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"It’s time to meet an old acquaintance." Shopkeeper Zhang took out a Blood Robe from the rattan box, the very one that Juren had worn during the examination years ago.
Chen Siye felt something sewn into the inner side of the robe's collar—a Yellow Talisman, its cinnabar inscription obscured by bloodstains that formed a grotesque face. The Ghost Fire flickered in the Hour of the Rat. The two followed the compass needle to the back wall of Yizhuang, where fresh soil at the base was mixed with ash from Joss Paper.
As soon as Shopkeeper Zhang's Paper Man hit the ground, it spontaneously ignited, and from the flames came the shouts of a Yamen Runner: "Bold commoner, how dare you accuse your magistrate!"
Chen Siye’s shovel suddenly struck something hard. He cleared away the loose earth to reveal a child's Corpse, with a three-inch Coffin Nail driven into its skull. In its bony arms lay an Iron Box containing a half-burned ledger, where he could vaguely make out the words "One Thousand Taels of Silver, to purchase a Juren Degree."
"This is the missing Pageboy from years ago!" Shopkeeper Zhang's Straw Raincoat fluttered without wind. "The county records say he absconded with funds; it turns out he was silenced..." Before he could finish his sentence, a child's Childish Laughter echoed around them, as dozens of Headless Ghosts joined hands to surround the pit, black blood gushing from their severed necks.
At a quarter past the Hour of the Tiger, the Remnant Bell of the City God Temple suddenly rang out. The two found an Oil Paper Package beneath the Offering Table, containing a Coroner's notes: "On July 16 of Ding You Year, I examined Scholar Zhou's corpse; there were strangulation marks in an octagonal pattern caused by standard iron chains used by Yard Officers. Additionally, a formed Male Fetus was found in his wife's abdomen, with its Umbilical Cord wrapped around its neck three times."
Suddenly, an old Official Sedan drifted through the rain curtain, adorned with an embroidered One-Eyed Heron on its Jiao Lian. Chen Siye noticed that the four Paper Men carrying it seemed to float above ground, and from within came a familiar Sharp Voice: "Master Chen, why bother wading through this murky water?"
As Jiao Lian was lifted, a decayed face emerged—half-rotted and unmistakably that of the Melon Cap man who had ordered a coffin that night. Shopkeeper Zhang’s Joss Paper sword cleaved through Jiao Lian, unleashing a swarm of Carrion Flies from within.
In the corpse's hand was half of a jade pendant, belonging to none other than the County Magistrate's Wife. Chen Siye suddenly recalled the bloody handprint on that night’s Yin Contract—Little Finger missing half its length—matching exactly with the features in the Magistrate's portrait found in County Annals.
In the Hour of the Rabbit, they visited the abandoned Zhou Residence, where seven inverted soul-guiding lanterns were buried beneath the threshold. A rusty iron chain hung from a beam in the Main Hall, with a bloodied Nail caught between its links. Shopkeeper Zhang’s compass spun wildly here; copper Heavenly Pool leaked Black Blood that pooled on the ground forming the character for "grievance."
"This is a Locking Soul Stake layout." Shopkeeper Zhang tore away Spider Webs in the East Wing Room to reveal a Blood Painting Bagua Formation on the wall. "Someone has trapped Zhou Family's souls here for eternity." At the formation's center stood a Peach Wood Doll with Cinnabar writing on its back detailing the Magistrate's Birth Date and Time.
At noon, they conducted an inspection at the Old Site of the county office; amidst crumbling walls and ruins lay faintly visible Evil-Repelling talismans. Chen Siye fished an Iron Box from an ancient well in the backyard, containing examination papers from twenty years ago. The true Scholar Zhou’s writings had been shredded to pieces; instead, an Answer Sheet bore the private seal of the County Magistrate's Son.
Suddenly, a foul black water seeped from the well, revealing a bloated female corpse. The corpse clutched an Infant Skeleton, its Umbilical Cord tightly wrapped around the well rope. Shopkeeper Zhang's Rebirth Talisman disintegrated into ashes as soon as it touched the water's surface, and countless Vengeful Spirits wailed from the bottom of the well, causing the Azure Stone Slab to tremble and shed dust.
During the Hour of the Monkey, a search was conducted for the descendants of the Midwife from that fateful night. An Old Woman retrieved a faded swaddling cloth from the shrine, saying, "That night, while assisting with the birth, three Yamen Runners suddenly barged in..."
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