Answers from the Beginning

Yang Jian was unaware that, within just half a day, several high-ranking members of his social circle had held a meeting at the Ping An Building to discuss his case and had already made a decision.

He had just finished dinner with Wan Delu and was about to ask the man named Luo Yong about his family's old house.

Luo Yong is a true countryman. He used to farm in his hometown, and later worked outside. He worked hard and earned a sum of money. He planned to go back home and build a house. Seeing that his ancestral home was dilapidated, he decided to demolish the old house and rebuild it. Little did he know that as soon as he started construction, he dug out a basement and found a lot of antiques.

The news naturally attracted the attention of some antique dealers, and he made a small fortune from it.

Little did he know that the long-sealed basement would bring one terrifying and supernatural event after another, so Luo Yong was still kept in the dark and knew nothing about it.

Even this trip to J City was only brought here after Wan Delu coaxed and tricked him into handing over 50,000 yuan in service fees.

Yang Jian didn't care about these things; what he cared about was whether the clue he was looking for would be lost.

Luo Yong was sitting in the next private room, having already finished his meal. The food was quite good; he had never eaten such high-class food and drinks before. But the more he ate, the more restless he became.

He believed that there was no such thing as a free lunch, and that the boss must have some ulterior motive towards him.

Therefore, Luo Yong was always thinking about leaving as soon as possible and going back to his hometown.

However, the two security guards in the private room sat there watching him, preventing Luo Yong from suddenly slipping away.

It was around 2 PM.

The door to insurance was suddenly pushed open.

The first to enter was a young man who looked somewhat immature, with a well-proportioned and robust physique and incredibly sharp eyes, like a hawk in the forest or a dangerous lone wolf. Beneath those fierce eyes lay a chilling numbness, devoid of any emotion.

When someone looks at you like that, it's not as if they're looking at a person, but as if they're looking at pork on a chopping board.

It's hard to imagine what kind of person could have such a heart-stopping gaze.

Just from being glanced at, Luo Yong felt a chill run down his spine, a strange coldness welled up in his heart, and he subconsciously became nervous for some reason.

"Boss Yang, Boss." The bodyguard hurriedly stood up.

Wan Delu nodded as he followed behind. "You guys go out first, we have some things to discuss."

"Yes, boss." The bodyguard immediately left the private room and closed the door behind him.

Without any hesitation, Yang Jian walked straight to Luo Yong, pulled up a chair, sat down, and asked, "Are you Luo Yong?"

"I... my name is Luo Yong. Who are you? I don't know you." Luo Yong's tone revealed nervousness.

"I am Yang Jian, the Dachang City Manager. There is a special case that I am in charge of investigating. The main reason I asked you to come to J City is that I have some questions for you about some details. I hope you will cooperate with my investigation. This way, it will be good for both of us." After Yang Jian finished speaking, he took out his identification and placed his service weapon on the table as well.

There's no particular reason; it's just for deterrence.

Their identity and the gun they carry already convey a lot. It might not be effective against Ghost Tamer, but it's enough to be effective against ordinary people.

Really.

Somewhat nervous, Luo Yong was startled when Yang Jian placed the special identification card with the metal badge and his sidearm on the table. His face turned pale, and he began to tremble. He subconsciously wondered if he had committed some serious crime.

"I'll ask, you answer." Yang Jian didn't give him any time to think and immediately asked, "Are you the owner of this old house in the photo?"

He took out a photo of an old house from the file.

"Yes, it's me, no, sir, I'm not the head of the household, my grandfather is the head, I inherited it." Luo Yong stammered nervously.

Yang Jian, "This thing was dug out of the basement of your old house. Do you recognize it?"

He then pulled out a photograph of a soul bottle.

"Yes, that's right, this is an antique that my family dug up." Cold sweat broke out on Luo Yong's forehead.

"Don't be nervous, it's just a routine investigation," Yang Jian. "Do you remember how many bottles like these you've dug up?"

"Three, no, no, it's five, yes, there are five bottles, and some plates, cups and the like," Luo Yong hurriedly replied.

"Five?" Yang Jian's face darkened.

Wan Delu's investigation was not thorough enough. He only found one soul bottle, and the ghost inside had already been released. Even including the bottle he had, there were only two. In other words, Luo Yong had secretly kept three when he dug them up.

"You sold all five bottles?" He was concerned about whether the bottle that imprisoned the vengeful ghost was still there.

Luo Yong was still sweating profusely because he saw the officer in front of him's face darken. He felt that something had happened to these things, and stammered, "Sold, sold them. One sold for 10,000, one sold for 30,000, and someone offered 100,000 each for the remaining three, so I sold them all."

Upon hearing this, Yang Jian's gaze sharpened. "Someone bought three in one go? Do you have his contact number?"

No, no.

Luo Yong replied, "He came to our door to buy it and paid in cash on the spot. I don't have his contact number. He said this is something that can't be done in the open, and the fewer people who know about it, the better."

Yang Jian fell silent.

He felt something was amiss; who would bring hundreds of thousands of yuan in cash to buy this thing?

This isn't a thousand-year-old antique; it's just something from a hundred years ago. Selling it for tens of thousands of yuan would already be considered quite good.

"The person who made the purchase was most likely after what was inside the bottle; otherwise, they wouldn't have offered cash. A bank transfer would leave a record, making it easy to trace the person. That person was aware of this and was prepared. This wasn't done by Headquarters; it was probably some private force or individual."

Yang Jian speculated that this was Ghost Tamer.

However, if that's the case, it's actually a good thing. At least the Ghost Tamer will be very careful when dealing with these imprisoned ghosts. If they fell into the hands of ordinary people, they would end up like that antique street, where supernatural events have already begun to occur.

"Let's put the antique matter aside for now. How much do you really know about your grandfather?" Now that the trail to the Soul Bottle had gone cold, Yang Jian got back to the main topic.

Because Luo Yong's appearance is seven or eight parts similar to the old man who Door-Knocking Ghost, and it is also related to the soul bottle and the old house, he is most likely a descendant of the Ghost Tamer from a hundred years ago.

"My grandfather?" Luo Yong was clearly taken aback. "Sir, I don't know much about him."

"I don't know, you've never met your grandfather?" Yang Jian asked.

He figured that Luo Yong was over fifty years old, and if you counted, he should have met his grandfather when he was a child, so they shouldn't have completely lost contact.

As for Luo Yong's father, Yang Jian had already asked Wan Delu. Luo Yong's father died at the age of seventy-three; otherwise, his father would have been a better candidate for investigation.

While nervously answering, Luo Yong said, "I saw him a few times when I was little. My dad separated from my grandfather a long time ago. We lived in the village, while my grandfather lived in the old house outside the village. I have a very shallow impression of my grandfather. The most vivid memory is when I was sick as a child. My family was poor and couldn't afford to treat him. That night, my grandfather suddenly appeared and brought me some money, which is why my dad took me to get treatment."

"And then?" Yang Jian pressed.

"I never saw my grandfather again after that," Luo Yong said.

Yang Jian astutely noticed a loophole. "Your grandfather must have been very old back then, right? He died without a funeral?"

The death of an elderly person in a rural area is a major event, and it is impossible not to hold a funeral.

"I don't know. It seems that my grandfather disappeared completely after that incident. I've never seen him again, and my father has never mentioned him," Luo Yong said.

"Did it mysteriously disappear?" Yang Jian murmured to himself, becoming increasingly certain.

Luo Yong's grandfather was a Ghost Tamer belonged to the same era as Old Qin from Headquarters, and he lived for a very long time.

It seemed that the problem of the vengeful ghost's resurgence had been overcome over a long period of time.

However, Yang Jian didn't find it strange. All the top Ghost Tamer survived to the end were extraordinary. But why did Luo Yong's grandfather choose to disappear mysteriously in the end?

Are you choosing a burial plot when you die of old age?

"I have a photo here. See if you recognize the person in it," Yang Jian said, taking out his phone and opening the photo.

There's a picture of a Door-Knocking Ghost the door inside.

The photo was taken through a glass window. Outside the window was a slightly dimly lit corridor. An elderly man, dressed in a black retro long gown, with a wrinkled face and covered in petrified spots, stood there stiffly, his head slightly turned in this direction, revealing a pair of gray, empty, and numb eyes.

"This is my grandfather," Luo Yong said, startled when he saw the photo.

Because this is a modern photograph, if my grandfather were still alive, he would be over a hundred years old.

"You've never met your grandfather, so what makes you think he's your grandfather?" Yang Jian stared at him and said.

Luo Yong pointed excitedly at the photo and said, "The day I was sick when I was little, my grandfather wore this very outfit to give my father money. I remember it very clearly, I can't mistake it."

"Brother Leg, this is obviously his grandson. They look almost identical. Even I, a layman, can tell." Wan Delu glanced at him and couldn't help but say.

"Very good, now that you're sure, things will be easier." Yang Jian quickly put away the photos.

He was not surprised by the result.

Because the moment he first saw Luo Yong, the identity of the Door-Knocking Ghost was already confirmed in his mind.

The vengeful ghost codenamed "Ghost Knocking" is the Ghost Tamer from a hundred years ago. As for why it suddenly appeared half a year ago, Yang Jian believes that Luo Yong's grandfather died around that time. After his death, his body was discovered and sent to the hospital, where the vengeful ghost revived, forming an A-class paranormal event.

The problem is, these top-tier Ghost Tamer survived to the modern era, who overcame the anomalies of resurrected vengeful spirits, apparently died from a fall, according to the account of the doctor, Lightning King, who was practicing medicine in that forum story.

He died from falling from the fifth floor.

This is absolutely ridiculous.

But if we think about it from another perspective, what could have killed Luo Yong's grandfather?

There may be something even more terrifying hidden behind the cause of Grandpa Luo Yong's death.

Seeing Yang Jian deep in thought, Luo Yong felt uneasy but dared not utter a sound and could only stay quietly.

After Yang Jian came to his senses, he gave Luo Yong a deep look. "Did your grandfather leave anything behind or anything special for you before he mysteriously disappeared?"

"No, no." Although Luo Yong's tone was a little nervous, his answer was decisive.

Yang Jian shook his head self-deprecatingly upon hearing this answer.

That's right. Luo Yong's grandfather separated from his family and cut off all contact with them early on. This is because he was afraid that ghosts would affect his family. Even if he left any clues, he would never leave them on his relatives, as that would be inviting trouble.

But putting yourself in their shoes, where would you leave a clue?

After much thought...

Yang Jian could only think of two places.

One is the place where Luo Yong's grandfather died, which is where his body was first discovered. At that time, he might still have been alive and could have left behind something useful.

Another one is...

Yang Jian opened his phone again; it was still the photo of the Door-Knocking Ghost. He had saved the photo immediately; it was very clear, and he had zoomed in on it.

It was the old man's black vintage-style long gown, with a pocket at the waist.

"The clothing style of that period wouldn't allow for a pocket in this place." Yang Jian's eyes flickered. "This is the only unusual thing, and the pocket is slightly bulging, so there's something inside."

Clue.

This is the key to truly understanding the source of the vengeful ghost and everything else.

His intuition told him that the Door-Knocking Ghost the door had the answer he wanted in its pocket, because the wisest thing for someone who might die at any moment would be to keep important information on their person.

Considering the issue of his own vengeful spirit's resurgence, Luo Yong's grandfather was absolutely confident that this answer would only fall into the hands of someone qualified to possess it.

Because you have to deal with the Door-Knocking Ghost first before you can get this answer.

Being able to do this already qualifies one as a top-tier Ghost Tamer, and naturally, they are qualified to understand everything. As for ordinary people, even ordinary Ghost Tamer, knowing all this is useless to them; they cannot change anything.

"I survived the Knocking Ghost Incident, but am I going to end up back where I started after all this time?"

Yang Jian didn't know whether to feel emotional or excited, but more than either of these emotions, he felt uneasy.

Because the paranormal event codenamed "Ghost Knocking" is not so easy to handle.

Moreover, anything that could cause the death of a top Ghost Tamer a hundred years ago is clearly extremely terrifying.

He pondered for a long time.

The atmosphere in the private room was somewhat heavy.

Luo Yong dared not mention leaving at this moment, while Wan Delu yawned, looking tired, but did not leave, only waiting for the questioning to end.

Neither of them showed the slightest impatience.

Whether they are ordinary workers or company executives, they all have to wait obediently, because Yang Jian has the right to make them wait.