The news of Bai Shuangshuang’s return to Lingxi County struck like a stone thrown into a pot of oil, scalding those splashed by the hot grease with their own cries of pain.
The Bai Family Meeting Hall was brightly lit, already in the middle of discussing other matters when this news collided with them.
Bai Jingtang sat in the seat of honor, a teacup in hand that hadn’t even reached his lips before the messenger’s words shook him so badly he spilled half the cup.
“What?!”
He shot to his feet.
The teacup shattered on the floor, shards of porcelain scattering everywhere.
“That bastard daughter became an official?!”
The messenger shrank his neck, not daring to lift his head.
“Y-Yes, Master. I hear she’s a special envoy from the Jingnan Prince Manor. She brought over a hundred elite soldiers with her. Quite an awe-inspiring might…”
Bai Jingtang’s face cycled through shades of pale and red.
‘She’s definitely come back for revenge.’
The direct-line descendants of the Bai family seated in the hall exchanged glances.
No one dared to speak first.
After a long silence, a middle-aged man ventured cautiously.
“Maybe… we should flee tonight?”
“Flee?”
Bai Jingtang shot him a glare.
“Flee where? Abandon the family estate? The fields?”
“Then… let’s send some gifts first. Sound out her intentions?”
Another suggested.
“Send what? She’s with the Prince’s Mansion now. Could you offer something worthy?”
A third spoke, his tone hard-edged.
“Our Bai family has deep roots. We’ve operated in Lingxi County for generations. A mighty dragon cannot suppress a local snake, after all. She’s just a young girl who recently gained power. What waves can she really stir up?”
Those words finally eased Bai Jingtang’s expression somewhat.
He sat back down in his chair, tapping his fingers on the armrest.
After a moment of deliberation, he suddenly spoke.
“Where’s Yongchang?”
The others froze.
It had been a long time since they’d heard that name spoken in this place.
“Go. Summon Yongchang.”
Bai Jingtang picked up the teacup a maid had just replaced, blowing on the floating leaves.
“He’s her biological father. She wouldn’t kill her own kin, surely. Let him go sound her out first.”
In the side courtyard, Bai Yongchang sat on the doorstep in a daze.
His wife, Lin Shi, was stitching shoe soles beside him, her stitches dense and tight, as if sewing up some secret worry.
Neither of them spoke.
Only the faint sound of needle threading through cloth filled the yard.
“Master! Madam! Second Miss is back!”
A young maid ran in from the courtyard gate, panting heavily.
“S-She’s an official now! An official from the Jingnan Prince Manor! She brought so many soldiers!”
Lin Shi’s needle pricked her finger.
A bead of blood welled up, but she didn’t even notice.
“Shuang’er… is back?”
Her voice trembled.
“She’s alright? She’s not dead?”
Bai Yongchang didn’t move, but his fingers tightened around his knees.
“She’s really fine? And she became an official?”
His voice was a little hoarse, the whole thing feeling unreal.
“Really!”
The maid nodded vigorously.
“Everyone on the street is talking about it. She’s wearing an official robe, riding a horse. She looks so majestic!”
Lin Shi’s shoe sole slipped from her hands and fell to the ground.
She covered her mouth as tears welled up in her eyes.
The maid crouched down, picked up the shoe sole, dusted it off, and whispered.
“Madam, Second Miss has returned. Why are you crying?”
“I’m happy… I’m so happy…”
Lin Shi wiped her tears, laughing and crying at the same time.
“I thought I lost her, thought I’d never see her again… I never imagined she’d be fine…”
Bai Yongchang stood up, paced a few steps in the courtyard, then sat back down.
His lips moved a few times before he finally forced out a sentence.
‘Will she… blame us for not being strong enough to protect her back then?’
On the other side of the courtyard wall, the maid Xi Chun was washing clothes.
She had served Bai Shuangshuang since childhood.
Calling her a servant was polite, but she was more like an older sister.
During the years when Bai Shuangshuang was foolish, no one in the household took her seriously.
They docked her monthly allowance, halved her meals, stole her clothes.
Xi Chun was the one who fought to get them back.
Xi Chun still remembered one winter when a legitimate daughter stole Bai Shuangshuang’s cotton-padded jacket to line a dog’s bed.
Xi Chun had ripped the jacket right off that girl’s back and given it to Bai Shuangshuang, saying it was one thing for another.
Even though she got beaten for it afterward, that little fool had hugged the jacket, her eyes curving into crescents as she smiled, and mumbled a clear sentence: “Mama is so kind.”
That was one of the rare moments when Bai Shuangshuang’s mind was lucid.
Xi Chun thought it was worth it.
She was mid-wash when her hands stopped.
Water dripped through her fingers, splashing into the basin, sending up tiny droplets.
“Second Miss is back?”
She looked up at the sky beyond the courtyard wall, stained red by twilight, her voice barely a whisper, as if talking to herself.
Another maid leaned in.
“Xi Chun, are you crying?”
Xi Chun wiped her face and only then realized she was already drenched in tears.
“N-No. Water splashed into my eyes.”
—
County Deputy’s Mansion
The county deputy’s youngest son, Liu Mao, was thoroughly drunk.
He slammed his wine bowl onto the table, splashing liquor everywhere.
“That foolish maiden dares to come back?!”
He staggered to his feet, his speech slurred.
“I let her get away last time… but this time… hic… this time I’ll just take her as my bride right away. Let’s see who dares to stop me!”
The lackeys beside him chimed in eagerly.
“Young Master is right! She’s a fool. Even if she’s an official, she’s still a fool!”
“Exactly! Our county deputy mansion’s prestige isn’t something a mere girl like her can match!”
Liu Mao grew more pleased with himself.
He was about to make another bold declaration when—
“Slap!”
A loud, crisp slap landed on his face.
Liu Mao’s head snapped to the side.
Half his drunkenness evaporated.
He clutched his cheek and glared at the person before him.
“Father?”
County Deputy Liu Wenyuan stood before him, his face ashen.
“Shut up!”
His voice wasn’t loud, but every word commanded Liu Mao’s obedience.
“Get back to your room right now. You’re not to leave the house for the next few days. Do you hear me?”
Liu Mao opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but seeing his father’s eyes, he obediently clamped it shut.
Liu Wenyuan watched his son’s retreating back as he climbed the stairs, hand still on his cheek, and furrowed his brow into a tight knot.
A special envoy from the Prince’s Mansion?
That foolish girl from the Bai family?
He paced the hall with his hands behind his back, betraying no panic.
A hundred elite soldiers was no small number, but Liu Wenyuan had operated in Lingxi County for over a decade.
What storms hadn’t he weathered?
Even the county magistrate had been sidelined.
The last two times the Prince’s Mansion had sent troublemakers, hadn’t they slunk back in defeat?
A little girl who just gained power.
Even if she wasn’t a fool anymore, what waves could she really stir up?
Liu Wenyuan picked up his teacup and took a slow, leisurely sip.
But he didn’t notice that the hand holding the teacup was gripping it much tighter than usual…
—
At the Inn
Bai Shuangshuang sat cross-legged on the bed, eyes closed, concentrating.
Spiritual qi flowed slowly through her meridians.
The Returning Cloud Sword lay horizontally across her lap, the silver threads on its blade flickering faintly with each breath she took.
She tried to guide the spiritual qi around the blazing golden Dao seed in her dantian, letting it slowly absorb and transform.
The Dao seed was like a well-fed baby, floating there quietly, occasionally trembling slightly, as if burping.
Bai Shuangshuang opened her eyes and let out a sigh.
A Heaven-grade Dao seed was good, but cultivation was absurdly slow.
The gains from daily meditation were meager.
Every bit of progress in cultivation felt like using an embroidery needle to dig a mountain.
You couldn’t rush it, and you couldn’t speed it up.
She ceased her practice, set the Returning Cloud Sword aside, and began to calculate her next moves…