The Pacification of Ghosts - Chapter Four: The Petty Ghost's Clever Chain Stratagem

After dealing with Jia Zai-xing's Absolute Life Pills, Zhong Kui received disturbing intelligence. A Petty Ghost (下作鬼) had been orchestrating an elaborate scheme involving multiple layers of deception and manipulation.

This wasn't a powerful demon but rather a cunning spirit who compensated for his weakness with intricate planning. The Petty Ghost had once been a minor court official who died while plotting against his superiors, and in death, he continued his scheming ways.

"This ghost is different," Han Yuan warned after studying the reports. "He doesn't attack directly. He sets up situations where people destroy themselves through their own vices and mistakes."

The Petty Ghost's plan was brilliantly malicious—a series of interconnected schemes where each victim's downfall would trigger the next:

First, he would possess a merchant and have him sell inferior goods, causing financial ruin to his customers. Those ruined customers would then become desperate enough to commit crimes. The crimes would require judges to pass harsh sentences, creating resentment. The resentment would fuel rebellion, and rebellion would create more ghosts for the Petty Ghost to recruit.

"It's like dominoes," Fu Qu observed. "Push one, and they all fall in sequence."

Zhong Kui traced the scheme to its starting point—a previously honest silk merchant named Wang who had suddenly begun selling counterfeit goods. When confronted, Wang seemed confused.

"I don't understand," Wang pleaded. "I inspect every bolt of silk personally, but somehow, by the time customers receive them, they're worthless fakes. It's as if someone switches them in transit."

The Petty Ghost had been replacing real goods with ghostly imitations that would dissolve after purchase, leaving customers with nothing but debt and anger.

One of Wang's ruined customers, a tailor named Chen, had already moved to the second phase of the plan. Destroyed financially, he had been approached by the Petty Ghost (appearing as a helpful stranger) with an offer: "Rob the tax collector, and you'll have enough to rebuild your life."

But the Petty Ghost had also warned the tax collector, ensuring Chen would be caught. The goal wasn't successful robbery but creating a cycle of crime and punishment that would generate more suffering.

Zhong Kui realized that destroying the Petty Ghost wouldn't stop the plan—the chain of events was already in motion. Instead, he needed to break each link carefully.

With Han Yuan's strategic mind, they developed a counter-plan. They would replace the Petty Ghost's manipulations with interventions that created positive outcomes instead of negative ones.

For the merchant Wang, they exposed the ghostly substitutions publicly, proving his innocence and restoring his reputation. For the tailor Chen, they arranged alternative employment before he could attempt the robbery.

The Petty Ghost appeared before Zhong Kui, manifesting as a thin, nervous figure constantly wringing his hands. "You're ruining everything! Do you know how long it took to set this up? Every detail was perfect!"

"That's your weakness," Zhong Kui replied. "Your plans are so complex that changing one element unravels everything. You're so focused on the grand scheme that you forget the simple solution."

The Petty Ghost sneered, "But I have backup plans! Contingencies! For every scheme you stop, I have three more ready!"

What followed wasn't a physical battle but a contest of planning and counter-planning. The Petty Ghost would initiate a scheme, and Zhong Kui's team would counter it:

• The ghost tried to poison a well to cause illness and blame a local doctor. Han Yuan detected it and purified the water.
• He attempted to forge love letters to cause adultery scandals. Fu Qu intercepted them.
• He possessed a child to speak blasphemy in a temple. Zhong Kui exorcised him immediately.

Each failure made the Petty Ghost more desperate and his plans more elaborate but also more fragile.

Finally, Zhong Kui set a trap using the Petty Ghost's own methodology. He allowed one scheme to appear successful—the ghost possessed a minor official and had him embezzle funds. But the "funds" were actually ghost money that would vanish at dawn.

When the Petty Ghost tried to use this "success" to recruit other spirits to his cause, showing them the stolen wealth, it evaporated before their eyes. His credibility was destroyed.

"You used my own chain stratagem against me!" the Petty Ghost wailed.

"Yes," Zhong Kui confirmed. "Your cleverness became your weakness. You were so proud of your complex plans that you couldn't see the simple trap."

Rather than destroy the Petty Ghost, Zhong Kui offered him redemption: "Your planning skills are impressive but misdirected. Serve the underworld as a strategic advisor, using your talents to prevent supernatural crimes rather than cause them."

The Petty Ghost was skeptical. "Why would you trust me?"

"Because," Zhong Kui explained, "your need to create perfect plans can be channeled toward perfect justice. Every scheme you help us prevent will be more satisfying than any you could execute."

Reluctantly, the Petty Ghost agreed to a trial period, beginning his transformation from schemer to strategic defender.

Continue reading: Chapter Five: Tang Zhong Kui Burns Down the Temple of Non-Cultivation