Chapter 84: Display of Strength

Chapter Eighty-Four

“Damn that Wu Da Jing.”

County magistrate Pang’s hand trembled; the tip of his brush jabbed into the dossier, leaving a heavy black blot that marred the tidy page.

“My lord—”

“My lord, we heard him say it that day as well, we—”

...

Inside the government hall, the white-haired gentry and magistrate Pang’s faces all changed, the room erupting in chaos. Pang could barely hold his brush, his face forlorn. “My lord, what are we to do now?”

Previously, Pang had only worried that Zhao Fusheng would refuse to handle the ghost case; upon hearing someone from Wu’an Town had reported a haunting, he had immediately brought them to the Demon Suppression Bureau. Now, knowing the truth, he was beside himself.

“There’s no need to worry. The vengeful ghost has already been sealed by me,” Zhao Fusheng said calmly.

Zhang Chuan Shi had previously mentioned that she’d sealed the vengeful ghost, but when he spoke, the others were half in doubt. Now, when Zhao Fusheng herself spoke, the previously tumultuous hall quieted for a moment.

Fan Must-Die exchanged glances with his brother, while Pang turned to confer with the gentry beside him. The wounded Zhang Chuan Shi looked smug.

Zhao Fusheng paid no attention to their reactions; she was lost in thought.

Now that she had sealed the doppelgänger ghost, mentioning its existence was no longer taboo; she didn’t need to fear being marked and subsequently killed by it.

But when Wu Da Jing entered the bureau, he was indeed accompanied by the ghost’s “curse.”

According to the doppelgänger ghost’s killing rule, anyone who mentioned it or heard of it would be marked—the strongest evidence being that when she heard Wu Da Jing mention the eldest son of Wu Da Tong, and spoke of him, she felt an itch behind her ear, compelled to scratch it.

After scratching, she tore off a scab beneath her ear.

The burning pain afterwards she’d attributed to injuries from fighting the Beggar Ghost, as at the time she didn’t fully understand the doppelgänger ghost. Only upon reflection did she realize she must have triggered the rule then—a piece of flesh torn away by the ghost.

If she had triggered the ghost’s rule, it made no sense that the others escaped unscathed.

Even if she had mentioned Wu Da Tong’s eldest son, making her case most severe, Fan Must-Die and the others should have been marked to some extent, bearing the ghost’s imprint...

Thinking of this, Zhao Fusheng looked up at the crowd.

Magistrate Pang was visibly shaken, but didn’t look injured.

How strange. Those who should have been marked were unharmed.

Zhao Fusheng pondered the differences between herself and Fan Must-Die’s group, and realized their only commonality was that she had left the bureau for Doghead Village, while Fan Must-Die and his brother had remained in Wanan County.

Could it be the county seat of Wanan provided some sort of protection?

On an impulse, Zhao Fusheng recalled the plaque hanging at the entrance of the Demon Suppression Bureau.

On her return, the sign seemed brighter than before. When she glanced at it, Fan Must-Die and Zhang Chuan Shi’s eyes seemed peculiar.

Suspicious by nature, she wondered: could that plaque have its own story?

She kept this thought to herself, not revealing it, and continued, “Back to the point, keep recording.”

Magistrate Pang, still uneasy, felt his scalp itch after hearing the ghost’s killing rule, compelled to scratch. But a glance at Zhang Chuan Shi’s wounds kept him from moving.

“Doghead Village has been fully marked. As far as I know, the first victim was Wu Da Jing’s mother, who delivered Wu Da Tong’s eldest son, then died on September 17 of that year—”

More deaths followed, but Zhao Fusheng hadn’t checked the list in detail; officials in Wu’an Town would compile statistics later.

“Afterwards, Wu Da Tong died in year 215 of the Han dynasty in July, but villagers’ memories were manipulated, causing them to believe Wu Da Tong died only this July.”

“His son, Wu Li Ren, grew up, married, and had children, all of whom were killed, but in the villagers’ minds, he was blessed with many sons.”

These truths made not only Magistrate Pang’s scalp tingle, but even Zhang Chuan Shi’s eyes grew vacant.

He had been to Doghead Village too.

He’d heard Wu Da Jing and the villagers recount these things, but at the time found it all tedious, never realizing they were clues to the ghost case.

“In Wu Li Ren’s house, traces of long uninhabited rooms were found, furniture moldy, skin flakes present, so I suspected the ghost’s rule was memory manipulation.”

The rest of her account was much as Zhang Chuan Shi had told it; she glossed over it.

From suspecting Wu Da Jing’s death to seeking evidence, then Wu Da Jing’s sudden appearance, she had guessed the vengeful ghost was by her side—that is, as the one pursuing the old case most closely, she was the ghost’s next target.

“I assembled the collected human skin into a paper figure, used it as bait to lure the ghost out.”

Her tone was calm as she described the investigation, but the thought of her consorting with a ghost and assembling a paper man from human skin chilled everyone.

“Afterwards, I used a cursed object to capture it and finally sealed it.”

Zhao Fusheng did not reveal the full details of her investigation.

She omitted finding the skin quilt in Wu Li Ren’s house and did not mention the ghostly arm.

Even so, her account was enough to astonish the crowd.

The hall was so quiet one could hear a pin drop.

No one dared speak; only Zhao Fusheng narrated and Magistrate Pang wrote swiftly.

This was a beautifully handled ghost case. Zhao Fusheng’s method was unique—careful and bold—sealing the vengeful ghost and thoroughly resolving the haunting, not merely driving it away.

Such a method was unprecedented in Wanan County’s history. Fan Must-Die drifted in thought: if Wanan County had not been shrouded in ghost mist, Zhao Fusheng’s two successful cases this month would have earned immediate imperial recognition.

A promotion would be certain, and she’d likely be transferred to the prefecture.

He and his brother had once considered seeking Deputy Commander Zheng in Baozhi County, but now, seeing Zhao Fusheng’s courage and wisdom, able to control ghosts while maintaining her composure, even Deputy Commander Zheng would be unworthy to carry her shoes.

She was remarkable, yet always carried the risk of commanding a ghost—a hidden danger.

---

Zhao Fusheng had already used the vengeful ghost’s power twice: once for the Zhao couple, once for the Beggar Alley haunting. If she used it again to handle another ghost case, even someone as strong as Zhao Fusheng—how much longer could she survive?

Fan Must-Die’s gaze flickered and he finally sighed softly, lowering his head.

“All right, the case is more or less concluded.”

Zhao Fusheng finished speaking, placing her teacup on the table.

Magistrate Pang wrote the last word, set his brush on the inkstone, and only then realized his arm was sore, his body drenched in sweat.

“My lord, please review.”

He dared not touch the document, instead blowing it dry and pacing to deliver it to Zhao Fusheng. “There’s a stain in the middle. After you review, I’ll copy it again.”

Zhao Fusheng glanced over it, nodded upon confirmation. “That will do.”

After the case, she raised another matter.

“During my trip to Doghead Village, I discovered another issue.”

Her gaze fell on Magistrate Pang.

He shuddered under her look.

“My lord, please speak.”

“The root of Doghead Village’s haunting lies in Wu Da Tong’s trafficking of good women.”

She frowned. “Wu Shaochun’s mother mentioned that these trafficked people were hidden in Beggar Alley in Wanan County, then sent to villages and towns, sold to villagers.”

Since her rebirth in Han, the two ghost cases she’d handled had intertwined by chance.

From these cases, she vaguely perceived a rule: poverty breeds evil, and evil easily breeds hauntings.

It was only her early judgment, as her experience solving ghost cases was short and the evidence insufficient; it was merely a hazy notion.

Whether it proved true, time would tell.

She shook her head. “Thoroughly investigate Beggar Alley, and don’t let the homeless gather there.”

Magistrate Pang nodded without hesitation. “If any troublemakers are found committing crimes, they’ll be driven out immediately.”

Zhao Fusheng was silent for a moment, then added, “Paper Man Zhang is not simple. Assign more people to track him in Beggar Alley. If you find anyone suspicious, report to me at once.”

“Yes,” Pang nodded again.

She finished this matter and raised another.

“There were many victims in Doghead Village’s ghost case. I promised the villagers a half-year tax remission; Fan Brother, handle this.”

On this trip, Zhao Fusheng realized the heavy taxes on Han dynasty people.

The bureau’s taxes weighed on Wanan County’s people like a mountain. She wished to lift it, but now was not the time.

The bureau’s work was against ghosts, and staff were few. This time, lucky as they were, no one died in Doghead Village, but past experience showed death rates among officials were high. If anyone died, compensation from the bureau would be considerable.

Without imperial support for now, taxes would have to sustain these expenses.

Fan Must-Die, hearing her call his name, quickly rose and agreed.

“For this case, I gained a new official, named Wu Shaochun. He’s too injured to move now, but once he recovers, he’ll enter the county. You can arrange things then.”

Everyone nodded.

With business concluded, the gentry finally found their chance to speak.

“My lord, you’ve worked tirelessly for Wanan County. We have nothing to repay you with, so we’ve pooled some gifts.”

Hearing “gifts,” Zhao Fusheng’s brows relaxed. An old man with a ebony cane spoke, “They’re only gold and silver. Please don’t despise them.”

“I won’t,” Zhao Fusheng smiled. “With gentlemen like yourselves, Wanan County is most welcoming. As long as I’m here, you can bring any relatives or friends to settle here.”

She watched as people carried boxes into the hall, smiling, “As long as I’m in Wanan County, you’ll be safe from ghost hauntings.”

Seeing her happy, everyone smiled with her.

For a moment, all flattered Zhao Fusheng. Zhang Chuan Shi tried several times to speak but couldn’t get a word in.

“My lord is surely a celestial descended to earth, decisive in solving ghost cases. We rely on your protection to live in peace.”

“Indeed, indeed.”

“Speaking of which, I do have an old friend, quite wealthy; years ago he witnessed a haunting and barely survived, scaring him witless. He now stays in Baozhi County, paying hefty taxes each year, just hoping for the bureau’s protection.”

The old man with the cane was the most enthusiastic flatterer. Whenever Zhang Chuan Shi tried to speak, the old man would raise his voice to drown him out.

“...”

Zhang Chuan Shi glared fiercely, feeling this old fellow was deliberately cutting him off.

Just as he prepared to interrupt, the old man changed tack, suddenly mentioning an old friend.

---

That friend happened to reside in Baozhi County.

The mention of Baozhi County brought back memories of the conversation in the carriage, and Zhang Chuan Shi shrank, daring not speak further.

“Have you heard? Baozhi County’s bureau has Deputy Commander Zheng, a remarkable figure. They say he commands a wrath-level ghost and has solved several cases, quite impressive.”

“...”

“...”

Now it wasn’t just Zhang Chuan Shi wanting to curse; even Fan Must-Die grew restless.

Fan No-Salvation glared at the old man, saying, “Yu Weide, what nonsense are you spouting in front of my lord—”

Feeling guilty, he stood and pointed at the old man. “What does Deputy Commander Zheng of Baozhi County have to compare with our lord?”

“Sit down.”

Zhao Fusheng watched the awkward Fan brothers with interest, while Zhang Chuan Shi’s eyes darted.

At her words, Fan No-Salvation, sweating, obediently sat.

Yu Weide, scolded, just grinned, revealing a gap where his left tooth was missing. “Fan Official is right, and that’s what I told my old friend.”

The old man, relying on his age, pretended not to notice the brothers’ and Zhang Chuan Shi’s sour faces, continuing, “But my old friend doesn’t dare to take the gamble.”

He shook his head. “We became fast friends in our youth, even promising our children would marry. If we could live together, it would be ideal—but alas, my old friend has concerns—”

After speaking, he lifted his eyelids and glanced at Zhao Fusheng.

She understood their intent: pretending to be foolish, probing her strength.

She was willing to display some power to awe the county’s elite, so she followed Yu Weide’s lead. “Why does your old friend hesitate to move to Wanan County?”

“My lord, you know, now that the ghost mist has appeared, even the imperial court doesn’t care,” the old man tapped his cane on the ground with a soft thump.

Zhao Fusheng remained calm. “Get to the point.”

Yu Weide sneaked a glance at Magistrate Pang; the other gentry nodded subtly.

He gritted his teeth and lowered his voice, “My old friend said that Wanan County’s strength should at least match Baozhi County’s—”

A bureau’s strength lies not in the number of officials or staff, but in the power of its commander.

“So I can’t be weaker than Deputy Commander Zheng?” Zhao Fusheng asked.

She was too direct; everyone grew awkward, not daring to speak.

After a while, Yu Weide, fearing her anger, braced himself. “Almost, I suppose...”

“You say Deputy Commander Zheng commands a wrath-level ghost? How many cases has he solved?” Zhao Fusheng pressed.

The hall fell silent.

As Zhao Fusheng asked, an invisible pressure filled the room; no one dared respond.

“Speak!”

Her voice was stern.

Magistrate Pang looked around, the others shrinking under his gaze.

Cursing inwardly, Pang bowed and answered, “It’s said Deputy Commander Zheng of Baozhi County does command a wrath-level ghost. As for cases, he’s solved three...” Fearing he’d offend Zhao Fusheng, he quickly added, “But he merely drove the ghosts away—not like you, my lord, who truly resolved the haunting.”

This was partly flattery, but mostly Pang’s true feelings. “And my lord is young and vigorous, far superior to Deputy Commander Zheng.”

“Well said,” Zhao Fusheng accepted the praise without modesty, her expression calm. “I am indeed much stronger than Deputy Commander Zheng.”

Then, offhandedly, she added, “As for a wrath-level ghost, I have one too.”

These words struck like thunder; everyone in the hall was stunned.

---

Thank you for your recent votes and rewards~~~

I’d love to post extra chapters, but as you know, I was hospitalized for ten days at the start of the month, which disrupted my routine. During my illness, I nearly exhausted my drafts and have been writing each day on the spot.

Sometimes family matters also delay me, so I really can’t manage extra updates right now.

But I still ask for your monthly votes. If this month’s votes squeeze into the top ten, once I recover, I’ll do a double update day for you all—how about it?