Ma Ru wiped the sweat off his face and cautiously asked, "What does the master wish to inquire about?"
"What do you think?" Lin Ji squinted slightly.
"Yes, I understand," Ma Ru replied repeatedly. "The master must be asking why the people in the county are all listless?"
"Mm."
"I am not clear about this matter either, let the constable from the county speak," Ma Ru said.
Seeing Lin Ji did not object, Ma Ru quickly called a bailiff and gave a few instructions.
Soon, a strong man in his thirties appeared in the back hall.
"Constable Chang Huai from Shan Yuan County, I have seen the chief constable."
After bowing, Chang Huai's gaze fell on Lu Zhao'er, hesitating as he asked, "Who is this?"
"This is Lu Youxing," Lin Ji introduced casually.
"Youxing official?" Chang Huai's expression changed suddenly.
Who under the jurisdiction of the Monitoring Bureau did not know the reputation of Youxing official? If not seen often, it was fine, but if seen, it would definitely be a case that even the capital was paying attention to.
After bowing again, Chang Huai asked in a low voice, "May I ask Chief Lin, is something major going to happen in Shan Yuan County?"
Lu Zhao'er ignored him and just looked at Lin Ji.
"It's none of your concern," Lin Ji said bluntly, "What's the matter with the people in the county?"
As he spoke, Lin Ji squinted slightly and secretly probed the situation in the county office with his divine sense.
But the result was beyond Lin Ji's expectations.
"Huh? Even you all are like this?"
Lin Ji stood up, approached Ma Ru and Chang Huai, scrutinized them closely, and exclaimed in surprise, "One at the third realm of cultivation, the other holding an official position, both blessed by the protection of the Great Qin Empire, yet you both look so weak?"
"This..." Chang Huai looked embarrassed, "Chief, as you may have noticed, there is a disturbance caused by some evil spirit in the county."
Lin Ji sat back in his seat.
"Explain."
Chang Huai nodded, "This has been going on for nearly a month, but the vengeful spirit has not harmed anyone."
"Vengeful spirit?" Lin Ji raised an eyebrow and looked at Lu Zhao'er, "Have you heard of this?"
"I have not, and it is not recorded in the supernatural tales," Lu Zhao'er replied.
Chang Huai continued, "Chief, this vengeful spirit comes from a legend in our Shan Yuan County."
Lin Ji looked at Chang Huai.
"The customs in Shan Yuan County are conservative, the families in the county do not like to interact with outsiders, marriages and funerals are all conducted within the county, rarely involving outsiders."
"About a month ago, the young master of the Jiang family in the county, Jiang Changqing, brought back a woman to marry. But on the second day of the wedding, the woman fell seriously ill and died."
"Died the next day?" Lin Ji sneered, finding this matter strange.
Lin Ji gestured for Chang Huai to continue.
"We have a legend in our county that says if a woman who marries into Shan Yuan County dies prematurely in the county, her ghost will turn into a vengeful spirit and bring retribution to the county."
"How does this vengeful spirit exact revenge?" Lin Ji was quite curious.
It had been a month and no one had died, yet all the people in the county were losing their vitality.
What kind of strange method was this?
Upon hearing Lin Ji's words, Chang Huai subconsciously glanced at Lu Zhao'er, finding it difficult to speak.
"Speak up!" Lu Zhao'er said.
Chang Huai hesitated, "It's... erotic dreams."
"Erotic dreams?!" Lin Ji's voice suddenly rose.
Lu Zhao'er blushed beside him.
"Yes, as long as the men in the county fall asleep, they will have erotic dreams. The women in the dreams cannot be clearly seen, but they are extremely graceful, causing people to have restless nights," Chang Huai explained.
"No one is dying, so isn't this matter harmless?" Lin Ji rubbed his chin and said.
"Disgusting," Lu Zhao'er glared at Lin Ji.
Lin Ji ignored her.
"Chief, once or twice might be bearable, but every night like this, no one can endure it. Waking up every day feeling weak and losing vitality, this will surely shorten one's lifespan. This is just me, for the common people..."
"That's true," Lin Ji understood. Everything had a limit, going beyond it would only lead to harm.
"So long has passed, why hasn't it been resolved?" Lin Ji asked further.
"We have been trying to solve this matter, but we have not been able to figure it out, so it has dragged on until now."
"It has been a month and this matter hasn't been resolved. Why not report it to Liang City?"
"I have thought about reporting it, but at that time, Liang City was also preoccupied, and besides..." Chang Huai seemed uneasy.
"And besides, no one has died yet, right? Does someone have to die before it attracts attention?" Lin Ji knew it was pointless to pursue further, so he stood up directly and said, "Is this matter related to the Jiang family? Then lead the way, let's go to the Jiang family."
Chang Huai quickly agreed.
Following Chang Huai, Lin Ji and Lu Zhao'er arrived at the Jiang family in Shan Yuan County.
Unlike Qingyang County, Shan Yuan County was conservative and secluded, with few prominent families, and the Jiang family was one of the few prominent families.
Upon entering the Jiang family, the patriarch of the Jiang family, Jiang Song, was already waiting in the hall.
Around sixty years old, with gray hair, he had a stern face.
Before Lin Ji could speak, Jiang Song coldly said, "The matter is already in the past, you don't need to ask anymore!"
He obviously knew the purpose of Chang Huai's visit.
Chang Huai whispered, "Old Jiang, this is the chief constable from Liangzhou."
Outsiders were not familiar with the official positions in the Monitoring Bureau, so the title of chief constable was more prestigious than the Youxing official.
But Jiang Song's face remained stern.
"I have not committed any crime, it's just a family matter gone wrong! Why does the chief constable from Liangzhou have to meddle in my family affairs?"
Chang Huai looked at Lin Ji helplessly.
Lin Ji said straightforwardly, "I naturally cannot interfere in your family affairs, but this matter has already affected the entire Shan Yuan County, it is no longer just your family matter."
"So what?"
Lin Ji squinted, saying slowly, "If you do not cooperate, I will arrest you and your accomplices on the grounds of colluding with evil spirits, execute a few, and banish the rest. How about that?"
Lu Zhao'er subconsciously glanced at Lin Ji, showing some surprise in her eyes.
"Do you dare?" Jiang Song stood up suddenly.
Lin Ji just sneered, the threat in his smile was intense.
After a long silence, Jiang Song was eventually afraid.
"This matter... is a misfortune for our family."
Jiang Song looked at a servant on the side and waved his hand, "Go and bring that unfilial son out."
The servant left.
Not long after, a handsome young man walked into the hall.
He was Jiang Changqing.
After coming out, Jiang Changqing lowered his head slightly, hunched his body, looking timid.
It was obvious that the servant had already briefed him on some things.
Therefore, after bowing to Jiang Song, Jiang Changqing looked directly at Lin Ji.
"Master, my wife fell ill and died, there is nothing suspicious about this matter."
Lin Ji frowned, about to ask further.
But Jiang Changqing continued, "Besides, she has already married into the Jiang family, whether alive or dead, it is our Jiang family's own business, it has nothing to do with others."
Jiang Song also said coldly on the side, "Did you hear that? That's how it is! Now, we don't even know if she is behind the strange happenings in the county!"
Upon hearing this, Lu Zhao'er wanted to speak up and interrogate, but she was held back by Lin Ji.
"Since you are unwilling to speak, I won't force you."
Lin Ji stood up and left, with Lu Zhao'er and Chang Huai following behind.
After leaving the Jiang family, Lu Zhao'er finally asked, "Why didn't you let me speak just now? The Jiang family is clearly hiding something."
Lin Ji shook his head, "If the Jiang family members were willing to cooperate, Constable Chang wouldn't have been at a loss for so long. Asking like this won't get us anywhere, we need to present the evidence before questioning."
Thank you to the readers who have supported and invested, and also thank you to those who pointed out typos, thank you!
(End of this chapter)