"Zhou Yong, you were a coward in life, and now even as a ghost, you’re still just as spineless!" Li Hongmin sneered, obviously trying to stir him up. He pointed at me and said, "Why don’t we team up, take this guy out, and I’ll give you a share of the spoils?"

　　He kept licking his blood-red tongue, his gaze fixed on me like I was easy prey.

　　"Li Hongmin, I’ve had it with you!" Zhou Yong shouted.

　　"Oh, really?" Li Hongmin sneered back. "Well, if that’s the way you want it, I’ll just eat you both!"

　　"Talk is cheap!" I pulled out an explosive talisman, raising it so he could see. "Think I won’t use this and finish you off right here?"

　　The explosive talisman was just as it sounded—capable of detonating with enough force to rip apart a spirit, even tear their soul to shreds.

　　Li Hongmin’s expression faltered for a moment. Then he said, "So, you’re a Taoist?"

　　"Glad you’re catching on," I replied, settling back in my seat as Zhou Yong stepped up behind me.

　　"Do you even know what this is?" I asked, holding up the talisman. In the center was the character for "explode," surrounded by symbols from the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams. Even if he didn’t fully understand, he had to feel its deadly potential.

　　But instead of backing down, he let out a derisive laugh. "You think I’m afraid of that? For all I know, it might be a fake! And even if it’s real, so what? Worst case, we both go down together!"

　　I narrowed my eyes, sighed, and slipped the talisman back in my pocket. I wasn’t afraid; his words just reminded me of something important. This talisman was powerful, but what if it didn’t fully obliterate him? If it only wounded him, we’d be in a far worse position.

　　In that case, the situation could easily turn into a desperate, dying attack from a vengeful ghost. I wasn’t too concerned about myself, but I worried Zhou Yong might get hurt.

　　Li Hongmin suddenly burst into laughter and sneered at Zhou Yong, “See that, Zhou Yong? He’s just a fraud! Are you really going to keep trusting him?”

　　“Sir, are you…?” Zhou Yong’s face showed his doubt.

　　“You don’t trust me?” I asked, not looking at him, just posing the question.

　　“I… I do!” Zhou Yong replied, but there was still hesitation in his voice.

　　I didn’t blame him. I hadn’t actually made a move yet, so it was only natural for him to have doubts.

　　I stood up, fixed my gaze on Li Hongmin, and said, “You think I don’t have a way to deal with you, Li Hongmin? You really are a fool.”

　　“Oh, yeah? Then go ahead and try…”

　　He hadn’t even finished his sentence when I took two swift steps forward, making a quick gesture to summon the Illusory Sun Finger technique.

　　He couldn’t dodge fast enough, and it struck him squarely in the chest, forcing him back a couple of steps.

　　“Is that all you got?” he sneered, trying to sound unfazed.

　　“Is that what you think?” I replied with a calm smile.

　　The smile dropped from his face as he stammered, “What… what do you mean by that?”

　　I just smirked, saying nothing in return. Then, his ghostly aura slowly began to dissipate.

　　“What’s going on?” he gasped, staring at his hands in disbelief and stumbling backward. “My power… it’s slipping away!”

　　The Illusory Sun Finger wasn’t actually designed to deal with spirits—it was just a Taoist technique that gathered one’s own positive energy. But because positive energy is a natural counter to spirits, it worked on him.

　　Still, it was only a temporary fix. His ghostly aura wasn’t really disappearing; it was just temporarily disrupted by the surge of positive energy."Surrender now, and I’ll let you off easy. I can send you to the underworld. Otherwise…”

　　“Not a chance!” he roared, cutting me off. “I will never go to the underworld. I can’t just give up like this!”

　　“You’ve been dead for years! What could you possibly be holding onto?”

　　“It’s because of Zhang Ming! As long as he’s alive, I’m not leaving!” Li Hongmin spat.

　　“So, that’s why you’re still here,” I said, frowning slightly.

　　“Exactly!”

　　“He doesn’t have much time left. The police have already arrested him, and they have solid evidence of his murders. Unless something goes horribly wrong, he’s done for,” I told him honestly.

　　“What?” Li Hongmin’s disbelief was clear. “You’re serious?”

　　“Of course. You can tell why I’m here, can’t you? I came for you and Zhou Yong. I’m a Feng Shui master, so even if Zhang Ming is taken care of, I can’t just leave you and Zhou Yong hanging around here.”

　　Li Hongmin fell into silence for a moment but soon shook his head and pointed to Zhou Yong. “Impossible. Zhang Ming’s Tongming Corporation is powerful, and he’s got someone high up pulling strings for him. Otherwise, how do you think this kid ended up hanging himself?”

　　I glanced at Zhou Yong and said, “I have no reason to lie to you. Besides, even if Zhang Ming hadn’t been caught, what good would it do for a dead man like you to keep lingering in the world of the living?”

　　“Enough of your nonsense! Today, you’re all going down. None of you are leaving here alive!” he shouted.

　　I took a step forward. “I tried to be reasonable for your own good, but you just won’t listen, will you?”

　　Li Hongmin laughed, and suddenly, his ghostly aura surged, filling the room with dark energy.

　　I knew he was done talking and was about to make a move. Since reasoning with him didn’t work, there was only one option left—eliminate him!

　　“Zhou Yong, get out of here! Go hide in the bedroom!” I shouted.

　　Zhou Yong understood the danger and quickly dashed into the bedroom, slamming the door shut behind him.

　　As I watched Li Hongmin’s ghostly aura intensify, I thought, Swallowing another spirit really changed him. This entire living room is shrouded in his presence, so thick it’s almost suffocating.

　　“No matter who you are, you’re going down!” Li Hongmin snarled, charging at me.

　　I didn’t dare hesitate. I formed a hand sign, but this time, it wasn’t the Illusory Sun Finger. This was the Soul-Crushing Finger, a technique made specifically to deal with malicious spirits.

　　The Soul-Crushing Finger is far stronger than the Illusory Sun Finger. For ordinary spirits, one strike would be enough to send them back to the underworld. Even for a powerful ghost like Li Hongmin, it might not completely destroy him, but it would definitely leave him severely wounded.In an instant, the dimly lit living room glowed with the faint golden light of my Soul-Crushing Finger, colliding with Li Hongmin's dark energy. The impact created a bizarre sound—like water splashing onto rusty metal. It was a chilling noise that sent shivers down my spine.

　　“Ah!” Li Hongmin screamed as he was hurled backward, crashing into the corner of the room. In that moment, the Soul-Crushing Finger completely shattered his ghostly aura.

　　I seized the opportunity without hesitation. I pushed off the ground and charged at him, pulling a body-exploding talisman from my pocket. Just as he looked up at me in disbelief, I pressed the talisman against his forehead.

　　As he staggered back, I quickly formed another hand sign and began to chant, “With the ten lights of heaven, I borrow nine lanterns, piercing the evil shadows, driving away all that is foul!”

　　With each word, the body-exploding talisman on Li Hongmin's forehead started to glow with an intense golden light.

　　Fear finally washed over his face. “No! Please, don’t!”

　　I ignored his desperate pleas, locking my gaze onto him with determination as I shouted, “Break!”

　　At the sound of my command, the talisman erupted in a blinding flash of gold, and cracks spiderwebbed across Li Hongmin’s body.

　　With a deafening explosion, his form disintegrated, shattered into a swirling cloud of black smoke that faded into nothingness, leaving only silence behind.