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"Lu Feng, you have truly become a phoenix!" Bai Tang and Hua Man Lou laughed heartily. Although Lu Feng retained his four sets of eyebrows, just looking at the upper half of his face, he really looked quite delicate!
Lu Feng smiled bitterly and rubbed his forehead. "It's still my master's masterpiece! He injected a drop of phoenix blood into my mind, and as a result, not only can I transform into a bird's appearance, but when I revert to human form, this phoenix mark appears on my forehead and it can't be wiped off no matter how hard I try."
"Phoenix blood? What a great thing! And you're still complaining?" Bai Tang said, itching to teach someone a lesson. This is what it means to gain an advantage and still act coy!
"No, no!" Lu Feng quickly waved his hands. If his master heard Bai Tang's words, he would definitely be in trouble. His master's methods of dealing with people were too intense to imagine! Moreover, Aoxinchin is a dragon, and he is a phoenix; aren't they meant to be together as 'dragon and phoenix unite'?
Bai Tang's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Phoenix, show us your transformation!"
Absolutely not! If I let you see my true phoenix form, wouldn't you just pluck all my beautiful feathers? Lu Feng hid behind Aoxinchin. "Stop staring at me; Aoxinchin has something to say to you!"
Aoxinchin bent his knee and bowed to Bai Tang. "Bai Gu Niang, I've heard from Yang Jian that it was you who asked him to set me free. Thank you!"
Bai Tang stepped aside to avoid Aoxinchin's bow. "Since you are free now, I will keep my promise and return Xun Huan to you." The last "you" referred to Yang Jian. "You all wait at Guankou for me; I'll find you after I pick up the child!"
Bai Tang did not disappear directly in front of the locals; instead, she opened the time-space portal after flying for a while. In the next moment, Bai Tang returned to her room. She grabbed her hair in frustration; Bai Dad and Bai Ma had treated Xun Huan like their own grandson, and now she had to send the child away. They wouldn't oppose it, would they?
Bai Dad and Bai Ma did not oppose it. Although they liked Xun Huan very much, they already had two grandsons. Sending Xun Huan away would not make them sad; after all, the child was returning to his biological parents. For this poor child who had been tossed around like a ball since birth, returning to his parents was their greatest happiness. The ones who were reluctant were the two sons, especially Ai Wanxi. After finally becoming an older brother for a short time, his younger brother was leaving; this child was extremely upset and held onto Xun Huan tightly. It was only after Bai Tang promised that she would take them to visit Xun Huan in the future that he reluctantly let go.
"News from the capital: Xue Pan has passed away!" Bai Dad stopped Bai Tang. "After all, he was your disciple. You should go see him off! Besides, it only takes a blink of an eye for you to travel to the capital; it won't delay you for too long. Your mother and I will prepare more things for Xun Huan to take back."
Bai Tang was somewhat stunned. Xue Pan had died? Had the last connection in the Dream of the Red Chamber world disappeared? That arrogant yet filial bun had died?! She still remembered how happy he looked when she flew with him using lightness skill while holding him. In the blink of an eye, he was gone! A faint sadness welled up in her heart as Bai Tang nodded and said, "Alright, I'll go to the capital now!"
The Xue Residence in the capital was bustling with activity; many people came to pay their respects to Xue Pan. Even the emperor sent representatives to honor this accomplished elder with a long life. The emperor's representative was none other than Gong Jiu, who had been sent by Bai Tang to work for the emperor.
"Oh! You came too?" Gong Jiu held resentment towards Bai Tang but could only suppress it in his heart since he couldn't defeat her due to her overwhelming strength.
Bai Tang smiled, "Listening to Ninth Young Master now, you must be extremely busy and struggling, right?"
"Isn't that thanks to you!" Gong Jiu replied with a sidelong glance.
Bai Tang said, "It's better to be busy than to be bored thinking about rebelling against your father and ending up losing your life."
Gong Jiu scoffed, "Being an emperor is so hard; I would be foolish to play at rebellion again!"
Being next to the real emperor, seeing his royal cousin sleep in late and wake up early, dealing with piles of memorials: which areas are flooded, where droughts and locust plagues have occurred, and where bandits are causing trouble… All sorts of issues had to be handled by the emperor, making it both busy and stressful. He couldn't indulge in the beauties he liked; all the women in the harem were brought in to balance the power of the previous dynasty… Damn, it was even tougher than being a prince! Living without freedom? What’s the point of being an emperor?
Bai Tang asked, "Do you want to escape from your current hardships and go play somewhere else?"
Gong Jiu dismissed it, "What’s so fun in this world?" Even being an emperor wasn't enjoyable anymore. The troublemaking chicken from Lu Feng had gone missing, along with interesting characters like Hua Man Lou, Ye Gu Cheng, Xi Men Chui Xue, and Sikong Zhaixing. The only one who could match him, Yu Luo Cha, had suddenly gone into seclusion. This world was becoming increasingly dull.
"How about going to another world? Would you go?" Bai Tang tempted Ninth Young Master.
Gong Jiu looked at Bai Tang warily. "Are you trying to kill me?"
Bai Tang chuckled lightly, "Why would I? The world I’m talking about is the one where Lu Feng and Hua Man Lou went. In that world, they have found higher pursuits. I think your talents are wasted in this world; why not come with me to that world for some fun?"
Bai Tang didn’t look for a mirror; she currently resembled a kidnapper.
A glint flashed in Gong Jiu's eyes. Another world? He had read many books and encountered terms like “Three Thousand Great Worlds” in Buddhist scriptures. Could these concepts not be fabrications but actual existences? After Lu Feng went missing, even the emperor and his forces couldn’t find him; his absence from this world seemed like the best explanation.
"That sounds interesting!" Gong Jiu thought for a moment. His forces were nearly consumed by the emperor anyway. Although his father hadn’t killed his mother, he had hated him for over ten years; reconciliation seemed impossible. Rather than watching Tai Ping Wang’s old face twist in discomfort or being forced into hard labor by the emperor, it would be better to explore an unknown world! As for danger? Would Ninth Young Master be afraid?
"Alright, I'll go with you!"
"I will stay in the capital for a while. Ninth Young Master, please take care of the matters here! Tomorrow at dawn, I will wait for you at the Wuli Pavilion outside the city!"
Bai Tang offered three incense sticks for Xue Pan. Due to Xue Pan's extraordinary "care" towards Bai Tang during his lifetime, the Xue Family placed great importance on him. When Bai Tang requested to speak with Xue Pan alone in front of the coffin, the Head of the Xue Family hesitated for a moment but then led everyone out of the mourning hall. Xue Pan would not reveal Bai Tang's true identity to his son but gave him a few hints, instructing him not to offend Bai Tang and to treat him with respect. The Head of the Xue Family recalled how his father often boasted about having worshipped a deity as his master and began to speculate about Bai Tang's identity, treating him with even more caution than he would have shown to Gong Jiu. He followed her orders without question.
The Xue Family was not short on money. The mourning hall was filled with large ice basins, creating an intense cold that prevented Xue Pan's body from decaying. He appeared lifelike. Bai Tang reached out with his right hand to touch his disciple's wrinkled face and suddenly grabbed something from within him. The shadow was initially faint, but after Bai Tang infused it with spiritual energy, it became increasingly solid and gradually formed into a tall human figure. This figure was clad in armor and looked young and handsome, exactly as Xue Pan had been at the height of his life. Normally, a person's soul would take seven days after death to condense into a form that could be taken away by the Black and White Impermanence, but Bai Tang accelerated this process.
Xue Pan's soul looked around in confusion, unsure of what was happening. However, when his gaze landed on Bai Tang, confusion was replaced by joy: "Master!" His call sounded like a pure child encountering a family member in the midst of a maze.
Bai Tang opened his palm towards Xue Pan: "Come with me! I will escort you. In your next life, I will ensure you find a good family, even better than this one!"
Xue Pan's soul dependently placed its transparent right hand into Bai Tang's palm, then transformed into a ball of white light that quietly settled in Bai Tang's hand. Bai Tang carefully stored Xue Pan's soul and exited the mourning hall.
The Head of the Xue Family quickly approached; he was also Zhang Yingfeng's uncle. Out of respect for both Xue Pan and Zhang Yingfeng, he wanted to take care of the Xue Family as well. Bai Tang took out a bottle of Honey of a Hundred Flowers brewed by Hua Manlou and presented it to the Head of the Xue Family: "This is Honey of a Hundred Flowers; when mixed with water, it can strengthen the body and prolong life."
The Head of the Xue Family received the Honey of a Hundred Flowers with great excitement. His suspicions had indeed been confirmed!
"The guest room has been prepared; would Miss Bai like to rest?" The Head of the Xue Family's attitude became even more respectful.
"Yes, take me there!" Having achieved her goal, Bai Tang noticed that many people had come to pay their respects at the Xue Family, including those with ulterior motives who were scheming various plans. She did not want to be scrutinized by such individuals.
Although she tried to avoid attention, many still saw her. Observing how warmly the Head of the Xue Family received a young gentleman made some curious individuals inquire about his background; unfortunately, they could find out nothing. Those who wished to befriend him found that he did not appear again! They could only keep their doubts and frustrations hidden within themselves and instructed their servants to watch outside the Xue Family’s residence, waiting for Bai Tang to come out so they could follow her. In the end, these servants waited for over half a month without seeing her. When they bribed someone from the Xue Family for information, they learned that she had left on the second day!
Gong Jiu wandered into the pavilion and said to Bai Tang: "Aren't you going to take me to another world? Let's go!" He was very curious about how Bai Tang planned to transport him from one world to another.
"Not yet, let's first go home and pick up a child." After Bai Tang finished speaking, Gong Jiu saw Bai Tang raise her hand, and a long sword was thrown out by her. The sword gradually enlarged in the air, eventually becoming a giant sword large enough for two people to stand on.
Bai Tang jumped onto the sword first, and Ninth Young Master raised an eyebrow before leaping up as well.
"Hold on tight," Bai Tang reminded Gong Jiu as she controlled the giant sword to fly high into the sky, riding the wind.
Gong Jiu looked down at the people below, who appeared like ants, along with the mountains and rivers. He reached out to grab a cloud and laughed heartily, "What a wonderful view! I never expected that I, Gong Jiu, would be able to fly. Can you teach me this skill?"
"You won't need me to teach you; you'll learn it yourself in the future," Bai Tang replied against the wind. The strong gusts had no effect on her.
"Are you saying that I will become an immortal like you in the future?" Gong Jiu decided that his choice to leave with Bai Tang was indeed the right one; his future days would surely be very interesting and thrilling.
"You already are an immortal!" This statement from Bai Tang remained unspoken as they arrived at the Bai Family estate.
Bai Tang took Xun Huan from Mama Bai, who was reluctant to part with him. Although the child was already sensible enough to understand that he had to separate from his loving grandparents, aunt, uncle, and two older brothers, tears welled up in his eyes, and he appeared dispirited.
"Xun Huan, you must think of us often!" Xing Xiaokang placed a bamboo dragonfly he made himself into the child's arms, filled with reluctance.
Ai Wanxi also had tears in her eyes as she stuffed her favorite toy into the child's hands. "Xun Huan, be good. When your brother becomes capable in the future, he will come to see you!"
The child nodded vigorously, tears spilling out.
Bai Tang patted Ai Wanxi's head. "Auntie will definitely keep her promise to you; don't worry!"
After a flash of light, Bai Tang held Xun Huan and pulled Gong Jiu away, disappearing before the eyes of everyone at the Bai Family.
"How amazing!" Yu Bao exclaimed. He no longer complained about the injustices he faced; having a celestial aunt was a sign of care from above.
The Min River flows out from the famous Jiuzhaigou and Songpan, passing through the Min Mountain Range and Qionglai Mountain Range. The mountains are high and steep, with swift and dangerous waters. After entering Dujiangyan, the water flow not only does not diminish but instead rushes like an arrow. A suspension bridge across the river resembles a long dragon stretching between the two banks, with massive tree stumps anchoring both ends and several bamboo ropes serving as guardrails. As people and livestock cross the bridge, it shakes violently, creating a frightening sway. The locals have grown accustomed to this swaying sensation. The bridge has been there for years, with wooden posts and bamboo ropes weathered by wind and rain, causing the wood to rot and the bamboo to appear aged. On the bridge, men and women of all ages continuously weave in and out. Two figures suddenly appeared among the crowd crossing the bridge, but the pedestrians were too focused on their journey to notice anything unusual.
"Where is this?" Gong Jiu curiously looked around. Is this really another world? It doesn't seem much different from the world he lived in!
Bai Tang switched the child to his other arm: "This is Guankou; we are standing on Anlan Bridge."
"The Huayang Guozhi: Shu Zhi records that Li Bing 'could build bridges.' The Shuijing Zhu: Jiang Shui mentions 'Fu River has a Zha Bridge.' Is this referring to Anlan Bridge?"
"That's right!" Bai Tang had never read Huayang Guozhi: Shu Zhi or Shuijing Zhu: Jiang Shui, nor did he know what 'Zha' meant in 'Zha Bridge.'
"What are we doing here?" Ninth Young Master asked.
"Taking Xun Huan home," Bai Tang replied. "Do you know whose territory this is?"
"Under heaven, there is no land that does not belong to the emperor! But if it truly belonged to the emperor, you wouldn't be asking me like this. It's said that Guankou is Erlang Shen's domain; don't tell me this is really his territory!" Gong Jiu joked.
Bai Tang nodded: "You're right!" (To be continued)
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