The demon masked man circled around the woods once, then gradually moved away.
Only when his figure disappeared from view did Bai Lixin turn and prepare to leave in the opposite direction.
He had just lifted his foot when a piercing sound shattered the air. Yellow talismans swept in from all directions, wrapping the entire woods tightly.
A ringing sound came from above. Bai Lixin looked up and saw the demon masked man returning. He was holding a black-handled, white-paper soul-calling banner. With each movement, the bell on the banner rang. A black vortex appeared out of thin air, and countless black shadows flew out in a frenzy. The once lush green grove quickly turned into a sinister and terrifying netherworld of ghosts.
The ghosts cried out in unison, and the sky and earth instantly dimmed.
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘Hey, logically speaking, who looks more like an evil ghost now?’
S419M looked at the scene outside that resembled the end of the world and felt somewhat dumbfounded: [Lord host, isn’t this exorcist making too big of a fuss?]
Bai Lixin: [Too big of a fuss? This is to annihilate me.]
S419M clicked its tongue: [There’s no love without reason, nor hate without reason. How did you provoke him?]
Bai Lixin was furious: [I don’t even know him!]
Countless evil ghosts continued to howl and rampage, while the masked man floated in mid-air, standing among the multitude of ghosts. The swirling black mist surrounded him and exuded an imposing aura.
With a slight lift of his hand, these terrifying ghosts seemed as light and soft as ripples in a pond under his control.
He was like the king of these ghosts, turning his hands into clouds and turning his hands into rain.
The bell on the soul-calling banner in his hand suddenly trembled violently, and the demon mask slowly turned. Although there was a mask separating them, in that moment, Bai Lixin seemed to feel the oppressive gaze from the other party.
He had been discovered!
All the ghosts ceased their aimless wandering and turned around at the same time, all eyes focusing on Bai Lixin’s location.
“Ah————”
Suddenly, the ghosts let out piercing cries and surged towards Bai Lixin.
Realizing he had been discovered, Bai Lixin simply removed his invisibility.
First, he summoned his shield. As soon as the shield appeared, it immediately expanded into a huge black net, trapping half of the evil ghosts outside.
Then, he forcefully threw the scythe in his hand into the air, leaving behind a bright curve.
Wherever the scythe went, the evil ghosts scattered.
Clearing a path with the scythe, Bai Lixin shot into the sky like a meteor, heading straight for the demon masked man.
There was a muffled thud, and the jagged Divine Whip and the soul-calling banner collided, creating a burst of white light in the sky.
The Divine Whip, which could subdue even a false god, hit the seemingly fragile soul-calling banner, but it remained unmoved.
The masked man took two steps back, holding the Divine Whip back with one hand and squeezing two talismans in the other.
In the blink of an eye, two white lights flashed simultaneously.
One came from behind the man, and the other from Bai Lixin’s left hand.
The scythe flew back after reaching its apex, aimed directly at the man’s back.
Meanwhile, Bai Lixin’s left hand silently pulled out the dagger, and three vital points on the man’s body were instantly targeted.
The man’s body visibly paused for a moment.
The next moment, instead of advancing, he retreated. He simply discarded the soul-calling banner and talismans in his hand, and grabbed Bai Lixin’s wrist, pulling him towards the ground. The two entangled bodies tumbled together to the ground.
The scythe grazed past them and embedded itself heavily into the ground, emitting a dragon-like roar.
Bai Lixin lifted his foot and made a kick, but the man’s body was also exceptionally agile, and he shifted slightly at the waist. Bai Lixin took advantage of this opportunity to exert force, causing both of them to reverse positions on the ground.
The handsome young man pressed the demon masked man beneath him, his lips reddened from the recent exertion. His eyebrows were slightly furrowed, his eyes, as bright as stars, stared fiercely at the man beneath him, and the dagger in his hand pressed against the man’s neck.
Bai Lixin’s chest heaved up and down as he roared, “Keep making noise, and I’ll kill him.”
Instantly, the myriad of ghosts fell silent, leaving only the sound of rustling leaves swaying in the wind.
It was as if all the ghosts had their acupunctures tapped. They stood still, looking at each other in confusion.
“Why are you making such a big fuss to catch me?” Bai Lixin took a deep breath, staring at the demon masked man beneath him, “Brother, that’s enough. I haven’t harmed anyone, there’s no need for you to use such drastic measures against me. Let’s each take a step back. I’ll let you go, and you don’t bother me anymore, okay?”
“Arrogant.” A voice tinged with echoes came from behind the mask, the man’s voice deep and chilling, “Ghosts never consider themselves evil. You say you haven’t harmed anyone, but why was your ghost aura present at the police station and around that dismembered corpse? And why did you appear at that family’s house just now?”
“I’m just investigating the killer who murdered Shen Shukuang,” Bai Lixin explained, “As for you, souls are governed by the underworld after death. You’re detaining so many souls privately, could it be that those distorted force field areas in the mortal realm have something to do with you?”
The man’s voice hesitated slightly, “How do you know about that?”
Bai Lixin narrowed his eyes, suddenly realizing something was wrong, “Is the distorted force field really related to you?”
Suddenly, a cloud of black mist burst out from the demon mask. While Bai Lixin avoided the mist, the force in his hand suddenly turned into nothingness.
By the time the mist dispersed, the man had somehow broken free from Bai Lixin’s grasp and floated lightly in mid-air. He looked down at Bai Lixin from above, with countless ghosts swirling around him, “Ordinary ghosts have scattered souls and muddled minds after death, and wouldn’t be aware of any distorted force fields. Whatever you are, after death, ashes return to ashes, and dust to dust. The affairs of the mortal realm are not something you should meddle in.”
“You say you’re just investigating that man’s murder, I’ll believe you this once and let you go. Don’t let me catch you again in the future.”
After saying this, the myriad of ghosts roared towards the demon mask.
The black mist billowed, and when the mist dispersed, the demon mask had disappeared without a trace.
As the mist in the forest dissipated, a cool breeze gently blew, and everything that had just happened seemed like a nightmare. A beam of white light shone down from the sky, illuminating something. Bai Lixin looked over and saw it was the debris of the soul-calling banner from the man’s hand just now.
He picked it up and rubbed it between his thumb and forefinger a few times, his expression slightly puzzled.
S419M: [What’s wrong, Lord Host?]
“This texture,” Bai Lixin wasn’t too sure. He repeated the previous action of rubbing the debris between his thumb and forefinger, “it feels like human skin.”
————————
In the live broadcast room.
[Human skin?]
[Sorry, my scalp is numb.]
[Let’s make a bold guess, how many pieces of skin are there on the soul-calling banner? There must be many human skins of different people, right?]
[This exorcist is quite interesting.]
[But he doesn’t seem like a bad guy. He let God Xin go. By the way, it seems that the big boss of this copy has never appeared. Could the exorcist just now be the big boss?]
[Probably not. And how did he let God Xin go after using all his fierceness? God Xin obviously won the battle himself, okay? If God Xin had lost, he might have become food for the ghosts now.]
[So where’s the big boss?]
[Good question, I also want to know.]
————————-
Bai Lixin casually tossed the debris of the soul-calling banner into his backpack and looked towards the seventh floor of the high-rise building not far away.
By the window, Mrs. Shen was holding her daughter and looking outside in a panic, thinking about something.
He silently walked out of the woods to the roadside. There was a familiar barking in the distance. Bai Lixin looked over, and the police dog, which had run off somewhere just now, came back, wagging its tail.
[Let’s talk about it, this police dog is really smart.]S419M rubbed its head: [It always knows to hide when there’s danger and comes out when it’s safe.]
Escape System: [This is a border collie, it occupies the high ground of canine intelligence.]
A taxi happened to pass by, and Bai Lixin raised his hand to hail it.
The taxi slowed down, and the window rolled down, revealing a familiar face.
Bai Lixin: “…”
Driver: “…”
Bai Lixin glanced at the taxi’s license plate and then at the driver inside, “What a coincidence, have you changed cars?”
“Ah.” The driver forced out a smile that was uglier than crying, “Yeah, I’m covering a shift for a colleague. Um, Great Immortal, what a coincidence, you…” ‘Do you really have to take this taxi?’
Before he finished speaking, Bai Lixin had skillfully opened the rear door and got in, handing over two gold leaves, “What did you just say?”
The driver quickly changed the subject, his smile becoming brighter, “I mean, where are you headed?”
Since he couldn’t avoid it, might as well accept it! At least there’s money to be made!
————————
In the live broadcast room
[Uh, in a sense, isn’t this driver the most awesome?]
[Every time he meets God Xin, is he under the “100% encounter with God Xin” buff?]
[If I were him, I’d immediately go buy a lottery ticket.]
[I don’t know if this buff is “lucky up debuff” or “lucky down debuff.” If it were me, I’d cling to God Xin’s thigh and never let go. He gives two gold leaves every time, won’t you get rich after ten drives? Plus, I can admire the handsome male ghost’s looks and make money at the same time, it’s a win-win!]
[Driver: Is my life not a life?]
———————-
Bai Lixin gave an address, “Is this enough gold?”
“It’s enough, it’s enough.” The driver took the gold leaves and casually said, “With this money, even if you ask me to take you to the crematorium, it’s no problem.”
Bai Lixin, who was about to rest with his eyes closed, lazily raised his eyelids, “Is it okay to turn to the crematorium?”
The driver’s smile froze, wishing he could slap himself.
“Let’s stick to the original destination.” Bai Lixin didn’t continue teasing him, “But you mentioned the crematorium, did something strange happen there?”
“Hehe.” The driver stepped on the gas pedal, laughing awkwardly, “It’s nothing, just some weird things happened recently, everyone said it was ghosts haunting.”
“I didn’t believe it at first.” The driver looked at Bai Lixin in the rearview mirror, then laughed awkwardly, “But since getting to know you, Great Immortal, I find this world mysterious.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
The driver focused on the road ahead.
In the back, there was a ghost, and he was telling it horror stories. The situation was too exciting.
“You should know better than me that a place like the crematorium has a heavier Yin energy.” The driver swallowed his saliva, “I have a friend who works there. He told me something strange. He was on the night shift last week and woke up in the middle of the night to pee. As he walked, he suddenly saw a dark shadow on the wall.”
“That guy instantly woke up, but when he turned around, he didn’t see anyone.”
“He hurriedly finished peeing and ran to the dormitory. On the way, he was suddenly slapped from behind by something. Then he heard a creepy voice asking, ‘Did you see my cigarette?'”
The driver shivered and felt a chill behind him, “Then that guy fainted in fear. The next day, when he woke up, he was lying in bed. At first, he thought it was a nightmare, but what happened next scared him so much that he almost resigned. Guess what he saw?”
“A smoker ghost?” Bai Lixin said, “Then he must have seen a pack of cigarettes on the table.”
“No, no, no.” The driver shook his head, his voice becoming heavier, “When he was getting dressed, he saw a dark palm print on his back! That was the smoker’s handprint from yesterday!”
“…” Bai Lixin: “What kind of dark palm print?”
The driver frowned and thought for a moment, “Now that you mention it, that guy did say that it was soot from the cremator. He also said that the ghost must have crawled out of the cremator and brought a handful of ashes.”
Bai Lixin pondered for a moment and asked again, “Where was the handprint roughly? Was it around the waist or shoulder, or both?”
Driver: “Huh, how did you know?”
Bai Lixin didn’t answer but asked, “How much does your friend weigh?”
Driver: “He’s not light, about 180 cm tall and weighs over 170 pounds.”
Bai Lixin: “Are there any heavier staff members at the crematorium?”
Driver: “Hmm… I don’t know about that. I’ve never asked.”
“Your friend probably fainted outside, judging from the handprints on his waist and shoulders, he was later carried into the dormitory.” Bai Lixin analyzed, “If it were a stranger, they wouldn’t know the staff dormitories so well. Even if they found the dormitory, the chance of finding your friend’s bed would be very low.”
“The smoker “ghost” is most likely someone who works at the crematorium. Anyone who can carry your friend would be a suspect.”
The traffic light turned red, and the driver hit the brakes, staring wide-eyed at Bai Lixin. “Are you saying it was done by a human?”
Bai Lixin nodded, “Ask your friend if there are stronger and more powerful people at the crematorium than him. Also, ask if your friend has unintentionally offended anyone recently.”
The driver was stunned for several seconds before he remembered to take out his Bluetooth headset and make a call.
After a brief conversation with the person on the other end, the other party hung up, and then the driver began chatting with Bai Lixin about other topics. Perhaps sensing that Bai Lixin posed no harm, the driver gradually let go of his guard. Just as they were nearing their destination, he received a phone call.
“Oh? You really found him?!”
“…”
“How did I guess it? It wasn’t me, it was a passenger I picked up. I told him about the supernatural event you encountered, and he analyzed it.”
“…”
“You want to meet him? Heh, forget it, this is a Great Immortal, he is not someone ordinary folks can meet.”
“…”
“Why is that person targeting you?”
“…”
“Okay, okay, I see you talking tough now. You forgot who nearly wet his pants that day? I bet you won’t be so mouthy in the future. Okay, okay, I won’t talk to you anymore, I’m still driving. I’ll drink with you after I finish my work. Hang up!”
After hanging up, the driver looked at Bai Lixin with eyes shining. “Great Immortal, you’re amazing! It really happened just as you guessed. My friend mouthed off to a colleague a couple of days ago, and that colleague wanted to teach him a lesson. He deliberately pretended to be a ghost to scare him while he was on duty at night. My friend just confronted him, and the guy spilled everything.”
The taxi arrived at their destination just in time. After Bai Lixin got out of the car, he smiled at the driver through the window, “I might come out later. If I can’t hail a taxi, and you’re willing to wait here for me, I’ll give you two more gold leaves, okay?”
The driver stared blankly at Bai Lixin’s handsome face for two seconds, then nodded vaguely, “Okay, okay, Great Immortal.”
It wasn’t until he came to his senses that he realized what he had agreed to.
When he looked up again, the handsome male ghost was nowhere to be seen.
It was already ten o’clock in the evening, and the sky was completely dark.
This was a rundown residential area, located in a remote area with a low occupancy rate. The driver looked around, and saw that only a few households had their lights on.
Suddenly, he remembered that the first time he picked up the Great Immortal, it seemed to be in a dilapidated neighborhood as well.
This location was also dilapidated… Could it be that many people unknowingly died in such dilapidated places, and the Great Immortal is a god of death? Specializing in reaping souls?
Damn, don’t death messengers even have public transportation? Do they still need to take taxis?
The driver looked at the dark path and the dilapidated residential area, then glanced at the back seat of the car. Finally, he tentatively lowered his voice and asked, “Great Immortal, are you still here?”
The only response he got was the cold wind outside…
[Master Bai Lixin, why did you come to Su Hong’s current residence? Aren’t you supposed to do Shen Shukuang’s side task?]
Watching Bai Lixin walk up the dilapidated steps one by one, the Escape System asked in confusion.
[Because the task is stuck,] Bai Lixin stopped on the fourth floor, [We thought “Shen Shukuang’s secret” is the content of that roll of film, but there was no system prompt after obtaining the film. It indicates that it’s not the secret Shen Shukuang “least” wants to be discovered, so we need to find other clues.]
Escape System: [Then why come to Su Hong’s house? Shouldn’t you go to that cabin in the woods?]
Bai Lixin:[We’ll go to the cabin in the woods, and also come to Su Hong’s house.]
[The contents of the roll of film back then were taken by Su Hong. Cao Ji’an ate Shen Shukuang’s dried meat, and the birthday gift text message was sent from Su Hong’s phone number. There was a small flower drawn on the gift, and Su Hong is Su Xiaohua’s uncle.]
[All three things are related to Su Hong. Let’s see if there are any clues about his whereabouts here.]
Su Hong’s house was at the end of the fourth floor, at the western most position.
Bai Lixin adjusted his aura and transformed from human state into a spirit state.
Arriving at Su Hong’s house, the bright red paint on the wall was still visible.
The crimson color extended downwards, giving off a bloody and terrifying feeling.
[Pay back the money!]
[Go die!!!]
[You won’t die a good death!]
[I’ll kill your whole family!!!]
One terrifying word after another appeared on the already mottled and dilapidated wall.
Bai Lixin glanced at those words, stepped over the wall, and entered Su Hong’s house.
