Young Master Bai — Chapter 67

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Chapter 67: Three Invitations

Lin’an was originally built by the usurper of Western Liang in imitation of Chang’an. The imperial palace within the city and the markets and streets outside were identical to those of Chang’an, even down to the maple trees planted in the outskirts, which were of the same variety as those in Chang’an’s forests.

However, in the past two hundred years imperial power had waned, and the Unknown Truth Sect rose in strength. Talents from all sides gathered in Lin’an, and as the sect grew, so too was the city expanded again and again. Now, Chang’an was merely a historical city for scholars to reminisce about, while Lin’an had become the most prosperous city of the human race. Not a single one of its permanent residents was anything less than a powerful cultivator, wealthy magnate, or landed gentry.

In recent years, human craftsmanship had greatly advanced. Newly developed tiles and the latest architectural styles always first appeared in Lin’an. As Bai Chen observed along the way, every household had its own distinctive features, unlike anywhere else. But the most obvious difference was still the people of Lin’an.

The Great Bear clan’s appearance was intimidating. In other cities, even when commoners were curious about yao, they only dared to watch from afar. No one would ever dare lodge in the same inn as them. Yet in Lin’an, the streets were crowded with onlookers. Even children of seven or eight showed no fear. If not for the Illusory Moon Villa clearing the way, someone might have even tried to reach out and touch them.

In the two hundred years since the battlefields had been opened, Lin’an alone had never once been challenged. Not because sects dared not, but because no force could breach the four guardian cities surrounding Lin’an. Even if five sects united, they would not be able to touch a single maple leaf in Lin’an. With the ruling sect so powerful, the city’s residents naturally had nothing to fear, and were confident at all times.

Feng Shiqi, keeping his word, had reserved an entire palace in Busi for Bai Chen, more than sufficient for him and the yao accompanying him. Yet this man had peculiar habits. The moment the meeting ended, he announced he was entering seclusion, leaving all matters to his disciples. Even the ten-seat headmasters could not see him now, let alone Bai Chen, who could only settle in for the time being.

After the emissaries of the Illusory Moon Villa escorted the yao party into Busi and took their leave, Bai Chen, seeing no outsiders remained, invited Li Wuming and four chief yao to the study to discuss matters.

Though Li Wuming said nothing about his deal with Feng Shiqi, he recounted everything else he had seen and heard in great detail. After listening to all that had transpired at the Heaven’s Way Alliance meeting, the little fox narrowed his eyes. “So, from what you say, there’s quite a debate within the Alliance over how to treat the Great Snow Mountain?”

Feng Shiqi had long since noticed Li Wuming eavesdropping but allowed it, a clear sign that he expected the yao to quell dissenting voices within the Alliance themselves rather than relying on the Unknown Truth Sect to intervene.

Li Wuming also understood this. As he idly toyed with the pens and paper in the study, he hinted, “The competition for the ten seats of the Heaven’s Way Alliance is fierce. Many old noble families that could not adapt have already been eliminated. Those who remain must be flexible — hardly the sort to be bound by rigid notions about humans and yao.”

At this, Bai Chen lifted his gaze slightly. “So, for them, the old grudges between humans and yao are nothing but a banner. They raise it when it suits them, discard it when it does not. Whether they let go depends on what the yao can offer.”

Li Wuming smiled as he ground the ink. “Poetry and righteous declarations are for show. Most people only want a family gathered together over a simple meal.”

In an age of strife, conservatives could only be replaced. The new generation of the Alliance was far more ambitious and energetic than the old sects bound by ancestral glory, and they were not nearly as extreme in their attitude toward the yao.

Hearing this, Bai Chen understood. He looked thoughtfully at Li Wuming. “Humans are born to live in groups. The greater good is the interest of all under Heaven. The wise do not act against the herd.”

If opposition came only from insufficient benefits, then resolving it might not be as difficult as he had imagined. Perhaps it would be best to meet with each sect one by one before deciding on a strategy.

As always, Li Wuming understood him best. Seeing the little fox’s expression relax, he knew Bai Chen was preparing to sound out the Alliance factions. At just the right moment, he handed him a brush. The paper was already laid out, the ink ground and ready. Bai Chen could not help but smile at such readiness. “If you wished, you could be the most loyal minister in the realm. I wonder how you ended up in exile.”

Bai Chen had spoken casually, but Li Wuming’s eyes darkened before he quickly recovered his usual nonchalance. “A ruler’s heart is unfathomable. When he favors you, you’re the finest brother under Heaven. When he turns cold, you’re the sword hanging over his head. Should the day come when you, little fox, err, you too will fear me and lose your sleep.”

Once, Bai Chen might have shuddered at such words. Now, knowing this man’s bluster for what it was, he thought only of how careful Li Wuming was when grooming him, unwilling to pull out even a single fox hair.

By now, Bai Chen was adept at handling him. He finished writing the letters and, with a teasing glance, said, “Who knows when I might anger you? If something displeases you, shut the door and deal with me. I can even lend you some books for reference.”

Normally, Bai Chen never coquetted like humans — wagging his tail was the greatest sign of goodwill he knew. Yet now, softening his tone and wheedling without even realizing it, he sounded entirely different from when he faced others. At last, Li Wuming felt their bond like that of Dao companions and nodded in satisfaction. “Good. I’ll remember that.”

With Sword Immortal Bai having placed two strands of divine sense within his disciple, Li Wuming would have to spend some time in pure cultivation. Bai Chen, now emboldened, dared say anything. He winked provocatively, then turned solemn again as he handed the three letters to Yunce, Chenzui, and Ying Xiong. “Here are three letters. Deliver them to their addresses.”

The three yao obeyed, took the letters, and withdrew. Li Wuming glanced idly at the addressees and chuckled. “On the very first day, you’re already making sure no one can sleep easy?”

Bai Chen replied smoothly, “The Heaven’s Way Alliance held an entire meeting for the Great Snow Mountain. I can’t disappoint them.”

Sending the letters by the Black Fox clan’s eight-tailed fox, the Red Fox clan’s six-tailed fox, and the Great Bear clan’s chieftain highlighted how seriously the Great Snow Mountain took the invitations. But once they left, Dugu Hou, left alone in the study with Bai Chen, grew uneasy. His face was painted so thickly it was unreadable, yet his tone betrayed his nerves. “My King, how should the lodgings for the lesser yao be arranged?”

As an outsider without a powerful following, Dugu Hou naturally lacked confidence before the Yao King and dared not jest. Bai Chen, unconcerned, answered, “We’ll be staying in Busi for some time. I don’t trust human servants in our quarters, so you see to it.”

Dugu Hou had always looked after the mountain’s lesser yao. He also knew of the old affair when small yao tried to break through their bloodline limits. Among the three great clans, this was much mocked, derided as the ‘Frogs-in-the-Well Incident,’ long a laughingstock of the Great Snow Mountain.

Those Bai Chen had chosen to accompany him were all yao who had taken part in that incident or their descendants. Dugu Hou, worried Bai Chen meant to reopen old wounds yet faintly hoping for a change in the mountain’s fate, was disappointed to see the Yao King remain indifferent. He sighed, “So the King brought them only as menials.”

Bai Chen’s face showed no change. He simply raised his hand. “Go. Follow Hua Jian Hu’s new system and pay them their wages properly. Don’t mistreat them.”

In the past, lesser yao serving as slaves received no reward at all. Only after Bai Chen rose to power did he institute wages in spirit stones according to hours worked. Payment was better than nothing. Dugu Hou bowed and withdrew.

Once he was gone, Li Wuming peered outside before writing on Bai Chen’s palm two words — still here.

The two shared a tacit understanding beyond feelings. Bai Chen calmly replied, “I’m waiting.”

Li Wuming grew curious. “Waiting for them to volunteer? After what happened, the great yao suppressed them for over ten years. Their leader, the brocade-clad youth, even had his meridians severed. With such a warning, they’ll hardly dare show themselves.”

“Yao are different from humans,” Bai Chen said gravely. “Humans are weak by nature. Without living in groups, they perish. Even an emperor who loses his officials and his people meets only destruction.

“But yao are not the same. Descendants of the primordial era and lesser yao are worlds apart. A strong yao, even without followers, can roam freely under Heaven. It is not great yao who need the small ones, but the small ones who cannot survive alone and must pay tribute and submit for protection.

“One great yao can stand against an army. Even when hunted by cultivators, he can retreat safely. Burdened with lesser yao, he is only held back. That is why, though millions of years have passed, no yao dynasty has ever stood. Yao are born with disparities — bears hunt deer, foxes prey on rabbits. That is the law of Heaven. No amount of effort can overturn it. To defy Heaven is to risk one’s life. They must understand this.”

It was the opposite of the human condition. As an outsider, Li Wuming could not intervene, but he agreed. “The strong grow stronger, and even the weak are stronger than other races. For the yao, that is no bad thing.”

“Exactly. I’ll give them a chance to change their fates, but not for free. If they want it, they must prove their worth.”

Raising a great yao cost far less than improving the bloodlines of small ones. To stand firm, a power could not afford losses. Bai Chen was willing to invest in nurturing them, but only in exchange for absolute loyalty to the Great Snow Mountain.

From the moment of his rebirth, the little fox had resolved to give his heart to Li Wuming alone. Since Dugu Hou had heard this much, he should now understand what was expected.

Bai Chen’s gaze was calm, as if the world were no more than a chessboard before him. Li Wuming drew him into his arms and smiled with satisfaction. “Not bad. You’re starting to sound like a Yao King.”

But even the most dignified king could hardly sit on a man’s lap. Bai Chen glared. “So this is why you’re holding a Yao King on your thigh?”

“I like seeing you full of confidence. But sometimes I fear that if you soak too long in politics, you’ll turn into someone I don’t recognize, like my elder brother.”

Born with the spirit of a general, he was fated to attract emperors. He knew well that generals never came to good ends. He hated injustice, though he knew the Dao was merciless. He wished for a ruler who was not. Armies were mere tools of the court, but he wanted to be a man. His master had been right: such ill-timed ideals could only survive with the protection of a Sword Immortal. Without it, his grave would long ago have been covered in weeds.

Perhaps it was Lin’an’s resemblance to the Chang’an of his past that made Li Wuming sentimental. Yet after his sighs, his hands were soon kneading Bai Chen’s belly. “So I still need to touch you often, remind you to rest.”

Bai Chen, in human form, instinctively clutched his robes at the contact. Stubborn as ever, he refused to admit his face felt hot. He kept his composure and asked, “Is the eavesdropper gone?”

Li Wuming was so used to petting fox fur that he naturally sought his belly and tail, not realizing how intimate it seemed. Smiling, he answered, “He slipped away just now. Guess which little yao will come to you first?”

The grin was infuriating. Bai Chen, torn between letting him continue or not, chose to stand abruptly. “I don’t know.”

Li Wuming, baffled that his Dao companion suddenly refused his touch, never imagined shyness as the cause. Thinking Bai Chen disliked being vulnerable in human form, he only patted his head and asked, “You’ve read all their records. You truly don’t know?”

When reasonable, this man was the best in the world. But when oblivious, he was as dense as an ancient tree. Seeing him really stop, Bai Chen could only fume. “Even if I guessed, I wouldn’t tell you. If you don’t like it, come torture it out of me.”

Li Wuming, knowing his master would hardly meddle in such matters, guessed the two strands of divine sense in his body hid something more. Divine sense within was a sign of possession, and his true qi was of the same lineage as his master’s. If Sword Immortal Bai needed a new vessel, this body would be perfect. Given his master’s fastidiousness, if this body was to be used one day, it must remain untainted by a fox.

Such a thought was unnerving, but Li Wuming trusted his master and chose not to burden Bai Chen. Instead, seeing the little fox sulking, he formed a seal and sent out a blade of sword qi. “You said it yourself. Now I’ll torture you.”

He would never truly harm Bai Chen. The sword qi merely sealed his yao aura, turning him instantly into a snow-white fox. This was a technique Sword Immortal Bai had devised to deal with Bai Wei — whenever the fox tried to cling to him, he would lock him in his animal form, leaving him to roll about while he meditated.

But Li Wuming had no such lofty purpose. The moment Bai Chen returned to his true form, he scooped him up. “Don’t worry. The seal only suppresses your yao aura temporarily. It won’t harm you. Now I can do as I please.”

“You—”

The little fox, dazed from the sudden change, found himself hugged tightly. Li Wuming’s hands stroked his fluffy tail, his face full of mischief. “Come, let your husband torture you.”

Bai Chen never imagined the man would go this far just to pet a fox. His heart was heavy with the sorrow of being forced back to his true form by his Dao companion, yet his body betrayed him — rolling over to expose his belly as Li Wuming scratched, all while silently lamenting: who in all the world would guess that behind closed doors, a fox yao and his Dao companion would do such things?

He might not be human, but Li Wuming was truly a dog!

~ Chapter End ~ 

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