The Youth Reveals Himself...
Bai Fanlu raised his head, and dozens of shadowy figures in the darkness swayed and encircled him, drawing in from all around.
There were the attendants and servant girls from the mansion, with hands hanging at their sides. Their movements were slight, with legs shuffling forward. At a glance, the figures seemed to be floating in mid-air, like wandering souls.
Their heads were no longer bowed but neatly drawn towards one side, facing Bai Fanlu. There were no pupils in their eye sockets, and their eye whites carried a tinge of greenish-blue, which was extremely frightening.
Cold sweat dripped profusely from Bai Fanlu's temples. He forced himself to calm down and scanned his surroundings. He suddenly noticed that one within the crowd was unusually tall and wearing a robe dissimilar from the other underlings.
Bai Fanlu flinched and stilled his gaze to take a careful look. He saw that although that man's walking posture was no different from the corpses next to him, the area beneath his knees seemed to be empty. He had neither feet nor shoes and only possessed two wooden stakes, the thickness of a wrist, supporting his body. His clothes were of vivid purple with an auger pattern embroidered with golden silk that was faintly visible.
Taking a second look at his face, it was a face Bai Fanlu had seen before, just that it was thinner, older, with facial features more defined.
This must be the real Yingzhou City Governor, Wei Lin. He had also been turned into the living dead!
As mentioned in the book, it was the Formation of the Ninety-Nine Corpses!
It turned out that there were already ninety-nine human sacrifices, and the ninety-ninth was, in fact, Wei Lin.
Bai Fanlu had wanted to prevent the completion of this formation but had failed.
His heart sank at once, and the corpses were getting closer to him, densely packed like a colony of foraging black ants. As the entities moved, their clothing rubbed against their bodies and rustled.
There were just too many of them, and they were situated in all directions. Bai Fanlu's view of them was dispersed, and he quickly searched for a target within this corpse formation.
At this moment, a muted and subdued tune emerged within the silent night sky. With a leisurely change of tone, it sounded even vaster than a Xiao and more mesmerising than a Di as it originated from a certain point both mournfully and harshly.
The corpses opened their mouths in unison and groaned at Bai Fanlu.
The man who manipulated this formation wasn’t Wei Lin, who relied on various spells in the book. It would seem however that the other person was using just their vocal cords.
Bai Fanlu was not surprised, and since he had nowhere to hide, he stood still and watched the corpses approaching him and sighed.
"Come out. I know it's you."
The group of corpses fell silent abruptly.
The music stopped and in its place was a soft, slow-paced sound much like something was knocking against the ground.
Step after step, it came. It was the sound made by a walking staff.
In the depths of the garden, within the shadows of the bamboo grove, a beauty in an aqua-coloured long robe walked out slowly. Even in the night, the tranquillity and serene face instantly evoked a sense of sympathy.
But it was this frail and helpless merman who had no combat power as described in the novel that now stood behind these ninety-nine corpses. He made his entrance with a smile that seemed to bloom alongside the flowers and seem ethereal, like smoke above the waters.
Such a contrast was astounding.
"Bai Dage, when did you find out?"
He Sang lifted his staff and gently swept aside a canna branch that hung in front of him.
Bai Fanlu noticed that He Sang was holding a conch in his right hand and figured that the tune from earlier must have been from it.
"At the parade of offerings, I had my suspicions."
Bai Fanlu confessed. When He Sang first glanced at him from the palanquin back then, he could feel a bone-chilling sensation just from his eyes.
It was a pity that he trusted the novel too much and always felt he was overthinking. Even after rounds of guessing and testing, Bai Fanlu kept negating his doubts.
It now appeared that the character set of the novel was not credible. Even the current plot was utterly unrecognisable. What puzzled Bai Fanlu was the cause of this change. It should have been due to his interception but could it also be because he insisted on acting separately from Yun Zhan for this mission?
Nevertheless, it was useless to think about this right now. Bai Fanlu had to resolve the current problem of life-and-death first.
He Sang was surprised at Bai Fanlu's answer and then smiled very gently and did not bother to conceal his sentiments of admiration, "Bai Dage is really wise. It's been hard on you to keep up the pretence with me."
Bai Fanlu asked, "Where is Wei Lin's soul?"
There were only ninety-eight beasts in those cages. Is Wei Lin's soul still around?
"He is dead. His soul is no longer here." He Sang said lightly.
With such a delicate smile, the words the merman uttered were so bitterly cold to the point that there were no emotion attached to them.
That's right, the person He Sang loved was not Wei Lin, who stripped him of his freedom and forcibly trapped him by his side. It was always Bai Junming.
His gaze, whenever He Sang mentioned Bai Junming, was never fabricated, and there was no need for him to feign it.
Bai Fanlu paused, "Although I doubted you, I still felt that you wouldn't be like this."
After all, there was no hint within the book that He Sang was the real mastermind. Wei Lin was supposed to be the only antagonist from beginning to the end.
Hearing Bai Fanlu's words, He Sang's smile gradually faded, "I am like this. And you should be the same as me."
"What?" Bai Fanlu didn't understand what he meant.
He Sang's eyes turned cold, "Since Bai dage has persuaded me not to kill innocent people, then fine..." With a smile trailing at the end, He Sang raised the conch in his hand.
When the conch moved, the corpses also raised their heads, staring with empty eyes and mouths wide-open and making low groans. On this exceedingly oppressive and lonely night, it seemed as if countless small snakes were slithering through the grass. The scene and sound effects were now far more creepy than the typical zombie movie.
However, in those movies, the victims tend to be infected, and with their brain dead, they will no longer be able to resurrect. Unlike these people, who Bai Fanlu knew stood a chance…
"Now that their lives are right here, why doesn't Bai Dage advise me on what should be done? What would you do when they wish to hurt you—such that you don't kill a single one and still be able to withdraw unscathed?"
Every one of the ninety-nine corpses was a living person. Although Wei Lin had become the exception, the souls of the other ninety-eight people were sealed within the bodies of the caged beasts and their empty vessels were now being manipulated at will. If bodies were to be damaged, their souls would never be able to return.
This was also the most challenging part of this battle. Of course, one could choose to kill these corpses indiscriminately. However, there were two points to note here. The first was that these vessels would continue to attack even if only a single piece of bloody flesh was left. The other was that it was taboo for immortal cultivators to attack ordinary people.
Yun Zhan was a decent protagonist and naturally would not just escape in the book. In the end, he managed to rescue everyone by attacking the formation's core.
Although from the honest perspective of Bai Fanlu, these were all inconsequential paper people and striking just one great move could bring He Sang down along with him. He had his worries. Bai Fanlu was concerned that the original owner drew a clear distinction between good and evil before becoming a demon.
If that were the case, he would never do anything to kill innocents indiscriminately. If he were to do so, wouldn't it be villainising himself?
Didi: [This line of thought bears risks. You ought to be cautious when you attempt it.]
Bai Fanlu, "..."
So it will not work.
Bai Fanlu was annoyed and thumped his chest in his mind. He had already found the servant girl with a black puppet charm on her ankle. She was arranged to mingle and hide amongst the ninety-nine victims and even wore the same servant's attire as the rest. Bai Fanlu could have almost left a mark on her, but it was a pity that he missed by just a step.
Right now, the servant girls were all gathered together, standing shoulder to shoulder. It was challenging for Bai Fanlu to pick out that girl based on just his memory of her. It was also not an option for him to attack indiscriminately.
He Sang must have noticed his sneaky demeanour when he mentioned that he twisted his ankle. Since then, the merman became vigilant due to Bai Fanlu’s carelessness.
Nonetheless, there was no other way now but to strike a conversation with the villain to stall for more time. Then, look for opportunities to find the core of the formation.
Don't people say that the villains always end up dead because they talk too much?
Bai Fanlu mocked himself secretly for being able to maintain a reasonably good mood in this situation and even to be capable of entertaining himself. Then, he found a topic, "He Sang, did you also lie to me regarding my uncle?"
Hearing this question, He Sang temporarily stopped stroking the conch and answered unhurriedly, "No. He is indeed my benefactor."
"Then you..." What are you thinking, to plan on harming your benefactor's nephew?
As if guessing Bai Fanlu's train of thought, He Sang smiled, "Are you trying to say that if I kill you, Young Master Ming will blame me for it?"
Bai Fanlu said nothing.
"I'm very willing to explain to you. When I was at the parade of offerings, I'd already concluded that you were not him, but I really didn't expect that you would claim to be...huh! If I guessed right, you must be the Young Master of the Demon Realm, right?"
Since Wei Lin from earlier was a puppet, then the person who really understood the secrets of the Demon Realm must be He Sang.
Bai Fanlu raised his eyebrows, "How did you know?”
He Sang smiled again, "Because these are matters surrounding him. I naturally want to know more."
Whenever He Sang spoke of Bai Junming, it was as if the merman was a different person. At every mention of the man's name, He Sang had a look of tenderness, as if he had regained his original character setting from the novel.
Bai Fanlu was completely baffled.
Perhaps He Sang was pleased with his reaction, the merman was very willing to continue to explain it to Bai Fanlu.
"First of all, as to whether you are the real Young Master of the Demon Race remains to be ascertained, because as far as I am aware, the former Demon Lord did not leave behind an orphan.
Secondly, my benefactor will not blame me even if you really are who you say. What do you think he regards you as?"
What else can it be? Probably a chess piece. Bai Fanlu had that self-knowledge, but this piece of information shouldn't be discarded so soon, right?
"It seems that you are also clear of it within your heart," He Sang added coldly, "Then now I can tell you the real reason for 'inviting' you here, such that you can depart in peace."
As Bai Fanlu listened, a strand finally and slowly separated from the wrist held behind his back.
Yun Zhan got lucky when He Sang interrupted Wei Lin in the book. He managed to find that one puppet was different from the others. Sensing that it was a dummy, he broke the formation by chance.
But now, Bai Fanlu was surrounded by enemies on all sides, and He Sang was well-prepared for this. It was not feasible to find out the position of the formation's core through such subtle and hidden moves.
After the book's Bai Fanlu became a demon, he used the puppet technique by manipulating Cang Jin. So Bai Fanlu thought, maybe he could use it in reverse to pinpoint the whereabouts of that dummy.
He Sang didn't seem to notice his movements, and continued, "I mentioned you, and I are the same because you have a pure Yin physique. I realised that your legs would best suit me from the moment you entered the city. They are what I have been waiting for."
"My-my legs?" Bai Fanlu didn't expect this to be the rationale, "What about the time when the expert lent his hand..."
"He was indeed giving me pointers," He Sang said, "but how could a fishtail ever be split into a pair of human legs? Did you really believe it?"
Oh please! What could be unbelievable in this world? Was that expert really an immortal? How could he teach He Sang to do such an absurd thing like taking off a human's legs for his own use?
"Then your legs..." Bai Fanlu suddenly stopped talking when he realised something and couldn't continue.
"Oh, you guessed it. Yes, they were Wei Lin's." He Sang's lips curled up with a mocking smile, "He really adored me and treated me well. But it's a pity that I hated him!"
Bai Fanlu couldn't believe his words. He gritted his teeth and responded in a low voice, "So...Wei Lin was killed by you a long time ago. You created puppets and manipulated them from the start, put up a pretence to gain my trust, then led me to fall into your trap. If it weren't for the accident just now, and my soul got extracted, then you could easily control and use my empty vessel?"
He Sang smiled softly, without commenting further.
Bai Fanlu didn't know how to describe the shock in his heart at this moment.
What he thought was a foolish and naive being turned out to be a black lotus through and through. This plot was indeed too far off.
Bai Fanlu fell into a daze and didn't even notice someone was approaching from behind him.
Cang Jin? It was reacting!
When he realised it, Bai Fanlu was slammed in the back of his head. His vision turned to darkness and slumped to the ground.
At the last moment of losing all consciousness, he whispered in his heart, Who even said villains always end up dead because they talk too much? I must have jinxed myself.
He Sang watched him fall coldly and murmured, "If you had been a little more well-behaved and let your soul leave your body, you wouldn't have to suffer, would you? I'm going to take your legs now. Please don't cry from the pain."
The merman approached slowly, and a cold light appeared in his hands.
Before he could touch Bai Fanlu's body, a powerful force appeared from nowhere and blasted him several feet away.
"Who's that?!"
A golden light gradually condensed and glowed from a certain point. He Sang took a closer look only to see that beams of golden light emerged from the little white monkey's body lying on the ground. The light encircled Bai Fanlu and entwined into a ball of light.
Bang! Massive spiritual energy fluctuations burst out, and the golden light gradually dissipated. In its place, a human figure slowly appeared.
The young man knelt on one knee and gazed down at the Bai Fanlu, who was now in his arms. With long ink-black hair and blue robes, his aura surged. The man embraced Bai Fanlu's shoulder with his left hand and slowly drew his sword with his right.
Behind him, the head of the servant girl assailant silently fell from her shoulders and rolled into the darkness.
The young man raised his sword and pointed it at He Sang.
The sword had a blade as thin as cicada's wings and a sword glare as cold as the yellow spring.
Bi Luo of the Yellow Spring.
I didn’t expect that! BFL was so sure, that even I was missleaded! Thank You for the new chapter! (｡’▽’｡)♡