Chapter 8: Miss, He Is Lying

“You’re saying Liu Laosan, the ghost officer, is lying?”
Lin Buyu looked at Xu Ye with some confusion.
“At least, he’s not telling the whole truth.”
Xu Ye nodded.
“What proof do you have?”
Lin Buyu now grew serious.
“He claimed that when the ghost struck, this Constable here shielded him, taking the blow and suffering grave injuries as a result.”
Xu Ye stepped up to the constable’s sickbed.
By now, most of the ghostly aura had faded from the constable’s body, and what little remained was locked away by the nine silver coins, dwindling bit by bit.
“What’s wrong with his story?”
Lin Buyu also came to the bedside.
“If the constable had shielded Liu Laosan from a frontal attack, why is the wound on the back of his ankle?”
Xu Ye pointed at the injury above the constable’s heel.
Although the wound had stopped bleeding, the mangled flesh and exposed bone were still a harrowing sight, and several sharp claw marks could be faintly seen around it.
Lin Buyu frowned at these words.
“But why would he lie? That doesn’t make sense. If he were afraid of punishment, he could simply have left the whole matter unsaid.”
Though doubt now clouded her mind as well, she still felt it premature to condemn Liu Laosan as a liar.
“What if Liu Laosan is no longer who he once was?”
Xu Ye met Lin Buyu’s eyes.
At that, a shiver ran down Lin Buyu’s spine, a dreadful suspicion rising in her heart.
“You mean Liu Laosan lied because he’s been possessed by a ghost?”
She tensed instantly.
“Liu Laosan is left-handed, isn’t he?”
Xu Ye responded with a question of his own.
“How did you know?”
Lin Buyu was astonished.
She’d spent half a year at Mingzi Camp and knew well that Liu Laosan was a lefty—but Xu Ye had only met him once. How had he noticed?
“The bones of his left hand are much thicker than those of the right, and there are heavy calluses between his left index finger and thumb, clearly from years of wielding a blade in his left hand.”
Xu Ye pointed to his own left hand.
“To notice such things after just one meeting—this boy has a hawk’s eye,” Lin Buyu thought in amazement.
“But what does that have to do with being possessed?” she pressed Xu Ye.
“When Liu Laosan helped Zhao Constable to the bed and beat his chest in remorse, he used his right hand for everything. But a left-handed man doesn’t change his habits overnight; that’s why everything about him seemed just a bit off.”

Xu Ye explained.
Lin Buyu, hearing this, racked her memory and realized that Xu Ye was right—Liu Laosan had instinctively used his right hand for every task.
“And besides his hands, the heel of his right boot is far more worn than the left, yet when he walks, he always puts his weight on the left foot.”
Xu Ye went on.
At this, Lin Buyu’s heart sank completely.
Though her powers of observation couldn’t match Xu Ye’s, her memory, honed by her training as a scholar-physician, far surpassed ordinary folk. With a little effort, she recalled the earlier scene in vivid detail, and all the oddities about Liu Laosan surfaced in her mind.
“Can even ghost officers be possessed?”
Seeing Lin Buyu seemed convinced, Xu Ye voiced his own doubt.
In truth, all he’d spotted was that Liu Laosan was lying and behaving oddly; he hadn’t immediately thought of possession, being a newcomer to this strange world.
“Though ghost officers are protected by holy artifacts, if it’s just before dawn and their hearts have long been corrupted, possession is possible.”
Lin Buyu nodded.
“If our deductions are correct, and Liu Laosan truly has been possessed, then after attacking the constable, he didn’t flee, but instead followed us to the medical bureau. Clearly, he’s after something else.”
Xu Ye pondered intently for a moment before looking at Lin Buyu.
“The Yan Yu Lantern!” Lin Buyu caught on at once. “The marrow-eating ghost’s true aim wasn’t to kill Zhao Constable, but to seize the Grade Three holy artifact kept in the Medical Bureau.”
Xu Ye frowned secretly at this.
“The Painted Skin Ghost slaughtered the entire Xu family for their sacred ruler, and now this Marrow-Eater is targeting the Yan Yu Lantern. Aren’t these holy artifacts supposed to be the bane of ghosts? Why are they all after them?”
Though full of questions, Xu Ye had no time to ask, for as soon as they deduced Liu Laosan had been possessed and was plotting against the Yan Yu Lantern, Lin Buyu could stand still no longer.
“I have to alert Officer Sun and the bureau at once. If the Yan Yu Lantern falls into the hands of a ghost, the consequences will be disastrous. Stay here and don’t wander off.”
She urged Xu Ye while hurrying to the door.
Bang, bang, bang!
Just as Lin Buyu reached for the latch, a series of urgent knocks sounded from the other side.
“Miss Buyu, we’ve brought the Yan Yu Lantern, and the adults from the Medical Bureau are here as well. They need to see you before they can hand it over.”
Liu Laosan’s hurried voice came through the door.
Lin Buyu instinctively took a step back.
The thought that a ghost might be standing right outside left her so tense she couldn’t utter a word.
“Miss Buyu? What’s wrong? Is something amiss inside?”
Liu Laosan’s anxious voice sounded again.
As Lin Buyu stood frozen, unsure how to respond, Xu Ye strolled calmly to her side.
He gave her shoulder a reassuring pat, then called out impatiently, “What’s all this racket? Miss Lin is treating a critical patient—do you want her and the constable dead?”
At that, quiet fell abruptly outside, and then Liu Laosan’s apologetic voice came through:
“Forgive me, forgive me. I wasn’t thinking. Please, Miss Buyu, focus on your patient!”
With that, Lin Buyu’s tense nerves finally eased.
“Thank you,” she whispered to Xu Ye.

Her manner made Xu Ye feel a surge of affection, for it reminded him of the fresh-faced interns he used to supervise—so easily flustered by the unexpected.
Seeing Xu Ye smiling at her, Lin Buyu pouted, glared at him stubbornly, and hastily defended herself in a hushed voice:
“I—I wasn’t scared, I just… just hadn’t thought how to reply!”
“Sir inside, please tell Miss Buyu her senior brother has arrived. If she’s in over her head, she needn’t force herself—I’ll handle it,” came another voice from outside the door.
It was cultured and gentle, unmistakably that of a learned scholar.
“Master… um—”
“Shh—”
Lin Buyu’s face lit up with relief and excitement at the sound, and she was about to reply when Xu Ye quickly clamped a hand over her mouth.
“Miss Buyu is at a critical juncture. When it’s safe, I’ll pass on the message,” Xu Ye answered for her.
“Why won’t you let me speak with my brother?”
Lin Buyu glared at Xu Ye, annoyance in her eyes.
“Come here.”
Xu Ye moved to the window and beckoned Lin Buyu to join him, signaling her to keep away from the door.
“My brother is a scholar-physician with powerful cultivation—he can handle Liu Laosan easily,” Lin Buyu explained in a low voice once she reached the window, now understanding Xu Ye’s concern.
“And how can you be sure Liu Laosan is the only possessed ghost officer present?”
Xu Ye asked, drawing the curtains without turning around.
“That…”
Lin Buyu faltered, a flicker of fear passing through her eyes.
“Besides, Liu Laosan dared to come back—and dared to return alongside your brother. He must have something up his sleeve. Exposing him too soon might just let him escape, which is a small matter; but if he has some trick that could kill us all, wouldn’t we be doomed?”
Xu Ye turned to face her, his expression grave.
At this, beads of sweat broke out visibly on Lin Buyu’s smooth forehead.
“Then… what do you suggest?”
Lin Buyu, after all, was only a medical officer and rarely dealt with ghosts.
“If you trust me, do as I say.”
Xu Ye fixed her with a steady, serious gaze.