Chapter Twenty-Two: The Ominous Object

Chapter Twenty-Two

"Fusheng, how should we deal with this?"

Fan Bisi forced himself to glance at the door plank, and was equally stunned by the bloody 'ghost shadow' upon it.

According to common sense, the awakening of a fierce ghost is not an easy matter. For any ghostly entity to take shape, there must be strict conditions and environment. He was born in the Demon Suppression Bureau, and yet he had never heard of two ghosts coming into being together—this was a complete overturn of everything Fan Bisi believed.

As he spoke, he couldn't help but look at Zhao Fusheng. It seemed this year misfortune had befallen the Demon Suppression Bureau in Wan'an County. The previous ghost calamity had only just been quelled, and now, another disaster had almost erupted. If not for Zhao Fusheng's quick thinking—her decisive command of the ghost's power to suppress the awakening entity—the consequences would have been unimaginable.

He recalled the grudges between them, and then Zhao Fusheng's calm and resolute demeanor in the face of the revived fierce ghost, and anxiety welled up in his heart.

Her performance far exceeded his expectations. She was merely a newcomer, who had only just begun to command ghostly powers—never taught, and yet she could wield such force, subduing two newly revived evil spirits in a flash.

Ordinarily, those who dealt with ghosts would inevitably suffer severe aftereffects. At best, they became irritable; at worst, they could kill with the slightest provocation, growing bloodthirsty and cruel. Fierce ghosts are not human—they possess neither reason nor restraint, and once they appear, they rarely submit to control again. If a novice is unguided, their first use of a fierce ghost's power can easily spiral into disaster, turning them into a puppet or substitute for the entity.

Yet Zhao Fusheng now appeared calm and composed, nothing like someone driven mad.

The more he thought, the more fear gnawed at him. He regretted choosing the wrong person; not only had he failed to shift the disaster elsewhere, but he might even have attracted a powerful enemy for himself and his brother.

Fan Bisi's face was a blend of pale and dark hues.

But the grave mistake had already been made; time could not be reversed, and he had no chance to amend his actions. Fortunately, after Zhao Fusheng 'awoke,' he had the wisdom to speak civilly with her. Though there had been friction between them, overall, things were manageable. He could only hope that, considering he had helped collect her parents' bodies and arranged their funerals, Zhao Fusheng would not make things difficult for the brothers.

Otherwise...

Fan Bisi lowered his eyes, concealing the turmoil within.

Zhao Fusheng paid no mind to Fan Bisi's thoughts. Her gaze rested on the door plank, her expression hesitant.

After commanding the fierce ghost, her sensitivity to ghostly presences had deepened. Others saw the door plank as strange, but she felt an intense 'ghostly' aura emanating from it, no less than the two corpses that had nearly revived.

"Ordinarily, have such objects—those touched by ghosts—ever turned into evil entities?"

"Um—" Fan Bisi hesitated for a long moment, unwilling to answer rashly.

"As far as I know, fierce ghosts can never truly be killed, but if someone with extraordinary power intervenes, there is a chance to break them down—"

He spoke cautiously:

"Usually, after being broken down, a fierce ghost's body might become a peerless evil object."

"But as for items related to ghosts—those touched by spirits, or, like this door plank, used by ghosts or almost awakening a fierce ghost—I... I can't say for certain whether they'd turn into evil objects..."

He finished, nervously glancing at his brother.

Between the two brothers, he was always the more assertive, calm, and knowledgeable, and a better speaker. Seeing Fan Wujie uneasy, he scratched his head.

"I don't know either," he said, meeting his brother's pleading gaze before adding, "But my brother is right. Usually, only the bodies of broken-down fierce ghosts can become evil objects. For example, years ago, it was said that the general of the Demon Suppression Bureau headquarters in the capital decapitated the corpse of a fierce ghost."

Fan Bisi felt relieved at his brother's support.

He was troubled, too. Zhao Fusheng had previously mentioned concern about her parents' corpses turning into ghosts; he hadn't taken it seriously. Who knew that misfortune could be so relentless—that the Zhao couple's bodies would indeed become strange?

"Could this be a sign of the ghost mist and red moon rising in Wan'an County?" Fan Bisi wondered, his expression changing.

Zhao Fusheng listened to the brothers in silence.

She reached out to touch the door plank; it was cold as ice, ghostly energy coiling within the bloodstained wood. Staring long, she seemed to see red mist rising from the blood, and a malicious intent lurking within, watching her through the haze.

She shook her head, looked again, and saw only the door plank and the print of the corpse upon it—no hidden evil spirit.

Regardless, the door plank was certainly malevolent and must not remain in the Demon Suppression Bureau to avoid further disaster.

Now that she was bound to a ghost, with the fierce ghost revived and her impending journey to Beggars' Alley, this was certainly not the time to deal with the door plank.

After considering, she decided:

"For now, let's bury the door plank together with the coffins and inter it with them."

If the trip to Beggars' Alley went well and she survived, she would accumulate merit, earn a seat on the Divine Register, and send away the ghost bound to her. When she had time, she would exhume the door plank to study its secrets.

"......"

Fan Bisi, hearing her mention the door plank, thought she had other intentions, but was surprised by her decision.

Yet, it was the right choice. In this world, excessive curiosity is seldom wise; dealing with fierce ghosts is a life-risking enterprise.

He nodded in agreement. "Yes."

Everyone worked together to carry the coffins out of the Demon Suppression Bureau.

Though the door plank was strange, with Zhao Fusheng overseeing matters, the group mustered courage and carried it out. The Zhao couple's bodies had shown uncanny signs—though temporarily suppressed, no one could guarantee when the fierce ghost would revive. Without needing Zhao Fusheng to urge them, everyone worked with unusual diligence, eager to finish the task swiftly.

With Old Zhang from the coffin shop as precedent, the owner of the incense and funeral paper store was especially cooperative upon learning of Zhao Fusheng's request.

When the two coffins from the Demon Suppression Bureau were carried out to the prefectural office, rows of funeral supplies were already prepared outside.

To curry favor with the newly appointed magistrate, the store owner had worked hard—not only preparing paper figures, carriages, and houses, but even readying mules to transport goods.

This must be done quickly, lest prolonged delays invite trouble. Once everything was packed, the procession set out grandly for the outskirts of the county.

On the way, Zhao Fusheng walked beside the Fan brothers. Her presence clearly unsettled them; Fan Bisi was tense, his eyes filled with wariness.

When she suddenly turned her head, Fan Bisi shuddered, almost instinctively wanting to retreat.

But his brother was right beside him; he forced himself to stay, and Zhao Fusheng smiled at him.

"Where does this road lead?"

Fan Bisi, guilty at heart, found her smile enigmatic, making him uneasy.

He steadied himself and replied, "It leads to the western side of the city—"

He explained further: "The west of the city is special. When Wan'an County's Demon Suppression Bureau was founded, the court sent people to designate it as a burial ground for those who died from ghost calamities."

Fan Wujie, seeing his brother's unease, chimed in: "The court once sent a top-level Golden General to perform rituals there; bodies buried within are suppressed by the area's aura."

Fan Bisi nodded.

"The Demon Suppression Bureau in Wan'an County has existed for many years, hasn't it?" Zhao Fusheng asked.

Fan Bisi nodded again. "Over a hundred years."

"Such a long time—no matter how formidable the Golden General who laid the special imprint, has it really endured all this time without fading?"

Zhao Fusheng's question prompted Fan Bisi to answer: "You may not know, but by tradition, to prevent the imprint from failing, the court sends someone each year to renew and strengthen it..."

But since the ghost mist appeared in Wan'an County, Zhao Qiming came to take up the post, and was ultimately killed in the Demon Suppression Bureau, the court abandoned the place entirely.

"So, from last year until now, the cemetery's imprint that restrains ghosts hasn't been renewed at all—" Zhao Fusheng's heart sank.

She realized she had unwittingly inherited another mess.