"I can see ghosts, but I don't know the arcane arts," Lin Fan couldn't hide it; many people knew she could see ghosts. The more lies, the more complicated things became.

Liu Song looked at her, trying to find clues on Lin Fan. After a long while, he asked, "Are you sure you don't know anything?"

"I don't know."

"Captain Qin said you were injured before, what kind of injury?"

Lin Fan started to have a headache again and pinched her brow. "I don't know. When I woke up, I was already in Ying County."

Liu Song was silent for a long time before he said, "You can go for now. I'll talk to Captain Qin."

Lin Fan swallowed her saliva and looked up, wanting to say something. But seeing Liu Song's face, she swallowed her words back. "Anything else?"

"Nothing."

Liu Song's phone rang. He let Lin Fan leave first. Lin Fan saw Qin Feng smoking outside when she went out and walked over. The sunlight shone on him, and Qin Feng's gaze was heavy, lost in thought.

Lin Fan felt a stabbing pain in her heart. She pressed her lips together and walked to his side. Qin Feng only turned his head when she approached and extinguished his cigarette.

"Brother Qin."

Qin Feng turned his head and saw Lin Fan, tilting his head slightly without speaking.

They stood for a while before Lin Fan spoke first, "What exactly happened that night?"

"You died." Qin Feng was playing with a lighter, pressing it repeatedly. He looked into the distance. "When I arrived, you were already not breathing. Ouyang Yu had taken your soul. The dreams you had were not just dreams; they really happened."

Lin Fan didn't remember when she had told Qin Feng about that dream, but what he said was shocking enough. "Then how am I... alive? Was my grandparents' death related to you?"

"No." Qin Feng said, "When I left, your grandparents were still unharmed. They hadn't arrived at the scene yet. I called Mr. Chen to take your body, and I went with Ouyang Yu to retrieve your soul."

It sounded unbelievable, but it really happened.

"What about Ouyang Yu? Wasn't he the one who killed people?"

"Ouyang Yu and I separated quickly. I don't know where he went or if he came back to kill. Many incredible things happened. I left from here, but the exit where I brought you back was the old building on Zhongming Road. It doesn't make sense."

Lin Fan was stunned by this world, which was even more fantastic than any wild imagination. She opened her mouth, and Qin Feng gently touched her chin. "You didn't kill anyone, and your life has nothing to do with these cases. You survived because of Mr. Chen. Unless someone willingly gives you their life, life-extending arts are nonsense."

Lin Fan looked up at Qin Feng. Someone called for Qin Feng, and he turned his gaze away. "Don't run around. Stay here, and I'll come to get you later."

"Okay."

Qin Feng went inside. Liu Song pointed to the seat opposite him. "Sit down."

He handed Qin Feng a bottle of water and asked, "Did you know about those seven skeletons before?"

"No."

"A friend of mine who studies mysticism said that the arrangement of those skeletons is very vicious. The souls of the skeletons cannot reincarnate and are trapped in this formation, creating a yin curse. This is not a good formation. From a feng shui perspective, the descendants of this family will all die unnaturally."

Qin Feng frowned. "Is there such a theory?"

"There is another theory," Liu Song observed Qin Feng's expression. "People with a yin constitution greatly benefit from such a place. What month was Lin Fan born in? How can she communicate with ghosts?"

"Her ID says February," Qin Feng said. "Don't keep holding onto Lin Fan. The degree of skeletonization and the time of death of those skeletons wouldn't be younger than Lin Fan's age. She was just a child back then. What could she do?"

"All of Lin Fan's relatives are dead now. What can we still investigate? I suspect Lin Fan herself is related to those skeletons. Now, Lin Fan is the only one who knows. Captain Qin, I know she's your girlfriend, but we have to handle the case as it is."

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"There's someone who knows more about this than Lin Fan," Qin Feng said. "Ouyang Yu. He came here twenty years ago and is proficient in the arcane arts. It's very likely his doing. The two elderly people who were killed might be related to his driver. Handling a case requires evidence. Wild guesses aren't investigations; that's writing fiction."

At that moment, Liu Song's phone rang. He answered it.

"Lei Jun's car was spotted at the Xushan County highway exit this morning." Lei Jun was Ouyang Yu's driver, and he was driving Ouyang Yu's car. "The surveillance shows that he is indeed in the car."

"Intercept and arrest him."

After hanging up the phone, Liu Song said, "Ouyang Yu's driver has been found. Once we catch him, at least the first case will become clear."

At four in the afternoon, Lei Jun was captured in Xushan County. He had a gun and was injured while trying to break through. Now he was in the hospital for emergency treatment. Qin Feng went to see the unearthed skeletons, and Lin Fan followed him, unable to help but grab his sleeve.

In the middle of summer, she felt a bit cold.

"What's wrong?" Qin Feng held Lin Fan's hand, which was a little cold. "Cold?"

Lin Fan nodded. "A bit cold. There's a lot of yin energy here."

"Did you see anything?"

Lin Fan shook her head. "Can't see."

The two arrived at the crime scene, and due to the environment, Dr. Liu and his assistant were conducting the autopsy and piecing together the skeletons outside.

Qin Feng let go of Lin Fan and walked over. Seven skeletons—this was a big case.

"There are no external injuries, and the skeletons are intact. With the information we have now, we can't determine the cause of death."

After being burned by fire and soaked by rain, and with the excavation of the skeletons, the courtyard was in a mess. Lin Fan stepped over the door and stood in the middle of the courtyard. Her once home was completely destroyed and had disappeared.

In the corner stood a woman, very young and somewhat resembling Lin Fan. A fair-skinned, petite woman in a shirt, slim, looking at Lin Fan from afar.

Tears suddenly welled up in Lin Fan's eyes. She covered her mouth as the woman stood in the shadow of the corner. "You should leave and never come back."

Lin Fan knew who she was. There was a photo of her at home. Lin Fan choked out, "Mom—"

This woman had given her this body, and Lin Fan's blood flowed from her.

"We've stayed here long enough. It's time to leave. I gave birth to you. You call me mom, so you're my child, but I can't protect you anymore."

"That man is someone you can rely on. Go, and don't come back."

"How did you—die?"

She smiled, very beautifully. "It's not related to you."

"Those seven skeletons—are you among them?"

"Yes." The woman was still smiling. "I was willing."

Lin Fan covered her face, tears flowing. "The others—?"

"Mr. Ouyang didn't kill anyone. They sold their bodies and souls for money back then. What's the point of crying out injustice now?" The woman said, "The house has collapsed, the formation is broken. Dust to dust, ashes to ashes. You should go."

Her face suddenly twisted, and another spirit appeared in the shadow, grabbing her hair and pulling. Lin Fan rushed over and drew a short sword from nowhere. "Let her go!"

The man lunged at Lin Fan, his face familiar. Lin Fan slashed at him, and the man screamed, turning into black smoke and taking the woman with him. They both disappeared instantly without a trace.

"Lin Fan?"

Lin Fan's arm was grabbed. She turned and saw Qin Feng putting away the short sword, looking at her with deep eyes. Lin Fan pursed her lips and said, "I saw my mom."

Qin Feng looked at her hand. The short sword was gone. He swallowed and turned to look at the doorway, where two policemen were dumbfounded. Qin Feng's grip on Lin Fan's hand was tight. They had all seen the sword in Lin Fan's hand, which then mysteriously disappeared.

"Don't stay here. Come out."

Lin Fan snapped back to reality. There was nothing in the shadows now. She followed Qin Feng out quickly. The two policemen at the door were practically questioning their own eyes. What was that thing in Lin Fan's hand just now?

"Captain Qin?"

Qin Feng nodded, pulling Lin Fan to a secluded place. He looked at Lin Fan. "Where's the short sword?"

Lin Fan opened her hand to show Qin Feng. "I don't know. Sometimes it's there, sometimes it isn't."

Qin Feng stared at her for a while. That short sword was from his family's collection. How had it suddenly become one with Lin Fan? Damn thing!

"What did you just discover?"

"I saw my mom, and my dad. He attacked me, then disappeared."

"What did she say?"

"She said Ouyang Yu didn't kill anyone. Those people were all willing." Lin Fan said, "She meant the seven skeletons."

Qin Feng frowned. "What's the deal with your short sword?"

"I don't know either. I had it in my bag when I came. It just appeared suddenly."

When Qin Feng had met Lin Fan, she didn't have the short sword. But in that fourth realm, the short sword had appeared again.

Qin Feng took her hand and examined it but couldn't see anything. "Don't do that again. It's dangerous."

Lin Fan nodded. "I know."

As dusk fell, the skeletons had been collected. The burned-down house looked particularly eerie in the twilight. Lin Fan held Qin Feng's hand. "She told me to leave."

"Who?"

"My mom."

"We'll go back tomorrow."

Lin Fan closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Qin Feng."

"Yes?"

"Why didn't I see my grandparents' spirits? They just died; they shouldn't have gone far."

Qin Feng was puzzled too. If the people weren't killed by Ouyang Yu, where did their spirits go?

The next morning, Lei Jun confessed. That night, Qin Feng had kicked and broken one of his ribs, causing him to faint from the pain. He woke up to the fire. There was no one else in the house. Ouyang Yu and Qin Feng were both gone. The candles had burned the furniture, setting half the house on fire, with thick smoke billowing. He saw a gun on the ground, picked it up, and tried to run out.

At the door, an old lady shouted. He raised his hand and shot, and she fell. As he reached the doorway, he saw an old man following, his murderous intent rising. He might as well kill them all.

But before he could shoot, the old man suddenly clutched his chest and fell, struck by a brain hemorrhage. Lei Jun, carrying the gun, reached the village entrance. Ouyang Yu might be dead; he was neither human nor ghost. To this day, Lei Jun still didn't know what he was. That policeman might also be dead, otherwise, why would he leave Lin Fan's body behind?

He had to escape quickly.

"Where's Ouyang Yu? Where did the gun come from?"

"I don't know where Mr. Ouyang went. I didn't see him after waking up. The gun was given to me by him." Lei Jun, lying on the hospital bed, looked pale. He had narrowly escaped death. "I was confused at the time. I didn't really mean to kill them."