Chapter 282: Chapter 174: Private Use of Public Resources, Faceless Ghost Essence

Then he did it again, and again, and again...

Su Chen only stopped when Bu Siqi couldn’t take it anymore.

"Junior Brother, please, go torment someone else," Bu Siqi begged repeatedly.

Su Chen sighed. "But Senior Brother, who else can I trust as much as you?"

Bu Siqi’s mouth twitched. Su Chen, however, was also a bit tired, so he decided to take a break and listen to what the other had to say about recent events.

"Feng Ze and Liang Jingcheng both went? And Wei Yufan went with them?" Su Chen asked, surprised.

"Yeah..." Bu Siqi said with a sigh. "The Chief gave them the freedom to choose. Don’t mind that Feng Ze and Liang Jingcheng are always vying for position; this time, they didn’t hesitate. Zhong Ming went, too."

"Wei Yufan, however, went reluctantly." Bu Siqi sneered. "But with Teacher staying behind at the Judicial Court this time, he was even more terrified and had no choice but to go to the front lines."

"As for you and Ming Lin, the Chief gave explicit orders for you two to remain and guard the Judicial Court."

Confronting the Faceless Ghost Followers directly wasn’t a game; it was bound to be dangerous. As Core Seeds, they were expected to be the first to face the danger.

But Chong Jingtian clearly didn’t want him to take the risk. The same went for Ming Lin, who also had great potential.

"The Chief is very thorough," Su Chen agreed. These days, Bu Siqi’s only form of entertainment was receiving news from the outside world.

Bu Siqi then changed the subject. "By the way, the Wind Song Gemstone and Storm Frenzy Feather you wanted are ready."

"So fast?" Su Chen was stunned. Neither of those items was easy to come by. The Wind Song Gemstone was a Seven-Hole Jade Stone that could only form by chance in an environment battered by year-round storms.

When the wind blew through it, it produced an ethereal song, and because it was so rare, its price was astronomical.

As for the Storm Frenzy Feather, it was the bluest plume from the crest of a Wind God Cangying. That creature was a Tier Five Mutant Species that never touched the ground, making it incredibly difficult to find.

But then a thought struck him. "Didn’t I ask Gu Bing to buy them for me?"

Bu Siqi grinned. "Why go through all that trouble? Teacher settled it with a single word. They’ve already been requisitioned from the Resource Library."

Su Chen fell silent. ’This...’

"Didn’t expect that, did you?" Bu Siqi understood how he felt and patted him on the shoulder, filled with emotion. "In the past, out of thirteen months a year, Teacher would be lucky to spend more than three at the Judicial Court."

"I’ve never gotten this kind of treatment before. But now, it’s great. Teacher calls all the shots in the entire Judicial Court."

Su Chen couldn’t help but nod. Old Xia was even more formidable than he’d imagined, not holding back in the slightest and just taking what he wanted.

...

Meanwhile, inside the office that originally belonged to Chong Jingtian, Xia Hanshi was sitting in the Chief’s chair, as if trying to get a feel for the position. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Xia Hanshi!"

Across from him, an ashen-faced Lei Tieyan shouted furiously, "What in the world are you trying to do? The Chief has only been gone for a few days, and you’re already trying to retrieve sealed Deceitful God’s Power from the restricted vault!"

"Only the two of us are here on guard. If something goes wrong, can you bear the responsibility?!"

"Of course," Xia Hanshi replied, his expression indifferent.

"You..." Lei Tieyan rebuked him. "Before the Chief left, he made it clear that I am the temporary decision-maker in the Judicial Court. You can only provide suggestions."

"Then I suggest you get lost," Xia Hanshi said, his face devoid of expression.

Lei Tieyan’s grayish-brown face flushed with blood. His chest heaved, and his aura grew wildly unstable, as if he were about to strike at any moment.

"Old Lei..."

Suddenly, a withered hand gently pressed down on his shoulder. It felt as if it carried an immense weight, pinning him in place.

The surging aura around him immediately calmed, like a volcano on the verge of erupting that had just been forcibly plugged.

Lei Tieyan’s furious eyes narrowed, and his heart skipped a beat. He didn’t know when, but Xia Hanshi, who had been sitting in the chair, had drifted silently behind him.

"Since Chong Jingtian agreed to let me stay, don’t you think he knows what kind of person I am?" Xia Hanshi said faintly. "Don’t be fooled by that old bastard."

"Putting you in charge was nothing more than a gamble. If you could keep me in check, great. If you couldn’t, it would have nothing to do with him."

"Besides, is there anyone in the Judicial Court right now who dares to disobey my words? It would be so embarrassing if no one listened to your orders. Go on back to the Judgment Department. None of this has anything to do with you."

Lei Tieyan’s face was taut. Rage surged within him, but it was accompanied by a growing sense of powerlessness.

He knew Xia Hanshi was right. As things stood, as long as the orders weren’t too outrageous, very few people in the Judicial Court would be willing to defy him.

After all, Xia Hanshi truly dared to retaliate.

And while he controlled the Judgment Department, which was meant to be a sharp blade aimed at the Judicial Court’s internal affairs, he himself had to follow many rules.

"Relax, I know the limits."

In the end, Xia Hanshi didn’t forget to give him an out.

"You’d better." Lei Tieyan’s expression shifted, but all he could do was leave that parting shot before storming out with a dark face.

"Honest men are just asking to be bullied," Xia Hanshi said, shaking his head.

...

After tormenting Bu Siqi for a few more days, Su Chen received a summons from Xia Hanshi and hurried over to Old Xia’s residence.

The moment he opened the door, Su Chen’s breath caught in his throat. The living room before him was filled with Deceitful Artifacts—a single glance revealed no fewer than twenty or thirty of them.

Each one was wrapped in tangible chains of energy, sealed tight.

Among them were three statues. They had humanoid forms, with upper and lower bodies split apart. Their hands were pressed against their sides, and their heads had no facial features, giving them an extremely bizarre appearance.

"Faceless Ghost Divine Statues..." Su Chen’s eyelid twitched. The scene before him was truly frightening.

"You’re here." Xia Hanshi was standing amidst the pile of items. Considering his appearance, Su Chen hesitated, wondering if he should even enter.

"Teacher." Su Chen nodded, then closed the door and took a closer look, realizing these were all Deceitful Artifacts of the Faceless Ghost.

’Old Xia must think that to get a premonition about the Faceless Ghost Followers, he’d naturally need things related to the Faceless Ghost,’ he speculated to himself.

’I wonder where these were hidden before. I didn’t sense any of them.’

"Go on, try..." Xia Hanshi gestured with his hand.

’So direct...’ Su Chen muttered to himself. He glanced at Old Xia standing to the side and figured there was no way he’d be allowed to leave.

With that in mind, he asked, "Can you undo all these seals?"

Xia Hanshi simply raised a hand, and the chains coiled around the Divine Statues and Deceitful Artifacts shattered one after another.

Su Chen put on an act, walking forward and touching the first Divine Statue. He immediately felt something being drawn out of it.

[Taming successful. Acquired Mid-tier Faceless Ghost Divine Power.]

Su Chen’s eyebrow twitched. ’There’s still a portion of Mid-tier Faceless Ghost Divine Power left in it.’

These items must have been snatched from the hands of Faceless Ghost Followers, who would have surely fought to the death, just like the Black Tuo Followers in Southwind. They must have used every trick in the book.

"How is it?" Xia Hanshi asked with a frown.

"I think I feel something..." Su Chen pretended to be sensing it, then walked over to another Divine Statue. This one was empty, completely depleted.

Next was the last Divine Statue.

[Taming successful. Acquired Mid-tier Faceless Ghost Divine Power.]

Another portion of Middle-tier Divine Power.

But it wasn’t over. He could clearly feel some kind of cold, sinister substance being extracted from it.

[Taming successful. Acquired Faceless Ghost Essence.]

’Faceless Ghost Essence?’

Su Chen’s expression shifted slightly as he quickly checked it.

[Faceless Ghost Essence: Can stimulate special professions.]

’This thing can actually affect special professions?’

’This...’ Waves stirred in his heart. He had always wanted something like this, but he had come into contact with far too few items related to Deceitful Gods.

It wasn’t until today, with Old Xia in charge of the Judicial Court, that he’d brought out years’ worth of stockpiles and finally given him access.

’Essence? What a strange name. It doesn’t seem to be Divine Power. I wonder what it is.’

"Did you get a reaction?" Xia Hanshi saw the change in Su Chen’s expression and immediately asked.

"Yes..." Su Chen suppressed his doubts for the moment, getting into character and walking toward the other Deceitful Artifacts.

"I think..." Su Chen casually touched a Deceitful Artifact, and it became empty.

"...I think..." He touched another one.

"...It seems..."

"...It seems..."

Every Deceitful Artifact Su Chen touched instantly became an empty shell.

Xia Hanshi watched with a deep frown, looking like he wanted to say something but held back. A fire flickered in his eyes. He was astonished; he hadn’t been able to see how the Deceitful Artifacts were being emptied.

Suddenly, Su Chen stopped, his eyes dazed. "I see it! Someone has entered Ying Feng! They’re well-disguised, not like an ordinary Believer... very similar to Meng Qi!"