The female ghost curtsied before her.
“My name is Bai Zhu'er, and I live in Bamboo Leaf Alley. I have parents, an elder brother, a sister-in-law, and two nephews and nieces. My family isn't wealthy, but we get by comfortably enough.
“My family runs a cloth shop, and my parents, brother, and sister-in-law all treat me wonderfully.
“My fiancé's home isn't far from ours; my family lives to the east, while his is to the south on Ping'an Street. If I hadn't died, I would be his wife by now.”
With that, she touched the bracelet on her wrist, looking dejected and heartbroken.
Gu Qingyun pinched the bridge of her nose.
“Bai Zhu'er, get to the point. I still have to head back to the county seat.”
Bai Zhu'er gave a bitter smile.
“My fiancé had a cousin staying with his family. We hit it off quite well and gradually became close confidantes. But the day before my wedding, she and I came to the river for an outing. She beat me severely, tied stones all over my body, and shoved me into the river.
“I was so foolish back then, truly believing she was sincere toward me. I never expected she had set her sights on my fiancé all along. Befriending me was merely to mimic how I dressed and my daily habits, all so she could take my place.
“Ever since my death, I have been lingering in this river. Because I suffered an unnatural death, I cannot leave within five li of this riverbank. I can't return home, and I have no way to tell my parents that the person currently in our house isn't me.
“I thought my fiancé would surely realize she wasn't me, but more than a year has passed, and he has never once come to the riverbank, nor has anyone come searching for my remains.”
As she spoke, she wept sorrowfully, tears of blood streaming from her eyes—the tears shed only when a female ghost reached the depths of grief.
“Stop crying. Any more tears and you won't look pretty. Even if you've become a ghost, you should still be a pretty one.” Gu Qingyun's deadpan remark cut short the ghost's weeping. Bai Zhu'er blinked, reverting to her delicate and pleasant appearance.
Recalling the merit clinging to her, Gu Qingyun couldn't help asking, “If you wanted to escape this river over the past year, you could have found a scapegoat to take your place. Why didn't you?”
Bai Zhu'er gave her a timid look.
“I thought about it at first, but most people who come here are children, or else the pillars of their households coming to try their luck and bring home something better to eat.
“Sometimes I would even herd fish toward the shallows for them. Because of that, even more people started coming to the river.”
Gu Qingyun stared at her intently. A soul of pure kindness wouldn't bear to harm others even after turning into a ghost. Sadly, she had died so young.
One could imagine she must have lived a carefree life with her family. If not for this tragedy, she would have married, become a dutiful wife and loving mother, borne two children of her own, visited her maiden home from time to time, and lived a peaceful, contented life.
Looking at this foolish girl before her, Gu Qingyun felt a touch of exasperation at her lack of ruthlessness.
“How do you want me to help you?”
Bai Zhu'er bowed deeply once more in gratitude.
“I want the villain brought to justice. I don't want her living under my identity, deceiving my parents, my brother, and my sister-in-law.
“I don't want her taking the hard-earned money my family made. If she has already married in my place, I want her to return every bit of my dowry.
“And... if my fiancé knew all along that she wasn't me yet chose to cover for her, I want him to receive the punishment he deserves.”
Gu Qingyun let out a faint smile.
“Now I understand why you never turned into a vengeful spirit despite becoming a ghost. Your heart is purely benevolent; from start to finish, you haven't even thought of seeking bloody vengeance yourself.
“Coupled with help from a benefactor, you haven't had to relive your death day after day. Aside from being unable to leave this place, you're hardly any different from before.
“I'll help you with this matter. For now, the most pressing task is to recover your remains.”
Bai Zhu'er shook her head.
“Not yet. We need to make my brother and sister-in-law believe that I'm already dead first, so they can come collect my bones.
“I have to make everyone know that Bai Zhu'er died over a year ago, and that for this entire year, Zhang Xiaoxiao has been usurping my identity and enjoying the fruits of my family's labor.
“Besides, my body is currently in the middle of the river. The water there is too deep; ordinary people wouldn't be able to dredge it up.”
Gu Qingyun certainly could, but since this was Bai Zhu'er's wish, she agreed.
“Alright. Give me a token of proof—something that will convince your parents and the others.
“Also, tell me your family's address, names, and all the details, one by one.”
Overcome with flustered excitement, Bai Zhu'er leapt straight into the river, her figure vanishing from the surface in an instant.
In barely the span of a breath, she reappeared smiling upon the water, swiftly drifting before Gu Qingyun. She handed over a jade pendant and a jewelry box slightly larger than a palm.
“I've worn this since I was small. It has the character 【Zhu】 engraved on it, while my brother's has 【Yuan】—his full name is Bai Shuyuan. I always wore this close to my body, so fortunately, she didn't take it from me.
“This box is something I found at the bottom of the river. It was probably washed down from upstream and belongs to no one. I checked, and everything inside is clean. Please accept this as your reward, Benefactor.”
Gu Qingyun opened the small box. The jewelry inside hadn't lost its luster despite resting at the riverbed for years. She picked up a bracelet and examined it; well, she couldn't tell its clarity or quality at all.
Gu Qingyun cleared her throat.
“Thank you, Miss Bai. I will shamelessly accept.”
Bai Zhu'er pressed her lips into a smile.
“Please hurry on your way, Officer; I'll wait here for your news.”
Watching Gu Qingyun depart, Bai Zhu'er glided into the river, arriving in an instant at the River Lord's manor at the bottom of the river. Since the previous River Lord had perished, this place had fallen into desolation.
“You're back,” spoke a large golden carp. It was roughly half a meter long, with two long barbels at the corners of its mouth. It was the one speaking in a human tongue just now.
Bai Zhu'er stroked its back.
“Xiaojin, you need to cultivate diligently. Otherwise, when will you ever be able to take human form?”
The carp called Xiaojin leapt into her embrace.
“How could an orthodox demon cultivation method possibly allow someone to take human form so quickly? Unless one seeks a mortal proclamation or eats humans, but neither of those is what I want. Still, I will work hard.
“Zhu'er, I'm sorry I couldn't save you back then. My demonic power was simply too weak, and I couldn't heal your grievous injuries.”
Bai Zhu'er listened with a gentle smile. She had never expected to encounter the little carp she once saved here in the river. Xiaojin had wanted to save her back then, but she had already been on the brink of death with only a faint breath remaining.
Xiaojin could only protect her soul from being devoured by other ghosts, pass on a sliver of merit and incense power to her, and teach her how to cultivate. Though her progress was slow, she was completely content.
“That's why you need to cultivate well, Xiaojin. Once you become the River Lord of this river, I won't have to fear anyone bullying me anymore.”
...
When Gu Qingyun returned to the county yamen, neither Little Black nor the yellow dog Big Yellow were around. Standing directly in the courtyard, she drew upon the power of the stars to temper her body.
As her cultivation deepened, her physique grew sturdier and her strength increased considerably; now she could easily lift a water vat filled to the brim.
The night passed as she cultivated. When dawn was about to break, she brought out her talisman brush and yellow paper to begin drawing talismans.
Back in the day, she had never studied this diligently. If she had possessed this level of drive in her past life, getting into a prestigious university wouldn't have been a dream.
As for drawing talismans, she had realized that doing it at this hour each day yielded a ninety percent success rate. At other times, she would always ruin a couple of sheets, which cost real money and pained her heart to no end.
Tossing aside stray thoughts, she poured all her focus into the talisman paper. As her final stroke landed, a faint white light flashed across the surface, and a gentle breeze swept through the room. The talisman was complete. Joyfully tucking it away, she wondered what price she should set for it.
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