Liu Yizhen's reaction was slightly beyond Zhao Fusheng's expectations.
Once one entered the Demon Suppressing Division, it meant being registered in the Soul Fate Record, from which point onward, one would be confined to Wan'an County, unable to break free. Liu Yizhen, being a descendant of the Liu clan, was quite knowledgeable about the Demon Suppressing Division's situation through his conversations. But now, as soon as she made a demand, he immediately agreed – this clearly defied common sense.
Typically, humans act with a purpose. Joining an organization like the Demon Suppressing Division meant either gaining profit or, like Zhang Chuanshi, being coerced and having no other choice but to compromise. However, neither of these situations applied to Liu Yizhen. This man, who lived among ghosts, held a Fate Record, and could survive for such a long time by dispensing porridge within a Ghost Domain, clearly possessed considerable means.
When things are abnormal, they are demonic—
Zhao Fusheng was half-skeptical of his attitude but feigned indifference, saying, "It's nothing." She held the Jade Book of Emerald and said with a smile: "You can first register in the Soul Fate Record. After this matter is resolved and your affairs are handled, you can then report to me at the Demon Suppressing Division."
Her objective, after all, was merely to leverage the Soul Fate Record to restrain the Fate Record. As for whether Liu Yizhen was truly willing to serve the Demon Suppressing Division, that was a matter for later. The priority was to get him on board first.
"Alright—" Liu Yizhen nodded without a second thought.
This matter progressed far too smoothly. Zhao Fusheng frowned slightly. Liu Yizhen appeared not only not foolish but exceptionally sharp. He had stayed in Beggars' Alley for over a month after the incident, remaining safe and sound, which indicated he was quite courageous and had some experience dealing with ghosts. This person should know the horrors of malevolent ghosts and understand the consequences of joining the Demon Suppressing Division.
She had originally thought that persuading him to enter the Soul Fate Record would require a great deal of eloquence, and she had even prepared to resort to threats and inducements. Yet, she didn't expect that as soon as she made the suggestion, he agreed without hesitation. His ready acceptance made Zhao Fusheng suspect he was merely humoring her.
"—But not at this moment," Liu Yizhen said.
This statement, however, made more sense. Zhao Fusheng, holding the Soul Fate Record, couldn't help but smile, then asked him, "Then when do you think is the right time?"
"After the matter of Beggars' Alley is resolved." Liu Yizhen looked at Zhao Fusheng frankly: "You hold the Soul Fate Record, so your identity is undoubtedly genuine, but you claim to have tamed a malevolent ghost, and your true strength is yet unknown." He stated bluntly: "We are currently in a Ghost Domain. Now that you are on the list of malevolent ghosts, it's uncertain whether you can escape this calamity. I cannot rashly gamble my future at this moment."
His meaning was simple: Zhao Fusheng must demonstrate abilities that would convince him by handling the current ghost calamity before he would be willing to join the Demon Suppressing Division. If Zhao Fusheng were to die in Beggars' Alley, their agreement would naturally fall through.
After saying this, he glanced at Zhao Fusheng and added, "Don't worry, since I've agreed, I will never go back on my word."
Zhao Fusheng pondered for a moment, then readily put away the record. "Alright." She was very perceptive and could tell at a glance that Liu Yizhen's character was resolute, not someone who would easily compromise under threat. Although she did indeed wield a malevolent ghost, she knew that the power of the malevolent ghost she controlled could only be used once at most, and she couldn't let her temper dictate using that power for mere bickering.
With a preliminary consensus reached between them, Liu Yizhen said, "Since that's the case, I won't say more. I still have many things to do." With that, he nodded slightly to Zhao Fusheng, turned, and retreated back towards the Master's Temple.
"Oh, right." Before stepping back into the shadows, he paused, turning his head slightly. Liu Yizhen's face was half exposed under the pale light and shadows, while the other half was hidden in darkness, giving Zhao Fusheng a sense of disjunction: "Do not step inside the Master's Temple."
"Are there ghosts in the temple?" Zhao Fusheng toyed with the Soul Fate Record, asking casually, "How many?"
"..." Liu Yizhen said nothing, merely smiled, then turned and stepped over the threshold of the grand hall, his figure vanishing into the darkness.
With no one left to talk to, the area in front of the Master's Temple appeared vast and desolate. Zhao Fusheng carefully tucked the Jade Book of Emerald back into her robes. She gazed at the Master's Temple, pondering for a moment. The problem in Beggars' Alley was already very severe.
"Sigh—" She sighed. Liu Yizhen repeatedly warned her not to step inside the Master's Temple, indicating that the situation within the temple was extremely perilous. Although Liu Yizhen didn't answer her probing question, his silence was the loudest answer. Zhao Fusheng rubbed her temples, a headache brewing, her expression gradually turning serious.
It was known that the headless ghost corpse, dismembered forty years ago, was suppressed within the Master's Temple. This was the first ghost in the Master's Temple. And to suppress the revived headless ghost corpse, Su Long and Zhang Xiong Wu had artificially 'invited' another ghost,
creating a balance between the two ghosts. This was why the Master's Temple had maintained a superficial peace for forty years. The key figure maintaining this balance was the old temple priest. This man was Liu Huacheng's confidant, overseeing significant wealth, guarding this area for the Liu family, and his duty was to appease the ghostly entities.
Zhao Fusheng was exceptionally concerned about this old temple priest. This person knew many secrets, and before his death, he probably already knew that the 'invited' malevolent ghost in the Master's Temple would surely revive after his demise. This was why he had sent his grandson to the Demon Suppressing Division.
The headless ghost and the malevolent ghost that killed according to the register in Beggars' Alley should logically restrain each other, forming a perfect balance. As long as the balance wasn't broken, this situation should have continued indefinitely—unless the old temple priest had been certain from the start that the balance would break after his death.
Zhao Fusheng considered all possibilities. There were three ways for the balance formed by two Rank-A Evil Level ghostly entities to be broken:
Firstly, the power of one of the two malevolent ghosts either increased or decreased, making their ranks no longer equal, thus breaking the balance.
Secondly, the two malevolent ghosts' powers were inherently imbalanced, and the old temple priest's offerings played a significant role.
Thirdly, one malevolent ghost disappeared, and the other revived.
Of the three conditions, the first was immediately dismissed by Zhao Fusheng. She didn't fully understand the reasons for the formation of malevolent ghosts in this world, but the advancement of ghostly entities was not an easy matter. To weaken a malevolent ghost's rank, it would likely require suppression or dismemberment—this condition was too difficult.
The second condition, however, seemed highly probable; Zhao Fusheng temporarily didn't delve deeper into it. As for the third point, the possibility was extremely slim. After all, malevolent ghosts don't disappear without reason. From her current limited understanding of malevolent ghosts, once a ghostly entity revives, it will form a Ghost Domain based on its rank.
Once a Ghost Domain is formed, a malevolent ghost will not disappear without massive bloodshed, unless there is human intervention. The current situation in Wan'an County was precisely this; she was seemingly the only one who could openly interfere with malevolent ghosts. Therefore, Zhao Fusheng did not consider the third point.
Through the process of elimination, the second point held the highest probability. But Zhao Fusheng immediately recalled her conversation with Liu Yizhen. The critical point at which the malevolent ghost balance was broken was the death of the old temple priest. She had tentatively asked Liu Yizhen if the malevolent ghost revived after his grandfather's death, and if the malevolent ghost of Beggars' Alley was his grandfather. Liu Yizhen's answer was exceptionally nuanced; he first replied 'yes,' then immediately denied it.
From his attitude, combined with the current situation in Beggars' Alley, another possibility for breaking the original balance between the two ghosts in Beggars' Alley quickly emerged in Zhao Fusheng's mind: that is, a fourth possibility—a third ghost appeared in Beggars' Alley.
—The old temple priest became a malevolent ghost immediately after his death. As he turned into a ghost, the original balance between the headless ghost and the benevolent ghost was rapidly broken, causing one of them to revive. This point was also affirmed by Liu Yizhen's words; he had said with great certainty that the headless ghost sealed by Su Long forty years ago absolutely could not revive.
Liu Yizhen was so certain precisely because he knew that the old temple priest had already revived as a malevolent ghost. And he also mentioned that the benevolent ghost was not his grandfather. Therefore, Zhao Fusheng concluded that after the old temple priest's death, he became a malevolent ghost no weaker than a Rank-A entity,
balancing with the sealed headless ghost corpse, forming a mysterious equilibrium that prevented further anomalies. Simultaneously, the benevolent ghost, which had originally restrained the headless ghost, revived due to losing its restraint, leading to the ghost calamity in Beggars' Alley.
(This point is further proven by Liu Yizhen's statement that the malevolent ghost of Beggars' Alley was originally related to the ghost case forty years ago, but now the connection is minor.)
A mere Beggars' Alley surrounding the Master's Temple, and it secretly harbored three great ghosts! It was precisely because Zhao Fusheng realized this during her conversation with Liu Yizhen that her hair stood on end at the time.
Su Long must have known this when he resolved the ghost calamity back then. This Commander of the Demon Suppressing Division from forty years ago had the ability to 'invite' ghosts, and perhaps he had even foreseen that the old temple priest was highly likely to become a ghost after his death. This is why he repeatedly warned the successors of the Demon Suppressing Division in later dossiers: do not step into Beggars' Alley.
Once the ghost calamity in Beggars' Alley erupted, it meant three great ghosts running rampant. One malevolent ghost was already difficult enough to deal with; if an underpowered ghost-wielder were to rashly venture deep into this place, it would inevitably be a death sentence.
"Sigh—" Zhao Fusheng let out a long sigh. She was still just a newcomer to the Demon Suppressing Division, forced into this role, and she didn't expect to face such a catastrophic challenge. Yet, she had no retreat; she could only push forward with grim determination.
Her only chance for survival now was to dispel the malevolent ghosts, rescue the common people, accumulate merit points, and preserve her own life.
Zhao Fusheng once again pressed down on her constantly twitching eyebrow, recalling Liu Yizhen's warning: do not step into the Master's Temple. This man was deep-thinking, and his words carried hidden meanings. Since he felt it was worth repeating the warning, it proved the strangeness within the Master's Temple.
After the old temple priest's death, the benevolent ghost in Beggars' Alley immediately revived, and the Ghost Domain enveloped the area. From all indications, the old temple priest's body had not been moved after his death. And he had lived his entire life in the Master's Temple. The fact that he could restrain the sealed headless ghost within the temple after his death suggested that the old temple priest was indeed inside the Master's Temple.
The truth was practically at hand: there were at least two great ghosts of Rank-A or higher within the Master's Temple. In such circumstances, Liu Yizhen's warning appeared extraordinarily sincere and kind. The moment this thought entered Zhao Fusheng's mind,
she couldn't help but laugh aloud. A strange young man who suggested relying on a large number of deaths to resolve a ghost calamity—and she actually thought he possessed genuine kindness. This showed that her current mental state was significantly problematic.
However, the problem with the Master's Temple, though seemingly complex and terrifying, was not as bad as expected. After all, two malevolent ghosts were currently in a sealed state, and Liu Yizhen was temporarily residing among them, indicating that only the benevolent ghost was the most pressing issue at hand. Given her current overwhelmed state, she naturally lacked the energy to get involved in this murky situation. She only needed to focus on the malevolent ghost that killed based on the list of offerings.
Therefore, after Zhao Fusheng understood this key point, even without Liu Yizhen's warning, she would absolutely not attempt to force her way into the temple to investigate. She planned to spend the upcoming time wandering around Beggars' Alley to familiarize herself with the terrain. If possible, finding the most likely hiding place for this benevolent ghost would be even better.
Based on her observations last night and her conversation with Liu Yizhen, Zhao Fusheng had confirmed its killing rules and appearance times. It should not appear during daylight hours—meaning, daytime was an absolutely safe zone for her. Zhao Fusheng simply needed to wander around before the offerings began in the daytime, and nothing untoward should happen. Once she was familiar with the routes, if she were to confront the malevolent ghost later, it might aid her escape.
Thinking of this, Zhao Fusheng turned to look around. The road in front of the Master's Temple was shaped like an inverted 'T', with small alleys on either side of the temple leading into the ghostly mist, and the main gate directly facing another path.
This area was once the private land of the Liu family, having been their residence. Although the Liu family later withdrew from Wan'an County, donating their ancestral home and ancestral temple, causing this section of the city's south to undergo some renovation over forty years, the basic layout should not have changed much.
However, only after truly wandering within Beggars' Alley did Zhao Fusheng realize that Beggars' Alley was much larger than she had imagined, with streets crisscrossing and connecting to each other. Upon first entering these streets, someone unfamiliar with the terrain would likely get lost easily in the long streets and small alleys.
But after several turns, Zhao Fusheng found a rule for navigating. These streets and alleys, seemingly chaotic, actually had a general layout with a subtle method. Aside from some small alleys that intersected the main paths,
the main streets of Beggars' Alley were largely arranged in a return shape. The Master's Temple acted like the mouth in the middle of the Back, with other alleys, houses, and shops built around it. It was like stars orbiting the moon, surrounding the Master's Temple.
Relying on her ability to control a malevolent ghost, having the 'Ghost Lamp' in hand, and knowing that daytime was a 'safe period', she would pull open the doors of shops along the street and peer inside wherever she went. Some of the houses were dilapidated, having suffered malevolent ghost attacks, leaving behind fragmented corpses and putrid odors; others were inhabited by living people who were startled and angry by her arrival, some even appearing at a loss.
This behavior consumed a significant amount of Zhao Fusheng's time. She ultimately found nothing useful in these houses, nor did she sense the presence of any malevolent ghosts.
Where was the ghost hiding?
🚨 Note : Consider to Support this Story on Patreon.com/Flokixy to access +300 advance Chapters and To Support The Daily Update