Chapter 264 - 263: Acquiring an Opportunity

Chapter 264: Chapter 263: Acquiring an Opportunity

When Master Huo arrived and explained his purpose, Gu Qingyin and Huo Yunjing exchanged a speechless glance.

They were a little annoyed, but on second thought, if their positions were reversed, they might have done something even more extreme.

Seeing their displeasure, Master Huo calmly advised, "If you want to research the Array in peace, it’s best not to antagonize the Heavenly Master Association. It will be a lot of trouble."

The corners of Huo Yunjing’s mouth turned down, but he didn’t voice any objections.

Gu Qingyin gave his slender fingers a reassuring squeeze, then smiled at Master Huo. "We appreciate you going to the trouble." She then turned to Zhang Qiuyan. "We owe you our thanks for today, too. Why don’t you join us for a meal?"

Zhang Qiuyan glanced at Master Huo, then pursed her lips into a smile and nodded.

Gu Qingyin hadn’t eaten lamb hot pot in a long time and was craving it. After getting everyone’s approval, she found a time-honored restaurant, and they all headed over.

It wasn’t the dinner rush yet, so they didn’t have to wait in line. The four of them requested a small private room. Huo Yunjing naturally sat next to Gu Qingyin. Zhang Qiuyan sat down after, and Master Huo took the seat beside her.

While they were waiting for the food to arrive, Master Huo suddenly took out several ancient-looking books and pushed them toward Gu Qingyin. "I heard you want to improve the Space-Time Array. These Array Maps might be of some help."

Gu Qingyin thanked him, pleasantly surprised. "Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Master Huo."

Master Huo shook his head.

Gu Qingyin carefully put the books away, then thought to ask Zhang Qiuyan, "Can we borrow books from the association’s Book Collection Pavilion?"

She had originally planned to ask Chairman Miao directly after the assessment, but she hadn’t expected Huo Yunjing to cause such a scene. She had been too embarrassed to bring it up and had hurried him away instead.

Zhang Qiuyan immediately tore her gaze away from Master Huo, where she had been secretly looking, and replied in a serious tone, "You should know that for any organization, the Book Collection Pavilion is of the utmost importance. Even official members face restrictions on entry, to say nothing of temporary ones."

Gu Qingyin’s face fell. "Then was all that for nothing?"

"Not so fast. Let me finish," Zhang Qiuyan said with a small smile. "No rule is absolute."

Gu Qingyin’s eyes brightened slightly.

"Over the years, unresolved supernatural hotspots have appeared all over the country. If you can resolve one, you can earn one visit to the Book Collection Pavilion."

"Is there a time limit?"

"Of course. No one is allowed in the Book Collection Pavilion at night."

Gu Qingyin sucked in a breath. "I suspect your association is just using this as an excuse to round up free labor. You wouldn’t even feel a thing if we died."

Zhang Qiuyan’s smile didn’t falter. "You don’t have to be so blunt about it."

"What do you think?" Gu Qingyin turned to Huo Yunjing, who had been silent all this time.

Huo Yunjing didn’t seem the least bit concerned. "Let’s just take care of the closest one," he said calmly.

His words were met with a cold scoff.

Huo Yunjing looked over, his gaze cold. "Is there a problem?"

Master Huo poured a cup of tea without even looking at him. "You talk big."

Although Zhang Qiuyan felt the same way, she couldn’t let it show. She could only nod in agreement inwardly.

Gu Qingyin couldn’t stand seeing her man being underestimated. She stated fairly, "It’s not just talk. He really has the strength to back it up."

’When it comes to ghost souls, no one can handle them better than Huo Yunjing, the Ghost King.’

Huo Yunjing smiled silently.

Master Huo lowered his gaze and hummed. "Good."

Once the food arrived, everyone ate in silence. No one spoke again.

After they were about halfway through their meal, Gu Qingyin sighed, breaking the silence. "Are there any in the Capital City?"

The oppressive atmosphere had ruined Zhang Qiuyan’s appetite as well. She seemed relieved at the question and nodded. "There’s a very famous Ghost Building over in the old district. It’s not considered too dangerous, just very troublesome to deal with. That’s why it was only sealed off, and no Heavenly Master has been willing to take on the job."

Gu Qingyin raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"Well... there are quite a lot of them."

「That night」

It wasn’t until Gu Qingyin and Huo Yunjing were standing outside the Ghost Building that they understood just how "quite a lot" it really was.

The building was an abandoned shell, only its framework completed. From the outside, it resembled an upright coffin plunged into the earth, as if waiting for its fated ghostly tenants to move in.

The Ghost Building was fourteen meters wide. Its entrance, a gaping, doorless maw that seemed to swallow all light, was situated right in the center.

Gu Qingyin gaped. "This is unbelievable."

The entire building was a swarming, black mass of ghost souls. They were unable to escape due to the wards placed outside, forced to struggle within the limited space.

The entire building was like a can of sardines, packed to the brim.

Even Huo Yunjing was somewhat stunned. This was a sight he had only ever seen in Hell.

"Are you sure you don’t need anyone else to help?" Zhang Qiuyan asked, concerned.

Gu Qingyin was no longer so sure herself. She shot a questioning look at Huo Yunjing.

Huo Yunjing calmly strode toward the building. "No need." But after taking two steps, he paused and turned back to Gu Qingyin. "Why don’t you wait for me out here? It’s a little... dirty inside."

Gu Qingyin immediately rolled her eyes and strode past him. "Who do you think you’re looking down on?" ’Even though I don’t have my Magic Artifacts or the Yin Yang Eye, and this body is a bit weak, my Spells and talismans are nothing to scoff at.’

Huo Yunjing chuckled and followed her.

Seeing this, Master Huo fell in silently behind them. Since he was in charge of supervising, he certainly couldn’t miss a situation so prone to chaos.

The moment they stepped inside the building, the temperature plummeted. It was like stepping from the peak of summer directly into late autumn, with no transition whatsoever.

"Hold on, let me clear a path first." Huo Yunjing shielded Gu Qingyin behind him. With a snap of his fingers, a two-meter radius around them was instantly cleared.

Master Huo’s brow twitched at the sight. ’What kind of technique is that? It’s far too casual.’

"Impressive," Gu Qingyin remarked.

Huo Yunjing, however, wasn’t quite satisfied. ’This physical shell is still a limitation. I can’t exert my full hundred percent of my power like I could in my soul body.’

"Want to make it a competition?" Gu Qingyin suddenly suggested, her interest piqued. "You take one side, I’ll take the other. We’ll see who can clear them out faster."

Huo Yunjing was intrigued. "What’s the prize for the winner?"

Gu Qingyin blinked. It was too late to think of a proper prize on the spot, so she said casually, "The winner can make the loser do one thing." She paused, then added, "Nothing too outrageous."

Huo Yunjing chuckled and nodded. "Alright, you have a deal."

The two sealed the deal with a high-five and turned to head in opposite directions.

Huo Yunjing’s side remained just as effortless. Gu Qingyin, in contrast, was causing a much bigger commotion. She unleashed the Thunder Decision, talismans, and purification spells all at once—it was clear she was dead set on winning.

Gradually, the two of them drew further apart.

Master Huo glanced in Gu Qingyin’s direction, then followed Huo Yunjing with a frown.

’Watching from up close for a while, Master Huo was starting to get a sense of Huo Yunjing’s methods. ’Is that... soul power? But can he really use soul power so prodigally without any consequences?’

Master Huo couldn’t understand it. ’Though my own innate Soul Power is far greater than an average person’s, even I couldn’t withstand squandering it like this. Or is it related to his upbringing? Did he have some kind of extraordinary encounter in the past?’

Huo Yunjing tsked. "Master Huo, I don’t like it when people who aren’t my wife stare at me."

Master Huo snapped out of his thoughts, his expression growing even more indifferent. "Staring at you is precisely why I’m here."

Huo Yunjing let out a noncommittal "heh" and went back to clearing out the ghost souls.