Infinity: Our Zhongzhou team is really amazing!

Chapter 477 Demonic Advancement! The Ninth-Rank Official Ghost Technique (14)

In a trance.

Zhuang Boshi's consciousness was pulled, and the beautiful colors around him spread.

When he came to his senses, he found himself in the Yongchang era of the Eastern Jin Dynasty.

At that time, less than five years after the Han Chinese from the north migrated south, Wang Dun's rebellion shattered the little vitality that the Jin Dynasty had managed to recover.

White bones exposed in the wild.

Not a rooster crows for a thousand miles.

The Xianbei, Qiang, and Xiongnu people fought each other in the north, and the war raged on. Emperor Sima was reduced to a puppet, and the court was in turmoil.

To escape the war, many powerful families and noble clans from the north fled south, and ordinary people were swept up in the migration to the south. They were all numb and emaciated from hunger.

Meanwhile, the wealthy families in the city continued their feasts and revelry, with the sounds of string and wind instruments never ceasing.

Farmers who were originally scattered in the countryside formed villages to protect themselves.

Just like the fortified village before us.

The fortified village was built against the mountains and rivers, with high earthen walls on all four sides, and militiamen carrying long spears patrolling on them.

Zhuang Boshi hovered in mid-air, surveying the fortified village.

There are ghosts here.

It's normal for ghosts to exist, but it's not normal for the villagers in the fortified village to remain calm and peaceful.

Just then, the sound of horses' hooves came from the north, and a group of people came galloping in, covered in dust. The leader shouted loudly.

"Open the door!"

The servants in the fortress seemed to hesitate for a moment before slowly opening the door.

A group of trembling farmhands hid in the back, but the newcomer didn't even glance at them and barged in.

He shouted, "Where is the lord of the fortress?"

"The Pei family of Hedong is now heading south, so hurry up and bring out all the good wine and meat!"

Seemingly aware of the Pei family's reputation, one of the older servants stepped forward and said, "The lord of the manor is not receiving guests."

The guard drew his long sword and asked sternly, "How dare you speak to my Pei family like that?"

"Why don't you kneel down!"

"Stand there and look directly at the noble son of the Pei family with your filthy eyes!"

"I am Pei An, son of Pei Xi, the Prefect of Hedong. My grandfather was the Minister of Works. How dare you vagrants bully me like this!"

The young man who called himself Pei An didn't even lift his eyelids, and said coldly.

"Get down on the ground."

I won't say it a second time!

The servants of the fortified village, sweating profusely, explained, "No, the fortified village has its rules."

"Your Majesty, you mustn't!"

Even though he was trembling with anxiety, the farmhand did not kneel down, but instead kept his head up and shouted.

"The rules passed down from the fortified villages forbid kneeling and bowing!"

"Be bold!"

"Could it be that there are ghosts?"

Pei An stood up and kicked the servant in front of him in the shin.

The guards nearby also pinned the other servants to the ground.

"You commoners should spend your whole lives rolling around in the mud!"

Young Pei An took a step forward with a disdainful look on his face.

The next moment, a terrifying ghost suddenly pressed down on him, bending him over instantly. Then, with a "crack," he was crushed into a pile of dust.

The remaining soldiers and followers were terrified and drew their swords.

Before they could even move, they were all pinned down by the vengeful ghost and turned into pieces of flesh on the ground.

In the blink of an eye, all the outsiders were killed by the vengeful ghost.

Zhuang Boshi almost laughed.

Fang Shiming's oppressive ghost!
Another old friend!

"Lord, please calm your anger!"

The villagers quickly stood up and began to kowtow by bumping their heads against the backs of their hands, creating a scene that was both funny and bizarre.

"A few farmhands."

Zhuang Boshi landed on the ground and greeted them.

"I am but a wandering Taoist priest, passing by this place out of mere curiosity."

Someone fell from the sky, and the villagers were so frightened that they turned and ran away.

But his entire body was stiff and he couldn't move.

"Spare me, sir, spare me!"

Zhuang Boshi scattered a gold ingot: "Answer a few questions for me, and this will be your reward."

The servants immediately changed their expressions, adopting a fawning demeanor: "Master, please ask." "We will answer to the best of our knowledge."

"Is your castle lord a vengeful ghost?"

"The Lord of the Fortress protects us and keeps us from being corrupted by wild ghosts, so he is naturally the Lord of the Fortress," the servants said, bowing their heads.

"Since the fortress has just been established, we can only hire a low-grade ghost as its lord."

“In Chizhou City, eighty miles away, three ghosts were hired. The people there rest at sunrise and work at sunset, their routines are different from those of outsiders, but foreign invaders would never dare to disturb them easily.”

"Wait!" Zhuang Boshi exclaimed in surprise.

"You even assign ranks to ghosts?"

The villagers patiently explained, "Master, you may not know this, but Emperor Sima of Jiankang issued the Nine-Rank System for Officials and Ghosts two years ago."

"Based on the laws governing the death of ghosts, their rank is determined by their range of movement."

“The top three-rank evil spirits will take over Jiankang and the major top three-rank gentry families; the middle three-rank evil spirits will take over the small towns and the middle three-rank gentry families; and the bottom three-rank evil spirits can be appointed as fortified village lords.”

"The gentry must not overstep their authority in appointing officials."

"The common people must not come into contact with evil spirits."

Zhuang Ke was clearly very knowledgeable, but what he said made Zhuang Boshi feel that it was absurd.

Did the vengeful ghosts of this dynasty become a symbol of status?
The gentry of a certain status could hire ghosts of a certain rank, and this rule could not be overstepped.

They even came up with the idea of ​​binding the ghosts within fortified villages and cities, making them gatekeepers.

It's as if this fortified village has hired a tyrannical spirit, so the people here dare not bow or bend over, and probably even have to sleep standing up.

As long as certain rules are followed, one's own people can avoid being killed, but outsiders are not so lucky. Just like those Pei family members, who dared to break in, they didn't even know how they died.

Moreover, it can ward off evil spirits from outside.

Isn't this an open-air paradise?

"You've hired a vengeful ghost as the lord of each of your fortified villages?" Zhuang Boshi pressed.

The servant said, "No, some fortified villages don't have the ability, and the process of hiring a vengeful ghost is extremely dangerous."

“In the south, I’ve heard there are many fortified villages like ours. In the north, the barbarians have swept up a large number of evil spirits, and even those fortified villages can’t withstand them,” the farmhand sighed.

Zhuang Boshi didn't know what expression to make. This Nine-Rank Official Law had actually extended into the Official Ghost Law.

This is truly an era where people can't distinguish between humans and ghosts.

He entered the fortified village and saw a large stone tablet with the rules of the fortified village inscribed on it.

"First, one must be hunched over and not exceed five feet in height; second, if any evil spirits visit, one must immediately return home, stand on the wardrobe, and not raise one's head or speak; third, when meeting the lord of the fortress, one must address him as 'lord of the fortress' and must not be disrespectful..."

The farmhand said somewhat awkwardly, "These are the rules I summarized, just to constantly remind the farmhands to abide by them."

Zhuang Boshi looked at these rules, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

It turns out that after the people of the Jin Dynasty tested the rules of evil spirits by using a certain number of human lives, they built fortified villages around the evil spirits.

While some rules, like those governing oppressive ghosts, can be easily avoided, elusive and unpredictable spirits, such as those related to breathing and heartbeat, fall under the category of wandering ghosts.

It must be said that the person who came up with this idea is a true "genius".

But how can they prevent vengeful ghosts from wandering around?

"That's a good rule, but how do you keep that ghost from leaving the fortress?"

"Master, you are a descendant of the Taoist sect. Don't you know that the Righteous Qi Talisman of the Celestial Masters Sect is the supreme method for restraining evil spirits?" The servant asked with great doubt.

I have encountered Righteousness Talismans carved on doors in the Tang Dynasty era.

It can indeed restrain evil spirits.

This method is indeed a good way to build a fortified village and protect oneself in chaotic times.

"Are you the actual lord of the fortress?" Zhuang Boshi asked Zhuang Ke.

"Do you know where to find the Grand Master of the Heavenly Master Sect?"

This person has extraordinary insight; in this era, he is either from a noble family or a powerful figure from humble origins.

The farmhand was somewhat embarrassed: "I am He Ying from Xiahe. I fled here from the north a few years ago."

“Young master, the Celestial Masters sect has always been very mysterious. Why don’t you ask the high-ranking families in Jiankang City? They might know something.”

It was already getting dark.

Zhuang Boshi tossed down a gold coin: "I intend to go to Jiankang. Which direction?"

"You absolutely must not walk at night!" He Ying quickly advised.

"why?"

"There are several wild ghosts around here that only appear at night, making it very dangerous at night."

"No problem."

Bosch S. ...

His height suddenly surpassed that of the farmhands by a large margin.

"No!" He Ying had just uttered two words when he saw a terrifying ghost sitting on Zhuang Boshi's shoulder. Zhuang Boshi remained motionless, then slapped the ghost away.

The villagers were left dumbfounded.

(End of this chapter)