Xiao Shiyun slowed down his pace, waiting for Bai Yi to catch up before continuing forward. As they passed through the bustling market section near Zuixiang House, the crowds gradually thinned out. Most tourists were winding down, getting ready for the busy workday ahead.
“Where are we going now?” Bai Yi asked from behind him.
“Back to the palace,” Xiao Shiyun replied casually.
It seemed that their second outing had not fully satisfied Xiao Shiyun yet. Bai Yi thought to himself that since they had managed to slip out with great difficulty, he had to make sure they left with an unforgettable, lifelong memory.
He grabbed Xiao Shiyun and said, “I have an idea. Do you want to hear it?”
“Shut up.” Xiao Shiyun yanked his sleeve out of Bai Yi’s hand. “Stay away from me from now on.”
Bai Yi stared at him and let out a forced laugh. “Fine. You go ahead, then. I won’t follow you anymore.”
He stopped walking and waited for Xiao Shiyun to move on. Instead, Xiao Shiyun stayed right where he was, pursing his lips as he turned to look at Bai Yi, his entire demeanor radiating annoyance and dissatisfaction.
“Say that again?”
Gosh, he was truly a stubborn, awkward person. Bai Yi stepped forward, grabbed Xiao Shiyun by the wrist, and frowned. “Stop being so difficult. From now on, you are going wherever I go.”
Having been transported to this world for so many days, Bai Yi finally grew a spine. He really couldn’t stand it anymore. The Xiao Shiyun in front of him was a hundred times more difficult than the one he used to know. To handle this kind of person, one had to use the method of coaxing a child, smoothing his fur in the right direction.
Xiao Shiyun allowed himself to be led, though his face was a picture of impatience.
“You told me not to say it, but I am going to say it anyway.” Bai Yi burst into laughter at his own idea. Damn it, he had to find a way to vent his frustration today no matter what. “Look at how well our outfits complement each other, one black and one white. We just need two masks to cosplay as Black and White Impermanence. Whoever you find an eyesore, we can go and terrify them. What do you think?”
Xiao Shiyun showed a spark of interest. “Oh? Tell me more.”
“For example, we can scare human traffickers who sell girls on the street for money, local bullies who terrorize the neighborhood, or corrupt officials who neglect their duties. Wait, the last one might be a bit tricky. Those government offices are usually heavily guarded by imperial guards.”
The more Bai Yi spoke, the more enthusiastic he became. He bought two incredibly ugly masks from a roadside vendor who was about to close his stall and handed one to Xiao Shiyun.
“Think carefully about who usually gets on your nerves,” Bai Yi suggested excitedly.
“Then let us start with the Prime Minister’s estate.” Xiao Shiyun put on his mask. There were far too many people he wanted to mess with, so many that he couldn’t even count them all.
“Alright! Let’s find a villain on the street first to test the effects.”
Bai Yi’s gaze instantly swept across the street. Indeed, people were always happiest when they were up to no good.
As they navigated through the alleys, they finally spotted a target. The corners of Bai Yi’s mouth curved upward. It was time to get to work.
A drunken, burly man was staggering down a narrow alley, dragging a young girl along. The girl was crying and struggling, but the surrounding neighbors had already turned off their lights, and no one came to help.
The sword at Xiao Shiyun’s waist unsheathed by two inches, his dark, icy eyes locking onto the man like a serpent.
They put on their masks, and Bai Yi cleared his throat. “I will take a detour to block him from behind. You follow them.”
“Alright.”
The drunkard couldn’t help but fantasize about what was about to happen, his smile stretching from ear to ear. He let out a couple of coarse laughs and spat on the ground. Dragging the young girl, he walked deeper into the endless darkness of the alley when he suddenly heard the crisp clicking sound of an abacus.
Such a sound would have been ordinary in a bustling neighborhood during the day, but in a deserted, pitch-black alley, it sounded incredibly eerie.
The drunkard took two tentative steps forward and suddenly bumped into someone. The figure was clicking an abacus, speaking with a long, drawn-out echo that reverberated through the alley, “The underworld is still short of one soul to collect. What should we do?”
“Who’s there?!” The drunkard stopped in his tracks.
Bai Yi circled around behind him and patted his shoulder. “The King of Hell said we need to collect one more”
The drunkard turned around in terror, only to find absolutely no one there. A wave of cold air approached, and his back was patted again.
This time, an even more sinister and cold voice said, “We are just short of one person’s head to finish the job.”
The drunkard spun around violently, only to find a deathly pale face quietly pressed right against his own, the silhouette of a black-clothed figure elongating under the moonlight.
“Ah!”
At that moment, another hand lightly landed on the drunkard’s shoulder. The person let out a cheerful laugh and whispered, “Hush if you scream again, your tongue might just fall out.”
The drunkard’s stiff neck turned slowly. Another pale face with a long, red tongue abruptly appeared before him, its pure white eyeballs devoid of pupils.
No further screams echoed. The drunkard’s vision went completely black, and he fainted directly on the spot.
Bai Yi rolled his eyes so hard that they almost cramped. He ripped off his mask, clutched his stomach, and began to laugh uncontrollably. Xiao Shiyun also took off his mask, a trace of amusement appearing in his eyes.
The amusement didn’t last long before it vanished, his gaze turning freezing cold as he stared at the man on the ground. He was contemplating how to dispose of this piece of filth. Xiao Shiyun crouched down and struck the back of the man’s neck with the edge of his hand, ensuring that the unconscious man fell into a completely dead sleep.
Bai Yi helped the terrified girl up. “We will escort you out. Where is your home?”
The girl wept, shaking her head without being able to utter a single word. “Have Seventeen take her to rest first. Once she wakes up, she can choose whether to stay or leave. She can also go to the army to train in self-defense skills,” Xiao Shiyun said.
“That works too. Miss, is it alright if we arrange it this way?”
The homeless girl nodded. Xiao Shiyun summoned his secret guard, Seventeen, to take her away, while the remaining secret guards handled the drunkard, dragging him to the dungeon for rigorous interrogation.
Xiao Shiyun and Bai Yi walked out, returning to the marketplace as if nothing had happened.
“Where is the next stop?” Bai Yi asked. It seemed their performance had yielded excellent results.
“The Prime Minister’s estate.”
That night, the Prime Minister’s estate suffered immensely, thrown into total chaos for the entire evening. Rumors spread that malicious ghosts had entered the estate to claim a life, while others claimed the Prime Minister had committed too many evil deeds and was facing retribution. Amidst the conflicting theories, everyone wondered if the Prime Minister had truly seen a ghost. To this, Bai Yi could only say that their imagination still fell short.
The Prime Minister was far worse than merely frightened out of his wits; he was scared out of his mind.
That night, he and Xiao Shiyun scaled the walls to enter the Prime Minister’s estate. Xiao Shiyun navigated the paths with ease, entering the Prime Minister’s study and retrieving the wealth-seeking deity statue that the official worshipped from a secret passage. They placed it right at the head of the Prime Minister’s bed.
When the Prime Minister opened his eyes in the middle of the night, he saw the two of them, one black and one white. One sat at the head of his bed with folded arms, while the other slept right beside him.
Bai Yi said, “Congratulations, the statue you worshipped has come to life. However, there are two of us. Are you going to worship him, or worship me?”
Xiao Shiyun added, “You usually have a habit of placing three copper coins on the altar. Today, one was missing because it was eaten by him.” The Black Impermanence reached out a hand, pointing at the White Impermanence.
The final battle results were verifiable. Weeping and sniffling, the Prime Minister dug out all the available family fortunes in his room and stuffed them into the hands of Xiao Shiyun and Bai Yi. He then kowtowed piously several times to each of them to send them on their way.
The next day, when Bai Yi attended to Xiao Shiyun during the imperial court session, he specifically observed whether the Prime Minister would show up. To his astonishment, the Prime Minister actually managed to attend, pushing through his shattered spirit.
“If there are memorials, present them; if not, clear the court!” The moment Guo Fu announced the end of the session, the Prime Minister collapsed onto his knees right at Xiao Shiyun’s feet with a thud.
Tears streaming down his face, the Prime Minister cried, “Your Majesty! You must bring justice for this old minister! Last night, thieves broke into my home. Those scoundrels were incredibly detestable, going as far as dressing up as ghosts to commit malicious acts. Please command the Court of Judicial Review to thoroughly investigate this matter!”
Seated on the imperial throne, Xiao Shiyun leaned lazily back into his chair, the beaded curtain of his golden crown obscuring his features. He said sarcastically, “Has the beloved minister fallen under an evil spell? Do you need me to command the Imperial Academy of Medicine to examine you?”
“No no, it is real! I truly saw them!”
Guo Fu’s shrill voice pierced through the entire grand hall, “Spouting nonsensical words before the Emperor, where are your manners? Someone come and escort the Prime Minister back to his estate to recover from his illness!”
Guards immediately dragged the Prime Minister out.
Guilty, Bai Yi exchanged a glance with Xiao Shiyun, and the two quickly looked away in unison.