Transmigrated into a fat wife, farming, raising children, and picking up husbands

"...When dawn broke and the rain and wind stopped, some of the bolder villagers went to investigate."

Liu Songnian struck the gavel heavily one last time, his voice becoming low and mysterious, and he leaned forward slightly, as if sharing a shocking secret with the tea drinkers.

"The seven members of the Black Fish Gang lay sprawled haphazardly in the garden! Their faces were ashen, they appeared mentally unstable and insane, their bodies filthy, barely recognizable as human!"

"...In the end, Jia Heiyu, the ringleader who committed the most evil deeds, suddenly had a mark on his back, which was said to be the underworld brand 'King Yama's Soul-Chasing Order'!"

From this day forward, his lifespan will be shortened, and he will be burdened with karmic debts. If he dares to do evil again, death will come in an instant! Liu Songnian slammed his gavel down, his voice as clear as metal.

"This is truly a case of—those who do many evil deeds will surely perish, and those who walk the dark road too often will eventually encounter ghosts! Good and evil will ultimately be rewarded, it's just a matter of sooner or later!"

"good!"

"Well said!"

"Serves him right! Karma!"

Only after he finished speaking in one breath did the audience erupt in enthusiastic cheers and discussions.

Amazement, fear, pleasure, relief... a mix of emotions mingled on people's faces.

Liu Songnian's "The Seven Fiends' Encounter with Ghosts in the Desolate Garden" is based on real events that happened around him, and uses bizarre and terrifying plots and the retribution of evil as the final ending.

This instantly ignited the atmosphere in the teahouse, and it will surely sweep across Peach Blossom Town and even further afield at an even faster pace.

This matter was further amplified by Liu Songnian's superb storytelling skills.

The Master's saying "The Master did not speak of this" seemed particularly weak in the face of these two powerful waves of public opinion.

Standing behind the counter, Zhang Wanfu watched the bustling hall filled with customers constantly asking for more tea, water, and melon seeds, his eyes crinkling into slits with a smile.

The effect was even better than he had expected!

After finishing his story, Liu Songnian, having had his fill, bowed to all sides and stepped off the stage amidst the commotion, concealing his accomplishments and fame.

His vivid performance added an even stronger layer of supernatural and ghostly color to the desolate western garden.

Fortunately, the message of "evil begets evil" and "encouraging people to do good" somewhat mitigated the purely fear-inducing aspect.

On the contrary, many people who had been bullied secretly rejoiced, feeling that the "ghosts" in the deserted garden had done a good deed on behalf of Heaven.

The turmoil in the town intensified, and the real masterminds behind last night's "battle between gods and ghosts" came to light.

Lin Xiuer, Ping An, Hu Yidao, Liu Sanzhen, Wu Liangcai, Chen Mingxuan, and even Liu Ruyan who secretly fueled the flames.

They were completely unaware of the rumors circulating outside.

They were still in their respective beds, fast asleep, completely oblivious to the clamor and chatter outside.

However, some outsiders felt gratified by the complete collapse of the Black Fish Gang.

Some people, due to the sudden change, fell into deep distress and panic.

Among them, the most heartbroken were village head Wu Shiren and his advisor Mei Liangxin.

Mei Liangxin sat in his small study, his face clouded with worry and unease, unable to sit still.

The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became.

The discussions he overheard outside today about the Black Fish Gang getting their just desserts felt like needles pricking his ears.

Given Jia Heiyu's current state, the ten taels of silver he had promised him as a reward after the matter was resolved was now completely out of the question, which pained him greatly.

That was one of his few extra sources of income, besides his meager salary from the government office and the occasional small amount of money he "handled".

But at this moment, what frightened him even more than the money was something else.

"Fortunately...fortunately, the petition I submitted to Wu the village head was delivered in time yesterday, so the court session couldn't proceed..."

Mei Liangxin wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, muttering to himself with lingering fear.

Otherwise, if he took the money and did as Jia Heiyu suggested, he could arrest that woman Lin Xiuer and convict her of something like false accusation...

Wouldn't that confirm my status as an accomplice of the Black Fish Gang and put me on the side that the "vengeful ghost" wants to punish?

The mere thought of what might exist in that desolate garden was enough to terrify even the seven most notorious scoundrels, who could be wiped out overnight.

What if the creatures in that garden hold a grudge, feel that he aided and abetted evil, and come out to seek revenge and settle scores with him?

Mei Liangxin dared not think any further, only feeling a chill on the back of his neck, fearing that a "Soul-Chasing Order" might appear there out of nowhere.

"Damn it! What a damn bad luck!" he cursed under his breath. He cursed both the Black Fish Gang for being useless and this sudden "ghostly event" that had cut off his source of income.

Losing a source of income is certainly painful, but compared to that, my life is more important.

Unexpectedly, Wu Shih-jen's greed inadvertently saved their lives.

He sat back down at the table, irritated, his gaze falling on an open scroll of documents.

That was about the "official residence for sale" in the west of the town, a place that had long been abandoned.

That abandoned garden, which had been confiscated years ago because its original owner was involved in an old case, had long been taken over by the government and was one of the "government properties" that needed to be disposed of.

The garden was originally elegantly built and had a spacious area, so it wasn't so difficult to manage at first.

However, after changing hands several times, each owner said that the place was "not clean" and that white shadows were often seen floating around at night, disappearing without a trace.

Later, rumors spread that the official's family had died unjustly and with their eyes wide open in disbelief.

The rumors caused widespread panic, and no one dared to live there for fear of being implicated. In the end, they preferred to pay compensation to return the property.

Subsequently, due to ghost stories and the remote location, housing prices continued to fall.

The price has plummeted from fifty taels of silver to thirteen taels, yet still no one is interested.

Thirteen taels of silver—in a decent location in town, that's barely enough to buy a shop, let alone a garden this big.

It was abandoned for many years and was only recently occupied by Jia Heiyu and his gang of hooligans.

Master Mei originally thought that if someone dared to live there, it would suppress the ghost rumors. He never expected that something like what happened last night would happen, and the situation would suddenly become even worse.

Liu Songnian's vivid retelling of "The Ghost Encounter in the Seven Fiends' Desolate Garden" in the teahouse must have spread throughout the town and even further.

Now, the garden is no longer just abandoned and remote, but has solidified its terrifying reputation as a "haunted house" and a place that "scared seven thugs to death in one night"!

Can this still be called an "industry"? This is a "hot potato," or even a "source of trouble"!

This dilapidated garden, let alone thirteen taels, is probably now stuck in our hands, rotting away underground and no one would dare to take it.

Mei Liangxin looked at the ridiculously low price of "thirteen taels" originally marked on the document and felt a headache and heartache.

If this garden can be sold smoothly, there might still be some profit to be made. It's better than it being completely abandoned and having this "liability" listed on the register every year.

He gritted his teeth, picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and made two heavy strokes on the "thirteen ounces".

In the blank space beside him, he trembled as he wrote down a new number—

"Three liang".

After thinking it over, he still felt it was inappropriate, so he added a note in small print next to the numbers: "This house has been abandoned for many years and has been the site of many strange and bizarre tales, especially recently. Buyers should be extremely cautious."

When he wrote the words "Strange Tales," his hand trembled, and ink splattered onto the paper.

Three taels of silver was practically the price of selling or giving away wasteland; it was almost like throwing it away for free.

Even so, Mei Liangxin knew in his heart that even at this price, it would be difficult for anyone to take a bid.

He picked up the heavily altered document, rolled it up with several other unprocessed ledgers, and took it to Wu Lizheng for review.