I become a god in another world

Chapter 752 The Ghostly Figure in the Hall
Chapter 752

"Hao Family Ancestral Hall? Point it out to me, where is it?"

Zhao Fusheng tapped the table, indicating to Cao Gu that it was there for her.

Her gaze was fixed on the area where the large landowners lived. Sure enough, Cao Guti was also pointing to this area, but he hesitated for a long time after raising his hand:

"Sir, I don't even know which direction is east, I—"

"It's alright, just point me to a general direction so I'll have a better idea." When it came to the ghost case, Zhao Fusheng was very patient, indicating that he could just point to any direction.

Cao Gu then said ingratiatingly:
"Your Excellency is indeed wise and tolerant—"

He was given a kind look, and this guy immediately took advantage of it and started spouting nonsense.

Zhao Fusheng's face darkened:
"Stop talking irrelevant things, take this as the east!"

As she spoke, she tapped her fingertips on the table with a 'thump,' indicating a location.

Cao Gu was startled and his eyes immediately cleared. He quickly located the spot:

"Sir, the Hao family ancestral hall is located here. They are situated to the north, and their patriarch is named Hao Dingzhu, who is over seventy years old and is a rare long-lived person."

He spoke while observing Zhao Fusheng's expression:

"Hao Dingzhu's grandfather was an official in the court and accumulated some wealth. When he was alive, he was a wealthy family in the county. Later, he became more and more prosperous and bought several mountains. Many villagers sold him their land and property. Over the years, he has become a landlord. However, he was born into the government and his background was a bit weak, unlike other landlords."

Cao Gu said:
"But Hao Dingzhu has been very active in recent years, donating a lot of tribute to the Demon Suppression Division every year. He seems to be interested in taking over the right to paint lanterns—"

Cao Gu was in charge of these arrangements, so when he brought it up, he casually mentioned many things.

Hao Dingzhu was adept at currying favor, and Cao Gu had received many benefits from him in the two years since he took office.

However, most ghost tamers are harsh and heartless. Although Cao Gu accepted the money, he did not dare to speak well of Hao Dingzhu in front of Zhao Fusheng, and even secretly wanted to sever ties with this person.

"This whole thing was caused by his family," Cao Gu said bitterly.

"It seems that his family has been supporting a younger generation, whose name I don't know. He has studied and wants to enter officialdom."

At this point, a cold smile appeared on his face:

"In this day and age, why bother going to school?"

He sneered as he watched Zhao Fusheng's expression. When he saw her looking down at the table without saying a word, his heart skipped a beat, and his smile immediately froze.

"It was this younger member of the Hao family who went to the capital to file a complaint."

Once Cao Gu realized he had misspoke, he immediately steered the conversation back to the ghost case:

"This kid reported to the Demon Suppression Division of Jinzhou, claiming that his house was haunted by ghosts. Before long, the complaint had even reached the capital—"

As soon as Cao Gu finished speaking, a look of puzzlement appeared on his face.

Why do you find it so strange that this ghost case has been reported to the capital?

Zhao Fusheng said in surprise:

"Although there are regulations in different places, ghost cases are generally handled locally."

The Imperial Capital Headquarters of the Demon Suppression Bureau has limited manpower and cannot spend all year round running around cleaning up messes for the local Demon Suppression Bureau offices.

After all, everyone fears ghost cases. If the local demon-suppressing commanders and their envoys only enjoy tax revenue and offerings while shifting the responsibility for ghost cases to other places, the world will be in chaos.

Therefore, the Demon Suppression Division has strict regulations on ghost cases and does not allow reports to be submitted to higher levels.

Generally speaking, if a local county government has a ghost case, it will handle it itself. If it is too difficult to handle and is far beyond the ability of the county government's demon-suppressing officers, it will be reported to the prefectural government. If the prefectural government is also unable to handle it, it will be reported to the state government, and finally to the capital.

This process is not so easy—because it involves the strength of a demon tamer's abilities and the stability of their state.

Just like Zheng He back then.

When the case of the twin ghosts and spirits appeared in Bao County, he dared not report it to the prefectural government. If it were reported to Changping Prefecture, the prefectural general at the time would be Ding Datong. Even if Ding Datong sent someone to handle the twin ghosts and spirits case, after handling the case, he might deal with Zheng He first.

The cost of reporting this way is too high.

In cases involving ghosts, the Ghost Control Bureau can still use the messengers to test the laws, offering a glimmer of hope.
But if the higher-ups send a ghost tamer, the purpose is clear: to take the life of the incompetent commander at the time.

In this way, there is no scapegoat.

However, there is another possibility: that the evil spirits are indeed so powerful that they exceed the jurisdiction of the local demon-suppressing command.

However, this situation can be further divided into two types: one is the original ghost disaster, and the other is the external ghost disaster.

The term "original ghost disaster" refers to a situation where a vengeful ghost resurrects after someone dies in a local area. However, the local authorities fail to conceal the truth and instead report the truth falsely, leading to a false alarm. This allows the vengeful ghost to kill many people, ultimately causing a major disaster.

In Wan'an County, the ghost cases of Kuailiang Village and Shilipo are typical examples.

The term "external ghost disaster" refers to a vengeful ghost that originates from another place and is eventually brought into a certain county due to special laws.

Just as Zhao Fusheng had just been reborn and was able to control ghosts, he was unable to deal with the resurgence of the Zhao couple's vengeful ghosts. He had no choice but to temporarily send the two ghosts to Magistrate Bao and hand them over to Zheng He—which was a huge burden for Zheng He.

If these two kinds of evil calamities are external evil calamities, it is still understandable; but if they are original evil calamities that have been brewing, the state and county will not be swayed by them. They will keep this debt in mind and will seek revenge in the future.

……

Having explained the rules of the Demon Suppression Division, when we returned to this case in Tongshan County, it was filled with a sense of mystery.

According to Cao Gu, Tongshan County is very powerful.

There are three demon tamers in the county's Demon Suppression Division, two of whom are twin brothers, and they respectively control calamity-level and disaster-level demons.

Cao Gu once said that since the Lantern Festival was introduced, no ghostly calamities have occurred in Tongshan County in recent years.

“Suppose,” Zhao Fusheng looked at Cao Gu:

"Assuming everything you said before is true, there has been no ghostly calamity since Liang Yu."

Cao Gu nodded involuntarily and said softly:
“Sir, this is not a hypothesis, it is true.” He emphasized: “Since the Lantern Festival rules were established, no ghostly disasters have occurred in Tongshan County.”

After saying that, he realized that what he had said was inappropriate and felt uneasy.

Regarding the ghost case, Zhao Fusheng didn't mind Cao Gu correcting her; she said:

"Okay, there haven't been any ghostly incidents in Tongshan County for over a decade, which means that the ghost case in Hao Dingzhu's family is the first one, right?"

Cao Gu hesitated now.

After a long pause, he steeled himself and said:

"My lord, what I said earlier wasn't entirely accurate."

Zhao Fusheng's gaze turned cold:
"You're the one who talks about the east, and you're the one who talks about the west."

Her tone exerted immense pressure on Cao Gu:
"What exactly is the situation in Tongshan County? Your words are incoherent; are you trying to hide something from me?"

No, no.

Cao Gu waved his hands frantically and said urgently:

"I would never dare to deceive you, sir."

He stood up hastily:
"My lord, please listen to me. In fact, Tongshan County has been haunted for the past ten years or so, but each time the ghostly calamity has been resolved."

"Who will handle this? The Demon Suppression Division?" Zhao Fusheng asked.

Cao Gu said:
"No, no, the light solved it."

His words caused Magistrate Pang to look puzzled, and Zhao Fusheng also frowned.

Seeing that Zhao Fusheng had stopped shouting, Cao Gu breathed a sigh of relief, then sat back down cautiously and said:
"My lord, please let me explain in detail. The reason why our Tongshan County Lantern Festival is so important is that since the resurrection of the evil spirits of Liang Yu and Lord Liang, it has become the guardian deity of Tongshan County."

He explained:
"After the Lantern Festival, every household in Tongshan County has had the custom of lighting lanterns in recent years, especially some large landowners. The lanterns they light are brought back from the Demon Suppression Bureau and have extraordinary power."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Fusheng immediately realized that the lantern festival in Tongshan County was quite intricate.

Magistrate Pang also thought of the door gods and ghost seals.

The two exchanged a glance and both guessed that this 'lamp' must be a kind of mark of a vengeful ghost, carrying the power of a ghost.

"The lamps that wealthy families usually hang are believed to ward off ghosts," Cao Gu said.

“Tongshan County is a special case. Whether they are rural slaves or upper, middle and lower-class households, they all live around the big landlords, so a rule has formed in our area.”

He paused, then continued:
"If a ghostly calamity occurs in the area, the local landowners should be given priority to send people to resolve it. If they cannot resolve it, then the matter should be reported to the Demon Suppression Division."

For example, if a vengeful ghost were to resurrect in one of the three households (upper, middle, and lower) within the jurisdiction of the Hao family, the local people would first report it to the Hao clan. The Hao clan would then bring a ghost lantern to the Hao family and guide the ghost into the lantern, thus resolving the problem.

"Conversely, if the resurrected ghost power in the area is too strong, and the Hao family's lantern bearers fail to resolve the ghost calamity during the process of summoning the ghosts, and are instead devoured by the ghosts along with their lanterns, then it proves that the ghost calamity is beyond the scope of what the Hao family can handle, and it must be reported to the Demon Suppression Division."

After Cao Gu finished speaking, he added:
"But from the time of Lord Liang Yu to the present, there has never been a case in Tongshan County where the ghostly calamity still went out of control under the rule of local landlords."

He emphasized:
"Never once, so it can be said that no ghostly disasters have occurred in Tongshan County, at least not in the records of the Demon Suppression Division."

Therefore, after Liang Yu, the term of office of the Ghost Control Officer in Tongshan County was mostly very long, and everyone knew that the ghost controllers here could live long lives.

Zhao Fusheng was somewhat surprised to hear this:

"The laws governing demon suppression have specific regulations—"

Cao Gu then said:

“Special cases are handled specially. In this situation, we specifically consulted Jia Yi and Lord Jia back then.”

His implication was that the matter concerning Tongshan County had been approved and requested by the capital.

Zhao Fusheng was silent for a moment, then suddenly understood the current situation.

If everything happening in the ghost realm now is a true story from the past, that is, before the destruction of Tongshan County, there was indeed a haunting incident at the Hao Family Ancestral Hall, and someone reported it all the way to the capital, reaching the ears of the capital city.

Although Feng Du is not perfect in everything, compared with many ghost tamers, he is undoubtedly a person who considers the big picture.

Tongshan County's situation is unique and will certainly attract the attention of the capital.

He just needs a special opportunity to get involved.

The matter of the Hao Family Ancestral Hall is the opportunity that Feng Du has been waiting for, and the chances of him sending someone to come are not low.

Having figured this out, Zhao Fusheng couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

That's how ghostly calamities are; they are easiest to resolve when they first arise—unfortunately, at this time, the ghost controllers are afraid of the fierce ghosts and just let things slide, turning a blind eye to everything. Before the minor calamity turns into a major disaster, everyone consciously turns a blind eye.

Once a major disaster occurs, ordinary people are unable to resolve it, and under the circumstances in the capital at that time, many people were probably helpless.

Ultimately, the local people themselves had to bear the bitter consequences.

This is the reason why Tongshan County was destroyed.

But this is a place of ghostly calamity. How could Paper Man Zhang have led himself into such a ghostly realm?

This person is deep in thought; there must be a reason for doing this.

Could it be that the destruction of Tongshan County was related to him in some way?
In that instant, countless thoughts flashed through Zhao Fusheng's mind.

After a moment, she looked at Cao Gu:
"According to what you've said, I now have a general understanding of the situation in Tongshan County. You mean that if the area under the jurisdiction of the Hao Family Ancestral Hall is haunted, it's quite normal. If a ghost case occurs under its jurisdiction, Hao Dingzhu will send a lantern bearer to resolve the ghostly calamity."

She said:
"But since the Hao family couldn't resolve this problem, does it mean that the Lanternman's operation failed and the ghostly calamity has spread? So someone reported the case to the prefectures and counties, and then to the capital?"

Cao Gu then nodded vigorously:

"Correct."

He said:

"To be honest, sir, we knew nothing about this beforehand. If it weren't for the news coming from the capital, we wouldn't even have known that something had happened at the Hao Family Ancestral Hall. We are truly wronged."

Cao Gu wore a bitter face:
"We only found out when news came from the capital that they would be sending people to our county to investigate the case soon."

Afterwards, Jiang Wen and Jiang Wu immediately summoned Hao Dingzhu to inquire about the matter.

With the Lantern Festival just around the corner, the Jiang brothers did not want any mishaps to occur.

Hao Dingzhu then promised to resolve the matter before the lantern festival ceremony began.

"The original plan was that the people sent by the Imperial Capital Demon Suppression Division would arrive around July 15th, but I really didn't expect that you would arrive ahead of schedule."

After the cause and effect were explained, Cao Gu breathed a sigh of relief.

But his enthusiasm didn't last long, and he began to anxiously await Zhao Fusheng's reply again.

"So, this ghost case originated from the Hao Family Ancestral Hall," Zhao Fusheng said.

Cao Gu nodded:

"Correct."

She said:
"Since that's the case, and we're already here, we'll visit the Hao Family Ancestral Hall later."

Cao Gu naturally dared not disobey.

He said:
"It is my duty to be focused on my work, and I dare not dissuade you, but now it is late at night—"

At this point, a look of hesitation and fear appeared on his face:
"My lord, to be honest, as the Lantern Festival approaches, many strange things are happening at night. It is not advisable to go out after midnight."

Zhao Fusheng's heart skipped a beat:
"Is something strange happening after midnight?"

Cao Gu hesitated for a moment, then said:
"Your Excellency is wise. Strange phenomena will occur in the county after midnight. Ordinary people should not go out, or they will surely suffer misfortune." As he said this, he instinctively looked up at the tall niches around the Hall of Saints, and finally shut his mouth.

Although he didn't say it explicitly, Zhao Fusheng understood immediately upon seeing this:
"How big is the Demon Suppression Division of your Tongshan County?"

Cao Gu understood immediately:

"My lord, the Demon Suppression Division of Tongshan County occupies five acres. In addition to its main offices, it also has official reception halls and courtyards for various guests, including ten halls such as the Sage Hall, which are dedicated to the Sage, the King, the Four Symbols, etc."

"Each hall contains several such statues, with the hall of saints containing the most, a total of nine—"

He said:
"There are a total of 72 statues."

After Zhao Fusheng finished speaking, he suddenly said something astonishing:

Is it a ghost?

(End of this chapter)