Chapter Seventy-Five: Times Have Changed

After subduing the female ghost, Master Lin was still in disbelief—had this malicious spirit really been restrained so easily? What was going on here? Regardless, he knew one thing for certain: all the nonsense he’d spouted for nearly two hours had been utterly pointless. His cover was blown—so be it, it seemed inevitable.

But since his identity was exposed, Lin simply set the matter aside. What puzzled him now was how this female ghost could appear and harm people under these circumstances. With the rules of the Celestial Court in place, how could this possibly happen?

Amid the countless astonished gazes of the crowd, Lin strode in quick, determined steps to the entrance of the police station. With a swift motion, he drew out his wooden sword, and as his sleeve fluttered, he collected the female ghost into it.

“Let’s go inside and talk,” Lin said to the others.

The man nodded and exchanged a meaningful glance with his wife—see, I knew at a glance this Taoist priest was the real deal.

By now, he had already forgotten his previous irrational bouts of burning incense and praying everywhere when things had seemed off.

They hadn’t even entered the police station’s main hall when Chief Li came out, beaming with a broad smile. He greeted Master Lin warmly with a handshake, then ushered him into his office.

The office was already packed; anyone with even a hint of rank in the station had squeezed in. Those without seats grabbed small stools or simply squatted. The chairs around the desk had been reserved for Master Lin and his party.

When Chief Li entered and saw his office so crowded, he glared at everyone along the way. Normally, when the chief was angry, a glare was the signal to scatter and avoid his wrath. But as long as he didn’t say anything outright, everyone pretended not to notice.

A female ghost! A real Taoist priest! They’d only ever seen such things in the movies!

“Please, Master Lin, have a seat,” Chief Li said, the smile returning to his face as he looked at Lin.

“I’m in no rush. Let them sit first. Also, I may need to set up a formation—could you dim the lights and draw the curtains?” Lin replied in terms the laymen could understand.

Chief Li was about to answer, but those stationed by the window and the light switches had already complied with Lin’s instructions.

Chief Li had no choice but to swallow his words.

Once the room was suitably dimmed, Lin flicked his sleeve, and the female ghost appeared in the center of the office, surrounded by several iron chains inscribed with talismans.

“Is this her?” Lin asked the man.

“It’s her! Master! It’s her! I saw her possess my wife with my own eyes! She couldn’t have had good intentions!” The man, blazing with anger, pointed at the ghost and shouted.

Lin nodded, preparing to question the ghost. But before he could speak, the ghost suddenly burst into tears, catching Lin entirely off guard. What was this about?

“Stop crying!” Lin barked sternly. “Explain yourself clearly!”

Startled, the female ghost hastily choked back her tears. “Master, I—I—I didn’t hurt anyone. I was a good person…no, a good ghost.”

“First, say why you possessed his wife,” Lin said coldly.

“It wasn’t my fault! It was her fault! I was trying to help her!” the ghost replied, aggrieved.

“Help me? My fault? What did I do?” The man’s wife couldn’t help but speak up. This was a baseless attack on her reputation! If this wasn’t clarified, how could she face anyone in the future?

Seeing the woman’s rising anger, the ghost shrank back. “You didn’t have a child.”

“I want children too! I just haven’t conceived yet!” the woman snapped, indignant.

“Well, isn’t that your fault then?” the ghost said, as if expecting affirmation.

“No,” the man interjected suddenly, “children result from the union of sperm and egg. It could be my fault too. Darling, I’ll go get my fertility tested at the hospital later.” It was clear from his words that he had a scientific background—still lecturing at a time like this.

“Impossible, you’re not the one who bears children,” the ghost muttered.

“Don’t digress! Stay on topic!” Lin shouted.

Chief Li scratched his head—why did this feel so familiar?

“Yes, Master,” the ghost said, wiping away the tears that threatened to fall again. “If a woman can’t bear children, she should find her husband a concubine, or at least a chambermaid. But this woman did nothing—she just clings to a chunk of iron on the sofa every day. I just wanted to help her set things right. Not doing so is wrong! She’ll be thrown out otherwise!”

“So you think I should thank you?” The woman was furious. What kind of archaic thinking was this? The Qing dynasty had been gone for ages!

Lin waved his hand, signaling her to calm down.

“How long have you been dead?” Lin observed the ghost. Her form was shrouded in mist, making her features hard to discern.

“I…I’m not sure. The last time I woke, the people on the streets still had those ugly long queues,” the ghost answered softly.

Queues? Qing dynasty? No—if she’d never seen queues, she must have died before the Qing was established, which meant before 1636. So she’d been a ghost for nearly four hundred years—a venerable old ghost, indeed.

“Did you ever encounter a monk or Taoist like me?” Lin suddenly asked.

The ghost paused, thinking for a while before answering. “I remember meeting a Taoist priest. He helped stabilize my soul and said he’d return to help me enter the cycle of reincarnation once he’d finished his affairs. He mentioned that the Underworld was beginning to relocate, otherwise someone like me would have been their responsibility.”

She glanced down at her misty form. “I looked much better back then—nothing like this.”

Lin rubbed his temples—he was starting to understand.

The Taoist the ghost had met must have been one of the mysterious practitioners from over four hundred years ago. As for his urgent matters, it was likely he’d gone with the Celestial Court to new frontiers.

At that time, Gu Yi and the Heavenly Emperor had already agreed to shift the mystical world to the inner side. Once the decision was made, the Heavenly Emperor, finding himself bored, decided to lead everyone in exploring other worlds.

All the top figures agreed, so aside from a split soul of the King of the Underworld left to guard the planet’s reincarnation points and a split of the Heavenly Emperor to oversee the portals and divine network, everyone else departed.

This female ghost had died in that awkward transitional period. Had she died a bit earlier, the Underworld would have received her soul; a bit later, the Heavenly Emperor’s new rules would have taken effect, and the reincarnation points would have automatically accepted all the dead. The gap lasted only a few short years.