I become a god in another world

Chapter 484 Wenxing's Past

Chapter 484

"Sir, it sounds like Shangyang County doesn't seem like a good place. So many silver-level generals who could control ghosts have died, and the ghosts that each of them controlled during their lifetime reached the disaster level—" Zhang Chuanshi said pitifully:
"This ghost case has been accumulating for who knows how many years. If we go in, wouldn't that be sending sheep into the tiger's mouth? Why should we join in this excitement?"

Meng Po moved her lips as if she wanted to speak, but in the end she just looked at Zhao Fusheng without saying a word, waiting for her to make a decision.

"Shangyang County is indeed dangerous." Zhao Fusheng said, "But I will definitely go on this trip."

She thought for a moment and looked at everyone:
"But the situation in the county is indeed beyond our initial expectations. If you are afraid of danger, then we will split into two groups after arriving in Shangyang County. If you don't want to enter the city, find a place outside the city to rest first, and then meet up after the mission is accomplished."

The situation in Shangyang County is complicated, and judging from the clues we have learned so far, the county is probably quite dangerous. This is not a local ghost case in Wan'an County. There are two reasons why Zhao Fusheng insisted on entering:
First, she promised Meng Po that she would enter the Shangyang County Demon Suppression Bureau to inquire about the records about Zang Xiongshan 44 years ago.

Second, she now needs a large amount of merit points, which can only be obtained by handling ghost cases.

Shangyang County is a terrifying place for others, but a blessed land for her. Once the incident in Shangyang County is successfully resolved, she may receive a sky-high reward, which is killing two birds with one stone.

Zhang Chuanshi originally thought that he would definitely go this time after hearing what she said before, but after hearing the meaning of her words, it seemed as if some people were allowed not to enter the city.

He was delighted and looked at the Fan brothers:

"Big and small Fan——"

Fan Wujiu is not very old, but he has always been afraid of ghosts. There are many ghosts in Shangyang County, so he definitely doesn't want to enter.

He was just thinking about it, but as soon as he finished speaking, Fan Wujiu immediately expressed his opinion:
"Since you are going into the city, I want to go too."

After he finished speaking, his face showed an expression of excitement and anticipation. At the same time, he clenched his right fist and rubbed his left palm against his fist. At some point, black evil spirits escaped from between his palms. Fan Wujiu said:

"I didn't have enough fun at the Wu family the other day—"

He had just tasted the joy of fighting ghosts and was now worried that he would not have the opportunity to practice again. When he heard that there was still a ghost case, he became very excited.

Fan Bisi's eyes also flashed and he nodded to show his attitude.

The reactions of the two brothers were beyond Zhang Chuanshi's expectations. He was startled and looked at Liu Yizhen:
“Gishin——”

"I want to follow Fusheng into Shangyang County." Liu Yizhen said without hesitation.

He also hoped that his master would be deified by Zhao Fusheng in the future and enjoy the same worship as the door gods. He would go wherever Zhao Fusheng wanted to go, and there was no room for negotiation.

Meng Po also smiled and said:

"Of course I will follow you into the city."

Needless to say, Kuai Manzhou hugged Zhao Fusheng's arm tightly to make his position clear.

Wu Shaochun looked at Zhang Chuanshi and nodded. His choice was self-evident.

Zhang Chuanshi's eyes gradually became desperate. Ding Datong hesitated for a moment and said:
"Then I will also follow you into the city - this was our original destination."

Although Tao Lifang and Hu Rong were afraid, they nodded.

Everyone expressed their opinions, even the skinny boy Li Dongping who was hiding in the corner like a transparent man said:

"I will follow you, sir."

Zhang Chuanshi ignored him.

Seeing that he looked so depressed and frustrated, Chen Duozi could not help but kindly persuade him:
"Master Zhang, why don't we all come together and take care of each other, it will be more secure."

She softened her heart and said:

"There is no such thing as a peaceful place in this world. If there is a ghost, there is not much difference between being in the city and being outside the city. You are alone, why don't you go together?"

"..."

Zhang Chuanshi was dejected and didn't say anything. Wu Shaochun also advised:

"Master Zhang, what Madam Chen said makes a lot of sense. Is there any place in this world safer than being by your side?"

Zhang Chuanshi had already admitted his mistake in his heart, but he said:
"The lady is strong, but why would she go there when it's dangerous? Even a safe place has become unsafe."

After saying this, he said no more.

"Since everyone is going into the city, let's first get to know some of the news in the city."

Such a result was somewhat beyond Zhao Fusheng's expectations, yet it seemed natural.

As she handled more ghost cases and led people for longer periods of time, her personality, behavior, and strength impressed everyone and she gained great prestige.

Therefore, even though Shangyang County is a den of dragons and tigers, everyone is willing to follow her in!

As soon as Zhao Fusheng finished speaking, the stunned Qian Zhongying nodded immediately:
"Yes."

After witnessing the opinions expressed by the people from the Demon Suppression Bureau, he was no longer as fearful as before when answering Zhao Fusheng's questions - these ghost riders were willing to follow her into Shangyang County, so this Lord Zhao must have an extraordinary character and personality.

He became positive and said:
"I will start from the time when Lord Zhu entered Shangyang County a year and a half ago."

"Row."

Zhao Fusheng could see that Qian Zhongying was a smart man and was good at scheming. He saw the clues now and probably wanted to please him in order to gain convenience in the future.

She didn't care about Qian Zhongying's little thoughts and motioned for him to continue.

Qian Zhongying said:
"I was originally the Dianshi of Wenxing County, and I inherited the position from my father. Logically, the local government and the Demon Suppression Department have different positions, and the people of the Demon Suppression Department are the bosses, so I shouldn't know these things—" He paused here:

"But it just so happens that our situation is special. Your Excellency mentioned the 'right of first night' earlier. To be honest, when my eldest son got married earlier, the future daughter-in-law did not escape the selection. The one she served was Lingsi, the evil spirit who was later resurrected in Wenxing County."

This incident was a great humiliation for the Qian family. After he finished speaking, he did not dare to look at the eyes of others and lowered his head.

The reason why Qian Zhongying took the initiative to mention this matter was because he knew that his escape from Wenxing County was actually very bizarre. If he didn't explain it clearly, it would be difficult to explain many things that happened later.

After he said this, the expected sarcasm and ridicule did not come out.

After a while, Qian Zhongying raised his head and stared at Zhao Fusheng blankly, but he saw that she looked calm and there was no strange color in her eyes that embarrassed him. He felt relieved and wanted to laugh:
"Why don't the adults laugh at me?"

"Are you a match for the Ghost Rider?" Zhao Fusheng asked.

Qian Zhongying was stunned and shook his head:
"Of course that's not—"

As soon as he finished speaking, he finally understood what Zhao Fusheng meant. After a long while, he suddenly sighed:
"This is a common occurrence in the county. Maybe no one is wrong, but I am the only one who can't get over it."

After he finished speaking, he shook his head and suppressed the chaotic emotions in his heart:
"The commander of Wenxing County is named Hu Shi. He was originally a commander of the Demon Suppression Division in the county. Later, the evil spirits of the county commander revived, and they were controlled by him."

The previous commander happened to be resurrected by an evil spirit and died, so Hu Shi took over the position of commander.

Qian Zhongying said, "In September last year..." After he finished speaking, he slapped his forehead hard:

"Look at my memory. It's not 246 years, it's 247 years now." At this point, he sighed:
"I have stumbled and lived for another year."

His expression was dazed for a moment.

Fortunately, he quickly realized that he was distracted and immediately said:
"In September of the year before last, someone from the county suddenly came to the county government to pass on the news that the newly arrived General Zhu Guangling of the County Government's Demon Suppression Division had summoned the county's magistrates and county government officials to come to the county to discuss important matters."

The head of a county suddenly asked two important figures from the county government to enter the county without any prior warning, and he didn't even consider whether there would be any trouble after the two people from the county government left. Such a thing that seemed to be done on the spur of the moment might seem a bit absurd in other normal counties, but Shangyang County itself was not normal. Over the years, generals in the county came and went like a revolving lantern, and then died in office one after another.

Everyone who comes here starts to go crazy after being quiet for a short while, and it is not uncommon for people to do things like Zhu Guangling.

At that time, Hu Shi was planning to go, and the county magistrate also had to pack his bags.

Zhu Guangling's summons was not an ordinary formality or a formality.

The so-called courtesy to many people is not surprising.

It would never go wrong to prepare generous gifts before knowing the details of this silver general who controls the life and death of Shangyang County.

Si Ke, the ghost-controlling commander of Wenxing County, is not an easy person to deal with.

The government, from top to bottom, was in collusion with each other, trying every possible means to squeeze the people's wealth. Both the county government and the Demon Suppression Bureau were extremely rich, just in preparation for this moment.

Giving gifts is simple, but the roads are difficult to travel on at this time, and if you want to transport valuables, it is inevitable to attract attention.

It takes several days to enter the county, both by water and by land. There are many bandits along the way, and we are afraid of causing trouble and causing more trouble, so a large number of people are needed to escort it.

With more people, food and drink naturally have to be considered, and some equipment for transporting food has to be added.

At this point, Qian Zhongying glanced at Zhao Fusheng:
"Don't think I'm being long-winded, sir. I have my reasons for saying these things."

He was worried that Zhao Fusheng might get impatient. After all, he had been talking for a long time and still hadn't gotten to the point. So as soon as he finished speaking, he immediately changed the subject:
"At that time, there were eight people from the Demon Suppression Division, including Hu Shi, and the county government had the most people."

The county magistrate was named Fei Mingguang. He brought with him one personal servant, four legal advisors, five clerks, and four strong runners. He also hired some domestic slaves from the gentry and powerful people in the city. In total, he gathered seventy or eighty people and marched towards Shangyang County in a mighty procession.

"You've said so much, could it be that something happened to these people after they entered the county?"

Zhang Chuanshi asked.

Qian Zhongying shook his head:
"Nothing happened in the county."

He said:
"Not only is everything fine, but everyone is lucky enough to return safely."

It's not easy.

The ghost rider is moody and has a violent temper. So many people from Wenxing County went there, yet they all returned safely.

"After returning, Master Fei had mixed feelings."

When Zhao Fusheng heard this, he couldn't help but ask him:

"Why is Fei Mingguang feeling complicated?"

"He is both afraid and happy." Qian Zhongying curled his lips slightly, revealing a hint of a sneer:
"This time when entering the county, everyone went to Shangyang County Government. Even Lord Fei met Lord Zhu. It was said that Lord Zhu summoned the county magistrates and magistrates of the 38 counties under the jurisdiction of the county and mentioned one thing--" He paused for a moment when he said this.

The people from Changping County came from Dongping Village, so they knew the whole story.

Even the youngest, Li Dongping, reacted:
“Increase taxes?”

Qian Zhongying glanced at him. He had also found out Li Dongping's background in the past two days. He knew that he was one of the survivors of Dongping Village under the jurisdiction of Wenxing County, and he just got lucky to get on the train of the Demon Suppression Bureau.

He nodded:
"Master Zhu said that the Demon Suppression Department will add another 20% tax on top of the previous years' taxes."

This is a big deal.

In all parts of the Han Dynasty, the Demon Suppression Bureau was a huge mountain weighing on the people. The taxes themselves were very heavy, and it was already unbearable.

If another 20% is added, it would be like the officials forcing the people to rebel.

The people are left with nowhere to go and will definitely complain.

By then, public resentment will be boiling. Zhu Guangling will be in charge of the Demon Suppression Department in Shangyang County, and he is a powerful ghost rider. He is not afraid of the anger of the people. The ordinary officials under him will probably have a special headache.

When Zhu Guangling mentioned the tax increase, the county magistrates did not dare to say a word, but he was not angry. Instead, he smiled and promised:
"Whether things succeed or not, the news must be passed on to all places. As long as you work for me, even if you don't get any credit, you have worked hard. I will remember your hard work in my heart. After the matter is completed, I will send you a special opportunity."

Just this one sentence made Fei Mingguang and others excited and uneasy after returning to Wenxing County.

I felt that Lord Zhu was kind and amiable, a rare good-tempered person, but I also felt that this matter was inexplicable and full of weirdness.

"But no matter what, how dare we interfere with what the higher-ups have told us to do? After returning from Shangyang County, Lord Fei plans to start urging his people in the villages and towns to collect taxes."

He hesitated and said:

"The county is short-staffed, and there are so many things to do at once. I was originally on the list of people to be asked to pay taxes, but Hu Shi and Hu Shi informed Fei Mingguang in advance that they would not call me to handle this matter and asked me to stay in the county."

When he said this, thinking about the number of people going to the county that he had mentioned earlier, as well as the final outcome of Wenxing County, everyone in the car could guess the cause and effect - they were afraid that Hu Shi's unintentional action saved the Qian family's life.

"…At first, there was nothing unusual. Everyone was more worried that there would be rebellions among the villagers. But after the beginning of last year, something was wrong. People in the county fell into the water and died one after another."

No one thought much about it at first and just thought it was an accident.

As a prefect, Qian Zhongying also had to investigate cases and interrogate officials. As long as the person involved was not dead of natural causes, he would have to keep a record of the case according to the rules for subsequent investigation.

After his investigation, he found that the few people who died earlier had something in common: they were on duty in the government offices (belonging to the Demon Suppression Department and the county government); and they all died of drowning; most importantly, these people had been to Shangyang County in September.

The first one can be said to be a coincidence, but the commonalities between the last two deaths simply scared Qian Zhongying to death.

He instinctively realized that there was something wrong with the group from Shangyang County, and he was afraid that Fei Mingguang and others had caused trouble without knowing it.

"In March and April, the sun starts to rarely come out in the county, and I heard it rains frequently nearby."

Although it rains a lot during the Spring Equinox, Bingzhou is not a humid area. The rainfall this year was abnormal, and Fei Mingguang was worried about floods at the beginning.

Wenxing County is close to the Bailing River. Due to the poverty of the county, the river embankments in many places have fallen into disrepair. If the rain continues and the river embankments are breached, there is fear that floods will occur.

But soon, something more terrifying than the flood appeared - ghosts began to appear in various places.

Initially, some villages and towns began to report the deaths of villagers.

These people died suddenly, with one thing in common: they all drowned. As the number of deaths increased, local officials dared not conceal the truth and reported the incident to the county.

Later, there was a rumor among the villagers that the dead person was wrongly accused and his ghost came back to life in the middle of the night.