Young Master Bai — Chapter 18
Chapter 18: Is Playing a Ghost-Summoning Game at Midnight Thrilling?
The autopsy results showed that the fatal wound on Lu Ren Wang was not caused by a yao, which meant that a cultivator must have intervened. The Demon Sect had no reason to provoke the Great Snow Mountain now — could it be that a righteous sect was willing to offend the Myriad Treasures Hall just to stir up trouble with the yao? If that were the case, it would indeed be a huge problem for the Great Snow Mountain.
Bai Chen bore the heavy responsibility of preserving his family’s legacy. Even deep into the night, he leaned against the window pondering these strange matters. Ever since he lost his yao core, he no longer had the confidence to act recklessly. He calculated every step carefully, and the carefree days of his childhood running through the snow had long become a hazy memory. Even if he forced himself to stand in the same place, he could no longer recapture the feelings of the past.
Li Wuming could not stand seeing him like this. He picked up a fox-fur cloak and draped it over his Dao companion, comforting him: “You don’t need to worry so much. My master is still cultivating on the Great Snow Mountain. That Yao King’s descendant, if he dares to show his face, will surely be reduced to ashes by one strike of my master’s sword.”
Li Wuming rarely mentioned his mysterious Sword Immortal master. Bai Chen was startled out of his thoughts when he heard this and asked doubtfully: “Then why didn’t he deal with me personally?”
“I don’t know. Master only said you must die by my hand, just as the Yao King could only die by his sword. This is karmic retribution.”
Li Wuming also found this matter strange. Even after a thousand years, Sword Immortal Bai had remained vigorous and spared no mercy when disciplining wayward disciples. Yet surprisingly, he did not personally take the life of Bai Chen, this Nine-tailed White Fox.
Bai Chen thought to himself, these words sounded as if Sword Immortal Bai had long foreseen he would fall in love with Li Wuming, so he, like the Yao King, had to die by the sword of the one he loved before his feelings shifted.
This guess made him shudder. Instinctively, he leaned closer into the man’s arms and sighed softly: “His hatred for the Yao King really is deep to the bone.”
These words made Li Wuming’s eyes grow dark under the candlelight. He gently stroked the hair of the stunning beauty in his arms and murmured: “The deeper the love once was, the greater the hatred when betrayed. Remember this: it’s okay if you cannot return deep feelings, but never trample on them once you’ve accepted them. Human love and hate are terrifying things that you little foxes cannot afford to play with.”
“What do you mean — ”
These seemingly pointed words made Bai Chen lift his head in surprise. Yet before he could press further, the door opened and Chenzui, who had gone to investigate, returned just in time. Unaware of the tense atmosphere, he hurriedly said: “Ancestor, last night a Great Bear guard did encounter an intruder, but that person was too fast. They disappeared before the alarm could even finish sounding.”
As soon as Chenzui entered, Li Wuming returned to his usual lazy self, lounging on the couch and yawning. Bai Chen had no choice but to let it go for now, asking Chenzui helplessly: “Where did the guard encounter him?”
This question made Chenzui hesitate for a long while before he finally stammered: “At… Clear Weather Peak, where the Red Fox clan leader resides.”
Since this concerned the Red Fox clan — where his father was from — it was no wonder the child was so anxious. Bai Chen refrained from commenting and continued to ask: “Which direction did the guard say he fled?”
“Seemed to be north.”
“North?”
Bai Chen’s brows furrowed slightly as he traced the layout of the Great Snow Mountain’s peaks on the table, puzzled: “North of Clear Weather Peak is the Heavenly Wolf clan’s Snowy Forest. That’s not the direction to descend the mountain.”
At this point, Li Wuming also looked over and added: “Since Lu Ren Wang came up the mountain to find his father, he wouldn’t retreat so easily. Perhaps after shaking off the pursuers, he kept investigating — or maybe he discovered something…”
It seemed that the Nine-colored Deer really was hiding in the Great Snow Mountain. Lu Ren Wang’s body was found on the western road at the foot of the mountain, and Lu Ren Yi said his brother had left town from the eastern street. Then his route should have been ascending from the east, spotted by the guards at Clear Weather Peak, then fleeing north and deeper into the mountain, encountering some incident that made him flee quickly down the western side, only to die outside the town.
If it had happened inside the Great Snow Mountain, the guards couldn’t possibly have been unaware. There were also cultivators patrolling near Yinrong, so the death must have occurred on a section of the descent not guarded by either side.
Bai Chen narrowed down the scope of the incident in his mind and finally curled his lips coldly: “I had been wondering why there would be yao stirring up trouble at this time in the Great Snow Mountain. If an outsider interfered, it would make sense.”
There was no need for two Yao Kings in this world. Since the Nine-colored Deer served a Yao King’s descendant, it naturally wanted the Bai family of the Great Snow Mountain thrown into chaos to seize the opportunity to absorb the Yao King’s former subordinates.
Seeing Bai Chen’s expression turn cold, Chenzui panicked and quickly said: “Ancestor, the Red Fox clan would never collude with outsiders! Lu Ren Wang must have gone to the wrong place!”
“I know. The Red Fox clan already has you, the future fox king. There’s no need to stir up trouble.”
Chenzui was the son of the Red Fox clan leader and a Bai family fox yao. His birth had tied the two clans to the same fate. Bai Chen believed the Red Fox clan had no reason to curry favor with a Yao King’s descendant who was not related by marriage. It was the Heavenly Wolf clan that was dangerous…
Only then did Bai Chen understand why Starbreaker was so arrogant even toward a Nine-tailed White Fox. His fingers tightened silently, but he focused only on discussing Lu Ren Wang’s matter: “Members of the same clan have unique ways of sensing each other. Since Lu Ren Wang used yao power in the mountain, the Nine-colored Deer must have detected his presence and taken advantage of his death to sow discord between the Demon Sect and the Great Snow Mountain. To use even one’s own son’s life to provoke conflict between humans and yao — such a ruthless heart.”
First at the Jade Spring Banquet, a wolf yao caused trouble to spark a conflict, then Lu Ren Wang was killed and the blame shifted to the Great Bear clan. Every move was designed to incite humans and the Great Snow Mountain into fighting so the instigators could fish in troubled waters. But they hadn’t expected Bai Chen to revive just at this moment. The Nine-tailed White Fox’s reputation kept all factions at bay, and their schemes came to nothing.
Bai Chen knew clearly in his heart that if not for his presence making humans unsure of the Great Snow Mountain’s true strength, the Myriad Treasures Hall and the Demon Sect would not have been so polite. But without his yao core, all he could do now was grip Li Wuming’s hand nervously.
Though he said nothing, Li Wuming understood instantly and embraced the little fox for whom he’d endured his master’s blows just to marry: “Don’t worry. I am your Dao companion; we’ll face everything together.”
No one knew the might of the Sword Immortal’s lineage better than Bai Chen. At these words, he finally calmed down and coldly ordered again: “Send word to Yunce to quietly send trustworthy subordinates to investigate. Don’t alarm anyone.”
They uncovered the hidden danger on the Great Snow Mountain, and humans were not idle either. Li Wuming noticed a figure on the street and reminded him: “Look down there.”
Bai Chen looked and immediately spotted the golden Lin Kaitian, along with the Demon Sect’s Ghost Tactician and Lu Ren Yi, seemingly about to leave town. They were clearly investigating Lu Ren Wang’s killer. Bai Chen naturally wouldn’t miss this and called out: “Out so late at night, where are you all headed?”
“This is the perfect time to run into ghosts. Care to join in the fun?”
Lin Kaitian didn’t intend to hide anything from the yao. Seeing Bai Chen open the window, the other smiled and invited them. When they came down, the entire group headed out of town together.
Their destination was the snowy field where the herb gatherer had discovered Lu Ren Wang’s body. Having learned of the Nine-colored Deer’s whereabouts, Lu Ren Yi had been waiting at the government office for the investigation results. Seeing that he looked calm, Bai Chen asked on the way: “You’ve been with the Demon Sect all this time. How’s their investigation going?”
“My brother’s fatal wound carried no yao aura; it was likely the work of a cultivator. Lord Ghost intends to dissect and examine him closely, and I agreed.”
Lu Ren Yi’s reply was cold, as if devoid of emotion. But Bai Chen saw the deep hatred he hid. Humans valued proper burial rites greatly, so for him to agree to let his brother’s body be cut open must have required great pressure. Bai Chen could only sigh softly: “You suffered a lot.”
Since noon, Lu Ren Yi had watched his brother’s body being slowly dissected by the coroner. His tears had long dried, and his bloodshot eyes were filled only with hatred for his father. “He killed my mother and now even my brother. No matter the cost, I’ll kill him.”
The crime scene wasn’t far from town. Seeing that the Ghost Tactician had stopped, Bai Chen stopped the conversation and asked: “Is the Demon Sect going to summon Lu Ren Wang’s soul?”
His guess was right. The Ghost Tactician nodded: “After death, a soul wanders in a daze for seven days. Once some consciousness returns, it instinctively goes home. Normally it says farewell to its family before stepping through the Gates of Hell to the Underworld to reincarnate. But if something goes wrong or it has no home, the soul becomes a wandering ghost. If it suffers further and its hatred is stirred, it becomes a fierce vengeful ghost.
“These two had just arrived here and hadn’t settled down. Lu Ren Wang had no home to return to. I set up a summoning array at his body but failed to draw him out, which means he has turned into a vengeful ghost and should be roaming near where he died.”
As a ghost himself attached to a corpse, the Ghost Tactician was most familiar with such matters. Bai Chen listened and learned, thinking that he himself had no memory of death and wondering what method Li Wuming had used to keep his soul in the mortal world without it turning into a vengeful ghost.
These non-humans discussed animatedly while Lin Kaitian felt creeped out, quickly interrupting the Ghost Tactician who seemed ready to share more ghost stories: “These eerie matters are your expertise as someone who’s already died once. Just do your spell. I’ll prepare my treasures and wait.”
Humans naturally feared death. The Ghost Tactician just smiled faintly, his pale face looking especially grim at midnight. Then his eyes turned to Lu Ren Yi, who had come along: “You know what price my services require.”
Lu Ren Yi of course knew the rules of hiring a ghost. He immediately rolled up his sleeve, respectfully exposing his artery: “Please, my lord.”
Usually dressed as a scholar and carrying a folding fan even in winter, the Ghost Tactician spoke coldly and emotionlessly. But now his eyes suddenly turned red, his sharp fangs sank hard into the blood vessel, and he greedily drank the demonic cultivator’s blood.
The outburst of vengeful ferocity was truly terrifying. Chenzui hid behind Bai Chen in fear, and even Lin Kaitian covered his eyes at the sight of blood splattering: “Can’t you at least cover up when you do that in public?”
He even handed over a handkerchief, but the Ghost Tactician ignored him. When he withdrew his fangs, he resumed his scholarly demeanor, snatched the handkerchief to wipe his mouth, and tossed a medicine bottle to the now-wobbly Lu Ren Yi: “Take the medicine. Apply fresh glutinous rice to the wound daily. In three months the corpse poison will be cured.”
It is said that vengeful ghosts fed on human essence and blood. Bai Chen now saw that the ancients spoke true. Though the Ghost Tactician was restrained, Lu Ren Yi’s once-strong arm was now skin and bones. If it had been an ordinary person facing a starving vengeful ghost, they would have become a skeleton in an instant. No wonder Heaven’s Way Alliance, despite controlling Jiangdu, never sought an alliance with the Ghost Realm.
Living beings were born to fear such scenes. Chenzui, uneasy, whispered to Bai Chen: “Ancestor, do ghosts eat foxes?”
Though he spoke softly, the hundred-year-old ghost heard it anyway. The pale scholar smiled: “Yes, especially healthy fox yao who’ve trained running through snow. Very nourishing.”
At that, Chenzui trembled. Bai Chen quickly shot the old ghost a look, and he stopped scaring the child and explained: “We vengeful ghosts need living essence to walk in the daylight. The Demon Sect often seeks our help, so it’s a fair trade.”
Only the Demon Sect dared keep a few vengeful ghosts at home and even trade with them. Lin Kaitian shook his head: “Only Demon Sect disciples are so reckless. I wouldn’t dare let you bite me.”
The Ghost Tactician remained indifferent: “That’s because Young Master Lin has lived a smooth life and never suffered great sorrow. Sometimes hatred is more important than life.”
Lin Kaitian, good-natured, wasn’t offended. He even nodded: “True. I’ll light more incense when I get home to thank my ancestors for their protection.”
They’d fought each other for years and were familiar by now. Watching this man and ghost chat casually, Chenzui’s eyes widened in shock. He clung to Bai Chen’s back and asked: “Ancestor, did Lu Ren Wang also become a ghost like that?”
Cowardice was the nature of Red Foxes. Bai Chen had no time to comfort him, only listening to the approaching rustle in the snow and warning: “Be careful. He’s already here.”
~ Chapter End ~
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