Chapter 204: Lu Liangting: Can I Borrow Bai Yu for a Moment?
Zhao Mingyue’s plan couldn’t exactly be called flawless, but as long as it could achieve its goal, she’d take it. Plus, she could do some extra things on the side, like taking care of the Ghost Domain folks. That would just be icing on the cake.
If she simply wanted to eliminate An Que, this plan seemed a bit overboard. She could totally simplify it—just investigate the Gatekeepers. Surely, someone would have a clue about An Que’s whereabouts. If she could get her hands on specific information, she could just set off to grab him without all this fuss.
By the time the plan was fully in motion, her own power might not be rock-solid yet, but with a Dragon Lady backing her up, she’d feel like she could conquer anything.
Even if she caught a big fish or two, she’d definitely have the power to handle it.
“Why are we looking for her?” Zhao Mingyue pulled out her phone and tapped on the Dragon Lady’s chat icon.
“This plan requires her involvement.”
“Fine, fine, I get it! Bringing her along makes us stronger, right?” She said with her cheeks puffing out a bit. “It’s definitely about her being more useful, huh?”
“Mingyue, your body is still in a growth phase.”
“I know, but it feels impossible to catch up with her! Is she using some cheat code? Or did she get bitten by a lizard and gain some bizarre powers like those superheroes in movies?”
Propping her chin up, Zhao Mingyue sighed dramatically, pretending she wasn’t feeling overwhelmed. Honestly, she couldn’t see any hope of surpassing the Dragon Lady in physical strength; that girl was just too powerful—like she was on some kind of gaming hack.
A girl who could grow scales, had wings and a tail? No one would believe that!
And to this day, she still didn’t know how the Dragon Lady became “the Dragon Lady” in the first place.
Bai Yu crafted a message, telling the Dragon Lady they’d meet in the usual spot tomorrow afternoon to discuss something important.
Handing the phone back to Zhao Mingyue, Bai Yu said softly, “If you want to get stronger in the shortest time possible, I have a way.”
“What way?” Zhao Mingyue’s eyes lit up.
“Just… eat.” Bai Yu snapped her fingers, and a dark red bl**d Thread began to extend from her back, slowly creeping toward Zhao Mingyue.
“Eat?” Zhao Mingyue was confused, but before she could process it, the bl**d Thread suddenly wrapped around her body.
Bai Yu controlled it gently, letting the thread glide down Zhao Mingyue’s cheek, sliding over her white neck, and stopping at her beautifully delicate collarbone. It even began to explore further.
The icy touch made Zhao Mingyue instinctively sit up straighter, tensing. She could clearly feel the bl**d Thread continuing down, branching out in multiple directions from her collarbone, some spreading from her back, some growing from her arms and sides.
What made her blush even more was that those threads were drilling into her underwear along her collarbone, traveling down to her chest and then to her lower abdomen.
While the bl**d Threads were cold and not overly stimulating, their positioning was all wrong. That area of skin was incredibly sensitive, and her feelings were as clear as day, leaving her face visibly flushed, redder than an overripe tomato!
Biting her lip, her bashful eyes reflected a mix of struggle and daze.
She could feel the bl**d Threads enveloping her completely, even underneath all her clothes—talk about a level of intimacy that was off the charts!
“Bai Yu…” Zhao Mingyue’s face was bright red, almost like it could bleed, as she lowered her head, her legs instinctively clamping together. Her cherry lips parted slightly as she breathed heavily, letting out warm puffs of air.
The deep red on her face stemmed from a thought—a thought she often pondered.
The bl**d Thread was a component of Bai Yu’s body, the most important part of it. So when it was extended, could it be seen as her limb, like a hand?
Now that the bl**d Thread was wrapping around her body—360 degrees without missing a spot—even… down there… it was as if…
The more she thought about it, the more her face burned red, and she couldn’t help but lower her head, unable to meet Bai Yu’s eyes.
“I devoured quite a few evil spirits today and absorbed a lot of power. You can think of this power as soul energy or part of the bl**d Thread. After absorbing it, your strength will increase, which will be clearly visible in the count and intensity of the bl**d Threads.”
Seeing Zhao Mingyue’s increasingly curious expression, Bai Yu offered an explanation.
“Right now, you’re not fully a ghost; you’re still primarily human.”
“You wouldn’t be able to actively absorb this power yourself. Even if you tried to devour some evil spirits, you wouldn’t be able to eliminate the residual resentment—they’re like refuse piling up in your body.”
“I’ve filtered this power, removing some impurities. I’m now slowly transmitting it to you, helping your body accept it better.”
“Um, something like that. You can carefully feel it.”
Zhao Mingyue felt like she was about to cry, her movements awkward as she pressed her legs together. She genuinely felt it—a sensation akin to countless tiny hands kneading and caressing her body, gradually turning into mist and merging with her.
She knew where the kneading sensation came from—it was indeed Bai Yu controlling the bl**d Threads.
It was like applying skincare, rubbing the products into her skin will promote absorption.
Having Bai Yu’s bl**d Threads kneading her body from all angles was similar.
She understood the concept, but the feeling was super weird!
How was she supposed to focus on that?
She was completely distracted!
She didn’t know if Bai Yu was being intentional or just careless.
Sure, it was fine to knead the areas that needed absorption, but some places didn’t require it at all!
Bai Yu coughed, looking away, trying to avoid making eye contact.
If she knew what Zhao Mingyue was thinking, she’d quickly clarify it wasn’t intentional.
Because Zhao Mingyue was right.
The bl**d Threads felt just about like her limbs. As long as she wanted to, there was a tactile sensation—almost like touching with her hands—she could feel Zhao Mingyue’s body temperature.
Since the wrap around Zhao Mingyue was all-encompassing, it made her feelings quite chaotic. It was all soft and smooth like milk everywhere; she couldn’t tell which part was the softest!
Well, if she was to feel it, it wouldn’t be impossible to know.
And being aware of this minor awkwardness, she’d explored every inch of Zhao Mingyue’s body with the bl**d Threads, yet maintained a fuzzy boundary of perception.
It was a bit like burying her head in the sand.
But she had to absorb Zhao Mingyue’s body fully; even her legs couldn’t be left out.
There was no way Zhao Mingyue’s legs didn’t have any soul energy!
Considering Zhao Mingyue was a living person, she needed to proceed with utmost caution, maximizing her absorption with minimal cost.
It was like chewing food in her mouth, ensuring there were no pebbles, bugs, or poison before mouth-to-mouth feeding it to Zhao Mingyue.
The process, in reality, took no more than half an hour.
And that simple thirty minutes felt like an eternity for both Zhao Mingyue and Bai Yu.
One was clamping her legs under extreme stimulation; the other was averting her gaze, pretending to be calm while her eyes were completely scrambled.
Despite them showering together almost every day and being open with each other numerous times, this kind of profound “intimate” communication made things a bit awkward for both.
But Bai Yu wasn’t the type to let embarrassment hold her back.
Would she really abandon providing Zhao Mingyue with that power just because of some awkwardness?
Absolutely not.
On the sofa, Bai Shuang’er was curled up, a Little Coal Ball sprawled on her head, engrossed in a cartoon on TV. She noticed an unusual silence at the dining table that had lasted quite a while, so she tilted her head to peek.
As a Fox Spirit, she was very familiar with such matters.
She could tell right away that Zhao Mingyue was nearing her limit, while Bai Yu’s apparent calmness was merely a cover for her tension.
The problem was, what had they even done to reach this state?
It was all so strange—humans were truly puzzling!
She hadn’t expected her two upper-crust friends to be so crafty, even with each other being girls.
She had to admire their resourcefulness.
Half an hour that felt as long as a century passed, and Bai Yu finally retracted the bl**d Threads.
The results were significant; Zhao Mingyue’s strength and number of bl**d Threads surged, and her energy had also noticeably consolidated. Her depletions and injuries from the Youth Apartment were fully restored.
Zhao Mingyue sprang up, a chaotic whirlwind, not even pausing to tidy up the dining table before dashing into the bedroom. She scrambled for some clean clothes for both herself and Bai Yu, before dragging Bai Yu toward the bathroom.
It wasn’t that she was eager for revenge on Bai Yu; it was just that they had gotten way too sweaty and a bit overly… intimate. It was time for a cleansing.
She didn’t mind doing it; it was just that Bai Yu hadn’t prepared her!
—
“No way, I can’t tell you guys about this.”
The next day, in the convenience store’s resting area.
Li Tianan sat at the main table, facing Bai Yu and Zhao Mingyue.
Bai Yu got straight to the point, asking for all the information about the Ghost Gates that Li Tianan had—preferably as many as possible.
Li Tianan’s head was spinning; he couldn’t help but feel regret.
He should’ve flat-out denied Bai Yu’s request from the start! Now, it had escalated, and she had drained his Ghost Gates dry, intending to wreak havoc on others as well.
There was a silver lining to this, though—the evil spirits around those Ghost Gates weren’t entirely benign. Many were potential threats. Since they were evil spirits, how many could be coherent like Bai Yu?
The problem was, he didn’t control those Ghost Gates.
Each jurisdiction was managed independently. If Bai Yu went in, it would undoubtedly lead to unnecessary trouble. With her personality and power, she’d wipe everything out—it’d be a bloodbath for the Gatekeepers.
“Store Manager, clearing out evil spirits is a good thing! Don’t worry, Bai Yu and I will handle it perfectly, leaving no traces behind!”
Zhao Mingyue nestled close to Bai Yu. Li Tianan couldn’t shake the feeling that their relationship had become even closer; they were practically glued together in broad daylight.
“That doesn’t matter. It’ll cause panic.” Li Tianan rejected outright. “You can’t possibly erase every trace. Even if there are no leads, with one Ghost Gate after another cleaned out, won’t the Gatekeepers start to suspect?”
“In the short term, if all these people are aroused, they’ll definitely investigate you two with full force.”
Li Tianan intertwined his fingers, resting them on the table, his voice low. “Bai Yu, I know you’re strong and don’t think much of the Gatekeeper organization, but I must remind you: You’re a ghost, and Mingyue is still a living person. She has a life of her own.”
“The Gatekeepers can’t touch you, but they can target Mingyue. Some of those guys have big backing. They wouldn’t need to resort to their methods to deal with you—they could go after Mingyue through social means. Do you really want her to live a life of dodging and weaving just to gain a bit of power?”
“Or do you think Lu Liangting can help you completely settle this?”
“You’re mistaken. The Lu Liangting family is indeed powerful in Tianchang City, but that’s their whole family—not just Lu Liangting.”
“Think it through.”
From Li Tianan’s perspective, Bai Yu’s motive for cleaning up the Ghost Gates was twofold: one,to strengthen herself and two, something to do with An Que.
And it seemed like Zhao Mingyue’s intention didn’t really align with that regarding An Que.
If it were related to An Que, targeting the Gatekeepers would be inevitable.
An Tianhe had died already; another d*ath would lead to real chaos.
“I have my considerations.” Bai Yu crossed her arms, with the overly clingy Zhao Mingyue stuck to her side.
“I won’t touch the Gatekeepers, only clean up the Ghost Gates.”
“As for the rest, I’ll handle it myself.”
The two exchanged glances; Li Tianan tried to glean Bai Yu’s intentions from her eyes, but her determined gaze was brimming with an undercurrent of menace, revealing nothing.
They say eyes are the windows to the soul, but Bai Yu’s eyes were more like windows that had been welded shut and adorned with blades.
“Consider it well.”
“I will.” Bai Yu pulled out paper and pen, placing them in front of Li Tianan.
Li Tianan couldn’t quite figure out why Bai Yu was so set on the Ghost Gates; she didn’t seem like the impulsive type. Clearly, she had some grand plan.
Surely, she didn’t genuinely intend to create a stir and draw An Que out from the shadows?
As he thought, Li Tianan scribbled down more than ten addresses on the paper—nearly all the Ghost Gates in the province.
As for how he knew so many details, that was entirely irrelevant to Bai Yu.
“These are all the addresses I know. I won’t tell you more, but I think this should be enough. As for who the Gatekeepers are, that’s of no importance to you.”
Upon receiving the list, even Bai Yu couldn’t help but look at Li Tianan with a hint of surprise.
He’d acted all reluctant, yet he kept writing like a machine—no holds barred.
“Thanks.”
“No need. Just don’t drag me into your mess later. I just want to be an ordinary convenience store owner now.”
Li Tianan said it, but his instincts told him that this time, there was no escaping from Bai Yu’s plans.
Just as Bai Yu returned to the shadows of Zhao Mingyue, the convenience store door chimed, swung open, and someone strolled in.
Zhao Mingyue casually glanced over before her eyes widened.
Because the person who walked in was none other than Lu Liangting.
Zhao Mingyue knew that Lu Liangting had entered the mission world; she just hadn’t encountered him at all. She didn’t even know if he was alive or dead after all this time. Plus, he’d been acting mysteriously lately, so it had felt like forever since she’d seen him.
Lu Liangting looked the same as always, his complexion visibly better than before—he must have rested these past few days.
As the convenience store’s wind chimes jingled, they rang six times—much to Li Tianan’s astonishment, since it was usually only five.
Surprisingly, today, when Zhao Mingyue walked in, the chimes had rung a startling eight times, leaving Li Tianan utterly speechless.
He thought seven chimes were the limit, but it seemed that “limits” were meant to be broken!
As Lu Liangting spotted Zhao Mingyue resting inside, he quickly approached.
He looked much better than previously, but there was still a hint of anxiety about him.
“Mingyue.”
Standing two meters away from Zhao Mingyue, Lu Liangting hesitated, words caught in his throat.
Li Tianan, sensing the awkwardness, stood up. “I have some matters to attend to, so I won’t interrupt your conversation any longer, you young folks.”
Once Li Tianan left, Zhao Mingyue asked in confusion, “What’s up, Lu Liangting? Did you run into trouble?”
Anxiety was practically written all over Lu Liangting’s face, though he was trying hard to suppress it—or rather, the effort to suppress it made him look all the more distressed, as his eyes fought with complicated emotions, expression deeply conflicted, wanting to speak but unsure where to start.
Lu Liangting was generally a level-headed person, but if he was this anxious, it must be something serious.
“Mingyue, it’s like this…”
“Take a seat and tell me slowly.” Zhao Mingyue interrupted Lu Liangting.
“Okay.”
He sat down in the chair Li Tianan had just vacated, took a deep breath, trying to steady himself.
“I want to…“ Lu Liangting clenched his fist, brow furrowed, pausing briefly before continuing.
“What?”
“I want to borrow Bai Yu for a bit.” The words seemed to have drained all his courage. After stating his request, he realized it sounded off, hastily adding, “I mean, I need Bai Yu’s help—just for half a day.”
“My father has been taken, and the situation isn’t looking good.”
“The other party is very strong.”
“I… I’m no match for them.”
