303: Chapter 101: They’re Bound to Have an Accident Sooner or Later 303: Chapter 101: They’re Bound to Have an Accident Sooner or Later What does that mean?
Wang Yunxiao felt completely puzzled.
“This matter involves some secrets from the past, you must not go around talking about it recklessly.”
Old Master He lowered his voice and said, “The eighteen Red-Robed Elders at the top hierarchy of the Red Lantern Society were the very eighteen Red-Clothed Fierce Ghosts subdued by Lady Bai.”
“And who is Lady Bai?”
“The Holy Mother of Red Lotus’s original surname is Bai, the people of Old Tianmen all refer to her as Lady Bai, or Immortal Lady Bai.”
Wang Yunxiao had no understanding of the Red Lantern Society, and the more he heard, the more confused he became, “So how can these Red-Clothed Fierce Ghosts subdued by Lady Bai manage affairs in the Mortal World?
Don’t they eat people usually?”
No wonder such an organization would be on the blacklist; they sounded ominously formidable.
Old Master He, seeing what was running through his mind, couldn’t help but snort coldly, “The people in the South still believe in the Official Ghost General, so how could they not manage affairs in the Mortal World?”
“Do you mean to say that the Red-Clothed Fierce Ghosts under Lady Bai are equivalent to the Official Ghost General under Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva?”
Upon hearing this, Wang Yunxiao understood.
“That Russian girl has good insight; she said that the Red Lantern Society just started using the Forgetful River Blood River Map, and that’s correct.
But there’s one thing she didn’t consider, or perhaps she didn’t know, which is the fact that the Ghost Child under your control suddenly went out of control.”
“What happened?”
“Dead people are not supposed to remain in the Mortal World, her loss of control was influenced by the power of the Netherworld.
It was at that moment that the Forgetful River Blood River Map entered its third phase, breaking down the barrier between the yin and yang worlds.”
Old Master He said gravely, “The Government Officials are considering whether a second explosion will occur, but in reality, what the Red Lantern Society actually encountered that compelled them to activate the Forgetful River Blood River Map for an attack, that is the crux of the problem.”
But …
what does this have to do with us?
Wang Yunxiao silently heaved a sigh in his heart.
Principal Zhou was right; this was no longer a problem they could solve.
The closer to the explosion’s epicenter, the rougher and more uneven the roads became, covered with bricks, stones, and rubble.
About three hundred meters from the center, signs of collapsed walls and houses started to appear, the scenes on both sides of the streets were simply too dreadful to bear.
Walking forward, the Special Service Bureau had already put up isolation and warning lines and within one could see many people digging through the rubble for survivors, with soldiers in grey military uniform and active service members scattered throughout the streets and alleys…
Old Master He saw the Guard manning the caution line, stopped his bicycle and gave a salute, then pulled out two IDs from his pocket.
The Guard only glanced at them and didn’t say much; he simply waved them through.
Wang Yunxiao was astounded, but he did not dare to speak out in front of so many people, waiting until they were alone before he couldn’t help but ask, “Master, are you still drawing a salary from the Special Service Bureau?”
“Nonsense!”
Old Master He tossed one of the IDs to him, and Wang Yunxiao, under the light, looked closely and realized that although the ID had his photo on it, the name column had Qi Bing written on it.
“What is this…”
“Didn’t two young fellows from the Special Service Bureau visit our bureau this afternoon?
I ‘borrowed’ their IDs and crafted a set of fakes based on them,” Old Master He explained.
“Brilliant!”
Wang Yunxiao was thoroughly impressed.
Good grief, the people came in the afternoon, and you even accompanied us on a stroll in the evening, when on earth did you make these fake IDs?
There’s no need to question their authenticity, didn’t you see the Guard letting us pass without any objections?
“How did you get my photo?”
“When the bureau made IDs for the Special Service Section last time, didn’t they take your picture?
You, young man, are too careless, not even remembering to ask for the negatives back; I’ve kept them for you.”
“What about this seal?”
“Carved out of a radish.”
No wonder they’re called professionals, truly top authorities in their own field.
The scene was extremely chaotic, with many victims and rescuers, and it was simply impossible to control the situation.
Old Master He led Wang Yunxiao through the crowd with their heads down, drawing no one’s attention, and they smoothly arrived at the site of the explosion.
Before them was a huge pit over fifty meters in diameter, looking as if it had been bombarded by a battleship’s main gun, still emitting thick gunpowder smoke.
Just looking at the scene made it clear that whoever was there at the time had virtually no chance of surviving.
Old Master He looked over the site with a worried frown, crouched down, and took out a small iron box from his bosom.
Inside was something that looked like cooling oil.
He dipped his fingertip in it and applied some to his eyelids.
Wang Yunxiao asked curiously, “Master, what’s this?”
“A secret technique not passed beyond our own!”
Despite his words, Old Master He still reached out and smeared some on him as well.
Wang Yunxiao only felt a coolness on his eyelids, and when he opened his eyes again, what he saw was completely different.
Instead of the pitch-black pit with thick smoke, he saw a world as colorful and dazzling as a kaleidoscope.
It felt like eating fresh mushrooms from Yunnan.
But he quickly realized that he must have a vision similar to the “Chess Herald’s.”
What he saw were layers upon layers superimposed upon the real world, the Outer Dimension.
He could see it, but he couldn’t interpret it.
It was like dreaming: he came up with a particularly brilliant and awesome segment in the dream, and he wanted to write it down immediately upon waking up, but the moment his mind wandered, he completely forgot everything.
“The Longevity Sect has some real experts.”
Old Master He squatted down and murmured with a low voice.
“What have you seen?”
“There were not just three Red-Robed Elders present, but at least six to eight…
The Red Lantern Society must have put out about half their lineup, but the Longevity Sect had experts lying in ambush, catching them off guard, and forcing them to use the Forgetful River Blood River Map formation…”
Old Master He scooped up a handful of air, bringing it close to his nose to sniff carefully, his eyebrows furrowing deeply.
“Something’s not right, really not right.”
What’s not right?
Can you please not speak in riddles?
Wang Yunxiao wanted to press for more questions, but unexpectedly, Old Master He pulled him and turned around to leave.
“That’s it?”
“Let’s talk outside.”
The two kept a low profile as before, returning the way they came, and it wasn’t until they left the scene and mounted their bicycles that Old Master He took a deep breath and said to Wang Yunxiao, “If I’m not mistaken, there’s a traitor from within the Red Lantern Society.”
Wang Yunxiao voiced his surprise, “You can guess even that?”
He wanted to comment on how incredible his master’s sense of smell was, but out of reason and filial piety, he swallowed his words back.
Old Master He heaved a sigh, “This matter of a traitor, sometimes it’s not necessarily because of being bought off or sent in by someone else, but because of differences in beliefs and aspirations.
Or perhaps…
Forget it, let’s not talk about it.
I’ve watched over Lady Bai raising the Red Lantern Society from scratch with her own hands, and I knew there would be trouble sooner or later after she let go and allowed those girls to develop freely.”