TGCFNM -Chapter 195 Meeting Them

Huang Ling was surrounded by several people, his face growing increasingly grim. He barked sharply over his shoulder, “Come help me, quickly!”

His voice was deep and commanding, cutting through the night. Yet there was no response. When Huang Ling glanced back, not only did no one come to his aid, they actually took a step back.

“How dare you ignore my orders! Do you want to die?!”

Before his words even left his throat, Xiao Hua’s fist shot forward, smashing into him, while Zhang Dong lashed his whip to entangle Huang Ling’s legs.

Huang Ling raised his hands to block, but all he heard was a dull thud. He felt as if his bones were shattering. The next moment, his legs gave way, and he was completely flipped onto the ground.

“Hold him down!” Su He shouted.

Wan Sanjin and Zhang Dong immediately moved in, pinning Huang Ling firmly to the ground.

Su He calmly took out a pouch of medicine, pried open Huang Ling’s mouth, and force-fed it to him, then nonchalantly signaled the two men to let go.

“Cough… cough… cough…!”

Huang Ling coughed violently, attempting to claw at his own throat, but a sudden wave of dizziness overtook him. His limbs convulsed, his vision darkened, and he passed out completely.

Wan Sanjin called for someone, “Bind him and take him to the jail.”

Soon, a few men approached, tied up Huang Ling, and prepared to take him away. As they passed the carriage outside, one of them whispered softly, “Prince Wang says, we shall follow the orders of the magistrate.” With that, they hurried off.

Chu Ling lifted the curtain to glance inside, then quickly let it fall again.

Bai Su’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Seems nothing can escape this person’s notice.”

“If he wants to seize power, he naturally needs meticulous planning. It would be strange if Dongle City had no one of his,” said the Ghost Scholar, gripping his fan and glancing toward the general beside him.

The general’s eyes were sewn shut, his mouth stitched shut. Even if someone wanted to question him, there was no way to know where to start.

Soon, Wan Sanjin and the others climbed into the carriage, with Zhang Dong driving straight toward the prefecture office. No one dared to stop them.

Once at the prefecture office, they dispersed to their rooms to rest.

Chu Ling closed the door tightly and stared at the terrified face before her, involuntarily drawing in a sharp breath. Her fingers trembled slightly. “Who… are you?”

The general ghost followed the sound of her voice with his gaze but couldn’t speak. He slowly raised his hands, seemingly trying to gesture something.

The Ghost Scholar focused. “Can you write?”

The general ghost wrote the character “Ma” in the air, then lowered his hands and remained still.

The Ghost Scholar blinked. “Is that your surname? You only recognize the character Ma?”

The general ghost nodded.

Chu Ling looked at him and continued, “Why were you at the city gate? Did you die there, or are your remains there?”

The general ghost waved his hand and then pointed toward Chu Ling, following her voice.

After a moment, a chill ran down Chu Ling’s spine. She asked in disbelief, “You mean… you noticed us at the graveyard and then followed us all the way here?”

The general ghost nodded.

Chu Ling touched the goosebumps forming on her arms. Her throat felt scratchy and dry, and every hair on her body stood on end.

The Ghost Scholar asked, “So your grave isn’t far from Lord Cheng’s?”

The general ghost shook his head, not knowing who Lord Cheng was.

Chu Ling pinched the bridge of her nose, making up her mind. “Tomorrow, when we dig up Lord Cheng’s tomb, we’ll also check the surrounding graves for anyone surnamed Ma. If we find one, we’ll excavate it too.”

Bai Su hesitated. “What if we dig the wrong one?”

Chu Ling shivered and said, “I can’t worry about so many things right now. I must find out who this person really is!”

Otherwise… this is way too terrifying!

—

The next day.

Chu Ling emerged from the room, her eyes dark and sunken, and sat on the stone bench in the courtyard, looking utterly drained.

When Xiao Hua brought over the morning meal, she hurriedly asked, “Sir, what’s wrong with you?”

Chu Ling weakly waved her hand. “Nothing.”

At that moment, Wan Sanjin also came over. Seeing Chu Ling’s appearance, he laughed and asked, “Sir, did you run into a ghost? Why do you look like a walking corpse?”

Chu Ling glared at Wan Sanjin with a dark expression, thinking maybe she should let a few more ghosts possess him a couple of times.

“Eek, sir, staring at me like that is seriously creepy,” Wan Sanjin said, lifting a bowl of plain porridge and sipping it while asking, “Could it be a nightmare?”

Chu Ling couldn’t help but rub her forehead. Last night, she had dreamed over and over that the general’s ghost was chasing her. She ran faster and faster to escape, pushing herself to the point of exhaustion, never daring to stop.

When she finally woke up, her limbs were sore, and she had no strength at all—she wasn’t sure if it was a lingering effect from her dream-escape.

“Sir! Sir!” Zhang Dong came over shouting, “The Si family says they want to settle accounts with you.”

Chu Ling picked up a bowl of plain porridge, blew on it, and drank it straight down. “Perfect. I’ll go meet them.”

Wan Sanjin hurriedly finished his porridge in a few bites and followed along to watch the show.

Chu Ling walked straight to the main gate of the prefecture office. Facing the Si family, who had brought a large crowd, and the throngs of onlookers gathered three layers deep on both sides, she strode directly toward them.

Si Qing and Cheng Yunshu were carried on stretchers. Both were utterly embarrassed and dared not lift their heads.

Step by step, Chu Ling approached the Si family members, her exhausted face fixed in a grim stare as she locked eyes with the one leading them. “What’s the matter?”

The man hesitated, then immediately shouted angrily, “You owe me an explanation today!”

“And what exactly are you, that I should give you an explanation?” Chu Ling sneered.

“I am of the Si family…”

“Yes, I know. You’re a branch of the Si family. Even without you, they could support another branch. You’re completely insignificant,” Chu Ling cut him off.

“You… you left the city at midnight, heading to—”

Chu Ling rolled her eyes. “What does that have to do with you? Do imperial officials need your permission to investigate a case? Just because you’re older and thick-skinned doesn’t give you the right to shamelessly interfere.”

“You… you forced them to stamp their fingerprints!” The man finally found a point to attack, holding his breath, his eyes nearly bulging.

Chu Ling turned her gaze to the two on the stretchers. “Did I force you to stamp the fingerprints, or did you set a trap to murder an imperial official with the intention of rebelling?”

Si Qing suddenly raised his head. “When did we ever rebel?!”

“The power to take life or grant it lies solely in the hands of the emperor. Anyone else who acts on their own is attempting treason,” Chu Ling said.

“You’re talking nonsense! Never happened!” Si Qing shouted, terrified.

Chu Ling then looked at the man in charge. “Hear that? Never happened.”

“You—”

“If you want me to officially open an investigation, go ahead and provoke me,” Chu Ling said coldly, threatening.

The leader’s white-streaked beard trembled in anger. He gritted his teeth and said under his breath, “You probably don’t know what place this is!”

Chu Ling lowered her voice and shot back, “If you have the guts to try and assassinate me again, we’ll see who dies and who lives!”