The Investigation Department detected the presence of a Level Four Red Ghost, but by the time they arrived, its traces had already vanished.
Shen Hui and Tang Mian pursued it for most of the day but found no sign of the Red Ghost.
The two returned to the Investigation Department, dejected.
The alarm in the department had not sounded again.
Could the ghost have fled beyond the boundaries of Longjiang City in such a short time?
Meng Yunzheng couldn't figure out the situation either.
He said, "I'll go ask Senior Qi Quan."
He actually didn't want to disturb Qi Quan's secluded cultivation over every little thing. The department never bothered Qi Quan with ordinary cases, only turning to her for help when faced with difficult-to-solve incidents.
When Qi Quan received the call, she was making new clothes for her ghost servants.
Su Steward and Teacher Xue wore the same few outfits every day. Even if they weren't tired of them, she was tired of looking at them.
"Director Meng."
Meng Yunzheng said respectfully, "Senior, a case of an evil ghost harming people has appeared in the city. The department detected its traces, but the monitoring was lost very quickly. I'm worried that the evil ghost will continue to hide its tracks and commit more crimes."
Logically, the Investigation Department should be able to monitor evil ghosts. The department alarm had sounded, indicating the system was functioning normally. Why did it suddenly disappear?
Qi Quan thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps the evil ghost is wearing a concealment talisman, preventing its ghostly aura from being detected."
"A ghost wearing a talisman?" Meng Yunzheng felt a chill. "Could it be a ghost raised by a celestial master?"
Qi Quan: "It's possible."
"But the department alarm did go off."
"When it attacks people, ghostly aura will leak out."
"That's true." Meng Yunzheng quickly asked, "In this situation, is there a way to break through it?"
Qi Quan: "I'll try."
She put down her phone, closed her eyes, and expanded her spiritual sense. It spread rapidly from the lakeside villa as the center, radiating outward.
At the second stage of the Human Emperor realm, her spiritual sense could almost cover the entire Longjiang City.
As long as her cultivation level was higher than the grade of the concealment talisman, she could quickly lock onto that evil ghost.
Her spiritual sense swept over the city's steel forest, drifted past the busy streets, brushed against leaves already showing signs of withering, and finally—
Found it!
Her eyes snapped open, and she summoned Xue Hong.
The people at the Investigation Department couldn't see the evil ghost under the concealment talisman, but Xue Hong, being a ghost herself, could sense it.
That ghost was only Level Four, while Xue Hong was already Level Five.
Qi Quan pointed out the ghost's trail and instructed Xue Hong to capture it immediately and bring it back.
Xue Hong's face lit up with excitement. Since becoming a ghost, she had never fought another ghost.
In a mall next to Wutong Road, Shao Jing came out of a bathroom stall and turned on the faucet at the sink. The image of Dai Chao falling from the building flashed in her mind again, and her hands trembled slightly.
She hadn't wanted Dai Chao to die; otherwise, she wouldn't have cooperated with the police to try and persuade him.
But who knew Dai Chao would suddenly fall, right in front of her, shattered to pieces.
She retched dryly into the sink.
Stomach acid came up. She reached out to catch water to rinse her mouth when suddenly, the water from the faucet turned the color of blood!
She let out a gasp, stepping back in horror, staring at the blood on her hands and screaming sharply.
Others in the restroom: ???
A lunatic?
Someone asked kindly, "What's wrong?"
The voice was rather pleasant, somewhat familiar.
Shao Jing couldn't care about anything else, pointing at the sink and shouting, "Blood! There's blood!"
Everyone: "..."
Where's the blood? Could she really be mentally ill?
...
"You must have seen wrong, there's no blood." That voice was gentle and pleasant, carrying a hint of indulgence. "Take a closer look."
Shao Jing blinked. Looking over again, the sink was clean and white. Apart from splashed water droplets, there wasn't a trace of anything else.
"Did I... see wrong?" she asked dazedly.
The voice said, "Yes, you saw wrong. Don't be afraid, I will protect you."
Shao Jing's eyes widened abruptly.
She looked fearfully into the mirror. In the reflection, a man had appeared beside her at some point.
The man was handsome and elegant, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, smiling at her.
But—
This man was already dead, ahhhhh!
Shao Jing was so frightened she couldn't speak.
Just as she was about to faint, another woman appeared in the mirror.
The woman had a neat, shoulder-length bob, strikingly beautiful features, and a pale complexion. She wore a beautiful red dress and stretched out a slender hand to grip the male ghost's neck.
"Do you think you're very handsome?" Xue Hong slapped his head with her palm. "You think just because you wear a concealment talisman no one can catch you? So foolish, truly a waste of my time."
Male ghost: "..."
Shao Jing: ???
Xue Hong grabbed the male ghost by the collar and disappeared from the mirror, floating all the way back to the villa.
She moved quickly. Meng Yunzheng was still on his way.
The male ghost was trapped in the living room, unable to go anywhere.
Xue Hong leaned on the sofa, holding a book, sipping tea, keeping an eye on the male ghost's movements from the corner of her eye.
Her posture was too leisurely, sparking jealousy in the male ghost.
The male ghost sneered coldly, "A ghost drinking tea? Can you even taste it?"
Xue Hong paused for a moment, looked him over a few times, and said sympathetically, "You're really pitiful."
Male ghost: ?
"Of course I can taste it. My Master is someone your foolish-as-a-pig owner can compare to?"
Male ghost: "..."
Why does she always have to call people stupid?
He didn't believe it. "They're both celestial masters who raise ghosts, birds of a feather."
Xue Hong shot a burst of ghostly power at him, causing the male ghost's form to waver in pain as he bent over and fell to the ground.
"If you don't know how to use idioms, then shut up. Our Master is beautiful and kind-hearted. Your owner only makes you do evil deeds. Don't worry, since you've killed someone, you'll definitely face soul dispersion."
She suddenly stopped, puzzled. "You speak of your celestial master like that, aren't you afraid he'll hear?"
The male ghost adjusted his glasses. "Hah, he's already been dispersed himself, how could he control us anymore?"
"Us?" Xue Hong keenly caught the word. "How many more are there?"
"Many, many. More than you can count."
Xue Hong: "..."
A figure stepped into the living room, toying with a peach wood talisman in hand.
Xue Hong immediately stood up. "Master, you're here. Please, have a seat."
Qi Quan sat on the sofa, released the Car-stopping Ghost from the peach wood talisman, and asked, "Do you know him?"
The Car-stopping Ghost looked carefully for a moment. "I know him."
This ghost was Level Four, quite handsome. Among the ghosts raised by that Level Eight Celestial Master, his level was relatively high, and his status was much higher than a lowly Level Two White Ghost like himself, so he had an impression.
The system also reacted, asking: [Big shot, could this be one of the ghosts raised by that Level Eight Celestial Master?]
Qi Quan: [Not exactly 'raised,' more like controlled.]
Controlling ghosts is different from nurturing ghost servants.
There are many methods for celestial masters to command ghosts; ghost servants are the closest bond.
If a celestial master dies, their ghost servants also perish.
But other ghosts without a established contract would completely break free from the celestial master's control and become free ghosts.
That Level Eight Celestial Master probably controlled many ghosts. To better control the powerful ones, the major ghosts were likely forced into contracts. Now that the celestial master is dead, the ghost servants died with him.
The major ghosts under contract must have committed many evil deeds for the celestial master. In that sense, this can also be considered a good deed.
However—
Low-level ghosts like this male ghost and the Car-stopping Ghost, regaining their freedom after the celestial master's death, might cause trouble in various places.
She had already sent a message to Li Guoyan, instructing all regional investigation offices to strictly monitor the traces of evil ghosts.
The male ghost couldn't discern her cultivation level, but he could vaguely sense she was even more formidable than his former master. He wisely chose not to speak.
Qi Quan said, "You worked for your master, so you must know quite a few secrets. Start talking."
Male ghost: ???
Wait, are you just going to "interrogate" me so casually?
Could you at least have some sense of ceremony?
Ultimately, intimidated by Qi Quan's aura, he complied, "I wasn't a core ghost servant. I don't know much, and I don't know what you want to ask about."
Qi Quan: "Bloodburst Pills."
Male ghost: "..."
He said awkwardly, "I really wasn't involved in that sort of thing. The tasks the master assigned me were all minor."
"For example?"
"Like going to some families to create spooky phenomena to scare them, then having the master show up to trick them into paying money. We also took on some jobs to harm people."
Qi Quan: "What kind of jobs to harm people?"
"If someone held a grudge against an enemy and wanted them to have bad luck, they'd send me over to cause 'accidents' for that enemy, things like that."
Qi Quan: "..."
[What's an eighth-level master doing this for? Is he short on money?] The system truly couldn't understand.
At that moment, Meng Yunzheng arrived.
He had brought Shen Hui and Tang Mian with him.
Qi Quan said, "I still have some questions to ask. Please wait a moment."
Meng Yunzheng hurriedly said, "Please, go ahead and ask."
"Have a seat." Qi Quan nodded.
Su Steward timely came out to serve tea to the three guests.
Meng Yunzheng sat down with the other two, thinking to himself how enviable the senior's life seemed.
"What level of ghosts were involved with the Bloodburst Pills?" Qi Quan continued asking.
Male ghost: "Around sixth or seventh level."
"What tasks did they do?"
The male ghost shook his head, "I'm not too sure either, but they probably acted as bodyguards or security for the master."
Qi Quan: "In which areas did they usually operate?"
Ghosts were human before becoming ghosts, and humans are inherently social creatures.
People form groups, and so do ghosts.
When ghosts gather, they inevitably chat, and chatting always leaks information.
None of them were professionally trained ghosts, so their secrecy wasn't that tight.
Sure enough, the male ghost answered without much thought, "I overheard them chatting before. They said Longtang, though remote, had pretty girls. They also said the spiritual energy in Longlin City was too strong, making it hard for them to breathe, so they all disliked going to Longlin for assignments."
Everyone: "..."
To be honest, there really isn't much difference between ghosts and people.
Previously, they learned about Longlin from the car-blocking ghost; now Longtang was added. The evil cultivator's hideouts were indeed more than one.
Qi Quan stopped questioning and said, "Director Meng, you can take him back for interrogation."
Meng Yunzheng hesitated, "His concealment talisman..."
If he hadn't mentioned it, Qi Quan would have almost forgotten.
A surge of spiritual power struck the male ghost, dispelling the sixth-level concealment talisman. The monitor in Shen Hui's hand instantly beeped...
A mere fourth-level red ghost, yet equipped with a sixth-level talisman—it showed how wealthy and powerful this evil cultivator organization was.
The male ghost grew even more fearful of Qi Quan.
A sixth-level talisman was shattered by her so effortlessly.
Meng Yunzheng stood up and said, "Then we won't disturb you any further, Senior."
[Big shot, aren't you going to ask who he harmed? I'm so curious.] The system said expectantly.
Qi Quan: ...
[Big shot, please, I'm begging you.]
Qi Quan asked casually, as if it were an afterthought, "What did he do?"
It was the system who begged her, not that she was curious herself.
Meng Yunzheng immediately answered, "He pushed someone to their death from a building at Shengyuan Plaza."
[Just as I thought! A bad master can only raise bad ghosts! How vile!] The system was indignant.
Xue Hong suddenly spoke up, "When I found him, he was in a mall restroom, terrorizing an innocent lady in front of the mirror."
Everyone: "..."
That preference was quite perverse.
"She's not innocent at all!" The male ghost suddenly erupted, his eyes reddening, "I was killed because of her! No, wait, that's not right, she didn't kill me... I committed suicide..."
Everyone was speechless again.
Was this ghost mentally sound?
The male ghost laughed neurotically, "And that man wasn't killed by me either! He wanted to jump himself! He actually tried to use suicide to force Jingjing to accept his proposal! How ridiculous!"
"..."
Xue Hong: "If I may ask, how many years have you been dead?"
The male ghost's eyes glowed red, and he said gloomily, "Three years."
"The Jingjing you mentioned, is that the woman in the restroom?"
"Exactly!" A strange smile appeared on the male ghost's face. "She was so scared when she saw me. I didn't mean to scare her. It's just that I hadn't seen her in three years, I missed her so much. So the moment I broke free from control, I rushed back as fast as I could. But what did I see?"
His eyes burned with fury, "She was accepting a proposal from some shameless scoundrel! How could she! She clearly said she loved me the most!"
"Since that shameless scoundrel wanted to prove his love by dying, I just gave him a little push."
Xue Hong raised an eyebrow, "So, you committed suicide to prove your love for her too?"
Male ghost: "..."
Everyone: Seems that's the case.
What a terrifying view of love!
Wasn't being alive good enough?
System: [So, does that Jingjing have issues?]
Shen Hui said, "Senior, we've seen Shao Jing before, when we went to apply for the ID card, right outside the police station."
[It's her!] The system exclaimed in shock, [That woman who tried to flirt with Investigator Shen!]
Qi Quan: ...
She just went to get an ID card.
The system said, [Big shot, logically, with your constitution, you shouldn't trigger cases so easily.]
[Oh?]
[Your cultivation is so high; any demon or ghost would be finished if they met you. Why would they insist on crashing into you? It defies logic!]
Qi Quan: ...
System: [But then I thought about it again. Just as Philanthropist Ji said, you are someone with great fortune. Perhaps the Heavenly Dao has high hopes for you, which is why you have such a fateful connection with these demons and ghosts.]
Qi Quan: ...
This was probably the price for extending her life.
She didn't actually find it annoying.
In her previous life, she often handled various incidents, yet still cultivated faster than others. Talent might be one reason, but more likely, worldly cultivation was simply more suitable for her.
Qi Quan said, "I observed her face reading before. She just has ordinary, excessive peach blossom luck. There's no sinister intent to harm others."
"Of course she didn't harm anyone!" The male ghost started shouting again, "We were all willing! I was the one who loved her the most! I was willing to die for her!"
Everyone had reached the peak of speechlessness.
What kind of love-struck fool was this?
Qi Quan: "We?"
"Heh, she had quite a few pursuers. I knew them all. I also knew she did it on purpose. She deliberately strung us along. She just wanted us to love her. I wanted her to love me too. Why wouldn't she be with me?"
Shen Hui: "So you committed suicide?"
He looked clever, yet did something so absurd. Unbelievable.
Male ghost: "Wah wah wah... I saw her today. She's still so beautiful, still so pitiable and lovable."
"..."
Qi Quan: "Take him away."
All that nonsense gave me a headache.
Meng Yunzheng and the other two quickly took the ghosts away, oh, and the car-blocking ghost too, all taken to the Investigation Department for questioning.
Peace and quiet returned to the Lakeside Villa.
As soon as Qi Quan returned to her room, Ling Sheng followed her in.
He was holding a piece of paper with intricate and complex talisman patterns drawn on it. These patterns carried a certain strange regularity and indeed held a hint of the power of laws.
She smiled and nodded. "Not bad."
Although still somewhat rough, the ability to create new talisman patterns showed his profound understanding of the Talisman Dao.
Ling Sheng handed the paper and pen to her.
"What for?"
[You draw.]
Qi Quan: "What if I can't draw it?"
[You can.]
Qi Quan chuckled. She had studied it a bit last night and indeed had some ideas, but whether she could actually draw it would be proven on paper.
She didn't know where Ling Sheng got his confidence in her.
Instantly compressing energy shared the same principle as when she used a spiritual energy shield to compress Lu Jiang's self-detonation energy before.
But combining this principle with talisman patterns was not easy.
When the Puppet Talisman self-destructed, it would instantly obliterate the original soul. It was directly bound to the soul. Even Qi Quan couldn't guarantee she could act in time to protect the original soul.
She could compress Lu Jiang's explosion only because she could apply force externally. As for the Puppet Talisman bound to the soul, she couldn't achieve that level of precision.
Ling Sheng's idea was worth trying.
Binding a talisman seal to the soul. Once self-destruct energy appeared within the soul, the seal would be simultaneously activated, capture the energy, compress it, and then "surgically" remove it.
But the premise was that the Puppet Talisman had no exclusivity.
The Puppet Talisman couldn't reject the soul binding another talisman seal.
Fortunately, they had five people to experiment on.
Qi Quan took the paper and pen, bent over the desk, and began working.
Sunlight from outside the window slanted in, a few strands falling on her hair, shimmering with a dazzling light.
Ling Sheng looked down at her.
Wisps of spiritual energy emerged from his palm, splitting into two strands that continuously transformed behind Qi Quan's back.
One strand turned into a miniature Qi Quan, the other into a miniature Ling Sheng.
But clearly, the likeness of the miniature Ling Sheng was much rougher.
The two little figures faced each other.
The little Qi Quan cupped the little Ling Sheng's face and gave a soft peck on his forehead. The little Ling Sheng was stunned. After the kiss, the little Qi Quan heartlessly patted her bottom and walked away.
He played happily, thinking Qi Quan couldn't see because it was behind her, unaware that the system had watched the entire show.
[Hahahahahaha!] The system roared with laughter.
Qi Quan: [?]
...
System: [You haven't opened your spiritual sense, right?]
Qi Quan: [Mm.]
Using spiritual sense consumed energy. Unless necessary, she usually kept it closed.
The system snickered: [How about you open it and take a look?]
Without stopping her hand movements, Qi Quan quietly opened her spiritual sense.
Her hand holding the pen suddenly paused.
What... was this?
Ling Sheng remained unaware.
He didn't know why, but he really liked this scene. An inexplicable restlessness surged in his heart. He wanted to vent it but didn't know how, so he came up with this trick.
Repeating it a few more times should calm it down, right?
With single-minded focus, he used his spiritual energy to transform the miniature figures, repeating the scene over and over again. He didn't know what meaning this held either, he just felt happy doing it.
Qi Quan: ...
Last night, she just found Ling Sheng too well-behaved and cute and couldn't resist giving him a peck.
Anyway, Ling Sheng was already part of the Lakeside Villa. Her doing that shouldn't be a problem... right?
System: [...]
System: [Boss, how about I recommend a few romance novels for you to read?]
The boss was incredibly capable, just a bit lacking in certain areas.
Qi Quan said expressionlessly: [No need.]
She quickly finished the last stroke. "Done."
The spiritual energy behind her swiftly returned to Ling Sheng's palm.
He immediately turned his gaze to the talisman pattern on the paper, his eyes revealing admiration.
The talisman she drew was more refined and fluid than his.
And more powerful.
Qi Quan: "This is the first draft. I'll refine it further."
Researching new talismans couldn't be rushed. It needed to be slowly reasoned out and drawn, finding the point closest to the laws to achieve more effective results.
Ling Sheng nodded.
He picked up the paper and pen but didn't leave.
Qi Quan looked up and asked calmly, "Something else?"
The young man unconsciously glanced at the space between her brows, then quickly averted his gaze, shook his head, and left the room holding the paper and pen.
System: [Boss, which one are you planning to try first?]
Qi Quan: [Let them draw lots.]
[...]
Investigation Department.
After interrogating the car-blocking ghost and the male ghost, Meng Yunzheng compiled the information and reported it to the Longjing Headquarters.
The clues pointed to Longlin City and Longtang City.
The male ghost and the car-blocking ghost didn't know many core secrets. After the questioning, the car-blocking ghost was sent for reincarnation. As for the male ghost, since he had harmed people, he was definitely going to be obliterated.
Before his soul scattered, he screamed in terror, "There's one more thing! One more thing I want to confess! I plead for leniency!"
Meng Yunzheng: ?
He said with a solemn expression, "Speak."
"I don't want my soul scattered. I want leniency," the male ghost insisted. "Otherwise I won't tell."
Meng Yunzheng: "What kind of leniency do you want?"
"No death penalty."
Meng Yunzheng: "That depends on the value of the clue you provide."
The male ghost gritted his teeth and said, "I know a secret of Shao Jing's."
Everyone: ???
Weren't you just desperately in love before? Now you're dragging her down with you?
The male ghost could no longer care about that. Holding his head, he said bitterly, "After I died, I wasn't immediately taken by a master to be a ghost servant. I loved her so much, I wished I could always be by her side, so I went to her house."
Tang Mian's face was icy. "A male ghost, going to a girl's house, aren't you disgusting?"
"I didn't do anything!" the male ghost argued for himself. "I was only there for a little while."
"Then what... secret did you see?"
The male ghost: "She has a group."
"What group?"
"The group name is 'Siren Queen.' They chat about topics like how to hook up with men, lure men in, make men obsessed."
The male ghost's rationality and emotions were split.
He clearly knew Shao Jing was just toying with him, yet he still loved her so much.
Everyone: "..."
Stop pretending to be affectionate, okay?
Your final act of dragging her down already proves everything, okay?
The male ghost remained immersed in his own great love.
He said, "I knew she was just playing with me, but I couldn't bring myself to be angry with her. I loved her too much, I couldn't bear to hurt her."
Tang Mian: "So after all that, you just want to say Shao Jing has a player group?"
"No!" The male ghost quickly shook his head. "That's not the point!"
"Then get to the point," Shen Hui felt mentally exhausted.
The male ghost: "The point is, I seemed to sense a bit of ghostly aura from that group, really! I swear I remember correctly, that group really had ghostly aura, and it wasn't weak, it was strong! I didn't dare provoke it, so I..."
"So you left Shao Jing's house?" Tang Mian finished his unspoken words.
And you still claim to love her desperately?
Self-delusion is terrifying.
Meng Yunzheng: "Lock him up for now. Investigate Shao Jing's group."
Somewhere in Longjiang City, inside a room.
Shao Jing huddled on her bed in the bedroom, her face extremely pale.
Falling to one's death, the familiar face in the mirror, the strange woman in the mirror—all transformed into spectral shadows, howling as they charged towards her.
She clenched the quilt, huddling inside and trembling uncontrollably.
What should she do?
What could she possibly do?
"Beep."
Her phone suddenly chimed.
After the first sound, it began emitting a continuous stream of notification tones.
It must be the group chat.
As a woman living alone, she usually had no one to talk to. Now, terrified beyond measure, she thought of pouring out her fears to the people in the group.
Shao Jing grabbed her phone and burrowed back under the covers.
The glow from the phone screen cast a pallid light on her face.
She didn't bother to read their ongoing conversation, her hands shaking as she typed out a message.
[Seeking Purity: Sisters, what do I do? I'm so scared!]
[Squirrel Who Loves Hazelnuts: What happened? Don't be afraid, tell us quickly.]
[All Men Are Equally Rotten: Was it some disgusting guy trying to force himself on you to get you? Destroy him!]
[Are There Not Enough Fish in the Pond?: Caught in a love triangle? Men fighting over you? Men getting out of control?]
[Seeking Purity: No, it's that someone jumped off a building right in front of me. He died horribly, I saw it with my own eyes. I caused his death. Should I not have tried to lure him?]
[All Men Are Equally Rotten: Is that all? If he wanted to die, let him die. What does it have to do with you?]
[Squirrel Who Loves Hazelnuts: Don't worry, he just loved you too much. He used this method to prove his love for you. You don't need to feel guilty or blame yourself; it was his own choice.]
[Are There Not Enough Fish in the Pond?: Yeah, yeah, men. They talk all about love, but behind the scenes, pfft.]
[Seeking Purity: But today when I was washing my hands, I saw the water from the tap turn red! And I saw a dead person in the mirror! He used to pursue me too, but I didn't agree. It's really terrifying! Am I haunted...?]
[Squirrel Who Loves Hazelnuts: In the mirror? A dead person? You really saw it?]
[Seeking Purity: I really saw it!]
[All Men Are Equally Rotten: Not a hallucination? People can have hallucinations when they're too scared. Maybe you should get some sleep first?]
[Squirrel Who Loves Hazelnuts: Did he hurt you?]
[Seeking Purity: No.]
[Squirrel Who Loves Hazelnuts: Did he die for you?]
[Seeking Purity: I don't know...]
[Squirrel Who Loves Hazelnuts: You're doing great!]
[Seeking Purity: Huh?]
[Squirrel Who Loves Hazelnuts: Look, one man after another is so infatuated with you, dying for you, jumping for you. Isn't that success? You're the one who aspires to be a Siren Queen. Your calling is to make men lose their minds over you. They're just choosing to prove their love through death. What are you afraid of?]
Shao Jing unconsciously held her breath.
Shouldn't she be afraid?
Was this really success?
Was making men die for her truly what she wanted?
Shao Jing fell into deep contemplation.
She had initially joined this group simply because she had been hurt by a man. Feeling bitter and depressed, she had posted a rant online venting about the scumbag.
Not long after posting, a comment appeared below it, containing a group number and an invitation to join.
As if bewitched, she added it.
Everyone in the group was complaining about terrible men. Her emotions found an outlet, and she immersed herself in this cathartic frenzy, gradually nurturing thoughts of revenge.
She learned techniques for seducing men from the group.
She successfully hooked many men, reveling in their adoration and favor, recklessly toying with their emotions.
Three years ago, the suicide of the male ghost in the mirror hadn't bothered her much because she didn't have strong feelings for him; he was just another man who desired her but couldn't have her.
Suicide?
What did it have to do with her?
But when Dai Chao fell to his death right before her eyes, she was genuinely terrified by the scene.
In that instant, she was overwhelmed with guilt.
Was what she was doing really right?
Why were these men so utterly captivated by her?
Did she really possess such great charm?
She thought it, and so she asked.
[Seeking Purity: I don't think I'm unattractive, but I'm no stunning beauty either. Why is it that just by using the techniques taught in the group, those men swarm around me as if they've never seen a woman before? Are those techniques really that effective?]
Aren't they just psychological tactics?
[Squirrel Who Loves Hazelnuts: The techniques are just aids. The reason they're drawn to you is because of your own innate charm. Don't overthink it. Look, even if they come back, they won't hurt you, right? Just focus on being yourself. You're the one destined to be a Siren Queen.]
[Seeking Purity: But, but I'm really scared.]
Shao Jing felt she couldn't bear another shock like this.
She didn't want to actually cause someone's death.
[Squirrel Who Loves Hazelnuts: If you're truly afraid, I have a solution. Here, check your private messages.]
Shao Jing switched to the private chat interface.
[Squirrel Who Loves Hazelnuts: [Image]]
[Squirrel Who Loves Hazelnuts: This is a protective talisman I obtained from a Taoist temple. It's very effective. Take a look at it; you probably won't feel scared anymore.]
Shao Jing stared at the talisman for a while and discovered that her anxious fear indeed receded like a tide. She no longer felt guilty or blamed herself for Dai Chao's fall. Overjoyed, she hurriedly asked:
[Where did you buy this talisman? I'd like to get one too.]
[Squirrel Who Loves Hazelnuts: If you want it, I can give it to you.]
[Seeking Purity: That's not right, is it?]
[Squirrel Who Loves Hazelnuts: We're so close now, no need to be polite with me.]
[Seeking Purity: Really, it's not necessary. I feel much better now. Thank you, Sister Hazelnut.]
"Squirrel Who Loves Hazelnuts" had always been the group's caring big sister. No matter who encountered difficulties, she would appear promptly and help them through it. Many girls in the group trusted her implicitly.
[Squirrel Who Loves Hazelnuts: It's no trouble, it's what I should do.]
Shao Jing breathed a sigh of relief.
This probably meant she wouldn't insist on sending the talisman, right?
She had been tense all day. Once the fear subsided, she felt utterly drowsy and soon fell asleep.
Early the next morning, as soon as Shao Jing got up, she heard the doorbell.
Sunlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, filling the apartment with bright, clean light. There wasn't a trace of eerie gloom; the fears and worries of the previous night had completely vanished.
In a cheerful mood, she peered through the peephole.
It was the delivery guy who often came.
She opened the door.
"Ms. Shao, a package for you."
Shao Jing was surprised. "Is there a mistake? I didn't order anything."
Delivery guy: "It definitely has your address and contact info. Maybe it's a surprise from someone?"
Thinking of the men pursuing her, Shao Jing accepted this explanation.
She signed for it and took the package.
The package was a very small box, light in weight. She shook it, but there wasn't a sound.
With a sense of unease, Shao Jing sliced open the tape on the packaging.
She opened the box. Inside lay a talisman paper, imprinted with vermillion markings—identical to the protective talisman "Squirrel Who Loves Hazelnuts" had sent her the night before!
A chill shot from the soles of her feet straight to the crown of her head.
Shao Jing took a step back in fright, her face pale, gasping for breath as she stared fixedly at the address and phone number on the delivery box.
She had never shared her private information in the group!
So how did "Squirrel Who Loves Hazelnuts" know her address and number?
Shao Jing felt a bone-deep cold.
Her phone suddenly chirped.
She looked at it in a daze.
[Squirrel Who Loves Hazelnuts: Jingjing, did you receive the delivery?]
Shao Jing's fingers trembled slightly. Just as she was about to reply, the doorbell rang again.
She shivered violently, her eyes darting between the delivery box and the front door.
What should she do?
The doorbell rang a few times, then switched to knocking.
The knocks were heavy, thudding against the door as if pounding directly on her heart, making it race wildly.
She picked up her phone, about to call the police.
"Ms. Shao Jing, are you home? We're from the police. If you're home, please open the door."
A woman's voice sounded from outside.
Shao Jing: ?...
In a haze, she moved to the door and peered through the peephole.
They really were police officers!
But these days, it wasn't unheard of for people to impersonate officers to do harm.
She didn't respond immediately.
"Ms. Shao Jing, regarding Dai Chao's falling case yesterday, we met at the scene."
Shao Jing's eyes lit up.
Yes! There was a female officer at the scene yesterday! The voice matched!
She had been too terrified earlier to make the connection.
Shao Jing quickly opened the door, seeing the female officer and a man who looked somewhat familiar.
The man wasn't in police uniform but wore another, unfamiliar type of uniform. He was handsome and appeared extremely approachable.
Shao Jing finally remembered—
"You're the person from the police station yesterday!"
Shen Hui gave a slight smile. "Ms. Shao Jing, we're here to ask about a matter. Is now a convenient time?"
The arrival of the police dispelled Shao Jing's panic.
She immediately stepped aside, saying, "I was just about to call the police!"
Shen Hui and the female officer entered the apartment. "Why were you going to call?"
"A stranger sent me something, but I've never given out my address or phone number. It's terrifying!" Shao Jing led them to the table, pointing at the delivery box. "It's inside, it was a talisman—"
Her eyes widened in shock. "How is it gone? There was definitely a talisman in here! It was just here! I didn't even touch it!"
Shen Hui looked into the box. It was indeed empty.
He said gently, "Don't panic. Please tell us everything in detail."
But Shao Jing clutched her head, tugging at her hair.
"Am I hallucinating again?"
"Again?"
"Yesterday in the mirror..." She suddenly remembered something and opened her private messages on the phone. "She sent me a picture of that talisman last night!"
However, there was no chat history at all between her and "Squirrel Who Loves Hazelnuts" on her phone!
Even the "Siren Queen" group had vanished!
Shao Jing: "..."
Her mind went completely blank.
For a moment, she truly believed she was having hallucinations.
Had she been living in a dream for the past three years?
Remembering what the male ghost had said yesterday about "ghostly aura in the group," Shen Hui felt a jolt of alarm and immediately said:
"Ms. Shao, please bring your phone and the delivery box, and come with us."
