Heavenly Official Sends Evil

Chapter 950 White Scarf
Has the master changed?

Wu Xian's gaze narrowed slightly; the story he was telling was different from the one told by the storyteller.

In the storyteller's tale, Magistrate Meng returned home to find everyone dead.

However, according to the clerk's description, the person currently possessed and causing trouble in the mansion is none other than Magistrate Meng himself!
"So, which of these two statements is true?"

Wu Xian turned his gaze toward the entrance, the door through which they had come to the second hall, but now it felt unfamiliar.

Behind the door lies what appears to be an inhabited mansion, with an architectural style similar to the second hall, but featuring more pine and bamboo groves, flowers, ponds, and artificial hills. There are also more lanterns, so that only shadows under the moonlight can be seen from outside the door. It can be described as a winding path leading to a secluded place, or a mysterious building with a hidden maze. The swaying bamboo shadows seem to conceal some unknown terror.

Then, Wu Xian looked at the advisor.

The advisor had just run out of the door in a panic. No one was willing to help him, so he sat on the ground, panting, wiping his sweat with his wide sleeves, making his goatee messy.

"My useless legs are still shaking."

"Stop right now, and get out of this weird, cursed place... no, get out of Xuanling County and never come back."

Wu Xian stood in front of the clerk, his face grim, and asked:
"Tell me, what did you see inside?"

Just as the advisor was about to reply, he remembered the scene he had just witnessed. The distorted face seemed to be staring at him now. He felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him, and he felt a chill run through his body. His lips turned white and trembled uncontrollably.

"What else could you possibly see? It's a ghost!"

"Every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt has its debtor. The female ghost is looking for the master, which has nothing to do with me. If I talk too much, she might haunt me."

Wu Xian frowned: "You ran away because of Magistrate Meng?"

“I want to save him too! But…” The clerk’s voice suddenly trailed off, “But I just thought about it, and there’s nothing we can do. Facing a vengeful ghost demanding repayment, we’re no different from those peasants. So let’s run, while she’s still clinging to the master, let’s get as far away as possible…”

The advisor thought he had persuaded Su Zuotang, but suddenly found himself being lifted up by Su Zuotang's hand. Su Zuotang's face suddenly turned into a hideous demon, with four sharp fangs showing in his mouth, just like a zombie from a rural ghost story!
"Say!"

The advisor shuddered, knowing he had no choice but to speak, so he stroked his goatee and slowly began to speak:

"Recently, everyone in Xuanling County has been overwhelmed by the massacre of the four major families."

"The same goes for the master."

"That's why I accompanied the master back home at midnight today."

"Madam often prepares a late-night snack and waits for Master to come home in the main hall, but tonight the main hall is empty, so Madam must have already gone to bed."

"When the master saw that the madam wasn't waiting for him, he was overjoyed. He secretly slipped into the maid Xiao Cui's room, while I kept watch outside the door..."

"I'm used to this kind of night watch. The master usually only stays for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, and he always slips me some loose silver when he comes out. But tonight seems a little different..."

……

That night was exceptionally cold.

The advisor had only stood outside the door for a few breaths when he was shivering from the cold, as if he were standing in the dead of winter wearing only a thin shirt, with frost covering the leaves. He could only turn around and stomp his feet to relieve the cold.

In a daze, he thought a white shadow floated past him. Startled, he turned around quickly but saw nothing, only the door swaying slightly in the cold wind.

"Ah! Ah!"

Suddenly, Magistrate Meng came running out with a strange cry, looking as if he hadn't even had time to take off his clothes.

The advisor thought that the maid Xiao Cui had frightened the master, but when he turned around, he saw the maid with a white scarf standing at the door, her face blank as if she had no idea what had happened.

Xiao Cui trembled as she said, "Master was leering at me earlier, but then his eyes suddenly widened. In his eyes, I vaguely saw another figure... I really didn't do anything, please don't tell Madam."

The clerk felt a chill; he remembered the figure he had vaguely seen. Feeling uneasy, he walked towards the exit.

But before fleeing, he turned back to look at the magistrate's residence, keeping a close eye on how things were unfolding.

The magistrate, Meng, who was running around like a frightened bird, startled everyone in the mansion.

People in the mansion came out one by one. At a glance, all that could be seen around the master were white figures. The clerk recognized all of them. There were young masters and young ladies, as well as maids and servants. It was evening, so everyone was wearing white clothes and white scarves around their necks.

The advisor looked enviously at the scarves around their necks; with these scarves, their bodies would surely be warmer.

The figures in the courtyard watched as Magistrate Meng rushed over in a panic, then fled in a panic, as if he saw everyone here as a monstrous flood.

In the end, Magistrate Meng had nowhere to go and no one to turn to for help, so he could only stand in the middle of the courtyard, frantically waving his hat and shouting loudly.

"Don't bother me, what happened to you has nothing to do with me!"

"I am not the one who wronged you!"

"You're not innocent, but I'm the one who's innocent!"

After a while of commotion, Magistrate Meng finally quieted down.

Because the lady came out.

Upon seeing the lady, Magistrate Meng felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders and threw himself into her arms, bursting into tears. This brought a sigh of relief to everyone present.

When he spoke of the lady and the advisor, his tone softened considerably, and a smile involuntarily appeared on his lips.

"You might not believe it, but the master is actually a little afraid of his wife."

"He knew how he got his official position, so he never dared to yell at his wife. His wife was also very sensible and never used her status to order her husband around."

"The lady was as radiant as ever today. She wore a white long dress with stains, a scarf around her neck, and walked barefoot on the ground. Her hair looked like it hadn't been combed..."

"The master calmed down quickly in her arms, like a child being comforted by his mother, and the two seemed to be whispering something to each other."

"Then... without warning, the master grabbed the lady by the neck!"

"The master strained desperately, his hands like iron clamps, digging deep into the lady's neck, his facial features contorted as a result."

"I can't even describe that terrifying expression. His mouth looked like it was about to split open, his eyes were about to pop out of their sockets, and his body gradually swelled up with the exertion, stretching out his wide official robes. The ground around him seemed to be covered with a writhing shadow. Just looking at the master from afar, I felt a chill run down my spine, as if a chain was wrapped around my neck..."

"Everyone was terrified, standing there watching helplessly as the master strangled the lady to death, and then watched as the master stood up and reached for the neck of the second person."

"I couldn't bear to look anymore, so I ran away as fast as I could... That's all I saw."

……

After hearing the advisor's story, everyone remained silent for a short while.

They all sensed something eerie about it. At first glance, it sounded like the master had suddenly gone mad, but the clerk described everyone else except the master as wearing white clothes and a white scarf, yet the clerk didn't find anything wrong with it.

Wu Xian remained calm and asked his advisor his second question: "Where is the magistrate's seal?"

The clerk paused for a moment: "It seems that the master carries it with him."

"Then, lead the way!"

(End of this chapter)