Volume 4, Chapter 100 – Heart Anchor

All along, Bai Xiang had lacked any concrete sense of what the Xuan Dynasty really was.

At first, she had assumed it was nothing more than a fabricated dynasty, and that proper history ought to be counted only from the founding of the Yu Emperor Sacred Dynasty. But as she gradually came to grasp more information, she realized that many people, herself included, had failed to give the Xuan Dynasty the respect it deserved.

You could call it idealistic. You could call it a utopia. In one sense, it truly was a utopia. After all, the idea that humans and demons should not be governed separately still looked this radical and this far ahead of its time even now.

But it was worthy of respect. Just as Monk Zhuye had said, there had at least once existed such a dynasty, one willing to deconstruct issues that no one else dared touch, one willing to try, at the root, to eliminate the very roots of the world’s chaos. How could that not be worthy of respect?

Even such an ideal nation had collapsed. I once thought records like that were meaningless, until I saw, across several thousand years, the ripples it had left behind. Even I myself can be counted as one of those ripples.

After saying those words, Bai Xiang turned into the corridor, most likely to return to her cabin and cultivate again. Monk Zhuye was left standing there alone, frightened out of his wits, trying to figure out what her final few remarks had meant.

The flying vessel soon reached land. Their angle of approach took them through the gray zone, crossing Longchuan before arriving at Maozhou.

Most of the people in Zhennan Circuit never noticed the silver ship at all. Only on the highest peaks, in the mountain-gate square of Shenming Dojo, had a crowd already gathered, led by Xu Shu, Bai Shengju, and the others, as though facing a great enemy.

Bai Xiang’s apparent seclusion while secretly traveling to the Void Realm was something Bai Shengju at least knew about.

But the ship’s model was different, and even Guo Rongzhi, Xiang Xian, and the others did not dare be certain. Naturally, he had to assume that perhaps yet another external enemy had invaded.

When the hatch opened, Bai Xiang was the first to appear.

Only when they truly saw her did quite a few people finally let out a breath of relief. Bai Shengju immediately had Xu Shu lead the disciples back to their quarters, while he himself and several of the dojo’s higher-ups returned to the main hall, ready to listen to whatever arrangements Bai Xiang made next.

“Grandfather,” Bai Xiang suddenly called to Bai Shengju as they walked. “Why do the two words ‘rites and law’ exist at all?”

“Hm?” Bai Shengju paused, not understanding why she was suddenly asking something like that, but he still answered instinctively, “Naturally, to restrain order and keep society from collapsing into the ruin of rites and music.”

“Don’t think of rites and law as something especially lofty,” he continued. “I know that for many young people, all those rites and procedures feel unbearably cumbersome, like the stinking remains of a bygone age. But when things grow bad enough, it is exactly these seemingly meaningless things that are needed to keep people’s hearts from falling apart.”

So you’re a pragmatist too?

Bai Xiang looked somewhat surprised by Bai Shengju’s answer, because her impression of him had always been more traditional. She had assumed this grandfather of hers sincerely upheld rites and law from the bottom of his heart, and that was why he treated all kinds of formalities with such reverence.

But now it seemed otherwise. Bai Shengju acted that way because he believed those things were useful.

On a patch of land already worn to exhaustion by war and calamity, Maozhou needed that. The dojo needed that. Once the prison around human hearts was broken, it would inevitably release even more demons. They needed such things to rebuild a moral standard, because no matter how decayed or outdated an order might be, it was still better than having no order at all.

“Then,” Bai Xiang asked again, “how exactly does Grandfather view the hatred surrounding Little Aunt?”

She was already using a shattering-the-void method so that their conversation could only be heard within a very narrow range. Bai Shengju immediately turned and stared at her, as though not understanding why she had chosen to raise this now instead of speaking in private.

But how else was there to see such a matter?

Those court dogs had colluded with demonic fiends to destroy my daughter, then later allowed the villains of Zhennan to violate and defile her corpse, even hanging it in a hall as an exhibit!

Was hatred like that really something to be discussed by asking a question like this? Wasn’t the answer simply what they had agreed on from the beginning, to identify the target clearly and take revenge?

Bai Shengju stared at Bai Xiang in incomprehension, waiting for her to give him a definite explanation.

“The target naturally remains the same,” Bai Xiang said, looking back at him. “But now that things have come to this point, we need to define that target more precisely.”

“For example, does Grandfather only intend to overthrow them, or does he intend for someone else, or for us ourselves, to take their place?”

“And if the goal is to ‘take their place,’ would Grandfather accept inheriting the Dao lineage of the Yu Emperor Sacred Dynasty?”

“Does Grandfather intend for the entire Bai family to change its surname to Yao, or to establish a brand-new dynasty?”

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These questions… these questions!

Bai Shengju was completely stunned by her. Although he continued walking with the others, his posture and gait had become those of a walking corpse.

Still, he recovered quickly. “These questions… Xiang’er thinks they are important?”

“Yes.” Bai Xiang nodded. “I ask Grandfather to think about them seriously.”

“I…” Bai Shengju frowned. “I do resent the Court. I want to overturn them and take revenge on them. But I do not think it is necessary to abolish the very concept of ‘Yu.’”

“May I know why?”

“Because the rites of Yu have been rooted in this land for far too long. The deeds of the Sacred Emperors, and the yearning for Yu rites, have never completely vanished from people’s hearts, even in the most chaotic eras.”

“Grandfather is afraid that once the concept of the Yu Emperor Sacred Dynasty disappears, Great Yu, this shattered nation, and the sentient beings living upon it will suffer calamities unlike anything before, is that it?”

“That is more or less what I mean.” Bai Shengju let out a slight breath. “Xiang’er, I know you probably do not understand why I would say such things, but perhaps I… I still want to talk to you about this. I do not want you to throw everything away just to stand up for the family.”

To be honest, Bai Xiang’s questions had truly frightened him.

To raise such things out of nowhere… of course, by now he was certain she intended to lead the Bai family in open rebellion. The contradiction was too deep, the hatred too great. If it were not washed clean with imperial blood, not only he himself, but Bai Guanshan, Bai Lianzhou, and even his youngest son Bai Qingmin, who had only arrived that very morning, would never accept it.

But those sudden questions, questions about what should happen after the goal of this stage was reached, were something Bai Shengju had never really considered.

From the perspective of an old man, and a cautious one at that, he could only offer one suggestion: he did not want Bai Xiang to force herself to stand in front for the family’s sake and go fight for that bloodstained dragon throne.

If she could reach that point.

If, he meant.

Then Bai Shengju felt that would already be enough.

Once the flames of hatred were extinguished, why keep being the one who stands at the front?

He spoke unclearly, almost vaguely, but Bai Xiang could still grasp the broad meaning.

On the one hand, after the tragedy of Little Aunt, Grandfather cared more about the family’s safety than about fame and accomplishment. On the other hand, the Yu Emperor Sacred Dynasty, that immense spirit pool blanketing the lands of the Nine Provinces, was indeed exerting its effect.

If even someone like Bai Shengju did not think the concept of “Yu” ought to be abolished, then one could well imagine how deeply ordinary families were influenced by it.

Bai Xiang shifted the topic and began talking with Bai Shengju about some of what she had seen on this trip to the Void Realm.

But she had Jade Spirit and could divide her mind across multiple tracks.

In truth, she was still continuing the same line of thought.

Like a piece of charred wood that still retained embers within it.

Something like that seemed to remain behind.

As usual, they came to the main hall. Bai Xiang kept only Bai Shengju, Xiang Xian, Guo Rongzhi, and a few others behind, and introduced them to the three Venerables she had brought back.

In the end, she had still not killed He Xian and Zhu Canghai.

Partly because they really had been obedient, and partly because if she truly resolved to do certain things, then having some Venerable-ranked manpower under her command would indeed be extremely important.

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“These are Venerable He Xian, Venerable Zhu Canghai, and Venerable Zhuye.”

“These three are willing to serve under me. Have them entered into the roster. For now they will serve as guest retainers. Their performance will decide whether they are promoted to instructors.”

Then Bai Xiang turned to Xiang Xian.

“Master, the authority to confirm them is in your hands.”

Let alone Bai Shengju, who felt utterly lost, even Xiang Xian looked rather baffled by this scene.

Good heavens… I only just broke through to the Path of Qi Golden Core, and now you’re handing me three people roughly equivalent to Path of Qi Origin Realm cultivators and telling me to ‘arrange’ them?

Of course, Xiang Xian knew the account could not really be calculated that way. The Origin Realm was said to be comparable to an Immortal Venerable, but in truth it should be a little stronger.

In other words, the gap between her current Path of Qi Golden Core and the Venerable ranks was not all that large. If she met a Venerable who had condensed a spirit pool through something like a head shop, she might even defeat them.

“You should not have returned to the main world for quite some time.”

Bai Xiang looked again at the three of them beside her.

“You especially, Zhuye, no doubt have many things you want to understand. In a moment, people will arrange lodgings for you, and others will teach you some basic common knowledge of daily life. You should take the chance to ask them what you need.”

Monk Zhuye indeed had every intention of doing so. With his dark complexion, he pressed his palms together and bowed to Bai Xiang with great respect.

He Xian nudged Zhu Canghai, and the two of them bowed as well. All three spoke together. “We receive the Exalted One’s command.”

So that means they’ve really been subdued… right?

Only then did Bai Shengju finally let out a breath, and what rose in him was relief, pride, and admiration for Bai Xiang’s ability.

She told the excited Guo Rongzhi that he could dismantle that flying vessel however he pleased, then had him lead the three men away to find them a place to rest. Only then did Bai Xiang turn to her master, Xiang Xian.

She had long since sensed it: Xiang Xian had already broken into a new realm. All the way here, this master of hers had clearly wanted to say something to her, only holding back because Bai Xiang had been occupied speaking with Bai Shengju.

“They’ve made their move against the lands of Ze and Qi,” Xiang Xian said in a deep voice, without mentioning her own cultivation at all.

“They haven’t used outright force, but that kind of threat is no different from force.”

“They’ve already discussed it over there and made their decision. They intend to move both their schools and their Dao lineages to Zhennan and hope we will take them in.”

Oh?

Bai Xiang lifted a brow slightly, thinking that the casual move she had made earlier had finally reached the time to bear fruit.

To say that when she first controlled Shangqing Dao Master Li Sheng and Benling Dao Master Wang Ran, she had already intended to swallow down two of the Nine Daos whole would simply be false.

At that time, she had never imagined today’s situation would come. She had never imagined there would be this kind of outside pressure to force those two lineages into such a position.

The reason she had done what she did back then was only to suppress the spread of the Path of Qi’s existence, and to keep those two people in hand as future supports for the Path of Qi.

She had never planned to absorb their Dao lineages directly. For matters to have developed this far could only be called the unpredictability of the world.

Bai Xiang only cared about one thing. “Are we sure they mean it sincerely?”

“From the Court’s movements over this period, it seems they’ve basically abandoned the lands of Ze and Qi,” Bai Shengju added. “I’ve spoken to Magistrate Fang on the phone several times, and he’s complained to me more than once. He says a new official has recently stripped him of real authority. The man not only ignores his orders, but is also cooperating with those Void Realm powers to seize commoners in the countryside on a large scale. No one knows what they intend to do.”

“And Zezhou too,” Xiang Xian nodded.

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“That colored mist we mentioned before has already covered nearly seventy percent of Zezhou. Not only has Prefectural Inspector Long Qingyu done nothing, he has repeatedly obstructed disaster relief efforts launched by Shangqing Dao and Qingze University. Li Sheng told me she can no longer endure the situation. Most likely she’s fully resolved to come.”

When Xiang Xian said this, her tone was calm and steady. Nothing in it suggested the old conflict she had once had with Li Sheng.

At her age, every old friend who died was simply one fewer left in the world. Li Sheng had indeed helped Bai Xiang in her sword training, and fairly speaking, she certainly had the right to step through this door.

Bai Xiang then asked further questions about the state of Loss of Order and found that things there were no cause for optimism either.

As Void Tribulation drew nearer, the first things to be affected would certainly be celestial phenomena and the climate. That would severely interfere with the growth of all plant life. The alternation of morning and evening heat and cold, and even phenomena like polar day and polar night, were all growing worse.

But what was truly more deadly were the chaotic gale currents breaking through. Compared with real storms they were hardly worth mentioning, yet they carried many Void Demons with them when they invaded. Those were forces of Loss of Order far more vicious than the demon pools of the main world.

Because Xiang Xian had been in seclusion for some time, these matters had all been handled in a coordinated way by Bai Shengju. He gave Bai Xiang a summary, explaining that the atmosphere across the Nine Provinces, and indeed across the whole world, had grown extremely tense, and that quite a few small nations had already seen armed frictions erupt into minor border clashes.

“What about online public opinion?”

“That’s the strange part. They seem to have loosened control over it, letting everyone discuss things freely… but I don’t think that’s a good sign. I feel like they’re waiting for the outcome of the Sword Meet.”

She also asked whether forces like Taixu Monastery had made any recent moves, and the broad answer she received was “none,” and “all the famous Void Realm sects have been maintaining a strangely quiet stillness lately.”

Is that so.

So everyone is holding their breath, waiting for the Sword Meet to begin, planning to divide up the main world according to its final result…

Bai Xiang showed none of this outwardly, but inwardly she was certain this was the state of the times. She said nothing more about it. She only intended to go back, bathe and change clothes, welcome Third Uncle’s family together with Bai Shengju that afternoon, and possibly receive a group from Shangqing Dao and Benling Dao that evening as well.

Walking alone along the stone-paved path leading to Listening-to-Rain Tower, Bai Xiang suddenly felt that something was missing.

Qing’er?

She can really endure not coming to see me?

From Bai Xiang’s point of view, there had been no need. She was back already, and they would meet sooner or later. But given Bai Zhuqing’s temperament, the fact that she had not come running to find her at once was indeed strange.

The feeling in her heart was odd, as though a small piece of it had been left hollow. Bai Xiang frowned slightly and quickly went upstairs to the bedroom.

No one was there either.

Taishang Perception was already running at full force. Within this range, Bai Xiang immediately discovered someone sitting in meditation in the cultivation room.

And that person was forcibly maintaining the Sword Contemplation posture. It even looked somewhat stable by now.

After thinking about it, she decided not to startle the person. She took off her boots, let her black-stockinged feet touch the wooden steps softly, and quietly went up to take a look.

As she rounded the corner, she heard a roaring, rushing sound like a great current.

It was the sound of blood flowing through a body, but so obvious that it resembled a river thundering forward.

That meant the other person’s body-tempering had entered an entirely new realm. To say they were utterly different from before she left would not be an exaggeration.

Bai Xiang walked up before Bai Zhuqing and saw the girl sitting there with her eyes shut and lips pressed tight. Even though she looked plainly miserable, she was still stubbornly holding on.

“Well done.”

Bai Xiang suddenly spoke.

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Eh?

Bai Zhuqing’s mind went awry. She could no longer maintain the Sword Contemplation posture and dropped straight out of the air, only to be caught by Bai Xiang’s arm, ending up sprawled against her elder sister in an extremely intimate pose.

Th-this… this this this this…

The girl’s face flushed all the way red like a tomato, and she stammered at Bai Xiang, “Th-this… Sister Xiang’er… Auntie… why… why are you back at a time like this…”

“I never said exactly when I would return.” Bai Xiang looked down at her younger sister with golden eyes, her voice sounding somewhat husky. “But you were practicing so deeply that perhaps Elder Master chose not to wake you because of that.”

Seeing Bai Xiang again, Bai Zhuqing visibly let out a breath of relief.

She first wriggled free from Bai Xiang’s embrace, then ran across the floor on her little white-stockinged feet, picked up Feixiang Heaven, and hurried back.

“Auntie.” She raised the sword very solemnly in both hands. “This is your sword… I’ve been keeping it safe all this time. I even wiped the scabbard every day.”

“You were thoughtful.” Bai Xiang took the sword, and the expression on her face softened again.

Qing’er really had behaved quite well.

As a reward, Bai Xiang intended in a moment to grant some of the little girl’s wishes, and then dual-cultivate with her.

There was no need to hide that attitude any longer, and Bai Zhuqing could tell as much. But when Bai Xiang turned to leave, she felt a small hand catch at her.

“I…”

Bai Zhuqing worked herself up for a long while before finally mustering the courage to speak.

“When it comes to dual cultivation with Auntie, I… this time, I don’t want it to be just cultivation.”

Hm?

For the first time, Bai Xiang was genuinely surprised.

“Then what is it you want to do with me?”

Her gaze deepened as she studied her strange little sister carefully.

She truly felt that something heavy was weighing on the girl’s mind.

Could it be that she had run into some obstruction in cultivation, what people usually called a heart demon?

“I want to… I want to do improper things with Auntie!”

Bai Zhuqing almost shouted the words out.

Silence.

Bai Xiang gave no reaction at all. Only the echo of the girl’s heavy breathing filled the room.

Then that breathing gradually turned into sobbing.

“I’m only…”

“I’m only afraid that you’ll go too far away, and that one day you might not want me anymore…”