The Magistrate of Qiulong County had summoned all accomplished spiritual masters to the county office, an assembly that surely couldn't be kept secret. As a result, the news of last night's ghostly disturbance at the county office had also leaked out.
Instantly, the entire Qiulong County was shocked and appalled!
The county office, a significant place of Imperial authority!
There were actually ghosts haunting it!!
Together with the rumors of hauntings that had been circulating previously, and some people's tendency to exaggerate the stories.
Within just half a day, the citizens of Qiulong County had become panic-stricken.
Who wouldn't be afraid of ghosts?
Especially in this mysterious and supernatural world, where demons and devils truly exist!
That made it even scarier!
At this moment, a crowd had gathered inside the county office.
However... they were neither government officials of the county office nor the local arrest officers.
They were a group of monks!
A group of Taoist priests!
These were the "accomplished spiritual masters" and "remarkable talents" that the Magistrate of Qiulong County had invited.
As for how many among them truly possessed real skills,
Only heaven knew.
Outside the county office, there stood a crowd of arrest officers and official clerks.
Among them...
Included the Magistrate of Qiulong County, the county deputy, and others!
They weren't unwilling to go inside.
They were simply too scared to do so!
"My lord, do these fat and big-eared monks and Taoist priests really have any use? Shouldn't we notify the Imperial Astronomical Bureau to come and take a look? The county office is an important place for the Imperial Court, logically speaking, demons and devils shouldn't be able to get inside..."
"If a demon or devil can enter the county office, it would certainly be a powerful one. Can these fat and big-eared fellows really handle it?"
The person speaking was the county deputy of Qiulong County.
The administrative partitions of the Great Zhou Dynasty were simple—villages, counties, prefectures, jurisdictions, and nations.
The county deputy was the second in command at the county level.
The Magistrate was the leader.
"We must not let the people from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau come here!" Upon hearing this suggestion, the Magistrate of Qiulong County reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
He lowered his voice and said through clenched teeth, "Those people are very stubborn and won't listen to reason.
"Once they come here, they will turn Qiulong County upside down in order to investigate thoroughly! If they find any demons or devils, that's fine; it has nothing to do with us."
"But if they find something else, do you think... how many heads do you have to spare for their chopping?"
The county deputy heard this.
He broke out into a cold sweat!
Qiulong County might be remote and poor, but it was precisely in these remote and impoverished places... that they found it easier to exploit loopholes and gather silver!
How many people in the entire county office of Qiulong County were clean?
If no one investigated, it was fine.
But once someone did...
Nobody could escape!!
"But, my lord... if these monks and Taoist priests can't resolve the situation, the Imperial Astronomical Bureau will eventually learn of it!" the county deputy said anxiously. "I don't mean to look down on these people, but compared to that old Heavenly Master, they are far inferior. It's a pity that the old Heavenly Master is no longer in this world."
"My lord, why aren't you panicking at all? Do you really think that, with these fellows alone, we can deal with those... unclean things inside the county office?"
Hearing this, the Magistrate of Qiulong County smiled, "Have you forgotten someone?"
The county deputy was stunned, "Forgotten someone?"
Suddenly, a name flashed through his mind and he blurted out, "Could it be Daoist Priest Fan from the Qiulong Temple, the true disciple of the old Heavenly Master?!"
The Magistrate nodded and said, "I don't know if the other monks and Taoist priests possess any real skills, but a true disciple of the Heavenly Master definitely does. Head Arrestor Liu has already informed me about what happened last night; Daoist Priest Fan exterminated an evil spirit in seconds, sending its soul scattering!"
"I have asked Head Arrestor Liu to invite him again. The others are just here as a contrast for Daoist Priest Fan, I just wanted them to assist Daoist Priest Fan a little."
"Ah... that's a relief. With Daoist Priest Fan here, the strange occurrences at the county office should not reach the ears of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau," the county deputy sighed deeply in relief.
However, his expression still looked a bit haunted.
…
The distance from Qiulong Temple to the county office was considerable, but thankfully Fan Wu didn't have to walk there himself.
Because Head Arrestor Liu and others who had come to invite Fan Wu had prepared a palanquin.
Yes.
That's the clout Fan Wu had in Qiulong County. It also counted as basking in the shine of his swindler master.
As for why not last night?
Who would carry a sedan chair in the dead of night? Aren't they afraid it's too dark, take a wrong step, and roll straight down the mountain?
Head Arrestor Liu walked at the very front.
A few constables worked their butts off like oxen, carrying Fan Wu's sedan chair from the Taoist Temple on the mountain to the bottom, and then from the bottom to the marketplace.
Panting and puffing, the constables hurried along the bluestone path of the market towards the magistrate's office in Qiulong County.
"We're here, we're here!" Even though Head Arrestor Liu hadn't carried the sedan chair himself, the walk alone had tired him out enough, but seeing the magistrate's office not far ahead, he hurried to announce, "Daoist Priest Fan has arrived, I can already see the Magistrate and the Deputy Magistrate!"
The sedan chair was set down, the group of constables nearly collapsing from exhaustion.
After Fan Wu climbed out,
he felt quite disappointed.
The ride in the sedan chair was uncomfortable, possibly due to the cramped space inside, which made it rather suffocating.
It seemed that he wasn't particularly accustomed to the high life.
Looking towards the magistrate's office.
Fan Wu narrowed his eyes.
To be honest,
this was his first visit to such an Imperial Court government institution, and he had to admit that the décor of the magistrate's office did have a sense of majesty, with the two large stone lions at the entrance looking particularly stately.
The scene with Fan Wu was quite a spectacle, after all, he had been brought here by several constables carrying his sedan chair.
His appearance
immediately drew countless eyes.
"Daoist Priest Fan!" Not far away, a corpulent middle-aged man in official robes, wearing a black gauze cap, and sporting a beard. As soon as he saw the exceptionally tall and overly burly Fan Wu, he immediately recognized him.
Then, like seeing a relative, his face broke into a smile in the blink of an eye, and he hurried over, "You've finally arrived!"
As the corpulent middle-aged man approached, a throng of people followed.
Obviously, this group of people was led by him.
And he was the Magistrate of Qiulong County!
Fan Wu had met him briefly before and knew that he was Qiulong County's "parent official," named He Caisheng.
Just hearing the name you'd guess he was good at making money.
He glanced at the attributes floating above the heads of the Magistrate and others, and those were quite attention-grabbing.
[Qiulong County Magistrate He Caisheng—Life: 54—Power: 0.9—Skill: Official Aura Shield]
[Qiulong County Deputy Magistrate Li Shen—Life: 77—Power: 1.2—Skill: Official Aura Shield]
[Qiulong County Jail Warden…]
[...]
People with skills?
If they have skills, why is the [Power] so weak?
Could it be that this [Official Aura Shield] is just a passive skill, something out of their control.
Fan Wu found that those with this skill were all officials within the Great Zhou Dynasty!
The official rank referred to positions with defined grades!
The Magistrate was a seventh-rank official.
The Deputy Magistrate was of eighth rank.
Perhaps... even they don't know that they have such a thing protecting them.
"Daoist Priest Fan, the evil spirits are rampant!" Just at that moment, Magistrate He Caisheng's smile faded, replaced by a stern and indignant expression: "Where is this? This is the magistrate's office of Qiulong County under the Great Zhou Dynasty, the place where the Imperial Court conducts its affairs!"
"Who would have thought that last night it would be invaded by an evil spirit! That evil spirit truly does not regard the Imperial Court or His Majesty with any esteem! Such defiance against heaven and the Dynasty must be punished by death!"
"I'm absolutely furious!!!"
This transformation of expression was too smooth, not giving him an Oscar would honestly be unacceptable.
This Magistrate He Caisheng talked all about the Imperial Court and His Majesty, but in reality, it was all for his own sake.
Fan Wu could see... he was afraid.
Afraid of the evil spirit in the magistrate's office!
Fan Wu finally spoke up, but what he said did not follow the usual expectations, and he didn't beat around the bush—it was quite straightforward.
"Magistrate He, I remember you promising that if the Green-faced Water Ghost in the river were to be vanquished, there would be a reward. I wonder, does Magistrate He still remember this matter?"
"Ah?!"
...
...