IBGSW Chapter 53
Opening Hell
"The ghost calamity in Beggars' Alley has been resolved."
The moment she saw the Fan brothers, Zhao Fusheng raised her left eyebrow, but she soon realized why the two had waited there and smiled. Her tone was mild, no different from before.
Everyone speculated inwardly, but no one dared speak to her casually.
The earlier Zhao Fusheng, though she had succeeded in controlling a ghost, had no real combat experience and little prestige, relying wholly on the ghost to overawe people. She had stopped the revival of the Zhao couple's ghosts, but they had only just died and their ghosts hadn't fully revived. It could be called luck.
The ghost calamity in Beggars' Alley was different. The ghost there was tied to the old South City case of forty years ago, a truly formidable great ghost that had formed a ghost domain. She had gone in alone with no one at her side and still resolved the calamity. For that ability alone, even the previous commanding officer, Zhao Qiming, if he were alive, would not dare claim to be stronger than her.
Zhang Chuanshi's flattery had come from fear and was deliberate, but what he said really was what many were thinking: could Wan'an County, in its hour of despair, truly have received a lucky star?
Zhao Fusheng had cowed everyone with her performance. Fan Bisi stamped out any last thought of disloyalty and stood before her with his head respectfully bowed.
"The malignant ghost here has fallen into sleep for now because I dismembered it, but—"
Her words made everyone's hearts sink. "Dismembering a malignant ghost" sounded simple, but the Fan brothers, who had spent years at the bureau and knew ghosts well, knew how hard that was. The two brothers' faces went pale, and their lips trembled.
Zhao Fusheng's gaze fell on the magistrate. His head was drenched in sweat, and under her stare his body swayed.
Only when the secretary beside him bumped him with a shoulder did he come to his senses, and he hurried forward, holding up his robe with one hand, to reply, "This humble official's surname is Pang."
"The malignant ghost is now sealed in the Confucian temple. Afterward, have men step up patrols around there so nobody wanders in by mistake," Zhao Fusheng instructed.
"Yes, yes, yes—" Magistrate Pang hastily replied.
Zhao Fusheng smiled slightly and said nothing more.
Everyone had questions in mind, and Fan Bisi plucked up the courage.
"Fusheng, the last few days..."
"Another time."
Zhao Fusheng waved a hand. She had smelled the aroma of soup.
"Let me eat first."
"This humble official can set out a table of wine at the county government for you, my lord..." Magistrate Pang called out in a rush, but Zhao Fusheng ignored him.
With that she walked past everyone toward the old woman who had been selling soup at a stall that day. No one dared disturb her. They watched her go out past the mouth of the street and head for the little stall set up in the distance.
Whether or not the ghost domain had lifted, the old woman seemed to have stayed in this spot all along. When she saw someone coming from the distance, she was startled, then recognized Zhao Fusheng and said in astonishment.
"It's you—"
Her stall was deserted. Since the ghost calamity began in Beggars' Alley, no one had come to buy. But since the day after Zhao Fusheng entered Beggars' Alley, many strangers had been stationed here round the clock.
Zhao Fusheng walked up to the stall and scanned its disarray.
The old woman looked haggard, still wearing a ragged apron, damp with water. At her feet sat a big wooden basin of water holding a heap of unwashed bowls and chopsticks, and the pot beside it held only a thin layer of soup at the bottom.
When Zhao Fusheng came the first time, there had been several small tables. Now only one remained, and several tables and chairs with broken legs leaned against the base of a far wall. The ground was slick, and in the mud that water had left were countless confused footprints leading off into the distance.
Zhao Fusheng's mind was sharp, and she understood what had happened. She slowed her steps and nodded.
"Mm."
She sat down by herself at the single remaining table, rested her hands on it, and glanced back.
Fan Bisi and the others stood obediently where they had been waiting. In the crowd, many looked regretful and afraid, and when she turned, they hunched their shoulders and avoided her eyes.
"When I went into Beggars' Alley that day, you promised to treat me to a meal."
She knew exactly what was going on but did not point it out. Instead she looked at the old woman and grinned.
"I've been hungry for days and have been thinking about your soup."
The old woman looked anxiously into the distance. The yamen runners who had looked so fierce a few days earlier were now docile and orderly, plainly afraid. She thought of how this girl had gone alone into the ghost domain and come out safely, the ghost calamity in Beggars' Alley lifted and a large number of survivors fleeing. At once she understood Zhao Fusheng's identity.
"Yes, yes."
She hurriedly wiped her hands on her apron a couple of times, then fetched a clean bowl and ladled soup.
The soup was only what was left at the bottom of the pot, so it was thick, and it had been kept simmering on the stove. The millet in it had stewed soft and mushy, and Zhao Fusheng, who had been on edge in Beggars' Alley for days, felt her body finally relax.
The bowl was a little hot, but the ghost she controlled had lowered her body temperature, so the warmth in her hands only felt comfortable.
She sipped slowly.
This era had no rich seasonings. The soup tasted of millet, the bitterness of wild greens, and bits of some unknown mushroom, lightly seasoned with salt. To Zhao Fusheng, it was the first real meal she'd had since entering this world.
As the hot soup went down, the warmth traveled down her gut and opened it up, and the nerves that had been taut since her rebirth suddenly relaxed.
The old woman had at first stood anxiously with her hands clasped in front of her stomach, watching her drink, afraid she might have further orders. But when she saw Zhao Fusheng eating with relish, she gradually let go of her unease.
The old woman had a great deal of work to do.
From time to time her eyes fell on the tall pile of bowls and chopsticks in the wooden basin, then secretly on Zhao Fusheng. After a long time she tried moving her feet, and when Zhao Fusheng said nothing, she breathed a sigh of relief, crouched down, and began washing the dishes in the basin.
One drank soup and the other washed bowls, and the atmosphere was harmonious.
Far off, the Fan brothers, Magistrate Pang, and the runners waited quietly. The old woman had been tense at first, but seeing that Zhao Fusheng was quiet by nature, she gradually grew quicker in her movements.
"Old lady, what is your surname? What should I call you?"
Zhao Fusheng suddenly broke the silence as she drank.
The old woman had not expected her to ask and trembled, nearly dropping a bowl back into the basin. She caught it, turned to look at Zhao Fusheng, and said with a forced smile:
"My husband's family..."
She broke off, then said.
"My surname is Meng. People who come around here for soup used to call me Granny Meng."
"Are you from Wan'an County?" Zhao Fusheng asked again.
"No." Granny Meng shook her head.
Perhaps because Zhao Fusheng was young, and their first meeting had been so memorable, with Zhao Fusheng going alone into the ghost domain and Granny Meng taking pity on her thin frame, even now that she knew Zhao Fusheng's identity was not ordinary, she found it hard to be wary of her. Seeing her chat about everyday things in a gentle tone, Granny Meng's tightly furrowed brow gradually eased, and she was no longer as tense as before.
"I was originally from Changzhou, then married into Wuli County in Tongzhou, and only came here ten years ago."
The original Zhao Fusheng had been a country girl from Jiumen Village under Wan'an County and had never left Wan'an County in her life, knowing nothing of the Great Han's prefectures and counties. Hearing this, her only impression was that Granny Meng was not local and must have had some other reason for coming here.
"Who else do you have at home?" Zhao Fusheng asked, taking a mouthful of soup.
Granny Meng paused in her washing. After a while she turned the bowl in her hands.
"I have a child, who isn't with me. Now it's just me left."
Zhao Fusheng nodded, and the two did not talk further. She finished her soup, and without her saying a word, Granny Meng, who had her back to her, seemed to hear the movement and hurried to refill her bowl.
She drank two bowls in a row, felt her hands and feet warm up, and stood up completely satisfied:
"You said you were treating me, so I'm not paying for this meal."
At that Granny Meng looked up at her, pressed her lips, and smiled.
"No charge. My treat."
Zhao Fusheng smiled.
"Then thank you for your hospitality." She paused, then added.
"If you ever need my help in the future, come find me at the Wan'an County Demon-Suppression Bureau. My name is Zhao Fusheng. Just give my name."
With that she walked toward Fan Bisi and the others.
While she was drinking soup, Magistrate Pang and the others had readied a carriage, and when they saw her finish and come over, a crowd surrounded her and helped her aboard.
Granny Meng watched the carriage start up, and the notables of Wan'an County hurried after it. Some stayed behind, and as soon as Zhao Fusheng left, many rushed to her stall, shouting:
"Old woman, let me settle my meal money from the last few days."
......
Zhao Fusheng had come to Beggars' Alley alone and left with a retinue. The Fan brothers walked on either side of the carriage, watching the Wan'an County gentry trailing behind, and felt something of the bureau's former might had been restored.
"Fusheng, Magistrate Pang has set up a banquet and wants to celebrate your achievement—"
"Not today."
Zhao Fusheng shook her head and touched the icy ghost hand hidden in her sleeve.
Solving the Beggars' Alley calamity had given her some confidence. Finishing the case had earned her 150 merit in all, and after deducting 10 points to suppress the ghost, she now had 140. With that merit her presence was different from before.
"Save it for after the next case," she instructed.
"We go straight back to the bureau. Have Magistrate Pang find people to sweep out our bureau offices and recruit some odd-job hands, and tell the gentry and big households who stayed in Wan'an County that as long as I'm in Wan'an County, it won't suffer from ghost calamities."
Her words were so bold that Fan Bisi froze. But he soon realized she must have reasons for saying this, and was about to speak when Zhao Fusheng said.
"Tell them not to leave. Those who stay will have my protection in the future. Those who leave now will find it very hard to come back later."
"...Yes." Fan Bisi nodded.
After that the two spoke no more. Zhao Fusheng stopped paying attention to him and turned her mind to the Investiture of the Gods.
She had 140 merit now, and opening the first divine position took 100, so the merit was enough for her.
But after much hesitation she decided not to unlock the first divine position. The ghost she controlled was getting ever closer, but she clearly remembered the Investiture's warning: a Baleful-tier malignant ghost lacked the qualification for investiture. In other words, even if she opened a divine position, she could not send off the ghost on her body for now.
To enshrine it, she would first have to advance the ghost to the Calamity-tier. But then a new problem arose: to advance a ghost one had to use its power and let it complete its rule and gain something. And she had only one-third of her lifespan left and dared not use the ghost's power again.
"..." It was like a paradox that brought the problem back to where it started.
After turning it over, Zhao Fusheng decided not to open a divine position for now and instead turned her attention to Hell.
When the Investiture first activated, it had prompted her to open Hell, but her merit had been insufficient and the attempt failed.
She steadied her mind and thought: Open Hell.
The moment the thought arose, the Investiture of the Gods in her sea of consciousness stirred.
Cold wind rose in Zhao Fusheng's ears and her consciousness plunged into a boundless abyss. At the same time the Investiture's prompt sounded:
Deducted 100 merit; first level of Hell successfully opened!
First level of Hell: can take in ghost entities of Evil Spirit-tier or below; malignant ghosts that enter Hell will be suppressed by Hell.
(Note: this level of Hell is still shallow and cannot hold multiple ghosts of Vicious-tier or above. If a Malignant Ghost's rank exceeds Hell's own capacity, it may escape.)
Zhao Fusheng's eyes lit up.
The appearance of this Hell was, for her, like an invisible space for imprisoning malignant ghosts. Fan Bisi and the others had said that the Great Han had only a few ways of dealing with malignant ghosts: driving them off, dismembering, and sealing. But each carried hidden risks and none truly solved the problem. Yet the Hell she had just opened could hold malignant ghosts and suppress them, which meant that any malignant ghost she sent into Hell would, to the human world, truly "disappear."
She suppressed her joy and immediately tried to take control of Hell.
Her will quickly permeated that shadow, and wherever her consciousness reached, the first level of Hell covered it. Like a tide, the shadow spread silently from the carriage.
Fan Bisi, Zhang Chuanshi, and the others walking alongside the carriage shuddered all over. A moment before the light had been bright, and now clouds had covered the sun and gloom enveloped the entourage.
A chill rose from under everyone's feet. Fan Bisi shivered, and Fan Wujiu rubbed his arms and called out.
"Brother, why is it suddenly so cold?"
As soon as he spoke, the shadow that had spread from the ground retracted rapidly, turning into a black stream that crawled slowly up the carriage and back to the soles of Zhao Fusheng's feet, then bored into her body and vanished without a trace.
