The couple rushed in and turned on the light, only to find their son asleep, curled up on the bed, sweating profusely. His face was pale, and his lips were cracked. Even when he opened his eyes, fear remained in his gaze.

"Son, are you okay?" Manager Liu was frantic. "What trouble did you get into? Tell us, how can your body take this? If it gets worse, we'll find that master again to help you."

His wife was close to tears. "Son, we're suffering seeing you like this. Please tell us what happened."

The teenager remained silent, sitting on the bed, and when he noticed the wet patch on the bedsheet resembling a human form, his face turned even paler. He started trembling and asked his father, "Dad, have you noticed the wet spot on the bedsheet looks like a person lying there?"

Both parents turned pale and stared at the bedsheet. Sure enough, the wet spot resembled a person lying there. They also noticed water stains in the son's room.

All three were terrified. They had mopped the floor dry before bed and used a dry mop, so where did the water come from?

His wife was close to tears and grabbed her son's arm. "Son, what happened? Tell us, there must be a way to solve this."

"There's nothing, nothing. Get out of here, don't bother us, get out!" The teenager suddenly lashed out, pushing his parents out.

The couple stood outside crying, recalling that their son had gone to the countryside resort with friends on Friday, resulting in a tragedy. One of their classmates drowned in the reservoir while fishing. The police had questioned them, but it was clear the drowning was accidental, and they weren't held responsible. Could the nightmares be related to this incident? And the constant dripping sound at night, along with the water stains in the son's room, were driving the couple to the brink of collapse.

To make matters worse, the same thing happened on Sunday night. Dripping sounds throughout the night and another nightmare, leading to more water stains on the floor. The teenager finally broke down and cried, "I didn't do it, why are you haunting me? I didn't push you, I wanted to save you..."

Even Manager Liu, a grown man, couldn't hold back his tears. "Son, is this related to your classmate's drowning? Are you hiding something? Do you know he's haunting you? Please tell the truth. If you do, we'll find that master to help you, alright?"

The teenager sobbed, "Dad, it's not my fault, I never thought it would turn out like this..." He then recounted the events.

The teenager's name was Liu Li. A few days earlier, he and his friends agreed to go to the countryside resort after school on Friday. One of them, Zhao Changming, who had a car, drove them there. Six of them went, including a girl, Zhao Changming's girlfriend, who was the school beauty. The rest were single.

The drowned student was named Sun Haiyang. He seemed to have a crush on the school beauty, but it was just a mild attraction, knowing she was his friend's girlfriend, he wouldn't do anything.

Sun Haiyang was handsome, Zhao Changming was wealthy, and he was average-looking with a short stature.

At the resort, Zhao Changming suggested visiting the nearby reservoir, mentioning that his father often came here to fish. They had nothing else to do and were interested, so they agreed.

The resort owner kept trying to dissuade them, warning about water ghosts in the reservoir. Eventually, they reluctantly promised but secretly went anyway. They initially intended to just look around, but Zhao Changming needed to use the restroom and ran off.

Unexpectedly, the school beauty went over to talk to Sun Haiyang, acting coyly. Zhao Changming, returning from the woods, saw this and his face turned sour. He went over and pulled the school beauty away, who explained herself. Zhao Changming then confronted Sun Haiyang, accusing him of flirting with his girlfriend.

Sun Haiyang denied it, saying she came to him herself. An argument ensued, and Zhao Changming lost control, pushing Sun Haiyang into the reservoir.

At first, everyone assumed Sun Haiyang would swim back up since he was a good swimmer. But he struggled and sank instead. Liu Li panicked and tried to jump in to save him, but Zhao Changming stopped him. "What are you doing? He's just pretending, he'll come up soon. Why did we bring him here? He tried to seduce my girlfriend."

Liu Li hesitated, "Zhao, it wasn't Sun Haiyang's fault, it was your girlfriend who came to him."

Zhao Changming glared at him. "Are you still my brother? Don't mention this anymore."

Liu Li fell silent. After about two minutes, Sun Haiyang still hadn't resurfaced. They all panicked. "Zhao, what's happening? Why hasn't Sun Haiyang come up?"

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Zhao Changming was scared too but refused to accept it. "Don't panic, he's probably just pretending..."

Another minute passed, and they realized something was terribly wrong. The lake was completely still. They panicked and rushed to call for help. On the way, Zhao Changming finally reacted, turning pale and telling the others, "Everyone, remember, it was Sun Haiyang who wanted to catch fish. Don't let anyone know otherwise."

Sun Li watched him, feeling pity. Zhao Changming kicked him. "Sun Li, what are you looking at me for? It's not my fault. If he hadn't flirted with my girlfriend, would I have pushed him? If you dare to let anyone know, don't blame me."

Zhao Changming's family was wealthy and influential. They couldn't afford to cause trouble. When they called for help and the police arrived, they all claimed Sun Haiyang had fallen into the water while trying to catch fish. They never expected it would lead to his death.

When villagers recovered the body, they noticed bruises on Sun Haiyang's ankles, confirming their story. They reported the incident to the parents, but Zhao Changming's family was powerful, so no compensation was paid. He thought the matter was settled, but he felt guilty. Yet, he couldn't speak up, knowing Zhao's family would retaliate if he did.

He thought the worst consequence would be his own guilt, but strange things started happening after he returned home on Friday. He heard dripping sounds at night, and a cold presence surrounded him. He even saw Sun Haiyang's pale face...

Manager Liu and his wife were pale as paper, staring at each other, unsure of what to do.

Finally, Manager Liu spoke, his voice hoarse. "Maybe we should find that master to resolve the issues in the house first."

Manager Liu's wife nodded.

Liu Li lowered his head without speaking, his eyes dark.

~~

During lunch break, Lin Xinxin continued discussing the matter with Gu Qin, who had little interest. Soon after, Manager Liu called, explaining his situation. Gu Qin asked, "Did your son turn himself in?"

Sweat poured down Manager Liu's forehead. The girl had looked at his son once and said he should turn himself in. He now realized she knew everything and understood what had happened.

Unable to speak, he stammered.

Gu Qin said bluntly, "Let me be clear. Unless your son turns himself in, I can't help. Only if he goes to the police can I help him. Understand?"

Manager Liu pleaded, "Master Gu, this has nothing to do with my son. He didn't kill the classmate."

Gu Qin replied, "Then there's nothing I can do. Unless your son turns himself in, I can't help. I'm hanging up now."

Manager Liu was desperate. His wife tugged at his sleeve. "How did it go? Did the master agree?"

Manager Liu wiped his face. "No, she said he needs to turn himself in."

"Turn himself in?" Manager Liu's wife was furious. "This has nothing to do with my son. Why should he turn himself in?"

Manager Liu sighed. "She wants him to go to the police station and identify the one who pushed him. What should we do? If he identifies him, they won't let us off easily."

Manager Liu's wife was equally upset. "Why should my son go to the police? She knows everything, why doesn't she go? I don't believe there's no one else in Mount Dai who can help. Old Liu, let's find someone else, we don't need her help anyway, she charges ten thousand yuan for a job she hasn't even done."

They had no choice but to seek help elsewhere. Manager Liu was reluctant to offend the Zhao family, so they started looking for other masters. They heard about a powerful fortune-teller named Liu Banshan at Wufu Bridge. They went to find him that afternoon.

Lucky for Manager Liu, Liu Banshan was still at his stall. Since Gu Qin's guidance, although he hadn't fully mastered the art, he had gained insights, changing his aura to seem more spiritual.

Manager Liu felt hopeful and told Liu Banshan about the situation, omitting key details. Liu Banshan had dealt with similar cases and knew how to handle them. This business would keep him busy for months; he usually charged between two to three thousand yuan.

Liu Li had been too frightened to attend school, so he had taken a few days off. His mother was accompanying him at home. When Liu Banshan arrived, he sensed the problem and recognized the presence of a ghost. He brought out a peachwood sword and other items.

Everyone had different methods for dealing with ghosts. Liu Banshan had his own approach. He set up the scene with a bowl of rice, a talisman, three incense sticks, yellow paper, a peachwood sword, and a talisman, using typical Taoist exorcism techniques.

Half an hour later, Liu Banshan's face paled, and he broke out in a sweat. He put away the peachwood sword and waved his hand. "This won't work. This thing is too fierce, or rather, its resentment is too great. It didn't harm me, so it doesn't have ill intentions. How did you bring this thing here?"

Manager Liu and his wife turned pale. "Master Liu, is there no way? Please think of something. We're all surnamed Liu; maybe we were related hundreds of years ago. My Liu family only has this one son. Please help us."

Liu Banshan shook his head. "It's impossible. I don't lie, and I can't do this. I won't take your money either. If I can't do it, I can't. But I can recommend someone else. That master truly has the skills, and this would be easy for her."

Manager Liu and his wife were overwhelmed with gratitude. "Thank you, Master Liu, thank you."

Liu Banshan said, "She's a young girl. Don't underestimate her age; she's quite capable. No one in Mount Dai can match her. I won't give you her name."

Telling you guys, just call her Master Gu then."

Manager Liu and his wife looked at each other in dismay. Manager Liu said with a wry smile, "Master Liu Banxian, the Master Gu you mentioned, is she probably a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl? Fair-skinned, quite pretty?"

"Are you guys acquainted?" Master Liu Banxian laughed. "In that case, what are you worried about? I only know of one Master Gu in Daishan, there's no second one. So we must be talking about the same person. Let me make it clearer: if I can't solve this matter, even if you find someone else, you'll still be deceived. Only Master Gu can help you resolve this issue."

After Master Liu Banxian left, Manager Liu and his wife were on the verge of tears, at a loss for what to do. They still didn't believe what Master Liu Banxian had said, nor did they want their son to turn himself in. They consulted several other fortune-tellers who charged quite a bit—one asking for ten thousand yuan—and found no effect. Things went back to normal at night.