After a brief conversation with Zhonghai, Mo Lin departed. Everything was proceeding in an orderly fashion. As for Li Xue, Mo Lin assigned him the task of investigating the whereabouts of Zi Shangqingrou.
Zi Shangqingrou was an enigmatic figure, an underworld official. Upon arriving in the mortal realm, King Yan had instructed Mo Lin to help find her. Months had passed, yet Mo Lin had received no leads.
Returning home, Mo Lin found Bingyu, his ghost, standing at the door in a daze. Since she had reached a lethal level of power, Mo Lin had refrained from interfering with her, granting her as much freedom as possible. He paid little attention to her, instead lying down to rest.
Meanwhile, in an empty courtyard in Beihai, a young man in black clothing stood, holding a bell in his right hand. He shook the bell while muttering incantations. Before him lay a coffin, its contents unknown. The man held a red string in his right hand, one end tied around the body inside the coffin, the other around a straw effigy.
"Controlling corpses... controlling ghosts... using the body to manipulate the soul," the man murmured.
In Yun Chuan...
"Wuwuwu... Why... I am dead... why won't you leave me alone..." Bingyu crouched in a corner, her hands covering her face in tears.
Suddenly, she sprang to her feet, her pupils glowing blood red. Her body moved involuntarily, and she walked toward Mo Lin's direction, entering his room.
Mo Lin, deep in slumber, had no defenses against his own ghost. His eyes snapped open as he found Bingyu's hand around his neck, choking him.
Mo Lin was stunned, confusion written all over his face. Struggling to breathe, he quickly drew a thunder talisman. The crackling power of lightning surged forth, forcing Bingyu to recoil.
The sudden force seemed to have disturbed Bingyu's control, and some semblance of her sanity returned.
"I'm sorry... Lord Mo... I can't control myself," Bingyu cried, her voice trembling with guilt.
Without warning, she lunged at him again, her palm aiming for his chest. Mo Lin dodged her attack, and in the next moment, his bed was torn apart, its stuffing floating through the air. This was a lethal-level ghost.
Had Mo Lin been at his peak, he would have had no reason to fear. But now, he was slightly weakened.
Something was wrong. Why would Bingyu suddenly attack him?
"Boom!"
Mo Lin summoned another thunder talisman, blocking Bingyu's assault once more. As he fended her off, he observed the situation carefully.
Bingyu was his creation. He had spent over two hundred thousand Nether Coins cultivating her. He couldn't bear the thought of destroying her soul. If he caused her harm, it would take even more Nether Coins to restore her.
"Lord... I am sorry," Bingyu apologized, her voice filled with despair. She was utterly helpless, as if a puppet on strings, controlled by an unseen force.
Sensing that she couldn't kill Mo Lin, Bingyu turned and fled, heading toward the distance. Over two hundred thousand Nether Coins—was he really going to let her run?
No, this was unacceptable!
Mo Lin's ghost, created by him, was not to be taken away by anyone.
He immediately retrieved the "Ghost Suppression Book" and threw it toward her. The next moment, Bingyu's body disappeared, trapped within the pages of the book.
At the same time, in Beihai, the straw effigy the man in black had been controlling suddenly exploded, the red threads snapping.
"Master... I suppose I will have to wait for another opportunity," the man muttered to himself. "The body is still here, so there is no shortage of chances to control her."
Back in Mo Lin's room, he began to piece things together. This disturbance was the work of some high-ranking individual.
With Bingyu safely contained in the Ghost Suppression Book, she regained her sanity.
"What happened?" Mo Lin asked her.
"It was them... I died, and they won't leave me alone!" Bingyu cried, her emotions running high.
"Who?" Mo Lin pressed.
"The ones who killed me. They raise ghosts, murdered my family, and I only survived through my father's help." Her words triggered a memory in Mo Lin's mind—something Li Yue Mei had once mentioned: there had been cases of people using ghosts to kill whole families. Upon hearing this, Bingyu's eyes had bled. Now it seemed that she had been one of the victims.
"Controlling the soul with the body?" Mo Lin murmured, realization dawning upon him. "They must have found your body and are using it to control you."
This was something that had to be resolved.
He had invested over two hundred thousand Nether Coins into cultivating Bingyu as his asset. He couldn't just leave her locked in the Ghost Suppression Book forever. Moreover, he had to help her take revenge.
Bingyu was his ghost—he couldn't ignore it.
"I don't care about meddling in others' affairs, but when it comes to something concerning me, it must be dealt with."
"Who are they? Where are they?" Mo Lin pressed.
"I don't know their names... but I know they are in Beihai. If I go there, I will recognize them immediately," Bingyu replied.
"Coincidentally, I am heading to Beihai."
Time to go to Beihai and solve this problem.
The sun's rays spread across the earth, bathing the land in golden light. Lin Xi wore a short skirt and a large sunhat. Feng Mingyu stood beside her in a flowing sheer dress, while Yun Ling held an umbrella, following them closely.
The heat made their attire minimal, and while these three women were striking, the others were more ordinary, blending in as bystanders.
The group was heading to Beihai for support, with Lin Xi serving as the team leader today. Mo Lin, in simple casual clothes, walked beside her. They would take the high-speed train to Beihai, a journey of over two hours. The trip went smoothly, and they arrived without incident.
Upon arrival, Lin Xi hailed a taxi, and the group, including Mo Lin, Lin Xi, Feng Mingyu, and Yun Ling, piled into the car. The others followed in separate taxis.
After about ten minutes of driving, Mo Lin suddenly voiced his concern.
"This isn't right," he said, his tone uneasy.
The others instantly grew tense.
"What's wrong?" Lin Xi asked, puzzled.
"Mo Lin, do you sense something?" Feng Mingyu turned her gaze toward the driver. If there was a ghost, the driver would surely be involved.
"This isn't the way to the Ghost Suppression Headquarters," Mo Lin added.
He had heard from Zhonghai that many of the Ghost Suppressors had died in Beihai recently, so he remained cautious.
"Have you been here before? How do you know this isn't the way?" Feng Mingyu asked, confused.
As soon as she looked outside the window, she quickly retracted her question. The road they were on was definitely not leading to the headquarters.
The headquarters was in the city center. Was there really a small dirt road like this? And why were there no tall buildings in sight?
"Stop the car," Feng Mingyu commanded sharply.
The driver ignored her and sped up.
"I said stop! Can't you hear me?" Feng Mingyu hissed, summoning her contracted ghost.
She was about to forcefully stop the car when—
"Boom!"
The car exploded, and blood splattered inside the taxi. The driver had self-detonated.
4o