I become a god in another world

Chapter 764 Seeking Help
Chapter 764

Because of their family background, the two Jiang brothers were particularly hostile to outsiders.

Judging from the vague statements of the crowd, the Jiang brothers must have had a very difficult childhood.

There is an unwritten rule in Tongshan County: if any outsider enters the county, town or village, it must be reported and they must be questioned and monitored.

The attitude of those in power can easily elicit reactions from those below.

The people, unaware of the situation, began to spread rumors that outsiders were generally unlucky and might bring disaster to Tongshan County.

Over time, the rumors became increasingly outrageous, with all sorts of claims circulating. Some villagers, in their ignorance, even believed that outsiders might steal the souls of the locals.

In many radical areas, the sight of outsiders easily arouses the vigilance of the entire village, and sometimes even leads to fights and killings over a mere disagreement.

When such illegal acts are reported to the town or county authorities, the attitude of those in power is ambiguous, and the deaths of outsiders are usually left unresolved.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Fusheng turned and exchanged a glance with Magistrate Pang, both of them frowning.

Both men realized the disadvantages of a single county governing itself: the ruler's ideas determined the local atmosphere and the fate of the people.

Back then, Liang Yu had a penchant for refined pursuits and went to great lengths to create the so-called "Lantern God Festival".

Perhaps his initial thoughts were not so extreme, but there will always be people who try to please him. In addition, with his ability to control ghosts, his human conscience gradually became distorted, and he took pleasure in human lives, eventually forming the terrifying festival of the Ghost Lantern Festival.

The brothers Jiang Wen and Jiang Wu were born into hardship and should have been pitied, but because of their early experiences, they harbored resentment, which led to another hidden rule in Tongshan County.

What works first and what works next.

This situation could easily lead to instability in public order.

At this time, most people were illiterate and did not understand the great principles, so it was inevitable that there would be discord among them. If unscrupulous people used this principle to attack each other, it might even cause trouble.

Those who control ghosts are high above, unaware of human suffering, and indifferent to the lives and deaths of ordinary people.

The large landowners below only cared about their own interests and didn't care about the lives of ordinary people.

Zhao Fusheng sighed softly, unwilling to think about it any further.

Just then, Cao Gu's eyes flickered, and he cautiously said:
"Sir, we have received many reports from people from other places in Tongshan County."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Fusheng sighed again:
"I can guess."

After she finished speaking, she asked Hao Jinyi:

"Was Wang Wenqing's existence reported?"

Hao Jin wept as he said:
"Yes."

……

Things started to get out of control from here.

Hao Jinyi came from a prominent family and was unaware of the hardships of ordinary people. He didn't take it seriously at first, but he became anxious when Hao Dingzhu treated it as a major crisis.

The Hao family is already embroiled in lawsuits, and getting into this kind of trouble could be a blow to the family.

At this critical juncture, the Hao family made the decision to hand Wang Wenqing over to prove his innocence.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Fusheng sensed that something was amiss.

"Once the person is handed over, will they ever come back?"

According to the Hao family, Wang Wenqing was young and beautiful, but weak and helpless.

Handing over such a beautiful young girl is tantamount to giving a piece of meat to wolves and tigers—there is no chance of her returning.

The Hao family members' eyes flickered, but they remained silent.

Hao Jin covered his face and wept bitterly.

But his cries contained not only regret, but also a hint of fear.

This attitude suggests there's more to the story.

Zhao Fusheng was furious:
"How dare you hide anything before?"

Hao Dingzhu was both flustered and frightened, and hurriedly knelt down:

"My lord, please don't be angry. The strange thing about this matter is this."

After Wang Wenqing was handed over, Hao Dingzhu's plan was to use the girl's life to avoid trouble and then bribe more money to settle the matter.

But before one wave subsided, another arose.

He glared at Hao Jinyi with hatred:
“This scoundrel—my nephew has joined the lantern-making association and has some connections.”

He said this while barely containing his anger:

"In the end, the scourge returned and hid inside the house, refusing to come out. The adults also learned what happened afterward."

His words seemed to imply that after Wang Wenqing was handed over, Hao Jinyi managed to bring him back, and after he was brought back, the strange things he had mentioned earlier occurred: his face began to peel, Wang Wenqing avoided seeing people, and later he died mysteriously, his internal organs seemed to have been emptied out, leaving only a layer of skin.

Finally, the Hao family prepared a coffin for her funeral, and on the day of the funeral, the coffin took root in the ground.

Then came the aforementioned incident of the lantern bearer summoning a ghost, but from then on, unrest began to occur in the Hao family.

This explanation finally made Zhao Fusheng understand the whole story.

Perhaps because the Hao family felt that the past was not honorable and involved the life of the Jiang brothers, they intentionally concealed the fact that Wang Wenqing was handed over and then mysteriously returned.

Fortunately, Zhao Fusheng was meticulous and questioned Hao Jinyi from the beginning, making it impossible for Hao Jinyi to hide anything, and finally the details were revealed.

Otherwise, it could very well affect the entire ghost case.

Upon hearing this, Magistrate Pang broke out in a cold sweat and immediately developed a deep respect for Zhao Fusheng's meticulous handling of the case.

Zhao Fusheng then looked at Hao Jinyi:
"Is it really as your uncle said?"

"Yes, yes, sir—"

Hao Jinyi also showed a look of regret:

"If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have—"

Before he could finish speaking, seeing the cold look on Zhao Fusheng's face, he dared not say anything more.

Zhao Fusheng sneered.

That's just how things are in this world.

Driven by love, Wang Wenqing disregarded everything and abandoned his parents to follow Hao Jinyi to Tongshan County.

At that time, the girl imagined a sweet future—perhaps her father had married her mother despite everything and severed ties with his family, and this romantic relationship gave her great fantasies, which she then projected onto Hao Jinyi.

But unexpectedly, they entrusted their trust to the wrong person.

But the price of misjudging people and harboring illusions was too high; she died a violent death.

……

As Zhao Fusheng continued his questioning, the truth of the matter gradually came to light.

Wang Wenqing is the key figure in the Hao family's ghost case, and the strange occurrences surrounding her are related to Hao Jinyi.

Finally, the matter was coming to a head, and Zhao Fusheng's spirits lifted:
"What did you do after Wang Wenqing was handed over?"

Hao Jinyi was somewhat frightened and replied:

"As always, I went to the Lantern Painting Bureau."

He dared not look Zhao Fusheng in the eye, his head hanging low in dejection.
"Thinking about what happened to Wenqing, I was very worried at the time. After the incident, I tried to inquire from various sources, but unfortunately, unfortunately, I—"

He had neither money to bribe his superiors nor the strength to even kill a chicken, so all he could do was sigh and lament every day.

"Soon, a kind senior in the lamp-making department gave me some guidance."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Fusheng's pupils dilated, and he gestured for Hao Jinyi to continue.

"He was also sent into the bureau by other aristocratic families, and he learned the art of skinning—"

When the topic of skinning techniques came up, he shuddered, and fear appeared on his face:
"When he saw me crying and heard about what Wenqing and I had gone through, he felt great sympathy for us and said that we were a match made in heaven and should have been together forever."

At that time, Hao Jinyi was still ignorant and arrogant. Upon hearing these words, he felt that he had met a kindred spirit and trusted him completely.

"I then asked him for help, and he said that he originally did not want to help people, but now that we are destined to be together, he is willing to fulfill my longing."

Zhao Fusheng was stunned by these words.

She had already roughly guessed the identity of the person who had been dealing with Hao Jinyi, but upon hearing this, she still couldn't help but say:

"What did he say?"

Hao Jin's Legacy:

He asked me if I liked Wenqing.

At this point, whether from fear or from crying for too long, snot, tears, and saliva streamed down his face. Losing his composure, he pressed his right palm against his nose, wiping away the tears and saliva.

"At that time, I didn't care about any of that. I just agreed to like Wenqing."

The other party then asked:

How much do you love them? Is it enough to be bound together by life and death, to never leave them no matter if they become human or ghost?

When the word "ghost" was mentioned, Hao Jinyi shuddered.

When he and Wang Wenqing were together, they would spend romantic evenings together and make vows of eternal love.

At that time, he was ignorant and arrogant, and when asked, he answered without hesitation:

"I love Wenqing and I'm willing to follow her through life and death. Whether she's a human or a ghost, I love her and want her back."

Upon hearing this, the other party immediately laughed:
"Good lad, since that's the case, I'm willing to grant your wish."

After saying this, he pondered for a moment:

"I have an idea."

While he was speaking, he took out a special piece of 'paper' from his sleeve.

The paper was delicate and soft, clearly not ordinary paper.

Based on its natural texture and feel, Hao Jinyi guessed that it should be a human skin.

But he was out of his mind at the time and didn't think too much. When he heard that there was a way to bring Wang Wenqing back, he accepted the things without thinking.

The other party instructed him:
"When you get back, light a lamp—"

Hao Jin's Legacy:

"He gave me a box of lamp oil and told me to draw Wenqing's appearance on that paper under the lamp."

He said in frustration:

“I see Wenqing every day. I studied painting before and was good at painting portraits. I have painted her countless times. I have memorized her voice, appearance and smile.”

That night, as soon as the lamp was lit, Hao Jin, as if divinely inspired, quickly and effortlessly completed the work on the human skin paper.

Whether it was an evil spirit or not, under the light, the beautiful woman on the parchment seemed to come alive and danced gracefully.

Hao Jinyi was a hypocrite; upon seeing this scene, he was so frightened that he wet himself.

"In my panic, I put out the light and fainted from shock."

When I woke up, the light was gone, the paper was gone, and the ghostly figure had vanished completely. Everything that happened last night seemed like a dream.

Only a faint, lingering stench remained in his room.

"I initially thought it was just a nightmare—I even considered asking that senior if they were playing a joke on me—" Hao Jinyi's face was deathly pale, and his lips trembled.
"But Wenqing returned the next day at daybreak."

The rest is history.

After Wang Wenqing returned this time, his temperament changed drastically. He often stayed at home and kept Hao Jinyi entangled with him.

At first, Hao Jinyi was pleasantly surprised by her return, and he thought that her persistence was just because she had suffered enough and therefore lost her sense of security.

But as time went on, he began to feel that something was wrong.

The girl who returned this time was cold and light-footed, walking with a tiptoeing gait—"quite frightening."

Hao Jinyi's face turned deathly pale as he said:

"The way she looked at me was also creepy. She wanted to be with me day and night, and we were inseparable."

He gradually became afraid.

During the day, he had to go to the lamp-making office to complete tasks such as drawing lamp god rituals.

When he was with Wang Wenqing at night, he always felt a chill down his spine, and often felt that the person next to him was not a living person.

"She kept staring at me with eyes that looked like she wanted to eat me alive. I always felt like she was going to devour me."

Hao Jinyi murmured:

“I became more and more afraid. Sometimes when I turned to look at her, she would smile at me, as if that feeling was just an illusion.”

But he knew it wasn't an illusion.

Hao Jinyi now regretted inviting the person back.

He sought help from Hao Dingzhu, hoping she could help him clean up the mess.

"..." Hao Dingzhu looked helpless upon hearing this.

Hao Jinyi's naiveté, stupidity, and inability to take responsibility were fully exposed in this incident.

He misjudged the Hao family's status.

Within Tongshan County, the Jiang brothers, who are ghost tamers, are at the top level. The Hao family may seem glamorous, but a slight storm could capsize their small boat in the river.

"This old man is also at a loss."

Hao Dingzhu spread his hands.

At that time, the only person to be worshipped by the Hao family was a lantern bearer. However, the lantern bearer had to live until at least July or August to ensure that the Hao family had a future. Otherwise, the Qin family's present situation would be the Hao family's fate tomorrow.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned, and the worst outcome happened.

Wang Wenqing died mysteriously, followed by a change in the coffin, and strange things began to happen to the Hao family.

"This troublesome brat isn't quiet yet, he's taken the matter to the capital now," Hao Dingzhu said helplessly.

He harbored extreme resentment towards his nephew at this moment.

Zhao Fusheng believed that the families who participated in the Lantern Festival were all quite capable.

Despite Hao Dingzhu's kind and gentle appearance, he is undoubtedly ruthless. Hao Jinyi caused trouble, yet he spared his nephew's life, which is certainly not due to any order from the capital.

She looked at Hao Dingzhu, whose eyes flickered.

Upon seeing the man's expression, Zhao Fusheng immediately understood what was going on.

"Wang Wenqing exhibited strange behavior, and your request for help from your uncle was unsuccessful. What did you do afterward?" Zhao Fusheng asked.

"Didn't you cause trouble for the people in the lamp-making workshop?"

Hao Jinyi said fearfully:

"I've gone to find him."

He went to complain to that man, who sneered:
"I asked you before if you truly loved her and would never leave her, whether she was a human or a ghost. What did you say then?"

This person's question left Hao Jin speechless.

"Sir, isn't this just unreasonable nonsense?" He was on the verge of tears.

"I...I used to like Wenqing, but I liked her as she was. Now, I'm afraid of her—"

Hao Jinyi was unhappy, but he was also somewhat afraid of the person who had once "helped" him.

“I always felt that this senior’s methods were unpredictable and terrifying, so I asked him for help again.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Fusheng couldn't help but laugh:
"He helped?"

Hao Jinyi nodded:
"He...he helped."

This person mocked Hao Jinyi for his fickle heart; one moment they were inseparable, the next he realized his partner was acting strangely and wanted to get rid of her.

But Hao Jinyi persisted, and he eventually agreed to help again.

"He gave me a paper figure and said that when he sees Wenqing next time, Wenqing will leave when he sees me."

Although he doubted whether the paper figure was really useful, Hao Jinyi had no choice but to try it anyway. He thanked the man and took the paper figure home.

As expected, Wang Wenqing came to bother him again.

But when he took out the paper figure, it spontaneously combusted without wind and instantly transformed into a huge, eerie humanoid 'lantern'.

Under the flickering lights, the paper figure's reflection on the ground looked like a menacing human figure.

Upon seeing this figure, Wang Qingwen seemed to be drawn to it and could no longer see Hao Jinyi.

From then on, the two were completely separated.

Not long after, Wang Wenqing died because his internal organs had been removed, leaving only a layer of flesh.

"Then came the strange events of the funeral. My uncle hired a lantern bearer to help, and the funeral was held, but the matter was not over yet."

Zhao Fusheng knew what happened next—the death of Hao Laoyao, the janitor.

(End of this chapter)