Yinshan Record

Chapter 215 Where Does the Departed Soul Remain?

Chapter 215 Where Does the Departed Soul Remain?
Pei Huai, the magistrate of Tian'an County, was tall with piercing eyes, large fingers, and a beard. From a distance, he looked more like a chivalrous wanderer than a county magistrate.

This is normal. Su Che had seen Pei Huai's resume. He was a graduate of the Imperial Academy, one of the four great academies, and belonged to the proper lineage of martial arts and Confucianism.

He was recommended for official positions and served as a county lieutenant for one term and a county magistrate for two terms.

"Su Lixing".

"Lord Pei."

The two bowed to each other and took their seats in the armchairs.

"I was unaware of Lord Li Xing's arrival. I apologize for my rudeness." Pei Huai smiled. "Speaking of which, Lord Li Xing and I are from the same hometown."

"You're too kind, Your Excellency. Are you also from Yongzhou?"

"I am from Xiangyang."

Pei Huai smiled and looked at Su Che: "Although we are from different prefectures, we are neighboring towns."

Su Che came from the Su clan of Duling, whose ancestral home was Duling County, which was near Chang'an and is now the core area of the Northern Dynasties.

Not only Su Che, but also the Duling Wei clan, from which Wei Huaiwen is currently fighting in the north, are actually so-called expatriates.

They were nominally from Yongzhou, but in reality, they were all leaders of refugees from the north of Jingzhou.

When the Southern Liang Dynasty was founded, it used these powerful clans who had fled south to seize power. Most of the military families in the Southern Dynasties were originally powerful families of refugees from Yongzhou and Qingzhou.

Xiangyang was actually the second line of defense for Southern Liang, and it was an ally in arms with Yongzhou.

Of course, the Su family of Duling is still nominally in Yongzhou, but the whole clan has been living in Jiankang for a long time. They are just still nominally registered in their original place of residence.

The two exchanged pleasantries for a while, appearing to be having a pleasant time together.

"Su Lixing, I wonder if they've caught that group of corpse demons yet? These are truly turbulent times. Cizhou has been plagued by one upheaval after another, and there are refugees everywhere. If evil spirits continue to cause trouble, it will surely lead to disaster sooner or later."

After exchanging pleasantries, Pei Huai's eyes revealed deep worry.

"The corpse demons are already dead, but things have become even more complicated."

Su Che didn't hide anything from Pei Huai and explained the general situation.

"There's someone orchestrating this behind the scenes, Su Lixing is probably certain."

"that's for sure."

"Ugh."

The magistrate of Tian'an County let out another long sigh.

"I wonder what Su Lixing wants us to do?"

The Imperial Guards and local officials belong to different systems. According to the Southern Liang system, Su Che and the magistrate of Tian'an County have different ranks, but Su Che cannot directly command local officials.

If any coordination is truly needed, it would require the head of the Cizhou Criminal Investigation Bureau to submit a proposal to the Censor-in-Chief of Cizhou, who would then issue an order to Tian'an County.

While this arrangement is redundant and significantly reduces efficiency, it can also prevent local misconduct.

Pei Huai's meaning was very clear: at this critical juncture, he was not prepared to follow the rules set by the imperial court.

Why bother with rules that have no practical application?
"How dare I command Magistrate Pei? What if something really happens..."

Su Che genuinely didn't want to order the people from Tian'an County around. For no other reason than that, given the methods the person behind the scenes had revealed, they simply couldn't offer any real help.

"Su Lixing may not know that I was known for eradicating licentious shrines during my previous tenure. If there are any evil spirits, it is also my duty to eliminate them."

Pei Huai spoke generously and eloquently.

The term "extermination of licentious shrines" refers to those spirits and monsters who crave offerings from the human world. Ghost cultivators and demon cultivators are limited by their methods, and without a lineage, their cultivation is very difficult. Many of them are keen to impersonate deities and collect offerings from the human world.

For example, the little fox Su Che encountered in Shanyin County could barely be considered one back then. Of course, there were many more of the so-called "household spirits," "shamanic spirits," and "five-way spirits" that Su Che had encountered in his previous life.

Judging from Pei Huai's words, he must have been known for his iron-fisted approach during his tenure. With his background at the Imperial Academy, he probably suppressed many monsters with his iron fist.

"There's really nothing we can do," Su Che said helplessly. "To be honest, Magistrate Pei, we're completely in the dark right now and don't know where to start." "So, is Su Lixing just here to inform us?"

“There is indeed someone who might be involved in this matter, but the magistrate has arrested him.” Su Che looked at Pei Huai and said, “I don’t know what he did wrong, but please, magistrate, do me a favor and let me interrogate him first, as this is a matter of great importance…”

“No problem.” Pei Huai didn’t ask who it was. “Just interrogate Su Lixing. I just don’t know who it is or why they were brought in.”

Magistrate Pei remained silent for a moment.

"How about this, to avoid trouble, I'll accompany Su Lixing to take the suspect away right now..."

"No need, you can ask whatever you want in jail."

Su Che smiled and said, "It's good that Magistrate Pei has come along to listen. I've heard that you are a top student of the Imperial Academy. I am not very experienced, so we can brainstorm together."

"Su Lixing is too modest. Everyone knows that Su Lixing comes from a family with a long history of scholarship, and he has made numerous outstanding contributions since coming to Cizhou..."

"He has no merits, but he is a complete jinx. Wherever he goes, something bad is bound to happen."

The prison in Tian'an County was not far from the county government office, and it could be described as heavily guarded.

At the beginning of the founding of the Great Liang Dynasty, there was a well-structured legal system, but now few people use it.

To put it bluntly, because of the corruption in the government, ordinary people avoid officials whenever possible. As a result, the prisons are filled with either unlucky people who have offended the wrong people or serious criminals.

A clerk led the way.

"Your Excellency, the night watchman Qin Si was arrested for theft. Someone saw that he was very generous and reported him to the head constable. They found many ancient coins and silver in his house, and suspected that he was robbing ancient tombs."

“That’s a serious crime,” said Pei Huai, the magistrate of Tian’an County, looking at Su Che beside him. “According to the law, desecrating three graves is punishable by hanging…”

Su Che hesitated when he heard that ancient coins had been found in Qin Geng's house.

Things are getting stranger and stranger. Didn't Old Qin say he had no money?
This is just a minor detail.

Su Che was thinking that if the person behind the scenes thought Qin Gengfu was a key figure, why not just kill him? Why put him in jail?
Adding legs to a snake is superfluous and unnecessary.

The clerk led the way, and Su Che and Pei Huai walked past several empty prison cells.

"Qin Si's prison is just ahead."

Su Che went over and saw that Qin Gengfu, whom he had met once before, was lying on the ground sleeping in handcuffs and shackles inside the wooden fence.

"Qin Si, the officials are here to interrogate you. Get up and answer them..."

"Qin Si..."

No matter how the clerk outside called out, Qin Gengfu simply lay on the ground sleeping.

"Su Lixing..."

Pei Huai looked at Su Che cautiously.

Su Che remained expressionless.

"Open the gate."

"Yes."

The clerk opened the wooden bars of the prison, and Su Che stepped forward, bending down to check Le Tan Qin Si's breathing.

Her breathing was deep and even; she definitely looked like she was asleep.

When I opened his eyelids, all I could see was the whites of his eyes.

"The soul departs."