Volume 4, Chapter 155 – Linked Through Communication, Bound by Fate

On the other side, however, the second group of guests Bai Xiang received counted as old acquaintances of hers.

“Dao Master Bai!”

An elderly cultivator in an archaic long robe hurried forward. The moment he saw her, he cupped his hands and bowed, giving Bai Xiang every possible courtesy.

The old cultivator looked broad of forehead and ruddy of complexion, and he was none other than Kong Tianbao, the court puppet Bai Xiang had rescued earlier, as well as the father of Kong An, the new Dao Master of Jingzhu Sword Dao.

Kong Tianbao could be said to have had extraordinary luck. Earlier, before Bai Xiang knew that the Heavenly Dao divine pool restricted the spread of the Path of Qi, she had passed on the foundational method of the Path of Qi to him for the purpose of regulating his body, effectively planting a seed of Origin Qi within him.

Although it had been crude, and even the heart-current circulation route she had devised was only barely viable and certainly not the best solution, with that foundation in place, Kong Tianbao later downloaded the public version of the Shenming Qi-Refining Formula online. He was immediately able to use Shenming’s Vibration Art to probe his Inner Body-scape and personally complete and correct his own heart-current route.

With those results, plus the fact that Bai Xiang had successfully seized heavenly mandate fortune some time ago, causing all cultivators of the Path of Qi to advance by leaps and bounds for a period, his cultivation had in an extremely short span leapt to the False Core stage. His rate of progress could only be described as godlike.

And it was precisely because he had grown ever deeper in the Path of Qi that Kong Tianbao had also grown ever more aware of the wonders of this path.

In his eyes, this was clearly a higher method developed out of Sword Dao itself, one that completely cast off the side effects of Sword Dao’s erosion by demonic power.

Not only could it purge pollution and heal the chronic affliction that had wrapped around his body for years, but after each breakthrough in cultivation, he could feel a boundless vitality and life force feeding back into his blood and qi.

Even though Kong Tianbao had not yet reached the Golden Core stage and could not see “fate,” he knew that the span of life Heaven had allotted him had surely lengthened again.

Who, after understanding a method like this, could possibly remain unmoved?

So when, during this stretch of time, there were whispers online saying that Shangqing Dao and Benling Dao were not acting as Bai Xiang’s tagalongs, but had in fact merged directly into Shenming Sword Dao like old Yuming had, Kong Tianbao had always scoffed at that mockery.

A bunch of mediocrities—what do you know?

This was a stroke of fate!

Now was not the time for you to look down on them. The question was whether they would even want you!

And you still dared to sneer?

It would not even take long. He estimated that once this tournament ended, there would be plenty of people beating their chests in regret.

In truth, Kong Tianbao had already started regretting it himself.

He regretted that before leaving, he had not brought up the matter of merging sects with Bai Xiang.

Oh, so Xiang Xian is the clever one, Wang Youmao is the clever one, and Abbess Mie… is the clever one. Are they the only ones who know how to cling to a thick thigh? Am I the fool?

During this period, faced with the Void People sects, Suzhen Dao and Qingping Dao had done absolutely nothing, and the Court had likewise let matters drift without interference. Kong Tianbao had already seen through the future of Sword Dao.

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Faced with the so-called Immortal Venerables among the Void People, perhaps the Sword Lords could still fight them.

But what about above that?

If the real experts among those Venerables stepped forward, could Suzhen Dao and Qingping Dao handle them?

And even if they could, advancement for a Sword Lord was so harsh, so troublesome, and took so much time. With only two Sword Lords, how were they supposed to hold back so many experts of Dao-Void Methods during that time?

So in Kong Tianbao’s view, Sword Dao was already beyond saving. At a time like this, there was no point worrying about dignity or the lack of it. Of course the priority was to cling tightly to the huge thigh that was Shenming Sword Dao, and ideally also slip into it the way those other paths had, setting up yet another peak within it.

Jingzhu Peak—just listen to that name. How beautiful it sounded!

In fact, Kong Tianbao’s original expectations had been extremely humble. He had never imagined that after merging sects, he would still be able to preserve his orthodoxy as a distinct peak. He had thought their establishment would be broken up and their disciples reorganized.

That was why he had not brought it up before leaving. He only found out about such matters after the gossip about Shangqing Peak and Benling Peak spread.

And the reason he had come today was precisely for this.

Right then and there, he told Bai Xiang and Bai Shengju that if they agreed, he could lead the people of Jingzhu Sword Dao out of the tournament at once and immediately send a group over to take up residence at Wangyun Tavern.

Faced with such enthusiasm from Kong Tianbao, Bai Shengju was dumbfounded.

He stammered, “Th-this… old Dao Master Kong need not be so courteous…”

Kong Tianbao replied, “Oh, no courtesy, no courtesy at all—”

Bai Shengju said, “But your sect still has matches ahead. To withdraw midway, the comments of the world…”

Kong Tianbao immediately said, “All my life, I’ve despised those people who chase vanity the most!”

Then he added, “Let them say whatever they want! As it happens, Brother Bai also needs people around to look after the disciples from time to time, doesn’t he? If we come over, we can team up. We can all look after one another, eh~”

Bai Shengju, whose avenues of retreat had now been thoroughly cut off: “…”

Kong An, standing behind Kong Tianbao and practically digging into the ground with his toes: “…”

Bai Zhuqing, who had followed Bai Xiang over to watch the excitement: “…”

“Well, since… since old Dao Master Kong’s intentions are so firm…” Bai Shengju hesitated.

And then, as if by unspoken agreement, everyone present turned to look at Bai Xiang.

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“The tournament is a rare opportunity.”

Sitting on the sofa, Bai Xiang spoke.

“If I am not mistaken, old Dao Master Kong’s abilities have not been fully passed down. The majority of your disciples are unable to cultivate the Shenming Qi-Refining Formula. Is that correct?”

Kong Tianbao nodded.

That was indeed the case.

“In that case, you may withdraw from the tournament.” Bai Xiang inclined her head. “The deeper the tournament goes, the higher the points and the stronger the enemies you face. Old Dao Master Kong and Dao Master Kong have already experienced the profundity of qi methods, and may temporarily use enemy opponents to temper yourselves. But if you discover that the enemy cannot be matched by force, then you should withdraw from the competition at once. There will always be a place here for you two.”

“With those words from Dao Master Bai, this old relic can finally rest easy!”

Kong Tianbao stood up and bowed deeply to Bai Xiang.

He even dragged Kong An to one side and pressed his head down so the two of them bowed together.

After the pair left, Bai Xiang had intended to drag Bai Zhuqing back to their room to rest. But when she turned and looked, Bai Shengju was still sitting there in a daze.

What happened to Grandfather?

Bai Xiang paused.

I deliberately did that with Qing’er on the terrace… mostly to give certain people advance warning.

And among those watching gazes, one had indeed seemed very much like Grandfather’s.

So could it be that the blow to Grandfather was too great, to the point that he had begun doubting life itself?

The moment that thought arose, Bai Xiang immediately rejected it.

Because that was not the right expression.

Bai Shengju’s current expression looked more like he had connected the earlier conversation with the Kong father and son to certain other matters, and was now worrying and brooding over those matters.

Related to the Kong father and son, and capable of making Grandfather so discomposed.

Bai Xiang calculated briefly, and immediately grasped the subtlety of it.

Taking a phone from her waist sash, she keyed in a string of numbers she had written down, then held the device out before Bai Shengju.

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“Hm?”

Bai Shengju looked up, and there was a touch of confusion in his gaze.

“Thinking about it a hundred times is not as good as saying one sentence.”

In an extremely serious, earnest, and sincere tone, Bai Xiang said this to her grandfather.

“Imagining a scene a hundred times is not as good as acting on it once.”

You…

It’s your turn to lecture me now?

Bai Shengju’s face flushed red at once. He snatched the phone from Bai Xiang’s hand and had just opened his mouth to spit out a few harsh words when he looked down and his face changed drastically.

Great ancestors above, she had already dialed it???

By reflex, Bai Shengju tried to hit the red button.

But at that exact moment, the call connected, and a low, slightly husky woman’s voice came from the other end. “This is Chen Yuchan. Whom am I speaking to?”

Bai Shengju instantly went still as a chicken, like a machine that had been unplugged, not daring to move or even breathe too loudly.

Chen Yuchan asked again from the other end. Still silence.

She was already frowning and about to hang up when, at the last second, inspiration struck. Raising her voice, she demanded toward this side, “…It’s you!?”

“It’s not!” Bai Shengju answered at once.

“Not?”

“Also not!”

“Then is it or not?”

In the midst of a deathly silent, rigid atmosphere, Bai Shengju turned his darkened face to look at his two “granddaughters.”

He said nothing. He just kept staring at them.

Bai Zhuqing stared back at her grandfather with wide eyes, still not understanding what was happening.

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Only Bai Xiang caught the scent of killing intent.

“Qing’er and I are heading back to our room first.”

Lowering her head, Bai Xiang pulled her younger sister away after a job well done.

“Oh!”

Only on the way back did Bai Zhuqing finally react. “So you called over Grandfather’s… that person?”

“There are four Mountains-and-Rivers-ranked Dojos in Tongyun,” Bai Xiang explained to her younger sister as she walked gracefully ahead. “Qingping has already come, and now Jingzhu has as well. If I were Grandfather, I would also be wondering when the last sect would come to pay its respects.”

That was far too wicked, even for Xiang’er-jie.

Bai Zhuqing shrank her neck.

Dao Master Chen was surely too embarrassed to come on her own. Grandfather should have had time to struggle with the decision before acting, but Xiang’er-jie had gone and dialed the number directly.

Thinking back to the look Bai Shengju had given them earlier, she finally understood what kind of violent sword momentum and killing aura it had contained.

Eeh—

Good thing we ran fast!

Back in the room to rest, Bai Xiang sent the little girl off to bathe first while she herself sat at the edge of the bed, checking her phone and Black Venerable Card and comparing the news online point by point.

“The Demon Court issued two conflicting edicts?”

She had seen the reports as well. Narrowing her eyes slightly, she suddenly looked up toward the window, her gaze seeming to pass through the blackout curtains toward the distant east—straight toward Yujing City.

“Since it concerns sacred weapon methods, Taixu Monastery must have shared Wang Xiu’s case with the Demon Court.”

“But there were actually two edicts.”

“Heh…”

A smile appeared in Bai Xiang’s eyes.

“That Patrol Warden Li is surely going to be very angry.”