The Polluted Red Jade

Li Rongjun's expression was rather serious.

Liu Haoyu, too, had fallen into silence.

He had expected those two beasts to be killed by that white-clothed Fierce Ghost, but he hadn't anticipated that the last one would die inexplicably.

And judging by the manner of death, it was highly likely that person had perished at the hands of an unknown Fierce Ghost.

But logically speaking, Fierce Ghosts capable of harming people were already rare, yet it was said that so many had been encountered recently.

This situation was truly a bit unusual.

"Precisely because of this, although the dismemberment case has been solved, we've encountered even more unknowns. So, I wanted to ask if you have any leads, young man."

Li Rongjun and Liu Haoyu exchanged glances, but the latter maintained his usual facade of knowing nothing and shook his head.

"Sorry, I don't know."

"..."

Li Rongjun used his keen observation skills, a technique of criminal investigation, to continuously study Liu Haoyu's expression.

In the end, he still couldn't discern anything. He could only close his eyes and say, "I understand."

By the time the statement was completed, it was already afternoon.

Liu Haoyu walked out of the Public Security Bureau and found a secluded spot.

He took out the Black Book and wrote on it.

"Did the last person die by Liu Xiaoxiao's hand?"

"The answer lies within your heart."

Although the Black Book didn't say a word, it had, in a way, given Liu Haoyu a reply.

As Liu Haoyu pondered, new blood-red characters continued to appear on the Black Book.

"The terror is spreading outwards; the root of all this lies within that haunted house."

"It is an absolutely unknown territory, and by no means a danger you can handle."

"If you flee now, you still have a chance to survive. The Fierce Ghost of the haunted house spared you once."

"But whether she will forgive you a second time can only be left to fate."

"If you wish to continue investigating, you might as well follow these murder cases and explore."

"In the end, you will directly face the true Yellow Springs."

After speaking these riddle-like words, the Black Book closed itself.

Liu Haoyu thought about it but still couldn't quite grasp what the Black Book was trying to convey.

It seemed to be very afraid of that red-clothed Fierce Ghost.

Perhaps the haunted house truly hid some fatal danger.

But as the saying goes, the best way to eliminate fear is to face it.

If one tries to escape when dealing with supernatural events, they will only die faster.

Liu Haoyu knew this principle well and had no intention of giving up.

Besides, hadn't it been said that the red-clothed Fierce Ghost in the haunted house was incredibly beautiful?

He was quite curious to see just how beautiful.

With that thought, Liu Haoyu arrived at Elder Deng's folk customs shop.

As soon as he entered, a thick plume of smoke wafted towards him.

Liu Haoyu focused his gaze and realized Elder Deng was burning incense and paper money.

"Little Liu, you're here again."

Elder Deng turned around and said to Liu Haoyu.

"Thank you so much for saving my unworthy granddaughter last night. Would you like to stay for dinner tonight?"

Hearing Elder Deng's words, it seemed Deng Xiaolin's trip to the reservoir last night had also been discovered by Elder Deng.

It made sense, after all, such a significant incident would surely prompt the police to notify the family.

It would be hard for Elder Deng not to know.

However, it must have been tough on that little girl Deng Xiaolin; she had probably received a stern lecture.

"Dinner isn't necessary. Elder Deng, you are very knowledgeable. I'd like to ask about the Red Jade in my hand, what exactly is going on?"

Liu Haoyu took out the "damaged" Red Jade and handed it to Elder Deng.

This knowledgeable old man's eyes widened slightly as he glanced at the Red Jade.

"How is this possible... What monster did you grab with it?"

"No?"

Liu Haoyu was also a bit puzzled; he didn't recall ever using the Red Jade.

Elder Deng held the Red Jade in his hand and said incredulously, "How could that Ghost Jade be polluted by resentment to this state?"

Liu Haoyu found this rather confusing. In his memory, Ghost Jade had a strong restraining effect on Fierce Ghosts, so it shouldn't have been occupied.

Looking at the Red Jade, which had turned black inside, Liu Haoyu pondered for a moment before saying, "So, does that mean the blackness inside is materialized resentment?"

To this, Elder Deng continued, "Yes, this is indeed the resentment of a Fierce Ghost. I surmise that a very powerful ghost or monster attempted to claim your Red Jade as its own when you weren't paying attention."

"I see..."

No wonder the Red Jade had lost its original function; so that's what happened.

Liu Haoyu's mind immediately went to the Red-clothed Female Ghost from the haunted house, thinking she must have stolen the Red Jade from him.

And only she had the strength to do so.

What would she want with this Red Jade?

Liu Haoyu examined the Red Jade in his hand, inspecting it meticulously.

However, no matter how he looked, Liu Haoyu couldn't find any trace of a Fierce Ghost within the Red Jade.

He figured the Red-clothed Fierce Ghost wasn't inside the Red Jade at the moment.

"No need to look," Elder Deng stopped Liu Haoyu and said, "The Red Jade is empty now."

"Alright then."

Although he couldn't figure out why the Red-clothed Female Ghost would want to occupy his Red Jade, as long as she wasn't causing any harm, everything was fine.

"Elder Deng, do you have any blessed mirrors here?"

"Mirrors?"

Elder Deng thought for a moment and replied, "No."

Ordinary mirrors couldn't be blessed for warding off evil; only silver mirrors could.

However, ordinary people wouldn't buy silver mirrors, and ghost exorcists also rarely used such items.

Liu Haoyu really wanted a silver mirror, though. If he placed it in his bedroom, he might be able to see the Red-clothed Female Ghost's appearance.

But since Elder Deng didn't have one, Liu Haoyu had to reluctantly give up.

"If you happen to get one later, Elder Deng, please let me know. I'd like to buy it."

"Certainly."

Elder Deng nodded and then, as if remembering something, said to Liu Haoyu, "My unpromising granddaughter is hiding in her room right now. Could you go and comfort her for me?"

Faced with Elder Deng's request, Liu Haoyu, who already needed his help, naturally wouldn't refuse.

He immediately nodded and walked into the inner room.

Unlike the dim storefront, the inner room was quite bright.

Deng Xiaolin sat on the sofa hugging her knees. Her expression looked a bit wronged, and tear tracks were still visible on her face.

She hadn't noticed Liu Haoyu's arrival and was still moping to herself.

It was clear she had been severely scolded.

Liu Haoyu didn't approach her from the front. Instead, he walked around to her back and gently placed his hand on her head, saying, "What's wrong? Still dwelling on last night?"

"Brother Hao!" Deng Xiaolin was startled, then exclaimed with surprise, "Why are you here?"

But very quickly, the expression on her face froze.

Her eyes were fixed on the area behind Liu Haoyu, and then she murmured, "Brother Hao... you... why is there a red shadow floating behind you?"