Chapter 95, Lao Liu Bai Ye, one to ten.
The area in front of the Bai family's house fell silent instantly.
Everyone still queuing to enter the Bai family turned their heads in unison, their gazes filled with shock, astonishment, inquiry, and curiosity, all falling on the white-haired cultivator who had uttered such arrogant words.
Everyone was eager to see who this person was, daring to so brazenly declare in front of the Bai family's gate that they would deal with the Bai family's genius.
The Bai family guards standing at the door quickly stepped forward, their hands on their swords at their waists, and surrounded Bai Ye, making the atmosphere heavy.
"Want to fight?" Bai also looked at the crowd, her hand gripping the hilt of her sword. She didn't care whether the fight started at the door or later; she was here on orders to beat people up.
Upon seeing this, the onlookers quickly stepped back, clearing a space for themselves, fearing they might be caught in the crossfire.
Just as the atmosphere was becoming increasingly tense, a series of unhurried footsteps came from inside the open gate of the Bai family.
A tall, slender figure walked out against the light. She was wearing a blue and white dress, had a beautiful face, and looked to be in her early twenties.
"Step back," the woman said in a low voice, breaking the tense atmosphere at the door.
Upon hearing the voice, the guards, who had been radiating murderous intent, immediately released their grip on their swords and bowed in unison to the newcomer, saying, "Greetings, Sixth Miss!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the guards quickly retreated to their positions, looking down as if they were statues.
The woman, whom the guards called Sixth Miss, turned her gaze to Bai Ye. Her eyes, which had previously been devoid of emotion, were now filled with undisguised laughter.
She looked Bai Ye up and down, then smiled brightly and said in a soft voice, "According to seniority, you can call me Auntie."
"Huh?" Bai was a little stunned. How come there's another one who claims kinship without warning?
"Don't say 'ah'." The woman was amused by her reaction and reached out to affectionately rub Bai Ye's head. "Come on, come in with your aunt. I was ordered by my grandmother to come out and meet you."
The woman didn't try to lower her voice, and the surrounding guests could hear her clearly. Everyone exchanged glances, their eyes filled with curiosity.
Judging from this, the Bai family... seems to have a wild child who has been separated from the family, and this child appears to be a direct descendant.
The scene that unfolded in front of the Bai family's gate spread at an extremely rapid pace. In just a short while, almost all the prominent families in Baidi City knew about it.
However, Bai Ye, who had already entered the Bai family, was completely unaware of the turmoil caused by her.
She was led by the wrist by the graceful sixth young lady, passing through palaces and heading towards the martial arts arena.
Bai turned his head to examine the woman's delicate profile. "You are... my mother's sister?"
"Yes, she's more like a cousin, not a biological sister," the woman replied with a soft laugh. "Your mother and I were the closest of sisters when we were young, even closer than blood sisters."
As she spoke, she turned to look at Bai Ye and said earnestly, "So, little one, you still don't want to call me 'Auntie'?"
Bai also asked, "What was my mother like when she was little?"
"She was quite the little devil when she was young," Miss Six said with a sigh. She then realized she'd been tricked and chuckled, "Hey, you little rascal, you don't call me 'Auntie,' but you want to get information out of me?"
Bai opened her mouth, hesitated for a long time, and finally softened her voice, calling out, "Auntie~"
The sixth young lady was overjoyed to be called "Auntie," her eyes and brows beaming with smiles. "Oh, so sweet!"
"Now, can you tell me about my mother's past?" Bai asked expectantly.
The sixth young lady smiled at her expectant gaze and said with emotion, "Well, that's a long story... Your mother was the most dazzling and also the most troublesome one among our generation."
As she spoke, she led Bai Ye forward.
"Let's start from when she was little. She would always lead a bunch of us kids to sneak off and explore the back mountain. In the Bai family, the back mountain was a forbidden area. How could they allow a bunch of kids like us to go there? Every time we were about to go, we would be caught by the clan elders and dragged to the discipline hall for a good scolding..."
Bai listened intently, and through her aunt's description, she seemed to see Bai Shu in her youth.
Back then, my mother must have been a fearless young man, right?
......
The Bai Family Martial Arts Arena is extremely large, resembling the ancient Roman Colosseum. The surrounding tiered stands are packed with people, and the noise is deafening, with cheers frequently heard.
Liu Xianyue, dressed in a long red dress, sat in the VIP area with a great view, watching the two Bai family juniors fighting fiercely below with a bored expression.
In her eyes, this level of combat was no different from children playing house, so she naturally had no interest in watching it.
Liu Xianyue's gaze kept drifting towards the entrance. When she saw that familiar figure appear before her, her eyes lit up, and she immediately stood up, waving and calling out without any regard for her image, "I'm here~"
Zhong Jiuli glanced at the flamboyant Boss Liu, but did not respond loudly. Instead, she nodded slightly to the servant who was leading the way to express her gratitude before calmly walking through the crowd and sitting down next to Liu Xianyue.
"Where have you been these past few days? I haven't seen a soul around," Liu Xianyue complained softly.
Upon hearing this, Zhong Jiuli smiled faintly. She picked up the spiritual tea that had been prepared on the table, took a sip to moisten her throat, and said, "I didn't go anywhere. I just picked up a naughty little stray cat a few days ago and am playing with it at the inn."
Liu Xianyue wasn't interested in the kitten she was talking about. She turned to the side and said mysteriously, "Never mind your cat for now. I just heard some big news. Do you want to know?"
"What is it?" Zhong Jiuli asked calmly.
"I heard that a very arrogant white-haired cultivator just came to the Bai family's gate. In front of all the guests and guards, he boasted that he would crush all the geniuses of the Bai family and step on the young master of the Bai family and the entire Bai family to become the number one genius in the Nine Provinces," Liu Xianyue said vividly.
"Do you think this white-haired cultivator could be our family's stinky tiger?"
Zhong Jiuli closed her eyes slightly, her long eyelashes drooping, concealing the smile in her eyes.
This is the terrifying thing about rumors. The stinky tiger only said two sentences, but after being spread by everyone, it has become a rumor that he wants to trample the entire Bai family underfoot.
“It was her, but she didn’t say the rest.” Zhong Jiuli shook her head slightly, her voice tinged with amusement.
“Hey, I knew it was her right away.” Upon hearing this, Liu Xianyue perked up instantly.
She raised her hand and snapped her fingers crisply.
As the sound rang out, the air behind her seemed to ripple slightly, and then two girls dressed in tight-fitting clothes with almost identical appearances appeared behind her at the same time.
"Sect Master!" The two bowed simultaneously.
Liu Xianyue beckoned to the two women, signaling them to come closer, and then quickly gave them instructions in a low voice.
"Yes, Pavilion Master." The two girls replied in unison, and before they finished speaking, they disappeared into thin air again.
Zhong Jiuli glanced at her sideways, taking in the eager, mischievous look on her face.
She said helplessly, "Be more discreet and don't make too much of a fuss. After all, this is the Bai family's territory, so we should give them some face."
Upon hearing this, Liu Xianyue waved her hand dismissively, "Oh, you don't trust me to handle things? When have I ever made a mistake?"
As if to prove how reliable she was, as soon as she finished speaking, a huge commotion erupted simultaneously from the stands on the west, south, and north sides.
Many guests seemed to be simultaneously drawn to something, leaving their seats and forming small groups, creating a lively scene. No one even paid attention to the battle in the arena below anymore.
Zhong Jiuli silently withdrew her gaze and glanced at her without saying a word.
Liu Xianyue shrugged helplessly, "How can you blame me? It seems everyone is quite interested in the suddenly appearing little white-haired guy~"
......
Bai was led by the sixth young lady into the inner passage of the martial arts arena. They entered from below and did not go up to the upper stands.
Even so, Bai was still somewhat stunned when he saw the enormous circular arena through the window.
She stopped in her tracks and stared intently. The walls of the training ground were entirely made of hard, cold gray rock, covered with crisscrossing sword and knife marks, suggesting that the training ground had a long history.
The stands were packed with guests; as far as the eye could see, there was a sea of heads and a deafening roar.
"This setup...it's like a gladiatorial arena!" Bai muttered to himself.
Miss Bai, who was walking beside her, thought that Bai Ye was a little nervous because of the grand scene and the upcoming competition. She reached out and grasped Bai Ye's wrist, and whispered encouragingly, "It's nothing. Every member of the Bai family has fought here before, including your mother."
"I wasn't nervous. I was just a little surprised; this place is quite big."
Miss Bai chuckled softly and sighed, "The Bai family used to be very large. The Bai family members alone could almost fill this entire stands. Now, it's certainly gotten quite big."
"Forget about that. Do you want to go up on stage and watch the younger generation compete, or stay here? Right now, it's all your nephews and nieces fighting."
Bai thought for a moment, then asked somewhat uncertainly, "May I go up and take a look?"
She was mainly afraid of the Bai family; they would rush up and gang up on her whenever they saw her, even though she had just made some harsh threats.
“If you can’t go, who can?” Miss Bai Liu answered matter-of-factly. “You are a legitimate member of the Bai family. If even you are not qualified to go up and watch the battle, then who in Baidi City is qualified?”
Bai chuckled softly upon hearing this, realizing that it was no wonder his aunt and mother got along so well; this girl was certainly not afraid of trouble.
"Let's go then, Auntie, let's go up on stage and watch."
The two climbed up the stone steps to the stands, and once they got up, the noise from the stands almost drowned them out.
Bai glanced around and noticed that no one was watching the children fighting below; instead, they were gathered in groups, shouting something loudly.
She listened intently and caught some simple words, roughly guessing what those people were doing.
Miss Bai Liu heard it clearly, and she excitedly pulled Bai Ye's hand and squeezed into the crowd, "Better late than never, let's place a bet too."
The two struggled through the crowded throng and finally squeezed to the front, where they saw a large wooden table covered with a striking red silk cloth, on which the names of ten candidates were written in a flamboyant style.
Among them, the most eye-catching is naturally the three large characters "Bai Qingji," the young master of the Bai family.
Next to Bai Qingji, another name was also written in bold ink, making it exceptionally eye-catching.
"You get a share too, but your odds are a bit too high." Miss Bai Liu was always eager for a good show.
Bai Ye's gaze fell on the silk cloth, where the odds displayed below the two people's names were strikingly different.
Bai Qingji, one to one compensation.
White, one to ten.
Miss Bai slammed her hand on the table and said to the girl behind the long table, "I bet on Bai T, ten thousand high-grade spirit stones, to win first place in this competition!"
Not only did she bet herself, but she also dragged Bai Ye into it, saying, "Hurry up, you bet on yourself to win too."
Bai didn't act immediately. Instead, he looked at the smiling young girl behind the long table and asked, "Are you from the Myriad Elephants Pavilion?"
She had just noticed the abacus hanging from the other person's waist. She hadn't expected that Wanxiang Pavilion would get involved in this mess. She just hoped that Liu Xianyue wouldn't join in the fun, otherwise Zhong Jiuli would find out about her affairs with the Bai family.
"Yes, fellow Daoist, you can place your bets with confidence. Myriad Manifestations Pavilion's reputation is quite good in this land of Kyushu." The man smiled and cupped his hands in greeting.
Bai nodded slightly upon hearing this, and with a slight movement of her divine sense, she transferred the remaining low-grade spirit stones in her storage ring to an empty storage bag.
She tossed the storage bag onto the table. "Fine, I'll bet on myself to win too."
As soon as she finished speaking, the previously noisy crowd suddenly fell silent, and countless eyes focused on her. A not-so-quite-loud murmur arose from the crowd.
"Is that her? The little white-haired girl?"
"He seems a bit too young, isn't he? Only at the Nascent Soul stage... How can he fight against the young master of the Bai family?"
"Perhaps he's hiding his true strength? You know the saying 'playing dumb to fool the enemy,' right?"
These whispers were far too blatant, so Bai quickly grabbed the still excited Miss Bai Liu, lowered her head, and hurriedly squeezed out of the crowd.
However, the news of the white-haired cultivator appearing on the stands still spread like wildfire.
Guests in the stands from all directions turned their gazes toward the two of them, including the eldest daughter of the Qin family and the young geniuses who had been searching for Bai Ye's whereabouts.
They had already heard about what happened at the Bai family's gate. Seeing Bai Ye still swaggering onto the stands like this, they were utterly disregarding the Bai family.
Qin Yanjing and her friends exchanged glances, understanding each other perfectly. They didn't make a sound, but quietly got up and left the VIP area, heading towards the stands where Bai Ye was.
Unlike the other three open stands, each seat in the VIP area is separated by a delicate purple bamboo curtain. The curtains are arranged with varying density, ensuring that the VIPs can enjoy a panoramic view of the entire match while also blocking outside views.
Therefore, Bai did not notice that several people came out of the VIP area and approached them. She and Miss Bai Liu finally managed to get away from the crowd, and now the two of them huddled together in a corner of the stands, shoulder to shoulder, watching the kindergarten class performance in the martial arts arena below.
"Why are the younger players always playing? When is it my turn?" Bai asked, somewhat bored.
"What, are you so eager to teach everyone a lesson?" Miss Bai chuckled. "Don't rush, the younger generation will probably finish fighting in about an hour."
"It's not that we're in a hurry to fight, it's just that everyone here is staring at us, and it's too noisy." Bai said, her gaze sweeping aimlessly around her, only then realizing that they were surrounded again.
Miss Qin, whom I had met once before, arrived with her entourage, looking quite imposing.
"Bai Ye." Miss Qin stopped in front of her and said in a low voice.
"Yes, it's me." Bai replied with a smile. "Friend, I don't want to eat today, so you don't need to treat me."
"You!" Miss Qin was furious and wanted to curse, but she held back because of Miss Bai Liu who was next to Bai Ye.
Cai Yuanxiu, standing beside Qin Yanjing, chuckled and said in a low voice, "Heh, your name is really well-chosen. A little bastard from the countryside, you certainly deserve the word 'also'."
Before he finished speaking, Miss Bai's expression changed drastically.
"Cai Yuanxiu!" She stepped forward abruptly, shielding Bai behind her. "Who do you think you are, daring to speak to her like that?"
Her aura instantly emanated outwards, the pressure of a Tribulation Transcending cultivator like a drawn sword, causing the faces of the group led by Qin Yanjing to turn pale, and they had to take several steps back before barely managing to regain their footing.
"Sixth Aunt~" Miss Qin called softly, "Yuan Xiu has always been straightforward and outspoken, and he has no ill intentions. Please calm down."
Miss Bai snorted coldly and turned her face away, showing no respect whatsoever to Miss Qin.
"Auntie, don't be angry." Bai Ye tugged at Miss Bai Liu's sleeve, took a step forward, and stood in front of the group of people with different expressions. He said calmly, "They came for me. I should naturally resolve my own affairs."
Upon hearing this, Miss Bai Liu instantly calmed down. Indeed, if Bai Ye couldn't even handle these few people, then he shouldn't even think about competing with Bai Qingji.
Having figured all this out, she stopped trying to stop him and let Bai face off against those people.
Bai Ye stepped forward slowly, his gaze sweeping over Qin Yanjing, Cai Yuanxiu and the others one by one. "Seeing how anxiously you all came to find me, you must be impatient for the competition and want to find out my background first?"
"Heh!" Qin Yanjing scoffed, "You? Do we need to investigate your background?"
Bai casually shrugged, looking extremely relaxed. "I don't like to waste my time talking to mindless guys like you. I've given you the chance, so come on, let's all come at you. Don't waste my time."
"Ah, private fights are prohibited on the stands," Miss Bai whispered a reminder from behind her.
Upon hearing this, Bai Ye turned his gaze to the martial arts arena below, where the contest between two young disciples had just concluded, and an elder of the Bai family was offering his comments.
She looked away and turned to Qin Yanjing and the others. "If we can't fight on stage, we can at least fight off stage, right?"
"Arrogant! Fight if you want, are you afraid of me?" Cai Yuanxiu was the first to lose his temper. Provoked by Bai Ye's words, he immediately forgot the consequences of disrupting the Bai family's internal competition.
He leaped into the air and crashed down onto the training ground below like an arrow, saying, "I can handle someone like you all by myself."
Almost the instant he moved, Bai Ye's figure also transformed into a red shadow, crashing into the arena with incredible speed.
This sudden turn of events instantly drew everyone's attention. A commotion erupted in the stands, with murmurs and discussions filling the air.
"This isn't someone from the Bai family, is it? A new program this year?"
"It looks like things are getting tense; there's going to be a good show."
Some people looked on with anticipation, while others were visibly shaken and on edge. For example, the head of the Cai family was so shocked when he saw his foolish son, who didn't know any better, jump into the training ground that he jumped up from his seat, his forehead instantly covered in a layer of cold sweat.
Several elders of the Bai family also frowned. The eldest elder immediately stood up, looked at the two young men causing trouble below, his brows furrowed, and raised his hand to summon the clan guards to drive the two unruly juniors out of the arena.
Just then, a tall figure dressed in a black phoenix robe appeared at the highest point of the stands.
The old lady Bai, who had not shown herself until now, finally arrived. She calmly swept her gaze across the crowd, then subtly waved her hand in the direction of the Grand Elder, and said softly as if to herself, "It's alright. Young people are full of vigor. If they want to spar, then let them fight."
The elder paused, then silently withdrew his hand, sat back down, and joined everyone in looking down at the martial arts arena. However, his furrowed brows remained furrowed.
He naturally knew the identity of the person below. It was precisely because he knew that he did not want the other party to participate. In the Grand Elder's mind, neither Bai Shu nor this suddenly appearing Bai Ye could compare to Bai Qingji, whom the family had carefully cultivated for many years.
Bai Qingji is the best heir to the Bai family.
In the VIP section, Zhong Jiuli and Liu Xianyue witnessed everything. From the moment Bai Ye appeared, their eyes never left her.
Seeing Old Madam Bai's indulgent, or rather tacitly acquiescing, attitude, the two exchanged a glance and had already guessed seven or eight parts of the truth.
"Looks like our little tiger is being used as a pawn again," Liu Xianyue muttered softly.
Zhong Jiuli's gaze fell on the tall, slender figure in the red dress with silver hair in the center of the arena.
Her eyes flickered slightly as she finally remembered why she had thought Bai Shu looked kind when she first met him.
Many years ago, she had met the young master of the Bai family who had died young. Although it was only a brief encounter, she vaguely remembered his bright and carefree smile and extraordinary demeanor.
It turns out that Bai Zhu is her child.
Everything seemed to happen slowly, but in reality, everything that happened in the stands happened in the blink of an eye.
When all eyes in the stands were once again focused on the center of the martial arts arena, the confrontation between Bai Ye and Cai Yuanxiu had just begun.
The intense battle that everyone had anticipated did not occur.
Two figures, one in red and one in green, collided like two shooting stars in the arena.
The moment they made contact, a powerful shockwave exploded outwards, sending rubble flying and dust billowing into the sky, instantly engulfing the two figures.
Before people could even cry out in surprise, the blue figure in the dust flew backward at a speed that was almost impossible to catch, embedding itself deeply into the hard, cold gray wall at the edge of the training ground.
And that figure in red, with flowing white hair, slowly walked out carrying a heavy sword on his shoulder.
She looked up at the dumbfounded Miss Qin, yawned slightly boredly, and said lazily, "I already told you, you can all come at me together!"
-----------------------
Author's note: I did some research and found that in ancient times, people called their aunts "auntie" or "auntie-aunt," which makes the sixth brother sound a bit too old.
So we used "Little Aunt". Just consider this a fictional term from a cultivation world.
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