Chapter Forty-Six: The Ghost's Property

Chapter Forty-Six

Zhao Fusheng asked, “What’s the reason?”

Liu Yizhen replied, “I’m not clear on the exact process of the headless ghost’s killing, but my grandfather once told me, the higher the rank of the ghost one controls, the easier it is to lose control and die. That general was already on the verge of losing control; the appearance of the headless ghost indirectly caused the ghost he possessed to go berserk ahead of time and killed him.”

He paused, then casually added, “The ranking of ghosts isn’t just based on their domain and strength; the court has other considerations. For example, the ghost the gold-ranked general controlled was classified as Calamity-level, not only for its own power, but also because it possessed a peerless cursed artifact.”

In other words: ghosts can possess artifacts.

“Ghosts have possessions?” Zhao Fusheng asked.

Her question sounded odd, which made Liu Yizhen’s mouth twitch twice. He wanted to refute her, but found her words reasonable, so he nodded, “Yes.”

“What kind of cursed artifact?” Zhao Fusheng pressed.

Liu Yizhen answered honestly, “My grandfather said it was either a boat or a carriage, he wasn’t sure. Just that once caught by this ghost, whether human or ghost, it’s impossible to escape. Other ghosts avoid it.”

Zhao Fusheng was intrigued by the ghost once controlled by the gold-ranked general. She asked, “After the general died, the ghost must have revived. How was it resolved?”

“There’s plenty of talent in the court, and the incident happened in the imperial capital. Someone handled it. The revived ghost was probably sealed, and its artifact may be hidden in the headquarters of the Demon Suppression Bureau in the capital, guarded by specialists.”

This answer was rather vague.

But Liu Yizhen was young, barely twenty, so it was only natural he knew little about events from decades ago.

What caught Zhao Fusheng’s attention was how often he mentioned, “I heard from my grandfather.”

She had already started calculating in her mind, smiling as she pressed, “Your grandfather seems to know a lot.”

Liu Yizhen’s expression didn’t change, but he took a deep breath.

Zhao Fusheng smiled and asked, “You know plenty of secrets, your grandfather knows even more, you’ve both been involved with the charity at the Confucius Temple for years, and you know about the ghost disaster from back then. Who exactly is your grandfather?”

She refocused her attention on Liu Yizhen and his family, saying, “The charity at the Confucius Temple lasted forty years, starting on the first and fifteenth, then every day—”

She stopped for a moment, a wave of disgust rising in her heart.

Charity should have been a good deed. She first heard of the ghost disaster in Beggar’s Alley from the Fan brothers, then Zhang the paper man mentioned it, and later Liu Wu, who drove her carriage—everyone praised the Liu family’s benevolence.

But behind the charity lay blood-stained deaths.

The Liu family gave money, but those who drank the temple’s porridge were destined to die at the hands of vengeful ghosts. The good deed became hidden malice, and people were kept in the dark.

From the initial first and fifteenth to daily charity, it all indicated the frequency of ghost killings.

If Beggar’s Alley’s ghost isn’t eliminated, once the charity ghost advances, countless lives will be lost.

The Han Dynasty is rife with vengeful ghosts, and human life is like grass.

When Fan Bisi first said this, she didn’t take it seriously, but now she understood the weight.

Suppressing her revulsion, Zhao Fusheng continued, “To support such prolonged ‘charity’ must have required enormous funds—”

“It was half of the Liu family’s assets,” Liu Yizhen, surprised by her sarcastic tone, raised an eyebrow and answered.

Zhao Fusheng was startled.

She had expected it, but Liu Yizhen’s words still shocked her, “Liu Huacheng spent half his family’s fortune to recruit Su Long and Zhang Xiongwu, and if the other half funded the temple charity, then the Liu family back then…”

“After the ghost disaster, the family split and the remaining members scattered,” Liu Yizhen replied calmly.

At this point, he seemed ready to reveal everything, “Before leaving, the patriarch distributed his personal savings among his relatives. The rest of the Liu family’s wealth was liquidated. Beggar’s Alley, once the ancestral home, was donated to build the Confucius Temple.”

With this in mind, Zhao Fusheng went on, “So the person who took over as temple keeper must have been one of Liu Huacheng’s sons?” She considered, then thought it unlikely.

At the time of the ghost disaster, Liu Huacheng was already sixty. People married early back then, so his eldest son would probably have had children himself.

She quickly added,

“—Or a grandson?”

“No.”

Liu Yizhen finally turned to her, looking meaningfully.

Zhao Fusheng’s gaze changed instantly. She thought of a possibility, and Liu Yizhen curled his lips, saying, “The one who stayed was the Liu family patriarch, Liu Huacheng.”

The young man watched Zhao Fusheng’s face turn complicated.

She wasn’t particularly shocked, as if she’d already guessed—so clever.

Liu Huacheng was a part of Su Long’s plan.

The headless ghost appeared in Wan’an County because of him. He carried an imperial mandate and couldn’t escape.

With half the family fortune at stake, and the serious responsibility of the temple, he couldn’t trust anyone else, so he stayed to manage it himself.

After all, no one in this world could resist such wealth. Only Liu Huacheng could carry out the plan perfectly.

After that, there was no longer the former imperial inspector, nor the Liu family patriarch, only an old temple keeper in Beggar’s Alley’s Confucius Temple.

“My father was young, and the uncles were busy fleeing for their lives, so no one cared about him.”

The situation was chaotic. The Liu juniors blamed Liu Huacheng for the ghost disaster, but his authority was so great they dared not speak out.

They knew nothing of Su Long’s plan, believing Liu Huacheng spent his wealth to quell the disaster, resenting their father deeply. When fleeing, they argued and refused to take Liu Huacheng’s youngest son.

“My grandfather had no choice but to take my father with him.”

Liu Yizhen didn’t elaborate on his father’s story, only mentioned briefly, “But my father was sickly and died before thirty, leaving me and my grandfather alone.”

The truth was clear.

Yet Zhao Fusheng still had doubts.

In the 206th year of Han, Liu Huacheng was already sixty. According to Liu Yizhen, his grandfather just died last month, meaning Liu Huacheng lived to a hundred!

That age was extraordinary.

If Liu Huacheng lived to a hundred, he must have had longevity genes. Why did his son die before thirty?

Even so, to live to ninety-seven or ninety-eight would be remarkable, but a hundred and one was not unheard of. Why exactly a hundred?

Did Su Long’s plan involve some hidden mechanism in the temple, changing Liu Huacheng’s fate?

Thinking this, she stepped past Liu Yizhen, intent on entering the temple.

“What are you doing?”

Liu Yizhen’s expression changed, reaching to stop her.

His action made Zhao Fusheng laugh.

She calmly pushed his arm aside, smiling, “Your grandfather wasn’t buried, was he? Are there three ghosts in the temple now?”

Liu Yizhen looked speechless, as if thinking, ‘You know, yet you still dare to go in.’

“I want to take a look,” Zhao Fusheng said.

“No!”

For once, the usually cooperative Liu Yizhen was unexpectedly forceful, his expression stern, “I won’t hide it anymore. My grandfather is still in the temple. If you go in, you’ll disturb him and bring disaster.”

“What disaster? Is it really that bad?”

Zhao Fusheng understood his warning.

The headless ghost, upon revival, was able to kill a gold-ranked general in the capital. Even though its power was later reduced, if Liu Huacheng’s ghost revived and suppressed it, Liu Huacheng must have become a terrifying ghost himself.

She recalled the Demon Suppression Bureau’s records of Liu Huacheng’s life.

At the time, she wondered why Su Long, in recording the South City ghost case, didn’t mention the ghost’s killing method or sealing process, but instead detailed Liu Huacheng’s background, even events before his birth.

Thinking back now, she understood Su Long’s intention to warn future generations.

The case file noted: Liu Huacheng was extraordinary from birth. While his mother was pregnant, she dreamed repeatedly of him holding a strange red register, wandering the long streets, very mysterious.

At his birth, there were unusual celestial phenomena, and red clouds lingered, which the people of Wan’an County considered auspicious.

If Zhao Fusheng had read the file for the first time, she might have dismissed this.

Throughout history, those who leave traces behind are often written about with embellishments, colored by the writer’s perspective, praise or slander, shaping their legacy.

She was used to such tales.

The impression left by these biographies depends on the writer’s status and pen.

When Su Long detailed Liu Huacheng’s background, Zhao Fusheng had cynically guessed it was because Liu Huacheng paid him.

Though Su Long was a ghost-handler and commander of the Demon Suppression Bureau, Liu Huacheng’s generosity might have bought him praise.

But now, piecing together the clues, Zhao Fusheng realized Su Long’s true intent.

Pretending to be ignorant, she said, “I don’t believe it. I must see for myself—”

“No!”

Liu Yizhen’s face changed, his eyes cold with murderous intent, ready to fight her.

He lived among ghosts, but was not a ghost-handler.

Knowing she controlled ghosts, he still dared to confront her—meaning Liu Yizhen had confidence, or ability, to suppress a ghost-handler.

But what was his leverage?

Could it be…

“The Red Register—”

She murmured, meaning, “The charity ledger your grandfather left… the Life Ledger?”

Liu Yizhen had no way to hide things from her quick wit, so he nodded, “Yes.”

He softened his expression and tone, “Ghosts can possess cursed artifacts. The Life Ledger has become a peerless cursed artifact—” He hesitated, then added, “And it has the potential to grow. My grandfather absolutely must not be disturbed.”

Now that everything was said, he didn’t hide anything, “Fusheng, if you enter the temple, you might awaken the ghost. Once my grandfather revives, he’ll seek the Life Ledger—”

He finally showed his headache, “If he gets it, all of Wan’an County could be swallowed into a ghost domain!”

The charity ghost’s ghost domain covered Beggar’s Alley.

Beggar’s Alley was already large, but in Wan’an County, it was just a corner of the southern city.

Yet Liu Yizhen said, if Liu Huacheng revived as a ghost, his domain could cover the whole county—Zhao Fusheng’s face changed, and she shrank her head, “I can’t afford to provoke this!”

She was meticulous and daring, but now, she knew better than to confront such a powerful ghost.

Seeing her back down, Liu Yizhen was speechless.

He had really feared Zhao Fusheng’s recklessness.

After all, she had a roguish air, fearless of death, with a penchant for courting disaster.

When she first entered Beggar’s Alley, she stirred up trouble, searching for opportunities while others hid indoors in fear of the ghost.

When the ghost killed, everyone cowered, terrified of being seen, but she boldly tracked the ghost.

Her behavior was hard to describe. When she tried to rush into the temple, Liu Yizhen truly feared she’d ignore all warnings and cause catastrophe—especially since her name was written in the Life Ledger, so her urge to stir things up was understandable.

But now, seeing her remain rational, Liu Yizhen felt a weight lift from his heart.

He quickly realized he was being led by her, which gave him another headache.

“You just want to see the charity ghost? How about, how about you stand at the door and take a look—”

He was afraid Zhao Fusheng would break the rules, so he quickly compromised, “With the ghost lantern extinguished, you can see the shrine from the doorway. It’s worshipped there.”

Liu Yizhen’s attitude was a subtle concession, and Zhao Fusheng smiled, “Yizhen, this is much better.”

She said, “I can’t handle two major ghosts right now. But I must find a way to resolve Beggar’s Alley’s ghost disaster. Whether it’s hidden in the temple or uses this place as an entrance, I need to see for myself, don’t you agree—”

She was being cheeky, and Liu Yizhen finally rolled his eyes in exasperation.

“Hahaha!” Zhao Fusheng burst out laughing.

(End of chapter)