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"You..." Zhang Chuanshi hadn't expected that as soon as he opened his mouth, Paper Figurine Zhang would accurately name the case.
Just as he was feeling somewhat astonished, Zhao Fusheng smiled and said,
"I didn't expect Paper Figurine Zhang to be this old already."
She had been misled by the information, thinking that Zhang Xiongwu had handled the major case of the Liu Family Ancestral Hall forty years ago. Based on Su Long's age at the time, she had guessed that Zhang Xiongwu should also have been in his prime, merely thirty or forty years old.
Even if he were older, say fifty or sixty, after forty years, his grandson should still be in his prime. Yet, she hadn't expected Paper Figurine Zhang to have aged to such an extent.
"It seems you anticipated my arrival long ago and knew my identity, yet you deliberately feigned ignorance earlier. What, did you want to use Zhang Chuanshi to put me in my place?"
Paper Figurine Zhang's eyebrows twitched, and he said with a dark face,
"I don't know what you mean by that—"
Zhao Fusheng had been smiling amiably and speaking unhurriedly, appearing not to have a volatile temper. But before Paper Figurine Zhang could finish his sentence, she immediately interrupted him and said bluntly,
"If you don't know, then shut up and listen to what I have to say!"
"You..."
She flipped out just like that, displaying some of the capricious temperament of a ghost-tamer.
However, the Zhang family's status was special, and they possessed unique secret techniques, particularly the skill of crafting 'Ghost Lanterns,' which could potentially save a ghost-tamer's life at a critical moment.
Therefore, even ghost-tamers with eccentric tempers would show some restraint when facing members of the Zhang family and wouldn't speak rudely to them.
'Heh heh ha ha—' That eerie laughter started up again.
A large amount of black qi gushed out from his cuffs. The ghost eye that had been forced into hiding earlier peeked out again, staring excitedly at the people outside.
"I advise you not to play any tricks." Zhao Fusheng shook her head.
"I can sense that you have ghost qi on you, yet it doesn't seem like you have a ghost."
Her time in this world was still very short, and her understanding of vengeful ghosts was insufficient. But from Paper Figurine Zhang's actions, such as creating 'Ghost Lanterns' and 'corpse slaves,' this person seemed to be skilled in some unorthodox techniques, not a true ghost-tamer.
This behavior seemed like stealing a portion of a ghost's power, but it probably wasn't a true vengeful ghost.
After all, Fan Bisi's words couldn't be entirely trusted, but one sentence was definitely from the heart: those who command vengeful ghosts possess extraordinary power, but using a vengeful ghost's power often leads to backlash from the ghost.
In other words, ghost-tamers generally die young.
Paper Figurine Zhang had a considerable reputation and relied on ancestral secret skills. For him to live to this age, it didn't seem like he was commanding a ghost.
"Wan'an County was abandoned by the imperial court long ago. You know very well how I, the Division Commander of this Demon Suppression Division, came to be."
Zhao Fusheng slowly walked towards him. Paper Figurine Zhang's expression was grim, his lips moved. Watching Zhao Fusheng get closer and closer, he didn't retreat, but the commotion within his sleeves grew more intense.
The 'hee hee ha ha' laughter was incessant, thick with ghostly qi. A dense malice assaulted them, stimulating the suppressed vengeful ghost within Zhao Fusheng to stir restlessly again.
She did not restrain the ghost's emergence. As she approached Paper Figurine Zhang—
Amidst the 'thud, thud' of her footsteps, the black shadow behind Zhao Fusheng gradually elongated, and the color drained from her face, bit by bit.
Paper Figurine Zhang's cheek twitched, but he forced himself not to step back.
She stopped right in front of Paper Figurine Zhang.
The old man slowly straightened his spine, staring coldly at Zhao Fusheng.
His wrinkled face tensed. The hand hidden in his cuff trembled twice, then began to shake uncontrollably.
Zhao Fusheng stood less than half a step away from him, looking down at Paper Figurine Zhang, scrutinizing him without restraint.
Zhang Chuanshi stood to the side, so nervous he barely dared to breathe.
From his position, he could hear the eerie laughter coming from Paper Figurine Zhang and see the eye, its face indistinct, peeking out from his cuff.
And on Zhao Fusheng, malice also began to revive, black qi surging. She seemed to have no intention of reining it in.
"Lord Zhao..."
She was still a newcomer. At the Demon Suppression Division, she had suppressed the reanimated corpses of Mr. and Mrs. Zhao, already using the power of a vengeful ghost.
Although Zhang Chuanshi didn't know how she ultimately dispelled the ghost's influence and regained control, if she were to use the vengeful ghost's power recklessly again, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Once she was controlled by the ghost, the out-of-control vengeful ghost would directly turn this place into a ghost domain, slaughtering everyone until none remained.
"Don't panic."
In Zhao Fusheng's sea of consciousness, the warning from the Investiture of the Gods sounded: The vengeful ghost is about to awaken.
She didn't need the Investiture of the Gods to remind her of this.
Zhao Fusheng felt the ghost's resurgence most keenly. That eerie, bone-chilling cold enveloped her again; the strange physical sensations from when she suppressed Mr. and Mrs. Zhao returned.
She quirked her lips, offering Zhang Chuanshi a smile.
But her face was currently pale, her expression cold. This smile was exceptionally horrifying, scaring Zhang Chuanshi into hiding behind Paper Figurine Zhang.
"Paper Figurine Zhang?" Zhao Fusheng called out. Paper Figurine Zhang stood motionless. She suddenly reached out, probing towards Paper Figurine Zhang's sleeve.
Malice emanated from the sleeve, but it didn't force her back. She reached out, lifted Paper Figurine Zhang's sleeve, and looked inside—the gaze within the sleeve seemed startled by her action and hastily retreated into the depths of the black sleeve.
The incessant 'hee hee ha ha' laughter vanished along with the retreat of this consciousness.
'Tch.'
Zhao Fusheng chuckled and released her hand.
"I am entangled with a vengeful ghost; it's uncertain how long I'll live. Let's talk things over properly. Don't tear faces and cause everyone to lose face, don't you agree?"
Her personality was completely different from what Paper Figurine Zhang had imagined.
The Fan brothers had clearly bought a country girl with little worldly experience from Jiumen Village. Yet, at this moment, she acted recklessly, without any scruples. Paper Figurine Zhang had barely tried to put her in her place upon meeting, and she had acted as if she'd gone mad, about to use the power of a vengeful ghost, completely disregarding her own life and death.
This crazed demeanor instantly cowed Paper Figurine Zhang, and his arrogance subsided somewhat.
"You're right."
His cheek twitched several times, and finally, his forcefully straightened back slumped.
"Our Zhang family has always cooperated with the Demon Suppression Division, and our relationship has always been close. It's my fault for the poor reception and slighting Lord Zhao."
Zhang Chuanshi had initially been worried when he saw the two at daggers drawn, one with a gloomy and eccentric temper, the other playing by no rules, fearing they would end up in an irreparable mess. He hadn't expected Zhao Fusheng to actually cow Paper Figurine Zhang upon arrival, making him restrain his temper and willingly be the first to yield. He couldn't help but heave a great sigh of relief.
"Yes, yes, the Demon Suppression Division and the Zhang family have always been on good terms. We're all on the same side. If there's something to say, let's talk it over nicely, nicely..."
Zhang Chuanshi's forehead was drenched in sweat, his lips trembling as he spoke.
A smile was squeezed onto Paper Figurine Zhang's stiff face.
"Chuanshi, why aren't you quickly going inside to boil water and prepare tea? Lord Zhao and I have things to discuss."
"Yes, yes, yes." Zhang Chuanshi wiped his hand down his forehead, then forcefully flung the sweat from his hand, his face full of relief as he loudly agreed.
After speaking, he darted into the house as if fleeing for his life, escaping these two reckless 'madmen.'
Zhao Fusheng smiled faintly, then forcefully suppressed the rising hostile energy in her heart, calming the exceptionally irritable mental state caused by the vengeful ghost's influence.
After a long while, the vengeful ghost's influence gradually subsided. The spectral entity that had nearly reappeared unwillingly retreated into the shadows, awaiting the next opportunity to emerge.
Her body slowly regained warmth, but without the help of merit, the speed of rewarming was astonishingly slow.
Zhao Fusheng appeared calm on the surface, but inwardly, she was also terrified by the preceding scene.
But she had no choice.
Paper Figurine Zhang was different from the Fan brothers, who were constrained by the Demon Suppression Division's Soul-Life Register. Those two brothers were just ordinary people, while Paper Figurine Zhang was no good sort, commanding ghost slaves, and his aura was also strange. If she didn't cow him first, there would be endless trouble later.
Zhao Fusheng had put him in his place right from the start, making him shed his arrogance, which would make the subsequent conversation smoother.
The layout of the Zhang family's residence was quite complex. A winding corridor led into the inner courtyard, with side rooms built along it. The entire layout of the Zhang family residence seemed to form a square within a square character shape.
Zhao Fusheng followed behind Paper Figurine Zhang, turning her head to look at the side rooms—only to see that the doors of every side room were painted black and tightly closed.
But even so, as Zhao Fusheng passed by these side room doors while walking through the corridor, she smelled a faint stench of corpses.
The two rounded the winding corridor and finally arrived at the main house. Paper Figurine Zhang stood before the door, and the door, as if sensing his arrival, creaked open slowly with a 'zhi-ga' sound.
The light inside the house was dim, making it appear somewhat gloomy and eerie.
But Zhao Fusheng could sense that this place was exceptionally 'clean.'
Although the air inside wasn't pleasant due to the house being unventilated for years, carrying a musty smell of paper mixed with age.
Yet, the stench of rot that had accompanied them all the way here vanished completely upon reaching this place. There was also no chilling presence of a vengeful ghost in the room.
And a faint, almost imperceptible fragrance of tea dispelled the stuffy smell, invigorating the spirit.
After Paper Figurine Zhang opened the door, he stepped slightly aside. Zhao Fusheng entered the room first, examining its layout.
This room was not small. It looked like there should have originally been an exaggeratedly long low table, over a zhang in length, on the floor. But at this moment, the tabletop was covered with all sorts of paper, completely obscuring it.
Excess paper had fallen to the floor, making it almost difficult to walk.
Not only was the tabletop piled with paper, but all four corners of the room also stored stacks of paper, large and small, bundled together.
Apart from paper, there seemed to be nothing else stored in this room. The only peculiar thing was a small lamp placed atop the mountain-like piles of paper on the table.
The lamp body was made of bronze, slightly blackened, seemingly due to its age. Clear oil was poured inside, and a thin black wick, twisted into a rope, was placed in the oil. Its tip burned with a flame the size of a bean sprout, illuminating the surroundings.
This room full of paper made Zhao Fusheng glance sideways at Paper Figurine Zhang.
"Indeed, worthy of being called Paper Figurine Zhang."
As she spoke, Zhao Fusheng reached out and picked up one of the papers. The paper was soft and delicate, surprisingly warm to the touch. Especially since she had nearly used the power of a vengeful ghost earlier, her body was still abnormally cold from the ghost's influence, making her perception of this paper's temperature even clearer.
She realized this paper was unusual and frowned.
"This is—"
"This is tanned human skin, used to make 'Ghost Lanterns'," Paper Figurine Zhang said in a sinister tone.
He stood at the doorway, his short figure blocking half the light coming in. As he spoke, he spread his sleeves, which were like two unfurled wings, completely blocking that half of the light.
The remaining light shone in from above his head. His face was grim and sinister, looking somewhat horrifying.
"You've seen a 'Ghost Lantern,' haven't you?" His words didn't sound like a simple question but a statement of certainty.
Since the Fan brothers' scheme had failed, they must have revealed many things to her to save their own lives.
"Yes."
The moment Zhao Fusheng heard 'human skin,' her body trembled, and she almost couldn't hold the 'paper' in her hand steady.
A resentful, unwilling emotion emanated from the paper, as if it had grown a mouth and wanted to bite her palm.
She composed herself, frowned, and placed the paper back on the table.
"It is said this thing can prevent one from being 'watched' by vengeful ghosts."
"Correct."
Paper Figurine Zhang nodded.
At this point, there was no need for them to beat around the bush.
He closed the door, quickly entered the room, and rudely kicked the paper piled up to ankle height on the floor to either side, clearing two spots for people to sit cross-legged.
"You came to find me to ask for a Ghost Lantern?"
"Not just that. I came to find you, indeed, to ask about the Liu family case from forty years ago."
When Zhao Fusheng initially came to find Paper Figurine Zhang, besides wanting to ask about the Liu family case, she had also intended to probe his true capabilities.
But Zhang Chuanshi's later words had made her change her mind.
If Paper Figurine Zhang possessed the technique to make 'Ghost Lanterns,' then both sides could indeed cooperate temporarily for mutual benefit.
After speaking, Zhao Fusheng reached into her lapel, took out the case file she had put away, and handed it towards Paper Figurine Zhang.