From Xixiang Street to the northern suburbs, Lin Feng and Nie Chuxia started chatting casually along the way.
"Miss Nie, I've been curious about this 'Southern Sect' you mentioned. It sounds like... a sect?" Lin Feng had held back his curiosity for a while, but it finally burst forth.
Nie Chuxia glanced at him and replied, "You don't know?"
He thought, "If I knew, would I be asking you?"
Lin Feng gave her a sidelong look.
Nie Chuxia explained, "Simply put, it's a Daoist sect that deals with ghost-catching and demon-exorcising. 'Southern Sect' is a general term, actually. It's divided into three branches: Candle Sect, Fight Sect, and Talisman Sect. All three branches venerate Mount Mao as their ancestral home."
Lin Feng was a bit surprised. To be honest, even though he had encountered bizarre phenomena like the Fierce Ghost Containment System, he still found it hard to believe that ghost hunters really existed.
But, recalling that Nie Chuxia was professionally trained, and therefore likely well-versed in these matters, Lin Feng felt a bit more confident about their upcoming trip to Yuetan Mountain.
The car parked beside Yuetan Mountain Park.
Nie Chuxia told him, "Wait for me at the park entrance. I'll change clothes and come right over."
"Alright," Lin Feng nodded.
While waiting at the park entrance, Lin Feng called Niu Meng, urging him to arrive quickly. Niu Meng promised to be there soon.
After hanging up, Lin Feng noticed that the park was even more crowded tonight than it had been the previous night.
What's going on?
Lin Feng was puzzled.
By the roadside, a ragged beggar squatted with a broken bowl in hand, staring intently at Lin Feng.
Lin Feng glanced over. "Hey, beggar, let me ask you something."
The beggar's eyes widened in surprise. "You can see me?"
Lin Feng pulled a stack of spirit money from his pocket, dropped it into the beggar's bowl, and smiled, "Yes, I work in a funeral home. I see more than most people do."
The beggar shrank back, startled that this young man could see him.
Feeling the weight of the spirit money in his bowl, the beggar sensed that Lin Feng was reasonable, so he relaxed a little and cautiously replied, "Sir, ask away. I'll tell you anything I know."
Lin Feng nodded, then asked, "Where are you from, and what are you doing here?"
The beggar answered, "I used to live near General's Grave (a northern suburb location) before I died decades ago. After I died, no ghost guards came to take me to the underworld, so I've just been lingering around here. Today, I heard that a wealthy person died on Yuetan Mountain, and their family's been burning incense and paper money in the park, inviting ghosts and deities to partake. I came to see if I could benefit."
A wealthy person died?
Lin Feng's curiosity piqued: Could this be related to the couple he saw on the mountain last night?
"Do you know how that wealthy person died?" Lin Feng asked.
The beggar shook his head. "How could I know? But generally, a soul lingers around the spot for seven days after death. Yet, this wealthy person's spirit never showed up. All the paper money got snatched up by passing ghosts. If it weren't for the spirit money you gave me, this trip would've been a bust."
Hearing this, Lin Feng was puzzled. "Wait, you're saying only one person died?"
The beggar nodded. "Yeah! A guy who drove a foreign car. He was found dead halfway up the mountain this morning, supposedly drained of his life essence by a female ghost. His death was quite horrifying."
The beggar shuddered slightly after finishing his tale.
Lin Feng thought to himself, "That doesn't make sense. Last night, I clearly saw a ghostly man and woman! Why is the woman unharmed? Could it be…?"
Suppressing his shock, Lin Feng asked the beggar if he knew of a female ghost haunting the mountain. The beggar swore that in all his years lingering in this area, he had never encountered one, no matter how much Lin Feng pressed him.
"Alright, I've asked what I wanted. You can go now," Lin Feng said, noticing Nie Chuxia approaching.
The beggar followed Lin Feng's gaze and saw a woman walking over with an oil lamp in hand. Grinning, he revealed a set of rotting teeth, "Looks like a capable lady's on her way. I'll take my leave."
The beggar wobbled off with his broken bowl and disappeared, while Nie Chuxia, now in a white dress and holding an oil lamp, approached.
"Were you just chatting with a little ghost? Why didn't you take him in?" Nie Chuxia asked.
A little ghost? Take him in?
Lin Feng was taken aback. "Take him in? That beggar's been dead for decades, his body steeped in Yin energy. He's practically a rogue ghost, maybe even a fierce one. Take him in? Am I crazy?"
This kind of ghost wasn't something Lin Feng could handle. Even an official ghost guard from the underworld would struggle to deal with it.
Lin Feng glanced at the park and, finding Nie Chuxia's suggestion ridiculous, responded, "Miss Nie, did you not notice the parade of ghosts tonight? If you want to capture ghosts, there's plenty of them over there."
Using his spirit-sight, Lin Feng looked into the park and noticed an intense concentration of ghostly energy, indicating a significant number of spirits vying for offerings.
A flicker of dark gold flashed in Nie Chuxia's eyes, and when she saw the dense ghostly aura in the park, she was equally surprised.
Dozens of ghosts, at least forty or fifty of them! The swarm of black mist they formed overhead was enough to make anyone's scalp tingle.
It is said, "The living should avoid, the dead roam in packs."
Even a seasoned practitioner would avoid a gathering of ghosts, unless they were a master of the highest Daoist arts, who could face such a scene fearlessly.
"What kind of evil omen has stirred things up tonight? I never realized Yuetan Mountain had so many ghosts around," Nie Chuxia said.
Lin Feng didn't respond, as he had just recognized a group of familiar faces with his spirit-sight.
Huh? Aren't those the same officers who came to the funeral home the other day?
In the northwest corner of the park, a few police cars were parked, with Director Qian Tieshan and several officers he brought with him that day standing nearby.
At that moment, the officers were also looking toward the spirits, seemingly at a loss.
Lin Feng withdrew his spirit-sight and asked, "Miss Nie, are there disciples in the Southern Sect who work closely with government authorities?"
Nie Chuxia thought for a moment and said, "The Southern Sect's legacy has been in decline for a long time, and most of the disciples don't even know each other. But I remember my grandfather saying that the Fu Sect has been close to those in power since the Republican Era, and recently, the Dou Sect also seems to be leaning towards the government."
Damn!
So it's true! It seems that Chen Qi's death is definitely not some ordinary murder case!
Lin Feng gestured with a wave of his hand, and the spirit of Mi Shihong emerged from the urn. Still disoriented, Mi Shihong found Lin Feng staring at him with a hard look in his eyes. "Boss Mi, tell me, how did you kill Chen Qi on November 13 last year?"
Mi Shihong looked blankly at Lin Feng. "Master Lin, I'm just a street barbecue vendor. How could I know a big shot like him, let alone kill him?"
"Bullshit!" Lin Feng slapped Mi Shihong across the face. "Your fingerprints were the only ones found in the Chen family villa. If you didn't kill him, what, was it a ghost?"
Mi Shihong recoiled, muttering, "Could be, who knows..."
Now that Lin Feng knew the police frequently dealt with the supernatural, he wanted to guide the conversation in that direction. Mi Shihong's evasive response played right into his hands.
"Oh? So, Chen Qi was haunted by a ghost?" Lin Feng asked.
Mi Shihong scoffed, "It's his own karma catching up to him."
Realizing what he'd revealed, Mi Shihong covered his mouth, only now noticing the incense in Lin Feng's hand.
It was something Lin Feng had just exchanged for 30 points of merit from the Ghost Marketplace—a temporary spirit-compelling incense, usually a mediocre item, but quite useful in the current situation.
"I knew you wouldn't confess easily," Lin Feng sneered. "Serves you right for getting beaten to death."
With control firmly in his grasp, Lin Feng sat on the bench, staring straight at Mi Shihong. "Tell me what you withheld from the police. If you don't, I won't hesitate to offer you as oil for Miss Nie's lantern, and you can forget about ever entering the cycle of reincarnation!"
Mi Shihong looked at Nie Chuxia as she moved the lantern closer, and a defeated expression appeared on his face.
He sighed and started to recount what he knew.
After gaining some local notoriety and wealth, Mi Shihong naturally wanted to move up in social circles. Two years ago, he was introduced to Chen Qi, and in an effort to curry favor, he became Chen Qi's lackey, willingly serving at his beck and call.
With his vast connections and ties to the underworld, Mi Shihong helped Chen Qi with all sorts of shady dealings, eventually becoming one of his most trusted associates.
Chen Qi wasn't a clean businessman, and he was particularly lecherous in private.
Once, Chen Qi had his eye on a college student. To please him, Mi Shihong arranged for his thugs to kidnap her and bring her to the back hills of Yuetan Mountain, where Chen Qi could enjoy her out of sight.
For the wealthy, outdoor "activities" with college girls were a twisted thrill. Chen Qi made sure his identity stayed hidden with a blindfold for the girl each time, finding the secrecy exhilarating.
Afterward, he gave her ten thousand yuan, and Mi Shihong had his men take her home. She didn't report anything, perhaps placated by the money, so they got away with it.
Soon enough, Chen Qi was emboldened, hinting to Mi Shihong to bring him more. In this way, he assaulted six female college students, four married women, and two white-collar professionals.
But in October last year, Chen Qi's plan went wrong when he assaulted a young college intern. Her blindfold slipped, and she recognized him.
Terrified, Chen Qi, known as a model entrepreneur, couldn't risk the scandal ruining his reputation. In a panic, he strangled her to death.
"That was in October last year. I buried the body myself. Afterward, Chen Qi paid me five million yuan and gave me a piece of land as hush money. But a month later, his entire family was killed. I went to the villa that night, but all the guards knew Chen Qi was alive when I left. They knew the shady deals I'd been involved in with him, so no one pressed charges against me!"
Nie Chuxia's brows knitted tightly, and she was breathing heavily, clearly angry. "What scum!"
Lin Feng's face was dark with anger as well. Who could have imagined that Chen Qi, a prominent local business figure, was so ruthless? Mi Shihong, too, seemed to deserve every bit of his fate.
"Boss Mi, you sure kept your mouth shut well. Even death didn't pry these secrets out of you. Impressive!"
Mi Shihong looked somewhat proud. "Master Lin, Chen Qi never looked down on me. I respected him! In this line of work, loyalty is everything!"
Lin Feng's fist crashed into Mi Shihong's face, making him howl in pain. Gripping Mi Shihong by the head, Lin Feng's fierce aura left no room for argument. "You think you're righteous? What was the name of the girl you killed?"
Mi Shihong couldn't understand how Lin Feng's hand could physically harm a spirit like him. The pain was excruciating, and he let out a miserable wail.
"If you let me go, I'll tell you. Otherwise, you'll never find out!"
"Last chance to play hero!" Lin Feng tightened his grip.
Mi Shihong gasped, his eyes rolling back as he was about to pass out.
"Her name... Ning... Ning Yan!"
'Ding! Mission complete: Clue to the 13th November murder case found.'
'Reward level: +1.'
'Merit points: +100.'
'Special item: The Tri-Life Furnace.'
'New function unlocked: Infernal Trials (activated).'
'New function unlocked: Fierce Ghost PK Arena (activated).'
'Special Mission: Find Horse-Face (activated).'
'Next mission: Escape from Green Willow Villa (initiated, map transfer in 10 seconds).'
'Notice: You have been marked by Ning Yan and will be transported to Green Willow Villa. Good luck.'
A malicious spirit?!
A chill ran down Lin Feng's spine as a sense of dread washed over him.
10!
9!
8!
…
3!
2!
1!
Just as the countdown was about to finish, Lin Feng realized that Niu Meng hadn't shown up.
Looks like... this time, he might be in real trouble.