Chapter 15: No Vengeful Spirit Shall Claim a Life

"Really? That's wonderful. Since you're willing to teach me, what should I call you? I still don't know your name," I asked, a little excited.

"I'm Jue Ling. You may call me whatever you wish, Officer of the Living," he replied.

"Jue Ling? So you're a spirit, not a ghost?"

"Yes. I never said I was a ghost," he replied, still with that cold arrogance.

I thought for a moment—indeed, he'd never claimed to be a ghost. But without something to ward off evil, if Lin Chuan were tainted by ghostly energy, his future as a constable might not go so smoothly. I couldn't let him lose his job.

So I asked, "Besides wearing amulets, are there any other ways to ward off evil?"

"You can carry some glutinous rice with you. It's equally effective," Jue Ling told me.

Right! Now he mentioned it, I remembered—glutinous rice is known to dispel evil. "Thanks. You can go back now," I said.

With that, I turned and ran to the granary, found the jar where the rice was stored, grabbed a generous handful, and returned to the door.

Seeing how long I'd been gone, Lin Chuan eyed me warily, as if suspecting I was tricking him. "What exactly are you up to?"

"Almost done!" I said, pulling out the rice and handing it to him. "Keep this in your bag. It wards off evil."

He looked at me with suspicion, but still took the rice and stuffed it into his trouser pocket.

"Are we ready?" He was already growing impatient.

"All set. Let's go!" I led the way to the village chief's house, with Tan Xiao following as well. After all, once this was resolved, one of them would need to take Luo Wenyuan, and the other would need to take Zhao Xue's spirit.

Outside the chief’s courtyard, I saw Xiao Fang and Xiao Yuan, the two little ghosts, crouched on either side, covering their ears. I asked, "What's happening inside now?"

"You’re asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?" Lin Chuan thought I was speaking to him and replied, baffled.

I glanced at him and explained, "If I’m not looking at you, I’m not talking to you."

"Well... fine." Lin Chuan glanced around, perhaps sensing the chill in the air, and said nothing more.

The two little ghosts, seeing me arrive, quickly stood up. "Sir, the wrathful ghost is terrifying. Zhao Xue is turning the Luo family upside down!"

"How exactly?" I asked.

But just as I finished, a shrill scream burst from inside, so piercing I almost had to cover my ears.

"What’s going on?" Lin Chuan tensed, instinctively moving to defend himself.

Seeing his anxiety, I patted his shoulder. "It’s fine. Relax."

"Aren’t we going in?" Lin Chuan asked, frowning.

"We’ll go in, but not yet. We must wait until they invite me. And remember, don’t reveal you’re a constable right away," I said, standing just outside the courtyard, waiting.

"Why—" Lin Chuan began, but before he finished, we heard the chief inside urging his wife, "Quick, fetch Zhang Xiaobei!"

"Why call him? If there’s a haunting, we should call Old Madam Wang," the chief’s wife said.

I couldn’t help but sneer. Today, no one but me could help them.

"Hurry, just get Zhang Xiaobei! Didn’t you hear what he said earlier today?" The chief was anxious.

His wife soon came out to look for me, but upon seeing me at the gate, she called out, "Xiaobei, you’re here! You were right this morning—there really is a haunting in our house. Hurry and help us deal with it!"

"You believe me now?" I asked her.

"I do, of course I do! Hurry, your cousin Wenyuan is almost done in by that she-ghost."

Seeing her so flustered, I glanced at Lin Chuan. "Let’s go."

"Sir, we won’t go in," said the two little ghosts fearfully.

I nodded, then entered the house with Lin Chuan and Tan Xiao.

I had to admit—the resentment of a woman who died unjustly was overwhelming. As soon as I stepped inside, a chill swept over me.

"Zhang Xiaobei, are you certain she’s just causing a disturbance and not actually seeking vengeance?" Tan Xiao asked anxiously.

I shook my head, uncertain.

Tan Xiao rolled her eyes. "I must be cursed to be following you, Zhang Xiaobei!"

"What’s wrong?" I didn’t quite understand.

She glared at me. "Unbelievable!" With that, she hurried inside—presumably to confront Zhao Xue.

I followed, and as I reached Luo Wenyuan’s bedroom, I saw Tan Xiao about to engage Zhao Xue.

"Stop!" I shouted.

Tan Xiao, halted by my shout, looked at me in confusion, then demanded, "Zhang Xiaobei, what are you doing? She’s taking a life! As an officer of the living, you should stop her, not abet her!"

"I never said I wouldn’t intervene. But a life for a life is the way of the world," I said loudly—deliberately, so the chief’s family could hear.

On the bed, Luo Wenyuan was sprawled out, nearly suffocating, with Zhao Xue’s spirit sitting atop his chest, hands wrapped around his throat.

I’d thought only Tan Xiao and I could see the scene inside, but it turned out Lin Chuan saw it too, his eyes wide with terror, speechless.

"Xiaobei, please save your cousin Wenyuan—he’s almost gone!" the chief’s wife cried to me.

I steadied her, then went inside and asked, "Luo Wenyuan, did you kill Zhao Xue?"

"No... I..." Luo Wenyuan stammered, unable to form a sentence.

Hearing me question her son the moment I entered, the chief’s wife began to rail at me. "Zhang Xiaobei, I asked you to save my son, not interrogate him! He’s dying and you’re still questioning him?"

"Auntie, this is saving him," I replied.

She didn’t believe me and, in her fury, lunged to pull Luo Wenyuan up. But before she could touch him, Zhao Xue flung her aside with a single motion, sending her crashing into the wall, where she fainted.

Seeing his wife collapse, the chief was struck dumb with fear—I knew he felt guilty.

"Zhang Xiaobei, you’re not really going to let her kill Luo Wenyuan, are you?" Tan Xiao asked, desperate.

I glanced at her, then approached the bed and said to Zhao Xue, "Let him go. He’s alive; the living must judge the living."

"You just said it yourself—a life for a life!" Zhao Xue spat black smoke as she spoke, her voice piercing.

"Yes, but it’s the law that will judge him, not you or I." I turned to Luo Wenyuan. "Do you have anything to say?"

"Zhang Xiaobei, did you bring her here to kill me?" Luo Wenyuan shouted, eyes red.

"Ungrateful wretch! I’m trying to save you!" I scolded.

"Save me? You just want to send me to prison—save me, my ass!" Luo Wenyuan snarled, his face twisted in pain.

I was furious. "Shouldn’t you go to prison? Don’t tell me you don’t know how Zhao Xue died—otherwise, she wouldn’t have come for you."

"I... I didn’t mean to kill her. She... she wouldn’t listen, that’s all. I lost control and killed her!" Luo Wenyuan blurted out the truth in his rage.

Hearing this, Lin Chuan entered and asked, "What was your relationship? Why did you kill her?"

"Ha! Relationship? Lovers? No, more like employer and employee. I paid her, she let me sleep with her. But she wouldn’t obey! Why wouldn’t she obey? I just wanted a little excitement—why wouldn’t she listen?" Luo Wenyuan shouted, almost deranged.

Zhao Xue’s resentment only grew—if I hadn't stopped her, she might have killed him then and there.

But I understood now—Luo Wenyuan had certain twisted desires, and Zhao Xue refused, which led to this tragedy.

"Enough. Turn him over to the constable and let the law judge him," I said to Zhao Xue.

She looked at Luo Wenyuan, still reluctant. I called her outside the room. "What good does his death do you? If you kill him, and you both become spirits, do you think you’d be able to defeat him? Besides, if you kill him, you’ll be bound by even greater resentment—it won’t end there."

"He’s right," Tan Xiao added, coming to persuade Zhao Xue as well. "Let the living judge Luo Wenyuan for his crime. Only then can he be sent to hell, rather than lingering to torment you further."

Hearing us, Zhao Xue gazed back at the still-struggling Luo Wenyuan. "How will the law punish him? Will he be sentenced to death?"

"I don’t know, but I’ll do my best for you. Do you see that man? He’s a constable—a righteous one. I brought him here to prove it to you," I replied, glancing at Lin Chuan.

"Thank you, Officer of the Living!" At these words, the resentment around Zhao Xue diminished greatly.

"It’s my duty," I said, then turned to Tan Xiao. "You can take her now."

"Let’s wait a bit longer. What if Luo Wenyuan denies everything later? We can scare him a little more," Tan Xiao said, arms crossed.

She seemed genuinely angry after hearing Luo Wenyuan’s confession—perhaps, as a woman, she felt Zhao Xue’s pain more keenly.

But Lin Chuan was still standing there, stunned. I nudged him. "You heard everything just now. How will you handle it?"

"I forgot to record it... Even if I had, I’d still need to take him to the station for a proper interrogation. What’s said here can’t be submitted to the court," he replied.