BPIFC -Volume 1 – Chapter 21 Truth and Lies

Seeing that there was no extra reaction on Yang Xiao’s face, Fatty Sun chuckled and continued:

“Maybe there are still some things even I don’t know? Old Yang, not that I’m criticizing you, but paying the bill is just like making friends—you’ve got to be sincere. Look at me. I never cheat my friends. Whatever I know, I say it openly. No secrets…”

As he spoke, Sun grabbed the wallet on the table, emptied all the cash inside, and tossed the empty wallet back to the white-haired man.

“Old Yang, you only carry a little over two thousand yuan in cash when you go out? I thought your wife was still in elementary school. Is she already controlling your money now?”

Somewhat helplessly, Yang Xiao took a bank card out of his wallet and tossed it to Sun Desheng.

“The password is 484848. That should cover a year’s worth of bills… Great Sage, can we talk?”

When he said those last two words, Yang Xiao deliberately glanced at Che Qianzi, signaling for Sun Desheng to send the young Taoist away—or perhaps find somewhere private to discuss a secret that outsiders shouldn’t hear.

Unexpectedly, after putting away the bank card, Sun Desheng replied with a grin:

“Talk? Sure, let’s talk. I’ve got nothing to hide. Besides, this is my sworn brother. If you’ve got something to say, just say it. That’s the kind of person I am—answerable to Heaven above, Earth below, and my brothers in between.”

“You really know how to talk…” Seeing that Sun had no intention of excluding Che Qianzi, Yang Xiao did not insist.

Pulling his chair closer, he lowered his voice and said:

“You’re a smart man, so I won’t hide it from either of you. The Guangyuan Underworld Mirror isn’t fake. But the story that it was written by Lord Guangyuan of the Underworld—that part was fabricated by the people below. They wanted to hook a big fish like me. Without using something genuine, would I really take the bait?”

The two listeners reacted differently.

Sun Desheng narrowed his eyes. He had been waiting for Yang Xiao to personally reveal the truth about the Guangyuan Underworld Mirror.

Meanwhile, Che Qianzi’s eyes widened in surprise. He couldn’t understand how Fatty Sun had known the Guangyuan Underworld Mirror was supposedly fake. And when Yang Xiao now claimed it was genuine, Sun showed no reaction whatsoever.

Instead, it almost seemed as though Sun Desheng had set a trap and maneuvered Yang Xiao into revealing the story of the Ghost Market of the Nine Rivers himself.

Seeing that Sun wasn’t interrupting, Yang Xiao continued:

“As for who actually wrote the Guangyuan Underworld Mirror, nobody knows to this day. But the cultivation methods recorded inside can increase the power of one’s spells severalfold, even tenfold after practice. Back then, I followed a senior who had quite an extraordinary background. Everything I know about it came from him. Unfortunately, his ending wasn’t very good…”

“Your senior lived on the top floor, didn’t he?”

Sun Desheng suddenly interrupted.

Chuckling, he added:

“Don’t look at me like that. We all ate from the same pot. It’s not strange for me to know a thing or two about your past. And honestly, I didn’t investigate you on purpose. I found it all in the files Boss Gao left behind.”

At the mention of his senior living on the “top floor,” Yang Xiao’s expression darkened slightly.

However, he quickly regained his composure and continued:

“You’re right. The Guangyuan Underworld Mirror was bait designed specifically for me.

To avoid arousing my suspicion, the people below spread rumors among several directors of the Bureau that the Guangyuan Underworld Mirror had appeared in the Ghost Market of the Nine Rivers.

To make everything look authentic, they even used Hao Zhengyi’s connections in Singapore and Malaysia, ensuring the news would reach me indirectly through others.

Unfortunately, the underworld officials handling the operation underestimated me. They left behind flaws.”

He paused and glanced at Sun Desheng.

Seeing that Sun still wasn’t speaking, he continued:

“I used my own connections to find a middleman and had Ma Xiaolin from Harbor District handle the negotiations.

The result? The price they demanded was nothing but the heavenly treasures and rare materials from my personal collection.

That isn’t exactly a secret within our circles. Anyone who thought carefully would realize they were targeting me specifically.

After several rounds of testing, they also realized that I had already seen through the deception.

But they knew the Guangyuan Underworld Mirror was too important to me. I would never give up.

So they kept dangling it in the Ghost Market of the Nine Rivers.

The moment I lost my patience, I’d be hooked.”

At that point, the smiling Sun Desheng finally spoke:

“So then you thought of me and wanted me to go snatch this treasure for you. Not that I’m complaining, Old Yang, but it’s been a long time since someone used me as a gun. One meal and one favor aren’t enough compensation for that.”

Hearing Sun get to the heart of the matter, Yang Xiao let out a bitter laugh.

“Name your price, Great Sage. I won’t bargain.”

“You want me to name my price…”

Sun smiled.

“We’re all brothers here. What price is there to talk about? But seriously, Old Yang, let’s discuss that later. Just remember what you said today. That’s enough. I forgive you. Don’t pull something like this again.”

Then he turned to Che Qianzi.

“Brother, let’s go. Come home with me. You can meet your sister-in-law and your niece.”

“Great Sage, that won’t do.”

Yang Xiao quickly stopped him.

“The Guangyuan Underworld Mirror is still in the Ghost Market. You can’t let me see it but never obtain it, can you? If my abilities improve, your Bureau benefits too, right?”

“Old Yang, listen to yourself. You’re treating me like an outsider.”

Sun sat back down and grinned.

“In that case, there has to be an understanding. As long as the Bureau exists, you cannot leave it. Whether Director Wu is around or not, whether your wife reincarnates another few times or not—you stay with the Bureau. Agree to that, and after we get back, all you need to do is swear a blood oath.”

Hearing that Sun intended to bind him permanently to the Bureau, Yang Xiao frowned.

“Great Sage…”

“Old Yang, you said you wouldn’t bargain.”

Sun interrupted with a smile.

“I only said you’d stay with the Bureau. I never said you couldn’t take private jobs. It’ll be just like now—only for a much longer period. Bear with it. Who knows? Maybe in another three or five hundred years, the Bureau won’t even exist anymore.”

Thinking of how important the Guangyuan Underworld Mirror was to him, Yang Xiao finally gritted his teeth.

“If you can obtain that scripture, I’ll swear the blood oath with you.”

“Now that’s more like it.”

Fatty Sun smiled and poured Yang Xiao another drink.

Then he turned toward Che Qianzi.

“Brother, let’s all have a drink together. I’ll help smooth things over between you two. Sure, he made your life miserable, but honestly, Old Yang hasn’t had it much better than you. Have you forgotten? You beat him so badly he nearly died.”

Sun Desheng raised his glass.

Che Qianzi, however, had no intention of joining in.

Looking at Yang Xiao with open contempt, the young Taoist spat on the ground.

“You expect me to drink with this shameless bastard? Bah! I’ll wait until after the seventh day of his funeral rites! Marrying an elementary school student? Bah! That’s disgusting!”

Several times during the conversation, they had mentioned Yang Xiao’s wife still being in school.

As a result, Che Qianzi had formed a very poor opinion of the white-haired man’s character.

Hearing this, Fatty Sun burst out laughing.

Patting Che Qianzi on the shoulder, he said:

“It’s not what you’re thinking. If Old Yang really dared to do something like that, Wu Rendi would have traded him away for the Guangyuan Underworld Mirror long ago. I’ll explain it to you another time.”

Seeing Yang Xiao’s pale face turning slightly red with embarrassment, Sun laughed again before asking:

“Old Yang, there’s still something I don’t understand. How exactly did you offend the people below? Not that I’m judging, but you’re a master of dealing with ghosts and spirits yourself. Aren’t people like you supposed to fear underworld officers the most?”

Hearing the question, Yang Xiao picked up his glass and drained it in one gulp before answering:

“You’re right. People like us who deal with ghosts and spirits are like mice facing cats when we see underworld officers. But even mice bite when they’re cornered. Someone down there altered my wife’s lifespan in this incarnation. She was originally supposed to live into her seventies. Instead, they changed it so she died last year…I’ve already sent eleven underworld officers who came to escort her soul on their way.”