Lang Jiuchuan then asked A’Piao a few more questions about the finer details of the authorities’ handling of the Cong Family’s corpse-zombie affair — such as how they had known to seek out women with particular birth chart configurations.

“The Cong Family had mastery of astrology and star-reading, and the Imperial Astronomical Bureau was their domain — they exploited that advantage and colluded with officials who managed the household registry documents. Anyone wanting to find women of unusual birth configurations could locate them at a glance. You know as well as I do that throughout history, women have held a lower status than men. Those of noble birth fared somewhat better, but women of the lower classes were of even lesser standing — when they died or disappeared, most people did not pay it much mind. Female infants being drowned at birth or abandoned were not uncommon.” A’Piao replied: “The Cong Family exploited precisely this. They mostly abducted women with no family backing, and they even had dedicated personnel assigned to seek them out. The Zhongyong Marquis household was an accident — had they not harmed Qisi, they probably would have gone on undiscovered.”

Though in truth, it was running into the person before him that had been the real accident.

“But don’t let the way this matter is being spun into stories and performances in every tea house and wine shop fool you — it will be suppressed soon enough. For one thing, the wider this spreads, the more it frightens and unsettles the populace, who will become wary and distrustful of monks and Daoists alike. The Xuan Clan will not let that stand — losing public trust is not in their interest.” A’Piao sneered coldly: “Without faith and reverence, how will they maintain their air of lofty superiority?”

Lang Jiuchuan said: “The court won’t allow it to run unchecked either. The more people talk, the more easily disorder arises — some people will muddy the waters, pinning openly criminal acts on the excuse of monks and Daoists battling demons, which will only make cases harder to solve and obscure the truth further.”

“Quite right.”

“Lord Shen’s proposal is also a sound one. With a dedicated Surveillance Bureau, future cases of this nature will fall under its jurisdiction for investigation — that will simplify things considerably. And such a bureau can serve to fragment and divide the Xuan Clan’s influence.” Lang Jiuchuan narrowed her eyes, tapping a fingertip lightly on the table: “Seeing this bureau established would be nothing but beneficial.”

Especially for her.

She intended to go after the Rong Family sooner or later, and she had no wish to see it surrounded and guarded like an iron fortress, with no opening to exploit.

A’Piao looked over at her and said: “Even if it is established, the matter of the Rong Family’s abuse and killing of the body you now inhabit cannot be brought before it for investigation — and it wouldn’t survive scrutiny regardless. If it were ever investigated and revealed, the Xuan Clan members might very well declare you a malevolent spirit that has seized someone else’s body! And another thing — the Rong Family has been lying low, but after you crippled several of their people, their fury has nowhere to go. Sooner or later they’ll make a comeback, so you’d best be on your guard. If they put out word that you are a malevolent spirit that has taken possession of a body, could you bear to have the name of a wicked ghost pinned on you?”

Lang Jiuchuan gave a derisive laugh: “If they have the ability, let them invite monks and Daoists to exorcise me — we’ll see if they can actually drive me out!”

As she spoke, her eyes darted with calculation: “Speaking of which, we weathered the whole Cong Family affair together, storms and all — that makes us ghosts on the same boat. If someone tries to bully me, your Pavilion Master won’t just stand by and do nothing, will he?”

A’Piao’s eyes went wide: “What has that to do with my Pavilion Master?! I’m warning you, don’t get too full of yourself!”

Utterly shameless — she was even trying to drag him into this.

“Ghosts on the same boat — how is it unrelated? You are the Pavilion Master’s ghost, I am your companion ghost — it’s the same thing. Protecting those close to you is a matter of convenience.”

A’Piao stared at her making this argument with a perfectly straight face and was genuinely amused to the point of anger. He snatched up the soul incense and turned to leave: “I’m very busy. See yourself out — and don’t bother seeing me off!”

Lang Jiuchuan: “……”

The ghost proprietor had such a small mind!

……

West Quarter, Xunxiang Alley.

Zhuang Quanhai was crouched in front of the shop’s doorway with a pale, ashen face, peering anxiously down the lane. After so many days, why had the young lady still not come? The ghost patron inside the shop had never left, and he was so flustered he could get neither day nor night of proper rest, having to sleep with one eye open.

The sound of wheels rolling over the ground traveled in from the mouth of the alley.

Zhuang Quanhai craned his neck to look — a carriage had stopped at the alley’s entrance. A maidservant wearing a padded jacket climbed down first, then helped another person out.

When he caught a clear look at the young lady’s face, Zhuang Quanhai let out a cry and sprang to his feet, nearly pitching forward onto the ground — but he rubbed his knees and rushed toward the alley entrance as fast as his legs would carry him.

“Young lady, you’ve finally come.” Zhuang Quanhai was so moved that aged tears welled up in his eyes.

Lang Jiuchuan stopped and looked at the dark circles sunken beneath his eyes: “Have you not slept for several days?”

Zhuang Quanhai said mournfully: “That ghost… that patron has been waiting for you all this time. I was afraid that if you didn’t come, he would cause a disturbance.”

More accurately — cause a haunting.

A patron had come calling and waited endlessly without being received — if he were that ghost, he would probably have made his displeasure known by now.

His daughter-in-law at home was pregnant and keeping to bed rest; he had been terrified that if the ghost patron truly kicked up a fuss and startled her, something would go wrong with the pregnancy. He genuinely had not dared shut his eyes completely.

Lang Jiuchuan smiled: “He hasn’t caused a disturbance at all — clearly he’s a ghost patron with a good temper!”

Zhuang Quanhai: “……”

That joke was not very funny.

“Come, follow me to meet this ghost patron.” Lang Jiuchuan walked ahead.

Zhuang Quanhai fell a step behind her, and it was as though he had finally found a pillar to lean on — his heart released a long breath of relief.

They arrived at the shop entrance. Lang Jiuchuan stood in the doorway and glanced up at the neatly hung signboard of the Wanshi Shop, giving a satisfied nod.

“The shop’s been open for over ten days now, and only this one ghost patron has come. Some neighbors passed by out of curiosity and asked a few questions, but since you weren’t here, I could only tell them to wait for the proprietress to come and see about consultations and such.” The shop had a shelf of cabinet drawers with some medicinal herbs inside — claiming it offered consultations probably wasn’t too far off the mark.

“It doesn’t matter. This shop was never aimed at making money.”

The corner of Zhuang Quanhai’s mouth twitched. If not to make money, was it opened to experience the hardships of ordinary life? A wealthy daughter of a noble household, truly profligate… truly willful.

“Patron — please emerge from inside the signboard. Staying in the shop entrance this whole time — no wonder no one dares come through the door.” The signboard was made of willow wood and had been specially treated by her, with a soul-nurturing formation inscribed upon it to provide a resting place for ghost patrons.

But this ghost appeared to have been around for quite some years — its ghostly energy was dense, and even within the formation, the yin aura still seeped outward. She would need to add another layer of formation markings inside, or else having a ghost patron settled here would frighten passersby, which would be entirely her fault.

No sooner had Lang Jiuchuan spoken than the signboard showed no immediate reaction — but Zhuang Quanhai’s entire body went rigid.

What? The ghost patron had been right there in the signboard this whole time?

No wonder he had felt a chill over his head every day he crouched at the door, and had needed to clutch his jade pendant to stop himself from trembling — turns out the ghost patron had been hanging right above him all along.

And he had assumed all along that the patron was waiting inside the shop. The proprietress hadn’t said a word about it.

Zhuang Quanhai’s resentment surged instantly, and he gave Lang Jiuchuan a long, pained look.

Lang Jiuchuan smiled awkwardly: “Forgot to mention — this signboard of mine has been treated. When a ghost patron arrives, they will wait within the signboard.”

That soul formation was a soul-nurturing array. She had expended considerable spiritual energy carving it.

Zhuang Quanhai stretched out a smile that looked worse than crying.

Suddenly a gust of yin wind drifted out from the signboard. Zhuang Quanhai instinctively pressed close to her side, one hand bracing his trembling leg, and gazed forward with great trepidation.

“The proprietress of this shop is actually a young lady?” Slowly, before Lang Jiuchuan, there materialized a general clad in battle armor and wearing a tasseled cap.