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From the current clues, it seemed clear that Zhao Fusheng's entry into the city, becoming a commander of Zhen Mo Si (Demon-Suppressing Division), followed by her strange good fortune, then bad luck, and ultimately her death at the hands of a ghostly being—along with the death of her parents—suggested that the Fan brothers likely had ill intentions from the beginning.
Unfortunately, the clues were too few.
The original Zhao Fusheng was naive, narrow-minded, and timid, which meant she didn't scrutinize many things deeply.
But now, the reincarnated Zhao Fusheng was very different. She was calm, observant, and skilled at picking out useful information from small, seemingly insignificant details.
Based on the original Zhao Fusheng's memories, even though the Fan brothers were twins, she had spent several months with them and had learned a few tricks to tell them apart.
The older brother, Fan Bishi, was cunning, reserved in speech, and had a deeper, more scheming personality. His skin tone was slightly darker than his younger brother's.
The younger brother, Fan Wujie, though still difficult to deal with, was more impulsive and hot-tempered compared to his older sibling. His skin tone was lighter, and most notably, he had a small mole on his earlobe.
Additionally, from the original Zhao Fusheng's observations, both brothers seemed to have some hidden abilities, although she had never dared to probe further. However, it was clear that Fan Wujie had sharp ears, as even the slightest whispers couldn't escape his attention.
It was likely that the two brothers had deliberately set a trap for the original Zhao Fusheng. They had been cautious in their interactions with her, knowing she was timid and reserved. Even though they had relaxed a bit as time passed, Fan Bishi had always followed the principle of "the more you speak, the more you risk revealing" and never let slip any useful information.
However, there was one thing they had said in the beginning that, upon reflection, now seemed suspicious.
The Fan brothers had mentioned that the previous head of Zhen Mo Si had died, and now the entire division was left with only the two of them.
Zhao Fusheng wasn't very familiar with the size of the county, but from her memories, Jiumen Village was just one of many villages in the area, and the town itself was only a small part of the larger county.
Given this, it didn't make sense that a single division in such a large area could be properly managed by just two people. Even if ghostly beings were rampant and the government was short-handed, the Demon-Suppressing Division in such a large county would need at least ten people to operate effectively, excluding the various assistants and minor staff.
However, when the original Zhao Fusheng entered the city, she found that there were no other people working in Zhen Mo Si. The offices on both sides and the back rooms were all abandoned, indicating that the place had been deserted for a long time, showing clear signs of decay.
Now, reflecting on everything, Zhao Fusheng couldn't shake the feeling that there was something sinister lurking behind all of this. The buildings themselves reeked of ghostly, bloody energy, as if many people had died there, leaving behind an aura of resentment that would not dissipate.
Moreover, Zhen Mo Si was a division with great significance. Even if people had died or been injured, it should have recruited new staff or reported the lack of manpower to the imperial court to have more officials sent. It was impossible that it had been left in such a dismal state, as Fan Bishi had described.
The idea that "under the guidance of the previous head, a clueless village girl was brought to Zhen Mo Si to become the head of the division" seemed utterly ridiculous. But the original Zhao Fusheng had been so naive that she hadn't questioned it at all.
"..."
Zhao Fusheng couldn't help but scoff inwardly.
Now, with the strange events from the previous night, the Fan brothers seemed less cautious when speaking to her. Perhaps they assumed that Zhen Mo Si was empty of living people and had lowered their guard. During their conversation that morning, they had inadvertently revealed more information.
Though Zhao Fusheng had initially been too disoriented to fully understand, she had now grasped some key points from their words: "paper man Zhang," "Zhen Mo Si cursed by ghosts," "ghost domain," "rules," and "blood contracts."
She rubbed her forehead.
As she was lost in thought, the Fan brothers continued to watch her closely. Fan Bishi's expression slowly shifted from cautious to suspicious, his eyes turning cold and calculating, making Zhao Fusheng feel uneasy.
These two brothers were clearly up to no good. From her entry into Zhen Mo Si, her luck had been good, then bad, and she had ultimately died at the hands of a ghost. When paired with the phrase "Zhen Mo Si cursed by ghosts," it became clear that the brothers had intended for the original Zhao Fusheng to be a scapegoat.
Zhao Fusheng instinctively grew wary of them. Seeing Fan Bishi still observing her intently, she decided to speak up:
"I don't know what happened. Yesterday, I was attacked by a ghost. I thought I was doomed, but in the midst of it, I heard thunder and lightning, and I somehow woke up."
As she spoke, she recalled the feeling of being attacked by the evil ghost in her dream. Her face turned pale as she instinctively reached for her neck and chest.
A ghostly hand had passed through her body, and it felt as if the pain of dying at the hands of the ghost still lingered within her. She couldn't stop herself from trembling.
But Zhao Fusheng quickly regained her composure. Her wounds had healed, and although the shadow of the evil ghost still lingered, she tried to push away the fear as she faced the suspicious gazes of the Fan brothers.
"I'm not sure about the details. All I know is that I should be alive now."
Fan Wujie turned to look at his brother, a look of confusion on his face.
Fan Bishi's expression grew darker. After a long pause, he nodded.
"That's good."
Then he asked:
"When did you wake up?"
The moment he asked the question, Zhao Fusheng sensed an underlying malice. After noticing her expression, Fan Bishi didn't even bother to hide his intentions anymore.
"Did you hear our conversation?" he asked coldly.
"Conversation?"
Zhao Fusheng weighed her response carefully before deciding to feign ignorance again.
"After I woke up, everything felt like a bad dream, so I was too stunned to believe it. I rushed out of the mansion to see where I was..."
She had only just woken up, and although she already sensed that the Fan brothers were not trustworthy, she was too weak to confront them directly. So for now, she chose not to expose her suspicions.
"Brother, she..." Fan Wujie sighed with relief after hearing her response and was about to speak, but Fan Bishi smiled faintly:
"Then everything is fine."
He spoke again, his tone softer:
"What ghost attack? You probably had a nightmare. If you were really attacked by a ghost, you wouldn't still be alive. Don't overthink it."
Then he added:
"You've just woken up. Rest for a bit. Wujie, come with me."
He gestured for his younger brother to follow.
Fan Wujie walked toward him, and the two brothers moved around the courtyard and into a side room behind the left wing. Fan Bishi's face turned grim as he muttered:
"This girl is getting smarter."
[--------------------------------------------]
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