Time froze, then moved again.
Gazing down at the dark silhouette clutching the hem of his robe with its twisted little hand, Xu Yuan could see the warped greed in the child's eyes. He could also feel an eerie energy surging from its hand, attempting to pierce through the soul-shielding robe's protection and invade his body.
*When a fellow townsman meets another, tears and drool flow freely.*
Without the slightest change in expression, Xu Yuan bent down gently and reached out to stroke the child's head, his tone soft and mild:
"Little one,
"if you don't want to die, you'd best let go of your paw."
"..."
As the words fell upon its ears,
the boundless expanse of withered willows trembled, and from within the mist, seemingly endless willow branches crept toward the shadowy toddler like tentacles.
The yin ghost child's twisted little hand quivered involuntarily for an instant.
The greed and desire in its tiny, eerie pupils instantly cleared, replaced by profound terror.
"Ah... ah... Ma... Mama-dong!"
Cowering with a couple of low cries, it instinctively backed away two steps and plopped directly onto its buttocks.
Its twisted legs kicked frantically against the ground as the tiny figure struggled to scramble backward.
The indifferent gaze, the boundless pressure, and the uncanny willow branches that seemed to have endured since antiquity made it feel fear for the first time since its birth.
Seeing this reaction, Xu Yuan breathed a slight sigh of relief.
This little bastard jumping out of nowhere had really startled him.
Fortunately, the willow ghost blade had done the trick.
Yin ghosts were beings governed by a strict hierarchy.
Among humans, high-ranking cultivators could release pressure to make lower-ranking cultivators short of breath or even unable to take a step.
If that gap were translated to yin ghosts, the effect of the pressure would be amplified roughly tenfold.
Of course,
the pressure Xu Yuan had just unleashed through the willow ghost blade was merely for show.
After all, the Thousand-Thorns Ghost Willow had been refined into a ghost blade by Tianye twenty thousand years ago. He was merely borrowing its Saint Tier yin origin to project pressure; he wasn't a true Saint Tier yin ghost. Still, it was more than enough to scare people—or ghosts.
A dedicated anti-yin-ghost weapon.
Unrushed, Xu Yuan patted the hem of his robe where the hand had grabbed it. Just as he was about to say a few more harsh words to keep up appearances, he saw something that gave him a jolt of horror.
In the hazy mist,
the eerie toddler abruptly vanished from his sight without any warning.
As if it had never existed at all.
*What the hell?! This ghost infant is that strong?*
After a brief moment of terror, Xu Yuan noticed that he hadn't lost any arms or legs, and realized what had just occurred.
The yin ghost child must have fled in fright.
*Damn it, talk about hitting a snake with a hemp stalk—both sides were terrified.*
However, its speed was so incredible that even with his Body Integration cultivation augmented by various powerful buffs, he hadn't been able to see where it went at all.
If it hadn't been scared and had struck without warning...
Xu Yuan quickly cut off that line of thought. Chanting "I am a Saint Tier yin ghost" a few times in his mind, he continued walking toward the residence's main hall.
Since he was already here, he had to see that young married woman.
Once he calmed down completely, Xu Yuan reflected on the incident, and his thoughts grew active again.
Out here in the barren wilds, he really had wandered into a female ghost's lair.
What a shame that this female ghost was already pregnant; he wouldn't be able to play Ning Caichen this time, so he could only try being Yan Chixia instead.
Of course,
playing the Black Mountain Old Demon wouldn't be out of the question either.
After habitually indulging in random nonsense to ease his tension, Xu Yuan returned to business.
Overall, the encounter with that little ghost had brought more benefits than harm.
It directly allowed Xu Yuan to understand what sort of being Madame Wan was and why she feared him.
Still, there were lingering puzzles.
Logically speaking, the ghost infant wrapped in shadow should be Madame Wan's subordinate, just as the Thousand-Thorns Ghost Willow had once controlled the myriad thorn willows in the Valley of Swords. Yet this ghost infant had actively come to provoke him right after Madame Wan had backed down.
That was very strange.
Was it a probe from Madame Wan?
That made no sense.
During the twenty-odd days he had spent here, Madame Wan had never made a single out-of-line probe directed at him personally.
To suddenly probe him right after showing her hand and compromising—such fickleness would easily infuriate a powerful "Saint Tier yin ghost" like him.
It didn't make sense, but since he couldn't figure it out, there had to be some hidden reason.
Regardless, once he met Madame Wan, he could simply confront her about it directly.
What bothered Xu Yuan even more, however, was Madame Wan herself.
As a high-ranking yin ghost, it wasn't strange that she could leave the ghost mist, nor was it strange that she could use reason to suppress her primal urge to slaughter—such things had been recorded in ancient chronicles.
But being pregnant completely shattered Xu Yuan's understanding.
According to the Chancellor's Manor's research theories on yin ghosts, these entities were warped from living beings after death by some unknown force. They possessed no means of reproduction, let alone viviparous birth.
Had a mutation occurred?
The four-courtyard residence was not particularly large. A mere ten breaths after the ghost infant vanished, Xu Yuan arrived once more at the corridor pavilion where they had first met.
The rainy mist had thinned considerably, revealing the open doors of the main hall and the dim light within.
Yet Xu Yuan did not see Madame Wan. Instead, standing at the doorway, he saw the burly servant who had guided them upon their arrival.
The peasant-turned-servant had a towering build and dark skin, standing rigidly outside the main hall's entrance.
He was the only servant in the entire residence. Earlier, Xu Yuan had idly wondered about this man's relationship with Madame Wan.
Now, however, Xu Yuan suspected that this burly man might not even be a living person.
Gazing at the man's blurry silhouette in the mist, Xu Yuan kept his pace measured.
When he drew within seven or eight zhang of the main hall, the peasant waiting at the door took the initiative to step forward and greet him.
Approaching, the burly man bowed to Xu Yuan and said respectfully,
"Young master, are you looking for the Madam?"
"..."
Watching the salute the man performed, Xu Yuan's brow twitched involuntarily. Filing the detail away, he gave a flat nod and commanded,
"Yes. Call her out to see me."
A flicker of astonishment crossed the burly man's eyes, as if baffled by how rude this young master was, but he still lowered his voice and said,
"Please do not take offense, young master. The Madam already instructed me moments ago that she is feeling unwell today and it is inconvenient—"
"I said, have her come out to see me."
"..." The burly man fell silent.
After a brief hesitation, he ventured uncertainly,
"Young master, isn't that a bit..."
*Buzz—*
Before the burly man could finish, an eerie cloud of black mist abruptly engulfed them both.
Simultaneously,
Xu Yuan poured his full power into the willow ghost blade, and the mighty pressure belonging to the Saint Tier yin origin roared forth:
"I said, have her come see me!"
The brazen shout echoed throughout the manor, inside and out.
Drawn by the roar, the commoners working in the fields looked up, and through the lingering mist, they all saw a towering silhouette reaching into the heavens, hung with countless corpses!
Laughing away old grievances was predicated on the offending party showing a sincere attitude of contrition.
Xu Yuan was making a mountain out of a molehill on purpose.
Whether the strange ghost infant's appearance was Madame Wan's test or not, Xu Yuan had to ensure such an incident never happened again. To completely cow her, he disregarded the consumption and channeled the Saint Tier yin origin to manifest the phantom pressure of the Thousand-Thorns Ghost Willow's true form.
He could not afford to be tested.
Therefore, he had to cast himself as an unhinged madman: *You offended me, and unless you pay the price, I will stake my life against yours.*
Beyond that, Xu Yuan had another motive.
While exerting this intimidation, he wanted to test the burly man before him.
This was a spur-of-the-moment decision, for one simple reason:
The salute the burly man had just given him.
Etiquette in Great Yan was intricate and cumbersome, varying across court and province, official rank, gender, civil administration, and military garrisons.
So,
how could an ordinary peasant farmer possibly give him a Great Yan military salute?
In the mist-shrouded pavilion before the main hall,
surrounded by blackness, the burly man showed no panic in his eyes. He instinctively reached for his waist, but found it empty.
Observing the man's actions up close, Xu Yuan understood.
Unaffected by the Saint Tier yin ghost's pressure, this man clearly did not have the body of a yin ghost.
Considering the mechanics of Madame Wan's soul-controlling technique and the disparity in how she and the burly man addressed him, he was not controlled by Madame Wan in a mother-child vessel arrangement.
As the thought flashed by, a few black cherry blossom petals drifted down silently, and the alert look in the burly man's eyes gradually dulled into emptiness.
Xu Yuan's voice was gentle and swift:
"Name."
"Li Minshang."
"Military rank."
"Wolf... Wolf Raid personal guard commander."
"..."
Wolf Raid Iron Cavalry—the elite of the elite within the Zhenxi Army.
Realizing something, Xu Yuan's breathing grew slightly hurried.
"As a Wolf Raid personal guard, why are you here?"
A trace of confusion and chaos surfaced in the burly man's hollow eyes.
"After... after dying in battle... then... then... I... I don't know..."
"Next question."
Xu Yuan did not dawdle, asking rapidly,
"Why did you die?"
"To protect the Mad—Mad... to cover Commandery Princess Madam's retreat..."
The burly man's voice broke completely into fragments: "No... it was for... Madam."
His heart sinking, Xu Yuan continued expressionlessly,
"How did you die?"
"Who... killed me... insects... wolves..."
Halfway through the stammered words, the burly man clutched his head as if losing control, his voice laced with terror and agony:
"No... that's not right! I... I have to... to go protect... the Commandery Princess! No, I'm already dead... Ah... ah... Aaaagh!!!"
As if recalling something, the burly man lifted his head in agony and looked toward Xu Yuan pleadingly:
"Save... save the Comman... Commandery Princess... Ple... please..."
*Pfft.*
Looking upon the agonizing expression on the man's rugged face, Xu Yuan gently thrust his blade through the man's throat.
The immense intent-soul coursing through the ghost blade, far beyond that of a mortal, proclaimed the man's current identity.
A soul chanter.
An intent-soul required a vessel to endure long in the world.
It was the product of an evil technique, a method akin to spiritual essence spirits inhabiting Buddha statues.
Only, the latter was voluntary, while the former was forcibly infused.
After death, Wolf Raid Commander Li Minshang had become Madame Wan's reserve rations...
Stepping expressionlessly past the body whose vitality was rapidly fading, Xu Yuan walked toward the hall with cold, quiet eyes, leaving only a soft murmur echoing by the dying man's ear:
"Of course."
*Changtian, this lady told you that I, Li Junwu, am not inferior to Li Qingyan.*
The moment he stepped into the dim main hall, Li Junwu's ugly handwriting inexplicably surfaced in Xu Yuan's mind.
*Not inferior to Li Qingyan?*
*Damn it, the more I think about that now, the more ridiculous it seems.*
*She's commanding troops on the Northern Border and wiping out all opposition, while you're commanding troops in the Western Desert with your fate unknown!*
Walking up to the rustic Eight Immortals table, he pulled out a chair and sat down, propping his feet straight up on the tabletop. He exhaled a long breath of turbid air with chilling eyes, forcefully suppressing the negative emotions in his chest.
Xu Yuan had truly witnessed the power of Big Ice Block's divination rituals this time.
Though it had veered off course—he had wanted her help finding the hiding place of the Dragon Transforming Essence, yet she had led them straight to the center of clues surrounding the unrest in the Western Desert.
Without Big Ice Block, Xu Yuan most likely wouldn't have ended up here.
He wouldn't have seen Su Jinxuan, wouldn't have learned that Tianyan was missing, and certainly wouldn't have uncovered the situation with Li Junwu.
Though it was a bit perilous, overall it had to be counted as good fortune.
The wait always felt long, but Madame Wan nonetheless appeared in the side hall half a quarter of an hour after Xu Yuan sat down.
This time,
perhaps owing to the enhancement of the Thousand-Thorns Ghost Willow's Saint Tier yin origin, Xu Yuan successfully glimpsed Madame Wan's true countenance within that cluster of shadows.
She was a very beautiful young married woman, her mature charm fully intact.
Brows like graceful wild geese, ethereal eyes like water, and beneath a perky, jade-like nose rested a pair of rosy, cherry lips.
She had changed into a dark green robe that closely enveloped her ripe curves.
Fixing her with a cold stare, Xu Yuan had no intention of taking his feet off the Eight Immortals table as he spoke plainly and directly:
"Madame Wan, this seat's visit to your esteemed domain hasn't crossed any bounds, has it?"
Carrying a tray of tea, Madame Wan glided gracefully over to the table with delicate lotus steps. Her gentle voice was neither servile nor overbearing:
"Sir, regarding the earlier offense, I believe I have already provided compensation."
Hearing this, Xu Yuan glanced at the corpse outside the doorway.
"This soul chanter?"
"In life, he was at the Grandmaster realm. For you, Sir, he should—"
"This seat does not eat humans."
Xu Yuan raised his gaze to interrupt Madame Wan's words, the corners of his lips curving slightly into a faint smirk:
"Please, Madame Wan, do not compare this seat to a lowly creature such as yourself."
As he spoke,
Xu Yuan casually took a box of crystalline stones from his Sumeru ring and tossed it onto the Eight Immortals table, baring his stark white teeth:
"Under ordinary circumstances, this seat only feeds on its own kind."
"..." Madame Wan fell silent.
Looking at those black crystalline stones, her instinct told her:
The box of crystals before her was a treasure refined from the purest yin origin of high-ranking yin ghosts alongside several unknown substances!
*Eat it...*
*As long as I eat it, Nuonuo will be one step closer to being fully born!*
After staring at the jade box for a brief instant, Madame Wan quickly tore her gaze away, for she felt the killing intent radiating from the ancient ghost willow before her.
"What, do you want it?
"If you want it, just say so. Perhaps if this seat is in a good mood, I might just give it to you. After all, Madame Wan, you are so hospitable, aren't you?!"
Toward the end, Xu Yuan's tone turned sharply forceful.
Standing before the Eight Immortals table, Madame Wan was silent for a moment before looking straight into Xu Yuan's eyes:
"I gave offense first... What is it you desire, Sir? Please speak plainly."
Xu Yuan gently lowered his feet from the Eight Immortals table and rose to his feet.
"What does this seat desire? Did I not say so just now?"
With that,
he unhurriedly circled around behind Madame Wan, speaking with a light chuckle:
"How about... you hand that little fellow over to this seat, Madam?"
Chapter 583