Chapter 401

Chapter 401

◎Openwork Phoenix-Head White Jade Hairpin◎

Xia Junyan sat in the back seat of the car, holding a compass and peering at its needle without looking at the road ahead. "Left, left, a little more to the left."

Xiao Ye said, "Left is a wall."

Xia Junyan looked up. "The Yin Energy is on the other side of the wall. Should we get out and climb over?"

Ji Nanxing said, "The other side is a residential complex. Just drive in through the entrance."

Xiao Ye sped up and drove halfway around to enter the complex. While Xia Junyan was still using the compass to pinpoint the lingering ghost's location, Ji Nanxing frowned. "We might be too late."

Xiao Ye said, "What's wrong?"

Ji Nanxing said, "I smell blood."

This neighborhood wasn’t one with high-rises—the buildings were only twelve or thirteen stories tall—with wide gaps between them and lush greenery below. The fact that he could detect blood in such an open area suggested a fatal amount of blood loss.

Xiao Ye and Xia Junyan instinctively sniffed the air but only caught a whiff of cold wind.

Ji Nanxing carefully discerned the direction. "Over there. Xia Junyan, contact the Supernatural Affairs Bureau."

Xia Junyan quickly made the call, informing the Bureau to dispatch rescue personnel. If the victims were alive, they’d be saved; if not, the bodies would be removed. Since it was a homicide, the Supernatural Enforcement Team also needed to be notified.

After a series of calls, Ji Nanxing and Xiao Ye were already far ahead. Xia Junyan hurriedly grabbed the compass and chased after them. *So what if they have long legs?*

Following the intensity of the blood scent, Ji Nanxing soon locked onto one of the buildings. Infusing a small paper figure with spiritual energy, he let it drift up to each floor’s balcony with the wind, stopping at a unit on the fourth floor.

After observing the scene through the paper figure’s perspective, Ji Nanxing frowned again. "Two dead. The scene is grisly. No need for rescue—just call for body removal."

With that much blood loss, survival was impossible. There was no sign of life in the room, and even immediate revival would be futile. Whether the place was rented or owned, the bloodstains would turn it into a stigmatized property.

The homicide unit and the Bureau’s enforcement team arrived swiftly. Mu Chun led the team, coordinating with the police for evidence collection. The police investigated the victims’ identities, while the Bureau examined the residual Yin Energy to track the killer.

Ji Nanxing extracted the trace of Yin Energy Xia Junyan had previously collected and compared it with the traces in the room. "Confirmed—the lingering ghost that killed Tang Qi is the same one responsible for this."

Mu Chun surveyed the scene. "Tang Qi probably had no link to today’s victims. Judging by the circumstances, could the ghost’s motive be adultery?"

The male victim’s ID was quickly found, revealing he was married—but the woman in the room wasn’t his wife, clearly indicating an affair.

Soon, Mu Chun shook his head. "No, Tang Qi wasn’t married or in a relationship. He couldn’t have been involved in adultery."

Xia Junyan said, "He wasn’t the one cheating, but he was the other woman’s son."

Mu Chun turned to Xia Junyan. "Then why not kill Zhao Mei and Tang Zhenghai?"

Xia Junyan was stumped.

Ji Nanxing speculated, "Maybe because it was unable to."

Xia Junyan and Mu Chun said, "Unable to?"

Xiao Ye instantly understood Ji Nanxing’s meaning and analyzed, "There are two possibilities. First, Zhao Mei and Tang Zhenghai might have had some 'protective charm' preventing the ghost from approaching—so it could only kill the other woman’s son. But that’s unlikely. We’ve met them, and they didn’t have anything special. The more plausible explanation is the second: the ghost couldn’t reach them. That suggests a sequence."

Yan Shou, standing beside Mu Chun, opened a notepad. "What kind of sequence?"

Xiao Ye said, "One where it didn’t have time to kill those two. If it couldn’t kill Zhao Mei, she might’ve already been in custody—ghosts usually can’t enter places like police stations, which carry national symbols. As for Tang Zhenghai, he might have been abroad."

Here's the edited translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

Yan Shou: "Zhao Mei was taken away on January 17th, Tang Qi died on the 21st, and Tang Zhenghai returned to the country on the 22nd. That means the lingering ghost appeared after the 17th. But knowing when it appeared isn't helpful—we still can't identify the ghost."

Ji Nanxing: "It is useful. At least we can investigate what happened during that period and whether there were any violent deaths from affairs before then."

Accidental deaths happen every day, but violent deaths from affairs don't occur daily. Since the ghost is killing in Yulan City, we can temporarily narrow down the location. If there were no such deaths earlier, it suggests the ghost was triggered by the Tang family drama, either out of resentment or awakening consciousness, leading it to kill.

There's a lot to investigate here.

First, Tang Huaying and her mother show no traces of Yin energy, meaning the ghost hasn't been near them. This eliminates the chance it's just a random ghost passing through.

Assuming the ghost had no consciousness before but still knew about the Tang family's situation, the most likely explanation is that it was attached to some object, and the family's events stirred its hatred, prompting it to kill. After killing, its resentment intensified, its consciousness grew clearer, and it began wandering to select new targets.

With Mu Chun handling the new victims' case, Ji Nanxing decided to visit the Tang family again. If this started with them, the elusive ghost might also trace back there.

When they saw Tang Huaying again, the girl looked even more haggard. The family's affairs were in chaos, and her mother, for her sake, had begun fighting for divorce from her father.

Before, divorce hadn't seemed necessary—they had a silent agreement to live apart without interference. But now, with his mistress plotting for money and harming her daughter, Shen Yu couldn't tolerate it anymore. She was demanding Tang Zhenghai transfer his shares to their daughter as compensation.

Tang Zhenghai hadn't been doing well either. He'd only been away on business, but upon returning, his life had fallen apart. Though Tang Qi wasn't his biological son, he'd raised him as his own for over twenty years, even favoring him over Tang Huaying.

If Tang Qi were still alive, he might have struggled with how to face him—after all, the fault lay with Zhao Mei, not the child. But now that Tang Qi was dead, his feelings became more complicated. Wracked with guilt and grief, he seemed to have aged a decade in just days.

When she saw the Taoist again, Tang Huaying tried to smile, but the recent chaos had left her exhausted. She couldn't even fake a smile.

Yu Yingqiu served them tea and gave an update: "Auntie—Yingying's mother—is currently fighting for divorce from her father. Sorting out the shares will take time, so she's not home. What brings you here today?"

Xia Junyan: "The ghost that killed Tang Qi has claimed two more victims. We suspect its motive involves infidelity, but it's just a theory. Since this started with your family, we thought we'd check for more clues."

Tang Huaying nodded. "Feel free to look around."

Ghosts don't work like regular criminals—once caught, it's over. Ghosts are elusive, and if not dealt with quickly, there's no telling if they'll return.

The thought of a haunting terrified Tang Huaying. The meds had her nerves shot already, and insomnia made it worse. With everything happening at home, she felt like she was about to snap—if not for Yingqiu's support, she would've completely lost it by now.

She'd often wanted to smash everything just to make the world go silent. She worried if this kept up, she'd spiral into full-blown mania.

Ji Nanxing studied her complexion. "You desperately need some real sleep."

He pulled out a talisman, waved it twice in front of her, then flicked it lightly—the paper ignited. Tang Huaying flinched, but as the smoke curled toward her, her eyelids grew heavy. Her consciousness slipped away before she sank into deep sleep.

Yu Yingqiu stared in surprise. "Just like that?"

Ji Nanxing: "Let her get some solid sleep. It'll restore most of her energy."

Yu Yingqiu: "Can we buy that talisman? Is it for sale?"

Ji Nanxing: "It wouldn't work for you—it requires a Taoist's power to activate. But if you need sleep aid, try relaxation incense. It's expensive, but effective."

Yu Yingqiu asked, "How expensive?"

Ji Nanxing: "Over a thousand per gram."

Yu Yingqiu gasped—more expensive than gold. But the Tangs could afford it, and if it helped, it might be worth it. She'd talk it over with Yingying after she woke up.

With the small talk over, Ji Nanxing inspected the house. His eyes glowed with spiritual energy, showing all energy traces in the room. Finally, he spotted a wisp of dark energy leaking from behind a wall painting.

He examined the painting. "Is there a safe behind this?" Yu Yingqiu nodded. "Yes. Is something wrong with it?"

Ji Nanxing: "Do you know the password?"

If Yu Yingqiu didn’t know, they would have to wait until Tang Huaying woke up to ask her.

Yu Yingqiu: "Yes, should I open it?"

Xia Junyan let out a surprised "Whoa": "You guys are that close? You even know each other’s home passwords."

Yu Yingqiu gave an embarrassed smile. They knew everything about each other, including passwords, because they had agreed long ago that if anything ever happened to one of them, the other would handle the final affairs. So they knew each other’s door codes, bank card PINs, safe codes, and even phone passwords.

Though the safe contained some valuables, nothing was extremely valuable. These people were legit Taoist masters, so Yu Yingqiu wasn’t worried they'd try anything. She stepped forward, removed the painting, and opened the safe behind it.

A faint layer of Yin energy clung to one of the wooden boxes inside—so faint that, amidst the spiritual aura of other items nearby, it hadn’t set off any reaction from the talismans or compass.

Ji Nanxing took out the wooden box and opened it, raising his eyebrows in surprise. "A phoenix-head white jade hairpin."

Xiao Ye glanced at the contents of the box. "What’s the deal with this?"

Ji Nanxing: "I saw it at an auction before. It was sold for three million."

He had noticed the hairpin back then—the jade quality was top-notch, and it was clearly ancient, emitting a faint spiritual aura. But within that glow was a streak of dark red, indicating the hairpin had been stained with blood. Still, the hairpin itself wasn’t cursed.

Those who attended such auctions were either rich or powerful, their life force and luck more than enough to suppress any lingering blood energy. Ji Nanxing hadn’t bothered with it, as it was rare for old artifacts to be completely blood-free—there were simply too many to deal with.

Who would have thought this item would come back to haunt them?

Xia Junyan: "So the ghost was once attached to this hairpin?"

Ji Nanxing: "Perhaps not a ghost, but a wisp of resentment—a lingering grudge carrying the unwillingness and obsession of the deceased."

Yu Yingqiu: "What should we do? Does this mean we have to get rid of it?"

It had cost over three million. If they were to discard it, they’d probably have to wait for Yingying to wake up and decide.

Ji Nanxing: "We just need to cleanse the resentment from it. But right now, we’ll use this vessel to summon that grudge back."

Yu Yingqiu: "How do we summon it?"

Xia Junyan: "By setting up an altar and performing a ritual, of course. This is our specialty as Taoists."

He then looked at Ji Nanxing. "You do it, or should I?"

Ji Nanxing tossed the wooden box and hairpin into his arms. "You took the case—you handle it."

Xia Junyan sighed. He had hoped to slack off, but now he had to get to work.