White Phantom – Chapter 22: The ghost of mei lin

A World of Shadows

The cold wind howled through the valley, carrying whispers of the dead. Bai Shen stood at the edge of a ruined shrine, his white hair fluttering against the night. His fingers traced the scar on his left hand—an old wound, one he had almost forgotten.

But tonight, the pain returned.

Lan Yue watched him from a distance. She had followed him for the past two days, keeping her distance but never truly leaving. Bai Shen hadn't told her to stay, but he also hadn't told her to leave.

Silence hung between them, heavy with unspoken words.

"You don't sleep much, do you?" she finally asked.

Bai Shen didn't answer. Instead, he turned his head slightly, sensing the subtle tremor in her breathing. She was curious about him.

But curiosity was dangerous.

"You lost someone," Lan Yue continued, stepping forward. "Someone you still see every time you close your eyes."

Bai Shen's grip on his sheath tightened.

"I don't need your sympathy," he said coldly.

Lan Yue sighed. "Good. Because I wasn't offering it."

For the first time, Bai Shen turned to face her. She didn't flinch under his gaze—his sightless yet piercing gaze. Her boldness reminded him of Mei Lin, but he crushed the thought before it could take root.

"I don't have time for distractions," Bai Shen muttered.

Lan Yue smirked. "Then it's a good thing I'm not one."

Bai Shen wanted to tell her she was wrong. That every time she spoke, she forced him to remember things he wanted to forget.

But before he could say anything—

A faint vibration.

His head snapped to the side. The night was still, but something had shifted.

Lan Yue noticed his sudden change and immediately drew her twin daggers. "What is it?"

Bai Shen closed his eyes, focusing on the disturbance. The ground trembled in a rhythm—six steps, light but calculated. Someone was approaching.

No.

Not someone.

Something.

The Revenants of Black Veil

The darkness thickened as figures emerged from the mist—cloaked assassins, their faces hidden behind masks. Unlike the ones before, these killers did not breathe, did not make a sound.

Lan Yue's grip tightened. "What… are they?"

Bai Shen didn't need to see them to know. He could hear the unnatural stillness in their bodies, the way they didn't have heartbeats.

"They're not alive," he murmured.

The Black Veil had finally sent something worse than men.

They had sent their Revenants.

Lan Yue took a step back. "Undead?"

Bai Shen said nothing. He simply unsheathed his sword, though he knew it wouldn't help.

A fight with the dead was different.

They did not breathe. They did not hesitate. They did not fear.

Which meant he couldn't fight them like normal enemies.

Phantom Void Awakens

The first Revenant attacked. It moved without sound, without weight—its blade cut through the air like a shadow.

Bai Shen ducked, narrowly avoiding the slash. He countered with Phantom Echo, aiming to strike its weakest point—

But his sword passed through its body.

A cold sensation washed over him. No flesh. No bones. Only darkness.

Bai Shen instantly adjusted. He stepped back, his mind racing. He couldn't rely on his usual techniques. Phantom Echo needed vibrations to detect movement, but these creatures had none.

Lan Yue cursed as her daggers also failed to land a decisive blow. "This isn't working!"

Bai Shen exhaled. Then, he let go.

His heart slowed. His breathing steadied.

Instead of fighting against the darkness—

He became one with it.

The moment he surrendered to the void, everything became clear.

A Revenant lunged at him—this time, Bai Shen didn't dodge. He let it come, let it fall into the emptiness he now controlled.

Then—

Slash.

His sword cut through the Revenant's core, severing the energy that bound it.

The creature disintegrated into mist.

Lan Yue's eyes widened. "How did you—?"

Bai Shen didn't answer. He stepped forward, his form blending into the darkness itself.

Phantom Void had awakened.

And now, the dead had something to fear.

The Final Blow

The remaining Revenants hesitated, as if sensing the shift. But Bai Shen gave them no time to react.

He moved like a phantom, weaving between them, striking their cores with precision. The moment his blade found its mark, they crumbled.

One by one.

Until nothing remained.

Lan Yue stood frozen, her chest rising and falling in rapid breaths. "That… was terrifying."

Bai Shen sheathed his sword. "Good."

Lan Yue turned to him, watching his expression—cold, unreadable, but beneath it…

There was something else.

Pain.

Loss.

And something far more dangerous.

Determination.

The Ghost of Mei Lin

That night, Bai Shen did not sleep. He sat by the dying embers of their fire, his mind replaying every moment of the battle.

And then—

A voice.

Soft. Familiar.

"Bai Shen…"

His breath hitched. He turned his head sharply, but there was no one there.

Only the cold wind.

Only the darkness.

But he had heard it.

Mei Lin.

His fingers curled into fists. His chest ached. He had spent so long trying to drown her voice, to silence the memories…

But tonight, she had spoken to him.

Or maybe…

She had never left.

End of Chapter 22