Chapter 16: Analysis and Planning, Part 2

Ruan Zhan’s tranquil face gave Xiao Xia the urge to give it a punch. However, due to the circumstances, she had to endure her anger since she was asking him for help. “Petty person!” She grumbled. “I won’t bicker with you. Let’s first discuss what we should do next. Do we need to figure out how to stop it from becoming whole? But the problem is whether we can stop it at night.”

“They aren’t able to merge without a suitable medium.” Ruan Zhan was unperturbed. “Don’t be anxious, let me explain things slowly. According to what we know, I’m guessing this is a vengeful spirit that died over a century ago. It probably is that river’s water ghost. There must be something holding it back from entering the cycle of reincarnation. Of course, based on its grievance, it probably wouldn’t reincarnate even if it could. Li Jing Ming’s family happened to appear in the right place at the right time. Li Jing Ming’s own grievances helped set it free and allowed it to come out to cause calamity.”

“Who repays a favor like that?”

“What could such a vengeful spirit know of gratitude? Furthermore, its actions don’t need to conform to reason.”

“Then Li Jing Ming was unlucky and got what was coming to him? Ah, that’s not right. Don’t forget Li Jing Ming said it wanted to occupy Li Shu Lun’s body. Would that have been what it was after!?”

“That shouldn’t be the case. To occupy someone’s body to live again might be possible in the short term, but it doesn’t have the ability to maintain this for long. After all, this world has its natural course. It’s not something that can be changed after cultivating for a few centuries. Furthermore, its grudge is very strong. At night, it is able to travel far from its remains. Although it will be a little weakened, it’s able to go anywhere to do things. There’s no need for it to follow Li Jing Ming doggedly just for a vessel of flesh.”

“Goodness, I’m completely confused.” Xiao Xia lamented.

“This matter wasn’t going to make sense to begin with. The facts remain: it followed Li Jing Ming back, and through illusion or possession, caused him to kill his family. As for why it split itself, it was probably when Li Jing Ming didn’t kill his son due to the innate bond between father and son. It wasn’t willing to let Li Shu Lun escape, so it split itself to find another opportunity. However, based on its experiences when it was still alive, it probably didn’t think the police would arrive so quickly. Police officers have a strong baleful aura, and there were so many of them. It wasn’t able to hide anywhere else at that time, and could only hide inside father and son while coming up with another plan.”

As Xiao Xia listened, she suddenly recalled Ruan Zhan’s earlier words. She couldn’t help but become more frightened the more she thought.

“I wouldn’t happen to be the medium you mentioned earlier, right?”

“Like I said, police are all people with strong baleful auras. It’s not because of their characters, but rather due to their profession. Therefore, in cases involving ghosts, police officers are usually unharmed. Li Jing Ming was surrounded by police after the case, and has been locked up ever since. Therefore, the vengeful spirit wasn’t able to come out and the part that was in Li Shu Lun also isn’t able to get in. The only opportunity was you.”

“So unlucky!”

“By accepting this case, you became a threat to its plans. As a woman with an inauspicious birthdate, you are easily controlled by it. Furthermore, you are the only one who would meet with Li Jing Ming. Therefore, it chose you as its target. It wants to stop you from saving him while also using you to let it become whole again. This is why you kept having nightmares after taking this case. When you think about this case at night, you emit what scientists call “brainwaves”. This lets it pinpoint your approximate location, and while it cannot personally come, it is able to influence your dreams. Your sensitivity makes you even more susceptible. Therefore, someone like you shouldn’t think about ghosts at night, and shouldn’t watch scary movies. Otherwise, you will invite unpleasant things.”

“So that’s what it was. I thought I was having trouble sleeping due to health problems.”

“That’s often the reason, but not in your case. At least, this time it isn’t. Luckily, you have this amulet and it can only use half its powers. Therefore, the first time you met Li Jing Ming it wasn’t able to possess you. However, you gave it another opportunity. When you fell ill and went to the hospital, it happened to be the one Li Shu Lun was staying in. However, Wan Li was watching over you that day. He is someone with extreme yang energy and his birthdate is very blessed. Therefore, it wasn’t able to make a move on you. Instead, it controlled your thoughts and made you have nightmares, wanting to scare you off from this case so it could possess your replacement instead.”

“This means that nurse was a sacrifice? And Li Shu Lun was being controlled by it without his knowledge?”

“That’s right. On the bright side, this means Li Shu Lun has a chance of recovery. If its vessel, the body it is attached to, is unable to move, its incomplete powers wouldn’t have been able to make it move. After all, Li Shu Lun isn’t a zombie.”

“Really?” Xiao Xia revealed a smile. This was the best news she had heard in days. No matter how this case turned out, if Li Shu Lun could recover, Li Jing Ming would at least have some comfort.

Ruan Zhan saw her happiness and couldn’t help but smile: “Shouldn’t you think about your own safety? That day, it followed you home by attaching itself to a bottle of medicine. It wanted to make another attempt or scare you even more, making you give up quickly.”

“It probably won’t rest until I’m dead.”

“You were very fortunate this time. It ultimately failed.”

“It probably didn’t think I would run and that you would appear.”

“That’s right! However, you still have to be careful. It has a lot of resentment towards you. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have possessed your landlady and used her suspicions of her husband to try and harm you.”

“Speaking of this, what should we do about my landlady? Wouldn’t it harm others while in her body?” Xiao Xia’s happiness was short-lived. “Can we leave it be?”

“There’s no other choice for now. Based on my abilities, I’m unable to capture it. However, its targets are Li Jing Ming and you. It is unlikely to waste any energy on others. What’s most important now is to prevent it from becoming whole, and then figuring out how to deal with it.”

“The first part should be easy. Apart from Li Shu Lun, Li Jing Ming doesn’t have any relatives, and his friends are definitely doing their best to avoid him. There shouldn’t be anyone visiting him. As long as I don’t meet with him, no one can go in and out of the detention facility. If there are any questions, I can correspond via letters or phone. This also wouldn’t provoke that ghost into coming out and harming him.”

“What about the doctor that will evaluate his mental state?”

“Our city’s regulation is to appoint an expert from the government’s public hospital. They are also police officers. According to you, their baleful aura should be thick and there shouldn’t be any problems. Wasn’t it fine the last time?”

“That’s good. Leave the rest to me.”

“What do you plan to do?” Xiao Xia hurriedly asked.

“I want to make a trip to the place Li Jing Ming travelled to last time. I feel all the answers can be found there. Only by looking through its lair can I find the means to eradicate it.”

“I’ll come too.”

“You can’t.” Ruan Zhan was very firm. He knew how dangerous it would be and didn’t want innocents to come to harm.

“But this is my case. I can’t let you take the risk by yourself.”

Ruan Zhan was very moved by Xiao Xia’s conscientious attitude, but he still couldn’t agree.

“No means no. You will get in my way. Don’t you know how fierce it is? I don’t have the energy to spare to take care of you. Furthermore, you have to be here for the trial.”

“But I can….”

Xiao Xia still wanted to argue but Ruan Zhan firmly rejected her. This made Xiao Xia realize that this man who looked agreeable on the outside but was actually stubborn wouldn’t agree no matter what. She could only think of something else.

“When is the trial?” He asked.

“The day after tomorrow.”

“I’ll start preparing tomorrow and leave the day after.”

Xiao Xia pouted.

Wasn’t he doing it on purpose? He insisted on leaving the day of her trial. But no matter. She was quite clear about the direction this trial was going to go. The reevaluation process would be a lengthy one, and she would have a lot of time then.

Based on the case’s circumstances and Li Jing Ming’s recent behavior, it was very likely for the court to grant her appeal for a reevaluation very quickly.