He's the Bad One

The sound was mournful, like the cawing of a crow, unpleasant and noisy.

The man plunged his hand into his chest, blood flowing down his wrist, his face contorted in pain, yet tinged with a hint of mockery.

"You think you can control everything, you think that once you get here, things will go smoothly as before, but you're overthinking it. Now that this only clue is gone, how will you find us?"

"Whoosh!"

Before Xu Bai could even get close, the man pulled out a bloody heart, held it in his hand, and the heart burst open. The man collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

The Gu worms on the ground turned to ashes and vanished completely, as did the books that had been gnawed on, which also turned into dust filling the sky.

Xu Bai strode forward, looked at the scene before him, and remained silent.

"It really was a diversionary tactic," Wu Hua sighed.

Now that this has happened, even a fool could figure it out: the other side doesn't seem to intend to deal with them directly. The poison that the people were given earlier was all meant to get them to leave the Prefectural Office.

In the Prefectural Office, something important had been destroyed—the book that the man had mentioned earlier.

At this moment, everything is in a mess, and it's impossible to restore it.

Because the book and the Gu worm had turned into countless fragments and ashes, leaving only this corpse.

Xu Bai raised his hand, and a golden compass appeared, but the pointer on it did not change at all, and it lay limply to the side.

With a wave of his hand, Xu Bai dispersed the golden compass in front of him. He remained silent, but his eyes were filled with boundless coldness and killing intent.

Indeed, he really didn't expect that the other party would set their sights on the Prefectural Office and even use a diversionary tactic.

It seems that all connections have been severed, and even the golden compass cannot calculate it.

"Lord Ying," Xu Bai said thoughtfully, "Do you know which book was lost?"

The item was gone, but that didn't mean there were no clues. He wanted to see which book it was.

The Ying Prefecture was slightly taken aback, but quickly understood Xu Bai's meaning. He strode into a room and came out after a while, with a troubled expression on his face.

"These are not the books I brought with me. I will bring my own books when I take office, but I know all of them very well."

"If it's something I don't know, it can only be from the books that the Prefectural Office brought with them, but I haven't read many of them."

The governor of a state naturally has many books in his jurisdiction, and these books are brought from the state itself.

These books cover a wide range of genres, all of which are related to Soaring Cloud Prefecture.

"You're the governor of this prefecture, and you haven't even finished reading a book?" Xu Bai frowned.

As the magistrate of a prefecture, he must be a scholar, otherwise he could not have been appointed to this position. The most important thing for a scholar is to read books, but now he is being told that he has not finished reading many books, which is simply unreasonable.

The Ying Prefecture smiled wryly and said, "Lord Xu, since I took office, many people have been sending me gifts under various pretexts. They are not expensive because they know I don't like to accept gifts, so they just send me some books."

"But after taking office, my schedule was very busy, and every day was packed. If I had a spare moment to read a few words, that would be considered a break."

"I'm really ashamed to say that I simply couldn't finish watching it."

As he spoke, the Ying Prefecture showed a look of shame on his face.

Indeed, a scholar who doesn't read books will be ridiculed if he goes out into the world. But he knows in his heart that once he enters this profession, what he has to do is prioritize the country, and his own hobbies have long been forgotten.

"Oh, right, Lord Xu!" The Ying Prefecture suddenly thought of something and said, "More than 90% of these books were given to me by them, but I have a peculiar habit of recording everything they gave me. Perhaps I can find something out."

"Since they did this, it definitely wasn't one of the books they sent you," Xu Bai said. "It would be good to investigate."

The Ying Prefecture nodded and led Xu Bai and the others into the room.

Once inside, Xu Bai saw that a bookshelf was in disarray, with many books scattered on the floor. It was impossible to tell from which location the books had been taken.

The Ying Prefecture was holding an account book and digging at it on the ground, clearly trying to check the quantities.

After a while, he sighed, stood up from the ground, and shook his head to indicate that he had not found anything.

Xu Bai stroked his chin, lost in thought.

He didn't have much hope for this method to begin with, since the other party wasn't stupid and wouldn't be careless about such details, so he was just trying it out.

In retrospect, this method was indeed ineffective, but better than nothing.

"Lord Xu, in your opinion, what should we do now?" the magistrate of Ying Prefecture asked.

Such a major event had never occurred before within his jurisdiction, yet it had suddenly happened.

That so-called Gu God Sect actually dared to target ordinary people. This is a grave offense against His Majesty. If this is not handled properly, he will be enraged and there will be no way to escape punishment.

If handled properly, he might actually benefit from the misfortune; even without a reward, he won't be severely punished.

Xu Bai shook his head and said, "I have no other choice either."

Currently, he has very few clues, and the only clue he has has been intercepted by the other party. If you ask him what he can do, he has no idea.

He's not omnipotent; he can't just conjure up ideas out of thin air.

However, one thing is certain: these people will never let him go. As long as he is here, they will definitely make a move. But he is currently in a truly passive position, and Xu Bai dislikes this feeling.

Do you have any thoughts?

Everyone shook their heads, indicating that there was nothing they could do.

Even a skilled cook can't cook without rice. If there are clues, we can analyze them, but without clues, nothing can be done.

Xu Bai paced back and forth, arms crossed, constantly thinking in his mind, trying to sort out the events of the day.

"First of all, they want to destroy the evidence, and the things here could definitely expose them, so they don't want me to see them."

"Secondly, the other party does want to make a big move, and at least this big move is related to the mark on my body."

"Although I can't see where the mark is, and others can't see it either, it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. After all, it's information obtained through the illusion of music, so it can't be false."

"But the key issue is who can break the deadlock. My Feng Shui Calculation Scripture can't figure it out, which proves that the other party has completely cut off all escape routes this time."

"Wait, there seems to be a clue that could break this deadlock."

Xu Bai's gaze swept over everyone.

Wu Hua didn't know, Ye Zi didn't know either, and as for Miao Xiao, let's just forget about it.

Judging from her condition, unless it's related to Gu worms, there's practically no way to resolve it.

Where can you still find Gu worms now?

Everything turned to ashes; only the corpse outside seemed to serve any purpose.

Wait, a corpse! Xu Bai suddenly realized something, turned to look at the magistrate of Ying Prefecture, and asked, "That woman from the Corpse Collector lineage, shouldn't she still be at the manor?"

The Ying Prefecture didn't know why Xu Bai asked that question, but he nodded and said that Xu Bai was still at his residence.

He definitely didn't have time to escort the woman to the Capital City, because this incident happened early this morning, and he simply didn't have time to go directly to the Capital City.

"Let's try Lord Ying, Lord Ying. Take us to see her," Xu Bai said.

Ying Prefecture Ling nodded, led Xu Bai and the others out of the room, walked through a secluded path, and finally arrived at another room, opening the door.

The room is decorated in a particularly elegant style, with every corner exuding the unique taste of a scholar. Even an ordinary person would feel refreshed and comfortable staying here for a night.

Xu Bai walked into the room, his gaze sweeping across it until he finally spotted the pitiful woman huddled in the corner.

Women are naturally capable of this, and even if they go insane, their ability to recover is still much stronger than that of ordinary people.

The wounds on his body have healed and scabbed over. Although they still look terrible, they are much better now.

At this moment, the woman huddled in the corner, head down, trembling, as if she were terrified. After experiencing those horrific events, it would be a lie to say she wasn't afraid.

Upon hearing the door open, the woman, who had been burying her head in her knees, suddenly lifted it up. Her empty eyes met Xu Bai's, and she crawled to him on all fours, seemingly very excited.

However, when she reached a meter in front of Xu Bai, she stopped and only dared to look at Xu Bai from a distance, not daring to get closer.

Although the woman didn't show any fear when I rescued her before, she must have changed this time after so much time has passed.

Just like now, with a hint of fear and curiosity.

"Don't be afraid, I came here to take you out to see the world." Xu Bai extended his hand.

In everyone's eyes, Xu Bai no longer had any murderous intent. The terrifying aura around him was gone, replaced by a gentle one, like the water at the bottom of a lake, unchanging for years.

Miao Xiao covered her mouth to stop herself from crying out, her heart churning with turmoil.

She had witnessed Xu Bai firsthand, and had seen it all from beginning to end. On that night, Xu Bai, wielding the Black Saber Hundred Rends, was like a demon descended from heaven, so powerful that even the darkness had to retreat.

But now Xu Bai is gentle and refined, like a blank sheet of paper without any ink marks, carrying no ulterior motives. He simply stretches out his hand, stands there quietly, and doesn't move at all.

It was gentle, yet strangely eerie.

"If those who know his title saw him now, they would probably be shocked."

"A man who was as terrifying as a demon, a man who made the martial arts world tremble with fear, is now like a piece of white jade."

"Lord Xu is indeed the person I admire. Even without that murderous aura, he is still so dazzling."

Sometimes, in front of enthusiastic fans, even if their idol squats on the ground without regard for their image, they will still think that the pose is cool. This is the case for Miao Xiao at this moment.

The woman's face bore horrific scars. She tilted her head, her eyes still vacant, but she slowly raised her right hand, bringing it closer to Xu Bai's palm.

Their hands drew closer, and the slowing motion of their hands seemed to slow down, making everyone hold their breath.

When their hands clasped together, Xu Bai smiled, a very gentle smile.

Perhaps it was the memories of his past life that were still influencing him, or perhaps it was his principles that were affecting him. In any case, when he saw such vulnerable people who had suffered so much harm, he couldn't muster the slightest bit of murderous intent.

The two hands approached and gradually clasped together. Xu Bai saw that although the woman's eyes were empty, there was a slight curve at the corner of her mouth, as if she were smiling.

"Come with me and let's go take a look." Xu Bai pulled the woman along and slowly walked outside.

Ye Zi and the others followed behind and entered the courtyard.

The body in the yard was still lying on the ground, and at this moment, due to the weather, it did not stiffen quickly.

Xu Bai pointed to the corpse on the ground and asked, "Can you see anything?"

He knew the woman in front of him was insane, but he still wanted to try, since the only difference was that this woman was there.

Therefore, try to keep your questions simple. If the other person can understand you, that would be best.

It's never wrong to give it a try. If you don't find the answer, that's fine. But if you do find the answer, then you've made a profit.

The woman continued to tilt her head, staring at the corpse in front of her, as if she was thinking about something.

She remained standing behind Xu Bai and did not step forward.

Xu Bai was very patient with her, and he would be even more patient if they could find any clues.

The woman remained silent, simply observing the corpse on the ground. As if growing annoyed, she suddenly raised her hand and waved it lightly.

This action seemed simple, but when she used it, the corpse on the ground stirred.

Before everyone's eyes, the heartless corpse suddenly twitched, as if it were not quite dead.

The corpse's eyes were tightly closed, its mouth was wide open, and it remained in the position it was in before death.

But this inexplicable twitching gives people an extremely eerie feeling.

The next moment, the corpse suddenly reversed its hands, braced itself on the ground, and with the force, it changed from a lying position to a standing position.

Apart from its tightly closed eyes, wide-open mouth, and bloody hole in its chest, providing a gory visual experience, it looks just like a human being.

The woman let go of Xu Bai's hand, and then, surprisingly, she ran to the crushed heart and picked it up piece by piece.

At this moment, the woman's empty eyes finally changed, as if she had regained some of her spirit. Her expression became particularly sacred, and not only sacred, Xu Bai also noticed a trace of other emotions.

— Reverence.

Yes, it is reverence, a reverence directed at the corpse before one's eyes.

"The Corpse Collector believe that regardless of what the deceased was like in life, after death they are just a corpse, and they maintain sufficient respect for it," Ye Zi said softly. "This is also why neither the righteous nor the evil factions disturb them, because they are very... very..."

After uttering "very" for a long time, Ye Zi couldn't find an adjective to describe the scene at that moment.

"Pure." Xu Bai looked at the solemnity and reverence on the woman's face, and without disturbing her as she sorted out her broken heart, said, "It's just to give the corpse a proper burial."

Ye Zi nodded vigorously, as if Xu Bai's words had struck a chord with her.

Even after going mad, the woman did not forget her responsibilities. The bloody heart in her hands was no longer terrifying and gradually began to be pieced back together.

Without thread or needles, the Corpse Collector have their own unique methods; the broken hearts, including some fragments of flesh, miraculously glue themselves back together without needing to be stitched.

The woman held the heart as if it were a sacred object, and slowly placed it into the corpse's chest.

She carefully tidied up even the broken pieces of flesh.

Then, the woman suddenly clutched her head and let out a terrible scream.

Xu Bai was taken aback; this scene was beyond his comprehension.

He tried to activate his True Yuan Power, and after carefully sensing it, his expression changed drastically. "Not good, she is regaining her memories!"

The idea that a woman who has disturbed her own mind is now recovering would likely surprise anyone who heard it.

Xu Bai couldn't explain it, just like some people who have been in a coma for many years sometimes wake up, and it's all inexplicable.

"Perhaps it's because a body was rearranged," he thought.

But now is not the time to recover.

Xu Bai said it was bad because once he recovered, the pain would inevitably come like an overwhelming tidal wave.

This is not physical pain, but mental torment.

What does a woman care about most? It goes without saying.

Now, can a woman withstand this kind of blow? Xu Bai wanted to intervene, but in the end he stopped.

"Perhaps this is her own idea. In any case, I have no right to interfere with her regaining her memories."

The woman screamed repeatedly as she rolled on the ground, clutching her head. Her soul was slowly recovering. Xu Bai was an expert in this art, and although his level was not high, he knew it was a miracle.

Like the miracle of a person in a vegetative state regaining consciousness in a previous life.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the woman lay on her back, her eyes filled with endless pain.

She didn't scream, but the pain in her eyes didn't lessen in the slightest.

Xu Bai thought for a moment, then slowly walked over and extended his hand to the woman.

The woman turned her gaze, tears streaming down her scarred face. Finally, she reached out and grasped Xu Bai's hand, struggling to her feet.

The next moment, the woman buried her face in Xu Bai's shoulder and cried loudly.

Tears streamed down her face silently as she cried loudly, the whole courtyard hearing her.

Some yamen runners came in from outside, but were stopped by a glance from the Ying Prefecture and quickly retreated.

Xu Bai held the woman's shoulder without saying a word.

The fact that she can still cry proves that she hasn't developed any suicidal thoughts.

He had just been thinking about whether he should stop a woman if she wanted to commit suicide, but now it seemed he had overthought it.

This woman was stronger than he had imagined; crying was just a way for her to vent.

Gradually, the crying subsided.

The woman released her grip, raised her head, and her eyes gleamed slightly.

"They're all dead. I killed them." Xu Bai had never experienced such a scene before, so he didn't know how to start the conversation. He could only say in his usual manner, "You killed that old man with your own knife."

"Thank you." The woman nodded, her expression somber, but her tone was very calm.

Although Xu Bai had never encountered such a situation before, he wasn't stupid enough to ask anything inappropriate at this moment.

Asking questions like "Are you okay?" or "Have you pulled through?" is like reopening old wounds.

He didn't speak, and neither did the others, because there really wasn't much to say. Everyone knew that the suffering this woman had endured was truly earth-shattering.

If it were anyone else, they might not be able to withstand it, let alone this lineage of Corpse Collector.

The woman seemed to know what everyone was thinking and said, "I've seen them all. Thank you for killing them for me. I also know what you're looking for. Although I'm insane, I can still remember everything after I met you. You're strange. Your background makes me feel scared, but it also gives me a sense of peace. Even though I was in a state of mental confusion, I was still clear-headed at that time. It's just that I lacked a trigger at the time. That trigger was when I could pick up my skills Corpse Collector again. Now the trigger has been met."

His words were filled with language that no one could understand, but in summary, they were just simple expressions.

She was able to regain her senses entirely because of Xu Bai. In fact, she was already awake when she came into contact with Xu Bai, and she could see everything that followed. She just needed a trigger, and that trigger is now.

As for why these things happened, and why this opportunity arose, even the woman herself couldn't explain it, let alone anyone else.

Xu Bai: "_"

Even these professionals can't understand it, how could he possibly understand it?

In short, it should be Little Gold's doing.

The woman gave a brief explanation before returning to the main topic. "I was put in a room by you. When I heard the noise, I saw that man come over to get a book. I looked out from outside, and the man glanced at me, looked very scared, and ran out immediately."

Upon hearing this, Xu Bai pondered for a moment and realized the reason.

The dead man should be from the Gu God Sect. Considering the previous fight with Miao Zheng, the Corpse Collector seems to be the natural enemy of the Gu God Sect.

From this perspective, it's probably quite normal.

"So, you know which book he took?" Xu Bai asked.

The woman nodded vigorously and said, "I know, that book is called Soaring Cloud Prefecture Poetry Collection."

"A collection of poems?" Xu Bai repeated.

These days, every scholar is bound to be incredibly learned, and many scholars are born in every place. They love composing poems and couplets, so it's normal for there to be collections of poetry.

"I remember now, this collection of poems is a specialty of Soaring Cloud Prefecture. The previous governor didn't take it with him when he left, did he?" said the governor of Ying Prefecture.

Xu Bai felt that something was amiss and secretly glanced at the magistrate of Ying Prefecture.

However, now that we have a clue, we just need to go and search for it. Poetry collections are Ling Yunzhou's specialty, so we should be able to find them everywhere here. We just don't know if they are any different from the destroyed ones.

"I will immediately send someone to find a collection of poems," said the magistrate of Ying Prefecture.

Xu Bai shook his head and said, "There's no need for you to go look for it, sir. In case there are still people from the Gu God Sect trying to interfere, you would be a great help. Wu Hua, go find a copy yourself."

Wu Hua was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, but quickly recovered. After exchanging a glance with Xu Bai, she agreed and went out the door.

A moment later, Wu Hua returned from outside, carrying a thick book in her hand. She handed it to Xu Bai, saying that it could be bought anywhere in Soaring Cloud Prefecture.

Xu Bai picked up the book and casually flipped through it. It was full of poems and songs, but he found it overwhelming and couldn't make heads or tails of it.

"If there are any questions about scholars that need to be answered, I do have some ideas. Why don't you let me study them?" said the Ying Prefecture.

Xu Bai nodded and said, "This thing really gives me a headache. Let me know once Lord Ying has figured it out."

The Ying Prefecture hummed in agreement, but then suddenly realized something and asked, "Isn't Lord Xu coming along?"

Xu Bai turned his head and said, "No, I really can't concentrate on it. Just tell me after Lord Ying figures it out."

"All right."

Seeing that Xu Bai was determined to do so, the magistrate of Ying Prefecture did not force him.

Since there was nothing else to do for the time being, the matter was left to the magistrate of Ying Prefecture to handle, while Xu Bai and the others returned to their respective rooms.

After the woman recovered, she did not linger.

However, before returning to their room, Wu Hua and Miao Xiao went to Xu Bai's house.

Ye Zi was still somewhat puzzled and didn't understand why.

But seeing that his young master hadn't said anything, he naturally didn't ask any further questions.

"Mr. Xu, be careful, walls have ears," Wu Hua said softly, handing over a collection of poems.

They bought two poetry collections? Are they listening in? Seeing this, Ye Zi finally understood what they were up to.

Clearly, this shows a lack of trust in the Ying Prefecture.

Only Miao Xiao looked completely bewildered...

Who am I? Where am I? Why are these two acting so strangely? Ignoring Miao Xiao's expression, Xu Bai went to the table, poured tea on it, and slowly began to write.

"I felt something was wrong just now. Even if he was busy with official duties and didn't have time to read, a scholar would definitely pay attention to poetry collections. It turns out he didn't notice that the poetry collections were missing."

"This made me suspicious. Then I remembered what happened today. So many people had been poisoned, but he didn't tell us. He went out to check on them himself."

"Could I suspect that he's afraid to stay here in case something happens, and if I tell him not to move around, then no one can easily steal the book?"

A series of words were written by Xu Bai on the table. After everyone could see them clearly, he waved his sleeve, and the water in front of him was scattered.

Ye Zi dipped her finger in water and wrote, "In your opinion, young master, we should also study this and see if we can figure it out?"

Xu Bai shook his head and continued writing, "No, I don't have the time to look for clues. I just need to find an object that can be used to calculate things."

He's not a professional puzzle solver, nor is he a scholar, so how could he possibly find clues so easily? But that doesn't matter, he has the skills.

A golden light appeared on Xu Bai's fingertips.

The next moment, a golden compass appeared in mid-air, and with Xu Bai's guidance, using the collection of poems in front of him as a guide, it began to make calculations.

The pointer started spinning wildly, proving that there was indeed a relationship, but it didn't spin very frequently and didn't stabilize for a long time.

After a moment, Xu Bai stopped calculating because there were too few clues to make a result.

Actually, it's quite simple. This collection of poems was bought casually, so it's already quite remarkable that they were able to figure out the connection.

But it doesn't matter. Xu Bai started calculating again, this time using the magistrate of Ying Prefecture as a starting point.

The pointer spun again, and after a long while it finally stopped, pointing precisely to the location of Ying Prefecture Zhouling's room.

This was his idea: to first use a collection of poems to see if he could calculate it, and if he could, that would be best.

If you can't figure it out, then try the second method.

It seems that it really can't be calculated now.

Then let's use the second method: directly calculate the Ying Prefecture order.

The result was quite obvious; he calculated that it was indeed related to the magistrate of Ying Prefecture.

Wu Hua, who was observing from the side, also noticed the signs. He moistened his brush with water and wrote on the table, "Let's play along and see what tricks he can come up with?"

Xu Bai smirked and wrote, "Forget the plan, just go and take him down!"

Are you kidding me? How can you turn the tables on someone in this situation?

There are essentially two possible answers from the other party: the first is to tell them that they haven't figured it out, and then everything is left unresolved.

The second approach is to give them the wrong guidance. If the guidance is wrong from the start, no matter how much they try to play along, it will still be wrong.

If you know someone has a problem, you can just go and catch them; you don't need a reason at all.

However, since this person is a state governor, they still need to resolve the matter as quickly as possible.

Thinking of this, Xu Bai called them over and assigned them their respective tasks.

Miao Xiao was the most confused, but when she heard that she had a task, she excitedly came over.

On the other side, the Ying Prefecture sat in a chair with a livid face, looking at the collection of poems in front of him.

"Damn it, these people are truly despicable! How dare they lay a hand on those civilians!"

"And they even asked me to help them. I've already helped them this much, but I almost caused these people to die. I won't be able to escape either!"

"But what should I do next?"

"Those bastards from the Gu God Sect are so crazy. It's a pity. If I wasn't worried about Xu Bai finding clues, I could have continued to study that book."

The Ying Prefecture roared in his heart, and it took him a while to calm down.

He looked at the collection of poems in his hand, breathed a slight sigh of relief, and thought to himself.

"Fortunately, apart from my oldest book, which is a collection of poems, I can't find any clues for the others. I just need to give a rough answer and say that I haven't figured it out."

"However, I still have to be careful; Xu Bai is no pushover."

Thinking of this, the Ying Prefecture pondered what excuse would be best to use tomorrow.

Just then, a knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.

"Who?" The Ying Prefecture put down the book in his hand.

Xu Bai's voice came from outside the door.

"Lord Ying, I've made a discovery. Please open the door quickly, as we may be setting off tomorrow. Let's discuss this first."

The Ying Prefecture was taken aback. He had discovered something?

That's impossible!

How could he possibly find anything? He was a little confused, but since they had come to him, he went up and opened the door.

"Please come in, Lord Xu."

Xu Bai smiled and stepped inside.

Ye Zi and the others followed behind and entered the house.

The magistrate of Ying Prefecture closed the door, turned around, and was about to speak when he was met with a black knife.

Within ten chapters, we will arrive in the Capital City. These next few chapters will mark a significant change in the cheat system.