I took a deep breath and searched through my memory for the incantation to activate the Seven Fiend Soul Locking Formation. 

“High power in the stars, adapt to nonstop changes. Expel the evil, bind the demon. Save a life and protect the body!”

Before I could finish reading the incantation, I heard a loud thud. Then, the door broke. The sofa, the chair, the vanity, and all the stuff we had used to block the door were pushed aside. Li Mazi and Gold-toothed stumbled and rolled back to me. “Little Brother Zhang, it’s over! We should just jump through the window to escape!” 

I didn’t move and continued reading the Seven Fiend Soul Locking Incantation. 

Gold-toothed and Li Mazi anxiously shouted my name. They thought that I was so scared that I couldn’t move.

However, I didn’t stop. Even though the Thunder Sword was about to hack on my head, I wasn’t scared. My eyes were calm and cold as I continued to chant.

Gold-toothed and Li Mazi stared at me in disbelief. They immediately grabbed a stool and a table to fend off the sword. At the same time, they screamed and asked Qin Sisi to wake me up.

Qin Sisi stood still and looked at me worriedly, unsure as to how to proceed. 

The room was a mess, and the clanging noise resounded unceasingly. Eventually, Gold-toothed could no longer hold back Qin Minghao, and the sword cut his butt cheek. He slumped on the ground and cursed, “You’re killing me!”

At the same time, I finally finished reading my incantation. I got on my knee and placed my right hand on the ground. I thundered, “Seven Fiends return, the messenger of the Netherworld will pick you up!”

After the spell was complete, I could feel the temperature in the room drop sharply. A strong wind blew from underneath. It billowed Qin Sisi’s skirt.

“

Crack!”

A burst of noise came from downstairs, growing louder and louder. 

The Thunder Sword stopped in midair as Qin Minghao’s body suddenly froze. Then, we all watched Qin Minghao act as if he had lost his mind. He clutched his head and rolled on the ground in agony. “Don’t, please don’t!”

I exhaled and wiped the trickle of blood from the corner of my mouth. I tried to get up from the ground, but my body was too feeble. I almost stumbled. 

Qin Sisi grabbed me and supported me. “Are you all right?” 

I smiled at her. “You should worry about your father.” 

Then, the two of us turned to look at Qin Minghao.

At this moment, Qin Minghao was emitting a cold light, which then formed into a human shape that struggled angrily.

Needless to say, it was Xiang Yu’s departed soul. He was trying to escape from Qin Minghao’s body.

But no matter how hard he tried to wiggle, he couldn’t get out of Qin Minghao’s body. It was as if there was a formidable power that had tied him down and prevented him from leaving the body.

More and more screams of agony came from outside the window. I rushed over to check. The headless ghosts were running around madly. Similarly, there was a strong force that had grabbed them; they couldn’t escape. Eventually, all of them were sucked into the ground and disappeared.  

After a few minutes, Qin Minghao stopped wiggling. He laid still on the ground, without moving an inch. 

Qin Sisi used the sponge from the broken sofa to fill the cracks in the door. She did that to prevent the ether from permeating the room. 

After everything was done, we finally slumped onto the ground.

While wrapping his wounds, Gold-tooth screamed, “What the heck just happened? Which bastard promised to keep me safe and sound? My butt hurts like hell. I need an explanation.”

“It’s good that you survived.” I shot Gold-toothed a fierce glance. Gold-toothed covered his butt and laid on his stomach, asking Li Mazi to bandage him.

I turned and saw Qin Sisi absorbed in her thoughts. In principle, my grandfather should have talked to me. Why did he communicate with Qin Sisi instead of me? 

There were two explanations for this. The first was that it wasn’t convenient for him to contact me, and I didn’t know the particular reason for it.

The second was that Qin Sisi’s physique allowed her to communicate with my deceased grandfather. That was why he had done that.

I then turned to look at Qin Sisi and asked, “Qin Sisi, do you wear anything that facilitates communication with the other world?” 

Qin Sisi thought for a while then grabbed a small pendant from the chain on her neck.

The pendant wasn’t made of gold or silver. It looked like it was made out of plastic. I asked Qin Sisi to hand me that thing. She didn’t hesitate and handed it to me.

After giving it a first glance, I immediately understood. It was a small pendant made of rhino horn. It was square and rough, and had the word ‘Lin’ carved on it. 

I guessed it was one of the ‘Nine Daoist Syllables,’ which included the words, ‘Lin, Bing, Dou, Zhe, Jie, Zhen, Lie, Qian, and Xing.’ The rhino horn itself was powerful enough to connect to the Netherworld. Since it was carved with one of the formidable Nine Daoist Syllables, it made it easier for my grandfather to contact her.

Qin Sisi was curious. “It was because of this pendant?” 

I gave her a slight nod.

However, I was a little puzzled. She was the daughter of a wealthy family worth billions of renminbi. Why would she wear such a cheap accessory? It didn’t match her status.

I asked Qin Sisi, “Why do you wear this cheap gadget?”

Qin Sisi explained, “The day after that strange old man left, my father gifted me this pendant and asked me to keep wearing it. He told me that I shouldn’t take it off even when I bathe. I know my father. When he believes in something, he is right. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have achieved what he has today. That’s why I always wear this pendant,” said Qin Sisi. 

I gave her a smile and felt the pendant in my palm. I understood the situation. Fifteen years ago, my grandpa had already predicted the events that would 

happen

 today! He knew that I would join this case.

In order to protect me, he had arranged everything, including the formation and this cheap pendant.

“What else did my grandfather tell you?” I asked. 

Qin Sisi waved her hand. “I don’t think it’s convenient to talk about it right now.” 

“Why is that?” I didn’t understand. 

“Because there’s a traitor among us,” muttered Qin Sisi.

“A traitor?” I was startled. I had never considered this possibility. 

I was really curious. “Qin Sisi, what makes you say that?”

Qin Sisi said, “Our plan was tight-knit, and my Second Uncle couldn’t have had the time to prepare a counterattack. But now, it turns out that he knew our plan very well and was thoroughly prepared. The sliding door at the corridor was locked and all the people were gone. There were no guards on duty, either. It seems my Second Uncle was sure he could kill us tonight. That’s why he acted explicitly.” 

Qin Sisi’s analysis made me feel restless. She had a point as there were a lot of suspicious things about tonight. Aside from a traitor, there wasn’t a second explanation. 

The sliding door at the corridor shouldn’t have been locked, but it was locked tonight.

The security guards had to follow Qin Minghao twenty-four hours a day, but none of them were on duty tonight.

Everything was done for a sole purpose — to kill us.

I took a deep breath and looked at Qin Sisi, “Who do you think the traitor is?”

Qin Sisi was a smart young lady, and I believed in her intuition. Her assumption would be more accurate than mine.

Qin Sisi’s eyes scanned us. Eventually, her eyes stopped on Gold-toothed.

The person Qin Sisi suspected matched with the person I had in mind. I also thought that Gold-toothed was the one most likely to sell us out.

I knew Li Mazi well, and even if he was beaten to death, he wouldn’t betray me. There was no need to discuss Qin Sisi’s intentions, either. No matter what, we were trying to save her father. She had no reason to harm him as Qin Minghao was her only backer.

As such, Gold-toothed was most likely the traitor!