“Although there aren’t as many deaths as a few days ago, this is a massacre of an entire family! There are only a handful of such cases in the whole of Heluo Dynasty in a year—this is definitely going to draw the attention of Chaoge City.”

“The county magistrate won’t ask why there are so many ghosts in Yuhang Town, he’ll only ask why I, the head constable, haven’t solved the case!”

“Tell me, why are there so many ghosts in Yuhang Town?” David Parker was nearly in tears as he spoke.

Henry Thompson was also a bit puzzled.

Resentful spirits aren’t like cabbages in the field—you can’t just summon one whenever you want.

As the saying goes, troubled times breed evil spirits; conversely, now that the world is at peace and everything is tranquil, there shouldn’t be any evil beings around.

So why have resentful spirits been appearing one after another lately?

Looking at the entire Heluo Dynasty, every day there are people who die with grievances, but only about one in ten thousand of such deaths results in a resentful spirit.

Yet in this tiny Yuhang Town, two have appeared in three days—this is truly strange.

After chatting for a bit, the two finally decided that after dinner tonight, Henry Thompson would go to the county office to find David Parker, and together they would go to the scene to investigate.

This was a lesson Henry Thompson had learned from last time—since ghosts don’t come out during the day anyway, it’s better to wait until dusk, so nothing would be delayed.

There was no point in going too early; waiting around was boring, and he might get entangled by the women at the scene...

Although this time it was a massacre, so there wouldn’t be any “surviving family” drama, still... it’s good to develop good habits.

He had an inexplicable feeling that Yuhang Town might not be peaceful in the days to come.

……

The evening sky was beautiful, with brilliant clouds on the horizon.

David Parker had finished his case visits, investigations, and reports early, and was eagerly waiting in the county office, hoping for Henry Thompson to arrive and for everything to go smoothly tonight.

If Henry Thompson’s exorcism didn’t go well, his own future might not go well either.

But the first thing to arrive wasn’t Henry Thompson, but a plaque.

A heavy plaque, seven inches long and five inches wide, forged from solid iron. On the front was an engraved sky-reaching pagoda, and on the back, three bold characters: 朝天阙.

The plaque fell from the sky, clanging as it landed on David Parker’s desk.

The one who threw the plaque in was a young woman dressed in a purple, waist-cinched brocade outfit. She didn’t look very old.

Her high ponytail was tied with a red silk ribbon, her skin was fair, her brows arched like willows, her eyes bright like apricots, her nose upturned, her lips red—her beauty was as radiant as a peach blossom kissed by dew.

She also had a slender waist and long legs, her figure graceful and curvy.

When she walked, her long legs swung, her slim waist swayed, and the ponytail behind her bounced—making the hearts of all the constables in the office tremble.

But while the young constables’ hearts trembled for her legs, David Parker’s heart trembled for that plaque.

One young man wanted to go up and flirt, just like he usually did, and said, “Miss, you look familiar. Are you here to see...”

“I think your mother looks familiar too!”

David Parker rushed over and kicked his useless subordinate out the door.

The young man tumbled a few times and rolled outside the office, a bit dazed from the fall, but still remembered to straighten his hat and quickly flashed a sycophantic smile at David Parker.

“Boss, sorry, I didn’t know you were interested in her first, hehe.”

He even chuckled twice, thinking it was just like at Chunmanlou, and that David Parker was mad because someone else was competing for the girl.

David Parker’s pupils contracted, and he immediately roared, “I was interested in your mother first! Get lost!”

The young man looked as if he’d been struck by lightning, stunned for a moment before hesitantly saying, “Then... then my father’s in a bit of a bind. Maybe... let me think of a solution?”

What a dutiful son you are! David Parker wished he could just finish him off right there.

But the young woman in front of him was still smiling sweetly at him, so he didn’t dare move.

Rookies could only see how pretty her smile was; veterans could sense how sharp her gaze was!

Immediately, David Parker wiped his cold sweat and forced a smile, saying, “I am the head constable of Yuhang Town, David Parker, at your service, honored officer.”

Officer?

The whole office was in an uproar. The usually slouching constables all stood up straight, a clamor of noise.

“Head Constable Parker, there’s no need to be so formal.”

The young woman said this as she strode over to David Parker’s desk in a few long steps, sat down casually, and retrieved the heavy plaque.

“I am the stationed officer of Chaotianque in Hangzhou Prefecture, a Purple-Clad Guard, Olivia Thompson.” She introduced herself, “We don’t have a subordinate relationship, and I’m not your superior.”

Technically, that was true.

But technically, Chaotianque was just a martial sect.

In reality, things were different.

Chaotianque was commissioned by the imperial court to handle matters of ghosts and spirits, with the authority to act first and report later in cases involving evil beings.

Even the lowest-ranked Purple-Clad in Chaotianque was a highly skilled cultivator. Ordinary officials, upon seeing them, would treat them with utmost respect.

This pressure was one of the reasons David Parker didn’t like inviting Chaotianque to handle cases.

“Hon... Miss Thompson, to what do we owe the honor of your visit?” David Parker asked cautiously.

“Hmm?” Olivia Thompson’s willow-leaf brows furrowed beautifully. “You don’t know why I’m here?”

“Uh, is it for the massacre in Xialiu Village?”