Time passed bit by bit, and dusk quickly descended.
Zhao Fusheng forcibly pulled open another tightly shut door. Under the bitter, enraged gaze of the person inside, she surveyed the room's contents. Then, the familiar sound of a gong echoed in her ears.
'Clang—'
'Clang—'
'Clang—'
"Time to eat." The gong shattered the tranquility of the Ghost Domain. Liu Yizhen's shouts simultaneously rang out: "Time to eat."
Zhao Fusheng couldn't tell whether these words were for the survivors or for the ghosts. The moment for giving offerings meant the time for the malevolent ghost to hunt was approaching.
The survivors in the room, who had been trembling, first froze upon hearing this, then despair filled their eyes, and their bodies shook uncontrollably. After a moment, one of them suddenly sprang up, as if terrified of being left behind, and rushed out of the room.
Zhao Fusheng also sighed in disappointment and walked onto the street. She had gained nothing today except a rough understanding of the area's roads, and could only wait for an opportunity when the malevolent ghost emerged in the evening.
The deserted streets from daytime now gradually filled with people. Those who had hidden for a day and a night emerged at this moment as if let out for air, desperately trying to catch their breath and fill their stomachs, prolonging their lives with a bowl of thin porridge.
These people still didn't know they were on the malevolent ghost's 'list' and would eventually be claimed by it. They still clung to the hope of survival, perhaps fantasizing that one day the Imperial Demon Suppressing Division would rescue this place.
Zhao Fusheng frowned at this thought.
In front of the Master's Temple, quite a few people were already sparsely gathered. In the distant alleys, many more were still hurrying over. On the stone table in front of the temple, a large cauldron was once again placed, filled with thin porridge. Liu Yizhen, holding a large ladle, stood before the cauldron, with his Fate Record placed quietly to his right.
"Time to eat," Liu Yizhen called out again.
Everyone rushed quickly upon hearing the call for 'dinner,' but once they got closer, they all knew that whoever was at the front might be eating their last meal, a 'farewell' meal. Thus, the scene from the previous night before the offerings began repeated itself: no one wanted to be the first to receive the offering.
"Sigh—"
Liu Yizhen's face showed a look of helplessness and conflict. He sighed, about to put down the ladle and retrieve the record. Just then, Zhao Fusheng stepped forward from the crowd: "Serve me first."
She was a Commander of the Demon Suppressing Division, and she had come here precisely to resolve the ghost calamity. Evasion would ultimately solve nothing. Moreover, she had a basic understanding of the malevolent ghost's killing rules; further evasion and delay would only lead to more casualties. She was already on the Fate Record and sooner or later could not escape the malevolent ghost's claim, so why waste more time here, watching more innocent people die?
Zhao Fusheng's appearance made everyone breathe a sigh of relief; many faces showed wild joy and relief. Liu Yizhen froze for a moment, his hand holding the ladle a little hesitant: "You—"
He already knew Zhao Fusheng's identity and understood why she was here. But he had already explained the situation to Zhao Fusheng. If she was smart, she would know to hide here and wait for an opportunity. To step forward now, was she presumptuous because she wielded a ghost? Or did she possess useless benevolence, foolishly attempting to save lives?
"You know, this ghost—" he began to persuade, frowning, but his words were cut short by Zhao Fusheng: "It's fine."
She had made up her mind. Zhao Fusheng was not an indecisive person. Once she had made a decision, she shed her previous hesitation. Seeing Liu Yizhen hesitate without moving, she calmly took a bowl from the side and handed it to him: "Serve the food. I am from the Demon Suppressing Division, and I am here to resolve this ghost calamity."
Of course, her purpose was not entirely to sacrifice herself for justice. The Investiture of the Gods had once hinted to her: uphold justice and rebuild hell. Both rebuilding hell and restarting the Investiture of the Gods required merit points. And how were these merit points obtained? Naturally, by completing cases.
At the Demon Suppressing Division, she had resolved the revival of the Zhao couple as malevolent ghosts, ultimately earning only 1 merit point. Zhao Fusheng had later speculated whether the amount of merit points was fixed. If it was fixed,
then ghost cases were dangerous and terrifying, and the effort put in clearly did not match the reward. Moreover, the first divine position of the Investiture of the Gods required a full 100 merit points. If she wanted to activate a divine position, she would need to handle 100 cases—and she might also be affected by the ghost due to using its power, requiring a certain amount of merit points to suppress the ghost.
This led Zhao Fusheng to deduce that the merit points obtained after each ghost case were not fixed. But if it wasn't a fixed reward, then how much merit was awarded, and was it linked to the scale of the ghost calamity and the number of lives saved? This was like performance metrics in her previous life's job.
However, all of this was her speculation; the final result still needed her personal verification, and now was a good opportunity. Liu Yizhen, of course, did not know her hidden agenda, but when he heard her words, his eyes were a little strange. After a while, he gave Zhao Fusheng a deep look, his lips moved as if to say something, but in the end, he did not speak.
Zhao Fusheng wasn't interested in his thoughts. Seeing him extend the ladle into the pot, she instructed him, "Get the thick part. I'm hungry; give me an extra bowl." Then, she turned to the people around her: "I'm eating first and eating more. Is that fair?"
No one dared to speak.
"..."
Liu Yizhen's mouth twitched. He silently served the meal and handed it to her. She drank two bowls in quick succession, finally appeasing her rumbling stomach. While drinking the porridge, she suddenly thought of the old woman selling soup before she entered Beggars' Alley. The old woman's soup also smelled very fragrant. If she could solve this ghost calamity, she would definitely eat her fill after getting out—the old woman had said she would treat her.
She quickly finished the thin porridge in her bowl, set the bowl down, and in Liu Yizhen's complex and worried gaze, turned and left.
By familiarizing herself with the paths during the day, Zhao Fusheng had almost memorized the layout of the houses in Beggars' Alley. Among these houses, some had undergone artificial modifications—not everyone simply waited for death when facing a malevolent ghost's attack; some also tried to find ways to fight back. In the few houses she had searched, some had dug pits and set traps. Unfortunately, the malevolent ghost was ferociously powerful, and these traps failed to contain it; instead, those targeted by the ghost still ultimately met their demise.
Although predecessors had proven with blood that traps couldn't catch ghosts, the houses they left behind still became highly sought after. Zhao Fusheng noticed during her daytime wanderings that people would hide in these houses, whether or not anyone had died in them.
The advantage of being the first to drink porridge was quickly apparent. Zhao Fusheng recalled the locations of several houses in her mind and went straight to them, quickly choosing one to hide in. The house she chose had a pit about two feet deep dug near the entrance, with several sharpened bamboo spikes inserted. The bottom of the trap accumulated a thick layer of dark brown scabs, emitting an unpleasant odor.
Zhao Fusheng carefully avoided the pit when she pushed the door open, then jumped into the house. Although she had experienced the terrifying events of last night and knew that a malevolent ghost's body existed between tangible and intangible, she still couldn't help but find a wooden stick to brace the door tightly. Only after shrinking into a corner did she begin to inventory her belongings.
Even though she had mentally prepared to face the malevolent ghost tonight, when the moment arrived, Zhao Fusheng still felt a little apprehensive. She had only just been reborn, and her personal belongings were few. A scroll of human skin paper, a box of lamp oil, and a semi-finished ghost lantern—these were life-saving items retrieved from Paper Man Zhang. Besides these, there was also a Soul Fate Record. As Fan Bisi said, being in the Soul Fate Record meant, in some sense, that she had 'sold' herself to the ghost controlled by Jia Yi, becoming one of his ghostly puppets.
"I hope you will protect your own interests and not give up easily." Zhao Fusheng cradled the Soul Fate Record, murmuring to herself. At this moment, the ghostly curses on the Soul Fate Record had crawled all over her hands, but instead of being alarmed, she was somewhat delighted. If the malevolent ghost that came for her could perform exceptionally like this, it would be ideal. With two ghosts contending, she could successfully preserve her life.
But she couldn't rely solely on these two items; what she truly depended on was the malevolent ghost she controlled. According to the Investiture of the Gods, the ghostly entity she controlled had reached the Rank-A level, which logically put it on par with the ghost of Beggars' Alley—if this malevolent ghost hadn't advanced in rank due to excessive killing, then in a confrontation between the two, she would have one chance to strike.
Having made up her mind, Zhao Fusheng took deep breaths, forcing herself to calm down. Outside, those who had finished their porridge quickly returned to their respective hiding places, and night gradually descended.
In the middle of the night, a pushing sound was heard from outside Zhao Fusheng's door. After experiencing the malevolent ghost's door-knocking and killing last night, Zhao Fusheng's scalp tingled the moment she heard the knocking. She broke down and yelled: "Get out!"
The person outside heard her voice. Perhaps remembering her, they didn't pester her further and quickly left. After things calmed down, Zhao Fusheng clutched her wildly beating chest, remembering the scene when she knocked on doors upon entering Beggars' Alley yesterday. No wonder the people inside refused to open their doors then—those who couldn't bear the constant moving might have been on the verge of a mental breakdown. From this perspective, the survivors yesterday who didn't curse her out were quite well-mannered.
In her state of lingering shock, time flew by rapidly. After an unknown period, everything returned to deadly silence. In the profound stillness, the familiar oppressive sensation from last night returned. A strange and terrifying atmosphere permeated the air through the black mist, and the heavy 'tap, tap' of footsteps sounded once more. The surrounding black mist gradually deepened. The malevolent ghost had returned.
'Thump, thump, thump—' Although Zhao Fusheng had prepared herself, at this moment her heartbeat skyrocketed to the extreme. She almost instinctively clutched the items in her hand tightly. Before the malevolent ghost's footsteps sounded, she couldn't discern from which direction the ghost was coming, making it impossible to identify its hiding place. It seemed to appear out of thin air on a nearby street, heading in her direction.
Zhao Fusheng's blood almost solidified. With a slightly stiff hand, she almost unconsciously bit down on the Jade Book of Emerald, stuffing it into her mouth. Whether it was the legendary headless ghost or the malevolent ghost that entered homes and killed last night, both carried a head after killing.
She had to protect her own head first to prevent it from being snatched by the ghost. Ghostly curses quickly crawled over her lips and cheeks; she felt a chill on her head. At the same time, the malevolent ghost's will hidden within her seemed to sense the ghostly aura, faintly showing signs of revival. But luckily, the ghostly curses quickly faded, and the malevolent ghost's residual will was suppressed.
Zhao Fusheng took out the human-skin lantern, quickly unfurled it, and placed the lamp oil box inside as well. As she did all this, the 'tap, tap' of footsteps outside grew closer and closer. From the sound, it seemed the ghost hunting tonight was indeed heading in Zhao Fusheng's direction. She forced herself to remain calm, holding the barely assembled human-skin lantern in her hand. Before she could make her next move, she suddenly heard the malevolent ghost's footsteps pause.
Zhao Fusheng's heart felt uneasy. She sat up and carefully crawled towards the door.
'Clang—'
Even with her most subtle movements, the moment the door crack was pulled open, a piercingly harsh sound was emitted. Zhao Fusheng held her breath. The malevolent ghost stood still in the street for a moment, then slowly turned, revealing its cold, eerie face, a mixture of pale green and white. The ghost's eyes had lost their luster, but everyone 'seen' by it, hiding within their houses, felt an inexplicable sense of horror.
An unending chill and malevolent resentment washed over her. Affected by this ghostly intent, Zhao Fusheng felt the malevolent ghost hidden within her stirring restlessly. She couldn't wait any longer. Her mind turned. She pulled out a fire starter. Sparks flashed several times in the air. Before the flame could ignite, something strange happened again.
The malevolent ghost stood still for a moment, then dragged its cumbersome steps forward a few more paces.
'Huuuff—Huuuff—'
Heavy breathing came from the room next door. Zhao Fusheng was surprised to find that someone was living right next to her. The person hiding in the room at this moment might not have been as daring as she was, daring to peek at the malevolent ghost's movements. But wherever the ghostly entity passed, malevolence surged. That person should have sensed something ominous but probably hadn't realized that disaster was imminent for them.
Zhao Fusheng hadn't thought of this either. Liu Yizhen had also mentioned that the malevolent ghost of Beggars' Alley claimed lives according to the Fate Record. Logically, since her name was on the record, and she had eaten first during the porridge distribution, Zhao Fusheng's name should be at the top, and the malevolent ghost should have found her first tonight. Could it be that the malevolent ghost's killings were random, not based on the order of receiving offerings?
As she was lost in wild thoughts, the malevolent ghost stepped closer, inch by inch. Its ghostly shadow pressed in, and black mist seeped through the door crack into the adjacent house. A chilling cold spread, making one shiver. The 'tap, tap' of footsteps ceased, replaced by the ghost stiffly raising its arm.
'Knock, knock, knock.'
The familiar sound of knocking rang out. But it wasn't Zhao Fusheng's door that was being knocked on; it was the person next to her who had been chosen by the ghost, becoming the ghost's sacrifice tonight!
Zhao Fusheng didn't know whether to lament the neighbor's misfortune or her own excessive luck in turning bad luck into good. The person in the room next door paled with fright, and a desperate, helpless scream erupted. The ghost pushed the door open. The tightly braced door was no match for the malevolent ghost. The sound of the door splintering echoed, and a piercing scream tore through the night sky.
Under the cover of night, Zhao Fusheng could see the wall trembling slightly, as the person chosen by the malevolent ghost struggled violently. But the next moment, a great force pressed down, and she even clearly heard the crisp snap of bones being twisted. This was followed by a chilling sound of flesh and bone being violently torn apart, and the screams abruptly ceased. The strong scent of blood seeped through the wall cracks, signifying that another life had been harvested by the malevolent ghost.
The adjacent room was devoid of life, but the commotion had not stopped. In the extreme, eerie stillness, a viscous, slimy sound emanated, like someone greedily devouring. Compared to the malevolent ghost's previous killing sounds, this sound was subtle and faint, yet it made one's hair stand on end. Blood oozed through the cracks in the mud wall, 'gurgling' in, soaking Zhao Fusheng's shoe soles. Only then did she awaken from her shock, realizing that in that instant, the malevolent ghost had not found her as she had originally thought, but had killed someone else.
At this moment, after killing the person, the ghost slowly withdrew from the room. Amidst the 'tap, tap' of footsteps, there was the 'drip, drip, drip' sound of blood trickling down. The ghost was leaving! This thought surged into Zhao Fusheng's mind, instantly stimulating her nerves. In the darkness, her eyes showed a struggle, and after a moment, she gritted her teeth, roughly pulling all her belongings back into her embrace, and with a 'clank,' pulled the door open.
The sound of the door opening in the utterly silent Beggars' Alley was like a sudden clap of thunder. However, the malevolent ghost, having already fulfilled its killing ritual for the night, was not startled by her. As it had done last night, after killing, the malevolent ghost pulled out intestines and draped them around its body, while a head it had forcibly twisted off was held in its hand. Blood dripped from the severed neck, spilling along the path as the malevolent ghost moved.
Just then, a crazy and daring thought appeared in Zhao Fusheng's mind—she wanted to follow the malevolent ghost and see its hiding place. As this thought arose, Zhao Fusheng immediately could not suppress the impulse within her.
At first glance, Zhao Fusheng's idea seemed nothing short of fantasy. When a malevolent ghost moved, ordinary people didn't even have time to flee, so how could anyone actively approach it? This was tantamount to seeking death! But upon bolder reflection, Zhao Fusheng felt that this was feasible. Malevolent ghosts had their own rules for killing. Although the malevolent ghost of Beggars' Alley was fierce, Zhao Fusheng had been there for two days and had discerned its patterns.
The malevolent ghost randomly selected victims from the Fate Record. Then, after everyone received their porridge in the evening, it would patrol the streets, knocking on doors. After killing, it would immediately leave with its 'trophy,' and the period that followed would be a relatively safe one. If the malevolent ghost did not break its own rules, then by following it after it had killed, the danger would not be very great. Even if an unexpected situation arose, Zhao Fusheng was mentally prepared. She had come specifically to resolve this ghost calamity and had already prepared herself to face the malevolent ghost head-on tonight. If they met directly, it would merely mean the confrontation was pushed back slightly.
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained!" Zhao Fusheng encouraged herself. If she didn't enter the tiger's den, how could she capture the tiger cub? Thinking this, she rode this wave of courage, quickly dashed out of the house, not giving herself a moment to be afraid or retreat, and chased after the malevolent ghost carrying the head.
The malevolent ghost's hunt ended, and the other people in Beggars' Alley had fortunately survived, enduring another day. But then, all the survivors heard not only the 'tap-tap' of the malevolent ghost's footsteps on the street but also another sound of running. At night, Beggars' Alley had already become the ghost's territory. Especially after the ghost had killed, who would dare to venture out recklessly? It was also possible that it wasn't a human, but another ghost.
Many people were scared out of their wits by their own speculations. At this moment, Zhao Fusheng quickly moved forward, stopping two or three zhang away from the malevolent ghost. She held the human-skin lantern in one hand and a fire starter in the other. If the malevolent ghost suddenly became agitated, she would immediately light the lantern and flee from its sight.
But Zhao Fusheng's luck was good. Her initial guess was correct: after the malevolent ghost completed its killing ritual, it showed no reaction at all to the person following it. It seemed unable to hear the footsteps behind it or sense Zhao Fusheng's prying eyes. Instead, it continued forward, step by step, carrying the human head.
The intestines draped on its body tangled and swayed, emitting a chilling sound. It passed through the street with heavy steps, heading straight for the center of the street. The further she walked, the more Zhao Fusheng realized something was amiss. To increase her chances of survival in this confrontation with the malevolent ghost, she had spent the daytime exploring Beggars' Alley, which was enveloped by the Ghost Domain, familiarizing herself with every alley. Since no one stopped her, she had run through it several times and was now quite familiar with the area.
And the direction the malevolent ghost was heading now was instantly recognizable to her: it was the location of the Master's Temple.
"Impossible—impossible—"
"How could a mere Master's Temple—accommodate three ghosts—"
She murmured to herself, and as soon as that possibility crossed her mind, her scalp tingled. Filled with doubt, Zhao Fusheng dared to move even closer to the malevolent ghost. The ghost was completely unaware of her approach, merely continuing forward in silence, carrying the bleeding head. Zhao Fusheng held her breath, closing the distance between herself and the malevolent ghost, and followed leisurely behind the entity.
In the thick ghostly mist, the streets of Beggars' Alley, enveloped by the Ghost Domain, were utterly deserted. But on the street, one human and one ghost walked silently, one after the other. Amidst the heavy 'tap, tap, tap' of footsteps, Zhao Fusheng tried her best to muffle her presence, quietly walking behind the malevolent ghost. Everyone else hid in their temporary shelters, feeling the relief of having survived another day, and no one witnessed this utterly terrifying scene.
Zhao Fusheng was like someone dancing on the edge of a knife. Her nerves were strained to the limit, yet her consciousness felt detached from her body. Her body's instinctive fear made her steps feel incredibly heavy, but the more nervous she was, the calmer she became. She walked alongside the ghost without making a sound.
The outline of the Master's Temple in the distance became clearer and clearer, even through the thick ghostly mist. The ghost lamp dispelled the darkness, and beneath the slightly blackened timber, corroded by time, the three characters 'Master's Temple' in black on a blue background shone dazzlingly under the light of the lanterns on either side.
"It really is here!"
Zhao Fusheng's heart sank.
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