Chapter 220: Chapter 188: Questioning Granny Zhuang

Nothing happened all night, Sang Que was preparing to report to the Evil Suppression Bureau the next day, when Xiao Liu came to inform her that He Buning told her to avoid wandering around before the curse was resolved, and she didn’t have to go to the Evil Suppression Bureau.

Sang Que was puzzled as to why He Buning hadn’t mentioned this last night. Was she frightened and forgot?

He Buning said she wanted Xia Chan to go to Xunzhou together, and she had discussed it with He Buning last night whether Xia Chan should ride horses with them or she should bring her family donkey cart.

He Buning and Xia Chan had spent two days together and learned about Xia Chan’s voracious appetite, and since Night Travelers often camped out in the wild, they would simply set up a flag, with the sky as a blanket and the ground as a bed.

Xia Chan wanted to come along, so He Buning agreed to let Sang Que bring her donkey cart along. The cart could carry food for Xia Chan and provide shelter for Xia Chan and Sang Que during nights out in the wild.

If the donkey cart couldn’t keep up, they’d switch to a horse-drawn carriage halfway, as the trip to Xunzhou wasn’t about handling urgent supernatural cases, so there was no need to rush.

Sang Que relayed this message to her own Black Donkey, who had eaten half a trough more this morning, fearing Sang Que would abandon him halfway. It’s one thing to be left behind, but Black Donkey was truly afraid of having his four hooves chopped off.

The rear cabin of the cart also needed modification, adding secret compartments to facilitate Sang Que in hiding things.

Putting together a list of things to bring, Sang Que took Xia Chan out for shopping, with Xia Chan paying for all the items.

That morning, Sang Que borrowed fifty cents from Kou Yushan, but while having breakfast, she ’accidentally’ spilled half a bucket of Old Ma’s tofu pudding and had to compensate fifty cents.

Now, Sang Que doesn’t have a single copper coin left on her, and still owes twenty cents to Cui Cheng, fifty cents to Kou Yushan.

Fortunately, her financial troubles hadn’t affected Xia Chan, who had a purse full of the pocket money He Buning gave her.

Just two more days to endure, waiting for the side effects of financial trouble to pass, then Sang Que could go to the Evil Suppression Bureau to advance her monthly salary and secretly sell the glutinous rice and obsidian raw stone she brought.

This morning she went to check the place where she stored the glutinous rice and found rats had chewed through the bag, scaring her enough to have Xia Chan sign and stamp a receipt immediately.

The receipt clearly stated she would unconditionally give all her possessions to Xia Chan, effective immediately, with an attached inventory of assets.

Actively relinquishing assets also counted as financial trouble, and those belongings were no longer hers, thus not part of the financial trouble scope.

After He Buning chased away the Curse Ghost last night, Sang Que felt entirely refreshed today, with even the shadows in her peripheral vision noticeably reduced. Xia Chan and Xuan Yu accompanied her for street shopping, and she was constantly attentive to Xia Chan’s safety, with no dangerous accidents occurring.

In the afternoon, they finalized the plan for modifying the cart cabin at the carriage shop and paid the deposit, while Sang Que and Xia Chan led the donkey down the street, with Xuan Yu perched on the donkey’s back surveying the surroundings.

Meow~

Passing by Ruyi Building, Xuan Yu meowed, jumped down from the donkey’s back, and ran to an old hunchbacked granny.

Seeing this, Xia Chan joyfully waved, “Granny Zhuang~”

Granny Zhuang supported herself with a cane, slowly walking out from Ruyi Building, “Ah, it’s Xuan Yu and Little Chan. Where have you been?”

Sang Que led Xia Chan over, “Went to the carriage shop, Granny. Did you just finish watching a show?”

Granny Zhuang nodded, “Yes, Qing’an Troupe’s new play, the singing was quite good, but the script wasn’t to my liking. I’ll call someone later to have them shut it down.”

Sang Que was momentarily stunned, “Are you joking?”

Granny Zhuang’s eyes still had traces of tears, likely moved by certain scenes in the play.

She sighed, “Not joking, it’s true. They must be shut down. Qing’an Troupe’s new play involves a young lady advising her gambling husband to stop, but in the end, the young lady’s two daughters, along with the young lady herself, were sold off by the heartless husband, meeting a tragic fate. The Gambling Ghost incident just passed; how can they stir up waves again? Naturally, they must be shut down for a while.”

Ah, I see, Sang Que looked deeply at Ruyi Building, where the discordant singing still emanated.

Opera troupes were already sensitive due to the Ghost Opera Troupe’s existence, and Qing’an Troupe had complete records at the Evil Suppression Bureau to operate Ruyi Building in Wangshan City. Singing such a play at this time is downright crazy.

“Granny, let us escort you home.”

“Alright.”

Sang Que helped Granny Zhuang onto the donkey, casually chatting while walking beside her, gradually leading the conversation to the founding of the Xuan Dynasty from Granny Zhuang’s words, Sang Que finally knew that the Xuan Dynasty had been established for less than a hundred years.

Before the Xuan Dynasty, the Evil Spirits of Nine States had dramatically increased, countless ghosts roamed wild, local vassal kings guarded armies for self-preservation, civilians lived in dire straits, chaos ensued for fifteen years until it was unified by the founding Emperor of the Xuan Dynasty.

“Why did the number of Evil Spirits suddenly increase?” Sang Que’s heart raced, probing further.

Granny Zhuang swayed with the donkey’s steps, pondering, “I’ve reviewed all available records, and no one knows the reason, but further tracing reveals similar occurrences before, without any consistent patterns. I speculate that this world may have undergone multiple cycles of destruction and reconstruction, with appearances of certain things that lacked origins, just like glass, among which there’s always traces of Nine Songs.”

“You’re now a Night Traveler, so it’s alright to tell you—back then when Xuan Dynasty unified the world, Nine Songs played a substantial role behind the scenes. You could say without Nine Songs’ support, the fifteen-year turbulence wouldn’t have ended so swiftly. Nine Songs always appear in times of chaos, hidden in times of prosperity, leaving nothing behind except the Witch Temple, unlike the Taoist Sect and Buddhist Sect that specialize in recruiting disciples and building a following. From start to finish, there are only nine people. Isn’t it peculiar?”

“It does seem quite odd.”

The two conversed some more, with Granny Zhuang noticing Sang Que’s interest in these matters, asking whether Sang Que would like to transfer to the Merit Office and learn archive management from her, as working outside was too dangerous.

Sang Que smiled and declined; Granny Zhuang’s residence was particularly remote, she said she couldn’t sleep well at night, intolerant to any noise, which is why she lived alone in the desolate Cui Liu Lane.

This lane’s courtyards were reserved by the Evil Suppression Bureau for constables, but due to their small size and remote location, no one opted to live there, allowing Granny Zhuang to enjoy the tranquility, residing there for many years.

After escorting Granny Zhuang home, Sang Que was preoccupied all along the way.

Though from Granny Zhuang’s words it was already somewhat evident—indeed, the modern world had dispelled mysterious powers into the Deceit Dynasty, with Nine Songs being the small group dealing with such matters in the Deceit Dynasty.

Perhaps, the Divine Witch Lady of Nine Songs was the first to create the Yansheng coin, the first to open this portal, and the first to bring weird powers over.

No matter if the Mysterious World had Evil Spirits and ghosts before this, the Witch Lady by doing so, certainly had impacted the Mysterious World.

Thus, she evidently established the Evil Suppression Bureau in the open, secretly nurtured Nine Songs, jointly managing the Mysterious World’s Evil Spirits and Evil Ghosts, assisting Deceit Dynasty’s generations of emperors, teaching them various methods for restraining Evil Spirits and Evil Ghosts.

Sacrificing one world to preserve another.

In that case, was the Witch Lady also from the Huaxia World?

Did the Witch Lady have a lineage in Huaxia as well, generation after generation holding the Yansheng coin, perpetually continuing this affair?

If this hypothesis is accurate, she and her birth mother are without a doubt the Witch Lady’s descendants.

The Witch Lady, her birth mother, herself, they all are women—does Yansheng coin pass down only to daughters and not sons?

The Witch Lady’s Divine Power originates from the Mountain Ghost, and the Mountain Ghost is also a female figure.

Is the Witch Lady a witch serving the Mountain Ghost from Huaxia, or is the Witch Lady herself an embodiment of the Mountain Ghost?

If only women can hold the Yansheng coin, does it mean, currently, no one else can use the Yansheng coin except her, unless she bears a daughter or finds her birth mother?

Before that happens, does she have to bear the responsibility of both worlds?

“Sister?”

Summer Chan’s voice interrupted Sang Que’s thoughts. She snapped back to reality, realizing they had already reached the doorstep.

Momentarily shelving her thoughts, Sang Que joined Xia Chan in organizing the goods delivered by various shops, all required for the journey. With many purchases, the store sent staff to deliver to the door.

Busy till after nine at night, the courtyard gate was knocked upon, with He Buning and Cui Cheng arriving together.

Sang Que invited them both in; Cui Cheng deliberately bumped into He Buning, insisting he goes in first.

The house was already tidied up, Sang Que invited the two senior constable officials to sit, and poured tea.

He Buning held down his teacup, producing a pouch of tea, “This is… tea that Little Chan enjoys.”

“Little Chan does not like tea.”

Summer Chan, busy with snacks nearby, exposed the truth without turning around.

He Buning’s expression stiffened, while Sang Que pretended not to notice.

Cui Cheng wasn’t picky; Sang Que poured tea for him, and he gulped it cow-like, promptly spitting out tea dregs.

“Sang Er, this tea of yours is quite good!”

He Buning:……

Sang Que snatched the pastry plate from Summer Chan’s hand, placing it in front of the two.

“Esteemed Colonels, tonight, I entrust this to you!”

Slap!

Sang Que swatted away Summer Chan’s hand trying to steal pastries, while He Buning’s eyes narrowed sharply.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep