Chapter 564

Five constables drove the servants away and carefully dug down along the traces: "Be careful when lifting—don't damage the marks on his body..."

Before the words were out, the two men lifting the bones froze, looking up at their colleagues.

The speaker also saw another skeleton beneath the bones.

The five exchanged glances, a bad feeling settling in their hearts.

Indeed, when they lifted the topmost skeleton, two more lay stacked beneath it; digging further down along those two, less than half a meter below, even older bones appeared, and in greater numbers.

Constable A's face turned grim; he growled, "We need to dig sideways—there are at least five here in this layer."

He looked up, his sharp eyes fixed on Master Li sitting beneath the tree, no trace left of his earlier jesting tone: "Master Li, how many people are buried in this pit?"

Master Li himself was terrified—the three skeletons already unearthed lay at his feet, their hollow eye sockets staring blankly at him.

Hearing the constable's question, he shook his head frantically: "I—I don't know, I don't know! This has nothing to do with me!"

"Master Li!" Constable B bellowed, furious: "This is your mountain—someone dug a massive grave pit on your land, and you claim ignorance?"

Master Li panicked and turned to Pan Yun.

Pan Yun said firmly, "First, recover all the bones—this matter must be decided by the county magistrate."

The five constables fell silent, picking up their shovels and continuing to dig.

Pan Yun knew many people were buried beneath this ground, but she hadn't expected so many.

She quietly rolled up her sleeves, kicked a shovel with her foot, and jumped into the pit: "I'll help you dig."

This time, the five constables did not refuse—the pit might be enormous, and as the sun climbed toward noon, they feared they wouldn't finish before nightfall.

This place was steeped in chilling yin energy—too dangerous to spend the night.

The constables ordered Master Li to send two servants back to the county office: "Tell them to bring more men, and don't forget the coroner."

Master Li hurriedly agreed.

Yet the constables did not allow any of Master Li's servants to enter the pit—only Pan Yun and Li Wenying were permitted.

Because they were Daoist Priests, understood medicine, and knew feng shui—they knew what could be moved and what must not be touched.

They could find bones no larger than soybeans amid piles of dirt and separate and reassemble them precisely, bone by bone.

One skeleton after another was unearthed and passed up, neatly arranged atop the pit; when the magistrate and commandant arrived with their men, they saw a field of bones laid out before them.

The magistrate's legs went weak; he scrambled over on his hands and knees: "Th-this—how could such an atrocity occur in Ji'an County?!"

The commandant gaped, memories of old legends flashing through his mind—he suddenly turned to stare at Master Li.

Master Li sat silently to the side, utterly unmoved by the magistrate's questions.

New skeletons continued to be unearthed from the pit's depths; apart from the top two, whose remains were badly decayed, all lower bones had turned to white skeletons, growing older the deeper they dug.

He knew people were buried beneath this land—but never imagined so many.

With so many skeletons unearthed, not only he, but the magistrate and commandant too—all were finished.

Unless Yang Ji revived, or Grand Secretary Yang revived, and could once again cover everything with a single blanket, burying these filth beneath it.

But he knew it was impossible.

With Yang Ji dead, no one had the power to conceal such a massive case.

The magistrate knew he was finished too.

After Yang Ji's crimes came to light, he had acted decisively—he arrested suspects, gathered evidence, and sent them to Jingcheng; only then did the imperial court deem him an upright, capable official, claiming he was merely intimidated and deceived by Yang Ji, forced to investigate secretly, which allowed Yang Ji's crimes to go undetected.

Most crucially, Yang Ji had committed evil for decades, while he had only been appointed magistrate of Ji'an County for four years—so his negligence was understandable, allowing him to barely retain his post.

The higher-ups had already agreed: he would report Yang Ji, blame half of Yang Ji's crimes on Yang Shiqi, and after two years, when the matter faded, he would be promoted.

The magistrate felt no guilt over these actions—Yang Ji was Yang Shiqi's son; he didn't believe Yang Shiqi knew nothing of his son's deeds.

Besides, even if he truly didn't know—so what?

Yang Ji had indeed used Yang Shiqi's power to terrorize Ji'an and the Jiangnan region; as a father, failing to educate his son was his own fault.

Thus, the magistrate had carried out those actions with full conviction, unshaken by conscience—but now...

Looking at the three rows of exposed bones and the still-unexcavated pit, the magistrate felt his entire life was ruined!

Such a heinous crime could never be washed away by any excuse or past merit—he would never escape his failure in duty.

The magistrate was consumed by rage: "Who? Who did this?!"

He glared at Master Li, shouting: "Li Chang, speak!"

Master Li shook his head: "I don't know..."

"You don't know?" The magistrate jabbed his finger at Li's nose: "This is your land—someone buried so many people on your mountain, and you claim ignorance?"

Master Li snapped back: "I don't know! I don't know! This mountain is mine, that mountain is mine, all this land is mine—look at what's planted on it? I've let dozens of acres lie fallow, I can't even find laborers to farm it, do you understand, do you understand?"

Any villager can come up the mountain with a sickle to cut firewood—I never stop villagers or hunters from gathering herbs or hunting game. I can't watch this place day and night—how could I possibly know who did this?"

"You're the magistrate! You govern the entire Anji County—how could you not know?"

The magistrate was speechless: "Li Chang, how dare you speak to me like that?"

Master Li's chest heaved; he stood his ground: "Am I afraid of you?"

He too was filled with grievance—years of resentment and injustice erupted; Master Li no longer held back: "Your Excellency, let's speak plainly—are you truly unaware of who did this, or are you pretending?"

Yang Ji's violent deaths were no secret—he came up this mountain once or twice a year in his carriage. When you investigated his case, you truly knew nothing?"

The magistrate quickly glanced at the commandant, who lowered his head, avoiding his gaze—he turned livid, then slowly calmed: "Li Chang, don't slander. You claim this was Yang Ji's doing—what proof do you have? Don't think you can blame him now he's dead, with no one left to testify."

Yang Ji had been beheaded over a month ago—his bones were cold—now you dredge up this massive case and pin it on him?

The Emperor won't accept it—nor will the court ministers.

Moreover, Yang Shiqi is dead; the Emperor feels guilt and affection toward him—he won't want to smear Yang Shiqi with more filth.

Pan Yun leaned on her shovel and said "Hey," drawing both men's attention; then she tilted her chin: "Will the killer be found by shouting? Who did it, how they did it—won't investigation reveal it?"

Pan Yun pointed at the pit of bones: "Who were the victims? Who were their relatives? Who saw them last? Investigate step by step—won't that uncover the truth?"

"Who are you?" the magistrate snapped. "Do I need you to teach me how to investigate a case?"

Pan Yun smiled faintly: "The usual methods are needless for the County Magistrate, but as for unconventional ones, this Daoist priest can lend a hand."

Pan Yun nodded slightly toward Li Master: "After all, I promised Li Master I would ensure the safety of his entire family."

The County Magistrate narrowed his eyes: "What do you mean?" Li Master's reason returned; he finally stopped quarreling with the Magistrate and pulled him aside, whispering everything—how he had been possessed, how he had summoned the Daoist priest to exorcise the ghosts, and all that followed.

"Your Excellency, those present are not merely ourselves—there are many things we cannot see. They are ghosts—evil ghosts!"

The County Magistrate stepped back two paces without expression, coldly watching him.

Seeing the Magistrate did not believe him, Li Master stamped his foot and cried, "Oh no! Your Excellency, you must believe me!"

The County Magistrate shook his head: "I don't believe you!"

"You!" Li Master hurried to Pan Yun: "Master Pan, please let the County Magistrate see them! If he sees them, he will understand everything."

"Then let them tell us themselves who killed them—wouldn't that mean the County Magistrate only needs to send out government office Runners to arrest them all?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Li Master was thrilled. "That would be perfect."

This way, he wouldn't have to name those people himself, and no one would blame him.

Pan Yun grinned at him, then the smile vanished instantly: "Impossible."

!

The County Magistrate looked at Li Master as if he were an idiot, his face plainly saying: "See?"

Li Master panicked: "Why is it impossible?"

Pan Yun: "If it were possible, every County尉 in the land should be a Daoist priest—whenever a murder occurred, you'd just summon the vengeful spirits to testify, and what need would there be for County尉 and government office Runners?"

The County Magistrate and the government office Runners all nodded: "Exactly—what use are we then?"

"People lie," Pan Yun said. "How much more so ghosts? First, most ghosts lack full memories; even if they did, do you really believe ghostly words?"

The County Magistrate frowned, finding Pan Yun intriguing: "But you just said you could assist me with unconventional methods."

"Indeed," Pan Yun nodded. "Though ghostly words are untrustworthy, corpses provide ample information—how much more so ghostly shadows?"

Pan Yun lowered her voice and asked the County Magistrate: "Wouldn't you like to meet these wronged spirits, speak with them, hear their stories?"

The County Magistrate fell silent.

Because the mass grave was so large, it could not be fully excavated before nightfall.

The County Magistrate could only leave a few government office Runners to guard the grave, while the rest packed up all recovered bones and returned them to the County Office.

Of course, Li Master and his son, along with Pan Yun, Li Wenying, and all other parties involved, were also taken back to the County Office.

In the morgue, the coroner lit a lamp and emerged to tell those waiting in the courtyard: "The two most recent skeletons—one died approximately five months ago, the other nine months ago. Due to severe decomposition, I cannot determine more precise times."

"Both are women, aged roughly between eighteen and twenty-four."

The County Magistrate asked: "What of the other bones?"

The coroner: "The rest have fully ossified, dating from one and a half to nine years ago. There are thirteen skeletons total: nine women, four men, all aged between fourteen and twenty-six."

The County Magistrate frowned: "All so young. How could the County Office know nothing of so many deaths?"

He turned to the County尉.

Such public order matters were always the County尉's responsibility.

The County Magistrate carefully recalled cases he had handled over the years—there had been no major incidents.

Oh, except Yang Ji's brawls resulting in deaths—but those cases had all been closed shortly after they occurred.

Yang Ji always had someone else take the blame. Regardless of how he coerced or bribed them into taking the fall, at least on official records, the cases were resolved.

Everyone in the County Office understood the full story behind those cases.

But this mass grave at Li Family Hill—he had heard not a whisper, not even a clue to the victims' origins.

The County Magistrate frowned and asked: "County尉, have there been any missing persons reports in recent years?"

The County尉 lowered his gaze: "Yes, but few match the criteria, and most missing persons cases were resolved—none correspond to this case."

The County Magistrate pondered: "Who are these people, dead and unmissed, vanished without a single report?"

Recalling the coroner's age range, the County Magistrate suddenly lifted his eyes to Li Master: "Prostitutes and male entertainers?"

Li Master said nothing.

The County尉 remained silent too.

Pan Yun's gaze slid from Li Master to the County尉, her lips curling slightly in a smile: "It seems the County尉 isn't entirely ignorant."

The County Magistrate immediately turned to her: "You said you could let us speak with the vengeful spirits—why haven't you summoned them yet?"

"Easy, easy," Pan Yun pulled a handful of yellow talismans from her sleeve, opened the morgue door, and began pasting them inside.

Seeing she was serious, the County Magistrate felt both curious and skeptical. Seeing Li Wenying standing with arms crossed nearby, he asked: "Aren't you going to help?"

Li Wenying: "I'm merely a teacher accompanying my student for training. I don't earn this kind of pay."

The County Magistrate: "Confucius said: 'Do not speak of spirits, forces, disorder, or the divine.' Do ghosts and gods truly exist?"

Li Wenying: "The Emperor performs sacrifices to Heaven and Ancestors every year. What do you think?"

The County Magistrate: …

What did sacrifices to Heaven and Ancestors have to do with ghosts and gods?

The County Magistrate mentally scoffed but dared not voice it.

After arranging the yellow talisman array, Pan Yun invited them inside.

The County Magistrate entered without fear, covering his mouth and nose with a handkerchief; the County尉 followed closely behind.

The coroner, even more intrigued, followed without hesitation.

Li Master and his son exchanged glances, then entered, supporting each other.

The government office Runners also tried to follow.

Pan Yun drove them all out: "The morgue is small—it already holds over a dozen skeletons. Not enough space for so many."

Hearing this, the three government office Runners at the front immediately shoved their way in: "We'll protect Your Excellency!"

The moment they stepped inside, the door swung shut of its own accord, slamming shut in front of them with a bang.

Pan Yun turned and smiled gracefully, looking rather sinister in the lamplight: "Come on." (End of chapter)