Chapter 090: I am a righteous imposter.

Chapter 090: I am a righteous imposter.

Special Security Bureau.

"You have quite a few visitors. Is this the treatment for the young master of the Bai family?" A man remarked, pushing open the door with a laugh.

Bai Ran emerged from the room, casting the speaker a cold, dismissive glance and turning his attention to the woman seated across – the mother who had raised him for over twenty years.

Xu Xiuyun was examining the surroundings. The room, plastered with talismans, was clearly designed to prevent any unconventional actions during visits. For people like them, "unconventional" might mean employing supernatural methods.

As Bai Ran appeared, Xu Xiuyun redirected her gaze, stood up, took a couple of steps forward, and then, reminded by a nearby officer, sat back down.

"You've become so thin," Xu Xiuyun observed with a pained expression.

Bai Ran settled into his chair, a flicker of sorrow crossing his face. "It's my fault. I've caused troubles for all of you."

She sighed deeply, looking at him for a moment. "You know... all these years, I've cared for you. Even if we don't share a blood bond, you're still my son."

"I shouldn't have kept secrets and caused all this trouble," Bai Ran said, meeting her gaze intently. "I've told them my actions have nothing to do with you. They keep questioning me about the Bai family. I truly don't know anything about what you and father have been up to."

The officers in the room shifted uneasily. Bai Ran's words bore an implicit threat – that he might reveal the family's secrets if pushed. Their eyes darted between Bai Ran and Xu Xiuyun, filled with suspicion.

Whether Xu Xiuyun grasped the underlying implication or not was unclear, but she wiped away a sudden tear, murmuring, "Your father and I have tried many ways, this time..."

Bai Ran's eyes glistened with tears as he softly asked, "Mum, how much longer do I have to stay here?"

Xu Xiuyun exhaled deeply, shaking her head in resignation.

Observing Xu Xiuyun's demeanor, a glint of malice flashed in Bai Ran's eyes. His vulnerable façade suddenly dropped, revealing a chilling indifference.

Xu Xiuyun kept her head down, wiping her tears, murmuring, "There are other ways, surely other solutions. Look at Chi Shen; he made it out of that hellish place. You can too."

Bai Ran scoffed coldly, "Emerging from there, befriending those spirits, I wonder if he’s even human anymore."

It was then that Xu Xiuyun looked up to meet Bai Ran’s gaze.

Bai Ran returned her stare. Upon locking eyes with his foster mother, Bai Ran paused, clenching his fists, his glare piercing through her.

"Ranran," Xu Xiuyun said with a heavy heart, "I'm out of options. I've asked around, they said it's capital punishment. There’s no other way out."

Enraged, Bai Ran abruptly stood, spitting out, "Useless creature."

Xu Xiuyun wiped her tears once more, stood up, took a last glance at Bai Ran, and departed.

——

Meanwhile, Chi Shen was shopping at the mall with Sheng Yulan.

Sheng Yulan spotted a nearby bubble tea shop, eyeing it several times before tugging at Chi Shen, "I want that. Is it good?"

Chi Shen glanced over, smiling warmly, "Wait here, Mom. I’ll get it for you."

"Give me the bags. I’ll watch over them."

With a nod and a smile, Chi Shen accompanied Sheng Yulan to the bubble tea shop, placing the shopping bags on a seat. But when he turned around after purchasing the drink, Sheng Yulan and the bags had vanished.

Noticing Chi Shen's bewildered expression, a waitress who had just cleared a table mentioned, "Your mother said she’d be right back and asked you to wait here."

Chi Shen nodded appreciatively, thanking her.

He knew where Sheng Yulan was. The paper figure he crafted bore his mark and essence; he was attuned to its whereabouts.

However, Du Jun remained unaware, so Chi Shen decided to patiently wait in the shop.

Sheng Yulan returned shortly, now with just one bag in hand instead of two.

"Mom?" Chi Shen inquired, imitating Du Jun's tone.

"I returned the clothing," Sheng Yulan said with a smile, "Upon reflection, spending money on clothing for me seemed wasteful. Chi Shen’s money shouldn’t be squandered this way. I have enough clothes, especially since I don’t venture out often."

"It's okay, Chi Shen said we can use it," Chi Shen remarked with a youthful tone. Yet, there was a hint of resignation in his heart. After all, he could decide where his money went, couldn't he? Buying clothes made him happy.

"With this money, let's go to the market and get some groceries. I'll cook something delicious for you," Sheng Yulan suggested.

The waiter nearby remarked with a smile, "You two seem really close."

Sheng Yulan chuckled, "It's rare to have a child, so it's only right to treat him well."

At this, the customers nearby burst into laughter.

After leaving the milk tea shop, Sheng Yulan really did drag Chi Shen to the supermarket. They bought some ingredients for her to cook him a meal.

As they opened the door, Huang Lingling dashed over, exclaiming, "Mom! You're finally back!"

Pointing to himself, Chi Shen corrected, "You should call me 'brother'!"

Huang Lingling gave him a look and turned her head away in disdain, "You're the younger brother! And you didn't take me out. Bad brother! Only mom is the good one!"

Chi Shen thought to himself: ...I really wish I could give her a good smack sometimes.

"Mommy, mommy! I want yummy food too!" Probably realizing Chi Shen wouldn't dare reprimand her in front of Sheng Yulan, Huang Lingling became even more bratty, "I want something even tastier than what he gets! I've never tasted your cooking, yet he gets to eat it all the time!"

"Alright, alright," Sheng Yulan responded with a smile, "Wait in the living room with your brother. It'll be ready soon, very soon."

Chi Shen extended his hand towards Huang Lingling with a smile, "Come on, sis, let's go together."

Huang Lingling shot him a mischievous grin, then quickly dashed to the living room, not giving Chi Shen the opportunity to lead her.

"This is why I don't like kids," Chi Shen complained as he rubbed his temples and headed to the living room, "They're just too much trouble."

Once in the living room, Huang Lingling pestered Bai Wan to watch TV. When Chi Shen noticed what she was watching, it was Journey to the West! Wasn't she scared of getting smacked by the righteous Monkey King's staff? Demons should find this terrifying, right?

However, Chi Shen didn't bother with Huang Lingling's choice; he walked towards the balcony.

The sound of water emanated from the kitchen, signaling Sheng Yulan was cooking. Chi Shen figured she'd be occupied for a while.

On the balcony, a shadowy child-like figure was surrounded by lit red candles, trembling as if afraid of Bai Wan's aura. Chi Shen was surprised to see this ghostly child back on the balcony; he sure was bold.

Crouching down to level with the child, Chi Shen asked, "Was the old ghost you tossed down the other day tasty?"

Hearing his query, the shadowy child slowly lifted its head from within the circle of red candles.

Chi Shen examined the appearance of the child, who was entirely engulfed in a dark aura. Even his skin was black, but he had a pair of blood-red eyes. The child opened his mouth but couldn't utter a word. Chi Shen noticed that the child had no teeth; the dark maw was utterly empty.

Chi Shen’s gaze paused slightly. He sensed the aura of the old ghost that had been cast away on this child. It seemed the child had consumed that spirit, explaining why he appeared slightly larger than before. Ghost consuming ghost equates to an accumulation of dark energy. When he had given two drops of Ji Xing Chen's blood, replete with its sinister energy, to Huang Lingling, she had grown a pair of legs. Hence, it was quite normal for the child to grow after consuming another ghost.

Chi Shen had encountered similar phenomena in the game of death, so he quickly drew this conclusion. Yet, this raised even more questions.

The child looked back at him, appearing devoid of reason, driven only by raw anger and fear. Many ghosts controlled by malice behaved similarly, but they usually directed their anger more explicitly. This child, however, seemed merely angered by being trapped within Bai Wan's candle barrier.

The dark child appeared frightened, wishing to flee, but not only was he hindered by the protective candles, something inside the room seemed to keep him from leaving. Chi Shen could see the child's inner conflict.

Without hesitation, he reached out and lifted the child, revealing beneath the darkness, tattered clothing that looked like a bedsheet... No, it was indeed a worn-out bedsheet. His gaze deepened, ignoring the child's struggle, and locked eyes with him.

Fear, suffocation, hunger—

And a jumble of incomprehensible, disjointed images.

It was the dark child who couldn't understand them, not Chi Shen.

Chi Shen saw the primitive beastliness within the child, as if he had grown up in a prehistoric jungle. Many human-made things were beyond his comprehension. He didn't even understand human language, driven only by hunger and fear.

Within the child's memories, Chi Shen couldn't see how he had died.

"Strange..."

Chi Shen pondered for a moment, his thoughts interrupted by the vibration of his phone in his pocket.

To avoid drawing attention, he had set his phone to vibrate. He kept it with him, fearing something might happen at home while he was away.

He took it out and saw a call from Yuan Yiping.

Answering it, Yuan Yiping's voice immediately rang out, "Chi Shen, have you encountered any anomalies?"

Chi Shen's gaze settled on the dark child, suspecting that wasn't what Yuan was referring to. Moreover, Yuan's tone was too brisk, skipping even the usual polite greetings, which was uncharacteristic of his usual demeanor.

He had a feeling that something significant had occurred at the Special Security Bureau.

"No, what happened?"

Yuan Yiping replied, "Bai Ran... he committed suicide."

"Oh." Chi Shen's voice turned immediately cold. He thought it was something major.

Yuan YiPing continued, "His soul... is missing."

Chi Shen's interest was piqued a bit: "Oh?"