Chapter 1

With a "bang," he kicked open the gate, and Hu Ma charged straight into the manor.

A quick glance revealed a bustling estate, brightly lit with lanterns, servants hurrying about. Tables were laden with a seemingly endless array of chicken, duck, pork legs, and delicacies. Servants weaved through the guests, offering wine, while musicians puffed out their cheeks, playing their instruments with gusto.

At the tables sat elegantly dressed, wealthy gentlemen and ladies, raising their glasses towards a white-bearded elder seated at the head table, surrounded by beautiful women. They showered the old village elder with flattering birthday wishes, their faces plastered with smiles.

Hu Ma's sudden intrusion, thick with murderous intent, cast a pall over the festive scene. Everyone turned to stare at him, their expressions a mix of surprise and apprehension.

The birthday celebrant, the white-bearded elder, was momentarily stunned. He released the women he was embracing and slammed his hand on the table. "Whom do you think you are, barging in on my birthday celebration?" he roared.

Hu Ma, still wearing the smiling mask, gave a chilling grin and strode forward. "Da Zhuodao of the Zhenchong Bureau (Demon Suppression Bureau), here to kill."

"Ah…"

The white-bearded elder was visibly shaken by the declaration. "Brother," he stammered, "let's talk this over…"

But Hu Ma didn't break stride. With a sweeping gesture of his sleeve, he sent tables, chairs, and even the guests flying towards the elder's face. The elder himself leaped up, intending to flee towards the back door.

"Hmph! You're not worthy to call me 'brother'!"

Hu Ma sneered. He raised the Faguan Dagger (Magistrate's Dagger) and blew forcefully on the black bone handle. Instantly, a wave of chilling baleful aura surged forward.

*Hulala!*

The aura swept through the manor, plunging it into chaos. Lanterns were extinguished one by one, crashing to the ground. Guests scattered in all directions, some bursting apart mid-air, revealed to be nothing more than paper figures.

The festive banquet transformed. Gone were the exquisite tables and chairs, replaced by rotting wood and straw piles reeking of decay, with a few rocks haphazardly arranged around them.

The delicacies vanished, revealing decaying or half-rotted arms, legs, hearts, and other organs laid out on the stones.

It turned out that these were the corpses of those killed by the hungry ghosts that had plagued Mingzhou, hastily buried by the fearful residents in mass graves, only to be unearthed by these wandering spirits for their macabre feast.

The birthday celebrant, the white-bearded elder, was now revealed as a grotesque snake with a beard, its tattered rags falling away. Trapped amidst the rubble, its strange eyes glared, and it hissed, faintly crying out:

"Wait! Even the Zhenchong Bureau must act with reason! You erect an altar and call my name, then expect me to come? That would make…"

"…"

Hu Ma cut him off. "If you had come when invited to the feast, then there would be reason to talk. But I, Da Zhuodao, have arrived. What is there to discuss?"

"Waah…"

The monstrous snake flew into a rage. With a crash, it lunged from the rubble, aiming for Hu Ma's face, its scales…

Hu Ma took a deep breath and inhaled the strange mist into his mask. "I'm still afraid you won't die?"

Before the words had even faded, Hu Ma tilted his mask upwards, revealing his mouth. Then, with a sudden roar, he expelled the inhaled mist, laced with fierce fire, like a cannon blast, directly into the snake.

The monstrous snake shrieked in agony and flew backwards, its hisses frantic and terrified.

"Don't you know, I, Zougui Da Zhuodao (Spirit Chasing Da Zhuodao)…"

Hu Ma seized the opportunity, taking a step forward. "…Am actually a Shousui (New Year's Eve Vigil) specialist?"

The monstrous snake had no idea; it had never approached the battle formation outside Mingzhou city. Now, suddenly wounded, it writhed, trying to escape, but Hu Ma quickly overtook it, stepping on its neck and severing its head with a single stroke.

He picked up a piece of straw rope, tied the head up, then wiped the blood off the Faguan Dagger on his sole before sheathing it. Once again, he put on the Liangtian Boots (Measuring Heaven Boots) and strode back.

*Pa la!*

Before the altar, Zhang Agu was anxiously waiting, her mind troubled. She hadn't expected Hu Ma to return in just half an hour. He tossed the ox-sized, bearded snake head into the basket and immediately handed her a long list.

"Agu, let's continue summoning ghosts at the altar. Let's start by calling out all the ones in Mingzhou Prefecture who don't heed the altar's commands!"

"…"

Zhang Agu glanced at the monstrous snake head, a tremor running through her. Qi Gu Nainai (Seventh Aunt) beside her was even more unnerved, the pale hairs on her head standing on end.

They continued to set up the altar and chant incantations, calling out name after name. Some came willingly, some refused, and some were forcibly dragged to the altar. A wisp of black smoke would transform into a human shape, frantically kowtowing. "Greetings, Inquisitor! May I ask what matter you summon me for?"

"If you're asking why I didn't obey the earlier summons, I have my reasons! It's not that I didn't want to come, but I was ordered to guard a certain place and couldn't leave without permission. I beg the Inquisitor to forgive me…"

"…"

Zhang Agu was stunned, unsure how to handle the situation. Hu Ma, standing by the altar, snorted coldly and asked for her, "By whose orders?"

"It's…"

The spirit hesitated. "…By the orders of a Fujun (Prefect)!"

Hu Ma's expression changed drastically. "You listen to the Prefect's orders, but ignore the Zhenchong Bureau's commands? You dare speak such nonsense before the Inquisitor?"

Without further ado, he stepped forward and beheaded the spirit. The baleful aura of the Faguan Dagger rolled out, and even hundreds of miles away, a demon shrieked and suddenly lost its head.

It didn't matter; he could have Xiao Hongtang (Little Red Sugar) fetch it later.

Others were summoned and immediately knelt before the altar, wailing, "It's not that I disobeyed the orders, but the Zhenchong Bureau's summons are for the spirits of Mingzhou, and I've always been supported by Ludanzi Village (Donkey Egg Village), which isn't part of Mingzhou…"

Hu Ma roared, "Nonsense! Our Hundred Ghost Records clearly states it's in Mingzhou!"

The spirit said, "Hehe, it was in Mingzhou twenty years ago, but after a major flood, the village moved ten li (Chinese mile) west, so it's now in Gunzhou Prefecture, not Mingzhou…"

"You 'hehe'?"

Hu Ma glared, sneering. "So, according to the records, you're in Mingzhou, but geographically, you're in Gunzhou?"

"I won't make it difficult for you. We'll split you in half. The Gunzhou part is justified, so you can live. The Mingzhou half will be killed as an example!"

"…"

"…"

Again and again, several spirits were summoned, interrogated one by one. Those who lied were killed, those with disrespectful attitudes were killed, and those who showed defiance were killed. Those who refused to come were immediately pursued and beheaded.

In just one night, the basket was filled with over a dozen heads, of all shapes and sizes: demons, monstrous beasts, severed bones of the dead, and effigies of paper and wood. It was a gruesome sight, filled with resentment. Even Zhang Agu, standing by the altar, felt a pang of sympathy.

She had never done anything so arrogant and domineering in her life, and she couldn't help but doubt, "Shopkeeper, are we really doing the right thing?"

Hu Ma turned to Zhang Agu and patiently explained, "Agu doesn't fully understand. Our Zhenchong Bureau borrows the will of the masses to enforce the rules of yin and yang. You can think of the Zhenchong Bureau as the old hearth of the world, sheltering all people."

"We, the Zougui of the Zhenchong Bureau, are responsible for burning incense and making offerings to the old hearth on behalf of the people. We're also responsible for clearing away the filth within the old hearth."

"Those listed in the Hundred Ghost Records who disobey the altar's commands are filth in the hearth. They should be at our beck and call, but they've developed rebellious intentions. If we don't clear them away, how can the hearth better protect the people?"

"…"

"Clearing the old hearth?"

Zhang Agu, known as Da Zougui, had seen her share of things. Her personality wasn't always so passive, but now, doing such a thing was beyond her comprehension. Hearing Hu Ma's explanation, she began to understand. "I've encountered things like this before."

"Old hearths between villages, whether damaged by bad feng shui or plagued by demons, monsters, or evil sorcery, causing resentment and karma to rebound on their descendants... These things require us Zougui to step in and deal with them."

"But since they didn't come earlier, summoning them now, few will listen. Tonight, I've seen that some I can't summon, and some seem to be hidden by something…"

"Shopkeeper, even if you go and find them one by one, how could you ever find them all?"

"Perhaps, only by issuing an edict from the Zhenchong Bureau could they be forcibly brought to the altar for questioning…"

"…"

Hearing this, Hu Ma shook his head. "Agu, this kind of thing shouldn't involve the Zhenchong Bureau. That noble in the mountains… Heh, it's not convenient for him to show his face."

"So, only we, the underlings of the Zhenchong Bureau, can handle this matter. But there's no need to rush. Just follow the Hundred Ghost Records and summon them one by one."

"Those who are dissatisfied, let them argue with Qi Gu Nainai. Those who don't come, those who don't listen… just have them send the list to me."

"…"

Saying this, Hu Ma held the Faguan Dagger under his arm, a hint of anticipation in his eyes. "Now, we're not afraid of having too many heads to chop. Honestly, I think there aren't enough…"

These bloodthirsty words startled Zhang Agu, making her feel that he seemed a bit too bloodthirsty.

Then, she turned her eyes and saw her own headless little ghost was in front of the basket, staring blankly. She was busy training it to quickly walk away a little bit, but Hu Ma laughed to the headless little ghost and said: "Don't be polite, which one you like, just pick one, we do not lack this thing now."