Chapter 31: Self-Penned, Self-Directed, Self-Performed

Gongsun Wulong’s words were utterly blunt, showing no courtesy or consideration for Bai Yunyan.

Bai Yunyan remained unfazed and responded with a carefree smile, “The Eight Gates of Jianghu have always been composed of wanderers. The Soliciing Sect, in particular, embodies those who face misfortune. Our teachings focus on how individuals should overcome adversity when fate turns against them. Gongsun-qianbei, your comment seems somewhat superficial, but I bear you no ill will.”

Gongsun Wulong furrowed his brow slightly, impressed by Bai Yunyan’s equanimity.

The path of the Soliciing Sect was indeed one marked by hardship. However, times had changed. During the mid-Yue Dynasty, the Soliciing Sect experienced internal strife due to the near-extinction of profound spiritual energy. As many genuine mystical elements vanished, the original status of the Eight Gates diminished. Yet, with the scarcity of profound spiritual energy, those less reliant on it thrived, including the Soliciing Sect. Human nature being inherently greedy, many within the sect gradually forgot their true purpose, often taking offense at being called beggars.

While competition existed among the Eight Gates internally, it was limited; most of the time, they stood united as kindred spirits. However, in the later years of Yue Country, conflicts involving the Soliciing Sect began to spill over, affecting the other seven gates, escalating into bitter rivalries that nearly turned violent.

As a respected elder from an ancient martial lineage, Gongsun Wulong was well aware of these sensitive matters.

However, today he wasn’t here to engage in verbal sparring with Bai Yunyan. His primary objective was to bring Duan Yuanhui back home, but upon encountering this mysterious resurgence event, Gongsun Wulong’s curiosity was piqued.

He knew that if it involved a significant surge of profound spiritual energy, causing dramatic changes across heaven and earth, it would be far too dangerous to involve himself. Yet, for a smaller-scale resurgence site, he could certainly take a closer look; there might even be rare treasures to discover. Besides, having recently advanced his martial skills, even if he couldn’t overcome the danger, he had confidence in making a swift escape.

“Sharp tongue,” muttered Gongsun Wulong before abruptly retracting his hand and swiftly departing.

Bai Yunyan had exposed his actions against Zhao Mingcai, and considering their numerical advantage, Gongsun Wulong saw no point in lingering further. He didn’t want to risk an unexpected downfall akin to capsizing in a ditch—an unjust death indeed.

Watching as Gongsun Wulong dove headfirst into the anomalous area, Li Dong had already drawn his firearm, but Zhao Mingcai quickly restrained his arm.

“Absolutely lawless,” Li Dong muttered, frustrated as he watched Gongsun Wulong disappear from view.

He wasn’t alone; many surrounding officers felt similarly aggrieved.

“How are you feeling?” Li Dong turned to ask Zhao Mingcai.

“A bit short of breath and chest tightness, but haven’t noticed any other adverse effects yet.”

Liao Yangsu looked uneasy nearby; regardless of circumstances, Gongsun Wulong was considered his elder and had even gifted him a secret manual during their last encounter. Each person has their own stance, and while Liao Yangsu acknowledged that Gongsun Wulong’s actions were inappropriate, he couldn’t join others in openly condemning him.

“He damaged your internal organs but used his inner strength to protect your heart temporarily, which is why you feel fine for now. However, this reprieve is only temporary. In a few days, with the slightest carelessness, it could lead to sudden death. If I were you, I’d promptly seek medical attention at a hospital. That might extend your life by one or two months.”

As soon as Bai Yunyan spoke, all eyes immediately focused on him.

Bai Yunyan remained composed, unfazed by the attention.

Zhao Mingcai’s heart raced fiercely, understandably distraught over this unexpected calamity. Despite his distress, years of navigating political circles had honed his ability to maintain composure.

”…Thank you for your help earlier, Sir Bai. By any chance, would you consider serving Hanming Country?” Zhao Mingcai didn’t miss an opportunity to recruit such exceptional individuals.

Bai Yunyan shook his head with a smile, “As someone from the jianghu, I remain detached from political affairs.”

This was clearly a polite refusal.

“I cannot heal your injury, but soon, representatives from the Eight Gates will emerge from the small blessed lands. If you encounter anyone from Pi Gate, mention my name, and they might be willing to examine and treat you.” With that, Bai Yunyan leaped towards the anomaly-ridden area.

Upon Bai Yunyan’s departure, Zhao Mingcai and Li Dong received new information.

The junior police officer whose appearance Bai Yunyan had assumed was found. He indeed existed, but currently lay unconscious, hidden away in a storage room. Thankfully, he was unharmed.

However, Li Dong viewed this situation from a different perspective. In modern times, using makeup techniques and special effects props, one could achieve convincing disguises, yet these methods often show visible signs under close scrutiny. Particularly, altering facial structure and body shape without props is challenging.

But the jianghu practitioners’ disguise skills were remarkably advanced, especially when combined with their profound martial abilities. Committing crimes with such ease seemed almost effortless for them.

However, these jianghu disguises were remarkably sophisticated. Combined with their profound martial arts skills, committing crimes would be alarmingly effortless for them.

The footage from the drone, capturing Bai Yunyan’s appearance, had been successfully compared to that of the junior officer. Surprisingly, both shared identical height and physique.

Li Dong had a keen intuition on this matter; it couldn’t possibly be a coincidence. As he pondered, his concerns deepened significantly.

How suddenly has the world become so unstable?

Lamenting wouldn’t help, though. By then, the ambulance had arrived. Medical personnel swiftly assisted Zhao Mingcai onto a stretcher. While he appeared fine externally, everyone present still vividly recalled what had unfolded moments ago. Of course, definitive answers awaited after hospital examination.

Before leaving, Zhao Mingcai sighed and said, “I’m afraid I’ll have to stay at the hospital now. The higher-ups will likely send a new deputy captain soon. Dealing with individuals who operate outside secular laws is truly challenging.

Nevertheless, we have no choice but to rely on them currently. Our goal must be to obtain their cultivation techniques and resources, which will allow us to eventually surpass them.”

“We have billions of ordinary people worldwide, along with modern experts capable of various analyses and interventions,” Zhao Mingcai continued. “Given the opportunity, I’m confident that among so many individuals, we can identify exceptional talents. Therefore, temporary concessions are necessary to eventually surpass others in the future. Captain Li, you must control your temper; at this stage, compromise is our only option.”

Initially, Zhao Mingcai was reluctant when reassigned to the special forces team. However, now facing his own imminent death, he had come to terms with it.

Zhao Mingcai wanted to accomplish more, striving to increase his contributions significantly, hoping that the An City municipal government would take better care of his family amidst this global crisis.

Captain Li also felt uneasy but ultimately patted Zhao Mingcai on the shoulder, saying, “Take good care of yourself in the hospital. As for that Fatigue Gate or whatever, we’ll turn over every stone until we find it.”

Soon, an ambulance whisked Zhao Mingcai away.

Liao Yangsu’s emotions were mixed as well. After a moment, he retrieved the secret technique scroll for Sound Transmission, given to him by Gongsun Wulong earlier, and handed it over, saying, “Here, take this.”

Li Dong glanced at Liao Yangsu, accepted the scroll without hesitation, and promptly passed it to a specialist for analysis. Previously, he had secretly asked Liao Yangsu for it, but Liao Yangsu was hesitant to give it up.

“Don’t worry, you won’t be shortchanged on the promised exchange benefits. This secret manual is valued at three million; I’ll transfer it to your personal account shortly.”

Three million—Liao Yangsu’s heart raced momentarily, feeling rather overwhelmed. Just two months ago, he was merely a small-town doctor with only around ten thousand yuan saved over the years. Now, he found himself suddenly wealthy overnight.

Meanwhile, as Duan Wenxuan stepped into the smoky haze, he felt a sense of oppression.

The recent appearance as Bai Yunyan was indeed his disguise, modeled after Bai Zhan Tang’s features. He had used this persona previously when confronting Jing Rui over the tea eggs. Since adopting it once again, he couldn’t let it go to waste.

Playing all roles—writer, director, and actor—it certainly wasn’t easy for him.

A vast area about a hundred meters ahead seemed divided by an enormous chasm, splitting it into half hellish chaos and half tranquil normalcy. However, Duan Wenxuan noticed that the black fog within this region was gradually spreading, steadily encroaching outward. Although slow, its relentless expansion was not a promising sign.

Treading cautiously, after taking approximately a hundred steps, Duan Wenxuan looked back and found that the scene outside ‘hell’ had become blurred, almost indistinguishable. It appeared that entering this zone caused the black mist to obstruct visibility further.

Duan Wenxuan conducted a quick test and discovered that the small gate on the back of his hand could still open, providing considerable relief. With an escape route intact, he felt more confident venturing into dangerous areas.

The surrounding ground was barren and parched, clearly altered post-naturally.

Initially, Duan Wenxuan planned to explore the self-built houses nearby, but despite walking for a long time, he found himself unable to reach any of them within sight. It seemed as if the path beneath his feet endlessly extended.

No wonder he hadn’t seen Gongsun Wulong yet.

This place had undergone changes, and Duan Wenxuan couldn’t determine whether it was akin to a ‘ghost barrier’ or if there were spatial anomalies affecting the area.

Previously, when He Guohui noticed something unusual with the pickled mustard greens in his field, he shared the strange occurrence widely due to its novelty. Duan Wenxuan stumbled upon this mystery after seeing an online photo, posted by an unknown user, showing faint facial features on a pickled mustard green head. Suspecting something mysterious at play, he disguised himself as Duan Yuanhui and pretended to be acquainted with He Guohui’s son, eventually leading him to investigate further.

Thinking back, Duan Wenxuan had already spent one or two days at He Guohui’s home. However, apart from the peculiarities with the pickled mustard greens, no other abnormalities surfaced. The sudden mutation occurred overnight; thankfully, the paper figurine woke him up just in time, allowing him to rescue He Guohui’s family.

At that moment, this location might have been the epicenter of the mystical outbreak, prompting him to swiftly evacuate He Guohui’s household. The black mist had abruptly become much denser, making Duan Wenxuan hesitant to re-enter immediately. He decided to wait until the swirling black mist subsided somewhat before investigating further.

Following this incident, He Guohui reported it to the authorities, leading to Li Dong and his team’s arrival.

Using the identity of Duan Yuanhui, fearing exposure, Duan Wenxuan opted to leave through the small gate first. Then swiftly returning, he assumed a new alias, Bai Yunyan.

“What a drastic change; this wasn’t happening earlier,” Duan Wenxuan muttered. After barely managing to orient himself, he decided to head towards the left.

In that direction lay a cluster of large greenhouses. Previously, the appearance of giant pickled cabbages with human-like features was quite unusual, so He Guohui had transplanted many mutated cabbages there. With the source being difficult to pinpoint, Duan Wenxuan planned to check on the status of those mutated cabbages now.

What should have been a short fifteen-minute walk stretched into over an hour.

Upon finally spotting the plastic greenhouses, Duan Wenxuan reached a conclusion. It seemed not to be a ghost barrier, as a ghost barrier merely confuses one’s perception, making them circle in place without changing the actual location.

This appeared to be either spatial folding or spatial extension. Though it looked like the outskirts, something additional had seemingly overlapped here. From inside, he could no longer see outside, while from the exterior, although it seemed possible to observe within, the view might be partial, incomplete, or even false.

This time, as Duan Wenxuan finally approached, he hesitated to get any closer.

Nearly a dozen pickled cabbages, each with heads almost the size of human skulls, stood quietly embedded in the parched ground. Their root systems were exceptionally developed, showing no signs of being hindered by the unfavorable soil conditions. The leaves displayed a dark green hue, large and imposing, with menacing sawtooth edges along their margins.

Most crucially, these colossal pickled cabbages exhibited distinct facial features. However, at that moment, their eyes were tightly closed, while their mouths formed exaggerated clown-like grins. From within their bodies, faint crunching sounds, akin to biting on something, echoed continuously, creating an eerie atmosphere.

Above these pickled cabbages, under the quiet canopy of a greenhouse, hung what appeared to be a ‘light bulb’? It emitted a soft yellow glow from its center, surrounded by a dim blue light exuding a chilling aura.

“What are these things?” Duan Wenxuan muttered.

Suddenly, the giant pickled cabbages’ mouths opened wide, revealing rows of shark-like teeth, accompanied by more rapid crunching noises.

They had been awakened.

Outside the blockade’s outer perimeter, a large number of journalists and various other individuals were gathered, but strict security measures prevented ordinary people from getting close. Only the affluent or influential could afford to linger here for updates. Among them, Jing Rui had stealthily infiltrated.

He utilized the ‘wig’ to enhance his charm, winning over a rookie journalist’s favor, then transformed using the magic wand’s ability to temporarily blend in.

However, now he reached his limit and couldn’t venture further inside.

With no room to play it safe and no immediate plans for trading after this incident, Jing Rui mustered up courage to actively engage with some extraordinary elements. Yet upon seeing how exceptionally dangerous the situation appeared, he felt hesitant and considered backing out.

Avoiding the crowd, Jing Rui discreetly opened his backpack and whispered to Page of Book, “You’re not tricking me, are you? This place is far too perilous.”

“My master, please trust me. Within here, according to modern terms, there exists a divine artifact. Haven’t you sought to understand this changing world and acquire self-defense capabilities? With this item, it would be sufficient. Yes, danger is present, but opportunities often accompany risks, don’t they?” The tone of Page of Book remained as persuasive as ever.