Chapter 55: Kindred Spirits in Commanding Ghosts

Chapter Fifty-Five

On the day Zhao Fusheng forced Zhang Chuan to join the Demon Suppression Bureau, she had worn a gentle smile, appearing both easygoing and amiable. Who could have guessed that soon after, he would stumble into a trap, and to this day, he remained trapped within the Bureau.

“…Is it about Zhang the Paper Man?” Zhang Chuan’s aged face twisted into a knot; he hesitated for a long moment before tentatively asking in a miserable tone.

Zhao Fusheng gave no answer, pressing her heel against the chair. Her upper body leaned back, causing the front legs of her four-legged seat to lift off the ground, leaving only the rear legs to support her as she rocked back and forth, the chair creaking.

Zhang Chuan gritted his teeth and said, “It has nothing to do with me, madam.”

Privately, he cursed his luck. He had failed to escape that street on the day of reckoning, and now, having stayed, he could never leave. After being added to the Soul Registry, he was subject to control and unable to run.

Zhao Fusheng, blessed with fortune, had entered Beggar’s Alley and survived, even managed to subdue a fierce ghost; this only deepened his fear. Now, under her gaze, Zhang Chuan felt enormous pressure.

He managed to hold out for several breaths, but finally, drenched in sweat, he dropped his usual sly demeanor and pleaded, “Madam, you know what happened that day. I was in the back brewing tea—I don’t know what you and my uncle discussed…”

“Where is Zhang the Paper Man?” Zhao Fusheng interrupted, unwilling to circle around the topic any longer.

“Zhang…Zhang the Paper Man—” Zhang Chuan was startled by her directness. His eyes squinted, and the bags beneath them bulged like fish bladders. In a low voice, he said, “That day, the Zhang residence caught fire suddenly. My uncle—no, Zhang the Paper Man transformed into a strange paper figure and flew away—”

The Fan brothers, hearing them mention Zhang the Paper Man, set aside their worries about the future and focused their attention on Zhao Fusheng and Zhang Chuan.

Zhao Fusheng pressed her heel against the chair, rocking herself back and forth as she smiled at Zhang Chuan. “Don’t try to deceive me.”

“I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare!” Zhang Chuan shook his head fervently. “Everyone saw Zhang the Paper Man fly away from Wan’an County that day. Afterwards, the Fan brothers went to check as well—ask them if you don’t believe me.” He quickly pointed to the two Fan brothers.

Fan Bisi bit his lip, shooting Zhang Chuan a dissatisfied glare. But seeing Zhao Fusheng turn toward him, Fan Bisi hesitated, then said, “We did go to see. The original Zhang residence was reduced to ruins.”

This event had greatly puzzled the brothers. After completing Zhao Fusheng’s assigned task, they fled back to Wan’an County without delay, fearing Deputy Magistrate Zheng would seek trouble with them.

Upon their return, they heard of a major incident: the newly appointed commander of the Demon Suppression Bureau had set fire to Zhang the Paper Man’s home; Zhang had transformed into a strange paper figure and flown away, vanishing without a trace.

At first, they could hardly believe it, until the hiding Zhang Chuan finally came out and confirmed it.

None of them knew what Zhao Fusheng had discussed with Zhang the Paper Man that day, nor why she had done what she did. The brothers were baffled, ultimately concluding: Zhao Fusheng, influenced by the fierce ghost, was impulsive and angry, and having suffered a setback, wanted to vent on Zhang the Paper Man.

Now, with Zhao Fusheng right before them, none dared ask further. Fan Bisi said, “Later, we had Magistrate Pang send men to search, but found no trace of Zhang the Paper Man.”

Though they didn’t know why Zhao Fusheng had made an enemy of Zhang the Paper Man, since she had shown her stance, Fan Bisi and the others naturally presented themselves as his adversaries as well.

That was just Fan Bisi’s nature; he sought to leave no loose ends in his dealings. Only after Zhao Fusheng’s safe return did he feel fortunate for his arrangements.

“Perhaps he offended you and has already left Wan’an County,” Fan Wujie speculated.

The others nodded repeatedly.

“He deceived you,” Zhao Fusheng smiled, uttering a single sentence.

“Ah?” Fan Bisi was baffled, but Zhao Fusheng did not explain, instead looking at Zhang Chuan: “The Zhang family lay low in Wan’an County for over forty years; how could they leave so hastily before achieving their goal?”

Her words seemed cryptic, but their meaning startled the Fan brothers.

Zhang Chuan’s pupils contracted, his face stiffened, then he feigned shock.

“Stop pretending,” Zhao Fusheng shook her head. “Any more and it won’t be convincing.”

“Fusheng, what on earth is going on?” Fan Bisi, suddenly confused, asked urgently.

Zhao Fusheng replied, “This matter begins with the ghost calamity in Beggar’s Alley.”

She glanced at the three men in the courtyard and sighed deeply.

These, she realized, would be her temporary team in the future; unreliable though they might be, she could not face every ghost case alone. There would always be times when help was needed.

The Beggar’s Alley ghost case was not a secret; some things could be shared with them, and it was also an opportunity for Zhao Fusheng to demonstrate her deductive skills, to subdue the likes of Fan Bisi who fancied themselves clever, so that he would behave properly.

The three were indeed curious about the case in Beggar’s Alley.

Zhang Chuan was not originally part of the Demon Suppression Bureau; though he lived next door, he knew nothing of its inner workings, only that they handled ghost cases.

For the Fan brothers, the scene of everyone discussing a ghost case together was both familiar and, because so much time had passed, a little strange.

Now that Zhao Fusheng was willing to speak, Fan Wujie, being the more boisterous of the two, pulled over a stool and urged impatiently, “Fusheng, hurry and tell us.”

Fan Bisi, exasperated, rubbed his forehead and looked at his clueless brother with a sense of disappointment.

“I was misled by the clues in the Beggar’s Alley case, thinking it was the same as the one forty years ago,” Zhao Fusheng began. She recounted how, after obtaining the case files, she sought out Zhang Chuan, who led her to Zhang the Paper Man, and from Zhang’s account she learned the origins of the Headless Ghost.

“I thought I was well prepared, but once I entered Beggar’s Alley, I realized it was not what I had expected.”

She glossed over her conflict with Zhang the Paper Man, mentioning instead how she discovered the ghostly murders and the rules by which the ghost killed.

Her account was succinct, but the main events were not omitted.

Fan Bisi, hearing of her tracking the fierce ghost openly and even stalking it to its lair, felt his heart pound and his limbs grow cold with fright.

This was reckless—almost suicidal! How could she dare?

“Afterwards, I gained more clues from Liu Yizhen and deduced some things.”

At this point, her gaze returned to Zhang Chuan: “Decades ago, Liu Huacheng brought a sealed ghost home, then before his birthday, the coffin nails were stolen. Forced by circumstances, Liu Huacheng used the coffin lid to ask Zhang Xiongwu for help in suppressing the revived fierce ghost—”

Her tone paused as she looked at the visibly flustered Zhang Chuan: “All this must have been under Zhang Xiongwu’s control, right? He stole the coffin nails, forcing the Headless Ghost to revive, just to create chaos and compel Liu Huacheng to hand over part of the coffin lid.”

“No—impossible—” Zhang Chuan reflexively protested.

Zhao Fusheng sneered: “You needn’t rush to deny it. I have my reasons for saying so.”

The truth of the ghost case in the southern city forty years ago was not recorded; the Demon Suppression Bureau lacked key information. Now Zhao Fusheng filled in those gaps, leaving the Fan brothers shocked and speechless.

“Zhang Xiongwu could make ghost lanterns that interfere with a ghost’s perception. Such a man, had he stayed in the capital, would have been fiercely fought over. Even if his ghost lanterns weren’t perfect, just a chance at life would make him sought after, especially since he and Su Long collaborated as ‘ghost lighters’ back then. If such feats were recorded in the Bureau’s archives, the court would never let such ‘talent’ go.”

“But he sought neither fame nor power, just hid away in Wan’an County. Why?” Zhao Fusheng asked.

Zhang Chuan was now thoroughly unsettled, his mind manipulated by her analysis. Hearing her question, he reflexively asked, “Why indeed?”

“Perhaps he wanted to be a good man,” Zhao Fusheng mused.

“…”

“…”

“…”

The Fan brothers and Zhang Chuan were so stunned by her answer that they had no idea how to respond. Zhao Fusheng pulled a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Just joking with you.”

No one spoke at first. After a moment, Zhang Chuan forced an awkward laugh, “Ha, ha—”

After he finished, seeing the Fan brothers silent, he swallowed the rest of his laughter, sounding twice like a cooing pigeon, then said no more.

“Perhaps he just wanted to steal the coffin,” Zhao Fusheng continued, unconcerned with their reactions, voicing her own deduction. “If the coffin lid Liu Huacheng sent out forty years ago satisfied him, the Zhang family should have moved away then. The reason they stayed forty years might be because they wanted the entire coffin.”

“The reason Zhang the Paper Man lured me into Beggar’s Alley might have been to trick me into dying.”

She analyzed, “Known facts suggest there are three ghosts in the Confucian Temple; two maintain a balance, and the third is a street ghost, wandering daily, so Zhang the Paper Man had no chance to act.”

“…” The Fan brothers were thoroughly confused.

Though they had earlier glimpsed ghostly mist and knew the temple’s case was not simple, hearing that there were actually three major ghosts lurking inside left them uneasy.

“If he wanted to act, he’d have to find an opportunity when the Beggar Ghost was sealed.”

“So he wanted you to subdue the Beggar Ghost?” Fan Wujie asked naively.

“He wanted me dead,” Zhao Fusheng replied, glancing at him.

Fan Wujie thought she was rebuking him and shrank back. Fan Bisi glanced at his brother and explained, “Fusheng is also a ghost handler. If something happened to her in Beggar’s Alley, the fierce ghost she commands would revive, establishing a subtle balance with the Beggar Ghost.”

With this explanation, Fan Wujie and Zhang Chuan understood the reasoning.

Fan Bisi, from this conversation, felt again the formidable nature of Zhao Fusheng. She seemed preternaturally perceptive, as if she could see into hearts.

Was it because she had guessed Zhang the Paper Man’s intentions that she had acted against him?

As he pondered this, Zhao Fusheng suddenly asked, “Is Zhang the Paper Man a ghost handler?”

Her question shocked all three in the Bureau.

“No, of course not!” Zhang Chuan blurted. “I grew up—” He paused, then continued, “We’re relatives; I’ve known him for decades. He never handled ghosts.”

Fan Bisi explained, “A ghost handler’s temperament is erratic, and the influence of a fierce ghost is great; a ghost handler could never live that long.”

“Not necessarily,” Zhao Fusheng smiled.

She had keenly noticed Zhang Chuan’s slip—‘grew up’—in his shock, and kept it in mind.

“He carries a faint ghostly aura. At first, I thought it was from creating ghost servants.”

Zhang Chuan nodded, trying to speak, but Zhao Fusheng pressed on: “When I set him ablaze that day, I found his body seemed crafted from paper, yet retained human consciousness, and even after burning, he did not die, but flew away. Is that a human ability? Clearly, he commands a fierce ghost.”

This left Fan Bisi unable to insist further.

So many recent events had shattered his previous understanding: Zhang the Paper Man might be a ghost handler; Zhao Fusheng had been reborn and seemed a different person; the Zhao couple, who should not have revived together as fierce ghosts, had become a force—and most terrifying of all, three major ghosts hid within the Confucian Temple.

Zhao Fusheng took in all their reactions.

Judging by their expressions, none in Wan’an County seemed aware Zhang the Paper Man commanded a ghost. Had the fire not exposed him, everyone would have remained in the dark.

He had deliberately concealed it; Zhao Fusheng guessed that even the Bureau officials who had cooperated with him over the years were ignorant of it.

“But how could someone who commands a fierce ghost survive?” Fan Bisi muttered.

Zhao Fusheng pondered and said, “Perhaps because of the coffin lid.”

The ghost coffin could suppress the Headless Ghost. According to Liu Yizhen, when the Headless Ghost was sealed inside, it fell into a sleep and never caused trouble again.

“I suspect Zhang Xiongwu found a way to suppress the fierce ghost using the coffin lid, so he dared to command it, and sought to obtain the coffin, forcing the ghost he controlled to ‘sleep,’ entering a sealed state that allowed the handler to survive?”

At this, her eyes brightened, as if she had found a path beyond relying solely on the Divine Registry to subdue her own ghost.

From this perspective, Zhang Xiongwu was indeed a talent.

But her newly kindled hope was quickly doused by Fan Bisi: “It may not work,” he said. “Everything has its counter; ghosts are fierce creatures, and only things suited to them can exert real power. For instance, the Headless Ghost searches for its own head; though it kills along the way, its original head is surely the most compatible.”

Thus, until it finds its own skull, its ghost form is incomplete and its power limited.

“And though the ghost coffin’s power is mysterious, it is surely most suited to suppressing the Headless Ghost. If used on other fierce ghosts, its effectiveness might not be so remarkable.”

Fan Bisi’s words were blunt and clear. Zhao Fusheng immediately grasped his meaning and fell into deep thought once more.