Chapter 178: Apology

Once the Fire Cloud Pill was down, a gentle warmth slowly spread through Lu Bai’s abdomen. He immediately felt a warm current building in his Dantian.

’Once this energy stabilizes, I can use this warm current to easily open my second meridian!’

"Lu Bai, what’s the situation in the river? How many Water Ghosts are there, and what are their strengths?"

Just then, Liang Yifan, the Governor of Jingzhou, walked over and asked in a deep voice.

Lu Bai answered, "A dozen or so Great Ghosts and one Fierce Ghost. I’ve already eliminated them."

The moment he spoke, a hush fell over the area.

Everyone exchanged strange looks.

Even the members of the Evil Extermination Bureau glanced at one another, their expressions somewhat awkward.

It was a miracle that Lu Bai had even returned alive.

But this latest claim was a bit too much.

A dozen or so Great Ghosts and a Fierce Ghost, all in the water.

Forget Lu Bai, a Martial Artist who had just stepped into the Innate Realm; even an uninjured Morning Bell Ringer Mo Tang might not have been able to handle that.

’This Brother Lu is eager to prove himself, which is understandable, but his story is just too ridiculous. If he’d claimed he killed one or two Little Ghosts, that might have been believable.’

’He probably just joined the Evil Extermination Bureau and doesn’t understand how we operate. He must think you can just make up whatever you want about killing evil spirits.’

The members of the Evil Extermination Bureau remained silent, but they were all scoffing inwardly.

"Heh."

Just then, the leader of the Fujiao Gang, Luo Hengjiang, strode over from nearby. He let out a soft chuckle and said in a loud voice, "Young man, we may not have seen any of your ghost-catching skills, but your talent for running your mouth and spouting nonsense is truly an eye-opener."

Lu Bai glanced over, about to look away, when something caught his eye.

Behind Luo Hengjiang, he saw a familiar face.

It was Captain Liu, the man who had appeared in Bai Family Village and tricked Bai Chuchu into going to Renyi Manor!

’So he’s with the Fujiao Gang,’ Lu Bai noted inwardly, a thoughtful expression on his face.

Liang Yifan shook his head with a small smile. He turned to Mo Tang and said slowly, "Lord Mo, this Evil Exterminator Guard you recruited... he isn’t exactly honest.

Normally, I’d let his tall tales slide, but this concerns the people of Jingzhou City and the safety of the ships. We can’t have him spouting nonsense."

In her heart, Mo Tang didn’t believe it either.

She knew there might be over a dozen Water Ghosts in the river, but how could Lu Bai possibly have wiped them all out by himself?

Mo Tang hesitated, about to make an excuse for Lu Bai, when He Liangzhi suddenly spoke up from the side. "Tang Fei, I saw you take out your Yin Soul Compass just now. Did it show anything?"

"It didn’t," Tang Fei answered, blinking, not yet understanding why He Liangzhi was asking.

He Liangzhi said in a low voice, "At this distance, if there really were Water Ghosts in the Jingshui River, the Yin Soul Compass would definitely react!"

"Oh, right!"

Tang Fei’s eyes lit up.

He had used his Yin Soul Compass to determine whether Lu Bai was a human or a ghost, but he hadn’t made this connection.

He Liangzhi took the Yin Soul Compass from within his robes.

In an instant, all eyes were fixed on the Yin Soul Compass.

The jade-colored surface of the Compass showed no change.

The needle didn’t move an inch.

This meant there were no ghosts or evil spirits nearby!

The Water Ghosts in the Jingshui River had really disappeared!

Luo Hengjiang frowned. "You can’t get an accurate reading from the riverbank. You’d have to go into the water. After all, the Water Ghosts are aquatic."

Tang Fei sneered. "What do you know? As long as there are Water Ghosts in the Jingshui River, the Yin Soul Compass will react, even from the bank!"

Despite his words, the faces of the onlookers still held a trace of doubt.

Without another word, He Liangzhi turned and ran into the Jingshui River. He held the Yin Soul Compass high above his head, facing the crowd on the bank, and shouted, "Any change?"

"No!" the Evil Exterminator Guards shouted back in unison.

He Liangzhi stood in the river water and let out a loud laugh.

If there really had been Water Ghosts in the Jingshui River, he would have just placed himself in grave danger.

He could only have taken such an action out of absolute trust in Lu Bai.

"It’s unbelievable. A dozen or so Water Ghosts and one Fierce Ghost, all wiped out by a single Evil Exterminator Guard?"

"I bet there were only one or two Water Ghosts in the river. He killed them, but to claim a greater achievement, he exaggerated the number."

"Yes, that sounds more plausible."

"Whatever the case, the man dealt with the Water Ghosts in the Jingshui River. We can finally go home."

The crowd murmured amongst themselves.

A Cultivator from Danding Temple said softly, "It’s most likely as the others say. This Lu Bai exaggerated his achievements."

"Young Master Lu isn’t that kind of person."

Li Yue’er, hearing this, felt a prickle of annoyance. She retorted before running over and calling out, "Young Master Lu!"

"Daoist Li?"

Lu Bai was a bit surprised, not expecting to see Li Yue’er again in Jingzhou City.

’Then again,’ he thought, ’Li Yue’er’s father is a Third-Grade Marquis who lives in Jingzhou City. She’s probably back visiting family.’

Mo Tang’s gaze shifted to land on Luo Hengjiang. "It seems the one running his mouth and spouting nonsense is someone else, isn’t it?" she said coldly. "Boss Luo, perhaps you’d care to explain yourself."

"Er..."

Luo Hengjiang hesitated for a moment before letting out a hearty laugh. He cupped his fists toward Mo Tang and said, "It’s true what they say about heroes coming from the younger generation! I am truly impressed. I was inconsiderate earlier and spoke nonsense. I hope Lord Mo will forgive me."

"You should apologize to him, not to me."

Mo Tang pointed to Lu Bai, her tone sharp.

She had been seething this entire time.

Lu Bai had survived a near-death experience, and this crowd had gathered around not to show concern, but to immediately doubt and question him. How could she stand for that?

Luo Hengjiang, to his credit, was a good sport. He gave Lu Bai a slight bow and said, "Young Hero Lu, please forgive me. I am Luo Hengjiang of the Fujiao Gang. I have just offended you and made a fool of myself.

Now that you’ve slain the Water Ghosts, our Fujiao Gang is also in your debt.

If Young Hero Lu would do me the honor, I would like to prepare a humble banquet and invite you to Fujiao Manor, where I can thank you properly in person!"

"We’ll see," Lu Bai replied nonchalantly.

Mo Tang turned her head to look at Liang Yifan again. "Lord Governor," she said coolly, "you just said this Evil Exterminator Guard I recruited isn’t exactly honest. I don’t believe I understood your meaning. Perhaps you could explain it to me."

"Heh."

Liang Yifan chuckled softly. "Lu Bai has certainly performed a great service by killing the Water Ghosts. But to say there were a dozen or so of them, plus a Fierce Ghost, in the Jingshui River... isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration?

Killing a Water Ghost leaves a mark on the Yin Soul Compass. If Lu Bai shows everyone his Compass, the truth will be made clear."

This was one of the most important functions of the Yin Soul Compass.

Unlike members of the Demon Sect or Demon Beasts, whose corpses could be presented as evidence, ghosts and other evil spirits were a different matter.

They were ethereal beings. Once slain, their souls simply scattered to the winds.

The Yin Soul Compass was forged to prevent Evil Exterminator Guards from falsely claiming credit for kills. In addition to pinpointing the direction of ghosts and evil spirits, its other main function was to keep a record.

The Yin Soul Compass was, in effect, a ledger of one’s accomplishments.

Lu Bai’s expression was calm.

He always carried the Yin Soul Compass on his person.

He had already glanced at it while he was underwater.

Although the dozen or so Water Ghosts had all been devoured by the Ancient Mirror, the Yin Soul Compass still bore the residual marks of their Ghost Qi, which was enough to prove everything.