Chapter 277: Monitoring Heaven Division

Li Huowang grabbed the person's hair and lifted the entire corpse, displaying it to the surrounding residents of Pixian.

“Look!” he shouted. “The ghost has been vanquished! It has been utterly destroyed, soul and all! Never again will the shrinking illness occur in Pixian!”

Li Huowang’s voice echoed through Pixian. After a moment, with a resounding boom, the shouts and cheers of the Pixian residents seemed to almost tear the very sky above the county.

Everyone present was overcome with tears of joy, and the unusually gloomy expressions on their faces vanished without a trace.

Many immediately reached into their clothes, pulling out ropes and chains used for binding, and tossed them high into the air.

Even more people knelt on the ground, repeatedly bowing to Li Huowang, whom they had just doubted, murmuring words like "our reborn parents."

The county magistrate Yang, standing nearby, approached with several constables. Using their long staffs, they hoisted up the ghost and began parading it through the streets.

As these individuals returned to tell their families, the news quickly spread throughout Pixian.

Consequently, Li Huowang and his companions, the outsiders, were treated significantly better. Everywhere they went, people stuffed food and vegetables into their pockets. Many elderly individuals with white hair would prostrate themselves in gratitude, thanking them for saving their grandchildren.

That evening, Magistrate Yang reserved Fengyang Tower, Pixian’s finest restaurant, to host the distinguished guests.

Li Huowang, as the savior of Pixian, was seated at the head table. People of some standing in Pixian came forward one after another to offer him toasts, as if toasting Li Huowang were a great honor.

The oppression that had loomed over every resident of Pixian had vanished. The county, which should have been eerily silent, was gradually transforming into a normal town, its desolate streets becoming incredibly lively.

At the top of the bustling restaurant, Gouwa, Gao Zhijian, and others were savoring the finest delicacies, each of them wanting to swallow their own tongues in delight.

The same dishes, prepared by themselves versus by Pixian's best chef, were completely different experiences.

“Scholar!” exclaimed Lu Zhuangyuan, his mouth greasy from food. “You must study hard from now on, do you hear? Only by studying diligently can you, like the young Taoist priest, act on behalf of heaven, and then people will invite you to such grand feasts!”

“Old bone, what do you know?” Scholar said, putting down his chicken. “Even with food, you can’t shut your mouth!” He then picked up a fine wine from the side, intending to pour it into Li Huowang’s cup.

Before he could pour, Bai Lingmiao, who was nearby, reached out and took the wine cup away. “Senior Brother Li,” she said, “he doesn't drink. He gets drunk very easily.”

After speaking, she scooped some translucent shark fin soup and offered it to Li Huowang. “Senior Brother Li, have some vermicelli soup. You’ve worked hard to save the entire county.”

Li Huowang’s lips parted in a strained smile. He reached out, picked up a large chicken drumstick, and dropped it under the table. Immediately, the sounds of Mantou chewing and swallowing could be heard.

Feeling Mantou’s tail tapping continuously against his calf, Li Huowang’s mood lifted slightly.

Observing the lively scene before him, Li Huowang picked up the shark fin soup, drank it down, and stood up. He pointed towards the inebriated Yang Hongzhi in the distance and said, “Keep an eye on him. Don’t let him get too happy and drink himself to death.”

Amidst the joyful laughter, Li Huowang descended from the brightly lit restaurant. Compared to the bustling establishment, Pixian’s streets were equally vibrant.

Firecrackers continuously popped, scattering red paper scraps everywhere and dyeing the streets and alleys a festive red.

As soon as the popping ceased, before the smoke could dissipate, a group of children in new clothes swarmed around, squatting on the ground, giggling as they picked up the unexploded firecrackers.

They might not have fully understood what had happened, but they knew one thing: they no longer had to endure the suffering of flesh piercing iron, and they could eat delicious foods they normally wouldn’t get.

At the end of the street, a man wearing a large-headed doll mask with painted red lips and cheeks raised a flower ball, leading a green dancing dragon towards them.

Behind the dancing dragon, suona horns played cheerful tunes.

This grand spectacle immediately captivated all the children. They forgot about picking up firecrackers and joyfully danced around the dancing dragon.

Such scenes were ubiquitous throughout Pixian; ordinary days were being celebrated as if it were the New Year.

Li Huowang, with his stern expression, walked through the crowd, appearing utterly out of place.

However, Li Huowang was not the only one who felt out of place in this festive atmosphere.

From some courtyards, where green couplets were pasted on doors and white cloths hung, muffled sobs could be heard. These were the homes of those killed by the ghost today, and their deaths had been tragic.

Li Huowang glanced at the sorrowful courtyard before continuing on his way.

Accompanied by this sense of incongruity, he finally arrived at the county yamen's morgue.

Even if the outside was bustling, such a place would certainly have people on night duty.

However, the steaming hotpot of fragrant meat on the table, along with a black jar labeled "wine," indicated that the county had not treated them poorly.

As soon as they saw Li Huowang enter, the coroner and the green-clad constable quickly put their feet down and eagerly invited him to eat with them.

“All of you, leave,” Li Huowang commanded. “This ghost is extraordinary. I need to perform a ritual to completely eliminate any future troubles.”

Hearing this, the men dared not speak further. They nodded profusely and bowed as they exited.

Inside the quiet morgue, corpses lay neatly arranged on the floor, each covered with a white cloth.

Li Huowang walked past the cold bodies, finally stopping at the last one. He grasped the white cloth covering it and pulled it back, revealing the beggar who had been possessed by the ghost.

The man appeared disheveled, with a scraggly beard and ragged clothes, yet strangely, he was not dirty at all and lacked the usual stench associated with beggars.

His appearance was unremarkable, the kind of person who would get lost in a crowd. His most distinctive feature was his thick, bushy unibrow.

Just as Li Huowang was carefully examining the man, the corpse suddenly opened its eyes and met Li Huowang’s gaze.

Seeing Li Huowang take a step back with his arms crossed, the man reached up and removed the yellow talisman pasted on his forehead.

“Interesting, interesting,” the man said. “What kind of talisman is this you’ve pasted? What are its effects?”

“I don’t know,” Li Huowang replied with unusual calmness, as if he wasn’t surprised at all by the man waking up. “I just randomly put it on. Someone else drew it.”

The unibrowed beggar flipped over, rolling off the wooden slab. He shook the dust off his body, and a series of clear, metallic clinking sounds came from him.

“May I ask your name, esteemed Realized One?” he asked, bowing to Li Huowang, his eyes full of candor.

“Erzhiu of the Aojing Sect,” Li Huowang replied.

Li Huowang, unwilling to reveal his true name, stated the alias of the long-deceased Jiang Yingzi in the Aojing Sect. “If I’m not mistaken, you must be from the Directorate of Celestial Observation, correct?”

The unibrowed man did not deny it. He said, “That’s right, I am indeed a humble soldier of the Directorate of Celestial Observation. Realized One, you are truly astute. I merely gave a hint earlier, and you caught on immediately.”