Supreme Golden Palace

Chapter 60: Mrs. Liu (Part )
The moment Lu Shang swung his steel whip, the entire room suddenly lit up with a faint green phosphorescent glow. Wherever the whip swept past, a shrill wail like a baby's cry rang out. The shrill, eerie sound echoed endlessly in the small space.

Facing the ghostly aura, Lu Shang simply swung his steel whip, his entire body trembling, his body and spirit vibrating. As it landed in the air, it emitted a trembling sound like metal and stone. Hearing the sound of a real object striking, his heart moved, and he swung the steel whip again, causing the dark green phosphorescent flames to collapse and the shrill horns to cease.

The gloomy wind dissipated, and Lu Shang held the whip in front of him and said to the middle-aged woman huddled in the corner, "Light the lamp."

Seeing that the middle-aged woman was still in shock, Lu Shang frowned, then slowed his tone, trying to make his voice sound gentler, and said, "Don't be afraid. The evil spirit has been eliminated. I am here, you don't have to be afraid."

"Yes,"

The middle-aged woman slowly raised her head. Seeing Lü Shang, clad in goose-antelope armor and holding a bamboo whip, looking majestic, the fear in her eyes faded slightly. With trembling hands, she lit the candle. The dim light flickered, revealing the remaining tear marks on her haggard face.

Lu Shang sized the woman up and asked softly, "How could a thief be so mischievous in the land of the Emperor, the land of the highest virtue? Tell me the truth. What grudge does your family have against this thief that would make him so relentless, even at the risk of being torn apart by the Jingzhao officials, that he would continue to haunt you?"

The Sui Dynasty was not on the verge of collapse. The emperor was diligent, the nation was strong, with scholars like Gao Jiong and Yang Su, and military leaders like Yang Lin and Han Qinhu. The ruler and his ministers were well-matched, and the country was prosperous. Under such a clear and bright sky, there should be no place for such shady and chaotic phenomena.

Although this sneaky act was just a matter of two hits with a steel whip for Lu Shang, it was a disaster for ordinary people.

When the woman heard this, she fell to her knees and cried, "Sir, I am an honest woman and have never done anything that would harm others. I really don't know why I have provoked this disaster."

After sobbing for a while and finally calming down, the woman continued, "My husband's surname was Liu, but he died young and left no children. I am now a widow, looking after the old house and doing some sewing and mending work for the neighbors to make a living."

"About half a month ago, I was about to go to bed when I suddenly heard crying sounds lingering in my house. At first, I thought I had misheard, but the crying became more and more frequent, coming every night when everyone was asleep, disturbing me day and night."

"A few days ago, I was mending clothes in the house. Suddenly, a cold wind blew and the candle was blown out. Before I could see clearly, I felt cold all over, and then my energy was much less than before." As the woman spoke, tears fell again.

"These past few days, I've been tortured by this damned scourge. I've lost my appetite, become delirious, and am almost half dead."

Lu Shang's face was as gloomy as water. He asked directly, "How dare you, for no reason, sneak around and cause trouble under the Emperor's feet? Think carefully, has anything unusual happened recently? For example, have you met any strange people or seen any strange things?"

The woman heard this and thought for a long time. After a flicker of hesitation in her eyes, she stammered, "Sir, a few days before that sneaky appearance, a strange man was lingering near my home. I thought he was just a passerby and didn't pay much attention to him."

"Thinking about it now, his behavior was indeed a bit strange."

Lu Shang asked, "How is it so strange?"

The woman replied, "He looked thin, wearing a black robe and a bamboo hat that covered most of his face. I couldn't see his face clearly. I only remember that he walked with a slight limp and carried a cane."

"Black clothes, slope feet,"

Lu Shang looked at the middle-aged woman thoughtfully. He believed in his judgment that she was just an ordinary widow living alone, nothing special about her.

But what kind of magic could this unique widow have that could make a ruthless person risk angering the Jingzhao Prefecture and attack her?

Lu Shang asked again, "Do you remember how long that strange man was hanging around your house?" The woman frowned slightly and hesitated, "It seems like two or three days. He would appear nearby for a while every day, doing nothing but pacing back and forth. I don't know what he was doing."

Lu Shang stroked the bamboo whip in his hand and asked, "After that, did you see this person again?"

The woman hurriedly shook her head and said, "I haven't seen him since the unrest at home. Sir, is that evil thing that the stranger brought to harm me?"

As she spoke, the woman's eyes were filled with fear and helplessness, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Lu Shang said, "That's possible, but this person's origins are unknown. It would be difficult to find him based on just your words!"

As he spoke, Lu Shang's eyes slowly swept across the room and said, "For the next few days, you should stay inside and don't go out. I will send someone to report to Jingzhao Prefecture. If that stranger appears again, Jingzhao Prefecture will be able to capture him."

In his previous life, Lu Shang could barely be considered a heretic. If even the magic of Ye Maoshan was not considered unorthodox, then no one in this world could be considered unorthodox.

Therefore, Lü Shang had some understanding of the mentality of those who practiced the underworld. He knew that although their minds were twisted by their evil practices, and the deeper their cultivation, the more twisted their minds became, Lü Shang did not believe that they had no vested interests and would target an ordinary widow for no reason.

There must be a secret about this Liu!

But no matter how many secrets there were, Lu Shang didn't take them to heart. He had great fortune, born with divine bloodline and taught by the immortals of Mount Zhongnan. His luck was rare in the world. If he continued to be greedy and want everything, what difference would he make from a demon?

After finally instructing Liu not to go out, Lu Shang took Zi Dian Han Shuang's hand and walked out of the alley. Under the moonlight, their figures gradually walked away.

------

Duke of Qi's Mansion,

After returning to the mansion, Lu Shang handed the reins to a servant, who then led Zi Dian Han Shuang away. He then said to Lu Quan, who was standing by, "Housekeeper, send a business card to Jingzhao Prefecture, stating that I discovered traces of evil cultivators in Banzhengfang while returning from my duty."

Hearing this, Lü Quan was stunned for a moment and said, "Prince, are you talking about evil cultivators?"

These two words were too unfamiliar to Lu Quan. What made Lu Quan even more panicked was that he discovered the evil cultivator in Banzhengfang.

Lü Shang immediately shattered Lü Quan's hopes and said, "Yes, it's right here in our Banzhengfang!"

The Sui Dynasty inherited the previous system and built towns based on the chessboard model and the longitude and latitude as the criteria. The town was divided into lifang. The entire Daxing city could be divided into 108 lifang. Each lifang had a wall and a gate, almost like a small city.

The Duke of Qi’s Mansion was located in Banzhengfang. Not only the Duke of Qi’s Mansion, but also the residences of many high-ranking officials in the court were located in Banzhengfang.

(End of this chapter)