Beginning with the Ubume Bird

Chapter 117: Chapter 16 Xi Yi

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The young man with the white face walked with a light, floating gait, his face coated with white foundation, his mouth slightly open, revealing a bright red tongue. He was dressed in blue soap-colored clothes, with a black and red belt tied around his waist, wearing a red tasseled felt hat.

Li Yan was expressionless, his back to the counter, as he bit into his sauce cucumber, reducing it to mush with each bite.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

The young man with the white face looked up at the shopkeeper squinting his eyes, then pointed to the jar’s contents—a mix of cucumbers, lotus slices, and silver sprout vegetables, the so-called Eight Treasures Delight—and making a bow, he said softly and politely, “The usual three items for Old Madam Deng, if you please, shopkeeper.”

The shopkeeper laughed, “I was wondering, Jia Er, your dog Dao Bazai didn’t come with you; even if I wrapped it up for you, you couldn’t carry it away. What about it, why don’t you take off that ghostly thing of yours?”

Li Yan narrowed his eyes upon hearing this.

“Look at what you’re saying. Dao Bazai did come, he’s here.”

Jia Er said with a smile, and from behind the doorstep, a large yellow dog with a patchy coat came trotting in, wagging its tail—this was the Dao Bazai they were talking about.

Such a big yellow dog, standing up, it could be almost as tall as a human, with mottled fur and two blind eyes, its neck bearing the scar of a long-standing constriction.

Dao Bazai sniffed, then with a paw he scraped the counter, and with a loll of his tongue, a clear, silvery sound—two large coins landed on the table.

Jia Er bowed repeatedly, and the shopkeeper, with an indifferent twitch of his mouth, said, “Wait here.”

The shopkeeper went into the back room, and in a few minutes, he returned holding a yellow sauce packet, hung it around the big yellow dog’s neck, and wiped the large coins on the table before slipping them into his sleeve.

“Dao Bazai, this way!”

Jia Er clapped his hands, calling the dog’s name, and the blind yellow dog perked, waggling its tail as it walked out, weaving through Jia Er’s body effortlessly, exiting the door in front and behind him.

The shopkeeper watched the man and the dog leave, muttering something under his breath, indistinct and unclear.

Lady Dan glanced at Li Yan, who then wiped his mouth and slapped a hand onto Liang Ye’s neck.

“Stop eating, let’s go.”

Under the pitch-black night, the white-faced attendant named Jia Er moved silently, the old yellow dog holding its head high with the sauce packet in butter paper around its neck.

Suddenly, the old yellow dog’s nose twitched. Its front legs halted, and its droopy ears perked up.

Jia Er didn’t notice at first and continued walking for quite a while before realizing Dao Bazai hadn’t followed.

From the shadows of the turn, a soft white fuzzy paw gently reached out.

In front of them was a beast with a king-like black pattern on its forehead and eyes as large as little bells, shining brightly—a young white tiger.

In the Great Ming official system, a fifth-grade official’s robe is emblazoned with a bear pattern, but the Dragon Tiger Qi inhabiting Li Yan, both as a Flying Cavalry Captain and as a Guard Governor—both of which are fifth-grade positions—couldn’t possibly give Li Yan a double bear emblem. And a fourth-grade Gold Leopard was out of his reach.

The reality was, the creature formed from Li Yan’s Dragon Tiger Qi was a pristine young white tiger.

A young tiger, called a leopard in the Ming Dynasty, was normally the emblem of a sixth-grade military official; however, a regular sixth-grade leopard is of a common yellow color, whereas the one formed by Li Yan’s Dragon Tiger Qi was one of unparalleled whiteness.

The old yellow dog, its back arched, trembled, its fur bristled, and fierce fangs exposed—it growled ceaselessly at the shadow with sharp teeth clamped together, saliva dripping, an intimidating sight.

Jia Er, dripping with sweat, called out hoarsely several times, but the dog named Dao Bazai remained unmoved. The white tiger was a separate entity, a figment of Dragon Tiger Qi invisible to the strange beings of Yan Capital at midnight. Correspondingly, the Dragon Tiger Qi of Great Ming officials also had no jurisdiction over the executioners within Sijiu City.

So, all Jia Er could see was his old dog stopping, oblivious to the white cub watching him from the shadows.

Emerging from the shadows, the white tiger was less than a meter long including its tail. It cocked its head and yawned at Dao Bazai, revealing two little sharp fangs in a childlike voice.

Dao Bazai shook his head, the oil paper packet fell to the ground, his strong front limbs supported him as his hind legs pushed off, and he fiercely charged towards the white tiger!

A barely discernible friction sound arose as two palms grabbed Dao Bazai’s tail; it was Jia Er.

He was panting, under his feet was the red and black belt, his face still pale, but he seemed much more alive.

“You unruly beast, it seems you’re itching for a beating!”

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Cursing filthily, he kicked the yellow dog in the back. Held back by its owner, Dao Bazai didn’t lunge further, its body arched, standing off against the shadow, unmoved by Jia Er’s kick.

Jia Er glanced around nervously, decided to pick up the oiled paper package himself, and went to retrieve the belt as well. Unexpectedly, Dao Bazai let out a howl and bit at him.

Jia Er fell on his butt, curses on the tip of his tongue, but then he noticed his belt had vanished into thin air, breaking into a cold sweat.

“Damn it—”

A flash of a gleaming sword vanished into the dark of night, a human head soared into the air, and the large, fierce dog, viciously attacking, was kicked away by Li Yan.

The body fell to the ground, a pool of blood soaking the earth.

Jia Er’s head hit the ground, yet he spoke with a human voice, “You!”

Li Yan held a black belt in his hand, looked down at Jia Er’s head with bulging angry eyes, and brought his sword down on it.

Dao Bazai collided with him, snapping at Li Yan’s calf. The arc of the Ring Dragon shifted and thrust into the yellow dog’s back.

“Good dog.”

Li Yan flicked his wrist, the Ring Dragon sunk deeper by more than a foot, and the old yellow dog let out a mournful cry before breathing its last.

“Is it you? Is it you!”

The beheaded Jia Er couldn’t stop roaring in rage, his pale face contorting.

Li Yan examined the belt in his hand.

[Punishment Division Soap Belt (Night)]

Quality: ???

Butchers slaughter pigs, murderers ascend the ranks.

The token of the Yinsi Criminal Code, when this belt is worn, one becomes “Xi Yi.”

Cannot be taken out of the current Yan Fu event.

[Xi Yi]: Can only interact with things in the state of “Xi Yi,” and can only be touched by things in the state of “Xi Yi.”

May retain normal clothing while traversing Yan Fu but cannot use any weapons or access the Seal Space.

When humans die, they become ghosts; ghosts die to become “Jing”; “Jing” die to become “Xi”; “Xi” die to become “Yi.”

— [Ghost Record]

Li Yan put the belt away, touched Jia Er’s eyes with the Ring Dragon, and said with a chilling tone, “You make a living off beheadings. Tell me, how good was my swordplay?”

Jia Er’s face twisted, barely able to utter a word.

After a pause, Li Yan added, “I am fair in my dealings. You and your lot took three of my heads; I have duly returned them. Your survival after beheading is your good fortune. I won’t strike again.”

Having said that, Li Yan paid him no further attention, turning towards the direction of the vegetable market.

The headless body on the ground reached out and grabbed Li Yan’s ankle, prompting him to instinctively look down.

Jia Er’s teeth flashed white, his complexion turned from pale to black, and his enraged, purplish-black blood vessels twisted like little snakes. His head shot forward like a loosed arrow, braids flying as it tried to bite Li Yan’s neck.

The Ring Dragon sang out, its blade like a broken silver bottle, and in an instant, it minced the head into a shower of flesh and bone.

As the remnants of flesh and blood fell, Li Yan’s face bore a deep malevolence.

“Playing soldier for a few days, and they really think they can treat me like I’m not a bandit!”