Shi Wuzheng frowned slightly, and then asked in confusion, “Why?”
Chi Huo suddenly came back to his senses, and realized the other was talking to him, perking up subconsciously.
Shi Wuzheng looked at the young disciple who had many suspicions placed on him with a scrutinizing look, “We have very little information on the Ghost King from West Jizhou. How can you be so sure it was not him?”
——Certainly, he had sounded like he had some sort of comradery with the Ghost King.
Shi Wuzheng’s question subtly interrogated that aspect. Of course, it also might have been that he was overly worried.
The gears in Chi Huo’s mind turned rapidly, and he explained, “Since he is the Ghost King of a whole domain, he must have abundant cultivation resources at hand. There would be no need for him to step outside his domain and cause trouble. In addition, HongShui Town is under the jurisdiction of Dongji Sect. West Jizhou and Dongji Sect have always been in harmony with each other; it is not worthwhile for the Ghost King to do this.”
He analyzed it rationally, and finally added, “And I have heard that the Ghost King in West Jizhou seems to be a cut-sleeve. It is unlikely that he would be interested in young women.”
When these words were spoken, Shi Wuzheng was slightly stunned, then smiled, “Is this true? The Immortal Realm knows very little about the Ghost King, I have never heard any of this. It seems you know a lot of gossip.”
Chi Huo smiled helplessly, “There are many disciples in the outer sect, and there is no lack of such gossip. But these are just for entertainment, their accuracy is dubious.”
Cheng Miao, who had just discussed the Ghost King with his junior brother this morning, scratched his head, “Shidi, you are so unkind. If you knew of these stories, why didn’t you tell me this morning on the sword? It could have relieved my boredom.”
Chi Huo, “After my Shixiong told me about the appearance of the Ghost King recorded in 《Travel Notes of West Jizhou》, I couldn’t connect that non-human-non-ghost appearance with this strange news about his sexuality. In order not to disappoint Shixiong, I remained quiet.”
“You can’t say it like that…” Cheng Miao muttered.
Shi Wuzheng finally gave instructions, “HongShui Town is close to Mount Wuqi. Less than a hundred miles after crossing Mount Wuqi, you reach West Jizhou. It is close to the ghost domain, so you should not take it lightly.”
After finishing their tea, the group of four walked towards the inn they were staying at.
Along the way, Xiao Guo and Cheng Miao kept the investigation ongoing and began to try and detect the remaining aura of the ghost cultivators in various places. Since Qi Wang was of low cultivation, Cheng Miao, as his senior brother, provided him with supplies.
Chi Huo smiled and thanked him for the artifacts, talismans, and seals, but he took no initiative to use them on the way, giving off the impression that he wasn’t quite active in the investigation.
Shi Wuzheng observed the performance of his disciples and remained silent.
But after walking around, they found nothing. HongShui Town was clean of any aura, and no ghost cultivators could be detected along the way. Chi Huo, who had not partaken in the investigation, actually ended up saving his energy.
If such were their results, either they were looking in the wrong place, or the other party’s cultivation was too high to be detected by ordinary methods.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Next to the inn they stayed at was a tavern with an old and worn out facade. Whether it was the signboard or the mottled door panels, it was enough to show that this store was honored by time.
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“Boss, please get me two kilograms of aged rice wine, thank you.” Chi Huo put copper coins on the table, the price of the wine with a few extra coins for information.
“Okay, wait a moment.” The owner who was stirring the yellow mud wiped his hands with a towel and walked towards the wine vat.
Taverns were usually a gathering place for exchanging information in towns. People from all over the world would order a pot of wine and start chatting. The tavern owner who greeted guests all year round was usually the most up to date and knowledgeable person in the town.
“I see that the architectural style in HongShui Town is different from other places. We have visited so many towns while traveling for business, but we rarely encountered residential areas built like shops like it is here.”
Chi Huo started the topic in a casual tone.
“HongShui Town was not built for residential use, so the houses here are different from other places.” The owner replied.
Chi Huo’s expression paused slightly. “It isn’t for civilian housing?”
“Indeed. After the Battle of Bailu, the world was in chaos. In order to survive, various shady businesses sprang up. The area at the southern foot of Mount Wuqi was used for custom industries. This situation must have lasted for decades. In my great-great-grandfather’s generation, this land was most well-known as the land of romance and prosperity. Later, the situation in the world gradually stabilized, and this land was also taken under Dongji Sect. The immortal cultivators formed a strict control over the trade of women. Under their jurisdiction, the prostitution and slavery trade business subsequently declined, and this old site became today’s HongShui Town.”
The owner discussed the past of the town with great interest. “HongShui Town’s name also means “a beauty in disastrous days”.”
“I see, thank you very much.” Chi Huo noticed the coincidence of how the origin of his name was similar to that of HongShui Town.
Chi Huo was very sensitive to the aura of ghost cultivators, so he had already ruled out the possibility of ghost cultivators in the town. To find the truth of the matter, he must not let go of any details that may serve as clues.
For example, in this unknown history of HongShui Town, Chi Huo had a premonition that there was a strong identity contrast between the women who had been trafficked for sex and the missing soon-to-be-wedded daughters of the town, and it seemed to indicate some unknown connection.
While Chi Huo was thinking, the tavern owner who was counting the copper coins hurriedly shouted to him, “Ah, this guest, you gave me too much money.”
Chi Huo smiled and waved his hand, “The story you told me was pretty exciting. As a thanks, keep the money.”
Chi Huo had a habit of spending lavishly. When he went out to run errands and eat, he would definitely give out tips. This generous habit of his had not died out even after rebirth.
He even forgot what he gave out was from Shi Wuzheng’s wallet.
Cheng Miao, who had followed, was confused, “Shidi, what’s the point of asking about this?”
Chi Huo replied lightly, “I thought the architectural style in the town was a bit strange, so I wanted to ask about it.”
Shi Wuzheng didn’t notice it. Making an evaluation, he only glanced at his increasingly lighter purse from his peripheral vision, “Let’s get going before it gets dark. Let’s go to the missing girl’s house to investigate.”
Just as the group of four left the tavern and stepped outside, a scream suddenly sounded from the courtyard across the street, followed by the banging of pots and heart-wrenching cries.
The four people paused in their departure. Soon, there was a crackling sound, and the clamorous courtyard was illuminated by blazing flames.
The tavern owner who heard the ruckus also rushed out. The moment he saw the flames rising into the sky, he immediately said, “How terrible.”
“That’s Tailor Lin’s yard. Such a big ruckus…I don’t know if his house has also been targeted, or if it was burned down by the people in the town. Ah! This world is so difficult!” The owner said with a look of pity on his face.
Chi Huo, “What’s going on?”
The owner nodded, “You must have heard about the missing girls in the town, right? Before the girls disappear, they will receive paper betrothal gifts and wedding dresses. His family specializes in tailoring for weddings and such occasions. For work, there are many styles of ready-made clothes for newlyweds in the store. Many families with daughters in the town had previously advised him to burn all the wedding dresses and not keep them in case he offended the ghost groom, which would be bad luck. However, those were Tailor Lin’s lifelong treasures. He couldn’t bear to throw away all his hard work, so he kept refusing those people. Anyway, the people were quite unhappy, and even threatened to burn down his yard.”
“Furthermore, Tailor Lin’s family also has a sixteen or seventeen year old girl, who is his granddaughter. Some time ago, the people were panicking, so they sent the girl to live with distant relatives early on. But it is said that it is useless even if the girls are sent far away. None of the chosen girls can escape.”
Xiao Guo said to Shi Wuzheng, “It is unlikely that the ghost groom is here to deliver dowry again. After all, we are right next door, how could a ghost cultivator be so presumptuous?”
Cheng Miao fiddled with the bagua instrument in his hand and agreed, “If the ghost groom really came, the bagua instrument would show it.”
Shi Wuzheng, “Let’s go see what happened.”
Thick smoke rose from behind the wall. The air was filled with the choking smell of burnt cotton fabrics.
The group quickly bypassed the fence and came to the yard of Tailor Lin’s house. At this time, many neighbors had already gathered outside to watch the excitement.
Looking over the shoulders of the onlookers, Chi Huo saw blazing flames dancing in the yard. An old couple knelt by the brazier, throwing their wedding dresses embroidered with mandarin ducks and tassels into the burning fire.
“What a waste. They didn’t want to burn them before. They said that those wedding dresses were all his life’s hard work, and the ghost groom didn’t care about their Lin family’s affairs. Do they regret it now? Sure enough, you only understand the pain when the knife falls on you.”
“Now it is bad luck to see red wedding dresses, yet his shop has an abundance of them. It is way too much bad luck. If it’s not his turn, whose turn will it be?”
“It’s too late. It’s useless to burn them now.” The families who had received paper betrothal gifts and wedding dresses had tried all kinds of methods, including shredding the dress to pieces, burning it, sinking it in the river, and simply sending the girl away. All of them were of no use. The targeted girl would still disappear. If they were targeted, they had no choice but to accept their fate.
The sky had darkened by now, and the firelight illuminated the faces of the crowd outside the courtyard, and the harsh remarks continued.
Cheng Miao said in disbelief against the firelight, “So, the Lin family did receive dowry from the ghost groom, but how did the ghost groom do it so silently…without leaving any trace at all…”
Chi Huo, “It could also be that our judgment was wrong. Before we conducted the investigation, we had already pre-conceived the idea of a “ghost king getting married”. We subconsciously believed that the person behind the disappearances was a ghost cultivator. All investigations were based on such. But if our judgment was wrong from the beginning, then naturally the investigation would not be able to proceed smoothly.”
Shi Wuzheng’s expression condensed slightly, “Do you think the ghost groom behind this incident is not a ghost cultivator?”
Chi Huo was silent for a moment. “It is possible that there may not even be a ghost groom.”
Shi Wuzheng and Cheng Miao both fell silent. Xiao Guo sneered from the side, “Then tell me, what should we do if not follow this investigation process? Tell me, what did your teacher in the outer sect teach you?”
In his eyes, this little junior brother was a hot potato in the hands of his master, as useless as a dodder flower. It was said that his performance in the outer sect was very poor at that time, and he could not perform well in his studies at all.
Xiao Guo was a man who admired strength, and looked down upon weak people like dodder flowers, so he did not bother to hide the disdain in his tone.
Chi Huo was completely unmoved and said calmly, “I think that we must get the exact evidence we need based on the situation, and make our next decision.”
Xiao Guo, “You also asked the aunt at the tea shop. She said personally that the one who caused trouble was a ghost groom who couldn’t be guarded against. Why are you doubting it now?”
Chi Huo, “But she also said herself that no one has actually seen the so-called ghost groom. The reason why everyone spread this rumor is because paper betrothal gifts and wedding clothes appeared in all the homes of the missing girls. These two things are reminiscent of a ghost groom.”
Xiao Guo was delighted, “Okay, okay, okay, let’s listen to our junior brother’s advice.”
Chi Huo did not respond to his words, but walked sideways into the crowd of onlookers, “Sorry, please excuse me.”
He walked through the crowd and came to Tailor Lin and his wife who were sobbing uncontrollably, “Old man, don’t burn these. Even if you burn all the wedding dresses in the tailor shop, it won’t stop what’s to happen.”
Chi Huo’s truth stung the madam’s sensitive nerves severely. She jumped up from next to the brazier and shouted hysterically at Chi Huo, “What do you mean, didn’t you just want to see our family become a joke? Fine, now, what you have been waiting for day and night has finally happened. The ghost groom finally came to our house. I have pity on my little granddaughter who is only sixteen years old…wu wu wu…”
Chi Huo, “Don’t worry, I’m working on it. I came here to resolve this matter.”
As he said that, Chi Huo picked up the few wedding dresses scattered on the ground that had not been burned. Carefully, he patted off the ashes on the clothes, and asked Tailor Lin, who was trembling and kneeling by the brazier, “Excuse me, is there any suitable wedding dress in the shop that would be my style and size?”
Tailor Lin was slightly startled, “What?”
He looked wary and puzzled, and said, “What do you want with these unlucky things?”
Chi Huo, “If you don’t mind, please let me be your ‘little granddaughter’ tonight.”
“What did you say?!” Tailor Lin and his wife exclaimed in unison. They looked at this handsome young man in disbelief.
Chi Huo patiently explained, “Tonight, I will put on a wedding dress and ‘get married’ instead of your little granddaughter.”
In his last life, he was the one who put on a wedding dress as bait and investigated the truth of the incident as a bride. Shi Wuzheng also got acquainted with him in the process of the whereabouts of the bride he pretended to be.
In this life, he wanted to rob “his” wedding dress and role, and let the plot that should have happened die in Tiandao’s belly.
Ai, Chi Huo is stealing opportunities from himself~ This is where the Ghost King will fall in love with the little bride aka his future self, huh? La~ thats so romantic
Thanks for the chapter
Thanks for the chapter