CHAPTER 261: CHAPTER 261 ORIGIN

Twenty-six years ago, Zhang Ran had just graduated from nursing school and was working at Huaxin County Hospital.

At that time, Liu Qiang, who was twenty-seven, had been divorced from his ex-wife for four years due to indescribable reasons.

During these four years, he tried every possible way to find a remedy for Little Matchstick. After all, for someone like Liu Qiang, born in a small county town and living in an environment heavy with the shackles of secularism, the inability to carry on his lineage and be a normal man was an intolerable disgrace.

Therefore, he would try anything he heard could enhance masculinity, even to the extent of swallowing slimy bugs and eating various strange things.

He also began to dabble in some unusual and wicked practices, attempting to reverse fate and restore his normalcy.

However, nothing worked. The remedies were as numerous as cows in a field, and not only did they fail to help, but they also occasionally caused him illnesses.

Moreover, his prolonged extreme self-loathing and resentment towards everything and everyone twisted his mind horribly. He couldn’t bear hearing any words like "incapable" or "small." If there was even a slight possibility of related associations, he would feel like he was being mocked.

Zhang Ran, unfortunately, encountered Liu Qiang, who outwardly appeared civilized but was internally self-abasing and perverted. At the time, he had consumed some mixture of incense ash and bug slime, causing throat inflammation and stomach discomfort, so he went to the county hospital for a check-up.

As a nurse who hadn’t been in the job long, Zhang Ran was responsible for distributing examination reports and answering some simple questions.

When she handed over Liu Qiang’s report, she noticed many abnormal data and responsibly alerted him, "There’s a slight issue here; you should see a doctor about the results."

"I never thought that such a simple phrase would drive that scumbag to rage out of humiliation!" Zhang Ran’s hand holding the pen was trembling with anger, and her excitement made it look terrifying with blood streaming from her orifices.

Chuci was shocked, "Wait, I don’t understand his logic. Could it be that because you mentioned he has a ’small issue,’ he thought you were mocking him for being small? Wasn’t he there for a check-up due to throat inflammation and stomach discomfort? How did that relate to anything?"

Jiang Yuan was also puzzled, "Hearing someone mention he might have issues and thinking it’s mocking him—wouldn’t Liu Qiang have a grudge against many people each day with such thoughts?"

Zhang Ran vigorously nodded and continued writing;

Ding Xiaoxiao murmured, "He’s killed a lot of people, and not just those reported in the news. Don’t forget, Sister Zhang was murdered twenty-six years ago; he was already making Yin Fiends back then. That means before Sister Zhang, many others had probably fallen victim to his hands. But back then, information wasn’t as prevalent, so it didn’t cause an uproar, and few knew."

The two exchanged a glance, inhaling sharply, feeling that sentencing Liu Qiang would be too lenient for his harm!

"I’ll find someone to see what’s going on." Chuci couldn’t sit still, grabbing his phone, he said to Ding Xiaoxiao, "I totally agree with your plan right now.

No matter what, we cannot easily let this scumbag go. We must find out all the evil he’s done and how many lives he has ruined. Those are all lives that cannot disappear silently and entirely without a trace."

Liu Qiang believed that Zhang Ran, as a medical worker, had learned about his secret and was secretly mocking him, so he bore the grudge deeply. He stalked her on her way home after work, kidnapped her, and locked her in his basement for three days, torturing and killing her, creating his first successful Yin Fiend.

"I want you to help tell my family the truth. Also, where I was killed, in Liu Qiang’s ancestral house basement, there is Liu Qiang’s Origin!"

Zhang Ran tapped the final two words with her pen, continuing to explain, "The Origin is where he used a Secret Technique to split his soul, like a division between clone and original. The person acting outside is the clone; no matter how much harm he suffers, as long as he isn’t killed on the spot, he can slowly recover strength from the Origin!

Please make sure to destroy his Origin thoroughly—all of the longevity and fortune stored using sinister and unconventional methods will be gone, leaving the scumbag nowhere to turn!

As a ghost for years, she’s never encountered a genuinely good person willing to help free of charge.

Many so-called masters who were praised kept as far away as possible after witnessing Liu Qiang’s methods.

Whether helping the sisters find release or eliminating Liu Qiang’s backup plan would require this young man to exert himself without favor; after all, they had no money and, apart from causing harm, nothing to offer in exchange; and Liu Qiang’s Origin had accumulated years of bloody history, undoubtedly making it hard to deal with.

The three female ghosts were anxious, fearing that without completing the most crucial step, their revenge plans would be difficult to implement.

"You need to give me a specific address." Unexpectedly, Jiang Yuan listened patiently to her preambles and directly agreed, suggesting, "To avoid unnecessary delays, the sooner we set off to remove the aftermath, the better. Huaxin County isn’t too far, leaving now means arriving around half-past midnight. If everything goes well, it can be settled on the spot."

He hadn’t thought deeply about it; Liu Qiang being one less scourge meant everyday people’s lives would be safer.

As for any reward, using Heaven-Burning Flame to burn Yin Fiend’s malice could be upgraded, which was a great reward already, so what more could he ask for?

Listening to music and driving towards Huaxin County’s highway, Jiang Yuan, belatedly aware, realized that ever since he had been bonded with his mysterious power, he had changed significantly.

For example, his procrastination had been completely cured; when he planned to do something, he immediately started. Internal consumption had also disappeared. Discover, face, solve, let go—these were the "eight-character imperative" he summarized from the Wilderness World.

"Bro, I guess this counts as a spontaneous trip. Suddenly I feel your vocation is quite interesting." Chuci probed from the passenger seat, "It’s mysterious and thrilling, earns you a lot, and you can perform acts of kindness and accumulate merit as well. So... how about I become your apprentice?"

Jiang Yuan was a bit perplexed, "What do you want to learn?"

"Ghost hunting!" Chuci was slightly excited and lowered his voice, "Bro, your way of snapping fingers to conjure fire, incinerating enemies into ashes with a mere jest, was so damn cool! I’m not greedy, nor do I intend to learn your expertise. I just want to assist you sometimes and gain experience, and if I have the ability to learn, you can teach me some basic ghost hunting skills and techniques."

Unexpectedly, this rich kid was interested in such a hobby, making Jiang Yuan a little troubled. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to teach, but he simply didn’t know how!

Until now, he hadn’t even figured out the basic principles behind releasing the Heaven-Burning Flame.

Luckily, Chuci wasn’t one to jump to conclusions; seeing no direct response, he changed the topic, discussing how they could smoothly infiltrate Liu Qiang’s ancestral house once they reach Huaxin County.

When the car stopped in an alley in the old district beside the county town, Jiang Yuan realized he had overthought. Liu Qiang’s ancestral house retained the style from decades ago, with some resemblance to his own old family home.

With a wall barely over a meter high, they could easily climb over!

"People say return home in glory, yet Liu Qiang, having that much money, didn’t even renovate the ancestral house holding his Origin." He casually remarked, getting ready to get out of the car, the quiet night perfect for action.

Chuci added, "Not renovating is a smart move. Our old ancestral house remains much the same. The less affected it is, the safer, not attracting thieves. However, there must be many surveillance cameras around, and possibly an entry alarm system."

He paused and supplemented, "Our old ancestral home’s layout is similar; if someone breaks in, it’s noticed instantly. Look..."

Sweeping his gaze around, Chuci spotted two red points in the night, "Two surveillance cameras are front and back; there must be more inside. It’s best to shut off power lines. If Liu Qiang cunningly uses solar-powered security systems, it will be even more troublesome."

Indeed, having a knowledgeable and reliable teammate is crucial!

Jiang Yuan mentally expressed gratitude, taking a sheet of white paper from the driver’s seat and began folding origami. After two minutes, he blew on several small temporary paper cranes, which fluttered their wings and flew out the car window, drifting into the yard.

Like flimsy paper caught in the wind, the two cranes floated to the two surveillance cameras Chuci had found, unfurling their wings and grabbing the lenses directly.

"Holy shit!" Chuci watched in awe, his voice trembling slightly from excitement, "Bro, do you think I have the talent for this? Can I learn it? This is so damn amazing!"