Guo Family Village
Sure enough, as a mere squad officer at the initial stage of the transcendence level, who had also earned a reputation for being meek and timid in the squad,
Jin Jun had no interest in questioning Xu Chunliang at all.
After briefly questioning the members of the Third Squad, he and his wife hurriedly took Liu Jie's remains and left for the prefectural capital.
Xu Chunliang could finally put his worries to rest.
Zhou Dafu, who had always kept a low profile in the squad, became the new captain,
and the Third Squad's work returned to normal.
Early one morning, Xu Chunliang had just checked in at the bureau and sat down.
Liu Neng, a constable from the Fan City county yamen, hurried into the courtyard.
He brought a request for assistance to Captain Zhou Dafu.
"Captain Zhou, something big has happened. You've got to help me out."
Led by Zhou Dafu, Liu Neng came over to Xu Chunliang with a smile,
cupped his fists in greeting, and said, "Good morning, Squad Officer Xu. Sorry to trouble you with this county matter."
Xu Chunliang glanced at Zhou Dafu.
Zhou Dafu grunted in acknowledgment before saying, "Chunliang, something has happened at Squire Guo's home in the county. Constable Liu suspects a resentful spirit or some other anomaly is at work. Go with him and Liu Yong to take a look. If there's nothing wrong, come back. If there is, do your best to deal with it."
"If you really can't handle it, come back and report to me."
Xu Chunliang smiled and agreed, then followed Head Constable Liu and his teammate Liu Yong out of the bureau.
At the entrance, he ran into Shi Qin, who had just returned from outside.
"Brother Shi." Xu Chunliang greeted him with a smile.
Shi Qin nodded repeatedly.
"Chunliang, heading out on business?" Shi Qin asked curiously.
Xu Chunliang answered honestly, "Yeah, there's a case in the county. The captain sent Brother Liu and me to take a look."
Shi Qin glanced into the courtyard and thought for a moment before smiling.
"In that case, I've got nothing to do today, so I'll go with you. If anything happens, we can look out for one another."
Since someone was willing to help, Constable Liu and Liu Yong naturally had no objections.
The group set off together for the county.
Xu Chunliang knew the importance of information and asked as they walked, "Brother Liu, tell us about Squire Guo's place."
"This is a strange one. Squire Guo came to report it yesterday morning, saying odd things had been happening at his estate. People died there every night. I went yesterday afternoon but didn't find anything. Squire Guo couldn't explain what was going on either, so I didn't dare rush in. That's why I came back to ask you professionals for help," Head Constable Liu said with a smile.
Liu Yong said, his face stern,
"Nothing out of the ordinary? And you want us to take a look? Old Liu, you're not playing us for fools, are you?"
"Do you think we at the Demon-Slaying Bureau have nothing better to do? If this happens again, I'm not coming."
Head Constable Liu apologized repeatedly. "You're right, Brother Liu. That's fair enough, but Squire Guo has prepared five hundred taels of silver as a token of thanks for your help..."
Hearing they wouldn't be making the trip for nothing, Liu Yong stopped fuming and led the way without another word.
Shi Qin quietly tugged Xu Chunliang's arm and whispered, "Xiaoliang, you're young. It's only been a year since you took your father's place in our Demon-Slaying Bureau, and you lack experience. Stay behind me when we get there."
Xu Chunliang smiled gratefully, not doubting his sincerity in the slightest.
He didn't know what relationship this colleague had with the father of the identity he now occupied, but during the last rollback, Shi Qin had proven with his life that he cared about him. Someone like that was worth trusting.
And worth helping.
The Guo family had been wealthy in Fan City for six generations. They owned a hundred qing of land and also ran a large silk business in the prefectural capital.
With six generations of accumulated wealth, they had occupied nearly a hundred mu of land in the southern outskirts of the county town and built a huge estate.
The Guo family was prosperous, with as many as a hundred or so households living on the estate.
Standing beneath an old willow at the village entrance, the group gazed at Guo Family Village.
Xu Chunliang frowned.
There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with Guo Family Village...
The sun was bright, birds sang among fragrant flowers, the fields were lush, and the roads were even.
Old and young alike were content and at ease.
There was neither the gray mist Head Constable Liu had described covering the entire village nor any eerie atmosphere.
The only thing that sent a chill down one's spine was the filthy mouths of the old women gathered at the village's CBD.
Sure enough, the moment they saw Xu Chunliang's group, the old women began pointing and gossiping.
It gave Xu Chunliang the same uncomfortable feeling he'd had in his previous life when he passed through the village center's CBD on trips home for the New Year.
Everything else was normal.
Liu Yong plucked a willow leaf and put it in his mouth, then turned to Head Constable Liu. "Old Liu, did Squire Guo fool you?"
"This village looks pretty normal, doesn't it?"
Head Constable Liu scratched his head, looking baffled. "Strange. There was definitely thick fog when I came yesterday afternoon. What's going on?"
"You three wait here a moment. I'll go ask."
With that, he rested his left hand on the hilt of his saber and walked over to the group of old women.
A little later, Head Constable Liu stood up, cursing under his breath, and turned toward the willow tree.
He walked and walked.
Yet the willow and Xu Chunliang's group seemed as distant as the far horizon, growing farther and farther away no matter how he tried to approach them.
"Fuck, what the hell is going on?" A trickle of cold sweat ran down Head Constable Liu's forehead.
The voices of Xu Chunliang and the others grew increasingly muffled, as if separated from him by several panes of glass. A faint dripping sound emerged from somewhere.
He even felt as though he had been plunged into icy water in the middle of winter,
cold and numb.
Then his world plunged into deep darkness.
Drip. Drip.
The dripping came from behind him.
Head Constable Liu gripped his saber hilt tightly and slowly turned his head.
A drop of black blood fell before his eyes, splattering into eight pieces on his black official boot.
Head Constable Liu stood motionless.
A pair of battered embroidered shoes slowly descended from above his head. Above them was a young girl in a green dress, dressed like a maid.
A huge, rusty iron hook pierced her chest, suspending her from the hemp rope attached to it, like a pig in a slaughterhouse...
Clang!
Head Constable Liu drew his saber...
Under the willow tree,
Liu Yong was chattering away while Xu Chunliang and Shi Qin watched Head Constable Liu speaking with the old women in the distance. They gave Liu Yong an occasional response so he wouldn't feel too awkward.
"You know Xiaohu from the Second Squad? I heard he married a really pretty wife..."
"Her name seems to be Bai something-jie. Heh heh, I heard she's really something..."
"Xiaohu was traumatized while investigating an anomaly case. He likes watching other people sleep with his wife..."
"I'll take you there sometime..."
"Don't think badly of me for it. I'm helping him out. He ought to thank us..."
As Liu Yong's sleazy chatter went on, Xu Chunliang quietly took Shi Qin by the arm and backed up two steps.
That left Liu Yong in front of the two of them.
Watching Head Constable Liu still talking to the old women in the distance, Xu Chunliang felt that something was wrong.
"Be careful," he warned Shi Qin, reaching back to rest a hand on the small brass knife behind him.
Shi Qin nodded. After a moment's hesitation, he stepped in front of Xu Chunliang and said, "Xiaoliang, you're young and inexperienced. Stay behind me."
With that, he placed a hand on his saber.
Clearly, he too had sensed that something was wrong.
Head Constable Liu had been gone a little too long.