She came specifically to warn you.

The door to the room was not locked. Jin Ningzhao took out the gloves she had prepared from her bag and put them on before pushing the door open.

After the Special Division took over, aside from removing Kong Xi’s body—which had been reduced to a mass of flesh—the rest of the house remained untouched. So, when the three entered, the smell of blood in the air was even stronger.

Kong Xi had lived here for some time, and it was clear the house had been carefully designed; it looked elegant and refined. But when Jin Ningzhao raised her eyes, she saw blood spattered everywhere—on the walls, the windows, the ceiling—as if every drop of a person’s blood had been drained.

Before coming, Jin Ningzhao had asked around at the Special Division about this case and learned that it had been transferred to them so quickly precisely because the crime scene was so bizarre. In short, it looked like something no ordinary person could have done.

Chen Yiming stuck close to Xie Qingfa as soon as they entered the house, as if he wished he could tie himself to him with rope. Although Jin Ningzhao was more skilled than Xie Qingfa, Chen Yiming inexplicably felt uneasy in her presence.

After nearly tripping over Chen Yiming for the fourth time, Xie Qingfa finally pushed him away and said, “You don’t need to stick so close to me. This house is probably cleaner than yours.”

After Xie Qingfa and Chen Yiming repeatedly assured him that there was nothing sinister here, he finally moved a little away from Xie Qingfa.

Meanwhile, Jin Ningzhao surveyed the whole house as the two spoke. The Kong family’s business was far from clean; when Kong Xi moved here, Lady Kong had specially invited a master from the sect to examine the place. The feng shui was all proper.

On the shelf in the entryway stood small figures of Shentu and Yulei, carved from peach wood, facing the door. But aside from these, there were no other deities worshipped in the house, making it clear that Kong Xi was not particularly devout.

“Chen, young master,” Jin Ningzhao turned to the two, who were practically joined at the hip, “Did Kong Xi live here most of the time?”

After the incident, the Chen family naturally investigated the Kong family. When Jin Ningzhao called him, Chen Yiming replied immediately, “Ningzhao, please don’t be so formal, just call me Chen. Kong Xi has several other properties, but he lived here most often.”

“And,” Chen Yiming thought for a moment before confirming, “the incident happened in this house.”

“I see.” Jin Ningzhao nodded thoughtfully, then looked to Xie Qingfa. “Xie, what about you? Have you noticed anything?”

Being called out, Xie Qingfa suddenly felt the nerves of facing his master. He straightened up and answered, “It’s very strange. There have been two deaths here, and the second was a vengeful ghost seeking retribution, yet the house is so clean.”

By “clean,” Xie Qingfa did not mean spotless; rather, there was no trace of resentment or sinister energy in the house or the whole building, which was not normal.

Seeing Jin Ningzhao remain silent, Xie Qingfa continued, “And since Kong Xi lived here for years, there should be a household deity, and the figures of Shentu and Yulei guard the entrance. Yet I looked just now—there’s not a single crack on them.”

Xie Qingfa spoke politely, but his meaning was clear.

This house was not only unnaturally clean, but even the gods showed no reaction. This was not something a newly deceased ghost could accomplish.

Jin Ningzhao finally nodded and said, “You’re right, and there’s also a scent of incense ash in the air.”

Her intuition was far keener than the others. From the moment Jin Ningzhao entered, she smelled a faint scent of incense ash mingling with the blood.

Now even Xie Qingfa realized, murmuring, “So that’s why there are no familiar yellow talismans from the Special Division in the house. I thought they had taken everything away.”

When the Special Division handled a scene, any items tainted by sinister energy would be sealed with yellow paper to prevent further trouble. This time, not seeing the paper, Xie Qingfa assumed the items were too small and had been taken directly.

Chen Yiming listened to the two talk for some time, growing more confused. When Jin Ningzhao finished, he cautiously raised his hand and asked, “May I ask what exactly is happening here?”

Jin Ningzhao seemed aloof, but her demeanor was unexpectedly calm and gentle. After all, his family had dealt with many capable masters lately, and though not all were arrogant, most bore a touch of pride.

Jin Ningzhao did not keep him guessing, but answered directly, “Chen, I can assure you that the issue troubling you has nothing to do with that girl. Whatever is haunting you, it isn’t her.”

“Because that girl took her case to the underworld, and the officials personally brought her here to exact revenge.”

At this, Xie Qingfa felt admiration for the girl’s fierce spirit. As a man of the sect, he understood the intricacies.

Every person’s deeds are recorded in the underworld; all merits and faults are weighed and judged. But with countless souls passing daily, it’s impossible for every grudge to be settled in this life. If the officials spent their days escorting souls to seek vengeance, the balance of the worlds would fall into chaos.

The most wicked await punishment in hell, and what is owed in this life is usually repaid in the next. For the girl to have the officials escort her for revenge, she must have paid a price; such fiery resolve is rare.

With the approval of the underworld, there would be an official seal, which is why the household deity and the guardian gods let them in without resistance.

The officials, being legitimate employees of the underworld, either took away or frightened off the sinister entities in the building, leaving it so clean.

“Moreover,” Jin Ningzhao smiled gently at Chen Yiming, “there’s a thread of energy on you, entirely different from the sinister aura clinging to your soul lamp. I believe the girl left it. Think carefully—have you dreamed of her?”

At Jin Ningzhao’s words, Chen Yiming suddenly remembered that he had indeed dreamed of the girl. It had happened right after the mirror incident; the girl in his dream was covered in blood, and he thought she had come for his life, frightening him greatly.

Thinking back, in the dream she only tried to come close and say something, never showing any intent to attack.

Jin Ningzhao shook her head and said, “You helped her; she remembers your kindness. But the thing haunting you is not something she can fight, so she tried to warn you in a dream.”