Beginning with the Ubume Bird

Chapter 142: Chapter 41: Feather Lord!

The massive chimney spewed out deep red smoke that disappeared into the sky.

Large chunks of eerie, deathly pale white blocked Li Yan’s path.

Li Yan searched around for a moment, picked up a brick from the ground, and threw it toward those graffiti-like patches of white.

“Shasha…”

The sound that followed was a crackling noise, similar to static on a television screen.

The brick vanished without a trace as it was swallowed up by the white. To be precise, the moment the brick touched the dead white area, it disappeared completely.

Li Yan’s eyes were cold and hard as he twisted the handlebars, and the Dodge Tomahawk broke through the highway barrier and charged into the wilderness.

…

Night fell.

The thick night spread outward, and all sorts of indescribable oddities emerged from the streets and alleys of Yan Capital City.

Blood dribbled down, the lights on the bus were an ominous green, and blood oozed from the engine, dripping all over the ground.

The driver, with dark circles under his eyes, wore an eerie smile, waiting for the next passenger.

Then, he casually stepped on the gas pedal and drove the bus into a vast expanse of deathly white…

“Meat~buns”

The old man, pedaling vigorously on his Red Star bicycle and chanting “meat buns,” had boxes fastened to the rear seat that were filled with blood-stained human heads.

He shouted down the streets and through the alleys, his gaunt face glowing with a wolf-like hunger.

“Shasha…”

A thick swath of deathly white swept down over his head, like a scholar intoxicated with wine, splashing ink with abandon.

It brushed over his skull, his chest, the bicycle wheels.

With just a sweep of that deathly white,

The bicycle-riding ghost was turned into a blurry, strange entity of dead white.

And then, he was completely submerged.

Panjia Garden.

Today, the place was bustling with people crowding the streets, with even a little girl with dark and sorrowful eyes crouching beneath a tea table.

“If that Pei fellow doesn’t bring back ten people, you’ll never be able to pay off what you owe us. There’s no need for us to tell you what will happen to you, Gao Wuchang, right?”

The skeletal old man’s eyes bulged, and his bright red tongue stretched out far.

“There’s no need for empty talk. I asked for people from around the Imperial City and Main Street Alley to come so we could settle accounts face to face. Don’t go talking behind my back,” said Gao Wuchang with a twist of his mouth, wearing a White Hat.

Hat Zhang, holding two large iron balls in his hand, burst into loud laughter at these words.

“We certainly trust what Gao Wuchang says; otherwise, you wouldn’t have received that imperial decree,” he said.

The crowd buzzed with many voices, their faces all alight with excitement and a thirst for blood.

After all, these were ten living souls.

“Hey, what’s this thing?”

A kid dressed in a strong, small ghost costume pointed ahead, where a patch of deathly white the size of a fingernail hovered in the air in front of his nose.

As he spoke, he reached out with his icy finger and gently tapped it.

The overwhelming white spread far and wide!

One by one, swaths of deathly white were brazenly smeared across the long street. The hissing sound made one’s hair stand on end.

All the ghosts of the Yin Market didn’t even have time to display a look of panic before they were effortlessly erased.

As if the painter casually wiped away a failed draft on paper.

Everything returned to dead white.

…

Yan Fu, Green Bronze Ancient Hall.

The colors inside the grand hall were dim, furnished only with a simple tea table and a few wooden chairs from the Spring and Autumn Period.

“Where is Si Wenji?”

The man blew on the paper cup in his hand, which billowed white steam, and the cup bore the words “Heaven and Earth Useless” in large characters.

His complexion was ancient, he appeared to be in his early thirties, dressed in a white hoodie and Nike sneakers.

The Jie Master, of the ten categories.

“I didn’t ask her to come.”

The short-haired man sat shirtless, revealing a six-pack of abs.

He had a towel hanging around his neck, wore pale green military trousers, and had eyebrows sharp as knives.

Ten categories, Feather Lord.

Jie Master sipped some boiled water, “Then, when people arrive, what do you plan to explain?”

The short-haired man scratched his head, “I’ll just say, my wife’s got her period, any issues come to me. Do you think that sounds reasonable?”

“…”

Jie Master put the paper cup down, revealing a wry smile, “Peng, you’re such a scamp, I guess you’ll never change.”

The man laughed, revealing a deep dimple, “Come on, all of us brothers know each other inside out, who are you trying to fool?”

With that, his expression became serious, “This minimum posting incident revealed someone from Sifan, is it real or fake? Is Hongzhong Old Man just looking for an excuse to trap me?”

“It’s real.”

Jie Master nodded, “The signs of the fruit falling off are very apparent. It’s definitely Sifan.”

“Is that so…”

The short-haired man’s gaze lowered, “Which one from Sifan? Sorrow, Ai Bieli, or Unobtainable?”

“Whoever it is, this matter is quite thorny. In the council meeting later, stall if you can, confuse if you can. Five Immortal Master might want you to take the lead. To deal with the Eight Sufferings and Sifan Master.”

“It’s been two years with no movement, why did these Sifan folks suddenly pop up again?”

“I’m afraid it’s related to the last encirclement against Taishuai, I’ve told you not to be impulsive…”

Jie Master stopped mid-sentence, “Oh, right, I’m afraid that encirclement wasn’t your order either.”

The short-haired man didn’t speak; instead, Jie Master holding the paper cup shook his head, “Sooner or later, you’ll die by the hand of that woman, Si Wenji.”

Jie Master coldly blew on the hot water in his cup. Both men looked up simultaneously.

At the other end of the grand hall, three figures of different heights walked slowly towards them; the one in the middle was an old man in traditional Tang attire, with temples graying and black spots on his forehead.

To his left was a tall, striking woman with defined features, Yu Shiqie.

To his right was a seven or eight-year-old boy in a suit and red bow tie.

Right, however you looked at him, he resembled Conan.

Yu Shiqie, in her rose-colored high heels, sat across from them and nodded slightly, “Old rules, I’m here to represent Landlord Hou Tu in this decision.”

“Xia Gengshi, representing Ghost Master Qiong Qi, in this decision,” the little boy declared.

The old man in Tang attire had an awe-inspiring look in his eyes. He wasn’t trying to be intimidating, but he still gave off a deeply tense and dangerous vibe. His voice was hoarse, “The council requires at least six masters to be present; we’re still one short.”

Jie Master, holding the paper cup, raised his hand, “Zhu Jiuyin said that I could fully represent his opinion.”

The old man in Tang attire was silent for a while before responding, “Well then.”

He turned to the short-haired man, “Peng, where is Si Wenji?”

The short-haired man appeared indifferent, “Oh, she’s got her per… ”

“Such a major oversight by her own subordinates, Green Hill Fox cannot shirk responsibility; she’s currently reorganizing her subjects and preparing to relinquish all authority regarding the operations within Yan Fu.

Therefore, she temporarily cannot attend. Besides attending the council meeting, Feather Lord, as the husband of Si Wenji, you’re fully authorized to represent her in the council.”

Jie Master interrupted the short-haired man’s words. His explanation was plausible and well-reasoned.

“Alright.”

The old man in Tang attire nodded, not dwelling on the issue.

“Everyone is aware that since two years ago, with Taishuai’s defection breaking Sifan, the original power of the Eight Sufferings of Sifan has been effectively non-existent, and the Sifan Master has vanished. Yet just six hours ago, a massive ‘fruit shedding’ event occurred with Divine Jiazi Nine Hundred and Eighty-Four.”

“Logically speaking, with Sifan meddling in the Yan Fu incident, as the Human Master responsible for supervising and investigating the comings and goings in the Yan Fu incident, I cannot avoid blame.”

“However, when I was tracing the origins and examining the incident, I discovered that the real culprit was someone else.”

The old man in Tang attire knitted his brows, “It was Si Wenji, using Feather Lord’s name, who privately trafficked the information of low-level walkers, interfering with the normal operation of the Yan Fu incident, allowing someone from Sifan to seize the opportunity! I received many reports from walkers and have ample evidence to prove this fact; if needed, I can confront Si Wenji, or Feather Lord, directly.”

After a long while, Yu Shiqie gave a light cough, “Feather Lord, did you know about this matter?”

No one spoke, and Jie Master nudged the short-haired man’s trouser leg.

The short-haired man, as if waking from a dream, said, “Is it over?”

Yu Shiqie wasn’t angry; she just nodded lightly.

“Hmm, what Hongzhong Old Man said, I’ve discussed it with my wife as well.”

The short-haired man interlaced his fingers, and the words that followed surprised everyone present.

“To put it simply, what Hongzhong Old Man said is mostly true. However, Si Wenji isn’t the one to rely on; the planner of those deals is me. I’ll take responsibility for everything.”

Jie Master gripped the paper cup so hard that water spilled onto the floor.

“I’ll deal with the people from Sifan. The consequences of the fruit shedding, I’ll rectify. The decree for Yan Fu, I’ll shoulder. This has nothing to do with you Five Immortals types; let’s put an end to this matter. I don’t want to hear anyone bring it up again.”

The short-haired man, or rather, Feather Lord, looked around, “If there are no issues, this meeting is adjourned.”