I become a god in another world

Chapter 63 Entering the Village
Chapter 63.

But there is another possibility -

Zhao Fusheng's eyes turned to Wu Dajing.

The old man's face was pale and pale, his cheeks were sunken and thin, his beard was stained with blood, and the tip was condensed into a strand.

Could it be that what the village elder said was half true and half false, and he was deceiving himself?Or maybe he was affected by a ghost and his memory was disordered, so his words were inconsistent.

Her eyes flickered, and she touched the withered and shrunken ghost arm without trace. She rubbed her fingertips on the ghost arm for a long time, and finally calmed down her slightly impetuous mood.

Up to now, there are still many suspicious things about this ghost case, but by this time, Zhao Fusheng also received a lot of unexpected information.

She showed extraordinary patience when it came to ghost cases, and was not discouraged when her thinking got stuck.

Zhao Fusheng couldn't figure out this clue for the time being, so she didn't think about it for now. Then she asked Wu Dajing:
"When did your nosebleed start?"

The village elder didn't know that he had already half-stepped into the gate of hell. Hearing this, he said:

"Just what happened a few days ago——"

"After the Wu Li family disappeared?" When Zhao Fusheng said this, he was already [-]-[-]% sure.

Wu Dajing was stunned for a moment, then gave a thumbs up:
"My lord, you are really good at predicting things. It's true."

He said it easily, but Zhao Fusheng's heart sank.

The evil ghost has already started killing people.

By now, she could almost conclude that Wu Liren's family had been killed.

The reason why the ghost disaster got out of control this time was because of the death of Wu Liren's father, Wu Datong.

In this missing case, Wu Datong is the center of the incident. At the same time, this ghost case is very likely to be related to the ghost case of Liu's ancestral hall 40 years ago, and is also related to the ancestors of Paper Man Zhang. Unfortunately, Paper Man Zhang is hiding at this time. No trace found.

Seeing Zhao Fusheng's solemn expression, Wu Dajing thought she was worried about her condition, so he was moved and said:
"Sir, don't worry about me. Maybe our village has bad feng shui, and people have died of bleeding like this in recent years."

Zhao Fusheng raised his head to look at him after hearing this, and Wu Dajing said:

"We are guessing whether one of the graves was not properly buried, causing harm to the descendants." After saying that, with a hint of hope in his eyes, he looked at Zhao Fusheng and said:

"I wonder if your Excellency can go to our village to see the cemetery this time, give us some advice on Feng Shui, and see if we can rectify it—"

Zhao Fusheng was already [-]-[-]% sure about his situation, and he shook his head when he heard this:
"I don't know how to read Feng Shui."

There was a look of disappointment on his face:

"Ah, don't the people from the Demon Suppression Division know how to read Feng Shui?"

Zhao Fusheng shook his head, and the light in his eyes suddenly dimmed. The old man who had been talkative before now finally showed some fear on his face:

"Then, what should I do -"

Zhao Fusheng said nothing, and Zhang Chuanshi replied quietly:
"Life is determined by fate. You have lived to be 67 years old, and you are already good enough."

"I don't want to die -" Wu Dajing murmured.

After that, no one in the car made a sound, except Wu Dajing who scratched his itch from time to time and coughed occasionally.

Along the way, Wu Dajing said nothing except giving directions.

Zhao Fusheng's words seemed to have cut off his hope, making him feel a little depressed.

When the car left the county town, the road was not easy to drive. It was so bumpy that the wheels seemed to fall apart. Before dark, Wu Dajing, who had been silent all the way, finally seemed to have regained some energy and said:

"arrive."

His words broke the silence in the car, and Zhang Chuanshi, who had been holding back due to the influence of this atmosphere, breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhao Fusheng looked out from the car, and sure enough he saw a village built against the mountain in the distance under the misty blue night, hidden in the mountain col.

At this time, the sun has set, and it is time for the whole family to gather together, but there is neither smoke nor lights above the village. It is deserted and deserted, and it looks like a deserted village from a distance.

If it hadn't been for Wu Dajing's identification, Zhang Chuanshi probably wouldn't have discovered that there were still people living in this place.

"You're just trying to make a fool of yourself, why don't you light a lamp?" Zhang Chuanshi muttered.

There is heavy fog in the mountains.

Looking at the surrounding terrain, Goutou Village is located in the mountain valley below, with mist surrounding the village. The moon has not yet come out, the sky is very dark, and the village without any lights looks a bit creepy.

"Where can I find the money to light the lamp——"

Wu Dajing responded with a smile.

Zhang Chuanshi said:
"There should be a fire for cooking, right?"

Wu Dajing replied:
"I'll cook some food at noon. It's hot today, so why use the heat at night? It's a stove and a waste of firewood—"

While speaking, he reached out and scratched his back again, making a "Xisuo" sound.

The two people's words broke the silence. Although Zhang Chuanshi didn't like this village old man who 'brought about ghost cases', he had been holding it in for a whole day and no one spoke. At this time, Wu Dajing answered him and he was willing to talk to the old man. A few words.

"Is your village so poor?"

"Not too poor." Wu Dajing said:

"At least we still have something to eat, so we can live comfortably."

"How much money can you earn this year?" Zhang Chuanshi asked casually.

"We have a large family. I have given birth to three sons and two daughters. Two of my daughters are married. My three sons have given birth to seven grandchildren. All of them are married and have children. There are more than 20 working people in the family. In a year, our family can Earn this amount." After saying that, he held out three fingers.

"30 taels of silver?" Zhang Chuanshi answered, and Wu Dajing nodded:
"Yes."

This topic has nothing to do with the ghost case. Zhao Fusheng didn't say anything at first, but when he heard this, he glanced at Wu Dajing and was a little surprised:
"Your family is actually rich."

She accepted the memories of the original owner, only to realize that the original Zhao couple had no money left after working all year long, and instead were heavily in debt.

Every year after the autumn harvest, countless people come to ask for debts.

After a year of hard work, the grain was moved away one after another, and in the end there was no harvest.

This year, I was really desperate and sold my daughter to the Demon Suppression Division. In the end, the family ended up dying at the hands of the evil ghost.

"That's not true." Zhang Chuanshi shook his head and explained to Zhao Fusheng:

"Don't forget that their family can earn 30 taels a year, but they have to pay a lot of taxes every year. Maybe they are just donkey dung eggs on the outside, but they still owe debts behind the scenes."

"Who said no."

When it came to money, Wu Dajing's expression suddenly turned uglier than when he heard that Zhao Fusheng couldn't read Feng Shui:
"Our family has to pay a total of 28 taels of silver a year in head tax, tolls, and protection tax."

The remaining money was not enough for the family to eat and drink. During the slack period, the family had to do odd jobs and raise livestock to support the family.

In addition, "it depends on God's blessing and no disaster."

If there is a famine year and the harvest from the fields is not enough, not only will it be impossible to make money, but you will also have to repay, and there will be many people who sell their sons and daughters.

"In a disaster year, when you go to a county or town, don't ask for money, just give people food and you will take them away——"

When Zhang Chuanshi said this, he secretly glanced at Zhao Fusheng.

He knew Zhao Fusheng's origins and was afraid that she would be angry when she heard this.

Zhao Fusheng was stunned for a moment.

She knew that people in the Han Dynasty were poor, but after her rebirth, she entered the Demon Suppressing Division. Although she controlled powerful ghosts and her life and death were unpredictable, she had people to serve her food and drink, and she had not experienced the hardship of making a living.

At this time, hearing Wu Dajing mention these things seemed even scarier than talking about encountering ghosts.

"Taxes are so high?" she asked.Zhang Chuanshi turned his head and looked at Wu Dajing, both of them smiled bitterly.

The atmosphere became cold for a moment. After a while, Zhang Chuanshi broke the silence:

"The imperial court measured the land and took it." He drove the carriage towards the village and said:
"Anyway, the court has given up on our area, so there's no harm in talking about it."

He said:

"A few years ago, when the old emperor was in power, he encouraged farming."

"Farming is a good thing." Zhao Fusheng hesitated before answering.

"What's better!" Wu Dajing shook his head:

"I think it was a stupid move. When the imperial court encouraged land reclamation, they said there would be rewarded rice grains for the amount of land opened. We went to open the land at that time and worked hard for more than half a year. In the end, we didn't receive the rice grain. The government said it was for accounting purposes."

At that time, everyone was complaining, but the officials who had made great achievements in opening up wasteland were rewarded by the court after measuring the land. It didn't take long for them to rise to prominence and be promoted and transferred.

"The land that was opened will be credited to us, and we will have to pay taxes in the coming year." These lands were opened at that time, but it was a pity that the poor people did not have enough to eat, and there were not many seeds left, and most of the wasteland was opened. It just fell into disrepair and eventually became desolate.

However, the people did not cultivate the land, but these reclaimed lands were recorded in the records and became iron-clad fields, and the taxes each person had to pay were real.

"It accumulates year by year, which is not a small amount."

When Zhao Fusheng heard Wu Dajing say this, his face showed a look of disbelief:
"Isn't this the case that officials are making false achievements and leaving confused accounts to the common people?"

Wu Dajing smiled bitterly:
"In addition, there is another local tax." He said this with worry.

"What tax?" Zhao Fusheng asked.

"Where's the protection fee from the Demon Suppression Division?" Zhang Chuanshi replied smoothly.

"What?" Zhao Fusheng said in disbelief:

"I haven't received any protection money from the Demon Suppression Division?"

There was a look of remorse on Zhang Chuanshi's face. He spoke too fast, and some words came up before he could think of them. When Zhao Fusheng asked, he had to bite the bullet and answer:

"Sir, you are kind and have indeed not accepted it yet."

"But according to the previous rules of the Demon Suppressing Division, the commanders and envoys at the top did not get involved in collecting protection fees and taxes. They were all done by the servants below. This amount of money is more than the imperial court's exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes. The apportionment If it comes to everyone’s head, it must be dealt with.”

After he finished speaking, he whispered again:
"We also had to pay in the past. The corpse slaves in my shop had to pay two silver coins every year."

After the servants collected the money, they handed half of it to the Demon Suppressing Commander, part of it was given to the envoys for use, and the other part was put into their own pockets.

So when Zhao Fusheng mentioned that he wanted to recruit handymen, Fan Wujiu was confused: How much money does it cost to recruit handymen?Didn’t it mean that as soon as the news was released, a large number of people rushed to do it?

Zhao Fusheng looked a little ugly.

Zhang Chuanshi could sense that she was in a bad mood and felt uneasy. He didn't know if he should bring up this topic with her.

"But my lord, you are different from the previous demon-suppressing commanders. After you take office, our Wan'an County -"

"Okay, stop flattering me." Zhao Fusheng interrupted Zhang Chuanshi's words and asked Wu Dajing:

"In the past few months, have you been charged protection fees from the Demon Suppression Division?"

"..." Wu Dajing did not dare to say anything and glanced at Zhang Chuanshi with a pitiful expression.

No matter how stupid he was, he knew that this topic made Zhao Fusheng feel bad. He didn't want to talk about it anymore, so Zhao Fusheng said:

"Say!"

The village elder was so frightened that he said:
"Take it, take it." He nodded and bowed:

"The adults in the town have said that the imperial court's tax arrears can be temporarily postponed until next spring, but the money for the Demon Suppression Division cannot be delayed for a moment."

"How much money does your family have to pay each year?" Zhao Fusheng asked again.

Wu Dajing said honestly:
"A family has to pay 20 taels of silver a year."

"..."

Zhao Fusheng suddenly felt that the problem in Wan'an County was not just the murderous ghosts.

The exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes in this world have almost forced ordinary people to despair. Plus, with evil spirits roaming around, how can ordinary people survive?
"After receiving so much money, the Demon Suppression Department still dares not to do some ghost cases?" She was a little surprised.

Zhang Chuanshi curled his lips:
"What's so strange about that? Whose life is not life?"

The commander uses the power of the ghost, but he has to risk his life.

It's another thing to return the money when it's time to collect it. It's another thing to kill someone.

What's more, powerful power is in the hands of the commander, how dare the people not give up?Even if the Demon Suppressing Division collects the protection fee and the Commander is unwilling to take action, so what?What can the people do?

"It's hard to say." Zhang Chuanshi shook his head.

Zhao Fusheng was stunned on the spot and did not speak for a long time.

In this moment, the carriage was getting closer and closer to the village, and you could see the tall door sign in front of the village entrance.

As Wu Dajing said, Kotou Village is not big and there are not many people there.

The people in the village may be related to each other and live close to each other. The shape of the village is similar to a large alley courtyard, built around a mountain col, and accessed through the archway gate at the entrance of the village.

This place is quite far from the town, so there shouldn't be many people visiting on weekdays. The arrival of the carriage attracted the attention of many people.

Many people stood at the door with bowls in their hands and looked into the distance, with expressions of curiosity and speculation.

Wu Dajing approached the door and leaned out to take a look. He saw a middle-aged man carrying a bowl in the distance and suddenly waved to him:
"Li You, Li You!"

He shouted twice, and the man turned around. When he saw him, he shouted:

"father--"

"Go back quickly and ask your mother to take your wife to make a fire right away. There are guests at home. I invited Mr. Zhao and Mr. Zhang from the Demon Suppression Division to come to the village to handle the case!"

As soon as they heard "Suppressing Demon Division", the crowd gasped and took a few steps back.

Wu Li looked at a loss, and Wu Da hated that iron could not become steel:

"Go!"

"Oh oh oh." He responded, then ran away, shouting as he ran: "Mother, mother——"

"..." Wu Dajing felt a little embarrassed and felt proud.

The vehicle stopped in front of the village gate, and the horses entered the threshold, but the two wooden wheels were stuck outside the threshold.

"Master Zhao—"

Zhang Chuanshi jumped out of the carriage and shouted. Zhao Fusheng also got off the carriage without waiting for him to urge him.

As soon as she got out of the car, Wu Dajing also got out of the car, and the surrounding villagers rushed towards him. They put down their bowls and chopsticks, helped to lift the vehicle, and pushed the vehicle into the courtyard.

"For meritorious service, you go and take the horse away and serve him well."

Wu Dajing ordered:
"Your Excellency has come to our village to handle a case. If you have any good things at home, take them out and stop hiding them—"

At this time, Wu Dajing was completely different from the submissive person he had been in the Demon Suppression Division. He straightened his back, and all the villagers responded to the scolding. Some helped pull the carts, others led the horses. Some even wanted to greet him enthusiastically. He took Zhang Chuanshi to his home to wash his face and hands.

These people have the wrong person.

He mistook Zhang Chuanshi for a big shot in the Demon Suppression Division, and regarded Zhao Fusheng as his maid, which made a big mistake.

(End of this chapter)