Chapter 407: Elder Lord Zhai! Duanlong Cave! The Ferryman!
Li Yanchu had not expected that following Zuo Qian to investigate a case of missing women would uncover something far more sinister: an entire scheme of slaughter and demon-feeding.
The authorities soon arrived, taking the villagers of Hengyang into custody for interrogation.
Because this matter implicated Hengyang Village, and thus the Inner Court itself, the case was immediately handed over to the Prefectural Tribunal of Beifeng Prefecture.
Assisting in the investigation was an Assistant Minister of the Court of Judicial Review stationed in Beifeng, a fifth-rank official.
The Kingdom of Qian’s Court of Judicial Review bore only superficial resemblance to similar posts in ancient dynasties. In truth, it functioned more like a shadowy organization, a special division. This particular Assistant Minister hailed from the great Daoist sect of Mount Qingcheng, well-versed in esoteric Daoist sorcery.
Such cases involving demons and evil spirits were precisely his domain.
Zuo Qian’s official rank was low, so his role in the interrogations was limited. Even so, because he had uncovered a major case, the Tribunal of Justice granted him a promotion. As the scion of a noble family, he still had connections within the bureaucracy; no blame was laid on him, and no scapegoat’s burden was forced upon his shoulders.
According to the confessions of Hengyang villagers, those spider demons had been given to them by that wandering fengshui master. The entire village had received imperial patronage because of this. The fengshui master himself had not profited from it, perhaps he had simply wanted to help the villagers.
It was not until three days later that Zuo Qian sought out Li Yanchu to share the latest developments. The fengshui master had privately taught the villagers scriptures, urging them to worship the Ultra Supreme Elder Lord[1] and the Queen Mother of the West[2].
The Kingdom of Qian’s mythic pantheon was broadly similar to that of Li Yanchu’s previous life. Ultra Supreme Elder Lord, one of the Three Pure Ones, was the orthodox deity honored by Daoism. But the Queen Mother of the West bore all the hallmarks of the heterodox White Lotus Sect.
“This fengshui master’s sect calls itself Elder Lord Zhai,” Zuo Qian said gravely. “I’ve read the scriptures seized from the villagers, they are nothing but corrupted Daoist classics.”
Hearing this, Li Yanchu nodded. In a xianxia world plagued with demons, it was common for wild gods and illicit cults to gather incense offerings in secret, seeking cultivation power.