Chapter 1613: The Seven Heaven-Mandated Monster Hunters: Chronicle 04

Jin Chen thought for a moment, then pulled Chang Wuming over, saying, "We three will investigate the west side of the town."

Chang Wuming, being pulled, asked doubtfully, "Who else? Isn't it just me you caught?"

Jin Chen was shocked and rather dissatisfied: "Of course I need to be with the senior apprentice brother—do I even need to ask?"

Rong Zixu glanced at Jin Chen, but did not refuse.

When Jin Chen was little, he also clung to him; back then the master was always out on the mountain slaying ghosts, and the other junior apprentices lacked experience caring for children, but perhaps in recent years he felt he had grown up and no longer expressed such sentiments so confidently.

Hearing that, he felt rather nostalgic.

Rong Zixu grunted in assent, letting Jin Chen hold his hand.

He also said to the second senior, Yang Yu: "The focus is to investigate ghost intent; day and night as a boundary could be the yin-yang Ghost Domain."

"I know." Yang Yu nodded, waving his fan toward the bow-shaped moon behind him, "Xiao Yue, get the command flag ready."

"Hold on!"

Magistrate Song came down from the hall, blocked the seven people who wanted to leave the yamen, and stroking his beard with a smile said, "Since we're handling the case together, how could I let you investigate alone? I'll send a few constables to follow you, so they can lend a hand."

The two squads separately headed to the street's head and tail; Jin Chen glanced at the several obviously hostile constables beside him, pulled Chang Wuming, and continued to stir the pot.

"These imperial officials are all impolite; they're always like this."

So you'd better keep your eyes open—don't fall for the main character's lover.

Chang Wuming frowned strangely, then nodded in realization, "You want to beat them up?"

Jin Chen:??

He looked at Chang Wuming's expression as if seeing through the truth, slowly nodded, "Exactly!"

"Not now, the senior apprentice brother still..." Chang Wuming's words trailed off, and he honestly looked toward Rong Zixu, who was looking over.

Rong Zixu: "What are you saying about me?"

Chang Wuming upheld the principle of never betraying his junior apprentice brother, but he really wasn't good at lying, so he stayed silent.

Jin Chen also kept silent, quietly stepped over to tattle, "Senior brother, they're glaring at me."

Rong Zixu and Chang Wuming both looked at the four constables following them, their expressions grim and cold.

Constable: "……"

"See what happens! You'll lose a piece of meat!"

They forced smiles, pointed the way forward, "Up ahead there's a household; this month they've lost three family members, said to have been taken at night by those… filthy things. Want to go check it out?"

Before they even got close, they heard the dragging footsteps from the ruined courtyard—slow and arduous—then a withered, old arm trembled out from behind the door, followed by clothing stained with blood, and a short, hunched old man stepped out from inside.

"Old sir, we've come from afar; may we come in and sit awhile?" Rong Zixu bowed gently, supporting the old man who nearly stumbled crossing the threshold.

"Outsiders..."

The old man, perhaps having cried for a long time earlier, lifted his head; his cloudy eyes were filled with bloodshot veins, tear tracks dried in his wrinkles.

"Don't come, don't come; this place is evil!"

He didn't want to see these youngsters also die for no reason, shaking his hand as he pushed them: "Hurry! You… will lose your lives!"

"Hey, old sir, that's not right," Jin Chen's head popped out from behind Rong Zixu, chin resting on his shoulder, smiling at the old man: "We're from the mountains, specially here to help your town catch ghosts."

Rong Zixu lowered his gaze at him and softly said, "Stand properly."

"Oh."

Jin Chen moved to stand straight beside him.

"This… catching ghosts… catching ghosts…"

The old man leaned on his cane, stunned for a good while, then burst out crying excitedly: "Immortal… you are immortals! My wife, son, and daughter-in-law are all gone…"

The old man led them into his yard, dilapidated and desolate; even the serving tea was left over from the night before, and the table still held uneaten food from an all-night spread.

Rong Zixu quietly listened to the old man's fragmented recollection of those nights, and once again heard mention of the red lanterns; his brow twitched slightly.

"Does the town have a custom of hanging red lanterns?" Jin Chen happened to ask.

After a moment, the old man reacted, slapping his thigh excitedly: "Yes, we have several shops at the east end of the street that hang red lanterns for festivals to celebrate; back then, whoever hung red lanterns was known to have happy news."

"That's true." A constable labeled Jia behind them nodded affirmatively, "It's basically a customary practice, but it's strange—according to the order in which the townspeople reported incidents, those few shops selling red lanterns at the street's end were the first to have trouble."

Jin Chen exclaimed in realization, turning to Rong Zixu: "Hanging red lanterns has turned from a joyful omen to a funeral sign; the ghost intent is related to the town's custom."

"Um… what do you mean by ghost intent?" Constable Yi couldn't help but ask, curious deep down.

Chang Wuming crossed his arms and said, "Around here at night, one enters the Ghost Domain controlled by spirits, but the Ghost Domain also follows certain rules; one of them is the rule for killing ghosts to break the Ghost Domain, which is called ghost intent."

"Finding the ghost intent is what can break the situation."

Jin Chen counted on his fingers for them, "So far we know: red lanterns turning from joy to mourning, only one person taken each night, and before taking a person the ghosts knock on the door—these are all rules the spirits must obey."

Constable Yi swallowed, "Well… that's really creepy!"

Constable Bing: "Then… what rules must people follow?"

This is crucial for them!

Rong Zixu turned serious, solemnly saying, "After night falls, when people enter the town controlled by ghosts, they should avoid speaking unnecessarily and avoid contact with the spirits."

The several constables all nodded, the more they listened the more anxious they felt inside.

The old man wiped his cloudy tears, then recalled another matter: "Also, the white cloth—yes, you come with the old man."

They entered the rear chamber; the bare walls had three strips of white cloth hanging, filled with a gloomy yin energy.

"Each person taken adds another strip of white cloth." The old man remembered, choking up with tears: "This cloth can't be taken down, nor does it move; it just hangs there."

"Such heavy yin qi." Jin Chen took a few quick steps forward and reached to grab it, but before he could get hold, Rong Zixu pulled him back and scolded him.

"Nonsense, with such strong yin qi you don't go grabbing it barehanded."

Jin Chen staggered, steadied himself beside him, then smirked, "Senior brother, why are you always getting hands-on?"

Rong Zixu found the remark odd, didn't respond; since the white cloth is tied to human lives, he couldn't just move it recklessly, lest it cause trouble.

He merely leaned in to examine it; it was just a long strip of cloth soaked in yin qi, with no other soul remnants.

Chang Wuming asked the yamen runner beside him, "How many households have not had any trouble up to now?"

Yamen Runner B scratched his head, thought a moment, "Not many… I can't even name them; they're just the most ordinary households day to day."