chapter 19

“I just can’t figure it out.”

“Which ghost is trying to harm us, exactly?”

Meng Yifan was still worried about our lives; he didn’t care about any other doubts.

But I knew that if we didn’t clear up those other doubts, our lives might not be safe either.

“That Li Xiumei, it’s not like we killed her. In a way, it was because we discovered her body that her remains could see the light of day again.”

Meng Yifan frowned and said, “We’re basically her benefactors. Why would she want to harm us? And that girl, we didn’t kill her either. She should go after the person who killed her for revenge. We didn’t do anything, so why are we suffering like this?”

Seventh Master Zhao smiled, as if he was used to this sort of thing: “If ghosts were reasonable, they wouldn’t harm people. And that Li Xiumei, she was inhuman even when she was alive. Do you expect her to have any humanity after death?”

“Ordinary ghosts generally don’t harm people. The ones that do are Fierce Ghosts. Fierce Ghosts have only one logic: to kill.”

I asked Seventh Master Zhao, “These two ghosts, whichever one it is-if it wanted our lives, why didn’t it just kill us from the start? Do you think the ghost might want us to do something for her?”

Seventh Master Zhao nodded. “It’s possible. This photo, and the high heels in your trunk, maybe they’re clues the ghost provided you. But which ghost gave them to you, that’s unknown.”

“A ghost wouldn’t give you these things for no reason. It must want something from you.”

“And usually, ghosts will use Dream Projection to convey their intentions.”

Last night at the dinner, Brother Liu told us about a case where a ghost used Dream Projection, and the case was solved that way.

Meng Yifan said irritably, “If it wants something, why torment us to death? Coming to scare us every night-isn’t that trying to kill us?”

I didn’t say anything, but I felt a sudden sense of unease.

If, as Seventh Master Zhao said, ghosts use Dream Projection to convey their intentions, then the dream I had at the bathhouse last night-was Li Xiumei trying to tell me something…

If that’s the case, why was my dad the one bricking up the body in the dream?

Could it be that Li Xiumei’s death was really my dad’s doing…

But my dad and Li Xiumei had no connection. Why would he kill her?

Was it to take over that apartment?

If it was for the apartment, even though Li Xiumei died, Lv Zhengxian was still alive. Would my dad dare to fight Lv Zhengxian for that place? Wouldn’t that be asking to get chopped up?

And with his timid nature-he doesn’t even dare to kill a chicken. I really can’t believe he’d dare to kill someone.

“Now you see why I said this is a tough case.”

Seventh Master Zhao looked at us seriously. “First, there are two Fierce Ghosts. Second, there are many grudges involved, and there’s also a Massacre Case. It’s so complicated, it’s hard to sort out.”

“And since the ghosts have latched onto you, they won’t let go easily. Unless you figure out the rights and wrongs in all this, maybe there’s a sliver of hope.”

Meng Yifan and I looked at each other.

If it could be figured out, wouldn’t the police have solved it already? We could just go ask Brother Liu.

But even the police might not be able to sort out the rights and wrongs here.

And my dad is involved too. If, in the end, it turns out my dad really did something, what should I do…

“Seventh Master, please show us a way out.”

Meng Yifan said, his face pale, “As long as there’s a sliver of hope, we’re willing to try.”
Seventh Master Zhao suddenly fell into deep thought, and after a long while, he said, “Soul Summoning. We’ll directly invite Li Xiumei’s Ghost to come forth and ask her what she wants to do.”

Hearing Seventh Master Zhao’s words, both of us froze on the spot, our scalps tingling.

Wasn’t this asking us to confront our fears directly?

If we had to face a ruthless and vicious person, neither of us would flinch.

But to confront a Ghost… I was afraid I might wet my pants.

“Neither of these Ghosts is directly trying to take your lives, but they keep tormenting you. They must be in a hurry now, and maybe they’ve already given enough hints-it’s just that you haven’t understood what they mean.”

Seventh Master Zhao looked at us and said, “There’s no other way now. We have to ask the Ghost involved, and then everything will become clear.”

I looked at Meng Yifan, seeking his opinion.

Although we’re buddies, at work he’s my boss, so most of the time I follow his lead.

But when it comes to things like this, Meng Yifan always seems powerless. He said, “Don’t look at me, I’ll listen to you…”

I thought it over and decided to go all in.

In matters like this, you can only listen to the expert. Whatever the expert says, that’s what we’ll do-our only goal is to save our lives.

“Seventh Master, will you be coming with us then…?” I asked him.

Seventh Master Zhao nodded, “Soul Summoning isn’t something you can just do casually. If it’s not handled properly, things can go wrong. So I’ll go with you and help guide you from the side.”

We were truly grateful.

Meng Yifan knows how to handle things, so he quickly said, “It’s an honor to have Seventh Master come out of retirement. We don’t have much to offer in return. Saying we’ll work like oxen and horses is just empty talk, but as for Seventh Master’s fee, we wouldn’t dare short you a single cent.”

What we didn’t expect was that Seventh Master actually said he wouldn’t take our money.

I thought to myself, this is a true expert!

But just because he won’t take it doesn’t mean we really won’t give it.

“Seventh Master, how can that be?”

“Do you know, in our circle, under what circumstances would someone voluntarily refuse payment?”

Seventh Master Zhao looked at us with a meaningful gaze.

But how could we know the reason? We just shook our heads.

“It’s better that you don’t know.”

Seventh Master Zhao smiled faintly, “Let’s talk about payment after the matter is resolved. I’m Old Zhao Seven, not someone with an empty reputation. I don’t covet these things. You two seem sincere enough, so let’s just consider this forming a good connection.”

Leaving Seventh Master Zhao’s house,

Meng Yifan and I felt much less anxious.

After all, we had an expert guiding us, and this expert was introduced by a police officer, so we felt somewhat reassured.

But another problem soon presented itself.

Seventh Master said that Soul Summoning was called ‘Spirit Writing’ in ancient times. It’s a method of divination that involves inviting a deity to possess someone, and that person is called a Spirit Medium.

Later, as it evolved, Spirit Writing was also used for Soul Summoning, allowing people in the living world to communicate with Ghosts.

In modern terms, it’s Soul Summoning.

But whether it’s Soul Summoning or inviting a deity to possess someone, you need a Spirit Medium.

Since we’re trying to summon a female Ghost, we need to find a woman to act as the Spirit Medium.

Otherwise, Soul Summoning will be very difficult to succeed.

Now the problem is, where are we going to find this woman?

Not to mention whether she believes in all this supernatural stuff-even if she does, who would let a Ghost possess her body?