Free Web NovelChapter 774: Chapter 584: Clash with Evil
"You blocked the door with a mirror; ghosts dread seeing their own death state, so it was frightened away," Yang Xiao understood.
"Exactly," Xiang Fengchen shifted to a more comfortable position, raised his hand pointing towards the direction of the three women’s room, and looked at Yang Xiao quite proudly, "Kid, I’ll bet with you that tomorrow when we visit, there will definitely be a chair placed on the Eight Immortals table in that room’s hall, upside down with the seat facing down and the back facing away from the door. Do you believe it?"
"What’s the wager?" Yang Xiao said, neither servile nor overbearing.
"If I lose, you can do what you want with me, even slap me across the face, and if you lose..." Xiang Fengchen suddenly laughed, "you call me master, how about that?"
"No hurry, let me check first thing tomorrow morning, then I’ll decide whether or not to slap you." Yang Xiao replied with a casual shrug.
"Hahaha..." Xiang Fengchen laughed instead of getting angry, "You’re quite interesting, kid. Honestly, I’m starting to like you. If you’re willing to acknowledge me as your master, I’ll teach you all my skills. Stop wasting your days at the Patrol Defense Office, that’s no place for a man like us to stay. Life is short; why follow so many damn rules? Just do as you please – eat meat heartily, drink wine by the bowl, kill whoever you want, do whatever you like; my word is law, dispensing gold and silver at my whim!"
"And then what?" Nalan Shuo sneered, "The door to your sect gets rooted out, your disciples all killed, leaving just you, hunted down like a dog with no home, too scared to show your face in the world of martial arts for ten years?"
Exposed, Xiang Fengchen stopped talking, embarrassed. He simply sat cross-legged in meditation, putting on an air of profound mystery.
Nalan Shuo lay back down in bed, pulling the covers over, "Little Yang, sleep."
"Yes, Director." Yang Xiao obediently returned to his bed, lay down, pulled the covers up to his chin, tucking in snugly, and closed his eyes to sleep.
On the other side, the three women were also awake. At that moment, they were sitting together, equally disturbed by the earlier footsteps.
"That ghost thing jumped back into the well again." Gong Banlan couldn’t help clutching her palms tightly at the thought of a ghost peering in through the door earlier.
"That was close, thankfully we set up protections before bed." Chang Chuchu sighed in relief while giving Jiang Qingluan an admiring look who had remained silent throughout, "I didn’t expect you to be so capable. Where did you learn such a trick?"
Faced with Chang Chuchu’s inquiry, Jiang Qingluan simply shook her head, "My abilities are just tricks. Those two seniors are where the real skills lie. The ghost has been frightened away; we should all be able to sleep peacefully tonight."
Hearing this, Chang Chuchu’s newly soothed expression darkened again, "The Evil Magician Xiang Fengchen truly lives up to his reputation. Legend has it that he is a master of Feng Shui, a rare talent in the field, but he is fickle and inhumane, especially fond of torture. He’s a troublesome figure among Evil Cultivators and has appeared on the Patrol Defense Office’s wanted list multiple times, but they’ve never managed to bring him to justice."
"We need him, but we must also be wary of him. Tang Zerun’s death is related to him; he quickened his pace intentionally to lead Tang Zerun into the threshold of Longevity Hall," Jiang Qingluan shared her observations.
"Then we can try to win over Director Nalan; he and Xiang Fengchen are mortal enemies, and... anyway, he is from the Patrol Defense Office. He probably won’t harm us," Gong Banlan quickly said as if she had caught a lifeline.
"Him?" Chang Chuchu scoffed, "He is also not trustworthy, and how can you be sure he’s from the Patrol Defense Office?"
"He and that Yang Xiao might know each other; these people are all extraordinary," Chang Chuchu said with a didactic tone to the oldest of the three women. She was somewhat disappointed. It seemed that Gong Banlan had only experienced one or two missions and hadn’t completely lost her greenness as a newcomer.
"They know each other? How do you know?" Gong Banlan was shocked.
"Can’t be bothered to explain to you. Just remember what I said. Now I need to rest, there probably won’t be any trouble tonight. Ms. Gong, it’s hard on you to keep watch tonight." With that, Chang Chuchu stopped talking, didn’t bother to undress, and just dove under the covers.
Gong Banlan looked towards Jiang Qingluan with a questioning gaze, but she ignored her, simply nodding at Gong Banlan, then went to sleep, leaving Gong Banlan mired in deep confusion.
In the last room on the right, the small bedroom’s candle flickered, casting the three faces in intermittent light and shadow.
Zhang Songde took off his clothes, revealing a muscular frame, and turned to Lou Huixiang with a smirk, "Brother Lou, there’s something I’m very curious about. What do you think Steward Wu meant by ’transgender’?"
Just this question made Lou Huixiang’s eyes explode with rage, glaring fiercely at Zhang Songde’s annoying face, "What do you mean by that?" ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
Seeing Lou Huixiang flare up, Zhang Songde quickly gestured for him to relax and respectfully poured a bowl of tea, "Don’t be nervous, Brother Lou, I mean no harm. I’ve heard a rumor that no matter how big a mistake one makes, if they sincerely seek penance from Black Buddha Mother, they could receive Buddha Mother’s boundless mercy. Is that true?"
"I don’t know," Lou Huixiang cut him off coldly.
"Brother Lou, don’t hide it from me. I’ve already caught that scent, the one that Steward Wu talked about, and your face..."
With a "smack", the tea cup shattered, and Lou Huixiang grabbed a sharp shard and pressed it against Zhang Songde’s carotid artery, poised to end his life with just a bit more pressure. However, Zhang Songde remained unperturbed, gently moving the shard away with a pained smile, "Brother Lou, don’t misunderstand, I truly come to ask for a favor."
