Thirty miles out of Jingzhou City is Hongjia Village.

Ji Yuan was dressed in regular clothes and sitting on Hu Leibao's horse, as if he were the younger brother of a general from a high-ranking family.

That cold and stern temperament that is different from the vulgar world cannot be concealed no matter what.

By luck, he was promoted to the title of king, which was like a great force, and the heaven and earth favored him, making him stand out among all living beings.

In particular, Pei Tu, who looks like a pretty boy next to him, wearing fresh clothes and carrying a knife, attracts even more attention.

Tread!

Tap tap tap!

The horses' hooves trampled through the muddy official road and turned into the more difficult narrow path.

After about half a stick of incense, Ji Yuan arrived at the entrance of Hongjia Village, where a few strong men and women were squatting under a big tree.

As soon as they saw an unfamiliar face, they stood up quickly and immediately stepped forward to interrogate him.

However, he was intimidated by the extraordinary Hu Lei Leopard under Ji Yuan's crotch, as well as the noble navy blue military robe.

A few idle men were more polite and asked:

"Where does this young master come from? Where is he going?"

Facing such little minions, there is no need for Ji Yuan to speak out, Pei Tu can deal with it on his own.

Although Pei Silang was born with a good temper and looked weak and kind, in the end he was a bullfighting flag from Fusi, Beizhen.

He raised his eyelids and held down the knife, his face slightly cold:

"The road faces the sky on each side. What are your backgrounds? Are you so generous? Where do you come from and where do you go? I have to report to you?"

A few idle men felt the aura of having been killed, and their legs became weak on the spot, and they could only stammer:

"The village chief... told us to stay here... and don't let outsiders..."

Pei Tu didn't bother to argue with a few idle men in the village. He pulled the reins casually to scare them away, and then said:

"Master Qianhu, this Hongjia Village is a little weird.

They had clearly reported to the officials and sent the man surnamed Hou to the Yamen.

Isn’t it a bit... hindsight to try to cover it up after the matter got serious?"

Ji Yuan had an idea and took a look at the Huangtian Dao Diagram, but found nothing unusual.

As he rode forward, he smiled and said:

"I'm afraid there is some inside story."

Hongjia Village is not big, with a total of seventy or eighty households.

Ji Yuan and Pei Tu were strangers to each other, and they were very eye-catching as they rode tall horses.

As soon as he entered the village, Li Zheng came with Qing Zhuang:

"This village is plagued by ghosts, so we will not entertain you.

I also ask the two gentlemen to stop here, lest they encounter any misfortune and lose their lives in vain."

Ji Yuan turned over and dismounted, loosened the reins and let the Hulei Leopard look for food on its own.

Then, he said calmly:

"If that's the case, why don't we see the officers and soldiers?

According to the laws of the Jing Dynasty, if ghost trouble occurs anywhere, it must be reported to the state government and the residents must be evacuated.

Officers and soldiers guard the main roads to prevent outsiders from entering by mistake.

Hongjiacun doesn’t even understand this rule?"

Li Zheng's heart skipped a beat, as this young master spoke in terms of court regulations.

Every word and action has an inexplicable strong power.

It was even more awe-inspiring than the county magistrate, the biggest official he had ever seen.

"I haven't asked the young master yet which high-ranking family in Jingzhou City is he?"

Li Zheng held his breath and concentrated, bent his waist and said:

"Hou Duan was indeed taken to the county government by the Li family, but the county magistrate did not send any officers or soldiers. He only told me to guard the entrance to the village and not to let anyone come to pry.

This young master, our county magistrate has an unusual background.

We all know each other from Head Xie of Huanhua Jianchi and Lord Meng, the state leader."

The meaning behind the words is full of warnings.

Ji Yuan couldn't help but smile when he heard this:

"Dad, what a coincidence, I happen to know Xie Mingliu and Meng Fenglai.

And there’s still a bit of friendship.”

Hearing this young master calmly call out the name of the leader of Huanhua Sword Pool and the Lord of Jingzhou, his face trembled violently, making him even more uncertain about Ji Yuan's background.

I was in a dilemma for a while, not knowing what to do.

I had to turn my head and wink, and let one of the smart young men run to the county government to report the news.

"Old man, I just came here to take a look. Could you please take me to Hou Duan's residence?"

Ji Yuan turned a blind eye to this and did not take the county magistrate seriously at all.

There was a calm demeanor in his words that could not be rejected. Li Zheng did not dare to neglect at all, and nodded repeatedly:

"Okay, okay! Master, please come with me!"

He dispersed the aggressive group of young men and led the way.

After walking around several fields and crossing a river embankment, Ji Yuan saw several dilapidated thatched houses.

"That's Hou Duan's family. He was studying in a private school, but his father slipped and fell into the river and drowned. His mother suffered a serious illness and did not survive.

In order to raise money to buy medicine, several acres of thin farmland were also sold to the Li family.

Now only these few thatched houses remain."

Li Zheng sighed and thought to himself:

"Later Hou Duan worked as a tenant farmer for the Li family. He was a decent man and was able to live a good life.

But about half a decade ago, he often told some familiar tenant farmers in the same village that something strange happened at home."

Ji Yuan was not bothered and took over the conversation and asked:

"There is no one at home, but there is hot rice and meat dishes?"

Li Zheng hummed, but there was no fear in his eyes. Liaodong is a place of hundreds of battles, and it is normal for ghosts to linger and make some noise.

That's why there are various folk customs such as walking in the shadows, stopping spirits, and protecting immortals.

"The people in the village are chatty and there is no airtight wall. As soon as this matter was told to the outside world, it quickly spread to the Li family.

The next day, someone took Hou Duan to the Yamen and accused him of secretly worshiping ghosts and gods and seeking wealth and death."

Ji Yuan's eyes flashed and he asked with a chuckle:

"What do you think, father-in-law?"

Li Zheng shook his head and said:

"The Li family and the county magistrate are related by marriage. Right or wrong depends entirely on their mouths. What they have to say."

Ji Yuan did not continue to ask questions and pushed open the fence, which was almost like an empty wooden door.

The courtyard is quite simple, with a large water tank and an empty chicken coop.

After walking further into the room, the tables, chairs and benches fell to the floor, and the bedding on the kang had also been turned over.

It’s a mess, with almost no place to stay.

"This is?"

Ji Yuan looked back at Li Zheng, who scratched his head and confessed truthfully:

"After Hou Duanduo was sent to the county government, the Li family came again and said that they had lost a lot of property and wanted to see if it had been hidden."

Pei Tu, who was following behind, sneered:

"I guess you didn't find the treasure in the end?"

Li Zheng smiled sarcastically. He couldn't afford to offend the Li family, who had an old relationship with the county magistrate, and he also didn't want to offend this young master who couldn't figure out his origins.

It doesn't matter if you get a little bit angry, as long as there are no more branches.

Ji Yuan put his hands behind his back and walked to the large vat in the corner of the courtyard.

The water has not been changed for several days, and there is a slight layer of turbidity.

"It's really a cheesy story about a ghost repaying a favor."
To be continued...