Zhao Yan possessed Yin-Yang eyes, and she used a talisman to enhance them, hoping to leverage the talisman's Yang energy to extend her vision.
The female university student had died only a few days prior, her Yin energy was low, and with it being broad daylight, ordinary Yin-Yang eyes would struggle to see her.
A golden light flashed across Zhao Yan's eyes as the talisman for opening ghost eyes turned to ash.
She saw a black wisp of energy in mid-air and followed it, moving to the left.
After walking for about a minute, she discovered the black energy was emanating from a dilapidated concrete house.
The door was unlocked. Zhao Yan narrowed her eyes slightly, placed her hand on the door, and gently pushed it outward.
She slowly walked inside. The moment her front foot crossed the threshold, the door behind her slammed shut.
In the left corner of the concrete house, a female ghost was curled into a ball, trembling uncontrollably.
As if sensing Zhao Yan's presence, the ghost suddenly turned and lunged towards her.
"Do you want to die again?" Zhao Yan asked, holding a talisman between her index and middle fingers, placing it against her chest.
Under her icy gaze, the ghost instantly hunched its back and retreated in panic.
Its eyes were fixed on the talisman in Zhao Yan's hand, feeling the potent Yang energy it contained, which made it extremely uncomfortable.
"Are you Li Mulan?" Zhao Yan asked softly.
Zhao Yan had overheard Li Mulan's name when Wang Qinqin was chatting with her classmates.
The female ghost, still curled up, nodded. "Yes, I am Li Mulan."
"I am Zhao Yan, the twenty-seventh generation successor of Qingfeng Daoist Temple. I've heard about your situation, and it is indeed an unfortunate event."
"I can help you punish the culprit, but on the condition that I need your cooperation," Zhao Yan stated.
"Culprit, culprit!" Li Mulan muttered, her resentment surging with each repetition.
"I want him dead! I want to kill him!!"
"Slap!"
Zhao Yan delivered a sharp slap.
"Calmed down?"
Li Mulan's surging resentment was dispersed by the slap. She tilted her head, staring blankly at Zhao Yan.
"Do you think becoming a fierce ghost will allow you to kill the culprit? As a fierce ghost, you'll lose your sanity. The first to die by your hand won't be the culprit, but innocent bystanders."
"This slap is for your own good."
"So, do I have to thank you for that?" Li Mulan asked, covering her face.
Zhao Yan replied, "If you wish to, I won't stop you."
Saying this, she took a talisman from her backpack, chanted something, and the talisman flew out.
It attached itself to Li Mulan, forming an invisible protective layer around her.
"Let's go. Follow me out. With this talisman's protection, even the sunlight outside won't harm you," Zhao Yan said calmly.
She walked towards the door, and Li Mulan followed closely behind.
Li Mulan cautiously stepped out of the house, testing the air. She confirmed that the sunlight did not burn her and then quickened her pace to follow.
When she had first become a ghost, she had been burned by the sunlight upon exiting, a searing pain that she, as a ghost, could not bear.
After walking for over an hour, they returned to the original location.
Li Mulan, floating behind, suddenly stopped.
Zhao Yan sensed something was amiss and looked back.
Following Li Mulan's gaze, she saw Wang Qinqin.
"If she had come out with me two days ago, I wouldn't have died!" Li Mulan said through gritted teeth. If Zhao Yan hadn't been there, she might have gone to settle the score with Wang Qinqin.
"If she had come out with me, I wouldn't have booked a cheap guesthouse, I wouldn't have taken this secluded route, and I wouldn't have died at the hands of that pervert! I wouldn't have died!"
As she spoke, Li Mulan's resentment intensified.
"It's all her fault!!"
Especially seeing Wang Qinqin chatting with her classmates, unharmed, Li Mulan grew angrier, and her resentment deepened.
"If Wang Qinqin had come out with you, more than just you would have died; she would have died too!" Zhao Yan stated.
"Impossible!" Li Mulan shook her head repeatedly.
Zhao Yan let out a cold laugh. "If Wang Qinqin had accompanied you, you would still have gone to a cheap guesthouse and naturally taken this route."
"You would have encountered the culprit, and Wang Qinqin would have died before you, because when facing the culprit, you would have abandoned her without hesitation to buy yourself time."
"The culprit, after killing her, would have pursued and killed you as well."
"So, stop blaming others in front of me. Ultimately, the source of this matter lies with you, not her."
"I don't want to hear any more complaints about others. If you still harbor resentment over this matter, I don't mind using a talisman to remove it from you."
"And that process would be ten thousand times more painful than being burned by the sun."
Li Mulan shook her head in fear, immediately falling silent.
Zhao Yan could read not only the fortunes of the living but also the fortunes of the dead.
From Li Mulan's appearance, Zhao Yan discerned vanity and deep-seated cunning.
If there was a good opportunity, she would seize it immediately; when faced with misfortune, her first instinct was to find a scapegoat.
As for why Zhao Yan was so certain that Wang Qinqin would have taken the same street if she had accompanied Li Mulan, it was because Wang Qinqin had previously mentioned living on a tight budget of just over seven hundred yuan per month.
Going out would necessitate buying new clothes, and with only a week into the month, to save living expenses, a cheap guesthouse would be unavoidable.
After all, the cheapest guesthouses nearby cost at least sixty-nine yuan, while those closer to more prosperous areas would cost several hundred yuan.
Zhao Yan had indeed saved Wang Qinqin's life.
"Master, where did you go just now?" Wang Qinqin, who was chatting with her friends, saw Zhao Yan emerging from a small alley and immediately turned to rush towards her.
"Just getting some fresh air," Zhao Yan replied.
As she spoke, she glanced at Li Mulan, noticing that Li Mulan's gloomy gaze was still fixed on Wang Qinqin.
Sensing the stare, Li Mulan immediately lowered her head.
Wang Qinqin recounted everything she knew to Zhao Yan. "I've asked several police officers, and they still don't know if it was Mulan."
"However, I did find one piece of information: the killer borrowed the victim's student ID, leaving half of it tucked under the victim's armpit."
"Officer Qin said that this killer is very arrogant and confident in his criminal techniques. By doing this, he's giving the police a fig leaf, fearing they won't be able to find any clues."
"The victim is Li Mulan," Zhao Yan stated.
"Ah! Is it really Mulan?" Wang Qinqin covered her mouth.
With the uncertain information from Officer Qin, Wang Qinqin still held a sliver of hope.
Now that Zhao Yan had spoken, she believed it instantly.