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A mottled, unfamiliar alley appeared before Zhao Fusheng's eyes. The street was uneven, covered with thick, brown bloodstains. The not-yet-dried blood flowed along the edges of the street into the gutters connected to the houses on both sides.
Both sides of the alley were densely packed with low, flat houses, many of which were already dilapidated. Broken wall sections, mixed with mud and sand, along with pieces of flesh, had collapsed, revealing decomposed corpses within.
Immediately, a strong smell of blood, mixed with feces, filth, and putrid odors, assailed her, stinging Zhao Fusheng's eyes until she could barely open them. She inhaled sharply and unexpectedly, immediately feeling dizzy and nauseous, on the verge of vomiting. Zhao Fusheng quickly held her breath, only managing to suppress the churning sensation in her chest after a long moment.
However, stimulated by this stench, Zhao Fusheng's fear and tension were largely dispelled. She quickly covered her nose with her hand and turned to scan her surroundings.
The sky within the Ghost Realm was not yet dark. The empty street seemed to be shrouded in a long-standing, persistent gloom, with no one in sight. But she could sense that people were hiding there. Zhao Fusheng's gaze swept across the houses on both sides of the alley, noting that most of the still relatively intact houses had their doors and windows tightly shut. Yet, through the cracks in the doorboards, countless eyes seemed to be secretly watching her, as if trying to ascertain her identity and guess her intentions.
There are still living people in Beggar's Alley!
Zhao Fusheng's heart swelled with joy. She didn't know why these people were hiding in their houses, but she could feel that this street was still relatively 'clean' for now. Affected by the Ghost Realm, the atmosphere here was oppressive, and shattered corpses were visible everywhere. For Zhao Fusheng, both her sight and smell were assaulted, as if she had abruptly trespassed into a living hell.
However, based on the perception granted to her after controlling the malevolent spirit, she didn't sense the presence of any ghosts at this moment. This meant that the malevolent spirit hadn't revealed itself yet. Since the malevolent spirit hadn't appeared, Zhao Fusheng decided to first observe her surroundings and assess her current environment.
Her sudden appearance caused many people in Beggar's Alley to secretly watch her. Zhao Fusheng felt a little uncomfortable under these surreptitious gazes. She forced herself to ignore these stares as much as possible and turned her attention to the distance.
This Beggar's Alley was larger than she had imagined. Streets and alleys crisscrossed, and though it was called a 'street', she looked out and saw dense rows of houses, making the entire Beggar's Alley appear as large as a mountain village. The light was somewhat dim, like late evening, around six or seven o'clock outside, with the evening glow on the horizon enveloped by night. The surroundings were quiet and dark. Under the dim sky, layered rooftops were faintly visible, like mountains in an ink wash painting, spreading outwards.
But in that darkness, a temple rose majestically, towering over the cluster of low, flat houses that surrounded and embraced it, standing out like a crane among chickens, exceptionally eye-catching. The temple was at least seventy or eighty feet tall, constructed with multiple levels. Each level's eaves soared into the clouds, like eagles spreading their wings, ready to take flight.
This temple was built magnificently and grandly, no less impressive than the famous temples and ancient shrines Zhao Fusheng had seen in her previous life. The surrounding low, flat houses clustered around it, making the temple appear even more imposing.
But what struck Zhao Fusheng and somewhat surprised her was not the temple's exterior, but the fact that while everything around it was dim and lightless, this temple alone had a conspicuously lit lantern on each of its levels. Even though it was located within the Ghost Realm and the ghost disaster had long since occurred, the lanterns beneath this temple were all lit, illuminating the temple brightly and dazzlingly in the dim light, appearing like a shining pearl in the dark night from afar.
Under the light, one could see the temple's carved beams and painted pillars. Although the original wooden paint had peeled due to the passage of time, showing signs of wear, the intricate carvings still revealed the temple's extraordinary grandeur in its heyday. Under the illumination of the lights, the temple appeared to have blue plaques hanging on all four sides. One plaque directly faced Zhao Fusheng's direction, bearing three gilded characters: Confucian Temple.
This was the purpose of her trip, and also the former Liu Clan Ancestral Shrine that had been haunted! Although Zhao Fusheng had learned of the Liu family's past wealth from the Fan Bisi brothers, the Demon Suppression Division's files, and Liu Wu's accounts, it was only when she actually witnessed such a Confucian Temple that she truly gained a clear understanding of Wan'an County's former prominent family.
Yet, such a once glorious Liu family had disintegrated due to a ghost disaster.
"..." Zhao Fusheng's heart tightened, then her attention settled on the Confucian Temple for a long moment.
At this moment, everything around was dark, only the Confucian Temple was exceptionally bright. Under the illumination of the lanterns, the surrounding shadows were dispelled, allowing her to clearly see the nearby houses. The situation in Beggar's Alley was eerie, but better than she had imagined. Not everyone trapped here had died; there were still survivors hiding in the dark.
Logically, people yearn for light, and with malevolent spirits lurking here, people should seek refuge in the light. Why then were people scattered everywhere, not taking shelter inside the Confucian Temple? She looked at the hanging lanterns, a guess forming in her mind: Could these lanterns be like sources of fire, luring the survivors to them like moths?
A crucial piece of information mentioned by Paper Man Zhang surfaced in her mind: the ghost corpse that Liu Huacheng had brought back years ago was precisely suppressed within the Confucian Temple. This meant that the Confucian Temple currently contained a ghost and was the most dangerous place in Beggar's Alley. The survivors probably knew this, which was why they dared not go near it.
This place was, after all, within the Ghost Realm. Although the malevolent spirit hadn't appeared yet, the atmosphere here was oppressive. The chill and terror of the malevolent spirit seemed to permeate the air. Zhao Fusheng had only stood there for a moment, but she felt this chilling sensation clinging to her entire body, making her shiver and feel a profound dread from the depths of her being.
Although she also controlled a ghost, according to the God Investiture List's prompt, she could only borrow the ghost's power once more at most. And after borrowing its power, if she didn't gain merit points, she might very likely be affected by the malevolent spirit's aura and lose her calm judgment. Trapped in such a perilous situation, if she lost her composure, her death would undoubtedly be imminent.
Thinking of this, Zhao Fusheng dared not be overconfident. She absolutely dared not step into the Confucian Temple easily until she had clarified the situation within it.
She hesitated for a long while, then decided to first do as the others hidden in the dark did: slip into a house and await an opportunity.
Whether from Fan Bisi's reminder or the investigation reports in the few files she had briefly reviewed, it was clear that to solve a ghost case, one needed to uncover the malevolent spirit's patterns. From the bailiff Liu Wu, she learned that the malevolent spirit here killed people by severing their heads. According to Liu Wu, as long as the malevolent spirit's head wasn't struck off, it shouldn't kill indiscriminately.
She decided to observe first. She turned and looked around, selected a house, and then strode towards it. The house door was tightly shut. She stood before it and began to push the door. The door rattled 'bang, bang' as she pushed it. Something inside seemed to be wedging it shut. She pushed open a crack and could hear frightened gasps from within.
'Hiss.'
From this sharp intake of breath, Zhao Fusheng judged that only one person was hiding in the house. Her heart filled with joy. Good, there are living people! If she could gather information about this place from a living person and figure out the malevolent spirit's killing rules, it would naturally be a good thing for her.
"Compatriot, open the door."
She pushed twice more and called out, the 'bang, bang' echoing throughout the street. The reverberation spread, and the faint, almost imperceptible breathing sounds from all around seemed to instantly cease, making the sound of her pushing the door magnified several times. Zhao Fusheng could feel numerous terrified glances coming from door cracks or behind obstructions. All these people were attracted by her actions, now staring at her incessantly.
However, the situation was not as she had imagined. She knocked and called, but the person inside the house showed no intention of opening the door. She frowned, then looked towards the Confucian Temple. There was no movement from the direction of the lit Confucian Temple, as if it had fallen into a deathly silence.
Zhao Fusheng was not discouraged. She pushed the door again, calling out as she pushed: "Compatriot, open the door quickly."
After several more attempts, the person inside the door finally couldn't hold out. A low, fierce voice shouted: "Go away!"
She was unmoved, and also quietly called: "Open the door."
There was no further movement from inside the door. The person who had previously urged her to 'go away' began to play dead again. Zhao Fusheng hesitated for a moment. Seeing no movement from the Confucian Temple, a determined glint flashed in her eyes. She then clenched her fist, raised it, and began to pound on the door with loud 'thump, thump' sounds!
"Open the door quickly, I'm human."
The house door was slammed with heavy thuds. Her commotion quickly attracted the attention of everyone on the street. However, attracting human attention was one thing; the fear was that the noise would attract the malevolent spirit. From the blood spilled across the street, the decaying corpses lingering in the mostly ruined houses, and the oppressive atmosphere of the place, it seemed that the malevolent spirit of Beggar's Alley had already killed many people. Those trapped in the Ghost Realm should have realized they were in the midst of a ghost disaster. Everyone was currently holding their breath, probably to evade the malevolent spirit's pursuit. Her commotion would very likely invite disaster.
Zhao Fusheng was certain that someone would eventually lose their composure. As long as one person became afraid and stepped out first, the stalemate would be broken, and it would be her turn to ask questions.
Indeed. She had only knocked twice, and the person inside the house didn't move, but the adjacent house silently opened. A short, skinny man, hunching his back like a rat, scurried out. He suppressed his anger and fear, nervously gesturing to Zhao Fusheng, inviting her into the house, while he himself scurried towards the direction of another broken door.
Zhao Fusheng's eyes lit up. She didn't enter the house the man offered but pursued him instead. The man initially prepared to squeeze through the broken main door, but then caught a glimpse of Zhao Fusheng following him out of the corner of his eye. He was greatly alarmed and, without a word, quickly retreated, turning to another house. Zhao Fusheng also followed behind him. His expression immediately became exceedingly grim, but he still ignored Zhao Fusheng, instead quickening his pace and sprinting towards another house.
The doors of these houses he chose were already torn open, with splattered bloodstains remaining on them. On the ground lay withered, broken limbs and branches. The bloodstains were dry and blackened, emitting an unpleasant odor.
The man squatted down and began to crawl through the broken opening. Zhao Fusheng, seeing that she had followed him for a long time and he still wouldn't speak, immediately reached out and grabbed his feet. The man was startled by her pull and kicked his legs vigorously, trying to shake her off. Unfortunately, after she had controlled the ghost, her strength had increased somewhat. And the man, perhaps because he had been trapped in Beggar's Alley for a long time and was constantly terrified, had no strength to resist her. He was forcibly dragged out from the broken door crack.
What kind of monster is this! The man had originally intended to kindly let her have the house, but unexpectedly got entangled with her. Now, he wanted to find a shelter, but was again pulled back. Unable to shake her off or run away, he immediately showed a desperate and terrified expression, staring at Zhao Fusheng with extreme resentment.
"I'm not a ghost, why are you running?" Zhao Fusheng, faced with his hatred, couldn't help but feel a mix of amusement and frustration. She squatted down and asked him.
The man's whole body trembled upon hearing the word 'ghost,' and he was so scared that he lost control of his bladder right then and there.
"..." Zhao Fusheng hadn't expected her casual remark to frighten the man so badly. While she was still stunned, the man, who had been pale with fear just moments ago, scrambled up with a 'shriek,' his movements as agile as a grey rat, and swiftly darted into the house. A long, wet trail was left on the ground.
She propped herself up with her hands, turning her head to look into the large broken hole. She saw the man, looking ferocious, had picked up a wooden stick from somewhere and was holding it high, baring his teeth at her. This person's eyes were bloodshot, and saliva dripped from the corners of his mouth. Clearly, after spending too long in Beggar's Alley, his sanity was no longer quite normal, and he looked ready to fight her to the death if she dared to pursue him.
The people here changed color at the mention of ghosts. The same trick would probably only work once. The others, seeing her clinging to this man, would no longer fall for her ploy. Zhao Fusheng hesitated for a moment, then ultimately chose to retreat temporarily and not confront the man directly again. This man was just an ordinary person, and the commotion she had caused was already big enough.
She still had doubts about the malevolent spirit of Beggar's Alley and many situations were unclear. There was no need to continue causing trouble at this point; if she accidentally alerted the malevolent spirit, she might be caught off guard and put in a passive position without adequate preparation. In any case, she still had time and could choose to wait for the next opportunity.
She picked an empty house, slipped inside, and after closing the door, she began to process the scenes she had encountered since entering the Ghost Realm. The Ghost Realm was mottled with bloodstains, and many people had died during the time they were trapped there. However, the remaining survivors seemed to maintain a characteristic of living one person per house, which somewhat surprised Zhao Fusheng.
Based on her experience in her previous life, people have a herd mentality, especially in dangerous times. When a sense of security is lacking, people should huddle together even more. But today, when she tried to temporarily share a house with others, she was met with resistance. She couldn't help but wonder: Is it safer to live alone in a house?
From the time Beggar's Alley was enveloped by the Ghost Realm, trapping everyone, to the malevolent spirit starting to kill, there must have been many bloody incidents during that period. This would have forced the surviving individuals to figure out a way to deal with the malevolent spirit's killing rules, which is why these people could survive in Beggar's Alley until now. The characteristic of one person per house suggests that the malevolent spirit of Beggar's Alley targets houses, not the number of people.
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