Chapter 9 Spring Outing (Part 3) Disliked by My Second Brother-in-Law
“Zhou Quan is currently in prison, being interrogated. Whether what you said is true or not, I will tell the Prefect the truth. As for his fate, I cannot guarantee it.” Bai Yan pondered for a moment and then relayed what he knew to the Zhou family mother and son.
Madam Zhou had little hope that her husband would survive. She had long accepted the fact and naturally didn't care what Bai Yan said. She nodded anxiously, afraid of implicating herself and her son.
"Ah Zhao, give them some of the fish you grilled." Jiang Yuzhi had already gotten the information she wanted, so she didn't try to keep them any longer.
"Okay." The small fish were roasted until golden brown and crispy, looking very appetizing. Ah Zhao's cooking skills were quite good. She picked out two that were about the same size and handed them to Zhou Niangzi, who was looking very nervous.
She kept waving her hands, saying no, but Zhou Yong stopped his mother behind him, took the fish skewered on the wooden stick, thanked A Zhao, and then respectfully bowed to the seated young master and lady while holding the fish.
His posture was standard and practiced, as if he had done it countless times.
Xie Bi'an, having finished his work, arrived just in time. Passing by the departing mother and son, he paused, then casually walked over and sat down next to Jiang Yuzhi.
"Second Brother, what brings you here?" Jiang Yuzhi asked vaguely, gnawing on the fish that she had fed to death with her own ghostly power.
"Isn't it because things have been a bit unsettled lately? How dare you bring two defenseless people out here? What if something happens?" His usually smiling face turned solemn.
"Second Brother Jiang, I invited Yu Zhi out for a walk to clear her head, please don't blame her." The young master Bai Yan, who was powerless, tried his best to take all the blame upon himself.
"Forget it, there's no point in saying more. What was going on with those two just now?" Xie Bi'an picked up a fish and started eating it as he spoke.
Her eyes fell on her sister's ill-fitting clothes. "What are you wearing?"
"I asked about the murder case at Zhang Niangzi's house. I accidentally got my clothes wet because I was too close to the water, so I changed them."
His casual tone almost fooled Xie Bi'an.
"Second Brother Jiang, don't worry, my clothes are all clean and will be kept in the carriage for future use," Bai Yan added.
"Oh, I see. That kid from earlier was weird. You should stay away from him in the future."
“I observed that his words and actions were indeed inconsistent, and I was preparing to send someone to investigate him when I returned.”
Xie Bi'an nodded inwardly, thinking that this kid was quite perceptive and thoughtful; he even reminded Xiao Zhi to change her clothes when he saw they were wet.
Ghosts don't get cold, but the intention is good. Now he should think about why the child's body contains the soul of an adult man.
Wait, Xiaozhi is wearing Baiyan's clothes?
The connection that had been missing in his mind finally came together.
"You mean the clothes Xiaozhi is wearing are yours?"
His face darkened instantly as he turned to Bai Yan, staring intently at this seemingly innocent and weak mortal.
Previously, I only felt that the person in front of me was related to the Sheji Tu (a map of the state), so I let Xiaozhi interact with him and overlooked some details.
Xie Bi'an knew Jiang Yuzhi all too well; no matter how casual she was, she would never wear the clothes of a man she had only known for a few days.
Moreover, her bag contained several sets of emergency clothes, which Fan Wujiu had personally packed for her before leaving.
Jiang Yuzhi did not refuse Bai Yan's suggestion and obediently put it on, which made things start to become complicated.
A love affair between a human and a ghost is against human ethics and is a rule of the natural order.
Anyone who violates this law will be struck by lightning. Heaven, which favors mortals, will not do anything to Bai Yan, but for Jiang Yuzhi, a ghost, the fate of her soul being scattered is already predetermined.
"What's wrong, Second Brother? I'm just worried that Yuzhi might catch a cold if she wears these clothes for too long."
The White Impermanence stood up, looked down at Bai Yan, blocking the not-so-intense sunlight. He dropped the grilled fish he had taken a bite out of, and it fell to the ground, kicking up a cloud of fine dust.
The atmosphere became tense. Jiang Yuzhi sighed, shielded Bai Yan behind her to block her second brother's view, reached out and pinched his fingertips, which were emitting black energy and gathering power, before quickly letting go.
"Xie Bi'an, you're overthinking it. There are still many things I need to do. I cherish my life more than anyone else."
"You'd better do that."
Recalling how Jiang Yuzhi looked when he and Xiao Hei first brought her back to the underworld, after so many years together, there was some trust between them.
"Young Master Bai, please take a break and clear your head. There are still some chores to do at home, so I'll take Xiaozhi back first." After saying this, without waiting for Bai Yan's reaction, she grabbed her sister's hand and quickly left.
Even after they had walked away, Bai Yan could still faintly hear Jiang Erge's scolding voice, which had suddenly changed – "Go back and change these clothes right away. What kind of behavior is this? And find someone to send them to that kid."
Jiang Yuzhi responded calmly and without any change in expression, "I understand."
Was it really that obvious?
Bai Yan coughed again after a long time, as if an invisible hand was tightly gripping his heart.
He coughed violently, as if he were about to vomit up his insides.
Startled, Ah Zhao quickly stepped forward to support the hunched-over young master. "It's been a long time since you've been like this, young master. Let's hurry back and ask the imperial physician to come and take a look."
Bai Yan waved his hand, "It's alright. Take the rest of these and distribute them to the people in the brick houses. Wash the ones that fell on the ground with water, clean them up, and feed them to the dogs. I'll wait for you in the carriage."
“But…” A-Zhao looked at Bai Yan’s state with hesitation.
"There's no 'but' about it. We've always done it this way. Go on."
After being driven away, A-Zhao clutched her chest and walked alone toward the carriage.
...
When Fan Wujiu returned to the underworld, he was greeted by the mournful and ferocious faces of Ox-Head and Horse-Face.
It's simply an eyesore.
"Master Fan! You're finally back. More than half of the ghost messengers in the Stone Mill Hell have been killed or gone to recuperate. For some reason, that vengeful ghost has become much stronger, and we can hardly subdue it anymore."
With a mournful face, Niu Tou covered his head with his broken horn and urged Fan Wujiu to go and take a look.
The horse-faced demon was so anxious that it frantically rubbed its mouth together, making a sound that made your teeth ache.
"I understand. Where is the Emperor? Where is Judge Lu? And the Ghost Kings are not here either?"
"The Great Emperor took the four Ghost Kings to Heaven, saying that Lady Jiang had caused him a huge mess. The only Ghost King left is the Eastern Ghost King, who is to guard the Gate of Hell and cannot be left behind."
"Has Judge Lu not come these past few days?"
"Fan Ye, it's only you."
Fan Wujiu quickened his pace. Along the way, strange-looking ghosts avoided him. The rough voice of the ox-headed ghost and the constant grinding of its teeth by the horse-faced ghost made his head ache.
I don't know what Xiao Zhi did, but she still made the Great Emperor take four ghost kings up there.
"I'll handle this. You guys stay away from me, it's too noisy."
Ox-Head and Horse-Face were just waiting for him to say those words, nodding repeatedly before disappearing without a trace.
In the Stone Mill Hell, few ghost messengers remained. Their mournful and eerie screams crept into Fan Wujiu's ears, but he had long been accustomed to them.
"Master Fan is here. He's right in front and should still be conscious. Recently, any ghost messengers who get close to him will be injured by his ghostly power. Other imprisoned ghosts are also affected and have risen up in rebellion."
Ghosts who have not yet completed their sentence are not allowed to be scattered; they must be punished daily to atone for their sins.
The Stone Mill Hell is the seventeenth level. The ghosts here have long been continuously crushed and reshaped, and only their consciousness has been consumed. How can they still suddenly rise up?
"Keep watching."
"Okay, Fan Bingbing."
The ghost messengers were afraid that the vengeful ghost would have too much influence on the surrounding ghosts, so they separated him to be punished alone.
Not far away, you can see a thin soul lying on the ground, being repeatedly crushed by the huge phantom of a stone mill, but without making a sound.
Fan Wujiu stopped in front of his head, and saw that when the ghost heard the noise, it turned its head and a strange smile appeared on its lips.
The next instant, Fan Wujiu felt a shallow mark on his calf.
Ordinary ghosts would find it difficult to harm a ghost messenger of Fan Wujiu's caliber, but this one was able to leave a mark on him, so it seems he is indeed not simple.
Fan Wujiu bent down on one knee, and the strong wind swept over him, but it failed to leave a mark on his face like before.
"Zhao Qingyun, your sins are clearly recorded in the Book of Life and Death. Your current actions will only worsen your punishment."
"Oh, what a pity."
"Injure a ghost messenger, and your sentence will be increased by ten years."
The vengeful ghost in green robes and black hair showed no fear, letting out bursts of cold laughter.
"There will be a way to remove those fragments from your body."
Fan Wujiu didn't think the ghost would hand it over on its own. He was afraid that the ghost's soul would dissipate before the end of its sentence, so for now, he could only bomb it. If the ghost moved the object, then he would naturally know where it was hidden.
"You should behave yourself."
Black Impermanence's robes fluttered, moving even without wind, as he muttered incantations and made hand seals.
The illusory image of the millstone ground down even harder on the ghost's body, and he groaned briefly without uttering a sound.
An invisible barrier enveloped this area, and the Soul-Hooking Lock flew out from Fan Wujiu's waist, tightly binding the body of the vengeful ghost.
"If you don't behave, the Soul-Hooking Chain will show you the consequences."
Only after Fan Wujiu left did the vengeful ghost look bewildered and murmur an unfamiliar name.
"Zhao Pingfeng..."
Xie Bi'an half-forced them to go back, and after they changed their clothes, the two ghosts sat in the study again.
"I don't want to interfere in your own affairs, but you can't hurt yourself, understand?"
The two ghosts stood face to face on either side of the table, resembling a one-sided trial.
"I just felt he was familiar, but not to the extent you're thinking about it."
Jiang Yuzhi kept her head down and refused to look at him.
Seeing this, Xie Bi'an snorted coldly, "You'd better do that."
"Also, you are not allowed to see that child again until I find out what happened to him today."
"You mean Zhou Yong? What happened to him?" Hearing this, she looked up and asked in confusion.
"The soul and the body are not compatible."
"Um?"
Xie Bi'an did not answer immediately. He opened his palm, and a Book of Life and Death appeared out of thin air. He flipped through it quickly and soon the name Jiang Yuzhi had mentioned appeared.
"Zhou Yong, a native of Zuohuai... starved to death at the age of eight."
"Zhou Yong is dead? Then what about today?"
"His body contains the soul of an adult male."
Jiang Yuzhi was speechless for a moment, unable to think of anything to say. Her family was in dire straits: her father was in prison, suspected of being mentally manipulated, and her son was possessed by an unknown spirit.
If Madam Zhou knew...
“Brother Xie, I have to go to the jail. Both the father and son in that family have problems. There must be some connection between them.”
Seeing that she seemed determined to go, Xie Bi'an said, "You can go, but I want to go with you."
"Okay, tonight it is."
The Zhang and Chen families will be holding a funeral tomorrow. If anything is found on Zhou Quan's body, and we want to examine the wounds on the remains, it may be too late.
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