In the old town, about a hundred meters from the criminal investigation team, stands an old mansion. Who would ever think this is a government office?
From the outside, it looks like any of the few remaining ancient courtyards in Nanyang City. Plain, slightly worn down, with faded door charms hanging on the entrance. The top one reads "Dragon of Earthly Fire," while the bottom one states "Without Intent, the Tiger Slave is Born." The plaque above the door displays four large characters: "Kui Shan Old Mansion."
"Damn, this place feels creepier than a funeral home," muttered Lin Feng as he cautiously stepped inside. The courtyard was modest, with a few ancient locust trees standing half-dead in the yard.
Lin Feng had often heard Curator Wang say that locust trees gather yin energy and are known as the "ghosts of wood." He'd always been advised to avoid them at night, especially those that are centuries old—they tend to attract spirits. And here stood seven or eight locust trees in a single courtyard. Impressive!
As Lin Feng walked further inside, he noticed a middle-aged man wearing a white shirt, his hair a bit long and messy, tied back in a scruffy ponytail. The man seemed to be drunk, sitting under a locust tree and belching as he called out to Lin Feng.
"Who're you looking for?"
"Is Captain Jiang here?" Lin Feng asked politely. "I was referred by Bureau Chief Qian."
The drunk man raised an eyebrow, sneering slightly. "Jiang Wan? Third courtyard over there…" he said, pointing lazily.
Feeling slightly bewildered by the man's attitude, Lin Feng followed his directions and arrived at a small courtyard. Inside, the decor was traditional: pear wood chairs, scroll paintings, a half-man-tall ceramic vase, a peachwood sword on the wall, and blue bricks on the floor. If not for the presence of a safe, a computer, and other modern items, Lin Feng might have thought he'd traveled back in time.
So this place… is the Paranormal Investigation Division???
Seated in the room was a woman, about twenty-four or twenty-five years old, who made no effort to greet Lin Feng as he entered. He hadn't seen her in a week, but there she was—Jiang Wan, with her usual grave, unwelcoming expression. Lin Feng remembered how ruthless she'd been during their last encounter at the funeral home, a memory that still lingered.
Today, Jiang Wan wore a plain linen top with her hair tied up in a bun. She was engrossed in a case file, but when she saw Lin Feng, she put the file down and picked up a cup of tea.
"Well, well, if it isn't the guy from the funeral home who said I'd never find a husband. What brings you to the criminal investigation team today?"
Her tone was full of sarcasm, sipping tea as she spoke in a manner that resembled a boss addressing a subordinate. However, Jiang Wan looked too young to truly pull off that authoritative demeanor, making her attempt a bit unconvincing.
Lin Feng smirked, unwilling to back down. "Oh? And to think such a big shot like Captain Jiang still remembers me? I'm honored!"
Jiang Wan's face darkened, her tone turning sharp. "Lin Feng, who says I remember you?"
Without hesitation, Lin Feng poured himself a cup of tea. "Fine, I remember you, okay?"
Jiang Wan's cheeks flushed with anger, realizing she'd let him get the better of her.
Just kidding—Lin Feng had been out in the world since he was sixteen, while Jiang Wan, despite her special background, was still like a sheltered flower. In terms of sparring with words, she was no match for him.
"One more word out of you, and I'll tear that mouth of yours right off!"
"Only my wife has that privilege!" Lin Feng shot back.
"You…you shameless man!" Furious, Jiang Wan suddenly grabbed his arm and pinned him against the wall. Lin Feng struggled, but he couldn't break free and could only shout in pain.
"Not again! Captain Jiang, this is abuse of power!"
Jiang Wan smirked with satisfaction. "I thought you were tough?"
Lin Feng felt frustrated but was surprised by her strength. Though Jiang Wan looked delicate, she was surprisingly capable. Lin Feng wasn't exactly weak himself, and in his pre-stable-job days, he'd been in more than a few fights. But never had he been overpowered so easily.
Though pinned down, Lin Feng could feel two soft areas pressing into his back. He began to yell, "Captain Jiang! I won't hold this abuse of power against you! But you should stop pressing those two soft things against me—you're tempting people to commit crimes!"
Realizing the suggestive position, Jiang Wan's face turned red. Distracted, she loosened her grip, allowing Lin Feng to slip free.
"Captain Jiang, we've just met, and we barely know each other! Let's avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings that might ruin your reputation. Besides, you're really something—the way you were pressing me, I could barely breathe!" Lin Feng said, dramatically panting for air. As he said "pressing," he glanced at her chest meaningfully.
Seething with frustration, Jiang Wan realized she had never encountered such a shameless man in her life.
Taking a deep breath, Jiang Wan decided to drop the verbal sparring and cut to the chase. "Lin Feng! I have work to do. Bureau Chief Qian said you had business with me. So speak up; I need to get back to my work."
"That's my intention as well. Captain Jiang, let's get straight to the point. I'm here to learn a few skills from you," Lin Feng said, abandoning any further teasing.
"You want to learn from me? What exactly do you want to learn?" Jiang Wan asked, frowning.
Clearing his throat, Lin Feng replied earnestly, "To be precise… I'd like to learn how to deal with spirits. You know, my workplace is heavy with yin energy, and it's easy to run into some strange occurrences…"
Jiang Wan paused for a few seconds, then laughed. "There are no ghosts in this world! You've been watching too many movies, haven't you?"
Lin Feng shrugged, choosing not to engage in word games. "Our curator mentioned that your department is called the Paranormal Investigation Division and that you specialize in handling supernatural incidents. We're both adults here—can we just be straightforward?"
Lin Feng gave a wry smile. "And let me make one thing clear—I think you might have the wrong impression. I'm here to learn, not to hit on you."
His straightforwardness caught Jiang Wan off guard. She had half-expected him to express an interest in pursuing her romantically, as Bureau Chief Qian had hinted. But Lin Feng's sincerity seemed genuine.
Could Chief Qian have misjudged?
If Lin Feng had openly expressed a desire to date her, things would have been simpler. But with his direct manner, Jiang Wan found herself unsure if he was merely feigning disinterest or subtly angling to build a connection.
"Hit on me? As if you're even worthy. Besides, I already have someone I care about," Jiang Wan said coldly, making her stance clear. A romantic relationship with Lin Feng was out of the question, despite their shared line of work.
Just as Jiang Wan was contemplating how to dismiss Lin Feng, a young man walked in from outside and paused upon seeing Lin Feng.
"Just say."
It was close to midnight. If something was up at this hour, it was bound to be something strange. Since Lin Feng already believed in the existence of ghosts, he could probably handle learning about things that ordinary people would find hard to understand.
The young man hesitated before saying, "At the construction site in Longhuai District, where they're tearing down the old textile factory, they've been wrapping up for the night recently. But… the head of the construction team just called the police, saying that seven workers were found dead last night, all by hanging… Director Qian just called and asked you to gather the team immediately."
Hanging? Seven people?
Jiang Wan knew this was serious and responded right away, "Got it, understood."
She hurried to the inner room to change into plain clothes.
Seeing that Lin Feng was still there, she said, "You're an ordinary person. Even if I taught you something, it would take you at least a year or so to learn anything useful. But… I did notice that you have a unique look. People who can work at a funeral home usually have a strong fate, so here—take the peachwood sword on the wall. Just don't come back."
Jiang Wan was quite satisfied with her excuse. On one hand, she was giving Director Qian some face, and on the other, she avoided leaving room for gossip.
"What?"
Lin Feng's eyes widened. He was getting dismissed just like that?
"Captain Jiang, I'm serious! I have a lot of potential; I can pick things up really fast!" Lin Feng offered eagerly.
"Potential?"
Jiang Wan was starting to get annoyed, feeling that Lin Feng was like a piece of gum that just wouldn't go away.
"People with real potential wouldn't boast like you! To be honest, just a while ago, we had an incident on Yuetan Mountain involving a troublesome ghost. Even my senior couldn't handle it. But a skilled master from out of town passed through Nanyang, sent me a letter, and gave me a hint on how to subdue her by finding her remains. That's how we managed to deal with her. Now, that's a true master—helped us and didn't even leave his name. And you? Hmph, do you even know how to spell 'humility'?"
Jiang Wan looked at Lin Feng with disdain, but then a blush crept onto her face.
The letter had been written in a sincere, considerate tone, first addressing the ghost's remains and then thanking the officers for their hard work. It specifically mentioned that only someone with profound Taoist knowledge should handle the remains to successfully subdue the ghost.
Jiang Wan had even gone to the post office to inquire about the sender and found out it was a very handsome young man. But unfortunately, there was no surveillance footage, much to her disappointment.
After the death of Chen Qi, the Spirit Investigation Division had quickly noted that the case didn't seem like a human act. They had followed a faint lead on Mi Shihong, but it turned out to be nothing. That had been her first major mistake, and because she'd been eager to close the case, she had used a "blood divination" method that accidentally killed Mi Shihong in the process.
She had been severely reprimanded by Director Qian for that!
If it hadn't been for that mysterious young man's intervention in the case, she might have struggled with her own guilt for a lifetime.
So Jiang Wan had a complicated feeling toward this unknown benefactor—a mixture of gratitude, respect, and even a strange sense of security.
Huh?
Lin Feng froze, thinking to himself, "Anonymous letter? Wait… wasn't that my letter?"
When did I become a master of the mystic arts?
Lin Feng found himself in a complicated position, trying not to admit to anything while watching Jiang Wan alternate between sneering at him and then looking worshipful. His feelings were all over the place.
The door creaked open.
"I said I'd be right there!" Jiang Wan snapped, only to realize that it was someone else.
It was the same man reeking of alcohol whom Lin Feng had seen in the courtyard.
Jiang Wan immediately softened her tone upon seeing him, greeting him respectfully, "Senior Brother, when did you get here?"
This man was indeed the drunkard Lin Feng had encountered earlier.
Lin Feng was baffled. This guy had been out in the courtyard drinking under a pagoda tree the entire time. How did she not know he was here?
The drunkard ignored Jiang Wan and fixed his gaze on Lin Feng.
"Who are you?"
Lin Feng was put off by the man's intense scrutiny, but knowing he was Jiang Wan's senior, he respectfully replied, "Senior Brother! I'm Lin from the funeral home, here to learn some ghost-catching skills from your junior sister!"
The middle-aged man glanced at Jiang Wan, then sneered, "Her? She's the esteemed Section Chief Jiang. How could she possibly be my junior sister?"
Jiang Wan froze, her face going red around the eyes. "Senior Brother, I—"
"Didn't I tell you not to call me 'Senior Brother'? Can't you understand that?" the man said impatiently.
Jiang Wan turned away, her eyes glistening with tears.
Lin Feng suddenly understood that there seemed to be some kind of rift between the two.
Seeing Jiang Wan quietly crying, Lin Feng felt bad and decided to put on a fierce front to break the tension. He yelled, "Hey, drunkard! How can you talk to a woman like that? If you keep being rude, I'll have to teach you a lesson myself! Now, apologize!"
The drunkard took another swig, laughing at Lin Feng's threat. "Teach me a lesson? You couldn't even touch me! But… to think that the so-called Black Dog Sect has fallen so low. Now they have to turn to a mediocre student from a low-level sect like the Fighting School. Consider me amazed."
The drunkard's contempt for Jiang Wan was clear, but he seemed to view Lin Feng with a bit more interest.
Lin Feng's eyebrows shot up, his mouth twitching in irritation. "So, you called me a 'black dog' just now, and you think I can't beat you up? Where'd you get that confidence?"
With that, Lin Feng swung his fist straight at the middle-aged man's face.