Chapter 183 Bai Xiuming suddenly turned his head and looked at Bai Zhanhuang from afar.
Pang Qi turned around and glanced at Bailong Village, saying regretfully, "It seems we have no choice but to seal off the entire village. It's a pity about the feng shui here, and there's even a living water source."
In arid and water-scarce places like the border, having a living water source is already considered a treasure, more than enough to support a village.
However, according to the regulations of the Mingjing Division, such a mysterious place must be sealed off to prevent its spread or harm to civilians who might stray into it. Once sealed off, ordinary people will automatically avoid the vicinity, effectively erasing the village completely.
The only saving grace now is that although the Dragon King who struck behind the scenes was ruthless, he still had some restraint and did not implicate anyone else.
"Do you need my help?" Bai Xiuming was, after all, the Commander of the Mingjing Division. Now that they had met, he couldn't just leave like that.
Pang Qi didn't stand on ceremony with him and nodded, saying, "Then I'll trouble you to cover for me tonight. I hope that when I seal this place, I won't anger that Dragon King."
"Okay." After agreeing to Pang Qi's request, Bai Xiuming lowered his head and discussed with A Chan, "We'll stay here for the night, and then go to the village to rest for a while, okay?"
Achan nodded, looking obedient and well-behaved: "Okay."
Bai Xiuming looked up at Pang Qi, whose face twisted slightly. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would have found it hard to believe that this person was Bai Xiuming; he looked as if he had been possessed.
"I'll have someone take you into the village. There are a few vacant houses there, which will be a good place for you to rest."
After saying that, he beckoned his subordinates to take Bai Xiuming and Achan into the village. He needed to make some preparations in case anything went wrong when sealing off Bailong Village that night.
As expected, the Mingjing Guard led the two to the rooms where they had once lived. Less than a month after they left, the place was already desolate.
Ah Chan didn't have the mind to wallow in self-pity. If she could empathize with the villagers, she wouldn't have helped that little dragon in the first place.
After the room was cleaned, Achan had just sat down on the edge of the bed when she heard Bai Xiuming ask her, "Do you need me to sleep with you?"
These words were now taboo to Achan, and she immediately moved to the side: "No!"
After saying that, he pointed to the table in the room and said unreasonably, "Go sit there and don't disturb my sleep."
"I'll stay here and not say anything, okay? I won't bother you."
Achan turned her head: "This is bad."
Bai Xiuming sighed, pinched her chin to turn her face around, and pecked her lips: "You're really unreasonable."
"Oh." Achan said coldly, "Go ahead and listen if you dare."
Bai Xiuming obediently sat down at the table. After the others were sent away, Achan lay on the bed, closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep for a while, but she couldn't fall asleep at all.
She opened her eyes, propped herself up halfway, and waved to the man who had just been chased away: "Bai Xiuming, come and coax me to sleep."
Bai Xiuming almost laughed in anger: "All you do is torment me, isn't that it?"
Achan looked innocent: "So you don't want to sleep with me anymore?"
The man had no choice but to go back to the bedside and resignedly coax her to sleep.
Because it took quite a while to fall asleep, Achan was woken up after sleeping for less than an hour.
By this time, it was already dark outside the window. Ah Chan yawned and got out of bed. As soon as she opened the door, she saw flames everywhere in the village.
Along with the firelight appeared the people who had disappeared from the village during the day.
The screams and wails rose and fell, making the village seem like a living hell.
Bai Xiuming led her, avoiding the villagers along the way, out of the village. At the village entrance, Pang Qi and his subordinates were already waiting there.
Seeing them come out, Pang Qi took a long sword and handed it to Bai Xiuming, saying solemnly, "I'm going in to set up the formation. Everything is in your hands now."
Bai Xiuming nodded and watched Pang Qi lead his men into the village.
"What will happen in a moment?" Achan sensed that Bai Xiuming's colleague was a little nervous.
"I hope not."
As the night deepened, the surrounding temperature seemed to drop further.
Where spirits gather, it's inevitable that the temperature is low. Achan pulled her cloak tighter around herself, found a rock not far away, sat down, and rested her chin on her hands, gazing in the direction of Bai Xiuming.
He stood motionless at the village entrance, leaning on his long sword.
After an unknown amount of time, a white light suddenly flashed through the village, and the four corners of the village seemed to be swallowed up by something, gradually disappearing from sight.
Pang Qi had just finished setting up the formation and was about to lead his subordinates out of the village when he suddenly heard a huge dragon roar from above. A corner of the formation that he had just reinforced instantly collapsed.
As the dragon roared, a white dragon head, more than ten times larger than the little white dragon's head, appeared in the sky above White Dragon Village. It opened its eyes, its pupils golden, as rich and dazzling as flowing gold. Although it was just a phantom, it looked extremely beautiful.
Achan looked up at the dragon, and Bai Xiuming also opened his eyes. He drew his long sword and swung it into the air without hesitation.
"Roar—" The dragon's roar was deafening as the enormous dragon shadow charged downwards.
Bai Xiuming's figure disappeared, and in the darkness, only the flashing light of a blade could be seen in mid-air.
The exchange between the two was brief. Soon, the white dragon's figure vanished like a mirage. Before it disappeared, its golden eyes remained fixed on Bai Xiuming, as if trying to memorize his appearance.
By the time Bai Xiuming landed, Pang Qi had already repaired the damaged formation. The formations at the four corners of the village began to gradually close, and by the time Pang Qi and his subordinates emerged, only a few houses remained of the entire village.
A moment later, even those houses disappeared. Bailong Village was sealed off here, and in the eyes of others, the village had completely vanished.
After Pang Qi came out, he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, let out a long sigh of relief, and stepped forward to Bai Xiuming, saying, "Thanks to you this time."
If Bai Xiuming hadn't been holding back, a sudden attack from a wisp of the Dragon King's divine consciousness would have been enough to give him a hard time.
"polite."
Bai Xiuming sheathed his longsword and handed it to Pang Qi, then heard him say, "This Dragon King has clearly been watching this area. You fought with him just now, so he might be targeting you, right? You'd better be careful."
Pang Qi reminded him.
Bai Xiuming laughed upon hearing this: "There's no need to worry about me. The dragons didn't have a good impression of me to begin with."
Moreover... feeling the surging blood and qi within his body, he thought to himself, even if they have their eyes on him, we might still be able to fight them someday.
Since returning from the wilderness, his blood and energy had been constantly abundant. More precisely, the changes in his body began after that sacrificial ceremony.
In retrospect, his efforts over the past few days weren't in vain, nor were the offerings wasted; the ancestors of the witch clan had indeed bestowed upon him considerable benefits. His only drawback was that his excessive energy and blood made him prone to losing control.
Pang Qi suddenly relaxed when he thought of the battle that made Bai Xiuming famous. He had already offended the dragon clan when he killed the black dragon, so now he had no more worries about the debt.
After dealing with Bailong Village, and finding no place to rest nearby, Pang Qi led them back to the county town.
At this time, the city gates of the county town were already closed, but since the Mingjing Division's garrison commander had entered the city, the guards naturally dared not neglect their duties.
The Mingjing Division's headquarters in the small county town wasn't very large. After entering the town, Pang Qi led them directly to the post station.
On their way to the post station, the two chatted for a while on horseback, and the topic of the Northern Wilderness King came up again.
Bai Xiuming started the conversation, asking Pang Qi, "Why did you personally escort the Northern Wilderness King to the capital?"
Pang Qi glanced at A Chan and saw that she was asleep with her eyes closed. He then lowered his voice and said, "This is all thanks to you. You pinned such a big crime on the Northern Wilderness King in the capital. To show his sincerity, the Northern Wilderness King probably brought half of the Northern Wilderness King's wealth with him when he came to the capital this time."
Clearly, these valuables were to be handed over to His Majesty to prove that the King of Northern Wilderness was sincere in admitting his mistake and had absolutely no intention of rebellion.
After hearing Pang Qi's words, Bai Xiuming looked down at A Chan, who was nestled in his arms. He didn't have the ability to swindle half of the Northern Wilderness King's fortune.
"It seems the Northern Wilderness King is a clever man." Bai Xiuming felt a little curious about this Northern Wilderness King whom he had never met before.
Pang Qi nodded in agreement: "I haven't had much contact with him, but this prince is young but shrewd. He is very good at handling people and things, and the people around him are loyal. He also has many skilled guards. He is not easy to deal with. His mother and family died in the capital, and you tricked him. You have to be careful."
After saying that, Pang Qi realized that he had said the same thing twice that night.
Bai Xiuming smiled and said, "We're all from the same clan, so what you're saying, Lord Pang, is a bit alarmist."
Pang Qi glanced at Bai Xiuming. He knew all too well that this kid, though he spoke sweetly, was probably plotting something to deal with his kinsmen.
Achan listened to their conversation with her eyes closed, her fingers twitching slightly inside her cloak.
Knowing that Bai Zhanhuang was not so easy to deal with, I made the decisive decision to abandon half of the Northern Wilderness Royal Mansion's wealth. It seems that my expectations are destined to be dashed.
But it doesn't matter, as long as you're alive, you can always find a weakness.
The two spent the night at the post station and continued their journey to the capital the next day.
It took them more than ten days to reach Liangzhou, where the capital was now within reach.
While passing through Liangzhou Prefecture, Achan heard some news.
Three days ago, the Crown Princess gave birth to a grandson of the Emperor. His Majesty was overjoyed and the next day announced a general amnesty in court to pray for the little grandson's well-being.
This means that the Lin family members who were exiled will also be returning to the capital.
I just hope that Ji Chan's family members are as easy to get along with as she remembers them.
Four days later, the city gates of the capital finally came into Achan's view.
When I left the capital, it was the third day of the third lunar month. The weather was still a bit chilly then. Now, it's the end of April, and even Achan's dress has become thinner.
Today she wore a light purple dress, which she bought in Liangzhou Prefecture. The hem was embroidered with strings of knotted flowers, the embroidery was exquisite and looked lifelike, and she liked it very much.
Compared to the meticulously dressed Achan, Bai Xiuming's attire was much simpler: a white, cross-collared, narrow-sleeved robe with only two strings of knotted flowers embroidered on his belt, which seemed somewhat out of place on him. Achan had tied them on for him herself that morning.
The two rode the same horse the whole way. Achan didn't think there was anything wrong with it, but in the eyes of others, it was undoubtedly quite eye-catching.
She was aware that people were watching them, but she didn't care. She also failed to notice that someone was staring intently at her from in front of the two carriages parked some distance away.
"What is Your Highness looking at?"
Hearing the noisy voices around him, Bai Zhanhuang withdrew his gaze and looked at the young man who was talking to him with a smile.
If he remembered correctly, the man in front of him was the second son of the Minister of Rites, named Mu Lin.
In recent days, Bai Zhanhuang had seen him at many entertainment venues. Today, his carriage was parked here, and Mu Lin seemed to think there was something wrong with it, so he stopped to help.
He was a not-so-bright playboy, but he had a good personality and many friends in the capital.
"I'm looking at the person on that horse. Does Young Master Mu know who that person is?" Bai Zhanhuang slightly raised his chin, gesturing for Mu Lin to look.
Mu Lin recognized Bai Xiuming from his profile and exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't that Lord Bai from the Mingjing Division? He's actually back in the capital!"
"Master Bai?"
"Oh, Lord Bai's name is Bai Xiuming, and he is..."
Bai Zhanhuang suddenly smiled and continued, "He is the legitimate son of the King of Xiling and the adopted son of the King of Ming, right?"
"Yes, Your Highness also knows Lord Bai?"
"I've heard people mention him; I've heard that he has amazing talent in cultivation."
Mu Lin nodded: "That's right, I heard that Lord Bai has already reached the fourth realm at such a young age."
"The Four Realms... truly remarkable." Bai Zhanhuang's words were meaningful, and he then asked, "Does Young Master Mu recognize the woman traveling with him?"
Mu Lin hadn't noticed that there was someone sitting in front of Bai Xiuming, but Bai Zhanhuang's question made her look closely and immediately recognized A Chan.
He had met Ah Chan once at a restaurant, and he could never forget her.
"Isn't that Miss Ji...?"
He remembered that he had told Miss Ji about Lord Bai's background at that time, and it turned out that the two of them knew each other.
Seeing that Mu Lin was somewhat lost in thought, Bai Zhanhuang asked, "And what is the background of this Miss Ji?"
Mu Lin pursed his lips and said, "Miss Ji was originally the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Jinyang. Later, her mother passed away, her maternal clan was exiled, and she was driven out of the Marquis's mansion because of her different bloodline, thus losing her status."
The reason he stopped contacting this Miss Ji was because her identity was too sensitive; if his family found out, his father would certainly not let him off the hook.
Bai Zhanhuang didn't notice Mu Lin's wistful expression. He narrowed his eyes slightly and whispered, "The eldest daughter of the Marquis of Jinyang?"
Just then, Bai Xiuming suddenly turned his head and looked at Bai Zhanhuang from afar.
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