"Do you think he might be half-human, half-ghost?"
"Could it be that he's practicing some sinister technique?" the man asked in jest.
Slap!
A cold, resounding slap from Wan Yu answered him.
"Watch your mouth. That man is not someone you can afford to provoke."
"I'm warning all of you—what happened today never happened. None of you saw him." Wan Yu reiterated his warning.
"Understood, Senior Brother," the plump man responded seriously, no longer daring to jest.
Seeing Wan Yu's grave expression, everyone else fell silent.
The last time he looked this serious was when a junior brother had been killed by a ghost.
As for Mo Lin, they would wait and report everything to their master upon his return.
...
Mo Lin, unaware of the events at Qi Dao Temple, had returned home by midnight.
Ghosts do not sleep.
But Mo Lin did.
He was exhausted...
He suddenly realized something—being a Ghost Tamer was not an easy job.
The hours were grueling.
Anyone who disliked staying up late wouldn't last in this line of work.
"My lord... I've found something."
Just as Mo Lin was about to fall asleep, a sudden voice jolted him awake.
Li Xue had appeared out of nowhere, without the slightest sound.
"Could you knock next time?" Mo Lin asked.
"Knock?"
"I don't need to knock. I don't use doors," Li Xue replied slowly, clearly misunderstanding.
"I prefer my ghost messengers to have manners... I like it when people knock before entering."
"Oh..."
Li Xue responded, stepped outside, and knocked—Knock knock knock.
"You've already come in, and now you're knocking?"
"I don't get it..."
Mo Lin sighed in resignation.
"Come in," he said cooperatively.
Li Xue entered again. "My lord, I've discovered who broke in a few nights ago."
"Who was it?"
"Qian Yun's cousin—Qian Wuhai. He brought a few men and tried to steal something," Li Xue reported truthfully.
"I see."
There wasn't anything valuable in Mo Lin's home worth stealing.
What little value he owned was always carried with him—safe from theft.
Today's encounter with the nightmare-class ghost, Hongye, and the strange Yin Xiaohua from days prior, confirmed one thing:
Mo Lin had a much higher chance of encountering ghosts than the average person.
If he had to explain it—it was a matter of frequency.
His presence attracted ghosts like a magnet.
Though human, Mo Lin was also a Yin Envoy, resonating with the same energy as ghosts.
That's what one of his old teachers had taught him.
Not that it mattered. Mo Lin wasn't afraid of ghosts.
When he met one, he just caught it.
At the moment, his pockets still held more than a dozen captured ghosts.
Low-level ones, with nowhere to be stored.
He decided to forge a spirit vessel to contain them.
These tools were special—they could house ghosts permanently and required rare materials to craft.
Mo Lin planned to go to the market in the morning to buy supplies.
He had a habit of browsing his phone before bed.
He opened the Yunchuan Ghost-Tamer Group.
It was full of ghost-hunting missions.
Mo Lin skimmed through them—mostly low-level ghost reports that didn't interest him.
Until one caught his eye:
"Mission 14: Minghai Tower. Four deaths. Investigation required. Danger level: 3. Reward: 300 Nether Coins."
Mo Lin: "I'll take Mission 14."
He wasn't in it for the money.
He was simply curious—what kind of ghost lurked in Minghai Tower?
Admin: "Understood. I've registered you. Please arrive at Minghai Tower before 8 a.m. Someone will meet you there."
Mo Lin: "Got it."
Yun Ling: @Mo Lin, weren't you with Feng Mingyu all day today?
Mo Lin: "Yeah, why?"
Yun Ling: "Has she gone home? I messaged her but got no reply."
Mo Lin: "She's probably exhausted after everything."
Just then, Feng Mingyu—who had been lurking silently—sent a message:
Feng Mingyu: "Too much happened today. My worldview's been shattered. I'm only just recovering."
She had been thoroughly terrified.
Though she did go on ghost-hunting missions from time to time, they were usually routine or mildly dangerous.
But today, she'd encountered a nightmare-level ghost.
An experience she never wished to repeat.
Feng Mingyu: "I'm never teaming up with Mo Lin again. It's way too terrifying. o(╥﹏╥)o"
Yun Ling: "What happened?"
Feng Mingyu: "o(╥﹏╥)o Just... pure horror."
Mo Lin didn't continue the conversation.
He fell asleep.
He had a mission to complete the next morning.
...
Minghai Tower.
"This case is far beyond our capabilities," a man in uniform muttered darkly, a cigarette dangling from his fingers.
Since the arrival of supernatural disturbances, many cases had been handed off to the Ghost-Tamer Society.
People like him were left to handle cleanup and security.
As for investigations—that was the Ghost Tamers' domain.
Zhao Hu stood with his team, guarding Minghai Tower, preventing anyone from entering.
They just had to wait for the Ghost Tamer to arrive.
"Hey, you can't go in! It's dangerous!" Zhao Hu shouted at a man in a black hat approaching the tower.
Bang!
A gunshot cracked through the air.
Zhao Hu fell instantly.
The man in the black hat gripped a pistol and strode into the tower without hesitation.
"Zhao-ge! Zhao-ge!"
Another officer rushed forward, trying to stop the bleeding and calling emergency services.
"Armed suspect... contact HQ immediately!"
Zhao Hu, barely conscious, gasped out, "Call the Ghost-Tamer Society..."
Mo Lin had just arrived when he heard the shot.
He rushed forward—but he was too late.
Zhao Hu had been shot in the right side.
His hands were slick with blood, his face drained of color.
An ambulance took him away.
"I'm from the Ghost-Tamer Society. I'm handling this case. What happened?" Mo Lin asked another officer.
The man recounted the events.
Four people had died in the tower the night before last—burned alive.
No fire had occurred, yet they were reduced to ash.
Zhao Hu had suspected a ghost and reported it to the Ghost-Tamer Society.
Everything had proceeded logically—
Until someone with a gun appeared and opened fire.