Not So Simple

"Outside the branch."

Ma Yan thought it over, then said firmly.

After hearing him, Zhou Yan nodded slightly. "Since it's outside the branch, I can give it a try, but I can't guarantee the result."

Ma Yan let out a sigh of relief. "That's fine. Just be careful and don't put yourself in danger. If you can handle it, then do so. If you can't, let the people above find another expert."

He had originally thought that now Zhou Yan had become a guest official of Yue Mansion, he wouldn't do this sort of thing anymore, lest it lower his standing.

So, for more than half a year, he hadn't tried to find any more work for Zhou Yan.

But now it seemed his brother-in-law was still the same as ever, entirely unconcerned by his change in status and still retaining a measure of kindness in his heart.

Zhou Yan smiled and nodded slightly.

He had just finished refining an Escape Corpse, and now he felt like drawing his sword and challenging the world. This would be the perfect chance to put it through its paces.

Police Station, Changning Branch.

When Zhou Yan arrived, everyone in the branch, from the police chief to the constables, came out to greet him. They had made quite a spectacle of it.

The fact that the Changning Branch had gone to such lengths even though Zhou Yan hadn't revealed that he was a guest official of the Yue Family showed just how badly the entire branch had been frightened by the evil ghost. Nearly everyone was on edge.

"Brother-in-law, did your branch really not ask any other mages for help?" Zhou Yan asked quietly.

He didn't think he was so sought-after that the Changning Branch would have to ask him for help.

Ma Yan furrowed his brow and replied in a low voice, "I was out on a case not long ago and only got back today. Then they called me over. I thought it was a minor matter, but judging by the situation, it may not be so simple after all. You'll have to be extra careful."

Zhou Yan immediately understood. It seemed the Changning Branch had indeed called in a mage, but they had failed to drive out the evil ghost.

The situation might even be worse than he'd thought.

"Dharma Master Zhou, your brother-in-law is an officer in our branch, and that makes you one of us, too. We'll be counting on you this time." Police Chief Ma, the branch chief, clasped Zhou Yan's hand tightly. His eyes were filled with earnest hope.

Zhou Yan didn't immediately promise anything. Instead, he said, "Of course. I'll do everything I can."

Once they entered the branch, Police Chief Ma told the others to disperse, then led Zhou Yan into his office.

Only Police Chief Ma and Zhou Yan were in the office, and the atmosphere immediately turned a little strange.

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

He had figured it out by now. There was definitely more to the haunting at the Police Station than met the eye.

Police Chief Ma wasn't offended. He knew Zhou Yan had been lured here under false pretenses, so he immediately put on an ingratiating smile. "Dharma Master Zhou, don't rush me. Whatever you want to know, I'll tell you everything."

Zhou Yan's expression remained calm. "How many people have died?"

Police Chief Ma's expression shifted slightly. He fell silent for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Seven. Four constables and one officer. Two mages also met with misfortune."

Zhou Yan nodded slightly, his expression unchanged.

It seemed Police Chief Ma still knew what mattered and hadn't tried to deceive him at a time like this.

Otherwise, he would have turned around and left at once.

"Can the evil ghost enter the Police Station?" Zhou Yan asked again.

Police Chief Ma hurriedly shook his head. "No. If it could, our men in the branch would all be dead."

Zhou Yan considered this, then asked, "Apart from the men at the Police Station and those two mages, has anyone else been killed?"

Police Chief Ma's expression darkened, but he shook his head. "No."

Now Zhou Yan understood. The evil ghost really was taking revenge and claiming lives.

He wasn't the only one who knew it. Police Chief Ma knew as well, but there was nothing he could do.

First, he had watched carefully for several days but hadn't found the culprit.

Second, he couldn't be sure that the evil ghost would stop even after killing the culprit.

Third, unless there was no other choice, he didn't dare betray his subordinates. If he did, he might as well quit the Police Station for good.

These days, it was hardly rare for those above to sell out those below.

But no one dared openly violate that taboo.

Otherwise, they could easily become a target of public outrage and be betrayed by others in the future.

"I'll do what I can."

Zhou Yan thought it over, then finally spoke.

The evil ghost might be far more powerful than he'd imagined, but its inability to enter the Police Station meant its strength hadn't yet surpassed the Qi-Inducing Realm.

In that case, with an Escape Corpse at his disposal, Zhou Yan wasn't particularly worried.

What was more, his Buddhist cultivation techniques were extremely effective against evil ghosts.

Even if he faced an evil ghost in the Qi-Inducing Realm and ultimately couldn't defeat it, he could still make a clean escape.

Police Chief Ma was overjoyed. He hurriedly said, "Thank you, Dharma Master Zhou. If you need anything, just say the word. We'll do our best to provide it."

The constables could deal with people, but they couldn't deal with ghosts.

If things continued like this, even if the evil ghost didn't kill him, Police Chief Ma's career would be ruined.

"There's no need. Tonight, every one of you will stay in the main hall. No one is allowed to go anywhere else. Whether you need to eat, drink, or relieve yourselves, wait until nightfall and do it all in the main hall." Zhou Yan spoke without ceremony.

He didn't want to be distracted by anything else while dealing with the evil ghost.

"No problem."

Police Chief Ma answered loudly at once.

Night fell.

Every light in the Changning Branch was switched on, and everyone stayed in the main hall.

Some people objected, but Police Chief Ma forcefully silenced them.

Zhou Yan was now Police Chief Ma's only lifeline. He had placed all his hopes in Zhou Yan and didn't want anyone else to ruin things.

During the day, Zhou Yan had walked through the entire Changning Branch, leaving a few things in certain places.

What he hadn't told Police Chief Ma was that he had secretly set up a Luck-Breaking Formation, which could temporarily break through the national fortune and official aura covering the skies above the Changning Branch.

That would allow the evil ghost to enter the Changning Branch.

Zhou Yan had discovered this formation in the Yue Family Library. Since he cultivated the art of Corpse Controlling, he was also extremely interested in formations.

If he had enough corpses under his control, perhaps he could use them to set up formations.

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

The reason Zhou Yan had done this was to lure the evil ghost into the Police Station so he could attack it. That was the only way to keep it there as long as possible.

He also had another, more private motive.

He wanted to find out which person in the Police Station had incurred such a deep hatred from the evil ghost that it was practically a fight to the death...