The two men who were with Irene Shaw were investigating some information. If Evan Wade were present, he would have noticed that it was his personal file, as well as the places he had visited recently. After a quick scan, one of the men pressed his earpiece and said:

“Captain, judging from his experiences, there hasn’t been any opportunity for him to come into contact with ghosts recently. According to his travel records, he hasn’t been to any of those dangerous areas either. We can basically conclude that he hasn’t been entangled by any malicious spirits. However, he did previously live near Fuchun Community, so there’s a possibility he was affected by yin energy.”

“That could be the reason. Coupled with the news of the murder, he had a real nightmare.”

“Of course, we still can’t completely rule out the possibility that he’s been entangled by a malicious spirit. But generally speaking, if he had encountered one, his mental state would be much more sensitive and depressed than it is now. He would start to show mild neurotic symptoms, and wouldn’t be this calm or speak so clearly.”

He paused for a moment, then said with a hint of a joke:

“Based on past experience, a psychologist would probably be more suitable for him than an exorcist.”

Irene Shaw nodded slightly.

Her eyes quietly watched Evan Wade in front of her, listening intently. At the end, she nodded slightly and asked:

“Besides your dream, are there any other signs?”

“If not, we might need some other methods to identify the situation.”

She didn’t handle things according to her companion’s suggestion.

Evan Wade paused, then took out that black pouch and gently placed it on the table. Irene Shaw raised her eyebrows and said:

“This thing—your colleague just said you wouldn’t let him touch it. Is it something important?”

Evan Wade nodded, reached into the pouch, and took out a paper box.

He placed it on the table, opened it, and pushed it toward Irene Shaw.

Irene Shaw’s gaze dropped, and then her expression froze.

The two men monitoring the room via surveillance both had a drastic change in expression; one of them suddenly got up and rushed out.

Inside the paper box was a pair of gold-embroidered red shoes, extremely eerie.

There were also dried bloodstains inside the shoes.

Evan Wade said calmly, “If he had looked at it, maybe the one having nightmares tonight wouldn’t be me, but him.”

A moment later, Irene Shaw’s Bluetooth earpiece transmitted the sound of her teammate panting:

“It’s gone.”

Standing in the place specially used to suppress corpses harmed by ghosts, the muscular disciple of William Carter looked at the woman’s twisted feet, as well as the freezer and outer door that had never been opened, and said:

“The iron door here couldn’t hold her. The talismans on it also seem to have no effect on her.”

“It’s not a malicious spirit—it’s a vengeful ghost.”

……

In the face of such ironclad evidence, there was no doubt that Evan Wade’s words received enough attention.

Not long after, two more people appeared in front of Evan Wade.

“Hello, William Carter disciple Isaac Hill.”

“William Carter, Daoist name Ethan Grant.”

After the two disciples from the sect arrived, they directly asked Evan Wade about the details of his earlier dream. The one named Ethan Grant, a Daoist disciple, even took out some sketch paper and, according to Evan Wade’s description, quickly sketched the attic from his dream, as well as the chilly locust tree and the stone well.

And the white silk, the courtyard surrounded by tall wooden buildings, where you could only look up and see a patch of sky.

Irene Shaw habitually lit a cigarette, but when she noticed Evan Wade was still there, she smiled apologetically, put out the cigarette, and explained, “Vengeful ghosts are different from ordinary wandering spirits, resentful ghosts, or malicious spirits. They’re usually much more powerful and have had different experiences. Confronting them head-on is not a wise move.”

Evan Wade seemed thoughtful and asked:

“So, does the courtyard in the dream help with subduing the vengeful ghost?”

Irene Shaw nodded:

“Yes. The basic principle of a vengeful ghost is intense negative emotion, which becomes stronger when it resonates with certain spiritual places. Because this negative emotion is at its peak and matches the corresponding environment, it keeps growing stronger and becomes extremely fierce.”

“If you can find the source of this emotion, there’s a chance to weaken the vengeful ghost and take the opportunity to subdue and eliminate it.”

“And as for souls that have become vengeful ghosts, they were once human too, but have been trapped in overwhelming negative emotions beyond what a person can bear. It’s a fate worse than death, which is why both Buddhist and Daoist traditions call the act of releasing them ‘transcendence.’”

“I see.”

After that, there was a moment of silence.

Only the sound of Ethan Grant quickly sketching could be heard.

“Is this it?”

After revising it again, the muscular man handed the finished sketch to Evan Wade. It was more than eighty percent similar to what he saw in his dream, making Evan Wade subconsciously recall the eerie chill from the dream. He nodded and said, “That’s pretty much it.”

Ethan Grant nodded and set the pen aside.

Isaac Hill took the drawing and began searching the database for places matching Evan Wade’s dream.

This is the reason why China can keep all kinds of evil spirits firmly suppressed. After modern technology pinpoints the location, Daoist and Buddhist disciples will bring targeted magical tools for precise elimination. During the waiting silence, Evan Wade thought for a moment and said, “I never expected that people like you really exist.”

Irene Shaw said, “Well, ghosts exist too, don’t they?”