I become a god in another world

Chapter 663 Entering Wuqing
Chapter 663

Yu Lingzhu was too preoccupied with regret to argue with Wang Zhiyi.

"I was really confused—"

Zhao Fusheng shook his head:
"People are always like this: they regret the past, don't care about the future, ignore what they should be doing in front of them, and waste a lot of time thinking about things that cannot be changed."

Yu Lingzhu felt both regret and shame upon hearing Zhao Fusheng's words. She understood that Zhao Fusheng's words were meant to encourage her to cheer up, but she couldn't help but fall into despair.

Wu Ciping looked thoughtful for a while before saying:
"This drought in the Han Dynasty can be described as a once-in-a-century event. By May or June, there was still no rain, and many people began to flee with their families."

But drought began to spread wherever the people fled.

This couldn't go on forever, and Wuqing County couldn't sit still any longer, suspecting it was a ghostly calamity.

People were sent from within the county, but they could not find the source.

The ghost tamer who went to investigate the case was certain that a ghost realm had appeared in Changjiao County.

The matter has reached a stalemate.

"According to Cheng Mengyin's records, she had never seen such a ghostly calamity before, and no one had been found to have died at the hands of vengeful ghosts. The surge in deaths was mainly due to war, man-made disasters, and calamities."

This contradicts Cheng Mengyin's understanding of ghost cases.

In most ghost cases, the vengeful ghosts themselves commit murder, but in this case, not a single ghost was seen, yet there was an eerie atmosphere and a ghostly realm.

Moreover, this matter cannot be delayed any longer.

The severe drought in Changjiao County caused a terrible disaster, and the refugees poured into Wuqing County. As a result, the weather in Wuqing County in April and May became hot and dry.

This situation caused panic.

Both officials and civilians in the city feared that the disaster victims would bring plague, so they took cruel measures to keep the disaster victims out of the city.

Desperate to survive, the refugees stormed the city walls, causing even greater casualties.

"The uproar was at its worst at the end of June, and it even affected the Chang family. The Chang family had no choice but to ask Cheng Mengyin for help."

Wu Ciping said:

"I suspect Cheng Mengyin received some benefits for sending troops out earlier," he muttered, cursing.

“That bastard has long had ties with the Chang family, no wonder he’s doing so well in Wuqing County now.”

In short, Cheng Mengyin made another move.

He dispatched twenty messengers, six of whom were ghost tamers.

Of the six ghost tamers, two have reached the Silver General level and are taming ghosts of the Disaster level or higher.

According to Cheng Mengyin's records, these people were quite capable. After arriving in Changjiao County, they predicted that the ghostly calamity was related to the drought that had plagued Changjiao County for nearly half a year.

Once the direction was confirmed, everything else went smoothly.

These demon tamers from the prefecture first identified the source of the drought, and then used the source of the disaster to find local survivors with a large reward.

With such a large sum of money, there must be someone in the know. Soon, these ghost-tamers from Lizhou found out the truth of the matter.

"After extensive investigation, it was finally confirmed that the initial drought originated in Xinghua Lane, south of Changjiao County." There was an old well in the lane that had stopped producing water since the end of 207 AD during the Han Dynasty, but this matter did not initially attract attention.

"Why?"

Fan Wujiu asked.

As soon as he finished speaking, Fan Bisi said to his younger brother:

"This well must have been the site of an accident; everyone avoids it like the plague, right?"

After he said that, Chen Duozi also realized what was going on:
"Did the butcher's wife, who was harmed by Dong Da, jump into a well and die?"

Yu Lingzhu bit her nails and remained silent.

Wu Ciping nodded:
"According to the case file, the final investigation results showed that it was indeed related to the butcher's wife."

The group from Lizhou returned to Changjiao County to check the case files, but Dong Da, feeling guilty for his past crimes, ordered that nothing related to the case be recorded. After the drought, the death toll was too high, and many local people had either died or fled, which increased the difficulty of the investigation.

"What an idiot." Ding Datong could no longer contain himself and shook his head, cursing under his breath.

"Anyway, after questioning someone in the know, we found out about this. We learned that the butcher's surname was Gao, but we didn't know his wife's surname or given name. We just referred to her as Gao Wuming."

Before the incident in Xinghua Lane, there were quite a few people living there. There were two wells on the street, and the local people relied on them for their livelihood.

After Gao Wuming jumped into the well and died, his body mysteriously disappeared and could not be retrieved. Therefore, the local people, feeling it was taboo, sealed the well with large stones, mud and other materials.

The residents of Houxinghua Lane found that one well was not enough for their needs, so they discussed digging a new well.

However, the well they dug turned out to be faulty; the water had a foul stench of corpses, so they switched back to using the old well.

But when spring came the following year, the well water began to decrease mysteriously. The nearby residents disliked the water from the new well and also considered the old well, where people had died, to be unlucky, so they gradually drew water from all around them—that's how the drought spread step by step.

……

After identifying the source, the ghost tamers of Lizhou began searching for the vengeful ghost.

This process is actually extremely dangerous.

Ultimately, it was precisely because of this that three Ghost Masters died in Lizhou, including two Silver General-level Ghost Masters.

"Has the trouble been resolved?" Zhao Fusheng asked.

Wu Ciping nodded:
"According to Cheng Mengyin's records, the trouble finally came to an end."

"Were you asking for help from Lizhou at the end of June?" Zhao Fusheng asked.

Wu Ciping responded:
"Yes."

"Although the journey from Lizhou to Wuqing County is fast, assuming it used to be a day's travel time, I estimate the investigation will take about ten days." Zhao Fusheng spread his fingers on his fingers:
"A large reward is offered to find the person, confirm the location of the incident, and the life story of the vengeful ghost."

Those in the carriage were all ghost controllers, and they were all experienced in ghost cases. Upon hearing this, they all nodded in agreement:

"almost."

Zhao Fusheng then said:
"After all this trouble, it should be July by now, right?"

Yu Lingzhu understood the hidden meaning in her words.

Then Zhao Fusheng changed the subject and turned to look at Yu Lingzhu:
When did Old Lady Chang die?

"The seventh day of the seventh month," Yu Lingzhu replied instinctively.
"He passed away on the eighth day of the seventh lunar month. When the news reached the capital, I rushed back to Wuqing County, around the fifteenth of the seventh lunar month."

She finished speaking and was immediately startled:
"Do you think the case in Changjiao County is related to the old lady's death date?"

It's hard to say whether there's a connection or not right now.

Zhao Fusheng shook his head:
"But the timelines overlap." She raised a point of contention:

"First, the two events occurred around the same time. Second, the source of the ghostly calamity in Changjiao County is related to Dong Fugui, who is the son-in-law of Old Lady Chang. She once helped Dong Da clean up his messes. Third, after her mother passed away, Second Sister Chang found a feng shui master who suggested that the burial site be built under the living house, and that a certain object be placed inside the burial site to suppress the evil spirits."

At this point in Zhao Fusheng's speech, Yu Lingzhu hurriedly said:

"Perhaps I remembered it wrong."

Zhao Fusheng shook his head:
"It's not necessarily a mistake. The fact that it can be described as 'one body' suggests that it is very likely a corpse."

Yu Lingzhu trembled all over:
"Would there be another body buried under the first?" She dared not think about it further, only asking instinctively:

What's the point of doing this?

Zhao Fusheng gave her a look of disappointment and exasperation:
"Think about it carefully."

"I can't think of anything." Yu Lingzhu was in a state of utter confusion.

Zhao Fusheng sighed:
“What use would an ordinary corpse have if buried under another corpse? The current state of the Chang family must be due to a ghostly calamity, so I suspect that what is buried under Old Madam Chang’s body is probably no ordinary corpse.”

"An unusual corpse?" Liu Yizhen's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this. "Fusheng, do you perhaps think that there's a ghost buried under Old Madam Chang's coffin?"

"A ghost?" Everyone was startled.

Zhao Fusheng nodded:

"It's very likely, using ghosts to suppress ghosts—"

As she said this, she frowned again:

"But there's something strange about this."

"Does Your Excellency think this matter is related to Zhang the Paper Doll?" Meng Po asked.

Zhao Fusheng said:

"Not only that, there is only the principle of using ghosts to suppress ghosts, how can we go against the natural order and use ghosts to suppress people? Old Madam Chang just died, and it is not a case of a vengeful ghost being resurrected, so there is no reason to use ghosts to suppress her."

This is also a point of doubt.

Everyone found it strange, but unfortunately, there were not enough clues at the moment, and everything could only be guessed.

"Well, it's already a pleasant surprise to know this information. After we arrive in Wuqing County, we can visit Changjiao County."

Zhao Fusheng was quite carefree; he decided to put aside the things he couldn't understand for the time being, since everything would be answered once he got to Wuqing County.

After everyone finished speaking, they brought up this decades-old case, and their moods were all heavy.

Yu Lingzhu was lost in thought, her mind in turmoil. One moment she thought of Old Madam Chang, who had passed away decades ago, the next she thought of the Chang family, then she thought of Dong Da of Changjiao County and Wuqing Prefecture. She was anxious and wished the carriage could go faster.

As they spoke, it was already dawn, and after a morning's journey, the carriage finally reached the official road that Yu Lingzhu was familiar with.

She and Wu Ciping spoke at the same time:
"We're almost at Wuqing County."

The two men had different expressions when they said this.

Yu Lingzhu's inner world is complex, filled with excitement, anger at being betrayed by the Chang family, and an urgency to find out the truth.

Wu Ciping was no less impressive.

He returned against the rules, filled with both fear for his uncertain future and a deeply conflicted mindset: he felt his return meant certain death, yet he also sensed that the key to breaking the deadlock was approaching, and that hope lay hidden among Zhao Fusheng and his group.

Wu Ciping felt uneasy. He wanted to get up, but as soon as he stood up, he involuntarily sat back down.

After repeating this two or three times, seeing that everyone was about to remind him, he took the initiative to speak up:
"Lord Zhao, if I unfortunately die here on this trip to Wuqing County and can't get out, please take those three jars of gold with you."

"it is good."

Zhao Fusheng nodded without hesitation:

"Whom do you want me to deliver the gold to on your behalf?"

Her agreement startled Wu Ciping:
"Are you really that blunt, not willing to offer me even the slightest comfort?"

Zhao Fusheng glanced at him:
"In the midst of ghostly calamity, who can say for sure whether one is alive or dead? There's no use in me comforting you. You'd better think about the outcome sooner rather than later, so that you won't have any regrets in the end."

"..." Wu Ciping's lips twitched, and after a long while he sighed:
"What you said is not wrong."

He then frowned and pondered:
"I have no family left, and I don't know who to give this gold to—"

At this point, he became somewhat melancholy:
"Forget it, let whoever wants to give it to do so. Anyway, it can't stay here, or who knows which short-lived person will benefit from it."

As soon as he finished speaking, he looked around at the scenery and began to feel nervous again:
"We're heading into the city."

"About how long?" Zhao Fusheng asked calmly.

Wu Ciping paused for a moment, then continued:
"After passing the pavilion ahead, there is a main road leading straight to the city gate, which is at most a hundred feet long."

"They're almost there." Upon hearing this, Zhao Fusheng turned to look at Xu Yu:
“Since we’re going to Wuqing County, let’s also get some good luck. Ah Yu, take out the Qiankun Brush and divine the outcome.” Zhao Fusheng’s words surprised everyone.

Wang Zhiyi turned to look at Yu Lingzhu, who was also stunned as she was immersed in her dejected mood.

Earlier, everyone had suggested asking Xu Yu to do divination, but Zhao Fusheng refused each time.

Just as they were about to enter Wuqing County, she suggested that Xu Yu perform divination.

"Is it too late to divine good or bad fortune at this point?" Wang Zhiyi asked blankly.

She wanted to complain:
"Not busy in the morning, but in a panic at night, getting up in the middle of the night to mend your pants?"

Ding Datong wanted to laugh at her, but perhaps due to the lingering trauma of the Baili Temple ceremony earlier, he felt nauseous with nervousness as he approached Wuqing County, and couldn't laugh at all at this moment.

Liu Yizhen and the others had followed Zhao Fusheng the longest, and at this moment they vaguely understood her feelings.

Thick smoke billowed from the shadow of Zhao Fusheng's body, and from within the shadow, Granny Xu poked her head out:

"Does Lord Zhao intend to use the power of the Qiankun Ghost Brush to suppress the ghostly calamity in Wuqing County?"

“That’s right!” Liu Yizhen nodded.

Before Wang Zhiyi could react, Xu Yu had already taken out the Qiankun Brush:

"Fusheng, what do you want to ask?"

Ding Datong, who also seemed to understand but not quite, couldn't help but say:
"Are you asking about the auspiciousness or inauspiciousness of the trip to Wuqing County, sir?"

Liu Yizhen glanced at him and shook her head:

"Old Ding still doesn't understand. He's already at the last minute; asking about fortune or misfortune won't help at all."

"good."

Zhao Fusheng smiled and said:
"The Qiankun Brush loves curses the most, and I want to borrow the power of these curses."

After she finished speaking, she gestured to Xu Yu:

"I want to know if there will be any major disasters or ghostly calamities in Wan'an County in early spring next year, and whether we can successfully complete the case in Wan'an County in early spring next year?"

The case Zhao Fusheng asked about had nothing to do with the ghost case in Wuqing County at this time, but as soon as she finished asking, Wang Zhiyi and Yu Lingzhu immediately understood what Granny Xu meant: to use the power of the Qiankun Ghost Brush to suppress the ghost disaster in Wuqing County.

Xu Yu's mind raced, and he understood what was going on.

Her eyes lit up, her face glowed, and she cheerfully replied:
"it is good!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she summoned the Qiankun Brush:

"Early spring of next year, Wan'an County."

Xu Yu casually wrote a few strokes in mid-air.

The ghost pen moved in her hand, drawing out several streaks of dark mist.

In the chaotic fog, several key characters were about to dissipate before they could even take shape.

But in the instant of collapse, a mysterious and strange force preserved the large characters.

The black mist pushed and shoved, making the words appear even more solid.

Early spring of next year, Wan'an County.

The Qiankun Brush paused for a moment, then suddenly a red mist surged from its body, and the Ghost Brush began to tremble, causing Xu Yu's hand to shake.

"An important person will die in Wan'an County in early spring next year."

The pens have started predicting things again.

Granny Xu, who had been crouching in the shadows watching the spectacle, saw this sentence for the first time. Her relaxed expression vanished, and she half-stood up, looking at Zhao Fusheng. Just as she was about to speak, the Qiankun Pen continued writing:
"A hundred ghosts roam the night, the backbone of the virtuous scholar is ripped out. Black mist rises, ghosts and gods tremble, Zhao—gurgle, gurgle—"

Blood-red foam gushed out of the Ghost Pen.

Xu Yuqiang used all his strength, shaking his arm forcefully, in an attempt to interrupt the writing of Zhao Fusheng's name by the ghost pen.

Having wielded the pen for many years, she knows the nature of the "ghost pen" well: nothing mentioned by it is good.

As Zhao Fusheng said, those mentioned by the Qiankun Brush will be cursed by it.

"Don't fight it."

Just then, Zhao Fusheng reached out and pressed down on Xu Yu's shoulder:
"It's not a bad thing that it mentioned my name at this time."

The event mentioned by the Qiankun Pen is next year. If she can participate in next year's ghost case alive, it means that she can successfully leave Wuqing County this year.

This is also the power that Zhao Fusheng wants to rely on—she wants to use the power of the evil spirit in the Qiankun Brush to fight against the laws of Wuqing County and help herself to leave Wuqing County.

Xu Yu was so concerned that he panicked and lost his composure. But when Zhao Fusheng reminded him, he obediently nodded.

She no longer resisted the power of the vengeful spirit. The ghost pen gurgled and bled for a while, then tried to write again: Zhao—Zhao—Gulu, Gulu.

The ghost blood kept flowing.

Liu Yizhen's lips twitched.

After a while, the Qiankun Brush once again gave up writing Zhao Fusheng's name: Could the Boundless Heavenly Venerable seize this opportunity, unlock merit, and obtain this special item that can startle ghosts and gods and shake the laws?

……

Black mist rises, red moon emerges.

A horde of ghosts emerged, and fierce spirits appeared.

It is a ghost born of red light, walking in the darkness, holding the Book of All Beings.

……

The Qiankun Brush seems to write without any rules, writing whatever comes to mind:
The ghosts went berserk, and some people offered themselves as food for the ghosts.

Who is this guy?
……

As soon as the Qiankun Brush finished writing, it turned and continued with a vicious curse: among the group from Wuqing County, the Wuliang Tianzun and her entourage, the Imperial Capital Demon Suppression Division, etc., a portion of one of them will die within the cycle of reincarnation.

As soon as the sentence was written, a large amount of eerie red blood gushed out of the Qiankun Brush. The ghost brush, which had been writing rapidly, seemed to have exhausted its stored energy and instantly lost its power.

Xu Yu was unable to stop him in time.

By the time she realized what had happened, the curse of the Qiankun Brush had already been completed.

The child's face was deathly pale, as if he had committed a terrible crime, and he stood there dumbfounded, not knowing what to do.

"Fu... Fusheng—" Xu Yu was about to cry, clutching the Qiankun Brush tightly, looking at Zhao Fusheng in a panic, tears welling up in his eyes:
"I did not do it on purpose."

"Don't cry." Zhao Fusheng wiped away her tears and said with a smile:

"What's the big deal? Is it worth shedding tears over?"

She said it casually:
“Ah Yu, we deal with ghosts, so we can't guarantee that they'll be completely under our control the first time we encounter one.” She smiled.
"It's just a curse. With so many people sharing the burden, it's still uncertain whether the curse of the Qiankun Brush will come true."

She appeared relaxed and didn't seem to care about the curse of the Ghost Pen.

Grandma Xu also felt sorry for Xu Yu crying, and added:
"That's right, at least A-Yu, your Qiankun Brush can guarantee that Lord Zhao won't die."

It would have been better if she hadn't said those words; as soon as she did, Xu Yu started crying again.

"I don't want Granny Meng to die either—"

"Can't die."

Zhao Fusheng shook his head, "The curse of the Ghost Pen is not something that will definitely happen. We can use the curse of the Ghost Pen to suppress other evil ghost laws, and we can also use the ghosts of Wuqing County to suppress the Qiankun Pen."

Meng Po patted Xu Yu's head and said, "Good child, your mother has unfinished business. It's not time for you to die yet, don't worry."

With everyone's coaxing and comforting, Xu Yucai gradually breathed a sigh of relief.

……

This scene caught the attention of Wang Zhiyi and Yu Lingzhu, who both found it unbelievable.

The interactions between ghost tamers are often tense and confrontational; if their strengths are roughly equal, none of them will submit to the others.

Even with temporary cooperation, it's difficult to be completely open and honest with each other, let alone worry about each other like family.

Seeing everyone getting along, Yu Lingzhu couldn't help but think of herself and the Chang family. She finally let out a long sigh, her eyes filled with envy.

In the short time it took to speak, the carriage quickly turned a corner, and the city gate was just a stone's throw away.

The city gates of Wuqing County were tall and imposing, and there were quite a few soldiers guarding the city.

There are also side gates on both sides of the main gate, through which people enter the city.

It was afternoon, and few people were entering the city. As soon as the convoy entered the main road, it quickly attracted the attention of the city's residents.

Someone shouted a few times, and then several people carrying weapons came down from the city. They then moved wooden stakes, ground nails and other objects, preparing to block the convoy.

Yu Lingzhu was already extremely annoyed by what she had seen and heard along the way. Now, with the city about to be entered, she was already anxious. Seeing someone blocking her way, she became furious and stuck her head out, shouting:

"Miao has done a good job!"

Miao Yougong responded loudly, and Yu Lingzhu gave the instructions:
“These city guards are blind and dare to block our Demon Suppression Division. They should just rush in through the main gate. If anyone dares to stop them, you should attack them without holding back.”

Before Miao Yougong could agree, Wu Ciping quickly said:

"Let's not start a conflict yet. Within Wuqing County, the name of the Demon Suppression Division may not be as effective as that of the Chang family."

After he finished speaking, he also stood up and shouted:

"The Chang family's motorcade is made up of relatives of the Chang family—"

As soon as Wu Ciping shouted, those who were originally going to stop him scattered and quickly cleared away all the items that had been blocking the city gate.

Seeing this, Wu Ciping finally breathed a sigh of relief:

"The Chang family has absolute authority here; only by invoking the Chang family's name can you get any real results."

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Yu Lingzhu's unpleasant expression and awkwardly sat back down in his chair.

The convoy did not stop and went directly into the city.

Here, the Chang family holds absolute power. Because of their merits and the hope of being reborn, no one dares to question the Chang family's 'relatives'. No one doubts the words Wu Ciping casually utters.

Yu Lingzhu was heavy-hearted. She personally gave directions, and the convoy headed towards the Chang family's territory without encountering any obstacles. It was as if the moment Wu Ciping mentioned the convoy's identity upon entering the city, it had already left its mark. People on the street dispersed to both sides, and in about half an hour, the vehicles arrived at the Chang family's territory.

Before returning to Wuqing County, Yu Lingzhu felt relaxed.

She believed there were only two possible outcomes to this trip: either Wuqing County was haunted, and she and the others would work together to solve the case, sweeping away the shadow hanging over Wuqing County and restoring peace to the county and the Chang family, thus clearing the Chang family of the injustice they had carried for decades.

Secondly, since there were no ghosts in Wuqing County, she personally accompanied Zhao Fusheng on the trip to inform everyone in the capital that the Chang family was safe and sound.

But things didn't go as planned, and the final outcome was completely opposite to her original guess.

Just as they were lost in thought, the Chang residence came into view.

Rather than calling the Chang family manor at this time a prefecture, it would be more accurate to describe it as a manor estate passed down through generations.

The entrance to the Chang family mansion is very grand. The gate is supported by huge stones, and various dragons, phoenixes, birds, beasts and rare animals are carved on it by skilled woodcarvers. A plaque hangs in the center, which reads: Chang Family Ancestral Hall.

　Thank you to reader "Ice Green Lemon" for the generous donation! There's an extra chapter today, including for those who are patrons!
　　A major update of 6 words.

　　(End of this chapter)