74: The Painted Skin Ghost (The End)

Liao Chen walked back into the living room with his head hanging listlessly, looking like a frost-bitten eggplant.

When he spoke, his tone carried a hint of uncontrollable anger: "Senior Brother! The Painted Skin escaped... what on earth should we do next?"

"I am truly sorry, Junior Brother Liao Chen. This was indeed a mistake on my part," Liao Yuan said as he carefully placed the heavily injured and weakly breathing Mo Yuze onto the sofa.

"Hmph! I'm afraid Senior Brother didn't give it his all. In my opinion, it might not be as simple as a momentary oversight. You are, after all, the recognized strategist among the 'Liao' generation at White Horse Temple!"

Liao Chen stared intently at Liao Yuan, pouting in dissatisfaction. >_<

Facing his junior brother's questioning, Liao Yuan simply shook his head silently without offering much explanation.

He reached into the storage bag in his robes, fumbled for a moment, and pulled out a phone. He skillfully navigated to the official website of the C City Police Department and handed the phone to Liao Chen.

Full of suspicion, Liao Chen took the phone and subconsciously swiped down on the screen.

Soon, an official document published a week ago appeared clearly before his eyes—"Announcement Regarding the Handling of the Painted Skin Ghost in C City."

After reading the contents of the document, Liao Chen stood frozen as if struck by lightning. His hands trembled uncontrollably, and his speech became stuttered and incoherent: "This... this, this... Senior Brother... Senior Brother... does this mean... Officer Mo and we have all been plotted against in the shadows?"

"Yes."

Liao Yuan clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force.

"When the Special Affairs Bureau transferred us from the north to C City for this mission, I already had my doubts."

"Think about it, the headquarters of the Underworld Company is located right here. Why would they need us to come and assist? There must be an unknown secret hidden within this."

"Since the spiritual qi began to recover, the cultivation levels of the high-ranking officials in the Special Affairs Bureau have lagged far behind those of unofficial cultivators. Moreover, it's currently a transition period for leadership. Those people are unpredictable and have likely been impatient to take action for a long time."

Liao Chen looked indignant, as if he might explode at any moment.

"Director Lin has only been in a coma from heavy injuries for a few short days, yet Deputy Director Chen already can't tolerate us monks who support Director Lin."

"Junior Brother, you have broken your precepts," Liao Yuan said, his lips curling into a faint smile.

"Amitabha! Senior Brother, you know my temperament."

Liao Yuan continued to smile without saying more, simply giving him a gentle pat on the shoulder.

[My junior brother is good in every way, and he usually maintains the image of a highly respected, transcendental monk. But his personality is just too impulsive; his joys and sorrows are all written on his face, making him easy to read.]

"Alright, stop being angry. the owner of this place is coming soon."

"Fine!"

Liao Chen nodded helplessly and exhaled a breath of turbid air. He looked somewhat dejectedly toward the kitchen refrigerator.

"Senior Brother! The Painted Skin wouldn't take all the human skins at once."

"Maybe inside the refrigerator, there will be..." Before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by the sudden appearance of You Xiaoqian and a team of Ghost Messengers she led.

"Not just human skins, there's human meat too... it would be quite good for making barbecued pork buns." You Xiaoqian's lips curled into a playful smile, and she jokingly licked her lips.

Black lines appeared on Liao Yuan's forehead as he silently chanted, "Amitabha!"

You Xiaoqian looked at the two of them with a half-smile, her eyes revealing a deeper meaning. "Monks, you certainly have a lot of nerve. The Underworld has already issued a notice, yet you still dared to hunt down the Painted Skin!"

"Amitabha. We three monks were also plotted against. Moreover, Ghost Messenger, you should also know the truth of the matter; otherwise, you would have apprehended us directly when we first met."

“Heh! At least you're not completely stupid.”

"But you are quite unlucky. Not only were you discarded by your superiors, but you were also used as the first blade in someone else's hand when you came to C City." You Xiaoqian looked at them with a complex expression.

Hearing this, a surge of nameless fire rose in Liao Chen's heart, but he tried his best to restrain his emotions, chanting the Heart Sutra to calm the fluctuations of his spiritual power.

You Xiaoqian noticed the monk Liao Chen's reaction and pointed to the refrigerator in the corner of the kitchen. "Alright, don't look so miserable. At least you're better off than that reckless fool lying on the sofa."

Upon hearing this, Liao Chen's expression gradually relaxed, and he said, "The Benefactor has a point."

Seeing this, You Xiaoqian couldn't help but burst into laughter with her hands on her hips. "Hahaha... you two eminent monks are quite interesting."

After laughing, You Xiaoqian raised an eyebrow and withdrew her smile. "Then this young lady will kindly inform you: there's no need to hunt the Painted Skin Ghost anymore. Once she finishes killing her last enemy, she will dissipate on her own."

Liao Chen and Liao Wu exchanged a look, a flash of surprise in their eyes.

You Xiaoqian continued to explain: "The Empress personally cast the spell. She was born of resentment and will die because of her obsession—this is a mother's revenge returning from Hell."

Liao Chen pressed his palms together, his face full of shame. "I did not know the reason behind it and rashly attempted to exorcise the ghost. It is truly a sin."

"In that case, I thank the Ghost Messenger. However, why exactly did this Painted Skin hold a grudge against so many people?" Liao Chen asked.

"A mother's daughter was sold into an underground casino. I'll let you two masters guess the rest..."

"So that's how it is..." Liao Chen sighed. "The evil of this world is truly appalling."

"Amitabha. I shall certainly do my utmost to use the Buddha's teachings to transcend the evil of this world," Liao Yuan said solemnly.

You Xiaoqian didn't say anything, just tilted her head slightly, signaling the Ghost Messenger beside her to open the refrigerator.

Wisps of white, cold air rose from inside.

Through the half-open refrigerator door, several bundles of human skin could be seen inside the freezer compartment.

They were folded neatly like clothes, kept in the sub-zero cold.

On the bottom shelf, bags of chopped bone fragments were placed, piled together haphazardly and frozen into a single mass.

It was impossible to tell which part of the body they came from.

Liao Chen touched his middle finger and ring finger to his thumb, while his index and pinky fingers curved slightly upward. "The remains of such evil people should not remain in this world." With those words, a burst of flame soared up, instantly turning the refrigerator to ash.

You Xiaoqian gave Liao Chen a thumbs up. "Master, you are truly a man of character."

Beside him, Liao Yuan shook his head with a bitter smile. "Junior Brother! Burning it is not as good as using it as fertilizer for Spirit-Devouring Flowers!"