Chapter 143: Origin of the Ghost Case

Chapter 143

Previously, Zhao Fusheng had asked a few questions, and he had already formed a preconceived impression of Lady Zhuang Si. Although hearing of her death was not entirely unexpected, it still stirred a certain pity within him. However, as this case involved ghosts, he quickly suppressed his personal feelings and asked Old Zhuang Qi:

“Your cousin has only been married seven or eight years and should still be quite young. How did she suddenly die?”

Old Zhuang Qi’s gaze flickered nervously. Zhao Fusheng gave a warning by shaking the ghostly arm he was holding. The ghostly hand stretched and contracted, startling Old Zhuang Qi into a shiver. Hastily, he spilled out, “She... she drowned.”

“How could someone in perfect health just drown?” Zhao Fusheng asked in surprise.

Nearby, Gou Lao Si also showed a look of shock upon hearing of Lady Zhuang Si’s death. He had a good impression of her and was somewhat related by kinship, but he acted as if he had never heard the news before, indicating that her death was something shameful.

“You’ve been evasive about this from the start. Just speak plainly: was your cousin murdered, causing a vengeful spirit to arise?”

“No,” Old Zhuang Qi replied uneasily. He didn’t want to answer, but the ghostly arm’s intimidation was too great, and the pain in his leg reminded him that this matter could not be resolved peacefully today.

He exhaled and glanced around. “Sir, could you have the others step outside?”

Concerned for Lady Zhuang Si’s reputation, Zhao Fusheng thought it over and gestured for the non-investigative servants to leave the hall. Yet, Prefect Pang and Zhang Chuanshi from the Demon Suppression Bureau remained.

Zhang Chuanshi wanted to slip away quietly; he disliked ghost cases and feared that the more details he heard, the more likely Zhao Fusheng would entrust him with the investigation. But with no word from Zhao Fusheng, he had to stay reluctantly, wearing a long face.

“Those not related are already gone. The rest are people who might handle ghost cases. None can leave,” Zhao Fusheng said calmly.

She operated by her own principles and wouldn’t blindly let Old Zhuang Qi lead her.

Old Zhuang Qi had no illusions that his words would help, but Zhao Fusheng’s action gave him an out, loosening the tight string in his heart. He no longer resisted and answered honestly:

“Sir, my cousin... she had an affair.”

“That’s impossible,” Zhao Fusheng began, but before he could speak further, Gou Lao Si, who had been listening intently, lost composure and exclaimed in disbelief.

The hall was filled with figures who were untouchable to two simple villagers. Gou Lao Si’s sudden outburst showed how deeply he distrusted this claim.

“It’s true!” Old Zhuang Qi emphasized in a low voice.

This answer surprised Zhang Chuanshi and the others. Prefect Pang had just been praising Lady Zhuang Si’s virtue and beauty and felt sorrow at her death. Now, hearing Old Zhuang Qi say she had a lover was shocking.

With the worst revealed, Old Zhuang Qi continued: “At first, we didn’t believe it, thinking Kuai Mancai was lying. The village head didn’t believe it either and called my uncle. When my uncle heard, he flew into a rage.”

He sighed deeply. “Don’t think, cousin, that I believe it now—I still can’t accept it.”

He painfully clutched his head. “My uncle thought Kuai Liang Village people were talking nonsense. If anything, Kuai Wu might have been caught committing adultery and beaten to death, but never that my cousin had a lover.”

Before her marriage, Lady Zhuang Si was renowned not only for her beauty but even more so for her virtue. In Zhuangjia Village, even the most critical women would praise her highly.

“But she really did have a lover. The man was an outsider, someone who came to Kuai Liang Village to gather medicinal herbs.”

Hearing this, Prefect Pang seemed to recall something and added:

“Kuai Liang Village is surrounded on three sides by mountains and bordered by water on the fourth. Behind the mountains grows a herb called Bai Su (a name I made up—don’t take it literally), which treats insomnia, palpitations, and sleep paralysis. It’s quite effective.”

“This herb is well-known, and many outsiders come to collect it. When there’s no ghostly fog in Wan’an County, villagers from Kuai Liang can pay their taxes with this herb.”

Prefect Pang was well-versed in county affairs, so his explanation gave Zhao Fusheng a clearer picture of Kuai Liang Village.

“Yes, yes,” Old Zhuang Qi nodded. “The lord is correct. Bai Su is famous but grows alongside miasma. The mountains behind Kuai Liang Village are treacherous, and only locals know them well.”

Because gathering the herb was vital for the village’s survival, strict controls were in place. Only villagers were allowed to enter the mountains, making the herb scarce and expensive.

Every May and June, during the harvesting season, many outsiders arrived, temporarily lodging with local families, waiting for the villagers to pick and dry the herb before buying it at high prices.

During their stay, these outsiders paid or worked in exchange for food and lodging, and the villagers welcomed these ‘wealth bringers’ warmly.

This had been going on for years, but trouble arose this year.

“In June, a group of outsiders came and had an affair with my cousin,” Old Zhuang Qi said indignantly.

“At first, the matter was hidden. Later, Kuai Huaide from Kuai Liang Village reported it. Mancai said Uncle Liu didn’t believe it at first and had Kuai Huaide beaten and tied up, intending to take him to apologize to my cousin.”

But the outcome was not what Uncle Liu expected.

Fearing the disgrace of a daytime public scandal, Uncle Liu planned to bring Kuai Huaide at night for an apology. However, the lover, apparently sensing danger, mysteriously vanished from the village during the day.

With the man gone, suspicion naturally fell on the woman.

Later, Kuai Sanniang raided Kuai Wu’s house and found items from the lover in Lady Zhuang Si’s chest, including a man’s sweat towel.

The affair was thus confirmed.

The lover fled, leaving Lady Zhuang Si to bear the blame alone.

Perhaps because Kuai Liang Village had long been harmonious, with tightly knit relationships, betrayal was intolerable.

Uncle Liu’s pity turned to anger.

Considering the close ties and two recent marriages between the Zhuang and Kuai villages, Uncle Liu kept the matter quiet to avoid escalating into a blood feud.

Privately, he planned to deal with Lady Zhuang Si.

After village deliberation, it was decided to drown Lady Zhuang Si in a pig cage.

The matter might have ended there, but after her death, strange occurrences began.

Her body floated and would not sink even when weighted with stones. When villagers retrieved her and attempted to cremate her, her corpse turned into a mist of blood and vanished without a trace.

After her body disappeared, strange happenings plagued Kuai Liang Village.

“When Mancai came for help, he said the village was engulfed in thick fog that darkened the sky. For days, they lived in darkness.”

This severely disrupted the villagers’ normal life.

They could not work outside and, worse, found themselves unable to leave the village.

Some, overcome with fear, tried to escape seeking help.

“Even with torches, they wandered in circles, either disappearing or returning to the village after a full day.”

This naturally threw the village into panic.

More terrifying was the pitch-black darkness so dense that even lighting a lamp could not dispel it.

In the pitch black, the villagers sensed a faint, lingering scent of blood, as if a pig had been slaughtered and its blood spilled everywhere.

Uncle Liu worried about disaster and began calling the villagers by name, gathering them together.

“In such a crisis, his actions showed some insight,” Zhao Fusheng nodded.

Rustic villagers had no experience dealing with ghosts. When plunged suddenly into darkness and surrounded by the smell of blood, even fools knew something terrible was happening.

As a respected elder, Uncle Liu’s call for a roll call was a desperate but wise attempt to maintain order.

“Sir, you’re right,” Old Zhuang Qi nodded, though his words were hollow, mere instinctive flattery.

Fear gleamed in his eyes.

“Mancai said that during the roll call, they discovered several villagers missing. It was unclear if they fled after nightfall or if something worse had occurred.”

The roll call brought a terrifying consequence.

“Those named began experiencing strange phenomena: hearing their names called from behind, feeling as if someone poked their back,” he said, voice trembling.

Since being whipped, Old Zhuang Qi’s speech had a quiver, but this fear was deeper, spreading through every limb and bone.

“Those poked would soon say they had to go home to receive a guest, then disappear shortly after.”

Hearing this, Zhao Fusheng and the others understood why Gou Lao Si had playfully poked Old Zhuang Qi with a stick and called his name, provoking his anger—it was due to ghostly mischief.

Much was now clear, but these events had weighed heavily on Old Zhuang Qi’s heart for a long time. The longer he concealed them, the greater his fear.

Now that he finally spoke, and no one pressed him further, he could not stop:

“When Mancai came to Zhuangjia Village for help, after recounting these events, he suddenly turned around in front of the village head.”

Old Zhuang Qi’s face was filled with terror.

“He said someone poked his back. At first, he was scared, then a strange smile appeared on his face—”

*Thud.*

Old Zhuang Qi swallowed hard.

“He seemed very satisfied, saying someone was waiting for him at home and he needed to hurry back to Kuai Liang Village, so he wouldn’t say more.”

Mancai finished abruptly and turned to leave.

His behavior was strange and discourteous, almost as if he forgot to greet the village head.

Yet, as he turned, large droplets of fresh blood streamed down his arm.

“At that moment, his arms hung down, blood dripping from his sleeves, flowing from his wrists to his palms, leaving many bloody footprints on the ground. Strangely, he showed no reaction.”

Because Mancai had come bearing the news of Lady Zhuang Si’s death and her sullied reputation, the matter deeply concerned them. They summoned Old Zhuang Qi’s uncle and his family.

When everyone gathered, Mancai suddenly said he wanted to leave without explanation, angering the village head.

At first, the village head was shocked by the slander against the Zhuang family honor. Now, he suspected Mancai had gone mad and was deliberately spreading rumors in Zhuangjia Village.

When Mancai tried to leave, people tried to stop him and demand justice.

Unexpectedly, Mancai’s hands were dripping blood.

Then, before everyone’s eyes, blood gushed from his seven orifices, and a large hole tore open in his back.

“Blood sprayed from his back. The village head, sitting in his seat, was drenched and fainted on the spot,” Old Zhuang Qi shuddered as he spoke.

He described the scene plainly, but his terrified expression and trembling voice made the horror vivid to all present.

“The village head fell ill that day. His son hurried to the town to fetch a doctor and borrowed half a tael of silver from Er Mazi to buy two pieces of ginseng to prolong his father’s life.”

Hearing this, Prefect Pang and others felt a chill.

Zhao Fusheng, however, remained composed and asked Old Zhuang Qi:

“Were you present when Mancai died?”

Her calm demeanor made it seem like they were having a casual chat, not discussing a ghost case.

Old Zhuang Qi, still shaken by the eerie events, steadied himself somewhat under her influence.

“Yes, I was there.”

He explained:

“Everyone knows my cousin’s character before marriage.”

In recent years, Lady Zhuang Si’s life had been difficult. She had lost face returning to her natal home, but since reputation mattered, if the Kuai villagers slandered her, it could damage the entire Zhuang family’s honor.

“My uncle was furious when he heard of this and suspected Kuai Liang Village was taking advantage of us. He gathered a few younger men and went there.”

But they witnessed something horrifying.

“Hmph,” Zhao Fusheng made a nasal sound, then asked,

“Did you see a ghost then?”

“No,” Old Zhuang Qi’s face still showed lingering fear. He shuddered and shook his head.

“Then how do you know it’s a ghost haunting the village?” Zhao Fusheng asked.

Zhang Chuanshi nodded in agreement.

“You didn’t see a ghost. How can you be sure it’s a haunting?”

Based on Old Zhuang Qi’s account, this case could be explained as human conflict.

“Maybe Kuai Liang Village killed your cousin. You Zhuang villagers didn’t accept it, so you killed Mancai who came to warn you, and the two villages fought, covering it up by saying it’s a ghost.”

“No, no, we wouldn’t dare,” Old Zhuang Qi quickly waved his hand.

Upon hearing “murder,” he tried to sit up hastily, but the pain made him grimace. His urgency seemed genuine, not fabricated, which gave Zhao Fusheng more clarity.

She asked again,

“How do you know it’s a haunting?”

“Because after Mancai died, our village head was so scared he couldn’t get out of bed. He almost died and was only revived after his pulse was massaged back.”

Old Zhuang Qi said anxiously,

“His sons went into debt to buy rare ginseng to save him.”

He swallowed hard.

“He was on the verge of death the day before but suddenly got up the next day, saying someone was calling him to go to Kuai Liang Village.”