Inside the detached villa.
The blade-wielding ghost had hacked off the heads of a mother and son. If the Li family's Second Master were here, he would surely recognize the young man as the "promising talent" he had intended to recommend to his eldest brother as the next Bureau Chief!
Beside the corpses lay the head of the Eldest Young Master, now "joined" with the head of his younger brother, Xiao Yi.
The two brothers, Li Shuo and Li Lüe, stood to one side. Li Shuo was still cradling his own head in his arms.
Seated across from them was the Eldest Young Miss, Director Li.
Her skin was currently a bruised purple, and her eyes were hollow, making her look like nothing more than a puppet.
Click.
Yin Yang pushed open the villa's front door and stepped inside. Seeing the corpses on the floor, he gave an order.
“Guard the door.”
At Yin Yang's command, the blade-wielding ghost silently took up a position by the entrance.
Yin Yang snapped his fingers, and a mop appeared in his hand out of thin air. He dipped the mop into the blood pooling on the floor and began to draw.
The villa's spacious foyer became his canvas!
The lantern-carrying ghost pushed the sofas, carpets, and other furniture aside to clear enough space for him.
There wasn't much blood, but it was enough for Yin Yang to sketch the primary patterns.
It was a design that closely resembled a seashell or a ginkgo leaf.
Once the core pattern was finished, Yin Yang took several bottles of liquid from the lantern-carrying ghost's book box, poured them onto the floor, and began outlining the rest of the formation's details.
Twenty minutes later, Yin Yang finished the entire formation. He tossed the mop aside, stood in the center of the array, and began to clap.
The sound was rhythmic as he spoke in a low, soft voice.
“Golden head, silver head, swap the heads on Mid-Autumn night.”
“Cats aren't lost, dogs aren't lost, but no one gathers the three souls and seven spirits.”
“Look forward, look backward, spirits and ghosts, don't you cause trouble.”
“Jump forward, blood sprays wild, standing still is so beautiful.”
Hearing this eerie incantation, Li Shuo stood up abruptly. He moved to the edge of the formation and began to dance to the rhythm of Yin Yang's clapping.
Soon, Li Lüe, the Eldest Young Master, and the Eldest Young Miss joined in.
One followed the other, as if they were at a bonfire party.
As Yin Yang repeated the rhyme for the second time, a grotesque scene unfolded.
These "people" began to pluck off their own heads and exchange them with the person in front of them!
The stench of decaying flesh began to spread through the room.
As they moved, the formation on the floor began to glow faintly.
The ginkgo leaf at the center of the array, drawn with the blood of the Li family, began to rot rapidly.
Yin Yang continued to clap, a smile curling onto his lips.
“I'm truly looking forward to your ancestral ritual!”
...
Huang City.
The Li family.
“From this moment on, no member of the Li family is permitted to leave the estate.”
Upon hearing this, the Third Young Master shot up from his seat.
“Not allowed to leave? Are you joking?!”
“What? Wasn't the Second Madam's pet killed right here at home? Is hiding inside really safe?”
Hearing this, the Second Master offered some comfort.
“This is only temporary. People from Headquarters are already on their way. They'll be here in a day or two, and then we'll be safe.”
The Second Young Master, standing nearby, nodded repeatedly.
“He's right, Old Third. Isn't it fine to just stay home?”
“Look at Big Brother and Big Sister. Didn't they only run into trouble because they were outside?”
The Second Master glared fiercely at him before turning to the Eldest Master with a flattering look.
“Brother, please don't take his words to heart.”
The Eldest Master's face was ashen. He took a long, deep look at his nephew before speaking.
“If you hadn't already been thinking it, the words wouldn't have come out so smoothly.”
“Nephew, you certainly are considerate.”
No matter how foolish the Second Young Master was, he could tell his uncle's tone was wrong. He scrambled to explain.
“Uncle, I didn't mean it like that! You know me, I just speak without thinking.”
The Eldest Master didn't even look at him. His gaze remained fixed on the Third Master, an expression that clearly said: Deal with your son.
The Third Master looked at the Third Young Master.
“Two days. If you stay home quietly for two days, I'll grant you one request.”
Hearing this, the Third Young Master's lips curled into a smirk.
“Even if I want my stepmother?”
The air went still. Everyone stared at the Third Young Master in shock. Then, the Third Master spoke indifferently.
“Fine.”
...
Huang City.
Security Bureau.
“Leaders, leaders! You've traveled a long way, you must be exhausted. We've already prepared a welcoming banquet, let's...”
Before the Vice Chief could finish, the man in front of him waved a hand dismissively.
“We are on a mission; we won't be attending any banquets. Bureau Chief Li said he discovered an evil god of the True Knowledge Society. Where is it?”
“An evil god? I... I don't know.”
“Then where is Bureau Chief Li?”
“At the Li family estate. Ever since our Chief was injured, he's been recovering there.”
“Take us there.”
“Yes, sir.”
The Vice Chief hurried to prepare a car and ushered the two men inside.
There was a rule among Baleful Stars: they never acted alone.
Even when working undercover, they never operated in isolation.
When an undercover agent made a report, two people had to be present. If an agent reported alone while their partner was missing, that Baleful Star would be judged a defector.
Consequently, undercover Baleful Stars were almost never exposed; if they were, the entire team was wiped out.
The car sped through the streets of Huang City. As the Vice Chief drove, he cautiously observed the two men's expressions in the rearview mirror.
“How should I address you two, sirs?”
“Chi Zhu.”
“Ming Yang.”
“You leaders can just call me A Wei. I'm a Huang City native, born and raised. There isn't a single thing happening in this city that I don't know about.”
“If there's anything I can help you with, please just ask. I'll tell you everything I know.”
Hearing this, the burly Chi Zhu spoke up.
“I heard your Chief's eldest son is dead?”
“Yes.”
“Killed by that god from the True Knowledge Society?”
“I wasn't at the scene, but my colleagues say so.”
“How did you determine it was an evil god of the True Knowledge Society?”
“I honestly don't know that. Since the Chief was injured, I've been at the bureau handling both his work and mine. I haven't even been home.”
Ming Yang, sitting beside him, also spoke up.
“Has anything strange happened in Huang City lately?”
“Not that I've heard of.”
As the Vice Chief spoke, he pulled the car up in front of the Li Mansion.
Before he even came to a complete stop, guards approached the vehicle.
They recognized the Security Bureau license plate; had it been any other car, they would have already moved to drive them away.
A Wei was familiar with these guards. He raised an eyebrow at the rearview mirror.
“Go tell the Chief that people from Headquarters have arrived!”
“Yes, sir!”
The guard was quick-witted and immediately ran toward the main house. A Wei stepped out of the car and respectfully opened the rear door.
“Cars aren't allowed inside the Li family estate. Please follow me inside on foot.”
The two Baleful Stars didn't make a fuss and followed the Vice Chief into the Li residence.
As soon as they entered the gates, they saw the Eldest Master, still leaning on his crutch, leading the entire family in a welcoming line.
The Eldest Master's eyes were brimming with tears, his face filled with the relief of seeing family.
“You've finally arrived.”
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