Three days later, when the dust settled on the Nan Province incident and Gu Zhisang and others were finally able to leave the area.
She did not buy a return ticket this time. After checking out of the hotel, she walked into the narrow alley under the cover of night.
There was an old lady pushing a cart selling roasted sweet potatoes and roasted corn on this road. When she saw a slender girl walking into the alley, she reminded her:
"Girl, that's a dead end alley, it's walled with cement!"
After calling out for the girl but she still didn't come out, she turned her head and looked into the dead end.
This sight completely stunned her.
With the help of the lights on the roadside at night, the interior of a narrow and short dead end is illuminated, and you can see the bottom at a glance.
Except for some garbage and fallen leaves on the ground in the alley, there was no one in the alley. The girl who just walked in disappeared out of thin air!
The old lady shuddered all over. She was sure that her eyesight was not so dazzled.
Could it be... that I encountered a ghost? !
Gu Zhisang, who walked into the ghost gate, didn't know that he scared the passers-by.
She walked through the quagmire on both sides, ignoring the evil spirits that crawled out of the dark mire and tried to drag her away.
Any ghost hands that approached her legs and feet would bounce back as if they were burned or electrocuted, and disappear after a resentful wail.
As soon as Gu Zhisang stepped into the gate of hell, she alarmed the ghost messenger on duty, as well as a large number of ghosts wandering around the Naihe Bridge, and a dark gray fog rushed towards her.
She paused and saw a number of brightly colored banners and headbands mixed in the ghost fog, which looked particularly eye-catching.
These were the support items that the ghost fans in the underworld asked their living relatives and friends in the world of the living to burn for them during the last collective dream. Printed on them were photos of Gu Zhisang and cartoon characters drawn by fans in the world of the living.
You should know that since Gu Zhisang came to the world, he has not updated Big Eyes or posted any photos, and his fans of Sang Ye are notoriously few.
They can only follow the weekly programs and live broadcasts, capture Gu Zhisang's subtle smile and profile, and then use soft focus and stickers to make them into cheering items.
"Look here, Sangsang. We like you very much. We have already ranked you as the most popular idol in the underworld. We have cut off the Sanzu River for the second place!"
"Thank you for your hard work, Master Envoy. I am willing to be your licker forever!"
Amidst the chatter, Gu Zhisang asked, "How did you know I would come?"
A ghost fan said nonchalantly, "In the past two days, souls who have untied their knots and found the gates of hell have come to report one after another. We just learned that the envoy actually solved the last request for help from abductors on the show and busted all the dens of the abductors. This matter is also closely related to the underworld, and you will definitely come."
"Yes, I have been at the gates of hell for the past two days, and now I am lucky enough to run into this."
"I am the new ghost who died after being abducted and reborn. Sangsang, look at me! I am also involved in the same event with you from a distance. Thank you very much for helping us find our roots and the way home. We lonely ghosts will be grateful to you for the rest of our lives and the next!"
“…”
You should know that the souls of those who died during trafficking or died in a foreign land often have resentment and confusion because they have no graves or tombs, and do not know where their homes and roots are... and other similar problems, and become lonely ghosts floating in the world.
They have no offerings and no very powerful abilities.
Either they lose their nature and maintain the immortality of their souls by harming others, or they become weaker and weaker over the long years and finally completely dissipate between heaven and earth.
After the trafficking case was solved, the Southern Province Police Department compiled the identity information of most people and began to notify their relatives and carry out subsequent search work.
The family members of those who have died will also be informed.
During this process, many rootless ghosts who had wandered around the southern province found their families and hometowns.
The obsession in their hearts dissipated, and they finally realized where their roots were, and they poured into the underworld in waves.
Only after arriving in the underworld did they realize that the young master who solved the case in the world of the living was actually a top star in the underworld.
Therefore, out of gratitude, they all directly became the new batch of Gu Zhisang's ghost fans.
Looking at the gray shadows around him forming a long river, knowing that they had all been at the gates of hell for dozens of hours, Gu Zhisang felt a little moved.
"Thank you for your likes."
A ghost fan who was cheering said, "Everyone, please stop crowding. The envoy must have important things to do."
In fact, this is true.
This time, Gu Zhisang came to meet the King of Hell.
After the ghost fog dispersed to make a path, she headed towards the main hall with a hazy ghost fog still following her.
The one on duty in the palace today is none other than King Qin Guang, the first of the Ten Kings of Hell: Jiang Ziwen.
He is in charge of the 'Ghost Judgment Hall', which is responsible for the records of the living and the dead, and for guiding them to be reborn.
After being received into the palace, Gu Zhisang took out a white jade bottle from his pocket.
After opening the bottle, the transparent residual soul inside floated out, trembling with fear due to the eerie ghostly aura surrounding it.
King Qin Guang Jiang Ziwen stared at him in the hall: "What are these?"
Gu Zhisang explained: "These souls were all people who were trafficked in their lifetime. They should have had some luck and fate, but they were robbed of their lives by the vicious hands. After death, their souls were severely damaged. They could not be reincarnated and could not recognize their identity information before death."
"So I can only collect them and see if the underworld has any solution."
King Qin Guang frowned and also felt that the situation was tricky.
After thinking for a moment, he said, "After all, it is an unprovoked disaster. If so, take them to the Soul Nurturing Pool to recuperate for three days. If they are lucky enough to have their souls replenished, it is their own good fortune. If their souls are still incomplete, there is nothing I can do."
The 'Soul Nourishing Pool' is a spiritual pool located beside the Wo Stone in the underworld. It can nourish the soul and gather energy. Only those with great merit can enter it to repair their souls and bodies.
King Qin Guang called out, and immediately a ghost messenger wearing a black shirt and a long hat appeared in the hall. It was the Black Impermanence Fan Wujiu.
Fan Wujiu glanced at Gu Zhisang and suddenly snorted:
"You really like to meddle in other people's business. I have reminded you before that you should just take care of the ghosts in the underworld and not get involved too much in the mundane affairs of the human world, so as to avoid being contaminated by karma."
After saying this, he used the soul lock to hook a group of frightened souls and escaped into the ground.
The majestic and solemn King Qin Guang lowered his eyes and looked at Gu Zhisang who was standing straight in the center of the main hall.
Just as Fan Wujiu said.
This mysterious master from the mortal world with a calm expression and full of aura possesses a very strong power of cause and effect.
According to the laws of heaven and earth, the dead cannot be resurrected, and yin and yang are separated.
It is inevitable that ghosts will stay in the world of the living and come into contact with living people.
Slaying demons and extraditing ghosts may change the fortunes and destinies of the living, but it will not be affected by cause and effect.
Many of the cases that Gu Zhisang handled in the show before had ghosts behind them.
But this case is different. The biggest driving forces behind it are all greedy humans, without any trace of evil spirits.
It is normal to be affected by cause and effect by intervening in such matters and changing the fate of too many people.
King Qin Guang waved his hand, and a large book shining with black and gold light appeared above the main hall, with three large characters "Book of Merits" inscribed on it.
He said, "My dear Gu, now we can reward the merits and punish the crimes."
As he finished speaking, the 'Book of Merits' began to turn on its own.
"On the seventh day of September this year, the handler 'Gu Zhisang' solved a major case in the mortal world, changing the lives of tens of thousands of mortals, helping them change their fate of dying in depression, wandering around, or being abducted in the future;
According to the merit assessment, these good deeds will be awarded 70 points.”
After he finished speaking, the golden light floating out from the "Book of Merits" flew into Gu Zhisang's body.
A small part of it flowed into Gu Zhisang's body, making her cultivation power loosen again, and a large part of it offset the causal force in her body.
Now she no longer felt such a heavy sense of oppression.
But there are still some causes and effects that cannot be offset.
Some of the ghosts watching outside shouted, "The envoy is here to get rid of harm for the people, why should he be affected by those people?"
King Qin Guang explained: "Among the descendants and relatives of those who did evil, some are indeed unaware, but their own destinies will also undergo subtle changes because of the Gu messenger. These changes are the cause and effect that cannot be resolved by merit."
Although the ghosts understood and could comprehend, they were unwilling to accept this result.
Before Gu Zhisang herself said anything, many ghosts began to plead for her, hoping that King Qin Guang could dissolve the remaining causal power in her body.
Jiang Ziwen frowned and said, "Nonsense! The Merit Book has its own rules for rewards and punishments, how can you change it at will?"
At this moment, a white light appeared in the main hall, and Xie Bian, the White Impermanence, dressed in a white shirt and white hat, appeared and bowed to Jiang Ziwen, who was slightly angry above him.
He did not look in the direction of Gu Zhisang, his voice was calm:
"Your Highness Prince Qin Guang, please listen to me. Gu Zhisang is an envoy from the underworld. She should be considered an official of the underworld. So her travels and work are also official duties, accumulating merit for the underworld."
"If you look at it this way, it is indeed inappropriate for her to bear many of the consequences, but this is indeed the fact, and I am not making excuses for her."
Listening to his right-hand assistant and a group of ghosts shouting bravely below, Jiang Ziwen relaxed his brows for a long while and looked at Gu Zhisang meaningfully.
"Gu Xiaoyou is quite a ghost. And you, Xie Bian, have you also started to exploit the loopholes in the rules? But what you said makes sense. Then I will reduce the power of cause and effect for Gu Xiaoyou according to the level of a regular ghost messenger..."
After he said this, the 'Book of Merits' flipped again.
After this time, the power of cause and effect on Gu Zhisang was almost offset.
Although there was still some impact, it was negligible compared to the preparation she had made - spending several years practicing to offset it!
Listening to the cheers of the ghosts outside the hall, Gu Zhisang felt very complicated and bitter.
For the first time, she felt so clearly that the kindness and love of others could be touching.
That night, Gu Zhisang dreamed of the scenes in the mountains in his previous life.
At that time, her master, Taoist Junhong, had not yet ascended to heaven. He was always grateful that he had accepted an extraordinary disciple. He was very proud of it, but at the same time he was very worried and kept muttering in Gu Zhisang's ear.
Taoist Junhong: "My dear disciple, if you don't cultivate your mind and cultivate your character in the world, Master is worried that after I leave, you will be too stubborn and easily broken, or someone will take advantage of this to attack your character! You should know that the "innate gods" in the sky are born in the fairy court since childhood and are not tainted by the seven emotions and six desires, but in the end, they will accidentally linger in the mortal world and choose to go to the mortal world to experience..."
"You are suitable to be a pure god with your personality, but who can tell about feelings? Why don't you go down the mountain and temper your personality first!"
At that time, Gu Zhisang did not take Taoist Junhong's words to heart and never entered the world.
She didn't feel that there was anything wrong with her character. On the contrary, her spiritual practice increased rapidly because she didn't participate in worldly affairs.
But now Gu Zhisang also feels that he has become more human after entering the world.
There's nothing wrong with that.
——
The hot searches have been much calmer in recent times.
But today, it once again became a hot topic because the abridged version of the sixth episode of "Spiritual Affairs" was not released on time.
In this entry, many viewers who were waiting to rewatch the edited version expressed their dissatisfaction.
Soon someone in the know came out to explain:
[My friend is the editor of the "Spiritual Matters" program. Let me share some inside information. People in Southern Province should have heard about the "big cleanup" in the province in the past two days, right? Many well-hidden traffickers have been arrested one after another. This can be said to be the biggest action in Southern Province in the past 20 years. As far as I know, this matter was solved with the help of the contestants of the program team!
So originally the editor only needed to edit the live broadcast, but now they have to insert some things related to the case, and it seems that they have to wait for the official notification, so the release was delayed. 】
As soon as this piece of news came out, it became a hot topic.
There are many voices of shock, doubt and various boasts mixed in the hot search terms.
[Is this true? ? Didn’t they say at the end of the live broadcast that there was no way to recover the bodies? Why did they destroy the criminal den?! ]
[If it's true, I love these contestants so much. One of my cousins was trafficked to Southern Province. The police just notified my family yesterday that she had been found. My aunt and uncle were so excited that they couldn't sleep all night. Anyway, it's true that Southern Province is cracking down on trafficking gangs.]
[If this is the case, do we have to vote again for this episode? This incident has benefited too many families. It is really a great thing. I will vote unconditionally for the contestant who solved the case. I hope the program team can release the whole story.]
[I feel like Daisy, Xi Haihong, and Xun Yiqing are all possible, but the other three players probably aren't. Gu Zhisang is a bit lame this time, and I can't see much useful information...]
For a while, everyone was guessing which contestant provided the key clue to help solve the case.
Because Gu Zhisang's performance was mediocre in the initial stage when she was blocked by the "black fog", many people thought that she would not be the one to solve the case.
Disputes and verbal battles broke out again on the Internet.
During this period, two more hot searches came out one after another, taking away some of the traffic.
The first new trending search is about overseas:
#X country border bridge, boys and girls were poured into the cement bridge foundation, they are Xia people#
【？ ？ What kind of hellish trending search is this? How cruel! 】
[It's the 'bridge keeper'... It was quite common in ancient times. A boy was needed to be placed in the foundation of the bridge. It was said that the soul of the child who was forced into the bridge would be trapped near the bridge. In short, it was an old custom. I didn't expect it to still exist in the new century.]
[I saw that the perpetrator was not from Xia country and had been detained. I want to say that even if a foreigner breaks the law, we must treat them equally! ]
Just after this hot search, there was another rather melodramatic hot search involving the relationship between men and women.
After clicking it, there was a video shot by a passerby.
Passerby: [I am a white-collar worker in a certain company. The girl in the video is my colleague. She is beautiful, kind, rich, and capable at work. She is definitely a white, rich, and beautiful woman. I heard that the man is from a rural area in another province, but he is very nice to his colleagues.]
[We didn’t know they had broken up before, and we only found out today when the guy came to the company to make trouble. I heard that the guy’s parents were found to be criminals and were sentenced to prison. The girl couldn’t accept it and unilaterally proposed to break up, but the guy didn’t want to…]
After clicking on the video, the shaking picture was at the gate of a company.
A young man was blocking a girl, surrounded by many passers-by who were watching the show.
Girl: "I told you that my parents and I can't accept this. Can't we just break up peacefully? Why did you come to my company to make trouble? Are you annoying?"
Boy: 'This is unfair. I was not involved in this incident and I had no knowledge of it. Why are you taking your anger out on me because of my family?'
Girl: "If I cared about your family, I wouldn't be with you! I care about the matter itself. When I think about so many innocent women and children being killed because of your parents... I can't accept it. Stop pestering me!"
Boy: "Haha, in the end it's because my family went bankrupt and you think I don't have the money to support you."
girl:???
[…This guy is really crazy. There is nothing wrong with the woman. Not to mention that something happened in her family. Even if nothing happened, it’s a matter of mutual consent. If you don’t like her anymore, you can break up!]
[Help me! Although I don’t think the children must be implicated in the crime, it’s obvious that this man has been influenced by his family, right?! With his values, I don’t believe he is completely unaware of what his parents have done!]
[Sister has divided it well, run quickly! ! ]
…
Gu Zhisang didn't know what was going on online today.
She accepted the invitation of the Spirit Group and came to the Rongcheng Spirit Group branch, which was also an appointment she had made with Zheng Ruyu a long time ago.
After arriving at the place and being led into the reception room, Gu Zhisang saw the person sitting in the room and his eyes paused, but then he walked in as usual.
In addition to Zheng Ruyu and the other two, the first person sitting in the room was an elderly man with a dignified and serious temperament.
His gray hair and clothing details were meticulously groomed. He wore a dark uniform, the most eye-catching of which was the shoulder medal on his shoulder.
Judging from the pattern above, it is enough to prove that this person's military rank is not low.
Gu Zhisang glanced at Zheng Ruyu: "Sister Zheng."
Zheng Ruyu said: "Sangsang, this is the leader of our Spirit Group Headquarters. He hopes to talk to you in person during this meeting."
The elderly man stood up and extended his hand. “Hello, my last name is Yan Lang, and I’m currently the temporary head of the Spirit Team.”
When Gu Zhisang shook hands with the officer, although his palms were a little soft due to his age, he could clearly feel that this man was upright.
But what surprised her even more was that the leader of the Spirit Group Headquarters was actually a purely ordinary person.
She was sure that Yan Lang had no Taoist skills, nor did he have any metaphysical abilities or physical fitness.
Later, Gu Zhisang learned from Zheng Ruyu that Yan Lang’s military rank was lieutenant general, he was almost seventy years old, and was a relatively senior military officer.
When the Xia Kingdom wanted to form a spiritual group, because there were not many Xuan masters and the officials were also afraid that after the formation of the group, it would offend the Xuanmen, no one was willing to take over this mess.
It was Mr. Yan who took the initiative to step forward, gave up his bright future at the time, and took over the spiritual group.
Although he had no special abilities or physique over the years, he worked extremely hard to expand the Spirit Group. Now it has branches in every province and has begun to take shape.
Therefore, Zheng Ruyu and other masters in the spiritual group also respect him very much.
In the trafficking case in Southern Province, Yan Lang was also the person who provided guarantees for the orders to arrest and search villagers from Xiaoshi Village and Xiaoyan Village.
After sitting down, Yan Lang did not hesitate to speak directly:
"Ms. Gu, I am here for a purpose. On behalf of all the members of the Spirit Team, I sincerely invite you to join us. I hope you can consider us."
Gu Zhisang raised his eyebrows slightly, feeling that the old man's straightforward attitude was quite comforting.
She thought for a moment and said, "Sorry, I still refuse. I said I don't like being restrained and disciplined."
"Just like this trip to the Southern Province, if I were a member of the Xuanmen or Lingzu, I would have to think a lot before doing anything and consider your rules. I don't like this."
The Spirit Group has also been assigned to the Inspection Department, which is considered the police station of the metaphysical world. They need to have solid evidence to investigate cases.
But even if Gu Zhisang has no evidence, she can see many things that others cannot see through fortune-telling and empathy.
Yan Lang nodded and said, "I understand Miss Gu's hesitation. Please listen to my opinion first."
"In fact, we have some connections in the underworld. We know that Miss Gu is the messenger of the underworld. We have a win-win cooperation relationship with the underworld and assist them in investigating things in the world of the living..."
Hearing this, Gu Zhisang was slightly surprised and glanced at Yan Lang and Zheng Ruyu.
Although the other party spoke very cryptically, she still understood it.
The Spirit Group knew that they and the Underworld were investigating the matter of the 'Black Fog'. This kind of private matter would not be known by anyone other than the core management of the Underworld.
They actually have such a relationship.
Yan Lang said: "To be honest, we have already discovered some anomalies in the metaphysical world in recent years and have begun to investigate. We have achieved some results so far and have discovered some information."
He paused for a moment, smiled bitterly and said:
"It's just that this information involves many major cases in the past and is classified as a state secret. Although our spiritual team hopes to work together with Miss Gu to achieve a win-win situation and uncover the truth behind it, we have to abide by the relevant regulations and cannot disclose it to the outside world."
"If Miss Gu is willing, you can come to the Spirit Group and be our specially appointed instructor. This position is a non-staff member of the Spirit Group, and the rules of the Spirit Group will naturally not affect you. At that time, Miss Gu will not be considered an outsider, and this information can be communicated and shared with Miss Gu."
Gu Zhisang: ...
This team leader at headquarters is really flexible.
Isn't this just copying the underworld and setting up a position of "messenger" in the spirit group?
Gu Zhisang knew without thinking that before this, there was definitely no such thing as a specially appointed instructor in the spiritual group.
But I have to say that Yan Lang's words and his sincerity made me feel a little moved.
Yan Lang continued, "If Miss Gu has time and is willing to take on some of the metaphysical cases that have been rewarded but no one has answered, we will be very grateful. If Miss Gu has other important matters, she can just spare some time to guide the team members on the issues they don't understand."
"Of course, if you don't want to, we will definitely not force you. But I have another personal request, and I hope you can listen to it."
Gu Zhisang said: "You speak first."
Yan Lang said: "I have a young man named Yan who has been trapped by evil spirits for more than 20 years and is now in critical condition."
"I have a good personal relationship with him. If you are willing, can you help take a look at his situation?"
The author has something to say:
① Specially appointed instructors, non-staff personnel are not restricted
② The relevant files are confidential, such as the details of the serial murder case mentioned later. Yan Lang is stating the facts and did not induce the heroine to join.
③The heroine's character arc has changed. She has a human nature and the desire to experience the world. There is nothing wrong with agreeing to the invitation.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
