"We have to find her!" Qin Feng said.

Just as he hung up, another call came in. He answered it; it was from the police dispatched to Ying County.

"Captain Qin, the car returned to Jiangcheng this morning."

Returned to Jiangcheng?

Qin Feng closed the car door and strode into the school. "Got it."

"Should we continue the investigation?"

Holding the phone, Qin Feng saw a black car approaching. He hung up. "Withdraw, stop the investigation for now."

The car stopped, and Zhou Jing opened the back door and got out, looking flustered. Qin Feng narrowed his eyes slightly and walked over. "Teacher Zhou."

Zhou Jing was startled and looked up. Seeing it was Qin Feng, she quickly nodded. "Hello, is something wrong?"

Qin Feng walked past her toward the car. The driver was Wei Shi. Qin Feng bent down to look inside. "Mr. Wei."

Wei Shi hesitated before lowering the window. "What do you need?"

"How is Mr. Chen lately?"

"He's fine. Anything else?"

He brought Zhou Jing back. So, the killer wasn't Mr. Chen? There wasn't a sixth victim? What was going on? Did he misjudge?

"No, take care."

Qin Feng straightened up and sent a message to Xiao Wang, "Investigate without alerting them."

Zhou Jing withdrew her gaze and walked toward the campus. Qin Feng said, "Teacher Zhou, can we talk?"

Zhou Jing looked up. "Talk about what?"

Qin Feng didn't reply, just stared at her. Zhou Jing gave in first, brushing her hair behind her ear. She looked haggard from a sleepless night. "Where do you want to talk?"

"In my car."

"Alright."

Zhou Jing got into the car, and Qin Feng drove off. They stopped on Changqing Road. He rolled down the window and lit a cigarette, offering the pack to Zhou Jing. "Need one?"

Zhou Jing looked at Qin Feng and didn't refuse. After a moment, she took a cigarette, lit it, and turned to look out the window. The wind was strong, making the cigarette glow red.

"What do you want to ask?"

"Do you know Mr. Chen?"

"Yes."

"When did you meet?"

"Half a year ago." Zhou Jing had a habit of smoking but wasn't used to such strong cigarettes. She coughed for a while, flicked the ash, and looked back at Qin Feng. "Shen Yi is in great pain. She can't reincarnate. The longer she stays in this world, the weaker she becomes. She will dissipate. I asked around and learned about Mr. Chen."

"Did Mr. Chen help you?"

"In a way." Zhou Jing finished her cigarette, stubbed it out, and covered her mouth as she coughed.

"Did you see Mr. Chen last night?"

"Yes, why?"

"Did Mr. Chen cause Shen Yi to become like this?"

Zhou Jing frowned. Mr. Chen's talisman caused Shen Yi's current state, but Mr. Chen didn't think so. He said everyone has their fate, and Shen Yi's fate had changed.

"I don't know."

"What did you get from Mr. Chen? What did you do to Shen Yi?"

"I got two talismans and set up a formation to burn them for Shen Yi."

"Did Shen Yi become a vengeful ghost after you burned the talismans?"

"Yes."

Qin Feng pondered, "What did Mr. Chen say yesterday?"

"Is Mr. Chen related to Lei Xiaojia's case?"

"He's related to another case. I suspect you might be the next victim."

Zhou Jing suddenly looked up. Qin Feng said, "You might not believe me, but people have hidden motives. Why would someone help you for no reason? Shen Yi has been dead for years. You should let go."

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"Mr. Chen said he would take care of Shen Yi's matter."

"Where did you meet Mr. Chen?"

"Ying County."

"Why Ying County?"

"Mr. Chen is in Ying County."

"Did he not come back with you today?"

"No, when I woke up, he was gone."

"You fell asleep?" Zhou Jing fell asleep in Ying County?

"Yes."

Qin Feng's phone beeped. He saw it was a message from Xiao Wang: "Target identified."

Qin Feng put away his phone, stubbed out the cigarette, and started the car to take Zhou Jing back to school. He went to the classroom to fetch Lin Fan. The bell for the end of the second class had just rung, and Lin Fan stretched her neck, feeling a bit stiff from a poor night's sleep.

Her phone rang, and she answered it. "Hello?"

"Come out."

Lin Fan turned to see Qin Feng standing outside. She quickly packed her books and went out. "What are you doing here?"

"Pack your things. Take a week off."

Lin Fan was shocked. "Why?"

"I don't feel safe with you at school right now. You won't miss much in a week, and the New Year's holiday is coming up anyway."

Lin Fan, a diligent and excellent student, had never missed a class. Now she was suddenly taking a week off without a solid reason. "What are you worried about?"

"Pack your things. I'll explain at home."

Lin Fan felt Qin Feng was overly cautious recently. "But I need to ask my homeroom teacher for leave, right?"

"I'll do it for you. Go get your backpack. I'll pick you up shortly."

Lin Fan wanted to say more, but Qin Feng strode away. She went back to pack her backpack. Acne Boy was already in class. He looked at Lin Fan. "What's up? Where are you going?"

"My family has something urgent. I might need to take leave." Lin Fan looked serious. "I have to go now."

Lin Fan walked toward the school gate but didn't see Qin Feng. Suddenly, a shadow flickered toward the library. Lin Fan slung her backpack over her shoulder and quickly followed. The figure seemed familiar.

The man was tall and thin, now wearing a black trench coat, still with a mask but no hat. Lin Fan took out her phone and called Qin Feng. He answered quickly, and Lin Fan said, "I saw Ouyang Yu heading towards the old library."

"Don't act rashly, I'm coming over immediately."

After hanging up, Ouyang Yu entered the library. Lin Fan whispered, "Short sword, short sword, come out quickly." The short sword didn't move, leaving her empty-handed. She was very frustrated with the short sword, as it only worked sporadically.

She waited at the door for two minutes when suddenly a scream came from inside. She rushed in, and a ball of fire shot down from the upper floor. Lin Fan dodged it, and the fire hit the door.

"You?" Ouyang Yu looked over. The fierce ghost attacked him, and Ouyang Yu countered with a talisman, causing the ghost to crash into the third floor, screaming in pain. Ouyang Yu ran down and grabbed Lin Fan. "Are you okay?"

His voice was hoarse, unlike his previous clear tone. Lin Fan noticed his exposed skin was wrinkled and dry, frighteningly so. She quickly pushed him away, and the short sword appeared in her hand. She swung it horizontally, and the female ghost, covered in talismans, started burning, emitting a foul smell. She rolled away, and the door was kicked open. Lin Fan turned to see Qin Feng.

Ouyang Yu took out talismans from his pocket and threw three at the ghost. The ghost rolled on the ground, filling the air with a burning smell. Qin Feng pulled Lin Fan behind him.

"Mr. Ouyang?"

"She has become a fierce ghost. If left unchecked, she will cause great disaster."

The female ghost's face kept changing. The malice in her eyes gradually faded, revealing a look of weakness. "Qin Feng—you killed me, and now you want my soul? You want me to never reincarnate?"

"Evil ghost!" Ouyang Yu threw another talisman, then drew a wooden sword from his robe and approached the ghost. The ghost's eyes grew even softer, almost pitiful. "Help me! Zhou Jing, help me!"

Ouyang Yu threw his last talisman, but someone rushed in from outside and collided with him, causing the talisman to miss.

The ghost suddenly darted toward the door, trying to escape. Ouyang Yu threw another talisman, but Zhou Jing had already stood in front of the ghost. The talisman hit her, and she fell straight down.

Ouyang Yu's expression darkened. He needed the ghost's core. The ghost raised by Old Chen was a great supplement, and he had managed to avoid Old Chen but encountered this trouble. Ouyang Yu chased after the ghost with his sword, quickly disappearing from sight.

The sudden incident left Lin Fan and Qin Feng stunned. When they came to their senses, they only saw Zhou Jing on the ground. Lin Fan hurriedly knelt down to support her. "Teacher Zhou? Are you okay?"

Qin Feng went outside to chase after Ouyang Yu and the ghost, but they were nowhere to be found. Fearing for Lin Fan's safety, he quickly returned. Zhou Jing had woken up and grabbed Lin Fan. "Where is she? Was she killed? Who was that person?"

"I don't know, they're both gone."

Qin Feng frowned. He privately hoped the fierce ghost was dealt with, by anyone. It was better gone than left in this world. As a fierce ghost, it couldn't reincarnate and would only cause more harm, increasing its sins.

Lin Fan helped Zhou Jing up. Qin Feng said, "She is no longer Shen Yi. Can't you see that?"

"But she was just Shen Yi." Zhou Jing suddenly looked up, her eyes red. "She really is Shen Yi! She's just blinded by hatred. She died for you, but you were with another woman. She was unwilling! How could she not be Shen Yi? Obsession can ruin people!"

Qin Feng frowned, and Lin Fan let go of Zhou Jing's hand. "Teacher Zhou, are you alright?"

Zhou Jing stumbled forward, her gaze vacant. "I must find her. She will die if she leaves this building..."

Qin Feng frowned, took out a cigarette, and lit it. He looked at Lin Fan, and they exchanged glances in silence. After a while, Qin Feng said, "Let's go. We can't control what happens after death."

Lin Fan caught up with him, and Qin Feng slowed down, taking her backpack. "I need to meet Mr. Chen soon. I must find out who is good and who is bad."

"Did you get the leave approved?"

"Yes. Come with me to the office. It's safer there." Qin Feng might have been wrong, costing a few days of class, but if he was right, Lin Fan would be in great danger at school.

Qin Feng still needed to find Ouyang Yu. There were many things he hadn't figured out.

After Qin Feng dropped Lin Fan at the office, Xiao Wang called, saying Mr. Chen had gone to Ying County. "Captain Qin, should we stop him?"

"Did they take the old lady too?"

"Yes."

"Follow them but don't intervene yet."

Qin Feng hung up and stood by the desk, deep in thought. Lin Fan handed him two cups of water. "Ouyang Yu feels strange, like he's not a good person. Does he have another motive for catching ghosts?"

Qin Feng looked at Lin Fan. "You think Ouyang Yu is strange? Since when did you think he's not a good person?"

"From the first meeting." Lin Fan said, "He looks untrustworthy. His eyes are very aggressive."

The killer should be skilled in metaphysics, with an appearance that puts people at ease and has anti-surveillance capabilities. In the second case, the victim even had tea with the killer. If the killer was Ouyang Yu, how did he gain such trust? He was too young.