Young Master Bai — Chapter 39
Chapter 39: Former Subordinates of the Yao King
Chenzui was still dazed by the events, but after summarizing it, there were three main points: the son-in-law was cuckolded, the Ancestor went mad, and Bu Tiange was a big liar. Fortunately, Bai Chen and Li Wuming were both quick to understand, and they soon pieced together what had happened. It seemed some yao took advantage of their descent from the mountain to impersonate Bai Chen and attack the Hidden Wisdom Sect, while attempting to frame the Demon Sect.
The plan was risky but promised great rewards. The Hidden Wisdom Sect was founded by descendants of the Dao Ancestor and was the origin of all human sects. Its headmasters were revered and respected. Anyone who dared attack them would be offending the Heaven's Way Alliance, and righteous cultivators across the land would not sit idly by.
If the Heaven's Way Alliance saw through the framing, the Great Snow Mountain would have offended both righteous and demonic sects and faced destruction in an instant. Even if the alliance believed it was the Demon Sect's doing, the relationship between the Great Snow Mountain and humanity would still be undermined. This incident would become a liability, a threat that could be used to coerce Bai Chen.
Bai Chen's only relief was that Chenzui had not acted. Even if some yao impersonated the Nine-tailed White Fox, Chenzui was truly the son of the Great Snow Mountain. If he had harmed Bu Tiange on orders, even if Bai Chen had rushed back in time to expose the truth, the Hidden Wisdom Sect and the Great Snow Mountain would still bear a grudge and never cooperate openly again.
Bai Chen had never heard of a second Nine-tailed White Fox in the world. After listening to Chenzui’s account, he fell into deep thought. Li Wuming brought over the unconscious Lu Ren Yi from the neighboring room. Glancing at the two nervous fox yao, he chuckled, "Correction, it was fake. I wasn't actually cuckolded."
Such irreverent words naturally drew a disapproving glare from Bai Chen. The moment the little fox glared, Li Wuming immediately dropped his smile and assumed a serious expression, asking Chenzui, "Did that imposter really look exactly like your Ancestor?"
"Not just in form — there was no difference even in the oppressive presence of the Nine-tailed White Fox!"
Chenzui was still full of disbelief. Mimicking the form was one thing, but that yao had even replicated the yao qi of a Nine-tailed White Fox. As a Six-tailed Red Fox, he had clearly felt the oppressive presence of a superior bloodline. This could not be achieved by mere illusion techniques — not even the fox clan’s illusions could compare.
According to the customs of the yao race, even if that yao wasn’t Bai Chen, a Six-tailed Red Fox like him would still have to obey a superior yao. In fact, compared to Bai Chen who had lost his yao core, such a powerful yao could command the lower-ranked yao even more easily.
The yao chose their leaders based on bloodline, and if of equal descent, then based on cultivation level. Bai Chen knew he no longer had much competitiveness and scrutinized Chenzui. "If his bloodline was no different from mine, why didn’t you obey his command?"
Chenzui knew disobeying a superior yao was a great offense. Fearing the Ancestor's anger, he lowered his head and softly explained, "Ancestor always taught me that a king must not sacrifice the greater good for small gains. If I had struck at the Hidden Wisdom Sect and framed the Demon Sect today, and the truth was later uncovered, all of humanity would become enemies of the Great Snow Mountain. I believe the Divine Wordless Book is not worth such a gamble."
Bai Chen’s teachings had not been in vain. Chenzui’s reason had triumphed over bloodline obedience at a critical moment. Bai Chen, the Nine-tailed White Fox, finally relaxed. "Very good. You are the future Fox King. You should always prioritize the interests of the Great Snow Mountain. Even if I were the one giving the order, or even if the Fox Immortal himself returned, no one may place themselves above that."
"I will remember Ancestor’s teachings."
As they spoke, Bu Tiange returned, leading Hidden Wisdom Sect disciples on their swords. He happened to hear Chenzui’s words, and for once looked seriously at the little fox yao before saying coldly, as usual, "Seems you're not that dumb. You only look like it."
He had only brought five disciples back, implying the others were still searching. Bai Chen was surprised that the headmaster had caught no one. "With your Hidden Wisdom Sect's capabilities, you didn’t catch him?"
Bu Tiange had brought elite disciples skilled in tracking to flush out any wrongdoers. Yet when he spoke of the mysterious yao, his brow furrowed. "That creature was strange. First it took the form of a Nine-tailed White Fox. We chased it into the woods and it became a white deer. Then, while fleeing, it turned into a bird. Once it entered the clouds, who knows — maybe it became a mosquito. Anyway, we lost its trail."
That was indeed bizarre. Bai Chen's expression darkened as he asked the most pressing question. "Did it have yao power?"
Bu Tiange knew what he was getting at. Recalling the clash, he simply said, "Stronger than you. At least five hundred years of cultivation."
[Is this where Bai Chen’s missing core is hidden?..]
Then it wasn’t mere imitation — it had truly become a Nine-tailed White Fox.
Bai Chen had assumed the imposter was a mysterious descendant of the Yao King. But with this ability to transform, he couldn’t even tell who the real form was. Recalling ancient texts of the Great Snow Mountain, he found no records of such a strange yao. Could it be the descendant of some unknown primordial yao tribe?
The yao race had always been diverse, with many hybridized bloodlines post-transformation, often producing unique abilities. Bai Chen couldn’t identify the origin yet, so he collected the blood from Bu Tiange’s sword with white cloth for later analysis.
Though Bu Tiange had failed to capture the strange yao, he had ordered a thorough search. Before long, a disciple returned, dragging a trembling Sun Decai. "Headmaster, we found this man in the attic of the general store."
Sun Decai had come up the mountain last night and chatted with Li Wuming this morning as if nothing happened. Bai Chen didn’t believe he was entirely innocent, and his expression turned cold as he asked, "We checked your house at the foot of the mountain. There was a woman's corpse on your bed, eyes wide open in death. Yet you came up the mountain as if nothing happened. Speak truthfully — what happened last night?"
Sun Decai was a talentless town scribe who had never faced such pressure. When Bu Tiange simply unsheathed his sword in silence, he spilled everything, stammering, "That woman was my lover from Lancui Pavilion, Jin Gui’er. Last night, I had a little too much to drink and wanted to… but before I could take off my pants, a man in white appeared out of nowhere and killed her with a single palm. He then threatened me with her corpse, saying if I didn’t lead him up the mountain, I’d end up like her. With my measly skills, how could I resist a proper cultivator? Of course I agreed..."
So he had indeed been coerced. Bai Chen pressed, "Where is that man now?"
"He came up the mountain with me. He even talked with you guys."
Sun Decai’s panic seemed genuine. Everyone was stunned. Bai Chen was the first to react. He grabbed He Yu, the Hidden Wisdom Sect disciple who had been found in the woods earlier, and asked, "Was it this man you mentioned?"
Sure enough, Sun Decai became more terrified at the sight of He Yu, pointing at him, "Yes, that’s him! He’s the one who threatened me! I know nothing else!"
He Yu was completely shocked and quickly knelt, pleading, "Headmaster, please investigate! I really was sent down to buy funeral items, but I got trapped in a forest illusion all night. I never left the mountain, let alone killed or threatened anyone!"
Li Wuming also chimed in at the right moment, "When we returned, he was still wandering in the illusion. He likely isn’t lying."
It appeared that the mysterious yao had first taken He Yu’s form to threaten Sun Decai, then used this identity to infiltrate the Hidden Wisdom Sect's ranks. While no one was looking, he had used Soul-Scattering Smoke on the charcoal fire, then impersonated Bai Chen to frame him. Doing so much in one night — truly a masterful scheme. If it had succeeded, Bai Chen wouldn’t have been able to clear his name no matter what.
More terrifyingly, the yao could impersonate both the Nine-tailed White Fox and human cultivators. If he changed identities again and remained hidden in the team, it would be even harder to spot.
This was no good news. Both Bu Tiange and Bai Chen were alarmed. They exchanged glances and chose silence to avoid sowing doubt within the group. Bai Chen sorted his thoughts and turned to the old village chief who had remained silent. "He Yu was trapped in the forest illusion right after descending the mountain. At that time, Sun Decai hadn’t been threatened yet. So the first one that yao approached was you, Village Chief."
The whole incident began with the sudden death of an old man at the village entrance. If this village truly housed spirits as Bai Chen suspected, the old man’s death was likely just a ruse to lure the Hidden Wisdom Sect disciples down the mountain. The forest illusion was clearly manipulated by the Mountain God, and the village chief definitely knew something about the yao’s origin.
Realizing this, Bu Tiange also responded and cupped his hands respectfully, "We haven’t yet thanked the old man for warning us with the charcoal fire last night."
The old village chief said nothing. The charcoal fire still burned in front of the coffin. Bai Chen picked up a branch and sifted through the ashes, confirming his suspicion. "This charcoal was made from Mountain God wood. It reveals only what the Mountain God wishes to show. It’s excellent for hiding secrets. This wood comes from the first trees born of a Spirit Mountain, taking tens of thousands of years to mature. The only human record of it dates back a thousand years — to the war between humans and yao."
"Legend has it that the Yao King had a general named Shan Shen Luo [Mountain God Luo], known in the army as General Qingshan [aka Green Mountain]. His most famous feat was burning Mountain God wood in a fire pit to capture Jiushan Pass, a key border stronghold of the human realm, without losing a single soldier."
No one knew more about the Yao King than Bai Chen. He recounted this bit of lore word for word, his gaze growing more certain as he looked at the village chief. "Village Chief Luo, you are General Qingshan, aren’t you?"
Before this, even Bai Chen hadn’t imagined that any of the Yao King's former subordinates still lived. But the Mountain God wood concealing the village’s anomalies and the illusion that only a sword immortal could break both proved the truth. Having once served the Yao King, it was no surprise he was acting on behalf of his descendant.
The revelation shocked everyone. Even Sun Decai instinctively stepped away from the old man. Yet the village chief remained silent, leaning on his cane.
He refused to admit it, but Bai Chen had his methods. He coolly said to Bu Tiange, "Headmaster Bu, Mountain God wood must be burned continuously to remain effective. Have your disciples douse all the charcoal fires in the village. The yao will then show their true forms."
At those words, the old village chief finally spoke. He lifted his cloudy eyes to study the Nine-tailed White Fox before him — cold, proud, breathtaking — exactly like the one who, a thousand years ago, claimed the title of king and dragged the entire yao race into a bloody war. Just like before, all he could do was sigh helplessly. "So you saw through me... Fine. You and His Majesty the Yao King are both Nine-tailed White Foxes. Of course you wouldn't let an old spirit like me go unused."
~ Chapter End ~
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