When Gu Yan came back that night, Su Kun told him about the news he had seen.

Hearing about Zhao Tianqi's abnormal behavior and the cause of death, Gu Yan frowned and thought for a moment before saying, "I've only been dealing with these matters for a month or two and don't have enough experience to make a definitive judgment. However, this person's reactions do resemble what the Master mentioned about possession."

"Possession?" Su Kun processed this and then, placing his hands on his own neck and rolling his eyes, asked, "You mean like being possessed by a ghost?"

Gu Yan: "..." Why does he always act like he's in a play? =_=

He was speechless for a moment but nodded, saying, "That's roughly what it means." As he spoke, he reached out to remove Su Kun's hands and patted his forehead, signaling him to stop rolling his eyes before he hurt himself.

Su Kun laughed awkwardly, retracted his hands, and blinked to ease the strain.

When Gu Yan first learned Su Kun's age, he was surprised to find that he wasn't much older than Su Kun. However, their interactions often made him feel as if he were raising a child, causing some of his actions to unconsciously take on a parental tone.

Su Kun clearly didn't mind this; in fact, he seemed to adapt to and even enjoy this dynamic. Whenever Gu Yan looked at him with a mix of helplessness and indulgence, Su Kun felt a sense of being pampered.

And indeed, Gu Yan indulged him in every way possible.

"If it's possession... doesn't that mean Unic isn't safe?" Su Kun asked Gu Yan. If Zhao Tianqi's sudden death was due to possession, it wasn't a targeted event. That could mean everyone at Unic or in that area was at risk.

"It's hard to say," Gu Yan shook his head. "The Master is the expert in this field. He knows more about these matters."

"Right, I wonder if the Master has seen the news."

Su Kun knew quite a bit about this special department from what Gu Yan had told him. The members didn't act collectively on every matter, big or small. They had a general division of responsibilities.

Usually, Granny Camphor Tree and Mo Bao handled matters related to spirits since they themselves were spirits. The Master's abilities weren't as effective on spirits; he mainly dealt with ghost-related issues.

When they all had work, they often acted separately. Only when they were all free and encountered tricky supernatural problems would they join forces. Even then, Granny Camphor Tree and Mo Bao, considering the Master's mortal body, would usually take on the more dangerous tasks, leaving the safer work for the Master, although sometimes they ended up needing his help.

Since Gu Yan joined, his presence, with no life to lose and a true workaholic spirit, had lightened the Master's burden significantly. Dealing with ghosts using another ghost often proved more effective than talismans or spells. With Gu Yan's help, Granny Camphor Tree and Mo Bao no longer had to compete for the Master's work.

"But," Su Kun thought for a moment and said, "even if the Master doesn't know, H City is a big place. There should be plenty of members from the special department there. If Zhao Tianqi was really possessed, the members in H City should notice and wouldn't just stand by and do nothing."

Gu Yan squeezed his hand and replied, "You're mistaken. The special department's members aren't distributed according to the size or prosperity of the area."

"Huh? Then how?"

"Based on the member's origin. However, this origin differs slightly from the usual one you’re familiar with," Gu Yan said, pointing to himself.

"For example, in my previous life, my family home was in Ying Tian Fu, but that’s not my current origin. I became a spirit and first appeared in this world in your bedroom, so my current origin is Li City. Granny Camphor Tree was planted in the western outskirts of Li City hundreds of years ago and transformed there; the painting was created a hundred years ago at the foot of Zhong Cui Mountain in the south, and hung in a room in the Huaiyin Temple on the mountain, absorbing incense smoke for nearly a century before coming to life; your landlord was also a spirit fox in Zhong Cui Mountain a thousand years ago and only came down after becoming human; and the master was a Daoist disciple in Huaiyin Temple. So, their origins are all Li City."

Su Kun widened his eyes and was stunned for a while. "All from Zhong Cui Mountain?! Damn, I always thought the talk about it being a blessed place was just tourist hype. Turns out it’s real!"

"It is a blessed place. However, according to the landlord and the others, it’s not what it used to be centuries ago," Gu Yan explained. "That’s why the master and his sect, despite practicing for so long, only know more Daoist techniques and live a bit longer than ordinary people. They haven't achieved immortality."

"So, according to you, there aren't many whose origin is H City?" Su Kun pondered. H City is one of the nation's more prosperous cities, developing faster than Li City, but it lacks blessed places and sacred mountains.

Gu Yan nodded. "According to Granny Camphor Tree, H City has always been more prosperous than the surrounding cities, with more noise and fewer places for cultivation. So, there are very few with origins in H City, and none of them are particularly powerful."

Su Kun twitched his mouth, thinking about the other neighboring city that Gu Yan's team had helped. "Are they all like those rabbit spirits, scared and ready to flee at any moment?"

"I’ve heard there are also rat spirits."

Su Kun: "..." Not much better than rabbit spirits!

He thought for a moment and said, "Can't the origin be changed? How about moving some from the surrounding areas to H City?"

"Origins can't be changed randomly. It's not just an identity and region; it’s also the place where one continually cultivates oneself. Compared to H City, Li City, though small, offers a simple and peaceful life with picturesque outskirts, making it a blessed place for cultivation. No one would willingly leave a familiar blessed place for another."

"That makes sense," Su Kun nodded in understanding. "So if something happens in H City, they have to rely on personnel from surrounding cities?"

"Yes. However, due to the scarcity of old buildings and the high population, there's a lot of positive energy in H City, so supernatural incidents are rare."

"Ohhh—" Su Kun dragged out his response, indicating he understood. He temporarily set the matter aside, went to the bathroom for a shower, and habitually put on shorts, squatting on a chair while drying his hair and browsing the latest updates about Zhao Tianqi.

Although Gu Yan couldn't confirm if Zhao Tianqi was possessed, Su Kun thought it best to tell Geng Zimo anyway. He logged into QQ and clicked on Geng Zimo's active icon.

Su Kun: You there? I need to tell you something.

Geng Zimo responded quickly: Shoot.

Su Kun: Not shoot, listen up. I saw the news about the sudden death of your company’s employee. The way he died seems odd. I asked Gu Yan, and he said Zhao Tianqi's condition might be due to possession.

Geng Zimo: No way. Are you sure?

Su Kun: We’re not sure. If we were, the master and Gu Yan would be on their way to H City already.

Geng Zimo: Can possession cause sudden death?

Watching from the side, Gu Yan explained, "If the possessing spirit and the body are incompatible, they will repel each other. The spirit can't stay stable in the body and has to leave. The body, tainted by the spirit’s death energy, will reject the original soul, leading to something like Zhao Tianqi’s situation."

Su Kun relayed Gu Yan’s explanation to Geng Zimo and added: If it’s really possession, the spirit might try again with someone else. You all could be in danger. Be cautious.

Geng Zimo paused for a moment before replying: How am I supposed to be careful against that… =_=

Su Kun felt stumped: "Uh, right… they’re ghosts, you're humans. They’re hidden, you're exposed. It’s invisible and untouchable. How can you be cautious…"

He squatted in front of the computer, rocking back and forth, chewing his thumbnail, and muttering.

After watching him for a while, Gu Yan gently moved Su Kun’s thumb away and suggested, "Carrying some protective items might help."

"Oh, right!!" Su Kun slapped his thigh, then quickly typed: How about carrying some black dog blood or boy's urine? Or maybe keep a black donkey hoof in your bag?

To his surprise, Geng Zimo didn’t respond for a long time.

Su Kun figured he might have gone to wash up before bed or was working late. Just as he was about to give up and go to sleep, the notification sounded again.

Geng Zimo: The weird boss saw your message while passing by with a towel and asked me about it.

Su Kun: Oh.

A few seconds later, Su Kun glanced at the clock—22:34.

He froze for a moment before typing furiously: Why is the weird boss still in your room at this hour?! This is too much information to process!