Chapter Forty-Three: The Terrifying Truth

Chapter Forty-Three

Liu Yizhen’s reaction was somewhat unexpected for Zhao Fusheng. Entering the Demon Suppression Bureau meant his name would be registered in the Soul Ledger, leaving him trapped in Wan’an County with no escape.

As a descendant of the Liu clan, Liu Yizhen was clearly familiar with the workings of the Bureau. Yet the moment Zhao Fusheng made her request, he agreed without hesitation—something that defied reason.

People rarely act without motive. Joining an organization like the Demon Suppression Bureau is usually driven by personal gain, or, as in Zhang Chuan’s case, by coercion, with compromise as the only way out. But neither scenario applied to Liu Yizhen.

He lived among ghosts, holding his own Death Ledger, surviving in the ghost domain for so long—clearly, he had his methods.

The abnormal is always suspicious—

Zhao Fusheng regarded him with half suspicion, though she feigned indifference. “It's nothing,” she said, pinching the jade book and smiling. “You can add your name to the Soul Ledger for now. Once your business here is settled, just come to the Bureau to report to me.”

Her real aim was to use the Soul Ledger to restrain the Death Ledger. Whether Liu Yizhen would truly serve the Bureau was a matter for later. For now, getting him in was what mattered.

“Alright,” Liu Yizhen answered without a second thought.

Things were going far too smoothly.

Zhao Fusheng frowned. Liu Yizhen was no fool—in fact, he seemed exceptionally shrewd. After the incident in Beggar's Alley, he had stayed here more than a month without trouble, showing courage and experience in dealing with ghosts.

He should know how dreadful vengeful spirits could be, and what consequences joining the Bureau entailed. Zhao Fusheng had expected to spend considerable effort persuading him to add his name to the Soul Ledger, even preparing to threaten or entice him, yet he agreed instantly.

His swift acceptance made Zhao Fusheng suspect he was merely humoring her.

“—But not right now,” Liu Yizhen continued.

That, at least, made sense.

Zhao Fusheng, holding the Soul Ledger, laughed and asked, “When do you think is the right time?”

“After the matter in Beggar’s Alley is resolved,” Liu Yizhen said calmly, meeting her gaze. “You wield the Soul Ledger, so your identity is certain. But you claim to command a vengeful spirit—your true strength remains unproven.”

He spoke plainly: “We are in the ghost domain. Now that you’re on the vengeful spirit’s list, whether you can escape this disaster is uncertain. I won’t risk my future just yet.”

His meaning was simple: Zhao Fusheng must demonstrate her ability to handle the ghost calamity, enough to earn his trust, before he would commit to the Bureau.

If Zhao Fusheng died in Beggar’s Alley, their agreement would naturally dissolve.

After speaking, he glanced at Zhao Fusheng again. “Don’t worry. Since I’ve agreed, I won’t go back on my word.”

Zhao Fusheng considered briefly, then swiftly put away the ledger. “Very well.”

She was a keen judge of character, and saw at once that Liu Yizhen was resolute, not one to be easily threatened or forced into compromise.

Though she indeed commanded a vengeful spirit, she knew its power could only be used once—she couldn’t afford to squander it in petty contests.

With a preliminary consensus reached, Liu Yizhen said, “In that case, I won’t say more. I have matters to attend to.”

He nodded slightly to Zhao Fusheng, turned, and retreated toward the Confucian Temple.

“By the way,” he paused before stepping back into the shadows, half-turning.

Liu Yizhen’s face was half illuminated by the pallid light, the other half lost in darkness, giving Zhao Fusheng a sense of dissonance. “Do not enter the temple.”

“Are there ghosts inside?” Zhao Fusheng played with the Soul Ledger, asking casually, “How many?”

Liu Yizhen did not reply, only smiled, then stepped across the threshold into the great hall, vanishing into the darkness.

With no one left to speak to, the temple entrance felt empty and cold.

Zhao Fusheng tucked the jade book into her collar, glanced at the Confucian Temple, and pondered for a moment.

The problem in Beggar’s Alley was serious.

She sighed.

Liu Yizhen’s repeated warnings about the temple showed how perilous it must be within. He hadn’t answered her probing question, but his silence was the clearest answer.

Zhao Fusheng rubbed her brow in frustration, her expression growing grave.

She already knew that the headless ghost corpse dissected forty years ago was sealed within the temple—this was the first ghost. Then, Su Long and Zhang Xiongwu, to suppress the revived corpse, had deliberately “invited” another ghost, creating a balance between the two. That was why the temple had remained superficially peaceful for forty years.

The one who maintained the balance was the key figure—the old temple caretaker.

He was Liu Huacheng’s trusted confidant, managing great wealth, guarding the temple for the Liu family, appeasing the ghosts.

Zhao Fusheng paid close attention to this old caretaker, knowing he held many secrets. Before his death, he must have foreseen that the ghost he “invited” would revive after he passed, so he sent his grandson to the Bureau.

The headless ghost and the vengeful spirit killing by the ledger should have kept each other in check, maintaining a perfect balance—unless the caretaker was certain the balance would break after his death.

Considering ways the balance between two vengeful spirits might be broken, Zhao Fusheng saw three possibilities:

First, the power of one ghost increases or decreases, making them unequal and disrupting the balance.

Second, the ghosts’ strength was never equal, with the caretaker’s charity tipping the scales.

Third, one ghost disappears, and the other awakens.

She dismissed the first possibility—she knew little about the origins of vengeful spirits, but advancing their rank or weakening them was no easy task; only suppression or dismemberment could do so, which was far too difficult.

The second possibility seemed very likely, but she set it aside for now.

The third was extremely unlikely—after all, vengeful spirits don’t vanish without reason. Once revived, they create their own domains, and only widespread slaughter dissolves these domains unless someone interferes.

Currently, in Wan’an County, the only one capable of interfering was herself.

Thus, she focused on the second possibility.

Yet recalling her conversation with Liu Yizhen, she realized the key to disrupting the balance was the caretaker’s death. She had asked Liu Yizhen whether his grandfather’s death had caused a vengeful spirit to revive, and whether the spirit in Beggar’s Alley was his grandfather.

His answer was unusually subtle—first “yes,” then a firm denial.

From his attitude and the state of Beggar’s Alley, another possibility emerged: the appearance of a third ghost.

After the caretaker’s death, the vengeful spirit revived. Once he became a ghost, the balance between the headless corpse and the charity ghost was swiftly broken, leading to the revival of one spirit.

Liu Yizhen had been certain: the headless ghost sealed by Su Long forty years ago could not revive. He knew this because the caretaker had already become a vengeful spirit.

He also mentioned the charity ghost was not his grandfather, so Zhao Fusheng concluded: after the caretaker’s death, he became a vengeful spirit of rank no less than fiendish, balancing the sealed headless ghost. The two formed a strange equilibrium, preventing disturbances.

Meanwhile, the charity ghost, once restrained by the headless spirit, revived and caused the disaster in Beggar’s Alley.

(This was confirmed by Liu Yizhen’s statement that the Beggar’s Alley spirit was tied to the case forty years ago but now had little connection.)

A single alley surrounding the temple hid three major ghosts!

It was this realization during her conversation with Liu Yizhen that made Zhao Fusheng’s hair stand on end.

Su Long, back then, had foreseen this. As the Bureau’s commander forty years ago, he had the power to “invite” ghosts, and perhaps he anticipated the caretaker would become a ghost after death. Thus, he repeatedly warned his successors in the Bureau: never set foot in Beggar’s Alley.

Once the ghost calamity erupted, three major ghosts would run rampant. Even one vengeful spirit was difficult enough; a weak ghost-handler entering would surely meet a fatal end.

She sighed deeply.

Zhao Fusheng, still a newcomer to the Bureau, had been thrust into this dire situation, facing a disaster-level crisis with no way out but forward.

Her only hope was to drive away the vengeful spirits, save the townspeople, earn merit, and preserve her own life.

Pressing her brow, she recalled Liu Yizhen’s warning: do not enter the temple.

He was thoughtful, his words layered with meaning.

Since he emphasized it repeatedly, it proved the temple’s strangeness.

After the caretaker’s death, the charity ghost revived in Beggar’s Alley, and the ghost domain enveloped the area. From all evidence, the caretaker’s body had not been moved.

He lived in the temple all his life and, after death, could restrain the sealed headless ghost—clearly, the caretaker remained inside the temple.

The truth was clear: at least two fiendish-level ghosts resided within the temple.

Given this, Liu Yizhen’s warning seemed all the more sincere and kind.

The thought made Zhao Fusheng laugh aloud.

A strange young man who proposed solving the ghost calamity through mass death, and yet she found him genuine and kind—her mental state was clearly in trouble.

But the temple’s problem, though daunting on the surface, was not as dire as it seemed.

Two vengeful spirits were currently sealed, and Liu Yizhen lived inside, so only the charity ghost was the immediate threat.

Unable to handle more, Zhao Fusheng decided to focus on the vengeful spirit killing by the charity list.

Even without Liu Yizhen’s advice, she would never attempt to enter the temple.

She resolved to spend time wandering Beggar’s Alley, mapping its terrain.

If she could find the charity ghost’s likely hiding place, it would be ideal.

From her observations the previous night and her conversation with Liu Yizhen, Zhao Fusheng had determined its killing method and appearance time.

It would not emerge during the day—a daytime safety zone for her.

So long as she wandered before the charity operation began, she should be safe.

Once she knew the routes, it might help her escape when confronting the vengeful spirit.

With this in mind, Zhao Fusheng looked around.

The road before the temple formed a “T” shape, with alleys on either side vanishing into the ghostly mist, and the main gate facing another path.

This was once Liu family’s private land, the mansion, though after the family left Wan’an, donating their ancestral home and shrine, the area had changed, but the basic layout remained.

But after wandering Beggar’s Alley, Zhao Fusheng found it far larger than she had imagined, with streets crisscrossing and interconnected.

A newcomer unfamiliar with the area could easily lose themselves in the maze of alleys.

After several circuits, she discovered a rule for navigation.

Though apparently chaotic, the main streets formed a square loop, with the temple at the center, like the mouth of a box, surrounded by houses and shops.

The temple was like the heart of the maze, with all paths converging around it, like stars encircling the moon.

With her vengeful spirit, her ghost lantern, and the safety of daylight, she peered into every shop and alley.

Some houses were ruined, bearing traces of ghost attacks, corpses and gore filling the air with stench; others housed living people, startled and angry at her intrusion, some bewildered.

This cost Zhao Fusheng much time, yet proved fruitless; she found nothing useful, nor sensed the ghost’s presence.

Where was the ghost hiding?

(End of Chapter)