Chapter 408: Ripples in the Calm |
Yu Sheng’s suggestion won everyone’s support, because people generally believed that anyone who could talk a Dark Angel to death was, in fact, a professional in combating Dark Angels.
Xuan Che looked curiously into Yu Sheng’s eyes and asked: “When do you plan to set out? If you are only going to a nearby planet, there is no need to use the extradimensional Hotel. I can ask the City Lord here to arrange a celestial skiff.”
“Not in a hurry,” Yu Sheng waved a hand and said, “we just fought those black-clad assassins and gathered a lot of new intelligence. We should rest for a day. I also have other arrangements during this time. As for a skiff, I think we should just have Foxy run over there. Let’s not involve that City Lord in this.”
Xuan Che nodded, then caught himself and asked: “You think the City Lord is compromised?”
“Not necessarily compromised, but I do find her somewhat unreliable,” Yu Sheng thought for a moment and said earnestly, “ever since we landed on this planet, I keep feeling that many things are off. Perhaps it is as you said: the City Lord of Ink City and this planet’s Star-Guardian Elder have grown lax and failed to notice the shadows right under their noses. But I keep feeling there is another reason behind their slow response.”
“Could they have already defected?” Zheng Zhi tensed up as he spoke: “What if the City Lord is already one of Yun Qing Zi’s people? Wouldn’t that mean we’re in danger?”
“That seems unlikely. Before I approached City Lord Mo Ran, I set a Heart-Questioning Arcane Array around her, and during our contact I repeatedly probed her aura and the fluctuations of her divine sense. There was nothing amiss,” Xuan Che shook his head and said, “what Mr. Yu worries about is something I considered in advance. But from my observation, the City Lord’s cultivation is not high. Even if she were skilled at concealment, it is improbable she could hide flawlessly from me.”
“In any case, we must be as careful as possible here,” Yu Sheng said slowly, “no one can say how deeply Yun Qing Zi has infiltrated this planet. What is more, we have now found that members of the Hierophants of the Holy Ascetics have also slipped in. The cultists hidden in Sentinel Silence cannot be limited to a single Hierophant. We eliminated their leader today, so the remaining cultists will certainly react.”
With nine-tenths of his face grave, Xuan Che nodded.
“I have already reported the situation here to the Bureau,” Zheng Zhi said proactively before Yu Sheng could speak, “I will file a supplemental report shortly and include the Dark Angels.”
“I have reminded my junior brothers to check recent traffic leaving the Grand Void Spiritual Axis for Sentinel Silence,” Immortal Yuan Hao followed, “the two fox fairies may not be unique cases. If Yun Qing Zi’s ‘pollution’ truly projected onto Taixu Star when the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda ran out of control, the number of people affected would not be small. If necessary, we can invoke an urgent Five-Sect Order to intercept all celestial skiffs bound for Sentinel Silence to prevent the situation from worsening.”
Yu Sheng nodded lightly. Hearing this arrangement eased him considerably.
“Let’s stop here for today,” he exhaled and rose from the sofa as he said, “we are all tired. Rest first. Anything else can wait until tomorrow.”
Everyone stood, ready to return to their rooms. Sitting in the middle of the room and bored out of her mind, Irene saw that Yu Sheng and the others had finally finished their tedious business and immediately hopped up, walking over with delight as she said: “Hey, you finally wrapped it up. I almost fell asleep listening on the side.”
Just then, Xuan Che was circling around the coffee table to head back to his room. He was not watching his feet, and the 66.6-centimeter-tall doll approaching him was short enough to be kicked if one was not careful. She happened to be moving through the coffee table’s visual blind spot. In the next second, Yu Sheng watched, eyes wide, as his eldest senior brother took a step and caught his foot on Irene’s head.
“Hey!”
He barely had time to throw out a hand, and then the world flashed.
In fact, the entire room lit up.
A blinding arc, thick with violet spiritual light, exploded with a pop. The sudden surge of a powerful electric field made everyone’s hair stand on end. A stroke of divine thunder that not even an Immortal could endure burst from nowhere and blasted Xuan Che straight upward. Yu Sheng caught a human silhouette in the glare, and by the time he reacted, his eldest senior brother was already on the ceiling.
Half a second later, Xuan Che hit the floor with a thud.
Irene, flung by the recoil, tumbled across the ground, but she instantly sprang upright, staring blankly around. Only then did she realize what had happened. She happily pounced toward Yu Sheng and announced: “Hey, Yu Sheng, I finished discharging!”
“Forget about your discharging,” Yu Sheng said, his hair still standing on end as he snagged the doll out of the air. Cold sweat broke across his forehead as he looked to where Xuan Che had fallen and blurted: “Are you okay?”
Struggling up from the floor, Xuan Che still looked stunned. Yu Sheng called to him twice before he blinked, then stared in bafflement at the doll Yu Sheng held and managed, after a long moment, to squeeze out a single sentence: “Why did that happen?”
“I’m wondering the same thing,” Yu Sheng was even more bewildered than he was, “when she bumps into us we just get a little zap at most. How did two jolts blow away half your life bar?”
At that moment, Immortal Yuan Hao, who had been studying the scene intently, finally spoke. The dashing old man gazed thoughtfully at his junior nephew, whose face had just recovered and was now half numb again, and asked: “Che’er, what realm are you at now?”
Xuan Che’s mind was still hazy. He answered by reflex: “My Spirit-Forming is perfected, but I have not yet glimpsed the Path-Seeking realm.”
“Oh? Then you have some time before your next great tribulation,” Immortal Yuan Hao stroked his chin and said, “but you can prepare ahead of time. Ask your master to stock up on pills and artifacts that draw heavenly thunder and strengthen the body. With your constitution, it is almost certain you will face a lightning tribulation when you seek the Path.”
Xuan Che hesitated and said: “But my master said I would most likely face a soul tribulation.”
Immortal Yuan Hao’s eyes widened as he retorted: “Back then your master swore he was destined for a worldly tribulation. He prepared for ten years. Then, on his way down the mountain, lightning struck him for three days and three nights. Do you trust him, or do you trust me?”
Xuan Che almost blurted that he trusted his master. But after one glance at this Grand Senior Uncle, who had weathered many romantic tribulations and yet maintained a serenely cheerful outlook, he swallowed his words. Perhaps he also noticed the doll dangling from Yu Sheng’s hand. Bowing his head with half his face embarrassed, he muttered: “I understand.”
Yu Sheng listened, dumbfounded. He did not understand the ways of these cultivators at all, yet he felt this matter sounded impressive. Still, he was embarrassed to pry.
After all, they had just dragged out Immortal Yuan Ling’s black history. Asking questions now would be rude. [Best to pretend I know what they are talking about.]
…
“In summary, that is the recent work of Second Brigade. There have been no major cases lately. Order within Boundary City is good, and the key-controlled foreign zones are fairly stable.”
Deep within the Special Service Bureau building in Boundary City, Song Cheng stood before Bai Li Qing’s desk and gave his report, sneaking glances at the Bureau Chief’s expression as he spoke.
There was still no expression. The Bureau Chief sat behind her desk, wearing the same poker face as always, immaculate as a statue perfectly restored. Only the occasional nod betrayed a trace of human warmth.
Yet as a veteran employee of the Bureau who had worked with Bai Li Qing for many years, Song Cheng could still read a hint of relaxation and cheer beneath her tightly held composure.
“How are things in Mist City?” Bai Li Qing asked abruptly.
Song Cheng straightened his gaze and replied quickly: “Exploration continues, and progress is steady. We have broadly grasped the rules by which the mist spawns Entities and the activity ranges of most dangerous Entities. We have now established forty-six safe houses and matching exit nodes within Mist City and erected semi-permanent communications equipment. Next, we will, as planned, open exploration permissions for a limited number of dense-fog neighborhoods and most thin-fog neighborhoods, allowing more spirit-world detectives and investigators to help explore and collect resources from the mist.”
“Good,” Bai Li Qing nodded lightly.
Silence fell across the office.
After a few seconds, Song Cheng heard the Chief release a soft breath.
“Lately, it has been very quiet,” Bai Li Qing said softly.
“Yes, very quiet,” Song Cheng smiled, “especially compared with the other week.”
“The only thing worth noting seems to have been that operation at the Dim Little House a few days ago.”
“Yes. It involved the Ancients,” Song Cheng nodded, “aside from that, there have been no major cases.”
They chatted idly for a couple of lines, then fell quiet again, as if savoring the moment of stillness.
Peace is a blessing. No one had suddenly opened a gate that pierced the Borderland, and no Dark Angels had fallen out of the sky.
“How is the newcomer named Zheng Zhi?” Bai Li Qing asked casually, leaning back in her chair with a slightly relaxed posture.
“He has been reporting normally and appears to be growing quickly,” Song Cheng said with a smile, “he got inexplicably dragged all the way to the Featherwing star region. Among all our previous rookies, that probably counts as a rather explosive internship.”
“‘A newcomer,’” Bai Li Qing murmured to herself, “that is nice.”
Song Cheng blinked, seeming about to say something, but the buzzing of his phone cut him off.
He took a glance and his expression changed.
Bai Li Qing noticed the change at once and asked: “Yes?”
“Zheng Zhi has sent a message,” Song Cheng raised his head slowly, his tone complicated, “on Yu Sheng’s side…”
Bai Li Qing changed posture almost instantly and asked: “Is he coming back?”
“…they have stirred up the Dark Angels again,” Song Cheng said.
Bai Li Qing fell silent.
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