8mi 028 Who is the evil spirit?
028 Who is the evil spirit?
Looking at the constables who were spitting saliva and filth, Ning Kui couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.
Why bother?
He immediately announced, "Next, assemble at the training ground. I, the Chief Constable, will personally test your combat capabilities!"
The first person to be examined was the constable who had led the disturbance.
Upon first meeting him, Ning Kui kicked him in the leg and broke it, telling him to go home and lie in bed for a year and a half before anything else.
Next, anyone who harbors hostility towards him should be eliminated, even if it means killing the wrong person.
Rather than leading a large but disloyal army, Ning Kui would prefer a smaller but obedient group of subordinates.
Given the current situation, only swift and decisive measures can completely overturn the existing order and restore order.
Soon, the original sixty-person constables' office was reduced to only twenty people still standing.
How many of them truly submit remains to be seen; we'll have to wait and see.
"Very good. Those of you still standing are the elites of my constables' office. Your monthly salary will be doubled, starting this month."
Furthermore, to enhance your combat effectiveness, this kind of guidance will be provided once a month. I hope you will all take it seriously.
While Ning Kui violently reorganized the constables' office, Magistrate Yun and Li Qijue on the other side also forced the civil officials to express their submission.
Do you really think that Li Qijue has been in Yugu County for so long, and that he goes out to wander around every night instead of sleeping?
It wouldn't be too easy for these lawless clerks to gather evidence of their corruption and abuse of power.
Those who obey them will have their positions temporarily retained and will be put on hold.
Those who disagree will be dismissed from their posts and replaced with others.
Those who take a hard line, or even attempt violent resistance, are immediately imprisoned and punished; even members of the clan involved cannot escape punishment.
The first day that Magistrate Yun took over the Yugu County government office ended amidst such sweeping personnel upheavals.
Everything that happened here naturally did not escape Lin Wenlong's notice.
He remained calm and composed in the Lin family's guest hall, his skin as white as paper, making his two small mustaches particularly noticeable.
The real power holders in Uotani Prefecture were seated on the left and right sides, respectively.
County Commandant Zhang Qingde, and Registrar Liu Kanzhi.
And countless local gentry and noble families.
"So, our new magistrate is quite the outsider, with very ruthless methods."
Lin Wenlong calmly offered a few comments, then looked at Liu, the registrar, on his right: "Have the files been tampered with?"
Registrar Liu smiled and cupped his hands, saying, "Those who don't get along with us, stay in the archives."
"The county magistrate is truly a brilliant strategist! He's made the rebel-suppressing officers our henchmen, while we seize the opportunity to annex their assets. Truly ingenious!"
The local gentry below the hall echoed in agreement: "The county magistrate's methods are brilliant; we are truly impressed."
"Hey, we've known each other in Yugu County for hundreds of years, we're related by blood, no need to be so polite."
Lin Wenlong smiled and waved his hand, but a cold glint flashed in his eyes as he picked up his teacup to drink.
All of this is just a delaying tactic.
When everything was ready and the curtain rose, everyone except the Lin family was like fish on a chopping block at the dinner table.
"Master, Madam says you should go inside to practice your martial arts."
A timid voice came from behind the screen.
Lin Wenlong's body stiffened almost imperceptibly, and he felt a ball of fire suddenly ignite in his lower abdomen, as if ants were gnawing at his entire body.
Upon seeing this, the expressions of the people below the hall also became unnatural.
County Lieutenant Zhang Qingde took the lead in taking his leave, and before County Magistrate Lin could respond, everyone crowded together and left.
"Mei'er~"
Lin Wenlong, without bothering to see his guest off, hurriedly walked towards the back hall.
The burning sensation in his lower abdomen grew stronger and stronger, making him somewhat resentful that he had built such a large house.
When they arrived at the backyard and pushed open the gate, they saw their son, Lin Qimo, walking out with reluctance.
His face immediately darkened: "You wretched child, what are you doing here!"
Lin Qimo was about seventeen or eighteen years old, and his skin was even paler than his father's.
Upon hearing this, he snorted coldly: "My mother misses me and wants me to come and catch up, what's wrong with that!"
"You wretched child, your mother and I have important business to attend to, get out of here!"
After a short delay, Lin Wenlong became increasingly impatient and quickly told Lin Qimo to get lost.
Upon hearing this, Lin Qimo refused to leave. His eyes flashed with jealousy and resentment as he stared intently at Lin Wenlong.
"court death!"
Lin Wenlong was furious. A jet-black force appeared in his palm, but before he could make a move, it suddenly vanished.
A chilling yet alluring voice echoed from the courtyard: "Stop! It will break my heart to hurt anyone who gets injured."
"Mo'er, you should go back now. Your mother is feeling unwell."
Lin Qimo glared at Lin Wenlong, snorted coldly, and left.
As he passed by his blood-related father, he cursed in a low voice, "Old man, you'll die eventually!"
Lin Wenlong paid no heed to his curse; now, he was the victor reaping the rewards.
He pushed the door open and entered impatiently.
He was greeted with a reward from the "person" he had loved most since birth.
------
Outside the Lin family's house, a group of people rushed out in two trembling legs.
Zhang Qingde wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with lingering fear, exchanged a glance with Liu, the registrar, and together they left the crowd of local gentry behind and walked alone toward the teahouse.
Once inside the elegant room, they brewed some fine tea and drank it down in one gulp, which made them feel less cold inside.
"Lin Wenlong won't live much longer," Liu, the registrar, sighed.
Zhang Qingde sneered: "It's just that his son has been replaced as the county magistrate, the rules remain the same."
Wasn't it the same twenty years ago?
When the grandfather dies, the son takes over; when the son dies, the grandson takes over.
May wealth and honor be enjoyed generation after generation.
"County Commandant Zhang, what level has the Ghost Mother broken through to?"
"I can't see through it. The Ghost Mother has been parasitizing the Lin family for four hundred years, hasn't she? She has given birth to more than a thousand children for the Lin family."
She ate as many as they gave birth to; Lin Wenlong alone got her pregnant ten times, right? Only Lin Qimo survived.
No one in the Lin family has lived past forty. I remember Lin Wenlong is already thirty-nine.
At the latest next year, Lin Qimo will marry the Ghost Mother and take over Lin Wenlong's position, in every sense of the word.
"Alas, fate is cruel."
Clerk Liu and County Lieutenant Zhang sighed in disbelief. Who could have known that the most prominent Lin family in Yugu County was nothing more than livestock kept by the Ghost Mother, the greatest evil spirit?
Rather than saying that the Lin family controls Yugu County, it would be more accurate to say that the entire city operates under the control of the Ghost Mother.
They are all just puppets on strings.
------
Inside the archives, Ning Kui was flipping through the files.
It contains records of the evil spirits worshipped by various families.
He casually picked up a scroll: "The Yang family in the east of the city worships a female ghost who is at the 'Construction Realm'. Ten years ago, the female ghost went mad and killed more than ten members of the Yang family."
"Strange, humans and ghosts are incompatible, so how can one cultivate the 'Summoning the Gods' technique to borrow the power of a female ghost?"
Pang Hu, the constable who had just been promoted by him, saw that no one was around and took the initiative to step forward and explained with a shameless smile: "Sir, the female ghost of the Yang family was once a wife who married into the Yang family."
She gave birth to a son who was born blind, and was disliked by the Yang family.
Later, her husband took a concubine, who also gave birth to a son. In order to gain power, the concubine strangled the woman to death and faked it as if she had hanged herself.
But that foolish concubine wasn't satisfied with just killing the female ghost; she also falsely accused the ghost's son of molesting her and demanded that the Yang family beat the ghost's son to death in front of the ghost's hanged corpse.
Thus, the female ghost's resentment erupted, transforming her into a vengeful spirit and killing seventeen people in succession.
The concubine's skin was even torn off alive.
Unfortunately, the Yang family used the life of the female ghost's son to control her and force her to serve the Yang family.
In recent years, many people who opposed the Yang family have committed suicide by hanging themselves without explanation.
The Yang family has finally prospered.
Pang Hu clicked his tongue in admiration, his tone tinged with envy.
Ning Kui frowned as he looked at the dossier in his hand, a question rising in his mind.
"Who the hell is this evil spirit?"
Why do the Yang family members look even more sinister than female ghosts?