Chapter 99: Business Trip for an Investigation

Chapter 99

"Brother—"

Fan Wujiu had originally hoped that his brother would return to help him plead for mercy, but to his surprise, Fan Bisi had agreed immediately.

Fan Bisi did not look at him. Seeing that Zhao Fusheng had already turned her head away, he used his eyes to suppress his brother, signaling him to drag the messenger from Bao County away.

Once they were out of the room, Fan Wujiu, who had been holding back for a long time, finally couldn't help but burst out:

"Big brother, have you lost your mind? How could you agree to go to Bao County with Fusheng?"

Those are two ghosts!

Even Deputy Commander Zheng, who had always seemed omnipotent in the eyes of the two brothers, didn't dare to take action. How could Zhao Fusheng dare to take on such a mess?

"Fusheng is truly insane—"

Before he could finish, Fan Bisi clamped his hand around his throat.

"B-big brother, let, let, let go!"

"I think you're the one who has lost your mind."

Fan Bisi shook his head, slowly releasing his brother. With a tone of frustration, he said:

"We have no choice now, other than to trust Fusheng."

After speaking, he glanced at his brother and reminded him:

"We were the ones who shifted the disaster."

When all was said and done, they were the ones who had sown the seeds of this trouble. By listening to Paper-Man Zhang’s scheme to "shift the disaster," they had brought about the current situation.

Although they were only acting to save their own lives, the fact that Zhao Fusheng and her family had been harmed by them, and that the two of them were still alive, was already a very fortunate outcome.

"Although the Commander speaks directly, her way of acting reminds me of—" Fan Bisi’s eyes showed a hint of nostalgia: "I don't know why she is willing to clean up the ghost disaster in Bao County; perhaps it is—" He hesitated for a moment, "Conscience? Responsibility?"

As soon as he said these words, even he couldn't help but smile:

"Regardless, she did not stand by and watch. Moreover, a cunning, petty man like Old Zhang has managed to keep his life while traveling with her, which shows she is not someone who refuses to help those in need."

Fan Bisi urged his brother:

"Get some rest. Don't think too much. This is just how the world is; we have no room to choose."

Back when the two of them were powerful, the family of three, the Zhao family, had no choice, and now, the two brothers had none either.

"..." Fan Wujiu clutched his neck with a mournful expression, saying nothing.

After a long while, the man from Bao County, who had been listening intently from the side, spoke timidly:

"Two brothers, where is the doctor?"

He had seen the two Fans start talking as soon as they left the room. Terrified by Zhao Fusheng, he hadn't dared to make a sound, standing quietly to the side for a long time. But as the brothers grew more animated, his wounds became excruciating, and he was bleeding incessantly. Seeing the two finally quiet down, he mustered the courage to break the silence.

Fan Bisi only then remembered there was someone else beside them. He sighed, looked at the man with impatience—no longer showing the gentleness he had for his brother—and said harshly:

"Let's go!"

...

Once the Fan brothers left with the Bao County messenger and Zhao Fusheng was left alone in the room, she finally relaxed her body and leaned back into her chair.

She stared toward the door, deep in thought for a moment.

There were definitely hidden secrets involving the Fan brothers. When she recorded the Ghost Carriage Case, she had hidden one clue: the roster on the Ghost Carriage could not record the names of the two Fans.

Why was that?

Why would Zhao Duan, the Commander of the Wan'an County Demon Suppression Bureau, have adopted such a pair of twins over a dozen years ago?

The reason she decided to bring the Fan brothers on this trip to the Bao County ghost case, besides the fact that the disaster was connected to all three of them, was that she wanted to figure out what secret these two held that allowed them, as mere mortals, to suppress a Great Omen.

Having made up her mind, Zhao Fusheng quickly focused her attention on her "Investiture of the Gods."

Since leaving the Ghost Carriage, she hadn't had a spare moment to check her gains and losses from this ghost disaster.

After finishing the Dog-Head Village ghost case, she had 986 points of merit remaining. However, after the Ghost Carriage case, a large amount had been deducted, leaving her with 460 points.

Except for the 100 points deducted to appease the Space-Time Ghost Bell, most of the merit had been consumed during the moment she resisted the Ghost Carriage. The remaining 6 points were used to heal the damage to her hands from grabbing the bell and to soothe the reviving ghost hand.

Although the Ghost Carriage case had cost Zhao Fusheng more than half of her merit, she was overall satisfied.

She had lost a substitute paper doll she had just obtained, but she had brought the Ghost Carriage to a halt, temporarily eliminated the crisis regarding her soul-life book, and obtained a space-time bell—though it was temporarily useless to her, she hadn't suffered a loss.

After reviewing her gains, Zhao Fusheng stood up and headed back to her room.

She had decided to head to Bao County. Although she now possessed the Investiture of the Gods and had a certain degree of confidence in handling cases, every moment spent dealing with ghosts was a battle for her life; she could not afford the slightest negligence.

Before setting off, she needed to conserve her energy and face the evil ghost in the best possible condition.

Zhao Fusheng slept exceptionally well. When she was awakened by Fan Bisi’s knocking, all the fatigue from a night of sleeplessness had vanished.

"The blood on Gu Jiansheng’s face has stopped. The doctor says he will recover in half a month, though it will leave a scar," Fan Bisi reported. "Wujiu and I have nothing to pack; if we need anything, we can just ask for it once we reach Bao County."

Zhao Fusheng was going to help clean up the aftermath, and given her success rate in handling ghost cases, even if Deputy Commander Zheng of Bao County had to greet her on his knees, it wouldn't be excessive.

"We have prepared a carriage. If we take the official road, it will take at most three hours. We can reach the Demon Suppression Bureau’s office before dark."

"Let's go," Zhao Fusheng nodded.

Fan Bisi hesitated: "Does the Commander need to bring anything?"

She shook her head: "As you said, everything can be prepared in Bao County. There is nothing to bring."

Fan Bisi said no more.

When the two of them came out to the main hall, they saw County Magistrate Pang and the others waiting there. When they saw Zhao Fusheng, everyone looked as if they had something to say but held back, their expressions pitiful and at a loss.

"Why are you all here?" Zhao Fusheng asked curiously.

The gentry member Yu Weide and the others were not young. Because Zhao Fusheng had gone missing last night, these old men hadn't slept a wink, and yet here they were again, waiting expectantly.

She knew exactly why they were there, but she feigned ignorance.

"Commander, are you really going to Bao County?" Magistrate Pang was the most panicked of them all.

He had developed large blisters on his lips due to the anxiety and fear of last night. After resting for half a day, the blisters hadn't faded, and he had been woken up in a panic by his secretary, who said that the servants of the Demon Suppression Bureau had brought news that Zhao Fusheng was going to Bao County to handle a ghost case and would be leaving in the afternoon.

This news was like a bolt from the blue for Magistrate Pang.

The imperial court had strict constraints on local Demon Suppression Bureaus and equally strict laws for officials. Officials were not allowed to leave their posts without imperial orders; violators would have their assets seized and be imprisoned, suffering horrific torture.

This law existed to deter officials from fleeing local ghost disasters—which was why Magistrate Pang, even knowing the imperial court had abandoned Wan'an County, had not dared to flee privately.

Ever since Zhao Qiming died, Magistrate Pang had been living in fear for months. Just as he thought he was doomed, Zhao Fusheng’s unexpected appearance gave everyone in the county a glimmer of hope.

Because of this, Magistrate Pang treated her with extreme respect, terrified of serving her poorly.

Now that Zhao Fusheng was going to Bao County, the servants saw it as just a case, but Magistrate Pang, who understood the soul-life book system of the Demon Suppression Bureau, saw a deeper worry: Zhao Fusheng was breaking the law regarding Commanders not leaving their posts.

Once the law was broken, one would suffer the backlash of the ghost charms.

Given this rule, no local Commander would dare break it unless they had gone insane. And yet, Zhao Fusheng was leaving Wan'an County!

She clearly wasn't insane. The only possibility was that she had broken free from the constraints of the soul-life book.

This consequence was something Magistrate Pang could not bear. Once Zhao Fusheng was no longer bound, she could leave at any time, and Wan'an County, having had a brief moment of peace and security, would likely lose it all over again.

Thinking of this, Magistrate Pang nearly fainted with his eyes open.

"Commander—oh, Commander—my dear Commander—"

An old man wept, his tears and snot flowing, as if he were mourning his own parents.

"Is it really that serious..." Zhang Chuanshi asked, holding his soul-life book, somewhat puzzled.

"Shut up!"

For the first time, Magistrate Pang lost his scholarly composure, glaring and snapping at the old man: "You don't understand. If you did, you'd be crying even harder than I am."

"I—" Zhang Chuanshi was offended and was about to retort, but Zhao Fusheng interrupted them:

"Enough."

Once she spoke, no one dared to say another word. Magistrate Pang was heartbroken. Zhao Fusheng recalled that since her rebirth, her relationship with this old magistrate had been harmonious, with no overt conflicts. Since she would have to deal with him in the future and he was helpful in getting things done, she didn't want him to panic, so she said:

"I am just going to Bao County for a business trip. I'll be back in two or three days, maybe five at most. What is there to cry about?"

Her words stunned Magistrate Pang. Once he realized what she meant, his eyes lit up, and he didn't even bother to wipe his tears as he asked:

"Does the Commander mean you are coming back?"

Zhang Chuanshi, standing to the side, was also stunned, then his expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly stood up from his chair.

He only then realized that Zhao Fusheng could leave Wan'an County, which meant she had escaped the restrictions of the soul-life book. And if she left Wan'an County, she could go anywhere in the world.

The Wan'an County Demon Suppression Bureau could not afford to lose Zhao Fusheng’s protection. He had been tricked into the Wan'an County Demon Suppression Bureau; if Zhao Fusheng left, there would be no protection from a Commander, and if a ghost disaster appeared, the other messengers would essentially be waiting for death.

That wouldn't do!

Now it was Zhang Chuanshi’s turn to be anxious. He opened his mouth, his lidless eyes wide, and was about to howl—

Zhao Fusheng gave him a warning look:

"Of course I am coming back."

Her words brought a great sense of relief to Magistrate Pang and the others. Even the Fan brothers, who had been silent, unclenched their tightly gripped fists, their faces showing smiles.

"This is my home. I will not leave."

Moreover, she possessed the Investiture of the Gods and needed to unlock more divine positions and open the gates of Hell using merit.

Wan'an County had Ghost Fog, and its presence would cause the probability of ghost disasters to skyrocket. For Zhao Fusheng, this was a natural paradise; how could she bear to leave?

Furthermore, this was the place where she was reborn. Although she was initially forced to take on this mess, seeing everything around her gradually get on the right track through her efforts gave her a sense of protectiveness toward Wan'an County. She couldn't think of any reason to leave.

Plus, here, all resources were at her disposal, and she didn't have to be constrained by the imperial court; she was essentially a local warlord with absolute power. Naturally, she wouldn't easily give that up.

"Rest assured, I won't leave here," she promised.

Magistrate Pang and the others were truly at ease now.

Yu Weide’s tight heartstrings loosened, and he grinned, then added worriedly:

"But is this trip dangerous for the Commander?"

The old gentry member’s words made everyone’s heart sink again.

"Is there any ghost case that isn't dangerous?" Zhao Fusheng replied calmly. She couldn't guarantee 100% safety, "But I have my own ways of staying alive. If it really comes down to it, we will just return while keeping ourselves safe."

"We?" Fan Bisi turned to look at his brother when he heard this, only to see that his usually dim-witted brother also seemed to have caught the implication.

The two brothers felt a secret joy, and their anxious hearts relaxed a little.

"Alright, no more delays. Prepare some food for the road, and we shall depart now." Zhao Fusheng stopped the others from saying anything more. Once she had made up her mind, no one could dissuade her, so they could only see her off with worry.

Before she left, Zhang Chuanshi looked at the Fan brothers with an unusually complex expression. He was worried that the three of them would never return, leaving him alone in Wan'an County, yet he was also relieved that he wouldn't have to risk facing the two terrifying ghosts this time.

In this conflicted state of mind, he watched the carriage depart.

In the carriage, the expressions of the Fan brothers were also quite complex. According to the rules, the brothers were not supposed to leave the territory of Wan'an County, but before departing, Zhao Fusheng had temporarily removed their names from their soul-life books and handed them over, allowing them to leave briefly.

Thinking back to over half a month ago, the two had tried every means to get Zhao Fusheng to release their soul-life books but had never succeeded; now, their names had been retrieved without any effort, yet the two brothers couldn't feel happy at all.

"The trip to Bao County will be quick, and the official road is much easier than the village paths. The Commander didn't sleep last night, so you should rest for a while," Fan Bisi said, suppressing his complex emotions.

She nodded and glanced at the Bao County messenger huddled in the corner. His face was wrapped in linen bandages for his wounds, leaving only his eyes, nose, and lips exposed, looking exceptionally comical.

This man’s name was Gu Jiansheng. He was a low-ranking messenger in Bao County, much like the Fans had been, who had heard of Deputy Commander Zheng’s reputation and gone to join him.

Seeing Zhao Fusheng looking at him, he grew panicked and fearful, his eyes darting around constantly, looking toward the Fan brothers for help.

Only when Zhao Fusheng closed her eyes to rest did he let out a long sigh of relief.

*Whoosh—*

His breath was only half out when he saw Zhao Fusheng, who had just closed her eyes, open them again and stare at him.

The breath choked in his throat, and he was so scared that he held it in tightly, causing a large amount of snot to spray from his nostrils.

Zhao Fusheng couldn't help but laugh.

Seeing her laugh, the Fan brothers realized it was her prank.

Faced with a ghost disaster caused by two ghosts, Zhao Fusheng still had the mood to tease someone; it was clear that even if she didn't have 100% certainty, she at least had the confidence to survive.

Both men felt their hearts lighten, and the stifling atmosphere in the carriage eased significantly.