Chapter 408

Chapter 408: Ripples in the Calm

Yu Sheng’s opinion won everyone over. After all, most people agreed that someone who could talk a Dark Angel to sleep was probably a professional in the field of dealing with Dark Angels.

“When do you plan to depart?” Xuan Che asked, studying Yu Sheng’s face. “If we’re only going to a nearby planet, we shouldn’t need to use the Otherworld Hotel. I can have the City Lord arrange a celestial ship for us.”

“No rush.” Yu Sheng waved a hand. “We just fought those black-clad people, and we picked up a lot of new intel. No matter what, we should rest for a day—and I’ve got some other plans during that time.

“As for the celestial ship…” He paused, then said flatly, “I think we should just have Foxy drive us over directly. Let’s not involve that City Lord.”

Xuan Che nodded, then caught the implication. “…You think the City Lord has a problem?”

“Not necessarily a problem,” Yu Sheng said after thinking, choosing his words with unusual seriousness. “But she feels unreliable. Ever since landing on this planet, I’ve had the sense that a lot of things are… off. Maybe, like you said, Ink City’s City Lord and this planet’s star-guardian elder have been lax and failed to notice the shadows under their noses. But I keep thinking there’s another reason their reaction is so slow.”

“…Could she already have defected?” Zheng Zhi tensed. “Could that City Lord already be Yun Qing Zi’s person? Are we in danger?”

“Probably not.” Xuan Che shook his head. “Before I met City Lord Mo Ran, I set up a heart-probing arcane formation around her. During our contact, I kept checking her aura and the changes in divine sense. There was no issue. I considered what Mr. Yu was worried about too, but from what I observed, her cultivation isn’t high. Even if she’s skilled at hiding and deception, she shouldn’t be able to conceal it so perfectly in front of me.”

“Either way, we need to be careful here,” Yu Sheng said. “No one can say how deep Yun Qing Zi’s infiltration goes on this planet, and now we’ve also found people from Holy Revere Hermitage hiding here. The Hermitage Order cultists in Shu Ji can’t be just that one priest. We took out the leader today. The rest will definitely react.”

Xuan Che nodded, his expression grim.

Yu Sheng’s gaze swept the room.

“I already reported the situation to the Bureau,” Zheng Zhi said before Yu Sheng could ask. “Later I’ll add another report and include the situation with Dark Angels.”

“I have reminded Junior Brother and the others to investigate recent personnel movement leaving Grand Void Spiritual Axis for Shu Ji,” Immortal Yuan Hao added. “Those two immortal foxes likely were not isolated cases. If Yun Qing Zi’s contamination really projected onto Grand Void back when Demon Suppression Tower lost control, then many people should have been affected.

“If necessary, we can issue an urgent order from the Five Sects and intercept all celestial ships that recently headed for Shu Ji, to prevent the situation from worsening.”

Yu Sheng nodded. Hearing those arrangements, he finally felt some tension ease from his chest.

“Let’s leave it here for now,” he said with a soft breath, rising from the sofa. “Everyone’s tired. Get some rest. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

They all stood and started toward their rooms. Irene, who’d been sitting bored in the middle of the living room, finally heard the tedious serious talk end. She sprang up and toddled over, visibly relieved. “Finally. You’re done. I almost fell asleep listening…”

Xuan Che walked around the coffee table without looking. And a 66.6-centimeter-tall doll waddling into his path was basically a squat little winter melon—if you weren’t careful, you’d kick her. She happened to be in the coffee table’s blind spot.

So the next second, Yu Sheng watched Senior Brother step forward and trip right over Irene’s head.

“Hey—”

Yu Sheng barely had time to lift a hand to block—

Then his vision flashed white.

In fact, the entire room lit up.

A blinding arc of electricity packed with purple spirit light exploded with a loud bang. A powerful electric field flooded the air, making everyone’s hair stand straight up. Divine thunder—something even an immortal would struggle to endure—burst out of nowhere and blasted Xuan Che straight upward.

Yu Sheng saw a shadow flicker in the glare. When his eyes cleared, Senior Brother was already stuck to the ceiling.

Half a second later, Xuan Che slammed down.

Irene rolled across the floor from the recoil, but she flipped upright at once. She stared around blankly for a beat, then seemed to realize what had happened. She lunged at Yu Sheng, practically bouncing with joy.

“Hey, Yu Sheng! I discharged everything~!”

“Stop thinking about your discharge!” Yu Sheng’s hair was still standing up. He caught Little Doll midair, then stared with cold sweat at where Xuan Che had landed. “Damn it—are you okay?!”

Xuan Che struggled to sit up, eyes unfocused. Yu Sheng had to call him twice before he blinked. Then he stared, half-dazed, at the doll in Yu Sheng’s arms. After a long moment, he finally forced out a hoarse sentence.

“…Why did that happen?”

“I’m curious too!” Yu Sheng looked even more baffled. “When she touches us, it’s just a quick zap. Why did you get blasted half to death in two hits…”

At last, Immortal Yuan Hao—who’d been watching closely—spoke. He studied his martial nephew, who had just recovered only to have half his face go numb again.

“…Che’er, what realm are you at now?”

Xuan Che’s mind was still foggy. He answered on instinct. “Spirit Embodiment Stage is complete, but I haven’t glimpsed Dao-Seeking Realm yet…”

“Oh.” Immortal Yuan Hao stroked his chin. “Then you still have some time before your next great tribulation… but you can prepare early. Tell Master to stock up on elixirs and treasures for guiding heavenly lightning and strengthening the body. With your physique, when you seek the Dao, it will almost certainly be lightning tribulation.”

Xuan Che froze. “…But Master said mine would probably be spirit tribulation?”

Immortal Yuan Hao glared at once. “Back then your Master swore he’d face worldly tribulation! He prepared for ten years, and then on his way down the mountain to enter the mortal world, he got struck by lightning for three days and three nights. You trust him or you trust me?”

Xuan Che’s instinct was to say he trusted Master. But after glancing at this Senior Uncle—who had survived many passion tribulations and still carried himself with a fine attitude—he swallowed the words.

It might have helped that he also saw the doll in Yu Sheng’s arms.

He lowered his head awkwardly. “I… I understand.”

Yu Sheng listened with his mouth hanging open. He didn’t understand cultivation theory at all, but it still sounded terrifying. He also didn’t dare ask for details.

After all, they’d just dragged out Immortal Yuan Ling’s old black history. It would be rude to pry now.

—

“This is the recent work status of Second Unit,” Song Cheng said. “Nothing major has happened lately. Order in Boundary City is good, and the otherworlds under key monitoring have remained stable.”

Deep inside the Special Operations Bureau building in Boundary City, Song Cheng stood in the director’s office, reporting while quietly studying Bai Li Qing’s face.

Still no expression. The director sat behind the desk with the same poker face as always, neat and strict like a perfectly carved statue. Only the occasional nod made him seem faintly human.

But Song Cheng had worked with Bai Li Qing for years. He could still read something in that stiff posture… a hint of relaxation. Even good mood.

“How is Mistbound City?” Bai Li Qing asked suddenly.

Song Cheng snapped his gaze back at once. “Exploration continues. Progress is stable. We’ve basically figured out the patterns of entity generation in the mist and the activity ranges of most dangerous entities.

“We’ve established forty-six safe houses inside Mistbound City with corresponding exit points, and set up semi-permanent communication equipment. Next, according to plan, we’ll open exploration permissions for a few dense-fog districts and most thin-fog districts, allowing more spirit-realm detectives and investigators to assist with exploration—or collect resources from the mist.”

“Mmm.” Bai Li Qing nodded lightly.

Silence settled again.

After a few seconds, Song Cheng heard the director let out a quiet breath.

“Recently…” Bai Li Qing said, voice low, “it’s been very peaceful.”

“Yeah.” Song Cheng smiled. “It’s been pretty peaceful. Especially compared to a while ago.”

“The only thing worth caring about was probably that operation a few days ago at ‘Gloomy Little House,’ right?”

“Right. It involved ‘ancients,’ after all.” Song Cheng nodded. “Other than that, there haven’t been any big cases.”

They traded a few more lines, then fell quiet together again, as if savoring the rare calm.

Peace and quiet was nice. Nobody suddenly opened a door cutting through the borderland. No Dark Angels fell from the sky.

“How is that newcomer named Zheng Zhi doing?” Bai Li Qing asked casually, leaning back in his chair, looking almost relaxed.

“He’s been reporting normally, and he seems to be growing fast,” Song Cheng said with a smile. “Getting dragged all the way to Featherwing territory by accident… that’s a pretty insane internship experience, even by our standards.”

“‘Newcomer,’” Bai Li Qing murmured, as if tasting the word. “…That’s good too.”

Song Cheng blinked, as though he wanted to say something. Then a mobile phone vibrated, cutting him off.

He pulled it out and checked the message. His expression changed instantly.

Bai Li Qing noticed at once. “Hm?”

“Zheng Zhi sent a message,” Song Cheng said slowly, looking up. His tone was complicated. “Over on Yu Sheng’s side…”

Bai Li Qing’s posture shifted almost immediately. “Is he coming back?”

Song Cheng swallowed. “…There are Dark Angels over there again.”

Bai Li Qing said nothing.

The silence in the room felt heavier than stone.