Evan Wade stared fixedly at that pair of red embroidered shoes.

The other ghosts still hadn’t figured out what was happening.

The female ghost wearing three-inch golden lotus red embroidered shoes hung her head low, black hair cascading down her back. Her face was deathly pale, completely devoid of blood, her eyes entirely black. She neither spoke nor screamed and lunged, yet she made one’s heart tremble and scalp tingle.

The sounds outside the door seemed to be muffled by several layers of soundproof glass, growing more and more indistinct.

Evan Wade even felt his limbs gradually losing warmth, turning numb.

It was as if he were soaking in icy water.

He bit the tip of his tongue, a rush of blood filling his mouth with a hint of warmth. With his right hand, he gripped the Tiger Emblem tightly, forcing that strange sensation to leave his body. The searing, stabbing pain from the emblem in his palm finally pulled his senses back to the human world.

Evan Wade stared unblinkingly at the silent, downcast female ghost.

Red embroidered shoes...

The ghost had come knocking.

Indeed, while a Commandant could suppress bandits and slay monsters, there was no rule that said vicious bandits or demons couldn’t kill a demon-slaying Commandant.

The water ghost in this museum clearly had no sense of the situation.

It mistook Evan Wade for an old-school Hong Kong movie exorcist, and assumed this female ghost was brought here for him to capture. As a fellow water ghost, it cheerfully approached to greet her, reaching out to pat the female ghost’s arm and said with a grin:

“Hey, sis, where did you die?”

“Come back...”

Evan Wade had only just shouted when the female ghost’s dripping long hair suddenly grew at a terrifying speed.

Buzz!!!

The thick strands of hair gathered together, like sharp iron spikes, easily piercing through the water ghost’s waist and abdomen. The hair shot up toward the ceiling, like an old locust tree that had grown for years and then withered, directly suspending the water ghost in midair.

Evan Wade’s expression changed instantly.

The water ghost struggled in the air, its face swelling more and more.

Soon, its struggles slowed, the whites of its eyes turning black bit by bit, and a chilling, icy aura—just like the female ghost’s—began to emanate from its body.

Drip, drip—

Water started to drip from its body as well.

Its fingertips slowly turned black.

No one needed to say it—Evan Wade could already guess that the once harmless water ghost was now turning into a vengeful spirit.

If left unchecked, there would soon be two vengeful ghosts in this room. Evan Wade eyed the water ghost, estimated the distance, gritted his teeth, crouched low, and suddenly dashed forward. As he passed the coffee table, he scooped up the broken sword—an evil object—soaking in the water basin.

The moment he grabbed the broken sword, Evan Wade shivered violently.

It felt like clutching a huge block of ice, but he gritted his teeth and held on tight, charging forward.

The museum’s living quarters weren’t large—just a few steps away.

As Evan Wade approached, the female ghost remained quietly standing with her head bowed, but a lock of her hair suddenly shot out, twisting toward Evan Wade like a python. Evan Wade immediately pulled out the Tiger Emblem and, with a backhand motion, slammed the searing, stabbing token onto that lock of hair.

The jet-black hair recoiled sharply.

Evan Wade seized the chance to rush in, and with the broken sword in his hand, he tore at the lock of hair suspending the water ghost.

It felt like trying to cut soft rubber with a dull knife, but at least he could feel it giving way. With his left hand, he kept swinging the Tiger Emblem, fiercely protecting himself, forcing back the black hair that tried to pull him away or pierce him. Finally, gritting his teeth, he pressed the emblem onto the spot where he’d managed to cut a small opening in the hair.

With a ripping sound.

A lock of hair fell to the ground.

The suspended water ghost crashed to the floor with a thud, flopping like a dead fish.

That eerie, sinister feeling vanished from the water ghost’s face.

The remaining two ghosts hurriedly dragged the water ghost away. The paper figurine tried to rush over to help, but the weapon ghost grabbed it and stuffed it into the hollow of its own wound to keep it from causing more trouble.

Evan Wade panted heavily, one hand gripping the emblem, the other holding the dagger, arms crossed protectively over his chest, crouched low, staring intently at the female ghost in red embroidered shoes.

He’d had some premonition that the other side would come for him, but when it actually happened, he still found himself flustered.

At the same time, a surge of anger he couldn’t quite explain welled up inside him.

The Tiger Emblem trembled, surrounded by the sound of tigers roaring.

The female ghost lifted her head, her pitch-black, hollow eyes fixed on Evan Wade, making his skin crawl.

Fueled by anger, Evan Wade stared right back at her.

Even ghosts fear the wicked. At this moment, though Evan Wade was just an ordinary mortal, he glared at the female ghost with a presence that didn’t lose out in the slightest.

Suddenly.

A flash of lightning split the sky.

Several seconds later, the rumble of thunder followed.

The second month of the lunar calendar: all things are stirred by Zhen, Zhen is thunder, thus it is called Jingzhe.

After a few seconds, the lightning and thunder faded. Evan Wade saw that the female ghost’s figure had vanished. The floor ahead was wet, with several footprints leading all the way to the door before disappearing. Evan Wade gritted his teeth, his body stiff, turned on all the lights, still clutching the emblem and broken sword, and slowly sat down against the wall.

He let out a long breath.

The ghosts that had just fled now reappeared before Evan Wade.