“The scholar!”
“A scholar?”
The tall one and short one were stunned—a scholar, here, of all people? True, his dark hair was a bit disheveled, his robes covered in dust and bloodstains, and his face marked with a large smear of blood as well—but he was, unmistakably, a scholar.
The tall one recovered first and immediately lunged to snatch Jun Yaotiao back, but the scholar had already caught hold of her arm and wouldn’t let go.
The tall one’s eyes went wide. “Let go!”
Far from releasing her, the scholar grabbed hold of Jun Yaotiao’s leg with his other hand as well.
The short one rushed to help, deadly serious. “Let go of the feet!”
The scholar pulled hard, but still couldn’t wrest her free. The tall one and short one’s eyes widened further and further—they were about to lose their tempers.
But the scholar just kept smiling cheerfully. “I really am her godfather!”
“What proof do you have that you’re her godfather? I’m her godmother, then!” the short one demanded.
Ahem!
“Godmother, my foot!” The tall one, utterly humiliated, kicked the short one aside and demanded of the scholar, “Just who exactly are you?”
Baili Weisheng looked at the ridiculous pair in front of him and couldn’t help but feel a wave of relief at his own good fortune.
He had originally headed to the capital of Da Zhou, planning to meet up with Ziqing and the others first, catch up on old times, and travel to Nanzhao together—but he’d been delayed along the way. By the time he reached the capital, they had already departed!
He’d set out to catch up with them, but along the way he noticed a woman following their carriage—and upon closer inspection, realized it was none other than Li Qinqin!
He’d been suspicious of Li Qinqin for years now, so he’d quietly tailed her without revealing himself, all the way to Nanzhao, all the way to Duku!
He’d stayed close to Li Qinqin the entire time, watching to see exactly what this woman was up to, what secret she shared with Jun Buli.
But this morning, of all things, Li Qinqin had made her move against Yaotiao, intending to kidnap her!
Had Baili Weisheng known earlier that this woman was from the bloodline clan, with power surpassing even the Blood Lord’s Guardians, he certainly wouldn’t have acted so rashly!
But at the time, he’d had no idea at all. Seeing Li Qinqin burst into the room, he’d immediately moved to stop her—only to discover that although her martial skill was unremarkable, her speed was extraordinary!
He’d traded blows with her for ten exchanges before he realized something was off, and immediately called for help.
But he never could have anticipated that Li Qinqin’s speed would suddenly increase even further—by the time Jun Beiyue rushed down from the mountainside, only a mere instant had passed!
And in that single instant, Li Qinqin had landed a devastating blow on him, knocking him straight into the underbrush, and in that same moment, had taken Yaotiao and vanished without a trace.
He’d lost consciousness, every ounce of strength drained from him. In his hazy state, he’d heard Ziqing and the others’ voices, and Li Qinqin’s voice as well—and only then had he realized she’d deceived Ziqing’s entire group.
He had to admit, Li Qinqin was a clever woman!
The only thing was, she had no idea that although he wasn’t of the bloodline clan, he too was equally beyond death and destruction—at worst, he would simply lose consciousness. Li Qinqin had glanced at him only once and assumed he was dead.
“I’m her brother’s godfather—which makes me her godfather too,” Baili Weisheng said with a smile.
“I’m not joking with you, I’m being serious!” the tall one snapped, growing angry.
But to his surprise, Baili Weisheng suddenly barked back just as fiercely. “I’m not joking with you either! I’m dead serious! Let go!”
Startled by the sudden shout, the tall one instinctively let go. Baili Weisheng seized the chance to pull Yaotiao into his arms, finally letting out a breath of relief.
But the tall one recovered quickly, and together with the short one, surrounded him.
“Whoever you are, this child belongs to us—you can’t take her away!” the tall one declared righteously.
“That woman just now, named Li Qinqin—do you know what she’s planning to do?” Baili Weisheng countered.
Huh… this scholar knew that vile woman?
The tall one grew suspicious, and the short one began stroking his chin thoughtfully as well. “You two know each other?”
“She’s kidnapped this child, threatening her parents and brother, trying to force them to kill your Left Envoy. Her brother is from the Sky Wolf Clan—you should know what the Sky Wolf Clan is…”
Before Baili Weisheng even finished speaking, the tall one and short one immediately bolted several steps away.
“You… you… you’re saying her brother is from the Sky Wolf Clan?” the tall one exclaimed. The Sky Wolf Clan—every member of the bloodline clan knew that name all too well!
“Then there’s no reason she wouldn’t be Sky Wolf Clan too!” the short one said, his face a mask of horror, goosebumps rising all over his skin as he suddenly remembered he’d just been holding her a moment ago.
What an absurd creature this scholar was—and yet these two ridiculous brothers were nearly enough to defeat even him!
He said coldly, “Yes!”
“Boss, what do we do? Waaah… we’re really in trouble now.” The short one started crying. “Let’s go!” the tall one said without hesitation, turning to flee.
“Gentlemen, Li Qinqin won’t let you off, and neither will your Guardian. You’re not fools—you must already know that quite well.” Baili Weisheng said with a cold smile. This ridiculous pair wasn’t actually stupid, not really.
At that, both brothers froze in their tracks.
After a long moment, the tall one finally turned back. “What do you want?”
The short one came over too, raising an eyebrow. “Get to the point.”
Pfft!
Who exactly wasn’t getting to the point here!
The scholar decided to give them exactly that. “Work for me. Once this is over, I’ll give you the Five Elements undying blood!”
Who was Baili Weisheng, after all? A scholar who knew everything from astronomy to geography, versed in matters ancient and modern, East and West!
All these years across the continent of Longyuan, especially within Nanzhao’s borders, the bloodline clan’s movements had been substantial—did he really not know about it?
He simply hadn’t realized Li Qinqin was of the bloodline clan, hadn’t realized Jun Buli suffered from a biting addiction, that was all!
Otherwise, would he really have sat back and watched it all unfold like a spectator?
The moment Baili Weisheng said this, the tall one and short one both toppled over backward with a thud!
After a good while, the two brothers scrambled back up, tears streaming down their faces—was everyone they met today going to be more terrifying than the last?
“You… what did you just say?” the tall one asked cautiously, terrified he’d misheard.
“Work for me, follow my orders, and once this is done, I’ll give you the Five Elements undying blood,” Baili Weisheng repeated.
“You really have the Five Elements blood!” the tall one shouted.
Baili Weisheng casually tossed over a small porcelain vial. The tall one caught it and quickly opened it—inside was just a single drop of blood, but he didn’t even need to smell it to know instantly: this was the Five Elements blood!
For a moment, the tall one was stunned speechless, and the short one froze as well.
Baili Weisheng was, without question, not an entirely honest man. After leaving the capital of Da Zhou, he’d gone straight to Nanzhao and thoroughly combed through everything left of the Nanzhao royal house, discovering a vial of blood in Consort Qin’s possession.
The moment he saw the vial, and saw that the blood inside hadn’t clotted, he’d immediately thought of the Five Elements undying blood—and, at the same time, of the Five Elements Vessel, Xuanyuan Lige.
How curious that A’Li still had such a treasure left behind in this world.
It was a wonderful thing to have—and, at the same time, a dangerous one.
He’d divided the undying blood into several small porcelain vials, worried that if it all fell into one person’s hands, chaos would follow.
And later, the man who’d deceived Baili Xiaosheng—Qin Chu—had actually gone there to steal something too, making off with the large empty vial and discovering two remaining drops still clinging to the bottom.
“So, what do you say—help me deal with that wretched woman, and I’ve got plenty more, all yours,” Baili Weisheng said, narrowing his eyes with a smile, remarkably handsome as he did.