Not Simple

"Outside the branch."

Ma Yan pondered for a moment before speaking decisively.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yan nodded slightly and said, "Since it is outside the branch, I can give it a try, but I cannot guarantee the result."

Hearing this, Ma Yan let out a sigh of relief and said, "It's fine. Just be careful and don't take unnecessary risks. If you can handle it, then do so; if you can't, let the higher-ups find someone more capable."

He had originally assumed that since Zhou Yan had become a guest advisor at the Yue Mansion, he would no longer engage in such matters to avoid lowering his status.

Therefore, for the past six months or so, he had not brought any business to Zhou Yan.

But looking at it now, his brother-in-law was still the same person, completely indifferent to the change in status and still harboring a measure of kindness in his heart.

Zhou Yan smiled and nodded slightly.

He had just refined the Escape Corpse and was currently feeling a sense of wanting to draw his sword and look around for a challenge; this was the perfect opportunity to test his skills.

Police Station, Changning Branch.

When Zhou Yan arrived, the entire branch, from the Police Chief down to the patrolmen, came out to welcome him, putting on quite a grand display.

The fact that the Changning Branch could put on such a show without Zhou Yan's status as a Yue family guest advisor being exposed showed that everyone in the branch was terrified by that malicious ghost, to the point where everyone felt their own lives were at stake.

"Brother-in-law, has your branch really not hired any other mages?" Zhou Yan asked in a low voice.

He didn't think so highly of himself that the Changning Branch would insist on hiring him.

Ma Yan frowned slightly and whispered, "I was out handling a case and only returned today, only to be called over immediately. I originally thought it was a small matter, but looking at the situation now, perhaps it really isn't that simple. You must be extra careful."

Zhou Yan understood immediately; it seemed the Changning Branch must have hired mages, but they had failed to exorcise the malicious ghost.

Perhaps the situation was even worse than expected.

"Master Zhou, your brother-in-law is an investigator at our branch, and you are one of our own. This time, we are counting on you." Police Chief Ma grabbed Zhou Yan's hand and squeezed it tightly, his eyes filled with deep anticipation.

Zhou Yan did not commit immediately, saying on the surface, "Of course, I will do my best."

After entering the branch, Police Chief Ma dismissed the others and led Zhou Yan into his office.

With only Police Chief Ma and Zhou Yan inside, the atmosphere suddenly became somewhat strange.

"Police Chief Ma, if you don't give me the truth today, I'm afraid I won't dare to stay here." Zhou Yan looked at Police Chief Ma and spoke directly.

He could tell that the haunting at the police station was definitely not that simple.

Police Chief Ma was not offended; he knew Zhou Yan had been half-tricked into coming, and a flattering smile appeared on his face: "Master Zhou, don't be impatient. I will tell you everything you want to know without holding anything back."

Zhou Yan's expression was calm: "Exactly how many people have died?"

Police Chief Ma's face changed slightly. He was silent for a moment before gritting his teeth and saying, "Seven have died, including four patrolmen and one investigator. Additionally, two mages have unfortunately met their end."

Zhou Yan nodded slightly, his expression unchanged.

It seemed this Police Chief Ma knew the gravity of the situation and was no longer trying to deceive him.

Otherwise, he would have turned around and left immediately.

"Can the malicious ghost enter the police station?" Zhou Yan asked again.

Police Chief Ma shook his head hurriedly: "It cannot get in. If it weren't for that, the brothers in our branch would all be dead."

Zhou Yan calculated in his mind, thought for a moment, and asked, "Besides the brothers from the police station and those two mages, have any others been harmed?"

Police Chief Ma's face looked rather ugly, but he shook his head and said, "No."

At this, Zhou Yan understood; it was indeed a malicious ghost seeking revenge.

Not only did he know this, but Police Chief Ma knew it too, yet he was helpless.

Firstly, he had observed carefully for several days but had failed to identify the culprit.

Secondly, he could not guarantee that the ghost would stop even after killing the culprit.

Thirdly, unless it was the final moment, he dared not easily betray his subordinates, unless he no longer wanted to work in the police force.

Although in this day and age, there were plenty of superiors who betrayed their subordinates.

But on the surface, no one dared to easily break that taboo.

Otherwise, it would be easy to become a target for everyone, and it would be easy for others to betray him in the future.

"I will do my best."

Zhou Yan thought for a moment and finally said this.

Although the malicious ghost might be much more powerful than imagined, the fact that it could not break into the police station meant its strength had not yet surpassed the Qi Refinement stage.

In that case, with the Escape Corpse in hand, Zhou Yan really didn't care much.

Moreover, his Buddhist techniques were highly effective against malicious ghosts.

Even if he were to face a Qi Refinement stage ghost, even if he were eventually outmatched, he would still be able to retreat unscathed.

Upon hearing this, Police Chief Ma was overjoyed and said hurriedly, "Thank you, Master Zhou. If you have any requests, just say the word, and we will certainly do our best to satisfy them."

Their police station could deal with men, but they were powerless against ghosts.

If things continued like this, even if Police Chief Ma wasn't killed by the vengeful spirit, his career would be ruined.

"That won't be necessary. Tonight, all of you will stay in the main hall and are forbidden from going anywhere else. Even if you need to eat, drink, or relieve yourselves, once night falls, you will do it all right here in the hall," Zhou Yan said bluntly.

He did not want to be distracted by other matters while he was dealing with the vengeful spirit.

"No problem."

Police Chief Ma immediately replied in a loud voice.

Night arrived.

All the lights in the Changning Branch were switched on, and everyone remained in the main hall.

Although some people raised objections, they were all forcibly suppressed by Police Chief Ma.

At this point, Zhou Yan could be considered Police Chief Ma's only lifeline. Police Chief Ma had placed all his hopes on Zhou Yan and did not want anyone else to ruin things.

During the day, Zhou Yan had walked through the entire Changning Branch and dropped a few items in specific locations.

What he didn't tell Police Chief Ma was that he had secretly set up a Luck-Breaking Formation, which could briefly pierce through the national fortune and official aura shrouding the Changning Branch.

Only by doing this could the vengeful spirit enter the Changning Branch.

This type of formation was something Zhou Yan had discovered in the Yue Family Library. As a practitioner of Corpse Controlling, he also had a great interest in formations.

Once he had a sufficient number of corpses, he might even be able to use them to set up formations.

This was one of the paths Zhou Yan was considering for the future of his Corpse Controlling.

The reason Zhou Yan did this was to lure the vengeful spirit into the Police Station so he could strike, ensuring he could keep the spirit there as long as possible.

Furthermore, he had a hidden motive.

He wanted to know exactly which person in the Police Station held such a deep grudge against the vengeful spirit that it had become an endless, life-or-death vendetta.