Love from the Male Protagonist's Harem

LFTMPH Chapter 94-Baimeng Cave Part 2

Translated by Snowfall77

Finally interested, Xia Ge listened carefully: “So you think the giant bats came from inside Baimeng Cave?”

Mao Qing nodded gravely.

Xia Ge: “I don’t think that’s very likely.  Yesterday I……er, I heard that Jianfeng caught the person who’d been controlling the bats.”

“Wasn’t it all just someone’s manipulation?”

Mao Qing felt her analysis was more clearly logical: “But so many bats, appearing out of thin air, and that big in size, they’d definitely create huge lingqi fluctuations.  How did they arrive so suddenly without anyone detecting their approach?”

Reconsidering carefully, Xia Ge thought Mao Qing’s words might have merit.  She’d barely had time to sense the abnormal lingqi yesterday before the bats had attacked out of nowhere.

Xia Ge: “Do you have any evidence that the bats came from Baimeng Cave?”

Mao Qing: “No, it’s just that the bats sounded like something that could’ve emerged from Baimeng Cave.  Lots of people are saying that.”

Xia Ge: “……”  So nothing more than wild guesses.

Nevertheless, Mao Qing was a little excited: “If Baimeng Cave did show up and you had the chance to go inside, would you?”

Xia Ge gave Mao Qing a subtle look: “Isn’t it good to be alive?”

Mao Qing: “……”

Quietly picking her book back up, Mao Qing finally asked: “Where’s your spirit of adventure?”

Xia Ge: “If it was you, would you go inside?”

A place that brought plagues and disasters wasn’t exactly Xia Ge’s idea of a good time.  A person’s head would have to be full of water to think otherwise.

Mao Qing smiled: “If it were me, I think I’d go.”

Xia Ge: “……”  Is your brain nothing but splooshing waves?  Can’t be, right?

Muttering to herself for a minute, Xia Ge eventually said tactfully: “You really are……very adventurous.”

Shaking her head, Mao Qing responded: “It’s not about taking risks or being adventurous.  I simply have an idea.”

“The dream deity controlled time.  If I could make it into Baimeng Cave, what if I……found the chance to reverse time and go back to Danfeng’s library before it burned?”

Xia Ge’s eyes went wide: “You think such a thing could be done?”

Mao Qing: “Who knows?  I’m just wondering.  There might be nothing about or in Baimeng Cave that could reverse time.”

Xia Ge: “Still, it is an interesting thought.”

Lowering her head, Mao Qing stared at the volume in her hand: “If someone could go back to that point in time and save everything……Danfeng wouldn’t be like it is now.”

A once glorious peak that’d been destroyed by a fire.

How could a disciple be reconciled to it?

= =

Jianfeng-

Chang Lan was in the middle of going over files.

“Senior Brother……”

A somewhat hesitant disciple in blue hovered nearby.

“What is it?  Speak plainly.”  Looking up from his reading, Chang Lan’s brow was furrowed.  Kuzhu Village to the southeast was suffering from an influx of evil spirits and demons?

“The matter from yesterday……”

Annoyed by the disciple’s hemming and hawing, Chang Lan reiterated: “What’s the issue?  Be straightforward.”

“The corpse that Senior Chu killed with an arrow yesterday……it’s now missing.”

Chang Lan was suitably startled: “What?”

The body had already been put in a coffin, though the coffin hadn’t been sealed yet.  Disciples had gone to move the coffin, and upon realizing something was wrong by the weight, checked the coffin’s contents and found it empty.

Arriving at where the coffin had been stored, Chang Lan examined it, frowning heavily.  When done, he ordered: “Ask Baili Qing to come here.”

The coffin was in a ventilated morgue.  Although infrequently visited by anyone, the morgue had the protection of a Diji-level formation to guard against intruders or thieves.  So, unless whoever had stolen the corpse had heavenly abilities, it should’ve been impossible for them to steal the body without raising the alarm.

After Baili Qing came, the two men stared at the vacant coffin in shared bewilderment.

“What does Brother Baili think?” Chang Lan asked.

Shoufeng was very good at tracing lingqi, and that was why Chang Lan had called Baili Qing over.

Dressed in the skins of multiple beasts, Baili Qing raised his hand slightly, and the red bird on his shoulder screeched a couple times, then flapped its wings and circled the morgue twice before returning back to Baili’s shoulder.

Baili Qing: “Chiluan doesn’t detect the trace of any abnormal person, only the qi of your disciples, and there’s no unusual fluctuations in Jianfeng’s lingqi.”

“Question your disciples, one might be a spy who stole the body.”

Chang Lan shook his head: “I’ve investigated, but found nothing wrong.”

The corpse had been strange and terrible in appearance, scaring the guarding Jianfeng disciples.  They’d made a point of sticking together, not even separating when relieving themselves.

Chang Lan had found no part of their story suspicious.  Baili Qing sighed: “Alright, if no one is lying, how did the body disappear into thin air?”

Now it was Chang Lan’s turn to sigh: “Who can say?”

Eyeing the empty coffin, Baili sunk into contemplation.  When he’d examined the corpse yesterday, it’d been desiccated from the strain of trying to control too many giant bats, with the added indignity of a fierce and absolutely fatal arrow right through the forehead.  The person had been unquestionably dead.

While Baili Qing was deep in thought, Chiluan abruptly chirped and flew into the coffin.  Fluttering its wings, Chiluan used its scarlet beak to pluck out a small piece of cloth from one corner of the coffin.  Reaching out a hand, Baili let the piece of cloth fall onto his palm.  Chiluan, satisfied, perched back on Baili Qing’s shoulder.

Chang Lan grimaced: “……what is it?”

With a slight flick of Baili Qing’s hand, lingqi moved, and the piece of fabric floated mid-air.  It was the size of a fingernail and stiff with dried blood, its original color undetectable.  Despite it smelling faintly of blood, it had no lingqi fluctuations and had been tucked in a dark corner of a coffin.  It was understandable no one had noticed it.

Looking at the tiny bit of fabric, Baili Qing once again preoccupied.

Chang Lan: “Is from the corpse’s clothes?  Only……”

Surveying the dead body yesterday, Chang Lan had seen no other injury other than the arrow through the head.  Where would’ve blood-stained clothing come from?

“You should keep it for now,” Baili Qing replied, “And the guarding formation needs to be strengthened.”

“Naturally,” Chang Lan massaged his temples, “This is all rather bizarre.”

Baili Qing shook his head: “The elder is still in seclusion, and that person is still held in Jianfeng’s prison.  I can’t help feeling this matter has something to do with the Demon Sect.”

Chang Lan: “I don’t doubt it.”

“But,” Chang Lan paused for a moment, “Recently there is something else that’s been bothering me……”

Baili Qing: “Mmm, what?”

Lifting his head, Chang Lan enunciated carefully: “Demon Tide.”

Baili’s pupils contracted: “Demon Tide?  You think it’s starting again?”

His head throbbing with pain, Chang Lan answered: “Once it starts, it’ll last for a long time.  I don’t know how long.”

Baili Qing: “And [Order]?”

“[Order] has already sent people to guard the village, and Lingxi will send some disciples as well,” Chang Lan said, “If we’re careful, it’ll be good training for our disciples.”

Baili Qing: “What are your plans?”

“Jianfeng has the most martial strength, they’ll bear the brunt of it.  It depends on you what Shoufeng disciples you want to send, and as for Danfeng……” Chang Lan hesitated, “When it comes to Danfeng, we can discuss it with Sister Gu at the Hall of Council tonight.”

Baili Qing: “What do you think she’ll do?”

Chang Lan gave a bitter laugh: “How could I know?  However, judging by the current state of Danfeng……”

He didn’t need to say anything further for Baili to understand what Chang Lan was getting at.

Danfeng might’ve been recruiting more disciples recently, but when you broke it down, very few of them had opened their lingqiao, and even fewer could be considered to have combat skill of any kind.  A group of disciples who didn’t have opened lingqiao and could only refine dan——Even if guarded by [Order], putting them into a battle against raging evil spirits would simply be sending them to their death.

“Not necessarily,” Baili countered, “Danfeng doesn’t only have liandan, they can also wield talisman formations.”

Chang Lan: “Let’s be honest.  I haven’t seen a single person in Danfeng who can wield talisman formations except for Sister Gu.”

Baili Qing: “……”

Coughing and then acting as if he hadn’t heard that last part, Baili Qing suggested: “Let’s wait and ask Sister Gu’s opinion tonight.  After all, Danfeng is her responsibility.”