Chapter 261

Chapter 261: Li Yu

They worked through the night and another full morning before all the bones were brought up.

The deeper they went, the more broken the remains were. Some had become bare white bone. Countless limbs and torsos were mixed together, impossible to tell who was who.

But this was not hard for Yu Zhi Yi. She had people mark out hundreds of small sections around the well and label each with a number. She assigned every guard and soldier ten numbers. She herself identified which bones belonged together, and the men in charge carried each set to the matching section.

Another morning passed before the identifying was done. Yu Zhi Yi let out a breath, and the soldiers exhaled in relief even more. Many of them had never seen so many bodies, and likely never would again, even if they lived a second half of life. This was a case that shook the heavens. They could brag about it for the rest of their days, though the work itself had been anything but pleasant.

The commandery governor of Da He Commandery had already hurried over. Seeing such a case in his territory, his legs went weak. He felt sure his career was over.

Seeing how dazed he looked, Yu Zhi Yi spoke to calm him: “Do not worry. This is not your fault. It will not harm your path as an official.” From his face, she could tell Commandery Governor Du had taken office only a year ago. Yu Tie Zhu had tried to rope him into visiting pleasure houses, but Du hated such places and refused sternly. Later, Yu Tie Zhu tried to send him money, but the first attempt had already ruined Du’s view of him, and Yu Tie Zhu could not even get past the gate of the governor’s manor. Du was a hands-on man. After he took office, he cracked down hard several times on kidnappers. The city’s safety was much better than under the previous two governors. That made it hard for Yu Tie Zhu to prey on women in the city. In this way, Commandery Governor Du had indirectly protected most of the city’s women. This might not show up in his official record, but it would surely count toward his merit.

Governor Du exhaled in relief, then flushed with shame: “I am ashamed.” Last night, when Yu Zhi Yi sent for him to release the people, he thought this Prefect was making trouble, and even wondered if she had come to bring him down. Now he saw it clearly. Was she here to bring him down? She was here to help him. If these two gangs had not been removed, who knew what new tricks they would try to steal people? If anything happened under his watch, even if he was not involved, he would still be hard pressed to escape blame.

Yu Zhi Yi said evenly: “I’ve already had people write down the victims’ names and home villages. Please handle the follow-up, Governor Du.” She was, after all, on vacation. Finding the clues had already been an accident. She did not want to get further involved.

The Black Inn had been sealed. Of course Yu Zhi Yi could not stay there anymore. Thankfully, Governor Du had people prepare a few courtyards in the commandery governor’s manor overnight. Yu Zhi Yi did not refuse.

Li Rou had gone ahead to get things ready. When her mistress returned, she asked with care: “Miss, the hot water is ready, would you like a bath?” She did not know where Yu Zhi Yi had been, only that she had been gone and working for two days and would need to wash.

“Yes. Thank you.” Yu Zhi Yi really did want a bath. The weather was cold, so the bodies near the top of the well had little smell. But the ones at the bottom had been there through the heat of summer. They had rotted badly and stank. Even without touching them, just being there left the smell on her clothes.

She washed, ate a little, and lay down to rest. She had not slept well in Immortal Cave, and that place was no place for cultivation either.

When she woke, it was already afternoon. She went to the locust tree in the courtyard. Soon, faint, shadowy figures appeared out of thin air. A woman in red led them. Her face was fresh and pretty.

The woman bowed her head and said in a hollow voice: “Thank you, lord, for taking up our cause.” Behind her, many empty voices rose as one: “Thank you, lord.”

These were the poor women who had died in Immortal Cave. Yu Zhi Yi said gently: “Your wrongs have been cleared. You should not linger in the mortal world. If you do, at best you may lose the chance to be reborn. At worst, some of you will slowly lose your minds, become wandering souls, and finally fade away.”

Before, hatred had held their souls together. Now that Yu Tie Zhu was caught and Immortal Cave destroyed, much of that hate had eased. If they stayed on, unless they met great fortune and became ghost cultivators, they would only end up scattered to nothing.

The ghostly women’s faces changed. After whispering among themselves, some said they were willing to go to the Netherworld and wait for rebirth. But some still had wishes left undone. Among them was the woman in red.

Yu Zhi Yi did not ask her why yet. She first sent down those willing to go to the Netherworld. When the last ghostly figure stepped through a dark, ancient gate and vanished, Yu Zhi Yi looked at the woman in red: “What wish do you still have?”

The woman’s eyes were not like the others. The other ghosts’ eyes had no pupils, only a gray-white haze. The woman in red had a faint red light in her gaze. That meant she had already become a Vengeful Ghost, and a strong one at that. She could keep her shape and her reason.

“My name is Li Yu,” she said in a steady voice. “My family was not poor. My father was a small merchant, and because we had enough, I grew up happy.”

“But a man ruined everything.”

Yu Zhi Yi had already divined her story, but she didn’t cut her off. She let Li Yu pour out her hate.

“Lord, do you know who that dog of a man was? He was my fiancé,” Li Yu said through clenched teeth. “He should have married me and cared for me all my life. But for the sake of a woman who could not show her face in public, he sold me to Yu Tie Zhu.”

“How could I not hate?”

She was not like the others. Most of the other victims had been tricked by strangers or snatched off the street. Only Li Yu was different. She was betrayed by the man she loved. His reason was laughable. He did not like her and did not dare go against his family. To keep his beloved woman from being sad, he went to kidnappers and had them take Li Yu away. She saw him with her own eyes take the money for selling her and heard him say in a flat voice: “Do whatever you want with her.”