“Captain Sheng, slow down!”

Shen Yan tried to act nonchalant in the back seat, but Sheng Feng drove like a madman, weaving through the traffic that was initially at a standstill.

Sheng Feng felt a vague sense of unease.

He reached for a Bluetooth earpiece and called Tian Nan Di Bei without hesitation.

The phone rang a few times. Fortunately, unlike last time, someone answered, though the signal seemed poor, with static crackling from the other end.

“What’s the situation on site?” Sheng Feng accelerated, having already informed the police during the traffic jam, and ran several red lights to reach the suburbs quickly.

Tian Nan Di Bei’s voice was almost drowned out by the static: “We… just entered… the villa… the police… fainted…”

Sheng Feng felt a bit irritated. He pulled off the Bluetooth earpiece, and Tian Nan Di Bei’s voice came through the speaker, still muttering something. This time, the interference sounded different—like a deep underwater rumble.

Shen Yan, who had been lounging on Sheng Feng’s seat back, now sat up straight, leaning forward slightly to better hear the strange interference.

“Captain… we…” Tian Nan Di Bei’s voice abruptly stopped, and the call ended after two seconds of silence.

Based on his ten years of experience with National Security Group 7, Sheng Feng suspected that the villa’s malevolent presence hadn’t left, and its magnetic field was interfering with the signal.

Thinking this, he pressed the accelerator harder.

At that moment, Sheng Feng felt an icy hand rest on his shoulder.

He knew it was Shen Yan’s hand, reminding him of the folk tale about ghosts tapping shoulders. He wasn’t sure if people had three flames on their shoulders, but he knew a ghost’s hand could bring a chilling breeze.

“Don’t worry, Captain Sheng. No ghost in this world is fiercer than me.” Shen Yan rested his chin on Sheng Feng’s shoulder, unabashedly studying his profile, teasing, “Instead of thinking about how to suppress it, you should think about how to suppress me.”

“However, this female ghost is probably several times fiercer than an ordinary male ghost.”

Sheng Feng looked ahead as the car left the city. He asked, “How do you know it’s a female ghost?”

“I can tell by listening.” Shen Yan crossed his arms behind his head, lazily leaning back in the seat. His habit of speaking half-truths annoyed Sheng Feng.

The rest of the way, Sheng Feng drove quickly, finally reaching Hong Dechang’s villa before nightfall.

As soon as he got out of the car, Sheng Feng saw the entire villa shrouded in a thick black mist, cold and filled with resentment, pouring out from within.

Shen Yan floated down from the car with Sheng Feng, fiddling with the tassel of a jade pendant at his waist. He half-blocked Sheng Feng, smiling, “Captain Sheng, don’t you want to know how I figured out it’s a female ghost?” He smiled, and Sheng Feng stared at him silently, so he continued, “Beg me, and I’ll tell you.”

Sheng Feng rolled his eyes, lifted the police tape, and went to find the police captain to understand the situation.

Shen Yan, with an inexplicable smile, tossed his messy long hair behind him and leisurely walked to the villa’s entrance, glancing up at the second floor where the black mist was thicker.

“They’ve been inside for fifteen minutes.” Sheng Feng, at some point, circled behind Shen Yan, shining a flashlight as he crouched to examine the expensive carpet at the entrance.

Shen Yan followed the flashlight’s beam, seeing clear water stains on the carpet, forming a semicircle that perfectly enclosed the door.

Sheng Feng clapped his hands and stood up, sighing, “It seems Hong Dechang is quite obedient when it comes to saving his life.”

Shen Yan smirked.

Pouring cinnabar water in a semicircle at the door is a simple exorcism method.

Many elders believe that midnight is when the door gods change shifts, and during this time, they might be lax, allowing little ghosts to slip through. Pouring cinnabar water before midnight can block some ghosts from entering and causing trouble.

“Shall we go in and take a look?” Shen Yan stepped on the cinnabar water stain and asked Sheng Feng.

Sheng Feng glanced at him, walked straight to the door, and kicked it open without hesitation. A wave of resentment hit him, but he didn’t mind. He just observed the surroundings briefly, turned on his flashlight, and slowly walked inside.

The villa’s interior was much larger than it appeared from the outside. The furnishings were extravagant, typical of Hong Dechang’s wasteful style. Unlike Sheng Feng’s cautiousness, Shen Yan seemed like a carefree playboy touring a garden.

In the pitch-black environment, Sheng Feng found the light switch with the help of his flashlight. He instinctively tried to turn it on, but the villa remained dark. It seemed the entire villa’s power was cut, unlikely due to human factors.

“Where are your little friends?” Shen Yan whispered, almost pressing against Sheng Feng’s ear, speaking in a volume only the two of them could hear.

Sheng Feng felt uncomfortable but didn’t pay much attention in this environment. He listened carefully for any sounds in the villa, but there was only dead silence, as if no one else existed besides him and Shen Yan.

Something felt off.

Just as Sheng Feng was about to warn Shen Yan, he reached out beside him, only to grab air. He raised his flashlight, scanning the area, but there was no one!

But Shen Yan had been right next to him, within arm’s reach. It had only been a minute since they spoke, so how could he be gone?

“Shen Yan, stop playing around!” Sheng Feng felt inexplicably irritated, thinking Shen Yan was deliberately teasing him by hiding.

After shouting, Sheng Feng realized his assumption was wrong.

The villa wasn’t that big. Although the interior was spacious, with his flashlight, he could see every corner of the first floor. Moreover, since he entered, the house felt lifeless.

Something was playing tricks, likely using ghostly energy to separate everyone.

Sheng Feng stopped moving recklessly. He held the flashlight in his mouth, trying to pull out some talisman paper from his pocket.

Suddenly, a deafening door slam echoed behind him, startling him despite his strong nerves. He quickly turned and stepped back.

Strangely, the house’s interior had changed slightly. What should have been a dining area was now a wooden, dilapidated door, with a faint light seeping through its cracks.

“What’s wrong! You look down on me, don’t you! After all these years of marriage, you’ve always looked down on me, haven’t you!” The sound of furniture being thrown and a man’s angry roar mixed with a woman’s sobs came from inside the door, echoing throughout the house.

It was a family argument.

Sheng Feng stood still, shining his flashlight on the door. The sudden sound caught him off guard.

What was this female ghost trying to tell him? Or how did she plan to break them down? What was the point of playing these sounds?

As Sheng Feng pondered, a child’s cry came from inside: “Daddy, Daddy, don’t hit Mommy anymore. I’ll be good and listen from now on!”

“What do you know! I don’t even know if you’re my kid! Get out of here!”

These words seemed to touch Sheng Feng’s raw nerve. He gripped the flashlight so tightly it creaked.

He quickly pulled out a talisman, shook it lightly, and it ignited with green flames in his hand. He threw it forward, and a fire dragon emerged, swallowing the sound and the door.

In an instant, the entire house was illuminated by the flames, and the previous illusion of sound on the first floor vanished, replaced by the silent, empty villa.

Sheng Feng, as he had done with Shen Yan before, pulled out a talisman, transforming it into a fiery whip. He raised his hand, and the whip, sparking with fire, sliced through the air with a piercing cry, as if mercilessly lashing at the hidden ghost.

Sheng Feng snorted coldly, “Using such lowly tricks against us, is it fun?”

Then came the sound of the flames consuming the door frame.

As soon as Sheng Feng finished speaking, a woman in a blood-red dress, with disheveled long hair, descended the stairs from the second floor. Half of her face was severely decayed, her tongue hanging halfway out of her mouth, leaving a trail of blood on the stairs.

“If I’m not mistaken, you’re the captain of National Security Group 7, right?” The woman giggled, her voice eerie in the house.

A cold light flashed in Sheng Feng’s eyes, filled with killing intent. He said, “If I’m not mistaken, you’re the owner of the last of the nineteen coffins, right?”

“That’s right,” the woman stopped on the last step, examining her long nails, “They were all persuaded by those monks to leave, but I still have attachments in this world and don’t want to go to the underworld just yet.”

Sheng Feng tightened his grip on the whip, coldly watching the woman, “Where did you take the people who came in before?”

The woman suddenly laughed maniacally, “Everyone who enters this house must die! Including you!” With that, she lunged forward, arms outstretched.

Sheng Feng sidestepped, swinging the whip, using the table to pivot in mid-air. The woman’s sharp red nails slashed past his eyes, leaving deep blood marks on the wall.

Without hesitation, Sheng Feng transformed the whip into a sword. The sword tip touched the ground, and Sheng Feng immediately took the offensive, slicing open the woman’s abdomen. The smell of burning filled the air.

The injured ghost grew even more furious. She clutched her wound, shouting, “Why are you interfering! You don’t understand anything! You know nothing!”

The female ghost spread her arms, and the black mist surrounding the house began to gather on her. She transformed into a raging ghost, and in an instant, the ghostly energy formed a lion-tiger, charging at Sheng Feng with its jaws wide open.

Sheng Feng barely blocked with his sword, but as a mortal, the sword was quickly drained.

Reacting swiftly, Sheng Feng pulled out more talismans, retreating while mimicking a bow-drawing motion. The talismans gathered in the air, forming a green-flamed bow that shot an arrow, piercing one of the lion-tiger’s eyes. It roared in pain, releasing even more resentment.

Sheng Feng was slashed by its sharp claws, leaving a bloody gash. Holding the bow, he had no time to shoot another arrow as the massive lion-tiger of black mist cornered him, baring its terrifying teeth.

As it lunged, Sheng Feng had no time to think. He instinctively drew the bow for a final strike.

He smiled bitterly, thinking how disgraceful it would be to die like this, tarnishing his shifu’s reputation as the former captain of National Security Group 7.

But the expected pain didn’t come.

Sheng Feng’s last arrow never fired. In a flash, the battle ended. He didn’t know how Shen Yan fell from the ceiling or how the towering lion-tiger vanished instantly.

Shen Yan stood firmly in front of Sheng Feng, shielding him.

Along with him fell the troublesome Tian Nan Di Bei and several unconscious police officers. Unlike Shen Yan, who jumped down, they had truly fallen.

“Captain Sheng, I only promised the judge to give you some advice, so saving you just now comes at an extra cost.” Shen Yan played with the tassel at his waist, winking at Sheng Feng.

“Captain, you’re hurt!” Tian Nan Di Bei stood up, fighting dizziness, and immediately noticed Sheng Feng’s injured shoulder.

Hearing this, Shen Yan’s gaze shifted to Sheng Feng’s shoulder, where a large bloodstain spread across his clothes, the blood flowing heavily, extending to his ribs. His playful demeanor vanished instantly.

Sheng Feng looked up to see the red-clad female ghost lunging at Shen Yan, claws raised. He shouted, “Watch out!”

But Shen Yan’s killing intent had already risen. It took only a second or two for him to grab the ghost’s throat.

The female ghost’s eyes filled with disbelief, and the next moment, she was slammed against the wall. Although Sheng Feng felt Shen Yan used less than half his strength, the ghost spat out a large pool of black blood and fainted.

The inexperienced Arhats were so frightened by Shen Yan’s murderous aura that they stood frozen, fearing this powerful figure might turn and twist their necks like pretzels.

“Shen Yan, don’t kill her,” Sheng Feng called Shen Yan’s full name for the first time, and the latter’s murderous aura diminished significantly.

“…There are plenty of evil ghosts in the Xiyi Realm. If I kill her, I’ll just compensate you with another.”