Chapter Thirty: The Origin of the Vengeful Spirit

Chapter Thirty

“I remember Brother Fan mentioning that the conditions for a vengeful spirit’s resurgence are extremely harsh. After death, the chances of someone turning into a vengeful spirit are actually quite low,” Zhao Fusheng voiced her doubt.

Paper Man Zhang, interrupted mid-sentence, did not seem annoyed. Instead, he nodded in agreement. “That’s right. The creation of a vengeful spirit is by no means an easy matter—” As he spoke, he could not help but sigh, his brows furrowed tightly, a trace of sorrow and unwillingness flashing in his eyes.

His exposed hand trembled for a moment before he quickly withdrew it into the wide sleeve of his black robe.

Seeing this, Zhao Fusheng knew he spoke from the heart, tinged with regret and loss. Her heart stirred.

This old man was usually sly and cunning, always putting on some kind of act. Ever since their first meeting, whether he joked, raged, or exuded murderous intent, Zhao Fusheng always felt there was a layer of insincerity to him, as if everything was a disguise. Yet now, as he spoke of the birth of vengeful spirits, a genuine emotion flickered across his face for an instant.

Paper Man Zhang quickly composed himself, his expression resuming its wooden blankness as he cast Zhao Fusheng a deep look.

“Yet, as fate would have it, this person did become a vengeful spirit after death, and what’s more, reached the level of Sha and beyond!”

He continued, offering further explanation, “You probably didn’t know much about ghost calamities before. Did Fan Bisi ever tell you that ghosts have ranks?”

Zhao Fusheng said nothing, so he furrowed his brows again. “Even so, my explanation isn’t quite right. Ghosts don’t have likes, dislikes, emotions, or consciousness, so how could they know of ranks? These gradings are things we humans—those who deal with ghosts—have come up with through experience.”

From his words, Zhao Fusheng gleaned another piece of critical information: ghosts have no feelings or preferences; perhaps their actions are entirely driven by a lust for killing and bloodshed.

“Generally speaking, while the conditions for the rebirth of vengeful spirits are harsh, the world is full of wonders—vengeful spirits will always arise. Whether it’s a wrongful death, an untimely one, or even a peaceful passing at the end of a long life, a person may become a vengeful spirit. No one can say for sure, and even the authorities haven’t found a pattern.”

Paper Man Zhang gazed at Zhao Fusheng.

His eyelids drooped, pulling down the corners of his eyes into a triangular shape. Though his gaze seemed dull and lifeless, anyone under his scrutiny could sense his presence everywhere, an unnerving feeling that made one’s skin crawl.

“But for a newly dead individual to resurrect as a vengeful spirit of Sha rank or higher—that is exceedingly rare.”

Zhao Fusheng stored his words carefully in her memory.

“When that Sha-level calamity erupted, the imperial capital was shrouded in death, and many perished.” Paper Man Zhang gave a wry smile, the folds of his face deepening. “Fortunately, it happened in the capital itself, at the feet of the emperor, in the very headquarters of the Demon Suppression Bureau. There were plenty of capable people, including many who could command vengeful spirits of Sha rank or higher.”

“In the end, everyone joined forces to subdue the spirit, and the corpse of the vengeful ghost was dismembered.”

“Can a ghost be dismembered?” Zhao Fusheng could not help but ask.

Fan Bisi had previously told her there were two methods for dealing with vengeful spirits in the Demon Suppression Bureau: driving them away or suppressing them.

Yet now, Paper Man Zhang mentioned another method—dismemberment.

“If you have the ability, even a vengeful spirit can be dismembered.” Paper Man Zhang nodded. “According to what we currently know, vengeful spirits are divided into five ranks.”

With a rustling sound, he slowly withdrew his hand from his sleeve again.

Although Zhao Fusheng had already noticed the strange, unnatural texture of his skin, seeing his pale, delicate hand once more still made her uneasy—his hands seemed far too new, completely at odds with his aged face.

This time, Paper Man Zhang did not mind her scrutiny. He even deliberately spread his fingers wide.

“Revenant, Malice, Sha, Catastrophe, Disaster.”

With each word, he curled one finger until all five were clenched into a fist.

His explanation dispelled Zhao Fusheng’s doubts; she finally had a general understanding of the hierarchy of ghosts. The vengeful spirit haunting her, ready to claim her life at any moment, was already a formidable force among ghosts.

Yet the question lingered: Did people of the Han dynasty truly have such deep knowledge of ghosts? Were there really only five ranks, as Paper Man Zhang claimed?

“How are these five ranks distinguished?” she asked involuntarily.

Paper Man Zhang gave a cold chuckle. “In this, the Demon Suppression Bureau are the real experts. There’s no point in me saying too much. You’ll have to figure it out on your own.” His tone was indifferent and detached. “If you’re lucky enough to survive and encounter different ghosts in the future, you’ll naturally come to know their ranks.”

It seemed the old man still bore a grudge over her earlier threats, deliberately keeping some things to himself.

Zhao Fusheng did not press him further.

She possessed the Investiture of the Gods, which could judge the rank of ghostly beings. But it seemed to only work after she had already interacted with a ghost, making it difficult to gather intelligence in advance.

Since Paper Man Zhang would not divulge more, she made a mental note of this.

After he finished speaking, that odd sense of being watched returned. Zhao Fusheng frowned, glancing around the room.

The chamber was filled with countless sheets of “human skin parchment.” Besides the two of them, there seemed to be no one else present, yet those prying eyes felt omnipresent, their source unknown.

Seeing her look about, Paper Man Zhang curled his lips in a faint smile. He did not pursue her questions any further, instead steering the conversation back on track.

“The higher a ghost’s rank, the harder it is to handle. Conversely, the more powerful a spirit someone commands, the more likely they are to lose control and die young.”

Suppressing her discomfort at being watched, Zhao Fusheng replied, “And ghosts do not die. That way, the balance is lost.”

Paper Man Zhang nodded. “But people, after all, are people. Unlike ghosts, we can think, cooperate, and exercise reason. Long before the Han dynasty, it was discovered that ghosts, though they cannot be truly destroyed, can be dismembered. This reduces their rank and suppresses their power.”

A fully intact vengeful spirit is a terrifying force, capable of widespread slaughter. But once dismembered, its destructive power is drastically reduced, and its abilities greatly diminished.

“The ghost in the imperial capital was dealt with in this way.”

After all this, he finally returned to the matter of Liu Huacheng’s ghost calamity.

“Once dismembered, part of the ghost’s corpse was suppressed within the capital, while the rest was taken elsewhere.”

“Did the Liu family take it back to Wan’an County?” Zhao Fusheng asked.

“Yes.” Paper Man Zhang, though he hadn’t dealt with her long, had begun to discern her character.

She was nothing like he’d first imagined: smart, observant, adaptable, but also capable of ruthless decisiveness when the situation demanded it.

The Fan brothers had miscalculated. Instead of diverting disaster elsewhere, they may have brought it right back upon themselves.

He sneered inwardly, then continued, “This whole affair began with Liu Huacheng, and in the end, it turned into a ghost calamity. Many died, and the Demon Suppression Bureau suffered as well—a Gold General who commanded a Catastrophe-rank vengeful spirit was killed.”

At this, Zhao Fusheng could easily imagine the disaster that must have struck the capital.

Fan Bisi had told her that if a spirit handler of the Bureau died an unnatural death, the vengeful spirit they commanded would inevitably go berserk and cause a new ghost calamity—a vicious cycle.

One disaster after another, never-ending.

To think she’d been reborn into such a world, now bound to the Demon Suppression Bureau, likely to encounter such catastrophes herself in the future—the thought made her vision go black. She couldn’t help but sigh deeply.

“Ah—damn it all.”