Chapter 198 This King has truly seen the light.
A hint of surprise flashed in Bai Xiuming's eyes, and he asked in return, "How did you know?"
A vein bulged on Ming Wang's forehead: "The soul lamp of the Northern Wilderness King in the ancestral temple has gone out. How do you think I knew? If the emperor hadn't suppressed the news, the entire royal family would know by now."
Bai Xiuming clicked his tongue, realizing he'd forgotten about that; he should have just kept quiet.
“Perhaps he had some accident on the way. Why is Father specifically suspecting his son?”
The King glared at him: "Stop talking nonsense, what's the reason?"
"He's asking for it."
Another vein popped out on Mingwang's forehead, and he once again felt that raising a son was a one-way street.
"What did he do to make you so eager to kill someone?"
Bai Xiuming succinctly stated: "He stole my people and even tried to take them back to the Northern Wilderness."
"And then you went out under the stars and moon to kill your rival? That's quite an achievement! I've certainly seen something new!"
“Father is too kind. We did not travel under the stars or moon; we went during the day.”
"Get lost, am I praising you?"
After the Ming King finished cursing, Bai Xiuming spoke again: "Father, rest assured, I have already made arrangements for this matter and will not make things difficult for Your Majesty."
"How was it arranged?"
"When the King of the Northern Wilderness passed through Ghost Cry Mountain, the seal of the Ghost Gate was broken. To protect the people around him, the King of the Northern Wilderness and his subordinates fought to the death against the high-level evil spirits. In the end, they perished together with the evil spirits in the Ghost Gate. Only one subordinate escaped and returned to the capital to inform His Majesty of this terrible news."
Bai Xiuming was a very tolerant person. Since Bai Zhanhuang had already died at his hands, all grudges were considered settled. He didn't mind giving the other party a good reputation, after all, the story sounded very touching and would also please His Majesty.
After speaking, Bai Xiu asked the King, "What does Father think?"
"Where is Bai Zhanhuang's corpse?"
"He was thrown into the deep pit that seals the gate to the underworld on Ghost Cry Mountain. It seems he can't be dug out now."
King Ming frowned, clearly something must have happened to this kid at Ghost Cry Mountain. He asked, "What about the ghosts there? Did you kill them?"
"No, he was killed by Achan's father."
Bai Xiuming didn't mention the near-death experience he went through during his breakthrough, but that's not important. What's important is that Achan chose him.
Whenever he thought of this, Bai Xiuming couldn't control his heartbeat, but fortunately he could still control his expression.
Ming Wang was stunned for a moment before he realized that A Chan was the little girl's name, and wasn't her father Xi Jing?
However, considering Xi Jing's endless methods, it wasn't impossible that he might have left something for his daughter to protect her before he died, so he didn't press the matter further.
King Ming pondered for a moment, then said, "In that case, it makes sense."
Giving the King of the Northern Wilderness a good reputation is better than letting the emperor take the blame.
He then added, "When you explain this to His Majesty later, use a different approach."
“Well…” Bai Xiuming turned to look at Bei Huai, “Why don’t we ask him for an explanation?”
King Ming looked at Bei Huai, who was standing behind Bai Xiuming.
Bei Huai's hands and feet were cold and his face was stiff. The guards nearby should not have heard anything about the conversation between the two people in front of him, but the two of them did not avoid him.
Two top cultivators within the Great Xia territory are discussing how to arrange the cause of death for the Northern Wilderness King. Could there be anything more outrageous than this?
If he could, he really wouldn't want to get involved in this kind of thing at all, but it was no use. If he wanted to live, he had to be valuable and satisfy Bai Xiuming.
The King of Ming's indifferent gaze swept over Bei Huai: "In a moment, I will take you to the palace to meet His Majesty. Do you know what to say?"
Bei Huai knelt down with a thud, nodding repeatedly, wishing he could tell the other party everything he knew: "This humble subject knows that the King of the Northern Wilderness colluded with Princess Xueyao to plot to kill Lord Bai in Qingzhou, but failed, and is now in a hurry to sever ties and return to the Northern Wilderness."
When Bai Xiuming killed Bei Yan, he knew that the matter in Qingzhou was inseparable from Bai Zhanhuang. He didn't expect that the two great demons were actually sent by Princess Xueyao.
King Ming's expression turned slightly cold. He had underestimated this King of the Northern Wilderness, who dared to collude with the demon race to scheme against his son. In that case, his death was not unjust. It seemed that the lineage of the King of the Northern Wilderness had no reason to exist anymore.
"And then?" King Ming asked.
"Then...then when they passed through Ghost Cry Mountain, the Ghost Guardian of the Northern Wilderness King, Huang Wu, suddenly went out of control, broke the seal, opened the Ghost Gate, and released a group of high-level evil spirits, causing the group to be surrounded and killed by the evil spirits. Lord Bai noticed the abnormality of the Ghost Gate and came to investigate, and just in time saved this commoner, but unfortunately the rest of them had already been devoured by the evil spirits."
Bei Huai racked his brains and finally came up with a story he thought was perfect. He postponed the time of the incident by one day, which coincided with the time when Bai Zhan's Soul Lamp went out, and also removed Bai Xiuming from the story.
After he finished speaking, he looked at King Ming expectantly.
"That's right, let's say that."
Although telling the emperor the truth wouldn't have caused any problems, a white lie would make everyone feel better.
There were always reasons why wise rulers and emperors throughout history got along well.
Bei Huai breathed a long sigh of relief, and then heard Ming Wang say, "It seems that the King of Northern Wilderness has done a lot behind the scenes?"
"If Your Highness or Your Excellency wishes to know, this humble subject will certainly tell you everything I know."
"Well, let's talk about it after we've met His Majesty."
After saying this, King Ming looked at Bai Xiuming and said, "You will come to the palace with me."
Bai Xiuming knew that a trip to the palace was unavoidable, but he was worried about Achan and wanted to see her before going to the palace. So he said, "Father, please wait a moment. I'm going to change my clothes."
The King of Light looked at his spotless robes and sneered, "Do you want to change your clothes, or do you want to see someone?"
"You already know that."
"What happened to that girl? Qin Heng said she slept in your room all day."
"Since you're curious, why don't you take a look?" Although Bai Xiuming felt that Xijing wouldn't harm Achan, Mingwang was knowledgeable and experienced, and Bai Xiuming would feel at ease if he took a look.
“Alright.” Ming Wang followed Bai Xiuming to his room. At this time, A Chan was still asleep and had not yet woken up.
Ming Wang noticed a hint of surprise on A Chan's face: "Such a rich life force, did Xi Jing leave it to her?"
Bai Xiuming nodded: "Yes."
Then she asked, "These life energies shouldn't have any effect on her body, right?"
“Of course it has an impact.” King Ming shook his head. “As expected of Xijing’s work, it’s really extravagant. Using life force to cleanse the soul and body, first cleansing the marrow and then extending life by a thousand years, after the marrow cleansing, even a pig can survive to the fifth realm. If I had such an elder back then, I might have been able to break through thirty years earlier.”
Bai Xiuming coughed lightly: "Father, get to the point."
"The point is, you're lucky, kid. If Xi Jing were still alive, you probably wouldn't even have been able to touch his daughter's hand."
Bai Xiuming grasped A Chan's hand, which was exposed outside the blanket, and touched it; it was warm to the touch.
He retorted, "Your son is quite handsome; perhaps your old friend is very satisfied with me?"
Bai Xiuming thought of the nine-tailed fox he saw when he woke up. Although it was only for a glance, he had already unilaterally decided that his father-in-law had approved of him.
King Ming sneered, turned and walked away; it was simply unbearable to watch.
After meeting Achan, Bai Xiuming led Bei Huai to the palace to meet the emperor with the Ming King. About an hour and a half after he left, Achan's eyelids twitched, and after a while, she slowly opened her eyes.
She slept for a long time, but Achan didn't feel tired at all. On the contrary, she felt much lighter.
She wasn't surprised by this change; absorbing life force was the safest path anyway. After absorbing it, she would have a long lifespan, allowing her to cultivate at her own pace without worrying about aging.
She had given up on this path from the beginning, but unexpectedly, she ended up back on it by some twist of fate.
In her daze, she entered the inner realm and saw her own soul, which had lost its demon form. The soul reflected her original appearance, but she could never transform back into a fox.
Her ties with the demon race have been completely severed.
When she made the decision, Achan knew what she would lose. She wouldn't regret her choice, but she would still feel sad.
Just then, she heard a sound coming from the door; someone was opening it.
The door was opened from the outside, and when Achan saw the tall figure backlit by the light, she unconsciously curved her lips into a smile.
Her father said she had grown up, but what she really realized was that she had received so much love from her father and mother, and from Bai Xiuming.
She found the strength to keep moving forward, no matter which path she chose.
Bai Xiuming walked to the bedside and met A Chan's bright eyes. As A Chan sat up from the bed, he bent down, slowly reached out his hand, and gently touched her cheek with his fingers, as if he were touching a fragile porcelain doll.
"You're awake."
Even though only a few days had passed since the day they parted, Bai Xiuming felt as if a lifetime had passed.
Achan grabbed his hand, her soft fingers slipping between his fingers, and Bai Xiuming froze for a moment.
"Bai Xiuming." Achan looked up at him and called his name.
"Um?"
"I saved your life again, you must remember to repay me."
His Adam's apple bobbed, and Bai Xiuming's voice was slightly hoarse: "How do you want me to repay you?"
He stared intently at Achan, slowly moving closer to her until their breaths almost mingled: "How about you repay me with your body?"
His lips were almost touching Achan's, but were stopped by a finger.
Achan stepped back slightly, her fingertips pressing against the man's thin lips. Bai Xiuming stopped, but the desire and heat in his eyes almost burned her out.
"Oh no, have you forgotten? We haven't made up yet."
Bai Xiuming loosely grasped her fingers: "It's my fault."
The two had their first argument. Although it was Achan who made the choice, it didn't change the fact that Bai Xiuming was in the wrong, and he accepted it anyway.
Achan scratched at his palm with her fingertips: "What did you do wrong?"
"My mistake was... making you unhappy."
Ah Chan suppressed the upturned corners of her lips, somewhat satisfied with this attitude of admitting her mistake.
Bai Xiuming leaned forward again and kissed her lips. This time, A Chan did not pull away.
At first, it was an extremely gentle caress and licking. At first, Achan just passively accepted it, but then she gave a little response, which almost made Bai Xiuming lose control.
Fortunately, he was still rational. He only pressed down on Achan to slightly relieve the thirst in his heart, and released her before she could struggle.
Achan lay on the bed, her chest heaving violently, her eyes glistening with tears, and her gaze somewhat hazy.
Bai Xiuming planted a series of kisses on the corner of her eye, but she pushed him away. He then asked her, "A-Chan, are you happy now?"
Ah Chan glared at him, but her gaze wasn't very convincing: "What do you think?"
"Will this make you happy?" Bai Xiuming suddenly produced a golden book in his hand.
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