After Swapping Identities With My Archenemy - Chapter 53

Chapter 53: Master Disappears

Outside the hospital room, Shen Wensi pulled a small bell from her pocket and gave it a gentle shake. The bell emitted a crisp, clear chime.

With a flick of her wrist, she cast an invisible boundary behind her, isolating this section of the hallway. Nurses making their rounds walked right past, completely oblivious to Shen Wensi standing in the corner. From a bystander’s perspective, the space was empty, perhaps a bit dimly lit, but nothing more.

A minute later, a sneaky, ghostly shadow appeared at the corner of the corridor and drifted toward Shen Wensi.

The spirit wore a tall hat, dressed much like a Bai Wuchang (White Impermanence), but with a slight difference: a gourd-shaped pendant hung at her waist, and she was noticeably shorter. While her face bore the gray pallor of the dead, her expression was remarkably lively.

If Jiang Huaiyi were here, she would recognize this as a newly appointed Impermanence messenger.

The spirit drifted closer and bowed respectfully to Shen Wensi, her tall hat nearly poking Shen Wensi in the face. Shen Wensi took two steps back, looking slightly exasperated.

“Didn’t I say to skip these formal pleasantries?” Shen Wensi asked. “Didn’t your superiors teach you that?”

Du Xiaoxin had only been on the job for a month. Today, she was told she’d be meeting her master’s superior, only to find herself face-to-face with the Great Emperor of Fengdu herself.

On the surface, she was respectful and cautious; internally, her palms were sweating ghosts-sweat. Hearing the question—which wasn’t even harsh nearly made her soul dissipate from sheer terror. Shivering, she adjusted her falling hat and retreated, employing the “first trick” her master had taught her for dealing with high-ranking officials.

Du Xiaoxin took a deep breath, squeezed out a fawning smile, and bowed low. “Hehe, I forgot! Boss, please, speak your mind!”

Shen Wensi’s lip twitched as she looked at her “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” subordinate. She resisted the urge to punch her back to the Underworld and simply held out a cold hand. “Do you have the items I asked for?”

Du Xiaoxin pulled a black ledger from her sleeve and presented it with both hands. “Please, take a look.”

Shen Wensi took it and began to flip through the pages, her aura softening slightly.

Du Xiaoxin took the chance to steal glances at this legendary “Boss.” She had been assigned as Shen Wensi’s mortal-world liaison by the White Impermanence himself, who called it a “sweet gig.” She had been terrified at first, but seeing that her fawning smile seemed to work, she began to relax, peeking at the surroundings with curiosity.

It had been over a decade since she’d been to the mortal realm. Having spent her afterlife studying the Underworld’s bureaucracy, this was her first time back on “top” as an official rather than a wandering ghost. She looked toward the bright hospital room where Jiang Huaiyi lay. Just as she drifted toward the door, Shen Wensi’s voice rang out.

“Don’t go any further.”

Du Xiaoxin’s hair stood on end, her hat poking the ceiling. She turned to see Shen Wensi still focused on the ledger. “Why not?” she asked. “Normal people can’t see us, right?”

Shen Wensi turned her head slightly, her gaze lingering on the door. “The person inside is easily frightened. If you scare her…”

The sentence was left unfinished, but Du Xiaoxin’s imagination filled in a grisly fate for herself. She flashed that universal fawning smile again. “Don’t worry, Boss! I’ll protect her with my life—well, my afterlife!”

Shen Wensi ignored her, focusing on the records of Jiang Younian. She had seen these records before, but comparing them now to the fake book from the scroll, she found they matched perfectly—word for word. It was unsettling. Whether the Underworld records were compromised or the scroll’s “Little Underworld” was powerful enough to mirror reality, it was a lapse in her control she hadn’t expected.

She closed the ledger and looked at the bell in her hand. Du Xiaoxin stood by, not daring to breathe. Even though she was dead, she felt a long-lost sense of suffocation.

Finally, Shen Wensi handed the ledger back and shook the bell, signaling Du Xiaoxin could leave. Du Xiaoxin started to go, then hesitated.

“Boss… could you change the way you call me?”

Shen Wensi raised an eyebrow. “What?”

Du Xiaoxin pointed at the bell. “Using that to summon me… I feel like a dog.”

Her voice trailed off. Before she could finish, Shen Wensi’s hand came down, and Du Xiaoxin was promptly “pressed” into the floor, vanishing.

Peace at last. Shen Wensi thought for a moment, then called her butler to have a high-end smartphone burned as an offering for Du Xiaoxin. The Underworld’s communication methods were outdated; a phone would be much more efficient.

Shen Wensi walked back into the room. Jiang Huaiyi was lying there, staring at the ceiling just as she had been left. She looked small and compliant. Shen Wensi sat on the sofa, her movements silent.

Jiang Huaiyi turned her head, her hands clutched tight under the blanket. “Well? Did you find out?”

“I should warn you before I speak,” Shen Wensi said.

She was certain now: Jiang Younian was no longer in the Underworld. Such “wandering masters” usually had records, but the Underworld didn’t exert much control over them unless they lost their souls. Jiang Younian’s soul was fine, and her strength was said to rival even an Impermanence messenger. Yet, there was no trace of her in the official records. She had truly vanished.

“What do you mean, ‘vanished’?” Jiang Huaiyi’s heart sank.

“She’s gone,” Shen Wensi explained, leaning back. “She isn’t in the mortal realm, and she isn’t in the Underworld. It’s possible she entered a different pocket dimension, leaving no trail in either world.”

Jiang Huaiyi went numb. She immediately thought of her Uncle. “Can you ask my Uncle if there’s a soul-searching technique? Or if you have a way…” Her voice broke, and tears began to fall.

Shen Wensi handed her a tissue. “I’ve checked. Every standard method has been tried. When was the last time you saw her?”

“The day I woke up at your house,” Jiang Huaiyi whispered. “She only meets me in my dreams… but I haven’t dreamt of her in a long time.”

The illusions in the scroll didn’t count. She realized now that she hadn’t seen the “Little Old Lady” in days. With everything happening, she had overlooked the silence.

“The fastest way to verify this,” Shen Wensi said, resting her chin on her hand, “is for you to sleep right now. Try to contact her the way you always do.”

Jiang Huaiyi didn’t wait. She closed her eyes instantly. It was the only way.

She tried to calm her racing heart, but the anxiety was a physical weight. Then, she felt a warm hand cover her forehead. Her racing thoughts began to settle under the touch.

Taking several deep breaths, she finally drifted into sleep.

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