Although he spoke nearly under his breath, his words reached Bai Xiaochun’s as clear as day.
In response, Bai Xiaochun’s jaw dropped, and he even stopped walking. Eyes turning up in thought, he realized that there were two aspects to what the giant ghost king had said that were important. The first was about the taboo banner, and the second... was when he said lucky with the women....
As the wheels in his head turned, he murmured to himself, “That old pervert!!”
Then, face beaming with righteousness, he pretended to have not heard, and strode out of the hall.
After he left, the giant ghost king sat there on his throne, the five fingers of his right hand tapping each other as he calculated something.
A moment later, he frowned and murmured, “I’m still not exactly sure of the timing. However, based on the date, the Ghost King Orchid in the Necromancer Kettle should be just about ready to bloom.”
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Chapter
676: Shakedown
After emerging from the grand hall, Bai Xiaochun looked over in the direction of the three great clans, and an expression of scorn could be seen on his face. Although there were no truly deep grudges between him and the clans, they had attempted to kill him over and over again.
Back when he had been a prison guard, it had been impossible to seek revenge, and even less so after he became a prisoner. But now things were different. He was Majordomo Bai of Giant Ghost City, acting on behalf of the king.
“Summon Heavenly Marquis Chen Hai!” he said with the swish of a sleeve. Instantly, the nearby city guards rushed off to carry out his orders.
Afterward, he stood there outside of the grand hall, looking up into the sky, his hands clasped behind his back as he waited for Chen Hai to arrive. As he was waiting, he pulled out a jade slip to send a message to Zhou Yixing.
“Have your people keep an eye on all of the three of the great clans for me!”
“Don’t worry, milord. I’ll take care of everything. By the way, the people in the Chen Clan are frightened out of their minds.”
After hearing the response, Bai Xiaochun gave a few more instructions, then closed his eyes and stood there waiting. Before long, a beam of light appeared off in the distance, within which could be seen a pudgy, middle-aged man.
He was one of the four heavenly marquises who had not participated in the rebellion. He was also the one who had given Bai Xiaochun a mansion, as well as a large number of other valuable gifts. As soon as Chen Hai saw Bai Xiaochun standing there outside of the royal palace, a serious expression appeared on his face. Clasping hands and bowing, he said, “What are your orders, Majordomo Bai?!”
“Heavenly Marquis Chen, gather your men. You’re taking a little trip with me!” Bai Xiaochun had served as a major general in the army, so when he spoke now, it was with a grand dignity that left Chen Hai feeling shaken. After looking from Bai Xiaochun to the royal palace and then back, he voiced his assent.
Without the slightest hesitation, he issued orders to the soul cultivators under his command, and before long, a force of 20,000 men had gathered. At that point, Bai Xiaochun and Chen Hai, followed by the small army, flew out of Giant Ghost City!
Everyone in the city was shaken by the sight, especially when they realized that the 20,000 soul cultivators were heading in the direction of one of the three great clans, the Cai Clan. As of that point, everyone knew what was going on… revenge!
The army of 20,000 soul cultivators radiated killing intent as they flew along. Bai Xiaochun was in the lead position, his hands clasped behind his back, an arrogant expression on his face. All of a sudden, he felt like he was back at the Great Wall, a mighty major general with subordinates who would jump to heed his every command.
Chen Hai was right there next to him. Sticking his thumbs up approvingly, he said, “Excellent work, Bai, old pal! You’re truly a dragon amongst men. Let me tell you, I've seen a lot of people throughout the years who really bungle things up when they suddenly rise to power. But not you, Bai, old pal. You’re doing splendidly. It just goes to show that you are a qilin chosen of Giant Ghost City!
“These 20,000 soul cultivators view you like an immovable mountain, as permanent as the sea. Strength of mind like yours is rare even among many imperial princes.” Chen Hai had a very serious expression on his face as he talked, and his fat jiggled up and down a bit. Although he was clearly being a bit flattering, his words seemed completely and utterly trustworthy.
Bai Xiaochun felt wonderful, and couldn’t help but muse that Chen Hai really was very observant. Smiling broadly, he thought back to the old saying: even if you have a beautiful sedan chair to sit in, you still need others to lift you up. Therefore, he offered a few ingratiating words of his own. Before long, the two of them were chatting amiably.
At the same time, Bai Xiaochun contemplated how he should go about this shakedown. Considering that the giant ghost king hadn’t issued formal orders, he couldn’t do it in a very forceful manner.
“Maybe I can't use force, but I can still get my revenge in full!” Looking down at his bag of holding, he thought about the little turtle, and suddenly came up with a new idea.
Before long, they could see the Cai Clan up ahead. As for his reason for selecting this particular clan, there was no special factor other than its close proximity to the city.
Of course, everyone in the Cai Clan was extremely nervous because of his arrival. They were all shaking visibly, and the clan chief’s face was ashen as he led a group of cultivators to the main gate to receive the visitors.
The young chosen member of the clan who had tried to kill Bai Xiaochun sometime back was there, as well as the silkpants who had tried to bully him with wealth. Both of them were trembling, their faces as ashen as death.
The pressure weighing down on the clan recently had been immense. Their patriarch was dead, and every member of the clan felt like they were hovering on the brink of death.
The news that Bai Hao was personally bringing a large group of soul cultivators with him for a visit caused alarm to fill the hearts of everyone in the clan. Most fearful of all was the clan chief and certain clan elders, and yet, they managed to remain calm.
After all… if the giant ghost king had planned to exterminate them, he wouldn’t have waited so long to do it….
As the Cai Clan waited there at the front gate, Bai Xiaochun, Chen Hai, and the 20,000 soul cultivators arrived like a black cloud, blotting out the sky. As they neared, Chen Hai called out in a loud voice, “Lock down the area. Without express orders from Majordomo Bai, no one is allowed in or out!”
The 20,000 soul cultivators immediately fanned out and surrounded the Cai Clan, locking it down completely. The cultivators of the Cai Clan were all shocked. As for the clan chief, his expression flickered, but he had no choice but to simply grit his teeth, hurry over to Bai Xiaochun, and clasp hands respectfully.
“Greetings, Majordomo Bai, Heavenly Marquis Chen.” Everyone else in the clan similarly clasped hands and offered greetings.
Bai Xiaochun ignored them, and instead turned and cast a displeased look in Chen Hai’s direction.
“Heavenly Marquis Chen, I didn't come here to exterminate the Cai Clan. Why did you have to go and scare the clan chief?”
“I understand, Majordomo Bai,” Chen Hai said seriously, “but your humble servant has his orders!”
Bai Xiaochun shook his head and walked over to the clan chief, looking a bit apologetic.