That day, before Zhao Fusheng compelled Zhang Chuanshi to join the Demon Suppressing Department, she had also been all smiles, appearing approachable and easy to talk to. Little did he know that she would then lead him into a massive pitfall, leaving him trapped within the Demon Suppressing Department to this day.
"...Is, is it something concerning Paper-Man Zhang?" Zhang Chuanshi's old face crumpled into a knot. He hesitated for a long moment, then cautiously inquired, his expression bitter.
Zhao Fusheng neither confirmed nor denied it. Pressing her heels against the chair's rungs, she leaned her upper body back, lifting the front two legs of her four-legged chair off the ground, balancing precariously on the back two. She swayed back and forth, making the chair creak.
Zhang Chuanshi clenched his jaw and said, "It has nothing to do with me, Your Excellency."
He cursed inwardly, 'How unlucky!' That day, he hadn't managed to flee this very alley, and who knew that after staying, he would be unable to leave again? Now, his name was on the Soul Register, leaving him bound to others, with no chance of escape. Zhao Fusheng, blessed with extraordinary fortune, had not only survived entering Beggar's Alley but had even managed to disintegrate a Fierce Ghost, which only deepened his terror.
Under Zhao Fusheng's piercing gaze, Zhang Chuanshi felt an immense burden. He held out for several breaths, but finally, he couldn't endure it. Beads of sweat dotted his forehead as he shed his usual slick demeanor, pleading, "Your Excellency, you were there that day; you know what happened. I went to the back to make tea; I have no idea what you and my uncle discussed..."
"Where is Paper-Man Zhang?"
Zhao Fusheng cut him off, no longer bothering with pleasantries.
"Pa-Paper-Man Zhang—" Zhang Chuanshi flinched, startled by her directness. His eyes squeezed shut for a moment, and the bags beneath them puffed out like fish bladders. He whispered, "That day, the Zhang residence suddenly caught fire, and my uncle—no, that Paper-Man Zhang—transformed into a bizarre paper figure and flew away, you see—"
The Fan brothers, observing the two discussing Paper-Man Zhang, couldn't help but set aside their anxieties about the future, fixing their gaze on Zhao Fusheng and Zhang Chuanshi.
Zhao Fusheng continued to press her heels against the chair, swaying back and forth, and smiled at Zhang Chuanshi: "Don't try to deceive me."
"I wouldn't dare lie, wouldn't dare lie!" Zhang Chuanshi frantically waved his hands and shook his head. "That day, Paper-Man Zhang ascended and flew away from Wan'an County; many people witnessed it. Afterward, the Fan brothers also went to investigate. If you don't believe me, you can ask them." Having said that, he quickly pointed a finger at Fan Bisi and his brother.
Fan Bisi gritted his teeth, shooting a dissatisfied glare at Zhang Chuanshi. However, seeing Zhao Fusheng turn her head towards him, Fan Bisi hesitated for a moment, then still admitted, "We did indeed go to see it. The original Zhang Residence had been reduced to a pile of rubble."
The two brothers were actually quite astonished by this turn of events. After completing the task Zhao Fusheng had assigned them that day, they hadn't dared to linger for a single moment, fleeing straight back to Wan'an County. They were deeply afraid that Deputy Magistrate Zheng of Bao County would learn of their involvement and come to make trouble for them.
Yet, no sooner had they returned to the county than they heard about a major incident in the city: the newly appointed Commander of the Demon Suppressing Department had set Paper-Man Zhang's home ablaze, and Paper-Man Zhang himself had transformed into an uncanny paper figure, soaring into the sky and vanishing without a trace.
Initially, the two were somewhat incredulous, until Zhang Chuanshi, who had been in hiding, finally bit the bullet and emerged, confirming the truth of the matter.
None of them knew what Zhao Fusheng and Paper-Man Zhang had discussed that day, nor could they fathom why she had acted as she did. The two brothers remained utterly perplexed, eventually concluding that Zhao Fusheng, influenced by the Fierce Ghost, had become impulsive and prone to anger. Having suffered a minor setback, she simply needed to vent her frustrations on Paper-Man Zhang.
Now, with Zhao Fusheng right before them, none of them dared to inquire about the reasons. Fan Bisi stated, "We later had Magistrate Pang dispatch search parties, but they found no trace of Paper-Man Zhang."
Although they didn't know why Zhao Fusheng had chosen to make an enemy of Paper-Man Zhang, since she had clearly staked her position, Fan Bisi and the others naturally had to adopt a stance of enmity towards Paper-Man Zhang. At that time, his cautious nature had led him to strive for flawless execution in all his actions. It wasn't until Zhao Fusheng's safe return that Fan Bisi began to truly appreciate his earlier arrangements.
"Perhaps he offended you and has already departed Wan'an County," Fan Wujiu speculated. The other two nodded ceaselessly in agreement.
"He's deceiving you all," Zhao Fusheng said with a slight smile.
"Huh?" Fan Bisi was utterly bewildered by her words. Zhao Fusheng offered no further explanation at that moment, instead turning her gaze to Zhang Chuanshi: "The Zhang family has been lying dormant in Wan'an County for over forty years. How could they simply depart rashly when their objective remains unfulfilled?"
Her words seemed nonsensical, yet their underlying meaning sent a jolt through the Fan brothers. Zhang Chuanshi's pupils constricted, his face momentarily stiffened, before he too feigned an expression of profound shock.
"Stop pretending," Zhao Fusheng said, shaking her head. "Any more, and it'll lose all semblance of truth."
"Fusheng, what exactly is happening here?" Fan Bisi suddenly felt a surge of doubt and promptly inquired.
Zhao Fusheng replied, "This matter, it must begin with the ghost calamity in Beggar's Alley."
She cast a glance at the three men in the courtyard, letting out a long, involuntary sigh. This would be her provisional team in the future; unreliable as they were, she couldn't possibly tackle every Ghost Case single-handedly. There would always be occasions in future Ghost Cases when she required assistance.
The Beggar's Alley Ghost Case was no secret. Some details could be shared with them, and it was also Zhao Fusheng's chance to subtly display her deductive prowess, aiming to keep overly clever individuals like Fan Bisi in line, ensuring their honest and dutiful conduct.
Indeed, all three were curious about the Beggar's Alley Ghost Case. Zhang Chuanshi, not being a former member of the Demon Suppressing Department, despite living adjacent to it, knew nothing of its internal workings, only that they were 'people who dealt with Ghost Cases.'
As for the Fan brothers, this scene of everyone discussing a Ghost Case together felt both familiar and yet somewhat alien due to the passage of time. Now that Zhao Fusheng was willing to share, Fan Wujiu, being the more boisterous of the two, promptly pulled over a stool, sat down, and eagerly pressed her: "Fusheng, hurry up and tell us!"
Fan Bisi rubbed his forehead in exasperation, gazing at his somewhat simple-minded brother with the air of someone lamenting a piece of iron that refuses to become steel.
"Initially, for the Beggar's Alley Ghost Case, I was misled by the clues, believing it to be connected to the case from forty years ago." She then proceeded to explain how, after acquiring the dossier, she had located Zhang Chuanshi, and with his guidance, sought out Paper-Man Zhang, subsequently learning the complete backstory of the Headless Ghost from Paper-Man Zhang himself.
"I believed myself fully prepared, yet upon entering Beggar's Alley, I discovered the situation was far from what I expected." She bypassed the details of her confrontation with Paper-Man Zhang, instead mentioning that after entering Beggar's Alley, she had encountered the Fierce Ghost committing murders and subsequently uncovered the Fierce Ghost's particular killing pattern.
Zhao Fusheng's account was concise, yet the general sequence of events remained unhidden. As Fan Bisi listened to her describe directly observing the Fierce Ghost's movements, and even more audaciously tracking it afterward to discover its hiding place, his heart hammered 'thump-thump,' and his limbs grew cold with fright.
"..."
This was utterly reckless! She was practically courting death! How could she have dared?
"After that, I gleaned some clues from Liu Yizhen and subsequently deduced several facts." She paused here, then her gaze returned to Zhang Chuanshi: "Decades ago, Liu Huacheng brought a sealed ghost back to his hometown. Then, just before his grand birthday, the Ghost Coffin Nail was stolen. Following this, Liu Huacheng, compelled by desperation, sought out Zhang Xiongwu, offering him a portion of the Ghost Coffin lid in exchange for suppressing the resurrected Fierce Ghost—"
Zhao Fusheng's tone paused, and she looked at Zhang Chuanshi, whose expression was clearly flustered: "All of this must have been within Zhang Xiongwu's control, wasn't it? He stole the Ghost Coffin Nail, forcing the Headless Ghost to resurrect, simply to instigate chaos and thereby compel Liu Huacheng to willingly surrender a portion of the Ghost Coffin lid."
"No—impossible—" Zhang Chuanshi instinctively retorted.
Zhao Fusheng merely sneered, "There's no need for you to rush into denial. I say this because, naturally, I have my reasons."
The truth of the South City Ghost Case from forty years ago had never been properly recorded, leaving the Demon Suppressing Department with incomplete information regarding that particular incident. Now, as Zhao Fusheng filled in these missing pieces, the Fan brothers were left in such profound shock that they couldn't recover their senses for a long time.
"Zhang Xiongwu possesses the ability to craft Ghost Lamps, which can interfere with a Fierce Ghost's perception. If such a figure were to remain in the Imperial Capital, he would undoubtedly be fiercely sought after, with people practically falling over themselves to recruit him."
Even if the Ghost Lamps he crafted weren't flawless, as long as they offered a glimmer of hope, he would be highly revered. And that's not even mentioning his past collaboration with Su Long in 'Lighting Ghosts'—a feat of such magnitude that, once documented in the Demon Suppressing Department's dossiers, the imperial court would certainly never overlook such a 'talent.'
"Yet, he sought neither fame nor power, content to merely nestle in Wan'an County. What was his purpose?" Zhao Fusheng inquired.
Zhang Chuanshi's mind was now in utter disarray, his thoughts utterly swayed by her analysis. Hearing her question, he instinctively countered with a query of his own: "What was his purpose?"
"Perhaps he merely wished to be a good person," Zhao Fusheng mused with a sigh.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Fan Bisi, his brother, and Zhang Chuanshi were all utterly dumbfounded by her answer, momentarily speechless and unsure how to respond. Zhao Fusheng then stretched her lips into a forced, mirthless smile: "I was merely jesting with you all."
At first, a heavy silence hung in the air. Soon, Zhang Chuanshi managed two awkward, strained laughs: "Ha, haha—" After his laughter died down, seeing the Fan brothers remain perfectly silent, he swallowed the sound back into his throat, letting out two faint cooing sounds like a pigeon, then fell completely silent.
"He likely simply intended to steal the entire Ghost Coffin." Zhao Fusheng paid no mind to their reactions, articulating her own deduction: "If the Ghost Coffin lid Liu Huacheng sent out back then had satisfied his ambitions, the Zhang family should have moved out of Wan'an County at that time." The reason they hadn't departed for forty years was likely his desire to take the entire coffin with them.
"The reason Paper-Man Zhang lured me into Beggar's Alley was likely to trick me into a fatal trap." She analyzed, "It is known that within the Confucius Temple, there are three ghosts: two have achieved a balance, while one is a 'street wanderer,' constantly roaming outside. Thus, Paper-Man Zhang lacked an opportune moment to strike."
"..." The Fan brothers' expressions were utterly bewildered. Although they had seen the Ghost Mist earlier and knew that the Confucius Temple Ghost Case was anything but simple, the revelation that three formidable ghosts were lurking within a mere Confucius Temple still made them feel profoundly uneasy just by hearing Zhao Fusheng describe it.
"If he wished to act, he would have to find a suitable opportunity to ensure the Beggar's Ghost was sealed."
"So he wanted you to take action and subdue the Beggar's Ghost?" Fan Wujiu asked ingenuously.
"He intended for me to die," Zhao Fusheng replied, casting a glance at him.
Fan Wujiu, thinking she was scolding him, immediately recoiled, pulling his head back. Fan Bisi cast a look at his brother and clarified, "Fusheng is also a Ghost Tamer. If anything had happened to her in Beggar's Alley, the Fierce Ghost she commands would undoubtedly revive, which, in turn, would have created a delicate balance with the Beggar's Ghost."
At his explanation, both Fan Wujiu and Zhang Chuanshi finally grasped the underlying reason. From this discourse, Fan Bisi once more sensed Zhao Fusheng's formidable nature; she appeared exceptionally shrewd, as if capable of seeing directly into the hearts of others.
Could it be precisely because she had divined Paper-Man Zhang's intentions that she had chosen to act against him? As he was lost in such conjectures, he suddenly heard Zhao Fusheng pose a question: "Is Paper-Man Zhang a Ghost Tamer?"
The moment she uttered these words, all three individuals within the Demon Suppressing Department were utterly taken aback. "No, no way!" Zhang Chuanshi blurted out. "Since I was a child—" His voice hitched for a brief moment, then he continued, "We are relatives; I've known him for decades. He doesn't tame ghosts."
Fan Bisi also offered an explanation: "Those who tame ghosts are known for their volatile temperaments, and the Fierce Ghosts exert a significant influence on people. It's impossible for a Ghost Tamer to live for such an extended period."
"That may not necessarily be the case," Zhao Fusheng said with a soft chuckle. She had keenly caught Zhang Chuanshi's earlier slip of the tongue uttered in shock—'since I was a child'—and Zhao Fusheng filed that phrase away in her mind.
"He carries a faint, almost imperceptible ghostly aura. I initially believed it was due to his creation of Ghost Servants." Zhang Chuanshi quickly nodded, eager to speak, but Zhao Fusheng offered him no opportunity, continuing, "That day, when I set him ablaze, I discovered his body seemed to be crafted from paper, yet it retained human consciousness. Even after being consumed by flames, he did not perish, subsequently soaring into the sky and departing. How could this be a human ability? He has clearly tamed a Fierce Ghost."
Upon hearing her explanation, Fan Bisi immediately lost all certainty. Numerous recent events had, one after another, far exceeded his established understanding: Paper-Man Zhang potentially being a Ghost Tamer; Zhao Fusheng appearing utterly transformed after her death and rebirth; the Zhao couple, whose Fierce Ghosts shouldn't have simultaneously revived, had inexplicably grown formidable—and, most terrifying of all, the revelation that three formidable ghosts were secretly lurking within the Confucius Temple.
Zhao Fusheng observed the reactions of the three men, taking in every detail. From their expressions, it appeared that likely no one in Wan'an County was aware that Paper-Man Zhang was a Ghost Tamer.
Had it not been for this massive fire forcing him to reveal his true nature, everyone would have remained completely oblivious to his secret. He had clearly intended to conceal it, and Zhao Fusheng surmised that all the previous Commanders of the Demon Suppressing Department in Wan'an County who had collaborated with him likely knew nothing of this.
"But... but if a person tames a Fierce Ghost, how could they possibly not die?" Fan Bisi mumbled, clearly bewildered.
Zhao Fusheng pondered for a moment, then said, "It might be because of the Ghost Coffin lid." The Ghost Coffin possesses the ability to suppress the Headless Ghost. According to Liu Yizhen, when the Headless Ghost was sealed within the Ghost Coffin, it fell into a profound slumber and never caused any further disturbances.
"I speculate that perhaps Zhang Xiongwu leveraged this to discover a means of suppressing Fierce Ghosts. He then risked taming a ghost himself, subsequently devising a way to acquire the Ghost Coffin, thereby compelling the Fierce Ghost he commanded to 'slumber,' entering a sealed state. This would allow a Ghost Tamer to carry a ghost without succumbing to its influence and dying?"
As she spoke, her eyes unexpectedly lit up, as if she had finally discovered a path to manage the ghostly entity she commanded, one that didn't solely rely on the Investiture of the Gods. From this perspective, Zhang Xiongwu was truly an exceptional talent.
But the spark of hope she had just ignited was swiftly doused by Fan Bisi's words: "That might be very difficult to achieve," he stated. "All things have a cycle of mutual generation and mutual overcoming. When a ghost possesses a potent item, it will only exert its most powerful effect if it is perfectly matched with that item. For instance, the Headless Ghost you spoke of searching for its head—although it committed murders in the process—for it, its original head was undeniably the most suitable."
Therefore, until it had found its true head, its ghostly form remained incomplete, and its inherent power would be considerably restricted.
"Moreover, while the Ghost Coffin that sealed it possessed mystical properties, it was undoubtedly most suited and complementary to it. Were it other Fierce Ghosts, the Ghost Coffin's suppressive power might not be so astonishing." Fan Bisi's words were plain and straightforward. Zhao Fusheng instantly grasped his meaning and immediately sank back into contemplation.
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