Tao Rui's villa was large, with plenty of empty rooms, so he let each ghost choose a room to stay in. They didn't need to sleep, though, so after having enough fun, they simply found a soundproof room to play mahjong.

It was so nice to be around Tao Rui. Not only did they get to eat and drink their fill, but they also got to touch real things. Maybe if Tao Rui was happy, he'd let them move around freely.

With this beautiful wish in mind, they played mahjong all night long, and then realized their wish early the next morning!

"Can I get out like this?" The hanged ghost looked down at the talisman on his arm with his eyes wide open, unable to believe that happiness came so quickly.

Tao Rui corrected him: "It's not going out, it's staying within a certain range around me."

"Is there any way to get anywhere?"

"No," Tao Rui denied, ignoring the ghosts' disappointed expressions. He'd only just met them; who knew what they'd do if they were free? Of course, he couldn't just let the ghosts loose.

Either go back to where you died, or follow him, you can only choose one.

Of course, several ghosts accepted the talisman without hesitation and chose to stay with him. This is already very happy, isn't it? Especially the water ghosts, they no longer have to stay submerged in water without seeing the sun.

In the morning, Tao Rui had just finished his meal surrounded by several ghosts when Cao Heping came with a police officer. Coincidentally, it was Captain Zhang who was in charge of the Ye family's disappearance case.

This time, Cao Heping formally introduced him. "Master Tao, this is the head of the city's special operations team. Many of the city's unsolved cases have been transferred to him, including Lu Yaxin's murder."

Tao Rui smiled and said, "Captain Zhang, you should call me Team Leader Zhang. Nice to meet again. Let's sit down and talk."

Captain Zhang followed him into the reception room and said, "It's all the same. My colleagues all call me Captain Zhang. It seems Mr. Tao has a connection to unsolved cases. I'll get straight to the point. Cao Heping said you found the clothes the murderer was wearing when he committed the crime. How did you find them?"

Tao Rui asked them to sit down and made tea for them. "Of course I have my sources. Captain Zhang, don't worry. I've personally checked and confirmed the truth. If Captain Zhang is in charge of investigating this case, then we will go together to collect evidence today."

Captain Zhang pondered for half a minute, then looked at Tao Rui and said, "Take me there first. I'll reopen the case once I see the evidence and have my colleagues go and collect the evidence. You should understand that the number of unsolved cases accumulated over the years is not too small, but it's not too few either. We can't just reopen any case we want. It would easily waste police resources."

"Understood. If I wasn't sure, I wouldn't bother Captain Zhang."

"Can I ask why you're so concerned about this murder case?" Captain Zhang was puzzled. Was it just to help Cao Heping solve the problem? That would be too much trouble.

Tao Rui said truthfully, "Seeing injustice? You can also think of it as my interest in solving the case."

This sentence made Captain Zhang instinctively alert, because Tao Rui was not a public official, but was interested in suspense cases, so he was very likely to develop into a high-IQ criminal.

However, he did not show it. He asked Tao Rui about the specific situation he had learned, and then followed Tao Rui to the place where the evidence was buried.

Originally, Captain Zhang had intended for Tao Rui and Cao Heping to ride in his car, but Tao Rui suggested driving a separate car. Captain Zhang assumed it was some peculiar temper of his and didn't ask any further questions.

In fact, Tao Rui drove alone so that the ghosts would not be too crowded in the car. Others could not see them, but he could see them. They looked scary enough, and it was unbearable to look at them squeezed together.

No one knew that Tao Rui had discovered the clue except Cao Heping and Captain Zhang. They drove all the way to the place where the things were hidden, and it was still the same as the night before.

Captain Zhang got out of the car and looked around, his eyes fixed on the traces of burnt paper on the ground at the intersection.

Tao Rui explained, "I played a little trick last night to ask some questions. After all, it's unlikely that a normal person would have witnessed it."

It took Cao Heping two seconds to understand, and he felt a chill run down his spine. Captain Zhang, unconvinced, asked casually, "So what did you find out?"

"I have good news! I actually found an eyewitness. But it was too late yesterday, so I didn't go over to see him. I'll go find him after I search for evidence here." Tao Rui jumped down around the tree and pointed to a stone in the corner. "This is the stone where the clothes were pressed that day. I've seen a little blood on it. The clothes buried under this soil are the burned clothes."

Captain Zhang was afraid that Tao Rui might destroy the evidence, so he immediately went forward to check. However, to his surprise, the place where Tao Rui had buried the object was the same as the others, with no signs of digging. He asked in confusion, "How do you know what's buried there?"

Several ghosts gathered around and asked Tao Rui curiously. They were also puzzled. It seemed that Tao Rui knew the murderer had burned and buried the clothes before the hanged ghost testified. How did he know? X-ray vision?

Tao Rui smiled and said, "Some little tricks."

Captain Zhang remained silent, squatting down to examine the stone carefully. After a moment's thought, he called for help. Soon, a team arrived, including the investigating police, the forensic department, and the medical examiner.

Seeing that their method was very professional and they would not destroy any evidence, Tao Rui said to Captain Zhang, "Let's go find the witness and ask him about the situation. His name is Li Dong. He played a few hands of cards that night and happened to see it."

Captain Zhang called two people and planned to go find out where Li Dong lived, but then he heard Tao Rui say, "It's okay, just follow me."

The headless ghost led the way, while the other ghosts ran around the village to try their luck and see if there were any other witnesses. Not far into the village, Tao Rui and his group ran into a few people. Seeing that they were police officers, they were curious and asked what had happened.

Captain Zhang said, "We're investigating a case. The criminal came to the village entrance a year ago, around 4 a.m. on October 20th. If anyone knows anything, please report it to the police at any time."

"A year ago? How can you remember something that happened so long ago? No one goes out in the middle of the night."

"Then may I ask where Li Dong lives?"

"Li Dong, he's just around the corner. Did he get into trouble?"

Captain Zhang quickly denied it, "I just went to him to find out more about the situation. The case has nothing to do with him."

Captain Zhang followed Tao Rui forward again, and was somewhat surprised, yet not quite surprised, to discover that Tao Rui's route was indeed correct. When Li Dong opened the door and saw them, he had clearly never seen Tao Rui before. Captain Zhang felt he couldn't comprehend this mysterious situation for the time being.

When Li Dong was asked about it, his first reaction was denial. He didn't remember much about what happened a year ago, and besides, ordinary people didn't want to be associated with any case.

Then his twelve-year-old son said, "Dad, have you forgotten? You came home late one night and took a bath the next day to ward off bad luck, saying someone was burning paper on the road late at night and scared you into falling into a ditch. You even told me to take a detour to avoid evil spirits."

Li Dong's face turned serious. "What do you know, kid? Go play somewhere else!"

He looked at Captain Zhang and the others, coughed, and said, "Well, it seems like that's the case. I was quite far away and didn't see what the person looked like, so I can't be of much help."

Tao Rui asked, "Did you notice what he was wearing?"

Captain Zhang added, "Any features will do, or any car parked on the road. Please describe everything you saw, and try not to leave anything out. This clue is crucial, and it involves a very tragic murder."

Li Dong stood up and looked outside, then closed the doors and windows and whispered, "Oh, you don't know. A few years ago, there was a young man in our village who bravely saved someone from a thug. But not long after, he disappeared. We all suspected that the thugs were taking revenge. If that person burning paper was involved in a murder, how could I dare to get involved?"

"The police will guarantee your safety. If you are really scared, you and your family can stay in a safe house until the murderer is caught." Captain Zhang intuitively understood what he had seen and quickly made the promise.

Li Dong looked at them hesitantly, then looked at his son who was eavesdropping at the bedroom door. He felt that he had to set a positive example, so he gritted his teeth and said it.

"That day I thought I was possessed by evil spirits and was terrified. When I saw someone burning paper, my first reaction was to curse. I took out my phone and filmed it. I wanted to see who it was and talk to them, but when I zoomed in, I didn't recognize them. I had no idea why they were burning paper in our area. I panicked and quickly ran home. I haven't been back since."

"You took photos? Where are the photos?" Captain Zhang and the two policemen were shocked. They did not expect such a turn of events.

Li Dong thought for a moment and said, "My wife imports all the photos from her phone to her computer every once in a while, saying she'll save them. I want to see if she's deleted them."

Li Dong went to turn on his computer. It was a bit slow and there were a lot of photos. Twenty minutes later, Li Dong finally found two photos. "This is it. I haven't deleted it. Can you guys see if you can help me? Everything I saw is on the photos. I really don't know the rest. I won't lie to you."

One of the two photos was taken normally, and the other was enlarged. Not only did it capture a bit of Yang Zhijie's side face, but it also vaguely captured the license plate number!

Captain Zhang's heartbeat quickened. He immediately asked a colleague to copy the photo. He shook Li Dong's hand and said, "This is a very useful clue. Thank you so much."

"Do I still have to testify in court?"

"Yes, after we catch the murderer, we will trouble you to testify in court."

"Can you really arrange a safe house for us?"

"Sure." Both safe houses in the city were currently empty. Seeing how frightened he was, Captain Zhang agreed immediately. He vaguely remembered a missing person case in this village involving a brave young man who had bravely stepped forward to save his life. Based on his experience, he concluded that the young man was dead, but so were the thugs. There was no one to question him about. The child's parents were probably searching for him simply to gain psychological comfort.

At this time, Tao Rui said, "Captain Zhang, there's one more matter I might need your help with." He pointed to an empty lot next to the house and said, "There's a body buried over there. It's the missing young man Mr. Li mentioned."

"What?"

"What?"

Captain Zhang and Li Dong said in unison.

Captain Zhang was surprised that Tao Rui actually knew the burial site, while Li Dong blushed, thinking about how he'd lived next to the body for years. He was incredibly superstitious, and he immediately slumped down onto the stool.

The forensic examiners happened to be there, so Captain Zhang called people over to dig. They quickly found the remains at the location designated by Tao Rui.

The two policemen nearby exchanged glances. Although they weren't usually superstitious, the scene still made them feel a little uneasy. Tao Rui...how did he know?

The headless ghost stood beside Tao Rui, touched the head in his arms, and sighed: "It's really strange to see my own skeleton with my own eyes."