"Me, afraid?" Lily Carter widened her eyes at him and said disdainfully, "My martial arts are amazing. If there really were ghosts, I'd take them down with one punch each..."

At this moment, her expression was rather cute. Grace Carter couldn't bear to expose her; just one fox spirit had scared her so much, and she was still pretending to be a martial arts master?

He smiled, then turned to leave again.

Seeing Grace Carter turn and walk away, Lily Carter gnashed her teeth in anger. This guy—after all her concern for him, he was going to watch the excitement without her? He'd better make sure he never needs her help in the future...

Grace Carter had only taken a few steps when he suddenly turned back, thought for a moment, and looked at her to ask, "Um... how do I get to Guojia Village?"

Chapter 10: Evil Revealed on White Paper!

Grace Carter originally didn't want to bring Lily Carter along, because aside from her long legs, she didn't have many other strengths, and she was always startling him with her jumpiness.

He also had to stay on guard at all times, in case she took another swing at his head when he wasn't paying attention.

Based on what he knew about Lily Carter, she was definitely capable of doing such a thing.

But if he didn't bring her, he wouldn't know where Guojia Village was. He could just ask someone, but who knows if they'd be reliable, and it would be a hassle and waste time.

If the old immortal ran off, where would he go to find him?

So Grace Carter could only reluctantly bring her along.

Fortunately, her long legs meant she could keep up and wouldn't slow him down.

After the two of them left the city gates, Lily Carter turned to look at him and asked, "Hey, have you still not remembered your name?"

Grace Carter shook his head.

Lily Carter asked suspiciously, "Uncle Zhong had the household office check, and there's no one named Grace Carter in Yong'an County. There aren't any villages or big families with the surname Tang around Lingzhou City either. Did you just make up your name?"

Grace Carter looked at her and asked, "Doesn't your family count as a big family?"

Lily Carter glanced at him and asked, "We're the only Tang family in Lingzhou City. Are you saying you're one of us?"

Grace Carter didn't dwell on the question and changed the subject: "What exactly happened in Guojia Village? It seems like all the constables from the county office have been dispatched..."

Lily Carter knew a bit more than he did, and after listening to her, Grace Carter more or less understood what had happened.

Guojia Village was a village under Yong'an County. Starting yesterday, quite a few people in the village had developed symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea. Since so many people were getting sick, as the county magistrate, Charles Walker had to take it seriously.

This wasn't like the murder case from a few days ago—if the killer wasn't caught, at worst it would be considered the magistrate's oversight, just a blemish on his record.

But if half the villagers fell ill at the same time and it wasn't contained, and the outbreak spread further, in ancient times this would be called a "plague."

If a plague broke out in Yong'an County, maybe the Lingzhou prefect could withstand the pressure, but his own father-in-law would definitely lose his official hat.

However, from Lily Carter's description, it sounded like the villagers of Guojia Village were suffering from something like food poisoning or contaminated water, leading to diarrhea or dysentery. It didn't seem like a large-scale infectious plague, but even so, it couldn't be taken lightly.

When Grace Carter and Lily Carter arrived at Guojia Village, Charles Walker and the county constables were being blocked at the village entrance by the villagers, along with Dr. Bennett, whom Grace Carter had met before.

An old man dressed in coarse cloth, with white hair and beard, looked at Charles Walker and said, "Lord Zhong, it's not that I won't let you in, but the old immortal is inside catching ghosts and driving out evil. If all of you go in and disturb him, and the evil spirit escapes, what will happen to our village?"

Charles Walker pointed to Dr. Bennett beside him and said, "Village chief Guo, this is the renowned Dr. Bennett. He can tell at a glance what illness the villagers are suffering from..."

The old man hesitated. Thinking that although there's only a one-character difference between 'divine doctor' and 'immortal,' their abilities were worlds apart, he shook his head and said, "We still have to wait until the old immortal catches the evil spirit..."

Grace Carter stood not far away, watching, and gained a deeper understanding of the system of this era.

In ancient times, local areas were actually highly autonomous. Villages were often organized by clan, and the clan head even held the power of life and death over clan members. Although his father-in-law was nominally the county magistrate, his word wasn't always absolute.

Charles Walker thought for a moment and said, "In that case, I would also like to see how the old immortal catches ghosts and drives out evil."

The village chief looked at him and said, "You can't all go in, or you'll disturb the old immortal."

Charles Walker nodded, turned around, and saw Grace Carter and Lily Carter.

His expression changed slightly as he asked, "Why are you two here?"

Lily Carter thought for a moment and said, "Aunt Zhong asked us to come and see if you'll be coming home for lunch this afternoon."

"I will."

Charles Walker replied, then shifted his gaze away from the two of them, pointed at a constable and a minor official, and said, "Samuel Grant, Clerk Wright, you two come in with me. The rest of you wait outside..."

Then he looked at Grace Carter and Lily Carter and said, "You two come in as well."

A clearing had been made at the entrance to Guojia Village.