Merit-based card draws, quickly become a Heavenly Emperor

Fang Zheng lowered his hand and looked at him coldly: "Disregarding the law and showing contempt for the underworld officials."

This slap is a small punishment to serve as a warning. If it happens again, I will send you to the underworld to be punished.

A system notification flashed by: "Repaying injustice with justice is the mark of a gentleman. Etiquette +1."

Only then did Steward Cao notice Fang Zheng's official robes. He scrambled to the corner and dared not utter another word.

Chen Moxuan stood to the side, completely dumbfounded.

He glanced at Steward Cao on the ground, then at Fang Zheng's gray official robe, and finally managed to squeeze out a sentence after a long while.

"Fang Zheng, how did you become a ghost official overnight?"

Fang Zheng smiled slightly, stepped forward, and cupped his hands in greeting: "It's a long story. I'm fortunate to have received Lord Li's kind invitation and introduction through a dream..."

He briefly explained the matter, then added, "I've come today to report to the county government."

Upon hearing this, Chen Moxuan paused for a moment, then clapped his hands and laughed heartily, his laughter filled with joy.

"Accumulating good deeds and practicing virtues has earned him a position in the underworld; such a blessing has been bestowed upon the distant mountains!"

Alright, alright, let's go, I'll take you to see the county magistrate right away.

Now let's see who dares to look down on you!

He grabbed Fang Zheng's sleeve and strode into the depths of the county government office.

According to the official system of the Great Qian Dynasty, a large northern county like Yongqing County would have three assistant officials in addition to the seventh-rank county magistrate: a county assistant of the eighth rank, a county lieutenant of the eighth rank, and a supervisor of the eighth rank.

As far as Fang Zheng knows, the current county magistrate is old and frail, and only wants to return to his hometown in glory and enjoy his old age. For this reason, he has applied to the prefectural government many times to retire, and all the affairs in the county are handled by the county assistant.

The county magistrate's name was Zhu Tianhua, and he was the son-in-law of the Cao family. It was precisely because the county magistrate was backing and protecting the Cao family that they dared to be so arrogant and domineering, and to prey on the villagers.

As for the county lieutenant, he was a mere figurehead who held a position without doing any work and dared not offend the county magistrate or the Cao family.

This is why Yongqing County is so plagued by bureaucratic chaos and widespread public discontent.

As Fang Zheng had expected, he was turned away by the three county officials during this visit and was not granted an audience.

Only the county magistrate relayed the message that he knew and sent him to Anping Town to investigate the ghost story.

Chen Moxuan wore a wry smile, but Fang Zheng didn't seem to care.

Now he is an official in the underworld, and has no subordinate relationship with the officials of Yongqing County. His visit here is merely a routine courtesy.

Chen Moxuan sighed, took out three silver notes from his sleeve, and handed them to Fang Zheng.

Thirty taels.

The owner of Lanxiu Tower immediately took a liking to the painting "Rising Sun" that you asked me to sell yesterday and bought it on the spot.

He also said that if you have any more excellent works in the future, you can take them anytime, and he will accept them without hesitation.

Fang Zheng accepted the silver note and nodded to himself.

Thirty taels is enough for an ordinary family to live on for one or two years.

Although painting "The Rising Sun" was quite laborious, the rewards were also quite gratifying.

He smiled slightly, folded the silver note and put it into his sleeve, then cupped his hands in thanks to Chen Moxuan: "Thank you for your trouble, Mr. Chen."

Chen Moxuan waved his hand, still showing some regret on his face.

"With your drawing skills, you should be focusing on painting, but unfortunately..."

He stopped mid-sentence, then swallowed his words, shaking his head and sighing.

Fang Zheng didn't reply, he just smiled.

After thanking Chen Moxuan again, he took two constables to the home of hunter Zhao Yong in Anping Town.

However, at this moment, the entrance to the Zhao residence was crowded with people.

Upon inquiring, I learned that the government had invited monks to perform rituals to help the deceased pass on to the afterlife, but strange things had happened.

The monk died just as he was performing the ritual.

Upon hearing this, Fang Zheng frowned and looked up at the Zhao family residence.

Within the Yin Eye, this place was shrouded in a dense Yin energy, clearly indicating that ghosts were causing trouble.

Fang Zheng, on high alert, quickly made his way through the crowd and into the courtyard under the guidance of two constables.

The constable in charge of guarding this place was none other than Constable Chen, whom he had dealt with before.

"Lord Fang has arrived; all bystanders, please step aside!"

Hearing someone shout behind him, Constable Chen was a little puzzled. Which Lord Fang was it?

There wasn't a single official with the surname Fang in Yongqing County.

He raised his eyelids slightly and glanced towards the door.

That one glance startled him so much that he almost dropped his knife.

The person who came was none other than Fang Zheng, the poor scholar whom I had met just two days ago.

Officer Chen remembered clearly that when they first met, the boy had just had his head broken by the scoundrel from the Cao family and was lying on the bed half-dead, almost killed by an evil spirit.

On their second meeting, a notorious thief broke into their home in the middle of the night, nearly costing them their lives.

He thought to himself that this scholar had offended the Cao family and probably wouldn't survive the winter.

But now?

Dressed in an official robe with an official warrant hanging at his waist, he exuded a calm and composed demeanor, as if he were a completely different person.

The Ninth-Rank Yin Official, though an official in the underworld, is still a legitimate official appointed by the imperial court.

From a nobody to a member of the officialdom, many people spend countless hours trying to reach that level, but this kid crossed it in just two days.

Officer Chen felt a mix of emotions.

He spent most of his life working in the county government, but he was still a lowly constable with no rank or grade, and he had to bow and scrape even to officials of the ninth rank.

Fang Zheng, on the other hand, rose to prominence in one fell swoop, directly overshadowing him.

In this world, some people are just lucky.

No, it's not because of good fortune.

As Officer Chen recalled Fang Zheng's toughness when facing the Cao family, and his ability to fight back even when assassins sneaked into his door in the middle of the night, the sour feeling in his heart gradually dissipated.

This kid is something else.

"Lord Fang!"

Officer Chen rushed forward, bending down slightly more than usual, his face beaming with smiles.

"I was unaware of your arrival, sir. I am deeply sorry for not greeting you properly. Please forgive my rudeness."

Fang Zheng nodded slightly: "Officer Chen, you're too kind."

"I have been ordered to investigate this case, and I need your assistance."

"Of course, of course. Please come with me, sir. I will tell you the details of the case." Constable Chen stepped aside to lead the way.

Fang Zheng strode into the courtyard, with Constable Chen following behind, his expression obsequious.

The constables behind him exchanged glances, each muttering to themselves.

Just who is this Lord Fang?

At this moment, Officer Chen was explaining the case to Fang Zheng.

"Lord Fang, the Zhao family had no enemies, yet this morning they were all found dead in their home, their bodies seemingly torn apart, with limbs scattered all over the ground."

There are currently no leads in this case, so we invited a monk to perform a ritual.

Firstly, it serves to summon the souls of the Zhao family to find out who harmed them, and secondly, it can help the souls of those who died unjustly find peace.

But just now, while the monk was performing the ritual, he suddenly screamed and died.

Fang Zheng wanted to take a look, so Officer Chen immediately led him to a heavily guarded side room.

"Lord Fang, the monk's death was gruesome. Please be prepared."

The constable opened the door. It was broad daylight, and the yang energy was abundant, but a yin energy emanated from the side room.

Fang Zheng stepped into the side room, where a monk lay in the center, his face covered with a white cloth.

Looking with his ghostly eyes, his expression changed. A blood-red shadow was crawling on the monk's corpse, devouring the monk's ghost.

"How dare you!"

Fang Zheng immediately swung the Soul-Binding Chains, which struck the blood shadow directly.

With a scream, the blood-red shadow was smashed into its true form and fell to the side.

It raised its head, revealing a furry, twisted, and ferocious face, staring intently at Fang Zheng.

Officer Chen, standing nearby, exclaimed in surprise, "Zhao Yong?"