Young Master Bai — Chapter 38
Chapter 38: The Real and the Fake Nine-tailed White Fox
Bai Chen had left the mountain early in the morning. Chenzui didn’t dare to sleep in such a place. After cultivating through the night, he stepped out of his room only to find the courtyard completely empty. Not only was the Ancestor and son-in-law gone, even Lu Ren Yi was nowhere to be seen. Just as Chenzui was feeling bored, someone from the Hidden Wisdom Sect arrived to call him to the village entrance for a funeral. Remembering the Ancestor's instruction to maintain a good relationship with the Hidden Wisdom Sect, he went.
Transporting supplies in the mountains wasn’t easy, so the funeral was simple. After setting down the coffin, the villagers took turns burning joss paper [paper money for the dead] and offering incense, and that was it. When Chenzui arrived, he only saw a few disciples from the Hidden Wisdom Sect busying themselves in the kitchen. The old village chief had set a table for some elderly men to eat and drink, while Bu Tiange leaned against the door with his sword in hand.
Beasts only care about living, and Chenzui feared anything to do with death the most. Even though he came to the funeral, seeing the coffin still made his fur stand on end. He scraped at the ground with his toes and muttered under his breath, "Why did you call me to a human funeral? I don’t understand these posthumous rites..."
Bu Tiange had ignored the yao race all along. Though he still didn’t look at Chenzui now, he unexpectedly spoke, "Don’t the yao bury their dead?"
"No. We keep part of our parents’ bodies with us. See, this is my mother’s fang."
Chenzui obeyed Bai Chen without question. Thinking the Ancestor wanted to ally with the Hidden Wisdom Sect, he forced himself to stay calm despite his fear and even lifted his sleeve to show his mother’s keepsake.
"Three miles brings a new wind, ten miles a new custom — how curious."
The yao had long lifespans, and Chenzui’s mother had been a Bai family fox. Bu Tiange hadn’t expected this timid fox to have lost his mother before even reaching three hundred. Chenzui tied his mother’s relic to his wrist. Bu Tiange glanced at the plain beast fang tied with red string. Though it wasn’t much to look at, he didn’t speak cruelly as usual. He only slanted a look at Chenzui and said, "Stay put, or this time I’ll carve ‘fool’ on you, for symmetry."
Yao could only cultivate in their original forms. Just last night, Chenzui had nearly destroyed his bed in anger over his not-fully-grown fur. Hearing the threat now, he immediately fled to the rooftop and even bared his fangs. "Don’t come near! I’ll bite you!"
Bu Tiange didn’t take the threat seriously. But he grew grim upon not seeing Bai Chen. Just then, the village chief approached, leaning on his cane. "Master, let us handle the funeral. You should set out again and not delay important matters."
"Village Chief, you seem eager for us to leave."
"Our village is full of the old, weak, and sick. The swords and blades have frightened them."
Commoners feared being dragged into cultivators’ disputes. The old chief spoke earnestly, and Bu Tiange was a reasonable man. Since they had waited a night without incident, he finally agreed. "Once the funeral ends, we’ll go."
"Headmaster Bu is departing already?"
Just as Bu Tiange prepared to summon the Hidden Wisdom Sect disciples, Bai Chen’s voice suddenly rang out. The nervous Chenzui turned first. The newcomer, robed in snow-white fox fur with delicate features, was indeed the Nine-tailed White Fox. Seeing his pillar of support, the little fox cub leapt over at once and pointed at Bu Tiange to complain. "Ancestor, you’re finally back. He — "
Before he could finish, Bu Tiange coldly raised an eyebrow. "You and your man are always connected at the hip. Why are you alone today?"
"Something came up down the mountain. I left him to investigate."
Ever since returning to the world, Bai Chen had stuck to Li Wuming like glue. Showing up alone now was indeed strange. Yet he simply smiled, walked forward, and curled a finger around the jade pendant on Bu Tiange’s waist. Looking up softly, he said, "Headmaster Bu, how about we find a quiet place to talk alone?"
The proximity was excessive. Bu Tiange’s face darkened immediately. He shoved Bai Chen away and spoke coldly, "Respect yourself."
The scene stunned Chenzui. He’d heard rumors of the Ancestor’s flirtatiousness, but seeing it firsthand made him bite his finger to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. Bewildered, he thought — Did... did the son-in-law just get cheated on?
"I daresay I’m not bad looking. Headmaster, are you truly unmoved?"
The crowd’s expressions turned strange. But Bai Chen kept smiling gently and stepped toward the headmaster. Raising his hand, he revealed sharp claws and struck for the heart. "Then don’t blame me for being rude!"
A fox, however small, was still a beast. A swipe of claws could cause serious pain to humans. The move came without warning, and the Hidden Wisdom Sect disciples didn’t even have time to react. But Bu Tiange had clearly anticipated this. He slanted his sword to block the strike and then counterattacked with a thunderous blow.
The headmaster’s reaction was swift, but the enemy had prepared. Before his sword reached halfway, Bu Tiange’s body went weak. He nearly dropped his blade and had to switch stances, leaning on it for support. His sharp gaze fell on the village chief. "Did you tamper with the charcoal fire?"
"You Hidden Wisdom Sect folks are so wary. Yet even if you inspect a hundred times, you won’t find that my yao clan’s Soul-Scattering Smoke was hidden in charcoal made from the Mountain God’s wood."
It was winter. Every household burned charcoal, including this funeral home. The brazier used to burn joss paper now emitted wisps of blue smoke. The Hidden Wisdom Sect disciples all went limp, unable to believe an ally yao would betray them. Their gazes toward the two foxes brimmed with shock and anger.
Soul-Scattering Smoke was a unique yao sedative, made from the scent of powerful foxes. Even top-tier cultivators could succumb if caught off guard. Chenzui, familiar with this tribal secret, had never imagined Bai Chen would use it on allies. Confused, he stammered, "Ancestor, why would you..."
"Men are weapons to the yao. A man who won’t submit has no reason to live."
Bai Chen’s tone didn’t change in the slightest. He patted Chenzui’s shoulder with delicate fingers. "Kill him. Bring me the Divine Wordless Book."
"I — "
The order left Chenzui at a loss. If the intruder’s scent and demeanor weren’t identical to Bai Chen, he would’ve thought it was an impersonator. Yet the flash of claws was unmistakably that of the Nine-tailed White Fox. He couldn’t defy the Ancestor’s command. Nearly shuffling in place, he raised his hand but looked pleadingly at Bai Chen. "Ancestor, this... isn’t right."
"Do you dare defy the Nine-tailed White Fox’s command?"
Bai Chen’s eyes turned blood red with fury. The oppressive presence of a high-ranking yao made Chenzui tremble.
Yao hierarchy was strict. As a six-tailed fox, Chenzui could only exist as Bai Chen’s subordinate. Bu Tiange saw him quivering and chuckled. "Didn’t you hate me? Here’s your chance for revenge."
"Facing death and still so calm — worthy of a sect headmaster."
A flicker of admiration shone in Bai Chen’s eyes. But he showed no mercy and tossed a Demon Sect token to Chenzui. "Dispose of the body cleanly. Make it look like a demonic sect ambush."
This was the same token Lu Ren Yi always carried. If the Hidden Wisdom Sect were wiped out here, any investigator who found the token would suspect the Demon Sect first. Even if more clues turned up, it would be too late to stop the yao from returning to the Great Snow Mountain.
Bu Tiange saw everything and laughed coldly. "Truly the most cunning yao. Well played."
Bai Chen only brushed his hair aside with a coquettish smile. "Trusting the yao? That’s your mistake."
Indeed, this face, when intent on seduction, was captivating. Even while preparing to kill, it stirred the hearts of the young disciples. But remembering this was their enemy, they looked down in shame and closed their eyes to focus on purging the toxin.
The old village chief sighed. "These youths had such bright futures. Must you be so ruthless..."
"Do you not care about Sun Decai’s life?"
The old man’s eyes filled with sorrow. But Bai Chen’s icy reply silenced him. He squeezed and released the cypress cane in his hand but ultimately dared not act.
Everything seemed set. Blame the Demon Sect, eliminate the Hidden Wisdom Sect, and the yao could retreat with the Divine Wordless Book while the humans fought each other. But Chenzui still found the Ancestor’s behavior odd. The teachings from just days ago echoed in his mind. He couldn’t bring himself to strike.
Just then, a sword light flashed across the sky and the spirit barrier shattered. The earth quaked, roads collapsed. The entire Elderly Village split in two, the stone path falling into a bottomless ravine.
Only one man could wield such swordsmanship. Chenzui’s face lit up. Seeing someone flying in from outside the village, he cried out, "Son-in-law! You’re back just in time! Ancestor’s gone mad!"
At that moment, Bu Tiange, who had appeared powerless, suddenly sprang up and drew his sword. Blades of light fell like plum blossoms in snow, every strike aimed at the fox’s vitals. The attack was too swift to block. The fox dodged agilely but still took a slash to the face. Seeing Li Wuming drawing near with the real Bai Chen in his arms, the impostor turned and fled in the form of a Nine-tailed White Fox.
"Qingfeng and Mingyue, stay behind and clean up. The rest, follow me!"
Bu Tiange had been lying in wait to lure out the snake. Now that it revealed itself, how could he let it escape? At his command, the seemingly captive disciples each spat out a pill, stepped on their swords, and followed their headmaster in pursuit.
The sudden change left Chenzui dumbfounded. He examined one of the pills — an Evil-Repelling Pill, immune to all poisons. Each was worth thousands of spirit stones. Only the Hidden Wisdom Sect’s good ties with Myriad Treasures Hall could explain why they had dared to use over a dozen at once. Clearly, Bu Tiange had prepared in advance.
Still confused, Chenzui saw Li Wuming arrive, carrying a living, breathing Nine-tailed White Fox in his arms. He glanced at the fleeing yao and then at Bai Chen walking toward him. His expression turned completely baffled. "Ancestor... there are two of you?"
Li Wuming had broken the illusion in the mountain. Upon returning to the village, he saw the disciples chasing something into the distance. Seeing Chenzui’s dazed expression, he furrowed his brow. "What happened here?"
~ Chapter End ~
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