Chapter 938: The situation in the north gets darker
Chapter 938: The situation in the north gets darker
The rest of the night went smoothly.
The group composed of Bai Zemin, Lilith, Meng Qi, Wu Yijun, Kali, Bai Shilin, and Shangguan Bing Xue certainly had a lot of fun as they stayed up until about three in the morning playing all kinds of games.
Dark Room, Question & Answer, and even some board games such as Monopoli and chess. It was around three in the morning that Bai Shilin asked a question that changed the dynamic of the seven.
"Father, why don't we go play at the world you have in your little clock?"
"World?"
"Little clock?"
Except for Lilith, everyone looked at Bai Zemi confused and curious.
After thinking about it for a moment, he found no valid reason to keep the secret from any of the people present. In fact, from various points of view, one could tell that this group of people present was the one most trusted by Bai Zemin with his Loyal Followers being the only ones missing.
He looked at Wu Yijun and said with a gentle smile, "Yijun, this is something I was going to talk to you about tomorrow, but I guess there is no harm in moving things forward a bit."
"Tomorrow?" Shangguan Bing Xue looked at the two of them curiously.
Wu Yijun looked at her and replied calmly but with watchful eyes eager to see Shangguan Bing Xue's reaction to her next words.
"Bai Zemin and I will go for a walk around the base tomorrow. He told me he wanted to talk about something with me and show me one thing that so far only Lili and Shilin have seen."
Wu Yijun was taken a little by surprise when she noticed the small but still genuinely happy smile that had formed on Shangguan Bing Xue's lips.
"I see." Shangguan Bing Xue nodded as she smiled at her as if to give Wu Yijun courage and congratulate her on the small but still great achievement.
Wu Yijun felt her eyes grow moist as she smiled in gratitude and happiness. She was no fool, she had noticed her good sister's growing interest in the man she loved. How could she not notice the practically transcendent changes in Shangguan Bing Xue's personality whenever Bai Zemin was around? Wu Yijun had come to think that the two would end up in antagonism at some point.
But it was after seeing the sincere smile on her friend's face that Wu Yijun realized how stupid her earlier thoughts had been.
It was true that she loved Bai Zemin.
It was true that Shangguan Bing Xue seemed to have discovered some kind of attraction toward him that could be physical or romantic.
However, it was also true that Wu Yijun and Shangguan Bing Xue had been friends practically since they were both in diapers. The two were no different from blood sisters, and in many ways, they were even closer than blood sisters.
After all, how many siblings would really be willing to lay down their lives for each other? At least she, Wu Yijun, knew that she would gladly give her heart out for Shangguan Bing Xue, and she was sure that Shangguan Bing Xue would also give hers for her sake; it was just that Wu Yijun had forgotten it in a moment of jealousy.
It wasn't until now, seeing Shangguan Bing Xue's smile, that Wu Yijun finally felt completely at ease.
She reached over and took her hand, confusing Shangguan Bing Xue slightly.
Wu Yijun gently squeezed her hand and whispered, "Let's give it our best, okay?"
At first, Shangguan Bing Xue did not understand what her friend meant. However, she seemed to think of something and her expression changed slightly. Shangguan Bing Xue was about to say that it was not the case, but her words stayed in her throat as she saw Wu Yijun's smile.
Finally, she simply sighed and said nothing. She needed time to clarify her own emotions first. Saying words without knowing how she felt didn't seem to be too smart.
...
"Not bad, is it?" Bai Zemin pointed at the large seemingly endless world with a smile on his face.
Not bad?
Meng Qi, Shagguan Bing Xue, and Wu Yijun gasped as they looked at the surroundings in shock.
This was an entire world! A world that belonged only to Bai Zemin and one which he could take everywhere at will!
The possibilities were simply endless!
"This..." Wu Yijun looked at him with wide eyes and finally understood why Bai Zemin needed to talk with her.
This was too big and important a matter that could literally change everything in many senses of the word. Especially after Bai Zemin explained the difference in the passage of time within this world compared to the outside world.
"We'll talk about that later, but for now..." Bai Zemin looked at the house and the still unfinished furniture and said with a small smile, "How about we do some work?"
Lilith chuckled and shook her head as she said in a low voice, "This is probably the first pajama party in history where people wear sexy lingerie and pajamas to build a house."
"Pffft-" Meng Qi could barely contain her laughter. A big smile appeared on her previously grumpy face and she nodded, " I guess that's true!"
... and this was how the first ever pajama party in which a group of people wearing pajamas moved in sync to build a house began.
The group worked for about 10 hours, then took a break to eat and sleep. Thanks to the difference in the passage of time within the Collector's Pocket World, no one worried about how long they slept and for the first time in many months, almost a year, they slept until their bodies said enough and their eyes opened on their own.
They all slept between 7 and 10 hours, with Bai Zemin and Shangguan Bing Xue sleeping the longest among all.
Looking at the two people sleeping comfortably under the shade of a tree, Wu Yijun pointed out, "Bai Zemin came back from a world where he fought practically without rest for half a year, and Bing Xue practically carried the entire army and faction expansion on her shoulders during his absence. They both must be very tired."
After everyone woke up, the group continued working while Kali went back to work on the language earring runes.
About 12 hours later and with more hands helping, the construction of the house was practically complete. Of course, there were no decorations at all, and the furniture needed some touching up not to mention the walls needed to be covered. However, the form and foundation that were the two most difficult big steps had been completed.
"This house is so big that it could probably fit a whole legion." Shangguan Bing Xue commented.
"Well, let's start by training mounts first." Bai Zemin chuckled.
When the group left the Collector's Pocket World it was around 7 am so it wouldn't be long before it was time to go down for breakfast.
Meng Qi looked at the sun in the sky and couldn't help but sigh, "It feels weird... We've been just over 30 hours inside the pocket watch... but here it's only been a maximum of 4 hours."
Everyone shared what Meng Qi was feeling. It felt really weird... it was as if for a moment they were disconnecting from everything and everyone, as if they didn't belong to this place or to humans in general.
"Big brother, I know it's kind of stupid to say something like this but... Please, if at any time you feel lonely... or if at any time you feel like you don't belong anywhere, please remember that many people including myself are waiting for your return." Meng Qi gently hugged Bai Zemin's back and whispered those words in a barely audible voice.
At that moment, Bai Zemin did not understand the words his little sister had spoken to him. However, he would certainly one day come to understand them... especially now that he had a treasure with the characteristics of the Collector's Pocket Watch.
...
Bai Zemin and his group were in charge of preparing breakfast this time. Since they were all well rested, they felt very energetic and it wasn't a bad way to start the day and say thank you to the family waiting for them with the food ready, was it?
The morning went without a hitch, and it was actually quite a warm time.
Although things had obviously not turned out the way Bai Zemin's mother most wished, she was happy and relieved in her heart when she noticed that her son's shoulders were now firmer and straighter than before. As a mother, it was impossible for Ye Linger not to feel the pain her son was feeling even if he didn't say anything; those red eyes were certainly not a mere skill that was triggered under certain circumstances the way he had said.
She just wanted him to relax a little, nothing more than that. Besides, seeing that the internal relationships had grown was certainly something she cherished in her heart.
Bai Zemin had Shangguan Bing Xue, Meng Qi, Wu Yijun, Ye Linger, Bai Delan, Bai Shilin, and later all of his closest subordinates eat a meal with the Crimson Thunder Anise mutant plant powder that he and Lilith found in Eventide World after annihilating a large demon city in the center of the Forest of the Ancients.
After handing the plant to Shangguan Bing Xue, he took her to a corner out of the house and said something that caught her by surprise.
"Bing Xue, how long would it take you to crush all resistance and conquer the rest of China?"
"This..." She looked at him with wide eyes and for a moment didn't know what to say.
"I had planned to stay one more day here before heading north... But I've had a bad feeling for a while now that I don't like at all." Bai Zemin said in a serious voice.
This was a feeling Bai Zemin had been having since breakfast but at that time it had not been too big so he ignored it. However, for a while now, that uncomfortable feeling kept growing until he finally couldn't stand it anymore.
Seeing the frown on his face, Shangguan Bing Xue realized that this was a serious matter. Bai Zemin had many flaws as a human being, as a soul evolver, and as a leader... However, his intuition was practically perfect when it came to bringing bad news.
She grew serious and her eyes flashed coldly as she said under her breath, "If I indiscriminately slaughter the entire opposition... Then only a month minimum and a month and a half maximum."
"No. You can't do that," Bai Zemin shook his head and sighed, "Killing enemies is fine, but I don't want you to kill innocents just to hurry things along. Your hands have never touched the blood of innocent life... and I hope it can stay that way for as long as possible."
"But... What about you-"
Shangguan Bing Xue wanted to stop but it was too late and the words had already left her mouth. She immediately regretted it and looked at Bai Zemin a little worried, but his expression did not change at all.
In contrast to Shangguan Bing Xue who had only killed enemies... Bai Zemin had killed many innocents, especially in Oblon World and Eventide World.
"Don't worry about me, that's just the way it is." He waved a hand with apparent indifference.
Shangguan Bing Xue knew that this indifference was not as strong as it seemed, she knew that this was a great weight on Bai Zemin's heart.
She quickly changed the subject slightly without wanting to stay there for too long: "If Yijun comes with me I can conquer the rest of the country in the same amount of time without having to cause a massacre. Besides, she and her cabinet will be able to completely affirm our faction's rule in every base."
Wu Yijun was simply a genius when it came to politics and government, not even Shangguan Bing Xue who was an outstanding talent in every aspect could match her. This was partially because the Second Order class of Wu Yijun, Queen of Nature, had a special skill capable of influencing living beings.
"Take Yijun with you then." Bai Zemin nodded and said in a serious voice, "I wish I could start taking advantage of the inner world of my watch as soon as possible, but I feel like we'll have to wait a little longer."
"Yijun, she..." Shangguan Bing Xue hesitated for a moment before whispering softly, "She was waiting for this day excitedly.... Even if you were just taking her for a walk to talk about faction-related matters..."
Bai Zemin sighed, but just as he was about to say something, Shangguan Bing Xue's radio turned on as well as his ring of commander and Fu Xuefeng's unmistakable anxious voice caused the atmosphere to change completely.
"Hey! Shangguan Bing Xue! We need urgent reinforcement here! Cai Jingyi and Shen Mei were both seriously injured! The sea race for some reason now stepped in and worst of all they are supporting that bastard Liang Peng!"
For a few seconds, Shangguan Bing Xue held her breath as she looked at how Bai Zemin's body trembled. She had never felt fear towards him, however, when her blue eyes met those red eyes that glowed like a demon's, she felt a chill that made her blood run cold and her face turn slightly pale.
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