Mr. Bai

Chapter 98 Mr. Bai (Please continue reading)

at the same time.

On the other side of the vast ocean, extremely far from Mingyu City.

Nie Chenzhou was looking down at the "A Thousand Miles Within Reach" coin in his palm.

The color of the bean had changed from green to red, and an extremely exquisite array pattern flashed by on it.

Nie Chenzhou looked at it several times, his eyes filled with admiration.

"As expected of something given by a powerful figure, it is truly extraordinary."

Having said that, he put the seemingly insurmountable distance into his bosom.

This red color indicates that this place is no longer in Dongjinzhou, nor in Beiyangfu, but in the southern territory of Beisuizhou.

Nie Chenzhou raised his head and looked at the mountains and fields in front of him again.

When he crossed the sea earlier, he was in too much of a hurry and encountered a storm at sea, so the place he was supposed to land at was off course.

The place they were in was surrounded by mountains, one after another, with bare rocks and only low shrubs growing on the slopes. There wasn't even a decent forest to be seen, making it look barren.

Although the borders of Yan Kingdom are desolate, there are still trade routes, post stations, and county towns in the Gobi Desert.

The area is desolate, with few roads.

Nie Chenzhou lightly touched the ground with his toes and darted forward, traveling for dozens of miles before finally seeing a house.

The house was nestled in a mountain valley, with walls made of rubble. Some of the roofs had collapsed at one corner, but the owner simply covered them with animal hides, thinking that they would keep out the rain and then left them alone.

Even the poorest villages in Dongjinzhou would build a dirt road that could accommodate oxcarts. People would walk directly on the rocks, and there were few livestock. Short bows and hunting forks were often placed by the door, and even the old men chopping wood carried knives on their waists.

Beichizhou is known for its fierce and unruly people. Nie Chenzhou glanced at it but didn't find it strange.

In his eyes, anything less than the Wangyue Realm was not even worth living.

These lowly creatures, the harder their lives are, the more they like to wear their ferocity on their faces; but when they encounter a strong person, they kneel down faster than anyone else.

Nie Chenzhou walked towards the village.

At the village entrance, a thin yellow dog was tied to a dead tree. Two young men were teasing it with sticks. Whichever way the yellow dog dodged, the stick would fall in that direction, and a few clumps of dog hair were already scattered on the ground.

Upon hearing footsteps, the two stopped simultaneously.

One of them looked Nie Chenzhou up and down, his gaze first landing on his luxurious robes, then sweeping back and forth over his waist and cuffs, clearly searching for something valuable.

The other person took a few steps back into the village.

Nie Chenzhou didn't stop him.

The young man who remained slung the stick over his shoulder and asked, "Who are you?"

Nie Chenzhou looked down at him and said, "Tell me, what country's territory is this?"

"You're asking me about this now?" The young man paused for a moment, then burst out laughing.

He spat on the ground. "In this godforsaken place, we haven't seen a single stranger in years. Are you perhaps a bandit from some mountain stronghold, here to scout the area?"

Just then, a jumble of footsteps echoed through the village.

The young man who had run away earlier arrived with seven or eight people. Some carried hoes, some carried machetes, and the middle-aged man at the front was holding an old hunting bow.

They shouted "outsider thief" and "mountain bandit spies" with their mouths, but their feet had already scattered, blocking both ends.

"Just him?"

"Tie them up first, then we'll talk."

"The fabric is quite nice, don't tear it."

They kept talking, but no one really asked where Nie Chenzhou came from. Instead, they took his belongings.

After listening for a moment, Nie Chenzhou suddenly laughed.

"Ants are indeed foolish."

The man with the bow's expression changed, and he raised his hand to release the arrow.

The moment the bowstring twanged, the person froze on the spot.

A wisp of black smoke passed through his brow, bringing with it a spray of blood, before turning to the side.

The second man had just raised his hoe when his throat was slit, his hands still raised, and he was forced to kneel down.

The remaining people finally realized what was happening.

"run!"

The people who had been surrounding the area just moments before turned and fled. Some ran into houses, while others knelt on the muddy ground and kowtowed.

Nie Chenzhou stood still, only raising his right hand, his five fingers slowly closing together, and the dispersing black energy split into several streams, chasing after the dirt road in the village.

Screams rang out one after another.

As soon as a woman closed the courtyard gate, the door split open, black smoke rushed in, and screams followed immediately.

The young man who had been carrying the wooden stick was the fastest runner. When he reached the end of the village, his legs suddenly broke off at the knees, and he fell into the mud.

He dragged himself forward, finally refraining from cursing any longer.

"Senior, senior, spare my life! I was blind and didn't recognize you!"

Nie Chenzhou walked up behind him.

Which country?

The young man trembled and said urgently, "Qianhan Kingdom, this is the southern part of our territory. There's a city a few hundred miles to the north. Where do you want to go, senior? I can lead the way. I know everything—"

"You should have said so earlier. I didn't actually want to kill those lowly creatures, you filthy hands."

Nie Chenzhou stepped down.

The sound stopped.

Only the sound of dripping water from the eaves remained in the village, and blood flowed along the low-lying area to one spot.

There was still movement in the innermost room.

The person behind the door covered their mouth tightly, breathing very softly. Nie Chenzhou did not stop walking as he passed by, but simply flicked his finger to the side.

The black mist passed through the door panel, and the room became quiet.

The yellow dog under the withered tree broke free of its rope and limped into the mountains.

Nie Chenzhou tore a clean cloth from the dead man's clothes, wiped the blood off his shoes, determined that he was north, and continued on his way.

One day later.

Nie Chenzhou crossed a low mountain range, then suddenly stopped.

A white-clad figure appeared in the middle of the narrow mountain path ahead.

The man was dressed in a white robe, his silver hair was tied up with a jade hairpin, and he held a folding fan in his right hand. Judging from his back, one would only think he was a noble young master from a wealthy family who was out for a mountain excursion.

But he wore an iron mask on his face, with a piece missing from the upper left corner, revealing a narrow eye.

The mountain wind howled through them, and neither of them cast a shadow.

The disdain in Nie Chenzhou's eyes vanished. He took a few steps forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Greetings, Mr. Bai."

Mr. Bai simply said, "Tell me everything."

He didn't ask why he came back, nor did he ask whether Teruno-mune's formation was successful.

Nie Chenzhou also knew that what the other party wanted to hear was not an explanation: "A great accident occurred. Zhaoye Sect failed in its trial formation. All three incense sticks were destroyed, and my main body was also injured."

Mr. Bai narrowed the eye that was visible.

"Who did it?"

"A hermit, probably from another continent."

Nie Chenzhou answered calmly, "This person was not originally from Zhaoye Sect. When I retrieved the Ghost Face Token, he followed me with the aura left behind in the token. I did not notice it, and I underestimated him."

"realm."

"I can't see through it."

"Even you can't see through it?"

Mr. Bai's gaze lingered on Nie Chenzhou for a long time.

Nie Chenzhou did not evade the question.

A defeat is a defeat; there's no point in hiding it. If you portray the other party as weak, you'll only appear more incompetent yourself.

Mr. Bai asked, "How did you survive?"

"I severed my wrist and set it ablaze to destroy the remains of the demon and preserve my original body."

This statement is neither entirely true nor entirely false.

Mr. Bai neither nodded nor refuted.

This explanation is plausible, but it's just that—plausible.

Whether a powerful figure who can follow the Ghost Face Order across dozens of miles to catch up with the real body would give up the pursuit is unclear without witnessing it firsthand.

After listening, Mr. Bai gently closed his folding fan in his palm.

The next moment, they were already in front of Nie Chenzhou.

Mr. Bai raised his arm and reached out, his five fingers gripping Nie Chenzhou's head. Black mist seeped out from between his fingers and went straight into the latter's brow.

Nie Chenzhou's body sank, and the rock beneath his knees shattered on the spot.

The black mist first passed through his sea of ​​consciousness, then through his soul core, reopening the wounds he had accumulated over the years, and several cracks immediately appeared on the surface of his ghostly body.

Nie Chenzhou gritted his teeth and remained silent.

After the first examination, the black mist did not withdraw, but instead went against his meridians and soul energy to go through it again.

The second time was even slower.

At each old wound, the black mist stopped to investigate what force had caused the injury, and even the ghost bone that had reformed after the wrist was severed was disassembled and examined.

Mr. Bai finally let go after the third round.

Nie Chenzhou knelt on the ground, his forehead covered in cold sweat, and black smoke was emanating from several cracks on his body.

Mr. Bai looked at him and said, "Consider yourself lucky that there are no traces of outsiders in your soul. Otherwise, you wouldn't even know you were being followed."

Nie Chenzhou bowed his head: "Thank you for your help with the examination, sir."

"Don't be too happy yet. Just because it can't be detected doesn't mean it doesn't exist."

Mr. Bai's tone remained unchanged, "You returned from Yan Kingdom in perfect condition, and your natal ghost fire is still intact. If the opponent is truly a realm higher than you, killing you would not be difficult."

Nie Chenzhou said, "Perhaps in his eyes, I am not worth making a second move."

Mr. Bai slightly narrowed his left eye.

This statement suited Nie Chenzhou's temperament perfectly.

Most people would try to find a respectable explanation for themselves in this situation, but Nie Chenzhou wouldn't. He only cares about winning and losing, and the more thoroughly he loses, the less he'll fabricate a back-and-forth story.

But Mr. Bai still didn't fully believe it.

He raised his folding fan and tapped Nie Chenzhou's left shoulder with the fan rib.

With a snap, the fan bone pierced through the flesh and embedded itself in the shoulder bone. The black mist seeped into the bone through the gap and formed a black mark the size of a fingernail on the bone surface.

"This mark will watch over you."

"Yes." Nie Chenzhou bowed his head.

Mr. Bai put away his folding fan and asked again, "Why does the Zhaoye sect have that hermit?"

"I don't know."

"Has the Ghost Face Token fallen into his hands?"

"The token was already broken before the remains collapsed."

"Where is the government of Yan?"

"Beiyang Prefecture has sealed off the city and mobilized troops. The Prefect himself has gone up the mountain. The commotion can no longer be contained."

Mr. Bai did not ask any further questions.

The necessary investigations have been conducted, and the necessary evidence has been collected. Next comes the punishment.

Mr. Bai raised his fan and tapped Nie Chenzhou's chest, and a wisp of black fire immediately ignited from the wound.

The fire does not go outwards, but only burns the ghost's body.

A large area of ​​flesh below Nie Chenzhou's left shoulder quickly turned into black ash, and even a section of his ribs was burned away. The pain spread through his soul, and he moved his Adam's apple twice but did not utter a sound.

Mr. Bai watched as the black fire burned out.

"Incompetence in handling affairs deserves punishment."

"I accept the punishment." Nie Chenzhou stood up, supporting himself on his knees, his voice somewhat hoarse.

"The Zhaoye Sect has already alerted the enemy. All the prefectures in Yan Kingdom will keep a close eye on the sects within their jurisdiction. The original route is temporarily suspended, and you no longer need to stay in the Yan Kingdom."

Mr. Bai turned and walked up the mountain path.

Nie Chenzhou followed behind without asking where they were going next.

After walking more than ten steps, Mr. Bai stopped in front of a flat rock, and several tokens fell from his sleeve.

The tokens were arranged in a row.

[Qiwu], [Shuochuan], [Beiling].

These are the names of three vassal states in the north of Yan, all engraved on the front.

"These places were originally governed by their own rules, but from this day forward, they will be under your jurisdiction."

Nie Chenzhou looked at the token but showed no joy.

The token was not a reward, but a rope.

Picking up one means bearing the success or failure of that place; now that three have fallen in front of him at once, it's as if he's been placed on the shoulders of three potential pitfalls.

Mr. Bai continued, "The fierce tiger of Yan has been awakened and is eyeing the surrounding countries with predatory intent. It would be easy to break our hands if we directly confront it, so we should start by attacking the vassal states."

He tapped the leftmost token with his folding fan.

"The Qiwu Kingdom's court is too ambitious, making it the easiest point to breach. It's only a matter of time before our people persuade the king. However, the two lower sects may not both agree, and I don't like surprises."

"After you return to Dongjin, personally oversee the situation. All decisions there will be made according to your arrangements. If anything is needed, bring it from the north. I only have one request: don't let Yan Kingdom track you back."

Mr. Bai gazed southward.

Nie Chenzhou bent down and collected the tokens one by one.

This is not a promotion.

If there were dozens of people at the Breaking Cloud Realm among the Ghost Clan, Mr. Bai wouldn't have made him stand there doing chores today, nor would he have wasted time checking their souls three times.

He survives because he is still useful.

This mission, though ostensibly within the vassal states surrounding Yan, is actually far more dangerous than that of Zhaoye Zong.

After the previous incident was exposed, Yan Kingdom will now be keeping a close eye on its territory and surrounding borders. If any information leaks out, Yan Kingdom will take swift and decisive action.

Nie Chenzhou understood all of this, but he was not afraid.

He picked up the token from Qiwu Kingdom and turned it over.

The name of the current commander of this area is engraved on the back.

[Xie Wudeng]