Nightmare Apostle

Chapter 527: Chapter 455: Blue Skirt

"Blue skirt?" Yang Xiao was taken aback; this was the first time he had ever come across such a script name, previously they had mostly been named after locations.

Taking a deep breath, Yang Xiao first turned around, closed the wooden door of the restroom, locked it, then picked up the script box and sat on the toilet lid.

As the script box was opened, two leather pouches, one larger than the other, lay quietly inside.

Opening the larger pouch, inside was a folded letter, written messily with a fountain pen. After reading its contents, Yang Xiao frowned deeply.

It was a threat letter, stating bluntly that the sender was a fugitive wanted for serious crimes, claiming they could save his life by arranging for him to smuggle himself away, but only if he would do something for them first.

A fugitive... it seemed this was his identity for the current task. Yang Xiao continued reading and quickly figured out that, including himself, there were a total of nine participants in this mission.

As expected, these people had identities similar to his own, all fugitives compelled to work for someone else.

After pondering for a moment, Yang Xiao picked up the last small pouch. Merely by touch, he guessed its contents.

Photographs, three in total. Unfortunately, like before, each one was not very clear.

Yang Xiao picked up the first one and studied it closely under the dim light; the next second, he was greatly shocked. A beam of light was in the center of the photo, which captured a slightly ajar door during the night, with light seeping through the cracks because of a light on behind the door.

Yang Xiao’s first reaction was that the photo was taken of him, of this very restroom. But he quickly calmed down, realizing that the wooden door in the photo was much neater than the one behind him, and the surrounding environment was also different.

Aside from those differences, he could discern nothing more, so he picked up the second photo, which was even more chilling—a blurry figure appeared in the photo, but the quality was very poor, as if the photographer and the figure in the image were separated by frosted glass.

Moreover, it was taken from a low angle with a strange arrangement of characters, giving Yang Xiao the impression that the photographer had taken the photo in a rush amidst extreme tension.

After steadying his nerves, Yang Xiao picked up the last photo. It was of an open notebook, with words like "die," "die you bitch," "ugly freak"... Insulting phrases written in red ink, the handwriting varied in size and the pen pressure was so heavy it even tore the paper. Even through the photo, Yang Xiao could feel the viciousness emanating from it.

"Whoosh—"

Just as Yang Xiao was holding his breath to glean more information from the photos, suddenly, someone unknown pressed the toilet below him, causing a harsh flushing sound. The unexpected action startled him, making his hand shake and he jumped up from the toilet lid.

There was no one behind him. That is to say, there was no one else in the entire restroom except for him. But before he could breathe a sigh of relief, the next second his whole body went numb; he heard very faint footsteps outside, as if someone was tiptoeing.

And they were getting closer and closer, finally stopping just outside the door.

One person and one ghost separated by a door, both silent, chilled the atmosphere to freezing point.

Yang Xiao was not one to sit and wait for death. He grabbed the Ghost Lantern with his left hand and clenched the Human Bone Staff in his right, then lifted his foot and kicked the decrepit wooden door open; he swung the staff, ready to strike, but as the door swung open, he distinctly felt a resistance, followed by a figure stumbling back several steps before falling to the ground.

In the nick of time, Yang Xiao saw clearly who this person was—not a ghost, but a subordinate of Golden Snake assigned to keep watch at night.

Upon seeing Yang Xiao coming out of the restroom, this person, despite his pain, scrambled to his feet, kneeling before Yang Xiao and repeatedly bowing his head, "I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Sect Hierarch, I didn’t know it was you inside, please spare me!"

At this moment, another person rushed into the courtyard. However, upon seeing Yang Xiao and the broken door hinge, his expression was utterly baffled.

Yang Xiao turned his head, looking back inside the restroom. Now there was no sign of any ghost script, not even the script box could be seen.

Wary of deception, Yang Xiao once again pulled out the Soul-Capturing Mirror, and this time, everything in the restroom appeared normal, the previous eerie sensation was gone.

"Get up," Yang Xiao gently told the man on the floor, putting away his treasures.

The man was nearly scared out of his wits; later, according to Yang Xiao’s questioning, the man explained that he and the brother who had just rushed in had clear division of responsibilities—one was stationed outside in the courtyard, and the other in the living room on the first floor.

He had been diligently positioned on the first floor, sitting on the sofa, when suddenly he heard a sound of flushing from the restroom, which also startled him since he hadn’t seen Yang Xiao come downstairs, and his outside brother hadn’t come in either.

So he went over to check, but who could have expected that just as he got close to the door, it suddenly got kicked open, and then there was no aftermath.

Seeing the man clutching his bleeding forehead with a grievously wronged look, Yang Xiao understood that this man was uninvolved, it was a misunderstanding. After offering a few words of comfort, he called the two men to follow him upstairs. In front of them, he opened the cash box and took out 100,000 in cash, giving 80,000 to the man with the bleeding forehead, and tossed the remaining 20,000 to the man from outside, "Help him stop the bleeding first, take him to get treated when it’s light."

"Thank... thank you, Leader!" Upon seeing the money, both men were unavoidably surprised and quickly helped the injured man downstairs.

Leaning on the sofa, Yang Xiao recalled the recent events and furrowed his brows deeply, the pace of the "Ghost Script" was too fast, which must have been due to his frequent use of the "Resentful Eye" lately.

Since leaving the Ghost Envoy’s instance, he had first killed Wu Peide, then fought Qu Muzhi, and not long ago, he had battled seven Angel Envoys including the man in the Tang suit and the Fierce Letter Ghost Servant, and in between, he even dealt with the Human Dog Ghost of the Yu Yuan Sect. Considering this, it was no surprise the "Ghost Script" had sought him out.

Slowly clenching his fists, Yang Xiao’s expression grew increasingly fierce. All he wanted was to live a peaceful life—why was that so hard?

Why did everyone have to oppose him, Yang Xiao?

His current predicament was forced upon him by them!

After making it through the night, Yang Xiao called Beibei to inform her that he had received another "Ghost Script." Beibei, sounding half-asleep, was stunned by the news since she remembered that Yang Xiao had just come out of a "Ghost Script" scenario not long ago.

"Captain, haven’t you just been to Yun Qi City to deal with a small-time crook and handle a supernatural event lately? How can it be happening so soon?" Beibei wondered.

Yang Xiao didn’t plan to explain to her as knowing too much wouldn’t be good for her. Instead, he perfunctorily asked her to check the archives for any incidents related to the blue skirt and to inform him immediately if there was.

After hanging up the phone, Yang Xiao lay on the sofa and took a short nap. When he woke up, it was already broad daylight.

After drinking a few sips of herbal tea, Yang Xiao got up, pushed open the door of his room, and saw Ling Yanyu standing outside with his hands hanging by his sides.

"Sect Hierarch," Ling Yanyu respectfully began.

"How long have you been here?" Yang Xiao asked.

"I just arrived. Seeing that the Sect Hierarch was resting, I didn’t dare to disturb," Ling Yanyu said with a smile, handing over a file with both hands, "These are the asset accounts of the three gangs that I’ve sorted out over the past few days. Please have a look, Hierarch."

Yang Xiao took it and glanced at it. The contents were very complex, involving shops, merchants, and some underground dealings, especially the last item, which was extremely profitable.

Before Yang Xiao could inquire, Ling Yanyu preemptively said, "Hierarch, I have classified all the secret documents from the three chambers accordingly. Those of interest to you, I have made photocopies. The originals have been left with Guardian Snake and Guardian Yun in their original state. I’ve boxed and brought back the copied versions so they will not know which information you are particularly interested in."

"I also counted their cash and gold bars. Both guardians volunteered to hand over half, but I only took 30 percent. I too have lived through hard times and know how difficult it is for them to accumulate these assets. It is not easy to have it taken away. Even if they don’t say it outwardly, they would feel somewhat reluctant," he continued.

Pausing, Ling Yanyu continued, "But it’s up to you to decide. If you think what I’ve done is incorrect, I can bring the rest here. Don’t worry, I will explain to them that it was my idea and has nothing to do with you."

"Who did you use for this?" Yang Xiao asked, setting down the documents.

"People from the Tongtian Gang. The relations among these three gangs aren’t as good as one might imagine, involving a lot of competition. Now with the Tongtian Gang leaderless, naturally, the other two gangs are suppressing them covertly. Some of their leaders feel indignant but dare not show it. I think we can exploit the discord among the three to our advantage," he said.

"I had a brief contact with a few leaders from the Tongtian Gang. We didn’t discuss thoroughly, but they were very willing to serve you, Hierarch. I believe they can be trusted," he added.

Yang Xiao couldn’t help but regard the young man before him more highly, "Not bad, Yanyu. You’ve done well, knowing when to give and take, a balance that signifies a man capable of great things. However, I must remind you, both Guardian Yun and Guardian Snake are not fools—they often turn a blind eye instead of pointing things out."

"I understand. They also respect you, Hierarch. I’ll be sure to handle things carefully and not cause any trouble for you," Ling Yanyu replied.

After a brief silence, Yang Xiao suddenly asked, "Yanyu, I gave Guardian Yun a mask. Do you know about this?"

"I do," Ling Yanyu did not hide, "I also know you have some extra masks."

"Then don’t you want one?" Yang Xiao asked, his tone playful. He remembered that Ling Yanyu had come to Xiang Ma Town to obtain a mask to enter the Peace Hotel. freewebnøvel.coɱ

"No, when the time is right, you will naturally give it to me. If you don’t offer it, it means the time isn’t right yet. I can’t just ask for it," Ling Yanyu said firmly. "You are my benefactor. Without you, I, Ling Yanyu, would be less than a dog here in Xiang Ma Town."

"It’s good you understand this principle. The Peace Restaurant is not as simple as you imagine. Rashly entering with a mask will only lead to your demise," Yang Xiao said, feeling an uncommon surge of sympathy for the young man before him. "Stay diligent, and when the time is right, I will give you a ’Resentful Eye’ to enact your own revenge."

Upon hearing this, Ling Yanyu knelt down suddenly and struck his head on the ground, "I am willing to die for the Sect Hierarch!"