late at night.
Taxi driver Zhang Da continues to drive at night along this busiest road.
But tonight is really weird.
He had received two fares to the crematorium, and driving at night was considered unlucky.
Not to mention that the crematorium was located in a remote area, and the two trips left him feeling drowsy.
After seeing off the second customer, Zhang Da parked his car on the side of the road on the way back to the city center, opened the window, and smoked a cigarette to clear his head.
"This is seriously weird."
Zhang Da grumbled as he smoked, "Maybe I should just go home early tonight."
With that thought in mind, he no longer hesitated, stubbed out his cigarette and threw it into the stinking ditch, dusted off the ashes, and got into the car.
Just as they approached the outskirts, someone else hailed a taxi, wanting to go back to the city center.
Thinking that he was going back anyway and might as well give her a ride, Zhang Da raised his chin, gesturing for her to get in the car.
The girl, Xiaohua, was very enthusiastic, and her words carried a sense of relief, "I thought there wouldn't be many people left in the suburbs, thank goodness."
Driving late at night always leads to a bit more chatting, and to stay alert, Zhang Da sighed and unconsciously started complaining.
"I don't come here often. Tonight I picked up two customers going to the crematorium, so I took a shortcut."
Xiaohua Hua made two "oh" sounds, then yawned at the back seat. "Then, Master, you should go back and drink some Glutinous Rice water to wash away the bad luck. I live not far from the crematorium, and there have been quite a few deaths lately."
Her words only made things worse; Zhang Da's face turned pale. "It's true," he said, "I've encountered several strange things, and tonight I've been having nightmares about ghosts and spirits."
Xiaohua wasn't too keen on talking about these things late at night, so she just laughed it off a few times.
"Holy shit!"
Suddenly, Zhang Da's vision blurred, and he hurriedly stepped on the gas, almost crashing into something in front of him.
"What the hell!"
When the car stopped, Zhang Da rubbed his eyes vigorously, getting goosebumps all over his body.
"Damn it... who's setting up a bridal sedan chair in the middle of the road this late at night?!"
Xiaohua asked from the back seat, "This... can this still go?"
The bridal sedan chair was large, dark red, and stretched across the roadside, with four long pillars at the front and back blocking its view.
"Damn it... we have to get out of the car and move it."
Zhang Da had no choice but to get off the bus, as it was difficult to turn around on this road.
Be careful, Master.
Perhaps out of fear, Xiaohua's voice sounded particularly soft and eerie in the quiet night. Zhang Da, who was already tense, almost knelt down in fright upon hearing this.
"It's alright... it's alright!"
Zhang Da took two steps at a time, tilting his head, not daring to look inside the bridal sedan chair, and just grabbed the stick, trying to turn the sedan chair around.
But he clearly overestimated his strength, and could only move a little bit despite his efforts.
Xiaohua cautiously peeked out from the back seat, "Master, do you need any help?"
"Bring it on."
The two of them barely managed to move the bridal sedan chair to an angle where the carriage could pass. Neither of them dared to look up. Once they figured it was okay, they quickly ran onto the carriage.
Xiaohua returned to the back seat, panting heavily, her hands trembling with fear.
"Master, you shouldn't take this route again..."
Just as Xiaohua was about to strike up a conversation with her master, her face suddenly turned pale, and she froze, unable to move.
In the rearview mirror, Zhang Da's chest was adorned with a bright red boutonniere, the kind only grooms wear, which stood out starkly against the dim headlights.
"Master... Master!"
Zhang Da seemed deaf to the sound, staring blankly ahead, then suddenly floored the accelerator.
"Aaaaaah!! No!"
When Xiaohua saw him turn around and head straight for the river in the suburbs, she was so frightened that all the color drained from her body and she screamed in terror.
--
After filming in Hengdian for five days, Jiang Nuo finally got a short vacation and was taken to the association by Si Yan to rest that same day.
After a hearty meal and a good nap, Jiang Nuo found everything pleasing to the eye. After lunch, she and Si Yan "patrolled" the training base.
"There are quite a few more members than last time; it turns out there are so many skilled individuals among the common people."
Jiang Nuo was dazzled by their training and chatted idly while half-hanging on Si Yan.
"Most of the recently added members are inheritors of ancient magical techniques."
Si Yan kissed the corner of his eye, her voice soft and tender, as if asserting her dominance.
"Some of them came specifically for you."
"Me..."
Jiang Nuo chuckled twice, sensing the jealousy in Si Yan's tone.
"I'm considered an unofficial member of the family support group."
Si Yan's jealousy vanished instantly.
"Young Master!"
Qi Lin strode over, and upon seeing Jiang Nuo, nodded in delight and greeted her, "Long time no see."
"Hey~" Jiang Nuo waved, "What's the rush?"
Qi Lin, mindful of Qi Cang's status, is currently only in a clerical position within the association. Thinking of the corpse delivered today, he frowned, his tone grave.
"Young Master, the body of a taxi driver has been brought to the police station. He drove his car into the river and died late at night. The police investigation suspects it's related to Ghost Killing."
According to surviving passengers, they encountered a bridal sedan chair stopped on the road before the accident.
Jiang Nuo exclaimed in surprise, "Wow, that's so exciting!"
Si Yan: "Where is the body?"
"The body and related personnel are in room number 3 on the basement level."
Qi Lin and his Si Yan, entered the elevator.
The air conditioning and cool-toned wall lamps in the basement were on full blast, making the space bright and airy.
"Oh, Officer Song Zheng."
Jiang Nuo leaned against Si Yan's shoulder like a boneless person, and when she saw Song Zheng in his uniform, she teased, "You've encountered a ghost again, Officer Song."
Song Zheng: "..."
That's enough.
I feel sorry for myself.
Song Zheng sighed and gestured for them to look at the corpse.
The white cloth was ripped open, and Jiang Nuo exclaimed in surprise, quickly putting on her gloves. "Is this a Black driver?"
Song Zheng: "... No, after he was pulled out of the river, his face was black, but there was nothing wrong with him below the neck."
He handed the forensic report to Si Yan.
"The deceased, Zhang Da, was initially ruled to have drowned according to the established examination procedures, but the forensic examination revealed that... Zhang Da was already dead before he fell into the water."
Si Yan flipped through the report, her gaze lingering on the section on the cause of death.
In short, the deceased had no injuries sustained before death; the injuries sustained after death were attributed to hitting the car window after falling into the water, but the cause of death could not be found.
The diatom experiment report proved that the diatom mayfly organisms had not entered the body through the respiratory tract, nor did they form mushroom-like foam at the mouth and nose, which is not consistent with the characteristics of drowning before death.
Based on the description given by Xiaohua, a surviving passenger, the case was ultimately classified as a paranormal incident and handed over to the association for handling.
After reading the report, Si Yan casually put it down. Just then, Jiang Nuo finished looking at the body, and the two exchanged a glance.
Jiang Nuo: "This person was plagued by bad luck and yin energy before his death, and also came into contact with an extremely yin object, so he was possessed by a vengeful ghost and died."
As he spoke, the image of Qian Qiang, whom he had seen a few days earlier, inexplicably flashed through his mind; the man was shrouded in an aura of bad luck and malevolence.
Jiang Nuo's voice wasn't quiet, and suddenly, crying erupted from the other side of the room.
"I knew it! Sure enough... there was a ghost in that bridal sedan chair!"
The policewoman was comforting Xiaohua, who had just been picked up from the hospital, while Zhou Ling took notes nearby.
Xiaohua was sobbing, her forehead was still wrapped in gauze, but apart from the impact injury, she had no other problems.
She couldn't hold back her tears; she was filled with despair.
"But... I also touched the bridal sedan chair, what if... I'm next?"