Free Web NovelChapter 339: Chapter 293: Tong Han
Flipping further through the photo album, Yang Xiao made another discovery. There was another photograph of him himself. This time, his back was facing the bed, so his face wasn’t clear. He was standing in front of the wardrobe, reaching out to open a silver suitcase inside.
The silver suitcase, along with all that gold and cash and other valuables, had been hidden by Yang Xiao in the bedroom of the Mirror World. This photo, unlike the previous one, had an obvious different texture, as if it were covered by a gray filter; it was clear that this place was the Mirror World.
In an instant, cold sweat broke out on Yang Xiao. This Soul-Capturing Mirror belonging to the Yu Yuan Sect was truly no ordinary object. It harbored a ghost inside, and this ghost could actually take over his body while he slept and nearly steal the Human Bone Staff hidden in the Mirror World.
If it hadn’t been for the Drama Robe, this ghost with unknown origins would have succeeded. Yang Xiao didn’t know what would happen next and he dared not think about it.
By now, Yang Xiao had roughly figured out that the Human Bone Staff was made from the spine and the entire piece of skin from a little girl in red. The method of skinning and boning was nothing short of cruel. As for the little girl’s claim that someone stole her bones and flesh, Yang Xiao guessed she was referring to the one who had taken over his body, and what the Drama Robe did was to send the little girl into dreams to warn him.
Judging from the sequence in which the two photos were taken, the first photo was of the ghost occupying his body trying to steal the Human Bone Staff but not succeeding, interrupted by the original owner of the Drama Robe. The latter photo was of the ghost returning from the Mirror World, sitting by the bed, seemingly lost in thought.
Compared to the overt danger posed by the Drama Robe, the covertly lurking Mirror Ghost was even more frightening to Yang Xiao. He suspected that this ghost wanted to completely replace him.
Yang Xiao, gripping the Drama Robe, lowered his voice, "Sister, help a brother out, help me kill it."
The Drama Robe gave no response, but Yang Xiao knew she was listening.
His eyes growing fierce, Yang Xiao bit his teeth, as if making a certain resolve, "You help me kill it, and I’ll do something for you in return, even murder."
The Drama Robe still didn’t respond, leaving Yang Xiao unsure whether she was unable to do it or had some other plan in mind, like using the Mirror Ghost as leverage against him.
With the Drama Robe being unreliable, Yang Xiao had no choice but to take matters into his own hands. He quickly put on the Drama Robe, and with a thought, a Ghost Lantern appeared in his left hand, and he held the Soul-Capturing Mirror in his right. Taking a deep breath, he entered the bathroom and went into the Mirror World through the large mirror on the bathroom wall. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
Once inside, he immediately stuffed the Soul-Capturing Mirror into his pocket. With a void grab above the Drama Robe with his right hand, he directly pulled out the horsetail whisk.
With the Ghost Lantern in his left hand and the horsetail whisk in his right, this was Yang Xiao’s strongest lineup for the time being, given that he wasn’t fully familiar with the Human Bone Staff yet.
As long as the Mirror Ghost remained at large, he would never sleep soundly.
Holding up the Ghost Lantern to lead the way, he walked slowly out of the bathroom. The chilly green glow now enveloped a large area around Yang Xiao. The bedroom in the Mirror World was silent, but the wardrobe doors that were originally closed had been opened, revealing the silver suitcase inside.
Without rashly approaching the wardrobe, Yang Xiao first checked the room door to ensure it was closed, then slowly approached the wardrobe. The veins on his right hand, clutching the horsetail whisk, bulged—whatever ghostly thing popped out, Yang Xiao was ready to smack it across the face with the whisk.
There was no one hidden near the sofa, nothing behind the curtains, and nothing on the side of the bed. Yang Xiao checked all the possible hiding spots in the room, but the ghost was not there.
The only thing inside the wardrobe was the silver suitcase that stored the Human Bone Staff had been opened; nothing else had been touched or was missing.
It seemed the Mirror Ghost had a very clear objective: it was after the Human Bone Staff. But now that was alright, because the Drama Robe had swallowed the staff, surely that creature would give up hope now.
Yang Xiao found no sign of struggle in the room, but ultimately, it was clear that the original owner of the Drama Robe had the upper hand. He not only managed to take photos but also intercepted and stole the Human Bone Staff, leaving the Mirror Ghost to sit by the bed fuming in silence.
Thinking about it, the reason was quite simple: even the Soul-Capturing Mirror, where the Mirror Ghost was harbored, had been swallowed by the Drama Robe.
From what he could tell at the moment, all the treasures on him, including the horsetail whisk which had been highly praised by Fu Qingzhu, were not as useful as this Drama Robe, which was primarily practical. Not to mention the seal of the Nether Garment, its key feature was that it could greatly increase the limit of Resentful Eyes that he could control.
After checking the bedroom and finding nothing amiss, Yang Xiao walked to the room door, opened it, and the hallway outside was just as quiet, without a soul in sight.
With his growing mental power, he was increasingly adept in using the Soul-Capturing Mirror. During the battle at the Qingfeng Patrol Office, the area of the Mirror World he could open was roughly a 30-meter radius centered on him. Now, that range had expanded to well over 50 meters, which also explained why he had such an easy time escaping during the confrontation with Huang Sanbing.
Not having found any trace left by the Mirror Ghost, Yang Xiao could only return to the real world. Standing in front of the bathroom mirror and looking at his tired and tense reflection, Yang Xiao couldn’t help but sigh. Once upon a time, he was just a scriptwriter struggling with life; now everything felt like a dream.
Patching his face, he tried to relax a bit and turned to leave the bathroom. However, Yang Xiao hadn’t noticed, nor would he, that as he turned around, his reflection in the mirror didn’t move, but just stood there, motionless, watching him leave until the bathroom door closed and darkness fell once more.
Early the next morning, Zhuge Zhijie sent a message regarding the people Yang Xiao had asked to look into before. There were leads. Rushing to the Patrol Defense Bureau, Yang Xiao found only Zhuge Zhijie on duty in the office. According to him, Beibei had taken Da Xiong Ximen Xiu and others for joint training with other bureaus, under orders from Director Nalan.
Zhuge Zhijie handed Yang Xiao a printed document, "Captain, the people you asked for are all here. You guessed right; the evil cultivator from Yu Yuan Sect is indeed that Tong Han."
The document contained a list of personnel who might have survived the last mission, including Cheng Ya, Mo Daidai, Li Qingxuan, Tong Han, and Fu Changxue—a total of five people.
The first was an investigation report on Cheng Ya, whose information during the mission was all true: she was unemployed, a homemaker, her husband was a grassroots public servant, and she had a 3-year-old child. She had disappeared in reality, which probably meant she died during the mission.
Yang Xiao picked up the second document, which was about Fu Changxue. He was a member of the Apostles Union, affiliated with a small gang where he was a small-time leader. Like Cheng Ya, he also died during the mission, which manifested as a disappearance in reality.
The third was about Tong Han, who was with the Yu Yuan Sect and even held the rank of captain, similar to Qilong, who led the team that attempted to kill him last time.
What really surprised Yang Xiao was the next part of the report: according to the investigation, due to a failed mission that enraged the higher-ups of Yu Yuan Sect, Tong Han had already been executed.
"Dead?" Yang Xiao hadn’t expected these lunatics not only to be ruthless to outsiders but also to their own people; Tong Han was definitely talented, yet they killed her just like that.
"Sigh—" Yang Xiao shook his head, and even from the perspective of an adversary, he couldn’t help but exclaim, "What a waste."
Below was a Yu Yuan Sect organizational chart. The lowest level was called believers—essentially ordinary people who contributed financially. Next were the congregants, who Yang Xiao figured were like the killers led by Qilong. Then there were captains like Tong Han and Qilong, who from this level up, were all Apostles capable of using the power of Resentful Eye.
Then there were the Venerable Ones like Granny Hong, who even held a certain amount of clout within the Yu Yuan Sect.
Above the Venerable Ones were nine Great Venerable Ones, who represented the pinnacle of Yu Yuan Sect’s combat force. The current briefing did not specify details about these people; it was unclear whether the information was not found or if Yang Xiao’s clearance wasn’t high enough to access it.
There should be higher positions such as Sect Master and Deputy Sect Master above the nine Great Venerable Ones, but the report mentioned neither, not even a name or nickname.
After reviewing this, Yang Xiao picked up the next document, which was about Mo Daidai. The only information about him was a single line: Specific information unknown, suspected to be a high-ranking member of a commerce association.
"That’s it?" Yang Xiao held the almost blank paper and looked at Zhuge Zhijie.
"That’s it," Zhuge Zhijie confirmed definitively.
Yu Yuan Sect could be investigated, yet they were clueless about Mo Daidai. Yang Xiao’s curiosity about this person, who made a profound impression on him during the mission, deepened.
"I’m a businessman." Yang Xiao frowned slightly, remembering the expression on Mo Daidai’s face when he said that to him.
The last document was about Li Qingxuan. Yang Xiao discovered he also had a sect affiliation, belonging to a sect called Hehuan Sect.
"Holy shit!" Yang Xiao was startled, "Evil Cultivator?!"
"No, no, no, misunderstandings," Zhuge Zhijie hastily clarified, "I should explain Hehuan Sect to you specifically—it’s quite special. It’s not an evil cultivator sect, and it can’t even really be considered a sect. Rather, it’s just a small group that some people formed."
Zhuge Zhijie asked Yang Xiao to come over and look as he pulled up some photos from the computer, "Captain, look, these are the activities they organize in Hehuan Sect—this is their calligraphy and painting competition, this one is a chess tournament, this one... this is a dumpling-making contest, Yangko dance contest, and this, this is a sea fishing contest. They charter a boat for sea fishing. This Li Qingxuan here is a sea fishing expert; that’s him receiving a prize in this photo."
Looking at Li Qingxuan on the boat holding a big fish, with his other hand holding a trophy, and behind him, an endless ocean as backdrop—he was grinning, flashing a mouthful of white teeth, and the trophy clearly read "First Place in Hehuan Sect’s 42nd Member Sea Fishing Contest."
"What the hell is this?" Yang Xiao was baffled, "Don’t they do anything else all day?"
Zhuge Zhijie laughed, "These people have figured life out; knowing they would eventually be swept up into the Nightmare World, they simply lay down and gave up trying. They gather every day just for joy. The three words ’Hehuan Sect’ came from this: people with like minds enjoying themselves together."
Yang Xiao took a deep breath, "The guy who named this should be dragged out and shot." He had already thought about lavish banquets and other assorted adult material.
"Right, it is precisely because they are idiosyncratic that they are a rare group formed by Apostles but not officially associated with the Apostles Union."
"They are extremely harmonious, with almost no social harm, so there’s no need for restrictions. Of course, I’ve heard there’s also another reason: these people are referred to as the shame of the Apostles, and the Apostles Union here in Rongcheng doesn’t want them, worried about losing face if word gets out."
