A meeting.
Another meeting.
Endless meetings.
In the meeting room, everyone's expression was grave. On some faces, traces of exhaustion still lingered.
They had all been pulled out of bed in the middle of the night for this.
The air conditioner hummed, and in the quiet space, the sound of papers being flipped echoed from time to time.
The Special Investigation Bureau had retrieved the footage from the ten recording devices, and a group of former traces inspection specialists were reviewing it repeatedly and meticulously.
The segments involving Ma Guniang were pulled out and enlarged frame by frame, for fear of missing any vital or useful information.
Every word she spoke, every look in her eyes, and every movement she made was being analyzed by dedicated experts.
What did this expression mean?
Could this gesture be referring to something specific?
Under the ultra-high-definition lens, Ma Guniang's every move, every frown, and every smile was magnified several times and presented before the crowd.
Four historians who had arrived overnight immediately flipped their lids upon hearing the question posed by Ma Mingyuan.
Although these researchers of history wouldn't dare claim they knew everything about the history of Great Xia, what the hell did he mean by asking if humans had discovered the existence of ghosts during Wu Zetian's reign right off the bat?
They studied history, not the occult!
If he wanted to know about that, he should go find the folklore people!
Since they were asking for help, the Special Investigation Bureau didn't hide anything and played the mission video directly.
The cameras had not fully recorded the situation at the time.
The fire and the illusionary realm—none of it was captured.
The first half of the video showed a group of task force members acting as if they had eaten poisonous mushrooms, outwitting and fighting the air while spinning in circles on the stairs.
In the second half of the video, a woman in purple robes stepped through the mist. A milky-white fog pervaded the area, almost obscuring the lens.
After a brief conversation, the woman leaped down from the skyscraper and departed with the wind.
The shaky camera perfectly captured the cameraman's bewilderment and shock.
The historians: "..."
The camera work, the special effects, and this ridiculous plot and exit...
Are you trying to fool us with clips from a TV drama?
The four old men, whose combined ages were nearly three hundred, turned to leave with sour expressions.
It was only after Ma Mingyuan repeatedly guaranteed the video's authenticity and swore on his honor as a party member that the old men reluctantly believed it.
The four of them spent the night scouring documents and records, trying to find traces of the "Demon Suppression Division" mentioned by Ma Guniang.
But the harvest was slim.
"There are two possibilities."
Ma Mingyuan frowned deeply, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the table as he spoke slowly:
"First, this so-called 'Ma Guniang' is lying.
'Whatever exists must leave a trace.' If the Demon Suppression Division truly existed as an institution in history, why are there no relevant historical records remaining?
However, from my personal understanding, this possibility is not high."
Others were either deep in thought, frowning, or leaning their heads on their hands. Many showed expressions of agreement.
Indeed.
The fire at Green Ti New City happened seven years ago.
Ma Guniang appeared at the Special Investigation Section, first informing the authorities about the possible appearance of the evil ghost.
Then, she secretly observed the actions of Qin Yue's team, stepping in at just the right moment to save them, kill the ghost, and gift Qin Yue a cultivation technique.
Finally, she made a dashing departure.
If she were lying, why go to such great lengths to concoct a lie that could be so easily exposed?
Ma Mingyuan nodded:
"Yes, that is also my personal guess.
Ma Guniang eliminated the evil ghost Zheng Tong with ease, which shows that with her abilities, she was fully capable of completing the mission issued by that 'Lord Commissioner' herself.
Yet, she insisted on having the authorities intervene, giving us an advance warning and saving our people...
To me, it feels more like she is giving us a reminder, or perhaps, testing our attitude."
Someone raised an objection:
"Testing us?"
"Then why not just tell us directly that the ghost haunting the building was Zheng's soul?"
"Exactly. Why go through such a long way around? What is she trying to do?"
"Perhaps we can think about it from her perspective."
Qin Yue, who had been silent, suddenly thought of something and her eyes lit up:
"In our Great Xia myths and legends, there are often 'tests.'
For example, in Journey to the West, there is the 'Four Sages Testing the Zen Mind.' Or how Lü Dongbin passed ten tests before being enlightened by Zhongli Quan to become an immortal.
Could the case of the Ghost Building also be a test given to our Special Investigation Section by Ma Guniang?"
"Xiao Qin's line of thinking is correct!"
Ma Mingyuan slapped the table, growing excited:
"She might have just wanted to see if our comrades would participate in this mission.
Didn't Ma Guniang say that the 'Demon Suppression Division' is just a title? Throughout the dynasties, anyone who handled supernatural matters belonged to the Demon Suppression Division, only the names varied.
She might not have been sure if our Special Investigation Section was the place she was looking for.
This time was likely a test. The performance of Xiao Qin and our comrades in this mission earned Ma Guniang's recognition, which is why she left behind a so-called 'cultivation technique.'"
In the meeting room, everyone's gaze simultaneously fell on the blue-covered book next to Qin Yue.
【Small Twelve Bone Forging Method】.
Unlike the cheap street-stall booklets sold for ten yuan for three on the internet...
This one might be a real cultivation technique.
Cultivation.
Everyone's eyes burned with desire.
Which Great Xia person hasn't fantasized about cultivating immortality in their heart?
Now that the world's environment had changed abruptly and supernatural events were happening more and more frequently, a real cultivation technique obtained from a non-human being...
Knock, knock.
Ma Mingyuan tapped the table, pulling everyone's attention back:
"We're getting off track. Let me tell you the second possibility.
Ma Guniang might not have lied to us. In history—or rather, in the part of history that was not recorded—the 'Demon Suppression Division' truly existed.
It's just that with the changing of eras and the turnover of dynasties, some historical materials were destroyed, and the legacy left by the Demon Suppression Division suffered a discontinuity."
Assuming everything Ma Guniang said was true.
Then, the "Empress Shenlong" she mentioned could very well be the only female emperor in Great Xia's history, Wu Zetian.
Ma Guniang claimed to be from the "Great Song," so if she has survived until now, she is a powerful ghost who has lived for at least several hundred years.
In ancient times, productivity was low and technology was undeveloped. When humans encountered unexplainable things, they would attribute them to "gods and ghosts."
To maintain social stability and consolidate imperial power, it was possible for rulers to establish a department specifically to handle "matters of gods and ghosts."
As for why there are no records in history...
Perhaps, as Ma Guniang said, when the Qing entered the pass, the Qing rulers rewrote Han history, burned historical materials, and covered up this part of history to consolidate their regime.
"That's not impossible either."
He Xiaoyi squinted his eyes, recalling for a long time before continuing:
"My He family's ancestors moved here from beyond the pass.
I heard from my grandfather that our ancestors were a branch of the Shaman lineage who changed their surname to avoid disaster back then.
As far as I know, when the Qing entered the pass, Hong Taiji made a pact with the immortals and demons who were cultivating in the Northeast to suppress the monsters and ghosts within the pass.
I don't know the specific details of the pact, but it should be similar.
In the Age of Dharma Decline, the demons and immortals used the Qing court's Dragon Qi to cultivate, and in exchange, they would not cross the Shanhai Pass to cause trouble within the pass.
Ordinary people couldn't see the immortals and spirits, so there must have been people specifically responsible for communicating with them.
This group of talented people working for the Qing court was likely similar to the people of the Demon Suppression Division, serving only the imperial family.
So I guess the Demon Suppression Division might have really existed. It's just that after years of development, it slowly evolved into a secret imperial agency, which is why no records were passed down after the founding of the nation."
With so many gods and ghosts in ancient times, the imperial family was also afraid of death.
Therefore, if there was a secret demon-catching agency serving the imperial family, it wasn't entirely impossible.
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