The Situation Had Changed

Everyone present was terrified at the sight of a real ghost, with the exceptions of Yi Shuyuan and Lin Xiu.

He Xin looked equally surprised by their reactions. She had merely felt her surroundings suddenly grow much more comfortable and could not help letting her breath flow freely. She had never expected everyone to be able to see her.

"Mr. Yi, can Lord Lin and the others all see me now?"

The woman's voice was clear and soft, carrying unmistakable delight, yet it sent a chill straight up everyone's scalp. Yi Shuyuan replied casually.

"Perhaps our energies have become entwined at this moment, or perhaps heaven and earth have been moved and refuse to let your injustice go unanswered, allowing these gentlemen to see you here in this foul, gloomy dungeon."

As he spoke, Yi Shuyuan also turned to those beside him and said calmly.

"Though Miss He Xin has died, she is not a vengeful ghost. She will not harm anyone uninvolved, so please rest assured, gentlemen."

At the same time, Yi Shuyuan was observing He Xin. He discovered that after he had passed a breath of spiritual energy to her, she had not only suddenly become visible, but her figure had grown much clearer and her complexion had improved. Even her forehead had stopped bleeding, and the wound had shrunk somewhat.

As though answering Yi Shuyuan's words, He Xin offered those outside a graceful curtsy, just as a living woman would.

"This humble woman, He Xin, pays her respects to you, my lords!"

The fear in many of their hearts gradually eased. Looking at her again, they found her features delicate rather than frightening. Since she also seemed capable of conversing with them, they felt somewhat reassured.

"So this is the soul crying out for justice?"

The Moon Province prefect's voice was full of wonder. This was the first time in his life he had seen a ghost. Had her manner of appearing not been rather terrifying, a closer look now would have shown her to be no different from an ordinary person, save for a little blood on her forehead.

"Yes, my lord. That would be me."

As she spoke, He Xin deliberately walked toward Jia Yuntong, making him scream repeatedly.

"Stay away! Ah, stay away-"

Jia Yuntong trembled violently, struggling to get away, but two constables from Moon Province held his bloated body firmly in place, leaving him unable to move.

Previously, Jia Yuntong had been unable to see He Xin at all. Now she could confront him face-to-face and watch him disgrace himself before everyone. To He Xin, that was a pleasure in itself.

"I once begged you just like that. Now, no matter how you plead, you cannot escape death. And just as Mr. Yi said, the punishments of the Underworld will be waiting for you!"

Yet compared with before, He Xin herself had not noticed that she was less impulsive and irritable today. She no longer felt such an overwhelming urge to tear Jia Yuntong apart with her bare hands. Instead, she could speak those words without her expression changing.

Lin Xiu turned to the Moon Province prefect beside him.

"Lord Li, ask whatever questions you have. Both plaintiff and defendant are here!"

Faced with such a scene, repeating what he had said earlier in the county magistrate's office was clearly no longer appropriate. And whether it was He Xin or Jia Yuntong, one excited and the other terrified, both now told everything they knew.

About an hour later, He Xin had disappeared once more, and Jia Yuntong had been locked up again amid his cries.

When the Moon Province prefect left the dungeon with Lin Xiu and the others, his mood was naturally no longer the same as when he had arrived.

He had only come to verify the truth of the testimony, yet Jia Yuntong had unexpectedly named several more people. This set the hearts of both the Yuanjiang County officials and the Moon Province prefect pounding with alarm, leaving them with deeply conflicted feelings.

Another two hours passed before the Moon Province prefect rose to take his leave in the county magistrate's study. Lin Xiu and the others escorted him all the way outside the County Office.

Outside the County Office, the prefect and several attendants had already mounted their horses. He looked at Lin Xiu and, after some hesitation, finally spoke.

"Lord Lin, I will speak to the Provincial Governor. As for the men I brought, they are all skilled hands in Moon Province's public service. They will remain under your command for the time being!"

"Thank you, my lord!"

Lin Xiu thanked him solemnly. The prefect glanced at Yi Shuyuan again and, after considerable hesitation, added another remark.

"There are people within the Moon Province Yamen who style themselves disciples of the Minister as well. I have no desire to wade into these muddy waters. I shall take my leave!"

In fact, the Moon Province Prefect had been holding back the official document all this time without forwarding it, so the side opposed to the case would certainly learn of it first. Prefect Li, however, did not spell that out.

But having even seen a ghost this time, Prefect Li no longer dared act according to his original purpose. He had even toned down his official airs considerably. However favorable a man's fortunes in office might be, he still feared a vengeful ghost coming to claim his life!

"Safe travels, my lord!"

Lin Xiu bowed once more, while Yi Shuyuan and the others behind him also cupped their hands in farewell.

Prefect Li nodded, ordered his subordinates to take up their reins, and departed with the remaining constables.

With the Moon Province prefect gone, the people of the Yuanjiang County Office breathed a sigh of relief, yet their hearts also grew somewhat heavy. Though nothing had happened yet, they could already feel the mountain rain gathering before the storm.

The good news was that no one would be in any mood to check Yi Shuyuan's progress on the County Gazetteer today.

For some time afterward, Yi Shuyuan did not devote himself to his work. It was not that he deliberately wanted to slack off on the job, but he felt that at a time like this, improving himself was more important. Thus, he spent his time practicing martial arts in the Library.

Though Yi Shuyuan's punches, kicks, and movements raised no gusts of force, his martial practice was like his calligraphy and cultivation: what he trained was intent. Only at certain moments would he suddenly infuse a thread of true force into his fists and feet, shaking the air within the room.

Yi Shuyuan practiced A Fei's fist techniques, some moves he had observed at the Training Ground, and several supplementary techniques from the Old Instructor's manual. In all of them, he emphasized intent and momentum over form, grasping that elusive spirit of a martial artist.

Once his movements followed his intent, Yi Shuyuan suddenly leaped lightly onto a beam in the Library. He spread his hands, swayed slightly, and steadied himself.

Then Yi Shuyuan sprang lightly again, drifting toward a bookshelf like a weightless butterfly. With a touch of his toe, he spun once and reached the opposite wall, catching an interior ledge and hanging there.

Yi Shuyuan then released his grip, descended slowly, and landed gently. The breath of internal energy he had gathered remained undisturbed even now. Clearly, he still had plenty of strength to spare in his lightness skill.

"Heh, nothing I can't handle!"

Delighted, Yi Shuyuan could not help praising himself aloud. The result was hardly unexpected, though. Some things seemed difficult before one learned them, but once understanding dawned, grasping one principle opened the way to a hundred more.

During this time, Yi Shuyuan had also consulted the Old Instructor on several questions. If he truly compared everything point by point, his current internal cultivation was fundamentally different from that of ordinary martial artists. Instead, it was closer to the so-called Xiantian realm spoken of in rumors.

Moreover, he cultivated diligently every day, tempering himself with spiritual energy. With his physical foundation and the differences within him, Yi Shuyuan felt certain his martial arts were by no means weak, even though he had never fought anyone.

The Old Instructor, however, had always assumed Yi Shuyuan merely wanted to learn about martial arts and had no intention of practicing them. He kept dropping indirect hints that Yi Shuyuan ought to give it a try, taking considerable pains on his behalf.

With these thoughts, Yi Shuyuan returned to his desk, picked up his brush, and wrote down some insights on a blank sheet. Once the page was full, he lightly swept his hand through the air, sending it floating to a corner of the desk. With another beckoning motion, a fresh sheet arrived before him.

This was another trick Yi Shuyuan had worked out himself. It combined the use of internal energy with a touch of the spiritual energy within his body, making it freer and gentler, and remarkably smooth to use.

As for Jia Yuntong, Yi Shuyuan had no need to pay him extra attention. His guards included not only the public officers from Moon Province and the Yuanjiang County Office's own men, but also Wandering Spirits serving the Yuanjiang County City God.

Though Yi Shuyuan had already learned that ghosts and gods would not interfere in mortal affairs, refraining from direct action did not mean they could not help him. For instance, if they noticed signs that something was wrong, coming to inform Yi Shuyuan posed little problem.

Even when He Xin had previously begged Du Fang to help redress her wrongs, the Night Wandering God had observed her and chosen not to deal with her. An ordinary stray ghost or a savage, vengeful spirit would have been dealt with long ago.

Thus, in Yi Shuyuan's view, ghosts and gods could also make allowances and possessed a human touch.

Several days passed in succession, with Yi Shuyuan focusing on his own cultivation. Occasionally, he visited the Training Ground or consulted the Old Instructor. It seemed life would simply continue like this, unchanging.

The entire Yuanjiang County Office was no longer quite so tense. They felt the case ought to have reached Heaven-Bearing Prefecture by now, at the very least, or perhaps already arrived at the Ministry of Justice.

Perhaps the unluckiest person was Sun Shiwan, the martial wanderer who had acted so tough before. The constables from Moon Province had tormented him miserably.

That evening, Yi Shuyuan was not cultivating. Instead, he was catching up on his earlier work, a Wolf-Hair Brush moving ceaselessly between his fingers as he laid down ink.

But the next moment, Yi Shuyuan's movements paused slightly. A current of yin energy had swept past outside the door.

"Mr. Yi, something has changed in Jia Yuntong's allotted fate. It seems he does not have long to live!"

What?

Startled, Yi Shuyuan immediately opened the Library door. A Night Wandering God of Yuanjiang County stood outside.

"What do you mean?"

The Night Patrol Spirit bowed slightly and answered truthfully.

"These are signs revealed in the Book of Life and Death. Judging by the circumstances before now, it is rather suspicious. The Judge ordered me to inform you at once, sir, lest some villain succeed in secret!"

Because of He Xin's presence, the Yuanjiang County Underworld Office had been keeping an eye on this case all along. Though intervening in mortal affairs was inconvenient, since an accomplished master had already become involved, sending someone to notify him both accorded with their wishes and earned his goodwill.

"Thank you for informing me, Night Patrol Envoy. I will go and take a look myself!"

"You are too courteous, sir!"

Yi Shuyuan nodded. Without waiting for the Night Patrol Spirit to leave, he walked out of the Library and headed straight toward the dungeon.

At that moment in the dungeon, Jia Yuntong was repeatedly banging his head against the wall with dull thuds, while both hands clawed incessantly at his body, scratching his skin raw.

"Ah, I feel awful..."

"Jia Yuntong! What are you doing?"

Several jailers hurried over. At the sight, they immediately opened the cell door and rushed inside to restrain Jia Yuntong.

"Aaah-"

The instant the three jailers seized Jia Yuntong, they were flung away. Two slammed heavily into the wall with a pair of bangs, while the remaining man reacted quickly and rolled aside.

At that moment, two of the Moon Province officers arrived as well.

"Move aside!" they shouted, charging inside one after the other. Each seized one of Jia Yuntong's wrists with a clawlike grip, then struck rapidly at the acupoints across his body with their free hands.

"Ah, I feel awful-"

Jia Yuntong screamed shrilly, his muscles, bones, and fat all shaking.

Crack, crack, crack...

The two constables' arms trembled and shifted as they held Jia Yuntong, yet they could barely overpower him. Even their fingers striking his acupoints seemed to slide off his fat.

"It's not working?"

The two exchanged a glance and decisively called for help.

"Someone-help us!"

"Aaargh-"

Jia Yuntong let out a roar that no longer sounded human.

The commotion left the other prisoners deeply uneasy. Even the imprisoned martial artist leaned against his cell door, peering toward the corner he could not clearly see.