Chapter Forty-One: Plotting an Escape; The Fiery Ghost Whip

"You, you’re cheating!"

Bai Yan jumped up in agitation, pointing at the trump card on her table and shouting, "The King of Hell is naturally the highest-ranking official; he must be able to suppress these minor ghosts. You're cheating!"

"I am not cheating," the little one blinked her pure, flawless purple eyes and shook her head.

How could it be cheating? Her Father Lord was naturally high-ranking; how could he blame her for that?

"Then, then how come..." Bai Yan, unconvinced, fanned out his own hand of cards and said, "How come you have the King of Hell card and I don't?"

The little one hummed, "My Father Lord is one of a kind, and there is only one King of Hell in the underworld. What can I do about it?"

"Then why can't this card be mine?"

The little one furrowed her tiny brows, her brilliant, dazzling long purple hair flowing over her shoulders, silky and smooth. "You... you are an adult, why are you bickering with a child like me? It's just a King of Hell card. If you like it so much, I'll give it to you in the next round, won't I?"

"Th-that's what you said, then." Bai Yan felt a bit comforted, sat back down, and lowered himself.

"Mm-hmm, don't worry." The little one responded absentmindedly, thinking he was incredibly childish, and tossed another card down. "Headless ghost, no head."

Inside Bai Chang’s personal space:

The two of them had heard the entire exchange and looked at each other with dark lines across their foreheads. "Is this how they usually interact?"

Bai Chang also looked away somewhat uncomfortably, flicking her hair. "Well, how would I know? I can't control the Little Highness."

"If things keep going like this, won't this disgraced immortal end up buying over our Little Highness?"

She whispered, "She’s pretty much already bought."

"What did you say?" Meng Hui’s expression darkened; for some reason, she had a very bad premonition.

"Oh, don't overthink it," Bai Chang quickly turned to her, offering comfort. "Isn't it better to make friends than enemies?"

Besides, the disgraced immortal’s cultivation was not low; if he really wanted to do something, she wasn't sure she could stop him.

Meng Hui chuckled. "You know his identity. Is he really worth befriending?"

Bai Chang let out an "ah," not knowing how to refute her. It seemed... it really wasn't worth it; this person... he wasn't a good person either.

"He tricked the Little Highness into leaving the underworld with Meng Po and going to the Demon Realm. If the Snake Clan weren't wary of the Ghost Clan, how could the Little Highness be safe and sound right now?"

"You, you..." Bai Chang was about to speak, but Meng Hui didn't give her a chance to interrupt.

"He received a hundred lashes before, yet he hasn't learned his lesson? And now he dares to seduce the Little Highness into leaving the underworld for the Demon Realm?"

"No, no, no," Bai Chang stood up. She had to clarify this; she was an informed party. "He only asked the Little Highness to deliver a Blood Spirit Pearl Flower to Han Mo of the Snake Clan for him. He didn't ask the Little Highness to break out of prison. I know this for a fact."

As for how she knew... naturally, she had overheard it while sitting nearby when the two of them were chatting, and she had heard quite a lot about what happened when the Little Highness went to the Demon Realm.

"Couldn't he have entrusted someone else? Why did he have to ask the Little Highness to do it?"

"Th-this..."

Meng Hui slammed the table and hissed in anger, "I see it now! He is full of wild ambition and his wicked heart never dies!"

"Hey, hey, hey—" Bai Chang hurriedly stepped forward to shield her beloved little table, glaring back at her in accusation. "What are you doing? This is high-quality sandalwood, custom-made by a master craftsman. What if you break it?"

"Apologies." Meng Hui felt her mood had been affected by that disgraced immortal, so she quickly retracted her hand and didn't touch the table again.

Bai Chang looked at her table with heartache, and only after confirming there was no damage did she turn back and look at her. "What exactly did you come here to say? Why are you talking about that disgraced immortal every other sentence?"

This wasn't like her.

"I—" Meng Hui’s words caught in her throat. Meeting Bai Chang's inquisitive gaze, she looked away. "What could I say?"

"It's just... there have been many demonic beasts appearing outside the underworld, and I wanted to inform you and the Little Highness."

"Demonic beasts?!" Bai Chang furrowed her brows. After thinking for a moment, she seemed to realize where they came from. Leaning back against her small table, she looked down at her lazily. "Then why didn't you just tell the Little Highness directly just now?"

Meng Hui stood up excitedly. "It's naturally because that disgraced immortal was there! That's why I didn't want to say anything!"

"Oh—" Bai Chang drew out the sound, pretending to understand as she nodded. "So it's that disgraced immortal again!"

"Bai Chang." Meng Hui cast a warning glance at her, signaling her not to let her mind run wild all day and break her brain.

"Oh my, I didn't say anything, why is Lady Meng Hui so anxious?"

Meng Hui smiled coldly. "Do you want to taste the Fiery Ghost Whip?"

"No, I certainly don't." Bai Chang immediately shook her head, her eyes sparkling with teasing amusement. "Because I, Bai Chang..."

Meng Hui’s eyelid twitched; she knew she was going to start spouting nonsense again.

Sure enough, the next second:

"—cannot handle a hundred of Lady Meng Hui's fiery lashes!"

"Hahahaha..." After saying this, Bai Chang ran off laughing, afraid of being beaten by Meng Hui.

"Is that so?" Meng Hui gritted her teeth, her chest tight with anger, especially watching her run off so joyfully, fully aware of having provoked someone. It made her feel incredibly, utterly displeased.

"Boom!" A loud noise erupted inside the space as if something had been blown apart.

Bai Chang stiffened, slowly stopping in her tracks to look back. The smile on her lips vanished instantly.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!!!" Three more loud bangs followed. A perfectly carved, high-quality sandalwood table with cloud patterns was instantly shattered, its legs flying off, leaving nothing but a pile of debris.

Bai Chang’s heart broke, and she let out a wail of despair. "Ahhhhhhhh—!!!"

"My sandalwood table!!!"

"My precious antique!!!"

Outside the space, the two people playing cards were startled by the sudden noise.

"Wh-what was that sound?" Bai Yan turned around, a chill running down his spine. Anyone who didn't know better would think a ghost was standing right behind him, wailing.

The little one shook her head. "I don't know..."

Her gaze returned to the cards. She whispered, "White Radish, tell me, how exactly are we going to get out?"

Bai Yan held his cards to block his face and leaned in close to her. "I'll tell you, little ghost. Actually, there is a dungeon on the eighteenth level that connects to the Peachwood Source outside the underworld."

"Hm?" The little one found the name very familiar. After thinking about it in her mind, she said, "Isn't that the place where Sister Su Qin and the others go to pick tea and gather spiritual energy?"

She had heard that the Peachwood Source contained many ancient peach trees, wood trees, fruit trees, and countless flowers, grasses, streams, and high mountains—all of which were very helpful for cultivating spiritual energy.

The tea in their underworld seemed to be collected from there. Because at high noon, the sun shone directly down and the lighting was excellent, everything there grew very well.

She had heard there was even a towering tree that reached the heavens. She had never seen it, though.

"Mm, it seems the Little Highness knows quite a lot."

"Of course," the little one nodded proudly, then looked at him suspiciously. "But how do you know?"

Bai Yan smiled arrogantly, threw down his cards, and produced a white feather fan from somewhere. "I am, after all, a dignified First-Rank Immortal Lord—Bai Yan!"

"How could I possibly not know about things in your mere underworld?"

The little one scoffed, "You mean the disgraced immortal Bai Yan?"

"Hey, you little ghost, what kind of talk is that?" Bai Yan snapped his fan shut and involuntarily raised it, about to knock the little one on the head.

"You're not allowed to hit me!" The little one protected her head first, glaring at him. "Why are you just like that big snake, liking to hit people on the head?"

"So rude, hmph."

Bai Yan’s temper instantly vanished, and he smiled happily. "So Han Mo has hit you like that too?"

That brat...

Taking advantage of his relaxed guard, the little one snatched his fan and threw it on the table, whispering, "Hurry up, how do we get out? Once Lady Meng Hui and the others come out, we won't be able to talk anymore."

"Right," Bai Yan shed his devil-may-care demeanor and raised his hand to weave a spell, adding a barrier around them.

"What is this?"

"A barrier to prevent them from hearing us."

The little one nodded. "You have to teach me this later."

"Don't worry, little ghost, I'll teach you everything."

"Hehehe..." The little one smiled happily.

Bai Yan smiled too, then lowered his head, leaned in close, and whispered his conspiracy. "I’ve already scouted it out. The dungeon near the Peachwood Source holds a sinner from the Demon Realm. It's right on our end, the most luxurious cell at the very back. As long as we convince him, we can get out..."