiu¡¯s eyes, and was slightly covered by a few tree shadows, almost having the appearance of clear and flickering water waves and shadows.

    Jing Xian turned his head to look at him, there was not much expression on his face, no emotion could be seen.

    After a long time, Jing Xian said, ¡°No, I don¡¯t have any unfulfilled wishes.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu exhaled lightly.

    He said, ¡°Then please go back. I like getting along with you very much, but this is not the place for you to stay. You are a priest and I am a human being. We should never meet in this life. I will say it again, the different paths between humans and ghosts are not just talk.¡±

    His tone was not strong, but firm.

    Lu Yingjiu recalled the days when Jing Xian was with him ¨C of course he knew that Jing Xian was good to him. As for Ye Feng¡¯s statement that Jing Xian did not seek wealth, but rather lust, Lu Yingjiu was not very sensitive to emotions either, thus it could only be regarded as half believing and half doubtful.

    But one thing was certain: Jing Xian likes him very much.

    No matter what kind of liking it is.

    He was also very reluctant in his heart: Although he has only been with Jing Xian for a few dozen days, nonetheless, after all these years, it is rare to meet someone who can walk with him.

    Ye Feng was very righteous, and accompanied Lu Yingjiu during the most difficult time. But Ye Feng¡¯s style of acting was different from him. He had many other friends and had his own life, which was different from Jing Xian¡¯s existence.

    Although Jing Xian and him seem to have come out from two locations, they have a similar aura and get along happily, it could be said to not only be a perfect match¡ªbut perhaps, a person that had been with since childhood. Lu Yingjiu had been looking forward to such a friend.

    A friend who could almost be called ¡°like old friends at first sight¡±.

    This was also the reason why Lu Yingjiu had not spoken out to Jing Xian for a long time.

    Now, sitting in the suffocating silence inside the car, Lu Yingjiu thought ¡®I¡¯m also quite a selfish person¡¯.

    He¡¯d always been very principled. However, on the first day when he found out that Jing Xian was a priest, Lu Yingjiu should have let him go back.

    But he coveted a little time to be accompanied.

    Jing Xian came to the human world out of impulsiveness, therefore he should stop all this.

    It¡¯s time to draw the line, he¡¯d put it off for far too long.

    ¡°Is this farewell?¡± Jing Xian asked.

    ¡°¡­¡­.Yes.¡± Lu Yingjiu replied, ¡°The reason I¡¯m talking about this today is because tonight¡¯s yin is particularly strong, which is the most suitable for you to return to the ghost world. If you miss it, you may have to wait for another month or two.¡±

    ¡°This is not a demand, this is a request from a friend. Jing Xian, just go back tonight.¡±

    There was another suffocating silence.

    The signal light turned green, but Jing Xian didn¡¯t step on the accelerator, and the car still remained quietly at an empty street corner.

    Of course Jing Xian knew that what Lu Yingjiu said was correct. There were invisible laws in this world, and both humans and ghosts would be bound by it, even he was no exception.

    But he doesn¡¯t care.

    Let alone that his strength was restricted, even if he became blind and disabled, no ghost would dare to say half a sentence more before him.

    He had slept for more than ten years, a group of ghosts without a leader would be in chaos, each showing aggressive ambitions. Even so, no matter how rampant those evil spirits were, no ghost would ever dare to set foot on his final resting place.

    ¡ª¡ªThey didn¡¯t even dare to step half a step.

    However¡­¡­¡­

    He could hear the faint guilt in Lu Yingjiu¡¯s words.

    For Lu Yingjiu, this night was already chaotic enough. What he needed most was probably to calm down by himself and reorganize his emotions and thoughts.

    Lu Yingjiu insisted, ¡°Jing Xian, tonight, just go back.¡±

    Jing Xian: ¡°¡­..¡±

    Jing Xian said in a low voice, ¡°This seems to be the first time you¡¯re ¡®requesting¡¯ me to do something. You also know that I can¡¯t refuse you¡­I understand what you mean.¡±

    He took a deep breath, lightly stepped on the accelerator, and the Pagani drove across the night.

    The two were silent all the way until Jing Xian parked the car downstairs of Lu Yingjiu¡¯s apartment.

    They got out of the car and stood in the night wind.

    Jing Xian said, ¡°That, I¡¯ll really leave?¡±

    ¡°En.¡± Lu Yingjiu nodded, but still smiled, ¡°It¡¯s not that we can¡¯t meet again, if you want, you can still come in the form of a ghost.¡±

    Although both of them knew that the form of a ghost could only stay in the world for tens of minutes at a time.

    There was nothing special about this farewell.

    Jing Xian stood beside the car and hugged him tightly.

    Lu Yingjiu smelled the familiar cold fragrance, like flowers blooming in the snow under the moon.

    Then he felt that Jing Xian¡¯s body gradually became lighter, and the strength holding him gradually weakened.

    In the end, his eyes lit up, his arms were empty, and the light that had been blocked by Jing Xian shone brightly.

    Lu Yingjiu stood there for three seconds.

    The wind was getting stronger and stronger, because his clothes were thin, he felt a little chill on his back.

    Then he smiled lightly and walked home.

    The lobby was empty, and everyone else had already gone to bed. He took the elevator and slowly climbed up the floor. The elevator door opened with a ¡°ding¡±, and the voice-activated lights in the corridor turned on accordingly.

    Lu Yingjiu turned right, but the corridor on the right was pitch black.

    He turned on the flashlight of his mobile phone and looked up, he saw that the light bulb above his head was broken, and there were shards of glass on the ground.

    The building was so old that the property management didn¡¯t care much about things. Lu Yingjiu kicked the shards of glass to the side so as not to cut anyone, thinking that he would have to call tomorrow and tell them to change the light bulb.

    When he reached the door of his house, he opened the door, and the cow cat came up to meet him, rubbing against his feet with its tail upright.

    Lu Yingjiu knelt down and scratched its chin, but the cow cat circled around the door, meowing, as if it was looking for something.

    Lu Yingjiu froze for a moment, remembering that Jing Xian would feed the cat every day during this time.

    This cat had no conscience, its eyes glowed green when it saw cat food, and it quickly established a close relationship with Jing Xian who fed it. Compared to Lu Yingjiu, it may look forward to Jing Xian returning home more.

    He grabbed the cow cat, rubbed its head violently, and said with a smile, ¡°You little white-eyed wolf, have you forgotten who is the owner so quickly? He won¡¯t come back.¡±

    The cat couldn¡¯t understand what he said, it only flicked the tip of its tail and yawned lazily.

    Lu Yingjiu heated up a glass of milk, sat down at the table, and took a deep breath.

    Jing Xian left, he seemed to let go of something, the strong sense of guilt finally disappeared ¨C on this night, amidst so many chaotic thoughts, this kind of relief was really rare.

    It had to be said that Jing Xian really understood him very well.

    Even leaving was according to his will, without any entanglement or making it difficult for him.

    His heart was still empty, but he had always been able to control his emotions, suppress his reluctance, and when he picked up the brush to draw the talisman paper, he would be the calm and self-controlled Lu Yingjiu again.

    ****

    Noon the next day.

    The tea restaurant was full of voices, and there was a constant sound of clashing cups and bowls and chopsticks.

    Ye Feng concentrated on cutting a large piece of steak. The five-ripe beef oozes juice, dipped in black pepper sauce, served with onions and French fries, making people have a good appetite. Lu Yingjiu, who was opposite him, maintained the usual elegance of eating, and drank the mushroom soup slowly.

    When most of the steak was eaten, Ye Feng suddenly raised his head and asked, ¡°Why haven¡¯t I seen your gold master today?¡± (TL: sponsor, term for people who give you money)

    ¡°What gold master?¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°I¡¯ve said it all, Jing Xian is an employee of my firm.¡±

    ¡°All right, all right, that¡¯s what you say.¡± Ye Feng said, ¡°Where has the other person gone? Have you finally figured out that the six thousand salary is not worth his running around like this? It seems that he is not spendthrift and foolish.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry. ¡°How can you joke so much every day? He just went back to his hometown and didn¡¯t want to do it anymore. If you don¡¯t eat quickly, didn¡¯t you say we¡¯re supposed to be there at two o¡¯clock to see the client?¡±

    Ye Feng immediately speeded up, took a few big mouthfuls, and drank water desperately when he was choked.

    The client¡¯s address was not far from the restaurant, and it would only take ten minutes to drive there.

    Lu Yingjiu drove his second-hand Honda.

    Jing Xian left behind two or three luxury cars, neatly and shiningly parked in his garage. But Lu Yingjiu used to drive a broken car to the scene, and, after all, it was Jing Xian¡¯s stuff, not his.

    When he went to get the car in the morning, he was stunned for a moment, almost thinking that Jing Xian was still there.

    When they got there, he followed Ye Feng upstairs.

    This was Ye Feng¡¯s commission. He came to listen to it because he was simply bored and couldn¡¯t rest.

    The client was an old lady, and she dragged Ye Feng into a lot of ramblings, saying that every morning, someone would knock on her window. But she was staying on the 12th floor, how could there be anyone out there knocking on the window?

    Ye Feng asked her about the situation in detail.

    Lu Yingjiu sat on the sofa, holding a glass of water and listening casually.

    He subconsciously touched the longevity lock on his chest.

    This was not a difficult case, and Ye Feng quickly figured out the situation. There used to be a person who hanged himself on the roof of this building, probably because the resentment had not dissipated, he harassed the residents every day.

    So, facing the blood-red light of the setting sun, Lu Yingjiu and Ye Feng went up to the rooftop.

    The man hanged himself with a clothesline.

    Originally, the roof was covered with colorful quilts and clothes to dry. After someone died, people felt that it was bad luck, so they didn¡¯t dare to come up. On the current roof, there were only a few empty clotheslines, swaying by the wind.

    Ye Feng pasted talisman papers around the roof. Lu Yingjiu stood behind him and said, ¡°This one is a little further to the left, and there are two more talisman papers at the southwest corner, and the west side¡­¡±

    After arranging all the talisman papers, Ye Feng pinched a spell, and the talisman papers burned, only to hear a sharp scream in the air!

    All the clotheslines tensed in an instant, as if some weight was hanging on them, such as¡­a dead body.

    The wind blew so hard that it almost sounded like howling. In front of them, the hanged ghost with a pale face and a long tongue slowly appeared.

    The hanged ghost looked around, and his eyes quickly fell on Lu Yingjiu, who didn¡¯t have a single talisman.

    With a flick of its crimson tongue, it screamed and rushed forward!

    Then screamed to death, and scattered into a cloud of black mist.

    The whole process took no more than half a second.

    Lu Yingjiu clapped his hands. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go back and hand in the commission.¡±

    Ye Feng muttered, ¡°Every time I come out with you, I feel that it is too fast.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu laughed.

    After solving the problem, the old lady was very grateful, and even took Ye Feng¡¯s hand, saying that she had never seen such an efficient exorcist, and that she would definitely write a thank you letter and send a silk banner to Ye Feng.

    Ye Feng kept saying ¡®no need, no need¡¯.

    ¡°Besides, I¡¯m not the one who is the best.¡± Then he turned around to show Lu Yingjiu, but it was in vain.

    Lu Yingjiu had already gone downstairs¨Che had guessed that the old lady would chatter for a long time, thus he decided to go back to the car to catch up on sleep.

    Sure enough, Ye Feng was entangled by the old lady for more than ten minutes, after finally getting out, he returned to the car, ¡°Ah you slipped very fast.¡±

    Unexpectedly, Lu Yingjiu was on the phone.

    He remembered the light bulb and was going to urge the management office to fix it.

    It was a lazy aunt¡¯s voice who answered the phone. Lu Yingjiu explained the situation to her and asked her to change the light bulb.

    But the only aunt said casually, ¡°Oh, I know the situation. We really don¡¯t have enough manpower these days, and the master is also very busy. I can only arrange for you as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°When is the earliest time?¡± Lu Yingjiu asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that, just wait, at least two or three days.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu hung up the phone.

    Ye Feng asked, ¡°Why, the light broke?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°I don¡¯t know why the light bulb broke. This property management doesn¡¯t care much about the matter, and it¡¯s probably going to drag on for a long time again.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s really inconvenient.¡± Ye Feng muttered, ¡°Aren¡¯t you considering changing to another neighborhood?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu was of course not short on money.

    In fact, if he wanted to, he could buy a suite in the city center with full payment and move out now.

    But Lu Yingjiu shook his head and said with a smile, ¡°Got used to it. You also know that, I tend to miss the past easily.¡±

    Ye Feng didn¡¯t say any more.

    He knew the reason why Lu Yingjiu stayed here.

    Lu Yingjiu¡¯s family was not well off when he was a child, and the cost of hiring a ghost exorcist and burning incense and worshiping Buddha everywhere was a huge expense, they couldn¡¯t afford it at all.

    After a long time, Lu Yingjiu¡¯s father was the first to collapse.

    He made the most cowardly decision: divorce and let go.

    So in the following days, Lu Yingjiu¡¯s mother, Zhuang Xue, begged for help everywhere, worked several jobs at the same time, ate the cheapest lunch box, just to save some money before begging the next person.

    Lu Yingjiu was talented, and after learning how to draw talisman paper, he relieved a lot of pressure. However, the ghost marriage made the situation significantly better, and Zhuang Xue was overjoyed¡ªthe work pressure was relieved, and she no longer lived in anxiety every day. She even had some spare money, bought flowers and went home after getting off work, humming a song and arranging flowers in the living room.

    Every time she arranged flowers, Lu Yingjiu would study all kinds of talisman papers beside her when he came back from school.

    Unlike him, Zhuang Xue had absolutely no talent for exorcising ghosts.

    Although she worked hard to learn the technique of exorcising ghosts for Lu Yingjiu, until now, the talisman paper still looked like a bunch of ghostly drawn talismans, moreover she did not understand anything.

    Therefore, Zhuang Xue, who just finished arranging the flowers happily, harassed Lu Yingjiu from time to time. ¡°Oh, what do you think looks good?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu looked away from the talisman paper, carefully looked at the flowers and plants, shook his head and said, ¡°I don¡¯t think there is any difference.¡±

    Zhuang Xue complained. ¡°How come you haven¡¯t inherited any of my aesthetics?¡±

    After a while, she asked again. ¡°Do you like baby¡¯s breath more or foxtail grass?¡±

    ¡°Foxtail grass.¡± Lu Yingjiu replied, while steadily drawing lines.

    After a few seconds, when he put the drawn talisman paper beside him, the back of his neck felt itchy.

    When he turned his head, his mother was scratching him with a piece of foxtail grass. Seeing him turning his head, she bent over with a smile.

    Lu Yingjiu said helplessly, ¡°How many times have you scratched me, what so fun about it?¡±

    ¡°I also want to say, why are you talking so old-fashioned, not interesting at all.¡± Zhuang Xue poked him with the foxtail grass again, ¡°You¡¯re still at a young age, why aren¡¯t you a little childish and energetic? I¡¯m looking forward to it every day, when you cry and ask me for pocket money to buy lollipops. Come on, hurry up and cry for mom.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­¡±

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°Am I really your own¡­¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Zhuang Xue said, ¡°No one else can have such a lovely child.¡± She rubbed Lu Yingjiu¡¯s hair vigorously, ¡°If you could be more headstrong and play coquettish with me, it would be more perfect. ¡°

    Later, their family situation got better and better, and they finally bought a second-hand house during the time when Lu Yingjiu was in high school.

    ¡ª¡ªIt was the place where Lu Yingjiu was living now.

    The second-hand house was not expensive, but it was much better than their previous small house of no more than 50 square meters.

    Lu Yingjiu had already made a lot of money, and could buy a bigger and more luxurious house, but what he misses the most was this place.

    After all, there used to be huge bouquets of flowers here.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    Ye Feng came back to his senses and saw Lu Yingjiu looking out the window.

    Ye Feng followed his gaze and looked out.

    Someone was selling flowers on the street. The budding roses, big carnations, orchids and gypsophila, with crystal water drops on the petals, attracted several girls to gather around and chirp to ask the price.

    Ye Feng said, ¡°What, do you want to buy flowers?¡±

    ¡°No, I just remembered that my family used to buy flowers.¡± Lu Yingjiu said.

    Ye Feng said ¡°Oh¡±, and said, ¡°Your mother¡¯s flower arrangements are really beautiful, but unfortunately I am covered in artistic bacteria, and I don¡¯t know how to appreciate them.¡± He smiled, ¡°I still remember, she used to say to me the most ¡®Don¡¯t you think Lu Yingjiu isn¡¯t acting like a child¡±, and then urged me to take you to an Internet cafe, saying that you are going to study yourself stupid.¡±

    Willful and coquettish.

    Lu Yingjiu had been insulated from these two words since she was a child.

    He had always been extremely restrained, and his rational thinking was far greater than his sensibility. Therefore he didn¡¯t get to fulfill Zhuang Xue¡¯s wish

    Ye Feng just said that casually, but Lu Yingjiu answered him after a few seconds. ¡°Still self-willed.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Ye Feng asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s only once.¡± Lu Yingjiu looked at the blooming bouquet, thinking of Jing Xian, ¡°There will be no next time.¡±

    Facing the last rays of the setting sun, the Honda hit the road.

    Lu Yingjiu dropped Ye Feng on the way, and drove home by herself.

    When he took the elevator upstairs, he was ready to turn on the flashlight of his mobile phone.

    The efficiency of that troublesome management office is so low, it is conceivable that the light bulb must not have been changed.

    But to his surprise, after walking a few steps, everything was bright in front of him, and the light at the doorstep was turned on.

    Lu Yingjiu was thinking to himself that the property management had finally done its job, but when he suddenly stood still under the light bulb¡­..

    Something is wrong.

    He squinted and looked at the light bulb.

    The glass, the tungsten filament, the holder¡­all normal, the bulb glowing softly, and welcoming him home.

    But he just sensed a very light, a very light yin energy.

    This¡­¡­

    This is a light bulb from the underworld!

    ¡ª¡ªLu Yingjiu came to a conclusion in an instant.

 CH 32

    Things that come from the underworld must never be allowed to remain.

    They carry a strong yin energy. If the ghost who placed the light bulb was malicious, it may attract many ghosts.

    To be honest, Lu Yingjiu rarely saw things from the underworld.

    The last time he saw one was that little flower from the underworld.

    He gently threw out a piece of talisman paper. The talisman wrapped around the light bulb flexibly, and with a sudden force¡ª¡ª

    Ka-cha!

    The lightbulb exploded, scattering debris all over the floor, resulting in the corridor being plunged into darkness except for the faint green light of the fire exit sign in the distance.

    The yin on the bulb also disappeared.

    Lu Yingjiu checked again and again that there was no yin energy remaining, and then pasted two pieces of talisman paper on the door of the house, and then entered.

    The cow cat came up to him and rubbed against his leg. Lu Yingjiu fed it cat food and scratched its chin.

    Before going to bed, he warmed up a glass of milk and drank it slowly while reading.

    The trees outside the window were rattling because of the wind, and there was no other sound in the house except his flipping through the pages. It¡¯s not like when Jing Xian was still around, when there were still some movements around.

    Jing Xian might be stroking the cat.

    Jing Xian might be watering the flowers.

    Jing Xian might be drawing ghost-exorcism talisman paper ¨C the talismans he drew were still horrible, so horrible that Lu Yingjiu couldn¡¯t bear to take a second look.

    Obviously Lu Yingjiu had lived alone for a long time, and Jing Xian had only been here for a few days, but the sudden silence somehow made him a little uncomfortable.

    When the book was almost finished, it was already getting late.

    Lu Ying turned off the lights and laid down on the bed, closing his eyes.

    Somehow, half asleep and half awake, he thought of that underworld light bulb again.

    ¡­he had a very bad feeling.

    The next day, Lu Yingjiu was woken up by the noise of a phone.

    The drowsiness was still very heavy, yet his phone was buzzing like hell. He fumbled around the bed with his hands, and answered the phone with his eyes closed, ¡°Hello?¡±

    Ye Feng¡¯s voice came, ¡°Do you have time today?¡±

    ¡°You have a commission again?¡± Lu Yingjiu yawned, ¡°Or did you mean yesterday¡¯s matter was not resolved?¡±

    ¡°Well, I still have to go there, just want to ask if you are free.¡±

    Usually, Ye Feng was not so diligent in contacting him. Ye Feng was also an official ghost exorcist, so he shouldn¡¯t be unable to handle a commission.

    Lu Yingjiu could imagine what happened from Ye Feng¡¯s perspective: the only intern in his firm ran away because the salary was too low, and Lu Yingjiu, the bare rod, was left. (TL: metaphor for a leader without helpers.)

    Now Ye Feng suddenly wanted to pull him, probably because Jing Xian had just left, and was afraid that he would feel deserted all of a sudden.

    Lu Yingjiu got up, went downstairs, and bought bread at the convenience store for breakfast before getting into the car.

    Arriving downstairs of the residence, he met Ye Feng.

    As Ye Feng went upstairs, he said, ¡°The old grandma contacted me again, saying that in the middle of the night last night, someone seemed to be crying in the corridor and suspected that we didn¡¯t get rid of the ghosts. To be honest, if I was alone yesterday, I would really think so too. But you are also there, that ghost must have really died.¡±

    ¡°The hanged ghost had definitely disappeared. Maybe there are new ghosts attracted by the yin energy.¡± Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°This kind of thing is not uncommon. Yesterday, my doorstep was even haunted.¡±

    ¡°Your doorstep?¡± Ye Feng was stunned for a moment, ¡°Didn¡¯t that ghost disappear in minutes?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t see a ghost, but it left a lightbulb from the underworld.¡±

    ¡°What kind of ghost would leave a light bulb?¡± Ye Feng was amused, ¡°It¡¯s impossible for an electrician to turn into a ghost. This is too dedicated, and even just happened to replace the broken light bulb.¡±

    When they arrived at the old grandma¡¯s house, they listened to her additional details and described the grand occasion of last night.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t hear the crying, it¡¯s horrifying that makes one panic¡ª¡ª¡± the old woman kept shaking her head as she shook her fan, ¡°Like a child, it goes wa wa wa wa.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu asked, ¡°Did the crying you heard come from upstairs or downstairs?¡±

    The old grandma thought for a long time, and the wrinkles on her face were furrowed together. ¡°I didn¡¯t hear it clearly, It feels like the entire corridor is covered with that sound. If you insist, then it might be from above.¡±

    So Lu Yingjiu and Ye Feng started from this floor and slowly went up.

    It was morning, and the bright sunlight was cut into six pieces by the iron fence and fell on the soles of their feet. There were festive couplets pasted on the door, one side was ¡± Bloom Prosperity and Honor¡± and the other side was ¡°Five Blessings Descend Upon This Home¡±. The leaves outside were rustling, which quite gave the hint of tranquility of time.

    They walked in tandem.

    On the 7th floor, the white walls in the stairwell were covered in graffiti.

    The ballpoint pen drew a villian, houses, chimneys, and ships on it¡­it looked like it was done by children.

    Ye Feng muttered, ¡°Which family¡¯s brat is this, so lacking in quality.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu remained silent, looking at the graffiti.

    After a few seconds, he said, ¡°Stand farther away, don¡¯t these lines look like a human face?¡±

    Ye Feng took a few steps back, tried to ignore those obvious designs, and looked at them with a blank gaze¡ª¡ª

    Sure enough, it could be barely seen that it was a crying face.

    Feeling the hair on his back stood on end, he took out the talisman paper he had prepared and pasted it on the four corners of the white wall.

    Then the talismans burned.

    All they heard was an extremely sharp cry, echoing in the corridor!

    Sure enough, it was as what the old grandma said, a cry of a child.

    Ba-da, ba-da, ba-da!

    Ba-da, ba-da, ba-da!

    What sound was coming from downstairs? It sounded like a child crawling on the ground with hands and feet.

    Ye Feng was about to invite a spirit and charge down, when he saw Lu Yingjiu beside him supporting the railing with one hand, flipping down with his body lightly, and fell all the way down.

    The stairs sweep past under his feet, and he quickly saw spots of blood on the stairs, which looked like handprints of a baby crawling.

    He arrived at the floor from where they started..

    The door of the grandma¡¯s house was wide open, and a baby with bloody hands was crawling towards her house!

    The baby¡¯s face was blue, and it looked like a dead person. Sharp teeth could be seen in the mouth. If it used its teeth to even bite lightly, the artery might be bitten through.

    The old grandma heard the sound and came to the door.

    Then he saw the dead baby jumping towards the old lady¡ª¡ª

    The talisman paper in Lu Yingjiu¡¯s hand was about to fly out, but the old grandma hugged it tightly, firmly embracing it in her arms, and coaxed, ¡°Okay, okay, don¡¯t cry baby, grandma is here!¡±

    After speaking, she twisted around, paused with the dead baby, and looked at Lu Yingjiu vigilantly, ¡°Didn¡¯t I invite you to exorcise ghosts? Why did you make my good grandson cry? You, get a move on! If you don¡¯t leave, I will sue you!¡±

    Ye Feng also rushed down, seeing this scene, he was stunned for a moment.

    Then he understood everything, and couldn¡¯t help feeling sad in his heart.

    This grandma, who didn¡¯t accept that her grandson was dead, was still lying to herself.

    As the old lady saw them standing still, she yelled sternly, ¡°Not leaving?! I¡¯ll call the police! I¡¯m going to call the police!¡± After speaking, she went to take out her small mobile phone.

    Yet she did not succeed and screamed instead.

    A small paper man the size of a thumb got into her pocket at some point, and ran away lightly with her mobile phone in her hand, and returned to Lu Yingjiu¡¯s feet, bouncing around.

    Lu Yingjiu took the phone and walked towards the old woman slowly. The other party was so frightened that she hugged the child tightly and shrank in the corner.

    Lu Yingjiu¡¯s tone was unhurried, ¡°Look at its face carefully.¡±

    It¡¯s all livor mortis.

    The old woman pursed her lips tightly and refused to move.

    The dead baby that was in her arms, grinned at Lu Yingjiu, the sharp nails scratched the old grandma¡¯s arm, and blood flowed down ¨C but she didn¡¯t seem to feel the pain at all.

    Lu Yingjiu sighed silently.

    A talisman flew out of his hand, and with the scream of the old woman, it accurately stuck to the dead baby¡¯s forehead.

    In an instant, the baby¡¯s body disintegrated and turned into flying ashes, floating in the air. The old grandma wanted to reach out to grab it, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn¡¯t catch even a speck of dust.

    She stood there blankly, and after a long time, she sat down as if she had lost all strength.

    ¡ªShe remembered it all.

    Lu Yingjiu helped her up, and Ye Feng pulled a chair over in time for her to sit on.

    Under Ye Feng¡¯s comfort, the old grandma slowly stabilized her emotions, she seemed to aged ten years older, and kept wiping her tears.

    Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°Accepting death is indeed difficult, I have experienced this feeling too. I am sorry for your loss.¡±

    He took out a safety talisman paper from the bunch he carried with him, put it inside a brocade bag, and hung it at the door of the grandma¡¯s house.

    The brocade bag was fragrant, and it swayed gently in the wind.

    Ye Feng came over and whispered to Lu Yingjiu, ¡°I told the people from the association.¡±

    There were positions similar to psychological counselors in the Green Lantern Association, who were responsible for calming the emotions of the parties involved.

    Lu Yingjiu nodded.

    When others arrived, it would not be anymore their business.

    Before the two left, they heard mournful cries.

    Although they have been exorcising ghosts for many years, and have seen many tragedies, to the point where their emotions have become numb, however, their hearts were still touched every time this happened.

    Ye Feng rubbed his face vigorously in the driver¡¯s seat, and said, ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t want to do this anymore, let¡¯s go eat.¡±

    ¡°En.¡± Lu Yingjiu nodded.

    The sun was shining brightly all the way, and after being warmed by the sun, the atmosphere finally improved a lot.

    Ye Feng drove slowly, and Lu Yingjiu also leaned on the seat to catch up on sleep.

    Ye Feng said while driving, ¡°By the way, I may go to Yueshan Village once in a few days.¡±

    ¡°What are you going to do there?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t my second grandpa manage a nursing home there before? Yesterday the village chief called me and said that my second grandpa left some belongings in the warehouse. They found them and told me to go back and get them.¡±

    ¡°Your second grandpa¡­¡± Lu Yingjiu frowned.

    He didn¡¯t have any impression.

    The light turned red and the car simply stopped.

    ¡°His name is Ye Deyong. I showed you a photo! I¡¯ll look for it.¡± Ye Feng fumbled around in every pocket, finally found his wallet, opened it, ¡°I always carry the photo with me¡­.¡±

    He paused.

    Seeing that he hadn¡¯t spoken for a long time, Lu Yingjiu glanced at him.

    In the old photo, Ye Feng was still a kid, and a man with half-white hair and a white coat was holding his hand. The background was the endless mountains and a white exterior wall of the nursing home.

    After seeing it, he had an impression: Ye Feng did show him this group photo.

    It¡¯s just that Ye Feng¡¯s pupils were shrinking now, as if he saw something incredible in the photo.

    He said, ¡°Lu Yingjiu, look here.¡± He pointed at Ye Deyong¡¯s neck, ¡°Why do I feel like something is strangling him?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu took a closer look.

    Sure enough, on Ye Deyong¡¯s neck, he saw a very light and faint black streak. The black color was too inconspicuous, if Ye Feng had not been too familiar with this photo, it would be impossible to notice it.

    The black almost wrapped around Ye Deyong¡¯s neck, like a terrifying rope.

    In Lu Yingjiu¡¯s impression, in the group photo, the two looked very relaxed. But now, Ye Deyong¡¯s facial muscles were tense and his face was blue, as if he was enduring some kind of pain.

    The light turned green, and traffic behind them started honking.

    The car was parked on the side of the road.

    Ye Feng was still staring at the photo.

    He murmured, ¡°Looks like it is needed to go there now¡­¡±

    ****

    Lu Yingjiu returned home.

    He was going to go to Yueshan Village with Ye Feng tomorrow afternoon, he would need start packing his luggage tonight.

    Ding¡ª

    The elevator arrived.

    He walked towards the door of the house and stood still.

    It was very bright in front of his house, and a brand new light bulb was astonishingly bright.

    After careful inspection, the talisman paper pasted on the door was still intact.

    At this moment, Lu Yingjiu actually doubted his ability to exorcise ghosts.

    ¡ª¡ªHow did I meet such a powerful ghost again?

    And this ghost¡¯s style¡­

    Lu Yingjiu frowned, and threw out another talisman paper, crushing the light bulb.

    The corridor returned to its darkness.

    This time, he densely covered the walls with talisman papers, creating a net that was enough for ghosts to have nowhere to hide.

    Early the next morning, the first thing he did after waking up was to open the door¡ª¡ª

    The light bulb was replaced again, but the talisman paper on the wall was not damaged.

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­?¡±

    He stood under this light bulb, really confused.

    A talisman paper was thrown out, and the fragments of the light bulb scattered all over the place again.

    He kicked the pieces to the side of the corridor and pressed the elevator. His courier had arrived downstairs, and it was full of newly bought paper, which could be used to draw symbols after cutting.

    When he went downstairs to take out the courier, he felt faint fluctuations of a talisman paper on the courier box.

    Turning the package over, sure enough there was a small talisman at the bottom: Flowing clouds and Mountains,  it¡¯s a safety symbol.

    This talisman was printed and was of little use. But the seller should know a little about exorcising ghosts, which had been printed on every package.

    Lu Yingjiu stared at the safety talisman for a few seconds.

    He then remembered the safety talisman he gave the old grandma yesterday.

    He said at the time: ¡°It is really difficult to accept death, and I have experienced this feeling too.¡±

    This statement was not purely to comfort.

    Looking at the white-haired elder in front of him, he really remembered the past.

    When Zhuang Xue passed away, he couldn¡¯t believe it either.

    The person who was still arranging flowers in the morning, yet at night, a cold body was the only thing that¡¯s left.

    Lu Yingjiu has experienced a considerable period of downturn, and always feels that if he learned the technique of exorcising ghosts well, he could get Zhuang Xue¡¯s soul back. And the harder he tried, the more he knew that it was impossible, and all the hard work only brought him was despair.

    At that time, Lu Yingjiu had already known Ye Feng.

    Ye Feng was one year older than him. He didn¡¯t go to high school, and followed the Ye family to learn exorcism. He usually idled around the block and slept until noon.

    During that time, Ye Feng was really afraid that Lu Yingjiu would take things too hard, thus he set an alarm clock every day, and went downstairs to his house early in the morning to tell him to go to school. After school, he would come here specifically to look for him, to hang out, to eat, to chat, in short, not to let Lu Yingjiu be alone, and to find something for him to do.

    After a long time, Lu Yingjiu calmly accepted the fact:

    The dead cannot be resurrected, everything is predestined.

    He has no other relatives left in this world.

    Zhuang Xue died in a car accident. On the handlebar of her bicycle, there was a safety talisman paper painted by Lu Yingjiu.

    Lu Yingjiu was a very rational person and would not attribute Zhuang Xue¡¯s death to ¡°my talisman paper drawing is not good enough¡±. The world was impermanent, even if a piece of safety talisman was drawn by the Heavenly King Lao Tzu, it still couldn¡¯t stop death. (TL: A metaphor for a person who is the most noble and authoritative)

    But after that, he put in countless days and nights, afterwards, the safety talisman he drew was the best on the Dao.

    Thinking back on this now, it seems like a lifetime away.

    Lu Yingjiu smiled silently, took the package and went upstairs again, waiting for Ye Feng to come to pick him up.

    At the door of the house, he stood still once more.

    In front of him was another good light bulb.

    Lu Yingjiu thought that there had been many weird things since childhood.

    But he had really never experienced this before. There is a light bulb from the underworld at his doorstep, and every time it breaks, it will be repaired immediately!

    Lu Yingjiu was extremely confused.

    But in this bewilderment, his intuition was clamoring. It¡¯s as if when an anime character pondered about something clearly, there would be a white line flashing behind his head¡ª¡ª

    Now, there is such a white line behind his head!

    This, this is definitely Jing Xian¡¯s doing!

    It¡¯s impossible for other ghosts to do it!

    People cannot be resurrected after death, time cannot be turned back, and water that is spilled cannot come back.

    But Jing Xian, who was driven away, can fly back by himself like a boomerang, which is fast and convenient, and has a strong initiative.

    Maybe he even brought him some snacks on the way back.

    Lu Yingjiu rubbed his brow bone vigorously, his head hurt like hell.

    He realized that he would not be able to catch Jing Xian with a paper talisman.

    He was still guessing which famous priest Jing Xian was before, but now it seemed that with Jing Xian¡¯s strength, all famous priests must listen to him.

    What is this, the priest¡¯s boss?

    Lu Yingjiu gave up pasting talismans, broke the light bulb and opened the door directly, moved a chair and sat under the rotten light bulb.

    The talisman paper can¡¯t catch Jing Xian.

    But the light bulb can catch him!

    A smashed light bulb is the most effective idle trap in existence.

    Lu Yingjiu sat in the corridor.

    Sure enough, less than ten minutes later, there was a gust of wind in the corridor, which was so cold that it was bone-chilling.

    The wind blew all the way under the light bulb, blowing Lu Yingjiu¡¯s hair.

    Lu Yingjiu yelled, ¡°Jing Xian.¡±

    The wind stopped for a moment.

    At this moment, Lu Yingjiu threw out a talisman¡ª¡ª

    Facts had proved that his timing was very good. When the opponent was caught off guard, the talisman took effect!

    Then, he simply saw Jing Xian standing under that light bulb, holding a new light bulb in one hand and changing it.

    The two looked at each other.

    There was a dead silence all around.

    After an unknown amount of time, Lu Yingjiu leaned back on the chair comfortably and crossed his fingers, ¡°Come, explain it to me.¡±

    Jing Xian: ¡°¡­..¡±

    Jing Xian said, ¡°I want to change a light bulb for you. Every time I change it, when I leave, someone breaks it again. At present, the quality of people in the human world really is too bad.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± He felt like he was being scolded.

    Lu Yingjiu took a deep breath, ¡°Why are you back again? Didn¡¯t I tell you all about it? Priests shouldn¡¯t come to the human world, go back quickly.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t work.¡± Jing Xian looked at the light bulb, ¡°If this light bulb isn¡¯t replaced properly, it¡¯ll be too dark and dangerous.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu only felt his eyebrows twitch, ¡°Why are you helping me change the light bulb? Or, let me change the question, why do you stay by my side? Didn¡¯t you tell me that you do not have any lingering obsession?¡±

    He really felt that there might be something wrong with Jing Xian¡¯s brain circuit. What¡¯s so good about him, worthy of Jing Xian, that he would insist on staying in the human world?

    Isn¡¯t this simply a treatment only available for wives? How virtuous and capable he is! (TL: being sarcastic)

    Jing Xian looked at him.

    It was unknown if it was only Lu Yingjiu¡¯s illusion, but he felt that Jing Xian¡¯s ears were a little red.

    Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°You, speak.¡±

    Jing Xian: ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu took another deep breath, ¡°Jing Xian, go back, go back now.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t go back.¡± Jing Xian seemed to have finally made up his mind, looked at him with piercing eyes, took his hand, and said courageously, ¡°Because, because we are husband and wife! How could I possibly leave you alone!!¡±

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°?¡±

 CH 33

    Ten minutes later, Ye Feng arrived on time in his car.

    Then drove the car and left on time.

    It¡¯s just that something went wrong with the plan: originally only Ye Feng and Lu Yingjiu would go there, but now there were four people inside the car. The whole journey was dead silent.

    Jing Xian was an accident¡ªno one knew how he came back, except for Lu Yingjiu.

    Xiao Li was also an accident¡ªno one knew why Xiao Li had to tell Chu Banyang on a whim today that he had learned a lot from Lu Yingjiu. As a result, Chu Banyang said lightly, ¡°then in the next commission, continue to follow him¡±.

    Ye Feng was driving, glanced at Lu Yingjiu and Jing Xian in the back seat from the rearview mirror.

    According to his usual impression, the two of them should have been chatting shoulder-to-shoulder together, talking like that for a long time, as if they couldn¡¯t even be pulled apart.

    But for some reason, they were so silent today, with an awkward and polite distance between them, they didn¡¯t even make eye contact.

    Lu Yingjiu looked out the window to look at the scenery, but he was completely absent-minded, like being distracted during a meeting. Even if a bomb exploded next to him, he might not have any reaction. While Jing Xian had his gaze lowered, with a gloomy and domineering demeanor all over him, as if planning a tens of billions robbery, or ruling the world or something¡­ If he hadn¡¯t sneaked a peek at Lu Yingjiu from time to time, Ye Feng would have felt everything was perfectly fine.

    Xiao Li, the co-pilot, was still immersed in the mood of ¡°Ah, have I been rejected by the master wuwuwuwu¡± and didn¡¯t want to say a word.

    Ye Feng didn¡¯t know why, but his mind was full of strange thoughts.

    ¡­ He felt that these two people were like a young couple who had just finished arguing.

    What about the ¡°absence makes the heart grow fonder¡±?!

    Ye Feng couldn¡¯t stand the silence and coughed, ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t expect you two to come together.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    Jing Xian: ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    Ye Feng bit the bullet again and said, ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t coming back. Yesterday Lu Yingjiu just said that you had resigned.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    Jing Xian: ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    Ye Feng felt that the atmosphere was becoming increasingly strange, so he quickly added, ¡°Very good, very good, welcome back!¡±

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    Jing Xian: ¡°¡­¡­..¡±

    Originally, the atmosphere in the car was still ordinary and awkward, but now the air was about to solidify.

    Ye Feng shrank his head, realizing that he didn¡¯t know how to speak at all, and was merely picking up which pot was not open, therefore he just hurriedly concentrated on driving.

    (t/n: picking up which pot was not open-which means that people should not mention other people¡¯s privacy shortcomings, talk about what should be said, and not say what should not be said)

    The car passed the highway, and the scenery whizzed by.

    Xiao Li was in good spirits at first, but then he started to get motion sickness.

    After driving for another ten minutes, his face was pale and he looked like he was about to vomit.

    He said weakly, ¡°I¡¯m quite prone to motion sickness¡­it¡¯s especially serious today.¡±

    Ye Feng said, ¡°Did you not buy motion sickness patches when you went out?¡±

    ¡°No¡­.I left in a hurry, I forgot to bring it.¡± Xiao Li stretched out his hand weakly, looking for plastic bags everywhere in the car.

    Seeing that the situation was not going well, Lu Yingjiu finally stopped staring out of the window and said, ¡°Ye Feng, why don¡¯t you find a rest station to stop and let him take his time.¡±

    ¡°The nearest rest station is still 20 kilometers away.¡± Ye Feng glanced at the navigation.

    In order to protect Ye Feng¡¯s freshly washed car, Lu Yingjiu hurriedly helped Xiao Li find a plastic bag.

    After searching around but couldn¡¯t find it, he saw Jing Xian handing over something.

    Xiao Li picked it up, and at a glance, it turned out to be a motion sickness patch.

    He said weakly, ¡°Ah, you have a motion sickness patch, that¡¯s really great¡­¡±

    He endured the nausea and opened the package, stuck it on the back of the earlobe, and asked Jing Xian again, ¡°I¡¯ll push the seat back slightly?¡±

    ¡°You can, I¡¯ll just sit in the middle.¡± Jing Xian said.

    He moved to the middle, and this time he was next to Lu Yingjiu.

    Lu Yingjiu¡¯s body stiffened for half a second.

    Xiao Li lowered the seat, lay down and closed his eyes, finally he didn¡¯t look like he was about to vomit in the next second.

    Ye Feng also breathed a sigh of relief, and hurried to the rest station.

    Silence returned in the car, Lu Yingjiu couldn¡¯t hold back, and glanced at Jing Xian.

    Jing Xian took out the motion sickness patch from a backpack. Now that the zipper had not been closed, Lu Yingjiu saw neatly placed sandwiches, small packets of nuts and other snacks, as well as Band-Aids and motion sickness patches. At first glance, it¡¯s like he¡¯d prepare for a long journey.

    He didn¡¯t know how Jing Xian managed to take out these things like magic in that short 10 minutes.

    Ghosts do not have motion sickness.

    Therefore, this looks to be prepared for him.

    Lu Yingjiu felt that his current expression must be very stiff.

    He wanted to turn his head sideways to the window and continue to look at the scenery, but he felt that it was too obvious.

    He had never been so embarrassed and at a loss on what to do in his life.

    Mainly because the impact was too great.

    Who could accept it all at once, imagining that 13 years of ghost marriage, the promised glamorous female only to suddenly turn out to be a man who was half a head taller than him?!

    That master was indeed a fucking charlatan!

    Deceived him with Jing Xian!

    Even though they are both victims, why does Jing Xian look so happy!

    Jing Xian¡¯s words still echoed in Lu Yingjiu¡¯s ears.

    In the corridor, Jing Xian pulled him to apologize sincerely, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I made you a widow for so many years.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu was so shocked at the time that he didn¡¯t bother to complain about this ¡°widowhood¡± which had so many exploding slot points.

    Now, his mind was no longer in a state of confusion, his whole mind had simply became a mosaic: The universe is dark and yellow, and the universe is vast and desolate, Makabaka Yigubigu, hehehahajiejiejie, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, blue and purple, chickens, ducks, pigs and dogs, and swords, spears and halberds¡ªQuantum entanglement, Ultraman with Ox-head and Horse-face hand in hand doing the yangko dance.

    In the end, there were still two big characters: Widowhood.

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    He took a deep breath, forced himself to stabilize his emotions, and cleared his mind.

    Fortunately, Ye Feng turned the temperature of the air conditioner very low, the cold wind blew, suppressing the heat waves outside the window, which helped people clear their minds.

    Lu Yingjiu finally calmed down.

    As soon as he calmed down, he started to feel hungry.

    Originally, he planned to go downstairs to have breakfast before getting in the car. As a result, he was entangled with Jing Xian for a while, where could he have the heart to eat?

    He didn¡¯t have a good meal last night and had been hungry since morning. Seeing that there were still 150 kilometers to Mt. Gassan Village, it seemed that he could only buy something to eat at the rest station.

    Speaking of food¡­

    Lu Yingjiu thought about the nuts he saw at Jing Xian¡¯s backpack just now.

    He likes nuts, and Jing Xian always carries his favorite brand.

    If it was before, he would take it and eat it directly.

    Lu Yingjiu took another deep breath and rubbed his eyebrows, but he heard Jing Xian speak.

    Jing Xian¡¯s tone was rarely cautious as he handed over a bag of nuts, ¡°Want?¡±

    ¡°¡­No need.¡± Lu Yingjiu¡¯s voice was tense.

    He thought to himself: what Chen Xiaoling said is really correct, Jing Xian is not a little goblin, Jing Xian is a super big goblin, and he has almost mastered the art of reading minds.

    The two remained silent for more than ten seconds.

    Then Jing Xian slowly moved.

    This time, he didn¡¯t directly give the nuts to Lu Yingjiu, but stuffed them secretly.

    The movements were very small, as if afraid of being discovered, like a deskmate who was secretly passing notes in class.

    Lu Yingjiu thought again: is there any difference between giving it to me directly and sneaking it over to me?

    He wanted to refuse, but Jing Xian acted extremely fast this time, the bag of nuts was forced into his hand.

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    He squeezed it, and whispered after a while, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    He unwrapped the nuts.

    The clatter of a packing bag broke the silence.

    Lu Yingjiu had just eaten two nuts when he saw Ye Feng reached out and pressed a button, music started playing- he was also trying to ease the atmosphere.

    Lu Yingjiu ate and listened, hoping to divert his attention.

    Just listened to the lyrics playing:

    Spring Festival in the first month

    The widow asks her heart in her room

    Widow is 32 years old

    Yeah yeah yeah

    Passed the gate at the age of seventeen

    Yeah yeah yeah

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­?¡±

    He quickly resumed eating nuts, suppressing his shock.

    Then heard the lyrics again:

    Spend time at home, old and young

    Expecting us husband and wife to grow old together

    Come on ah ah yeaaah

    Unexpectedly, halfway through, I guarded the solitary tomb

    Yeah yeah

    Lu Yingjiu:? ? ?

    Lu Yingjiu couldn¡¯t help it anymore. ¡°Ye Feng, what song are you playing?¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Ye Feng said, ¡°It¡¯s ¡°The Little Widow Going to the Grave¡±.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu felt his eyebrows twitch and his blood pressure surged up. ¡°Change the song.¡±

    ¡°Oh oh.¡± Ye Feng cut the song.

    Lu Yingjiu continued to eat nuts, and heard a song coming in again:

    Missing my darling in April

    The peony flower is blooming, holding a sweat towel in hand

    Can¡¯t stop wiping away tears

    Sitting bored in the embroidery room, talking nonsense alone

    Which flower has fallen in love with you

    Abandoning the little me~~

    Lu Yingjiu:? ? ?

    He said, ¡°What song is this?¡±

    Ye Feng replied, ¡°¡±Looking forward to the Lover¡±.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­¡±

    Lu Yingjiu restrained his urge to curse, and said, ¡°You, you don¡¯t let go, turn off the song quickly.¡±

    Ye Feng didn¡¯t know why, but he finally turned off the music and the car was peaceful and quiet again.

    After driving for more than an hour, the car got off the highway in dead silence, went to various bends, and slowly climbed up the mountain.

    Mt. Gassan Nursing Home was built in the mountains, next to an ordinary small village.

    The mountain road was full of bumps and sharp turns and Ye Feng drove very slowly. They looked like a group of people going out for a spring outing. Lu Yingjiu looked out the window, the mountains were verdant, the branches of the trees were growing wildly towards the sky, a few birds hid their bodies among the leaves, and they could only hear each of their crisp singing voices.

    Xiao Li asked, ¡°That, how long has the nursing home been abandoned?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been seventeen years.¡± Ye Feng replied, ¡°Except for us, no one has come back.¡±

    The air on the mountain was good, opening the window, the refreshing wind blew in.

    The mountain road was rugged, and a few times, it seemed that there was no way ahead. After a sharp turn, there was a large continuous mountain.

    The car moved forward, shuttled through the mountains, and finally after a certain turn, it suddenly cleared up.

    ¡ª¡ªThe green trees were lush, there was a large blue lake, and the children in the village were chasing and playing. Looking up, a vast stretch of forest was in the middle, and the white walls of the nursing home seemed to be shining under the sun.

    ****

    Mt. Gassan Nursing Home was no ordinary nursing home.

    It was built in 1965 and was jointly established by several ghost exorcism organizations, including the Green Lantern Association. What it accepted were patients who had been traumatized physically and mentally after being involved in supernatural events.

    From 1965 to 2003 when the hospital was closed, the directors were all members of the Ye family.

    Ye Feng¡¯s second grandfather was the last director, and he came here many times when he was a child.

    But not long after the nursing home was closed, Ye Deyong passed away. Ye Feng also hadn¡¯t been back for ten years.

    Ye Feng parked the car outside the village.

    The parking lot was covered with wildflowers and weeds, swaying in the wind, and emitting a faint fragrance.

    The four got out of the car and walked into the village.

    Xiao Li said, ¡°Why was the compound closed? I think it¡¯s good to have in such a place.¡±

    Ye Feng hesitated for a few seconds, ¡°The management is not good.¡±

    There were usually no outsiders in this village, and there was only one small hotel and restaurant.

    Ye Feng led the way, and they walked into the ¡°Roasted Chicken King Farmhouse¡±.

    When ordering, the waiter scribbled on the paper and suddenly asked, ¡°Are you an anchor?¡±

    Ye Feng was stunned, ¡°Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°Several anchors have come here these days.¡± The waiter said, ¡°As soon as they came, they took photos of the village, saying they came to explore.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu asked, ¡°Is there a supernatural event in your village?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± The waiter pointed to the mountain, ¡°They went to that nursing home.¡±

    ¡°They have already set off?¡±

    ¡°Many have been here many times, it should be to go up the mountain as well.¡± The waiter smiled, ¡°Unfortunately, you are not the first batch to rush here. They have been live broadcasting for so many days, and they have gone where they should go. There¡¯s nothing for you to broadcast anymore.¡±

    Ye Feng asked again, ¡°Apart from the nursing home, where else did they go?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that.¡± The waiter shook his head.

    Their food arrived.

    Their product was surprisingly good. The black tofu in the stone pot was hot, smooth and tender in the mouth, and the skin of the roast chicken was crispy, and the mouth would be full of oil when one bit it.

    Lu Yingjiu ate while going to the ¡°Two-faced Buddha¡± forum.

    His slender fingers slid across the screen, and he quickly found what he was looking for.

    The name of the post was: [Has anyone heard of Mt. Gassan Nursing Home? I had a drink with my brother today, and he told me a story]

    Lu Yingjiu went in and took a look.

    [The landlord said that his brother¡¯s mother had run into a ghost and became insane. She had stayed in this nursing home, and all the patients around her had experiences similar to hers.]

    [Later, when my mother recovered, my brother came back with fruits and flowers, and wanted to thank the doctors and nurses, but found that in just three years, the extremely luxurious and well-equipped nursing home had been empty.]

    The poster wrote mysteriously: [My brother inquired for a long time, and heard that someone went up the mountain late at night, saw a nurse walking along the mountain path with a lamp, and heard that there were always cries in the nearby cemetery]

    [I just thought that when the nursing home was closed so suddenly, there must have been a ghost!]

    [Iron Juice, what do you think?]

    The post had received a lot of replies.

    ¡ª¡ª Mt. Gassan Nursing Home had received many patients.

    Back then, the profession of exorcism was yet to be revealed, and the family members of the patients had signed non-disclosure agreements. But the situation was different now, the nursing home had closed down, and there were even spiritual live broadcasts, the atmosphere was much more open. Many people spoke freely in that post, talking about which of their relatives and friends had also been to Mt. Gassan.

    In the long run, the heat would rise.

    Wherever there was heat, there would be anchors, no wonder they¡¯d come here.

    Lu Yingjiu remembered Ye Feng¡¯s photo.

    Ye Deyong¡¯s neck seemed to be strangled by something.

    If something went wrong in the nursing home and the village, it would be very troublesome for many outsiders to come over.

    Lu Yingjiu furrowed his pretty eyebrows slightly.

    Jing Xian next to him reminded him softly, ¡°Eat quickly, the food is going to be cold.¡±

    After eating, Ye Feng went to the warehouse according to the information given to him by the village head.

    The name of the village head was Feng Mao. He was in his fifties, his hair had turned a bit gray, his skin was bronze, and his physique revealed the vigor of doing farm work all year round.

    He was wearing a white old man¡¯s shirt, and led the crowd there while waving his fan. After searching for a long time from a large number of keys at his waist, he found one and opened the door of the warehouse.

    As soon as the door was opened, there was a strong stale smell, and Ye Feng couldn¡¯t help coughing a few times.

    Feng Mao had been familiar with this smell for a long time, had become inured to the unusual and he didn¡¯t even change his face.

    The lights here were also broken, thus he walked to the corner of the warehouse with a flashlight, pointed to a large cardboard box half the height of a person, and said, ¡°That¡¯s it.¡±

    On the top of the carton, the word ¡°Ye¡± was written using a fountain pen with a powerful and flexible stroke.

    Ye Feng went up and took a closer look, it was indeed his second grandpa¡¯s handwriting.

    The box was too heavy, and it was difficult for him to lift it alone, thus Xiao Li and he carried it out of the warehouse and walked all the way to the small hotel at the entrance of the village.

    They didn¡¯t know what Ye Deyong left behind, but the box was really heavy. Halfway along the uphill road, both of them were already out of breath.

    Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°Change to someone else.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Ye Feng said panting, and put the box down.

    Therefore it was changed to Lu Yingjiu and Jing Xian carrying the box.

    After walking a few steps, Lu Yingjiu only felt light in his hands, without much weight at all.

    It was impossible for Ye Feng and Xiao Li¡¯s strength to be so weak, it could only be identified that most of the weight went to Jing Xian¡¯s side.

    Lu Yingjiu subconsciously wanted to look at Jing Xian, but the cardboard box was too high for him to see anything.

    He used a little more force in his hands and walked faster.

    Unexpectedly, Jing Xian also began to increase his strength, and the force in Lu Yingjiu¡¯s hand lessened again.

    Lu Yingjiu applied force again, Jing Xian also increased his strength, the two walked faster and faster on the mountain road, walking fast and vigorously, anxiously competing to get to the hotel.

    Ye Feng and Xiao Li were left behind, they couldn¡¯t catch up with those two at all, and were all dumbfounded.

    After a long time, Xiao Li murmured, ¡°Ah this, they are really strong¡­¡­am I lacking in exercise too much? I should have earnestly gone to the gym recommended by my Master.¡±

    ¡°No, no,¡± Ye Feng shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not our fault, it¡¯s their problem. Compared to this, I want to know what happened between them¡­¡­The atmosphere along the way is really weird.¡±

    Just like that, Lu Yingjiu and Jing Xian arrived at the hotel before them.

    In the hotel lobby, they put down the box, and the box fell to the ground with a dull ¡°boom¡±.

    Most of the strength was still exerted by Jing Xian, in short, neither of them was panting.

    Before Ye Feng came, Lu Yingjiu looked at the box.

    The box was wrapped in layers of seals, tangled like a rice dumpling. There were extremely complicated patterns drawn on the seal, which looked like rivers and mountains. If one looked at it from a distance, it would appear to be like a python occupying illegally.

    The spirit or deity who bonded with the Ye family was the ¡°Li Snake¡±.

    This talisman was unique to the Ye family. Lu Yingjiu didn¡¯t know much about it, naturally, he couldn¡¯t decipher it, and therefore could only wait for Ye Feng to open it.

    Unexpectedly, when Ye Feng came, he looked at it carefully and said, ¡°This talisman is too complicated, it¡¯s impossible to undo for a while.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu said with a smile, ¡°Aren¡¯t you from the Ye family? You can¡¯t even undo your second grandpa¡¯s talisman. Are you not proficient in learning?¡±

    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re insulting me! It¡¯s not that it can¡¯t be undone, but it will take time. Give me half a day and I¡¯ll make sure to open it!¡± Ye Feng vowed.

    They hadn¡¯t unraveled the matter of the photo yet, thus they still need to stay in the Mt. Gassan Village.

    Usually, there were few people in the village, and at most a few photographers came to take pictures of the scenery in the mountains. The hotel was really too small, and there were not many rooms left after being booked by the anchors.

    Ye Feng took their ID cards, paid the money, returned with two room cards, and handed one to Lu Yingjiu. ¡°Yours.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu held the room card and was speechless for a moment.

    Jing Xian didn¡¯t know those two very well, no matter how he looked at it, he was going to sleep with him.

    He didn¡¯t want to look at Jing Xian¡¯s expression, thus he simply carried the cardboard box to the second floor with Jing Xian¡¯s help again.

    The two double rooms were adjacent to each other, Ye Feng asked them to put the box in the middle of the room, and started to study it.

    Then Lu Yingjiu and Jing Xian entered room 202 together.

    As soon as the door was closed, the room became dead silent.

    Lu Yingjiu took a deep breath and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go to the balcony to get some air.¡±

    He opened the balcony door, and the fresh mountain air rushed in.

    There was a wooden recliner on the balcony. He didn¡¯t want to go back inside the room for the time being, and planned to sit on the balcony for a while.

    Unexpectedly, sitting here, listening to the sound of swaying leaves, listening to distant human voices, and basking in the warm sunshine¡ª¡ª

    He fell asleep.

    All along, good sleep habits come into play.

    This sleep was fuzzy, and the dream was chaotic.

    Lu Yingjiu seemed to be dreaming of the ghost marriage, the downpour of rain, the blood-red lanterns, and the flickering red candles.

    It¡¯s just that in this dream, he was no longer young, but had become his current age.

    The child who was plagued by bad luck back then had finally grown up safely.

    Walking into the wedding hall, all the guests were wearing ghost masks and were sharply laughing.

    He stood alone under the word ¡°‡Ö¡±, and bowed deeply. (TL: happiness)

    It¡¯s just that¡ª¡ª

    It¡¯s just that this time, when he stood up again, the opposite side was no longer empty.

    Jing Xian stood in front of him, with a smile in his eyes, lowered his head slightly, and kissed his forehead.

    The two stared at each other for a long time.

    The sound of the ripples of the rainstorm, as if for eternity and will never end, the candlelight suddenly jumped up for a moment, and the red wax oil rolled down, seemingly blazing.

    Jing Xian stretched out his hand, stroked his temples carefully, and said with a smile, ¡°Haven¡¯t seen you for a long time.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu woke up, and his face felt a little hot for some reason.

    He took a long breath and stood up, only to notice the sound of music playing in the background.

    The balcony was facing a small square, and several young boys were rehearsing dances underneath.

    Someone nearby shouted with a loudspeaker, ¡°Jump faster, jump faster! There are three days left in the festival, are you guys going to perform like this?! Look at yourselves!¡±

    The young man worked even harder, and after a while, another girl came up, singing in a playful voice, babbling.

    Thud, thud¡ª¡ª

    The glass of the balcony was knocked.

    Lu Yingjiu turned his head and saw Jing Xian opened the balcony door and walked to him. ¡°Awake?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu nodded.

    He had just woken up, and his whole body was comfortable and sluggish after the nap.

    The young man under the balcony jumped up and down, Lu Yingjiu didn¡¯t know what to say, so he continued watching the play.

    Looking at it, he suddenly heard another sound of music coming.

    He identified it carefully: Okay, Ye Feng played a song again.

    Lu Yingjiu shouted, ¡°Why did you put it on again!¡±

    Ye Feng¡¯s voice came from afar, ¡°I¡¯m really bored! You can¡¯t deprive me of the few fun I have!¡±

    ¡°What did you put?¡±

    ¡ª¡ªAs soon as he asked this question, Lu Yingjiu regretted it.

    Sure enough, Ye Feng replied, ¡°I¡¯m listening to ¡°The Big Girl Watching a Play¡±!¡±

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­..¡±

    Jing Xian beside him also heard it, and chokingly laughed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t laugh, don¡¯t laugh.¡± Lu Yingjiu said helplessly, and unconsciously smiled.

    The music continued, and the two stood side by side under the sun, their shadows being elongated by the light.

    The awkward atmosphere seemed to be diluted by the sunlight.

    The timing was good now, Lu Yingjiu was thinking about how to open up and have a chat with Jing Xian.

    If he speaks up, what should he say? It seems that nothing is quite right.

    A few minutes later, the song happened to have reached the end, and everything became quiet.

    Lu Yingjiu lowered his eyes slightly and said, ¡°Jing Xian, you¡­¡±

    Then a cheering sound suddenly came!

    Ye Feng shouted, ¡°I opened the box!¡±

 CH 34

    Lu Yingjiu and Jing Xian came to Ye Feng¡¯s room.

    Talisman papers spread all over the floor could be seen, as well as various pens and scissors. It was a mess like a robber had just come in, and there was almost no place to stand on.

    The half-person-high cardboard box had been opened, and Ye Feng took out the contents and placed them outside.

    A slip of paper.

    A bronze key.

    And also a¡­..small green crocodile doll.

    There were only three items in total, and they didn¡¯t seem to weigh much.

    Ye Feng first unfolded the note, and the four of them huddled together to read it.

    The slip of paper had turned yellow and the handwriting was old.

    [103486]

    Xiao Li said, ¡°Brother Ye Feng, is this the bank card password left by your second grandfather? You are going to get rich.¡±

    ¡°What get rich, the second grandfather didn¡¯t leave any savings, he donated all the money he could donate.¡± Ye Feng said, ¡°It¡¯s called ¡®keeping one¡¯s life clean, being poor, being honest and serving one¡¯s public affairs¡¯.¡±

    Ye Deyong was married before, yet his wife passed away early, leaving no heirs. He regarded Ye Feng as his own grandson.

    When dealing with his funeral, although Ye Feng was young, the Ye family should have explained everything to him clearly, including the whereabouts of the inheritance.

    Xiao Li asked, ¡°Then what could this be?¡±

    ¡°Not sure.¡± Ye Feng shook his head, ¡°He never mentioned it to me.¡±

    ¡°Is it possible that it is private savings?¡±

    ¡°I really don¡¯t know.¡± Ye Feng still shook his head.

    He picked up the second object.

    The bronze key was very heavy and a little longer than his palm, corresponding to a huge door.

    Xiao Li: ¡°Brother Ye Feng, what is this?¡±

    Ye Feng studied the key for a long time and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you know anything, isn¡¯t the second grandpa close to you?¡±

    Ye Feng scratched his head vigorously, ¡°But he has a weird temper! No one knows what he is thinking! He is extremely bad at expressing himself. It¡¯s hard to explain it to you clearly. For example, this sentence ¡°Last night¡¯s meal was terrible¡±, he can beat around the bush and pull you back and forth eighteen times, from Qin Shihuang to Liu Guanzhang, and you know, last night¡¯s meal was really bad.¡±

    ¡°In other words, he tends to digress when talking.¡± Lu Yingjiu summed it up for him.

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Ye Feng patted his thigh, ¡°In short, he is very good at talking, and his brain circuit is novel.¡±

    Xiao Li also took the key, looked at it, and interjected, ¡°I understand, this key must be used to open the safe. After opening it, enter the password on the note.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°Has Chu Banyang not paid you salary recently? Look at you, saying three sentences without leaving out the word money.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Xiao Li said with an embarrassed smile, ¡°I haven¡¯t become a full-time employee yet, and I only get 3,000 a month. I¡¯m really struggling recently.¡±

    Over there, Ye Feng gave up thinking and put the key and the note together for the time being.

    He picked up the last thing again.

    The crocodile doll didn¡¯t look big, but it was very heavy. He just picked it up, and his arms bulged with veins.

    Most of the weight of the cardboard box came from it.

    Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°You know what it is, right?¡±

    ¡°I know this.¡± Ye Feng put the doll in front of him that made a muffled ¡°thud¡±. ¡°It was my toy when I was young. I like it the most. When I was in elementary school, I slept with it every day, and cried when it was taken away. Later, when our family moved, at that time, it disappeared. I thought it was lost. I cried for a long time, but I didn¡¯t expect it to be here with the second grandpa.¡±

    He touched the crocodile doll, the texture felt by his hands was fluffy, and it was still the familiar feeling from his childhood memory.

    He said, ¡°Why is it so heavy¡­..Is there something inside it?¡±

    Xiao Li¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°A safe is installed!¡±

    Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°I¡¯ll tell Chu Banyang later and let him give you a raise in salary.¡±

    Ye Feng weighed the crocodile again, and after a few seconds, reluctantly said, ¡°I¡¯ll cut it open and have a look.¡±

    When he was a child, Ye Feng would never have imagined that after many years, he would cut off his beloved little crocodile with his own hands.

    Ye Feng picked up a pair of scissors, turned the crocodile over, and cut a small hole in the middle of the abdomen.

    Sure enough, the crocodile had something in it.

    He reached in, squeezed it out¡ª

    Then clouds of ash drifted profusely and disorderly in the air.

    Seeing that the ashes were about to rush towards him, Lu Yingjiu only felt a gust of wind blowing in front of him.

    The wind swept away all the ash, it went in the opposite direction, and didn¡¯t fall on him even a little bit, making Ye Feng and Xiao Li choke and cough again and again.

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    He turned back to look at Jing Xian.

    Jing Xian looked innocent, as if what happened just now had nothing to do with him.

    He pretended too much, Lu Yingjiu subconsciously wanted to poke him, but stopped before he stretched out his hand.

    Then he retracted his hand secretly.

    Good thing he didn¡¯t poke, he thought. After knowing Jing Xian¡¯s identity, the meaning of this little gesture seemed to have changed a bit, and was hard to explain.

    ¡­He felt like he was flirting with Jing Xian.

    Ye Feng, who was finished coughing, said, ¡°What is this thing!¡±

    Xiao Li while still coughing, ¡°Cough cough cough, Isn¡¯t this what your second grandpa left!¡±

    ¡°I told you he has a weird temper!¡± Ye Feng shouted, ¡°Do normal people put ashes in toys! This is still my favorite toy!¡±

    Lu Yingjiu took a closer look at the dust that fell on the ground, and felt that it didn¡¯t look like ordinary ash. But he obviously had no way to identify what these were with the naked eye.

    He casually asked Jing Xian, ¡°Do you know what this is?¡±

    Jing Xian didn¡¯t even bat an eye, and answered fluently, ¡°Ashes.¡±

    He had seen this thing a lot in the ghost world.

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­..¡±

    Xiao Li and Ye Feng: ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    When the two of them called to mind being choked, and probably ate a lot of ashes, they both looked like they were about to vomit.

    Xiao Li¡¯s face contorted, he retched a few times, supported himself by Ye Feng and said, ¡°I believe now that you are close to your second grandpa, even if the second grandpa dies, he will bury himself in your favorite toy.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Ye Feng also had a distorted face, ¡°This is definitely not my second grandfather. I shoveled his ashes with my own hands, buried some of them, and spilled the rest into the sea! Sprinkled neatly and tidily!¡±

    ¡°Then whose ashes are these! Can you find out!¡± Xiao Li was about to collapse.

    ¡°The ashes cannot be identified, and they are not bones.¡± Lu Yingjiu sat down in front of the crocodile doll, without hesitation, picked up some ashes and rubbed them.

    Nothing unusual.

    It¡¯s just ordinary ashes, without Yin energy or resentment.

    Lu Yingjiu said again, ¡°Ye Feng, are you completely unfamiliar with these three things?¡±

    Ye Feng: ¡°I really don¡¯t know anything. I can ask my family, but I don¡¯t think they know.¡±

    Ye Feng went to ask his family members, and the elders expressed that they had no idea.

    They all said: ¡°Since it belongs to your second grandfather, just bring it back, don¡¯t look into it so much.¡±

    Everyone knew that Ye Deyong had a weird temper and had messed with everything before. Stuffing ashes into toys also sounds like something he would do.

    It seemed that such an investigation would not bear fruit.

    Ye Feng breathed out, ¡°If possible, I would like to visit the nursing home again. The second grandfather worked there for decades before his death. If there is any clue, it is probably there.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s still early.¡± Lu Yingjiu looked out the window, and the afternoon sun was still bright, ¡°If you want to go, we can go today.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Ye Feng stood up.

    As soon as he got up, he heard the sound of ¡°thump thump thump!¡±

    There was a heavy knock from outside the door.

    Everyone looked at each other, Xiao Li got up and went to the door.

    There was a young man outside, wearing a peaked cap and jeans, with a disturbed look on his face. ¡°Hello, I want to ask, are you exorcists¡­¡±

    Xiao Li didn¡¯t answer directly, but asked, ¡°Do you need any help?¡±

    He hadn¡¯t done many commissions himself, but Ye Feng and Lu Yingjiu, especially Lu Yingjiu, if recognized, then it was perfectly normal.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right,¡± the young man pressed his hat to relieve his uneasiness, ¡°I just saw you in the restaurant. I didn¡¯t want to disturb you, but after thinking about it, I still think I should come over.¡±

    He continued, ¡°I came here with my friend. His name is Zhou Liang, and he is a spirit detective anchor. You can find his live broadcast room on ¡®Two-faced Buddha¡¯. It was probably yesterday afternoon. He and a few assistants went up the mountain and went to the nursing home. Afterwards, I couldn¡¯t reach them anymore, no one answered the phone, and it¡¯s no use sending text messages either.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu got up and came to the door. ¡°Is the signal not good on the mountain?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not.¡± The young man shook his head again and again, ¡°Look.¡±

    He turned on the phone, and there were other anchors on the screen, two or three of which were broadcasting live in the nursing home.

    The young man said, ¡°The other live broadcast rooms are all good, the signal on the mountain should be fine. Zhou Liang went up to do a live broadcast, his live broadcast was also cut off yesterday.¡±

    It did sound like something went wrong.

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°We are just about to go up the mountain, you can give us your friend¡¯s contact information, it is also best if you send a picture.¡±

    ¡°Good, good, good.¡± The young man hastily agreed, ¡°I¡¯ll send it now. Is there anything else I need to do?¡±

    ¡°No need.¡± Lu Yingjiu thought for a while, and then added, ¡°Try your best to persuade people to go up the mountain less.¡±

    The young man became somewhat embarrassed. ¡°This is difficult, where would they listen to me? I don¡¯t have any evidence to prove that the mountain is dangerous.¡± His voice became smaller and smaller.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, just try your best.¡± Lu Yingjiu said.

    He didn¡¯t have any hope at all, but he could try one at a time.

    Inside the room, Ye Feng had already picked up the hiking bag and was ready to go.

    ****

    20 minutes later.

    The path up the mountain was not easy to walk, full of potholes, and there were many footprints left by the anchors these days. The soil was soft, leaves rustled overhead, birds were alive and kicking, and the wind smelled of wood and grass.

    The environment of this mountain was very good, it had not been developed, and even the roads were so primitive.

    There was originally a driveway to the nursing home, but it had been in disrepair for a long time, and now was completely impossible to walk on.

    Pa!

    Xiao Li slapped his calf fiercely, and when he opened his palm again, it was bright red.

    He frowned. ¡°There are so many mosquitoes here!¡±

    Ye Feng also said. ¡°My legs are covered with lumps.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu looked at Ye Feng¡¯s legs, and sure enough there were several bumps, even his hands were not spared, the battle was extremely tragic.

    In just a few seconds of speaking, two more mosquitoes stopped behind his legs.

    Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°Jing Xian, take out the mosquito repellent spray.¡±

    Jing Xian said, ¡°I didn¡¯t bring it.¡± He lowered his voice, ¡°I don¡¯t attract bugs, you come closer.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu walked with him all the way, and it was true that he was not bitten.

    It¡¯s just that¡­¡­

    Lu Yingjiu couldn¡¯t bear it any longer, and lowered his voice, ¡°I¡¯ve seen that you have mosquito repellent in your bag, you¡¯re still pretending, take it out quickly.¡±

    Jing Xian was exposed, so he took out the mosquito repellent spray with regret and handed it to him.

    Lu Yingjiu sprayed it on his body, then handed the bottle to Ye Feng and Xiao Li.

    The two of them sprayed indiscriminately, and when they sprayed on the bitten places, they all gritted in pain.

    Although the mosquitoes on this mountain were many and poisonous, and some were not afraid of mosquito repellent spray at all, the situation had improved anyway.

    After walking like this for ten minutes, Ye Feng said, ¡°Why did it start to fog?¡±

    Mist surged down the mountain, like milk being poured down, and surrounded them in the blink of an eye.

    It came abruptly and quickly.

    Lu Yingjiu looked around, his vision was very blurred, only the blurred outlines of trees could be seen. He took a deep breath, feeling as if he had sucked in a mouthful of water, and the moisture filled his lungs.

    Xiao Li scratched his head. ¡°It¡¯s strange that there is fog in the afternoon. Could there be ghosts¡­ But the range in the mountains is too large, and the yin energy is scattered, we don¡¯t have a simple way to verify it either.¡±

    ¡°There is a simple way.¡± Ye Feng turned his head, ¡°Lu Yingjiu, is there a ghost here?¡±

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°Yes.¡±

    Ye Feng turned around. ¡°You see, that¡¯s enough to know.¡°

    Xiao Li: ¡°¡­..¡±

    The visibility dropped rapidly.

    Ten meters, five meters, three meters, one meter¡­

    Xiao Li whispered, ¡°I almost can¡¯t see your faces clearly.¡±

    ¡°Anyway, we¡¯re almost there.¡± Ye Feng said, ¡°Come closer, come one.¡± After speaking, he leaned closer to Xiao Li.

    The road ahead got steeper.

    Originally, the soil here was very soft, and it was not easy to exert force when stepping on it. They continued to move forward with one deep foot and one shallow foot.

    When they reached a short slope, they had to grab the roots of the trees next to them to climb up. Jing Xian went up after a few steps, turned around with ease, and then reached his hand towards Lu Yingjiu.

    Visibility had reached the lowest level, from Lu Yingjiu viewpoint, Jing Xian¡¯s face was blurry, and was immersed in the white mist.

    He took Jing Xian¡¯s hand.

    Jing Xian easily pulled him up.

    Xiao Li then shouted from behind, ¡°Give me a hand too!¡±

    As soon as Lu Yingjiu turned his head and wanted to pull the person, he simply saw that there was no one at the bottom of the slope.

    Both Ye Feng and Xiao Li disappeared.

    The fog got thicker and thicker, and Lu Yingjiu couldn¡¯t see anything.

    In the mist, Jing Xian still held his hand tightly, as if he was afraid that he would get lost.

    Being held by him like this, Lu Yingjiu felt a little¡­a little uncomfortable.

    He pretended to break away from Jing Xian¡¯s hand unintentionally, and lit a piece of talisman paper.

    The paper talisman ignited and floated beside him.

    The heat drove back the thick white mist, like raging fire melting ice and snow, and the visibility improved all of a sudden.

    Lu Yingjiu walked forward and said, ¡°The center of the mist is just ahead. After solving the ghosts there, the mist will dissipate.¡±

    Jing Xian nodded and said, ¡°En.¡±

    They walked in the fog one after the other.

    There was another small soil slope ahead. This time, Lu Yingjiu stepped on the soft soil, took a quick half-step and went up first.

    After going up, he turned his head to look at Jing Xian, but before he could see clearly, he was completely hugged.

    Lu Yingjiu suddenly froze¡ª¡ª

    The man¡¯s chest had a warm temperature, even if Jing Xian suppressed it no matter how much, whether in terms of body shape or the aggressiveness of his breath, he could still clearly recognize that the other party was of same-sex that was taller than himself.

    He obviously wasn¡¯t close to the left chest, but he seemed to be able to hear the beating of his heart.

    It was the first time Lu Yingjiu knew that ghosts would have such a heartbeat.

    He felt himself stiffened from neck to back, and struggled slightly, trying to resist.

    Until Jing Xian buried his head in his neck and said in a muffled voice, ¡°Don¡¯t avoid me on purpose.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡± Lu Yingjiu stopped and took a deep breath, ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°You have been all the way. Just now too, you deliberately walked a few steps faster to avoid me, right.¡±

    This sentence was not an interrogative sentence.

    Lu Yingjiu stopped talking.

    If one looked at it from the side, one would find that his expression, which had always been extremely well controlled, was slightly tense.

    It could almost be called nervousness.

    Jing Xian spoke next to his ear, and the heat made the auricles hot. ¡°I won¡¯t do anything to you.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu took a deep breath and wanted to support his forehead. ¡°This is broad daylight¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Jing Xian said, ¡°Like pressing against the wall, kissing above a heatable brick bed, cuddling to sleep, forcibly plundering and imprisoning, I never thought about it.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°¡­..¡±

    Lu Yingjiu: ¡°You sound like you¡¯ve thought about it all over again!¡±

    He began to struggle again.

    But Jing Xian had great strength, and simply didn¡¯t struggle.

    A few seconds later, Lu Yingjiu tactfully gave up and stopped. ¡°Let go of me first. The ghost hasn¡¯t been solved yet.¡±

    ¡°No hurry, it won¡¯t dare do anything, I¡¯m here.¡± Jing Xian said casually.

    The surrounding milky white mist was rolling, like some kind of weird wave, and was thick with humidity.

    They just stood in the mist, not speaking to each other, each with their own thoughts.

    Jing Xian hesitated for a few seconds before speaking again, ¡°I know, I may be very different from what you expected¡­¡±

    Lu Yingjiu thought to himself: absolutely too different.

    The gorgeous female ghost turned into gorgeous Jing Xian overnight, although according to the trend and the difference in physique between the two, he felt that it would be himself who would be the ¡°gorgeous¡± in the end.

    Jing Xian backed away a little, looked at him and asked seriously. ¡°So I want to know, do you hate me?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­..¡± Lu Yingjiu pursed his lips slightly.

    The light in Jing Xian¡¯s eyes dimmed a little visibly with the naked eye.

    Further questioning, it seemed meaningless either.

    This reunion after 13 years was indeed quite embarrassing, perhaps even unsatisfactory ¨C it was inevitable, everything came too abruptly for Lu Yingjiu. Not everyone could accept such an existence around them.

    Jing Xian was about to let go, but his arm was held down.

    Lu Yingjiu didn¡¯t use much strength, it was just to stop Jing Xian¡¯s movements.

    He looked up at Jing Xian. ¡°Jing Xian, I will never hate you.¡±

    Jing Xian¡¯s expression changed.

    Lu Yingjiu took a deep breath and continued. ¡°You¡¯re right, I am the problem. I am avoiding you on purpose. But I didn¡¯t do it because I hate you, I just, I just need a little time to straighten out my thoughts.¡±

    ¡°For the past 13 years, I have been imagining whether the ghost I married actually exists ¨C what kind of ghost would she be, what would her name be, what kind of personality would she have, what would she like? Would she have the same hobbies as me?¡±

    ¡°Sometimes I also think, if it weren¡¯t for this ghost marriage, where would I be today. Or maybe I wouldn¡¯t be able to live today at all, and I would have died at the hands of some ghost long ago.¡±

    ¡°Although reason tells me that you may never show up in this life, but every Ghost Festival, I still subconsciously wait.¡±

    ¡°Anyone who knows me knows that I¡¯m not a particularly emotional person, but this matter will always be my exception.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu paused for a few seconds, and the slender fingers that landed on Jing Xian¡¯s arm exerted a little force.

    He said: ¡°Everyone, including the master who advocated ghost marriage for me, all told me that the one I married was a female ghost, and I naturally felt the same way. So in my imagination, you appeared as a female, which caused me to be stunned and at a loss at present.¡±

    ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean that I ¡®expect¡¯ you to be a woman. It¡¯s just my wishful thinking. How can I ask you to satisfy me?¡±

    ¡°No matter what image you appear in, I will accept it.¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯ve always been, looking forward to meeting you.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu looked at Jing Xian with a soft light in his brown eyes.

    ¡°After so many years, I finally met you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Jing Xian.¡±

    When he said this, Jing Xian kept looking at him intently.

    After a long time, Jing Xian said, ¡°¡­I don¡¯t need any thanks. It¡¯s enough that you don¡¯t hate me.¡± He hooked the corner of his mouth, ¡°But ghosts are always greedy, and are not satisfied with small gains. At present, you don¡¯t like me, right?¡±

    When he said this, there was undisguised desire and longing in his eyes.

    This kind of strong and fiery obsession was the true face of ghosts ¨C both of them knew what kind of liking the ¡°like¡± he was referring to.

    Lu Yingjiu took a long breath and replied. ¡°Yes. I really can¡¯t fall in love with someone who has been around for decades. I haven¡¯t thought about this before, and,¡± he hesitated for a moment, ¡°Jing Xian, I don¡¯t want to lie to you, and I don¡¯t want to give you illusory promises either, I¡¯m really not sure if I¡¯ll fall in love with the same sex, to be honest, I¡¯ve never thought about this kind of problem¡­¡±

    ¡°En.¡± Jing Xian said, ¡°I understand.¡±

    Lu Yingjiu said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I know what you want most from me, but I can¡¯t guarantee it. I always thought I was a fair person, but every time I met you, I seemed to be quite selfish.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize,¡± Jing Xian still smiled, ¡°You¡¯re not the only one who is wishful thinking¡ªyou never asked me for anything, didn¡¯t you, everything was voluntarily done by me. Our fate, it began much earlier than you imagined.¡±

    He lowered his head slightly, and placed his forehead against Lu Yingjiu¡¯s, his eyes were bright.

    He said, ¡°You did not expect this kind of me, but what I like¨Chave always been this kind of you.¡±