Manager Liu didn't seek out Gu Qin; Gu Qin also didn't feel anything was amiss. Every day, he continued doing what he usually did. At 5:30 PM, Qin Xiansheng would come to pick him up. They practiced driving in less crowded areas. Gu Qin was smart and learned quickly; basic operations were easy to understand, and he picked them up fast. After half an hour, he was almost proficient, needing only more practice.

At his age, he couldn't get a driver's license, but Gu Qin wasn't in a hurry. He could wait until he was old enough. Cheng Yinxiang's store preparations were nearly complete, and she had started learning how to drive as well. Gu Jia was busy reviewing his lessons, so he had no time for now.

Two days later, on Wednesday, Liu Lide was nearly at his breaking point. His black eyes were frightening, his lips cracked, and he had lost considerable weight in just a few days. His eye sockets appeared sunken. Manager Liu and his wife were also showing signs of stress; they had mouth ulcers, and both looked haggard. Manager Liu's wife was close to collapsing. "Old Liu, what should we do? We've spent forty thousand yuan already, hired two people, but nothing has worked. We can't sleep at night, and the noise is getting louder. What should we do?"

Manager Liu gritted his teeth. "Let's just listen to the master's advice and have our son confess. After that thing is taken away, we'll take our son back to our hometown. That way, Zhao wouldn't be able to bother us anymore. The countryside is fine too. Although it's just a county town, it has schools. Our son's studies are important now. In a few years, once this matter is resolved, we can go to another city if we want."

Their house was rented, but the problem was the store. Manager Liu had opened his store just half a month ago, making modest profits, which was not bad for a new business.

Manager Liu's wife was silent.

Manager Liu continued, "I plan to transfer the store in the next couple of days. Once it's transferred, I'll have our son go to the police station."

What else could they do? Manager Liu's wife sighed and reluctantly agreed.

Over the next few days, Manager Liu focused on transferring the store. The location was good, and within two days, the store was sold without a loss. This relieved Manager Liu, as the money would be enough for their life in the countryside after settling their son's issue. They would give ten thousand yuan to Master Gu and use the rest for their living expenses.

By Saturday, everything was settled. Early that morning, Manager Liu took Liu Lide to the police station. A female officer asked, "Is there something wrong?"

Manager Liu hesitated but still said, "Hello, I'm here to have my son turn himself in."

The female officer looked at them in surprise and immediately went inside to call someone. After entering, a police officer recorded their statements, knowing it was related to the drowning case from the Third Middle School. The police took the matter seriously and had Liu Lide recount the entire incident.

When Liu Lide finished, the police asked, "Why didn't you say this earlier? Don't you know the case is closed?"

Liu Lide raised his head, his eyes deep-set and weary. "I couldn't bear it. I had nightmares every night, dreaming that Sun Haiyang was looking for me."

The police knew the teenager had been suffering greatly and sighed inwardly. Given that the drowned teenager had died because of such a reason, they felt it was unfortunate. Since the case was reopened due to the confession, the police immediately began investigating again.

When Manager Liu left, the police told them, "This case will be reopened. Until it's resolved, you can't leave Daishan. Do you understand?"

Manager Liu nodded.

Back home, Manager Liu immediately called Gu Qin. Receiving another call from Manager Liu, Gu Qin was not surprised. Hearing that he had gone to the police station to re-record his statement, he said, "I'll come over tomorrow morning to help you."

The next morning, Gu Qin brought a few talismans and went straight to Manager Liu's house. When he saw Liu Lide, he couldn't help raising an eyebrow. The teenager seemed to have suffered greatly. It was true that the matter had nothing to do with him, but he had even wanted to save him, which was why Gu Qin was willing to help him.

Manager Liu was stunned when he saw Gu Qin arrive without any items. "Master Gu, don't you need anything? I found a Liu Banxian before, who needed a setup, a peachwood sword, vermilion, and so on."

Gu Qin held up the talisman in his hand. "This is enough. Different lineages have different methods. There's nothing strange about that."

Manager Liu laughed awkwardly. "Then, how does Master Gu plan to proceed?"

Gu Qin pointed at Liu Lide. "Just let him follow me into the room."

Gu Qin led Liu Lide into his room and closed the door, blocking the anxious and curious looks of Manager Liu and his wife outside.

Inside the room, Gu Qin pointed to a chair. "Sit here. You don't need to worry about anything else."

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After Liu Lide sat down, Gu Qin began setting up the array, chanting spells, and performing exorcisms. He set up the array, enhanced it with talismans, and Liu Lide watched him nervously.

Once the array was set up, Gu Qin sat in the center, crossed his legs, closed his eyes, and chanted spells. Thirty minutes later, he opened his eyes, and the talismans around the array had turned to dust. Liu Lide watched as the yellow talismans slowly faded and turned to ashes...

Sending off a ghost wasn't difficult, especially since the ghost's wishes were fulfilled. Gu Qin didn't exert much effort.

Gu Qin opened his eyes and looked around. "It's done. It's over. He's already gone."

"He... where did he go?" Liu Lide finally couldn't help asking. "I'm really sorry for what happened before. I never meant to hide it."

Gu Qin replied, "He can't hear anymore. Now that you've reported the killer, he can rest in peace. You don't need to blame yourself anymore."

Outside the room, Manager Liu and his wife were extremely anxious. Seeing Gu Qin come out, they rushed forward. "Master Gu, how did it go?"

Gu Qin nodded. "Everything is fine." He looked at Manager Liu. "Manager Liu, I've helped you resolve the matter. If you give me the payment, I can leave."

Manager Liu hurriedly nodded. "Yes, yes. I'll go get it..." Just as he was about to enter the room to get the money, his wife pulled him back and looked at Gu Qin. "Master Gu, it's not that we don't want to pay, but the last two people came and tried, each charging twenty thousand yuan, but things didn't improve at night. We're really worried. You're asking for quite a sum..."

Gu Qin looked at her. "So what do you mean?"

Manager Liu's wife smiled. "How about waiting a few days to see if everything is really okay, then I'll give you the money, okay?"

Gu Qin stared at her. Manager Liu's wife felt uncomfortable under her gaze. "Master Gu, we're not doubting you, right? The last two people also promised to solve it, but look what happened..."

Manager Liu remained silent.

Gu Qin smiled. "So when do you plan to pay?"

This was the first time she encountered someone trying to cheat a feng shui master. She wanted to see what this woman was thinking.

Manager Liu's wife thought for a moment. "Wait for three or four days. If it's really fine, I'll definitely have Old Liu send you the money. Or how about you leave your bank account number, and we'll transfer it directly?"

Liu Lide suddenly spoke from the side. "Mom, just give the money."

Manager Liu's wife glared at her son. "Adults are talking. Children shouldn't butt in!" Then she looked at Gu Qin and smiled. "Master Gu, is this alright?"

Seeing the woman's evasive eyes, Gu Qin immediately saw through her intentions. She wanted to avoid paying the ten thousand yuan. She had agreed to help partly for that money, intending to give it to the deceased student's family. She knew the woman's character and hadn't expected her to actually try to cheat her.

Gu Qin smiled and nodded. "Sure, no problem. I agree, but since you've transferred the store and your son has dropped out of school, how would I find you if you left? I'll put a spell on your husband. Once you pay, I'll remove it. Otherwise, you won't be able to run away."

As she spoke, she performed a hand gesture in front of everyone and quickly tapped several points on Manager Liu's body. Manager Liu immediately felt a cold sensation seeping into the points touched by Gu Qin, and his body started to chill, causing him to shiver uncontrollably. Soon his face turned white, and his teeth chattered.

Manager Liu's wife hadn't expected Gu Qin to perform the spell so quickly, and before she could react, her husband's face turned ashen, and his body trembled. She was stunned. "What did you do to my husband!"

Gu Qin smiled. "Didn't I explain clearly? Once you pay the money, I'll remove the spell from your husband. Sorry, I have other matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving now." With that, she left without further ado.

Manager Liu was still lucid. He suddenly recalled how, when dealing with Cheng Yinxiang, he had inexplicably felt cold, which Gu Qin had later cured. He had thought he was possessed, but now he realized it was simply a spell cast by Gu Qin. Why had he suddenly been foolish enough to listen to his wife's words, causing him to suffer such torment?

Manager Liu's wife panicked and tried to grab Gu Qin, but Gu Qin seemed to have eyes on her back and avoided her grasp effortlessly.

Manager Liu finally panicked. "M-Master Gu, we're wrong. We'll go get the money right now."

Gu Qin looked back at him. "No delays?"

"No, no delays." Seeing his wife still dazed, Manager Liu, enraged, wanted to kick her but found he had no strength. Instead, he cursed, "Hurry up, go get the ten thousand yuan from the bedside."

Manager Liu's wife, as if seeing a ghost, immediately dropped any ill intentions and hurriedly retrieved the money.

***

Manager Liu's wife did not dare delay. She went to retrieve the ten thousand yuan and handed it over to Gu Qin. Gu Qin placed it in her backpack. Feeling the coldness in Manager Liu's body gradually dissipate, he sighed with relief.

Gu Qin sneered. "Remember this: Don't be so greedy as to think you can keep this money. I originally intended to give it to the deceased's family. If you're greedy for this money too, beware of retribution. As the saying goes, 'What goes around comes around.' Good deeds lead to good outcomes, evil deeds lead to evil outcomes, misfortune turns to fortune, fate is determined by heaven, and destiny is shaped by oneself. Consider your actions carefully."

She looked at Liu Lide. "Where does your classmate live?"

Liu Lide provided an address, and Gu Qin left.

After Gu Qin left, Manager Liu and his wife looked at each other. Manager Liu couldn't hold it in any longer. "You foolish woman, now you've offended her."

Manager Liu's wife retorted angrily, "And what about you? Didn't you also want to keep the money? Don't just blame me."

Liu Lide sighed. "Dad, Mom, stop arguing. This master really has skills. These past few days, I always felt cold, but now I don't. And when she was performing the ritual in the room, I saw the talismans on the ground turn to ashes."

Manager Liu and his wife entered the room and saw the ashes on the floor, their faces turning grim. Finally, they sighed and went out to tell Liu Lide, "Your school has already been suspended. For the next few days, stay at home. The case is being reopened, and your classmate might not forgive you. Stay safe."

Liu Lide nodded. "Dad, I understand."

After leaving Manager Liu's house, Gu Qin did not return home immediately but went to Sun Haiyang's house. The Sun family had been devastated by their son's death. Sun Haiyang had a younger sister, aged eleven or twelve. Both parents had fallen ill due to their son's death. Their son's body was still kept in the coffin at home, and they refused to deal with it, believing that their son would not have gone swimming. Moreover, only their son had gone into the water when they went to the reservoir. If it was about catching fish, why was it only their son?

They suspected something was amiss, but the other classmates insisted that Sun Haiyang had gone in on his own. Upon retrieval, there were two blue marks on his bare feet, and everyone said he was dragged underwater by a water spirit. The police concluded the case without any compensation, and the parents were not seeking compensation—they just wanted to know what truly happened and hoped their son could rest in peace.

Gu Qin knocked on the door, and after some time, a young girl, pale and with dark circles under her eyes, opened it. She looked very tired. The girl asked, "Who are you?"

Gu Qin did not speak much but took out the hundred thousand yuan from her bag and handed it to the girl. "This is compensation from your classmates. Also, don't worry about your brother. Someone has confessed, and the police will give you justice."

The girl looked at the hundred thousand yuan, stunned. "Who are you? Why are you giving us a hundred thousand yuan? What do you mean by the police giving justice to my brother? Someone confessed?"

The girl became agitated and grabbed Gu Qin. "Sister, what exactly do you mean? Does this mean my brother didn't drown while fishing? Was he killed by someone?"

The girl cried out in agitation. Gu Qin sighed. "Your brother's death was an accident, but it was also caused by someone. He was pushed into the reservoir by someone. One of the classmates has confessed, so the police will give you justice."

Gu Qin walked a few steps into the room and placed the hundred thousand yuan on the table. "This is compensation from Liu Li, one of the students who confessed. Your brother was pushed into the water by Zhao Changming."

"It was Zhao Changming," the girl cried. "Ever since my brother's incident, his family has been the most arrogant. He even said my brother was hitting on his girlfriend."

Gu Qin walked out of the room. "Go inside quickly. The police will give you justice. Can you use the internet? Posting the truth online will create some public pressure and make Zhao's family more cautious."

The girl clung to Gu Qin, her eyes red. "Sister, can you tell me the truth?"

Gu Qin recounted the events, and the girl thanked her earnestly. Hesitating, she asked, "Sister, are you my brother's classmate?"

Gu Qin shook her head. "I am not your brother's classmate. I am just a fortune-teller. After your brother's incident, his ghost followed Liu Li to his home. He has already passed on..."