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"Brother, do you think Zhao Fusheng is playing dumb? Or has she really gone mad?"
In the Demon Suppression Division of Wan'an County, Fan Wujiu couldn't figure out how Zhao Fusheng could suddenly utter such 'crazy talk.'
"She merely managed to control a ghost by a fluke. Before this, she didn't even know what ghosts were. How could she suddenly think of exorcising ghosts and handling ghost cases?" Fan Wujiu genuinely couldn't understand.
After Zhao Fusheng finished her grandiloquent speech, she said that since she had narrowly escaped death, she ought to wash up, change her clothes, and first deal with her parents' funeral affairs.
Therefore, she put the retrieved jadeite book back into the Ghost Life Box and asked the Fan brothers to put these things away.
After she finished speaking, while Fan Bisi's face was ashen, she slipped back into the main hall where the corpses were laid out, preparing to first pay respects to her 'parents' and then change into mourning clothes, leaving the utterly disheveled Fan brothers standing dumbstruck in the courtyard.
"Is she truly not afraid of death, or does she know she's bound to die and deliberately wants to drag us brothers down with her?"
Fan Wujiu still held the Ghost Life Box in his hands. Seeing the expression on Fan Bisi's face so dark it looked like water could drip from it, and him remaining silent for a long time, he couldn't help but call out:
"Brother..."
"Alright, say no more."
Fan Bisi was in a foul mood and interrupted his younger brother:
"Whatever she's thinking, I can be sure that she's unwilling to remove our two brothers' life-souls and let us leave Wan'an County."
"Then what should we do?" Fan Wujiu sounded a bit anxious upon hearing this:
"The ghost fog in Wan'an County is getting thicker and thicker. Once the ghost fog seals off the entire county town, it will be impossible for us to get out. We can only be trapped here waiting for death—"
"There's no way." As Fan Bisi spoke, his expression gradually calmed.
Things having come to this, whether Zhao Fusheng was retaliating against the two of them or had other plans, it currently seemed she was unwilling for everyone to part amicably.
His willpower was quite strong. Initially filled with hope only to be rejected, he could now hide the anger in his heart:
"She doesn't even understand how ghosts come about. Perhaps she presumptuously thinks that by controlling a ghost, she got carried away for a moment and actually deludes herself into thinking she can truly exercise the duties of a Division Commander and handle cases—"
Fan Bisi was still young, after all. As he spoke, he finally couldn't control the anger in his heart and let out a cold sneer, "Truly ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth."
"Dealing with ghosts is extremely dangerous. Looking at her, if she really tries to manage ghosts, I'm afraid she won't live for a month."
After saying this, he calmed down again.
"Then what do we do now?" Fan Wujiu was most obedient to his words. Seeing that he had calmed down, he couldn't help but look at the large wooden box in front of him and ask.
"Let's wait a bit longer, don't be anxious." A cold light flashed in his eyes as he said:
"When she loses control, we'll proceed according to the original plan. Find someone else with deep blessings to lure away this ghost. After resolving this hidden danger, we'll find a scapegoat to help us retrieve our life-souls."
He had always been resourceful, and his words and actions were methodical. Hearing his brother's words, Fan Wujiu's heart finally calmed down a lot. He nodded and replied:
"Okay."
"Put these things away," Fan Bisi said, suppressing his anger and instructing his younger brother.
"Okay." Just as Fan Wujiu was about to put those things away, Fan Bisi had another thought:
"Leave some of the old case files from the Demon Suppression Division, as well as some information on ghosts. Since Fusheng wants to handle cases, she should also understand these things well."
...
The two brothers made up their minds to make Zhao Fusheng back off in the face of difficulties.
Even if Zhao Fusheng at this moment hadn't heard the two brothers' calculations, she could guess Fan Bisi's intentions, but she temporarily had no time to dwell on these matters.
There was a large hole in her clothes. The ghost's claw had torn open the original Zhao Fusheng's chest, and blood had soaked her entire body. Naturally, these clothes could no longer be worn.
Based on the original Zhao Fusheng's memory, she returned to the rear side room where she was temporarily staying and found a satchel belonging to the original owner.
Inside were two brand-new sets of clothes. The Fan brothers had prepared these in advance to give to her when they were concocting their story. The original Zhao Fusheng had always been reluctant to wear them, and later died at the hands of a vengeful ghost, never having worn these clothes.
After a simple wash, she returned to the main hall.
The Fan brothers were no longer in the courtyard of the Demon Suppression Division. The main gate was wide open. The two human-skin lanterns that had been shattered last night still hung outside the gate. A gloomy wind blew through the hall, lifting the two 'Mourning' characters pasted on the door panels, making 'woo-woo' sounds.
Since the Demon Suppression Division became haunted, it had been difficult to see a living soul for several miles around. No one who wasn't tired of living dared to casually enter this haunted government office.
This was also good. The quiet environment allowed her to think properly without being disturbed.
Zhao Fusheng's parents' corpses were laid out in the main hall. She moved a prayer mat over and knelt before the two bodies.
"Although Zhao Fusheng and I are not from the same time and space, we share the same name. It's fate."
Although she still didn't understand why she could be reborn in Zhao Fusheng's body, now that she had a new life, she had to protect it well.
"I came too late and couldn't save your lives. But since I have occupied Zhao Fusheng's body, I will also fulfill her duties, bury you two elders. If there's a chance in the future, I will find a way to kill the Fan brothers and avenge your family of three," Zhao Fusheng thought to herself, then kowtowed three times seriously.
After doing all this, she sat back on the mat and began to ponder her situation and the clues she had obtained after her rebirth.
What could be ascertained so far was as follows:
She was in a dynasty called the Great Han. And this Great Han Dynasty was plagued by rampant ghost disasters, with frequent ghost incidents occurring in various places, requiring the Demon Suppression Division to suppress them.
And Zhao Fusheng belonged to the Demon Suppression Division of Wan'an County. Wan'an County was being invaded by ghost fog, and the imperial court already intended to abandon this place.
She mentally listed a comparison of her current situation. The fortunate part: she had died accidentally in her rented apartment but was lucky enough to be reincarnated through possession. The unfortunate part: the person whose soul she possessed was a ghost's thrall, her life-soul controlled by a ghost, and on top of that, she was entangled with another vengeful ghost.
This vengeful ghost had reached the Sha-rank.
Although she didn't understand the specific ranking of ghosts, and Fan Bisi had flatly denied it during her previous inquiry, the Investiture of the Gods榜 (Bǎng - list/ranking) had already given a hint. Zhao Fusheng thought it over and decided to trust the Investiture of the Gods' ranking first.
A Sha-rank vengeful ghost, on par with the vengeful ghost controlled by Jia Yi of the current imperial court's Demon Suppression Division...
"Sigh—" Zhao Fusheng couldn't help but let out a long sigh at this thought.
No matter how one looked at this situation, it was a dead end.
According to Fan Bisi, the original Zhao Fusheng's outcome was her future, merely a matter of time.
But heaven never seals off all paths. With her rebirth, she seemed to have obtained the Hell's Investiture of the Gods by a strange twist of fate.
According to the Investiture of the Gods, as long as she completed the tasks, there was still a glimmer of hope.
And the Investiture of the Gods required her to perform the duties of the Head of the Demon Suppression Division, exorcise vengeful ghosts, and protect the common people, thereby obtaining merit rewards.
Once her merit was full, she could then open a divine position, enter the hell cycle of reincarnation, and send away the vengeful ghost on her person—as for the restrictions of the Life-Soul Register, she could only find a way to solve that in the future.
Zhao Fusheng didn't know the origin of this Investiture of the Gods, but if Fan Bisi's words were true, then this Investiture of the Gods was her only way to live. She had to try it no matter what.
After making up her mind, Zhao Fusheng began to think about what she currently possessed.
The original Zhao Fusheng was a country girl, penniless.
Now, both her parents were dead, and she was alone.
She possessed the identity of the Head of the Demon Suppression Division, but the Demon Suppression Division in Wan'an County was almost completely wiped out, with only the Fan brothers remaining. And she didn't understand these twin brothers at all; currently, she only knew that there was a feud between them, and these two brothers were bent on leaving and might not listen to her commands.
Fortunately, Fan Bisi, eager for her help earlier, had revealed a key piece of information: she had the authority to handle the Life-Soul Register, and the Fan brothers would be temporarily constrained by her and couldn't leave this place.
Besides this, she also had a ghost—although unleashing this ghost's power might hasten her death, Zhao Fusheng had no choice at this point. If it became necessary, she might also use the ghost's power to temporarily stay alive.
However, the prerequisite was that she had to find a way to use the ghost's power.
The Fan brothers had said that the ghost language in the Life-Soul Register could also resist the ghost power on her. She had to keep this item close to her at all times.
...
She was accustomed to thinking things through, making a plan, and then proceeding. By the time she had listed out the procedures and details for everything she needed to do next in her mind, a long time had passed, and only then did the Fan brothers return from outside.
When the two returned and saw Zhao Fusheng kneeling in the main hall, neither of them had a pleasant expression.
"You're back just in time."
Upon seeing the two, Zhao Fusheng quickly stood up:
"My parents are dead. Their bodies can't stay in the Demon Suppression Division forever. Help me find Old Zhang from the coffin shop. Ask him to provide two coffins so my parents can be buried peacefully first."
This was her first experience in a world of vengeful ghosts, and she knew nothing about the origin of ghosts.
Influenced by past legends, the Zhao Fusheng family had met a violent end due to a ghost disaster. If Mr. and Mrs. Zhao died with grievances, it might stir up more trouble.
To avoid further complications, it was best to bury them as soon as possible.
"Coffins?" Fan Wujiu turned to look at his brother. Fan Bisi shook his head:
"No money."
"What?"
Zhao Fusheng couldn't quite believe her ears, not expecting to get such an answer from Fan Bisi:
"How can the Demon Suppression Division have no money?" She looked at the two brothers with some suspicion.
According to Fan Bisi, the Demon Suppression Division's status was extraordinary. Before its decline, it should have been a powerful entity. How could it have no money?
"It's true." Seeing the doubt in her eyes, Fan Bisi said seriously:
"The Demon Suppression Division's income sources are, one, from the imperial court's salary; two, from collecting taxes and tributes from tenant farmers; and three, from protection fees paid by wealthy households and officials. But Wan'an County hasn't been peaceful these past two years. Many who could move have already found ways to leave this place. Those who remain are those with nowhere else to go."
After the ghost fog arose, the imperial court abandoned Wan'an County. The county was currently in a state of self-sufficiency.
"After the vengeful ghost lost control, you saw the situation. The tax collectors from before have long since run off." After he finished speaking, his tone changed:
"In my opinion, this Demon Suppression Division is just an empty shell. Why don't we all just disband? Fusheng, be kind and let my brother and me leave. In return, for your parents' funeral, we brothers will ensure it's done properly, even if we have to lose face..."
Hearing him say this, Zhao Fusheng couldn't help but laugh.
She now understood the situation.
The Demon Suppression Division might truly have no money on the surface, but she dared to guarantee that the Fan brothers definitely had private assets.
The reason they were unwilling to take it out was clearly to deliberately make things difficult for her, wanting to force her to retreat.
Unfortunately, she was currently entangled by a vengeful ghost. Her only hope of survival was to rely on the Investiture of the Gods to send the ghost away. And the prerequisite for sending the ghost away was to stay in the Demon Suppression Division and acquire merit.
Until she was sure this Investiture of the Gods wasn't tricking her, she would absolutely not leave.
But although she knew Fan Bisi was making things difficult for her, she didn't immediately tear off all pretenses.
She had just arrived, and she hadn't fully figured out the details of these two. Although she 'controlled' a vengeful ghost now, she had no idea how to use this ghost's power. Most importantly, once the power of this vengeful ghost was unlocked, it might also mean her death was imminent.
Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, she wasn't prepared to use the vengeful ghost's power to force the two into submission.
And Fan Bisi might have also grasped this point about her, thus maintaining a certain measure when speaking to her.
Zhao Fusheng took a deep breath:
"I've said it, I've decided to stay in the Demon Suppression Division and cannot leave for the time being."
Her words made the Fan brothers' faces quickly darken.
Fan Bisi grinned:
"Then I'm sorry, Fusheng, there really is no money for the funeral."
The entire Zhao family of three had died because of these two. At this moment, Fan Bisi's expression ignited a blaze of anger in Zhao Fusheng's heart.
"Does the Demon Suppression Division have no savings?" she asked.
"You might not understand us well," Fan Bisi said coldly:
"We are people who live one day at a time. Even if we brothers wanted to go to Baozhi County, if we went to Baozhi County, I'm afraid we might not even live for a year or half a year."
People in the Demon Suppression Division made money fast and spent it even faster. "None of us can say for sure if we'll live past today to see tomorrow. Who would save money for others?" Fan Bisi's expression seemed to be mocking her naivety.