All the evil beasts in the world, I feed on demons and monsters

Chapter 148 Ghost Yamen

Return to the lobby.

Mr. Hong was accompanied by a young woman, who came up with tea in her hand.

"Hey? Where's Master Dai?"

"gone."

"Oh, why are you in such a hurry? I've got some silver coins left over!"

The woman next to Mr. Hong was holding a mahogany tea tray.

In addition to three cups of hot tea, there were also two palm-sized cowhide bags, which looked heavy at first glance.

"Come on, please take a seat, sir."

Having said that, Mr. Hong went back to meet Ji Ran.

The teacup was placed on the table. Mr. Hong sat on the seat on the left and raised his teacup to Ji Ran.

The two took a sip of tea and put it down gently.

Old Man Hong sighed and said, "Alas, in this world today, it's hard to live in peace."

"After this incident, I finally understand that we still have to form a local militia."

"The Yihe Society is now in disarray, just like when the officials formed local armies, with a mixed bag of good and bad."

Ji Ran nodded.

In these troubled times, even in the most remote places, there is no peace at all.

"I'll gather my old friends in a few days. If I die like this one day, at the hands of my own people, it would be pathetic!"

"It's better to fight foreigners!"

Ji Ran raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "Old man, you don't blame the Yihe Society?"

"Hey."

A trace of sadness appeared on the face of the veteran, Mr. Hong, and he said, "I've done it all."

Three words, mixed feelings, bloody.

He sighed and said, "We're soldiers, so how can we be so unreasonable?"

In troubled times, do the armies really think that the military and civilians are one family?

Bandits pass by like combs, soldiers pass by like rakes. These days, the common people secretly call the imperial army "the barber army"! This means that wherever the army goes, the people there will be killed, their heads chopped off, and their property looted to pay the soldiers!

Old Man Hong looked at Ji Ran and said, "At least, there are people like you in the Yihe Society."

He clasped his fists earnestly and said, "I haven't asked which altar yet?"

"Ren Zi Altar."

"I've made note of it."

Ji Ran nodded, took a sip of tea, and stood up: "Old man, I am just passing by. Now that things are done here, I have more important things to do, so I won't bother you any more."

"Hey, at least we have a hot meal!"

"No need, there is one thing I would like to ask for your help."

"Speaking!"

……

When Ji Ran and Li Yan rode on the Don River horses, the woman who had been following Mr. Hong came out.

She had a pigtail, wore a robe more suitable for men, and had no bound feet. She strode out after him.

"Both of you!"

The woman held two cowhide bags in her hands and said, "Don't forget Uncle Hong's kindness!"

Ji Ran looked back, waved his hand, and said, "No need."

"The old man's money has already been collected."

Seeing Ji Ran was about to leave, the woman shouted.

"Hey!"

Ji Ran reined in his horse and turned his head.

"Where can I find your altar?"

Ji Ran looked at the woman. She had a large frame and a face that wasn't particularly pretty, but it was well-proportioned. She had an oval face, willow-shaped eyebrows, and a slightly short nose. But her eyes were sparkling as she looked up at him.

"What do you want to do?"

"Join your altar!"

Ji Ran turned around, turned his horse's head and said, "In seven days, come to Baihekou to find Renzi Altar."

Watching Ji Ran leave, the woman looked up and shouted, "Okay!"

Qin Pu

Level: 0

Skills: None

Expertise: Firearms Proficiency 93%
Expertise: Red Tassel Spear Mastery 43%
Specialization·English proficiency 90%
It would be nice to have someone who has received a modern education as an assistant to Paper Man Li.

……

The journey was uneventful, and the sun was setting in the west.

Ji Ran and Li Yan sped all the way and arrived at Baishui County, the birthplace of Renzi Altar, at sunset.

Da da da!
Ji Ran rode his horse to a high ridge. From there, he looked down the mountain towards the downstream area.

This is a small county town, but it is a county town after all.

Downstream of the Baihe River, a vast expanse of dried mud was covered with weeds and vines. The entire county wall, facing the hillside, had completely collapsed.

Countless wild grasses filled the gaps, giving the county a green gateway. However, in the setting sun, the wild grass, which cast black shadows, was stained a layer of blood red.

Under the dim sky, you can still see the densely packed houses and crisscrossing streets.

The Baihe River not far away made a clear sound, rushing across the fertile land. "Why, no one is coming to deal with it?"

This is not a village, but a county town!
A county town that can accommodate tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of people! How could it be so idle near Jinmen, next to the Baihe River?

Li Yan stared blankly at her hometown, but when she heard Ji Ran's words, she smiled bitterly.

"Master Tai Sui, if this were a normal territory, how could the imperial court give it up?"

"When Baishui County was flooded, the riverbank collapsed very quickly, and the entire county was submerged almost instantly at night."

"It stands to reason that when the water recedes, this place will be littered with corpses."

"But when the tide receded, something strange happened! The court and nearby people came over and found that all the people here had disappeared."

Ji Ran frowned and said, "All gone?"

"Correct!"

"They're all gone! The officers searched the entire city but couldn't find a single body!"

Ji Ran nodded silently and said, "And then?"

"Then rebuild it. The imperial court can't just abandon this city just because of something weird."

Li Yan said, "But the official sent to supervise died on the hillside that night. He drowned on the top of the mountain. His body was dry, only his lungs were full of water."

“And the new houses that were built would collapse that same night, as if they were flooded.”

"In the end, we had no choice. Although the common people and the corvées survived, three officials died. The house couldn't hold out for the night, so we gave up on it."

"Haunted?"

"Hard to say."

Li Yan scratched her head and said, "I came back here specifically to see if I could find any valuables. I even stayed overnight in an empty house in the county town, and nothing happened."

Ji Ran glanced at him.

This kid is really a scoundrel and has a guts of a leopard.

"But when the eldest brother came, he must have encountered trouble. He came to look for the county annals and was injured when he came back. And I secretly looked at his right shoulder. There is a deep bruise, as if... he was hit by a stick as thick as a water tank."

Ji Ran nodded and said directly: "Let's go!"

If an ordinary senior brother can be fine, what else do I have to worry about?
The horse's hooves trampled over the hillside and arrived at the county town.

Ji Ran didn't hesitate and asked Li Yan to take him to the county government office.

All we saw along the way were collapsed buildings, houses covered in mud, broken doors, collapsed walls, and houses without windows.

Looking at the messy ruins all around, one can imagine how devastating the flood was.

The gate of the county government office collapsed completely. The plaque was still relatively solid, but it was also covered with mud and sand. This shows that when the flood came, the entire door frame of the county government office was also submerged.

County annals are usually kept in the county magistrate's study.

Ji Ran and Li Yan walked through the corridor and archway. Now all the rooms were in a mess. Li Yan, a peasant, naturally didn't know which direction the county magistrate's study door faced.

You can only search house by house.

By the time they had searched almost everywhere, it was already dark. The two of them sat at a table on the side of the first wing.

The chair was mahogany, still solid despite some dust.

"has a problem."

Ji Ran said slowly: "Not only are the people gone, but all the daily necessities in this county government office are gone."

"Could it be that they were all taken away?"

"Will you take away some worthless items as well?"

In the dim light, Ji Ran pointed around and said, "It's so clean."

"It was just mud and big pieces of furniture, nothing else."

Li Yan thought about it and was instantly horrified!

"I... the last time I came here, it seemed like other places were like this too! I was thinking I was too late and they had all been picked up!"

Ji Ran let out a breath, reached out and cast Caged Bird on the table, targeting Li Yan, wanting to see what would happen.

puff!
Suddenly, an orange-red flame began to flicker in the dark night!
Ji Ran was stunned and immediately made a gesture to Li Yan!
"Shh!"

The two men squatted down and hid their bodies behind the wooden partition behind the table in the inner room of this wing.

Ji Ran was absolutely certain that he and he were the only two living people within a radius of dozens of meters!
How could the fire suddenly appear?
The house was slowly enveloped by light.

Ji Ran leaned forward slightly, and was shocked to find that in the main hall opposite, there was a person sitting behind a desk!

The man, with a rat-tail pigtail and a blue official robe, placed his hat and feather on the table. Beside him were neatly arranged writing brushes, inkstones, and paper.

He was writing something at his desk, an oil lamp burning dimly.

Even Ji Ran felt his scalp tingling. When did this happen? !
Bang!

Suddenly, the door was thrown open, and several people holding torches appeared in the yard. As the door opened, a gust of damp, cold air swirled into the room!

The sound of the rain was like someone slowly turning the volume up from silent to clearer.

Boom!

A muffled thunder flashed, and an officer knelt on the ground, soaking wet!

"Sir! It's not good!"

"The riverbank is loose!"

Ji Ran's eyes narrowed!
He saw the officer's exposed wrist.

The pale skin was swollen from being soaked, and only the white bones remained on the exposed wrist of the other hand.

The wind and rain were raging, the shadows of the trees were swaying, and the cold and damp air disrupted the oil lamp.

Under the flickering light, the county magistrate paused with his brush, and only a calm and crisp voice came out.

"Call all the young men in the city and follow me to the riverbank!"

(End of this chapter)