The Lord of Void and Real

Chapter 243: Chapter 241: The Number One Guest Official

“Thank you, Senior Horse Face, for the gift. Rest assured, I will devote myself entirely to helping you eradicate the ghost menace in Jianye City.” Shen Luo kept the Ghost Wailing Ring, bowed to Ma Mian in gratitude, and solemnly pledged his commitment.

Ma Mian, gratified, took something out of his bosom and threw it over.

Shen Luo hastily caught it and found it to be a small black tablet, seemingly made of some type of bone. Carved on it were gleaming bone-white runes in a circle which emitted a sense of mystique.

“This is a Messaging Token. Keep it with you at all times. I will use it to contact you whenever necessary,” Ma Mian said.

Curiosity flashed across Shen Luo’s face. He had read about such communication tools in the classics of Mount Fangcun. They could exchange messages over long distances.

However, he had not seen such a miraculous item in either the Bai family or the Spring and Autumn Pavilion. He didn’t expect Ma Mian to produce one casually.

...

“How do I operate this?” Shen Luo fiddled with the black tablet and asked.

“You don’t need to worry about how to operate it. Just receive my message well.” Ma Mian replied.

Despite feeling somewhat disappointed, Shen Luo nodded in agreement.

“Also, our relationship must not be revealed to others. It won’t do you any good. After you’ve helped me restore peace in Jianye City, I will give you another opportunity.” Ma Mian seriously warned.

“Senior, rest assured, the junior knows his place.” Shen Luo rejoiced inwardly, reassuring once again.

Without saying anything else, Ma Mian vanished into thin air.

Shen Luo examined the Messaging Token again, carefully tucked it away, and didn’t linger there any longer. He set off towards Jianye City and soon arrived near the city walls.

Ever since the incidents of ghosts injuring people had become frequent in Jianye City, they would tightly shut the city gate as soon as the sun went down. Any entry and exit were banned, and a curfew was enforced on the streets.

But such a high wall couldn’t stop Shen Luo. He conjured a water rope using the Water-control Technique, and casually scaled the city wall, entering Jianye city and returning to the Bai family.

He had assumed that at this hour, everyone in the Bai Family would be asleep. But contrary to his expectations, the accounting department was brightly lit, and quite a few Guest Officials had gathered to complete their tasks.

However, their expressions varied greatly; almost half of them looked dejected. Some even had injuries, indicating that their tasks hadn’t gone smoothly.

Shen Luo easily spotted Chu Li, the bald man who had ridiculed him earlier. His face was covered in bruises; he looked utterly defeated.

“Oh, Chu Daoist friend, didn’t you go to carry out the task in You Shui Village? Were the ghosts there that fierce that they injured you so badly?” The young man surnamed Feng clapped his folding fan shut and asked.

“Feng Ling, just shut up. I’ve been screwed over by Tie Shan from the Lin family. He took advantage of my fight with the fierce ghost to use a Mountain-Breaking Treaty for an attack. Not only did he snatch my task, but he also injured me.” Chu Li glared at him, his words full of anger.

“Don’t get angry. I also encountered the Lin family’s people today. But I didn’t let them take advantage. I snatched their task and even had a good time fooling them around. I suppose I’ve taken revenge for you.” Feng Ling unfolded his fan and laughed lightly.

Hearing Feng Ling’s words, Chu Li didn’t feel any better; instead, his heart filled with even more anger.

Feng Ling’s remarks were clearly intended to belittle him whilst raising the former’s own prestige. He clearly didn’t have any good intentions.

Just then, the crowd suddenly started murmuring. A beautiful woman in red, covered in dust as if she just returned from a journey, walked in. It was Xie Yuxin.

The people in front quickly made way. Xie Yuxin walked slowly to the task table and waved her hand.

With a click, a broken gray jade pendant was thrown onto the table, emanating an alarming amount of Yin Qi.

Shen Luo, standing at a distance, narrowed his gaze. The Yin Qi on this gray jade pendant was even stronger than the one on his broken red sleeve.

“The ghost injuring people in Righteous Village to the west of the city has been eradicated,” Xie Yuxin said calmly.

“I heard that the ghost in that village had almost reached the Grain Avoidance Stage. Looking at her calm demeanor and her tidy clothes, it seems that she killed it with ease.”

“Worthy of being the number one Guest Official of the Bai family. Incredible…!”

“If I’m not wrong, this is her second time completing a task today, isn’t it?”

The nearby guests remarked in admiration.

Hearing the people around him, Shen Luo gained a deeper understanding of Xie Yuxin’s strength.

“Alright, alright! Please wait a moment. We’re about to deal with it.” The two Bai family stewards behind the table showed respect. One took out the task book to register the task.

The other quickly went to the inner hall and soon returned with a jade box, which he handed to Xie Yuxin.

“Retainer Xie, this is your reward for this task. Please accept it.”

Xie Yuxin opened a crack in the jade box and took a peek inside. A slight smile appeared on her cold face as if a ten-thousand-year ice mountain had slightly melted, leaving everyone around in a daze.

The next moment, however, her expression reverted to its usual indifference. She kept the jade box and turned to check the task list again. It seemed like she wanted to assign a new task.

At this point, Shen Luo didn’t stand at a distance watching anymore; he stepped forward and walked over.

Seeing Shen Luo coming, Chu Li was immediately buoyant. The face he had lost just now could be regained.

“Oh, isn’t this the great Retainer Shen? I remember that you took up the Red Leaf Town task, how did you return so quickly?” Chu Li called out loudly.

“Hey, it indeed is Shen Luo. He came back surprisingly quickly.”

“He must have failed the task. I heard that the three Ouyang heroes from the Lin family also went to do the task in Red Leaf Town. Those guys are not easy to deal with.”

“Serves him right. With his strength, he dared to challenge the task of Red Leaf Town. Just the fact that he was able to return alive should be considered as luck.” The others near them also saw Shen Luo and started discussing amongst themselves. The tones were mostly sarcastic.

“Shen Luo, do you now realize the gap between our Jianye City and the countryside you used to live in? Don’t think that by pleasing the two young masters, you’ll be able to get by in the Bai family.” Chu Li looked at Shen Luo, clouds of self-confidence in his eyes. He sneered.

Shen Luo disregarded him and walked to the task table, extracting the broken sleeve from his bosom.

“The task of Red Leaf Town has been completed. This is the proof,” he calmly stated.

As soon as his words ended, the nearby chatter abruptly ceased, and all eyes were focused on both Shen Luo and the broken red sleeve.

Chu Li stood there dumbfounded. The mocking expression froze on his face, making him look rather comical.

Xie Yuxin, who was checking a task at one side, noticed the commotion here. She also turned her gaze in this direction.

The Bai family stewards behind the table blinked at first, then checked the piece of sleeve.

“It appears to be a ghost’s Yin Qi core, but we need to confirm if it’s the one from the Red Leaf Town task,” one Bai family steward raised his head and commented.

“Confirmation is needed? Just now when Retainer Xie handed in her task, why didn’t you confirm it and yet directly gave her the reward?” Unable to suppress his frown, Shen Luo asked.