I become a god in another world

Chapter 750 The Origin of the Lantern Festival
Chapter 750
As soon as Zhao Fusheng finished speaking, Cao Gu's composed expression stiffened for a moment. He seemed somewhat surprised, as if Zhao Fusheng's words were unbelievable to him.

“It is a human sacrifice,” he replied. “To use the dead would be a great disrespect to the gods and spirits.”

"..." Upon hearing this, Magistrate Pang shuddered.

Zhao Fusheng's face immediately darkened.

The people of Tongshan County were treated like animals and were used by the Demon Suppression Division as human sacrifices. Every year, living people were offered as sacrifices like pigs, cattle, and sheep.

A surge of anger welled up within her, and she wished she could burn down the Demon Suppression Bureau of Tongshan County immediately.

Her murderous intent came fiercely, quickly, and violently, and it seemed to be causing her to lose control.

Zhao Fusheng realized this and immediately became alert.

She is not a newcomer.

In the two years since her rebirth, she has witnessed the widespread suffering of the people.

Although the sacrifices in Tongshan County were barbaric and cruel, the things done by the two prefectures involved in the great ghost case, Wuqing County and Shangyang County, were no less so. Zhao Fusheng handled them all calmly. It was natural for her to feel angry when she heard Cao Gu's words, but it was strange that she had murderous thoughts.

Perhaps it's the influence of the ghost realm.

Thinking of this, Zhao Fusheng took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the rage in his heart, and looked at Cao Gu:
"So what if it's disrespectful?" She forced a stiff smile.

“You are also a ghost tamer, so you should know that ghosts don’t care about so-called ‘respect’.”

Only people value rituals.

The human heart is terrifying; it uses the power of ghosts to squander power and treat human lives as a pastime.

"Pretending to use the guise of ghosts and gods to satisfy their bloodlust—"

Thinking of this, her anger began to resurface, so she quickly changed the subject:
"Furthermore, this so-called lantern festival actually requires human sacrifice."

Seeing that her expression was normal, but her tone carried a chilling undertone, Cao Gu felt inexplicably uneasy and cautiously said:

"My lord, it's the Lantern Festival, not a lantern festival—"

Before he could finish speaking, he saw Zhao Fusheng's gloomy gaze and immediately stopped himself from saying the rest.

"Your timing is perfect, sir. The Lantern Festival is on the fifteenth of the seventh lunar month, and it is now the fifth day of the seventh lunar month. The people sent by the local gentry have already been kept in the pen at the back. Your sir will be able to witness the grand spectacle of lantern making."

After calming his mind, Zhao Fusheng suddenly realized that Tongshan County was a complex and dangerous place.

She composed herself and decided to start her inquiry by beginning with the lantern festival:
"What is the origin of this lantern festival? In which year did it begin? It starts on the 15th of the seventh lunar month every year and lasts for a long time. What is its purpose?"

She bombarded Cao Gu with a series of questions, leaving him somewhat bewildered.

Logically speaking, the case involving Tongshan County should be a separate matter, and if someone from the capital city is involved, it should also be related to this case.

The questions were all fine until they suddenly turned to some trivial matters of Tongshan County government and the Lantern Festival, which made Cao Gu uneasy.

Unfortunately, he arrived a bit too early and couldn't find an excuse to escape right away. Under Zhao Fusheng's gaze, he gritted his teeth and forced himself to say:
"Please be kind to me, sir, and don't make things difficult for me."

Zhao Fusheng's face darkened.

Kuai Manzhou raised his head.

The two worked together seamlessly, and Cao Gu instantly felt the pressure drop.

"S-Sir--"

Zhang Wanquan, who was following behind Cao Gu, had been keeping his head down and not daring to look around, but as soon as he lowered his head, he realized that something was wrong.

The floor of the Saints' Hall was adorned with jewels, every detail meticulously crafted, but now, for some unknown reason, a seedling had sprouted from the ground and instantly blossomed into a blood-red flower.

Upon seeing this, Zhang Wanquan's eyes widened immediately. He blinked hard in disbelief, and when he opened his eyes again, the flower was still there.

Just then, something strange happened again—the blood-red flower swayed, and a black mist surged out from within, immediately binding Cao Gu's feet.

Within the black mist, a ghostly face appeared and disappeared.

Upon seeing the vengeful ghost, Zhang Wanquan screamed in agony. Before he could finish his sentence, Cao Gu realized the gravity of the situation.

His legs were embraced by some force, and the vengeful spirit he commanded was completely suppressed.

Cao Gu looked down and his eyes met those of a ghostly face.

This surprise was no small matter.

He wanted to get up immediately, but his legs felt incredibly heavy.

The ghost clinging to his leg possessed astonishing strength, dragging him downwards.

The ground, studded with gemstones, was now flowing with foul-smelling, yellowish-brown spring water. The spring water was filled with malevolent energy, and countless vengeful ghosts could be vaguely seen floating in it.

Cao Gu was commanding a calamity-level ghost, which gave him some ability to protect himself even amidst the calamity. However, the fierce ghost clinging to his legs seemed to be of a much higher rank than the calamity-level ghost, and no matter how hard he tried, he was powerless to resist.

This is definitely not a monstrous ghost.

Even the fierce ghosts commanded by Jiang Wenyu of the Demon Suppression Division of Tongshan County would not possess such a heavy malevolent aura.

Cao Gu immediately realized: This was a vengeful ghost above the Calamity level—a legendary Calamity-level ghost.

The thought of this made him instantly lose his mind.

This hall is special; ordinary ghosts that enter are immediately suppressed by the golden statues filling the sky, and only powerful ghosts above the Tribulation level can move freely.

Could it be that this Lord Zhao is commanding a Calamity-level ghost?
"My lord, spare my life! Lord Zhao, spare my life!"

Cao Gu, being pragmatic, immediately begged for mercy upon realizing that Zhao Fusheng was behind it.

"Whatever you want to know, I will tell you everything I know without reservation. Please spare my life."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Fusheng lazily called out:
"Full week—"

As soon as the shout rang out, Cao Gu heard a clear, clanging sound, as if someone was waving a string of coins.

Strangely, along with the loud crash, the terrifying force that had been gripping his legs vanished instantly.

The ghost's cold, sinister face disintegrated at an incredible speed, and its figure instantly turned into black mist and vanished from its original spot.

The Yellow Springs seeped into the earth without leaving a trace. The bright red ghost flowers withered, curled up and turned into blood spots that scattered and eventually condensed into a wisp of mist that floated in mid-air.

Cao Gu was only able to support himself on the chair with his arms, his buttocks dangling in the air.

After escaping death, he gasped for breath, sweating profusely, his face filled with terror.

It all seemed like a hallucination to him.

He tried to move his legs; they were stiff and painful, but he had gained freedom.

The ghost disappeared.

Only now did his rigid thinking become active again, and he began to recall everything that had happened before.

Someone summoned a ghost in the Hall of Saints. The ghost nearly killed him, and when he begged Zhao Fusheng for mercy, Zhao Fusheng shouted "Man Zhou".

Man Zhou? Who is Man Zhou? That sounds like a person's name.

Cao Gu shakily propped himself up and sat back down in his chair. Then he saw a pale-faced child leaning against Zhao Fusheng, who was shaking a string of copper coins in his hand.

The child had loose, dry, yet soft hair, and her eyes were fixed on her hand. Cao Gu noticed that there were still bloodstains moving in her eyes.

Upon seeing this, Cao Gu felt a chill run down his spine: the child exuded a strong aura of malevolence, and she was actually a powerful ghost tamer.

She is Man Zhou!
This Lord Zhao from the capital actually brought with him a powerful ghost tamer. Influenced by class consciousness, Cao Gu first noticed Zhao Fusheng and paid no attention to the others. But when he realized that Kuai Manzhou's strength was not to be underestimated, he immediately became terrified and looked at Xu Yu.

Xu Yu also turned to look at him.

The child was blind in one eye, but her other eye was bright and lively. When she saw Cao Gu looking at her, she smiled, but that smile sent chills down Cao Gu's spine.

This is also a ghost tamer.

Three ghost tamers have actually come to Tongshan County tonight!
Cao was momentarily stunned.

After regaining his composure, he immediately made a choice:

"Thank you for sparing my life, sir. I am willing to serve you."

Zhao Fusheng nodded:
"It's good that you know what's good for you," she said.

"Please answer the question I raised earlier."

At this moment, Cao Gu dared not let his mind wander.

Under the intimidation of the vengeful spirit's power, he honestly answered:

"My lord, the origin of this lantern festival can be traced back to more than ten years ago."

Zhao Fusheng then chimed in with a remark:

"Seventeen years ago? I heard Zhang Wanquan mention the origin of those eight beauty lanterns outside. Is the origin of the lantern festival related to that?"

Cao Gu dared not delay and immediately nodded:
"Yes."

When Zhang Wanquan heard the two mention his name in their conversation, he was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat.

Fortunately, Cao Gu was only thinking about saving his own life and didn't care about anything else, so he didn't turn to look at him.

“My lord, this servant surnamed Zhang is just a lowly servant, and he speaks unclearly. Let me explain to you.”

Cao Gu said:
"Actually, this matter dates back to more than 30 years ago. In the 168th year of the Great Han Dynasty, the magistrate of Tongshan County was named Liang Yu. This official had already reached the Silver General level of cultivation. It is said that he was sent from Jinzhou Prefecture. He controlled a ghost of the Disaster level or above and was very powerful. According to records, his vengeful ghost may have actually reached the Calamity level."

Having been frightened, Cao Gu was now very honest and cooperative, revealing everything he knew:
"This is the first time in nearly a hundred years that such a powerful ghost tamer has come to our Tongshan County."

He sighed:
"My lord, this Lord Liang has a good temper and enjoys strange and wonderful techniques. It is said that before he controlled ghosts, he was already proficient in mechanical arts and had many ingenious ideas in his mind."

Zhao Fusheng disagreed and looked at Magistrate Pang:
"A person who is in charge of a region is not suitable to have preferences, as it makes them easy for others to take advantage of them."

Magistrate Pang deeply agreed with her words.

Moreover, the ghost tamer holds a special position, and if he has any desires, the entire county will do everything in its power to satisfy them.

This is also the origin of the tragedy in Tongshan County.

Zhao Fusheng dared to make such a comment, but Cao Gu dared not utter a word.

Only after she finished speaking did he continue:

"Because this Lord Liang had a fondness for refined things, the local gentry flattered him by presenting him with a landscape painting."

The illustrator was none other than Wang Puyi—that unlucky fellow who was famous in the capital at a young age.

Upon seeing the landscape painting, Liang Yu immediately recognized its extraordinary spirit and devised a plan to bring Wang Puyi to Tongshan County.

The moment he saw the landscape painting, an idea came to him: to make some special palace lanterns for lighting.

He admired Wang Puyi's painting style, but unfortunately, Wang was good at painting landscapes rather than figures.

However, such characteristics are nothing to the ghost tamer.

Wang Puyi was imprisoned in his residence and ordered to paint portraits of beautiful women.

Tongshan County is not a small county.

This place is rich in minerals, with copper and iron mines controlled by aristocratic families and powerful clans, who have become extremely wealthy.

After these local tycoons became wealthy, they lavishly worshipped the demon tamer, forming an unbreakable alliance between the two sides.

With the power of the demon tamer, the rich become richer and the poor become poorer.

Many people, driven to desperation, sold themselves into slavery, becoming dependent on the wealthy and servants of local tyrants.

This has created a unique landscape in Tongshan County: the county mainly worships the Demon Suppression Bureau, which is a supreme being and is worshipped by local wealthy people.

The wealthy became the undisputed landowners in the area!

The term 'landlord' was not just a title, but a true description of the landowner.

They own mines and land, and the people living within the mines are all part of their wealth.

Ordinary people are not allowed to go into the mountains to mine, cut firewood, or pick up any grass, bricks, or soil by the roadside. If they offend anyone, they will be beheaded if the offense is serious, or have their hands cut off if the offense is minor.

The government colluded with them, and if the people wanted to file a complaint, the local big landlord would be the first to hear the case—if the case could not be heard, it would be reported to the county government.

As a result, the people had nowhere to turn for help, and over time they became as docile as cattle and sheep.

The Demon Suppression Bureau, the government, and the big landowners joined forces to govern Tongshan County as firmly as iron and copper.

……

Even though Cao Gu's story focused on the Lantern Festival, the terrifying scene he revealed in his words sent chills down Magistrate Pang's spine.

Even if this world is a dog-eat-dog world, it shouldn't have deteriorated to this extent.

He turned to look at Zhao Fusheng, whose hand was clenched into a fist and placed on the table, suppressing his inner irritation, and signaled Cao Gu to continue.

"Lord Liang reigned for nearly fifteen years. He was stable and powerful. During his rule, there were almost no major ghostly disasters in Tongshan County, and the people lived in peace and prosperity."

At this point in Cao Gu's speech, Zhao Fusheng couldn't help but smile.

This is truly dark humor.

"Is it the common people who live in peace and contentment, or the big landowners who live safely and comfortably?"

Cao Gu looked puzzled:

"Sir, the gentry and powerful families are also common people."

“Ordinary people are also considered citizens,” Zhao Fusheng reminded.

Cao Gu nodded:
"Of course, our county has always treated everyone equally, and everyone is a commoner."

Magistrate Pang was somewhat puzzled upon hearing this:

"And what about the human offerings for the lamp festival that you mentioned—"

"How can the human offerings required for the Lantern Festival be considered human offerings?" Cao Gu asked in surprise.

His expression was so genuine it didn't seem fake; it was all so absurd that Zhao Fusheng lost all other reactions. For a moment, he could only laugh again to suppress the complex feelings in his heart.

"Our county is divided into three types of households: upper-class, middle-class, and lower-class." Cao Guyin handled miscellaneous affairs within the Demon Suppression Division and sometimes dealt with important county government matters, so he was familiar with the basic situation of the county and the data on its people.
"There is another type of household, which is not included in the household registration. These people are also servants kept by various families and are not considered human."

"..."

Zhao Fusheng turned to look at Magistrate Pang, and the two remained silent.

(End of this chapter)