Unexpected

"Bai Liuli~~"

After a bitter struggle, Wu Xin finally reached Bai Liuli. His right leg was dragging, and both hands were covered in bloody wounds. Ryoko, who had been fighting him, was also seriously injured, but Liu Daimei and Mei Daizi had not been as relentless as she was, so their injuries were not severe.

"Bai Liuli, I’m here to save you~"

Wu Xin flicked his dagger, cutting through the ropes binding Bai Liuli. A cloud of black smoke suddenly surged out and shot toward him. His mental state was already extremely poor, so the attack struck him squarely in the nose and mouth, sending his entire body crashing to the ground.

"Wu Xin~"

The fox demon Big White was battling Shirakawa Rin in midair. When she saw Wu Xin fall, she grew frantic.

"Wu Xin~"

Having regained his freedom, Bai Liuli still had a blurry, wavering phantom around his body. He tried to bend down and help Wu Xin, but his hands passed right through him. His spirit body was not tangible.

"Hahahaha~~"

Shirakawa Rin suddenly burst into laughter. "He’s been hit by my secret technique. Shuten-dōji will definitely be very satisfied with his body."

"Ah~~ Shirakawa Rin, you tricked me! You harmed me~~"

Wu Xin’s body suddenly convulsed, and a roar unlike any human voice burst from his mouth.

"You sent that monster to possess Wu Xin? You’re practically asking to die!"

Big White giggled, her heart settling slightly. No one knew better than she did how bizarre Wu Xin was. If he encountered a group of ordinary people, he might be suppressed, but demons, monsters, and ghosts had always been nothing more than ingredients delivered to Wu Xin on a platter.

"Shirakawa Rin, you harmed me~~~"

Shuten-dōji—the demon Shirakawa Rin could not fully control—was reputed to be one of the three great monsters in Japanese legend. His true form was that of a Ghost King, capable of possessing and taking over others. But this time, he had encountered Wu Xin, a man even a Ghost Immortal like Yue Qiluo would be doomed against. For Shuten-dōji to attempt possession was simply suicide!

"Shuten~ Come back~"

Shirakawa Rin’s heart jolted. He hurriedly forced Big White back, and the Bronze Mirror burst into a beam of white light that enveloped Wu Xin. Shuten-dōji was a great monster subdued by one of the former patriarchs of the Shirakawa Clan. He had never truly been willing to submit to the Shirakawa Family, but Shirakawa Rin did not want to lose such a trump card.

"Ah~"

With a shrill roar, Shuten-dōji, now reduced to a wisp of black smoke, escaped under Shirakawa Rin’s assistance and sank into the Bronze Mirror.

"Wu Xin~"

The fox demon Big White flew over to Wu Xin and helped him up.

"Wu Xin, are you all right?"

Bai Liuli was extremely anxious beside him. This time, Wu Xin had come to save him.

"Ugh~"

Wu Xin shook his head and opened his eyes. After looking around, he smiled. "Bai Liuli, it’s good that you’re all right."

"Don’t celebrate just yet. We haven’t escaped yet~"

The fox demon Big White interrupted their exchange of glances, then pointed toward the ring of wandering warriors nearby and Shirakawa Rin, who had arrived with reinforcements.

"Bai Liuli, I haven’t asked you yet. Did you reveal anything about Wu Xin’s Centennial Slumber?"

Despite being surrounded by enemies, Big White remained composed. She even had the presence of mind to question Bai Liuli about Wu Xin’s Centennial Slumber. It wasn’t that she was being overly suspicious—the coincidence was simply too great. Tonight was the day Wu Xin entered his century-long sleep. How could the enemy have chosen the timing so perfectly?

"How could I have told anyone? I was wondering the same thing. Why did Zhang Xianzong choose this particular day?"

Bai Liuli hurriedly replied, his indistinct face filled with worry.

"Wait! You’re saying this date wasn’t chosen by that Onmyoji on the other side, but by that warlord called Zhang Xianzong?"

Big White froze. She had thought all of this had been arranged by Shirakawa Rin.

"It might have been Yue Qiluo. She was Zhang Xianzong’s eighth concubine and had cultivated herself into a Ghost Immortal. Her magic power is even stronger than Shirakawa Rin’s. Perhaps she learned something."

Wu Xin was uncertain. He also did not know how this secret had been exposed. He refused to believe that Zhang Xianzong had randomly chosen a day that happened to be the day of his slumber.

"Mr. Shirakawa~"

Just then, Gu Sheng came running over with a group of men, dragging Gu Xuanwu along.

"Mr. Zhang, you captured Gu Xuanwu? Excellent, excellent~~~"

Shirakawa Rin was delighted to see Gu Xuanwu, whose face was blackened with soot and full of defiance. Pointing at Wu Xin’s group, he said, "We’ve trapped them too. Let’s eliminate them together and remove this future threat."

"Good~"

Gu Sheng stood beside Shirakawa Rin. Wu Xin and the others all grew wary, but Wu Xin, Big White, and Bai Liuli failed to notice that the expressions of Chuchenzi and the others behind them had changed slightly.

"Mr. Shirakawa, you can deal with these few. As for Wu Xin, leave him to my men."

Gu Sheng pointed at Big White and the others besides Wu Xin as he spoke to Shirakawa Rin, while ordering his subordinates to surround Wu Xin.

"Good~ We’ll do it that way!"

Shirakawa Rin smiled faintly. The arrangement suited him perfectly. Wu Xin would be best handled by ordinary people.

"Mr. Ling, Wu You, leave that demoness to me. Deal with the other nuisances."

At Shirakawa Rin’s command, Wu You and Ling Wei charged forward simultaneously, darting toward Fang Yun and the others.

"Oh? Today, I’ll see just how much of White Maiden’s skill her disciples and descendants have actually learned."

Nine snow-white tails burst from Big White’s back. White fur appeared across her face, while her hands transformed into sharp claws. Her demonic aura surged into the heavens, stirring up waves of demonic wind.

"Then I’ll show you—ugh~"

Shirakawa Rin formed a hand seal and pressed it against the Bronze Mirror. Just as he was preparing to go all out against Big White, he let down his guard around Gu Sheng behind him. As he was about to cast his spell, a bloody blade tip pierced through his back, making his hands freeze and scattering all his magic power. He turned his head in disbelief.

The several groups that had been about to clash stopped all at once, and the scene fell silent.

"Mr. Zhang, you—you—you why~~~"

Shirakawa Rin truly could not believe it. Why had Zhang Xianzong stabbed him at a time like this? The demons within his Bronze Mirror had already been badly wounded during their repeated pursuit of Wu Xin’s group, and the most powerful one, Shuten-dōji, had nearly perished just moments ago. Fighting Big White in a contest of magic power had also exhausted him. After Gu Sheng’s sudden attack, he was genuinely on the verge of death.

"You really thought I would cooperate with the Japanese? I was only planning to fleece the wolf without lifting a finger."

Gu Sheng pulled out the blade, then thrust it in again. "In fact, I had my reasons for approaching your Shirakawa Clan. Who told you to possess something I wanted?"

Gu Sheng reached out and seized the Bronze Mirror in Shirakawa Rin’s right hand. Then he pulled another identical Bronze Mirror from his robes and waved it before Shirakawa Rin’s eyes. "Look. With a pair of items like this, who would settle for just one? Once these things acknowledge a master, they can only acknowledge a new master after the original owner dies. So you have to die. Makes perfect sense, doesn’t it?"