While in Hollywood, I used Taoist magic to quell American terrorism.

Clean.

It's too clean.

Whether it's the middle-aged man or this girl named Taylor...

There was no dark shadow on it, no resentment, no curse.

In fact, their auras were even stronger than those of ordinary people.

"Master Cao, hello." The middle-aged man stood up, looking anxious.

"My name is Scott, this is my daughter Taylor, and we need your help."

Cao Kun sat down in the main seat and gestured for the two men to sit down as well.

"Please sit down."

Cao Kun spoke calmly. "Mr. Scott, I'll get straight to the point."

In my eyes, you two are very clean, with no signs of being possessed by evil spirits.

Are you sure you've found the right place?

Scott paused for a moment, then smiled wryly and said, "This is the scariest part."

The doctor said she was hallucinating, and the psychologist said she had post-traumatic stress disorder.

But I know those things are real.

Cao Kun put down his teacup and looked at Taylor's blue eyes, which were bloodshot.

"What are you talking about?"

Scott turned to his daughter, gently patting her shoulder. "Taylor, tell Master Cao."

Taylor took a deep breath, his hands clasped tightly together, his knuckles turning white from the force.

Despite her body trembling slightly, her voice was still clear when she spoke, carrying a composure beyond her years.

"Someone is smiling at me," Taylor said softly.

Cao Kun was taken aback, then chuckled, "Miss Taylor, you're so beautiful, it's normal for people to smile at you."

What's so scary about that?

Taylor looked up, his eyes filled with a deathly fear.

"No, Master Cao. That smile...it wasn't an ordinary smile."

As that person smiled at me, they grabbed a box cutter and slit their own throat right in front of me.

Cao Kun's smile froze instantly, and he leaned forward slightly.

"Slit the throat? Go on, the more details the better."

Taylor closed his eyes, as if he were back in that moment.

"It was three days ago, outside the school's counseling room."

Just as I was about to go in, a female senior student pushed the door open and came out.

She stopped in front of me, her lips almost stretched to her ears, her eyes wide, staring intently at me with a smile.

Taylor's breathing became rapid. "She didn't make a sound."

Then he pulled out a utility knife from his pocket and slashed his own neck.

Blood splattered onto my skirt, but she just kept laughing, as if she felt no pain at all.

Cao Kun frowned immediately.

A horror movie had already appeared in his mind.

Cao Kun: "What did the police say?"

"The police said it was suicide," Scott interjected, his face grim.

"Taylor was terrified, and I took her to see the best psychologist."

The doctor said it was just a stress reaction after witnessing the horrific scene.

But from then on, the nightmare began.

Taylor opened her eyes, her voice trembling with tears, "I can see her."

No matter where I am, I can see that senior student.

She would stand on the street corner or sit on the windowsill of my room.

The wound on her neck was still bleeding, but she still smiled at me like that.

Cao Kun pondered for a moment: "Have you done anything?"

Taylor nodded. "Yesterday afternoon, I was practicing the piano in the music room when I looked up and found her sitting on the piano."

I'd had enough, so I grabbed a vase and smashed it at her.

The vase hit her and then fell to the ground and shattered.

She suddenly flew into a rage, jumped off the piano, and grabbed my neck tightly.

Taylor touched his neck; it was as white as ever, without any bruises.

"I felt like I was having more and more difficulty breathing, and my heart was about to stop."

But just when I thought I was going to die, I suddenly woke up.

I was still sitting on the piano bench. The vase wasn't broken, and there was no hand on my neck.

It turned out to be just an illusion.

Cao Kun stood up and slowly paced around the store.

"No, that's not an ordinary hallucination."

Cao Kun stopped and turned to look at Taylor: "After that, you saw more than just that senior, right?"

Taylor's eyes widened suddenly: "How did you know?"

This morning, when I went out, I saw a driver smiling like that.

And just now when I came in, I saw a mother holding a child on the roadside, and she also had that kind of smile.

I can't even tell who is the real living person and who is "it" in disguise.

Cao Kun leaned against the counter, his fingers lightly tapping the mahogany surface.

Cao Kun fell silent.

He is now pretty sure which horror movie Taylor encountered.

This is the plot of the horror film "Dangerous Laughter".

This kind of evil spirit is not a ghost in the traditional sense.

Rather, it is a kind of spiritual parasite that lives on "trauma".

It spreads by having its host witness extremely cruel acts of suicide.

Those infected will experience all sorts of terrifying hallucinations.

Everyone would give the victim that twisted, stiff, and extremely unnatural "dangerous smile".

It torments the victim's mind until their psychological defenses completely collapse.

Then, in full view of everyone, it controls the host to commit suicide, passing the curse on to the next witness.

This kind of evil spirit has no yin energy because it acts directly on the human brain's nerves and the depths of consciousness.

According to the rules in the movie, after being infected, one will commit suicide within four to seven days.

Cao Kun asked Taylor, "You said you witnessed the suicide three days ago?"

Taylor nodded: "Yes."

Cao Kun: "In other words, today is the fourth day."

Taylor nodded again: "Yes."

Cao Kun: "Then, from this moment on, you could die at any time."

Taylor and Scott were immediately startled.

Scott hurriedly asked, "Master Cao, what should we do?"

Cao Kun looked at Taylor.

Normally, when a person is targeted by an evil spirit and is about to die, they will have an aura of death on their body.

Cao Kun could see it.

But Cao Kun didn't see that in Taylor.

This only proves that this item is truly extraordinary.

It's completely different from the evil spirits of legend.

"Mr. Scott," Cao Kun said, looking at Scott, "your daughter's situation is indeed very special."

As I just said, she has no yin energy.

This means that the ghost haunting her is not an ordinary ghost.

"What is that?" Scott asked eagerly.

Cao Kun: "It does not belong to the spirit body, but is more like a kind of 'virus' that parasitizes consciousness."

It "seeds" by making the host witness extremely cruel suicides.

They create illusions in your mind, tormenting your spirit until you completely break down.

Cao Kun paused, his tone icy: "Once your mental defenses crumble, it will completely take over your body."

Then, in front of others.

With the same eerie smile, they committed suicide in the most cruel way.

In this way, it can spread the mental virus to the witnesses.

That's how Taylor got infected.

Taylor turned pale upon hearing this and curled up on the sofa.

Scott jumped to his feet. "Master Cao, please save Taylor!"

Cao Kun said calmly, "The appearance fee is tentatively set at $10. I will notify you promptly if there are any changes."

Scott readily agreed: "No problem."

Before Cao Kun could speak, he took out his checkbook, quickly wrote a check for $10, and handed it over.

Scott had been a stockbroker for decades, and $10 was not a difficult sum for him.