Jun Buli’s tone was flat, somewhat different from his usual coldness. A flicker of surprise crossed Guxi’s eyes as he asked, equally flatly, “Who has the young master thought of?”
“Baili Xiaosheng…” Jun Buli said. Ever since returning from Nanzhao, he’d been consumed entirely by state and military affairs, with no time or inclination to seek out that girl at all.
Over time, he’d simply forgotten about the matter entirely. He may have forgotten, but that girl still deserved to be sought out eventually.
It had been a year and a half now, and still not a single word from her? Could she really have remained in secluded cultivation this entire time?
Nanzhao’s internal chaos still hadn’t subsided—if anything, it seemed only to be worsening. Jun Buli certainly harbored ambitions regarding Nanzhao, but now was simply not the right time.
“That would be the girl from the Sheng clan, wouldn’t it? I recall Yingzi mentioning she was in secluded cultivation. I wonder how things stand with her now,” Guxi answered. He had never actually met Baili Xiaosheng himself, and knew nothing about her firsthand—he’d only heard from Yingzi and Hongyi that the girl had once been the young master’s closest, and only, childhood playmate.
Guxi had expected the young master to say something more, perhaps asking him to make inquiries, or to go find her. But to his surprise, the young master said nothing further, merely giving a flat “Mm,” before lying back down and closing his eyes once more.
Perhaps it was simply a matter of growing up—no longer feeling quite as close, quite as familiar, with a childhood friend as before. To Guxi, the young master’s relationship with Baili Xiaosheng didn’t seem nearly as close as Yingzi and the others had once described.
At the very least, when her name came up, there was no trace of fondness or joy in his expression—only, it seemed, as though she were simply someone he happened to know, suddenly recalled to mind.
In the deep silence of the night, whether Jun Beichen still knelt outside, no one bothered to ask.
Guxi and Yingzi kept watch outside the bedroom door, Guxi leaning against the balustrade, Yingzi standing in the shadows.
Guxi asked, “Shadow Guard, have you heard anything of Baili Xiaosheng lately?”
She was far away in Nanzhao—without the young master’s orders, why would Yingzi go investigate?
“Why the sudden question? Didn’t the young master say she was in secluded cultivation?” Yingzi shot back.
“It’s just… isn’t she the head of the Sheng clan now? At a critical time like this, even if she came out of seclusion, she probably wouldn’t come to Da Zhou anyway!” Guxi asked probingly, thinking to himself that if an old friend came to keep the young master company, perhaps he might smile more often.
Growing up so young, already so silent and withdrawn—the older he got, the harder it would be for anyone to get close to him.
“If she found out her master had gone missing, she’d come running even without her own father. She’s probably still in seclusion,” Yingzi joked. He knew Baili Xiaosheng reasonably well.
Guxi found this a bit puzzling. Though the saying went that a teacher for a day was a father for life, surely a teacher and one’s actual father couldn’t truly be compared, could they?
“Heh, that girl is absolutely devoted to her master—no one could ever replace Baili Weisheng’s place in her heart. She’s definitely still in seclusion; otherwise, she’d have shown up here long ago without anyone needing to go find her!” Yingzi said with certainty.
Though Nanzhao remained in chaos, the beast tribes had consistently held the upper hand, and one of the beast tribes’ two great treasures, the White Jade Flute, was in the young master’s possession. Which meant that currently in Nanzhao, the Phoenix-tail Sheng was the foremost weapon, and with Baili Xiaosheng wielding the Phoenix-tail Sheng, nothing serious could possibly happen to her.
“A gap of over ten years, that’s a bit…” Guxi murmured to himself.
“What?” Yingzi hadn’t quite caught it.
Guxi simply smiled. “Nothing. I’ll keep watch tonight. Go get some sleep.”
Perhaps it was simply that he trusted Baili Xiaosheng too completely, or perhaps he had truly reached the age of forgetting childhood playmates—but in the years that followed, no one ever heard Jun Buli mention the name “Baili Xiaosheng” again.
Yet as for where Baili Xiaosheng actually was, not even the head of the Sheng clan himself knew.
At that moment, beneath Yuqiong Mountain in Nanzhao, the Poison Clan and the Beast Clan were locked in fierce battle—the Poison Clan wielding their toxins, the Beast Clan unleashing their beasts. The Beast Clan, which had originally held the upper hand, seemed to be gaining no advantage this time, having been driven back in defeat again and again from the mountainside down to its base!
Meanwhile, the entire Yuqiong Mountain had been seized by the Poison Clan. Naturally, what both sides were fighting over was the Heavenly Lake of Jade Nectar atop Yuqiong Mountain!
At this moment, both armies had called a ceasefire, locked in a standoff.
Clan Head Xiao stormed furiously into the camp, and the moment he laid eyes on Elder Sheng, he demanded angrily, “Where is Baili Xiaosheng?”
Indeed—where was Baili Xiaosheng?
If she would only play the Phoenix-tail Sheng and summon the poison beasts from the bottom of the Heavenly Lake of Jade Nectar, the Poison Clan would surely flee in disarray—how could they possibly still resist?
This battle could have been won cleanly and decisively!
“She’s in seclusion,” Elder Sheng said, his tone firm. The matter of Baili Xiaosheng and the Phoenix-tail Sheng disappearing together had still never been made public.
“In seclusion! Seclusion, at a time like this? Once the Heavenly Lake of Jade Nectar falls, all our efforts will have been for nothing!” Clan Head Xiao shouted angrily.
Elder Sheng clenched his fists tightly, unable to offer any response. At that moment, Sheng Zimo, standing nearby, stepped forward. “Clan Head Xiao, calm yourself. Against these mere remnants of the Poison Clan’s forces, there’s no need to trouble our Ninth Sister. I can handle this myself.”
“Is that so?” Clan Head Xiao raised an eyebrow, giving Sheng Zimo a look that clearly carried a hint of collusion.
At the same time, Elder Sheng frowned, looking over at Sheng Zimo in surprise—this child had never been so rash before. Could he really have a plan?
“Within ten days, I guarantee the Poison Clan will retreat,” Sheng Zimo said confidently.
“And if you fail?” Clan Head Xiao countered.
Sheng Zimo glanced at Elder Sheng, seeming to hesitate. Elder Sheng had always trusted Sheng Zimo completely, and seeing his confidence, he nodded in agreement.
The moment he had Elder Sheng’s approval, Sheng Zimo immediately made his pledge. “If I fail to drive back the Poison Clan’s army within ten days, I’ll hand over the position of Beast Army Commander to the Xiao clan!”
At these words, Elder Sheng was utterly stunned, while Clan Head Xiao nodded at once. “Excellent. It’s settled, then!”
With that, he smiled, glanced at the still-stunned Elder Sheng, and turned to stride away.
“Mo’er, you…” After a long moment, Elder Sheng finally found his voice.
“Don’t worry, Father. I have a plan,” Sheng Zimo said with utmost seriousness. Elder Sheng’s brow remained furrowed, but he also knew he himself was little more than a figurehead these days—for the past year and a half, all major and minor military matters had long since been handled by Mo’er.
“I trust you, son. Whatever you need, just ask!” Elder Sheng said, his expression equally earnest.
Sheng Zimo nodded and took his leave. But the moment he reached the entrance, he found Clan Head Xiao waiting for him nearby, smiling cheerfully.
“For these ten days, hand that poison death-warrior over to me for safekeeping. Otherwise, I won’t trust you,” Clan Head Xiao said, getting straight to the point.
He had worked with Sheng Zimo for many years now, and knew exactly what kind of man he was.
He had no idea how Sheng Zimo had found that poison death-warrior within the poison den, nor how he’d gotten the death-warrior to obey his commands—but he knew one thing for certain: with the poison death-warrior in hand, wiping out the Poison Clan was only a matter of time, and dominating Nanzhao was only a matter of time as well.
With Sheng Zimo holding such a bargaining chip, Clan Head Xiao naturally had to be cautious.
“Keep her with you, and if she crawls up in the middle of the night and bites you, aren’t you afraid?” Sheng Zimo asked quietly.
Clan Head Xiao immediately felt a chill run through him. Seeing this, Sheng Zimo sneered coldly and said in a low voice, “Don’t worry. I’ve already said it—Nanzhao’s future belongs to us both. I never intended to keep it all to myself!”
With that, he turned to leave, but Clan Head Xiao stopped him, asking quietly, “What exactly did you do to Baili Xiaosheng? That girl is a once-in-a-century genius.”
Sheng Zimo, however, offered no answer at all, simply waving his hand dismissively before walking away.
Ten days later, Sheng Zimo failed to drive back the Poison Clan’s forces. To everyone’s shock, the position of Beast Army Commander was handed over to Clan Head Xiao. Only then did Elder Sheng finally realize something was terribly wrong with Sheng Zimo—but by then, it was already too late.
The Sheng clan had long since fallen entirely under Sheng Zimo’s control, and with the Xiao clan now formally establishing its foothold, the chaos in Nanzhao would rage on for nearly another decade. But that, of course, is a story for another time.
…