“This is how it went: that year, a down-and-out fellow sneaked into an abandoned house in Qingshan County to hide from his creditors. Who would have thought that inside, he’d run into an old man in tattered clothes? And as soon as the old man saw him, he crawled under an old, rickety bed.”

“The pauper thought the house had been empty for years and a beggar had taken it over. He wanted to drag the old beggar out and chase him away. But guess what he saw when he lifted the bed?”

William Clark said, “There was no one under the bed, only a wooden box, and inside the box was a piece of broken silver.”

David Bennett picked his nose and complained, “And you say you don’t know Qingshan County—so how do you know about this case?”

William Clark pointed at the case file in surprise and said, “It’s written right here.”

He felt his colleague wasn’t exactly the brightest, or as he’d heard in a dream, “all brawn, no brains.”

Thinking of this, he deliberately glanced over.

Impressive—well trained!

David Bennett didn’t notice the strange look and grumbled, “So you’ve already read the case? I thought you were just starting, so I was going to tell you about it.”

Seeing that he was disappointed at not being able to show off, William Clark played along: “Why don’t you tell it again? The case file is a bit unclear—I’m totally confused.”

David Bennett immediately perked up. Sometimes, a man’s happiness is just that simple.

He continued, “The pauper didn’t find anyone, just a piece of broken silver, and got scared. He ran out of the house and headed home. On the way, he passed the market and used the silver to buy some mutton and a sheep’s head. But the sheep’s blood soaked through the cloth bag, and a patrolling constable happened to see it. The constable told him to open the bag.”

“When he opened the bag, guess what?”

“There wasn’t a sheep’s head inside, but a human head!” William Clark chimed in.

But David Bennett wasn’t pleased and got annoyed: “Damn it! I’m not telling anymore—you already know everything!”

William Clark was both amused and exasperated: “Go on, go on, I won’t say another word.”

Knowing he’d already read the file, David Bennett brushed it off: “Nothing more to say. The pauper was so scared he wet his pants and told the constable everything. The constable dug under the old bed and found a corpse in rags buried underneath. But—the corpse had no head!”

He stopped there, and William Clark urged, “Go on.”

David Bennett said, “That’s it, there’s nothing more.”

William Clark looked puzzled, and David Bennett explained, “It’s a cold case. No one knows who killed the man or what secrets were involved. The local magistrate was an idiot and didn’t find out a thing.”

As he finished speaking, another gust of cold wind blew in, and William Clark shivered again.

David Bennett grinned: “Brother Clark, you’re a bit frail, aren’t you?”

William Clark asked irritably, “Why don’t you close the door?”

David Bennett folded his arms and said, “Why don’t I close the door? You’re the one who didn’t close the window!”

William Clark suddenly looked toward the south-facing window.

The window was open again!

It was broad daylight, but the room was still dark and gloomy.

The cold wind blowing in felt like a ghostly chill.

Chapter 002: The Furnace of Fate

William Clark and David Bennett were currently in the case archive, an official document storage room belonging to the government, used by the Office of Heavenly Observation to store case files.

This kind of archive was very private, with sturdy doors and windows, and all had hardwood bolts inside. Once shut, they could only be opened from within.

William Clark remembered that he’d bolted the window when he closed it earlier, so how did it open again?

He closed the window once more and made sure to lock the bolt, then casually asked, “Do you think there are ghosts in the Office of Heavenly Observation?”

“Of course there are ghosts.” David Bennett suddenly grinned, the skin on his dark face twitching, looking sinister.

“I’m such a big ghost—can’t you see me?”

William Clark’s heart skipped a beat. “Don’t joke around!”

David Bennett said, “Who’s joking? I really am a penniless ghost—not a single copper coin on me!”

William Clark was speechless.

David Bennett was thick-skinned and didn’t think much of it. Besides, he was a good talker. He pulled over a grand master’s chair, sat down, and started telling William Clark about other cases handled by the Office of Heavenly Observation.

All the cases handled by the Office involved monsters, demons, and ghosts—strange and mysterious. David Bennett was a great storyteller, bringing each case vividly to life.

William Clark was impressed. Even if this guy didn’t work as a strongman for the Office, he’d never go hungry—he could make a living as a storyteller in a teahouse. He was a real pro at this.

After a while, as noon approached, both their stomachs started growling.

David Bennett slapped the table and stood up: “Let’s go! Old William, it’s your first day at the post, so I’ll treat you to a meal. How much money did you bring?”

“I brought—wait,” William Clark was stunned, “You’re treating me, but you’re asking how much money I brought?”

David Bennett replied righteously, “I’m a penniless ghost—I have no money.”

William Clark exclaimed, “You have no money and you’re treating me? And what about your pay? You get twenty silver zhu a month!”

The New Han Dynasty followed the ancient Han coinage system, using zhu as currency, divided into gold zhu, silver zhu, and copper zhu.

One silver zhu was worth a hundred copper zhu, and a jin of good rice back then cost only five copper zhu. Twenty silver zhu was enough for a family of ten to live comfortably for a month.