Chapter 951: Chapter 674: Ghost Bamboo_2
He had been to the secret chamber several times and had flipped through the books more than once. However, only last time did he fall into a trap. Yang Xiao suspected that not many books were tampered with; these were the secrets the Sect Master didn’t want outsiders to pry into.
With this thought, Yang Xiao put on the Drama Robe, took out the Soul-Capturing Mirror to enter the Mirror World, and returned to that secret chamber. This time, Yang Xiao tried to communicate with the Little Mirror Ghost, letting it out to play first, and planned to lend it the Ghost Lantern after finishing his own tasks.
After coaxing the Little Mirror Ghost out of the secret chamber, Yang Xiao began his plan. Holding the Ghost Lantern in his left hand and flipping through books with his right, the Ghost Lantern, with its illusion-breaking and dispelling effects, served as a safety precaution for him.
Sure enough, upon opening the seventh book, that odd sensation struck again. Yang Xiao reacted swiftly by closing the book immediately, and then took a sticky note from his backpack, tore off one, and stuck it on the book as a marker.
Using such a primitive method, it didn’t take long for Yang Xiao to check approximately a quarter of the books. Among them, less than ten percent elicited a paranormal response, just under 30 books in total—these were the essence among the many collections.
Yang Xiao temporarily decided against translating these books. After all, it was a massive project, and he wasn’t in need of Magic Artifacts at the moment. Moreover, based on the character of the Sect Master, he wouldn’t put it past him to have laid traps within the books. If he followed exactly what was written in the books, falling into a trap could result in a huge loss.
Putting himself in another’s shoes, if it were him, he would definitely hide a few problematic books among them to ensure that anyone stealing his treasures wouldn’t even know how they died.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Knowing that Little Mirror Ghost couldn’t wait any longer, Yang Xiao opened the door and let it in, lending it the Ghost Lantern as agreed. Yang Xiao sat and watched, the scene warm and reminiscent of affectionate familial interaction.
During this time, Yang Xiao’s impression of Little Mirror Ghost also improved—although they still couldn’t understand each other, a tacit understanding had formed between them, and the Little Mirror Ghost’s aggressiveness towards Yang Xiao had decreased significantly.
Moreover, Little Mirror Ghost’s understanding of Magic Artifacts was beyond what a "human" like Yang Xiao could comprehend. Without it, Yang Xiao may never have realized that the Ghost Lantern also possessed confining powers. Truly, it could be considered the best teacher Yang Xiao would have in the future.
"If I decide to let it try a new Magic Artifact, it would be best to put a person in there and let the Little Mirror Ghost use him as a target."
Yang Xiao thought that besides the Ghost Lantern, the remaining Magic Artifacts he possessed were all offensive. If Little Mirror Ghost got too carried away, he could end up injured or even dead, which would be a terrible loss.
Lately, Yang Xiao had indeed been living comfortably. Ling Yanyu was handling matters at Xiang Ma Town, Director Nolan manned the Patrol Defense Office, and both Fu Qingzhu and Qu Muzhi were helping him out at the Action Bureau. He played the role of an absentee manager, practicing his punches and skills during the day to strengthen his body, and sneaking into the Mirror World’s secret chamber at night to organize the remaining books and bond with Little Mirror Ghost.
In the meantime, Ling Yanyu reported to him that in the days following his public use of the New Pingxi Marquis title, many people had sought to join him, including some experts at the Fierce Level Apostle.
Their skills were certainly important, but their backgrounds were even more crucial. Yang Xiao instructed Ling Yanyu to thoroughly investigate their backgrounds without hesitation over expenses, as he was always generous when it came to gathering intelligence and recruiting talent.
He granted Ling Yanyu a high level of authority, to the extent that rumors were spreading outside that Ling Yanyu, who was not even an Apostle, had a vague relationship with the New Pingxi Marquis, and was being referred to as a plaything of intimate encounters, with some even dubbing him "Little Pingxi Marquis."
However, Yang Xiao was disappointed that Guardian Yun had yet to come forward with her confession, and she didn’t have much time left.
One night, just as he was preparing to go to bed, Yang Xiao suddenly received a message. He quickly dressed, grabbed his backpack, and headed to the Peace Hotel.
Under the guidance of Senior Brother Qingfeng, he met his uncle in the Ghost Space. Compared to before, Yang Xiao keenly sensed that his uncle’s aura was somewhat unstable.
"Uncle, how are you holding up?" Yang Xiao asked with concern.
"Your master has been overexerting himself in helping to reforge this Magic Artifact. That bronze furnace tripod hadn’t been used in over a dozen years."
Senior Brother Qingfeng stood next to Yang Xiao and sighed, looking towards the large alchemy furnace on the right that was taller than a man and covered in rust.
The furnace still seemed to hold some residual warmth, and in front of it was placed a massive copper tray, in which something was resting, covered by a black cloth.
"Go take a look at your Magic Artifact," the elder behind the curtain spoke with an aged voice.
Yang Xiao stepped forward, slowly lifting the black cloth. The next second, his eyebrows furrowed sharply as he saw a stick under the black cloth.
No, to be precise, it was a bamboo pole, about a meter in length, with segmented bulges at intervals along its length. The surface was dark green peppered with some yellow and brown spots, appearing rather ordinary.
"Is this my Ghost Duster?" Yang Xiao was shocked, as the two things seemed to share no common characteristics.
"Lift it and try," the elder behind the curtain spoke with the usual calmness in his tone.
If it were someone else, Yang Xiao would have thought he was being mocked. But since his uncle-master said so, he picked up the bamboo pole. The moment he touched it, a familiar feeling swept over his body. Yang Xiao stared dumbfounded at the stick resembling a bamboo pole, confirmed that this was indeed his Ghost Duster. That feeling couldn’t deceive him.
"It really is my whisk..." Yang Xiao turned in shock to look at the figure behind the curtain, "Uncle-master, how...how did you do this?"
"This bronze furnace tripod was seized from a high-ranking member of the Yin Temple Sect, who have exceptional insights into nurturing Magic Artifacts, unmatched by anyone else; even the Yu Yuan Sect is minuscule in comparison."
"Before I killed him, I forced some secrets out of him, and later by chance, I also found some peculiar materials from the Yin Temple, originally intended for Senior Brother. Unexpectedly, it all ended up benefiting you."
Noticing Yang Xiao curiously examining the bamboo stick in his hand, the elder spoke again: "I couldn’t alter this artifact; I simply reshaped an external shell around the original object, using secret materials from the Yin Temple. You can use it with confidence. Unless you encounter a true master, no one would be able to see through it."
"A true master?"
"Someone a level stronger than me," the elder spoke gravely.
Hearing this, Yang Xiao felt reassured, "Uncle-master, your abilities are almost divine, there are probably few who are stronger than you in this world, so it’s unlikely I’ll meet any."
The figure behind the curtain sighed and slowly shook his head, "The world is filled with masters, your journey ahead is still long, you must proceed with caution."
"Try attacking me with this artifact," the elder slowly raised his head, his gaze so intense that even through the curtain, it was palpable.
The Ghost Duster was incorporated into this bamboo stick. Clutching the bamboo stick tightly, Yang Xiao waved it forcefully a few times, feeling the changes in its grip - neither too big nor too small, neither too coarse nor too fine, of moderate length, and very handy, far better than the previous whisk.
As a continuous flow of spiritual power poured into it, Yang Xiao suddenly felt a sense of mission as if the rise and fall of the world were in his hands. He charged towards the elder swinging the Ghost Bamboo Stick:
"Uncle-master, no offense!!"
Yang Xiao shouted loudly as he stomped hard on the ground, using the momentum to leap high, grabbing the bamboo stick simultaneously recalling Qu Muzhi’s long spear, imitating a powerful Mountain Opening Formation, his posture agile like a tiger, and the stick striking forth like a dragon.
This strike was as smooth as flowing water, the timing and technique exquisitely mastered. Watching from the side, Senior Brother Qingfeng couldn’t help but silently praise him. But in the next second, Qingfeng first saw a stick flying back, followed by Yang Xiao himself.
