Volume 3, Chapter 28 – Old Grudges

“Big Sister Xiang’s foot… hss, ha…”

Bai Leying had just stepped into the courtyard, about to head inside and upstairs, when she looked up and saw her real older sister, Bai Zhuqing, standing there in a wide-sleeved Yu dress of pale blue and white, staring off into space. Not only was there an unnatural blush on her face, she was also muttering some very strange lines under her breath.

“…” The cheerful look on Bai Leying’s face instantly turned hesitant. She no longer quite dared walk past her sister.

Sisters generally had nothing they couldn’t talk about, and Bai Zhuqing and Bai Leying were much the same. But while the former turned into a lovestruck fool in front of Bai Xiang, her behavior around others was very composed and meticulous. Even Bai Leying, who saw her new big sister every day, would never have noticed Bai Zhuqing harbored some “special” feelings for Big Sister Xiang—half parent, half elder—if she hadn’t gone a bit too far with her classmates last term at school and… wised up.

So what was this supposed to be now? Keeping up with trends?

Was big sis only losing her mind over Big Sister Xiang, or had she put even her own little sister on the menu too?

Just then, Bai Zhuqing finally came out of her daze. Her gaze fell on Bai Leying, and Bai Leying was so startled she gave a shiver and blurted, “Uh… sis, perfect timing. Grandpa’s looking for you. You should hurry over!”

“You little brat, what’s with that look?” Bai Zhuqing narrowed her eyes. Her qi-refining cultivation flared, and with a lift of her hand, a strand of invisible qi-force swept Bai Leying back.

This qi-force was different from Bai Xiang’s. It wasn’t so razor-sharp; instead, it was sticky and soft, like spider silk. Anyone sparring against it found it a headache.

Even people like Bai Shengju and Bai Lianzhou, whose demonic power, once converted, made their qi-force deep and refined—if Bai Zhuqing used five-tenths of her strength, they’d have to use seven or eight to break free and offset it. Naturally, Bai Leying couldn’t escape. Like a tiny bug caught in a web, she was dragged back no matter how she flailed.

“Don’t be ridiculous.” From behind, Bai Zhuqing hooked an arm around her bratty little sister’s neck, the two of them pressed together, playing and grappling. “I’m not so far gone I’d be interested in a little squirt like you.”

“Then let go…” Bai Leying rolled her eyes theatrically. “You’re choking me… urgh!”

“Feisty, are we?” Bai Zhuqing pulled both her arms behind her back, freeing one hand to press against her sister’s waist. She pinched a patch of ticklish flesh and started kneading.

“Pff!” Bai Leying broke character and burst out laughing. “Hahaha I’m not feisty anymore… stop it! I’m gonna cramp up!”

“Listen carefully.” Bai Zhuqing’s face darkened as she loomed over her. “Everything you just heard, everything you’re guessing—don’t you dare repeat a word of it to anyone.”

“Eek… not even to Grandpa?”

Grandpa was exactly the one she was trying to keep it from!

Frightened, Bai Zhuqing gave another hard pinch, making Bai Leying yelp in her grip. “Okay, okay! I get it! I won’t say anything!”

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Once she let go, Bai Leying finally managed to recover her composure—but couldn’t resist sidling back over. “Sis↘… you and Big Sister Xiang really… mm↗?”

Just from that rising tone on the “mm↗”, Bai Zhuqing knew this rotten kid was definitely thinking all sorts of terrible things.

Seriously, wasn’t she still pure and innocent before last term? Where had she even picked this stuff up?

“Why do you need to know so much?” Bai Zhuqing’s face went dark. “This isn’t something I can explain to you anyway. Kids should stay out of it and not meddle.”

Not meddling it is, then.

Bai Leying pouted.

You could just tell big sis was still stuck in that early stage of wanting something and not getting it. Better not say it out loud, or she’d get all mad and embarrassed again.

“Wait.”

She’d just been about to slip away when Bai Zhuqing grabbed her back again and asked, “Tell me properly—why’s Grandpa looking for me?”

Bai Leying’s eyes started darting everywhere. “I can’t guarantee anything, okay…”

“Spit it out!”

“Fine, fine. I overheard Grandpa talking with Dad and Second Uncle. Sounded like it was about Third Uncle.”

“Third Uncle?” Bai Zhuqing froze, and immediately thought of “Bai Chenyu”, whose body had been parasitized by a divine-vein demon. The identity he’d presented had been as the son of Third Uncle, Bai Qingmin.

Right. Once Grandpa knew about that, there was no way he wouldn’t dig deeper… Maybe he hadn’t cared much about how Third Uncle’s side was doing before, but after something like this, he’d definitely want to verify whether that “Bai Chenyu” identity was real.

And Third Uncle’s whole family was all the way out in Liangzhou…

Bai Zhuqing instantly felt the headache coming on.

Before Maozhou, the Great Yu’s territory had been divided into nine great regions, with the Nine Provinces as fiefs, each guarded by a Prefecture.

Those Nine Provinces weren’t just distinguished administratively or postally—even communications were different.

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Take Qizhou for example—Bai Xiang’s thwarting of the Chai father and daughter’s scheme had made her a household name throughout Qi. But once you left Qizhou, the impact of the whole event dropped sharply.

Zezhou and Luezhuo, the two neighboring regions, were a bit better off; at least the TV stations could pick up the news.

But farther regions like Jingzhou, Daizhou, Liangzhou and the rest—those stations would have nothing. At most, it might get a brief mention on “Broadcast News”.

So naturally, a mobile plan from Qizhou couldn’t even place a call to Liangzhou.

Unless you were in a government office with a specially authorized satellite phone, an ordinary person’s cell signal had a hard time crossing two different provincial jurisdictions.

So if Bai Shengju wanted to look for Bai Qingmin’s family in Liangzhou, he had no choice but to ask the government for help.

But the problem was, Grandmaster Xiang Xian had just offended the highest boss of all the government departments in the country…

Liangzhou’s State Chancery definitely wouldn’t dare get tangled up with them now, and the remaining offices like the Inspectorate and Transport Directorate wouldn’t either.

Even forces on the same administrative level as the State Chancery, like the Hongchen Sword Dao—so long as their leaders weren’t idiots, they wouldn’t agree to help.

As for Han Yuanfeng of the Hongchen Dao hanging around here… Bai Zhuqing didn’t believe Han Yuanfeng had any say in matters like this.

Thinking that far, she couldn’t help feeling a bit resentful toward Xiang Xian.

As satisfying as it had been to see Grandmaster vent like that, in one blow she had also blocked off many pathways, making some things very hard to get done.

Carrying those worries with her, Bai Zhuqing hurried to a hastily erected building nearby. She went up to the third floor, lightened her steps, and held her breath to listen at the door.

“Come in.”

Bai Shengju’s voice came from inside.

So they’d already noticed her.

Bai Zhuqing pulled a face, then pushed the door open and went in. She saw Bai Shengju, her dad Bai Guanshan, and Second Uncle Bai Lianzhou all seated together, looking like they’d just finished a serious talk.

By habit, her eyes went to the ashtray. There was a good pile of butts inside.

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So they’d reached a conclusion, then?

Bai Zhuqing grew curious at once.

“Qing’er.” Unexpectedly, it was her dad Bai Guanshan who spoke first. “Go ask Mr. Han to come over. Tell him we have a serious matter to discuss.”

“Oh.” Bai Zhuqing blinked, then obediently pulled the door closed and withdrew.

She didn’t ask why they weren’t going to Bai Xiang for this—please, the elders all knew what Grandmaster had just done outside. Who dared disturb Bai Xiang’s cultivation?

Even her dad knew the family’s future rested on whose shoulders. Grandpa was hardly going to do something stupid.

And this was also a matter of propriety.

Bai Xiang was now Shenming Dao Lord. Who exactly was Han Yuanfeng?

How could you ask Big Sister Xiang to go invite him personally? Sending her, the manager of daily affairs, was just right~

“So…”

Inside the room, Bai Guanshan, unaware his eldest daughter had just downgraded him in her mind, was still trying to confirm things with Bai Shengju. “Father, you’ve really decided?”

“It’s been so many years.” Bai Shengju sighed. “We’ve all got one foot in the grave already. What’s left to worry about?”

“But…”

“That’s enough.” Bai Shengju cut him off. “It’s not your face I’m selling, so what are you so worked up about?”

Bai Guanshan fell silent and said no more.

Beside him, Bai Lianzhou clapped him on the shoulder twice, then forcefully walked him out of the room.

On this matter, Bai Shengju was already showing them respect by calling them together, informing them, and even asking their opinion.

Not just respect for the two brothers, but also for their late mother, He Qiuming.

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“Still hung up on it?”

Leaning on the railing outside, Bai Lianzhou studied his older brother’s profile.

“No.”

Bai Guanshan wiped his sweaty face hard.

“I just didn’t expect… she’d climbed that high already…”

Inside the room, Bai Shengju was working his phone, typing in a search for “Hongchen Sword Dao”.

This wasn’t restricted information, so lines of description quickly appeared: the Hongchen Sword Dao’s location, its dojo grounds, its teaching philosophy, its list of responsible leaders.

He flipped all the way to the last page in one breath. A profile photo of a graceful, stately beauty popped up.

Bai Shengju’s hands froze. His eyes fixed on her, staring in a daze.

In the photo, she looked at most in her early thirties, remarkably well maintained, with no hint of her real age.

Precisely because of that, the face seemed to come alive, as if the years had rolled backward to that time—again he saw the cold-faced woman in a red dress, sword in hand, cutting off her braid with determination and hatred.

“Since you’ve made your choice, I won’t trouble you anymore.”

“From this day on, Chen Yuchan and Bai Shengju sever all ties.”

“The braid you wove for me… I’m giving it back!”

The severed braid fell, revealing a length of red cord among the loose strands.

Bai Shengju reached out—but could no longer seize that strand of time.