Chapter 184
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“Meng Huai and Zhong Chengfeng went missing on July 15th, 20xx. The disappearance occurred near the Aixin Nursing Home in the Xizhao District. Following the large-scale phenomenon, the Aixin Nursing Home was one of the most heavily corrupted locations from Evil Force.”
Lu Xiaohuo pulled up several old photos. The nursing home in the pictures had an ordinary appearance with average greenery, leaving little impression at first glance.
“According to the testimonies of the on-site personnel from the company, during the phenomenon, a group of evil spirits attacked the nursing home. Elderly individuals with limited mobility were huddled by the windows, calling for help. Meng Huai was the first to rush in and drive away the spirits, while detective Zhong Chengfeng happened to be nearby on a mission and joined in to assist…”
Yin Ren read the words on the screen carefully. The case of the disappearance, which had been sealed for twenty-eight years, was only briefly recorded at the time.
Dealing with a mere group of evil spirits was a piece of cake for Meng Huai. It wouldn’t have taken her more than five minutes. Her science partner was busy directing outside and didn’t follow inside.
However, Meng Huai never returned.
There were no peculiar phenomena or sounds, no magical spells, or fluctuations of evil qi. Everything was simple, except for the sudden loss of communication. The channel was filled with nothing but static.
Upon discovering Meng Huai’s disappearance, Shian rushed into the Aixin Nursing Home within two minutes. The corruption of the Evil Force made the air unusually cold and murky. The evil spirits continued to rampage in the corridors, and the elderly individuals calling for help remained, but Meng Huai and the brave policewoman who rushed in were gone.
During the sudden phenomenon that year, Shian had deployed almost all its forces to deal with the corruption. Many employees died due to their inability to withstand the corruption or were killed by the deranged spirits. There were also many cases of disappearances. However, everyone knew that “disappearance due to the inability to find a body” and “vanishing in a relatively stable environment” were completely different matters.
On that day, explosions and chaos plagued Haigu, with rampant fires and deranged individuals running amok. In the public eye, the disappearance of Meng Huai and Zhong Chengfeng was categorized as “no bodies found”.
But internally within the company, it was clear that things weren’t so simple.
“The characteristics of the Evil Force traces in the area where they went missing are highly consistent with the scene of He Huan’s disappearance. However, considering the time span, I suggest merging the cases of Meng Huai and Zhong Chengfeng’s disappearance as the ‘Nursery Home Disappearance Case’, while investigating He Huan’s disappearance separately. He Huan’s case involves a corrupted jade pendant, which is inconsistent with the characteristics of the Nursery Home Disappearance Case. Moreover, He Huan… Her disappearance has not yet reached the critical period, so there is still a possibility of survival.”
Lu Xiaohe grabbed the water cup on the table and forced herself to take a sip.
“For the Nursery Home Disappearance Case, I will coordinate with Shian to gather more information. As for the investigation into He Huan’s disappearance… No, please handle that separately.”
……
“Is it okay to leave Xiaohe Jie alone?” Ge Tingting was wearing a cartoon dog mask, and her AI voice was tinged with concern.
“That’s her choice. It’s better not to bother her.” Huang Jin looked down at the ground with a paper bag on his head, punctured with two holes.
Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo, the life-size flesh puppet, walked ahead of the two; their footsteps echoing on the stone-paved road. The doors and windows of the old houses on both sides were like black holes, while green and red lanterns flickered at the doorsteps.
The four of them were walking through the street of the Ghost Market.
Having witnessed the destruction of Yin Village in the world of memories, the group couldn’t help but show a complicated expression as they looked at the lanterns emitting a hazy glow. The lanterns that had once been used to make different wishes to the Great Celestial Master were now filled with the atmosphere of fireworks and had become an interesting custom talked about in the world of the metaphysical circle. And the Great Celestial Master himself was walking ahead, not looking sideways, with one hand tightly holding the puppet of his deceased boyfriend.
…This scene was difficult to evaluate for a moment. Huang Jin shifted his gaze away from the intertwined fingers of the two.
Yin Ren held tightly onto his phone with the other hand, and the colorful little ball on the phone bounced around playfully, occasionally making a puffing sound. Now Huang Jin finally knew what that thing was—
He recognized Yellow Millet and wished he could forget. Everything in front of him seemed absurd, like a dream, making Huang Jin grumble inwardly.
Well, if the flesh puppet didn’t have the rolling thought of “holding hands like this feels good”, the absurdity of the scene might have been reduced. The problem was that, after leaving the world of memories, Fu Xingchuan didn’t explicitly mention what this flesh puppet was.
Since the big shot didn’t say anything, Huang Jin decided to be a good dead man and make it his mission not to offend that demonic puppet of the Great Celestial Master.
However, recently, he had been forgetting more and more that “Yin Ren is actually Zhong Yi, the Great Celestial Master”, and he couldn’t feel any sense of crisis, which was quite strange. Huang Jin shook his head, forcing himself to shift his attention.
At this time and place, the absurd cases within Shian felt like a dream. The Ghost Market was still lively, presenting an appearance of peace.
However, the purpose of their visit here could hardly be called peaceful.
Yin Ren walked firmly through the streets and only hesitated briefly in front of the stalls selling candied chestnuts and roasted sweet potatoes. Considering what happened with Lu Xiaohe’s mother, he ultimately refrained from doing anything unnecessary.
The team from Shian headed straight to the Ghost Pawnshop.
Strangely, even though it was during trading hours, there were significantly fewer customers in the alley of the pawnshop. The usually bustling streets now appeared sparsely populated, and the four of them effortlessly arrived at the entrance.
In front of the word “Pawnshop” written in black on a white background, the shop owner, Lao Jiang, greeted them with a formal bow while holding an e-cigarette. His withered flesh twisted into a smile as it moved aside—
In front of the pawnshop entrance, there was a small sign with garish text printed using a default template from PowerPoint that read, “Warmly welcoming the visit and guidance of Special Investigation Unit 9 of Shian”.
Yin Ren: “…” His facial muscles twitched.
No wonder there were so few customers at the pawnshop; it had an eerie atmosphere.
Unfortunately, with the matter concerning Lu Xiaohe’s mother at hand, Yin Ren had no mood to entertain the zombie. With a rare calm expression, he simply nodded and said, “We’re here. Sorry to bother you.”
Lao Jiang’s gaze went back and forth between Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo, making a cryptic sound. Then, he pushed up his wire-framed glasses and coughed solemnly. “What exactly is the matter? I’ve been informed—something about the disappearances of ordinary people caused by the goods we sell?”
“Speaking of which, we run our business here according to the rules.” He shook his head while making slightly dangerous creaking sounds with his neck. “Follow me, but let’s make it clear—I have a voice recording device in my chest pocket. It can serve as evidence later.”
Yin Ren didn’t waste time with unnecessary talk and entered the pawnshop first.
The familiar black wooden couplet remained unchanged, still bearing the simple words, “Love and hatred are nothing new; there are old friends in joys and sorrows”. Yin Ren’s gaze paused for a few seconds on the lower couplet before turning to Lao Jiang.
Lao Jiang had found a chair and was sitting with its back against the table. He crossed one leg and leisurely blew out smoke from his e-cigarette, not sparing a glance at Huang Jin and Ge Tingting; his gaze was fixed on Yin Ren.
“Interesting. It’s been a while, and you’ve become quite calm, kid.”
Yin Ren ignored the subtle flattery hidden in the zombie’s words. He simply took out the charm and placed it on the table. “Who provided this? Do you remember?”
Lao Jiang picked up the talisman with his sharp nails and sniffed it for a while. “Oh, I remember. I definitely remember. These are bulk goods, mixed in burlap sacks. The sellers claim they collected them from various spirit smiths, and there might be some good stuff inside—what we deal with here is this kind of uncertainty. Have you heard of blind boxes?”
“These things have been around for a long time and are considered low-level auction items. The buyers quickly classify the contents into different categories and resell them in the Ghost Market,” Zhong Chengshuo quietly explained.
As soon as he finished speaking, he realized that he had become the focus of everyone’s attention. He quickly adjusted his posture, and his tone became a bit stiff. “…Based on the keyword ‘blind box’, as recorded in the metaphysics database.”
Bathed in the suspicious gazes of his two teammates, Yin Ren calmly reached out and touched Zhong Chengshuo’s soft hair. “Very good.”
The two of them finally turned their gaze away.
“In short, that’s the situation.”
Lao Jiang pretended not to see the intimate actions of those two people. He straightened his chest, intending to push the recording phone in his chest forward.
“I have tested the qi strength of these things, and they are within a safe range. We are not responsible for the content of these mixed-up little things. Whether the person wearing this thing dies or disappears, we are not responsible at all.”
“Moreover, the craftsmanship of this sachet is quite ordinary, clearly mass-produced with a common style. It’s not worth much. If you want to trace the source, I advise you to give up that idea. Alright, I have cooperated. Can you gentlemen leave now?”
Lao Jiang finished his news-like report, stood up, and bid farewell politely.
Yin Ren didn’t move.
He snapped his fingers, and the pawnshop door closed. Then, ignoring Lao Jiang, he jumped onto the auction platform on his own.
“You sold this here yesterday, right?” Yin Ren asked Lao Jiang politely.
“Yes, so what?”
“Items made by a spirit smith naturally have spiritual qi that can be divined,” Yin Ren said. “Even if there are mixed qi and the source can’t be found, we can proceed step by step.”
Lao Jiang sneered.
The pawnshop had certainly considered the confidentiality related to the identity of the spirit smith. Not to mention that the smith himself would do some work to eliminate traces; any spirit weapons that passed through Lao Jiang’s hands had rolled in layers of irrelevant qi like muddy water. Even the previous miscellaneous “living artworks” required a great deal of effort for Shian to identify the suspect.
Speaking of which, this kid also meddled in the last case, but he didn’t seem so confident in divination back then. This person clearly didn’t look stupid—if the pawnshop couldn’t even protect the source and divination of the spirit weapons, who would dare to sell goods under Shian’s watchful eyes?
Young people were truly young. He was happy to see Yin Ren suffer a loss.
“Alright then, if you can divine up to three zhang* outside this door, I’ll accompany you to the end with these old bones of mine.” Seeing Yin Ren close his eyes and perform his spell on the stage, Lao Jiang said with “concern” in a timely manner.
*About 10 meters.
Just as Lao Jiang finished speaking, he was almost choked by the period.
A powerful evil qi rushed forth, and countless black threads emitting red light rose from under Yin Ren’s feet. They spread and gathered along the ground, radiating in all directions, with Yin Ren at the center.
Finally, a distinct “trace” appeared inside. The threads were more tightly intertwined here than anywhere else, extending rapidly towards outside of the pawnshop.
“There are people related over there,” Yin Ren said.
“You…” Lao Jiang stood frozen in place.
“I’m young, so I grow up fast.” Yin Ren spoke quickly. “Did you record the promise just now, Lao Jiang? Let’s go…”
Before Yin Ren could finish his sentence, a piercing scream came from the direction pointed by the black threads.
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“Meng Huai and Zhong Chengfeng went missing on July 15th, 20xx. The disappearance occurred near the Aixin Nursing Home in the Xizhao District. Following the large-scale phenomenon, the Aixin Nursing Home was one of the most heavily corrupted locations from Evil Force.”
Lu Xiaohuo pulled up several old photos. The nursing home in the pictures had an ordinary appearance with average greenery, leaving little impression at first glance.
“According to the testimonies of the on-site personnel from the company, during the phenomenon, a group of evil spirits attacked the nursing home. Elderly individuals with limited mobility were huddled by the windows, calling for help. Meng Huai was the first to rush in and drive away the spirits, while detective Zhong Chengfeng happened to be nearby on a mission and joined in to assist…”
Yin Ren read the words on the screen carefully. The case of the disappearance, which had been sealed for twenty-eight years, was only briefly recorded at the time.
Dealing with a mere group of evil spirits was a piece of cake for Meng Huai. It wouldn’t have taken her more than five minutes. Her science partner was busy directing outside and didn’t follow inside.
However, Meng Huai never returned.
There were no peculiar phenomena or sounds, no magical spells, or fluctuations of evil qi. Everything was simple, except for the sudden loss of communication. The channel was filled with nothing but static.
Upon discovering Meng Huai’s disappearance, Shian rushed into the Aixin Nursing Home within two minutes. The corruption of the Evil Force made the air unusually cold and murky. The evil spirits continued to rampage in the corridors, and the elderly individuals calling for help remained, but Meng Huai and the brave policewoman who rushed in were gone.
During the sudden phenomenon that year, Shian had deployed almost all its forces to deal with the corruption. Many employees died due to their inability to withstand the corruption or were killed by the deranged spirits. There were also many cases of disappearances. However, everyone knew that “disappearance due to the inability to find a body” and “vanishing in a relatively stable environment” were completely different matters.
On that day, explosions and chaos plagued Haigu, with rampant fires and deranged individuals running amok. In the public eye, the disappearance of Meng Huai and Zhong Chengfeng was categorized as “no bodies found”.
But internally within the company, it was clear that things weren’t so simple.
“The characteristics of the Evil Force traces in the area where they went missing are highly consistent with the scene of He Huan’s disappearance. However, considering the time span, I suggest merging the cases of Meng Huai and Zhong Chengfeng’s disappearance as the ‘Nursery Home Disappearance Case’, while investigating He Huan’s disappearance separately. He Huan’s case involves a corrupted jade pendant, which is inconsistent with the characteristics of the Nursery Home Disappearance Case. Moreover, He Huan… Her disappearance has not yet reached the critical period, so there is still a possibility of survival.”
Lu Xiaohe grabbed the water cup on the table and forced herself to take a sip.
“For the Nursery Home Disappearance Case, I will coordinate with Shian to gather more information. As for the investigation into He Huan’s disappearance… No, please handle that separately.”
……
“Is it okay to leave Xiaohe Jie alone?” Ge Tingting was wearing a cartoon dog mask, and her AI voice was tinged with concern.
“That’s her choice. It’s better not to bother her.” Huang Jin looked down at the ground with a paper bag on his head, punctured with two holes.
Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo, the life-size flesh puppet, walked ahead of the two; their footsteps echoing on the stone-paved road. The doors and windows of the old houses on both sides were like black holes, while green and red lanterns flickered at the doorsteps.
The four of them were walking through the street of the Ghost Market.
Having witnessed the destruction of Yin Village in the world of memories, the group couldn’t help but show a complicated expression as they looked at the lanterns emitting a hazy glow. The lanterns that had once been used to make different wishes to the Great Celestial Master were now filled with the atmosphere of fireworks and had become an interesting custom talked about in the world of the metaphysical circle. And the Great Celestial Master himself was walking ahead, not looking sideways, with one hand tightly holding the puppet of his deceased boyfriend.
…This scene was difficult to evaluate for a moment. Huang Jin shifted his gaze away from the intertwined fingers of the two.
Yin Ren held tightly onto his phone with the other hand, and the colorful little ball on the phone bounced around playfully, occasionally making a puffing sound. Now Huang Jin finally knew what that thing was—
He recognized Yellow Millet and wished he could forget. Everything in front of him seemed absurd, like a dream, making Huang Jin grumble inwardly.
Well, if the flesh puppet didn’t have the rolling thought of “holding hands like this feels good”, the absurdity of the scene might have been reduced. The problem was that, after leaving the world of memories, Fu Xingchuan didn’t explicitly mention what this flesh puppet was.
Since the big shot didn’t say anything, Huang Jin decided to be a good dead man and make it his mission not to offend that demonic puppet of the Great Celestial Master.
However, recently, he had been forgetting more and more that “Yin Ren is actually Zhong Yi, the Great Celestial Master”, and he couldn’t feel any sense of crisis, which was quite strange. Huang Jin shook his head, forcing himself to shift his attention.
At this time and place, the absurd cases within Shian felt like a dream. The Ghost Market was still lively, presenting an appearance of peace.
However, the purpose of their visit here could hardly be called peaceful.
Yin Ren walked firmly through the streets and only hesitated briefly in front of the stalls selling candied chestnuts and roasted sweet potatoes. Considering what happened with Lu Xiaohe’s mother, he ultimately refrained from doing anything unnecessary.
The team from Shian headed straight to the Ghost Pawnshop.
Strangely, even though it was during trading hours, there were significantly fewer customers in the alley of the pawnshop. The usually bustling streets now appeared sparsely populated, and the four of them effortlessly arrived at the entrance.
In front of the word “Pawnshop” written in black on a white background, the shop owner, Lao Jiang, greeted them with a formal bow while holding an e-cigarette. His withered flesh twisted into a smile as it moved aside—
In front of the pawnshop entrance, there was a small sign with garish text printed using a default template from PowerPoint that read, “Warmly welcoming the visit and guidance of Special Investigation Unit 9 of Shian”.
Yin Ren: “…” His facial muscles twitched.
No wonder there were so few customers at the pawnshop; it had an eerie atmosphere.
Unfortunately, with the matter concerning Lu Xiaohe’s mother at hand, Yin Ren had no mood to entertain the zombie. With a rare calm expression, he simply nodded and said, “We’re here. Sorry to bother you.”
Lao Jiang’s gaze went back and forth between Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo, making a cryptic sound. Then, he pushed up his wire-framed glasses and coughed solemnly. “What exactly is the matter? I’ve been informed—something about the disappearances of ordinary people caused by the goods we sell?”
“Speaking of which, we run our business here according to the rules.” He shook his head while making slightly dangerous creaking sounds with his neck. “Follow me, but let’s make it clear—I have a voice recording device in my chest pocket. It can serve as evidence later.”
Yin Ren didn’t waste time with unnecessary talk and entered the pawnshop first.
The familiar black wooden couplet remained unchanged, still bearing the simple words, “Love and hatred are nothing new; there are old friends in joys and sorrows”. Yin Ren’s gaze paused for a few seconds on the lower couplet before turning to Lao Jiang.
Lao Jiang had found a chair and was sitting with its back against the table. He crossed one leg and leisurely blew out smoke from his e-cigarette, not sparing a glance at Huang Jin and Ge Tingting; his gaze was fixed on Yin Ren.
“Interesting. It’s been a while, and you’ve become quite calm, kid.”
Yin Ren ignored the subtle flattery hidden in the zombie’s words. He simply took out the charm and placed it on the table. “Who provided this? Do you remember?”
Lao Jiang picked up the talisman with his sharp nails and sniffed it for a while. “Oh, I remember. I definitely remember. These are bulk goods, mixed in burlap sacks. The sellers claim they collected them from various spirit smiths, and there might be some good stuff inside—what we deal with here is this kind of uncertainty. Have you heard of blind boxes?”
“These things have been around for a long time and are considered low-level auction items. The buyers quickly classify the contents into different categories and resell them in the Ghost Market,” Zhong Chengshuo quietly explained.
As soon as he finished speaking, he realized that he had become the focus of everyone’s attention. He quickly adjusted his posture, and his tone became a bit stiff. “…Based on the keyword ‘blind box’, as recorded in the metaphysics database.”
Bathed in the suspicious gazes of his two teammates, Yin Ren calmly reached out and touched Zhong Chengshuo’s soft hair. “Very good.”
The two of them finally turned their gaze away.
“In short, that’s the situation.”
Lao Jiang pretended not to see the intimate actions of those two people. He straightened his chest, intending to push the recording phone in his chest forward.
“I have tested the qi strength of these things, and they are within a safe range. We are not responsible for the content of these mixed-up little things. Whether the person wearing this thing dies or disappears, we are not responsible at all.”
“Moreover, the craftsmanship of this sachet is quite ordinary, clearly mass-produced with a common style. It’s not worth much. If you want to trace the source, I advise you to give up that idea. Alright, I have cooperated. Can you gentlemen leave now?”
Lao Jiang finished his news-like report, stood up, and bid farewell politely.
Yin Ren didn’t move.
He snapped his fingers, and the pawnshop door closed. Then, ignoring Lao Jiang, he jumped onto the auction platform on his own.
“You sold this here yesterday, right?” Yin Ren asked Lao Jiang politely.
“Yes, so what?”
“Items made by a spirit smith naturally have spiritual qi that can be divined,” Yin Ren said. “Even if there are mixed qi and the source can’t be found, we can proceed step by step.”
Lao Jiang sneered.
The pawnshop had certainly considered the confidentiality related to the identity of the spirit smith. Not to mention that the smith himself would do some work to eliminate traces; any spirit weapons that passed through Lao Jiang’s hands had rolled in layers of irrelevant qi like muddy water. Even the previous miscellaneous “living artworks” required a great deal of effort for Shian to identify the suspect.
Speaking of which, this kid also meddled in the last case, but he didn’t seem so confident in divination back then. This person clearly didn’t look stupid—if the pawnshop couldn’t even protect the source and divination of the spirit weapons, who would dare to sell goods under Shian’s watchful eyes?
Young people were truly young. He was happy to see Yin Ren suffer a loss.
“Alright then, if you can divine up to three zhang* outside this door, I’ll accompany you to the end with these old bones of mine.” Seeing Yin Ren close his eyes and perform his spell on the stage, Lao Jiang said with “concern” in a timely manner.
*About 10 meters.
Just as Lao Jiang finished speaking, he was almost choked by the period.
A powerful evil qi rushed forth, and countless black threads emitting red light rose from under Yin Ren’s feet. They spread and gathered along the ground, radiating in all directions, with Yin Ren at the center.
Finally, a distinct “trace” appeared inside. The threads were more tightly intertwined here than anywhere else, extending rapidly towards outside of the pawnshop.
“There are people related over there,” Yin Ren said.
“You…” Lao Jiang stood frozen in place.
“I’m young, so I grow up fast.” Yin Ren spoke quickly. “Did you record the promise just now, Lao Jiang? Let’s go…”
Before Yin Ren could finish his sentence, a piercing scream came from the direction pointed by the black threads.
Meng Huai and Zhong Chengfeng went missing on July 15th, 20xx. The disappearance occurred near the Aixin Nursing Home in the Xizhao District. Following the large-scale phenomenon, the Aixin Nursing Home was one of the most heavily corrupted locations from Evil Force.Lu Xiaohuo pulled up several old photos. The nursing home in the pictures had an ordinary appearance with average greenery, leaving little impression at first glance.According to the testimonies of the on-site personnel from the company, during the phenomenon, a group of evil spirits attacked the nursing home. Elderly individuals with limited mobility were huddled by the windows, calling for help. Meng Huai was the first to rush in and drive away the spirits, while detective Zhong Chengfeng happened to be nearby on a mission and joined in to assistYin Ren read the words on the screen carefully. The case of the disappearance, which had been sealed for twenty-eight years, was only briefly recorded at the time.Dealing with a mere group of evil spirits was a piece of cake for Meng Huai. It wouldn't have taken her more than five minutes. Her science partner was busy directing outside and didn't follow inside.However, Meng Huai never returned.There were no peculiar phenomena or sounds, no magical spells, or fluctuations of evil qi. Everything was simple, except for the sudden loss of communication. The channel was filled with nothing but static.Upon discovering Meng Huai's disappearance, Shian rushed into the Aixin Nursing Home within two minutes. The corruption of the Evil Force made the air unusually cold and murky. The evil spirits continued to rampage in the corridors, and the elderly individuals calling for help remained, but Meng Huai and the brave policewoman who rushed in were gone.During the sudden phenomenon that year, Shian had deployed almost all its forces to deal with the corruption. Many employees died due to their inability to withstand the corruption or were killed by the deranged spirits. There were also many cases of disappearances. However, everyone knew that disappearance due to the inability to find a body and vanishing in a relatively stable environment were completely different matters.On that day, explosions and chaos plagued Haigu, with rampant fires and deranged individuals running amok. In the public eye, the disappearance of Meng Huai and Zhong Chengfeng was categorized as no bodies found.But internally within the company, it was clear that things weren't so simple.The characteristics of the Evil Force traces in the area where they went missing are highly consistent with the scene of He Huan's disappearance. However, considering the time span, I suggest merging the cases of Meng Huai and Zhong Chengfeng's disappearance as the Nursery Home Disappearance Case', while investigating He Huan's disappearance separately. He Huan's case involves a corrupted jade pendant, which is inconsistent with the characteristics of the Nursery Home Disappearance Case. Moreover, He Huan Her disappearance has not yet reached the critical period, so there is still a possibility of survival.Lu Xiaohe grabbed the water cup on the table and forced herself to take a sip.For the Nursery Home Disappearance Case, I will coordinate with Shian to gather more information. As for the investigation into He Huan's disappearance No, please handle that separately.Is it okay to leave Xiaohe Jie alone? Ge Tingting was wearing a cartoon dog mask, and her AI voice was tinged with concern.That's her choice. It's better not to bother her. Huang Jin looked down at the ground with a paper bag on his head, punctured with two holes.Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo, the life-size flesh puppet, walked ahead of the two; their footsteps echoing on the stone-paved road. The doors and windows of the old houses on both sides were like black holes, while green and red lanterns flickered at the doorsteps.The four of them were walking through the street of the Ghost Market.Having witnessed the destruction of Yin Village in the world of memories, the group couldn't help but show a complicated expression as they looked at the lanterns emitting a hazy glow. The lanterns that had once been used to make different wishes to the Great Celestial Master were now filled with the atmosphere of fireworks and had become an interesting custom talked about in the world of the metaphysical circle. And the Great Celestial Master himself was walking ahead, not looking sideways, with one hand tightly holding the puppet of his deceased boyfriend.This scene was difficult to evaluate for a moment. Huang Jin shifted his gaze away from the intertwined fingers of the two.Yin Ren held tightly onto his phone with the other hand, and the colorful little ball on the phone bounced around playfully, occasionally making a puffing sound. Now Huang Jin finally knew what that thing wasHe recognized Yellow Millet and wished he could forget. Everything in front of him seemed absurd, like a dream, making Huang Jin grumble inwardly.Well, if the flesh puppet didn't have the rolling thought ofholding hands like this feels good,the absurdity of the scene might have been reduced. The problem was that, after leaving the world of memories, Fu Xingchuan didn't explicitly mention what this flesh puppet was.Since the big shot didn't say anything, Huang Jin decided to be a good dead man and make it his mission not to offend that demonic puppet of the Great Celestial Master.However, recently, he had been forgetting more and more that Yin Ren is actually Zhong Yi, the Great Celestial Master, and he couldn't feel any sense of crisis, which was quite strange. Huang Jin shook his head, forcing himself to shift his attention.At this time and place, the absurd cases within Shian felt like a dream. The Ghost Market was still lively, presenting an appearance of peace.However, the purpose of their visit here could hardly be called peaceful.Yin Ren walked firmly through the streets and only hesitated briefly in front of the stalls selling candied chestnuts and roasted sweet potatoes. Considering what happened with Lu Xiaohe's mother, he ultimately refrained from doing anything unnecessary.The team from Shian headed straight to the Ghost Pawnshop.Strangely, even though it was during trading hours, there were significantly fewer customers in the alley of the pawnshop. The usually bustling streets now appeared sparsely populated, and the four of them effortlessly arrived at the entrance.In front of the word Pawnshop written in black on a white background, the shop owner, Lao Jiang, greeted them with a formal bow while holding an e-cigarette. His withered flesh twisted into a smile as it moved asideIn front of the pawnshop entrance, there was a small sign with garish text printed using a default template from PowerPoint that read, Warmly welcoming the visit and guidance of Special Investigation Unit 9 of Shian.Yin Ren: His facial muscles twitched.No wonder there were so few customers at the pawnshop; it had an eerie atmosphere.Unfortunately, with the matter concerning Lu Xiaohe's mother at hand, Yin Ren had no mood to entertain the zombie. With a rare calm expression, he simply nodded and said, We're here. Sorry to bother you.Lao Jiang's gaze went back and forth between Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo, making a cryptic sound. Then, he pushed up his wire-framed glasses and coughed solemnly. What exactly is the matter? I've been informedsomething about the disappearances of ordinary people caused by the goods we sell?Speaking of which, we run our business here according to the rules. He shook his head while making slightly dangerous creaking sounds with his neck. Follow me, but let's make it clearI have a voice recording device in my chest pocket. It can serve as evidence later.Yin Ren didn't waste time with unnecessary talk and entered the pawnshop first.The familiar black wooden couplet remained unchanged, still bearing the simple words, Love and hatred are nothing new; there are old friends in joys and sorrows. Yin Ren's gaze paused for a few seconds on the lower couplet before turning to Lao Jiang.Lao Jiang had found a chair and was sitting with its back against the table. He crossed one leg and leisurely blew out smoke from his e-cigarette, not sparing a glance at Huang Jin and Ge Tingting; his gaze was fixed on Yin Ren.Interesting. It's been a while, and you've become quite calm, kid.Yin Ren ignored the subtle flattery hidden in the zombie's words. He simply took out the charm and placed it on the table. Who provided this? Do you remember?Lao Jiang picked up the talisman with his sharp nails and sniffed it for a while. Oh, I remember. I definitely remember. These are bulk goods, mixed in burlap sacks. The sellers claim they collected them from various spirit smiths, and there might be some good stuff insidewhat we deal with here is this kind of uncertainty. Have you heard of blind boxes?These things have been around for a long time and are considered low-level auction items. The buyers quickly classify the contents into different categories and resell them in the Ghost Market, Zhong Chengshuo quietly explained.As soon as he finished speaking, he realized that he had become the focus of everyone's attention. He quickly adjusted his posture, and his tone became a bit stiff. Based on the keyword blind box', as recorded in the metaphysics database.Bathed in the suspicious gazes of his two teammates, Yin Ren calmly reached out and touched Zhong Chengshuo's soft hair. Very good.The two of them finally turned their gaze away.In short, that's the situation.Lao Jiang pretended not to see the intimate actions of those two people. He straightened his chest, intending to push the recording phone in his chest forward.I have tested the qi strength of these things, and they are within a safe range. We are not responsible for the content of these mixed-up little things. Whether the person wearing this thing dies or disappears, we are not responsible at all.Moreover, the craftsmanship of this sachet is quite ordinary, clearly mass-produced with a common style. It's not worth much. If you want to trace the source, I advise you to give up that idea. Alright, I have cooperated. Can you gentlemen leave now?Lao Jiang finished his news-like report, stood up, and bid farewell politely.Yin Ren didn't move.He snapped his fingers, and the pawnshop door closed. Then, ignoring Lao Jiang, he jumped onto the auction platform on his own.You sold this here yesterday, right? Yin Ren asked Lao Jiang politely.Yes, so what?Items made by a spirit smith naturally have spiritual qi that can be divined, Yin Ren said. Even if there are mixed qi and the source can't be found, we can proceed step by step.Lao Jiang sneered.The pawnshop had certainly considered the confidentiality related to the identity of the spirit smith. Not to mention that the smith himself would do some work to eliminate traces; any spirit weapons that passed through Lao Jiang's hands had rolled in layers of irrelevant qi like muddy water. Even the previous miscellaneous living artworks required a great deal of effort for Shian to identify the suspect.Speaking of which, this kid also meddled in the last case, but he didn't seem so confident in divination back then. This person clearly didn't look stupidif the pawnshop couldn't even protect the source and divination of the spirit weapons, who would dare to sell goods under Shian's watchful eyes?Young people were truly young. He was happy to see Yin Ren suffer a loss.Alright then, if you can divine up tothree zhang* outside this door, I'll accompany you to the end with these old bones of mine. Seeing Yin Ren close his eyes and perform his spell on the stage, Lao Jiang said with concern in a timely manner.*About 10 meters.Just as Lao Jiang finished speaking, he was almost choked by the period.A powerful evil qi rushed forth, and countless black threads emitting red light rose from under Yin Ren's feet. They spread and gathered along the ground, radiating in all directions, with Yin Ren at the center.Finally, a distinct trace appeared inside. The threads were more tightly intertwined here than anywhere else, extending rapidly towards outside of the pawnshop.There are people related over there, Yin Ren said.You Lao Jiang stood frozen in place.I'm young, so I grow up fast. Yin Ren spoke quickly. Did you record the promise just now, Lao Jiang? Let's goBefore Yin Ren could finish his sentence, a piercing scream came from the direction pointed by the black threads.
