Young Master Bai — Chapter 29

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Chapter 29: This Man is Jealous

Bu Lingyun, disciple of the Dao Lord, daughter of Yao Jianke. In her youth, she became known throughout the world for exposing her father’s scheme to frame the Demon Lord. From then on, her father, Yao Jianke, fled to the seas to hunt demons, in name a wandering exile, in truth banished, and never set foot in the Central Plains again until his death. After Yao Jianke’s departure, Bu Lingyun replaced him as the Enforcement Elder of the Hidden Wisdom Sect. Because of her decisiveness and seniority, she became the Grand Elder of the Hidden Wisdom Sect two hundred years ago and is now one of the senior figures in the cultivation world.

If it weren’t for her senior brother Lu Wen being the little Daoist who took the Nine-tailed White Fox’s yao core, Bai Chen and this female cultivator of the Hidden Wisdom Sect would have had no interaction at all. But she happened to have such a troublesome senior brother, and inevitably suffered an undeserved calamity.

Five hundred years ago, Bai Chen and Li Wuming descended the mountain to travel, and passing through Zhetian, they unexpectedly discovered that little Daoist from back then. Before seeing him, Bai Chen could still think that something unfortunate had happened to prevent him from keeping the appointment. But nine years had passed, that man had taken a famous master, was spirited and proud, and even had a pampered little junior sister, living so well yet unable to return to the Great Snow Mountain to give him an explanation. Bai Chen had never been so angry. He wanted to catch this man and question him clearly, only to have the Demon Lord He Huan snatch him away. Later, when the Hidden Wisdom Sect battled He Huan, it wasn’t long before they announced Lu Wen’s death.

With Lu Wen dead, the clue to the yao core was completely severed. At that time, the Hidden Wisdom Sect was the leader of the Heaven’s Way Alliance. After the Demon Lord was captured, he also chose to leave the demonic sect and return to the Hidden Wisdom Sect. The three strongest cultivators of the world were all in this sect, all connected to Yao Jianke. Bai Chen had no intention of damaging alliances over a dead man, so he told no one of this matter. Only Li Wuming, who had been with him at the time, perceived a thing or two, and even now would occasionally drink a little old vinegar.

Thinking of Li Wuming, this Dao companion suddenly appeared behind Bai Chen and spoke sourly as expected: “Since leaving the courier station you’ve been staring at the sea, what are you thinking about? An old flame?”

“I’m thinking about how to dig him out of the grave and torture him.”

The Yao King’s miserable end had already proven the consequence of putting a green hat on the Sword Immortal. Bai Chen dared not joke about this, and his answer was exceedingly merciless.

This attitude indeed pleased Li Wuming. He stepped forward, put his arm around the little fox, and feigned regretfully, “That might be a bit difficult. The Endless Land of Filth is the Demon Lord’s life-saving technique — wherever it passes, all living things turn to white bones and fall into the endless purgatory. Lu Wen did not escape when he fought the Dao Lord, and when found, only a pile of dry bones remained, not even a soul.”

Watching oneself rot into bones was indeed a tragic death. Bai Chen frowned slightly, but knowing he should not pity a traitor, he only said lightly, “He deserved it. It’s just a pity this young master’s yao core has lost all trace. I don’t even know where he hid it.”

Li Wuming bringing up the past was not entirely jealousy. Though Bai Chen lived, he still hadn’t regained the Nine-tailed White Fox’s lifespan, and only once he recovered his yao power could he rest easy. Since he needed to find the yao core, he could not avoid this man. He had paid an unprecedented price and endured countless hardships to beg his master to save the little fox; he couldn’t afford to lose his Dao companion again. Li Wuming cared about Bai Chen’s body far more than his own, yet he hid this concern carefully and only asked, “Are you sure he didn’t use the yao core?”

“Without the Nine-tailed White Fox’s bloodline, that yao core is just a life-saving pearl. With Lu Wen’s cultivation, he couldn’t even use it.”

Bai Chen’s reply was firm, but Li Wuming still felt something odd. Lu Wen died just as soon as he was discovered; that was too coincidental. Yet the Hidden Wisdom Sect had examined the corpse and confirmed it was indeed him, so he could only warn: “In this vast world, nothing is impossible. Be cautious and investigate clearly.”

Bai Chen himself had some doubts, but since his relationship with Li Wuming was not yet stable, it wasn’t appropriate to discuss further. Hearing this, he only looked at the sea and sighed softly, “You’re right. Until I heard of this new headmaster’s experience, I never thought there were yao clans in the sea. I wonder what they look like.”

The Yao King and humans were both ill-suited to water, so for a thousand years the vast seas had been quite peaceful. If there truly were yao clans hidden in the depths of the sea, their strength would surely surpass that of the Great Snow Mountain. Whether this was a blessing or a curse remained unknown.

The little fox’s mind only rested when occupied with love talk. Seeing him plotting again, Li Wuming reached out to cover Bai Chen’s eyes, stopping him from looking at the sea. “This world was formed billions of years ago. Be it humans, primeval yao clans, or even the immortals and gods of the Nine Heavens, they’re all but a drop in the ocean. No one can calculate everything. Just take care of what’s before you.”

Hearing this, Bai Chen also felt it made sense. He slipped out of the man’s arms with a light laugh and said:

“Let’s go. No matter what, the Hidden Wisdom Sect has protected the Great Snow Mountain for five hundred years. Both sentimentally and logically, I ought to pay a visit to its headmaster.”

The Hidden Wisdom Sect was now at the center of all the turmoil in Jiangdu, and its location was no secret. When Bai Chen and Li Wuming arrived at the inn where they were staying, there were still many cultivators loitering nearby, either wanting to watch the commotion or harboring ulterior motives regarding the Divine Wordless Book.

Under such circumstances, Bu Tiange naturally shut his doors to visitors. The two disciples guarding the gate received countless visitors every day. When they received Bai Chen’s visiting card, they mechanically passed it in and then routinely brought back the reply: “The headmaster says he will not see you.”

Such a rejection was quite decisive. Li Wuming could only shake his head upon hearing it. “As expected of an arrogant youngster.”

Bai Chen hadn’t expected he wouldn’t even get through the door. Fortunately, the Great Snow Mountain hadn’t appeared in the world for many years, and the gatekeeper disciples didn’t want them to have a wrong impression, so they explained, “Don’t misunderstand. The headmaster isn’t targeting you. The messenger from the Unknown Truth Sect has already been waiting in the inn across the way for seven days, and the headmaster hasn’t even accepted their card.”

It seemed the headmaster of the Hidden Wisdom Sect simply didn’t want to get entangled in power struggles, rejecting anyone who came for the Divine Wordless Book. Though unexpected, this was not bad news. What caught Bai Chen’s attention now, however, was not this. The Nine-tailed White Fox’s nose was extremely keen — even though incense was burned in the inn, it couldn’t mask the smell of medicine. Even the disciples before him faintly carried the scent of blood and herbs, showing that the Hidden Wisdom Sect had suffered heavy losses on this trip.

He had underestimated the Hidden Wisdom Sect. Even as descendants of the Dao Ancestor, whether fallen from their previous high position or not, they still didn’t live at the mercy of others. Bu Tiange wasn’t worried about being caught between the Unknown Truth Sect and the court — he simply needed time for his disciples to heal.

Bai Chen gained a certain understanding of the young headmaster’s pride. At this moment, he didn’t get angry and only said calmly to the gatekeeper, “It seems someone injured? Do you need help?”

The Hidden Wisdom Sect had indeed been severely wounded this time, and the Divine Wordless Book was an immortal treasure. To prevent anyone from getting greedy, Bu Tiange ordered the disciples to treat each other secretly, even burying the leftover medicine dregs so no outsider could see. The disciple hadn’t expected the Nine-tailed White Fox to smell the medicine through the heavy incense, and he immediately hesitated, unsure whether to speak.

Seeing this, Bai Chen smiled again. “The Great Snow Mountain has been under the Hidden Wisdom Sect’s protection for five hundred years. This young master merely wishes to repay the favor.”

The Nine-tailed White Fox was naturally charming. If he kept a cold and aloof demeanor it was fine, but once he softened and showed goodwill, the fox yao’s peerless allure was unstoppable. Even without yao power, he unsettled the hearts of young cultivators, making them stare in spite of themselves.

Li Wuming felt the lush green grass sprouting on his own head and promptly pulled the little fox back to his side. “You are already taken, little fox. No seducing others.”

Bai Chen had only meant to show a better attitude out of gratitude to the Hidden Wisdom Sect. He didn’t expect this man to be so petty and could only roll his eyes. “I can’t even smile?”

This little fox had no idea that unconscious teasing was the deadliest. Li Wuming, nipping it in the bud, solemnly said, “Let’s make a deal. Next time smile with your fox head on.”

In this world, only he was such a freak who liked the fox head. But Bai Chen could only refuse such a ridiculous suggestion, ignoring the Great Snow Mountain’s vinegar king’s jealous tantrum and said to the gatekeeper: “Ignore him, go on.”

Since Bai Chen had already noticed, hiding it seemed pointless. The disciple finally spoke the truth: “The yao beasts of the North Sea are extremely troublesome. Many disciples were wounded this trip, and some were afflicted by strange sea poisons. Fortunately, the headmaster unexpectedly found the Divine Wordless Book, so it wasn’t all in vain.”

This answer surprised Bai Chen. “Doesn’t sound like you went to the deep sea just to find the Divine Wordless Book?”

“This…”

When it came to internal matters, the disciple’s expression grew hesitant. Yet, meeting the gaze of the Nine-tailed White Fox, he couldn’t bear to deceive and unwittingly revealed the headmaster’s purpose: “To be honest, the former elder of the Lihuo Palace met his end in the North Sea. The headmaster went partly to find the beast that killed him, and partly to seek news of his maternal grandfather.”

It was clear that few men in the world had Li Wuming’s level of self-control. Other men simply couldn’t refuse the Nine-tailed White Fox’s gaze. Though the Emotionless Sword Immortal inwardly scoffed at the weakness of young men nowadays, he still caught the key point. “So Yao Jianke went to the North Sea. No wonder he hasn’t appeared in five hundred years.”

This news made Bai Chen’s eyes glint. “The North Sea is near the extreme north, right?”

Li Wuming also knew what he was thinking and nodded to confirm the little fox’s guess. “Yes, it borders the Deer-Bear tribe.”

That was quite a coincidence. Yao Jianke vanished in the North Sea five hundred years ago, a Hidden Wisdom Sect elder also met his end there, and that place happened to have descendants of the Yao King who had even subdued a Nine-colored Deer. Bai Chen didn’t believe there was no connection.

He had been wondering how to meet the unyielding headmaster. Who knew, just as he was about to sleep, the pillow appeared. Calmly, he said to the disciple: “There are indeed unknown yao clans active in the extreme north. I came precisely to discuss this matter with the Hidden Wisdom Sect. Please inform your headmaster again and see if he still wishes to turn us away?”

~ Chapter End ~

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