Chapter 364: Longevity Dew, the Ghost Tide of Lanlou Mansion

The Tai Sui God swept past the Ghost City Mansion, swooping down from on high. He reached out and snatched the stone bowl, along with the Longevity Dew inside it.

The ceremony was over, so naturally, Qi Suian came out to snatch the prize. ’He wasn’t about to let them just walk away with it, was he?’

"How dare you!" A furious roar erupted from the shadows as a Royal Shadow Guard lunged to intercept him without a moment’s hesitation.

Not all Royal Shadow Guards were used as ceremonial consumables. Someone had to be responsible for guard duty, retrieval, and other such tasks.

Otherwise, if they all turned into Ghost People, who would deliver the Longevity Dew to the Celestial Capital Royal Family?

However, Qi Suian was simply too fast. He was gone in a flash. At the same time, the Royal Shadow Guards who had been transformed into Ghost People began to act, their minds twisted.

The entire scene instantly descended into chaos.

But that wasn’t the most critical part. When the seal ruptured, everyone fell from the truth layer into the Sealing Layer.

The truth layer was like a communal barracks, while the Sealing Layer was like individual cells. The impact between the two caused the structure to shatter.

This, however, was within the Royal Shadow Guards’ calculations. Every time Longevity Dew was acquired, a light toll was the sacrifice of a prefecture; a heavy one, the disappearance of an entire state or county.

Yet to the Royal Family, these were acceptable losses. After all, people just respawned; their deaths caused no heartache.

As the Sealing Layer shattered, the survivors were all strangled to death. The ghosts, freed from their seals, began to kill according to their own rules and logic.

Meanwhile, the Ghost People took this opportunity to flee in a panic.

Their minds might be addled, but they could still tell which way the wind was blowing.

They were at a disadvantage. Staying here was just waiting to die, so it was better to run first and think later.

After all, working from the shadows allowed them to maximize their advantages, not clashing head-on with the Royal Shadow Guard and the Exorcism Bureau.

Chaos swept through all of Lanlou Mansion, and the death toll began to skyrocket.

Qi Suian, having prepared in advance, quickly found a safe place to hole up.

[Yan Jingxing and Nangong Yuan are approaching...]

The smart-brain gave an immediate alert.

Qi Suian immediately put the Longevity Dew away, with no intention of telling the other two.

The reason was simple. Not every living being could be like him and easily resist the temptation emanating from the Longevity Dew.

He had been there for less than two minutes, and all manner of snakes, insects, rats, and ants had already begun to gather, each one eyeing the Longevity Dew in Qi Suian’s hand covetously.

They were completely oblivious to the chasm between their respective life-forms.

"Such a bewitching thing... The Ghost World is truly bizarre," Qi Suian muttered.

’When I get around to studying this Longevity Dew, I’ll have to take proper precautions.’

’But how did they find me? Or is their real destination the Sealing Vault?’ Qi Suian opened his map to check. His current position on the map’s path was, in fact, on the way to the Exorcism Bureau’s Sealing Vault.

’So they might not be looking for me after all.’

’Lanlou Mansion, and maybe even the entire state, can’t be saved. I need to get out of here.’

Qi Suian wondered whether he should save Yan Jingxing and Nangong Yuan.

Bringing these two along could make things much more convenient for Qi Suian in the Celestial Capital.

For instance, they could handle all sorts of problems for him.

Otherwise, with his personality, Qi Suian would just start killing the moment things went sideways.

Besides, with those two around, Qi Suian wouldn’t have to lift a finger; Yan Jingxing could handle everything perfectly.

’It’d be great if Yan Jingxing were the Grand Commander of Celestial Capital.’ Qi Suian sighed. He still wasn’t a fan of Nangong Yuan.

’She’s too beautiful. That kind of thing always leads to trouble.’

After much consideration, he decided to take them both.

’Yan Jingxing is just the director of a Prefecture-level Exorcism Bureau. In the Celestial Capital, you could throw a brick and hit three people of his rank.’

’Nangong Yuan’s identity, on the other hand, is quite valuable.’

As the pair hurried past, Qi Suian reached out without hesitation, grabbed one with each hand, and forcefully yanked them in.

Yan Jingxing and Nangong Yuan were, understandably, startled by the sudden ambush and immediately launched a counterattack.

A perfectly normal reaction to an ambush.

But Qi Suian reacted faster, slamming both of them hard onto the ground.

Their attacks didn’t even fully form, let alone land.

Fortunately, they quickly saw their attacker was Qi Suian and stood down.

"What are you doing here? What happened at the Sealing Vault?" Nangong Yuan immediately asked.

"Managed to survive, of course."

"As for what happened at the Sealing Vault, you’ll probably have to ask the people from Lanlou Mansion."

"The place I entered wasn’t just a single seal, but a Ghost City formed from all the seals, crawling with terrifying ghosts."

"Then a group of Ghost People were performing some kind of ritual, and then the seal shattered." Qi Suian briefly summarized the events, conveniently painting himself as a victim.

’I can’t tell the truth. If I do, what if the Royal Family comes after me for the Longevity Dew?’

’I would never give it to them, and the Royal Family would never give up. In that case, to protect my own interests, I’d have no choice but to start a massacre.’

"A Ghost City???"

"How is that possible? Every ghost is sealed individually." Yan Jingxing’s voice was filled with disbelief.

"How should I know? I’m just a survivor from another world, not a native like you."

"Besides, you’ve always been on guard against me, so how would I know about this stuff?" Qi Suian spread his hands. "If I didn’t know you two, I wouldn’t have bothered to save you."

Yan Jingxing’s expression grew increasingly grim.

"Let’s go. We have to leave at once. Lanlou Mansion is lost." Nangong Yuan, the Grand Commander, decided to abandon the situation and prepare to take Qi Suian to the Celestial Capital.

"I’m going back to Shengshi Mansion. You two go to the Celestial Capital on your own." Yan Jingxing, however, was not planning to flee with them.

If nothing had happened in Lanlou Mansion, Yan Jingxing would definitely have gone with them to the Celestial Capital to broaden his horizons.

After all, this might have been the only chance in his lifetime.

But not now. He was the director of the Shengshi Mansion Exorcism Bureau. The responsibility rested on his shoulders. Even if he had to die, he would die in Shengshi Mansion.

His attitude truly surprised Qi Suian. ’I thought he would come along, not stay behind to die at his post.’

"This is a ghost tide. It’s not just Lanlou Mansion that’s lost; even Dust Rock State and Celestial Fish County will fall."

"Only the full might of the Ziyue Dynasty can quell it."

"Do you think one more person like you can turn the tide?" Nangong Yuan rebuked, then softened her tone and pointed at Qi Suian. "Only by taking him to the Celestial Capital is there a glimmer of hope!"

Qi Suian really wanted to retort that it wasn’t impossible for one person to turn the tide. A protagonist could do it.

’But on second thought, this world doesn’t seem to have a protagonist, so I guess that’s out.’

’Me, step up? I might as well pray for the will of the world to intervene. It’d be simpler.’

"One more person like me indeed can’t turn the tide, but if I’m gone, the Court won’t miss me," Yan Jingxing said bluntly.

The Ziyue Dynasty wasn’t large, but it wasn’t small either.

"But you can seek justice," Qi Suian chimed in.

Yan Jingxing stopped in his tracks. "What do you mean?"

"The Ghost People were created by the Court. This incident was caused by the Ghost People."

"Do you think that has nothing to do with the Court?" Qi Suian said slowly. "Defending your post is meaningless. If you die, you’re just dead."

"But if you can find the truth, then even if you die, you will have done right by Shengshi Mansion and your duty."

At these words, a look of conflict appeared on Yan Jingxing’s face.

In the end, he chose to believe Qi Suian.

"You’re right," Yan Jingxing conceded. "Even if I have to die, it will be after I’ve uncovered the truth about the Ghost People and the Ghost City."

At the same time, his attitude toward Nangong Yuan, the Grand Commander of Celestial Capital, also shifted.

’There are too many coincidences. She chose Lanlou Mansion, and disaster struck Lanlou Mansion. Combined with the Ghost People affair, the whole thing is deeply suspicious.’

’And what about Qi Suian, the survivor? He’s a victim, too. If he hadn’t come to Lanlou Mansion, if he’d stayed in Shengshi Mansion, he never would have run into any Ghost City.’

’Besides, he’s not even from the Ziyue Dynasty. How could he have orchestrated a plot in Lanlou Mansion?’

So, he was definitely inclined to believe Qi Suian’s version of events. At the very least, he hadn’t caused such a disaster.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let’s get out of here! If we wait any longer, we’ll lose our chance to leave." With that, Qi Suian grabbed both of them and shot into the sky.

Ghosts killed people, and the ghosts inside people’s bodies awakened. This formed a vicious cycle. This was how a ghost tide began.

-----------------

"The Longevity Dew was hijacked? What happened? Wasn’t it supposed to be foolproof?"

Inside the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince stared at the report from the Royal Shadow Guard with a dark expression, suppressing his rage.

The greatest effect of Longevity Dew was not extending life, but stabilizing the ghost within one’s body.

Even though members of the Royal Family held a noble status, before a ghost, they were all treated equally.

Therefore, the Crown Prince needed the Longevity Dew to win over ministers and royals, and even to present it to the Emperor as a show of loyalty. After all, he was the chosen heir.

The production of Longevity Dew was limited—only a single bowl’s worth each time—making it extremely precious.

The Crown Prince, who controlled its distribution, naturally understood how much benefit and influence it could buy him.

"Your Highness," an advisor suddenly spoke up, "His Majesty once made a play in Shengshi Mansion, with influence extending to Lanlou Mansion. This is likely His Majesty’s handiwork."

"The Grand Commander of Celestial Capital, Nangong Yuan?" the Crown Prince blurted out. "She refused my overtures, and now she dares to interfere."

Fury surged, but he quickly suppressed it.

It was for no other reason than the fact that there was nothing he could do about Nangong Yuan.

To be the Grand Commander of Celestial Capital, she had to be His Majesty’s confidante. He couldn’t touch her.

"It must be His Majesty who wants it," the Crown Prince said through clenched teeth.

Nangong Yuan appearing in Lanlou Mansion, followed by the Longevity Dew being hijacked... all signs pointed to His Majesty himself.

"It seems His Majesty’s body is finally failing him," the Crown Prince suddenly said in a low voice.

"Pull everyone back. No need to intercept. Since His Majesty wants it, just let him have it."

The Emperor’s poor health was definitely good news for the Crown Prince.

As soon as the Emperor died, the throne would naturally be his.

"Also, pass down the order for everyone not to make any rash moves. They only need to fulfill their designated roles."

When you have a legitimate claim, the last thing you want is to rock the boat.