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墨書 Inktalez
As they approached, Xing Ruyi froze, for what the fox had captured was not an ordinary female ghost, but a paper figure, the kind made from rice paper.
The initial anger dissipated in an instant. Xing Ruyi pointed at the object before her and asked the fox, "What is going on here?"
"How should I explain this to you?" The fox furrowed its brow. "This phenomenon can be referred to as possession or borrowing a spirit. There are many forms of life and death; different ways of dying lead to different souls after death. For example, a ghost that drowned cannot reincarnate and needs a substitute; it will also be dripping wet all over. If the place you live in is neither on the ground floor nor facing the shade but is damp all day long, it indicates that your residence is often visited by drowned ghosts.
Another example is the Hanging Ghost, which, due to suicide, according to the rules of the underworld, also cannot reincarnate. After death, it must repeatedly experience the various aspects of its hanging life, and its soul appears with a protruding tongue and a drooping neck, looking extremely grotesque. If someone committed suicide by cutting their wrists, no matter where their soul goes after death, it will always be drenched in blood."
Xing Ruyi felt a chill run down her spine and muttered, "No wonder our ancestors said that it's better to live poorly than to die well. By the way, how did she die?"
"She died from asphyxiation!" The fox replied as it released its grip.
The crumpled paper figure began to slowly unfold, eventually taking on the appearance of an ordinary woman. Realizing escape was hopeless, she stood still and listened to the conversation between the fox and Xing Ruyi. When the fox mentioned asphyxiation, she slightly lifted her head, but her indistinct face showed no signs of emotion.
"Asphyxiation? Like this?" Xing Ruyi mimicked choking herself by grasping her neck with her hand and then glanced at the female ghost. "Stinky Fox, are you trying to take advantage of my lack of knowledge? Can a ghost that died from choking look like this?"
Just as Xing Ruyi finished speaking, the female ghost suddenly floated right in front of her, almost touching her. But this time, she halted her advance. Xing Ruyi strained to discern the features on the ghost's face and smiled at her while stepping back a pace. She conjured a Ghost Fire between her fingers.
"I warn you not to possess me again. This Underworld Ghost Fire is not ordinary fire from a stove; if you come any closer, I will ensure your soul is scattered."
The female ghost looked at Xing Ruyi and then at the Ghost Fire in her fingers before lightly floating back to her original spot.
The fox shook its head and approached. "Don't worry; she can't possess you."
"You’re lying; she clearly possessed me before," Xing Ruyi retorted while glaring at the female ghost. She still couldn't forget that damp and suffocating feeling.
"That was intentional!" The fox held Xing Ruyi's hand. "Her soul is attached to the rice paper; if we don't let her possess you, it would be difficult to capture her. What you felt just now was how she felt at the moment of her death. Fox Demon, you are a clever Ming Ren; you should be able to guess how she died."
Images of rice paper, dampness, and indistinct features suddenly flashed in Xing Ruyi's mind. It was a method used to drown a living person alive in certain cases to cover up the true cause of death and the crime scene. The operation is quite simple: bind the living person first, then cover their face with rice paper and pour water over it repeatedly until they drown alive—that is how one suffocates to death. Similarly, the murderer would dispose of them near water to create an illusion that they accidentally fell in; if encountered by a confused official, they might hastily conclude it was an accident.
"I suspect you've already figured it out. However, she was indeed drowned alive using that method or torture," said the fox as it waved its hand, slowly peeling away the layer of rice paper covering the woman's face to reveal a beautiful visage. "She should be the missing fisherwoman mentioned by Lord Chang while reviewing county records."
As soon as the fox finished speaking, the female ghost knelt before it and said, "Thank you for saving me; I have nothing to repay you with—"
"Just be a cow or horse in your next life; as for offering yourself or anything like that—no thanks. First off, I won't allow it; second off, a fox wouldn't want you either. After all, there's nothing appealing about a romance between ghosts and demons," Xing Ruyi interjected domineeringly between the fox and the female ghost. "By the way, you just referred to yourself as 'Fish'; is that your name?"
The female ghost nodded, but her gaze drifted past Xing Ruyi and landed on the fox-faced man.
"Enough, enough, stop looking. Although he is your benefactor, he is not a man you can covet!" Xing Ruyi reached out to cover the female ghost's eyes. "First, tell me how you died. Also, why are you entangled with Brother Chang? He is separated from you by a hundred years; he should not be your enemy, right?"
The female ghost shook her head.
At that moment, Chang Tai, who had been standing in the corner, could no longer hold back. He walked over, looked at the female ghost, and asked, "Then why are you following me?"
"The fish did not intend to cling to the young master; it is just that there is an item on you that belonged to me in my past life. Seeing it reminds me of my former self, so I cannot help but follow you," the female ghost said, glancing at the piece of jade hanging from Chang Tai's waist. It was an ordinary piece of jade with average quality; even if sold, it would not be worth much. Xing Ruyi had once asked Chang Tai about its origin; he said it was given to him by his mother when he was young, and as for its background, he was unsure—perhaps it was left behind by their clan.
Brother Chang's family was of average means, so this explanation raised no suspicions. However, the jade at Brother Chang's waist was now linked to the female ghost from the Xie family's old residence, which inevitably led to questions about its origin.
Brother Chang's mother had already passed away, so tracing its roots seemed impossible. For now, they could only start with the female ghost.
"If this jade at Brother Chang's waist belongs to you, do you remember how it was lost?"
"It was not lost!" The fish said with a faint smile. Originally just a beautiful face, this smile added a few more colors to it. The fish's features were in line with the most popular style of the Golden Tang Dynasty; coincidentally, the two dimples on her cheeks added a touch of liveliness.
The fish pointed at the jade on Chang Tai's waist and said, "This jade was once given to someone by me. This person shares the same surname as this young master—Chang. If I am not mistaken, Master Chang should be a descendant of that person I knew."
"You are a girl from a fishing family; although this jade is of average quality, it is considered valuable for common folk. I wonder why you gave this jade to Brother Chang's ancestor? Could there be some deeper connection?"
"That person was my savior," the fish said softly, lowering her head slightly. Her gaze toward Chang Tai carried a hint of emotion: "I was born into a fishing family and being a girl meant I was not favored by my parents. Even my name was chosen randomly. However, as I grew older, my parents began treating me better.
Unintentionally, I learned that their change in attitude was due to my looks attracting more suitors to our home each year. My father and mother planned to use my marriage as a business deal. I felt indifferent about this since as a girl, marrying off eventually is inevitable. Parental orders and matchmaker's words—perhaps even children from noble families are not free from such fates?
But I never expected that my parents' first arranged marriage for me would be with an elderly man known for bringing misfortune to his wives. He had married multiple times since his youth; however, the longest one lived only three years. Naturally, I could not agree to such a match and for the first time in my life defied my parents and ran away from home. I knew that if I returned home, they would force me into it; thus, in despair, I chose to drown myself."
"You committed suicide?" Xing Ruyi looked at her drenched figure and glanced at the fox-faced man again. "Wasn't it suffocation?"
The fish chuckled softly: "You misunderstand; I did not die that time; otherwise there wouldn't have been what happened afterward."
"Then it was Brother Chang's ancestor who saved you?" Xing Ruyi asked again; this time the fish nodded.
"Yes! At that time, he was traveling by boat and happened to pass by the riverbank when he saw me plunge into the water. He dropped all his belongings and jumped in to save me. When he brought me back to shore, we realized that the ferryman had not waited for him; all his belongings were left on that ferryboat. We stayed together for two days but it wasn't as you might imagine; he remained distant from me. Perhaps in his eyes, I was just a girl he happened to save while passing by—a damsel in distress unworthy of his attention."
Hearing this, Xing Ruyi couldn't help but poke Chang Tai with her hand and whispered, "Do you know who your grandfather or great-grandfather married?"
"Probably an ordinary farmer's daughter!" Chang Tai thought for a moment and replied, "As far back as I can remember, both my grandmother and mother were just common farmer's women. If there was anything different about them, it would be that they were quite open-minded and never nitpicked about things. In my father's words, they were carefree and a bit simple-minded."
"Brother Chang, I never thought you were such a Brother Chang."
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing much, just that I didn't expect you to use terms like carefree and simple-minded, especially to describe your family."
"Maybe I've gotten used to my father's way of speaking. Besides, such words in my family are not considered bad; rather, they are seen as compliments." Chang Tai said, the corners of his mouth slightly rising as if he remembered something. "I recall that my grandmother was illiterate, yet she could tell many stories from the rivers and lakes. My mother's temperament, thinking back on it, is somewhat similar to yours, Fox Demon. She also liked to play with various herbs, but not for making rouge or face powder; she used them for cooking. Unfortunately, her culinary skills only managed to get the food cooked enough to not make you sick, which was already a blessing. So my mother loved to cook, but my father never allowed her to do so and didn't dare let her cook. Because of this, my mother often complained about my father. After he passed away, her desire to cook faded away, while I ended up in the kitchen early on until I became a Constable."
"I never expected that you have such a story, Brother Chang. But it sounds like your parents had a great relationship." Xing Ruyi comfortingly patted Chang Tai's shoulder and then turned her gaze to the female ghost. "So then, two days later, after parting ways with your ancestor, you had nothing left and gave him that piece of jade?"
"Yes! He lost all his belongings when he saved me, and the most valuable thing I had was that piece of jade. So I gave it to him so he could pawn it for money to return home. But knowing his character, he would likely keep that jade." The female ghost continued, glancing at the jade hanging at Chang Tai's waist. "That day, I met this young man at the Xie family's old residence. My features were obscured and my vision unclear; only this jade was mine and carried my aura. So for a moment, I mistook this young man for him. I thought he had come back to find me."
The female ghost turned around and bowed to Xing Ruyi. "Thanks to you for intervening; otherwise, the fish would have harmed the descendants of its benefactor. Although it was not the fish's intention, being a malevolent spirit, if it harmed Master Chang due to possession, how would the fish face its benefactor in the underworld?"
"You've clarified Brother Chang's situation; we can tentatively believe what you've just said is true. But what about the Lu family and the Xie family? In the county records, you were originally supposed to marry Young Master Lu but ended up losing your life instead and residing in that painting hidden in the Xie family's old residence. Are those murders in the Xie family's old residence related to you?"
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