I become a god in another world

Chapter 759 The past events of the Qin family

Chapter 759

Hao Dingzhu is a cunning and treacherous person.

The lawsuit in Yijiang Town is a mess, and it's not about who is fair—after all, when it comes to fairness, neither side is in the right.

They're all just sucking the blood out of ordinary people; none of them are any cleaner than the other.

Lawsuits are all about connections and backing.

However, Hao Dingzhu made the first move. He opened a gold mine in the town and gave the mine to the Jiang brothers, Jiang Wen and Jiang Wu, in Tongshan County. This put the Qin family at a disadvantage.

When the lawsuit in Yijiang Town is mentioned again, those who don't know the details only think that the Qin family is fighting the Hao family. In reality, the Qin family knows that this lawsuit has turned into a contest with the Demon Suppression Division.

The Qin family is doomed to lose!

If anyone else had brought this up, Qin Yongchun would have inevitably shown his displeasure, but since it was Zhao Fusheng who asked the question, he had no choice but to suppress his feelings and answer honestly.

"There was a misunderstanding among the elders in the family before, but now that everyone has talked it out, there's no lawsuit," Qin Yongchun said.

Zhao Fusheng then asked:
"The Qin family filed a lawsuit because they claimed the veins in this area were related to ghosts and that mining was unsuitable for it, fearing it would offend the spirits?"

As soon as she said this, Qin Yongchun couldn't sit still any longer and was about to kneel down:

"My lord, please spare my life—"

Zhao Fusheng's face suddenly darkened:

"Just answer whatever I ask. I don't care about the complicated relationship between you and Tongshan County, but if it delays my ghost case, I will really kill someone."

She looked coldly at Qin Yong'an:

“I will not repeat these words a second time. If Jiang Wen and Jiang Wu hold a grudge against you because of my questioning, I will kill them for you.”

Last night, she summoned two ghost messengers to wipe out the Golden Painted Ghost Eagle in Tongshan County with swift and decisive action. When she said she had killed Jiang Wen and Jiang Wu, she was not just boasting.

"..."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Cao Gu and Zhang Xiansheng were so shocked that their faces changed slightly. They lowered their heads, clenched their fists, and placed them on their thighs. They wished they had been deaf and mute and had not heard this conversation.

Qin Yong'an's face turned deathly pale instantly, and he dared not utter a sound for a moment.

Zhao Fusheng ignored everyone's expressions and asked again:
"When the Qin family first filed the lawsuit, they mentioned that there was a ghostly vein in the Yijiang Town mine, and that your ancestors were controlling ghosts there, right?"

Qin Yong'an was completely flustered and intimidated by her imposing manner, so she instinctively responded:

"Yes, it is."

"Is the rumor true?" Zhao Fusheng confirmed.

Qin Yong'an said:

"This is absolutely true."

Having said all that, he immediately suppressed his unease and said:
"Sir, we were indeed indignant at first that Hao Jiangmin was a despicable person."

He said:
"There are seven mining sites in Yijiang Town. The other mines are all small mines, mining lime and pig iron, but the vein in the middle is indeed spiritual."

Qin Yongchun said:

"The minerals produced there all carry a certain auspiciousness."

The Qin family has an ancestral genealogy book, which was secretly recorded by someone after the ghost tamer tamed the ghost. It records his experience of taming the ghost.

“My ancestors were miners. They found a gold nugget in the main vein, about the size of a bowl. They thought they had struck it rich that day and took the nugget home.”

The Qin family ancestor was so excited that he barely slept all night. He had been dreaming of secretly selling the gold and, if he had the chance, taking his family away from their hometown to live a wealthy life elsewhere. But that night, he had a great dream.

"What did you dream about?"

Zhao Fusheng asked.

Qin Yongchun was puzzled, wondering why the conversation had shifted from the lawsuit between the Qin and Hao families to the story of the Qin family ancestor controlling ghosts.

However, discussing the process of controlling ghosts does not involve Jiang Wen and Jiang Wu, which is naturally much better than discussing the lawsuit.

He felt slightly relieved and said, "My ancestor dreamed that this gold was discovered, and the other party threatened to take half of it or report my ancestor to the landlord for hoarding gold."

This is utterly rebellious.

If the local landlords discovered this, the Qin family's ancestors would surely suffer a terrible fate, and their parents, wives, and children would also be implicated.

Qin Yongchun said, "In a fit of anger, our ancestor drew his sword and killed someone."

After committing the murder, he was terrified, fearing that he would be caught by the authorities and sentenced to beheading.

He immediately fled with the gold, hiding his identity for more than a decade and daring not to return to his hometown.

Later, when he really missed his wife, children, and parents, he mustered up the courage to change his appearance and return to his hometown to visit them, only to find that the murder he committed that day was just a nightmare and not real.

The neighbor who died by his knife in his dream is still alive, but much older, and he was very surprised to see him.

After recognizing him, he greeted him warmly and lamented that his parents were heartbroken because their son left without saying goodbye, and soon after, they both passed away.

His wife, having nowhere else to turn, was forced to remarry, taking his child with her, in order to barely save his child's life.

Now that he has returned, the child has long since grown up, recognizes another man as his father, and can no longer remember who he is.

Everything is different.

……

Upon hearing this, Magistrate Pang felt both curious and wistful:

"Could it be that everything that happened back then was all a lie? If your ancestor didn't kill anyone, then wouldn't it be a dream that ruined your life?"

Moreover, Qin Yongchun mentioned the matter of the Qin family ancestor controlling ghosts.

This only recounts the life experiences of his ancestor; nothing about ghosts.

Qin Yongchun glanced at Magistrate Pang.

He had also seen Magistrate Pang and Zhao Fusheng together last night. Although he didn't know Magistrate Pang's identity, it was clear that Zhao Fusheng had taken good care of him, so he didn't dare to be negligent and immediately said:

"My lord, these are all just grand dreams."

He said:
“My ancestor held gold and wept bitterly in front of his parents’ graves until he was exhausted and collapsed, thinking he was going to die. But he soon regained consciousness.”

When he came to his senses, there was no gold in his arms. He had neither killed anyone nor fled for his life, nor wasted his years.

His parents are still alive, and his wife has not remarried, taking their children with her.

He had fallen asleep leaning against the mine shaft sometime during the day, but was caught by the patrolling mine foreman and woken up with two slaps.

Qin Yongchun's words took an unexpected turn, leaving Magistrate Pang completely stunned.

But Zhao Fusheng vaguely guessed:
"This kind of grand dream lasts a lifetime—" The bizarre nature of the dream itself is an unusual warning.

Qin Yongchun nodded:
“After being awakened by the beating, our ancestor was both afraid and regretful, and he was still looking for his gold.”

Just then, he saw that the foreman's head had turned into a gold dog's head, so he reached out to take it.

To others, this scene seemed like madness, but to their surprise, when he took it off, the foreman who had been cursing incessantly stood quietly in place. With a twist and a pull, the foreman's head fell to the ground.

Those present were plunged into a nightmare.

Many people saw a large nugget of gold. The people in the dream had different circumstances, but in the end, regardless of joy or sorrow, they could not escape death.

In the blink of an eye, everyone in the mine, whether servants, commoners, or even the upper and middle classes in charge, died in one place.

After they died, their faces turned golden, as if they had been coated with a layer of faint gold paint.

The Qin family ancestor thus became known as a ghost tamer and joined the Demon Suppression Division, marking the beginning of the Qin family's rise to prominence.

Magistrate Pang listened with astonishment. Zhao Fusheng then said:
"So, your ancestors were ghosts controlled by the mines."

Qin Yongchun nodded.

Zhao Fusheng sighed:
"Due to the passage of time, it may be impossible to clarify whether anyone died in the mine back then."

Even without written records, deaths in mines were commonplace in such an environment.

Perhaps some mining servant died in the mine with a deep-seated obsession, and then the vengeful ghost was resurrected.

……

Zhao Fusheng then asked:

How many years did your ancestors control ghosts?

Qin Yongchun said:

"The good times didn't last long; he passed away in less than two years."

This is the normal ending for a Ghost Tamer.

Zhao Fusheng nodded:
"After he died, what became of that vengeful ghost?"

Qin Yongqin shook his head:
"We don't know either."

Judging from the records of the Qin family ancestor's control of the ghost on that day, the 'ghost' he controlled was invisible and intangible, and the only connection was with the 'dog-head gold'.

Afterwards, as the vengeful ghost revived, it disappeared without a trace.

Tongshan County also has things related to 'gold': a golden eagle ghost statue.

Thinking of this, Zhao Fusheng had a sudden inspiration. The Qin family ancestor's experience in controlling ghosts was very likely related to the clues about the ghost lanterns in Tongshan County.

She carefully sorted out her thoughts:

There is a ghostly calamity in Tongshan County, but the vengeful spirits have probably reached some kind of strange balance.

First of all, it can be confirmed that one of the ghostly calamities in Tongshan County is the ghost lantern.

Hozuki encompasses matters related to lantern festivals, lantern bearers, and the Golden Eagle Demon Sculpture. The Golden Eagle Demon Sculpture itself is a demon, belonging to the demon accomplices derived from Hozuki, but they have not gone out of control.

Previously, Zhao Fusheng suspected that they were influenced by some kind of force.

In retrospect, it seems that the power to suppress the ghostly figures is related to the gold paint on them, which is one of the points of doubt.

Back then, the Qin family ancestor controlled ghosts, and the laws governing ghosts were similar to those of Qiao Yuesheng, involving killing people in dreams. The opportunity for him to control the vengeful ghosts was suspected to be: the dog-head gold.

The dog-head gold ornament is also related to gold, which is the second point of suspicion.

According to Cao Gu, the two ghost tamers in Tongshan County today, Jiang Wen and Jiang Wu, also seem to have a ghost taming method related to gold. So the two brothers were lured to Yijiang Town by the gold mine.

This also involves the element of 'gold,' which is the third point of contention.

In conclusion, Zhao Fusheng was about 70-80% certain that the other hidden evil spirit in Tongshan County, which was incompatible with the Lantern Festival, must have a law related to metal.

Only then did the signs of the ghostly calamity in Tongshan County begin to emerge, and Zhao Fusheng was no longer like a headless fly.

Once she understood this, a look of relief involuntarily appeared on her face.

Cao Gu was adept at reading people's expressions and noticed the subtle changes in her eyes and brows, so he couldn't help but ask:

"Does Your Excellency have any leads?"

"I do have some ideas." Zhao Fusheng didn't hide anything from him and nodded:
"Lord Cao, I ask you, where did the gilded ghost statue in Tongshan County come from?"

Upon hearing this, Cao Gu immediately realized what she meant:

"Does the master suspect it is 'gold'?"

Zhao Fusheng smiled and looked at him:
"Did no one suspect anything before? If no one suspected anything, then where did the gold paint on the ghost statue come from?"

Her words left Cao Gu speechless.

A moment later, Cao Gu said with a wry smile:
“My lord, in our Tongshan County, if someone related to the Lantern Festival were to have an accident—” He composed himself, “other people involved would use gold mixed with ink to draw patterns on the corpse and seal it away.”

Some of these sealed people died and were immediately buried, while those whose evil spirits were resurrected were guided by the lantern bearers into the shrine of the Demon Suppression Bureau to enjoy offerings and become gods, joining the annual lantern festival procession.

His words were similar to Zhao Fusheng's earlier guess. Zhao Fusheng nodded and then asked:

"You mentioned the history of the Hao family's rise to prominence, saying that Hao Dingzhu's grandfather, Hao Jiangmin, once presented a strange stone to grind into ink and draw ghost lanterns, which moved Liang Yu and led to his support, thus enabling the Hao family to prosper."

Since their meeting last night, Cao Gu had spoken to her at length, but he hadn't expected her to remember such trivial details.

At this point, he dared not refute, and could only nod in agreement:

"Yes."

Zhao Fusheng said:

Where did this stone come from?

At this point, the lantern bearer from the Qin family finally couldn't contain his feelings any longer, and with a look of disdain on his face, he blurted out:

"Stolen!"

他 说:

"Back then, Hao Jiangmin was just one of the servants we kept in our household. He worked as a foreman and manager at the mine. He stole a stone from the mine for his own use and presented it to Lord Liang—"

Zhao Fusheng stared at him intently.

Under her gaze, Qin Yongchun's resentment gradually turned into unease. His voice softened, and then his eyes flickered, revealing his guilty conscience.

The Qin family also made their fortune by stealing gold; there is no difference between the two.

It's just a matter of one person stealing from another, and the other being stolen from.

Cao Gu said:
"My lord, the Hao family was originally a member of the Qin family. Yijiang Town was under the jurisdiction of the Qin family back then. Therefore, Hao Jiangmin also dug out that gemstone from the mine in Yijiang Town and presented it to Lord Liang."

"In that case, the mineral veins in Yijiang Town might actually have some merit," Zhao Fusheng said.

Upon hearing this, Qin Yongchun breathed a sigh of relief and also tried to ingratiate herself:
“Our lawsuit is not about wrongly accusing anyone; it is genuinely for the benefit of Tongshan County.”

Upon hearing this, Cao Gu sneered, glanced at Qin Yongchun, but remained silent in front of Zhao Fusheng.

While they were talking, the carriage slowed down. Cao Gu looked outside and then said:
"Sir, we have arrived at the Hao Family Ancestral Hall."

After the people from the capital arrived last night, Cao Gu should have informed the Hao family in advance. Now, the group arrived at the Hao family's ancestral hall early this morning, only to find a large group of people already waiting there.

The leader was an elderly man who looked to be about seventy years old.

He was of medium height and slightly thin, with deep-set eyes. He wore a dark red long gown with black embroidered patterns and black trousers.

Judging from the fearful expressions of those around him, he should be Hao Dingzhu, the actual head of the Hao family.

Upon seeing the carriage arrive, Hao Dingzhu paused for a moment, then immediately rolled up her trousers and jogged towards it.

As soon as he moved, the others followed behind him.

Before long, Hao Dingzhu and a group of Hao family members followed the carriage.

The carriage didn't stop. Hao Dingzhu jogged to stand beside it. Through the carriage's open door, he immediately spotted the people inside and said as he ran:

"Lord Cao has arrived. I am so sorry for not welcoming you properly."

Cao Gu glanced at Zhao Fusheng, waved to him, and the vehicle continued on its way until it stopped at the entrance of the Hao Family Ancestral Hall.

The Hao family members were panting heavily as they ran, and it took them a while to step forward and pay their respects one by one.

After Hao Dingzhu caught his breath, Cao Gu glanced at him and introduced him:
"Hao Dingzhu, this is Lord Zhao from the Imperial Capital's Demon Suppression Division. He's here to investigate—" He paused, both sides fully aware of Zhao Fusheng's intentions.

Hao Dingzhu's cheek twitched, and Cao Gu then said:
"It's related to a case reported by someone under your jurisdiction. Lord Zhao has come to find out the details."

(End of this chapter)