Chapter 56: 55, Alliance (Thank you, Alliance Lord

55. Team up (thank you, Alliance Lord "Yu Xian Qitian"!)

Under Zhou Chang’s piercing gaze, Bai Ma struggled internally.

After a long silence, she regained her cold, icy expression and met Zhou Chang’s eyes: “Even if you have a way to attach the ‘Golden Skull of Emperor Shizong’ to the headless jian corpse and break through Cai Bao Tianwang’s scheme…”

“You will surely die before you can accomplish it.”

Don’t forget—the headless jian corpse can still live, but you’ve been marked by Feng Si’s death omen; though you have only one soul, without distinction between head and body, you too will perish the moment your death date arrives—your soul will vanish abruptly!”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chang grinned.

Bai Ma’s words revealed to him at least three critical pieces of information.

First, Bai Ma is indeed a pawn controlled by Cai Bao Tianwang.

Second, all the events unfolding now are indeed part of Cai Bao Tianwang’s grand scheme.

Third, Cai Bao Tianwang needs the jian corpse to gestate into an “Old Jian,” but it does not want this Old Jian to develop consciousness—it likely seeks merely the shell of the “Old Jian” for further machinations.

Hence, removing the jian corpse’s head suits Cai Bao Tianwang’s intentions perfectly.

“Have you forgotten?”

“I still have the ‘Break Hell’ method at my disposal,” Zhou Chang said, his smile fading. “When the time comes, I will embed my soul within a decoy body and attempt to consume the death omen.”

“Though the ‘Break Hell’ method is a way to counter the death omen, it is almost always fatal, with very few succeeding,” Bai Ma replied, her face still cold, though her tone had softened slightly.

“If I fail, only I die,” Zhou Chang said. “But if I succeed, all of you can break free from this trap. Isn’t this a surefire, risk-free deal? Will you do it or not?”

After speaking, Zhou Chang fixed his gaze on Bai Ma’s eyes—if she showed even the slightest hesitation now, he would refuse to ally with her.

Fortunately, this time Bai Ma answered decisively: “Done!”

With the agreement reached, they exchanged glances, understanding passing between them without words.

Then Bai Ma added: “Cai Bao Tianwang has too many hidden plans—I don’t know them all. Even the little I do know, if I speak it aloud, I will be killed by a curse.”

“But I can tell you this: Cai Bao Tianwang’s current moves have yet to surface—this jian corpse must complete its gestation and grow into the form Cai Bao Tianwang desires, and for that, it needs more ‘nourishment.’”

“Qingyi Village is the field where the jian corpse’s required sustenance grows.”

“When the jian corpse nears maturity, someone sent by Cai Bao Tianwang will come to harvest the crop.”

“You must pay close attention.”

“Understood.”

Zhou Chang nodded solemnly, committing Bai Ma’s words to memory.

He said no more; Bai Ma closed her eyes, and her face slowly faded from half of Bai Xiue’s cheek.

Beside them, Bai’s father watched his daughter, his expression growing complex.

“Xiue,” Zhou Chang suddenly turned to Bai Xiue and spoke.

His tone was gentle, and his address to her was unprecedented.

Bai Xiue, who had been quietly disheartened by feeling useless beside Zhou Chang and Bai Ma’s alliance, felt a flicker of joy at being addressed this way, though she dared not show it.

She looked at Zhou Chang timidly, her eyes filled with confusion.

“Can you control Bai Ma while she’s possessing you?” Zhou Chang asked. “For example, can you make her unable to hear our conversation or prevent her from appearing outside?”

Bai Xiue’s lips parted slightly, her expression even more bewildered.

Hadn’t he just made an alliance with Bai Ma? Why, the moment she vanished, was he asking her if she could restrain Bai Ma?

“Some things must not reach Bai Ma’s ears,” Zhou Chang said sincerely. “If she knows, Cai Bao Tianwang might find out too. This is for her own good.”

Bai’s father glanced at the young man with the corpse-like face and grew even more wary, increasingly concerned for his daughter’s future.

“I… I understand,” Bai Xiue said, persuaded by Zhou Chang’s few words. She nodded obediently, and strands of silvery lotus threads began to drift from her body. She plucked one strand and said to Zhou Chang, “I never had many ways to control Bai Ma before. But now… now that I’ve killed someone, these lotus threads have become more sentient. I can now seal her inside the body, preventing her from appearing for a while…”

“Can she still hear our conversation now?” Zhou Chang asked, his gaze earnest.

Bai Xiue, under his gaze, lowered her head further and whispered, “She’s resting now. Unless you deliberately call her, she won’t awaken. But for safety, when you just asked me, I already sealed her body with lotus threads so she wouldn’t sense anything…”

Finally, Bai Xiue hastily added: “I did this because I didn’t want her secretly overhearing your words and causing discord between you two…”

“You’ve done well, Xiue!”

Zhou Chang praised her enthusiastically.

Bai Xiue kept her head lowered, uncertain whether what she’d done was right or wrong.

“Later, we’ll go to the Bride’s Pond to handle one more matter,” Zhou Chang said. “At that time, you’ll need to seal Bai Ma so she can’t sense what’s happening outside.”

“We’re going… to the Bride’s Pond again?” Bai Xiue hesitated, then finally nodded. “Alright.”

“Thank you, Miss Bai.”

Zhou Chang thanked Bai Xiue.

Bai Xiue smiled softly, head bowed, saying nothing.

She remembered she had finished sewing the Hundred Beasts Robe—perhaps Zhou Xiao could use it—and she reached for the small bundle behind her to give it to him. But at that moment, Zhou Chang had already turned and walked toward the mountainside.

Seeing him walk quickly, Bai Xiue lowered her hand again and followed him, head bowed, with her father.

Bai’s father deliberately slowed his pace, forcing Bai Xiue to slow too, until the father and daughter fell several paces behind Zhou Chang. Then he whispered into her ear: “This man is not good! He looks like someone who devours people and spits out bones. Daughter, you must be careful!”

“Ah…”

“Dad, Xiao Zhou has walked far ahead…”

Zhou Chang thanked Bai Xiue.

Bai Xiue lowered her head and smiled softly, saying nothing more.

She remembered she had already sewn the hundred-beast robe and thought Zhou Xiao might need it, so she reached for the small bundle behind her to give it to him—but at that moment, Zhou Chang had already stepped forward, walking toward the mountainside.

Xiue saw him walking quickly, so she let her hand drop and, leading her father, followed him with her head bowed.

Bai’s father deliberately slowed his pace, forcing Xiue to slow down too, until the father and daughter fell several paces behind Zhou Chang; then he whispered to her ear: “This man is no good!”

“He looks like a man who devours people and spits out their bones—my youngest daughter, you must be careful!”

“Ah…”

“Father, Xiao Zhou has walked far ahead…”

「……」

Ahead of them, Zhou Chang felt the stench of corpses growing stronger in his nostrils.

He focused intently on the mountain path beneath his feet, but in the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a noble consort with two ornate buns, her face pressed against his own.

Her jet-black eyes fixed unblinkingly on Zhou Chang’s head, while inside her arms, a cradle held a skull half-golden, half-decaying flesh, slowly turning to scrutinize Zhou Chang’s body again and again.

After a long while,

Zhou Chang heard a thin, shrill voice speaking.

He couldn’t make out the exact words, but he felt the speech seep into his mind and, interpreting it himself, formed two sentences: “What do you desire?

May I borrow your body for a while?”

“I want you to place your head on the neck of this body nine days from now,” Zhou Chang replied.