I become a god in another world

Chapter 657 On the Eve of Entering the Prefecture
Chapter 657

Zhao Fusheng nodded:
"They are not completely dead yet."

"You—" Wu Ciping wanted to retort, but after opening his mouth, he didn't know where to begin.

From the day I entered Wuqing County, I was trapped here and went through several cycles of reincarnation—normally speaking, each cycle was a death sentence.

Based on his previous understanding, after experiencing such a ghostly calamity, normal people would not be able to survive; saying they 'died' wouldn't be an exaggeration.

But he is clearly still alive, breathing, thinking, able to speak, and able to move, just like a living person.

But if he is chosen for each sacrifice, the master will suck his bones and marrow, leaving him empty inside. Is he really alive then?
Wu Ciping dared not think about it any further.

He fell silent, and Zhao Fusheng continued:
“We entered through Zhao Gui’s house—” she pointed to the village houses:

"That house, Wu Ciping said it was Zhao Gui's house, but after going in for a short while, it changed direction."

She paused slightly, then looked at Meng Po and the others:

"In terms of direction, we did indeed turn the door around after entering Zhao Gui's house—"

Meng Po understood:

"Later, Lord Wu led us to the 'village entrance,' which, in terms of current location, was indeed the opposite direction."

Yu Lingzhu hadn't personally participated in this matter, and now, listening to Zhao Fusheng's conversation with Meng Po, she felt completely bewildered. However, she did manage to glean some key information:

"Master Wu?"

“Wu Ciping.” Zhao Fusheng nodded.

After she finished speaking, she briefly mentioned her encounter with Wu Ciping and others after entering the village, including Wu Ciping's identity and the village's sacrificial rites.

She briefly mentioned the sacrificial ceremony, focusing only on the ghost vines that sprouted from the ground.

"After the ritual, there is the ghost ritual, which is the soul-calling ghost you encountered earlier."

Zhao Fusheng revealed the rules of the Ghost Sacrifice, which led to You Hong's death. He was eventually stitched up by Wang Zhiyi and placed in a coffin.

……

Having said that, tonight's visit to Baili Temple was already quite bizarre and strange.

Then Zhao Fusheng continued:
"After You Hong's body was placed in the coffin, it looked exactly like what we had seen in the coffin earlier—" She said, glancing at Yu Lingzhu:

"This is probably related to time disorder."

Upon hearing this, Yu Lingzhu felt a sudden jolt in her heart.

Their eyes met, and everything was understood without words. She vaguely understood that Zhao Fusheng might have guessed some of her rules regarding vengeful spirits.

However, the two did not reveal this secret at this moment, and Yu Lingzhu forced herself to remain calm:

“The reasons why You Hong’s body appeared in the coffin and the sudden downpour tonight have been found. The words of Wu Ciping and others have also been confirmed to be not coincidences, but rather stemmed from a sacrificial ceremony,” she paused, “but why did you suddenly appear outside the village later?”

Zhao Fusheng said:
"We had just placed You Hong's body in the coffin when we heard someone coming from outside. The visitor said he was from Lizhou and wanted to pass through the canyon to enter Wuqing County. He was caught in a sudden downpour when he got here—"

Yu Lingzhu sensed something was wrong from the beginning, and the more she heard, the more her scalp tingled, and she couldn't help but interrupt her:
"Wait, wait, Zhao Fusheng, how can I—"

"Does it feel familiar?" Zhao Fusheng asked.

Yu Lingzhu nodded involuntarily, and Zhao Fusheng then said:
"And then something even stranger happened."

Yu Lingzhu felt both horrified and curious, and couldn't help but ask:
"What happened next?"

Zhao Fusheng glanced at Wu Ciping and said:

"Later, when Lord Wu went to talk to him, what he said was exactly the same as what You Hong had told us when we were in the carriage."

Yu Lingzhu's body had already realized what was happening, and she trembled slightly, but her mind hadn't quite caught up. She just stared blankly and asked:
"W-what do you mean?"

Wu Ciping told them that the place was called Bailici, the village had 126 registered households, and the deceased in the coffin was Sister-in-law Dou San—

Before Zhao Fusheng could finish speaking, Yu Lingzhu exclaimed in surprise:

"Isn't this consistent with what we said?"

Zhao Fusheng nodded.

Yu Lingzhu was preoccupied with her thoughts. She glanced at Wang Zhiyi, then at Zhao Fusheng, and finally crossed her arms over her chest, hugging her shoulders.

After an unknown amount of time, she seemed very uncomfortable as she lowered her hand, pushed her palm outward, and held it up to the firelight for a long time.

The heat of the flames couldn't dispel the terror in her heart. Anxious and uneasy, she withdrew her hand again, finally glancing at Zhao Fusheng:
"Take a step to talk?"

Her words reached Wang Zhiyi's ears, causing him to turn and look at her with a questioning look in his eyes:
"What are you trying to say behind our backs?"

“Of course I have something to say to Zhao Fusheng, what’s it to you?” Yu Lingzhu retorted defiantly. Wang Zhiyi said:
"What you say in private is none of my business, but if it's related to the ghost case, then it must be said so that everyone knows, in order to avoid casualties."

Yu Lingzhu said coldly:

"I will not hide anything related to ghosts, but there are some things I don't want you to hear."

As soon as she finished speaking, both women snorted simultaneously:

"Humph!"

"Humph!"

Wang Zhiyi turned his head away:

"Nobody wants to hear your story. You've lived a lonely life, and apart from the Chang family, you have nothing worth talking about."

After saying this, Yu Lingzhu did not refute it.

Everyone then understood the situation.

Zhao Fusheng shook his head, got up, and followed Yu Lingzhu away from the campfire.

Due to the special circumstances tonight, the two dared not go far, so they simply left the crowd and talked in a place where they could see each other.

Yu Lingzhu could sense that everyone's gazes were subtly fixed on the two of them—besides the people from Wan'an County, even Wang Zhiyi, Miao Yougong, and a few others were staring at Zhao Fusheng involuntarily, as if they were afraid she would leave.

She could guess that the ghost ritual that Zhao Fusheng and the others had participated in must have been extremely dangerous, far from being as easy as she described.

Furthermore, Zhao Fusheng must have displayed great power during the Ghost Festival, which is why Miao Yougong and the others are so reliant on her now, fearing that she might leave their sight.

Thinking of this, Yu Lingzhu couldn't help but feel agitated.

She stopped beating around the bush and asked directly:
“Zhao Fusheng, time is disordered here. You Hong’s death is the result. We see the result first and then understand the cause. So, after we enter the village shrine of Baili Temple, will the clay sculptures of Wang Zhiyi and Jiang Jinshan that we see be the same cause and effect?”

Her words implied that Yu Lingzhu suspected Wang Zhiyi and Jiang Jinshan were dead.

Zhao Fusheng understood her implied meaning and immediately said tactfully:
“It’s possible, but after we entered Zhao Gui’s house, we never separated. From the start of the sacrificial ceremony to the end of the ghost ritual, Wang Zhiyi never left my sight.”

Because of the clay sculptures in the ancestral hall, she was particularly attentive to Wang Zhiyi and was quite certain that she had not yet been killed.

Yu Lingzhu also understood the meaning behind her words:

"In any case, Wang Zhiyi is safe now, but we cannot guarantee that she will not encounter any problems later."

The 'effect' has already manifested, but the 'cause' may still be to come—taking You Hong as an example, Wang Zhiyi and Jiang Jinshan may be left in Baili Temple.

Seeing her worried expression, Zhao Fusheng couldn't help but say:
"Not necessarily, after all, we are only looking at clay sculptures, which is different from the situation in Youhong."

"That too."

Yu Lingzhu nodded casually.

She frowned, hesitated for a long time, and then said:

Whether Wang Zhiyi is dead or alive is something I can't care about right now.

She looked up at Zhao Fusheng:

“You participated in the sacrifice, you—” She paused, then looked momentarily bewildered:

"Zhao Fusheng, do you really think this sacrificial ceremony is related to the Chang family?" Zhao Fusheng stared at her intently until Yu Lingzhu's eyes flickered, then she smiled and said:

“Sacrifices were held throughout Wuqing Prefecture, from the prefecture to the county and from the county to the village. Sacrifices were held every month, and even in different months, there were multiple sacrifices in a long month and one in a short month. Each sacrifice was a way of sucking the marrow out of the people.”

She emphasized the last four words, and Yu Lingzhu weakly retorted:
"Taxation was originally the rule of the Han Dynasty—"

“I was not referring to taxes.”

Zhao Fusheng shook his head:
“Lingzhu, the evil spirits here form vine shadows and emerge from the ground. They are guided by a vehicle, which is provided by the master. The villagers sit on the vehicle, and the ghost vines crawl into the villagers’ bodies and suck them dry.”

With each word she spoke, Yu Lingzhu's expression grew even more unpleasant.

“I saw Wu Ciping’s brains being pulverized and spilling out of his nostrils and eyes. This is real cannibalism, not just taxes.”

Zhao Fusheng said solemnly:

"The situation in Wuqing County is more serious than you imagine. A terrible law has been formed from top to bottom. I suspect that everyone in Wuqing County is being recorded by vengeful ghosts."

Those recorded by the ghost are like servants of the ghost, controlled by it.

Therefore, even if a person dies here, the vengeful ghost will not revive; instead, it has become the 'safe place' that the villagers refer to.

Because the greatest danger here is the master.

“The people here live each day working, farming and raising livestock, and giving ninety percent of their income to the master. In addition, they offer sacrifices every month, with blood and flesh as offerings, in order to accumulate merit.”

Such offerings are made only in exchange for a vague promise: a better life in the next life.

But the villagers here never dreamed that the deity they were worshipping was not a real god, but a vengeful ghost that would never be satisfied.

After they have completed their repeated sacrificial rituals, what awaits them may be that they are boiled dry and drained, and their remains and fragments are then used to create a new cycle of reincarnation to exploit the people who come after them.

"Wuqing County is now a dead land. We don't know whether the people here are dead or alive."

Zhao Fusheng looked at Yu Lingzhu:

"We have no way back on this journey. If we cannot exorcise the ghost and solve the case, we will die here."

She sighed:
“But after we die, the calamity of ghosts will inevitably spread, and in the future, the ghosts here may sweep across the Han Dynasty to other places.”

As Zhao Fusheng spoke, she suddenly remembered the Chang family's business in Longyang County, and she narrowed her eyes:
"Perhaps not in the future, but the laws of the ghostly calamity may already be spreading elsewhere. The Chang family's business may have already begun to slowly enter the capital, right?"

This topic has actually touched on Yu Lingzhu's sensitive points.

If it were according to her usual temperament, she would definitely have thrown a huge tantrum.

But at this moment, she couldn't get angry; instead, she shook her head in panic.
"I...I don't know, I didn't know, I never expected it to be like this—"

Her face was deathly pale:

"I wanted to repay a debt of gratitude back then, I never thought it would have such consequences."

After saying that, she still wouldn't give up:

"Zhao Fusheng, have you confirmed that these matters are related to the Chang family?"

"The Chang family is a scourge of Wuqing County."

Zhao Fusheng stared at her intently:
"Perhaps they didn't initially intend to be a menace, but many things are beyond human control."

"I do not understand--"

Yu Lingzhu murmured.

"You'll understand once you get to Wuqing County." Zhao Fusheng had no interest in continuing the conversation and simply said this before preparing to return to the campfire.

She took a few steps, and Yu Lingzhu's voice came softly from behind her:

"If it is indeed related to the Chang family, and the trouble originated from me, I will certainly bear the responsibility. But—"

Zhao Fusheng turned to look at her and saw that she was biting her lip tightly:

"But if you have wronged the Chang family, I will make you apologize to them."

"it is good!"

Zhao Fusheng nodded:
"If I am wrong and the ghost case in Wuqing County has nothing to do with the Chang family, I will return to the council chamber of the Demon Suppression Division in the capital and apologize to you in front of Feng Du and the others."

“It’s not directed at me, it’s directed at the Chang family,” Yu Lingzhu emphasized.

Zhao Fusheng smiled slightly:
"Don't worry, if I'm wrong, I won't shirk my responsibility."

Their eyes met, and they both saw determination in each other's eyes.

After a while, Yu Lingzhu's expression softened:
"I believe you."

The two ended their conversation and returned to the campfire. Yu Lingzhu was preoccupied, while Wang Ling and the others carefully and attentively served her.

She is arrogant, but very loyal, unlike most ghost tamers.

In cases involving ghosts, she would genuinely protect her subordinates without flinching.

Time passed little by little.

No more ghostly events occurred that night.

After the ghost ritual was completed, it was as if the evil spirits had finally been 'fed' to their fill, and the night was very peaceful.

As the firewood in the campfire gradually burned out, the flames dwindled, and after an unknown amount of time, a faint light appeared on the horizon.

Miao Yougong let out a low, overjoyed cry:
"It's already dawn."

It was only when the sky brightened that it felt like the dawn had broken.

Many people didn't dare to close their eyes that night, but Zhao Fusheng and the others knew that there would be a fierce battle after entering Wuqing County, so they took a nap during this time.

As soon as Miao Yougong spoke, Zhao Fusheng immediately opened his eyes.

Kuai Manzhou glared at Miao Yougong with disgust, and was about to get up, supporting himself on Zhao Fusheng's thigh. But as soon as he moved, Zhao Fusheng pressed down on the back of the child's hand.

"Its daybreak?"

Zhao Fusheng yawned, opened her eyes and looked around. Sure enough, she could see the light slowly approaching on the horizon. She then gave the order:
"Our men are packing their luggage. Lord Wu, send two men to Eagle's Beak Cliff to see if the mountain road is blocked."

Wu Ciping responded and immediately selected a few villagers at random, ordering them to go to Eagle Beak Cliff to investigate.

Miao Yougong and the others immediately instructed the messengers to pack their belongings.

Wu Ciping dismissed the villagers and walked over to Zhao Fusheng:

"Lord Zhao, are you preparing to go to Wuqing County?"

Zhao Fusheng nodded:
"You know the purpose of my trip. Are you prepared to come with me?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Ciping's eyes lit up for a moment, but soon his fear returned.

"I was exiled here, and I haven't accumulated enough merit to return without permission. If I'm discovered—"

He paused here, then, fearing the mocking look in Zhao Fusheng's eyes, lowered his head and stammered:
"I--"

"Lord Wu, can you still use the power of vengeful spirits?" Zhao Fusheng asked him gently.

He was silent for a moment, then suddenly shook his head:
"I might... I might not be able to use the power of vengeful spirits anymore—"

Perhaps his ghost was suppressed by the 'master' long ago.

Wu Ciping even had a strange and bizarre thought: perhaps within the territory of Wuqing County, the vengeful ghosts he controlled might have also been reincarnated, just like him.

Thinking about this, he found it utterly absurd and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"What are you laughing at?" Zhao Fusheng looked at him calmly.

After laughing, Wu Ciping felt like crying. He said:
“I’m really a useless person now—Lord Zhao, to be honest, I think your trip—” He shook his head repeatedly before he could finish speaking.

(End of this chapter)