I couldn't believe it, but the master's prediction turned out to be true. Xu Yishan came to find us even earlier than the time the master had predicted. It seemed that everything the master had said had come true, and the situation was worse than expected, or Xu Yishan wouldn't have rushed here to seek help.
Looking at Xu Yishan in his tight suit, I couldn't help but feel uncomfortable for him. His body had already gained weight, yet he insisted on squeezing himself into such a small suit. Didn't he find it uncomfortable? Why not get a properly tailored one instead?
The master seemed to see through my thoughts and remarked, "Never judge someone based on their appearance. If you focus too much on their outward appearance, one day you'll not even know how you died!"
I wasn't sure if the master was speaking metaphorically about someone else, but as I heard those words, my thoughts immediately went to Ning Manwan. Since the last time I met her and she taught me that method, I hadn't seen her again. Even her contact information turned out to be fake, and I couldn't find her.
At first, I didn't believe she would harm me. We had no grudge. But after trying to contact her and hearing nothing, I began to doubt. Maybe she did want to harm me after all.
After Xu Yishan sat down in front of the desk, clearly uneasy, I stood up and poured him a cup of water. He only muttered a quick thank you, then nervously glanced around.
"You don't have to worry. Just tell us everything you know. We'll help you," I tried to comfort him, seeing how restless he was.
As soon as I spoke, the master shot me a glance, and I immediately stopped talking and lowered my head.
The master then sat beside me and looked at Xu Yishan. "I need to be honest with you. It's your wife—your ex-wife, actually—that brought us here. That's how we learned about your situation. Now we need to resolve this matter, and we need your full cooperation. Tell us everything you know, or this will end badly for everyone."
The master's tone shifted. He was no longer the calm and easy-going man I knew. His voice was now firm and commanding. This sudden shift made me feel uneasy, as if a dangerous aura emanated from him. I sat quietly, not daring to speak.
Xu Yishan, clearly startled by the change in the master's tone, began to tell us everything that had happened. But when the master asked him about his ex-wife, Xu Yishan hesitated and became reluctant to speak.
The master glanced at me, signaling me to intervene. This time, I quickly understood his hint.
"Mr. Xu, this is about revenge from the past. If you don't clarify things for us, we won't be able to help you. Although she came to me asking for the truth, if you don't want to cooperate, I can't help you. I won't give her the truth, but I can make sure she never bothers me again. We're in this line of work, you know. As for the relationship between you and your wife, that's out of my hands."
"Please, please, I'll tell you everything!" Xu Yishan immediately panicked and began spilling details from nearly 30 years ago.
After hearing his story, I stared at him in disbelief. I had never imagined a man could be this disgusting. He made actions that were worse than those of animals. It was no wonder that his ex-wife turned into a vengeful ghost, unwilling to reincarnate.
After hearing everything, I found myself speechless, not knowing how to face such a monstrous person.
Seeing my expression, the master spoke up.
"Mr. Xu, let's not talk about your past. Are you sure you haven't left anything out? Especially regarding your current wife. If you've hidden anything from me, I'll stop right here and never help you again."
Xu Yishan immediately became desperate. He almost kneeled on the ground. "Master, I swear I haven't lied to you. I've told you everything. This concerns my life, so I dare not hide anything."
I quietly tugged on the master's sleeve. He turned to look at me, and I nodded toward Xu Yishan. We then moved to the side.
"Master, someone like him, a piece of scum, do we really want to help him? People like him don't deserve to be saved!"
I was filled with indignation.
The master chuckled softly. "I thought after everything you've been through, you would become more cynical and indifferent, not caring about others. I didn't expect you to still have this compassion. I underestimated your capacity for emotional endurance."
Hearing his words, I realized I had been acting like a social justice warrior. I felt a bit embarrassed and lowered my head.
"Don't look at me like that," the master said, glancing at Xu Yishan, who was nervously sitting in the corner.
"Let me tell you the truth. After spending so many years in this line of work, you'll realize there are people much worse than Xu Yishan. This is why I told you that the money we make from this line of work must go to charity."
At that moment, I didn't know what to say. If I were in charge, I wouldn't lift a finger to save someone like him.
The master patted my shoulder. "If you really don't want to help him, you could ask for more money. People like him are meticulous about money. They will pay any price to save their lives. But even if you can't do it for the money, think about it—this female ghost is after you. After we resolve this, she won't bother you anymore. Consider it saving yourself."
Reluctantly, I agreed. The thought of my own life made me go along with the plan. I followed the master to Xu Yishan's house, where Mrs. Xu greeted us with a look of wariness. In a frenzy, Xu Yishan grabbed a knife and tried to scare us away.
"Master, what should we do?"
"The man didn't lie to us, but we overlooked something. This has been going on for over 30 years. If this was truly about revenge, she wouldn't have waited this long." The master's expression darkened.
At this point, I was confused. If that was the case, then what was really going on? "Could it be that ghosts need time to transform into vengeful spirits? Maybe her power wasn't strong enough before?"
The master shook his head. "You're overthinking. If a person dies with hatred, and the right timing and circumstances align, they can become a vengeful ghost in an instant. It wouldn't take 30 years. The only reasonable explanation is that she was held captive before and wasn't able to escape."