"That's right, the Son of Heaven was furious at the time, and also thought Liu Huacheng deserved to die." Paperman Zhang thought Zhao Fusheng's sigh was referring to Liu Huacheng's sins, and was dismissive in his heart, but remembering her unpredictable temperament, he still feigned agreement.
Zhao Fusheng let him misunderstand, too lazy to explain.
"After the Golden General died at the time, did the situation get out of control?" She asked curiously.
"Naturally, it got out of control." Paperman Zhang nodded:
"Two ghost disasters occurred simultaneously, and the Son of Heaven at that time almost died in that catastrophe." Paperman Zhang replied.
Pfft.
At this moment, the oil lamp on the human skin paper on the table burst a lamp flower. The light flickered twice. As the light and shadow shifted, the sinister look between Paperman Zhang's eyebrows was revealed.
He realized his gaffe and quickly adjusted his facial expression, revealing a slightly hypocritical smile:
"All in all, the Demon Suppressing Division eventually paid a heavy price to decompose this newly revived malevolent spirit, but how to seal the malevolent spirit's corpse ultimately became a vexing matter for everyone."
"Logically speaking, since there are capable people in the imperial capital who can decompose this malevolent spirit, there should also be a way to suppress this ghostly corpse." Zhao Fusheng guessed:
"Could it be that after this malevolent spirit was decomposed, its power remained very special?"
Paperman Zhang already had some understanding of her shrewdness. Hearing this, he was not surprised, but just nodded in agreement:
"Yes, the decomposed corpse of this ghost possesses the ability to restrain certain ghostly powers."
Zhao Fusheng was stunned.
She had only recently been reborn, and her understanding of everything in this world was like being rushed into it. Currently, her knowledge of malevolent spirits was based solely on the one-sided accounts of the Fan brothers and Paperman Zhang.
She wasn't entirely clear about the malevolent spirits' powers or their killing rules, but in her dreams, she had personally witnessed 'herself' being killed by a malevolent spirit, knowing how terrifying they could be.
And at this moment, Paperman Zhang actually said that the revived malevolent spirit created by Liu Huacheng back then possessed the power to suppress ghosts.
"Almost all the demon-suppressing officers above the rank of 'Ling Shi' controlled ghosts, and without exception, they were all restrained. This led to the entire imperial capital almost having an accident. From that, you should know how special this ghost is."
Paperman Zhang could also see that Zhao Fusheng was extremely surprised by his words. He revealed a meaningful smile:
"Ghosts cannot be killed. Such a menace cannot be left in the imperial capital, but to restrain it is not something ordinary people can do."
At this moment, Liu Huacheng, who had thought he was certainly going to die, saw a glimmer of hope.
This person was decisively extraordinary. He petitioned the Son of Heaven, willing to atone for his sins by rendering meritorious service.
"You can probably guess the final outcome. He took away the ghost's mutilated corpse and suppressed it in the Liu family ancestral shrine, using the Liu family's fortune to hold it down. This went smoothly for over a decade, but he didn't expect the malevolent spirit to revive on his sixtieth birthday."
Paperman Zhang finished speaking, finally revealing the entire cause and effect of the ghostly disaster caused by the Liu family.
This involved old events from back then, concerning the imperial capital and the Demon Suppressing Division headquarters. No wonder Su Long didn't detail it in his records, only mentioning it in passing.
But as Zhao Fusheng understood the cause, new doubts surged into her mind: Paperman Zhang's ancestors had dealt with ghosts and evil for generations; he clearly wasn't a benevolent person. She also had a grudge against him. Rashly showing up at his door, even if she had suddenly gone mad and suppressed Paperman Zhang, it was impossible for him to be so fearful as to immediately reveal all clues.
Something abnormal indicates something sinister. Zhao Fusheng grew wary, always feeling that there was something strange about this matter.
Her heart was already extraordinarily vigilant, but her face was smiling. Paperman Zhang, however, seemed able to see through her smile to the depths of her eyes:
"You don't believe me?"
"Do you think I should believe you?"
Paperman Zhang then smiled:
"Why would I lie to you?"
After he spoke, he seemed to find his own words amusing, laughing a few times, his voice hoarse and dry, as if he had sand in his throat:
"I know what you're thinking."
"What am I thinking?" Zhao Fusheng found it interesting and asked with a smile.
"You're afraid I'm lying to you, lying to make you die."
He finished, his eyes glinting ominously:
"Do you know? Dealing with ghosts also requires sacrifice."
Ghost manipulators sacrifice their own lives to feed malevolent spirits in exchange for the malevolent spirits' abilities.
And the malevolent spirit controlled by Jia Yi was also not a benevolent entity. It created soul record books using ghost language, of course, not just because it was temporarily controlled by Jia Yi.
"According to the imperial court's laws, although local Demon Suppressing Divisions are less constrained by the imperial court and are independent of local county yamen and government offices, they are directly controlled by the imperial court. They must handle three ghost cases every year, otherwise they violate the law."
He said this, smiling malevolently:
"Have Fan Bisi told you these things?"
Paperman Zhang intentionally tried to sow discord.
He recalled Zhao Fusheng referring to Fan Bisi as 'Brother Fan' earlier, wondering if the two had temporarily reached a consensus to cooperate.
Zhao Fusheng's heart stirred. She had already guessed this point, but of course, Paperman Zhang hadn't said it so clearly.
She did not speak. Paperman Zhang was unconcerned and said:
"If Jia Yi wants to preserve his life, he needs to regularly offer sacrifices to the ghost he manipulates. And those who haven't completed the Demon Suppressing Division's annual missions will become 'food' for this malevolent spirit."
The two sides complemented each other, mutually restraining each other, forming a perfect system of checks and balances.
"Every year, countless people who didn't die from ghost disasters ended up becoming ghost thralls."
Paperman Zhang said with a smile:
"I'm thinking, Fan Bisi didn't tell you these things, did he? With your intelligence, your eagerness to enter Beggar's Alley probably means you vaguely guessed something was amiss, right?"
He thought himself clever, having hit Zhao Fusheng's weak spot. But he didn't know that Zhao Fusheng's eagerness to enter Beggar's Alley, besides needing to comply with imperial laws and resolve ghost cases, was also because she possessed the Investiture of the Gods and wanted to use it to gain merit.
She looked deeply at Paperman Zhang. She decided to go along with his words, letting him believe he had calculated everything without fail. She nodded:
"That's right. Since you know I must enter Beggar's Alley, but we weren't friends before this, why did you help me, and even tell me about this malevolent spirit's characteristics?"
"You think I'm helping you?" Paperman Zhang's eyes suddenly widened, then the corners of his mouth turned up exaggeratedly, revealing a mocking smile:
"You want to handle a ghost case. Once you enter Beggar's Alley, do you still think you have a path to survival?"
"Hahahahaha." He burst into loud laughter, his voice sharp and faintly gasping, like a leaky bellows, making a strange 'hoho' sound:
"Don't you know that dealing with ghosts is a near-death experience? Even if you manipulate a ghost and are lucky enough not to die, as long as you use the ghost's power, you will be affected by the ghost, eventually going mad or losing control. Excessive use of a malevolent spirit's power will only lead to self-destruction."
He grinned:
"So what if you revived and successfully manipulated a ghost? You can't solve this case. What does it matter if I tell you?"
Zhao Fusheng, unwilling to be influenced by him, asked a crucial question:
"When the malevolent spirit suppressed by the Liu family revived back then, how did Su Long and Zhang Xiongwu handle it?"
Although Paperman Zhang had ill intentions, he believed Zhao Fusheng would surely die. Hearing the question, he said:
"My grandfather used five 'Ghost Lanterns' and delved into the malevolent spirit's remnants to re-seal it."
"What is this seal?" Zhao Fusheng asked again.
Paperman Zhang paused, then chuckled:
"It's a special coffin, rumored to have been personally crafted by a prominent figure in the imperial capital back then."
Zhao Fusheng nodded and said:
"Where is this coffin located?"
"Inside the Liu family ancestral shrine." Paperman Zhang cooperatively replied, then asked her,
"This should be your last question, right?"
"The Liu family ancestral shrine has already been converted into a Confucius Temple, which means there are ghosts in the Confucius Temple?"
She did not answer Paperman Zhang's question, but instead threw out another one.
Paperman Zhang's eyebrows twitched involuntarily. After a moment, he suppressed his impatience and nodded:
"Yes."
"You..." He was about to speak again, but Zhao Fusheng suddenly darkened her face and interrupted him:
"Alright, give me some ghost lanterns. I'm leaving."
"You're not being polite, are you?"
Paperman Zhang, hearing this, couldn't help but grin:
"But I have plenty of lanterns. Just pick whichever kind you want."
Zhao Fusheng did not stop at his cooperative attitude, but rather her eyes darted around:
"Do lanterns need lamp oil to work?"
Paperman Zhang's dwelling was piled high with various kinds of specially made human skin paper, indicating he had many lanterns.
She immediately recalled the two broken human skin lanterns she saw at the entrance of the Demon Suppressing Division when she first woke up. After the human skin paper cracked, the lamp oil inside spilled out.
That lamp oil was somewhat eerie, carrying an indescribable rotten smell. Now, thinking back, it seemed to still retain the 'ghost's' aura.
However, that 'ghostly aura' was faint, and she had just been reborn and newly awakened at the time, so she didn't react immediately. Now, recalling it, she instantly realized that the lamp oil was unusual.
Paperman Zhang's smile vanished. His face darkened for a moment, and a fierce glint appeared in his eyes.
Zhao Fusheng also showed no weakness, meeting his gaze.
After a long moment, Paperman Zhang let out a long sigh:
"Alright."
As he spoke, he slowly extended a hand, drilling it into the other sleeve.
From within the sleeve, a sharp, hoarse roar suddenly echoed. Then the sleeve trembled violently twice, as if two 'little people' were hidden inside and squabbling.
However, in just a moment, the strange noise disappeared, and the turbulence within the sleeve subsided.
Paperman Zhang's face became slightly sallow. His hand pulled a black box from his sleeve. Then, with a sweep of his elbow, Paperman Zhang cleared a pile of human skin paper, revealing the stone table underneath. He lightly set the lamp box down on the table with a thud, pushing it towards Zhao Fusheng: "The lamp oil is here."
The box was not large, about two inches high, and the size of a child's palm. It was unknown what it was made of, but it sounded heavy when it landed on the table.
The box was completely black. The lid and body fit perfectly, with no visible seam to the naked eye.
Such a box, surrounded by a pile of human skin paper, actually emitted a chilling sense of dread that made one tremble from the depths of their heart.
"Only this much?" Zhao Fusheng's gaze fell on the lamp oil box. She scrutinized it for a long while before speaking.
She was not intimidated by the box's strangeness.
Currently, it seemed that Paperman Zhang indeed had ill intentions, but he wouldn't be so foolish as to trip her up at this moment. Furthermore, she relied on the malevolent spirit she possessed, so she boldly reached out for the box.
Seeing this, Paperman Zhang forced himself to ignore the displeasure her words caused him and said:
"Aren't you afraid I'll try something?"
"No." Zhao Fusheng replied without raising her head.
Paperman Zhang, hearing her words, was first startled, then pulled at the corner of his mouth, a look of disdain in his eyes.
He believed that Zhao Fusheng was no different from other ghost manipulators, becoming arrogant once they gained power and forgetting their own limitations. Such people would probably die without ever knowing how to spell "death."
Zhao Fusheng sensed his disdain, but she did not offer further explanation.
Paperman Zhang was not a good person.
This man treated ordinary human lives as dirt, kept corpse slaves in his home, and made lanterns with human skin, using cruel and bizarre methods.
Such a person naturally could not act openly. Zhao Fusheng's trust was less in his 'character' and more in the 'ghostly character' of the malevolent spirit she possessed.
After talking with Fan Bisi and Paperman Zhang today, Zhao Fusheng also understood another hint from their words: the malevolent spirit attached to her was difficult to deal with. A small portion of the Demon Suppressing Division's ghost-manipulating officers died in ghost disasters—but more officers died due to their own malevolent spirits going out of control, or were killed by people sent by the imperial court.
Moreover, the powers of ghosts could also restrain each other.
For example, she was entangled with a malevolent spirit, but at the same time, she was afflicted by Jia Yi's ghost thrall curse. This meant that, in a roundabout way, both ghosts were after her life.
At this moment, Zhao Fusheng realized she had a "rare commodity."
Both ghosts wanted her life, indirectly forming a mutually restraining relationship. Besides her fear and trepidation, she suddenly realized that she might be able to use this rule to stir up some trouble.
If Paperman Zhang tampered with the box, it would inevitably trigger the malevolent spirit on her to retaliate.
At that point, it would be a lose-lose situation. She would still have about two-thirds of her life to gamble, but Paperman Zhang would surely die.
If he was smart, he would know that now was not the time for him to play tricks.
...
The moment she took the box, she knew something was wrong.
Unlike the warm feel of the human skin paper, this box for lamp oil was chillingly cold, carrying a sinister ghostly aura. It even stirred the malevolent spirit on her, posing a risk of reawakening.
The lamp oil in this box was actually like a 'low-level' ghost!
The Zhang family's secret recipe for making ghost lanterns was probably related to this eerie lamp oil; the human skin paper was secondary.
Zhao Fusheng held the lamp oil in her hand, pondering, but said aloud:
"How stingy."
"Hmph." Paperman Zhang's face was extremely grim. Hearing her words, he sneered:
"This item is extremely rare. Once lit, the area covered by its light becomes a death trap. Even if you are in a ghost domain, malevolent spirits will treat you as dead."
He was forced to take out this box of lamp oil, and his mood was exceptionally unpleasant:
"But I must warn you, this lamp oil is limited. You needn't fear minor ghosts, but for major ghosts, it won't last long. You must escape as quickly as possible before the light goes out, otherwise, you will surely die."
There will be another big chapter at 2 PM.
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