Fairy, don't try to mess with my filial piety

"Is this a tree designed to attract wealth or welcome guests? Why can't we even see a few ghosts?"

"Whose fortune tree looks like this? Could the hanged ghosts be the ones I killed before?"

Chu Wuji carried the big fox fairy on his back and climbed up to the top of a tree with ease in a few steps.

In the field of vision, the settlement ahead can be seen, with people walking around, mostly women, and few men and children.

Those women were indeed ordinary people, and they were all in a bad mood. Chu Wuzhi only took a few glances and saw that many of them were cursing and swearing in the streets.

They all have bad tempers and will start cursing for no reason and then leave after a few words.

"Is this really Yunze Township? I just didn't follow the main road. What the hell am I doing here?"

Chu Wuji came here to inquire about information, but these people didn't seem to be able to communicate normally.

If this place is occupied by bandits, he is not afraid of conflict, because the pair of big white legs riding on his neck are his greatest support.

However, Chu Wuji was afraid of delaying things and wasting time, and did not want to help the local people suppress bandits.

Tushan Yourong was much more sensitive to the presence of others. She pointed in another direction and said:

"There seems to be a ghostly aura over there. Let's go over and take a look. Maybe we can ask for directions."

"..."

Chu Wuji was silent for a moment, wondering if the big fox fairy was joking. Realizing that she was serious, Chu Wuji moved forward.

Chu Wuzhi was walking roughly along the outskirts of the town, and he stopped only when he heard a crisp voice above his head saying, "This is it."

This place looks a bit like a...mass grave?

There are grave mounds and corpse wells everywhere, some bones are exposed on the ground, and the few tombstones are all crooked.

Chu Wuji had already focused his attention and looked around. He didn't see any ghosts or spirits, so he asked politely:

"Excuse me, is there... no, a ghost here?"

Not long after, a head emerged from the ground beside the tombstone, and it rose up lightly as if it had no substance.

He is a thin, middle-aged man who is not very tall and has an ordinary appearance. But even with such an abrupt appearance, his face still gives people the feeling that he looks like a good man.

He was still wearing tattered armor, and it seemed that he had been a soldier in his lifetime.

The ghost was looking at the man in surprise, and he seemed unable to see the beautiful fox girl above Chu Wuzhi's head.

"Brother, what can I do for you? It's a bit presumptuous to come here in broad daylight to look for ghosts. It would be better to come at night!"

Although it is a ghost, it is much more normal than the situation in the nearby town.

Chu Wuji saluted and then tried to take two steps closer to show his friendly goodwill, but was stopped by the ghost uncle.

[No, no, if you have something to say, just stand there and say it. Brother, your energy is too strong!]

Chu Wuji took two steps back apologetically and said:

"Chu Wuji, an ordinary citizen from Lihuo Country, came to Yunze Township this time to inquire about someone and publish a missing person notice. However, he was intimidated by this place when he first arrived.

What's going on with those two trees at the foot of the mountain over there? They're so scary. Are there any earth-shattering crimes going on there?"

The ghost uncle then introduced himself.

His name is Guang Siqiang, which sounds like he likes to steal trees, but his father gave him this name because he hoped that playing dice at the dinner table would bring him good luck.

His life experience was rather ordinary. He got married, had children, enlisted in the army, and then died on the battlefield. His body was brought back by his fellow villagers and buried.

But perhaps because his fellow villagers only brought back his head, his body was incomplete and unable to be reincarnated, so it was left in the mass grave.

"Two trees? You mean the two with the bodies hanging from them? No, there's no way over there."

"I jumped off the mountain to save time!"

The ghost uncle was a little puzzled, but he didn't take it too seriously. In broad daylight, how could a normal person come over to chat with a ghost?

Looking at the masculine energy of this young man, I'm afraid that he was relieving stress with his hands at night and accidentally sprayed it on a passing female ghost, which could have saved her from reincarnation.

There weren't any cases on those two trees, so I hung them there. There's a lot of swamps there, and in the past few years, people often jumped down there to commit suicide, accidentally dying there. I was worried those people wouldn't be able to reincarnate, so every day, when the yin energy was heavy and my strength was stronger, I would fish the bodies out, clean them, and hang them up there.

[I even chose a secluded place to hang it so as not to scare anyone.]

People really laugh when they are speechless.

When Chu Wuji was speechless and about to laugh awkwardly, the big fox fairy laughed first and reached out to pinch his cheek.

"Young Master, after knowing the truth, do you feel ashamed?"

The ghost uncle looked around in horror:

[Where does this woman's laughter come from? Is there a ghost?! ]

No, uncle, is it appropriate for you to say that?

Chu Wuji still felt suspicious and asked:

"That's not right. There are some bodies up there. They obviously committed suicide by hanging. They couldn't have been hung there later, right?"

Later, someone discovered the morgue. Wherever someone in Yunze Township had committed suicide by hanging, they would be brought there and hung. Before anyone knew it, there were so many people hanging there.

Chu Wuji was speechless. This uncle was truly a good ghost who deserved to be struck by lightning...

They created such a terrifying spectacle and put it there, as if they were afraid that it wouldn't scare anyone.

But this is understandable. After being a ghost for a long time, he might be bored and want to find some fun. Besides, this uncle was very kind to put him in a remote place.

It can be seen that this soldier ghost was also a particular person when he was alive. He knew how to classify and arrange things, hanging one tree for adults and another tree for babies.

No need to criticize!

Although it was doubtful that so many people could commit suicide in one place, Chu Wuji didn't want to pursue new troubles as he was already dealing with a big one.

"Uncle, is that small market town Yunze Township? Why are the people so violent? Every time I look at them, I see women cursing on the street."

[It's on the edge of Yunze Township, and you have to go a little further to reach the town center. But it's quite a mixed crowd there right now: refugees, murder suspects from outside, bandits, gamblers, newly transformed demons... you name it.]

If you're looking for someone, these guys might actually know something, but you'll definitely be charged a large sum of money, and you might even be blackmailed or robbed.

Is it really that messy?

It is also located in the border area, in the border town of Lihuo Country. It is deserted, but the people there are peaceful and happy. The years are peaceful and quiet in the leisurely forest.

"After all, this is the territory of Ozawa Country, so why is it so chaotic and lawless? Where are the officials here?"

When asked this question, the ghost uncle was in a dilemma.

He hadn't chatted with anyone for a long time and was a little speechless. When he came across old stories that required a long speech, he didn't know where to start.

The ghost uncle walked to the backlight of the tombstone and sat down, avoiding the afternoon sun, stroking his beard and saying:

【Wait for me to sort it out...】

Chu Wuji waited for a long time and finally heard the ghost uncle's explanation.

The military conscription model of Ozawa Province is based on regional rotation. Soldiers are recruited every few years. This batch is from this state and county, and the next batch is from the next state and county.

This will lead to a sudden decrease in the young and middle-aged labor force in that area, a shortage of people to cultivate the land, and affect the grain harvest. Therefore, the government will provide these states and counties with very generous grain subsidies.

Although the national strength of Xiaoze Kingdom is not as good as that of Lihuo Kingdom, its military style is worse than Lihuo. It treats its soldiers very well and will not mistreat their families.

The people from Yunze Township were among those who were drafted ten years ago. At that time, they happened to encounter a multi-front war, with fighting going on in several places. They were unable to return home normally, and their discharge was delayed for almost three years.

Wherever there is war, there will inevitably be promotions for meritorious service, and there will also inevitably be casualties.

In the multi-front war, some people returned home with rewards and official titles, while others were still on the battlefield, their lives uncertain.

The contrast will create an unbalanced atmosphere.

At first, it was ordinary soldiers who returned home, bringing back silver rewards and most of the villagers congratulated them.

For some soldiers, only their ashes were returned, but Ozawa gave them a lot of relief money, so their families had some comfort and a place to stay, and they could buy good farmland.

However, some women have bad intentions. It is a great blessing for their husbands to return safely, but they are jealous of the relief money for the fallen soldiers.

Gossip. When the family members of the fallen soldiers go to buy rice, oil and salt, they just say something normal to the boss, but the jealous women say that he is using the relief money to hook up with other women and plan to remarry and live happily.

Those fellow countrymen and comrades had helped to manage the situation and reprimanded them for saying such unlucky words, but they could not stop the jealous women from talking behind their backs.

Later, fellow villagers on another front sent back letters to report their safety, achievements, and casualties.

Among them was a fellow villager who protected the general, fought to the death, and became lame in one leg. He was appreciated and promoted.

Although the war was not over yet, the general had already sent people to bring his savior's family to live in the capital.

Seeing the girl from the same hometown who was washing clothes with him by the stream yesterday, suddenly became a resident of the capital and was even favored and cared for by an important person!

This news was like a huge rock falling into the water, causing a thousand waves!

The reward for meritorious service paid for with one's life should have been something worthy of respect, but after the jealous woman's gossip a while ago, it now had a vague feeling of "announcing the results and announcing the prizes."

Those jealous women speak without restraint and it is unbearable to listen to!

——I thought that God was unfair to an old woman who remarried after her husband died, but how could there be such a lucky old woman?

——Why! We are all country ladies, cooking, washing clothes and working on the farm together every day, and she suddenly became a lady from the capital?

——It’s all because the man in the family is not ambitious enough. He just comes back happy and silly. This little salary is only enough to eat meat for a year!

Many people are focused on the rewards and money, but ignore the most important thing: the safety of their families.

So, some women complained that their husbands did not bring back any merits, and those husbands who were still on the front lines wrote letters to complain, asking them to get more merits and not return empty-handed.

The more wicked women would even abandon their children without the knowledge of the elderly in their family, secretly sell their land and houses, and run away with the money.

Good news doesn't travel far, but bad news travels a thousand miles. The events of Yunze Township reached the higher-ups, enraging the officials. They were investigating every woman in the area for her actions and words, accusing her of disturbing military morale. Those who escaped were put on a nationwide wanted list.

[Later, Yunze Township was no longer under much supervision, and people from Yunze Township were prohibited from entering other prefectures and counties, which led to the chaos here.]

[...I still don't understand. Conscription and returning home are common in other counties, so why is it like this in Yunze Township?]

As Chu Wuzhi listened, his brows furrowed.

Wasn't this ghost uncle the one who died in battle and whose remains were brought back by his fellow villagers? What about his family...

Those who died on the battlefield may not know what happens after their death. They only know that although they are dead, at least their families will take care of them, which can be considered a psychological comfort.

But the ghost uncle stayed in his hometown and witnessed the subsequent series of chaos with his own eyes.

After a long while, the ghost uncle said:

[If you want to gather intelligence, it is not recommended to ask people in Yunze Township. You should either go to other places to ask, or ask cats and dogs.

Or maybe I should see if there are any other ghosts in Yunze Township. I can only move around here and can't go far.]

Chapter 82 Twin Ocean Horses!

After hearing about the events in Yunze Township, Chu Wuji vaguely understood why so many people were hanged.

I'm afraid that after the war, the higher-ups brought people to suppress and settle accounts. Now Yunze Township is probably only considered the territory of Xiaoze Kingdom in name only, but it is actually sealed off as an unlucky place.

Sending that kind of letter during wartime might shake the morale of the army. At night, when the soldiers were resting, the messengers would rush to send letters, intending to boost and inspire morale. But this wave of letters was like the sky falling.

Even if the letters were delivered after the fighting was over, they could still have a negative impact on future morale.

Chu Wuji felt mixed emotions and wanted to scold the man to relieve his anger, but the ghost uncle was right here, and Chu Wuji couldn't say it out loud because it was his hometown after all.

"Uncle, do you have any simple wishes? Send a pot of wine, find some offerings, or something like that. I'll help you to the best of my ability, but I won't help you if it's too much trouble."

Chu Wuji made a statement in advance to avoid any difficulties later.

The ghost uncle scratched his head, seemingly without any strong thoughts, and said:

[Is it that the incomplete body makes it easier for the ghost officials to find me? If you encounter a ghost official, remember to call for me. Call them when you see them. No need to go looking for them specifically.]

His mentality was basically to see what the future of Yunze Township would be like, whether it would get worse or better.

But I am also afraid that the result will be too bad, and I will be more and more disappointed.

Now I just wait for fate to take him to reincarnation, very Buddhist.

"Okay, I'll keep an eye out while I'm on my way, and let me know if I see it."

Chu Wuji agreed. He walked into the market town and bought a jar of turbid wine. The wine was of poor quality and expensive, but he couldn't find a good winery.

He poured the wine on the ground at the mass grave as a thank you for asking for directions.

As he was going in and out of the town, he could hear complaints and groans everywhere. It was basically women blaming each other, thinking that the other was the one causing the trouble.