The usual ten to twenty-minute journey took only five minutes with his deliberately quickened pace.

Standing next to his front door was a young woman.

It was Gangye Yoshiko who had just called Beichuan Si.

Gangye Yoshiko was frowning tightly at the moment, and upon seeing Beichuan Si return, she raised her hand to greet him.

"Beichuan, you're back."

Her voice wasn't as relaxed as usual, instead carrying a sense of inexplicable gravitas.

Beichuan Si nodded at her, acknowledging her greeting, and immediately turned back to look at his home.

The Beichuan Family house was still the same, but something had changed.

His front door was half ajar, and the modestly decorated courtyard had messy footprints all over, as if quite a few uninvited visitors had come by.

The reason Beichuan Si had let Shen Gu Mirai go sing karaoke earlier was precisely because of this.

Gangye Yoshiko had already informed him of the situation at home over the phone.

Before Beichuan Si could ask, Gangye Yoshiko, standing beside him, spoke up:

"When I came over, it was already like this. Inside... I thought it best to get your permission, so I didn't go in. But the outside is like this..."

At this point, Gangye Yoshiko stopped talking.

No one knows who would do such a thing to the Beichuan Family.

Watching Beichuan Si remain silent, Gangye Yoshiko popped some chewing gum into her mouth to calm her nerves.

Whoever it was... daring to provoke Beichuan Si like this... it's like they've chosen the narrowest path possible, isn't it?

"..."

Beichuan Si said nothing, silently entering the Beichuan Family home.

Seeing him move, Gangye Yoshiko hurriedly followed.

The entrance was in a sorry state as well; the shoe cabinet was pulled open, many shoes strewn across the floor.

Further into the living room...

Everything was in a chaotic state.

Drawers were open, and sofa cushions were flipped over, with a dozen rattan sticks scattered on the floor.

Beichuan Si only glanced briefly before moving on.

What concerned him more than these was the condition of Magong Yongshi and Shenzhu Shihui.

With three good spirits residing in the house, it shouldn't end up like this.

Could it be that something unexpected happened to the three of them?

With this thought, Beichuan Si immediately headed upstairs without further delay.

His bedroom door, like the front door, was wide open, obviously having been visited as well.

He frowned and walked into the room.

The sight that greeted him was an overturned mattress and an open wardrobe.

Especially so.

His collected notebooks and ancient documents were strewn all over the floor.

However, this dreadful sight failed to capture Beichuan Si's interest, his gaze merely scanning the room until it landed on a golden Shinra Bell glistening on the floor by the balcony.

It had been pulled from the wall and left alone on the floor.

Before Beichuan Si could pick up the Shinra Bell, Shenzhu Shihui burst out crying from within it.

"Beichuan! Beichuan! You must stand up for my switch!"

"..." Beichuan Si.

Seeing Shenzhu Shihui still so spirited, Beichuan Si breathed a sigh of relief.

Since Shenzhu Shihui was fine, Magong Yongshi must be alright as well.

But since both good spirits were present, how did the house end up in such a mess?

Before Beichuan Si could ask, Gangye Yoshiko's somewhat stunned voice came from behind him.

"Um... Beichuan? Did I see that right? A woman just flew out of a bell? And she can talk?"

This was unexpected... In his haste to check on the Shinra Bell, he'd forgotten about Gangye Yoshiko behind him.

Seeing her incredulous expression, Beichuan Si was about to introduce Shenzhu Shihui—

Then.

A graceful, light voice came from the Shinra Bell:

"Indeed, Miss Liangzi. My sister and I reside within the Shinra Bell as good spirits."

With a stately demeanor, Magong Yongshi stood on the floor and elegantly curtsied to Gangye Yoshiko: "Mr. Temple has always been in your care, Miss Liangzi."

"...Uh..."

Gangye Yoshiko opened her mouth.

She looked at Beichuan Si.

Then at Magong Yongshi and Shenzhu Shihui.

Finally, she rubbed her eyes, took out a ladies' cigarette, and lit it.

"...Whatever. Little Beichuan, no matter what you come up with, I won't be surprised anymore."

...

Later, Magong Yongshi and Shenzhu Shihui, along with Nishijou Kurenai, who had just struggled out of a pile of books, were introduced to Gangye Yoshiko by Beichuan Si.

"Good spirits... resentful spirits... roaming souls... hsss..."

Without her cigarettes, which Beichuan Si had taken, Gangye Yoshiko chewed gum with a somewhat resigned look: "Whatever, whatever, no matter what Beichuan comes up with, I won't be surprised... Just consider yourselves helpers who assist him in solving various cases... that should be fine, right?"

As she said this, Gangye Yoshiko couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Beichuan Si really was quite impressive.

While others were still looking for helpers, Beichuan Si had started looking for helpers in... ghosts, apparently.

Looking at Magong Yongshi's wise and dignified face, she was somewhat speechless.

What kind of method did Beichuan Si use to make such a beautiful girl willingly become a ghostly helper?

"I apologize, Miss Gangye." Magong Yongshi apologized with a bow to Gangye Yoshiko: "You've seen the state of the house; it still needs some tidying up, so we can't offer tea, I hope you understand."

"Ah... It's no big deal..." Gangye Yoshiko coughed lightly, waving her hand dismissively.

Seeing the two of them becoming acquainted, Beichuan Si's voice chimed in at the right time:

"More than that... I actually want to ask Yongshi a few things."

Yes, now that the conversation with Gangye Yoshiko was mostly done, it was time for his own inquiries:

"Why is the house in this state?"

"Regarding this matter... it's actually somewhat my stubbornness..."

Magong Yongshi explained, a bit embarrassed.

The incident actually took place around noon today.

At that time, the Beichuan Family home was occupied only by Shenzhu Shihui, Magong Yongshi, and Nishijou Kurenai.

The intruders seemed to have arrived precisely when Beichuan Si was not at home.

A group of well-trained individuals picked the lock and abruptly barged into the Beichuan Family home, rummaging through every corner.

"At first, I thought these people were mere burglars and intended to drive them away... But soon I realized these people were different from thieves..."

"They weren't after money... right?"

Beichuan Si inquired.

"Yes." Magong Yongshi nodded softly, a hint of confusion in her voice: "Rather than money... it's like they were searching for something specific... and the crucial point is, this group carried an almost imperceptible air of goodwill."

An air of goodwill?

Hearing this, Beichuan Si couldn't help raising an eyebrow.

People with special abilities came to his home?

Magong Yongshi continued:

"Since Mr. Temple mentioned feeling watched before... I was pondering if these people were scheming something against him."

Indeed.

This was Magong Yongshi's conjecture.

To avoid alerting them, Magong Yongshi had initially planned to expel them. But instead, she gathered the game-playing Shenzhu Shihui and the pull-up exercising Nishijou Kurenai away.

They retracted their goodwill completely, making the Shinra Bell seem ordinary enough to be discarded by the intruders.

Nishijou Kurenai was even mistaken for an ordinary doll and trampled on before being buried under Beichuan Si's collection of documents and journals.

"In fact, I initially thought these people were simply thieves and planned to expel them directly... but soon I realized these people were not like thieves... and the key point is that they carried a faint air of benevolence with them."

"But you don't know... Beichuan, those guys... those guys did something to my Switch! They actually smashed my Switch with a sledgehammer!"

As she spoke, Shenzhu Shihui seemed so furious her spiritual body was about to distort.

"My Switch!"

Her tone carried a hint of anger, making her sound less like a good spirit and more like a vengeful one.

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