Chapter 188: Before the Storm

"Never mind this mousse nonsense, you're lying!"

The Old Man materialized a Smoking Pipe in his hand, his gaze incredibly sharp.

"Shh, shh, keep your voice down, Old Liu."

Bi Jie wiped the sweat from his forehead. He really didn't want to argue with this Old Man; he came out on the losing end every single time.

The two of them weren't actually close friends; they had just worked together for a time and got along fairly well.

Simply put, they hit it off.

In Minhu, finding kindred spirits wasn't easy, so they considered themselves to be on decent terms.

But... Bi Jie was a man who knew how to weigh his priorities.

Right now, he was deep undercover for the sake of a grander scheme!

How could he let an old man ruin his mission?

"Old Liu, it's complicated. I'll explain it to you later, okay? Shh, shh, keep it down."

He had no choice; he owed this Old Man a massive favor.

Otherwise, there was no way Bi Jie would be acting so subserviently!

Seeing Bi Jie's panicked demeanor, Old Master Liu lowered his voice as well.

"Fine, then tell me. Where did that ballot go?"

"I gave it to someone else," Bi Jie whispered.

"Who?"

"I can't say."

"Was it Lin Changgui?"

"No."

"Wei Nantian, then?"

"No."

"Then was it—"

"Stop, stop, stop! Old Liu, don't push your luck! Don't think for a second that I don't have a temper!"

Bi Jie's tone turned fierce.

"If you keep digging into this, don't blame me for exposing your whereabouts!"

"Expose them, then."

Old Master Liu took a drag from his pipe. "My young master is already dead anyway. Who cares about an old man like me?"

"..."

Bi Jie choked on his words for a moment before his eyes bulged.

"Then don't blame me for getting physical!"

He was at the Fourth Tier, after all. There was no way Liu Fu could be his match.

"Do it, then."

Old Master Liu simply sat down right there on the ground.

"You're at the Fourth Tier now, anyway. You're far beyond a useless old man like me. Sigh... if it weren't for what happened back then, I'd probably be at the Fourth Tier too..."

The Old Man let out a long sigh. His words made the hair on the back of Bi Jie's neck stand up, and left his expression incredibly conflicted.

The incident Old Master Liu was referring to happened to involve him directly.

"Stop, stop, stop! Stop playing the victim!"

Bi Jie clasped his hands together and waved them pleadingly in front of the Old Man. "I'm begging you. Just stay out of this, all right? I promise I'll avenge your young master, okay?"

"Fine."

Old Master Liu stood up and patted the dust from his thighs. "Then let me ask you one more thing. It has nothing to do with this county mayoral election."

"Ask away."

Bi Jie wiped the sweat from his brow, only for the Old Man's next words to send another shock through his heart.

"Is it true that there's a treasure buried beneath Bianliu County?"

"Of course it's true."

Bi Jie said, "Why would I lie to you?"

"Everyone says it's just a joke to fool people."

The Old Man went on, "And the rumors have been getting wilder lately. They say that on the day the new mayor takes office, an anomaly will appear, and the underground treasure will reveal itself."

Bi Jie chuckled.

"Well, that just might be true too."

"Regardless, Old Liu, don't get involved in what's happening right now. Just sit back and watch."

Saying this, Bi Jie cast a wary glance toward Yan Jing and Tiger in the distance.

"Who are they?"

"My friends."

"Fair-weather friends?"

"True friends."

Bi Jie fell silent. He took a few steps back from the Old Man, as if trying to get a better look and determine whether this Old Master Liu standing before him was actually the man he used to know.

"But you said you'd never make true friends again."

"Did I say that?"

The Old Man gave him a suspicious look.

"I said that it was impossible for me to find true friends anymore!"

"What the hell is the difference?"

"There's a massive difference."

The Old Man swept his long robe back.

"I'm leaving. Talking to you is too damn exhausting."

"I don't even want to talk to you either!"

Bi Jie tried to flourish his sleeves as well, only to realize his Chinese tunic suit didn't allow for much of a flourish. Resentful, he retreated into the inner room.

The Old Man walked over to Yi Ji and the other, giving them a rough summary of what Bi Jie had just said.

"You guessed right again, kid. That brat Bi looked real strange when he heard there was something underground."

The Old Man frowned.

When he first learned that his old friend was coming, he had assumed he was aiming for the mayor's seat.

Later, upon discovering that two people had bought up a massive number of ballots, he figured his old acquaintance was just trying to drive up the prices.

But now, it seemed neither of those theories was correct...

"Tell me, does he actually want to be mayor or not?"

"He does."

Yan Jing nodded.

"Then how is he supposed to become the may—"

Halfway through his sentence, a spark of electricity seemed to flash through the Old Man's mind. His eyes widened in sudden realization.

He thought he understood now.

There was a method to becoming the mayor that couldn't possibly be any simpler.

"It looks like you've figured it out, Old Man. Becoming the mayor isn't hard."

Yan Jing smiled. "What's hard is being the mayor for three months."

...

...

Nighttime.

Having switched back to his original body, Yan Jing pushed open the main gate to the Wei Faction's courtyard and walked inside.

The courtyard was terrifyingly quiet. The clearing that was normally packed with people was now completely empty.

Not a single oil lamp was lit.

A tall, burly figure stood in the center of the courtyard with his back to Yan Jing.

The moon hadn't risen yet, so only his silhouette was visible, making him look like some sort of monster.

"The Advisor has returned!"

Wei Nantian spoke.

"Indeed, I've returned."

Yan Jing looked at Wei Nantian and clasped his hands in greeting. "I wonder if Commander Wei managed to get the ballots he wanted?"

"Where did you go this afternoon, Advisor?"

Wei Nantian turned around and looked at Yan Jing.

The atmosphere instantly grew heavy.

Yan Jing quickly recalled his movements to see if anyone had tailed him that afternoon. He didn't think so, which left only two possibilities.

Either Bai Qiu had sold him out, or Wei Nantian was bluffing.

Regardless of which it was, there was no way he was going to tell the truth.

"I went to look for the treasure for Commander Wei."

Yan Jing kept his hands clasped as he spoke.

"..."

The murderous tension in the courtyard seemed to ease slightly.

"Is the Advisor referring to the underground treasure?"

"I am."

Yan Jing nodded.

"Is there really a treasure beneath Bianliu County?"

"Without a doubt."

"Hahaha."

Wei Nantian burst into loud laughter. "Thank you for your hard work, Advisor!!!"

"Have you found it, Advisor?"

"Almost."

Yan Jing nodded.

"To tell you the truth, Advisor, I've heard others mention this underground treasure before. I just always thought they were lying to me."

Wei Nantian continued.

"Since you've nearly found it, how much longer will it take?"

"I should be able to find it tomorrow."

Yan Jing replied.

"Good!"

Wei Nantian nodded emphatically. "The ballots are already in hand. Once I ascend to the position of mayor tomorrow, just name whatever you want, Advisor!"

"Understood."

Yan Jing smiled and nodded.

"Can this treasure truly achieve the feat of reviving the dead and fleshing the bones?"

Wei Nantian asked another question.

"Of course."

Yan Jing nodded.

"Hahaha."

Wei Nantian laughed loudly. "Then I'll be relying on you tomorrow, Advisor. Before you leave, you absolutely must find it for me."

"My child will be counting entirely on you."

"I definitely won't betray your trust."

Yan Jing clasped his hands and spoke.

Then, he turned around and walked into his room.

After he lit the lamp, Yan Jing's eyes flickered in the dim illumination.

Wei Nantian's attitude toward him had shifted compared to before.

Now that the ballots had been secured, his own value had plummeted significantly.

Therefore, he'd had to dangle the treasure to boost his worth.

Still, Wei Nantian was unlikely to strike at him for the time being, though he certainly wouldn't leave him completely unchecked like before.

After all, there was no real bad blood or enmity between him and Wei Nantian.

Even so, he still reached out, placed a painting he carried with him on the bed, and gently tapped it with his finger.

A figure stepped out from the painting and lay down on the bed in his place.

Meanwhile, he switched identities, transforming into 'Yi Ji', and climbed onto a distant rooftop to lie prone, fixing his gaze on the courtyard.

Just in case Wei Nantian suddenly lost his mind and decided to kill him. If that happened, trying to switch identities at the last second wouldn't work.

He stayed like that until dawn broke the next day.

Twelve noon today was the scheduled time for the county mayoral election.

According to the rules laid out by Across the Lake, whoever arrived at the gates of Feinan Temple at noon today with the most ballots would become the mayor.

First thing in the morning, Wei Nantian rallied his killing cultivators, gathering them in the courtyard to stand in formation as they waited for twelve o'clock to roll around.

At around eleven o'clock, Wei Nantian cleared his throat and announced, "Move out!!!"

The killing cultivators led the way, with Wei Nantian and Yan Jing riding their horses in the rear. Before heading out the gate, Wei Nantian looked back toward a particular room.

"Bufan, wait for Daddy to come back."

Then, the two of them proudly rode their horses out the gate.

Today, Bianliu County was exceptionally quiet.

Initially, on South Main Street, there had still been Beggar Cultivators from Blessing Road lining the streets to see them off, and Actor Cultivators from the Opera House performing and singing. But by the time they reached West Main Street, there wasn't a single soul in sight.

A few strips of white mourning silk hung lonely over the fabric shop's doorway. A row of Coffins sat inexplicably in front of the casket shop, and a pile of joss paper burned in front of the spirit money store...

Yet there wasn't a trace of human life to be found.

"Advisor, these artisans from West Street are trying to disgust us on purpose,"

Wei Nantian said from atop his horse, glancing at Yan Jing.

"Once Commander Wei takes office, you can properly sort them out."

Yan Jing nodded.

"Hahaha, the Advisor makes a good point!"

Wei Nantian waved his hand.

Shortly after, the group cut through an alleyway and arrived at East Street.

Compared to West Street, this place seemed even more desolate.

Normally, this was the most bustling area in Bianliu County, but today, every single shop had its doors tightly shut.

Only the taverns and restaurants remained open.

Savory aromas drifted out from within, yet intermingled with the smell of the food was the distinct scent of burning incense.

It smelled like... the phantom meals people used to make in the old days to send off little ghosts.

Wei Nantian chuckled again and said, "Advisor, West Street has a grudge against me, which is why they acted like that. But Boss Bai over on this East Street is truly righteous, sending me off to take office with the aroma of a feast."

"Commander Wei is mighty."

"Let's go, Advisor."

Wei Nantian laughed.

They then proceeded down a narrow path sitting between North Street and East Street to enter Feinan Temple.

Once they reached this area, things became far more normal.

At the very least, there were signs of human activity.

The laborers on the road, dressed in coarse cloth and short shirts, all wore a strip of green fabric on their bodies, indicating that they were Landlord Lin's people.

Some carried heavy sacks of wheat on their backs, some hauled seeds, and some led oxen.

Each of them moved like walking corpses, their eyes dull and devoid of light.

It wasn't until they saw Wei Nantian appear that the faintest, imperceptible traces of killing intent surfaced in their eyes.

Whenever Wei Nantian's horse passed by, the people on both sides of the road would raise their heads, glaring at Wei Nantian and Yan Jing's retreating backs with incredibly gloomy expressions.

"Advisor."

"Please speak, Commander Wei."

"I'll handle the mayoral succession in a bit. I just ask that the Advisor take responsibility for one thing."

"Say the word, Commander Wei."

"Find that treasure. Take it to my son, and test it out to see if it can truly achieve the feat of reviving the dead and fleshing the bones."