Heavenly Official Sends Evil

Chapter 958 The Last County Gazetteer

Upright?

That would certainly not be a fair and square relationship with him.

Wu Xian still had a long battle to fight that night, so how could he risk getting injured and have a life-or-death duel with Xiao Zhuangshi?

Before walking out of the corridor, Wu Xian specifically instructed Qi Liang and the others that as long as he called out the code, the newlyweds should go up side by side.

The code is 'Upright and honorable'!
As for Wu Xian's passionate fight with Xiao Zhuangshi, it was to find an opportunity to use the final "forging sword into a plowshare" technique to disable Xiao Zhuangshi's most threatening weapon.

Although the victory was not glorious, Wu Xian certainly fought to his heart's content.

Through his battle with Xiao Zhuangshi, Wu Xian further confirmed his current strength. The combination of his extraordinary physique and top-tier weapon could produce an effect greater than the sum of its parts, which gave him more confidence in the upcoming final battle.

Now, what he's worried about isn't strength, but Meng Longtu, the pawn of the Demon God of Calamity!
Meng Longtu's last words clearly indicated what he had done in secret.

The six prophecies made during the worship further hinted that the Heavenly Demon God's side was very likely to renege on the bet.

But Wu Xian still hasn't caught the other party's tail.

Therefore, a sense of worry always lingered in my heart.

Xiao Zhuangshi's remains were reduced to ashes in the flames, leaving behind a red wooden box and a county gazetteer on the ground.

……

Wu Xian picked up the county gazetteer and opened it, where he saw the following:

In the Xiao family lived a strong man named Xiao Jun, who was fierce and loved boxing. He could fight mountain tigers on ridges and capture dragons in the water. He had amazing strength and could lift stone locks and perform a whirlwind dance.

He was chivalrous and chivalrous, and would always stand up for what was right when injustice was committed. Therefore, the people of Xuanling County respectfully called him Lord Xiao.

There was a wicked monk in Xuanling County at that time...

"Hiss!" Wu Xian gasped and handed the county gazetteer to Liu Nana. "You can read it for me."

After receiving the county gazetteer, Liu Nana explained its contents to everyone according to her own understanding:

"At that time, there was an evil monk in Xuanling County who used his evil magic to bewitch the villagers and harm many people. Ye Yankai of the Ye family wanted to stand up for the people of the county, but he was attacked by the old woman who sprayed water, resulting in the death of his entire family. When Xiao Gong heard about this, he was furious and began to investigate. In the end, he found out that it was Lin Hu of the Lin family..."

"After Xiao Gong stormed into the Lin residence, he saw Lin Hu hanging upside down from the rafters with hemp ropes piercing his thighs, covered in blood, weeping and confessing to Xiao Gong: 'Because I have committed too many evils, Venerable Mahagala dragged me into Avici Hell, where I experienced the terrors of the Nine Netherworlds. So now I have repented and am willing to accept punishment...'"

Wu Xian and the others nodded. They had seen the above stories in the county annals of the Ye and Lin families, and the content that followed should be entirely new.

"Xiao Gong asked Lin Hu: Did you send the old lady who sprays water?"

Lin Hu replied: I don't know the old lady.

"Lord Xiao asked again: Where did the sorcery used to bewitch the villagers come from?"

Lin Hu replied, "A little over a month ago, I met a fortune teller in the market of Xuanling County. This fortune teller said that I had a connection with Buddhism and taught me several minor spells. Because of my greed, I used these spells to cheat the villagers, never expecting it to cause such a disaster."

"Lord Xiao took Lin Hu to the county government office, and then found a masked fortune teller in the market and wanted to arrest the fortune teller to see the officials."

"The fortune teller refused, so he cast a divination for Master Xiao. The divination said: 'Master Xiao, you will suffer a bloody disaster and die within three days. But if you can spare your life today, I have some minor magic that can help you avert the disaster.'" "Master Xiao did not believe his nonsense and insisted on taking the fortune teller to the county government office. But the fortune teller stepped back and disappeared through the wall without a trace."

Liu Nana paused for a moment after translating this part, silently read a passage, and then said to Wu Xian and the others:
"I don't think I need to translate the next part. You can read it yourselves. Some of the content loses its original charm when expressed in plain language."

So Wu Xian and the other five people gathered around the county gazetteer and read the last section of it together.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. Xiao Gong sat upright at home, quietly observing the situation, and nothing happened to him throughout the day.

It was night, at the hour of Hai (9-11 PM).

A small, toad-like monster entered, carrying a spear. Upon landing, it swelled to the size of a person and raised its spear to stab Xiao Gong.

The Duke broke his spear and smashed it flat.

Groups of paper figures stand in formation, raising evil banners. When they wave the banners, a chilling wind blows; when they fall, evil thoughts arise.

The Duke tore up the banner and smashed it flat.

A pair of green and red demons arrived together, their bodies taller than the eaves, stronger than rhinoceroses, their eyes flashing with yellow light, their upper bodies bare and their lower bodies bare, their chest hair as thick as a horse's coat, and their hands holding giant axes ten feet tall.

The man smashed his axe and flattened it.

When dawn broke at the hour of Mao, someone entered the Xiao residence and found Xiao Gong kneeling dead, leaning on a stone lock. His house was in ruins, his family members were all dead, and the number of evil spirits in the courtyard was several times that of the people!

The night watchman said, "At dawn, the diviner was seen looking like Su Xianqing. He covered his face and ran away weeping, wailing, 'The power of Lord Xiao is terrifying! All my hard work has been destroyed in an instant!'"

……

After reading this passage, the relatively young Chen Chao and Liu Nana kept muttering things like "This kid is terrifying."

Wu Xian couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, "So this Master Xiao didn't become an evil spirit to gain such terrifying strength. He was already incredibly powerful in life, unlike any ordinary person. Perhaps after he died, he became an evil spirit, but his strength is actually weaker than when he was alive..."

Wang Wei pondered for a moment: "So, the culprit who caused the extermination of the four major families is this Su Xianqing?"

Wu Xian nodded:
“I also found Su Xianqing’s words in the water dungeon.”

"This guy has been studying Taoist arts since childhood. After getting married, he found that his fortune-telling was inaccurate, so he investigated the matter and discovered a series of strange things."

"Perhaps due to the continuous mental shocks, Su Banxian completely went insane. In order to prove that his divination was still accurate, he used the evil spirits he raised to forcibly complete his divination. Because his evil spirits could only be used for evil deeds, all the divinations he gave to others were ominous divinations that would lead people to death or astray..."

Qi Liang asked curiously, "Now that the truth has been revealed, how should we use the county annals to judge Su Xianqing?"

Liu Nana's eyes lit up: "I know, I know! It should be about taking four volumes of the county annals, using the records inside to confront Su Xianqing in the county government hall, peeling back his disguise bit by bit, and finally pointing at his nose and saying: 'There's only one truth, the murderer is you!'"

"I think it won't be that complicated."

Wu Xian stared at his hands, in which he was holding a thick book.

Wu Xian had just taken out the other three county gazetteers, and the four were stacked together. In a flash of light, the four gazetteers merged into one, and the titles of the gazetteers also changed.

The True Story of the Three Major Cases in Da Ming – The Mysterious Case of Su Xianqing's Annihilation of Four Families

(End of this chapter)