Volume 2, Chapter 54 – Empty Sky Route

At daybreak the next morning, Bai Xiang got up, washed up, and picked out a set of vintage-style ceremonial robes for the day.

It wasn’t just because she had to constantly send a message to the outside world that the Bai family firmly supported the traditionalist faction, but also because of Xiang Xian—her conveniently acquired master was wearing a full purple palace dress.

According to the Yu Rites, a disciple was supposed to follow their master in all things. That “follow” covered every possible aspect.

Even something as stiff as keeping your hairstyle similar to your master’s—if word got out, not only would no one laugh, they’d praise you for honoring your teacher and valuing the Dao.

So it was safest to dress like this. No way to go wrong.

This ceremonial dress was a bit different from what Bai Xiang had worn before.

The base color was still white, cinched tightly at the waist with a black cloth sash embroidered with threads of gold.

The overlapping front panel was trimmed in black-on-black, running all the way up to the collar, where a standing, rounded collar bore a single black plum blossom embroidered at the throat.

The biggest difference was the cuffs. Gone was the wide-sleeved design. The slightly loose sleeves were cinched tight at the forearms with long black leather bracers, making her look neat and efficient without losing any elegance.

Then she lifted her black-stockinged feet and slid them into a pair of long brocade boots patterned with black pythons. Sitting on the bed, Bai Xiang took a moment to feel it out, and the strongest impression she got was—this outfit was tighter than the old-style robes she’d worn before.

But that wasn’t actually it.

She frowned slightly, eyes dropping to her chest.

For a swordsman, the years from fifteen to twenty were the key period for physical growth.

At seventeen, she definitely wasn’t finished developing. Continuing to grow was perfectly normal.

With the Enter the Dao state constantly reinforcing her daily, the changes in her body wouldn’t cause Bai Xiang any trouble in her sword practice.

She had long since decided she wouldn’t get involved in worldly romance. Faced with this kind of change, though, she couldn’t help feeling a rare bit of hesitation.

In theory, she could use her soul-based abilities to control and limit how her body developed.

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But after thinking it over, she still didn’t do it.

There was always this feeling that it went against nature, an instinctive sense that doing so wasn’t good, that it would damage some innate, mysterious balance her body had been born with.

When she came out, she still tied her hair back into a ponytail with a black ribbon. Bai Xiang went to tell Bai Shengju first that she’d be going to Qizhou University with Xiang Xian today.

Dao Lord Yuming had always had a wide circle of acquaintances. Hearing that Xiang Xian would be accompanying her the whole way, Bai Shengju felt completely at ease and just told her to send word home once she arrived safely.

Looking at her grandfather, Bai Xiang also felt more at ease than before.

Shenming Sword Dao finally no longer had only her as its sole Condensing the Aspect combat strength.

With Bai Shengju sitting guard here, even if something dangerous happened, the dojo should be able to hold out until the nearby patrolling Chilong Army rushed over.

Add on Bai Zhuqing entering the Dao, Xu Shu entering the Dao, and Bai Lianzhou quietly accumulating in the background—maybe it wouldn’t be long before she could set this place down from her mind and roam farther afield with fewer worries.

Because they were in a hurry to make the trip, Bai Xiang only notified Bai Shengju. Without waiting for her other drunk junior brothers and sisters to get up and see her off, she walked straight out the main gate—and sure enough, saw a woman in a palace dress waiting by the grove.

“About that little sister of yours…” Xiang Xian saw her and seemed to hesitate.

“I left her a copy of the Yushen Deduction Method . What do you think?”

The Yushen Deduction Method could be considered the preliminary textbook for “Yushen Bright Heart.” To put it in vivid terms, it was like those “Programming for Babies” books back in the bookstores of her previous life—something to test whether a person had the corresponding talent to begin with.

Since Xiang Xian had gone this far, it clearly meant she thought highly of Bai Zhuqing’s talent for “Yushen.” As long as she was willing, and Bai Zhuqing herself was willing, Bai Xiang’s opinion didn’t really matter.

So Bai Xiang immediately picked up on her underlying meaning.

Her “cheap master” had probably overheard, during these days staying with the Bai family, the strange way her little sister addressed her, and had also seen that Bai Zhuqing’s feelings for her weren’t ordinary—so she’d specifically come to ask for her thoughts.

“If Zhuqing’s willing, I have no objections.” Bai Xiang adjusted the strap of the sword on her back and didn’t say much more about it.

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“Good.” Xiang Xian nodded and beckoned her to walk ahead together.

As they walked, she reminded her about today’s journey. “Qizhou University is in Qiyun Circuit. It’s November, close to year’s end, and ground traffic is locked up tight. We’ll go to Luoshan Airport first.”

Luoshan was in the western part of Chilong Circuit, just a small earthen hill. Next to it was the Luoshan Base, and the attached airfield was called Luoshan Airport.

But that place was never open to the public, was it?

“Right.” Meeting Bai Xiang’s look, Xiang Xian raised her chin lazily. “Your master’s taking you there on a military transport.”

Her attitude toward Bai Xiang was faintly warmer than before. Bai Xiang guessed that was the influence of Bai Zhuqing calling her “Aunt.”

After all, Xiang Xian was a Divine Fetus cultivator.

Earlier, during Bai Zhuqing’s conversation with her, there’d only been a courtyard wall between them.

So she was likely also suspecting whether Bai Xiang was Bai Nianchan reborn.

The two of them took a cab to Luoshan Airport, where, unsurprisingly, Chilong Army checkpoints ringed the outskirts.

Xiang Xian handed over her phone for the soldier to scan on some machine. Bai Xiang had no idea how they verified anything, but once they were done, they returned the phone to her and raised the barrier for them to pass.

It was nine-thirty in the morning. Outside the airfield, squads of Chilong Army troops were drilling in formation. The runway itself, by contrast, was almost empty—only a single dark-green, twin-prop military aircraft parked there, impossible to miss at a glance.

That was the transport Xiang Xian had secured. Under the guidance of the soldiers, the two of them climbed into the rear seats and, amid the vibrations, took off aboard the military plane.

“I have nothing to do with Little Aunt.”

In the odd atmosphere, Bai Xiang simply shattered the suspense.

“Little Aunt is Little Aunt. Bai Xiang is Bai Xiang.”

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“Is that so…”

Xiang Xian visibly let out a breath of relief, though she looked a little disappointed too.

“True enough. Rebirth, reincarnation, piercing through the cycle—there’ve been endless rumors about that sort of thing since forever, but there has yet to be a single case proven real.”

“Take that monk Daokong, for instance.” She smiled. “The legend of his ‘nine lives, nine tribulations’ is very popular in upper circles, but anyone with an inside line should know that was just a Yaosui contamination act.”

“Daokong is a Yaosui?”

“At the very least, what he left behind can only be a Yaosui.” Xiang Xian’s brows drew together slightly. “And one of the most dangerous types of Yaosui—touching on the mind and soul. If I’m not careful, even I, your master, could fall for his tricks.”

After briefly touching on the story of the Nine Tribulations Method, Xiang Xian turned back to Bai Xiang. “Xiang’er, you lied to me, didn’t you?”

Bai Xiang looked at her, saying nothing for the moment.

“At the very least, you’ve been hiding something.” Xiang Xian nodded. “I helped check Old Bai’s condition myself. No matter how good the medicine, all it can do is bring his breathing and circulation back in line and help him break through. It can’t possibly let him switch cultivation methods while keeping his realm.”

“For example, he previously cultivated ‘Xiaofeng Sword Dao.’”

“Then when he broke through to Condensing the Aspect, he switched to ‘Shenming Sword Dao’—yet somehow still kept his cultivation level in Xiaofeng Sword Dao.”

In theory, anyone below Condensing the Aspect still had the chance to change paths.

But that applied to the young. For someone Bai Shengju’s age, changing methods was extremely difficult.

“My guess is that Shenming Sword Dao is hiding something special.” Xiang Xian met Bai Xiang’s gaze. “Imitating the cicada’s cry, imitating the cicada’s molt—the principle should be similar to that ‘vibration-probing method’ you mentioned to me.”

The Cicada-Shedding Method did indeed rely on simulated sonar to probe the inner landscape and heart meridians.

Bai Xiang nodded. “Yes.”

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The Cicada-Shedding Method was a secret she’d left precisely for Xiang Xian to uncover. She went along with it now and laid out the method in full. After listening, Xiang Xian clicked her tongue in amazement.

“Using vibration waves to explore the shifting inner landscape… This approach isn’t entirely Bai Muying’s original idea, but she’s the only one who actually pulled it off!”

“Impressive.”

“In this particular path, I can’t measure up to her.”

Then she looked over at Bai Xiang with a smile and asked, “No wonder I always felt like something was off about you. You used the Cicada-Shedding Method to stack your dao-age, didn’t you?”

One of the Cicada-Shedding Method’s features was that you could use it once even after passing Condensing the Aspect, and just like a pre-Condensing method switch, it let you keep your accumulated cultivation.

Bai Xiang lied without so much as a twitch. “I did.”

“Since you’ve already achieved success, and you weren’t my disciple back then, I won’t nitpick it with you.”

As she was speaking, Xiang Xian’s expression turned stern.

“But don’t let me catch you doing it again.”

“Cultivating the inner landscape is like walking a sky-high rope bridge bolted to a cliff. One misstep and you plunge thousands of meters to your death… Even if you get the idea again, I want you to report it at least—find someone you truly trust to stand guard for you.”

That harsh tone, stripped down, was just concern for Bai Xiang. Bai Xiang’s chest warmed slightly, and she dipped her chin.

“Your disciple understands.”

“Good.” Xiang Xian looked satisfied. She flipped her phone out, got up, and sat down beside Bai Xiang.

Bai Xiang’s body went stiff. She had no idea what she was planning to do.

But all Xiang Xian did was open her photo album and tap into a group photo.