It was dark outside as Bai Xiaochun frantically tried to activate the command medallion. It was so deathly quiet around him that it would have been possible to hear a pin drop.
Slowly but surely, his hair began to stand on end. He simply couldnât remain calm, and was doing everything he could to activate the command medallion as quickly as possible. However, at some point during the night, his work was interrupted by the sound of footsteps coming from outside the building he was in.
Thump thump. Thump thumpâŠ. It almost sounded like a beating heart, although Bai Xiaochun was quite certain they were footsteps. However, after sending some divine sense outside to check, he couldnât see anyone in the area.
That, of course, caused his scalp to tingle so hard it felt like it might explode.
âItâs really⊠really hauntedâŠ.â He felt like crying; other than death, the thing he feared most in life was ghosts. It didnât matter that he was in the Heaven-Dao Nascent Soul stage, he still couldnât shake that deep-seated phobia. Without any hesitation he procured a big stack of paper talismans from his bag of holding and began to slap them down all over himself.
They were leftover talismans from his days back in the River-Defying Sect, which he had also used in the Arch-Emperorâs labyrinth. At the moment, he didnât care at all that using them could theoretically reveal his identity, and he even forgot to use the powers of his mask to change their appearance. After plastering himself all over with them, he was still shaking in fear, and kept pushing the command medallion to activate. At the same time, he kept looking around anxiously, worried he would see a face looming in the darkness.
âI'm the inspections commissioner, and this is the Inspections Manor! How could this be happeningâŠ? It shouldnât be like thisâŠ!â As he sat there nervously, he suddenly realized that he could hear more and more footsteps outside, until it sounded like an entire army was passing by.
By this point, he was virtually going crazy.
âSo many ghostsâŠ.â he thought, his face white as a sheet. It was at this point that, without any warning, someone suddenly knocked on the door.
It was a rigorous, methodical knock that frightened Bai Xiaochun so badly he leaped to his feet and stared at the door, panting and trembling.
After a moment, the knocking stopped, and then the footsteps went off into the distance, as though whatever army was outside had move on.
Eventually, when Bai Xiaochun was sure that everything was quiet, he wiped the sweat from his brow. All of a sudden, he felt a bit embarrassed. After all, he was a powerful cultivator, a Wildlands necromancer who used countless vengeful souls to conjure magical flames. And yet, here he was being bullied by ghosts. All in all, he couldnât help but feel a bit scornful of his own actions.
âCome on! Is Lord Bai really afraid of ghosts? Nah, I just donât want to go out until I'm finished activating the command medallion. After all, I wouldnât want to cause any misunderstandings.â Having reached the conclusion that this was definitely the best way to look at it, he no longer felt very embarrassed, and was just about to continue working with the command medallion whenâŠ.
All of a sudden, a rumbling sound echoed out as some massive force pushed against the door, causing it to swing open. As it did, a chill wind rushed inside, startling Bai Xiaochun so much that he screamed and unleashed all the power of his cultivation base. Lunging backward, he shouted, âI'm the inspections commissioner! Weâre all on the same team hereâŠ.â
It was impossible to say whether or not it was because of what Bai Xiaochun had just shouted, but after the door opened, it was obvious that there wasnât anyone standing in the doorway. It was completely empty.
Sweat poured down Bai Xiaochunâs forehead, and his aura trembled unstably. Outside, Arch-Emperor City seemed completely dark, which wasnât how Bai Xiaochun remembered the place usually being at night. Back in Borough 89, it had always been a lively place. Furthermore, he was now in the central district of the city, in Borough 4, a place which should have been even more bustling.
In the center of the city, the streets were packed day and night. But strangely⊠even with the door open, Bai Xiaochun couldnât hear even a whisper of the hustle and bustle that he should have. Everything was dark and quiet.
Apparently, this part of the city center was aware of how things worked near the Inspections Manor, and turned off all of their lights at night.
âWhat the hell kind of place is this?!â Teeth chattering, he performed an incantation gesture with his right hand and then waved his finger, causing the door to swing closed. Looking around the area vigilantly, he scanned everything with divine sense, but again came up with nothing. Finally, he patted his bag of holding to produce a soulhoarding pagoda, out of which Bai Hao flew.
âYouâre a ghost cultivator, my apprentice,â he said. âHelp me look around and see if there are any other beings like you around here.â Bai Hao was a bit taken aback, but he looked around for a moment, then closed his eyes for a while. Eventually, he frowned.
âMaster,â he said hesitantly, âthere are definitely no ghosts around here that have mental faculties like I doâŠ. However, thereâs definitely something strange about this place, as if it exists somewhere between the realms of death and life. I really canât put my finger on it. Itâs like this placeâŠ.â At this point he realized that his Masterâs face had turned deathly white, and that he appeared to be completely terrified.
âWhatâs wrong, Master?â he asked.
Bai Xiaochun licked his lips and mused that he definitely couldnât allow himself to look scared in front of his apprentice. Thumping himself on his chest, he said, âHahaha! Nothing! I'm not scared at all, go on with your explanation.â
âUh, Master⊠I never said you looked scared.â
âHuh? Oh. Hahaha! Well, letâs not talk about that. You were just saying something but didn't finish. What about this place?â
Looking oddly at Bai Xiaochun, Bai Hao continued, âTo me, this place doesnât feel like itâs empty at allâŠ. In fact, itâs like there are people all around us⊠hidden figures in large numbersâŠ.â
His words caused goosebumps to cover Bai Xiaochunâs skin, and he looked around left and right to see if he could see anything. He couldnât.
âMaster, um⊠are you sure youâre not scared?â All of a sudden, Bai Hao found the situation somewhat funny. This was his first time seeing his Master looking scared like this. He hadnât even been afraid when going up against hundreds of chosen.
Inside, Bai Xiaochun was wailing in fear. However, on the outside, he simply glared at Bai Hao.
âNonsense,â he said loudly. âMe? Scared?! I'm not scared of anything!â
After that, he decided to change the topic again. Pulling Bai Hao a bit closer, he continued to work with the command medallion, and simultaneously began to chat randomly with Bai Hao.
âSo, my apprentice, how have you been doing lately? Um⊠oh, how is the eighteen-colored flame coming along? We won't be going back to our shop, you know, so we need to think of a new way to get our hands on some more souls.â
Bai Xiaochun chattered on, changing the conversation topic constantly. Although an odd expression could be seen on Bai Haoâs face, he continued to answer the questions. As the two chatted, time passed, and eventually Bai Xiaochun started to run out of things to talk about. That was when he related to Bai Hao what had occurred during his meeting with the Grand Heavenmaster.
Earlier, Bai Hao hadnât dared to let even the slightest fluctuation out, for fear that he be detected. Therefore, he wasnât privy to what had gone on between Bai Xiaochun and the Grand Heavenmaster. As Bai Hao listened, his expression turned very somber.
âInvestigate who is loyal to the Arch-EmperorâŠ.â Bai Hao was shocked, and at the same time, realized that his Master had been dragged into an enormous web of intrigue.
Eyes flickering with intelligence, he provided his analysis of the situation, âMaster, this is no small matter. Not only did the Grand Heavenmaster defy the wishes of the majority by not killing us, but he then went on to appoint you as the inspections commissionerâŠ. Obviously, he's using the fact that you offended so many people to use you as a tool!â
âI thought of that too,â Bai Xiaochun said, his eyebrows dancing up and down. âMaster is just too outstanding, donât you say?â Although Bai Xiaochun had temporarily stopped thinking about what an eerie place he was in, he didn't stop using the powers of the mask to conceal himself.
As for Bai Hao, he continued to ponder the matter, using his superior intellect to analyze how the situation would be most beneficial for his Master.
âMaster, this situation might be a good opportunity for us. All of it will come down to the Grand Heavenmasterâs stanceâŠ. He obviously took a liking to you because of how you offended everyone. In that case⊠he probably wants to use you, not just like an ordinary tool, but like a sharp knife! Master, from here on out, the more people you offend, the safer weâll be!â
Bai Xiaochun had long since become convinced that Bai Hao was extremely intelligent, most especially because of the incident with Sun Yifan and Sima Tao. Therefore, after hearing his analysis, he nodded in agreement.
Bai Hao was very pleased to have the approval of his Master. Eyes flickering with strange light, he continued to think about the matter for a moment. Then he leaned closer to Bai Xiaochun, lowered his voice, and said, âMaster, I think I have an idea of what the Grand Heavenmaster is thinking. First you need to smooth out the internal crises. After that, you need to weaken the aristocracyâŠ. In terms of smoothing out the internal crises, I donât have any plan for how to do that. But as far as weakening the aristocracy⊠when the time comes, I have a plan that will completely crush the influential clans and other powers, and at the same time, make you more valuable than ever to the Grand Heavenmaster!â
With that, he went on to elaborate his plan.
âSo ruthlessâŠ.â Bai Xiaochun murmured, his eyes widening.
âMaster,â Bai Hao replied quietly, 'since we've started down this path, we need to walk it to the endâŠ.â