Chapter Eighteen: The Ghost Case in the Southern City

Chapter Eighteen

After a brief silence, Zhao Fusheng returned the scroll in her hand to the table.

Having read several files, she now had a general understanding of the Demon Subjugation Department’s methods of handling cases. Her time was running out—the vengeful ghost bound to her could lose control at any moment, and she didn’t know when the restrictions on her investigations would be lifted. In any case, she needed to resolve the matter of Beggar’s Alley as soon as possible.

With this in mind, she decided to search for the case from forty years ago first. Fan Bisi hadn’t mentioned which year of the Han Dynasty it was, but luckily, Zhao Fusheng recalled from her predecessor’s memories that it was currently the 246th year of the Han Dynasty. The first file she’d looked at described a ghost case that had occurred fifteen years prior. The case at the Temple of the Learned had taken place forty years ago, which meant it happened in the year 206 of the Han Dynasty.

This small office had once been the site of a massacre, scattering many files, but a substantial number still remained on the shelves. Zhao Fusheng casually grabbed a scroll from the middle shelf closest to the wall on the left, unrolled it, and saw the date: Han 227. She didn’t read further into the details or participants of the ghost case, simply placed the scroll back and searched the neighboring compartments.

Her goal was clear: the most urgent task was to find clues about the old case at the Temple of the Learned from forty years ago. The rest of the ghost case files could wait until her mission was completed. If she failed to return from this endeavor, then satisfying her curiosity now by reading other cases would be meaningless.

She pulled another scroll from a nearby shelf, unrolled it slightly, and found it was also from April of 227. The ghost case archives were meticulously dated, and it seemed each row of compartments contained cases from the same year. She moved down another level, and sure enough, found earlier years. Once she grasped the shelving system, Zhao Fusheng quickly located a case from the year 206 in the lower left corner of the right-hand wooden rack.

Her eyes brightened as soon as she saw the date. She slowed her pace, carefully examining each scroll for the investigator’s name and the records of the supernatural event. After about a quarter of an hour, she finally drew out a document thick with dust from among the neglected scrolls.

There were many cases from that year, evidence that the Demon Subjugation Department in Wan’an County was once quite capable. She had already reviewed about ten cases; the remaining ones were now few.

When Zhao Fusheng unfurled this scroll, she paused briefly, then continued opening it.

This time, luck was on her side.

The paper, yellowed with age, bore the inscription:

On June 15th, year 206 of the Han Dynasty, a vengeful ghost appeared at the ancestral hall of the Liu clan in the southern part of Wan’an County.

There were seven investigators.

The main officer of the Demon Subjugation Department in Wan’an County was Su Long, accompanied by five officials: He Jing, Zhao Yi, Wang Dan, Liu Cai, and Chen Shou.

These names were not unfamiliar to Zhao Fusheng. She had already read about ten files from the early years of 206, which were handled by the previous chief, but the next four were all led by Su Long.

Back then, Su Long was highly capable, having survived multiple encounters with vengeful spirits and managing to keep most of his team alive—a rare feat.

Nevertheless, Zhao Fusheng did not linger on this. When she saw the words “Liu Ancestral Hall, south of the city,” she let out a barely perceptible sigh of relief, a look of gratitude flickering across her face.

The record stated:

The Liu family in the south of Wan’an City were local nobility. Their ancestors had passed the imperial exams and held government office, amassing considerable wealth. The family’s descendants were equally accomplished, prospering and multiplying over the years.

Currently, the family patriarch was Liu Huacheng, a man known for his generosity and good deeds. He had one wife, two concubines, nine sons, and six daughters in total.

Given that the ghost case was connected to Beggar’s Alley, Zhao Fusheng read with utmost care.

The record from forty years ago stated that the main and collateral branches of the Liu clan had 103 members, with 489 servants, bringing the total number of people living on the estate—family and servants alike—to 592. In Wan’an County, this was truly a household of status and wealth.

The Liu ancestors had been astute and shrewd; after several generations, their fortune had grown steadily. By the time Liu Huacheng inherited, he had become something of a legend in Wan’an County.

Before he was born, his mother frequently dreamed of him holding a strange red ledger, wandering the long streets—a sign interpreted as supernatural. When Liu Huacheng was born, red clouds filled the sky, which the townspeople saw as an auspicious omen, believing him to be a star descended from the heavens.

Liu Huacheng was extraordinarily intelligent as a child and dedicated to his studies. He passed the provincial exams before the age of thirty, far surpassing his forebears. His father, in drunken boasts, claimed his son had the talent of a top scholar. Unfortunately, Liu Huacheng never achieved further academic honors, and at forty, after the family had purchased an official title for him, he briefly served as Assistant Magistrate of the Capital Court before inexplicably resigning and returning home.

Upon his return, Liu Huacheng took over managing the family. He was not only learned but also a shrewd businessman. Under his direction, the family’s enterprises flourished, and their wealth rivaled that of a small country. Yet, the records noted that the Liu family was not ruthless in their pursuit of riches. Every year, Liu Huacheng donated funds for public works and regularly aided the poor.

As fate would have it, the incident occurred on the day of Liu Huacheng’s sixtieth birthday. His sons had begun preparations for the banquet six months in advance. Owing to his charitable nature, the family set up tables along Wenchang Road near the ancestral hall, inviting all townsfolk—regardless of status—to eat their fill and drink in celebration.

The festivities began three days before the actual birthday, and the number of attendees was beyond counting.

But on Liu Huacheng’s birthday itself, the haunting began.

That day, six members of the Liu family perished. The vengeful ghost was exceedingly terrifying, evolving after each kill, rapidly forming a ghostly domain.

What should have been a birthday celebration turned into a funeral. Guests who came to offer their best wishes were frightened out of their wits and trapped within the ghost domain.

Because there were so many people involved, the incident escalated rapidly.

The chief of the Demon Subjugation Department at the time, Su Long, was a man of considerable skill—a master of ghost control. He had held his post in Wan’an County for only a few months but had already handled several cases with exceptional results, earning quite a reputation.

After the eruption of the Liu family haunting, Liu Huacheng somehow managed to escape the ghost domain. He personally sought out help, paying a hefty price to invite both Su Long and Zhang Xiongwu to join forces.

At this point, the file drew near its end.

As Zhao Fusheng unrolled the last part of the scroll, a sense of foreboding crept over her. The document read:

When we entered the Liu estate, we found the place already enveloped by a ghost domain—easy to enter, nearly impossible to exit.

In total, seven people entered: the Demon Subjugation team plus Zhang Xiongwu. However, only four from the bureau and Zhang Xiongwu made it out alive. Wang Dan and Chen Shou remained forever within the Liu mansion.

For this incursion, Su Long did not record how the two men triggered the ghost’s rules and died.

Regarding the vengeful spirit, the file included only these words: Headless Ghost.

The document continued:

No one could tell when the ghost would kill, or when disaster would strike. Su Long himself did not know. The ghost’s power exceeded everyone’s imagination. When a death was discovered, it happened suddenly—someone’s head would simply fall to the ground.

Su Long was filled with terror and retreated to the bureau at great cost.

After repeated pleas from the Liu family and the promise of immense reward, he eventually agreed to join Zhang Xiongwu once again, and together they succeeded in quelling the haunt.

The process of pacifying the ghost was not detailed by Su Long.

This chief, once renowned in Wan’an County and seen as having great potential, left a warning at the end of the file for those who came after him: the vengeful ghost in the Liu ancestral hall south of the city was of unknown grade, very likely reaching the level of Malevolence, or even Disaster.

He wrote: After this case, the ghosts I control are showing signs of losing control. If I don’t die at the hands of a vengeful spirit within a year, I’ll be claimed by the Book of Souls.

“When a person is about to die, his words are kind.”

If a future officer of the Demon Subjugation Department is reading this, then surely the ghost case in the south of the city has run amok.

Su Long’s writing grew erratic at this point:

If you are reading this record, report it to the court immediately. Do not attempt to resolve it yourself.

No one who does not control a ghost of Malevolence level or higher should set foot in the southern part of the city. Enter, and you will surely die!

…

Zhao Fusheng reached the end, her chest aching from having held her breath so long, her head throbbing from lack of oxygen. She exhaled a long, heavy breath.