Chapter 4: Confirming the Real Culprit

Li Ermazi was forty-three years old and the second child in his family. Because his face was covered in pockmarks, he was known as Li Ermazi, his real name having been forgotten by everyone. Due to his extremely ugly appearance and his idle ways, his family had arranged many potential marriages for him, but no family was willing to marry their daughter to him.

After his parents passed away, no one was left to control him, and Li Ermazi became even more reckless in his actions.

Since he was only responsible for himself, he had few reservations about his behavior and became a notorious rascal in Wang Family Town.

Over ninety percent of the residents in Wang Family Town were surnamed Wang. Li Ermazi dared not provoke the female relatives of the Wang clan, so he preyed on orphans and widows from other families. The young and beautiful Xiao Feng often suffered from his harassment.

Li Ermazi had malicious intentions but lacked the courage to act on them. Furthermore, the constraints imposed by the Wang clan prevented him from crossing the line.

After Xiao Feng disappeared, the constables questioned Li Ermazi several times. However, it was Wang Changsheng's direct inquiries about Xiao Feng that made Li Ermazi uncomfortable.

"When was the last time you saw Xiao Feng? Has anything strange happened at your home recently? Besides peeking at Xiao Feng while she bathed, have you done anything else inappropriate to her?"

Wang Changsheng fired off three questions in a row, his gaze fixed intently on Li Ermazi.

Humans possess three souls and seven spirits, which generally dissipate gradually after death. Xiao Feng's mother had starved to death, and her body was cremated, making the likelihood of her becoming a ghost very low. In contrast, there was a greater chance that the missing Xiao Feng could become a malevolent spirit.

If a person dies with strong resentment and their body is left in a place rich in yin energy, there is a high probability they will become a ghost after death.

Xiao Feng was young and beautiful. If she had been violated and killed by a man, she would certainly harbor deep resentment, making it highly likely she would become a malevolent spirit.

If Wang Changsheng's suspicions were correct, Xiao Feng must have been murdered, which was why she hadn't returned home to cook for her mother, leading to her mother's starvation.

"About a month ago! I passed by her tofu stall at noon and bought some tofu pudding to eat. As for my home, nothing strange has happened. I only peeked at her while she bathed; I didn't do anything else. Her disappearance has nothing to do with me."

"Did you kill Xiao Feng and hide her body somewhere?" Wang Changsheng's face turned cold as he bellowed.

Upon hearing this, Li Ermazi became agitated, like an ant on a hot pan. He protested, "Heaven and earth are my witnesses! I, Li Ermazi, don't even dare kill a chicken; how could I kill a person? You mustn't pin this crime on me."

"Hmph, you still dare to lie! Last time you ran to Xiao Feng's house in the middle of the night, if she hadn't screamed loudly, you probably would have defiled her. You definitely killed Xiao Feng. Speak now, before you suffer physical pain." Wang Tianhu said fiercely.

Hearing this, Li Ermazi's face turned pale. He retorted, "Black Fatty, you can't just make wild accusations! I, Li Ermazi, don't even dare to kill a chicken, so how could I kill a person? That time, I was drunk. That girl Xiao Feng is arrogant; maybe she ran off with that pretty boy. Why are you trying to pin this on me?"

A ruffian like Li Ermazi, who bullied the weak but feared the strong, was most afraid of government officials.

If he were truly arrested and thrown into prison, he would surely be tortured into confessing.

"Pretty boy? Who is this person? Explain clearly."

Li Ermazi pursed his lips and said, "About a month ago, a young master surnamed Zhao passed through here. That boy was fair-skinned and delicate-looking, like a woman. I don't know what sweet talk he gave Xiao Feng, but in the middle of the night, Xiao Feng was in the alley with him, being affectionate. I caught them. Hmph, that shameless woman, acting all high and mighty in front of me, only to be hugging and embracing someone in an alley after just knowing him for a few days. Isn't it just because she despises me for not having money?"

"Does anyone here know the background of this Young Master Zhao? Or have you seen this person?" Wang Changsheng looked at Wang Qingyun and asked in a low voice.

Wang Tianhu pondered for a moment and said, somewhat uncertainly, "Young Master Zhao? Was he traveling with a page boy?"

"I don't know about that, but that pretty boy certainly had a page boy, and he was young and rich, with servants attending to him closely. No wonder that girl Xiao Feng took a liking to him."

"A month ago, several scholars on their way to the imperial examinations passed through our Wang Family Town. Among them was a scholar surnamed Zhao. Because Young Master Zhao was so generous, he left a deep impression on me. But I remember they didn't have any female companions when they left!" Wang Tianhu said, puzzled.

"Are you sure they didn't have any female companions when they left? Was there any discrepancy in their number?"

Wang Tianhu thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "I'm sure. The inn where they stayed is run by my grandson's family. Besides Young Master Zhao with his page boy, the other scholars were all alone. There were six of them in total, and they stayed for three days. When they left in the morning, my grandson happened to see them—exactly six people, no more, no less. As for whether they took Xiao Feng with them on the road, my grandson wouldn't know."

"They were heading to the capital for the imperial examinations, so why did they delay in town for three days?" Wang Changsheng voiced his doubt.

"It seemed Young Master Zhao caught a cold; I even helped him find a doctor. That Young Master Zhao was frail and sickly, unable to harm a fly. If Xiao Feng was murdered, he shouldn't be the killer; he had no motive." Wang Tianhu analyzed objectively.

"Oh, right, I just remembered something. My dog Wangcai was stoned to death. What rotten luck!" Li Ermazi added.

"Is your Wangcai a black dog? Has anything unusual happened these past few days?" Wang Changsheng's eyes lit up as he pressed on.

"How did you know Wangcai was a black dog?" Li Ermazi asked, surprised. He thought for a moment and continued, "Wangcai was my father's dog; he'd had him for over ten years. His teeth were almost all gone, so he couldn't bite anyone, and I didn't bother to chain him up. But recently, for some reason, he kept barking nonstop every night. In a fit of anger, I tied him in the woodshed. This morning, I found him stoned to death. I don't know which heartless wretch came into my house in the middle of the night and killed Wangcai."

Hearing this, Wang Changsheng was able to confirm that Xiao Feng had died and transformed into a malevolent spirit, intending to harm people.

Dogs are creatures of extreme yang energy, corresponding to the earthly branch *xū* (戌) and the element earth, which is yang earth. Malevolent spirits are yin. Dogs naturally suppress such spirits, and Taoist priests often use black dog blood for exorcism and to ward off evil. When Xiao Feng became a malevolent spirit and sought revenge on Li Ermazi, she was discovered by the black dog as soon as she approached his house, which is why the dog barked incessantly.

If Wang Changsheng's guess was correct, Xiao Feng would surely come out tonight to harm Li Ermazi.

Li Ermazi was no fool. Seeing so many Wang clan elders gathered and recalling the recent murder cases, he asked nervously, "It wasn't that killer who killed Wangcai, was it? Has he set his sights on me?"

Wang Changsheng shook his head and said, "No, the county yamen found a female corpse, provisionally suspected to be Xiao Feng. We called you here merely to confirm if you were the culprit. Now that we've clarified things, Young Master Zhao has a strong motive. You may go home now. And remember, do not speak of this matter to outsiders."

Li Ermazi felt that something was amiss, but he couldn't find any loopholes in Wang Changsheng's words, so he didn't think much further and turned to leave.

Li Ermazi could never have imagined that the killer was not a human but a malevolent spirit.

"Qiuxian, go guard outside. Do not let any unauthorized persons approach the ancestral hall. I have something important to tell everyone," Wang Changsheng instructed.

"Yes, Ninth Grand-Uncle," Wang Qiuxian replied, and followed Li Ermazi out.

"Ninth Uncle, is that female ghost truly Xiao Feng?" Wang Qingyun whispered, his eyes filled with worry.

Wang Changsheng nodded and said, "Yes, if I'm not mistaken, she will certainly come out to harm people tonight. Send word: after dark, no clan members are to go out alone. Those households without able-bodied young men should move to a main family residence with more young men for the night. At least eight people should stay together in each household, eating, drinking, and relieving themselves in one place. Furthermore, find a way to ensure Li Ermazi sleeps soundly at home tonight, the deeper the sleep, the better."

"To make Li Ermazi sleep like a log tonight, your grandson can certainly manage it. I guarantee he won't wake up until dawn tomorrow," Wang Tianhu assured, patting his chest with full confidence.

"Have you all heard Ninth Uncle's words? Go back and inform the clan members. Strictly follow Ninth Uncle's instructions. Officially, state that it's to guard against the killer, but not a single word of what Ninth Uncle just said is to be leaked. If anyone leaks it and hinders Ninth Uncle's ghost-catching, they will be severely punished," Wang Qingyun said sternly, looking at the other Wang clan elders.

"Yes, Third Uncle," the Wang clan elders responded in unison, agreeing fully, and then left one by one.