Tianjin, starting with unorthodox methods to achieve immortality

The further in you go, the fewer stalls there are on both sides, and the taller the weeds become.

The mass grave was on the right, with mounds of earth of varying heights, some with crooked wooden signs, and some simply mounds of earth overgrown with weeds.

After walking for about half an incense stick's time, a two-story building appeared ahead.

The building stood at the deepest part of the ghost market, with a mass grave behind it, surrounded only by a few withered old locust trees.

The building is an old-fashioned wooden structure with gray walls and dark windows. The second-floor windows were covered with paper, but the paper had torn, revealing dark holes.

A plaque hangs at the entrance, with three characters written on it: Listening to the Rain Pavilion.

The plaque was crooked, as if it had been hit by something, and one of the nails on it was loose.

Zheng Changkong walked up the steps and knocked on the door.

Knock knock knock.

No one answered.

He knocked three more times, but there was still no response.

Wu Gan stood behind him, hunching his neck and looking around, feeling as if something was watching them.

"Captain Zheng, is nobody here?"

Zheng Changkong didn't answer, and knocked again, this time with more force, making the door shake.

Still no sound.

Wu Gan breathed a sigh of relief: "If no one's here, then let's go back..."

He didn't finish his sentence.

"Squeak"

The door opened.

There was no one behind the door.

It was clearly not opened from the inside by someone else, but rather opened by itself.

The dark room was wide open, like a giant mouth.

Wu Gan froze on the spot, quietly taking a step back.

Zheng Changkong also stopped, his hand on the hilt of the knife at his waist, his eyes fixed on the doorway.

It was pitch black inside, so I couldn't see very clearly.

Only a cold, damp wind blew out from inside, carrying an indescribable fishy smell.

"I am Zheng Changkong from the Inspection Bureau. I have something to ask you," he said in a deep voice.

No one answered.

Only that chilling wind made the hem of his clothes flutter gently.

Wu Gan, standing behind him, said in a strained voice, "Captain Zheng, should we... go back and call for backup?"

Zheng Changkong remained silent for a moment, then slowly loosened his grip on the knife hilt and stepped over the threshold.

Wu tried to pull him back but couldn't, so he could only grit his teeth and follow him inside.

The light inside the room was not very good; all the windows were covered with black cloth, and only the light from the front door shone through.

The two stood at the door for a while, waiting for their eyes to adjust to the darkness, before slowly walking inside.

This is a tea room.

A low table was placed by the window, on which sat a set of purple clay teaware.

There were two chairs next to the table, both leaning to one side, one of which was lying on the ground.

There was a jumble of things piled up in the corner, like overturned goods on a shelf: a few porcelain vases and a pile of scattered books.

Wu Gan followed behind him, his eyes darting around, looking past the low table into the depths of the room.

Suddenly he gasped, pointed towards the stairwell, and was speechless.

Zheng Changkong looked in the direction he was pointing and saw a dark, murky thing on the ground at the top of the stairs.

It's human skin.

A complete human skin, from head to toe, lay limply on the ground, like a piece of clothing that had been taken off.

The skin was dry and shriveled, stuck to the blue brick floor. Only a few black holes remained where the facial features should have been. The fingernails and toenails were still there, tinged with grayish-white.

There was a long gash on his back, running from his neck to his waist, with jagged edges, as if something had been forced out of it.

Wu Gan took two steps back and bumped his back against the door frame.

"Bang!"

The door suddenly closed.

--------

In the evening, when Chen Mo and the other two returned to the Third Team's office, the world depicted by Fei Xiang Lao Cu was in "Tianjin: Immortality Begins with Unorthodox Methods." Zheng Changkong and the other two had not yet returned.

The sky outside the window was beginning to darken, and twilight seeped in through the glass, casting a hazy gray hue over the room.

Fang Yingxia put her things on the table, plopped down in a chair, and let out a long sigh of relief.

"I'm exhausted... My legs are so thin from running all day."

She rubbed her calves and suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

"Hasn't Captain Zheng and the others returned yet?"

Chen Mo had already walked towards his desk, intending to tidy up and leave work.

Fang Yingxia looked at the doorway, then at the clock on the wall.

"What time is it? Is the White Bone Tower that far away? I hope nothing bad has happened to them?"

It was indeed getting late outside.

The sun had already set below the eaves, casting long shadows on the street. In a little while, the lights would be turned on.

"What could possibly have happened?" Chen Mo leaned back lazily in his chair and casually replied, "You know Zheng Changkong, he's very reliable. Maybe he stumbled upon some clues and asked a few more questions."

Fang Yingxia breathed a slight sigh of relief upon hearing his words, but after a few seconds, she frowned again.

"Then he should be back by now... If Wu Gan had discovered any clues, he would have already announced it to the whole world. Could he have kept it to himself?"

That's true.

Chen Mo thought about Wu Gan's personality; he really didn't seem like someone who could keep his mouth shut.

When you're not familiar with someone, they're like a silent gourd, barely uttering three sentences a day.

When they first met, Chen Mo thought there was something wrong with this person. He would avoid talking to him and his eyes would wander around, just like a socially anxious person.

He can talk about anything—family matters, street gossip, bureau rumors—for half an hour without stopping, as long as he gets the chance.

"Wait a little longer."

Liu Ruyan walked to the window and looked outside. "I should be back before dark."

Chen Mo tapped the table helplessly, then glanced at the doorway.

To be honest, he wanted to leave work.

I wasn't tired after running all day.

He has a lot of personal matters to attend to right now, so why would he want to just wait around here?

I just obtained the first level of the "True Method of Controlling Water in the Yellow Springs," but I haven't even begun to grasp it yet.

The Hou family had never scouted the area in the Japanese concession.

And the thought of those two big spiders at the Xikai Church, still alive and kicking, made him feel a little melancholy.

The Hou family's situation is very likely caused by the other party.

"Why......"

Chen Mo sighed, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table. He always felt like he had endless enemies to kill.

Fang Yingxia turned her head, her mouth open as if about to speak.

"Bang!"

The office door was suddenly pushed open, slamming against the wall with a loud bang.

Wu Gan stumbled in, his face ashen, his uniform covered in dust, as if he had just crawled out of somewhere.

"No...something's wrong!" He gripped the doorframe, gasping for breath. "Captain Zheng! Captain Zheng, he..."

Fang Yingxia jumped to her feet: "What's wrong, Captain Zheng?"

Wu Gan swallowed hard, his voice trembling slightly, "Captain Zheng... ran into trouble at the Ghost Market and asked me to call for your backup!"

"What trouble?" Chen Mo sat up straight in his chair, his brows furrowing. He hated trouble the most.

Fang Yingxia's expression changed, and she grabbed the pistol on the table and rushed out, shouting, "What are we waiting for! Let's go!"

Liu Ruyan had already picked up her weapon and strode towards the door.

Wu Gan followed behind, his legs still trembling.

Chen Mo took two steps, then suddenly clutched his stomach, revealing a look of pain.

"Ouch...wait a minute, wait a minute..."