C87 Waiting

"The tin for Moon Tin Shop comes from Yecheng, but the mine there doesn't produce much. If Ms. Mei sells her stockpile at a slightly lower price now, they'll definitely buy it," Tiange said seriously.

Meiniang understood that the No-south House could trace the mine she was connected to, as she had leaked that information initially. However, she couldn't believe the woman before her had uncovered even the secrets of the Azure Jade Sect. In business, the worst thing is having your weaknesses exposed.

"To compensate for Mei Tin Shop's losses, Mr. Li and I have decided not to collect the ten percent profit that Mei Tin Shop usually pays to the No-south House from now on."

Tiange's generosity left Meiniang stunned. "Are you serious?"

"Unless the No-south House falls, this promise stands," Tiange replied with a voice as firm as a vow.

With this, Mei Tin Shop was destined to win the price war against Moon Tin Shop. Tiange could now wait for the day when Yaoyue would inevitably come to her.

At midnight, the cold wind blew under a dim sky with only a few tired stars blinking. The Fish Market was silent.

Inside the Azure Jade Sect, Yaoyue sat like a phantom in the main seat, watching as a shadowy figure slowly entered the hall. In the faint candlelight, the face hidden under a black hat became clearer.

A face so ordinary that even after several encounters, it leaves no impression—completely unremarkable. Yet, the person with this face is the infamous Skin Painter, known as Ghost Face.

"I told you, when the time comes, I'll find you." Seated, Yaoyue was clearly displeased with this person's appearance.

The person seemed unfazed. "You're my most perfect creation so far. I can't allow even the slightest mishap to happen to such a stunning masterpiece."

Ghost Face slowly approached the main seat, stopping to lift Yaoyue's chin with a finger. "Just one more step, and you can keep this unparalleled beauty forever."

Yaoyue loathed that hand; every touch made him feel nauseated.

"Besides, you promised to complete fifty sessions." Ghost Face's hand began to move downward, pulling away any obstacles in its path.

This was the fiftieth session, and it would be the last...

Time passed, and after Yaoyue bent down to put on the clothes scattered on the floor, he turned to see Ghost Face sitting in the main seat, admiring his handiwork with interest. "Why come back? Wouldn't it be better to stay with me?"

"The item." Yaoyue extended his hand, his tone icy.

Ghost Face shrugged and retrieved a crystal-clear pill from his pocket. "Take this, and your face will remain ageless. But as a Skin Painter, I must ask you one last time—are you sure you want to give up your previous face? This is your final choice."

Cold Moon didn't say a word and swallowed the pill directly.

"Business ends here," Ghost Face Buddha said with a hint of regret, shaking his head as he stood up and walked down the marble steps. "Don't worry, from now on, I won't come looking for you..."

As they brushed past each other, Ghost Face Buddha suddenly stiffened, standing rigidly in place.

"This isn't enough," Demon Moon said, thrusting a hand into Ghost Face Buddha's chest. "An invincible body?"

Ghost Face Buddha looked down in terror, clearly seeing a bloody hand clutching a wildly beating heart—his heart!

"Ugh..." The excruciating pain coursed through every cell of his body, contorting his features in agony. "Ah... ah!"

Without a trace of pity, Demon Moon crushed his heart right in front of him.

Blood splattered, painting the ground a deep crimson.

"In this world, only the dead can set my mind at ease," Demon Moon said, looking at Ghost Face Buddha's fallen body. He took a porcelain bottle from his sleeve, opened it, and sprinkled the powder over the corpse. "The show's over, aren't you going to applaud?"

Xie Jin had never been so terrified. He should have stayed hidden, but his legs moved of their own accord, bringing him out into the open.

Watching the thick smoke rise from the body on the ground, accompanied by a constant sizzling sound, Xie Jin swallowed hard. "You... you're a man?"

He had seen the earlier debauchery clearly.

Yaoyue chuckled, "I never said I was a woman."

"Who are you, really? How could the Crown Prince employ someone like you?" Xie Jin asked, retreating in fear from Yaoyue's unsettling face.

Yaoyue laughed, both corners of his mouth curling up for once. "You're so clever, Xie Jin. Can't you figure out the whole story here?"

Xie Jin forced himself to stay calm. The Crown Prince was always cautious and wouldn't recklessly entrust the Fish Market to an outsider. Since this person wasn't an outsider, they must be a trusted confidant. But who could it be? And why the disguise?

"You wouldn't be Silver Mask, would you?" Xie Jin guessed in terror.

Yaoyue shook his head, a bit disappointed. "Silver Mask has never removed his mask in public. If I were him, why would I endure such humiliation to seek out the Ghost-faced Buddha?"

"If not Silver Mask... then who? The Corrupt Concubine is dead, so the Crown Prince's people wouldn't need to hide their faces!" Xie Jin stammered, his whole body trembling. "Unless... no... it can't be..."

Yaoyue sighed deeply. "Unless I'm one of the Corrupt Concubine's people, but why would the Crown Prince let someone like that manage the Fish Market, right?"

Xie Jin had to admit he had wondered the same thing.

"Because I betrayed Dugu Yan," Yaoyue said, walking slowly toward Xie Jin. As Xie Jin turned to flee the main hall, a silver needle shot from Yaoyue's sleeve, sealing several of Xie Jin's pressure points.

"What do you want?" In the face of life and death, no one can remain completely calm.

"I thought you would first ask, 'Who are you?'" Yaoyue moved in front of Xie Jin, her crimson lips curling into a sinister smile, her expression chilling and menacing. "I am Bai Ze."

"Master Bai? You... you supposedly died at the Heaven Obeying Hall! How could you..." Xie Jin exclaimed, his pupils widening in shock.

Yaoyue reached out, her hand gripping Xie Jin's neck, slowly lifting him. "The one who died was a fake, merely a decoy from Beiming Yuan's side, disguised as me. Since Bai Ze is dead, I can only be Yaoyue..."

"Ugh... ugh..." Xie Jin's face turned pale, veins bulging on his forehead as he struggled for breath.

He wanted to fight back, but his body was paralyzed, leaving him helpless as Yaoyue's eerie smile loomed over him.

"Do you know why I'm telling you all this?" Yaoyue tightened her grip ever so slowly. "Because I need a reason to kill you."

Xie Jin regretted it all, wishing to beg for mercy, but Yaoyue gave him no chance.

As she looked at Xie Jin's lifeless body in her grasp, a cold glint flashed in Yaoyue's eyes. "Do you know why I had to kill you? Because you once disrespected the Azure Dragon..."

The night wind grew colder, chilling to the bone.

The next morning, as Tiange was having breakfast, her mind was still occupied with the image of the masked figure. She was caught off guard by something Moon said, causing her to spit out the porridge she had just sipped.

"Xie Jin committed suicide?"

From what she knew of Xie Jin, even though he had been feeling a bit down lately, he was nowhere near the point of despair. How could Xie Jin possibly have taken his own life?