Soul of Obsession

After dinner, Chu Miaomiao was seen off.

Lin Mo didn’t return to his rented apartment immediately. Instead, he followed the trail of the spiritual mark he had planted earlier.

The distance was neither too far nor too close.

Soon, Lin Mo arrived at the entrance of the city police station.

Invisible to the naked eye, he slipped inside. The lobby was bustling with officers, yet not a single one noticed his presence.

Lin Mo didn’t cause any disturbance either. He simply followed the spiritual mark deeper into the station.

The further he went, the more convinced he became that his suspicions were correct.

Arriving at a noticeably colder area, he saw a wall of metal cabinets. Lin Mo’s suspicions were confirmed.

Casually, he pulled open one of the drawers.

A white cloth covered the body beneath.

Taking a deep breath, Lin Mo lifted the cloth.

Even though he had reached the Foundation Establishment stage and had dealt with his fair share of lives, corpses weren’t something anyone would willingly look at.

Beneath the cloth was the face of the old woman he had seen after school.

"So it really is you," Lin Mo murmured.

He sensed the other spiritual mark moving elsewhere.

After covering the body again, he heard footsteps approaching from a distance.

Lin Mo pushed the drawer shut and waited for the newcomers.

"So you’re saying the kid killed his father because his grandmother died?"

"Exactly. There were strangulation marks on the old woman’s neck—likely from being choked by hand."

Kang Qizhong chimed in, "But that’s not something a child could’ve done."

"We compared the evidence. It was definitely the father’s doing. His blood alcohol level was extremely high, so technically, he committed the crime in a drunken state. As for the child..."

The forensic examiner in the white coat fell silent.

"I see. But without finding the kid, we can’t close the case. No idea where he could’ve gone."

Listening in, Lin Mo pieced together the story in his mind.

A drunken father, an elderly grandmother, a missing mother, and a broken child.

The drunk father strangled the grandmother, and the child killed the father in revenge before fleeing.

A tragedy, plain and simple.

But why had he been able to see her?

Leaving the police station, Lin Mo headed straight for the other spiritual mark.

A dilapidated house, its entrance already sealed off with police tape.

But Lin Mo phased through effortlessly.

Inside, the air was thick with a complex, pungent odor.

One corner was piled high with liquor bottles, while the other was stacked with cardboard and recyclables.

A figure sat beside the cardboard, murmuring incessantly.

Yet, as Lin Mo approached, he couldn’t hear a single word.

It was like watching a recording.

If Lin Mo used soul-searching, he could uncover everything. But soul-searching directly affected the soul, which might cause it to dissipate entirely.

For souls still tethered to a physical body, the body nourished and protected the soul.

That was why Lin Mo rarely encountered souls without a vessel.

Without the body’s protection, a soul couldn’t last long.

Unless it was bound by lingering resentment.

And this old woman had plenty of that.

That was why she could manifest, even appearing before sunset.

But souls had one defining trait—ordinary people couldn’t see them.

The man who killed the old woman was already dead. Even with her resentment, her soul would soon reincarnate.

So Lin Mo turned and left.

This was just an ordinary incident, unrelated to him. He had only investigated out of curiosity.

---

Day three of the school sports festival. The sun blazed overhead.

The morning schedule consisted of fun games and the basketball finals.

First up was the championship match.

Class 8 versus Class 3.

Since the sports students weren’t all concentrated in one class, there was no overwhelmingly dominant team.

Class 3 only had two members from the school basketball team.

The finals were held in the gymnasium.

Both sides of the bleachers were packed—not just with students from the competing classes, but also curious onlookers.

Lin Mo sat on the bench, watching the five players on the court.

Jiang Yunlu wasn’t in the stands but sat nearby.

"How’s your foot?" Lin Mo asked casually.

"Much better. I applied medicine yesterday."

Lin Mo nodded. If that was the case, he didn’t need to use his healing techniques on her. She’d recover naturally in time.

Jiang Yunlu, meanwhile, recalled how her father had arranged for a family doctor the moment she got home yesterday. After confirming she wasn’t seriously injured, her father finally relaxed.

He had almost forced her to stay home and rest.

It took a lot of convincing before he let her return to school.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to participate in today’s events.

At that thought, Lin Mo pulled out a yellow talisman from his pocket and handed it to her.

"Keep this with you."

Jiang Yunlu took the folded paper triangle.

"What is it?"

"A protective charm. Very effective."

She didn’t really believe in such things, but since it was a gift from Lin Mo, she accepted it gladly, tucking it into her pocket.

"Thank you!"

He hadn’t planned on giving it to her so soon, but recalling the events of his past life and the butterfly effects his presence might trigger, Lin Mo decided it was better to be safe.

"Consider it a friend tax," he said seriously.

"Got it!"

Hearing it was a "friend tax," Jiang Yunlu smiled.

A whistle blew, and the game began.

Ma Li leaped up, tipping the ball to Su Mingzhao, who launched a fast break.

Layup—score.

Watching Su Mingzhao’s play, Jiang Yunlu couldn’t help but ask, "Why aren’t you playing?"

Lin Mo chuckled. "Me? I’m just a substitute."

"But you’re really good, aren’t you?" Jiang Yunlu knew Class 8 had only made it to the finals because of Lin Mo.

"Even if I’m good, others deserve their chance to shine. Besides, Ma Li’s foot is better, but it’ll start bothering him if he plays too long. I’ll step in when needed."

Lin Mo stayed on the bench, cheering whenever the team scored, perfectly content to watch.

By the end of the first quarter, Class 8 led by six points—a solid start.

Ma Li sat down, chugging a bottle of energy drink.

"How’s the foot?" Lin Mo asked.

"Fine. Jumping and landing haven’t been a problem… so far."

Lin Mo nodded. "Don’t push yourself. You’re a sports student—know your limits."

Ma Li appreciated the concern and agreed. With Lin Mo as backup, he only planned to play two quarters at most.

"Go, Class 8! Go, Class 8!"

The girls’ cheers acted like adrenaline for the players.

They played like their lives depended on it, widening the point gap even further.

Lin Mo figured his presence wasn’t needed anymore—it was practically garbage time now.

Then, Class 3 called a timeout and made a substitution.

A relatively short player stepped onto the court.

But the moment Ma Li and Su Mingzhao saw him, their expressions darkened.

Lin Mo raised an eyebrow.

Was this guy the basketball team’s secret weapon?