Chapter 284: Bai Yu’s Choice
The mortuary was dead silent, except for the distant howls of the Evil Ghost being burned by flames. Everyone was quiet, even Qian Mu found herself staring at Bai Yu in an unusual stillness.
They could feel that Bai Yu was not quite herself; the aura she unintentionally radiated increased their anxiety. If it weren’t for the fact that they knew Bai Yu was pondering the matter of the Ghost Domain, they might have suspected she was plotting to wipe them out.
Chen Yunshi shot a glare at Qian Mu, signaling her to keep quiet, and said, “The concept of true and false Ghost Gates is really simple. Strictly speaking, there’s no such thing as a false Ghost Gate. The so-called false Ghost Gate is merely a gate whose powers are insufficient to connect the real world to the Ghost World.”
“That’s why you can step through one Ghost Gate and come out of another.”
“So, there is a way to turn a false Ghost Gate into a true one; you just need to power it enough to support the connection between the two worlds.”
“But merely connecting isn’t enough. You can think of the Ghost Gate as a tunnel—it has limits and can only bear a certain amount of power. You must operate within those limits to move freely; otherwise, entering it is no different from entering a false Ghost Gate. The Evil Ghosts and Evil Gods in the Ghost World can step out only if they’re within that power capacity.”
“You don’t need me to explain, you should get my point.”
“So, I suspect that Nightmare’s mass collection of these souls for potion-making and digging up cursed hearts is to awaken the God behind the Ghost Gate, and then use the cursed hearts to strengthen the Ghost Gate, making its power capacity sufficient to bring that God into the real world.”
“Nightmare is a person who thrives on chaos; that’s just how she is. I’ve had dealings with her before, and her methods are often unfathomable. You can hardly understand why she does what she does—it’s like her actions have no meaning to anyone but herself. In the end, I realized her intent is one and only one: she enjoys it, it gives her a sense of accomplishment.”
“They say we’re mad, but compared to her, we are just amateurs.”
Chen Yunshi didn’t want to get involved in this; it wasn’t that she was afraid of Nightmare, but countless experiences had shown that battling Nightmare brought nothing but grief and futility.
This character never played by the rules, and often her own actions didn’t benefit her. Killing or driving her away usually turned out to be a waste of effort, and they risked giving others a chance to profit.
The best way to deal with such a person is to stay off her radar—just avoid her attention, or calamity would inevitably strike.
From Chen Yunshi’s perspective, Nightmare’s quest to take out Bai Yu might be as simple as her getting miffed over Bai Yu ruining her plans one time too many. Or perhaps she felt Bai Yu posed a threat to her life—maybe she just disliked that Bai Yu was ranked higher than her.
“I can’t assist you here at the Ghost Gate. The Evil Gods that come through will be weakened; they can only regain their powers with an embryo body. Likewise, Qian Mu will also be weakened; she has no connection to the Ghost Gate anymore.”
“If you want to go in, I can help you test the other side’s status first.”
Bai Yu frowned, “Is there a way to determine that?”
“Yes, I can try to call her and gauge her response to judge her current condition. It might not be absolutely accurate, but I’ll get a good idea.”
“What do you need?”
“The true name of that God and a real Ghost Gate. The other materials I can gather myself.”
Chen Yunshi’s unexpected decisiveness struck Bai Yu; she wanted to know the Dark Moon God’s current condition.
Things were different now. In the past, she wouldn’t have hesitated to explore the Ghost Gate herself, diving headlong into perilous situations without a second thought. In the sc*m Game, if you didn’t take risks, you were just signing your d*ath warrant.
But not now. If something were to happen to her, what would Zhao Mingyue do?
Mingyue was her concern and her anchor. Once a person has something to care about, they rarely dare to act impulsively. After all, it’s not just about their own life or d*ath—the feelings of their family members weigh in as well.
She didn’t understand this before, but now the feeling was all too clear.
“All right, three days later at Feng Village.”
“Then it’s settled. I’ll prepare during these three days.” Chen Yunshi erased the formation and stood up, tugging Qian Mu back from beside Zhao Mingyue.
They exchanged glances, and although Qian Mu didn’t say a word, she agreed with Chen Yunshi’s thoughts. Bai Yu had helped them, so it was only fair they return the favor.
“Bai Yu, I’ll give you one last piece of advice. Don’t rush to cleanse the evil thoughts from your body for now. This might seem like a hazard, but I think it will help with your actions behind the Ghost Gate. This evil thought energy acts like a pass; it ensures that whatever’s in there won’t interfere with you.”
“Mm.”
“Let’s go.” Having tidied up the scene, Chen Yunshi dragged Qian Mu away.
What was with this girl, getting all cozy with Zhao Mingyue and Bai Yu, talking nonsense?
On the way back, Chen Yunshi inquired and was surprised by Qian Mu’s response.
“Hey, Chen Yunshi, it’s not that I like hanging out with Zhao Mingyue. It’s just that they are my only friends besides you. No, wait—you don’t count as a friend! Thinking about it, isn’t that sad? I have only two friends in this world, and here you are, trying to keep me from them. Your possessiveness is off the charts; you need to chill.”
“You consider them friends?” Chen Yunshi shot back from the car.
“Of course they’re friends! What else could they be? Don’t you think they’re great? Especially Bai Yu, she’s not terrifying at all like you said! She’s just a sweet little girl who prefers silence!” Qian Mu wrapped herself around Chen Yunshi’s side, her shadowy body draped across the back seat.
“Just prefers silence?” Chen Yunshi almost laughed in annoyance. “You have no idea how scary she can be. Just because she seems nice now doesn’t mean anything. If it weren’t for Zhao Mingyue, if the old Bai Yu were here, you’d be too scared to even speak to her.”
“Plus, it’s not just about me not wanting you to get close to her. Don’t you see? She’s getting dragged into something really troublesome. We’ve been talking about Nightmare; she’s the second most powerful being on the leaderboard, incredibly strong and devious—capable of anything.”
“The Evil God we encountered in Feng Village was set up by her!”
“We’ve only controlled the Ghost Domain for a few days!”
“One Nightmare is already a headache. Now there’s a Ghost Gate too.”
“If we don’t have her strength, let’s not get involved in this.” Chen Yunshi spoke earnestly, “I’m helping her this time; next time something happens, don’t make decisions for me, whether to accept or reject—I’ll decide everything.”
“Our life has just begun. You shouldn’t be rushing to hit the countdown.”
Qian Mu fell silent; she understood this wasn’t the time for jokes. Chen Yunshi was sincere, considering their future.
In the basement, she noticed Bai Yu’s anxiety, which is why she had volunteered to check on the other side’s status—so Bai Yu would have some assurance.
But then again, wasn’t she in the same boat as Bai Yu? With attachments and concerns, how could she dare to take risks alone?
The Ghost Gate was a prime opportunity. In the previous worlds of the sc*m Game, the Ghost Gate was vital; you couldn’t pass up opportunities without considering it. The bosses inside the Ghost Gate could very well be the final bosses of their quests.
In the past, she would have teamed up with Bai Yu to explore the Ghost Gate without hesitation.
“I understand now,” Qian Mu said softly, bowing her head and tenderly stroking Chen Yunshi’s head.
—
“Hey Bai Yu, is it okay if I go with you to that world behind the Ghost Gate?” On the way back to Feng Xi’s ward, Zhao Mingyue asked softly.
“Nope.”
“Ah, why not?”
“Living people can’t enter that world.”
“Oh, right.”
Zhao Mingyue sighed, reached out, and knocked on the door. Just as she was about to open it, it swung open from the inside.
Glancing at Lu Liangting, Zhao Mingyue asked, “Where are you going?”
“To handle Nianqiu’s discharge paperwork; she can leave today.”
“Okay.” She stepped aside to let Lu Liangting pass and moved to Nianqiu’s bed, pulling an orange from the fruit basket. “How was your chat with your brother? Here, want some orange?”
“I can’t believe how much he’s changed, all because of me,” Nianqiu said, taking half the orange, her tone wistful. If she weren’t controlling Feng Xi’s body, she would have been unable to hold back her tears.
“Don’t blame yourself; no one wants something like this to happen.”
“Um, is Bai Yu here?” Lu Nianqiu raised her head, remembering something.
“She’s here; she can hear you.”
“I want to thank Bai Yu. I just heard my brother say that if it weren’t for her, he might have died. Bai Yu saved his life, not just once.”
As soon as Nianqiu finished speaking, Bai Yu’s figure appeared beside Zhao Mingyue.
“No need to thank me. I have a question for you. Can Feng Xi’s body still heal your injuries? What’s your current status: a ghost or an Evil God?”
“I… I don’t know; I’m probably about to become an Evil God,” Bai Yu replied. “Why do you ask, sister Bai?”
“I want to borrow her powers. Does she have a limit?”
“There is a limit, but she can recover quickly; it won’t affect her body much. Let me ask Feng Xi first; I can’t decide for her.”
Bai Yu had an idea: to gain the cursed power of an Evil God through an Evil Ghost’s body.
Then she would use that power to control other ghostly creatures, turning them into followers for her belief.
She didn’t want to control living people—that was too much hassle. Ghosts were a different matter; if worse came to worst, they could just run a few more task locations, which would also give Mingyue a chance to level up.
