Chapter 27: White as Flame

Bai Qiu gently patted Bai Dong's head as she crouched on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. He promised her ten sticks of candied hawthorns before she was finally soothed.

Then Bai Qiu crossed the backyard to the side chamber and knocked on the door with a rhythmic “knock, knock, knock.”

“Come in,” came a man's voice from within.

Bai Qiu pushed open the door and entered. There sat a young man at a desk, holding a book in both hands, reading intently, paying no attention to who had entered.

“Second Brother,” Bai Qiu called as he approached.

This young man was Bai Xia, the second among the four young masters of the Bai family.

“You’re back, Third Brother,” Bai Xia looked up at him, his expression unreadable, then lowered his head and continued reading.

Bai Qiu sighed inwardly. His second brother had never possessed any talent for cultivation. Decades of effort yielded not even the basics of foundation building. The family had tried every elixir and mystical herb, but he couldn’t summon even a trace of true energy. Their father was bitterly disappointed and, from then on, paid Bai Xia little heed.

At first, Bai Xia was deeply self-conscious, resenting his inability to cultivate—especially as he watched his siblings’ skills grow each day while he remained an ordinary man, destined perhaps to die before his parents and siblings. His feelings were a tangled mess.

Later, he developed a fondness for reading, burying himself in books and spending nearly all his time in his room, seeing few people except at meals and bedtime.

Bai Qiu stood in silence for a moment, unsure what to say.

Bai Xia looked up again. “Anything else, Third Brother?”

“No... nothing,” Bai Qiu replied.

“Then take your leave.”

Bai Qiu sighed, turned, and left the room, closing the door gently behind him.

He went to another room and knocked, but there was no response.

“He must be in seclusion again,” Bai Qiu muttered to himself, and left.

By dusk, Bai Rulie returned to the headquarters of the All-Knowing Society.

He went straight to the backyard and entered a room.

“You’re back,” said Yun Rouhui.

“Mm.” Bai Rulie picked up a cup of tea from the table and took a sip.

“Nothing happened, I presume?” Yun Rouhui asked.

Bai Rulie set the cup down. “Nothing major. The Alliance says the Eastern Isles have grown restless; there are signs of demonic beasts again... hmm?”

Bai Rulie glanced toward the screen and then shouted, “Come out!”

Slowly, Bai Qiu emerged from behind the screen.

At the sight of Bai Qiu, Bai Rulie’s anger flared. “You little wretch, you dare come back!” he shouted, striding forward to strike.

Yun Rouhui hurriedly grabbed him. “Don’t, don’t...”

Bai Dong also scrambled out from behind the screen, spreading her arms to shield Bai Qiu. “Father, don’t hit Third Brother!”

Bai Qiu brushed his hair back calmly. “Exactly, Father. They say ‘strike me if you must, but—’”

But Bai Rulie would have none of it. He shook off his wife, grabbed Bai Dong, and set her aside, then lunged at Bai Qiu.

Bai Qiu started to panic. “It pains your heart, Father—Father, listen to my explanation—no, my defense—”

A quarter of an hour later

Bai Qiu’s face was swollen like a pig’s head as he lay on the floor, panting.

Bai Rulie sat and sipped his tea, Yun Rouhui quickly refilling his cup.

Bai Dong, trembling with fear, clung to a pillar.

Bai Qiu slowly dragged himself up, walked over to Bai Rulie, and whispered a few words in his ear.

Bai Rulie’s expression changed dramatically. He pondered for a moment, then said to Yun Rouhui, “Xiao Yun, take Dong’er outside.”

Yun Rouhui hesitated. “Husband, you...”

“Don’t worry, I won’t lay a hand on him. You two go. I need to discuss something with Bai Qiu.”

She nodded and hurriedly led the still-shivering Bai Dong out, reminding him as she closed the door, “And no kicking, either.”

Once they were gone, Bai Rulie’s brow furrowed. “Speak. What happened?”

Bai Qiu recounted everything: meeting Bo Yunxin, sealing her away, and finally the appearance of a Nascent Soul expert who used the Bai family’s Talismanic Escape technique.

Bai Rulie pondered. “A master of the Nascent Soul stage, skills nearly matching mine, wielding the Azure Dragon Talisman of the Bai family, yet regarding us with contempt—how could I not recall such a person?”

“Father, I may enjoy mischief, but I would never lie to you about something like this.”

Bai Rulie nodded. “I understand. Tomorrow I’ll consult the ancestor. If such a master truly exists, and has joined the ranks of the demonic, then our Bai family must cleanse its ranks!”

Bai Qiu nodded. “Then I’ll take my leave.”

“Wait,” Bai Rulie called.

Bai Qiu’s heart skipped a beat—was he in for another beating?

Bai Rulie spoke. “Though you ran from your marriage, the eldest daughter of the Mo family, Mo Ren, is still considered our daughter-in-law. She’s searching for you everywhere. Your flight has brought dishonor to both the Mo and Bai families.”

Bai Qiu said nothing.

Bai Rulie continued, “Well, what’s done is done. Handle it as you see fit. Just don’t idle around here; otherwise, I’ll have a hard time explaining to the Mo family patriarch.”

Bai Qiu was overjoyed. “Understood.”

He turned to leave.

“Hold on.” Bai Rulie stopped him. “You know about the Alliance, don’t you?”

Bai Qiu paused. “Yes, the Cultivators’ Alliance. They take paid assignments issued by the Alliance. Why, Father?”

“Today I met with the Alliance leader. The Eastern Isles are restless, with demonic beasts on the prowl. Many villages have been ravaged.”

Bai Qiu pondered; the Eastern Isles, bordered by water on three sides and mountains on one, were the breadbasket of the Twelve Provinces. To the east lay the Eastern Province, to the west the Central Province—the only route to the Central Province.

The Eastern Isles revered Buddhism over Daoism. Daoist sects were few, and the once-great Tianyin Monastery—the largest in the Twelve Provinces—had long since fallen. Only small to mid-sized temples remained.

“Has the Buddhist Order not intervened?” Bai Qiu asked.

Bai Rulie sneered. “Those monks speak of compassion but only care for their own enlightenment. With no great temples left, and small ones lacking masters, it's said a few monks did try, but all perished to the beasts.”

“Both Buddhism and Daoism have declined,” Bai Qiu commented.

Bai Rulie nodded. “The Eastern Isles are the granary of the Twelve Provinces. With the beasts causing panic, the court fears for the crops and has called on the Alliance to exterminate the beasts.”

“Yes, the Alliance works directly with the court,” Bai Qiu replied.

Bai Rulie withdrew a token from his robe and tossed it to Bai Qiu. “Precisely.”

Bai Qiu caught it. On the front were the words “Alliance,” and on the back, his own name: “Bai Qiu.”

“This...”