Facing Feng Lan's eerie ghostly gaze, I braced myself and recounted every detail Zhu Wantao had revealed. The ghost woman froze, as if deliberating whether what I said was true. The Ghost Master smirked and urged her to act, which infuriated her.
"My affairs are none of your concern! Shut up!" she snapped.
"You better show me some respect! Even if you're a Fushou Ghost, there's still an order of seniority. Don't forget, you're speaking to your senior brother!" the Ghost Master retorted, barely containing his anger.
"Senior brother? What a joke!" she cursed at him, then turned to me. "Who is Yu Zixin's accomplice?"
It seemed like she believed me, which was a relief. I shook my head and said, "I don't know yet. But if you don't harm us, I promise to uncover the mastermind behind all this!"
Feng Lan's ghostly eyes flared with green light as she sneered. "Do you take me for a child? You think I'll fall for such lies?"
My heart sank. She wasn't fully convinced. Quickly, I said, "You're not a child, but haven't you wondered why someone wants you to kill Xiaoxiang and Xiao Ying?"
"Because I hate An Shengzhe! Any woman he loves, I'll kill them all!" she declared angrily.
Her reasoning was straightforward, but without someone manipulating her, she wouldn't have such deep-seated hatred for An Shengzhe.
I said indignantly, "You hate An Shengzhe—that's understandable. But why don't you hate the person who buried your body in the woods, preventing you from resting in peace? That's the reason you became a Fushou Ghost!"
The Ghost Master lost his patience and urged Feng Lan, "Our master is pressing us. If we join forces, we can make quick work of this guy!"
"Get lost!" Feng Lan yelled furiously. "Did I say I was going to act? Who are you to order me around?"
The Ghost Master froze, retracting his clawed hands awkwardly.
Feng Lan sneered at me. "Go and find out who's behind this. If you don't bring me results before sunrise, everyone in this house will die!"
Her words left me relieved and determined. I nodded and said, "As long as you guarantee we won't be harmed by the Ghost Master, I'll find out who's responsible!"
"No one will dare touch you as long as I say so!" Feng Lan confidently replied.
"You're rebelling! Acting without permission..." The Ghost Master's words were cut off as Feng Lan transformed into a black mist, lunging at him. She returned to her original form in a blink.
"You..." The Ghost Master stared in horror. His chest and stomach were ripped open, with blood and entrails spilling out. His heart was missing.
The gruesome scene left me in shock. I hadn't expected the Fushou Ghost to be so powerful. The Ghost Master, despite his reputation, was no match for her. Feng Lan stood there, holding a bloody, still-beating heart in her hand, grinning wickedly.
Feeling nauseous, I quickly closed my eyes and ended the spirit communication ritual.
Peering into my pale face, Wu Long asked, "What happened?"
I gagged a few times before signaling an OK. Wu Long sighed in relief, and the others visibly relaxed. While Xiaoxiang and the others didn't understand the details of my spiritual communication, they knew I was battling Feng Lan.
"What's the situation with the Ghost Master and Feng Lan now?" Wu Long asked quietly.
I told him what happened. He chuckled, giving me a thumbs-up. "I was worried the Ghost Master wouldn't be able to handle the Fushou Ghost. If he angered her and she attacked us next, we'd all be done for."
His words made me smirk sarcastically. "Your ideas nearly sent me to the underworld," I thought.
Wu Long and I discussed our next steps in hushed tones. With only a few hours until dawn, identifying Yu Zixin's accomplice would be challenging. I asked if his fortune-telling skills could help. Wu Long explained that facial readings reveal surface-level events, but determining major incidents from someone's past requires their birth date and time for an eight-character calculation, which isn't quick.
Disappointed, I wracked my brain for a solution. Observing Xiaoxiang and the others watching us intently, I suddenly had an idea.
Turning to Zhu Wantao, I said, "Call Yu Zixin and tell her Feng Lan has decided not to kill us but will come for her instead. Say that if she confesses the mastermind's identity, she might be spared."
Zhu Wantao, now compliant as a frightened rabbit, immediately made the call and put it on speaker.
"You liar!" Yu Zixin snapped over the phone. "I'm nearby right now. None of you will survive until morning, not even you or Zhang Shaoyu. Oh, by the way, I should let you know: your beloved Teacher Qiu jumped off a building with Director Chen. You can reunite with her in the afterlife!"
The line went dead.
This girl wasn't ordinary—she was a tough nut to crack. But her words provided three critical clues.
First, her tone suggested she was now the mastermind, aiming to silence everyone, including her accomplice.
Second, the Ghost Master's primary goal was creating the Fushou Ghost. To him, the mastermind didn't matter.
Third, why did she specifically mention Zhang Shaoyu?
These clues led me to a conclusion: her accomplice was among us. The Ghost Master planned to kill us all, and Zhang Shaoyu was likely the accomplice!
The others were too outraged by Yu Zixin's venomous words to notice. Even Xiaoxiang, usually reserved, joined the furious outcry. I observed Zhang Shaoyu closely. Though he cursed Yu Zixin initially, he soon hung his head, looking uneasy.
I stood up, signaling for quiet. "I know who the mastermind is!"
Everyone froze, including Zhang Shaoyu, whose shocked eyes betrayed fear.
The room fell silent as all eyes turned to me. My gaze swept over each person before settling on Zhang Shaoyu.
"It's you, Zhang Shaoyu!"