During the Spring Festival, everyone was paying New Year visits, and Tan Xiao was no exception, from WeChat on the phone to neighbors, but by the sixth day of the lunar new year, he also began to gradually settle down and resume doing questions.

It's just that Kong Xuan hasn't returned.

After the New Year, the gods should gradually descend to the world. The God of Wealth was just welcomed on the fifth day. Tan Xiao thought that since Kong Xuan had been away from home for so long, the Great God Primordial Phoenix would probably let him stay at home for a few more days.

After doing a set of papers, he had just rested when he saw a WeChat message from Mu Fei: [[Sorry] Are you there?]

They had already sent New Year greetings to each other on the first day of the lunar new year. Mu Fei finally had a holiday and was resting these past few days. Suddenly speaking up, there must be something else.

Tan Xiao: [Mm-hmm?]

Mu Fei told Tan Xiao about the news that a Huodou seemed to have appeared again. [...That's how it is. We just solved the issue with your classmate. Our leader allocated funds to buy a replacement, and we will keep the camera spirit in our unit to work and pay off the debt [grinning]]

Mu Fei looked worried but also had a festive air. After all, when they first met, Mu Fei had complained that the camera in their unit had been used for ten years without being replaced. Although this camera was also second-hand, it was probably much better than their old camera. After applying for equipment upgrades so many times, she finally got it.

Tan Xiao also understood what she meant. Anyway, the homework was all done, and there was nothing to do during the New Year, so he told Tan Chunying that he was going to visit a classmate for the New Year, and then ran to the Bureau 404.

It wasn't the first or second time that Mu Fei had worked overtime during the holidays. When Tan Xiao arrived, she was kindly stroking Aperture's hand. "Look at these pixels, so high..."

Looking to the side, Fang Zhu was wearing a neat suit and sitting up straight, but his head was secretly rubbing towards Mu Fei's side. Tan Xiao came in and said "Happy New Year everyone", then sat down next to Fang Zhu and asked him, "About to give birth?"

"Soon." Fang Zhu said in a low voice, so he was getting weaker and weaker, always staying by Mu Fei's side, not only because he needed the child's mother's aura, but also because he was uneasy. When he was powerless, he instinctively hoped for someone to protect him.

"Shaman master." Aperture had seen Tan Xiao and of course recognized him. He said gratefully, "Thank you for your talisman. Otherwise, I would have met with an accident." Although the talisman was given to Yu Zhenzhen.

Tan Xiao originally thought this was a little Taoist priest, and was stunned for a moment. "Oh... don't call me master, call me classmate. If I had known you were being targeted, I would have taken you directly to the Bureau 404."

"No one can guard against thieves for a thousand days," Mu Fei said simply. "I went to check, and the Beagle hasn't escaped from prison. Judging from his desire to devour and spit fire, what Aperture saw was likely another Huodou... No, to be precise, another Huodou with the same Tiangou attributes."

"The chances of a meteor hitting a dog are extremely small to begin with," Tan Xiao fell into contemplation. Indeed, if it was just a simple Huodou, Mu Fei wouldn't have called him over as well.

But apart from the Beagle, there was actually another Huodou. How could they be mass-produced?

"Could it be a litter of puppies that happened to be hit together?" Tan Xiao speculated.

"Don't scare me..." Mu Fei joked. "A litter couldn't possibly have only two, right? What if there are other brothers and sisters?"

Tan Xiao didn't say anything.

"Damn, that's indeed a possibility," Mu Fei wanted to wipe his sweat. "Let's deal with the matter at hand first. We can only confirm that there is a Huodou within the borders of Nanchu now, with a high level of danger. Moreover, during the Spring Festival, the flow of humans and demons is also high, so we must capture it as soon as possible. You've fought with the Beagle before, and shamans have more experience dealing with the Tiangou."

Tan Xiao pondered, "Now that you mention it, I think I have an idea for solving the case..."

Mu Fei: "Oh?"

Tan Xiao: "I mean a clue to cracking the case."

He pointed to Fang Zhu, "In the methods of exorcism, there is a technique called 'Dragon Fishing', which uses the swallows that the flood dragon loves to lure them out, similar to fishing. I fished him out like this before in Yunmeng Marsh."

Fang Zhu was lured out by a bowl of rice porridge from Tan Xiao. Recalling that bowl of fragrant, thick rice porridge with the taste of swallows, he felt that even the baby in his belly was going to get a little hungrier.

After reminiscing for three seconds, he realized that his secret had just been exposed and felt a bit embarrassed. He stammered, "At that time, I was actually going easy on you. Who would have the heart to hit the cook who made the meal?"

Tan Xiao: "..." What cook?

"There was a dent hacked into your shell," Mu Fei coldly exposed him. Not only was he beaten, but he was also double-teamed.

Fang Zhu's eyes suddenly filled with tears again, looking like he was about to cry. "That was also because our baby affected my performance."

"Don't say anymore..." Tan Xiao glanced at Mu Fei's expression and said, "Your baby is about to be sold."

Fang Zhu hiccupped and immediately fell silent.

"You mean, let's have a dog-fishing plan," Mu Fei raised an eyebrow, thinking that this Huodou was in for a treat. "If we're going to fish for dogs, we should call more people. I don't know if we have enough manpower."

This time, without the omnipotent five-colored divine light of the Peacock God, it would be better to arrange more people to catch the dog. The Huodou was struck by a meteor, so its running speed wouldn't be slow.

At the mention of Kong Xuan, Mu Fei suddenly had a flash of inspiration. Looking at Aperture, she said, "Speaking of which, you're also considered a Painted Skin, and you said you had the Peacock God in your memory card. So can you cosplay as the Peacock God?"

"..." Tan Xiao also looked at Aperture. "As long as the Huodou isn't face-blind like me, theoretically it could be startled."

Invoking a god's name could exorcise ghosts, and the image of a deity could also scare monsters. It's just that without being consecrated, it could probably only scare for a little bit. But he found it a bit hard to imagine if others could impersonate Kong Xuan's appearance.

Aperture blinked honestly, the sound of its motor humming softly.

"Let's try it if there's a chance," Mu Fei thought that even if it wasn't for catching dogs, it might come in handy for other cases.

Considering the lack of manpower, she called over two colleagues on duty to discuss.

The Taoist colleague surnamed Lü was also from an orthodox lineage. Upon hearing, he said, "Luring the snake... luring the dog out of its den is indeed good, but I'm afraid we don't have enough manpower. Why don't we first try the traditional method to see if we can locate it, corner the dog, and if that doesn't work, then we'll fish for the dog?"

The traditional method he spoke of was a special Taoist ritual they had for capturing demons, called "Sealing the Mountain and Breaking the Cave". Evil spirits often lurked in mountains and stone caves. To search for demons, one could dispatch divine generals to search and attack.

However, it was difficult for those with high cultivation or those skilled in concealment, especially since the Huodou was born with the qualifications of a civil servant. In other words, the demonic aura on its body was actually not strong, which further increased the difficulty of searching. This was also why Mu Fei was equally hesitant about this method.

"Can we have the shaman student perform the Sealing the Mountain and Breaking the Cave ritual?" Taoist Lü poked his head out and asked Tan Xiao, "Student Tan, you should also know this ritual, right?"

Although they were from different sects, over the thousands of years, they had influenced and exchanged with each other, or to put it bluntly, competed for business... Many things were similar or had similar rituals.

"Yes," Tan Xiao answered honestly. "We can request mountain gods and ghost generals, but currently, I only have one ancestral god on my altar, and he's not here."

"One?" Taoist Lü took a deep breath. Tan Xiao had the least number of gods on his altar that he had ever seen, especially among folk shamans. Generally, they started with dozens of deities, not to mention demons and soldiers, some even had thousands of troops. "Is one enough?!"

Tan Xiao sighed, "... One is already too much to handle."

Taoist Lü: "..."

Mu Fei nearly laughed out loud while holding it in. Ever since she learned that the Peacock God was in Tan Xiao's class, and his grades, she... Well, everything was left unsaid.

"Then you guys give it a try," Mu Fei said. She herself was a civil servant and wasn't very proficient in summoning gods and capturing demons.

"Alright." Taoist Lü rubbed his hands, put on his Taoist robe, and set up the offering table. These were all readily available in Bureau 404. Generally speaking, for different rituals, different deities would be invited, each with their own specialties.

For example, asking the Peacock for grades was definitely not going to work, unless the Peacock himself really wanted to take the job...

Anyway, in this Taoist Lü's sect, the ritual for capturing evil usually involved inviting deities from the Thunder Department, because thunder had a natural restraining effect on evil spirits. Depending on the different sects and strengths, they would respond to different deities.

The guardian gods Marshal Wang and Marshal Ma were relatively prioritized choices. Not only could these marshals fight, but they also had numerous subordinates. Or it could be other marshals from the Thunder Department. The Thunder Department had a large population, with the Four Thunder Immortals, the Six Thunder Boys, and hundreds of Thunder Envoys...

Even if they could invite the God of Wealth, it would be very good. There was a God of Wealth named Zhao Gongming who was also talented in subduing demons. It's just that yesterday was the fifth day of the lunar new year, and he had probably just finished visiting various households non-stop, so the probability of inviting him to work was likely not high.

Taoist Lü meticulously performed the hand seals and drew the talismans according to the ritual. With everything ready, he chanted the incantation to summon the marshal, a Thunder Department marshal whom he often contacted: "... I hereby request your arrival, bestow great thunder to eliminate the evil, carry out the talisman upon arrival!"

He felt his eyes clear and his back warm, which were signs of a spiritual response, allowing him to summon lightning and fire to search for demons.

But it was at this very moment.

Suddenly, a faint "Huh?" sounded in his heart. In a daze, a voice rolled through his mind, without language, but somehow making him understand: [Your colleague looks very familiar.]

"?!" Master Lü turned his head to look at the onlookers. It was the first time he had been casually chatted with by a spiritual response while capturing a demon, and he couldn't help feeling overwhelmed. At the same time, he really didn't know which colleague the great Thunder Marshal was referring to. Director Mu?

[The young one.]

Master Lü looked at Tan Xiao.

Tan Xiao didn't understand why Master Lü suddenly looked at him at the critical moment of the Taoist ritual. His heart tightened, could it be... could it be that Kong Xuan had intercepted the hotline again?

Tan Xiao asked embarrassedly, "Is there a problem?"

Master Lü was silent for a while, then said to Tan Xiao, "The Thunder Marshal on my altar says he seems to have seen your... photo."

Tan Xiao: "......???"