Volume 3, Chapter 6 – Different

Bai Zhuqing ran up the stairs, stripped off her clothes in a rush, and slipped naked into the washroom to shower.

She had no idea that Bai Xiang, now in the Core realm, could, just by sensing her qi presence and movements, construct in her mind a vivid, realistic 3D scene.

It included her build and outline.

Even the tiniest measurements, down to every single strand of hair, could be recorded and mapped; the little figure in the mental image was practically lifelike.

Mm…

Leaning back in her chair, Bai Xiang raised her head to stare at the ceiling above the stairs, her gaze seeming to pierce the obstruction and look straight into the washroom.

She recorded Bai Zhuqing’s “model” and ran it against the data Jade Spirit had stored, confirming that her senses weren’t wrong—Bai Zhuqing’s development really had shot ahead quite a bit compared to before.

Is that the heart-aspect seed absorbing the influence of the “evolutionary serum”?

Bai Xiang calculated silently, mind drifting to the Prince of Nanling’s Manor shrouded in that blood fog.

That building was Yao Qingyuan’s main base, and there was a high chance it was where the specimens of Bai Nianchan’s remains were stored. It had gone three whole months without having its defenses breached even once.

Fang Xiaochun had said the blood fog showed “Shenli” traits. For ordinary cultivators, that was a nasty thing to deal with.

It wasn’t the same as purging “Shenli” pollution in a city district.

Earlier, the two provinces and eight circuits had seen outbreaks of demon chaos in plenty of places, including Chilong Circuit. In the end Bai Xiang still hadn’t cleaned it all up; she’d intentionally left a fair amount behind so the scattered freelance cultivators could cooperate with the Chilong Army to mop up.

That process wasn’t difficult. As long as you understood Shenli’s logic and avoided getting dragged into its pollution, it could be done.

But the Prince’s Manor was a whole building wrapped in that special blood mist.

If you wanted to go in, you needed a way to face “Shenli” head-on.

The manor was in Zezhou’s Ding’an Circuit, neighboring Jingshui Circuit, right beside the “Great Blood-Cloud Marsh” where the blood fog converged.

The troops encircling it were a coalition force gathered from three directions—Jingzhou, Xizhou, and Luezou—led by a civil official, Lu Niezhi, appointed from Jingzhou.

Bai Xiang didn’t know this person, but her Aunt Tao—Tao Shuohua—had sent word that marching with the army was also her own father, the Hantian Dao Master, Tao Muyun.

Fang Wenya had seemed to hint to me that Aunt Tao was already past forty, so her old man’s probably around sixty by now.

While Bai Xiang kept her eyes on the little “sister” model toweling herself off in the 3D scene, she was also thinking how Tao Muyun, at his age, was still leading troops to the front. He really must dote on his only daughter, Tao Shuohua.

He has to know about that bizarre relationship between Tao Shuohua and Fang Xiaochun, right?

Strictly speaking, that was their private business, not something Bai Xiang had any right to meddle in. But she planned to infiltrate the Prince of Nanling’s Manor to gather intel, and she wanted to bring back Bai Nianchan’s remains to give that “little aunt” a proper burial.

To do that, she needed to use Tao Shuohua and Tao Muyun’s relationship to get the army to open a gap in their lines and let her in.

For something this treasonous, saving the daughter alone might not be enough weight. But if Tao Shuohua and Fang Xiaochun actually ended up tying the knot, and Tao Muyun chose to recognize Fang Xiaochun as his overage but worthy son-in-law, then the debt he owed Bai Xiang would be that much heavier.

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So Bai Xiang actually cared quite a lot. This would directly determine whether she’d need to brute-force her way through the military formation.

The information on the “evolutionary serum” was something she was determined to obtain.

It wasn’t just about her own research, nor merely Bai Nianchan’s precious legacy—it was also about whether the “evolutionary serum” could be harnessed to push the path of qi forward.

That was not something she could allow anyone else to touch. Even if it meant clashing with Yujing earlier than planned, there was no way she’d let that data fall into other hands.

She just didn’t have enough research talent.

She’d saved Huang Qian, and the Huang clan of Dingbei Circuit was deeply grateful to her. But until the grading edict was handed down, they couldn’t openly send people over, so they weren’t much help in the short term.

“Mm?”

Lost in thought, she narrowed her eyes and focused on the “little sister” figure.

In the scene, the little figure had taken up her Sword Contemplation posture—one leg supporting her weight, the other resting on her knee in a half-lotus sit.

But it was obviously a very difficult stance, and with the soap slicking the washroom’s floor, her posture fell apart almost immediately and she slipped, landing on her backside with a thump.

Idiot.

Bai Xiang couldn’t help letting a smile slip.

Practicing while eating, practicing while bathing.

Who trains like that? I’m definitely scolding her when she comes out.

And Bai Xiang did just that. When Bai Zhuqing finished washing up and came downstairs in a pink-and-white formal dress, Bai Xiang stopped her and asked if she’d been practicing “crooked techniques” in the washroom again.

“How is that crooked?” Bai Zhuqing’s eyes flew wide. “In the novels, the protagonist has a fortuitous encounter every time they pass a waterfall. They always stick their head under the falls to clear their mind.”

“Mm.” Bai Xiang answered. “And then?”

“So there’s a ready-made ‘waterfall’ in the washroom. Of course I have to… this is called seizing every opportunity to chase after a lucky encounter.”

“Not only are you practicing crooked, you’re spouting crooked logic.” Bai Xiang’s face stayed stern. “Come over here and let me see what state you’re in.”

Bai Zhuqing pouted and came over, letting Bai Xiang take her pulse and use the Vibration Art to observe her inner body-scape.

“Ow!”

As the vibrating force transmitted in, Bai Zhuqing let out a yelp. She felt several sharp stabs inside her body, followed by tingling, itching, soreness, and a deep, bone-piercing fullness. But after a short while, the discomfort eased a great deal.

“You twisted a few places in your practice. I fixed them.” Bai Xiang released her hand and frowned at her. “Practicing like this… without me, ten lives wouldn’t be enough.”

“I count as a Sword Dao Divine Fetus now too. What are you so anxious for?”

“Are you afraid I can’t protect the family?”

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She just didn’t get what Bai Zhuqing was thinking.

“I…”

She’d expected her “little sister” to joke it off as usual, but instead Bai Zhuqing’s expression froze for a moment, and the smile slowly faded from her face.

After a short pause, she lifted her head to look at Bai Xiang. “I don’t want to let Little Aunt’s gift go to waste…”

Hm?

Bai Xiang blinked, suddenly realizing that the “Little Aunt” Zhuqing referred to here wasn’t her, but Bai Nianchan, who’d left those marks in her body.

The evolutionary serum, the atavistic demon blood—those were all powers from Bai Nianchan.

So that’s how it is.

It was indeed quite a burden on her.

“Gugu is not Gugu, and I’m not me either…” Bai Zhuqing sniffed lightly. “I know the dead can’t come back, but at the very least I think… if I can use this power properly, then it’s Little Aunt’s life continuing through me…”

What twisted logic is that?

Bai Xiang’s eyes narrowed at once, a hint of viciousness flashing between her brows.

She had no intention of blaming Bai Nianchan, but the fact that her “little sister” had suddenly split a portion of her feelings off to another woman made her, who was used to occupying the highest place in Bai Zhuqing’s heart, distinctly unhappy.

“And there’s Gugu’s gift, too.”

Bai Zhuqing’s tone shifted as she looked back at Bai Xiang.

“Gugu’s done even more for me. Teaching me sword arts, helping me Enter the Dao, saving me again and again when something happened to me… saying I owe Gugu ten lives wouldn’t be an exaggeration.”

“And now the dojo wants to fight for a Mountain-and-River grade rating. Gugu alone definitely isn’t enough to hold that up.”

“I have to grow stronger as fast as possible. That’s the only way I can share Gugu’s burdens!”

Mm…

Hearing that, Bai Xiang’s brows finally relaxed a little. She scolded softly, “One moment you call me Gugu, the next you call me Sister. If outsiders heard that, what would they think?”

“It’s exactly because Gugu always talks like this that I call you Gugu…” Bai Zhuqing immediately caught her hand and swung it, like a daughter playfully begging an elder, her face full of fawning sweetness.

“Gugu, Sis, Sister Xiang—any of them’s fine~”

“Gugu can pick. Which one do you want to hear?”

After that stream of chatter, Bai Zhuqing got her ear pinched and was frog-marched downstairs. Only when they neared the main hall did Bai Xiang finally let go, giving her a shred of face.

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“‘Your bodies and your names will perish alike, yet not for all time will rivers and seas run dry.’”

Standing in the shadow of the last step, Bai Xiang suddenly recited a line of poetry.

Seeing her “little sister” look over, she continued, “The passing of all things in this world doesn’t change the underlying order.”

“Don’t hang too much of yourself on the dead.”

“Remember, you are you.”

Bai Zhuqing froze, then whispered, “Is Gugu… worrying about me?”

Bai Xiang gave her a look and stepped aside, walking past.

She is worrying about me!

Bai Zhuqing cheered inwardly, then jogged a few steps to catch up, following Bai Xiang to the main seat in the hall.

Bai Xiang smoothed out her robe and knelt on the cushion in seiza. Bai Zhuqing copied her, kneeling on a cushion at a slightly angled spot off to the side.

The main hall of Listening-to-the-Rain Pavilion was built in this style.

Retro.

Of course, in Bai Xiang’s mind it felt specifically Han-dynasty retro.

Back in the Han, people mostly knelt to sit. Here, a band of flat wooden flooring ran along all four sides of the hall, while the central floor sank down, leading straight to the front door’s corridor. The raised design was expressly to highlight her status and authority.

Shenming Dao Master.

She might not have gotten her Swordsman’s License yet, but with the inheritance alone, she was no longer someone with no standing.

After the two of them sat, over a dozen disciples in pure white practice uniforms filed out from the sides and arranged themselves in two rows below the platform.

Han Yuanfeng stepped through the doors under Lian Feng’s guidance and was greeted immediately by this sight.

His gaze was first drawn to the wooden carving on the wall opposite him.

The carving was massive, taking up the entire wall facing the hall’s entrance. In the center was a giant figure with two faces—one round and compassionate, the other aloof and cold. Many arms spread from its shoulders, each holding a different object—books, scrolls, brushes, swords, zithers, and dozens more. It sat serenely atop a lotus dais, eyes lowered and raised as though clouds moved at its glance, a halo of divine light radiating behind its upper body.

Looking closer at the surrounding carved auspicious clouds, he realized they each vaguely resembled an animal. Cicadas, tigers, dragons, cranes and the like clustered near the center, while the other creatures piled around the sides. It looked at once like the outer Aspects of divine abilities and like countless living beings kneeling in worship to listen to a sermon.

This wood carving… the Shenming Dao Master’s ambitions are no small thing!

Han Yuanfeng sucked in a sharp breath, then finally lowered his gaze to take in Bai Xiang’s appearance on the platform.

His first impression was youth.

Really young… about the same age as his colleagues’ daughters, yet she was already sitting in this seat.

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His second impression was that the rumors weren’t exaggerated. That face, that figure, that bearing—she truly deserved the title “Fairy Shenming.”

Led to a stop below the platform, Han Yuanfeng realized that everyone around him, including Lian Feng, was staring at him.

He smiled, bent at the waist, and bowed deeply to Bai Xiang.

“Red Dust Dao, Han Yuanfeng.”

“Paying respects to the Shenming Dao Master.”

He’d omitted the word “Sword”—this was his quiet way of cozying up.

That form of address was an honor reserved for the nine great Sword Dao lineages, implying that from now on, they could call each other Red Dust Dao and Shenming Dao. It meant he had a great deal of faith in her future prospects.

“No need for such courtesy.” Bai Xiang waved her hand. A strand of sword-Qi drifted out, wrapped around Han Yuanfeng’s wrist, and straightened him up.

What was that?

Han Yuanfeng’s face changed in shock.

Why can’t I feel any demonic power fluctuations?

Before he could recover from his astonishment, he heard Bai Xiang’s voice from above. “I’ve heard that aside from the Red Dust Sword, Elder Han is also skilled in research.”

“Especially biology and chemistry, and that you’ve delved into mathematics and engineering as well?”

What’s she asking me that for?

Han Yuanfeng was completely confused, but she was, after all, the legendary cultivator whose strength was said to rival the Divine Fetus realm. He didn’t dare slack off and nodded immediately.

“Zhuqing, arrange lodgings for Elder Han and his people,” Bai Xiang ordered at once.

“Give Elder Han a room to himself.”

“It needs running water and electricity, so it’s convenient for him to set up experimental materials.”

Her tone was calm, but the unquestionable authority in it was obvious to anyone listening.

So this is what someone truly high up, someone who can sit over mountains and rivers, looks like…

Han Yuanfeng stared dazedly at Bai Xiang and suddenly understood why Lian Feng had looked at him the way he had.

He really had been overthinking it.

In front of a figure like this, all those people dreaming of edicts being bestowed on them were just indulging in fantasies.