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Old Li nodded with a smile, then his expression turned to disappointment: "I thought that with the Ke family around, you wouldn't be harmed. Who knew that the Ke family would not pass on their skills to future generations? The Taoist arts have been lost in this generation. It's unbelievable! A family of ghost hunters has actually abandoned its family mission? I wonder what happened. That good-for-nothing can't do anything."

"Shishi isn't dead?"

"No, I placed her in the center of the Tang family cemetery, where spiritual energy gathers. With so many ancestors protecting her, the evil spirits can't do anything to her for the time being."

What is an evil spirit?

The old man suddenly stood up and led Qin Jin towards the center of the cemetery. The cemetery radiated a gentle light under the moonlight.

As I walked, I finally saw a person lying on the ground.

It was Shishi. Many fireflies surrounded her, illuminating her brightly. But what was frightening was that Shishi was still wearing that beautiful blood-red cheongsam.

Seeing the fear in her eyes, Old Man Li sighed heavily and said, "I can't get that dress off either. So many ancestors have fought against that evil spirit, but its resentment is too strong, and it can't be removed no matter what."

"Was everything caused by this dress?"

"Where did you get your cloth from?"

"It was obtained by Shishi from a small village in western Hunan."

"That's right, it really is the Kabeng Curse. It's the most vicious curse. The person who would cast such a curse must have a deep-seated hatred for the destruction of this world."

"What on earth is going on? I inexplicably lost my friends and am being chased by ghosts. What on earth is going on?"

As the two were talking, the firefly's light suddenly dimmed, and Shishi groaned on the ground.

"Oh no, we can't control the female ghost anymore. Now she's going to kill Shishi. Quick, I'll perform a ritual, and you tear those clothes off."

In the dim light of the night, you could see a person lying on top of Shishi, and that must be the dress!

Old Man Li's fingertips emitted a pale blue light, pointing directly at the person. The person's fingernails were already touching Shishi's eyes. Qin Jin couldn't afford to lose any more friends. She gritted her teeth, picked up a branch from the ground, and lashed it hard at the female ghost's face. The female ghost stumbled and fell next to Tang Shishi. Just then, Qin Jin rushed forward and tore her clothes to shreds. The fireflies instantly brightened again, and the female ghost disappeared.

Qin Jin gasped for breath. Old Man Li picked Shi Shi up from the ground, and all the fireflies swarmed around Tang Shi Shi in Old Man Li's arms.

After rescuing Shishi and bringing her back to the hut, changing her into one of Old Man Li's clothes, and giving her a cup of hot tea, she finally woke up.

Upon waking up, Shishi burrowed into Qin Jin's arms in terror and burst into tears.

It turns out she knew everything and understood everything, but she couldn't wake up and also sensed Qin Jin saving her.

The two gradually calmed down and immediately pressed Old Man Li to tell them what had happened.

"Kabeng is the most vicious curse. These people have lived deep in the mountains for a long time. There are often ancient locust trees in their area. The locust tree is the most yin tree of all trees. The character 'locust' is composed of 'wood' and 'ghost,' making it the tree that attracts evil spirits the most. If a curse is cast on this tree, it will absorb the resentment of all the evil spirits in that area, and no one can break the curse."

"Then how do we download it?"

"I've also vaguely heard some legends from hundreds of years ago, which say that the one who casts the curse will tie their closest and dearest blood relatives to an ancient locust tree, gouge out their eyes, and let them bleed to death, so that the ancient locust tree can absorb the blood of the dead. And the ancient locust tree will absorb the girl tied to the tree into its own body within a year."

"A girl?"

"Yes, the one who casts the curse must choose a young girl, and a clean and pure virgin, for the ancient locust tree to absorb her resentment and be driven by her."

"So, to cast a curse, one must kill their closest loved one?"

"Yes, usually it's the father killing his own daughter."

Qin Jin and Shi Shi both took a few steps back, feeling that this method was too cruel. To gouge out the eyes of one's beloved daughter, tie her to a tree, and let her die in agony—what kind of perverted curse was this!

"Then how is the curse cast?"

"When the following spring arrives, the one who cast the curse will dig up the roots of the ancient locust tree. If the roots of the ancient locust tree are damaged, it will ooze a thick sap that looks like fresh blood. Cloth dyed with this sap is called 'Kabong'."

"That's what we're wearing." Tang Shishi looked like she was about to faint.

"Yes, it is a curse. Usually, when dyeing cloth, the person who casts the curse will recite their wish and the person they want to curse. After the cloth is dyed, it will try every means to fall into the hands of the cursed person, and then they will go on a killing spree. No one cursed person can escape from the curse; they are destined to die."

"But why are we entangled in this?"

“I don’t know either. Why would Kabeng kill you for no reason? Could it be that Kabeng’s resentment is too great, and the curse has gone out of control, with the vengeful ghosts above becoming bloodthirsty and starting to kill indiscriminately? This is a problem I cannot solve. Qin Jin, you must seek help from Ke Liang. His Ke family has been famous ghost-catching masters for generations, the most famous sect among ghost-catching clans. He has the answer. Since you were able to meet him, it proves that Heaven does not want to cut off your path. You must break this curse to save yourself and Shishi, and also save Yingqi.”

"Yingqi? She's not dead yet?" Shishi asked in surprise.

"No, although her soul is controlled by that female ghost, she is not in immediate danger. However, you need to hurry. We all feel that we have no way to deal with this evil curse. Her power increases greatly with each person she kills, and she now has the ability to summon other evil spirits. For example, the little ghosts chasing Qin Jin were all summoned by her. If her power increases a little more, Hei Bao will no longer be able to protect you."

"Why is Black Treasure protecting me?" Qin Jin asked.

"The black cat is a messenger of the underworld. Ordinary vengeful ghosts cannot harm the black cat. However, this cat is willing to risk its life to save you. You must have a connection with it. If you find out this connection, it may help you break this curse."

"Sir, what should we do now?"

“Go find Ke Liang, he should have the answer. I am the guardian of the Tang family's tomb and cannot leave the cemetery for too long. However, I can give you my treasures, at least to ward off evil spirits. Actually, it's useless for me to go, because I can't help you much, nor can I break the curse. You have to find a way yourselves.” As he spoke, Old Man Li gave Tang Shishi a bracelet. The bracelet was made of red jade and emitted a red glow in the darkness. “You should leave quickly, your time is running out. That female ghost is killing people frantically. If you don't find a way to control her soon, not only you, but many more people will be killed. Tell that boy from the Ke family to learn Taoist arts quickly, otherwise, even Chi Huan won't be able to protect him for long.”

"Uncle, what is a red ring? How come Ke Liang has a red ring?" Qin Jin asked curiously.

"The Crimson Ring is that earring! It's a top-grade treasure among celestial masters. With this treasure, most ghosts can't do anything to him. But I don't know how much use the Crimson Ring will have for Kabeng. You have to make him wear it forever."

They finally emerged from the cemetery. The two friends, who had narrowly escaped death, walked out, with Old Man Li's lingering gaze behind them. Their hands were clasped tightly together, and they refused to let go.

Chapter Fourteen: Crack (1)

Qin Jin ran all the way back to the library, and Tang Shishi wondered to herself, "Why are you going back again? Didn't you just escape?"

“There are still people inside. I need to go check on them. Anyway, it’s already daylight.”

"Let's call Lu Ziming! It'll be safer that way."

Qin Jin turned around and looked at Tang Shishi curiously. It seemed that Shishi had a special regard for Lu Ziming. The man a woman thinks of in her most dangerous moment is usually the man she likes. Shishi felt embarrassed by her gaze and said reproachfully, "What are you looking at? Aren't you in a hurry to save your lover?"

"What lover? I just don't want that spendthrift to die because of me." Qin Jin's heart raced. She thought to herself, "How could I possibly like that guy! He's so ugly!"

When the two ran to the library, they saw a large number of police cars parked outside. The police said that a murder had occurred inside and the scene was being cordoned off.

Qin Jin's legs went weak. Had Ke Liang already met his end? Wasn't he supposed to be the descendant of some kind of Celestial Master? Was he really that easy to deal with?

Tang Shishi quickly comforted her, "Don't worry, ask first."

Just then, Lu Ziming's figure flashed past in the lobby, and Shishi and Qin Jin both shouted, "Ziming, Ziming!"

Lu Ziming turned around and his face lit up with joy. He ran over and grabbed Qin Jin's hand, saying, "Oh my god! I was so worried about you. Our whole team was looking for you. We thought you were missing. Ke Liang reported you missing."

"Ke Liang is still alive?"

"Of course, good people don't live long, but evil people live for a thousand years."

Tang Shishi's face turned ashen. When Lu Ziming saw Shishi, he shouted again, "Oh my god, you're back! How are you? Are you hurt? Where did you go?"

"I can't explain this to you in a short time, so please take me to see Ke Liang," Qin Jin said.

Ke Liang was sitting in a small room giving a statement when he saw Qin Jin stand up and rush towards him. The stool tripped him, and he fell flat on his face.

"Qin Xiaomi, you're not dead!"

"You're the one who's dead. Do you think I'm that easy to kill?"

"But I was so worried just now!"

Why did you report it to the police?

“I was looking at the book when I realized you were gone. Then I looked at the two administrators. One was sitting in front of the computer, already dead, and the other was slumped in his chair. I immediately called the police, thinking you had also been murdered.”

Tang Shishi said with dissatisfaction, "Are you two ever going to stop?! Let Ziming talk!"

Lu Ziming smiled and said, "Those two women died just like your friend Lan Qi. Their eyes were gouged out and soaked in water. Our police suspect this is a serial murder case, and that the killer is an extremely vicious person, or that these people have joined a cult."

The forensic doctor came in and nodded to Lu Ziming.

Lu Ziming then said, "Alright, we can go back to the police station now. This is all settled."

The four of them rode back in a police car. Only Lu Ziming's face did not show the fear he was looking at, while the other three had cold hands and feet. Qin Jin held Hei Bao, which had a minor injury and one of its legs was not working properly. So, it nestled in Qin Jin's arms, resting its head gently against her. Qin Jin gently stroked its soft fur.

The police station was in a building, and the four of them went upstairs.

Lu Ziming insists that this is a murder case, not a suicide.

Shishi finally couldn't hold back anymore: "Ziming, no, this is not something a human would do!"

"If it wasn't done by a human, could it be a ghost?!"

Lu Ziming's joking question turned all three of them pale. They were terrified at the thought of those terrible experiences happening to them.

Seeing everyone's serious expressions, Lu Ziming began to get a little unhappy: "You're all highly educated people, how can you believe in this kind of thing?"

"No, Lu Ziming, it's true." Ke Liang couldn't help but argue with Lu Ziming again.

"What do you mean, 'really'? Could there really be ghosts in this world?"

"Ziming, just because you can't see it doesn't mean it doesn't exist." Qin Jin was furious. This man always doubted her and everyone else again and again.

"Qin Jin, it's not that I don't believe you, but I really can't accept it all at once. Do you expect a policeman to believe that the opponent he's facing is a nonexistent ghost?"

“It’s not something that doesn’t exist; it’s real.” Tang Shishi had a bad temper, and having already been angered by the female ghost, this only added fuel to the fire.

"Alright, alright, you believe me, let's stop arguing. I'll go upstairs to get some documents. Let's let the facts speak for themselves, shall we?" Seeing that he had angered everyone, Lu Ziming had no choice but to back down.

He stormed out of the room in a fit of rage, finding the three people inside utterly unreasonable.

Inside the room, Ke Liang looked at Qin Jin cautiously: "Are you alright? Your boyfriend looks like this."

"Who said he's my boyfriend? Which eye of yours saw that?" Qin Jin's tears flowed down her cheeks. Ke Liang, oblivious to the danger, really shouldn't have said anything.

Tang Shishi hugged Qin Jin, looking at Ke Liang and Qin Jin with confusion. These two were clearly a couple, so how did Lu Ziming become Qin Jin's boyfriend?

Lu Ziming was waiting for the elevator, but the murder case was still on his mind.

The elevator arrived, and Lu Ziming stepped inside. The dilapidated elevator emitted an overload warning beep. Lu Ziming exclaimed, "What a piece of junk! It's only been installed for a few days and it's already broken!"

The elevator creaked shut as if in pain, the doors closing slowly. The elevator was empty. Lu Ziming angrily thought of Ke Liang's detestable face, his scoundrel-like appearance, and wondered why Qin Jin trusted him so much.

Ha, Lu Ziming is actually jealous? He's jealous of Ke Liang? These days, he's been working day and night at the bureau, searching for clues in Lan Qi's case, just to give Qin Jin an explanation. He never expected that while he was working so hard, that kid would steal her away, and the way he looks at Qin Jin seems to be even colder towards him.

The elevator suddenly stopped. Lu Ziming knocked on the elevator door a few times and pressed the button. This felt a bit strange to him. The door felt like he was knocking on something soft, and there was no echo at all. Moreover, the button was fleshy and slippery, like there was a piece of snot that hadn't been wiped clean. It felt disgusting.

There was a strange smell in the air, but he didn't find it strange. Forensic doctors often carried human or animal limbs up the elevator, but the smell was particularly strong today.

He frowned, then decided to ignore it.

The elevator went up again and soon reached the floor. He got out of the door and went straight to the restroom because his hands felt dirty from pressing the elevator buttons.

However, Lu Ziming had a stomachache. He grabbed some toilet paper from the sink and went into a stall, pulling down his pants to relieve himself. Just as he squatted down, he felt a chill, looked down, and was startled.

Inside the gleaming toilet bowl, there was a whole pit of eyes.

The man's eyes were completely bloodless, their smooth surface gleaming with a cold, black-and-white light, countless pupils staring at him. He met those eyes for a few seconds, then, realizing what was happening, yelled and jumped out, pulling up his pants.