From the current clues, it seemed that both the ghostly disaster forty years ago and the current case in Beggar Alley were inextricably linked to this Confucian Temple. Paper Man Zhang's words were full of lies, but one thing he said should be true—that the Headless Ghost corpse Liu Huacheng brought back to Wan'an County forty years ago was suppressed beneath the Liu Clan Ancestral Temple, and the Liu Clan Ancestral Temple was the predecessor of the Confucian Temple. In other words, a ghost was suppressed within the Confucian Temple.
Thinking this, Zhao Fusheng's heart pounded, and her gaze turned towards the Confucian Temple.
The main gate of the Confucian Temple was open, revealing the tranquil and profound inner hall. Yesterday, when she came, it was during the Confucian Temple's almsgiving. The area in front of the temple was chaotic, and her name was accidentally entered into a register. Furthermore, with the Malevolent Ghost about to revive after the almsgiving, the situation was critical, and she didn't have time to observe the scene inside the Confucian Temple. Now, there was no one around, and since she was already here...
Thinking this, Zhao Fusheng's courage surged. She instinctively took several steps forward, looking into the main hall of the Confucian Temple. She saw the folded main doors stacked on both sides. The hall was spacious and quiet, completely spotless. The floor was paved with neat bluestone bricks, and several large, red-lacquered pillars, wide enough for two people to embrace, stood in the center of the hall. The Confucian Temple, built with Liu Huacheng's donations back then, was tall and magnificent, its roof at least two zhang high.
The pale lantern light shone into the hall. By its light, one could see dust floating in the air. Zhao Fusheng took two more steps forward, stopping only when she reached the high threshold of the Confucian Temple's entrance. Amidst the rapid 'thump-thump-thump' of her heart, Zhao Fusheng turned to face the hall and closed her eyes.
Darkness descended, and a pure malice enveloped her! A malevolent spirit was lurking, observing from the shadows. Her heart tightened, then she slowly opened one eye, peering into the hall—
She wasn't sure if it was because she had controlled a Malevolent Ghost, or if her eyes had adapted to the dark environment, but with that glance, she could vaguely see a long offering table placed in the deepest part of the inner hall. Above the offering table stood a shrine, occupying half of the inner room. Even though Zhao Fusheng couldn't clearly see the specific arrangements inside, she could feel that the shrine was arranged with extraordinary solemnity. Several layers of curtains hung from the shrine. Due to the darkness, it was impossible to discern the color of these hanging cloths. Behind the layers of curtains sat a 'divine statue' in a slanted posture.
Zhao Fusheng slowly opened both eyes, trying hard to make out the appearance of the 'divine statue'. Unfortunately, the light within the Ghost Domain was dim, and Zhao Fusheng was also within the light source, which made the inner hall of the Confucian Temple appear even darker. The 'divine statue' was also hidden behind layers of curtains, making its specific appearance completely indiscernible. But she could vaguely see the 'divine statue' sitting askew, not very upright. In the darkness, there was a high, rounded bulge, and for a moment, she couldn't tell if it was the Buddha Maitreya's big belly or its head...
The 'divine statue' being worshipped not only looked undignified and unholy but also exuded a faint, insidious wickedness.
She was engrossed in watching, and instinctively leaned her head into the temple—
Suddenly, the 'divine statue''s eyes reflected light, and without warning, that light flickered across, as if a pair of cold eyes in the darkness were watching her.
Zhao Fusheng shivered, instinctively feeling uneasy. But she knew that what she was doing was inherently dangerous; the more she hesitated, the faster she would die. Her mind raced. Just as she was about to step over the Confucian Temple's threshold and enter to get a clear look at the 'divine statue' in the shrine, the flame in one of the lanterns hanging above the Confucian Temple flickered twice, then a putrid stench spread from the lantern.
This stench instantly enveloped her, making her shiver. At the same time, that eerie sense of being watched disappeared with the appearance of the stench.
"What's that smell?" Zhao Fusheng raised her head in confusion and lifted her clothes to sniff them.
A faint, foul odor still lingered on her clothes, mixed with the scent of death. This smell was quite familiar, as if she had smelled it somewhere before...
"Ghost Lamp!"
She quickly remembered; this was the smell of a Ghost Lamp. After Zhao Fusheng's rebirth, she found herself in a different world. After accepting the original owner's memories and reaching the entrance of the Demon Suppression Division, two shattered Ghost Lamps hung at the gate, their oil spilled everywhere. The scent emanating from the lantern hanging in front of the Confucian Temple at this moment was actually similar to the two Ghost Lamps hanging at the Demon Suppression Division's entrance!
No, it wasn't just similar. The aura of the lantern hanging in front of the Confucian Temple was far more potent than that of the Ghost Lamps hanging at the Demon Suppression Division's entrance. There was actually a Ghost Lamp hanging here too!
Before Zhao Fusheng could think further, that chilling sense of being watched returned. Simultaneously, the flame within the lantern hanging above the temple gate began to flicker. The flame 'hissed' and pulsed twice, then suddenly 'boomed' and burst open. A distorted, painful ghostly face appeared above the lantern, then the entire lantern's skin-like material silently shattered, tearing open an incredibly large hole. The lamp oil inside suddenly poured out, the flame immediately extinguished, and the oil leaked out, 'drip-dropping' along the broken human skin paper.
A foul stench instantly filled the entire area in front of the temple gate. If Zhao Fusheng hadn't reacted quickly and stepped back, she might have been splashed by the lamp oil. The lamp oil dripped onto her original standing position, quickly forming a small puddle. The light in front of the temple gate also dimmed by several degrees due to the extinguishing of this lantern. At the same time, the second appearance of the chilling gaze did not catch her, but rather brushed past her, then gradually dissipated.
Zhao Fusheng's eyes flickered, recalling the young man's warning from last night: do not enter the Confucian Temple.
There was indeed a ghost inside the Confucian Temple. The 'divine being' enshrined in the main hall did not look like a proper deity; instead, there was something else entirely. The young man had warned her twice not to enter the temple at that time, which must have been for this reason. He had said that once she arrived, she should just call his name, and he would come out.
This young man wasn't exactly a good person. He was distributing alms here, engaging in life-threatening activities. Last night, when he handed her the porridge, he must have known her likely fate, yet he still offered the porridge. It was unclear if his action was driven by malicious intent or if he did it because he was certain she couldn't leave. However, putting that aside, his warning not to enter the Confucian Temple was likely sincere.
This meant there might be danger within the Confucian Temple, and her rash entry could lead to trouble. Although she was curious, compared to her life, that bit of curiosity was clearly insignificant. The timing for entering the temple was not yet ripe.
With this thought, Zhao Fusheng decisively abandoned her intention to force her way in and investigate. She retreated several steps away from the temple gate, then opened her mouth. Just as she was about to call out, she hesitated for a moment. The young man had told her to call his name when she arrived, but the situation was urgent then, and they hadn't talked much. She had no idea what his name was.
Zhao Fusheng hesitated for a moment, then shouted:
"Food server! Food server! I'm here!"
'Food server—'
'Food server—'
'I'm here—here—'
The street was too empty. Although she tried to suppress her voice, her shout still echoed. The echoes bounced back from the empty houses all around, adding a hint of sorrowful, chilling eeriness, making Zhao Fusheng rub her instantly goosebump-covered arms.
Fortunately, the young man did not make her wait too long. Before she could call out again, faint footsteps soon sounded from deep within the temple hall. The sound was barely audible at first, as if the owner of the footsteps had deliberately made noise for her to hear after walking part of the way.
A moment later, a figure slowly emerged from the darkness, appearing at the boundary of light and shadow in the center of the main hall. The newcomer stood in the darkness for a moment, then slowly took a step forward, his figure appearing under the lantern light. It was indeed the young man who had been distributing food in front of the Confucian Temple yesterday.
He lowered his gaze. The light shone down on him from above, casting shadows over his prominent brow ridge, eye sockets, and nose. Yesterday, he had seemed like a quiet young man, but now, perhaps due to the time of day, the atmosphere, the environment, or even Zhao Fusheng's preconceived suspicions about him, she felt that he was enveloped in a chilling aura, with a sinister look in his eyes.
The young man from yesterday glanced uneasily behind him, then turned to look at Zhao Fusheng. The girl was clearly adhering to their agreement from yesterday and hadn't acted on her own initiative. She stood wisely about five steps from the temple entrance, looking at him with a slight apology.
"You told me to come find you yesterday and to call your name when I arrived, but I forgot to ask your name. I'm truly sorry."
She probably hadn't slept well last night. After entering the Ghost Domain, last night must have been her first experience with a Malevolent Ghost's killing. It was understandable for her not to have slept well—after all, every survivor here had endured many sleepless nights. Yet, she dared to come out alone, kept her appointment, stood outside the Confucian Temple calling for him, and apologized first upon seeing him... This gave the young man a strange feeling, as if something about this situation, this conversation, was somehow off.
She was even... quite polite.
"..."
A sense of absurdity rose in the young man's heart, and he scratched his left eyebrow, somewhat at a loss. He had thick brows and large eyes, a face that should have appeared upright, but perhaps due to living in the Confucian Temple, constantly accompanied by ghosts, his temperament was gloomy, giving him an aloofness that kept people at a distance.
The young man did not answer Zhao Fusheng's words. His gaze fell upon the ground in front of the Confucian Temple's main threshold. Zhao Fusheng followed his gaze and saw the small puddle of foul-smelling liquid collected there. Above the puddle, the broken lantern hanging above the temple gate was leaking oil.
Zhao Fusheng quickly clarified: "This has nothing to do with me—"
She was new here, hadn't done anything, yet the lantern broke on its own, spilling oil and almost splashing her.
"What a shame, another lamp ruined."
The young man's brows were clouded with gloom. He shook his head, sighing, "I hope this matter resolves quickly, otherwise—"
"Otherwise what?" Zhao Fusheng heard the implied meaning in his words, as if he was hinting at something, and couldn't help but narrow her eyes, pressing him.
"Nothing."
The young man seemed to have a thousand words to say in his heart, but he eventually let out a long sigh, shook his head, and changed the subject. Zhao Fusheng temporarily suppressed the doubts in her heart. She had more doubts than the young man about this place. Since he was unwilling to say more about the 'Ghost Lamp' at this moment, she would take the initiative to ask:
"The Malevolent Ghost of Beggar Alley isn't the same as the Malevolent Ghost of the Liu Clan Ancestral Temple from forty years ago, is it?"
She went straight to the point, catching the young man off guard. He shook his head, almost in a daze: "No..."
"Is the Malevolent Ghost's killing rule related to the porridge distribution?" she asked again.
"Yes—"
Perhaps it was Zhao Fusheng's impressive demeanor; she showed no panic in the Ghost Domain, instead maintaining rationality and restraint. This made the young man instinctively answer her questions, even forgetting to first inquire about her identity.
"If the Malevolent Ghost's killing rule is related to the porridge distribution, then it seems the birth of this ghost must be connected to the act of distributing porridge." Zhao Fusheng analyzed.
The young man could only nod instinctively: "Yes..."
She suddenly stared at the young man, taking a step forward. The two were disparate in stature, but her composure and calmness asserted dominance, and as she approached, the young man was forced to take a step back.
"So, this Malevolent Ghost of Beggar Alley is still born from the Liu family?" What was the origin of this Liu family? According to Paper Man Zhang, the ghostly disaster forty years ago was caused by Liu Huacheng, and now, forty years later, the Malevolent Ghost appearing in Beggar Alley was again related to the Liu family.
"You..." The young man finally realized something was amiss when he heard this. He also began to suspect Zhao Fusheng's identity. At this moment, he hadn't even managed to ask her who she was, yet she had already pressured several answers out of him.
"You answer my question first." Zhao Fusheng ignored his attempt to counter-question and continued: "After the Liu family's ghostly disaster was 'resolved' back then, they withdrew from Wan'an County, leaving behind a temple caretaker to guard this Confucian Temple, which was converted from their ancestral temple, and the caretaker continued to distribute porridge, thus forming Beggar Alley."
"Yes." The young man's attempt to question her was cut off. Faced with her rapid-fire questions, he had no choice but to suppress his doubts for now and nodded in agreement.
"A month ago, the Demon Suppression Division received a report about a young man who went there, wanting to ask the Demon Suppression Division to fulfill the agreement made back then." However, at that time, the Demon Suppression Division was in the midst of its own ghostly disaster, unable to protect itself. The Fan Bisi brothers refused the young man's request, and the young man subsequently disappeared.
Zhao Fusheng asked directly: "Was that person who reported the case you?"
The young man was startled at this. A thread of understanding finally formed in his mind. His calm expression wavered for a moment, and he stared at Zhao Fusheng, sizing her up with disbelief, not answering her question, but instead exclaiming, "You're from the Demon Suppression Division?"
He had realized. Zhao Fusheng hadn't intended to conceal her identity anyway. Seeing that he had guessed, she nodded accordingly: "Yes."
The gloom between the young man's brows vanished, replaced by surprise. He looked Zhao Fusheng up and down: "You—you are the newly appointed Envoy of the Demon Suppression Division?" His voice rose slightly as he spoke.
Zhao Fusheng was very young, tall and slender, with a slightly pale complexion, but her gaze was calm and her demeanor composed, which was completely different from the people of the Demon Suppression Division in his impression.
Little punk, who are you looking down on?
Zhao Fusheng took out the Soul Fate Register from her bosom: "I am the Chief Envoy of the Demon Suppression Division. This ghostly disaster in Beggar Alley is now under my jurisdiction."
The Soul Fate Register glowed with ghostly runes in her hand, leaving no doubt about her identity. The young man, however, was even more astonished. He knew a fair bit about the Demon Suppression Division and exclaimed, "You are also a ghost wielder?"
"Yes." Zhao Fusheng nodded.
The young man was stunned again, then finally, as if something occurred to him, he lowered his head and gave a bitter laugh: "I didn't expect..." He seemed troubled, as if he didn't know how to begin, and finally let out a long sigh:
"Alas—you've come too late—"
From his expression, it seemed that something grave had happened. Zhao Fusheng's heart sank, and a sense of foreboding welled up. But she wasn't affected by this bad mood; instead, she followed her original line of thought:
"Since you were the one who reported the case to the Demon Suppression Division a month ago, mentioning the agreement between the Liu family and the Demon Suppression Division forty years ago, that means this ghostly disaster in Beggar Alley should, in principle, be related to the Liu family's ghostly disaster forty years ago, right?"
After learning her identity, the young man seemed to have some reservations. His answers were no longer as casual as before; he pondered slightly before finally sighing, "It was originally somewhat related—"
His words instantly put Zhao Fusheng on alert.
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