Chapter 22

Chirp… Chirp…

A gray-feathered bird alighted on the eaves of a house. On the straight street, vendors carrying candied hawthorn sticks and carrying cargo walked through the alleys. Street stalls had their steamers uncovered, emitting rising heat, and the squeaky sound of a pushcart was heard along with the calls of shop assistants.

“Freshly made pancakes, soft flower pastries…”

“Clay pots with rolled mouths, not only can they store things but also serve as chamber pots. That handsome young man over there, why don’t you come take a look?”

“Combs, mirrors, fine peach wood, if they don’t catch your eye, there are also beautiful paintings…”

Above the bustling and lively street, on the second floor of a familiar inn, there was the sound of people eating and chatting.

“Eat more. The food in this city’s shops tastes really good.”

“Eat what? Leave some for Liangsheng. Lu Erdan, put down that pig trotter!”

Among the noisy chatter of Lu Pan, Lu Qing, and others, Lu Liangsheng opened his eyes and sat up, realizing he had somehow ended up sleeping on the bed at some point.

The Toad Daoist curled up into a ball and basked in the morning light at the desk. The eight strong men from Lu Family Village surrounded a round table filled with various types of meat. When they saw Lu Liangsheng wake up, the closest one tore off a chicken leg and handed it to him.

“Liangsheng, here. Eat well early in the morning.”

Lu Liangsheng pressed down on the edge of the bed, put on his shoes, and placed the chicken leg on the desk. “I’ll eat it later. I ate a lot last night, so I’m not very hungry right now.”

After saying this, he donned his robe and went to the corner to wash his face, then wiped his face and turned back.

“Uncle Pan, let’s visit the county yamen today. We need to handle the village matters quickly and head back sooner.”

Lu Pan, holding half a chicken leg, nodded. After thinking for a moment, he then set the chicken down and turned to his nephew, his brow furrowed.

“Liangsheng, this morning, when I went downstairs and instructed the staff to prepare breakfast, I heard the diners saying that Landlord Chen’s son is dead.”

Nearby, Lu Qing spat and said.

“Good riddance. People like him deserve to die. If he didn’t, then heaven must be blind.”

In the corner, Lu Liangsheng hung up his towel, sat at the table, and was handed chopsticks and a bowl of porridge. The young man smiled and said: “It has nothing to do with us. When we left, he was still alive and kicking. Maybe that female ghost was clever. After we left, it came back and killed him to take revenge.”

“…Hmm.” Lu Pan thought about it, then bit into the half chicken leg with renewed vigor.

“That’s true. It makes sense.”

He then leaned his head toward the other seven, lowering his voice, and added: “From now on, no one should mention anything about Landlord Chen’s family. Even if it comes up, don’t involve Liangsheng!”

After finishing their greasy breakfast and checking out of the inn, news of the incident at Landlord Chen’s house had already spread outside. The forty or so people who had witnessed the events firsthand exaggerated the story of the ghost encounter at Chen’s Residence. Now that Chen Yaoke was dead and Landlord Chen was bedridden with anger, there were no more reservations.

“You don’t know how powerful it was. If not for the presence of an expert that day, Chen Yaoke might have died on the spot.”

Children were playing and fighting and then were scolded by their elders, who then turned back to gossip with neighbors, discussing the news they had heard.

“Oh, you don’t know. That female ghost was the same one that performed in Fushui County for Landlord Chen. I was there at the time. The voice was so beautiful that it made everyone’s bones go soft.”

An older scholar spat on the ground with disdain.

“…It’s all because of Landlord Chen’s son. He hadn’t read many books, but he dressed like a scholar and went around harassing virtuous women, ruining the reputation of us scholars. He deserved to die!”

“I wonder how the county magistrate will handle this.”

“…Will they capture the ghost and throw it in prison?”

On the streets, whether in tea houses or wine shops, groups of people were chatting away. Since encounters with ghosts were rare, initially, they felt pity for the Chen family. But once they knew a bit more, they started clapping and cheering with the outcome. Some more hot-tempered individuals even went to Chen’s estate and spat on the door.

Lu Liangsheng and his eight companions, on their way to the county yamen, overheard these conversations but chose not to dwell on them. They passed through the bustling streets and arrived at the county yamen, where they saw an old steward from the Chen Residence coming out. The steward’s eyes were red, and he glanced at Lu Liangsheng and the others before hastily leaving in a carriage.

Lu Pan spat on the ground as he watched the carriage leave.

“Presumably, they only come to report to the county yamen after someone important in their family has died. But why haven’t they come when it was for that female ghost Hong Lian? And this talk about being benevolent and charitable, bah——”

“Uncle Pan, let’s not talk about this now.” Lu Liangsheng winked at him. The matter had already been settled, so there was no need to discuss it further to avoid unnecessary complications. After going out twice, during the first visit with his father, Lu Laoshi, to this county yamen, he felt that the outside world was quite dazzling and overwhelming.

On this second visit, he had grown a lot. He had encountered demons that spared his and his group’s lives, and he had also seen human hearts far more disgusting than ghosts.

As for the female ghost, Hong Lian.

Lu Liangsheng sighed. He had already done all he could to help.

Thinking this, he walked up the steps of the yamen, bowed to the two constables on either side and explained his purpose.

“Two big brothers, we are from the Lu Family Village in Qixia Mountain. We came two days ago and submitted a petition regarding a dispute between two villages over the irrigation of farmland.”

The constable glanced at the calm and unflinching youth before him and nodded. “Ah, it’s you. Old Zhao, who was on duty yesterday, mentioned you.”

“Mentioned us?” Lu Liangsheng was a bit puzzled.

“He said the writing was very beautiful!”

The constable smiled, pointing to a side of the yamen’s eaves. “Please wait there for a moment while I report to the Chief Registrar.”

It turned out that it was because of the petition they had previously submitted. Lu Liangsheng wasn’t sure whether to laugh or not and mimicked the constable’s gesture, cupping his hands.

“Thank you for your trouble, big brother.”

The constable, carrying a water and fire stick, walked into the county yamen but did not head to the main courtroom which was used for trials and hearings. Instead, he went to the side courtyard where the county magistrate and the registrar handled daily administrative duties. In the side courtyard, there were several rooms: one for the county magistrate, one for the deputy magistrate, one for the county chief constable, and one for the chief registrar and the clerks.

When the constable arrived, minor officials and constables were busy coming and going. Previously, the county magistrate and the chief registrar had been troubled by ghost issues. Now that someone had suddenly died and rumors were spreading about a vengeful ghost, the matter was temporarily set aside. They decided to let the constables investigate, and if the culprit could not be found, the case would be treated as an unsolved mystery.

“If it’s really as the rumors say, then not only will this county not intervene, but I might even celebrate with a drink!”

“The county magistrate’s aversion to evil is hard to change. If he is recalled to the south in the future, he might need to adjust his approach to avoid offending others again and being demoted.”

In one of the rooms on the left side of the side courtyard, two desks faced each other. At the head of one desk sat the county magistrate, dressed in official robes and around forty years old, speaking angrily and banging the table. Despite his anger, his demeanor was dignified, with a long beard giving him an air of authority.

Across from him was an older man, the chief registrar of Fushui County. Since the county town was small and there weren’t many official duties, there was no deputy magistrate or chief constable. The chief registrar stayed in the same room as the magistrate, which made it easier to discuss matters without the need for formal meetings.

The county magistrate took a sip of tea and picked up a pen to handle official documents.

“If they want to demote me, just demote me. Officials in the capital are not as carefree as they are here. However, even in this place evil and ghostly disturbances are happening, which really make one’s head spin…”

The old man chuckled. “Such things are common in the countryside. Since Chen Yaoke is dead, let the people below investigate. If they cannot find anything, so be it. Such strange and inexplicable matters are hard to explain. Instead of dwelling on them, it’s better for the County Magistrate and me to focus on dealing with the pending official work.”

As he spoke, he set aside the documents he had reviewed and picked up another petition that had not yet been processed. He glanced at it and suddenly chuckled.

The county magistrate looked up. “Is there a problem with it?”

The old man put down the petition and shook his head.

“The content of this petition is plain and simple, like the story written when I just started studying. But the handwriting is very pleasant to read. Good handwriting indeed… Hmm, it’s written by Lu Liangsheng. That’s quite a good name.”

“Oh? If it’s something that can make the old gentleman praise, then this county magistrate would indeed like to see it.”

The magistrate walked over and took the petition, examining it thoroughly. He couldn’t help but nod in approval. “Indeed, this handwriting is indeed good. Every stroke is precise and vigorous, though it’s perhaps a bit too neat as if it were copied, lacking in vitality.”

At this moment, there was a knock on the door. The magistrate turned his head. “What is it?”

“Reporting to the county magistrate and the chief registrar, Lu Liangsheng from the Lu Family Village in Qixia Mountain has come to the yamen to discuss the dispute between the two villages.”

The magistrate set down the petition and looked at the old man with a smile.

“Ah… Just as we were speaking of him, he arrived. I’m curious to see what the person with such handwriting looks like.”

The old man also smiled and stood up, ready to go out with the magistrate.