Futile Devices Scans

Bang!

Qin Shu kicked a hole through the door.

More precisely, he had tried everything he could to smash the lock apart before finally forcing his way through the door with brute strength.

The mop handle was useless. A thin card could not slide open the lock, and every window was fitted with thick security bars… Qin Shu had been pushed too far.

When a person was trapped in an endlessly silent, deathly still world, every negative possibility imagined by the mind would be magnified without limit. Eventually, everyone outside would become mangled beyond recognition in his imagination, their corpses strewn everywhere.

That was why Qin Shu had finally snapped. Without saying a word, he began attacking the door—first hammering it with his fists, then raising his leg and kicking it viciously. If once was not enough, he simply repeated it again and again.

As for what pain felt like? Qin Shu had temporarily forgotten.

Even he had not expected himself to be capable of such terrifying strength. It was practically inhuman. He had torn apart the iron lump of a lock until it was completely mangled, sending metal fragments flying everywhere. An icy wind laden with the scent of frost and snow burst through the open doorway and flooded inside all at once.

Outside, in the front corridor, Xing Yong was half-kneeling on the ground, his body curled in on itself.

One hand clutched his chest while the other trembled against the tiled floor. He gasped desperately for breath, as though trapped in a prolonged and violent stress response. Tears streamed uncontrollably from his eyes from sheer terror, and his muscles spasmed. He looked as though he might suffocate completely at any moment.

The reaction resembled a heart attack, and the physical discomfort was not much different. He was already suffering from respiratory alkalosis and needed immediate treatment. Qin Shu turned and hurried to the cashier’s counter, yanked out a plastic bag, placed it over Xing Yong’s head, then firmly held both his shoulders and looked him directly in the eyes.

“Look at me and keep breathing. Xing Yong, you’re safe now. Can you hear me? I’m here. We’re safe.”

“Breathe… breathe…”

After three to five minutes, Xing Yong’s breathing gradually slowed and returned to a normal rhythm. However, the muscles in his arms continued trembling uncontrollably. It took him several attempts before he finally managed to pull the plastic bag off his head.

The two of them stared at each other beneath the dark night sky. The absurdity of their reversed positions quietly spread through the silence. Qin Shu unobtrusively hid his blood-soaked fists, glanced around, and took the initiative to break the strange atmosphere. “Brother Yong, what happened? Where’s the baby?”

“…That wasn’t a baby.” Xing Yong’s voice was hoarse. He closed his eyes to recover for a moment, then slowly rose with the help of a nearby table. “It was Blind Granny. She’s already dead.”

“Huh?” Qin Shu stared blankly. “…Huh?”

“That baby boy was Blind Granny in disguise. Qin Shu, call Captain Wu for me. Hurry and warn him to be careful. Before they take action, they absolutely have to coordinate with Daoist Xu and inform him of this. My lock-screen password is 5257. Hurry! My fingers can’t really move right now…” Xing Yong spoke between gasping breaths and tossed his phone over.

“Got it.” Qin Shu caught the phone and quickly placed the call.

Captain Wu was Xing Yong’s direct superior, and his voice sounded calm and steady. When he received the urgent warning from Xing Yong’s side, he did not take it lightly. Instead, he solemnly promised to act accordingly and even specifically thanked Qin Shu.

It was an extremely sincere expression of gratitude, sincere enough to make Qin Shu suspect that Captain Wu might also know something… about the hidden truth of this world.

Of course, that suspicion could be investigated another day. What Qin Shu needed to know now was what terrifying event Xing Yong had experienced while Qin Shu had deliberately been locked inside the convenience store—and who exactly was responsible.

After all, for some inexplicable reason, the way Xing Yong looked at him was slightly strange.

The two sat at one of the tables outside the convenience store, lowering their heads over another round of piping-hot instant noodles. As they ate, they watched three police cars drive through the main gates of Jiangcheng No. 2 High School. A group of officers led forensic examiners up the teaching building and swiftly began investigating and collecting the bodies of the Du couple.

Xing Yong stopped eating after only a few bites. He had no appetite for noodles and could only drink some of the hot broth. After thinking for a moment, he decided to begin from the start, leaving out none of the details his mind could still remember.

Qin Shu listened attentively, but his thoughts were gradually overwhelmed by an increasingly intense sense of absurdity. “So you’re saying that Du Xiao Shuang’s parents exhausted themselves and spent a fortune, cruelly sacrificing the lives of both their daughters for this, then waited bitterly for six years… only to discover that they never had a son at all? They were completely deceived and happily raised some monster-like old woman instead?”

“That’s more or less what happened. You understand these things better than I do.”

Qin Shu frowned as he speculated, “Du Xiao Shuang and her sister were probably not Blind Granny’s only victims. Maybe she relied on this wicked method to steal other people’s fates of longevity and wealth, constantly extending her own life. Then she would disguise herself as a baby, move into someone else’s home, and take over the nest. She was far too evil. Good riddance… Ahem. Brother Yong, you understand me. I would never casually kill anyone, but knowing someone else decisively carried out justice on Heaven’s behalf really does make me feel relieved.”

“Qin Shu, that attitude of yours…” Xing Yong stopped halfway through his sentence.

After thinking about it, he refrained from immediately lecturing him. Instead, he suppressed his emotions and continued in a low voice, “The person who killed Blind Granny was definitely not human. I’ve tried desperately to remember, but I still can’t recall his face.”

“You don’t need to focus solely on his face. Any other detail will do—his clothing, manner, and voice. Those things will definitely be useful. We can piece together a general image from them,” Qin Shu suggested earnestly. “Ordinary ghosts are trapped here and can’t leave No. 2 High School. We have plenty of time to slowly investigate and identify him.”

“What I’m afraid of is… that he isn’t an ordinary ghost. Qin Shu, you don’t understand that kind of terror. It’s fortunate you weren’t the one who encountered him.” Xing Yong sighed. “Do you know? In my memories right now, even Du Xiao Shuang looks delicate and pretty by comparison.”

“Huh? Was he really that ugly?” Qin Shu glanced at the female ghost floating beside him, her face covered in blood, and stared in astonishment.

“No. No, not at all. He was extraordinarily beautiful. His eyes were a very unusual color. What color was it again? I can’t remember. I genuinely can’t recall his exact features, but to exaggerate slightly, if I were a teenage gay boy, I would definitely have fallen in love with him.”

Xing Yong’s choice of words might have been exaggerated, but it was the only way he could express the shock he had experienced.

He sighed lightly, rubbed his aching temples, and continued searching his memory carefully. “He was around your age and roughly your height. He was also wearing a school uniform and had a beige-brown scarf around his neck. He looked very thin and slender… Maybe it was because of the lighting, but he was as pale as a paper funeral effigy, as though the light passed directly through his skin. It was a little eerie.

“But when I saw him closely, I realized that he really was exceptionally beautiful. Even though I can no longer remember his face, and even though I was scared half to death, I still thought he was beautiful. Tsk. If my future child could be even half as pretty as him, I’d wake up laughing from my dreams.”

Qin Shu froze slightly. He looked as though he wanted to say something but stopped himself, deciding to ask about the rest of the incident first. “So he appeared and killed Blind Granny with a single look… I already know that part. What happened afterward? What exactly did he do to you?”

The moment those words left his mouth, Xing Yong gave him another complicated and peculiar glance, causing a strange uneasiness to rise within Qin Shu.

Xing Yong inhaled deeply and spoke very slowly. “He tore out my heart. You heard me correctly. He held my still-beating heart as though he were casually playing with some boring toy. He even brought it up in front of my face and forced me to look at it clearly. My life was held so lightly between his fingertips.”

“…That’s terrifying.”

“Yes, it was terrifying. Then he warned me not to touch his things and not to bully his things. If it happened again, once a person’s heart was taken out, it would never be put back inside.”

Xing Yong smiled bitterly. “He truly frightened the courage out of me, Qin Shu. I smelled my own organs. Can you understand that? It was worse than the stench of a corpse. It was the smell of knowing with absolute certainty that you were about to die. Even now, it still lingers at the tip of my nose.”

“Brother Yong, drink some water first. I once heard that after experiencing a life-or-death crisis, smelling a cesspit can help ease the fear.” Qin Shu laughed at his own words, then fell silent for a moment as he met Xing Yong’s complicated gaze. “All right, I won’t joke around. So he said you weren’t allowed to touch his things… What was he referring to? Me?”

“Mm.” Xing Yong obediently picked up a bottle of mineral water, responded dully, and took a large gulp.

Qin Shu pressed his lips together slightly and lowered his head, his voice low and sincere. “So I really was the one who dragged you into this. Brother Yong, I’m sorry. I still haven’t figured out what’s happening to me. I don’t know whether I have enemies or some melodramatic hidden past… I haven’t even fully explored the extent of my own abilities. I really shouldn’t have asked you to come tonight. I’m sorry.”

“What is there to apologize for? Kid, you’re only seventeen. I’m the police officer.”

Qin Shu froze again. He parted his lips, intending to say something, but Xing Yong interrupted him once more.

“Even if you’re accustomed to pretending to be an adult all day and taking responsibility for things that never should have been yours to bear, you must remember one thing: I am the police officer.” Xing Yong shot him a look and tapped the table, his tone softening. “Whether I’m capable of protecting myself and other people is something I’m supposed to worry about. It has never been your responsibility. Do you understand?”

“…Yes. I understand.”

“Then now, Qin Shu, think carefully. Among the classmates around you, who matches the characteristics I described tonight?”

At this point, Xing Yong’s warm and dependable tone abruptly changed. His attitude became serious again, openly revealing a trace of cold severity and authority. “No matter how close you are to this person, for everyone’s safety, you absolutely cannot hide anything from me. I’ve been watching your expression this entire time. Who did you think of just now? Speak!”

Qin Shu did not answer.

After remaining silent for a moment, he took out his phone and sent Xing Yong several group photographs of the Senior Year advanced class.

Teacher Fu had taken the photographs from the front of the classroom during an open lesson held the previous month. All forty-five students in the class appeared in them.

Qin Shu sat in the window-side corner of the back row, one arm wrapped around Pei Zhao while his other hand formed a perfectly standard victory sign. His smile was brilliant. Teacher Fu had taken several nearly identical photographs in succession, and Qin Shu sent all of them over.

He was extremely cooperative, so Xing Yong smoothly put away the stern attitude he had used to interrogate him like a criminal. He enlarged the photographs and examined them carefully, even raising his eyebrows and complimenting Qin Shu. “You look pretty handsome when you smile, kid. You must have received plenty of love letters from girls over the years. Don’t go dating carelessly at your age.”

“I won’t. I’ve never felt that way about any girl. It’s as though I was born without that particular string.” Qin Shu smiled as he spoke, but the smile quickly faded. His voice became uncharacteristically cautious. “So, Brother Yong… is he the person you saw tonight?”

“…I can’t say for certain. The scarf’s color looks similar, but look at these two students in the second row. They’re wearing scarves in a similar style too. That’s how it is during winter. The design is too common.”

Qin Shu gave a quiet hum and explained softly, “I bought the scarf for him. It’s wool and very warm. His health isn’t good, and he’s also a little picky about food. I was worried he would get too cold when the temperature dropped and become sick.”

“So the two of you are very close?”

“Very close. Other than Tang Rui Cheng… Tang Rui Cheng is the one who was injured and sent to the hospital last night. That unlucky idiot is my childhood friend. Haha. Apart from him, Pei Zhao is my best friend in high school.”

Listening to Qin Shu’s laughter, which seemed to be an attempt to make light of his hardship, Xing Yong’s expression also became complicated. The child had not had an easy life, but at this point, no matter how difficult things were, nothing could be done about it.

“So your good friend really is highly suspicious. What do you think?”

“Brother Yong, what I think is meaningless because I didn’t personally experience the incident. You did. I can only provide clues based on your description, but I won’t casually pass judgment on him.” Qin Shu’s voice remained low. He controlled his emotions and spoke slowly, one word at a time. “You can investigate carefully and determine what kind of person he truly is. Or you can come by our class tomorrow and speak to him face-to-face.”

“…I understand. I really am the only one who can make that judgment.” Xing Yong sighed, enlarged Pei Zhao’s face in the photograph, and stared at it intently from every angle as he sank into thought.

Pei Zhao very likely was the person he had encountered tonight. The details matched, as did that indescribable bearing. Everything was far too coincidental.

Yet Xing Yong truly could not definitively declare that Pei Zhao had been the one to tear out his heart—that it had been Pei Zhao who had looked down upon him as though regarding an ant, gazing at him calmly with those inhuman and indifferent eyes before softly warning him never again to touch something that did not belong to him.

Because the Pei Zhao in these photographs looked exactly like an ordinary high school student. His face displayed the delicate emotions that only a living person could possess.

His body was angled slightly toward Qin Shu, and the faintest flush had appeared at the corners of his eyes.

His golden-amber eyes contained an unmistakable smile, as well as a trace of helplessness. Indeed, he had raised one hand and gently tried to push Qin Shu’s arm away, attempting to escape the overly forceful embrace… but he had failed to move it. In the end, he could only helplessly allow Qin Shu to pull him into his arms, half his face buried in the warm scarf, leaving only that faint blush exposed.

The succession of candid photographs taken by Teacher Fu had completely recorded the entire process. Xing Yong could see clearly that Pei Zhao’s reactions were identical to those of an ordinary high school student. Compared with Qin Shu’s complete lack of personal boundaries, he even looked slightly pitiful.

His entire being appeared gentle and clean, carrying a soft, vivid vitality. The longer Xing Yong looked, the more he could not help lamenting that he also wanted to return to high school and experience such wonderful youth again.

…He had wandered off topic. Xing Yong abruptly slapped his own cheeks and hurriedly returned to his senses, only to discover that the conviction he had previously held had somehow begun to waver.

“Forget it. Too much happened tonight. I’ll come back tomorrow to conduct another round of inquiries. I’m warning you in advance, Qin Shu: your good friend has officially been added to the list of suspects. I don’t need you to take a position, but you are not allowed to obstruct a police investigation.”

“Mm-hmm. Of course.”

As he said this, Qin Shu was carrying a third bowl of instant noodles out of the convenience store. His head was lowered, seemingly focused on preventing the broth from spilling over the rim. His tousled black hair fell across his full brow bone, and his long lashes lowered to conceal his gentle eyes. The side of his face turned toward the streetlamp was covered in a hazy shadow beneath the cold light.

For no apparent reason, Xing Yong felt his heart suddenly palpitate.

The heart inside him, which had never fully settled down, abruptly pounded several times again for an unknown reason. Xing Yong struggled to regulate his breathing, remained seated without revealing anything, and focused his gaze once more.

The faint shadow that had covered Qin Shu’s face had already been scattered without a trace by the cold wind, transforming into sincere and gentle concern—as well as… appetite.

Qin Shu genuinely had not eaten enough.

He lowered his head and sucked in a large mouthful of piping-hot noodles, swallowed them hurriedly, then rubbed his chest after nearly choking. With complete sincerity, he suggested, “Brother Yong, you should go back and rest now. People need rest after suffering excessive stress. You can’t force yourself to keep going. At this rate, you’ll definitely suffer a mental breakdown.”

Xing Yong froze. “But…”

“Your colleagues are handling the bodies at the school, and your captain is at the Child-Giving Guanyin Temple. Don’t worry. The situation has already stabilized. I’ve also saved Captain Wu’s number. If they find Du Xiao Xue, I’ll go home and sleep. If they can’t find her, I’ll go over and help.” Qin Shu solemnly arranged their plans in a perfectly organized manner.

Xing Yong did not know whether to become angry or laugh. “Aren’t I supposed to be the one saying all of that? Qin Shu, aren’t you the child who should immediately go home and rest?”

“I won’t allow Du Xiao Shuang to remain alive for another day.” Qin Shu also smiled and answered unhurriedly, “I said I would resolve it tonight, so I’ll resolve it tonight. The longer she remains, the more yin energy will accumulate. Delaying and being softhearted are absolutely not good things. They aren’t good for anyone.”

“But Qin Shu, Du Xiao Shuang isn’t the only ghost in your school, is she? I can easily guess that you’ll frequently encounter situations like this in the future. Don’t tell me that every single time, you intend to behave the way you did tonight…”

“Is there a problem?” Qin Shu blinked.

“You’re asking me what the problem is? If you spend every day busily catching ghosts, are you planning never to sleep?”

Qin Shu finished his instant noodles and opened a can of iced coffee beside him. The corner of his lips curved as he directly countered, “Brother Yong, think about it. Either I actively take the initiative to solve the problem, or I keep hiding like a coward and ignore everything until far too many people are killed by ghosts, leaving neither you nor me able to sleep again… Between those two choices, which one is better?”

Xing Yong fell silent. He had nothing to say and no way to refute him.

Ghosts could not be killed with bullets, nor could they be detected with the naked eye. There were matters that even legitimate Daoist priests refused to interfere with. Therefore, within No. 2 High School, Qin Shu truly was the only person capable of dealing with them. No one else could resolve the problem.

Ultimately, what truly made Xing Yong uncomfortable was that Qin Shu was still a high school senior—a minor. If Qin Shu had been one of Xing Yong’s colleagues, Xing Yong would have willingly followed him and worked himself to death. Unfortunately, he genuinely was only a child.

Being ordered around by a child, running here and there and doing this and that, being frightened into nervous palpitations and restless anxiety by a child, wanting to educate the child only to be lectured by him instead… Was this right?

Even if it was not, there seemed to be no alternative.

This was Xing Yong’s first year after being transferred to the Jiangcheng Municipal Public Security Bureau and assigned to the Second Criminal Investigation Detachment.

His résumé was impressive. He was young, accomplished, and overflowing with vitality—and then he had innocently run headfirst into a vicious ghost.

Tonight might only be the beginning of the madness.

Thinking gloomily to himself, Xing Yong suddenly wanted to visit a night market, eat a meal of insanely spicy grilled meat, and wash it down with several cups of erguotou.

Elio’s Notes: Erguotou (二锅头) is a strong, clear Chinese baijiu—a distilled grain liquor, traditionally associated with Beijing.

⸻

In the end, Xing Yong was persuaded to leave—but only after news arrived that Du Xiao Xue had been found.

Qin Shu eagerly asked about everything that had happened and learned that if he had not asked Daoist Xu to go over and help, no one would have found her.

Even if an entire criminal investigation brigade had overturned the whole mountain, finding her would have been impossible.

That was because Du Xiao Xue had grown old—horribly old. Her face was covered in dry, shriveled wrinkles, her hair was withered and gray, and her clouded eyes were almost completely blind. Her back was hunched like a cooked shrimp, and she was also mute.

According to the employees at the Guanyin Temple, she was an elderly, hair-bound nun whom the owner had hired to perform miscellaneous work. Despite appearing to be at the end of her life, she could supposedly divine fortunes and communicate with Guanyin, possessing tremendous spiritual power… People called her Blind Granny.

But Du Xiao Xue was only twenty-two years old. She could not possibly be the real Blind Granny.

When the police arrived, they initially detained her as a suspect. Unfortunately, she was both blind and mute, and her hands shook whenever she tried to write, making communication almost impossible. The other temple employees did not understand why the police had come either and knew nothing despite repeated questioning.

Everyone had been looking at one another and scratching their heads when Daoist Xu finally arrived at an unhurried pace and dramatically displayed his abilities.

Using freshly collected black dog’s blood as ink, he immediately picked up a brush and drew a talisman. He burned it, soaked the ashes in a porcelain bowl of clean water, then splashed the mixture over her body. Only then was the truth completely revealed before everyone’s eyes.

Du Xiao Xue miraculously regained her youthful appearance. Only her hair remained gray. Her eyes were not blind at all, and they shone with nearly desperate struggle and helpless tears.

The truth was brutal and cruel. Her inability to speak was not because she had genuinely become mute. It was because… her two lips had been deliberately sewn together. The thread was strange and flesh-colored. It appeared to have been twisted from fine strips of intestinal casing and carried an indescribably fishy smell. The longer one looked at it, the more uncomfortable it became.

Captain Wu had personally told Qin Shu all these details.

Unexpectedly, he was considerably easier to communicate with than Xing Yong and even accepted Qin Shu’s request for a video call. While the two politely and calmly exchanged clues, Captain Wu voluntarily shifted the camera to one side, pointing it at Du Xiao Xue, who was wrapped in a police-issued coat and receiving medical treatment.

Du Xiao Shuang, who was floating beside Qin Shu, listened more intently than anyone. The moment the camera moved and she saw Du Xiao Xue, she nearly broke down completely.

Her neck split open as it trembled, separating into two pieces along the ligature mark. She hurriedly picked up her head after it fell to the ground, only to discover that she could not reattach it. In the end, Du Xiao Shuang could only anxiously cradle her own head, roughly shove Qin Shu aside, and lean in close to stare intently at the screen.

Captain Wu froze on the other end of the call. He apparently could not see anything, but Du Xiao Xue seemed to sense some special connection. Her reddened eyes turned toward the camera with bewildered hope.

“Ah… ah!”

After six years without speaking, Du Xiao Xue had forgotten how to form words. She struggled to force out two broken syllables.

“Hello, Xiao Xue! Yes, you guessed correctly. Your older sister is watching you. Here, move your head a little closer this way so your sister can see your face clearly.”

Qin Shu interjected at the right moment, raising his voice gently. “Du Xiao Shuang missed you very much. Because she wanted to discover what had happened to you, she could not let go and remained in the human world for a very long time. But tonight, she really will be leaving. Let her take a good look at you.”

Du Xiao Xue suddenly stood, pushed past the police officers, and rushed toward the camera. Her stiff vocal cords trembled with a thick sob as she struggled to call out one syllable at a time. “…Sis… ter!”

“Yes, your sister. Call her that a few more times. She really wants to hear you call her ‘sister.’ Throughout these six years, she has always missed you. She never once gave up on you.”

Qin Shu was extremely patient, and Captain Wu was the same. He steadily held up the phone and allowed the sisters to have their final exchange—even though, from Captain Wu’s screen, Qin Shu’s side clearly showed nothing but darkness and empty space. Throughout the entire conversation, Qin Shu alone was responsible for relaying their words.

However, Captain Wu said nothing. Although the police officers under his command exchanged uneasy looks, he allowed the eerie conversation to continue without interrupting even once.

Of course, such a heartwarming scene could not continue forever. Once Qin Shu had conveyed every word of Du Xiao Shuang’s final message and confirmed that Du Xiao Xue had understood everything, he did not hesitate for even another second.

Du Xiao Shuang did not hesitate either. Every day she had remained in the human world had been painful.

The agonizing memories of her death had never faded, while her longing and concern after losing her younger sister had only grown stronger with each passing day. That intense guilt was a torment even more terrible than physical suffering. Only now did that pain finally have the possibility of disappearing.

Calmly holding her own head, she gently lifted it in both hands and slowly passed it into Qin Shu’s palms.

“Goodbye.” Qin Shu lowered his head, looked into her blood-soaked eyes, and spoke earnestly.

“Good… bye…”

Du Xiao Shuang’s hollow and indistinct voice emerged from the head in his hands. After a pause, she softly added, “Thank you.”

Crack!

Immediately afterward, a crisp sound that made everyone’s hair stand on end rang out simultaneously on both ends of the call, abruptly echoing through the silent night sky.

Qin Shu crushed the head with his own hands. Before his eyes, Du Xiao Shuang’s body also began to dissolve, vanishing without a trace when the wind blew past.

Only a small amount of nearly imperceptible energy remained. Like the dim light of fireflies, it lingered in scattered points across Qin Shu’s palm before suddenly sinking into his skin.

“Hm?” Qin Shu froze. He felt as though a current of heat had spread along his spine, but when he examined himself carefully, nothing seemed to have changed.

Meanwhile, a commotion broke out at the Guanyin Temple.

After personally witnessing an old woman transform into a young woman, and then witnessing another inexplicable event, the members of the Second Criminal Investigation Unit could not help feeling their scalps go numb as all sorts of uneasy thoughts emerged.

Unable to restrain themselves, they gathered together and began whispering about the bizarre events they had witnessed that night. The more they discussed it, the more animated they became, until Captain Wu suddenly frowned and turned around to roar, “Stop trembling over there! You’re all hot-blooded young men—what ghosts are you afraid of?! Things like this will continue to happen in the future. You must adapt as soon as possible. The heavens over Jiangcheng have already changed! Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir!”

The unified, thunderous answer from the other end of the call inexplicably stirred Qin Shu’s blood as well. “Um, excuse me, Captain Wu. What do you mean when you say the heavens over Jiangcheng have changed? Is there anything I can do to help?”

“…Ahem.”

Captain Wu’s gaze shifted evasively for a moment. He immediately took the phone and walked alone into a corner. Only after confirming that no one nearby was eavesdropping did he continue, “I wasn’t the one who said it. That was Daoist Xu Zi Ru. As for what it specifically means, I’m actually very curious too. I was hoping to ask knowledgeable people like you.”

“Ha-ha!”

The instant he finished speaking, a familiar chuckle suddenly came from behind Captain Wu, startling him badly.

It was Xu Zi Ru, still dressed in his usual plain dark-blue Daoist robes. His hair was tied up without a crown, lending him a casual, carefree air that seemed at odds with his age.

Seeing that he had frightened Captain Wu into breaking out in a cold sweat, Daoist Xu stroked his beard smugly, shook his head, and declared, “Master Wu, the secrets of Heaven are unfathomable and must not be spied upon. Ordinary people such as ourselves must not interfere with the karma of Heaven’s Way. Remember this well. Simply be cautious in your words and deeds.”

“What about me?” Qin Shu immediately seized the opportunity to interject again. “Am I allowed to interfere?”

“Ahem. This poor Daoist does not know…”

“Daoist Xu, please stop speaking in riddles. I urgently need to learn. Any knowledge will do, because I currently understand nothing and have to rely entirely on reading the Book of Changes online. What am I supposed to do if I blindly experiment on my own and cause some enormous disaster?”

Seeing that he intended to avoid answering again, Qin Shu quickly continued pressing him. “For example, how exactly did Blind Granny disguise herself as a baby? She deceived everyone else, and she even deceived my eyes. What principle was behind it? Can I learn it?”

“Ahem. Master Qin, those were merely deceptive tricks belonging to heterodox arts. One only needs to find an ordinary man whose three fires burn strongly, along with a bowl of fresh black dog’s blood, and the technique can easily be broken. The only difficult part is identifying it in the first place.”

After thinking, Daoist Xu carefully explained, “Those who follow heterodox paths are people who possess neither the talent for cultivation nor an orthodox lineage. Through chance, they obtain some minor opportunity and gain a shallow understanding of fate-reading and magical techniques. They then cobble together sinister or incoherent little tricks and dare to declare themselves spirit mediums, Daoist nuns, venerable Daoists, or perfected masters… Master Qin, we orthodox Daoist practitioners must never associate ourselves with their kind.”

Qin Shu listened with great interest, but suddenly caught a new piece of information. “Wait, Daoist Xu. Do you and I belong to the same orthodox path?”

“Ah, well…”

“Think about it. I can only see ghosts and kill them with my fists. I don’t know how to regulate my breathing or meditate, and I can’t even see that so-called Nine Nether Sutra. You, on the other hand, are a cultivator. You’ve studied many specialized scriptures and magical arts, haven’t you? There seems to be quite a significant difference between us. Unless… you really do know something else about my background? Could I have been a disciple beneath the Three Pure Ones in my previous life?”

“Oh dear, this… Master Qin, this poor Daoist truly would not dare make irresponsible claims…”

“In that case, do you have any means of helping me learn a few of those minor heterodox tricks?” Qin Shu narrowed his eyes.

After pressing him all this way, his true objective was finally revealed. Qin Shu did not expect Daoist Xu to teach him very much, but since heterodox techniques were supposedly things anyone could learn, then he absolutely had to learn them too.

“Ah, there are ways, but…”

Qin Shu interrupted him with a pleasant smile. “You aren’t my master, and I won’t become your disciple. Whatever I learn or do in the future will have absolutely nothing to do with you. If anyone asks where I learned it, I’ll say I found it online. Would that be acceptable?”

The other end of the call fell silent. Xu Zi Ru raised his hand and began calculating something with his fingers, apparently still struggling over certain matters of karma.

Captain Wu, who was holding the phone and caught between them, looked from one side to the other. He truly could not bear to watch such an eager, studious child suffer disappointment. Therefore, he waved his hand grandly. “How about this, Daoist Xu? Why don’t you teach only me? Then, while you aren’t aware of it, I’ll secretly pass everything on to Student Qin without permission. It won’t have anything to do with you. How does that sound?”

Qin Shu’s eyes lit up. Daoist Xu’s eyes lit up as well.

The method was somewhat shameless, but it seemed as though it might actually work.

And so, half an hour later—

After returning to his empty home, Qin Shu took his second shower of the day and cooked himself a bowl of plain noodles in clear broth.

He sat at the dining table, staring at the eyeball beside him that was still pretending to be dead. Then he glanced at the constant stream of new messages appearing on his phone. He remained deep in thought for a long time without moving.

That overwhelming appetite had suddenly vanished again because Qin Shu was in a bad mood.

After adding Captain Wu’s contact information, Qin Shu quickly received a crudely made TXT file titled Complete Collection of 100 Folk Secret Arts.

It looked very much like a scam, but it genuinely contained a dazzling variety of magical techniques. Most of the spells relied upon naturally spiritual objects such as mountain spirits and ghosts, or finished ritual implements, magical treasures, and talismans refined by Daoists. The level of cultivation required from the person casting the spell was not particularly high.

Since that was the case, Qin Shu could not help wondering whether, despite possessing none of the so-called magical power of Daoism himself, he might be able to use the eyeball belonging to this extremely powerful vengeful ghost to perform techniques that would make fighting and protecting himself more convenient… For example, when he had instinctively thrown the eyeball at the jumping ghost’s legs earlier that day, it had been remarkably cooperative and disposed of them cleanly and efficiently.

However, it was precisely this eerie cooperation that prevented Qin Shu from using it with confidence. At the hospital, it had clearly been a vengeful ghost that was extremely difficult to communicate with. Its resentment had also been intense. Looking at it for too long felt unsettling, and over time, it might even implant a curse within him.

Logically speaking, until it was successfully buried alongside Miss Jiang’s remains in Yuncheng, it should have remained trapped in a state of resentment because its obsession had not yet been resolved.

Yet the remains were still being transported and would not reach Yuncheng for another two days.

Qin Shu had no idea why the eyeball’s entire aura had inexplicably undergone a complete transformation that day. At present, there truly was no resentment surrounding it whatsoever. Qin Shu examined it extremely carefully and could confirm with absolute certainty that all the uncomfortable energy had disappeared, withdrawn so completely that nothing remained.

It now resembled an adorable slime ball, concentrating entirely on pretending to be dead and obediently allowing him to knead it however he pleased.

More importantly, Qin Shu had personally carried it out of Jiangcheng No. 2 High School without encountering any obstruction whatsoever.

According to Du Xiao Shuang, the ghost prison was a cage that allowed entry but no escape. Without a genuine cultivation of hundreds or thousands of years, an ordinary minor ghost could not dream of breaking through the restrictions. Qin Shu had personally tested it. When he pulled Du Xiao Shuang toward the edge of the rear gate, he could leave, but no matter what she did, she could not.

Yet this eyeball could leave. As a victim of the hospital dismemberment case, it had ultimately been dead for less than half a year. Why had it been able to leave the school so smoothly without encountering the slightest resistance?

If it could leave No. 2 High School, then the “person” who had torn Xing Yong’s heart out tonight…

……

Qin Shu inhaled deeply, expressionlessly pushed the quiet eyeball away, and rose to walk toward the liquor cabinet.

He leaned bonelessly against the cabinet, casually found a clean glass, and poured himself some whisky.

The alcohol had been left behind by his father. No one in the family enjoyed drinking it. Qin Shu thought it tasted terrible too, and he could not be bothered adding ice. He swallowed several large mouthfuls. The intense aftertaste rushed through his chest and lungs, setting even his mind ablaze.

Drinking recklessly was useless. He still could not stop thinking about it, turning the matter over repeatedly in his mind. Again and again, he recalled Xing Yong’s twitching face after his breakdown and those eyes completely overtaken by terror.

Was that “person” also incredibly powerful? Could he also easily leave the so-called ghost prison, making it impossible to determine through elimination… exactly who he was?

“Pei Zhao. Pei Zhao… Pei Zhao would never hurt me. Stop talking nonsense, Qin Shu.” Qin Shu murmured under his breath, set down his glass, and slowly slid down the liquor cabinet until he sat on the wooden floor. His gaze rested upon the dark and empty living room.

He remained seated like that and did not speak again for a very long time. There was no one at home to speak with him anyway. This was normal.

Ding!

After an unknown amount of time, a new-message notification suddenly sounded from Qin Shu’s phone in the middle of the night.

He reached around the floor and searched for a while before finally finding the phone lying facedown. The piercing white light and several enormous clusters of new messages filling the screen caused Qin Shu to narrow his eyes.

AAA Corpse-Driving Brother Liu: Hello, Mr. Qin! Hello! I’m very sorry I haven’t had the chance to formally greet you. I ran into some trouble over the past two days and nearly died in a mountain ravine. There was no signal the entire time, hahahaha. My name is Liu Yang Yang. It’s a great honor to meet you! Boss, you’re unbelievably amazing, ahhh… clinging-to-your-thigh.jpg

AAA Corpse-Driving Brother Liu: Right, Mr. Qin, here’s the situation. The clan elders in our stockade have a few objections regarding the joint burial. It concerns Sister Jiang’s girlfriend. Her name was Xu Qian, right? Yes, Sister Qian’s remains are simply too fierce, and they’re also incomplete. According to our clan rules, they absolutely cannot be brought into the burial grounds. Our rules state that after a member of the clan dies, the body must remain complete and must be properly driven back and buried. Other burial methods can easily cause trouble!

AAA Corpse-Driving Brother Liu: But on the other hand, we can’t refuse the joint burial either. This was Sister Jiang’s dying wish, bought with her own suicide, right? Besides, Sister Qian really is terrifying. My goodness, she’s an extremely powerful ghost king! What if she isn’t buried properly and eats everyone in our stockade? So, well, Mr. Qin, I have a few small requests—probably two or three? There’s also an urgent personal problem I desperately need your help with. The payment is five million. If that isn’t enough, it can be raised further. Could we talk tomorrow, Boss… clinging-to-your-thigh.jpg

Qin Shu: “…”

He patted his burning face and stared at the messages again and again in dumbfounded disbelief. He began wondering whether this Yuncheng man named Liu Yang Yang had sent the messages to the wrong person.

Did the word “Boss” have even the slightest connection to Qin Shu?

Could a problem that even a professional corpse driver with an inherited family tradition could not solve—a tremendous problem worth five million—possibly have even the slightest connection to Qin Shu?

Qin Shu suspected that he was drunk, or that something was wrong with his brain.

Using the liquor cabinet for support, he silently stood and poked at the screen that was nearly blinding him. Only after an unknown length of time did he finally seem to awaken from a dream. He stuffed the phone into his pocket and hurried unsteadily back to his room to sleep.

Of course, he did not reply to Liu Yang Yang. Liu Yang Yang wanted to talk tomorrow, so Qin Shu would simply respond tomorrow. Otherwise, he might drunkenly say something ridiculous in the middle of the night.

Meanwhile, at Jiangcheng No. 2 High School, the boys’ dormitory building had fallen into silence.

Pei Zhao sat alone on the rooftop, silently staring at the moon for a very long time.

After spacing out by himself for a while, he finally picked up his phone again and opened the only conversation in his WeChat account. Then he quietly sank into thought.

Qin Shu had sent him more than three hundred new messages.

Most of them were identical crying-cat stickers.

Mixed among the stickers were several dozen text messages, nearly all of which consisted of the two characters “Zhaozhao,” along with inexplicable “QAQ” faces.

Pei Zhao did not understand.

Resting his cheek against one hand, he slowly dragged a finger across the lagging phone screen and carefully reread every single message.

After an unknown amount of time, Pei Zhao finished reading them all, but his gaze had already gradually gone blank.

What should he do?

He still did not understand.

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