Chapter 16
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Fule District is the residential area where the wealthy gentry of Fushui County congregate. The most famous among them is Landlord Chen. The gate of his courtyard is painted red with copper fittings, and outside, two stone lions squat. Above the gate, a plaque bears the two characters ‘Chen Residence’, which are written in radiant gold.
Across the street was an archway for the district, with local residents gathered beneath it in small groups. They huddled together in circles, secretly glancing in that direction, whispering to one another in hushed voices.
“This morning, I heard screams coming from Landlord Chen’s residence from far away. Guess what? Three people died, and one of them was Landlord Chen’s concubine.”
“That serious? Could it be the work of a vengeful ghost?”
“…I heard from Old Wang, the half-blind man who wanders Qiaoluo Street that it was because they angered the God Fortune, bringing disaster upon themselves.”
“I don’t know how many in that house are still alive… Ah, Head Constable Zuo is here!”
Among the scattered whispers, someone suddenly called out. The crowd turned to look behind them and then quickly made way as the sound of hoofbeats approached. Riding a horse was a man with two gleaming white long-handled swords strapped to his back. He had a high nose, wide mouth, and a small beard on his chin, his expression severe and solemn.
He rode through the archway and, with a sharp “whoa,” reined in his horse outside the Chen Residence. After casting a sweeping glance at the onlookers, he summoned a few constables.
“Disperse the crowd. Don’t let anyone get too close.”
The four constables obeyed, rushing over and gripping the hilts of their swords as they loudly ordered the crowd to disperse, pushing the perimeter of the cordon back beyond the archway.
Head Constable Zuo then turned, climbed the steps with his deputy and ten other constables, and knocked on the door a few times. Soon, with a creak, the lacquered red door slowly opened a crack.
Half of an old face appeared—it was the doorkeeper of the Chen Residence. Upon seeing the group of officials outside, he hurriedly opened the door fully.
“Where is your master, Landlord Chen?” Head Constable Zuo asked as he handed his cloak to his deputy and stepped inside.
The elderly doorkeeper followed two steps behind him to the edge of the roof.
“Head Constable Zuo, sir, the master was terribly frightened and is now resting in his bedroom.”
Head Constable Zuo acknowledged with a hum and continued walking. On either side of the path were potted pine trees arranged to welcome guests. The path extended all the way to a feng shui wall painted with mountains, rivers, and forests, beyond which lay the front courtyard.
At that moment, a large group of people had gathered in the main hall, most of whom were distant relatives dependent on the Chen family. As Head Constable Zuo and his men approached, the noise of their squabbling could be heard from outside. Some children played on the stone steps by the door, but whenever they strayed too far, they were quickly pulled back into the hall by their parents.
One particularly brave boy sat on the stone steps playing with rocks. When he heard the footsteps, he looked up and cheerfully greeted: “Hello, uncles!”
Head Constable Zuo patted the boy on the head before striding into the hall, where he cupped his hands in greeting.
“Everyone, I am Zuo Zhengyang, Head Constable of Fushui County Yamen.”
Given the dire situation, the expressions on the faces of those in the hall were far from pleasant. The women and children especially looked tense and fearful. Seeing someone from the yamen arrive gave them some hope, and they flocked toward them.
“Head Constable Zuo, you must get to the bottom of these strange events in the household. I refuse to believe it’s the work of ghosts!”
“…Head Constable Zuo, perhaps you could find a Daoist priest to calm everyone down first?”
Those who spoke first had no authority in the discussion and were scolded away. Afterward, an elderly steward came forward and offered his respects.
“Head Constable Zuo, this way, please. The Master has already risen and is waiting for you in the side courtyard.”
“Please!.”
Zuo Zhengyang nodded and made a courteous gesture, following the steward to the side courtyard. It was a large compound with three layers of courtyards, connected by corridors, waterside pavilions, rock gardens, and flower beds. However, under the current circumstances, the place seemed rather eerie.
As they neared the gate of the side courtyard, an elderly man dressed in a robe embroidered with gold thread and copper coins could be seen. The old man was being supported by two maidservants. Beside him stood a young man in his early twenties, dressed in a scholar’s robe and holding a paper fan. He looked elegant and refined like a scholar preparing to take the imperial exams in the capital.
“Landlord Chen!” Zuo Zhengyang paid his respects to the elderly man while signaling his deputy to take men inside to inspect the bodies.
The elderly man, visibly shaken, had his white beard trembling slightly.
“I’ve heard that Head Constable Zuo is about to be promoted. For you to still come here is truly an honor for this old man. I am deeply grateful, deeply grateful!”
Hearing Landlord Chen express his gratitude twice in quick succession, Zuo Zhengyang didn’t indulge in further pleasantries. As he walked inside, he said: “I’ll do my best to quickly uncover the truth and provide both Landlord Chen and the deceased with an explanation.”
“Head Constable Zuo.” Landlord Chen suddenly lowered his voice and asked: “There are rumors in the streets that this birthday celebration of mine has offended the God Fortune… or perhaps stirred up some sort of ghostly entity. What do you think…?”
Zuo Zhengyang waved his hand dismissively and walked past the elderly man.
“This Zuo doesn’t believe in gods or ghosts.”
As he approached the side courtyard, he saw three corpses covered with white cloth. His deputy, who had already inspected them, stepped forward to report.
“Boss, these bodies have no visible injuries. Their faces are blue, and their lips are pale, but there’s no sign of poisoning. It seems as though they were literally frightened to death.”
Zuo Zhengyang walked over and lifted the white cloth. The first body was that of Landlord Chen’s concubine, young and beautiful in life, but now her face was twisted in terror. Her eyes were wide open, and the blood vessels around her eye sockets were clearly visible.
“Her fingers are clenched, and her elbows are raised, as if she tried to shield her face, unwilling to see something, but she didn’t have time…”
He lightly touched the deceased’s arm and other parts of her body before moving on to examine the other two corpses, one was a night watchman, and the other a guard of the household.
“They’re just like the previous bodies.”
After covering the corpses with the white cloth again, Head Constable Zuo ordered his men to bring the bodies back to the yamen for further examination by the coroner. Then he returned to Landlord Chen.
“That opera singer, every time they appear, someone dies?”
Landlord Chen glanced at his son and spread his hands helplessly. “It’s true. Even when we moved to our villa in the countryside, they followed us.”
“When does it usually show up?”
“How would this old man know?” Landlord Chen sighed. “Sometimes the next day, other times it disappears for three or five days.”
Zuo Zhengyang’s expression darkened as he gazed at the three corpses being carried away. He seemed deep in thought for a moment before cupping his hands and saying: “I will remain at the yamen these next few days. If that opera singer appears again, send someone to inform me immediately.”
“Head Constable Zuo! Head Constable Zuo!”
Landlord Chen repeatedly urged him to stay, but Zuo Zhengyang merely waved his hand dismissively and walked out. He likely intended to summarize the situation and report to the county magistrate, hoping to quell the rumors circulating outside.
As the noisy courtyard gradually quieted down and the main gates were closed again, the young man standing beside Landlord Chen paced back and forth with his hands behind his back. He frequently glanced toward the side courtyard and then returned, eventually stopping in front of the old man.
“Father, we can’t continue like this. The yamen can afford to wait, but we can’t,”
Speaking of this, his once elegant and refined face is now slick with cold sweat. At some point, he dropped his paper fan, grabbed Landlord Chen’s hand, and suddenly dropped to his knees with a thud.
“If your son’s life is short, after you pass away, who will wear mourning clothes for you, tend to your spirit tablet, cry at your funeral? Father, you have to do something! Otherwise, the Chen family line will be cut off, and this vast estate will have no heir, ah!”
“You!!” Landlord Chen trembled with anger, pushing away the maidservants’ hands as he struck the young man on the head twice with force. “Isn’t this all your fault, you worthless dog!”
The young man crawled forward a couple of steps, clutching his father’s hands as they came down on him.
“Father, why are you scolding yourself as well? We must quickly think of a solution. Why not post a notice and hire some powerful Daoist priests?”
The maidservants continuously fanned Landlord Chen to calm him down. After a moment, he finally sighed and, with a weak gesture, waved his hand.
“Post the notice…”
Meanwhile, outside the Chen Residence, Zuo Zhengyang was staring at the two large characters on the gate plaque.
His deputy led a horse over to him and approached. “Boss, are we just leaving like this?”
“We can’t stay and wait around, can we?”
Zuo Zhengyang replied as he turned away, taking the reins. “The Chen family father and son are hiding something from us. Since they are unwilling to tell us the truth, we’ll let them suffer a bit more.”
With that, he mounted his horse, snapped the reins, and shouted, “Hyah!” He and his subordinates departed Fule District in a straight line, the ten constables riding closely behind him.
In the bustling long street, a group of nine people sat under the eaves, still pondering how to solve the issues plaguing the village.
From a distance, the sound of horse hooves and footsteps echoed as a figure, carrying two weapons on his back, rode past on horseback. Lu Liangsheng stood under the eaves, watching with a hint of envy in his eyes.
Suddenly, a voice emerged from his bundle, the voice of the Toad Daoist.
“You directly entered the Dao, but he had to take a much longer path before he even began to show the slightest inclination towards it. There’s nothing to envy?”
Lu Liangsheng glanced back to see half of the toad’s face poking out from the gap in the bundle. He quickly looked around to make sure no one noticed before whispering back.
“Can those who practice martial arts also become Daoists?”
The toad squinted its eyes, its gaze passing through the gap in the bundle and toward the narrow sky above the street. White clouds floated like wisps, and a bird flew past, briefly reflecting in its eyes. Only then did he softly respond to his disciple.
“Why not? Look at that bird—it might be flying today, but one day it could gain spiritual awareness and enter the path of cultivation. In this world full of mountain spirits and ghosts, how could humans be an exception? A stonemason chiseling stone for years may gain enlightenment and attain the Dao; a monk chanting scriptures before Buddha could find it; even a writer might someday imbue his works with a righteous aura. A drinker, living among mountains and rivers, could very well be an immortal in hiding. So, entering the Dao through martial arts is hardly surprising.”
The Toad Daoist paused, then suddenly shifted the conversation to something else.
“Liangsheng, the cultivation method I taught you to practice under the moon, stop practicing that. I have another technique more suited to you.”
Lu Liangsheng didn’t notice how heavily the toad had emphasized the word “suited.” Instead, he jokingly replied,
“So does that mean I’ll have to start all over again?”
The toad gazed at the sky, lost in some old memories.
“And what if you do? On the path of the Dao, there are countless people who wish they could start over.”
Having said that, his eyes turned to the long street. A commotion had started. People were running, and others followed behind, shouting loudly.
“A good show is starting. Landlord Chen is posting a notice seeking talented individuals. Whoever can eliminate the ghosts in the manor will be rewarded with five hundred taels of silver——”
The street erupted in an uproar.
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