Nan’an City.
The sun shone brilliantly.
Bai Hehuai lay on a wooden chair sunbathing, eyes contentedly half-closed. Beside her, a lion cat lay lost in its purring world. She casually picked up a piece of Osmanthus cake from nearby. “Life is truly wonderful like this.”
Su Zhe sat cross-legged nearby, merely smiling at her words before returning his attention to the Buddhist scripture. Though he had always used a Buddhist staff as his weapon, Su Zhe had never been a Buddhist believer. However, after the battle at Fengxiao Temple, he seemed to suddenly develop an interest in Buddhist teachings and had been reading various scriptures since arriving in Nan’an City.
“It’s getting a bit boring though,” Bai Hehuai yawned.
“Now that Anhe’s major affairs are settled, shouldn’t you consider your major life events?” Su Zhe closed his scripture, showing interest.
Bai Hehuai opened her eyes and casually tossed an osmanthus cake at Su Zhe. “Dog Dad, you’re talking nonsense again.”
The cake didn’t reach Su Zhe—the white lion cat suddenly leaped up, caught it in its mouth, and landed at Su Zhe’s feet. Su Zhe reached down to scratch the cat’s head. “What an obedient little kitty.”
Bai Hehuai rolled her eyes. “I’m throwing it out tomorrow.”
“Su Muyu is excellent,” Su Changhe continued on his own. “Among all the people in Anhe, I find him most pleasing to look at.”
Bai Hehuai sighed lightly. “But I don’t like his type. Too cold and seems rather boring. Though most girls would probably like that kind of person—gentle and handsome—but…”
“But what?” Su Changhe took out a betel nut and popped it into his mouth.
“But I prefer more interesting people, like Su Changhe…” Bai Hehuai said dreamily.
“Ah, me!” Su Changhe choked, the whole betel nut sliding down his throat. He coughed for a long while, sweating profusely, before finally managing to spit out the betel nut. “That brat, you little girl, I…”
“He is the patriarch of Anhe after all, and such an interesting person. Every word he speaks has its flavor,” Bai Hehuai touched the area above her lips. “And that beautiful mustache—he’s quite a special man.”
“I can’t kill you because you’re my daughter,” Su Zhe glanced at the Buddhist staff beside him, its golden rings suddenly chiming. “But I’m no longer part of Anhe. I can kill that boy Su Changhe. Just wait here, I’ll be right back.”
“Hahaha, isn’t he the patriarch of Anhe? Su Muyu is just the head of the Su family. Why do you like Su Muyu so much, Dog Dad, but resist Su Changhe so strongly?” Bai Hehuai laughed heartily at Su Zhe’s agitation.
Su Zhe angrily replied, “That boy Su Changhe might be skilled in martial arts, but he’s full of schemes. If you married him, being bullied would be the least of your worries—you’d likely end up a widow for life!”
“Just joking, just joking, Dog Dad, don’t get excited.” Bai Hehuai quickly handed Su Changhe a piece of osmanthus cake. “I was just teasing you. How could I like him? I want to hit him every time I see him.”
“You girl,” Su Zhe realized, “you’ve diverted the conversation again.”
“Who do you want to hit?” A teasing voice came from outside.
Bai Hehuai froze. “No way.”
“Could it be me?” Someone landed on the ground—dressed in black, with a delicate mustache and an elegant silver half-mask. It was none other than the Anhe patriarch, Su Changhe.
Bai Hehuai and Su Zhe exchanged glances, both showing surprise in their eyes. Bai Hehuai pointed at Su Changhe angrily, “Why did you come!”
Su Zhe breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed Bai Hehuai had indeed been joking earlier—the disgust in her tone had reached its peak and couldn’t have been feigned.
Su Changhe remained completely unfazed, his characteristic smirk still on his face: “Who else were you hoping would come?”
Su Zhe tilted his head slightly. “There are other guests outside.”
As soon as he finished speaking, there came a “knock knock knock” at the door.
Bai Hehuai laughed, “See how others enter through the front door and knock? How proper. Please come in.”
The door opened to reveal a beautiful young woman in cyan robes stepping in. She looked around the medicine shop, her expression somewhat shy.
Bai Hehuai’s smile slowly stiffened. “Who… who might this lady be?”
“She is the woman Su Muyu cares most about in this world. She is Su Muyu’s childhood sweetheart, his ‘dear sister,'” Su Changhe announced. “She is Xiao Chaoyan, from Anhe’s sanctuary.”
Bai Hehuai ignored Su Changhe’s proclamation and carefully examined Xiao Chaoyan before smiling slightly. “So you’re the one Su Muyu has been thinking of in the sanctuary.”
Xiao Chaoyan nodded and curtsied. “This little sister Xiao Chaoyan greets Divine Physician Bai.”
“Little sister?” Bai Hehuai’s cheek twitched slightly. “So Miss Xiao is younger than me.”
“Getting sensitive, aren’t we!” Su Changhe waved his hand. “You really don’t know how to speak. Divine Physician Bai is only thirty, how could she be called elder sister? She should be called…”
“Dog Dad,” Bai Hehuai called out loudly.
“Yes!” Su Zhe struck his Buddhist staff heavily on the ground.
“Kill him!” Bai Hehuai pointed at Su Changhe.
“As you command!” Su Zhe raised his Buddhist staff and swung it at Su Changhe, who leaped away to avoid it.
“Since you’re here, what about Su Muyu?” Bai Hehuai asked.
Xiao Chaoyan immediately replied, “Oh, Brother Muyu seemed to have someone to meet. He didn’t travel with us but will be here shortly.”
“Meet someone?” Bai Hehuai frowned slightly.
In Nan’an City, at the Mohong Tower.
A person wearing a demon mask sat in a private room. To drink, he had pushed the mask upward, covering half his face but revealing his mouth, as he drank cup after cup.
Su Muyu sat down across from him. “You’ve been following me all the way.”
“I’m not that idle. My subordinates followed you,” the man put down his cup and lowered his mask. “Master Su.”
“Hall Master Ji.” Su Muyu’s fingers tapped lightly on the table. “What brings you to seek me out?”
This person was naturally Ji Ruofeng, the hall master of the Baixiao Hall. He had met Su Muyu once before in Tianqi City, but why had he appeared thousands of miles away in Nan’an City specifically to meet Su Muyu again?
Ji Ruofeng played with the wine cup in his hand. “I very much hope you know the answer to that. It would prove that my thousand-mile pursuit has meaning.”