Young Master Bai — Chapter 13
Chapter 13: Coach, I Want to Touch the Fox's Ears, Too…
The private room Lin Kaitian has arranged truly was the best in town. Bai Chen, too, was tactful enough not to act rashly before the situation was clear — he simply had Li Wuming, the human, investigate on his behalf.
The non-aggression pact was the Great Snow Mountain’s shield. If yao were indeed the ones to strike humans first, the treaty would likely be rendered void. Once the Heaven's Way Alliance no longer blocked cultivators from heading up the mountain, even if the major sects stayed out of it, a constant stream of poachers would give the Great Snow Mountain no end of trouble.
Although Chenzui didn’t know much about the world, he understood the gravity of the situation. Back in the room, he asked anxiously, “Ancestor, humans say that demonic cultivators are treacherous and sly. Could this all be a trap they staged to frame us?”
Such tactics weren’t beyond the demonic cultivators. Yet Bai Chen only lazily lifted his eyes and asked, “You watched the battle earlier, too — did you see the Demon Sect’s map table? Where is their territory located?”
The question caught Chenzui off guard, but the fox’s memory was excellent. After thinking for a moment, he replied, “Centered on the Northern Wastes, expanding steadily toward Jiangdu.”
His observation was decent. Bai Chen nodded, walked over to the desk, spread out paper, and picked up a brush. Though he’d only just been resurrected yesterday, his strokes immediately sketched a rough map of the current powers across the land.
He marked the northernmost desert region with the words "Demon Sect," then used arrows to retrace the sect’s military movements in recent years. As he drew, he explained, “Most demonic techniques are quick but harmful to the body. In this peaceful era, few are willing to join the Demon Sect. New blood is a faction’s foundation. In terms of power and resources, the Demon Sect can’t match the strength of the Heaven's Way Alliance. So they planned to make the first strike at Qishui, then move downstream to seize Jiangdu — the only port connecting to the Ghost Realm. Their aim is to unite with the ghost forces and together oppose the Heaven's Way Alliance.”
“But they lost the battle just now.”
“Exactly. The Heaven's Way Alliance saw through their scheme and handed Qishui over to Azure Heaven Manor, who specialize in defending cities with mechanical puppets. As a result, today’s attack failed. Do you think they’d still have the energy to provoke the Great Snow Mountain right now?”
With just a glance at the live broadcast, Bai Chen had already committed the political landscape to memory. Now the spiritual veins controlled by each faction lay clearly mapped before him. He highlighted the city walls of Qishui and Jiangdu, then outlined Chang’an, which sat between the Northern Wastes and the Great Snow Mountain. Only then did he continue, “Even if the demonic cultivators wanted to, they’d have to cross the human capital of Chang’an. Are they going to fly over the Heaven's Way Alliance’s heads?”
In the past, the Red Fox clan had simply given Chenzui a few books to study human affairs, but he had no interest in such topics. Skimming through them, he only remembered that humans constantly fought among themselves and even compiled volumes of insights on the matter. Truly a violent race — he resolved to steer clear of them in the future.
Now, seeing Bai Chen’s detailed map and clear analysis, he finally began to understand that human actions often held deep strategic meaning. Reflecting on what he’d seen earlier, he suddenly realized, “No wonder that Ghost Tactician showed little reaction to the Demon Sect’s dead. So the Demon Sect actually has no interest in starting another conflict with us — they’re just waiting for our explanation to wrap things up quietly.”
Apparently, the fox isn't stupid after all. Chenzui, once he put his mind to it, grasped the situation. He frowned and continued, “But judging by Lin Kaitian’s attitude, Myriad Treasures Hall doesn’t seem to want a conflict with the yao either…”
“You’re finally getting it. The rarer the yao bones, the more valuable they are. If the Great Snow Mountain were truly breached, cultivators could hunt yao freely — Myriad Treasures Hall’s yao bone artifacts would plummet in value. Naturally, they’d prefer exclusive trade with us.”
This child wasn’t entirely hopeless. Seeing him finally use his brain, Bai Chen gave a pleased smile.
“Myriad Treasures Hall is the second largest force in the Heaven's Way Alliance. They’ve garrisoned the entire Yinrong for years, and most of the town’s merchants are backed by them. If war broke out between humans and yao, Yinrong would become the battlefield — which would be a major loss for them. Anyone who makes Myriad Treasures Hall lose money is asking to die. No matter how much the righteous sects covet yao bones, they won’t dare provoke those merchants recklessly.”
Bai Chen's analysis was logical, but Chenzui was still bewildered. “So if it’s not the Heaven's Way Alliance or the Demon Sect, could it really be the Great Bear clan who injured someone?”
Bai Chen’s expression darkened. “Even if humans couldn’t sense it, couldn’t you though? The corpse’s wounds did carry remnants of the Great Bear clan’s yao aura.”
Chenzui hadn’t noticed the scent himself, but he trusted the Nine-tailed White Fox wouldn’t mistake it. Alarmed, he asked, “Ancestor, if they confirm the killer is really a yao, even if the Demon Sect doesn’t want to act, won’t they feel forced to for the sake of their reputation?”
That was the troublesome part. The killer really did seem to be a bear yao. It would be difficult for the Great Snow Mountain to offer a convincing explanation that could placate the Demon Sect.
Bai Chen’s eyes lingered on the map, muttering, “Yesterday, the banquet at Jade Spring was disrupted by the Heavenly Wolf clan. Today, a Demon Sect disciple was killed by the Great Bear clan… That’s too much of a coincidence. It’s like someone is deliberately stirring conflict between humans and yao…”
A war now would be disastrous for the Great Snow Mountain. Bai Chen couldn’t imagine which yao would be foolish enough to court such destruction. Just then, Li Wuming’s voice reached his ears.
“The Red Fox clan is timid — they fear war the most. The Great Bear clan has always been loyal to the Bai family. If Great Snow Mountain falls, the Heavenly Wolf clan won’t escape unscathed either. That old wolf wouldn’t be that dumb. I don’t think the mastermind is from any of the three clans.”
That gave Bai Chen a new angle. If neither humans nor the Great Snow Mountain were behind it — was there a third party capable of infiltrating the yao?
He couldn’t yet guess the enemy’s identity. Seeing Li Wuming slip in through the window, he simply asked, “You’re back. What did you find out?”
[Window entrance #2]
“The deceased was Lu Ren Wang. Together with his brother Lu Ren Yi, they were a well-known pair in their generation. Born in the snowy plains of the far North, they were excellent hunters and were also trained scouts for the Demon Sect. I heard their parents died young, and they were very close growing up. But last night, for some reason, they had a huge fight and smashed up a bunch of tables at the tavern. Lu Ren Wang stormed out of town, furious. His brother was caught by the Heaven's Way Alliance and was still sweeping the streets as a punishment.”
[The brother's names literally mean Deer Man King and Deer Man Second. This is important for the plot.]
Li Wuming’s skill at gathering intel was unmatched. He had many old acquaintances in Yinrong, and a short stroll had given him a full account of the victim. The story mostly matched what the Ghost Tactician had said, but Bai Chen noticed something odd. “The blood on the corpse is still fresh. Where was Lu Ren Wang during the entire night?”
That gave Chenzui pause. “There aren’t any other towns nearby. All the roads around the Great Snow Mountain are guarded — no human could pass unnoticed. So where did he go?”
“Guards…”
At the mention of guards, Bai Chen suddenly had a flash of inspiration and quickly asked Chenzui, “Which mountain path was the Great Bear clan assigned to this month?”
As the designated heir to Great Snow Mountain, Chenzui was familiar with the guard rotations. After a moment’s thought, he replied, “The Great Bear clan is about to hibernate and has been slacking off. Lately, they’ve only been rotated at important locations. They wouldn’t be stationed along the path down the mountain.”
Li Wuming now understood Bai Chen’s line of thought and offered a reminder. “Yao have sharp senses. With Lu Ren Wang only being a late-stage Golden Core cultivator, it’d be hard for him to sneak past your guards and climb the mountain.”
Bai Chen had originally guessed that Lu Ren Wang might have broken the pact and trespassed uphill, getting hurt by a bear guard. But if the guards were all stationed deeper in the mountains, and the human was just a low-level cultivator, he wouldn’t have been able to get that far. So the theory didn’t hold.
The whole situation was a tangled mess. Bai Chen couldn’t think of other possibilities, so he turned to Li Wuming. “Is there any way I could examine the body and speak with the herb gatherer who discovered it?”
The Nine-tailed White Fox’s illusions were legendary, his powers of charm unmatched. Naturally, Lin Kaitian wouldn’t dare let him near the corpse or witness. But surprisingly, Li Wuming agreed without hesitation. “Alright. I’ll talk to them.”
He spoke casually, but Bai Chen knew how difficult it would be to persuade the two major human factions. Seeing this man run around tirelessly for him without a single complaint, Bai Chen let go of his earlier annoyance. For once, he gently straightened the man’s robe and said softly, “You were meant to be the most carefree soul in the world, yet you keep getting dragged into mortal disputes because of me. Thank you.”
Li Wuming practiced the sword path of severing emotion and desire, so a fox’s charm meant little to him. Yet when this proud little fox suddenly turned sweet, he was almost overwhelmed. Staring at that face that matched his heart so perfectly [major plot clue here], he suddenly said in a low voice, “Put your ears out.”
“Huh?”
Bai Chen was utterly confused by the strange request but subconsciously obeyed. His snow-white fox ears perked up, twitching.
Before he could speak, the man had already reached out and began rubbing and squeezing the ultra-sensitive ears. Bai Chen nearly swiped him with his claws before the man sighed in satisfaction, “This texture… divine.”
Li Wuming was a seasoned fox-teaser. Before Bai Chen could react, he had already flipped out the window and flew off on his sword, vanishing in a blink.
[Window exit #3]
Bai Chen stared at his claws in frustration — no man to scratch. Worse, Chenzui, ever the curious student, came up and asked seriously, “Ancestor, can using your ears really charm top human cultivators?”
Thanks to Li Wuming, the future fox king’s understanding of Dao companions was skewing wildly in yet another direction. For the sake of Great Snow Mountain’s future, Bai Chen could only correct him earnestly, “No. You must understand, there aren’t many freaks in the world like Li Wuming. He’s a rare breed among humans.”
~ Chapter End ~
------------------
Translator's notes:
Back in chapter 2 the author tells us that
"Yao didn’t understand human aesthetics. Their transformations merely drew from the subconscious ideals of human hearts, wrapping themselves in beautiful appearances ... Bai Chen’s current form came from the heart of an old acquaintance in his childhood ... Bai Chen had no desire to recall that person, nor did he like this face — likely once dreamed up by that person as their ideal lover."
Combine this with the new information in this chapter,
"Li Wuming practiced the sword path of severing emotion and desire, so a fox’s charm meant little to him. Yet ... he was almost overwhelmed. Staring at that face that matched his heart so perfectly ..."
Remember this point in the future discussions of Bai Chen's appearence and its origins; it is very important for the plot.
Comments
Post a Comment