Ying Yue, a Test

There are very few people in this world who can make Xu Bai lose control of his expression; you can count them on one hand.

But the person who came in front of him almost made him lose his composure. Fortunately, he was a skilled actor and quickly recovered after a brief moment of distraction, continuing to play his role.

A woman dressed in a Daoist robe slowly walked in, her hair in a crooked bun, giving her a disheveled appearance.

But the Daoist robe, when worn by this woman, accentuated her curves, making her look exquisite and showcasing her beautiful figure to the fullest.

Although her expression was calm, it was this ethereal and unassuming quality that added a touch of nobility to her already captivating beauty.

The Daoist robe and the signature crooked bun clearly identified the man.

—The Female Daoist Abbot, with Jade Face.

Xu Bai couldn't understand why he would see her here. Logically speaking, he had come to the Great Yue Kingdom, and it was almost impossible for him to see her here. Was this a coincidence?

"Could it be that I'm too handsome, so I've been following you all this way? No, I'm using a different appearance right now."

As Xu Bai was thinking, the Female Daoist Abbot walked in from outside. Every step she took was steady and firm, but she still exuded an aura that could captivate all beings.

The way her waist swayed was so captivating that you wanted to pop your eyes right into it.

But she wasn't deliberately twisting her waist; it was just a gentle sway as she walked, which was even more captivating than those women who deliberately twisted their waists.

Combined with that Daoist robe, Xu Bai suddenly had an extremely strange feeling.

That's right, uniforms! He quickly thought of some lewd things. Only then did he realize that men not only love harem pants, but also certain types of clothing.

If the Female Daoist Abbot were wearing other clothes, she might still attract attention, but it wouldn't have the same captivating feel.

Xu Bai was an expert in this field. He and Ye Zi had tried all sorts of methods and were already veterans. So he only glanced at it before quickly turning away.

He pretended to take a sip of the tea on the table, but a question arose in his mind.

"Ugh... no, how did I run into her here? She probably doesn't know who I am. I need to pretend and make sure I don't give myself away." Xu Bai steadied himself and thought to himself.

But after the next sentence, he really couldn't hold back anymore.

The Female Daoist Abbot moved gracefully to Xu Bai 'Xu Bai side, her gaze fixed on his face, and suddenly uttered a rather narcissistic remark.

"When you see a stunning beauty, you should take a second look, otherwise you won't be properly playing your current role."

Xu Bai: "???"

What's going on? The most important point isn't that the Female Daoist Abbot admitted to being a stunning beauty, but rather the content of her words.

The Female Daoist Abbot actually knew her identity?

No way, I think I acted pretty well. Even if I lost control a little just now, it shouldn't be enough for someone to guess my real identity so quickly, right?

The Female Daoist Abbot raised her hand and pointed to her left chest. "When you handed over your abilities to me, we became connected. So no matter how you disguise yourself, I can find you immediately in front of me."

Xu Bai: "~(￣▽￣~)~"

Well, although I don't know the specific principles, in this fantastical world, no principle can be explained by science.

Now that the Female Daoist Abbot dared to come to him alone, she must be safe, so Xu Bai simply looked at Female Daoist Abbot.

The Female Daoist Abbot raised her hand slightly, indicating that he should look at her face and not look elsewhere. "I am much older than you, and can be considered your senior. You should be a little more composed in your gaze."

Xu Bai then looked away and said, "It's innate."

The Female Daoist Abbot frowned.

"Men all like round things. Even if you put two balls on the table, I'll still stare at them for a while," Xu Bai said righteously, as if his gaze just now was perfectly normal.

This time, it was the Female Daoist Abbot's turn to be speechless.

This person has become increasingly shameless.

I remember that we had a very pleasant time together the first few times we met.

Xu Bai, of course, did not let the Female Daoist Abbot finish her sentence, and seized the initiative. "You didn't used to talk this much, and your personality seems to have changed somewhat."

Turning passivity into initiative—that's what a master does.

He was right about what he just said. The Female Daoist Abbot used to be decisive and efficient, and she wouldn't have spent so much time discussing such a trivial matter with him.

The Female Daoist Abbot fell silent for a long while before saying, "A slight mishap has occurred."

"It can't just be a minor mishap, can it?" Xu Bai said with interest, his words carrying a hidden meaning.

The Female Daoist Abbot did not shy away from the topic and shrugged. "Originally, we were clearly separated, with each of us taking over the body for a period of time. But recently, we have become more and more harmonious, or rather, more and more integrated. This state has been lasting for longer and longer."

Integration?

Xu Bai was slightly taken aback.

He certainly knew what "we" meant; it referred to the two consciousnesses of the Female Daoist Abbot, one insane and one sane.

But now there's a trend of integration. What does that mean? Xu Bai didn't know. True to his nature, he would ask if he didn't know something, so he didn't hesitate to ask why he didn't know.

"Benefits or drawbacks?"

"There are good and bad aspects," the Female Daoist Abbot said. "I am still me, but I am no longer the same person I was before. My time of lucidity will be extended indefinitely. Once I am fully integrated, I will no longer be insane, but my personality will change."

"It's like I was a newborn baby, but as I came into contact with different people and things, my personality gradually changed. So I am still me, that's beyond doubt."

"But the only downside is that my personality has changed."

Xu Bai silently stood up, then silently took two steps back. "What change?"

He finally understood that personality changes can be good or bad. For example, a person who grows up in a kind family will also become kind as an adult.

But those who grow up in harsh environments will experience the same challenges.

Therefore, Xu Bai couldn't figure out whether the Female Daoist Abbot was good or bad, and he had to be careful now.

"If I had a bad personality, you wouldn't even have a chance to talk to me right now," the Female Daoist Abbot said. "I feel like I've become more humane."

"You know, the cultivators of my lineage emphasize being free from desires and wants, but now, I'm actually getting angry because of a single glance from you. I don't understand."

Shaking her head, the Female Daoist Abbot showed a distressed expression, an expression she had never seen before.

Xu Bai sat back down and continued to calmly drink his tea.

"Not afraid anymore?" The Female Daoist Abbot smiled. "Is it because my explanation was very thorough?"

Xu Bai waved his sleeve. "How could I be the kind of person who is afraid of death?"

The Female Daoist Abbot: "..."

I've seen shameless people, but I've never seen anyone this shameless. They only lowered their guard after explaining themselves clearly, but they still had to find an excuse for themselves.

"Let's get down to business." The Female Daoist Abbot took a deep breath, her chest heaving before slowly calming down. "I've come here on someone's behalf, and I want to give you something."

As she spoke, the Female Daoist Abbot took out a brocade pouch from her chest and handed it to Xu Bai.

Feeling the warmth of the brocade pouch, Xu Bai was about to open it when the Female Daoist Abbot stopped him.

"Unless it's a real crisis that threatens your life, never open it under normal circumstances," the Female Daoist Abbot warned.

Judging from his very serious expression, Xu Bai seemed to be deep in thought.

"Who asked you to give me this?"

That was already stated in what I just said.

This item did not belong to the Female Daoist Abbot; rather, she was entrusted by someone to bring it back and hand it to Xu Bai.

But Xu Bai had to find out exactly who it was; otherwise, he couldn't bring himself to accept a brocade pouch for no reason.

"Chief Mu," the Female Daoist Abbot said leisurely, "I owed him a favor years ago, so I'm repaying it this time. He promised Eunuch Wei that he would ensure your safety, so I gave you this brocade pouch."

Upon hearing this, Xu Bai silently put the brocade pouch into his pocket, nodded, and indicated that he understood.

The Female Daoist Abbot was well aware that Xu Bai was such a person; he would not refuse things when they came from legitimate sources.

Of course I'll accept it.

Xu Bai believes that there is only one thing that brings the greatest happiness in a person's life.

—Freebie.

When someone gets something for free, a knowing smile appears on their face; this kind of joy is incomparable to any other experience.

This was because of Eunuch Wei, which is why Chief Mu had the Female Daoist Abbot bring him over. Xu Bai had complete trust in Eunuch Wei, so he accepted him without any qualms.

Female Daoist Abbot's thin red lips twitched slightly. "If I didn't know your background, I would have actually believed some of the rumors circulating in the martial arts world."

"What?" Xu Bai had just put the brocade pouch away when he heard the Female Daoist Abbot say this, and his interest was instantly piqued.

The Female Daoist Abbot coughed lightly to cover her embarrassment. "It is said in the martial arts world that you are the illegitimate son of Eunuch Wei in his early years. After all, a person of great skill and advanced age in the industry still looks very young, so people in the martial arts world speculate that you must be much older."

Xu Bai was speechless.

He felt that the discussion couldn't continue. They hadn't been talking for long, and he had inexplicably been given another identity.

To be honest, he really wants to know who the source of these rumors is.

For example, if the Bloodhead Swordsman were found, he would skin that person alive.

The Female Daoist Abbot was about to say something when her expression suddenly changed, and she quickly disappeared.

Xu Bai was also a master, so he naturally knew why the Female Daoist Abbot had disappeared. The reason was simple: the middle-aged man responsible for delivering the message had arrived.

A middle-aged man walked in from outside the door. Seeing that Xu Bai was still sitting in the same seat, he quickly stepped forward and said, "Sir, the news has been spread. In three to five days, someone from above will be sent. At that time, you will be promoted and go directly to the capital."

"Du" refers to the highest level of the Great Yue Kingdom, commonly known as the capital, which corresponds to the Capital City of the Great Chu Kingdom.

As members of the Dark Building who are able to obtain Class A information, they would naturally go there, provided, of course, that they wait for the people above to come down and confirm it.

Xu Bai kept his eyes down, looking completely unperturbed. "Do you know who's coming?"

The middle-aged man shook his head. "How could we low-level workers know about things at the top? But don't worry, sir, even if this news is false, the higher-ups won't blame you."

Walking on this official road, one naturally has to be mindful of certain principles.

For example, regardless of whether the person in front of him can be promoted, he at least has a chance, so the middle-aged man behaved very respectfully.

Xu Bai didn't say anything more and walked out.

There's nothing more to ask now, and his departure is consistent with his current status.

The middle-aged man followed behind until he saw Xu Bai to the door, then watched him leave and returned to his original position.

After leaving the coffin shop, Xu Bai returned to the pharmacy. After cleaning up the corpse on the ground, he sat down in a chair, took out the human skin, and prepared to continue working on the progress bar.

As for the sachet, he hasn't opened it yet, since he only plans to open it in a crisis. So he keeps it in the closest place to his body and keeps it safe.

He spread out the human skin, and the blood on it had already been cleaned up.

Xu Bai calmly scanned the text. Although he couldn't understand the words, the progress bar was slowly increasing as he stared at it intently.

This thing belongs to the Corpse Collector. He didn't know what the characteristics of this profession were. After all, there are countless professions in this world, how could he possibly know them all?

But that didn't stop him from working on the progress bar.

As the golden progress bar slowly increased, Xu Bai felt a sense of satisfaction.

If he could find a quiet and elegant place, sit in a chair, with a mountain of progress bars behind him, he felt he could grind non-stop all day long.

Add Ye Zi to the mix, and during breaks from grinding, explore different positions with Ye Zi —that's what life is all about.

While constantly traveling around makes life fulfilling, it lacks depth and flavor.

Of course, to achieve freedom in life, one must first be strong enough. When you haven't reached that level, you need to make your life fulfilling to feel motivated.

"Knock knock knock".

He thought he would just be working through the progress bar, but before he could even look at it for a little while, he heard footsteps.

Xu Bai turned his gaze toward the source of the footsteps and saw Ying Yue emerge from the shadows in the corner.

He could smell a faint odor of blood; he had countless lives on his hands, so he had the ability to discern that much.

"Killed someone?" Xu Fan turned his gaze back to the human skin and said calmly.

"Pfft!" Ying Yue didn't answer. She opened her mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood. She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and her eyes dimmed slightly.

She took some snacks out of her bag, stuffed them haphazardly into her mouth, chewed them up with the blood, and swallowed them without saying a word.

"Knock knock knock!"

Just then, a knock sounded on the door.

Ying Yue's expression changed, and she quickly wiped away the blood on the ground. Then, she came behind Xu Bai Xu Bai hid in the shadows behind him.

The knocking was like a sudden storm. After the two met, they didn't say a word, but Xu Bai figured out Ying Yue's condition.

This woman got into trouble outside and seems to be injured, but she ran here immediately, so she must think she's safe here. Now that I'm a member of the Dark Building, this woman is probably trying to use my current identity to escape this predicament.

Thinking of this, and temporarily remembering that the two of them were now in the same boat, Xu Bai stood up and opened the door.

As soon as the door was opened, he saw a group of soldiers standing outside.

The leader was dressed in armor, exuding an imposing and powerful aura.

—A person in the army.

Xu Bai knew the identity of the person in front of him at first glance.

The reason is simple: when the Ruins were opened, all three forces brought their own troops, and this general was the one who followed Bai Zhong, the God of War of the Great Yue Kingdom.

"Have you seen a woman pass by here?" The general was middle-aged, but he had an extremely arrogant demeanor, glancing sideways at Xu Bai as if he looked down on him.

Xu Bai raised an eyebrow and shook his head, saying, "I've never seen it before."

"Let's go." The general turned around and walked towards another place.

The remaining soldiers followed behind and soon left.

Xu Bai watched the group leave, lost in thought.

"This person should know that I am now a member of the Dark Building, so I don't intend to say any more."

"It seems that these Border Pass generals look down on the members of the Dark Building."

"But at least they were from the Dark Building and wouldn't lie, so the general didn't bother with it and believed them."

With a simple analysis, Xu Bai figured out the reason, closed the door, and turned to look at the shadow behind him.

The shadows shifted, and then Ying Yue emerged from within.

She had just come out when she leaned on the table and sat down in Xu Bai's original seat, her face as pale as paper.

Ying Yue remained silent, grabbed another handful of snacks and put them in her mouth, her eyes filled with sadness in addition to her sadness.

"Something happened?" Xu Bai asked.

Ying Yue stopped what she was doing, her sad eyes fixed on Xu Bai's face, then she lowered her head and remained silent.

"If you don't say anything, then don't come here again next time, otherwise I'll beat those people to death," Xu Bai said.

We're all in the same boat. If someone keeps something from us, then there's no point in cooperating at all.

Ying Yue hesitated for a moment, still keeping her head down, but she parted her red lips slightly and spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Ah, these soldiers captured some people from a small village on the Border Pass of the Great Chu Kingdom."

"Normally, in cases like this, the appropriate response would be either to kill the person or to torture them to extract information."

"That's how it Border Pass, everyone does it this way, but these beasts actually stripped those women naked and threw them into the street for beggars to share..."

At this point, Ying Yue couldn't continue, but she clearly stated her reason.

Xu Bai said, "You are from the Great Yue Kingdom."

"That's right." Ying Yue raised her head and stared stubbornly at Xu Bai: "But these heinous acts have nothing to do with national borders."

"Have we been exposed?" Xu Bai asked.

Ying Yue shook her head and said, "I've always concealed my appearance with shadows, so I haven't been exposed, but I failed. Those women are already..."

At this point, Ying Yue couldn't continue.

Xu Bai fell silent.

He didn't know how to respond.

It's easy to kill someone, and it's easy to humiliate someone.

But all of that was for a purpose, or rather, for intelligence, or for information they wanted to obtain.

After all, it's a struggle between two forces, which is understandable, but some things have gone a bit too far.

They stripped the woman naked and threw her into a pile of beggars.

What's the purpose of doing this? It's nothing more than satisfying one's own twisted psychology.

Thinking this, Xu Bai's ears twitched slightly as he heard the sound of car wheels rolling outside.

He went to the window, looked out at the street, and his pupils contracted slightly.

Outside, the streets were lined with people on both sides, but in the very middle of the street, soldiers were pushing carts through the crowd.

The cart was filled with corpses, barely clothed, who had died in great fear, their eyes wide open.

Each corpse was covered in horrific wounds and stains, so numerous and disordered that they did not appear to have come from the same person.

Some of the surrounding people covered their eyes, while others cast greedy glances at the corpses.

As the cart rolled, the pile of corpses on it swayed, and the body of a little girl slid off.

The soldiers stopped and, as if throwing a tattered sack, grabbed the woman's legs and tossed her onto the cart.

The cart procession quickly moved into the distance and disappeared from sight.

Ying Yue stood next to Xu Bai, her fists clenched tightly, her eyes blazing with anger.

"Always like this?" Xu Bai asked calmly.

Ying Yue was taken aback, then spat out through gritted teeth, "Of these three forces, only the Great Chu Kingdom is relatively normal."

"Barbarian Tribe never farm; they only herd livestock, but some of the livestock they herd are people."

"When they run out of food, they will eat people, commonly known as human sheep."

"The Great Yue Kingdom was brutal and tyrannical towards foreigners. They liked to take pleasure in the lives of outsiders, and while they did take pleasure in simple ways, they did so in a variety of ways."

"I have heard that they sever the tendons in people's hands and feet, cut their bodies all over with tiny wounds, and then sprinkle honey on them to attract ants to eat them."

With each word she spoke, Ying Yue clenched her fist tighter.

Xu Bai glanced at Ying Yue: "Have you considered that if we make a move today and end up dying there, wouldn't that be a bad deal?"

Ying Yue shook her head. "I won't die there, because I'm confident I can escape. I just wanted to kill those people today, and I got injured. You're nearby, so I ran over here. Even if you don't help me, I can still get away."

Xu Bai didn't continue; he didn't want to discuss the issue.

Looking at the numb people on the street outside, the image of the corpse that had just been pushed by the cart flashed through his mind, and he suddenly said something.

How many soldiers are here?

Ying Yue was taken aback for a moment, then replied, "Most of them are at the Border Pass. This place is close to the Border Pass, but due to the Border Pass's defenses, there are only about a hundred people here."

Xu Bai said calmly, "Mm."

"What exactly do you want to ask?" Ying Yue asked.

"It's nothing. Who's the strongest here?" Xu Bai asked.

Ying Yue thought for a moment and said, "The city lord is the strongest, and that general, as well as the person you are currently playing, are also the strongest."

"Because it's close to the Border Pass, reinforcements can arrive quickly if something happens, so there aren't many defenses here. What are you planning to do?"

She asked her question again, because she felt something was increasingly wrong.

Xu Bai turned his head. "The Shadow Building has always targeted the Dark Building Dark Building, but not anyone outside of it, because they are all from the Great Yue Kingdom, right?"

Ying Yue nodded and said, "Since Shadow Building wants to take over from Dark Building, it might cause a lot of trouble if they get involved in these things beforehand, so we won't get involved."

"Moreover, the so-called officials in charge of supervising the hundred officials dare not supervise these generals, and more importantly, these generals have not done anything wrong."

"Didn't you do anything wrong?" Xu Bai looked at Ying Yue and said, "Alright, this is none of your business. You should leave now."

Ying Yue was completely baffled and didn't know what Xu Bai wanted to do. She wanted to ask more, but Xu Bai seemed unwilling to say anything more, clearly not intending to tell her.

Therefore, she didn't plan to stay there any longer, fearing it would cause other trouble, and turned around and left.

After leaving, Ying Yue wandered through many streets, preparing to go further and further away.

Unexpectedly, at the end of a street, they encountered a woman wearing a Daoist robe.

"Your father asked me to pass on a message to you." The Female Daoist Abbot spoke calmly, quite different from when she had met Xu Bai.

After saying this, the Female Daoist Abbot made a gesture that only Ying Yue could understand.

Ying Yue was clearly stunned at first, but quickly recovered and asked solemnly, "What did you say?"

This gesture is a connection gesture, and it is very complex. If you make it, it means that the person in front of you is trustworthy.

"This journey is fraught with peril; be prepared to die," the Female Daoist Abbot continued.

Upon hearing this, Ying Yue's expression darkened, but she quickly regained her composure, placing her hand on her left chest and pressing her fist. "Ying Yue, the Bureau of Surveillance Hidden Agent, be prepared to die."

The Female Daoist Abbot nodded. She had only come to say this at someone's request, so she did not intend to stay long. However, before leaving, she suddenly stopped and turned around.

"Don't test that person anymore. He doesn't know you're from the Great Chu Kingdom Great Chu Kingdom, but you do know he is. Do you understand what that means?"

Ying Yue fell silent for a moment, then said, "I really didn't mean to test him today. I just couldn't help myself and took action."

The Female Daoist Abbot smiled and said, "But you still went to him in the end. You could have disappeared beforehand. You were testing him."

Ying Yue said in a low voice, "I just don't understand why we don't let him know my identity. If he knew my identity, our cooperation would be more perfect, instead of me having to continue pretending now."

The Female Daoist Abbot pondered and said, "In your father's words, this is how you can act convincingly."

"Moreover, if he finds out you're a mole, he might do something unusual."

Ying Yue was astonished; it seemed there was something hidden behind this.

Want to try some special maneuvers?

This doesn't sound like something her father would say.

"Who exactly is he?" Ying Yue couldn't help but ask curiously.

All she knows right now is that Xu Bai is a person sent by the Great Chu Kingdom, and that she is going to cooperate with Xu Bai to accomplish a momentous event, but she doesn't know who Xu Bai really is.

The Female Daoist Abbot shook her head and said, "Chief Mu once said that you don't need to know about this matter."

After saying that, the Female Daoist Abbot turned around and left the place.

Before turning around, a series of thoughts flashed through her mind.

"Who knows what Xu Bai's plans are? He might do something revolutionary at any moment, so it's best to keep it a secret."

Of course, she only complained to herself and didn't care about anything else, since she was only on someone's behalf.

The Female Daoist Abbot walked very quickly and hurriedly, and in an instant, only Ying Yue remained on the street.

Ying Yue lowered her head, her eyes downcast, looking at the smooth ground.

Who exactly is he?

"Why did Father send him to the Great Yue Kingdom to shoulder such an important responsibility?"

"No, the injury is a bit serious. I need to find a place to rest and recuperate."

"Damn beasts of the Great Yue Kingdom, how dare they commit such atrocities against those weak women!"

With her hands clenched into fists, her fair fists trembling slightly, Ying Yue stood there for almost half an incense stick's time before she calmed herself down and left the street.

Time passed slowly, and in the blink of an eye, the moon hung high in the sky, its silvery light casting a desolate glow.

Under the moonlight, inside the military camp of Fallen Phoenix City the Great Yue Kingdom.

At that moment, a noisy commotion was coming from the military camp.

Zhu Shan is the commander of this military camp and the leader of the search party for Xu Bai today.

He was in a bad mood all day because when he sent those lowly people to the beggars' heap and was about to enjoy their screams, he was almost stabbed to death.

In the mighty Great Yue Kingdom, someone has attacked the army. He plans to send the information to the Border Pass tomorrow morning so that they can conduct a thorough search.

Fortunately, he didn't make a mistake. After the assassin left, he let the group of beggars taste the pleasures of women.

He also enjoyed the women's screams, and the depression in his heart was swept away.

"Sir, the bonfire party is ready, please come quickly."

A young soldier rushed over, a fawning smile on his face.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Shan finished his drink, stood up, and waved, "Let's go!"

The soldiers led the way, with Zhu Shan following behind. The two of them quickly left the Camp Tent and arrived at the open space outside.

The open space was large, and apart from the soldiers guarding the city, there were basically dozens of people here.

In the center of the open space, a bonfire was burning fiercely, its flames swirling in the wind and echoing in the sky.

Every soldier's face shone with excitement, their eyes fixed on the distance ahead.

Not far ahead, a group of scantily clad women huddled together, clinging to each other to ward off their fear.

But their trembling shoulders and pale faces indicated that none of this was of any use.

"Sir, we are just commoners from the Border Pass, please spare us."

A girl of about seventeen or eighteen years old, with tears streaming down her face, cried out and begged for mercy in a hoarse voice.

"Oh?" Upon hearing this, Zhu Shan's face revealed a ruthless expression. "Weren't the lowly people of the Great Chu Kingdom killed by us? You want us to spare you? Fine."

He turned his head and gave an order to a soldier.

"Someone, bring the things out!"