Chapter 182 – The Ghost Tiers, Observing the Situation, Entering the Game - Part 2

Little Willow County, Northriver Prefecture.

“Let us out!”

“Please, it’s over now. Why won’t you let us leave?”

“Get out of the way!”

Men and women in Spring Breeze were crowding around the gate, desperate to escape. Yet armored soldiers barred their path, forcing them back with long spears each time they tried to push through.

Torchlight gleamed on polished plates, reflecting a cold glint. Each soldier’s face was stern, filled with tense resolve.

Suddenly, an old man cried out, “Ba Lu! Sonny, it’s me! Is that you?!”

A soldier up front looked over and, recognizing the old man, said wearily, “Grandpa, please settle down. The prefecture lord has ordered this lockdown. You’re not getting out.”

“Why not?” the old man demanded. “Spring Breeze is dangerous now, right? But things have finally calmed down. On what grounds are we not allowed to leave?”

The soldier responded, “They’re worried that whatever filth you might be carrying will spread outside.”

At that, the crowd roared in protest.

The old man shouted, “Ba Lu, there’s nothing filthy about me! Even if there is, it’s probably stuck in here somewhere. You’re not even coming in to search for it, so what good is blocking us out?” Pointing a shaky finger at the soldier, he went on, “Ba Lu, if you don’t let me out, you’re basically killing me.”

The soldier looked even more uneasy and glanced around before admitting, “Grandpa, my word doesn’t mean a thing here. It’s no use complaining to me.”

Some of the other guards also had distant relatives among the people inside, and they were all shouting back and forth. Yet no one dared to open the blockade; they had their orders from above.

Li Yuan observed all of this in silence, and flashes of insight passed through his mind. Sometimes it was easier to see the whole picture when one was on the outside looking in. Piecing together everything he’d seen before and now, many key insights emerged.

Firstly, the Apparel Atelier was distributing those rouge compacts through merchant caravans and other channels, brainwashing people to worship the Immortals. They had even organized an Immortal Worship Cult outside.

Secondly, the Great Zhou emperor had appointed an undying husk as the imperial tutor, then dispatched other undying husks to various provinces and prefectures in key official roles.

Thirdly, ever since the new prefecture lord took charge in Northriver Prefecture, countless strange disturbances had arisen across its 36 counties. Tiger’s Back and more recently Little Willow County show the same pattern—some residents abruptly lose their senses, their negative emotions magnified countless times, leading to violence and slaughter.

Fourthly, around the same time, the ghost street marketplace swelled with people whose sins clung to them like a heavy shroud. The disappearance of the villagers in Tiger’s Back could now be explained. Some of them went mad and began killing wildly, piling up sins that made them far more likely to

stumble

into the ghost street marketplace. Meanwhile, those who survived fled the village, perhaps led out by the Farmstead Sect or simply out of fear. So, when Fang Jianlong and his caravan arrived, they found the place completely empty. The same scenario was unfolding in Spring Breeze. Many people had gone missing in and around that tavern, likely not

missing

at all, but forcibly pulled into the ghost street marketplace by some malevolent influence.

Fifthly, foreign undying husks had been collecting money and valuables in the ghost street marketplace.

Sixthly and lastly, the prefecture lord’s troops had surrounded Spring Breeze, claiming the higher-ups were afraid of

filth

leaking out. But from another perspective...wasn’t this just a form of confinement?

“All of it is starting to add up,” Li Yuan reflected. “Most likely, the imperial tutor in the Jade Capital is in league with Apparel Atelier. They’ve planted these strange items across the land that can forcibly send people into the ghost street marketplace.

“Then, using imperial authority, they install themselves openly as prefecture lords, provincial governors, or military overseers. Any

emergency measures

they declare go unchallenged, because they control how every crisis is explained to the public.

“Under normal circumstances, if a martial artist were the prefecture lord, they’d think something wrong was going on in Spring Breeze, like some monstrous entity or contamination, and then decide to investigate and root it out. After all, ghosts are terrifying not just because they can kill, but because of their unpredictability. If you bring enough troops, you’ll eventually notice a pattern or find some clue.

“But now, because undying husks are in charge, the prefecture lord is claiming there’s an infectious

filth

that can’t be allowed to escape. So, he orders the township sealed.

“His true aim is to let the people trapped inside go mad from fear, become tainted by sin, and drift into the ghost street marketplace to pay for goods there, boosting his own power. Later, when most of them die, he’ll justify his actions by saying that it was a good thing he kept them contained; otherwise, the whole area would’ve been affected. And how for the greater good, the few had to be sacrificed.’”

The more Li Yuan thought about it, the more sense it made.

The emperor wanted to rely on undying husks to counter the powerful martial factions. After all, the imperial family had waned; without outside support, they would be swallowed up and cease to exist. And if the imperial family vanished, what meaning would the empire hold anymore?

As for the undying husks, they needed the emperor in equal measure. The emperor still carried the banner of legitimacy; the Great Zhou had ruled these lands for centuries, so in the people’s eyes, it remained the rightful authority. Local troops, prefectural soldiers, and even regional armies all followed official orders, but more importantly, they followed what they perceived as the

true and rightful

path.

That legitimacy granted the power to explain away anything the undying husks did, openly and under the guise of righteousness. Sending people into the ghost street marketplace was likely only the opening move.

Naturally, the great martial sects and clans wouldn’t stand by and watch. For one, the emperor had broken faith with them; secondly, he was empowering the undying husks. How could these sects possibly let such a threat go unanswered?

“And we haven’t even reached the Central Plains yet, and it’s already this bloody.” Li Yuan felt a crushing weight settle in his chest.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

When the time came, Li Yuan brought Sheng'er once more to the black market ghost domain.

While Yan Yu taught Sheng'er for a while, she soon drifted back to Li Yuan’s side. He told her everything he had seen and the conclusions he had drawn.

“The situation in the north looks grim. undying husks, the imperial family, and the martial sects all have reasons to fight tooth and nail. Next to that, the ghost domains don’t seem nearly as frightening. Any spark of war might spread to us before we know it.”

Yan Yu listened in silence. She understood that even in her current

enhanced

state, she was nowhere near invincible.

Then she offered her own perspective. “The Apparel Atelier may well have a ghost similar to me. But if what you said about the ghost street marketplace farming, distributing cursed rouge among the merchant caravans, and the human-head lantern worshipping is true, that entity is likely on the same level as the exotic beast park or stronger. With that kind of power backing them, it’s no wonder the undying husks dare to confront the martial world head-on.”

Li Yuan felt a headache coming on. To be honest, his first thought was to gather his family and flee south. But beyond the southern borders lay the lands of demonic beasts, and beyond the seas lay even murkier dangers and tales.

“I’ll find another way,” he said finally, lowering his gaze in thought.

Not far away, Sheng'er suddenly shouted, “Bad skins, go away! Crows, attack!”

A black crow dove out of the sky, helping Yan Yu’s white-clothed ghost servant fight off a lurking human skin ghost servant.

Li Yuan grew concerned, but Yan Yu said, “No need to worry. Let her practice. Lately, I’ve noticed that whenever her power runs low, she recovers quickly in the black market ghost domain. If she grows strong enough, perhaps she can even keep the human skin rouge shop under control.”

Around midnight, Li Yuan took Sheng'er home. Leaving Xiao Mei to help him bathe and settle in for the night, he indulged in the usual routine between a master and their personal maid. When the quiet of night finally prevailed, Xiao Mei lay contented in the sheets, nestling her hips against Li Yuan.

But Li Yuan simply stared at the ceiling, eyes shut yet mind focused, continuing his observations of Little Willow County in the Northriver Prefecture.