Gu Qingyun’s head throbbed from the noise.
“All right, stop crying. Rest assured, he’ll be joining you down there soon enough.”
Her words brought the female ghost’s weeping to an abrupt halt. Covering her face in embarrassment, the spirit darted away. Only after quite a while did she timidly float back to Gu Qingyun’s side.
“Officer, you can see me?”
Gu Qingyun looked at her with a hint of guilt.
“I’m sorry. If I had patrolled here a little earlier, perhaps you wouldn’t have lost your life.”
The female ghost shook her head, slowly revealing a smile.
“You don’t need to apologize, Officer. In fact, becoming a ghost has lifted a heavy weight from my heart. From now on, I won’t have to wake up at the fourth watch every morning to make tofu, nor will my maiden family drive me away the moment I visit, and I’ll never be beaten again. Thank you, Officer, for putting clothes on my body and saving my dignity.”
Seeing her radiant smile, Gu Qingyun felt deeply shaken. She asked in a strained voice, “Do you have any other wishes?”
The female ghost pondered for a moment and shook her head.
“No, none. But I’m afraid of ending up in an unclaimed grave after death, and I don’t want to be buried in Li Daniu’s ancestral tomb either. If possible, I’d like my body to be buried in a charitable cemetery—that way, I could still receive offerings from the government every year.”
The female ghost curtsied toward Gu Qingyun.
“Officer, my name is Yu Xiaohong. The money Li Daniu was searching for tonight is buried underground in the southwest corner of our house, stored inside an earthenware jar. I have no use for it anymore, so please keep it for yourself, Officer.”
Gu Qingyun waved her hand dismissively.
“How could I take the money you worked so hard to earn?”
Yu Xiaohong was about to speak again when she suddenly felt a pulling force. Behind her, a vortex slowly formed—that was the Yellow Springs Road. Walking that path led straight through the Ghost Gate.
Gu Qingyun stood up straight.
“Don’t be afraid. Your resentment has dispersed, and your obsession has ended. The underworld has come to receive you. In your next life, may you be reborn into a good family. As for Li Daniu, rest assured—I am here, and justice will be served for you.”
Yu Xiaohong was kind-hearted by nature, possessing only a sliver of resentment, and had spoken of her own funeral affairs with great timidity.
Under the cover of night, Gu Qingyun retrieved the earthenware jar. Never mind, I might as well see this through to the end. I’ll burn more paper money for her so she can live a life of wealth before reincarnating. If she couldn’t enjoy it in this life, she shouldn’t have to suffer in the underworld, too.
...
Once the Fast Constables arrived to take over the matter at the Li residence, Gu Qingyun and Bai Fan resumed their patrol toward the next street.
Along the way, Bai Fan sighed with emotion.
“That poor woman worked like a beast of burden for the Li family, only to lose her life in the end. And her husband kept another household outside behind her back. She really was nothing more than an old ox to their family. Sigh, I wonder how heartbroken her maiden family will be when they see her body tomorrow.”
Gu Qingyun stopped in her tracks upon hearing this.
“Not every family dotes on their daughters like the Bai family does. In some people’s eyes, a daughter is merely worth a bride price; they couldn’t care less whether she lives well or poorly. As long as they get their silver, that’s all that matters. That was also one of the reasons Li Daniu conceived the idea of killing his wife—he likely planned to use money to shut the Yu family’s mouths. Unfortunately for him, despite all his calculations, he never expected to run into me.”
Bai Fan was stunned.
“Is that so? I had no idea.”
Gu Qingyun shook her head.
“Let’s go. We don’t need to worry about what happens next. With the abilities of Head Constable Liu and the others, they’ll probably figure out who Li Daniu’s mistress is by tomorrow. Heaven’s justice is clear and retribution never fails. People truly shouldn’t commit evil deeds. Look at Li Daniu—his retribution came swiftly. His life is as good as forfeit, and likely a large portion of his family property will be confiscated, given that half of it was earned by the victim, Yu Xiaohong.”
Hearing this, Bai Fan puffed out his chest and patted it.
“Then I have nothing to fear. I’ve never done anything against my conscience. Just hearing you say that, Sister Yun, I wouldn’t even be scared to patrol the night alone!”
Gu Qingyun laughed despite herself.
“In that case, I’ll take Little Black to check out other streets, and you can patrol the next one alone.”
Bai Fan immediately shrank his neck back, scooping up Little Black from Gu Qingyun’s shoulder and taking a step back.
“Sister Yun, I was only joking! I can’t bear to part with Lord Cat!”
...
Lending Little Black to Bai Fan, Gu Qingyun stopped by the clerks' kitchen to grab a few steamed buns before heading over to the Huai River. In the winter night, tendrils of white mist rose from the river’s surface, lending the Huai River the ethereal appearance of an immortal realm.
The willow trees along the riverbank raised grayish-yellow branches that swayed in the breeze, though without the rustling whispers of summer.
“Xiaojin, come out quickly. I’ve come to see you.”
After quite a while, Xiaojin poked its head out of the river, glancing around warily before blowing a bubble toward Gu Qingyun.
“Human, so you still remember me! I thought you’d forgotten all about me.”
Gu Qingyun felt a little guilty. Tearing the steamed bun into pieces, she tossed them into the water.
“I’m sorry, Xiaojin. Things have been quite busy lately. Several major events happened at the county yamen, keeping me running in circles these past few days. I even took time off to accompany my grandmother to her maiden home, so I really couldn’t find the time.”
Xiaojin devoured the bun in big gulps, its caudal fin swishing back and forth cheerfully.
“Human, I don’t blame you. You humans have to work your shifts just to eat—I understand. Unlike me, if I get hungry, I just eat some fish and shrimp in the river. I don’t need to earn silver to feed myself.”
Choked by its words, Gu Qingyun changed the subject.
“Xiaojin, why were you so nervous just now?”
The little carp stopped eating its bun, putting on a solemn expression.
“Human, a formidable demon showed up over by the Bai River today. Although its demonic qi flared for only an instant, I could sense it was immensely powerful. This fish is no match for it. To avoid getting captured and turned into someone’s cultivation resources, I’ve been disguised as an ordinary carp at the bottom of the river. If you hadn't called for me, I wouldn't have planned to surface at all.”
Gu Qingyun’s expression turned stern.
“Can you still sense its demonic qi now? I passed by the Bai River earlier today during daylight and saw a pleasure boat, but I didn’t examine it closely.”
Xiaojin replied, “No, it was just for an instant and vanished immediately. But you don’t need to worry, Human. I bet that demon definitely can’t beat you.”
Gu Qingyun breathed a sigh of relief and resumed tossing pieces of steamed bun.
“Xiaojin, you need to cultivate diligently and transform into a dragon as soon as possible. When that time comes, I’ll be able to enjoy the protection of a Dragon Lord.”
“Human, this steamed bun piece is too big. I can’t quite swallow it.”
Gu Qingyun’s face darkened. Is this little carp doing this on purpose?
Thinking this, Gu Qingyun picked up the bun and shoved it toward her own mouth. Seeing this, the little carp grew anxious:
“Hey! That bun was brought for me!”
Gu Qingyun shook her head.
“Didn’t you say you couldn't eat it? Every grain takes hard toil, and food must not be wasted. I’m simply finishing it off for you.”
Flustered, the little carp swam in circles in the river. Suddenly, it blew a bubble toward Gu Qingyun, encasing a gold ingot inside.
“Human, the bun is mine! Take this gold, just don’t snatch my food!” It looked ready to burst into tears if she refused.
Gu Qingyun tore off the small bit of bun she had bitten, popped it into her mouth, and continued feeding the little carp. She even offered courteous words:
“Xiaojin, you’re being far too generous! I’m almost embarrassed to accept.”
The little carp ignored her, continuing to eat the bun on its own. It finally realized: humans were truly cunning, knowing only how to bully demons.
Rate on N.U.
