From the moment they met until now, though the time was short and their conversation brief, Zhao Fusheng had learned quite a lot from the young man.
First, the young man's identity was confirmed.
This person lived at Confucius Temple and was now in charge of the porridge distribution, indicating a deep connection between him, Confucius Temple, and the former temple priest.
He knew about the events of forty years ago and mentioned past agreements. From this, Zhao Fusheng could deduce that the temple priest who took charge of the place must have been Liu Huacheng's very trusted confidant back then.
Therefore, after the Liu family withdrew, Liu Huacheng felt secure leaving the temple priest behind, entrusting him with a considerable amount of family assets.
Liu Huacheng was first an official, then a merchant. Such a person possessed extraordinary character and was surely very cautious in his dealings. However, his willingness to entrust the matters and money of this place to the temple priest showed that the priest and Liu Huacheng were exceptionally close, even privy to some of the internal details of the Liu family's ghost calamity from that year.
And forty years later, the temple priest and this young man must also have been very close, which was why the young man inherited the priest's work and also learned some of the secrets.
In his answers to her questions, he mentioned two crucial pieces of information:
One was 'it's too late,' and the other, when answering Zhao Fusheng's later question, his original words were: 'Originally, there was some relation.'
Did this 'originally' mean it was initially related but now unrelated, or less related?
In that instant, countless thoughts swirled in Zhao Fusheng's mind.
She turned to look around. The place was empty and silent. Confucius Temple was also utterly quiet, not looking like there were any living people inside.
Estimating the time, the Liu Huacheng Birthday Banquet Ghost Case occurred forty years ago. At that time, the temple priest was temporarily entrusted by Liu Huacheng to guard Confucius Temple. This person certainly couldn't have been a naive, ignorant child; he should have been at least between 20 and 40 years old, hence being entrusted with the mission in a crisis.
Forty years later, the young man of that time had aged, and perhaps already—
"Originally, there was some relation?" Zhao Fusheng's thoughts ran deep.
She saw the young man's brows tightly knit as he spoke, as if he had some difficulty, and his expression was cautious after learning her identity. She worried that if she abruptly asked an important question, he might evade or put her off.
Therefore, she skirted the issue, deliberately following his topic to ask:
"Does that mean there's no relation now?"
The young man's lips moved. He gave Zhao Fusheng a deep look, as if guessing the intent behind her question. To Zhao Fusheng's surprise, he readily said:
"Yes."
His attitude somewhat surprised Zhao Fusheng. She thought for a moment, decided not to pursue that matter further, and instead shifted the topic to another seemingly unrelated question:
"Where did the temple priest who originally distributed porridge here go?"
Her question seemed casual and rambling, the two topics seemingly unconnected, yet each sentence was tightly linked to the core of the issue.
The young man suddenly pursed his lips and smiled.
He had been gloomy, but now his smile dispelled the gloom from his brows and eyes, revealing a hint of his true age.
"You guessed it?"
After asking, before Zhao Fusheng could speak, he answered himself:
"My grandfather has passed away."
His answer was exactly what Zhao Fusheng had envisioned.
Moreover, the young man's address for the temple priest further confirmed her deduction. She asked again:
"Did your grandfather pass away last month, when you reported the case to the Demon Suppression Division?"
The young man's expression was calm. Speaking of his grandfather's death, he showed neither grief nor shyness, merely nodding slightly:
"Yes."
After saying this, he tilted his head and looked at Zhao Fusheng.
Zhao Fusheng received this information from him. Combined with the known clues, a bold conjecture surfaced in her mind.
"I understand."
"What do you understand?" the young man asked.
"You also said that the ghost calamity here originally had some relation to the ghost calamity forty years ago." As Zhao Fusheng spoke, their eyes met, and both instantly understood each other's meaning.
The young man knew she had guessed, and nodded:
"Yes."
"But then you said that the ghost calamity in Beggar's Alley was unrelated to the ghost calamity at the Liu family ancestral temple forty years ago," Zhao Fusheng added.
"Yes," the young man also responded.
"Su Long was very capable. The ghost case he solved back then could maintain forty years of peace without being broken." For the ghost case to occur again forty years later, it seemed something unexpected must have happened in between.
"And before this, there was no major incident reported in Beggar's Alley. The only exception was your grandfather's death."
Zhao Fusheng concluded:
"That is to say, your grandfather's death is the main reason for the current ghost calamity in Beggar's Alley."
She made a guess, speaking bluntly. She expected the young man might refute her, but to her surprise, upon hearing this, he fell silent, seeming to tacitly confirm her conjecture was true!
"The Beggar's Alley ghost calamity was indeed caused after your grandfather's death?"
Clues about Beggar's Alley appeared one by one in her mind. The information from the Fan brothers, Paper Man Zhang, Liu Wu, and the young man before her converged in her thoughts. Her gaze gradually sharpened:
"Decades ago, Liu Huacheng caused a great disaster in the capital and eventually brought a dismembered and sealed remnant of a fierce ghost back to Wan'an County."
The seal remained undisturbed ever since, "until the day of Liu Huacheng's sixtieth birthday, when this fierce ghost unexpectedly awakened for some reason."
As Zhao Fusheng recounted the clues she had pieced together, her gaze fell upon the young man's face.
His expression remained unchanged as he quietly listened to her continue.
The pale light shone on his face. His lips were tightly pressed. When she mentioned 'the fierce ghost's revival,' his eyelashes trembled slightly, clearly indicating his inner turmoil was not as calm as his outward appearance suggested.
"After the fierce ghost revived, it immediately began a massacre, causing countless deaths and injuries to the Liu family. Afterward, Liu Huacheng requested the Demon Suppression Division and Zhang Xiongwu to jointly intervene to quell this ghost calamity."
The young man did not refute, meaning that this information obtained from Paper Man Zhang was indeed true.
Zhao Fusheng kept talking, but her mind was still pondering.
The process of quelling the ghost calamity was probably not as smooth as recorded in the archives.
"Su Long might have initially tried to use conventional Demon Suppression Division methods to expel the ghost—"
The young man's body trembled, and then his hands clenched tightly.
His chest began to heave violently, as if at this moment his emotions were tense and uncertain.
Originally, Zhao Fusheng was just making wild guesses, but the young man's reaction at this moment undoubtedly validated her thoughts. She immediately said:
"—but ultimately Su Long failed, so he sought another path."
She paused here for a moment.
Unfortunately, the young man's loss of composure was only for a brief moment. Living in Confucius Temple and dealing with fierce ghosts, his psychological resilience was surprisingly good. Soon, he adjusted his mood and did not speak.
"And this method of suppressing ghosts should be related to Confucius Temple."
Zhao Fusheng's mind raced, recalling the scroll in her arms about the Liu family ancestral temple ghost case from forty years ago.
She hadn't read many documents, but the archives of the Demon Suppression Division from successive generations generally detailed the antecedents and consequences of ghost-exorcism incidents, including the ghost's killing methods and characteristics, all recorded for future reference.
If a case wasn't resolved, enough clues were to be left, then it would be shelved.
However, Su Long's ghost case was recorded exceptionally simply, glossing over the fierce ghost's killing method at the Liu family ancestral temple and not detailing how he subdued the ghost, only warning latercomers not to easily set foot in the south of the city. This was completely different from the image Su Long left in the records.
Could it be that the ghost case Su Long handled was not handled honorably?
Zhao Fusheng frowned at this thought.
But just then, the young man let out a long sigh:
"Yes."
His utterance immediately interrupted Zhao Fusheng's train of thought.
"After the Liu family was haunted, Director Su and Mr. Zhang joined forces, venturing twice into the Liu family, and finally devised a way to suppress the fierce ghost."
"What method?" Zhao Fusheng's spirits lifted upon hearing this. She had a premonition that she was nearing the truth. This young man was actually privy to the Liu family ancestral temple ghost case from forty years ago. As long as she understood the truth, the fierce ghost appearing at Confucius Temple might be identified, and she could then thoroughly understand its origin and break its killing rules, expelling it from this place.
"..."
From the moment they met, the young man had been quite cooperative. However, upon hearing her question, he unexpectedly shook his head:
"I cannot tell you the specific method, but I can only tell you that the distribution of porridge at Confucius Temple is related to the suppression of the fierce ghost back then."
He was unwilling to reveal Su Long's ghost-exorcising method, but he did not hide other things:
"Back then, the Liu family converted their ancestral temple into Confucius Temple, and the temple priest was left to guard this place. As long as the temple priest remained here, the fierce ghost from forty years ago would absolutely not revive."
Upon hearing these words, Zhao Fusheng couldn't help but smile.
The young man didn't understand why she suddenly started smiling. As he stood there in a daze, she chuckled:
"You are truly humorous."
After saying that, her face turned cold, changing in an instant:
"If that's the case, Beggar's Alley shouldn't be haunted."
According to the young man, as long as someone distributed porridge at Confucius Temple, the headless ghost would remain suppressed—though Zhao Fusheng wasn't clear on the exact principle, its undisturbed peace for forty years suggested Su Long's handling back then was quite effective.
But now the old temple priest had died, and the young man before her should have taken over the grave responsibility of distributing porridge at Confucius Temple.
The distribution hadn't ceased, so why had another fierce ghost revived?
This place was extraordinarily eerie. Ghost lanterns were lit in front of Confucius Temple, and a fierce ghost was suppressed within the temple.
Beggar's Alley was plagued by a ghost calamity and shrouded in a ghost domain, which was inextricably linked to the death of this young man's grandfather.
Most importantly, this young man, hidden within the ghost domain, was calm and composed despite being accompanied by ghosts, seemingly fearless. Did he have a plan to escape and save his life?
Zhao Fusheng thought of the 'Name Scroll' in his hand, which even the Investiture of the Gods List specifically mentioned. This item had a great connection to the fierce ghost that revived last night. After a name was entered into the scroll, the fierce ghost would seek out and kill the person at night according to the register.
"This was an accident; we didn't want it to happen." The young man, though criticized by her, did not get angry. Instead, he calmly explained:
"When my grandfather was on his deathbed, we were worried about trouble, so he sent me to the Demon Suppression Division, hoping they would step in to clean up the aftermath—"
He paused here, then added:
"This was something the Demon Suppression Division promised us back then."
He emphasized the word 'us'.
Zhao Fusheng's eyes flashed, noting this small detail.
"But you already know what happened later. The Demon Suppression Division also suffered a ghost calamity; almost everyone in the entire Division died, making it impossible to fulfill the promise from forty years ago." He gritted his teeth and sighed deeply:
"After I returned, my grandpa passed away that very night—"
"And because of this, the fierce ghost in Beggar's Alley revived?" Zhao Fusheng asked.
The young man nodded:
"Yes."
"So afterward, Beggar's Alley was enveloped by a ghost domain, and from then on, a fierce ghost would appear daily after the porridge distribution to knock on doors and kill people." She said ambiguously, then added:
"Was all of this done by your grandfather's revived fierce ghost?"
"Yes—"
The young man first answered subconsciously, then he reacted to what Zhao Fusheng had said. He suddenly looked up, his gaze gradually sharpening, but after a moment, he said faintly:
"No, he is not my grandfather."
His reaction was both within Zhao Fusheng's expectations and yet beyond them, causing her heart to instantly plunge to rock bottom.
A terrifying truth was about to emerge.
A chill rose from her feet, coursing through her limbs and bones, quickly robbing her body of its warmth, making her hands tremble uncontrollably.
The young man's words contained too many implications, but undoubtedly, he was not bringing good news.
"Not your grandfather, then who?"
She forced herself to stay calm and asked.
With the conversation at this point, the young man, conversely, became composed.
He was silent for a moment, then suddenly chuckled softly twice:
"With Director Su's intelligence, you must have guessed it, right?"
Zhao Fusheng's back tingled, goosebumps instantly rising. She suddenly felt a splitting headache and gasped a huge breath of cold air.
"I don't want to guess—"
The answer to that question was within reach, yet she felt a primal fear, not daring to touch the answer.
Unfortunately, there's no turning back once the arrow is shot, and evasion cannot solve the problem. She had already entered Beggar's Alley. If she didn't resolve the ghost calamity here, she couldn't leave. Even if she found a way to escape, failing the mission meant she wouldn't receive rewards from either the Demon Suppression Division or the Investiture of the Gods List, and she would ultimately face death.
Thinking this, Zhao Fusheng immediately calmed down, took a deep breath, and forced herself to face reality.
Her most urgent task was to first clarify the most important question:
"If the porridge distribution at Confucius Temple maintained a balance with the Liu family ancestral temple ghost calamity forty years ago, and now with your grandfather's death, that balance is broken, the fierce ghost in Beggar's Alley is not yet resolved, and the fierce ghost sealed forty years ago has a chance to revive—"
"No, it won't."
The young man interrupted her, raising his voice before she could finish.
Zhao Fusheng's earlier conjecture was confirmed by his words. The heavy stone that had been weighing on her heart immediately dropped. Her lips curved slightly, and she tilted her head to observe him.
When he said this, his eyes were clear and his expression firm, extremely confident that the fierce ghost sealed forty years ago would not revive—this likely had something to do with his grandfather's death.
"Are you sure?" she asked again.
"I am sure," he affirmed.
Zhao Fusheng's heart surged with joy.
This was roughly consistent with her own guesses, but the confirmation from the young man instantly relieved the heavy burden on her mind.
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