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There were no further records after the case file; this case seemed to end there.
Zhao Fusheng had finally found the records of the South City ghost case from forty years ago as she wished, but after reading them, she didn't feel the anticipated relief.
An inexplicable doubt filled her heart, and these various doubts were even more numerous than before she had read the case.
Su Long was a person of extraordinary ability, having solved four ghost cases consecutively. This was a rare feat in the entire history of Wan'an County.
And this ghost case of the Liu family in South City, in a sense, could also be considered 'solved' by him. After all, since then, the 'ghost' of the Liu family had been dispelled, and no strange incidents occurred thereafter. This peace lasted for forty years.
In an era where ghost cases were frequent, this was actually quite incredible and sufficiently demonstrated Su Long's extraordinary nature.
He had solved five major cases, yet the record for this Liu family case was exceptionally mysterious.
Firstly, this case file was densely written. Compared to the ghost case files Zhao Fusheng had read before, this one recorded the past of the Liu family and its head, Liu Huacheng, in considerable detail.
But when it came to the formal ghost case itself, there were only a few cursory words, merely noting that this ghost was of a high grade and that two Envoys had died.
As for how Su Long and Zhang Xiongwu had solved the ghost case and resolved the ghost calamity, not a single word was mentioned.
Most importantly, Zhao Fusheng connected the warning Su Long mentioned afterward with what Fan Bisi had said earlier: a month ago, a young man came to deliver a message, wanting to request the Demon Suppression Division to fulfill an agreement made back then—
From this, Zhao Fusheng boldly speculated that Su Long had probably anticipated, forty years ago, that this ghost calamity would restart. Even more so, after handling the case back then, he had already guessed that the ghost case would resurface many years later. Therefore, after the ghost case, he had a private agreement with the Liu family. This agreement was highly likely to be that the Demon Suppression Division would have to clean up the aftermath of his actions from that year.
Unfortunately, the timing was wrong.
When the ghost calamity in Yaofan Alley erupted, the Demon Suppression Division itself was struggling to survive, and the Fan brothers were helpless against it.
To this day, more than a month had passed.
When Zhao Fusheng thought of this, her heart instantly turned half-cold.
The case file in her hand felt as heavy as a thousand catties, making her want to put it down, yet she was unwilling. Finally, she read it from beginning to end twice more, firmly committing all the minute details to memory, before solemnly placing the case file back down.
"Liu Huacheng—Liu Huacheng—" she muttered to herself:
"This person bought an official position in his early years, serving as the Right Inspector of the Commandant of Justice in the capital. Later, he bizarrely resigned from his post and returned to his hometown to inherit the family business…"
On his sixtieth birthday, his home was haunted, and many of his blood relatives died. That day, a ghost domain appeared in the Liu residence.
"What kind of official is a 'Right Inspector'?" Zhao Fusheng frowned in deep thought.
She had worked for several years and had long been detached from a learning environment; she no longer remembered details about official positions and historical backgrounds of dynasties.
Moreover, this Great Han Dynasty merely shared the same name as the Han Dynasty she knew; after all, the appearance of ghost cases and the existence of the Demon Suppression Division already indicated the peculiarity of this dynasty.
And the original owner of her body was a girl who had never seen the world, even more ignorant of court officialdom. Recalling the original owner's memories, the original owner believed that village and town official positions were already very significant. As for the 'Right Inspector of the Commandant of Justice,' in the original owner's perception, it was merely a 'very high-ranking official'!
But although Zhao Fusheng didn't know exactly how high Liu Huacheng's official position was, she knew one thing.
For ordinary people, the notion that 'commoners do not contend with officials' was deeply ingrained.
Although the Liu family was large and prosperous, it was still confined to a single county.
The fact that Liu Huacheng could hold a position in the capital back then was enough to show his abilities were not ordinary.
His sudden resignation and return to his hometown afterward must have had some hidden reasons.
"Fan Bisi said that a malevolent ghost capable of deploying a ghost domain must have at least broken through the Sui-grade… Assuming Sui-grade is the lowest, what grade is above Sui-grade? And what grade is a Sha-grade ghost?"
She lamented having only recently transmigrated into this body; her understanding of the Great Han Dynasty was too shallow, and the original Zhao Fusheng had limited knowledge, completely ignorant of these situations.
"According to Su Long's warning, if the malevolent ghost of the Liu family requires a ghost wielder to command at least a Sha-grade ghost or higher to even enter, does this mean this malevolent ghost is close to Sha-grade strength, or has it already reached Sha-grade?"
Zhao Fusheng muttered to herself:
"If that's the case, I could actually give it a try…"
A malevolent ghost was entwined with her, and according to the prompt from the Investiture of the Gods, the malevolent ghost entangled with her had just reached Sha-grade.
But once she used the power of the malevolent ghost, it would be no different from bargaining with a tiger, and the consequences would be severe.
Most importantly, she actually harbored doubts about whether the ghost in Yaofan Alley near the Liu family residence was truly 'Sha-grade.'
Su Long's warning was from forty years ago.
Given his knowledge, insight, and methods back then, Zhao Fusheng believed his judgment.
But the problem was that ghosts could advance in grade by killing people.
When Su Long dealt with this ghost calamity back then, did he consider whether his method could guarantee the Liu family forty years of peace?
Did he anticipate whether, forty years later, this malevolent ghost would still be as he had estimated it to be?
She fell into hesitation. After a long while, Zhao Fusheng re-rolled the scroll and tucked it into her robes.
Her gaze fell once more upon the bookshelf, and she pulled out another case file.
This case file was still dated the 206th year of the Great Han Dynasty, but the timeline had already reached November. The person recording the ghost cases was no longer Su Long.
She placed the case file aside and picked up another. After searching for a long time, the ghost case record closest in time to June was from August, and it was also no longer Su Long.
A thought arose in Zhao Fusheng's mind: Could it be that Su Long died shortly after handling the Liu family ghost case?
Thinking this, her gaze fell upon a shelf on the wall on the far side. Above that shelf was written: Wan'an County Demon Suppression Division Personnel Roster Through the Ages.
Due to the perilous nature of ghost cases, the personnel replacement roster of the Demon Suppression Division appeared to be even more voluminous than the ghost case files.
Arranged chronologically, each shelf compartment was crammed full.
Afterward, Zhao Fusheng spent a considerable amount of time and finally found the year 206 of the Great Han Dynasty.
In the process of searching, she discovered that the names of many Commandants and Envoys appeared one after another, only to disappear quickly.
It briefly recorded their ages, the time they entered the Demon Suppression Division, and ultimately, how long they survived and the cause of their death.
Zhao Fusheng found Su Long's information.
'July 4th, 206th year of the Great Han Dynasty, Su Long, Commandant of Wan'an County Demon Suppression Division, due to the malevolent ghost on his person losing control, was ultimately killed by Shao Wenxun under orders. The malevolent ghost on his person was controlled by Shao Wenxun and brought back to the capital.'
'Su Long, died at the age of 31, had been in the Demon Suppression Division for one and a half years. Posthumously assessed for merits and rewards, his blood relatives for five generations are to be cared for by the imperial court.'
As Zhao Fusheng had expected, shortly after the ghost case at the Liu family residence in Wan'an County, Su Long died due to his malevolent ghost losing control.
"Sigh—"
She sighed again.
The mortality rate for Commandants and Envoys of the Demon Suppression Division was truly high. Su Long was extraordinarily capable, yet even such a figure could not escape death.
The waters of the Liu family case in Wan'an County were not easy to tread. She hesitated for a long while but did not return the scroll in her bosom to its original place.