Chapter 216: Chapter 185: Curse Ghost

He Buning didn’t first ask how Sang Que was cursed, or by whom, but rather asked back, “Don’t you have the Connected Branch?”

Sang Que’s pupils contracted slightly, realizing that using the Connected Branch could resolve the curse on her body and transfer the curse to someone else? Could it really be that simple?

But unfortunately, she had intentionally left the Connected Branch at home for her mother to use for protection, since she ’had already used the Connected Branch to let Xia Chan block the Gambling Ghost’s attack for her.’

At this moment, Sang Que didn’t know if He Buning had been attacked by the Gambling Ghost, nor why he specifically mentioned the Connected Branch—whether he was testing something or blaming her for something.

He even knew that she got the Connected Branch from Wei Wu, which must mean he had investigated the Gambling Ghost incident.

Sang Que could feel the surging undercurrents in He Buning’s eyes, her heart pounded, and she forced herself to stay calm and not reveal any flaws. Since she had to bet on He Buning not seeing through her identity, she decided to bet all the way.

Sang Que frowned and glanced at Xia Chan, letting her guilty conscience naturally surface, feeling conflicted and troubled. “That thing… I lost it, it was an accident…”

He Buning’s brows were also tightly furrowed, staring fixedly at Sang Que, watching her bow her head, watching her grip Xia Chan’s hand, watching Xia Chan foolishly smile at her.

In the end, everything transformed into a sigh.

Although Xia Chan was not fully mindful, she had an animal-like sensitivity, able to sense the malice of others. If Sang Que was not good to Xia Chan usually, behaving differently in public and private, Xia Chan wouldn’t have such deep feelings for Sang Que.

Perhaps it really was an accident. Sang Que didn’t intentionally use Xia Chan to block the Gambling Ghost’s attack, but rather, certain accidents and coincidences led to this result.

“Have someone call Yu Da here, go inside to talk,” He Buning said in a low voice.

Sang Que nodded, opened the courtyard gate to let Xia Chan and He Buning enter while she went next door to find Kou Yushan, who had just finished work, and asked him to make a quick trip.

When she arrived at Kou Yushan’s courtyard gate, Sang Que saw a woman in coarse clothing with a mild appearance, carrying a basket and pacing at Kou Yushan’s doorstep.

Sang Que was about to ask when the woman became nervous and turned to leave.

After knocking on the door, Kou Yushan, with his face and head still wet, as if just having washed his face with water, appeared.

“Uncle Yushan, can you help me find Yu Da? Captain He is at my house, there’s something going on.”

“Alright, I’ll make a trip now,” Kou Yushan agreed readily.

During his time as a White Servant of the Evil Suppression Bureau, Kou Yushan felt quite fulfilled and was in good spirits. Especially lately, he dressed neatly every day for patrols, kept his beard clean-shaven, and looked much younger.

As she was about to leave, Sang Que thought for a moment and still said, “Just now there was a woman pacing your doorstep, seemed like she had something to ask you.”

Kou Yushan was stunned for a moment, and then he appeared a bit evasive and shy, coughing lightly, “I got it.”

Sang Que saw through it but said nothing, smiled, and left.

Returning to her own courtyard, Sang Que saw Xia Chan sitting in a rattan chair, while Xuan Yu was sharpening its claws on the chair’s leg, He Buning stood quietly beside, tall and poised with a noble air, which made Sang Que’s courtyard seem a bit shabby in comparison.

As darkness fell, Sang Que lit the lanterns around the courtyard and invited He Buning into the main hall to sit down, beginning to talk about the curse she was under; she had already prepared the excuse.

“Captain He, I can’t precisely determine when I was cursed; roughly after the Gambling Ghost incident concluded. After a day, I woke up from a nightmare in the middle of the night, always feeling like a shadow was following me, impossible to dispel.”

He Buning was very smart, and being smart meant he would naturally associate many things, rationalizing everything.

After the Gambling Ghost incident ended, the Evil Suppression Bureau’s only female Night Traveler detaining the Gambling Ghost was spread throughout the city, meant to restrain the Evil Suppression Bureau and prevent them from boldly investigating the person behind the Gambling Ghost incident.

Moreover, to make Sang Que the target of many attacks—despite being a Night Traveler of the Evil Suppression Bureau, she could monopolize a multitude of incense offerings, provoking those in the Evil Suppression Bureau dissatisfied with her to target her by accusing her of violating the bureau’s regulations.

Within half a month of joining the Evil Suppression Bureau, Sang Que had almost defeated all the Day Traveling Envoys, building considerable resentment in their hearts. There were many Day Traveling Envoys, some good people and some petty ones, who would certainly use this opportunity to cause trouble for Sang Que.

Thus, to appease the grievances of the Day Traveling Envoys, the Evil Suppression Bureau had to handle Sang Que according to the rules.

A person who had just risked her life to help the Evil Suppression Bureau detain an Evil Ghost, receiving no reward, but instead punishment—such treatment would inevitably create resentment towards the Evil Suppression Bureau.

Only Cui Sheng, who was straightforward, would directly challenge Sang Que without asking the reason.

If it were He Buning, he would transfer Sang Que, publicly as exile punishment.

To Sang Que, an exceptional promotion to Silver Traveler would be enough to appease, just as long as she was told she was too young and such recognition would be difficult to convince the masses, and that she should temporarily not publicize her promotion to Silver Traveler.

With Sang Que’s abilities, her promotion to Silver Traveler was only a matter of time.

Afterward, as long as Sang Que made any meritorious achievement elsewhere, the merits and demerits could be offset, gloriously returning home.

After the Gambling Ghost incident, this series of operations was all to buy time for the person behind the scenes while suppressing Sang Que.

Now Sang Que said she was cursed, and He Buning was not surprised—it must be the work of the person behind the Gambling Ghost incident.

A skilled Yin Walker, who could work for the Evil Suppression Bureau, would definitely be heavily utilized by the bureau, with resource inclination and focused cultivation, allowing her to quickly ascend to the Ghost Level.

Those clandestinely stirring up trouble did not want to see the Evil Suppression Bureau gain a formidable member.

Considering all these, He Buning did not inquire further, directly stating, “If the Connected Branch were still in your hands, the success rate of breaking the curse would be much higher.”

Sang Que poured tea for He Buning, always feeling a hint of resentment in his words.

“Does the Evil Suppression Bureau still have a Connected Branch available for exchange? I should have accumulated eight hundred merit points by now.”

He Buning accepted the tea half-heartedly from Sang Que, “Items like the Connected Branch are extremely rare. The Evil Suppression Bureau in Wangshan City doesn’t have a Connected Branch, nor do they have similar items. Any curse would attract a Curse Ghost to haunt you every night. Your nightmares at night are because of the Curse Ghost. If the Curse Ghost is not promptly driven away, it can easily attract a Dream Ghost.”

“With a Curse Ghost around, a Dream Ghost can’t kill you, but it can torment you in nightmares every night, causing you to constantly generate fear energy for the Dream Ghost. As the Dream Ghost grows stronger, it will start affecting people nearby. Curse Ghosts and Dream Ghosts always appear one after another; this is something you must be mindful of when handling supernatural cases in the future. You must eliminate the curse before the Dream Ghost appears.”

Sang Que nodded.

“Bloodline curses between close kin are unsolvable, unless one dies. When you encounter such cases, don’t waste the effort.”

Hearing this from He Buning, Sang Que suddenly thought of the Ming Mansion, where Ming Wanxi and Ming Qingyang were siblings. Her curse on Ming Qingyang was a bloodline curse among kin, so even when Ming Qingyang joined the Buddhist Sect, he still couldn’t rid himself of the curse.

He Buning drank a sip of tea, frowned disdainfully, and set down the cup.

“Beneath a bloodline curse is a Soul Fate Blood Curse, requiring someone knowledgeable in curse techniques and with cultivation to cast it. It involves sacrificing one’s soul and life, accepting eternal torment in Hell in exchange to curse others. This type of curse can be transferred, but requires slaying the Curse Ghost three times—meaning driving it away three consecutive nights. The Curse Ghost becomes stronger each time, with the level it can reach depending on the circumstances.”

“Slaying the Curse Ghost three times cannot be interrupted. After the last time driving the Curse Ghost away, the Curse Line between the Curse Ghost and the cursed person needs to be severed and redirected to a substitute. With a Connected Branch, redirecting the Curse Line becomes very simple. In my six years at the Evil Suppression Bureau, I’ve attempted to resolve the Soul Fate Blood Curse seven times, and only succeeded once when Yu Da redirected the Curse Line.”

Sang Que nervously asked, “What happens if you fail?”

“Immediate death!”

Sang Que couldn’t help but swallow, realizing that the Southern Ocean woman might have cursed her with a Soul Fate Blood Curse. These irrational cultists were too crazy!

He Buning continued, “The last time, I was cursed by a widow from Black Mountain Village, a more common type of curse that ordinary people can cast, requiring deep grievances and hatred and sacrificing one’s life as the price to curse. Such an evil curse requires knowing the true name of the cursed individual and a personal item as a medium. That time… was my negligence.”

He Buning paused for a moment; luckily, his current name was not his real name. Although the Curse Ghost sought him out, there was no Curse Line, making it easy for him to drive it away.

“If it’s merely an evil curse, there’s no need to confront the Curse Ghost; the Connected Branch can directly transfer it. What do you think, which type of curse are you under?” He Buning looked at Sang Que.

Sang Que honestly replied, “I definitely haven’t lost any personal items, so it’s likely a Soul Fate Blood Curse.”

Personal items refer to those frequently carried or handled, in long contact with the body, absorbing strong personal aura.

He Buning nodded slightly, maintaining his composure, “Don’t worry, besides Yu Da, I’ll also ask Cui Cheng to assist. Now, Captain Cui is very willing to help you.”

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