Bai Shuangshuang wasn’t thinking about the immediate matters in Lingxi County, but about something farther away.
The assassin she had encountered that night still weighed heavily on her mind.
The clue to Senior Sister lay with that assassin.
She had to find this person, had to ask clearly why this person knew the Qingyun Sword Sect’s swordsmanship, and where Senior Sister was now.
As for how to find him, Bai Shuangshuang already had a plan and had discussed it with Zhao Qingchuan, but the time wasn’t right yet.
Once she got the clues, once she helped the Southern Region resolve the stagnation of spiritual energy…
Bai Shuangshuang tapped her fingers on her knee twice.
Then she would have to leave the Southern Region.
After all, this place was no blessed land for cultivation.
Even if the stagnation of spiritual energy was resolved, resources were still scarce.
Staying here, even a Heaven-grade Dao Seed would be wasted.
To recover her cultivation as quickly as possible, she had to go to a better place.
Being a rogue cultivator was impossible—too slow, too unstable, resources all had to be snatched.
Joining a major sect was the right path.
And the largest and highest sect in the entire Great Xia Dynasty was the one with the character “Zong” in its name—the Yuheng Sect.
In her past life, she had heard of the Yuheng Sect’s reputation in the neighboring Great Yan Dynasty.
It was the only “Zong” in the Great Xia Dynasty, with profound foundations and countless experts, far beyond what the Qingyun Sword Sect could compare to.
If she could join the Yuheng Sect, with her experience and Heaven-grade Dao Seed, she should be able to establish herself quickly.
But—
Bai Shuangshuang’s train of thought suddenly broke.
She thought of Zhao Qingyue.
‘If she left the Southern Region, what would happen to Zhao Qingyue?’
The moment this thought surfaced, her entire body froze.
‘Bai Shuangshuang, what are you thinking? In your past life, the Young Hero Bai who roamed the world in a green robe, free and unattached, had started worrying about a brat? The last person who made you feel something called “attachment” was Luo Zhiwei…’
Bai Shuangshuang closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and let it out.
‘No, I can’t think about this anymore.’
She tried to pull her thoughts back to cultivation, but her mind was a mess, and she couldn’t gather spiritual energy no matter what.
One moment it was Senior Sister’s face, the next it was Zhao Qingyue’s smile—the two faces alternated in her mind, stirring her into a restless state.
She opened her eyes and was about to stand up.
“What are you thinking about? Your face is so red?”
Bai Shuangshuang whirled around sharply.
Zhao Qingyue had somehow already standing nearby, arms crossed, head tilted, looking at her with that familiar curve on her lips.
“You, you, when did you come in?!”
Bai Shuangshuang instinctively shrank back.
“Just came in~”
Zhao Qingyue said slowly, her gaze sweeping across Bai Shuangshuang’s face.
“You didn’t even close the door while meditating. I happened to pass by and saw you.”
The door indeed wasn’t shut tight—there was a crack left open.
Bai Shuangshuang had intentionally left it open before meditating to make it convenient for Zhao Qingyue to find her, but now she regretted it.
“Why is your face so red?”
Zhao Qingyue leaned in a little closer and poked her cheek with an index finger.
“Tsk, it’s still warm. What are you thinking about?”
Bai Shuangshuang slapped her hand away.
“Nothing, nothing! I was cultivating. It’s normal to get a little hot when channeling energy.”
“Can cultivation make your face this red?”
Zhao Qingyue raised an eyebrow, then suddenly bent down to look her in the eye, squinting.
“You’re not—thinking about a man, are you?”
Bai Shuangshuang glared at her.
“The moment you’re back in Lingxi County, you start thinking about the County Magistrate’s youngest son?”
Zhao Qingyue’s tone carried obvious teasing.
“Who’s thinking about him!”
Bai Shuangshuang was flustered.
“That womanizer? I can’t avoid him fast enough!”
“Then who are you thinking about?”
Zhao Qingyue pressed on relentlessly.
Bai Shuangshuang, backed into a corner with no escape, blurted out.
“I was thinking about you, okay?!”
Zhao Qingyue blinked.
Bai Shuangshuang also blinked.
The air was silent for a moment.
“I’d rather marry you than marry him!”
Bai Shuangshuang added, immediately regretting it as soon as she said it.
Zhao Qingyue froze for a beat, then burst out laughing.
“What are you laughing at!”
Bai Shuangshuang’s face turned even redder, and she reached out to shove her.
“That’s not what I meant! I was just flustered!”
“Then what did you mean?”
Zhao Qingyue wiped the tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes, straightened up, looked at Bai Shuangshuang’s flustered and embarrassed face, then suddenly stopped smiling, lifted her chin, and put on a tsundere expression.
“Even if you want to marry me, this Commandery Princess doesn’t fancy you.”
Bai Shuangshuang let out a sigh of relief.
‘You’d better not.’
But when Zhao Qingyue turned away, her face secretly flushed.
Bai Shuangshuang didn’t see it.
Because she herself wasn’t much better—her heart was pounding and her mind was a mess.
‘What had she just said? She really hadn’t thought it through. Bai Shuangshuang, did you borrow your mouth and need to return it in a hurry?’
She sneaked a glance at Zhao Qingyue’s back.
Zhao Qingyue was standing by the window, her back to her.
Moonlight streamed in through the window, falling on her shoulders and the tips of her hair.
‘What is she thinking?’
Bai Shuangshuang didn’t know.
She only knew that her heart still hadn’t returned to normal.
Neither of them spoke.
The room was so quiet it felt like one could hear the sound of moonlight landing on the ground.
Qiu Yue was passing by the hallway carrying a pot of tea.
Since her role as a guard wasn’t needed at the moment, she had simply taken on the role of pouring tea.
She pushed the door open and took a look, then paused.
She silently closed the door again and walked away with the teapot.
‘Better come back later…’
Half an hour later.
“Let me go! On what grounds are you arresting me! Do you know who my father is?!”
A clamor of noise shattered the inn’s tranquility.
Bai Shuangshuang pushed the door open and went out to see.
Qingluan, along with two armored soldiers, dragged a visibly drunk young master upstairs and threw him in front of Bai Shuangshuang.
Bai Shuangshuang took a look.
‘Oh, isn’t this our Lingxi County’s County Magistrate’s young master?’
She would recognize this person even if he were reduced to ashes.
‘But she had only sent people to monitor near the Liu residence. She had assumed that even a fool would have hidden by now, so how had he been captured and brought right before her?’
“This guy can’t change his ways. He took advantage of the dark and sneaked out of the house, going to a brothel to enjoy himself.”
Qingluan kicked Liu Mao, her tone full of disdain.
To dare to come out at a time like this—he really was desperate for pleasure at the risk of his life.
Bai Shuangshuang spread her hands. It seemed she had overestimated this guy.
She walked up to Young Master Liu, tilted her head, and poked his forehead with her fan.
“Hey? So you were the one who wanted to force me into marriage back then? How come you’re kneeling before me now?”
Who knew that Liu Mao, his face red from drunkenness, would strain his neck and start cursing at Bai Shuangshuang.
“Pah! A bastard and stupid slave girl dares to put on airs with me! Just wait until my father gets me out—you’ll see!”
He grinned, slurring his words.
“I’ll strip you naked, tie you to a cart, and parade you through the streets! I’ll have my fun with you right there and kill you! Let the whole county see what happens when you offend the Liu family!”
Bai Shuangshuang frowned.
Before she could speak, the armored soldier beside her landed a punch.
The Southern Region was a real borderland, and since ancient times, border troops had always been fierce—they didn’t play games.
That punch knocked Liu Mao’s face askew, and he shut up.
He was subdued.
“Find a room, tie him up, and lock him away. Keep him far from me.”
Bai Shuangshuang kicked him.
Thinking about how Lady Zhao had just teased her about this guy, Bai Shuangshuang got angry and kicked him hard again.
She turned and left.
‘This beast deserves to die, but for now, he still needs to be kept alive. This was the County Magistrate’s only son, his precious treasure, and a considerable bargaining chip. Besides, maybe they could interrogate something out of him. She didn’t think this womanizer was a person of strong will.’