Volume 5, Chapter 49 – The Reply (Two-in-One)

The work of cleaning up the aftermath was left to the younger generation. Bai Shengju, meanwhile, had grown too emotional and had gone to rest for a while in the pavilion in the ancestral ground’s garden.

Bai Guanshan and Bai Lianzhou exchanged a glance, then followed after Bai Xiang as well.

Because Bai Xiang’s status was no longer the same.

Under normal circumstances, when a woman of the clan returned home, the job of asking after her and catching up on old times would fall to the women of the household, that is, First Aunt Zhu Ying and Second Aunt Shen Xuelan.

The bai family was not old-fashioned. Bai Shengju respected ritual but was not conservative, and the women who had married into the family had never suffered any grievance. This practice was not because women were looked down on. It was simply that there were some topics men found inconvenient to ask about.

But now things were different. After all, Bai Xiang was the Xia Emperor.

And she was not just any ordinary emperor. In the present state of the world, her status and importance surpassed every Sacred Emperor recorded in past dynasties. She had become a symbol of faith. Countless households among the people had built shrines and set up statues for her specifically, offering incense in worship.

So before they made clear what her attitude toward the family was, to be honest, they did not dare face her with the same attitude they had ten years ago.

Attending the ruler was like attending a tiger.

The old man had scolded them for thinking that way, insisting that “Xiang’er isn’t that kind of person,” but who could say for sure about something like this?

It still had to be handled with caution.

“First Uncle, Second Uncle.”

When Bai Xiang saw the two of them approach, she nodded to each of them.

Bai Guanshan looked somewhat constrained. Instead, it was the usually taciturn, dark-faced Second Uncle, Bai Lianzhou, who directly asked, “This… about how we should address you now…”

“I still call all of you the same, don’t tell me I have to make my own family call me ‘Your Majesty’ too?” Bai Xiang cut him off, a trace of laughter in her eyes. “I only walked onto this position because of the times. In Zhennan, in private, we can just interact the way we always did.”

“I see.” Bai Lianzhou nodded, and at last forced himself through the pressure and quietly used the old way of addressing her. “Xiang’er, about Little Chan… you’ve worked hard for this.”

Bai Guanshan had just been moved by the exchange, thinking that even after becoming emperor she still put on no airs and was willing to keep the etiquette of a junior in front of them. I really did misunderstand this child back then. Then, the moment his second brother brought up Bai Nianchan, his expression darkened again.

Yes. Wasn’t the main reason they had come over precisely to thank her for this?

The old man had deep feelings for Little Chan, but they were hardly any less.

All those grievances and all that despondency had vanished with today’s memorial rite. For the bai family, the past had finally been brought to an end.

And Bai Xiang’s own return, and the fact that she still acknowledged herself as a member of the bai family, extended hope for them.

Bai Guanshan quickly expressed his thanks to Bai Xiang as well, and by the way formally apologized for having treated her coldly back then.

“Haven’t you already brought this matter up once, First Uncle? There’s no need to keep repeating it.” Bai Xiang could see that he was somewhat constrained. Her gaze lingered on his face for a moment, then she suddenly asked, “Did Third Uncle want First Uncle to act as a go-between?”

Hm? How did she see through that?

Bai Guanshan was startled. He had not mentioned a single word of it.

“The fact that Third Uncle didn’t come gives it away.” Bai Xiang glanced back toward the people behind them. “Because of the friction from before, he probably found it inconvenient to face me directly, so he wanted First Uncle to mediate and ease the relationship between us.”

The bai family’s Third Uncle, Bai Qingmin, could not quite be called a wolf in sheep’s clothing, but his moral character was certainly questionable.

He had stormed out in anger when the bai family needed support most, and for many years never came back. Then, the moment he returned, he started making a huge fuss and asking Bai Xiang for help. At the time, Bai Shengju, Bai Guanshan, and the others had all scolded him harshly, telling him not to add trouble to the family.

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As for now, compared with “seeking favor,” Bai Qingmin was probably feeling much more “fear.”

After all, royal clans in history were full of feuds among blood relatives. Even blood ties could tear people apart. Bai Xiang had only been adopted, and if conflict did arise, the bai family might very well push him out in front of Bai Xiang to appease her anger.

Bai Guanshan was astonished by how clear her insight was. “This…”

“Tell Third Uncle not to worry. My mind is not on things like that.” Bai Xiang spoke gently to the two of them. “As long as he keeps acting as he has these past years and doesn’t stir up trouble for the family, that’ll be enough.”

She was not merely putting on a show of magnanimity. That was genuinely what she thought.

Over the past ten years, the bai family itself had changed as well.

Because Bai Xiang had been posthumously honored, and because Bai Zhuqing had become Imperial Court Overseer, holding power firmly through the Shenming Sword, the outside world had always regarded the bai family as part of the Imperial Court.

It was true they lacked the formal title of an imperial clan, but in status they differed little from one. Whether in expanding business or social connections, wherever Bai Guanshan, Bai Lianzhou, and the others went, they were greeted warmly. The family name carried great weight.

But in the end, this was still a chaotic age.

As long as the base-city model remained unchanged, there was a ceiling to how much business could be done. Once it came to late winter, the snowmelt, high summer, autumn harvest, or first frost, the frenzied surges of demon tides would cut off most of the land trade routes. Even if they switched entirely to air transport, assuming the ideal scenario that no flying demon beasts attacked them along the way, after the goods arrived there was still the chance that the base city receiving them simply would not have enough money to pay.

So in the current era, business was secondary.

The bai family’s main achievements were, first, that they had turned Zhennan into a fortress beyond compare, to the point that all of Maozhou and the whole of Longchuan had become strongholds as well; and second, that they had many children.

This was not a joke. Great Xia genuinely had that need.

A single front line suffered over a million casualties in a year. The population base itself was only four hundred million, and most of the population from the Illusory Realms had been absorbed by the Federation and Northern Yu, so Great Xia received very little replenishment. If they didn’t have children, were they supposed to just wait to be ground down to death?

Not only did they need children, they needed to have children like mad.

On the road, Bai Xiang had looked over the statistical data. In these times, every family needed at least two children. Having four or five was very common, and those with more than five would even be granted the title of “Pioneer of Procreation,” along with a substantial increase in monthly stipends and material rations.

The bai family had set an example in this regard. During the ten years Bai Xiang had been away, Bai Guanshan and Zhu Ying had another two sons, while Bai Lianzhou and Shen Xuelan had another three daughters.

And in this regard, the most impressive—and also the most outrageous—was White Third Uncle Bai Qingmin. Though he had been fairly well-behaved these past years, he had often taken in destitute civilian women fallen on hard times. Every so often, he would come back carrying another child from who knew where. Altogether, he had taken in no fewer than fifteen.

Fifteen in ten years. That definitely meant that in some years he had brought back more than one.

Bai Shengju cursed him at home every day, saying he only knew how to ruin the family name and victimize innocent women. But in truth, Bai Shengju knew in his heart that in the world as it was now, for those women to find someone like Bai Qingmin, someone willing to take them in and who had no other bad habits, already counted as good fortune.

And since Bai Qingmin caused no other trouble, Bai Shengju ultimately just turned a blind eye and let him be.

But strangely enough, Bai Qingmin’s behavior had actually given the bai family political value.

Take Bai Zhuqing as an example. As Imperial Court Overseer, her insistence on remaining single in a society-wide climate encouraging childbirth actually cost her politically.

She was not Bai Xiang. This empire had not been won by her hands, after all. It was impossible for people to praise everything she did. That meant she had no choice but to accept this sort of scrutiny.

But… precisely because Bai Qingmin was constantly bringing children back, Bai Zhuqing had an excuse when facing criticism on that front.

I’m a member of the bai family. As long as the bai family can produce children, doesn’t that settle it?

Children are children. They’re all citizens of Great Xia. Who gives birth to them, if not us? My honored ministers, please don’t dwell on it.

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Strictly speaking, that was sophistry, because what most of those pressing her truly cared about was her status. A person wielding supreme authority could not be without direct heirs.

Bai Xiang understood that mentality very well.

The great undertakings of old were mostly only accomplished through the efforts of three generations. That was why common sayings stressed sons inheriting their fathers’ work and carrying on unfinished enterprises.

In the history of her previous life, if Sima Yi had not recognized the talents of Sima Shi and Sima Zhao, he probably would not have chosen to rebel.

That had nothing to do with Bai Zhuqing being able to cultivate and live longer, because before Bai Xiang returned, the situation here had not been optimistic. No one could guarantee they would die peacefully in old age.

So objectively speaking, Bai Xiang still acknowledged Bai Qingmin’s contribution.

As long as this Third Uncle kept it up and did not cause trouble, his little peculiarity really amounted to nothing, and Bai Xiang in fact was happy to see it continue.

Incidentally, among the younger generation of the bai family present today, there were many unfamiliar faces, and nearly half of them were probably from Third Uncle’s household.

What Bai Guanshan and Bai Lianzhou mainly came to talk about was precisely these matters. Along the way, they noticed that Bai Xiang seemed to have something weighing on her mind. Tactfully, they found an excuse to take their leave first, leaving Bai Xiang to continue on alone.

She passed through the little path and through the trees until she came to the edge of a pool and stopped, then suddenly turned to look behind her.

“Are you still not coming out?”

“Or do you want to keep watching?”

As she spoke, Bai Xiang’s hand had already undone the sash at her waist. Her wide plain mourning robe loosened and spread open, letting the light and mist shine through and reveal the delicate contours of the body beneath.

“If I had to say it, I really do want to watch.”

Accompanied by the sound of leaves being trodden underfoot, Bai Zhuqing emerged from the woods in a white dress.

Her hair was arranged in the coiffure of a mature woman. Her hands were folded neatly at her waist, and from her elbows hung two broad sleeves of white gauze. Her bearing was gentle and graceful, her brows and eyes full of feeling.

“You called me the moment I crossed the border. Was it because you’ve been doing this the whole time?”

After a pause, Bai Xiang asked again.

“That’s right.” Bai Zhuqing smiled and nodded to her. “I’m definitely the person who cares most about Big Sister’s safety. I knew those people couldn’t do anything to you, so whenever I had time, I called, and whenever I had time, I called. Sure enough, Big Sister picked up right away.”

“Qing’er.” Bai Xiang lowered her eyes slightly, her long white lashes trembling faintly. “Is Feixiang Heaven in your hands?”

That question could only be called a sudden strike.

Bai Zhuqing’s expression froze at once. The crescent smile in her eyes faded, replaced by that apparently calm but inwardly blazing gaze fixed on Bai Xiang.

Neither side spoke further. In the background there was only the bright rushing sound of the waterfall pouring into the pool, and the music of the wind brushing through the trees.

“…When did Big Sister realize it?”

At last, Bai Zhuqing still spoke.

And that also meant she had admitted Bai Xiang’s “accusation.”

Feixiang Heaven really had fallen into her hands, and she had hidden it on purpose.

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At that moment, it was hard to say what Bai Xiang felt exactly.

Disappointment?

Shock and anger?

A sigh?

Probably not entirely any one of them, and yet a little of all of them.

For Bai Xiang, this was a profoundly unfamiliar experience. In all things, she was used to having everything planned out. Her eyes could see through every situation, and her power always let her get her way.

But today.

At this moment.

Faced with the person closest to her, and the one who above all should never have slipped beyond her control, Bai Xiang suddenly found herself not knowing what attitude she ought to take in blaming her.

“Why don’t you scold me?”

It was Bai Zhuqing who spoke first instead.

“Even if there are excuses like ‘I knew their strength in advance, I knew that even without Feixiang Heaven Big Sister could still defeat them, and even if you couldn’t, you’d still be able to escape,’ the fact remains that I deliberately weakened Big Sister’s power.”

“Whether by private feeling or by public principle, I have clearly committed a grave offense. So why are you so silent? Shouldn’t you, as before, be exerting pressure on me, chiding me with one ‘disappointed’ after another?”

Bai Xiang’s lips trembled slightly, but in the end she still said nothing.

“Ah… I see.”

“Because Big Sister is someone so outstanding, of course you’ve also realized why I did this.”

Moving her feet slightly, Bai Zhuqing slowly stepped close before Bai Xiang, meeting her gaze at equal height. She reached out with her right hand and gently touched that incomparably perfect face, fair and smooth at the surface.

“Because Big Sister has already realized it…”

She greedily maintained that contact, greedily breathing in, breathing in the fragrance drifting from Bai Xiang’s body.

“You’ve already realized… that my distorted attachment to Big Sister, all this time, has actually been born of ‘deception.'”

Crack—

At that instant, Bai Xiang seemed to hear something giving way with a brittle sound.

Sure enough, her premonition had come true.

Yao Yu Demon Ancestor deserved to die, but at a moment like that she had no reason to lie to me. If she said Qing’er’s abnormality was not caused by the experiment, then it definitely wasn’t. The real culprit here is me… it is the diseased thinking hidden in my own subconscious.

The factors involved here were extremely complicated. If one truly wanted to trace them through, it would have to begin with Bai Xiang’s previous life.

ALS, ten years bedridden. It was true that Bai Xiang had awakened soul-abilities through that unscientific “meditation,” and had thereby gained a degree of ability to control her flesh through thought alone. But if anyone claimed her psyche had remained as healthy as an ordinary person’s, no one would believe them.

She had practically gone mad and become possessed for the sake of “meditation,” frenziedly constructing currents of thought in her mind every day. If that level of computation were judged by Daoists, it would absolutely meet the standard of “extrapolative calculation.” She could practically use big data to tell fortunes for people on the spot!

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This was absolutely not an ordinary human psyche.

Conversely, in order to strengthen those currents and ideas, she could not resist extreme thoughts, because the more extreme the thought, the better the effect, and the more it helped the “meditation” take shape and work.

That extremity continued to influence her right up to the present. Many people, including her enemies, felt that she was cold and unfeeling, like some machine that, once it fixed on a direction, had to force the desired result into being. Those thoughts about “preserving what is right” and “correcting excess by going beyond” in fact all came from that past experience.

So then one could not help asking: if a person’s thoughts were themselves extreme, if she held toward injustice that sort of view that “to straighten what is bent, one must overcorrect,” then when she was reborn and her true self had not yet awakened, what would her subconscious have been like?

Bai Xiang did not want to make such a supposition, but she knew that if she did, then her subconscious would probably have been a hundred times more extreme than her awakened true self.

Whether in desire for killing or desire in other respects, everything would have been stronger. That naturally included the urge to control certain relationships.

And so it was very hard for her not to suspect this: that Qing’er had been excessively attached to her since childhood, attached even to a pathological degree, precisely because before the age of seventeen, before “Bai Xiang” had truly awakened and taken control of the body and mind, the soul-ability that already existed had been directed by this body’s subconscious, and under that direction had deliberately chosen one of the two younger sisters to interfere with.

In other words, the subconscious pathologically craved that sort of control.

It wanted to test it, wanted to possess it, so it did. It was that simple.

That would explain why only one younger sister perceived her differently while the other did not, and it was not difficult at all to describe it that way.

But… just as Bai Zhuqing herself had said, this was “deception.”

She had long guessed that it was the influence of the Illusory God, but she truly had not expected that influence to run so deep, so thoroughly, deep enough to shatter every illusion.

And so, for once, Bai Xiang did not know what attitude she should take toward her younger sister.

She could apologize. She could argue that this had not been her intention, that she had never consciously meant to shape a younger sister into someone pathologically attached to her.

But that had been her own subconscious.

Could she really separate herself from it?

Could the subconscious and the awakened true self really be counted as two different things?

She could not distinguish them, and so she felt she had no standing.

She had gone completely still.

For the first time, she did not know what to do.

“Idiot…”

Only when that sigh sounded by her ear did she feel a soft body wrap itself around her.

“I noticed long ago, you know…”

“But being able to love Big Sister this way, my answer is this: I don’t dislike it.”

“I don’t dislike being influenced by Big Sister in this way. I was a little uncomfortable at first, and acting it out was somewhat stiff, but very quickly I sank into it.”

“Keeping Feixiang Heaven with me was partly because it only recognizes my blood-soul, and only my blood-soul can nourish it and keep it in proper condition.”

“And partly because I hoped to use it to become closer to Big Sister.”