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"Then what about Niu Fugui and the Niu Family? They have their own house, so why did they move into the Xie family's old residence? Don't they know it's a Haunted House?"
"Even if they know, what can they do? Didn't I just say that no matter how scary the ghost is, it can't compare to the fear of being broke. Niu Fugui is a gambler who owes a lot of silver to the gambling house. He originally wanted to use his daughter to settle the debt, but the Niu Family scared off the debt collector with a kitchen knife. What kind of place is a gambling house? They can't let Niu Fugui off for such a losing deal. With no other options, Niu Fugui had to sell his house, and even the little tea leaves he had left were taken away to pay off the debt.
With no silver and no house, where else could he find a place to live? The Xie family’s residence, although haunted and uninhabited for over a hundred years, still needed repairs. But after all, it was a courtyard of a wealthy family; even in its dilapidated state, it was better than his own home. So Niu Fugui thought it best to move in with the Niu Family and his daughter.
However, he was afraid, so he chose the room closest to the outside, thinking that in case anything happened, he could escape quickly."
"Did you hear all this?"
"Not exactly," the woman said with an embarrassed smile. "Everyone in our neighborhood knows that Niu Fugui couldn't repay his debts to the gambling house and had to sell his house to move into the Haunted House. Everyone is curious about what will happen now that Niu Fugui is living in Xie's Haunted House. With everyone wondering, their eyes and ears are always on alert; even the slightest noise can't be hidden. But strangely enough, after they moved in, it became quiet—there were no more arguments. Who would have thought that when something happens, it would be such a big deal?"
"I heard that there were more deaths in Xie's Haunted House than just Niu Fugui."
"I heard that too. I heard that when the officials were clearing the scene, they found other bodies as well. But they weren't from this courtyard; most likely they were beggars who went in to seek shelter and fell victim to evil spirits. But it's not unusual; people just listen and forget about it." The woman leaned forward and craned her neck. "Oh look, isn't that Constable Chang from the yamen? After hearing that the Niu Family was arrested, he stayed behind in that Haunted House to investigate. I wonder what he's found out. Just look at his face; it looks like he's been possessed by a ghost—pale and ashen."
Xing Ruyi looked up and indeed saw Chang Tai's face looking somewhat abnormal. A dark aura surrounded him. Just as she was about to activate her Ghost Eye for a closer look, Chang Tai had already spotted her and walked over.
When he reached her side, he didn't say anything but directly took her hand and pulled her into the yamen.
"Brother Chang?" Xing Ruyi hurriedly glanced around to confirm there were no signs of foxes before lowering her voice to ask, "What's wrong? Why are you holding my hand in front of so many people? I don't mind it, but I'm afraid some fox might get jealous."
"I need you to help me look at someone!" Chang Tai ignored Xing Ruyi's earlier comment and led her to one side of the main hall.
In an unnoticed corner lay a simple wooden stretcher covered with rough burlap; underneath it was clearly a corpse.
When the burlap was lifted, it revealed a charred body. Based on its condition, one could make the following judgments:
1. This is a male body, approximately between 1.7 meters and 1.75 meters tall.
2. The age appears to be around 0 years old with a slender build;
Three, the deceased was in a fist-fighting posture, and there were signs of bone fractures in the cranial cavity. This is a common phenomenon caused by the generation of steam from the long bone marrow and brain tissue when heated, which is also a general characteristic of burned bodies.
Four, there were no signs that the deceased had been struck by a heavy object while alive, but based on the results of the respiratory tract examination, it should be classified as post-mortem cremation.
"From the condition of the body, it appears to be post-mortem cremation," Xing Ruyi concluded simply, standing up and glancing at the woman still kneeling in the hall. "He is Niu Fugui, right? That woman's husband!"
"That's right, he is Niu Fugui! This couple has been at odds for years and often quarreled, but they have been unusually calm these past few days. Last night around midnight, one neighbor heard unusual noises coming from the Xie family old residence but didn’t think much of it. By dawn, the Niu family was shouting for help, and by the time neighbors arrived, one of the rooms had turned to ashes, and Niu Fugui was burned beyond recognition. The Niu family’s husband, in a fit of anger after a few words of argument with her, rolled up his bedding and went to sleep in that room. It was the fire that woke her up, and she immediately called for help, but it was too late. Not only was the room destroyed, but he also lost his life."
"The Niu family is lying!"
"Oh?" Chang Tai raised an eyebrow, his expression growing more fatigued.
"Niu Family's claim that she argued with Niu Fugui for a few words before he went to sleep in that room is very likely false. Just now outside the hall, I asked their neighbor about Niu Fugui and Niu Family; that neighbor confirmed that this couple indeed often quarreled but had actually calmed down since moving into the Xie family old residence.
I may not know where that neighbor lives, but from her words, I can infer that her home is adjacent to the house sold to repay gambling debts and is not far from the Xie family old residence. The most obvious example is that this woman encountered ghosts late at night right in front of the Xie family old residence's main door, while her husband could hear her screams and came out to look for her.
Based on how Niu Fugui and Niu Family usually interacted, Niu Family would either endure silently or if they quarreled, everyone in the neighborhood would know. Therefore, it’s impossible that on the night of the incident they quarreled without anyone hearing. If no one heard them, it can only mean that there wasn’t a significant argument; if there wasn’t a significant argument, why would Niu Fugui go sleep in that room?
Moreover, Brother Chang just mentioned that a neighbor heard unusual noises coming from the Xie family old residence. Note that he said 'unusual noises,' not 'quarreling.'" Xing Ruyi looked into Chang Tai's eyes. "And there's something else I find very strange. That neighbor heard unusual noises coming from the Xie family old residence but didn’t think much of it because she was used to it; she did not say she heard Niu Family quarreling and thought nothing of it. So what kind of unusual noises could have made her accustomed enough not to pay attention? Was it something she didn’t take seriously or out of fear of the Xie family old residence that she didn’t dare to check in the middle of the night?"
"I'll have Shengzi ask again," Chang Tai said as he stood up and walked out.
Xing Ruyi felt a chill wash over her; Ghost Eye instinctively opened wide and saw that Chang Tai was carrying a woman on his back without her noticing.
The woman wore a narrow-sleeved short top and long skirt; her figure was similar to hers—neither fitting the current beauty standards of the Golden Tang Dynasty—rather slender and frail. Her face was pressed tightly against Chang Tai's back, with delicate hands naturally wrapped around his neck while her legs dangled down.
Xing Ruyi's brows furrowed slightly in anger. This female ghost dared to act arrogantly in front of her; what’s more outrageous was that she had audaciously clung onto Chang Tai as if mocking her ghostly abilities or treating her role as Ghost Messenger lightly.
With a flick of her right hand, she reached out directly toward the female ghost. However, her hand met only dampness; upon closer inspection, that female ghost had transformed into a thin piece of wet rice paper.
"What's wrong?" Chang Tai turned around, looking at Xing Ruyi with confusion. "Did you need something from me?"
"Nothing!" Xing Ruyi crumpled the rice paper into a ball and hid it behind her back. "I just noticed that Brother Chang doesn't seem to be in good spirits and appears a bit distracted, so I wanted to ask if you haven't had a break for a long time. This case is important, but your health is even more important. In this vast city of Luoyang, you're not the only constable who can handle cases. If you keep pushing yourself like this, the newly appointed Lord Xie might not even increase your salary."
"It's fine; I've just been busy lately and haven't been sleeping well. By the way, I was a bit abrupt earlier because I was anxious. I hope you, Fox Demon, didn't mind."
"Brother Chang, don't mention it! Do you still think of Fox Demon as your little sister?" Xing Ruyi stepped back a little and secretly absorbed the lingering dark energy from Chang Tai with her ghostly aura. Seeing that Chang Tai's complexion had eased somewhat, she continued, "What are you planning to do about the Niu Family? I noticed while I was outside that the ones causing trouble are just a few people. It seems like someone is organizing them; I just don't know if this person is targeting you or the newly appointed Lord Xie."
"Whether it's me or Lord Xie, they are all targeting our government office. The Niu Family is very tight-lipped, insisting they are wronged, and we can't find any other evidence on-site to prove otherwise. So right now, we are in a difficult position. Temporarily detaining them will surely meet with opposition from the onlookers; forcibly detaining them could lead to public resentment and anger, which would reflect poorly on our government office's handling of the case. While it's possible that someone is orchestrating this behind the scenes to cause trouble, that person in the palace won't want to hear such excuses. Whether I, Chang Tai, remain as Constable or not doesn't matter much; however, my colleagues in the office have families to support. If they are sent home, they might struggle to make ends meet."
"Is someone deliberately trying to make things difficult for you with this case?" Xing Ruyi discerned another layer of meaning from Chang Tai's words. "Is it Xie Xuan? I heard that the previous coroner in the office has also resigned. It seems this isn't the intention of your former superior but rather that of Lord Xie. You and your fellow constables are within his scope of exclusion; he might not have found a better reason to drive you out or perhaps he has his reasons but prefers for you to leave on your own."
"As a Constable, failing to solve a case and not even being able to catch the real culprit—regardless of whether it's Lord Xie's intention or not—I, Chang Tai, feel ashamed to stay in the Government Office. You might think I'm being overly dramatic with this statement, but Fox Demon, I'm not serving as Constable for those officials drawing salaries from the court; I'm doing it for the common people outside these doors. Although they may be foolish at times and unable to distinguish right from wrong, if there isn't someone willing to diligently investigate their cases, many of their grievances will remain buried within them forever. How many of those high-ranking officials—be they talented or incompetent—are willing to step down from their lofty positions and personally investigate cases?"
"Brother Chang!" Xing Ruyi seemed to have never seen this side of Chang Tai before; he was not as spirited as usual but rather somewhat dejected. What he had just said made sense but was not something he would typically express. "Tell Fox Demon if you've encountered any issues."
"No, it's just that being a Constable for too long can be tiring," Chang Tai rubbed his forehead. "Do you have any ideas regarding the Niu Family case? I don't want this matter dragged into tomorrow."
Xing Ruyi glanced at the kneeling Niu Family in the hall and pondered for a moment before saying, "I do!"
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