Volume 3, Chapter 98 – Connecting the Threads

[Good evening, viewers. I’m special correspondent Wang Lim. We interrupt this program with breaking news from the border.]

[Following the recent fighting along the Maozhou border, the Luohou capital, Baco City, has also suffered a terror attack by an unknown force.]

[According to eyewitness accounts, the attackers appear to have used high-yield explosives as well as high-powered laser weaponry.]

[The attack has caused severe damage to Luofu Temple, known as “the First Temple of Luohou.” A large number of pagodas and halls have collapsed. The economic losses are significant, and the total affected area is shocking. Preliminary estimates indicate that an area equivalent to several stadiums’ worth of streets and buildings has been destroyed. So far, 117 people are confirmed dead, 348 are missing, and the number of injured has exceeded one thousand…]

Night had fallen. In the main family sitting room on Shenming’s main peak, the Bai clan sat together and watched this breaking news segment with their own eyes.

“Grandpa!” Bai Leying immediately turned to check Grandfather Bai Shengju’s expression, only to see he was still slumped on the sofa as usual, half-squinting. If you did not look closely, you might have thought he was about to fall asleep.

“Leying!”

Zhu Ying rushed over, grabbed her ear, and gave it a twist. “Come with me!”

She knew exactly what that “Grandpa” had meant.

Everyone else from the Bai family present knew as well.

Of course they did. Among the people sitting here, who was not worried about Bai Xiang, who was far from home?

Shenming Sword Dao had risen with Bai Xiang’s rise. You could say every bit of their glory and status had been brought by her.

If something happened to her out there, to put it bluntly, Shenming Sword Dao and the entire Bai family would not even be able to retreat to their old position.

They were committed now. If they tried to back out, talk about settling old scores or walking away from the jianghu, there would be many who refused to accept that. What awaited them would likely be endless targeting and suppression.

“Don’t panic.” Bai Guanshan raised his brows. “There’s no news yet, is there?”

He meant there was no specific mention of Bai Xiang in the report.

At times like this, no news was the best news.

Bai Lianzhou had been frowning tightly ever since the report came on. Hearing his elder brother say that, he finally eased his brows a little and gave a barely visible nod.

But when he glanced at Bai Guanshan, he saw his brother had at some point taken a pack of cigarettes and a box of matches from his pocket and was hesitating over whether to light one.

Whenever Bai Guanshan got nervous, he wanted to smoke. It was a habit he had picked up after leaving the martial path for business.

The tension in the room was suffocating. Shen Xuelan watched the men in charge, curled her lip, and pulled Bai Maoxu—who was so distracted he had forgotten his phone—out of the room.

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“Qing’er.” Bai Shengju slowly opened his eyes. “What do you make of the current situation?”

This was surprising.

Bai Guanshan and Bai Lianzhou both froze for a second and turned their heads toward Bai Zhuqing.

She was stunned too. Clearly, she had not expected to be the one called on first at a time like this.

“It’s not just Luohou that’s had trouble these last two days,” Bai Shengju said, turning his gaze to her. “The Sami Federation, the Ruffen Federation, and other countries too. Parts of the Nine Provinces haven’t been very stable either.”

“You say you’ve been studying coordination and management with your senior master these days. So tell me: what exactly have you learned?”

Uh…

Almost against her will, Bai Zhuqing followed his words and thought back to the constantly shifting international situation of the past two days.

In Grandfather Bai’s mouth it was only that “things happened,” that some places were “not very stable,” but in reality it was far from that simple.

For example, the Sami Federation and the Ruffen Federation had, just over thirty hours ago, been hit by a once-in-a-century windstorm. More than twenty-five ports along their combined coastlines were destroyed. The tsunamis that followed swallowed several coastal cities, turning them into scenes of massive casualties and loss.

Then there was the Imbu Federation, where wildfires had broken out. The burning ranges had stretched from the Alanlis Mountains all the way to the banks of the Rhine. The scale of the blaze was unprecedented.

As for other, smaller disasters and crises, they were happening constantly. It was as if, overnight, the whole world had started springing leaks everywhere. If it wasn’t natural disaster here, it was man-made calamity there. A bunch of small countries had even seized the chance to raise armies and settle old scores; with no federations able to step in and mediate, they were already at each other’s throats.

If not for that, why would the networks have had to recruit so many special correspondents?

There was so much news that without doing this, they simply would not have the manpower.

They had even sent quite a few war correspondents into the field. Interrupting regular programming with breaking reports was, in these last two days, barely newsworthy in itself.

So… why is Grandpa skipping over Dad and Second Uncle and testing me first?

Under Bai Shengju’s gaze, Bai Zhuqing’s palms prickled a little.

She had spent these days training while also learning coordination and management from Xiang Xian and Senior Brother Guo, but something like this—analyzing the situation of the whole world, weighing international news—when did that kind of work ever fall to a young woman to speak on casually?

A thought stirred in her mind. She suddenly remembered how that morning she had gone to find Xiang Xian, and Xiang Xian had mysteriously asked if she liked the scenery and environment on Qingwu Peak.

At the time, Bai Zhuqing had not understood the hint and had just nodded, saying she thought it was fine.

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But thinking about it now… could Grandpa be planning to put Qingwu Peak under my charge?

Whatever the case, there was no avoiding this test.

She had no choice but to grit her teeth and answer. “The situation is chaotic, and it doesn’t feel coincidental. If you insist on having me analyze it, Grandpa, I think it looks very much like some force is pushing from behind.”

“Ridiculous.” Bai Guanshan could not help scolding his daughter. “What kind of power could cause windstorms and tsunamis?”

Grandpa was the one who asked me.

Bai Zhuqing was not nearly so restrained with her father. She immediately pouted in dissatisfaction.

“Guanshan,” Bai Shengju spoke again.

“Dad?”

“You’re an amateur. Go wait outside. Don’t make trouble in here.”

???

Bai Guanshan stared, dumbstruck.

Seriously? Why did I leave the martial path for business in the first place? Wasn’t it for this family?

Back when the dojo was running at a loss, I was the one propping us up financially. Now that times are good, you’re burning the bridge after crossing the river? That’s going too far, old man.

“Qingwu Peak is destined to be handed to your daughter.”

Just as he was about to explode, Bai Shengju shot him a cold look. “What… you don’t think giving it to your daughter is the same as giving it to you? What do you have to complain about?”

I’ll let it go.

Bai Guanshan hunched his neck and slunk out of the room.

Bai Lianzhou’s lips twitched as he fought to keep a serious expression.

“Go on,” Bai Shengju said, turning back to fix his eyes on his granddaughter.

“…I really feel like something is off,” Bai Zhuqing said, more serious this time. She took a breath and began a more detailed analysis.

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“First there was the Prince of Nanling’s rebellion, digging out Blood Sea near Chilong.”

“Once that was pacified, we had the demon disasters and Blood Abyss, and now they say the Western Wu ancient clans are showing themselves too. Demon kingdoms keep reviving by the eastern outskirts and eastern seas. It all gives me the sense that a storm is coming.”

“I suggest we tighten city defenses and patrols for a while. If we don’t have enough people, I’m willing to join in.”

After she finished, she was a little nervous, unsure what kind of evaluation she would get.

“Not bad. At least you have a sense of crisis.” Bai Shengju nodded to her.

If you wanted to coordinate the whole picture, you needed that awareness.

Better to worry about doing too much than to neglect and do nothing.

Someone like Bai Guanshan was naturally lazy. Never mind that he was capable enough to run a company; when it came to this, he really was not on the level of his two daughters.

“Fang Xiaochun and Fang Xianzhang called me before dinner.”

Under the watch of Bai Zhuqing and Bai Lianzhou, Bai Shengju went on. “The Western Wu ancient clans are almost out in full force, holding an unprecedented grand ritual in the Western Sands Desert.”

“And then there are things the news will never mention. On Hantian territory, Feathering cultists have started preaching. They basically believe this is the work of the demon race, that the demons intend to link all these forces together and overturn the court’s rule in one stroke.”

Overturn the court?

The demon race?

The two in the room might as well have been listening to a fairy tale.

It was just too exaggerated. Even if they did not think much of the current court and would be happy to see it hit a rough patch, this was still Great Yu—the imperial house that could keep all kinds of demons and petty monsters in check and make even the Nine Circuits bow in obedience.

“Exaggerated?” Bai Shengju snorted. “Why did Yao Qingyuan rebel before? Wasn’t it with exactly that goal?”

If you only talk about goals and not about whether they’re remotely possible, you’d have to count half the world in…

Bai Zhuqing and Bai Lianzhou first let out a breath of relief, then both realized this time might be different.

The scale really was a bit much.

If they added all those rumor-wreathed incidents abroad to the demon race’s “credit,” then this time they really were going for something big.

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But was it possible?

Bai Zhuqing had her doubts.

This was the entire world’s situation shifting at once. Since when had the demon race had that kind of control?

Were all those federal governments and giant medical corporations just sitting around eating for nothing, to be toyed with like this?

“Fang Xianzhang is deeply uneasy about Blood Abyss,” Bai Shengju said with a long sigh. “No matter what, Chilong’s example is right in front of us.”

“If this really is the demon race colluding with demonfolk to stir up trouble, Maozhou—our Zhen’nan Circuit, taking in so many disaster victims and resources—is bound to be a nail in their eye and a thorn in their flesh.”

“Qing’er, Lianzhou.”

“Grandpa.” / “I’m here.”

“You two will have to work harder these days. Coordinate with Peak Master Xiang to mobilize disciples, and help Governor Zhang tighten up defenses and alert patrols. I’d rather you overthink and overdo than harbor any illusions.”

“Yes.” / “Understood.”

“Especially you, Qing’er,” Bai Shengju said, fixing his gaze on her.

“Your sister may have gone out to find a path precisely because she sensed how urgent the times are.”

“She thinks highly of you and was willing to bring you into seclusion with her. You must not let her down.”

After the two of them answered and withdrew, only Bai Shengju remained in the room, staring blankly at the jumping images on the TV.

After a moment’s thought, he took out his phone and dialed a number. His expression, rarely, showed a hint of tension and resolve.

The call connected quickly.

A soft laugh came from the other end. “I thought you’d never dare call this number again.”

“Xiaochan.” Bai Shengju did his best to keep his voice even.

“There’s something I’d like to ask of you.”